Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Progress, Small But Mighty

Scheduled: 3 Actual: 3 RPE: 4

I ran these 3 miles in about 40 minutes. They might always be my slowest; my body really resists the effort of running.

It was a little less humid this morning but not much. I woke up and told myself I was going to finish all the miles, so I did. Also, I made plans to call a friend back home so that motivated me to get out of bed in time to run and shower before the call. It really helps me to have things outside myself motivating me to do something. That's one of the reasons I wanted to do this marathon. I really need to learn how to make myself a priority! But it will be a process so I need to try and work with myself. Giving myself another reason to wake up on time really helps.

Lately, I have noticed that I don't feel tired or sore until after I've stopped running. In weeks past I felt every little ache and discomfort; I only stopped short of naming them. But after my 7-mile run last Friday I think my mind shifted a bit from the pain. It's there, I know it's there but I just keep running. It doesn't phase me anymore. I've accepted it as a fact of my training and now I just run with it, as if it's my running buddy. Small but mighty progress.

I sprained my ankle March of 2009 and I was worried how much of this training it could handle. Since February of this year I have had low back pain and knowing that running can be a strain on your back I worried how much training my back could take. But so far I actually feel much better on the days I run as opposed to the days I don't.

I haven't had any ankle pain at all. Sometimes during my runs my back aches a bit but after stretching it feels just fine. I don't run during the weekend and that's when I notice more back pain. I'm going to stick to this training schedule with days off but once I get back to running after the marathon I think I'll run as many days a week as I can since it seems to be helping.

To be honest, though it'll make me sound like a crazy person given what I thought last week, I am really looking forward to my Friday run.

Let's Running.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Just Keep Running, Running, Running

Scheduled: 5 Actual: 3 RPE: 5-6

Ok, so I didn't run as many miles as I wanted to, again. But I went out in terrible humidity and a temperature of about 85 (at six in the morning!) and I ran. Keeping up with my miles is vital, I know. But so is getting up each day and running. The weather has been quite an obstacle so far, but I haven't stopped running. I haven't missed one day, in over three weeks. This is the most faithful I have ever been to a voluntary workout routine in my life. So there's no reason for me to feel like a failure!

I am a runner :)

I'll try to go to bed earlier so that I can wake up earlier and get out while dawn is still in process. But most of all, I will just keep running.

Let's Running!

Monday, June 28, 2010

It's HOT

Scheduled:3 Actual:1 RPE: It's HOT

My train coming home last night was more than an hour late and so I was already gonna be tired for my run. Since England vs. Germany only had a half hour left I decided to get ready for bed while watching the game. I don't know what happened to England this World Cup. I can't believe they're out!

Even though I had my A/C on I woke up and could tell it was hot. Though I got out on time, the sun was painful and my motivation was less than zero. I called it a day at one mile. I'll start my runs earlier no matter how long I'm running from now on to catch the cool dawn breeze.

But also, I may just need to suck it up. It's summer in Japan and that means that it's HOT.

Let's Running, even in summer.

Friday, June 25, 2010

A Smile is My Mantra

Schedule: 7 Actual: 7 RPE: 4

Oh wow! I had a fantastic run today! For the first time in my training, I can picture myself running and completing a marathon.

I took my phone with me but didn't keep track of the minutes per mile; I was just focusing on running. I ran an average of 11-minute miles but I know my first two miles were about 15 minutes each. I walked a few minutes to start and end my first mile. I had leg cramps as usual and stretched them several times.

I was getting myself so worked up about this run since I'd never run this many miles before. So I decided to mentally separate the run into an 3-mile and 4-mile run. I stopped for a drink at 3 miles and then carried on, telling myself that I've run 4 miles plenty of times so it doesn't matter.

At about 4 miles I hit my stride, and maybe my endorphins hit me. I think long-distance running is a good match for me. I've always struggled with keeping a workout routine and I think I now know why: I need to be working out for over an hour before I get that endorphin surge that motivates your next workout. However most workout routines last only 30 minutes.

On my ride home Thursday I was thinking to myself about my time playing softball and how exhausted and sweaty and sore I would get doing that. For the first two weeks of training each season I took ibuprofen twice a day and I was 14 years old! That helped me feel better about the aches and pains I have and about the fact that I can keep going through the pain. I've done it before. And I got stronger because of the pain. So I'll do it again.

