Morning Runs...?

Full disclosure: Since my last post I have gone on (again!) only two walk/runs.

Better news: one walk/run was in the morning!

School is now back in full swing so instead of getting home around 4:30pm I get home around 5:30 or 6:00pm. Japan doesn't do the whole daylight savings shenanigan so these days it gets dark around 6:45pm. I have found that by the time I run errands after school and finally get into my running clothes...well, I've got about a 15 minute window of daylight left.

Which wouldn't be so bad.

Full disclosure 2: I am actually a little afraid of the dark. Plus I have no established routes; I just run down streets until I have to find my way back again. Doing that in the dark would probably be much less exciting and much more terrifying.

So on my last after school run I came upon an interesting thought. I was trying to decide if I should push myself a bit more than I am. I sprained my ankle in March which is making me additionally cautious. But I then thought about my life as an athlete and all I used to do so maybe I'm just being lazy...?

Then it came to me: I was an athlete up until my junior year of high school. I was probably strongest my freshmen year. That was almost ten years ago.

I think our bodies keep much better track of the passage of time than our minds do.

Nothing to be discouraged about. I used to be 14 years old and incredibly fit. Now I'm 23 years old, mildly unfit and a bit over-weight. That's reality. I still feel like a running god for not giving up on this whole thing. But keeping reality in mind instead of some self-concept almost a decade old will certainly help keep me from injury and definitely from making unrealistic goals/expectations.

I love mornings but find getting up early to be next to impossible. I knew I had to switch my walk/runs to mornings, however, because it's only going to get darker the closer we get to winter.

I got up in time for only a 15 minute walk/run so I decided to give myself a minute walk before and after but then run the rest of the time. I'm usually making it about a mile but this morning I didn't even make it a half mile. Right now in my training it's just about time spent running and not mileage but I like to keep these things in mind for when miles begin to matter this spring when we start our hardcore marathon training.

It was raining. But I wore a hat. Almost refreshing except for the squish in my shoes.

Best things about running in mornings: after school I don't have to do anything!

Keep on keeping on,
Claire

Restarting the Sedentary Ball

At the writing of the previous post by my esteemed running colleague and BUFF (best ultimate friend forever, please verbally cite us if you plan on plucking this diamond of a catch-phrase out of the rough) all I had was the best of intentions. Intentions to continue my running schedule while on my trip back home. The allure of Chi-Town and the long-missed company of my family and friends was too much, I'm afraid.

My will power is only so strong.

I had been doing a 5 minute walk/run routine for thirty minutes three days a week. During my trip home I managed two in two weeks.

But when we began this we decided that this needed to be only a positive experience. Difficult, yes. But one in which abject self-loathing plays a key role, no. So I decided to just enjoy my trip home and get the ball restarted upon coming back to Japan.

Easier said than done.

Since returning two weeks ago I have only gone on two run/walks. Whoops.

Here's what I've got so far...

1. Thinking about a marathon while huffing and puffing my way through the first 5 minutes of my run/walk may not be the best way to motivate my out-of-shape-but-still-trucking self to keep at it.
2. I have never encountered so much goodwill from the strangers that are my neighbors as I have while running.
3. Running through the little paths in between rice fields seems like a good idea pre-mouth-full-of-bugs. Never again.

Keep on keeping on.
Claire

Getting the Ball Rolling

The following blog is brought to you by two best friends, separated by an ocean and a 14-hour plane ride -- both of whom are working towards the same goal.  Separately and also together.  Clearly, I am one of the friends and I can say that this whole marathon thing was my (possibly hair-brained) idea.  The blog part was her idea.  So, together we bring to you our currently-unnamed blog.  Here, we’ll chronicle our trials, tribulations and everything in between as we run towards the Chicago Marathon in 2010 -- she from Okayama, Japan and me from Ames, Iowa.

To be quite honest, this is the last thing I ever thought that I’d do.  Sure, I’m all up for trying new and scary things, but running a marathon was never on my life-long to-do list.  I’ve always been rather jealous of runners -- for many reasons, the top being that they were actually able to do something that I was certain that I absolutely couldn’t.  But, alas, change has come.  I’m committed, and with the help of my trusty friend and co-blogger Claire, the advise of a former professor/badass marathoner and The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer by David Whitsett, Forrest Dolgener and Tanjala Kole -- I’m gonna do this thing.

Seeing as how I’m starting this thing with negative athletic ability (the last remotely athletic thing I did was tumbling at age 5), I’m beginning with Whitsett, et all’s Prelimary Training Program.  Here’s the game plan for this week:

Moderate walking pace (17-20 minute/mile).  3 days a week.  30 minutes.

Today is Wednesday, I’m getting a bit of a late start (which can be chalked up to a combination of getting a new season of The West Wing on DVD, a glorious no-pants Tuesday, and a visit from Claire), but the following are my observations from tonight’s training:

1. Inside the sports bra is an excellent storage place for the ipod.
2. It’s really difficult not to steal my neighbor’s dogs while passing their yards.
3. Vampire Weekend’s self-titled CD provides an excellent soundtrack to this kind of thing.
4. I need to work up the courage to jog past other people on the street.
5. Any suggestions on avoiding wedgies during this whole experience?

Welp, that’s all I’ve got for now.  We’ll keep you updated as we do this thing!

Jordan