Not Unexpected..

My first venture into the dreaded 'yellow zone' today with miCoach from Adidas.  Well, I should say, first ATTEMPTED venture into the yellow zone. I never quite made it. After running 15 minutes trying to keep pace with what that UK woman was repeating to me over and over, I was SHOT! Let me tell you something, it's hard work trying to keep a certain pace over x amount of time! I felt as if I was participating in a race!  Basically, what this is all telling me is that I really need to calm the f*$% down. Sure, I need to train, but stop taking it all so seriously. It's not as if I'm earning a paycheck from it. 
Sheesh.

Anyway, my next run is the Seaford Hot Chocolate 5k on Saturday.

Over and out. Really.

Stick-to-it-ness.

I was able to convince myself to step out the door at 7:00 am this morning, before the threat of rain/snow started. It was 41 degrees, and I think I'm getting the hang of this dressing-for-the-cold thing. I was comfortable. I had a sinus headache, so I cheated a little, and took an Advil Cold and Sinus about 30 minutes before I ran. I can swear that stuff is like high octane to me. So, with drugs in my system, including a cup of coffee, and my headache waning - out I went. I was doing my 24 minute miCoach run. 5 minutes in zone 'blue' , 14 minutes in zone 'green', followed by 5 minutes of zone 'blue' again.
 Here is a description:

These were determined by the assessment run I took the day after I ran the OB Turkey Trot, and also after imbibing on alcohol and sugar instead of real, live food. The blue is my 'easy' effort, where I build my aerobic base and recovery,  green is 'medium' which extends my endurance and where I burn the most calories, yellow 'hard' for cardiac strength, and red 'maximum' for power and speed, or, 'arrhythmia leading to cardiac death', as far as I'm concerned. 

Whereas the 40 minute run I did on Sunday totally did me in, to the point where I couldn't finish and only achieved 44% effort- I rallied today and achieved an 82% - I managed to really stay in the green zone for a longer period of time, with less straying back into the blue zone. I also did not walk today. Love that pseudoephedrine.

Training this way is supposed to build my recognition and subjective feel of my pace, and condition me to stay steady on that pace at any given time. I'm supposed to be able to have more control - (less apt to starting out too fast) and to anticipate managing my comfort level better. I sure hope it pans out.

I don't know how to link to my account publicly, so here is the graph for today.

You can see that I tend to periodically drift into zones I shouldn't be in. I'm hoping using this program will change that. The verbal coaching is exactly what I've been looking for. That dip at 2 minutes I think was the GPS dropping out, because I did not stop once. I also slowed down a few times to cross the street and turn, so those could be some of the dips in the green zone. (edit - yes, those were the points where I slowed to cross the street and head the opposite way, 3 times.)
I'm wondering if I should ask for the proprietary heart monitor and cadence pod from Santa, but I really should be saving for a treadmill.

My next 5k is coming up this Saturday already, so my last run until then will be Thursday, which will be 30 minutes. This run takes me into the 'yellow' zone for 5 minutes. Good lord.

Today's Run

TPP

Try something new.

Because of the holiday, I admit it, I've been eating rather poorly. Too much carbs, too many sweets, to much alcohol, and too much sitting on my ass.  Friday I downloaded a mobile app call miCoach from Adidas. It uses the GPS in your phone to coach you based on your pace. If you pay for their proprietary heartrate monitor and cadence foot pod, you can get coaching based on those values.  Adidas says that is a more reliable method, but I'd rather wait and see how the 'free' coaching works.
I told the app I wanted to train for a half marathon. It sent me out on a 12 minute run, to calculate what my upper and lower pace limits are for 4 zones. This program trains me to subjectively cue myself into how fast I'm running and how I'm feeling during the run. The 12 minute assessment run started me out running at a level '4' from 1-10. Then, it progressed me from 5-9  over the remaining time. It was not easy. I ended up not being able to finish,  because I was running my 9 out of 10 pace like a 10. Or an 11. I was exhausted.  The program told me that my high end red zone pace (the highest zone) was a 6:30! WTF?  I can't ever imagine running that fast for any length of time. But, I'm trusting that experienced people have written this app and know what they are doing. I told the program I would run 4 times a week.

I missed the first 20 minute  run on Saturday, as my parents and daughter left, and I spent the day cleaning and doing laundry. Oh, and eating leftovers. That includes pie.