Today, my smile was my mantra! I went to bed telling myself, "This long run is a great way to finish up the week" and woke up saying the same thing to myself (frankly I doubt there is any other way for me to get myself out of bed at 5:00 in the morning...). And that's what I told myself throughout my run. I didn't focus on too much but I also didn't let my mind wander too much. I just kept telling myself that this a perfect way to spend a Friday morning before work.

My last three miles were amazing. I smiled the whole time. I felt light and fast and strong. My muscles were loose and my breathing was more regular. The Non-Runner's Trainer reminded me to keep running the schedule, not to run more out of impatience. At the beginning of the week I thought, "Yeah right. No problem here!" But now I understand the struggle. This long run was such a positive experience there is a temptation to run this much each day. But I won't.

I was really tired after lunch and wasn't able to concentrate much. From now on I'll bring fresh fruit and juice to school Fridays so that I can have an energy boost in the afternoon.

Let's Running!

Total this Week: 17 Cumulative Total: 28

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Oh Jeez!

Scheduled: 3 Actual: 3 RPE: 5-6

Walked two minutes to start and two minutes to end but otherwise ran the three miles. Wasn't my best mentally so I knew I couldn't slow down since my will wasn't there to pick me up again.

It was rainy on and off so I didn't bring my phone out with me. Probably a slow first mile again. Still feeling rusty. I averaged 14-minute miles though.

I love coming up with new mantras; I think it's the writer in me. Today's was, "I can, I will, I am." I used it almost the whole time except for a few moments when my mind wandered to unpleasant things. I'm coming to terms with leaving Japan, a place I've lived for two years, and my first real job. It's all a bit much to take in! I'm hoping that having running to focus on will help me expend some nervous energy but so far I've found plenty of time to be nervous despite my running schedule.

After my run I felt incredibly weak, light-headed. My back ached and chest felt tight. I think it was mostly anxiety related because it's cleared up throughout the day, but oh jeez it was difficult not to cry on my way to work!

I'm not sure if I'm eating too much or too little. I'm not sure if my appetite is related to my exercise or just all in my head. For breakfast I had aloe yogurt with granola, a bowl of cereal, and an English muffin with blueberry jam. Seems a bit much but I'm always hungry by lunch time. I think I better do some research.

I've got rest day tomorrow and then Friday morning I've got a 7-mile run to finish. I would be lying if I said I wasn't TERRIFIED.

But that's OK because I'll go out and run anyway.

Let's Running.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Reality Check

Scheduled: 4 Actual: 4 RPE: 4

The first mile is really a struggle for me. My body is still waking up and my mind is foggy. It probably doesn't help that half the time--or more!--I wake up to my alarm and mutter groggily to myself, "I really don't wanna do this." I'll keep working on that positive attitude. My body felt rusty; as I warmed up in that first mile I swear I heard myself creaking like the Tinman in Wizard of Oz. It was about a 17 minute mile.

Mile 2 and 3 were my best miles and I finished them in 12 minutes each. I walked about 3/4 of my last mile because of my leg cramps and finished in about 15 minutes. I think my mantra was off. Instead of just saying, "I am getting stronger" I said, "My calves are getting stronger." I think that was a mistake because it reminded me too much that my calves were cramping.

Now is time for a reality check. I have been really worried about how long my miles take. I know it's early in my training and maybe I'll get faster as I progress but I haven't had any improvement yet. I decided to calculate and see just how much trouble I was going to be in unless I didn't pick up the pace. Turns out, absolutely none! If I run an average of 12 minute miles over the course of 26.2 miles I will finish in about 5 hours, not 6 like I'm expecting. So I officially need to give myself a break and just enjoy my training.

Let's Running.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Day One of New Schedule=SUCCESS!

Scheduled: 3 miles Actual: 3 miles RPE: 5

First an update on my diet: I decided to cut out pop and french fries. I'd like to cut out all deep-fried foods but I know that if I set that rule I'd just want to break it because it seems too difficult. But by saying I won't eat fries I hope to make myself think twice before eating other deep-fried foods. I made breakfast for dinner Friday night but instead of hash browns I ate rice with my scrambled eggs and an English muffin with blueberry jam on the side. So far, so good.

