A Dip in the Lake (and I Might Be the Dip)

Yesterday was another great run. I was worried on Friday night when the rain was coming down steadily that we would be in for a wet morning, but the skies opened up sometime through the night, and the sun was shining. (Good thing it was beaming in the window; my alarm did not sound and I may have slept late if it hadn't been sunny.)

We met at Bloedel Donovan Park, my old stomping grounds. (Side note: I did not know the docks in the swimming area had been taken out. I wonder when that happened?) We left Bloedel, went north toward Alabama Street and met the Railroad Trail. It runs by Scudder's Pond, into Whatcom Falls Park before turning north toward Alabama Street. It then continues west where it eventually passes over I-5 at Lincoln Street. Round trip is about 6.5 miles, so I ran that out-and-back twice, then ventured into Whatcom Falls park, staying on the northeast trail system for a few minutes before ending at Bloedel.

I ran (as close as I can figure) 15 miles! My total time was 158 minutes. I definitely was tired at the end, but not dragging. Coach Terry watched me as I ran the last stretch and she told me my form looked good.

After finishing the run I put on my flip-flops and went into Lake Whatcom. It was icy cold, which felt both horrible and great on my legs. Pictured with me (right) are my teammates Sherry (middle, who is walking the RNR half marathon) and Joyal (left, who is running the Mayor's Midnight Sun marathon in Anchorage later in June). We're meeting at Lake Padden again next Saturday, so we'll see how the temperature compares.

It was a good morning!

Blister Update

I think it prudent to report the good, bad and ugly of my training. You got the ugly with the picture of the blister on my toe. I asked Coach Terry if she had any favorite covers or pads for blisters, and she suggested one that she has used. Then she suggested I try to drain it, which I did yesterday afternoon.

Sounds gross, I know. It really wasn't as bad as I expected, though. After yesterday's run a regular blister formed in the middle of the "C" of the blood blister. I actually had to go through a layer of calloused skin to get to the blisters, but once I did they both drained a little. My toe looks a little worse for wear still, but it's at least a more normal color. And it isn't sore, which is even better!

Black Toe

I have heard about runners getting "black toe," but I didn't think it would happen so soon to me. This blister formed on my left second toe after I ran 13 miles a few weeks ago. I only felt it a little bit for a day or two afterwards, but after running last weekend, the blister was really sore. It seemed to be like a blister over a callous. It wasn't until this morning that it became this color. (Oddly enough, it doesn't hurt like it did on Sunday.)

Isn't it pretty?

Retreat Running

Last weekend I had the great opportunity to go to Holden Village, a place I have been waiting to visit for 15 years. It is a small community nestled in the heart of Wenatchee National Forest, about 10 miles west (and 2000 feet above) the village of Lucerne on Lake Chelan. Holden was originally a copper mining community, and the land is now cared for by the Lutheran Church, and used a retreat center. It is a quiet, restful place, like no other I know.

But retreating did not keep me from running. In fact it was an aspect of the retreat for me; I woke up early on both Saturday and Sunday mornings (before 7 a.m. both days, which isn't usual for me, especially lately) and I was able to run before breakfast. It was wonderful to take in the fresh, cold mountain air and be connected to nature as being alone among the trees can allow. I chose to run along the main road that leads into the village for a few reasons. First because I knew there was no chance of getting lost along the road (I was running alone, after all) and second because it was completely clear of snow. Many of the paths and trails around the village were still covered with several inches of compact snow, though in just the few days I was there, melting had made some noticable changes around the buildings.

I ran 110 minutes on Saturday morning, and I'm guessing around 10 miles. I could hear running water in the creek(s) near the road, and woodpeckers tapping in the nearby trees. Thankfully that is the closest I got to wildlife; Saturday afternoon there was a bear sighting further down the road! The bears are just coming out of hibernation, and I think this was the first sighting of the season at Holden. I'm glad I wasn't the one who sighted it!

I did short runs on Friday afternoon (we arrived in the village Friday morning) and on Sunday morning. I didn't have any motivation issues over the weekend as I do sometimes; perhaps because the retreat was a chance for reflection and decompressing, which is what running often provides for me. At any rate, it was a great weekend.

Half Marathon

I ran 13 miles! That's the equilvalent of a half-marathon!

Let me back up, though. For the first time, I missed Saturday morning's group run. Okay, I missed when I was out of town, but that was planned. This was not. I had what I call the "remnants" of a bad migraine (not a full migraine, but light, lingering pain) and the beginnings of a cold. I debated about going, but my feeling was that the running would turn "remnants" into a full-on migraine, so I decided it would be better not to run Saturday morning.

So to get a long run in this weekend, Erin and I set out Sunday afternoon. She just cleaned up her bike, so she road along (sometimes ahead of me) and I ran. We went to the Interurban, because it is a good, bike-friendly trail, and we figured it wouldn't be as busy as some places in town. Not to mention, the Interurban is the longest trail I know in town. It's becoming pretty familiar territory now, though we covered some new ground yesterday.

