This week I logged 16 miles! Today I went for my long run of 9 whole miles! I still can’t believe my endurance can carry me that far. Even with an injury this week, (more on that later and my first ROUNDS IN THE RING!) I managed to follow my running schedule and improve my times. On today’s run, I had personal bests across the board! Here’s what I learned about being a runner this week:
Mother Nature sucks – I only like to run outside. If I have to run on a treadmill for over an hour, I’ll kill somebody. This week, mother nature forgot to check my running schedule before sending us several inches of wet slushy snow. My usual running days are Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday and sometimes Saturday. On Thursday, I was planning a ‘quick’ hour at the gym and then 4 miles. BUT instead it snowed all day. I was unable to run so I just put extra time in at the gym. On Friday, it was still raining and snowing. I have started a Friday Fun Run club at work and we had to cancel our run. Around 4 or 5 it FINALLY cleared up so I could put in 3 miles before meeting friends. The weather really messed up my whole plan this week. But still better than running on a treadmill!
Temperature Matters – I’m still following the Jeff Galloway method and in his book he discusses temperature for running. I have to admit I thought this was total crap. I mean the difference between 40 degrees and 90 degrees would obviously change your running. But the difference in just 10? Give me a break. But I think there’s some truth behind it! I’ve been recording my runs in a journal and how they felt along with the temperatures. Galloway claims that when the temp is below 60 degrees, you can run nearly 30 seconds faster per mile. While I haven’t looked into my stats that closely, my times are definitely better when the weather is below 60.
Weird Runners – As much as I hardly see the other runners when I’m out, there are always a few that I can’t help but notice. Today was long sleeve weather but I still saw a guy running in what appeared to be a speedo and carrying the rest of his clothes. And I’m thinking, “Dude. I’m on mile 7 and still wearing all my clothes. Did you lose a bet or something?” There are people that breathe weird. People that run weird. (Pretty sure that you’re boobs shouldn’t be hitting you in the face, pretty sure) All you can hope for, is that you’re not one of them.
Stupid After – I become completely stupid after a long run. Twice now, I’ve met a friend for coffee at the end of my run. Both times, I can’t even order my coffee correctly. My brain has been in the zone for so long that it’s hard for it to crawl back out. It usually lasts about a half hour. Keep this in mind when scheduling things close to a run. I also find that I don’t have the concentration and reaction time to drive for a while afterwards. Maybe I’m the only one, but I’m completely stupid after a run. My body needs carbs and hydration pronto and then I usually feel much better!
Injury – Both the hubby and I suffered an injury this week. Dan has a broken foot from our run last week so he isn’t running at all right now. I’m encouraging him to go for walks to keep his foot moving but I’ve grounded him from running until it heels a little more. I also suffered a non-running injury this week. I have a chest injury that you can read all about later this week. I think it’s a cracked rib or torn something or tweaked ligament. Either way it hurts and has been affecting my breathing all week. The day it happened, I didn’t realize it’s degree of pain and ran anyway. This was not smart. I ran 4 miles and felt like total crap. My time sucked and my chest hurt worse. Each day, I continued to exercise per my trainer’s recommendation but adjusted exercises as much as possible. I would then decide if my body could handle the next day based on if it felt better. Each day I feel better and stronger even while working out. My point here – some injuries can be worked through, some can not. Listen to your body!