It's still very humid and I started today's run pretty discouraged since I realized it'll be another three or four weeks before this humidity clears up a little. I ran and walked my first mile in 17 minutes. That's a new record for me...and not the good kind. My calf and shin muscles have been really cramped the last few runs and I think I've let that discourage me as well. I stretched half-way through my 17-minute mile but it didn't help too much. As I was getting to my house (the one-mile marker) I decided that instead of stopping like I normally do and having to will myself to start again I would just run through onto my second mile.

My legs were still cramped. My whole run I felt like I was on one of those tracks at airports that are like escalators just flat. Only that I was going the wrong way!

But I decided I was going to finish this run, run all the miles, and start week three off right. So I kept my eyes on the ground a few feet in front of me and repeated, "My legs are really sore but that's OK because that means I'm getting stronger." Eventually I shortened it to, "I'm getting stronger" and timed it with my breathing: IN IN-OUT OUT-IN IN. "I am/ get-ting/stron-ger."

And that's how I ran two solid miles without stopping. My leg cramps worked themselves out with about a half-mile to go but that's OK because I finished my run regardless.

Let's Running.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Not-Quite-Best Laid Plans

Scheduled: 6 miles Actual: 2 miles RPE: 7

I believe my poor show today speaks to several weak links in my running plan and I have used this extremely frustrating experience as an opportunity to re-vamp my routine.

1.) Having a day off before and after the run is important both mentally and physically and in the future I will not refuse to get up.

2.) I really need to start watching my diet. All week on my running days I have felt very exhausted and weak by the afternoon. Some of that has to do with adjusting to the heat, I know. But I also know that I haven't altered my diet to include the amount of carbs and veggies/fruits that my body so desperately needs now.

My additional struggle is school lunch. We all eat the same thing and there is a policy of not wasting anything so no matter how many teachers we have on any given day in the staffroom, whether 10 or 25, we eat all the food. Insane? Yes. About a year into the crazy world of Japanese school lunch I started having trouble finishing lunch. I stopped having lunch with the students because they aren't allowed to throw out anything and I didn't want to be a bad example.

But still I could only finish half my lunch. I started eating only the soup, salad, and meat of the day and skipping the rice (I'd wrap the rice in plastic and take it home, that way it didn't look like I was wasting anything). But I realize I need to alter this plan, and risk being scolded for throwing out some of my soup since I need the carbs from the rice/noodles/bread of the day.

3.) I need to change my running schedule. The program outlined in Non-Runner's Trainer suggests we complete the long run Saturday mornings. This is a good idea for so many reasons and has worked well for most if not everyone who has followed this program. However, for my life now it is not a good plan. I only get to see Stephen on the weekends since he lives about three hours away. Taking time out of my already limited time with him kills my motivation and attitude when I run on weekends. Also, I end up running late in the morning, around 9:00 or 10:00, and by then the sun is scorching and the humidity is stifling.

Thus I unveil my new plan: eat all of the carb at lunch, carb and veggie heavy dinners, and running Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday with the long run Friday.

This way, I will avoid skipping or shortening runs and will also skip the frustration and disappointment of not finishing them. Two birds!

Total Miles This Week: 11

Let's Running.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Getting Out of Bed is the Hardest Step

Scheduled: 3 miles Actual: 3 miles! RPE: 5

I skipped my planned Thursday morning run because I refused to get out of bed. It's been a pretty mild week as far as weather and classes go so I figured I'd have energy to run after work. Boy was that a bad plan! It ended up being very hot Thursday and I was exhausted by the time I got home. There is no air-conditioning at work and sweating profusely for 8 hours a day really takes it out of me. So, instead of running I took a nap.

That threw my schedule out of whack because for my long run I'm supposed to have a day off before and after for recovery. But I decided skipping a run wasn't a good idea and went ahead with a morning run today. For some reason I had a ton of really stressful dreams and so when my alarm went off I was more than ready to get out of bed.