This week we were scheduled for 140 minutes. I was glad to have Erin with me! It was great not to feel alone on the trail, and she helped motivate me the last 20 minutes, when I was tired and feeling ready to stop. We parked at the Rotary Trailhead, which is the parking lot along Old Fairhaven Parkway just west of 22nd Street. We followed the trail all the way to the Clayton Beach parking lot, which is where the trail ends, turned around and followed it back, passing the parking lot and following the trail into Fairhaven. We went to the intersection of 10th and Harris before turning around and ending at the car. Including the few minutes of warm-up, we finished in 140 minutes, which is just under 11 minutes per mile average.

I've been ready to push beyond the 10 mile mark. Not that I think 10 miles isn't significant (it is!) but part of my motivation is hitting the next landmark, cutting my pace, or surpassing my old milestone. Setting a new personal distance record has been on my mind for a few weeks. And I did it!

Strength Phase: Week 4

I had intended to update about the hills training that is part of strength phase, and I realize that I have failed with that. It is now week four, and I have not written about hills since week one. So here will be four weeks in one post.

1. (Recap) I ran at Boulevard Park and used Taylor Dock as my hill. I ran up six consecutive times and felt good about that, except I felt like it wasn't enough of a challenge.

2. I changed my route to the trail I often run near home. It passes Birchwood Park and heads to Little Squalicum Beach then curves up toward B'ham Tech. There is a dandy hill leading up to Lindbergh Street, and that is where I did my hill training. This was quite a bit more challenging; I managed to run up five times, but it was a push that fifth time. It was a sluggish run in general, and the jog home after the hills was more of a push than usual. I know I got a pretty good workout in those 40 minutes, though.

3. I set out on the same course as last week, but I have to say, this was the worst run ever. I was tired, uncomfortable, sore; I couldn't get a "groove" going at all. I had to take a walk break after only 10 minutes (which I haven't had to do for many months). When I got to the hill, I tried to get mentally set, but I barely made it up the second time. I walked home. Without giving all of the details (no need for this to turn into a counselling session), I was in not in good mental health, and the best thing for me was not to push myself.

4. Yesterday was week four of hill training. I feel like a new person compared to last week, and I had a good run yesterday. I kept the same route, began with an easy-paced run and was prepared to tackle the hill. I ran up seven consecutive times, which I feel good about. I don't know how to describe the hill other than to say it takes me about 40 seconds to run up the whole length, and it is way more challenging than Taylor Dock. My total run was 40 minutes yesterday.

Next week begins Part II of Strength Phase: tempo training. This incorporates short sprints into the main run in order to work on increasing pace. Check back to see how that goes!

10 Miles of Mediocrity

I had a very tough running week last week. I'm not really sure why; perhaps I inadvertently trained too hard the week before, leaving my body tired and trying to recover while I continued to push. I didn't feel completely "good" last week, though I can't pinpoint specific symptoms of illness. Whatever the reasons, running was a struggle. I was tired, sore, and uncomfortable.

It occurs to me though, that it was week 3 of Strength Phase. When I first started training I did anticipate feeling tired and sore; I guess I thought it might happen sooner. Or perhaps since I felt so good for so many weeks, I forgot that it might not continue.

Anyway, Saturday's run was really nothing incredible. We met at Fairhaven Village Green and followed the Interurban Trail again (no 50K-ers this time). This time we ran through Arroyo Park, which was completely new territory for me (we followed the street for a few blocks last time). It basically is a densely wooded area of trails, one of which is the Interurban. It was a little confusing, actually because the "main trail" isn't any larger or better worn than the side trails. But there were a couple of formidable hills, which made for good training (insert huffing and puffing here).

I walked amid my running. My strategy for the marathon will be to walk at specific intervals (something like run 9 minutes, walk 1), so it is good practice to incorporate walking on the long training runs. Besides which, after the week I had, I was in no condition to push running the whole time. Walking relieves some of the muscles that are stressed during running. Consequently, my pace was slower than the last few weeks. I finished 10 miles in 115 minutes. In some ways it is disappointing to feel like I'm back in the same place I was a month ago, but at the same time, I'm glad I completed the 10 miles without injury. And I suspect in another month, I'll actually be in better shape and not feel like I was set back at all. (That's my hope, anyway).

This is all part of the ups and downs of training, I suspect. I'm hopeful for a better week ahead.

Confession of a Fraud

I have a confession: I really did not want to run today. It was sunny and beautiful outside, but it was also cold, and I knew that. I was at home freezing, snuggled under a blanket, telling myself that I should go for a run, but knowing that I really had no motivation to do so. But Erin, who was home today, told me to go. She knew, as I did, that I would feel better if I went. And it was true. Within a few minutes I started to warm up, and by the end of my 35 minutes, my whole body was warmer, and I did feel better. I'm really glad I went.

The point of this is that we all need moral support. I'm sure that some people are intrinsically motivated to exercise. I am not one of those people. I need to talk myself into going for my runs as often and not. Sometimes I even offer myself some sort of "reward" for going (such as a hot bath at the end, or a nibble of chocolate). Sometimes, as today, I need an extra push to get me moving. I'm glad I had it today because it can be hard to come by.

I have said a few times that I feel like a fraud; that I'm not really a runner, and I think the fact that I need so much deliberate, external movitation is why I feel that way. Thankfully, I have a lot of great supporters in my life, and their encouragement acts as a sort of motivation. So, thanks to all of you for cheering me on. It really does help!