It was sprinkling a little so I didn't take my cell phone on this run like I usually do. I only know that I averaged about 15 minutes per mile. It was really humid like it was Tuesday and so I slowed down my already slow pace (at this stage I could probably hop these miles on one foot as fast as I'm running them).

I didn't use any mantras. I was happy to be out there running so I didn't need to focus my mind like usual. I thought about the marathon and my training routes when I get back home. I am concerned about the lack of hills in my current route and want to make sure that at least my routes back home will have hills if I can't--ironically--find them in my town in Japan. My thoughts wandered a bit but I tried to at least focus on aspects of running.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

It's Another Day :)

As I expected, today was markedly better than yesterday!

I ran the scheduled 4 miles and my RPE was 4 again. My first mile was the toughest as my body was adjusting to running but my second mile was fantastic and felt like it was over in the blink of an eye (actually it was over in 12 minutes...). I got a late start again so I really pushed myself on my fourth mile in order to get home and ready for work. My average time was a little less than 13 minutes per mile with a couple minutes of walking in each.

My mind wandered a lot. I imagine conversations with people about my running, especially people I know who are runners. I definitely get a lot of motivation from other people and even the thought of a conversation really encouraged my running.

I have a new adaptation to the mantra "but it doesn't matter." After my awful run Tuesday and my bike ride to school in the rain, I sent a message to Stephen saying I was feeling anxious. He sent a message back listing all things that were probably making me anxious, adding "but that OK because" and ending with something that made it seem fine. For example, he wrote: "You're probably anxious because you didn't run as much as you wanted but that's OK because your training is going great." For this run I adopted that mantra. It gels with my disposition that's always looking to make lemonade out of lemons.

I'm really tired but that's OK because that means my body is getting stronger. It's getting really hot and humid but that's OK because I get to take cool, refreshing showers after my runs.

So, I guess, Let's Running.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

You Win Some...

...you lose some. Badly.

Today's run was dreadful. I was exhausted from a fitful sleep and my muscles are still a bit sore from Sunday's long run. It's the rainy season now which means intense humidity followed by deluges. Hence the fitful sleep. Nights have been cool up until now but last night it felt as if the temperature was rising, instead of falling, throughout the night.

It was 74 degrees F. It felt like at least 85.I woke up late but thought I'd still have time to run the three miles.Not exactly. I was able to do two miles. Despite the short distance my RPE for today was 6.

I probably could have crawled the miles faster than I was running them. I tried to repeat "I'm doing this for me" and "It's terribly hot but it doesn't matter" ("but it doesn't matter" is a sentence pattern The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer recommended we adopt for any negative thoughts that float into our mind). This brought me some relief but not much.

I walked about 3 minutes each mile. I completed the first mile in 16 minutes and the second one in 15 minutes. Non-Runner's Marathon suggests not to time your runs since the whole goal of this program is finishing, regardless of time. But since I run in the mornings I need an idea of how long I take so I can allot enough time (something I failed to do today). Also I'm planning a trip to England in August to visit Stephen and his family and want to keep up my training during the trip. However, I'm not going to bother mapping out runs in all the different places I'll be traveling so I want to be able to approximate by time spent running.

Tomorrow is a new day. Today's struggles don't matter. I'll go out and run.

Let's Running!

Monday, June 14, 2010

We Went Running Update

I believe a brief update is in order.

When Jordan and I first planned to run a marathon we both worked 9-5 jobs more or less. We had time on our hands. We wanted something to test our limits. For me that hasn't changed. I'm doing the same thing I've been doing for the last year and then some. Jordan, however, is going places!

After several months as an intern for Roxanne Conlin she was offered a full-time job! She works to raise money for this amazing Senate hopeful and I am so proud of her. However, she's gone from 9-5 to about 6-midnight (on a good day). A campaign is demanding and Jordan is impressively meeting these demands. Conlin won the primary and is now facing career politician and incumbent by the name of Grassley. Jordan, like the rest of team Conlin, is giving it her all. She is certainly testing her limits!

So this time around it's just me marathon-ing. I considered switching to a different blog since the "we" seems out of place in light of the recent changes. But the more I thought about what it takes to run a marathon--confidence, support, dedication, focus--the more I realized how much of my ability to run this marathon is based on my friendship with Jordan. She is one amazing Homer. My college roommate for four years and best buddy for life, she's helped me keep going when I knew for sure I couldn't.

I wouldn't be here without Jordan and so in a very true sense, we still went running. Join us.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Week One=FINISHED!

Whoa. I just completed my first week of marathon training. That's four more days of running than I thought I was capable of!

After a lovely day in Osaka/Kobe me and my lovely boyfriend, Stephen, got back to Oku and immediately fell asleep at 10:30pm. We got up at 3:00am to watch the England vs. USA World Cup match. Due to a heart-breaking (for England fans!) error by the goalie Green it was 1-1.

USA! USA! USA!

After the game at 5:30am I went shopping at the 24-hour supermarket near my home. My intention was to then run so that I didn't have run in the summer heat. But it was lightly raining and cool so I went back to bed for another three hours. I woke up to rain. Real rain, not light rain.

Damn, I thought.

And then I went running. After thinking about my previous three runs and reading accounts of other first time marathoners in The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer I decided I had been going too easy on myself. On Friday I decided I would run all 5 miles without walking.

Mile 1: running 12 minutes. Mile 2: running 14 minutes. Mile 3: running 12 minutes. Mile 4: running 13 minutes. Mile 5: running 12 minutes.

When I'm strongest and most focused I run a mile in about 12 minutes. Hmm.

My first mile I let my mind wander; it seems that the novelty of running a first mile is enough to propel me with minimal effort. The second mile I was focusing on the pain in my ankles and knees and hips and this negativity really shows in my performance! By the third mile I realized I needed a mantra or I wasn't gonna make it. Focusing on how hard running is wasn't cutting it, believe it or not.

"Claire's doing this for her. You're doing this for you. I'm doing this for me."

And that's how I passed three miles. Sometimes I just used it to focus my breathing and strides. Other times I thought about different times other people or I would say each sentence. I felt strong.

I took a water break every two miles and a couple breaks per mile to stretch.

My RPE was 4 again. All the additional effort today was mental effort, just to keep going. It amazes me how tough my body is but how weak my will is. I always assumed it'd be the other way around. I thought my mind was pretty tough!

This week I ran 15 miles total. Whoa.

Let's Running.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

3 Sleepy Miles in a Sleepy Town

It's Thursday. I am always exhausted by Thursday. I work at a junior high school. No explanation needed, probably. But not only is this Thursday, it's a Thursday in a week that has had me up about an hour earlier than usual.

My alarm buzzed. I wanted to kill it. I am unfriendly at 6:00AM. Probably just as well it's only me and Godzilla the spider who's taken up residence in my shower.

Miraculously, I was out of the house at 6:20AM to start my 3 miles. And my miraculously of course I mean that I chatted with myself, "Just get up, Claire. Just tie your shoes, Claire. Just fill up the water bottle, Claire." Sometimes "just" is a limiting, unimaginative word. In this case, I want limits, though. I want to convince myself that difficult things are really just little things.

Little things like my town. Oh Oku! In bed by 9:00 and up no earlier than 7:00. Even the traffic lights believe in this routine. Yesterday when I was out past the magic morning time I had to wait at crossings because the lights turn on at 7:00AM. Curious to know when they go off.

Today my body wasn't weak but my mind was so so sleepy. I think it's clear this training is going to be about my mind's endurance as much as my muscles'. Despite the sleepy mind I was able to run all three miles in the same time: 13 minutes running and 4 walking. I didn't think I was that slow but I just checked my notes and, yes I am in fact that slow. For now.

Today was the first time I didn't stretch between miles. I just briefly stopped for sips of water. I completed my last mile saying, "Run because you have to."

After running I love stretching. It's so relieving. I'm addicted. Right now I stretch for about 5 minutes after my run but I imagine as my runs get longer I'll stretch for longer too. I'm looking forward to that!

Let's Running.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

My First 4-Mile Run :)

I woke up later than I wanted to and stared my run at 6:12AM.

I focused on consistency because my run yesterday was so undisciplined. Mile one and two I ran 10 and walked 3 minutes. Mile three I slowed down quite a bit. I was focusing on the fact that I had to run yet another mile and it was getting late so I knew I'd have to rush to make it to work on time. It's amazing because I'd think something like running, something we do as children without thinking, something we've been doing for as long as we've been we, wouldn't take much concentration. But it does!

After a sloppy mile of 8 minutes walking and 7 running I realized I needed to pick it up on my last mile to get back to my house in time to stretch, shower, and eat breakfast. I considered shortening it or skipping it altogether but then I remembered one of my simple mantras, "Run because you have to." I ran 9 and walked 2 minutes. By then the sun had peeked out from the clouds and I was panting and sweaty. A vision into my last weeks in Japan!

Mentally, today was bit more tough since I had to convince myself to keep running that last mile. But physically it was more or less as difficult as yesterday so my RPE was 4 today as well. My last mile felt very smooth, a great pace and stride. Probably because I knew it was my last :)

My legs were sore and weak directly after but throughout the day I didn't notice any pain. My toes on my right foot have been tender all day. Like blisters just without the blisters. I should watch out. That would be so uncomfortable!

Mostly my mind wandered today to thoughts of my fast-approaching homecoming which passed the time. I want to try to be present in my training, to focus. There's a balance though, I think.

Let's Running.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Week One Day One

I mapped a one mile course from my house that I'd run three times, stopping for water after each mile. I have a tendency to not sweat properly and so get over-heated easily. It's still cool in the early morning but I didn't want to take any chances. I used the super helpful site MapMyRun to make the course.

I completed the 3 miles in 40 minutes. I stared out at 6:15am. The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer asks us to log our "Ratings of Perceived Exertion" or "RPE." Basically to note how difficult the run felt. I logged this one as a 4 (somewhat hard effort) on a 10 point scale.

My first mile I completed in 11 minutes without walking. My second mile I completed in 13 minutes with 6 minutes of walking. The last mile I completed in 16 minutes with 11 minutes of walking. Every mile I stopped at my house for water and to stretch out my legs. My calf and shin muscles were extremely tight.

I think I'll walk some of the first mile tomorrow so that I can maintain more balanced miles. Overall, it wasn't as terrible as I feared. I didn't hurt myself and I completed it. With lots of sweating and walking, but I completed it. And that's what I'm here to do. To run until it's time to stop. Motivation is easier when I know I HAVE to run to this much if I want to do the marathon.

I always like stretching afterward. Lately my low back has been aching and the stretches really help. My legs were weak directly after the run but throughout the day I had no aches.

I didn't need to focus too much in order to finish but I did have a couple things running through my head during the run: "You have to run" and "Just run until it's time to stop" and "This is a great mile! Next mile will be a great mile!"

Lastly, I'm reading Haruki Murakami's memoir What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. He's an author I really like and his perspective on running and writing is interesting. He's about two decades into his running career so a little out of my league just yet but helpful nonetheless. I've found that although running is a solitary thing I really get motivation from other people's experiences and words. I think I'll keep looking out for running memoirs.

Let's Running.

Monday, June 7, 2010

It's on Folks!

Following a not so brief hiatus, I am happy to announce that, it's on folks! We're running again.

Brief update (Claire): I more or less ran twice a week until the winter. I don't have central heating in my house and that makes for a cold morning. Also, my junior high school, like most across Japan, doesn't have central heating and uses kerosene space heaters sparingly. Running before or after school was a terribly unattractive option and since the marathon was months and months away my motivation took a nose dive. Also, I have a job interview and a friend's wedding in October so the Chicago Marathon is out.

Quad Cities Marathon? IN! September 26th we'll finish our first marathon.

Tomorrow I will start the official marathon training. My pre-training has been consistent but sparse. Instead of four times a week I've been running about twice a week for the past three weeks. I am very intimidated by the 3 miles I need to run tomorrow morning.

I've been having two thoughts run through my head, "Just run until it's time to stop" and "You always have more strength." The first I got from the book we're following The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer. The second I wrote in my journal during my trip to the Philippines with Habitat for Humanity. We mixed concrete was manually. Pour in mix, pour in water, add dirt, grab shovel, and stir. After a day in the terrifically hot sun doing this I knew I'd avoid this station the next day. Next day came and I was somehow at the concrete mixing station again. So I did it. And that night I marveled at how when you need to do something, there's always more strength left in you.

Let's running!