Today, Sunday, I was ready to try the 40 minute run. It had me run in my blue zone for 5 minutes,  my green zone for 30 minutes, and my blue zone again for 5 minutes. I did not finish this workout either. I dressed warm enough for 40 degree temperature with a brisk northeast wind - but I fatigued too easily. During my first blue zone trial, it told me I was going too fast, into the green zone. During the green zone, I had to be reminded to speed up, several times. I had to stop and walk at least 4 times. The coach told me I had slowed, and needed to pick up my pace. It was very helpful, and I was starting to get the feeling at least for the 'zones'. Ultimately,  I had to stop at 23 minutes. I barely made it halfway through. I'm chalking it up to eating very poorly all week. That's what I'm hoping, anyway.
I ran 44% of my training run, 2.54 miles.  It tells me I will get better over time. I'm keeping an open mind.
My next run is a 20 minute run again in blue and green zones, on Tuesday. But I hear we will be getting our first significant snow fall on Tuesday. I wish I had the money to buy that treadmill.

TPP

Oyster Bay Turkey Trot

I took part in the first Oyster Bay Turkey Trot, sponsored by Citius Athletics on Thanksgiving morning.  I had become a member of The Greater Long Island Runners Club sometime after Hurricane Sandy. The storm forced cancellations of the Bayville Turkey Trot, and the Long Beach 10k. Looking for another race to keep my motivation up in the ensuing colder weather,  I ended up finally perusing GLIRC's website and found the OB Turkey Trot as a replacement. My friend Trish also signed up, even though her last race was in June - and she really had not been running much since then. But she is a true athlete, and also a certified athletic trainer.

 The race seemed well organized, parking was limited for the amount of people there, the start was crazy slow, the course was fast and scenic. The first thing Trish noticed, as did I, was that there were a lot of younger people there. I'm 52, Trish is 31, but it looked like the majority of runners there were in their teens and 20's.  I thought I'd have a better chance of placing in my age group, if that was the case! I have not been running very long, it's my first year, and this would be my fifth race. I'm assuming that a race called a 'turkey trot' would be a family oriented fun run, and that the presence of young children and teenagers would be greater than any other type of race.  I also expected to see people running in turkey outfits, but that was not the case here.  Indeed, with regard to turkeys, I saw nary.

According to the Start2FinishCorp's website, there were 510 applicants, 491 actually ran. The starting line was nestled on a narrow, tree and house lined undulating side road that was about a few thousand yards back from the main entrance to the OB High School. The parking lot was on the left, the school was on the right. I expected the road to lead to another parking lot and field behind the school. I was surprised to see it turn into a residential area. There were no corrals, but Trish, knowing how she ran, knew she needed to be at the front of the pack. I meandered through the throngs of people, trying to figure out where I belonged. When the gun finally went off, we were sardine-like, and I ended up within various groups of runners - children bounding around without structure, women deep in conversation, others walking, and I found no way to get out from within.  This, however, afforded me the time to start my devices pretty much together, and I was FORCED to start out slow. I mean, it was SLOW.

After what seemed like the first quarter mile, I was out on the main road, which became fast because of a -2% grade. Unfortunately, there were still a lot of young kids even that far ahead, some criscrossing, and some just stopping and/or slowing randomly. I realized that I still have so much more to learn about the whole sport. What are my goals and expectations for each race I run? What will the climate of each race be, and does it support my plan?

I appreciated the clocks at mile 1 and 2. I can remember seeing only one water station. I dressed warmly, without gloves, but I wore a heavy, ear warmer head band. I had forgotten to leave my jacket in the car, and opted to take a chance and left it thrust through a chain link fence at the starting line. Hopefully, it would be there on my return. By the time I passed the water station, my hands, the coldest part of my body, were warm. Only at the beginning of mile 3 did I start to sweat a bit, but not uncomfortably so that it distracted me.

I was cardiovascularly challenged, and that was before the end of mile one. I was concerned.  I was forced to start out very slowly. Why was I already exhausted? My legs felt fine, but my shoulders were tight. I had to force my arms at my sides to release the tension. I felt as if people (including the kids, - but don't get me wrong, kids are people too) were passing me left and right. As I came up on the first clock, I realized why. I had just run my fastest mile. I saw the clock read 8:30 when I was close enough to see it. It was 8:40 by the time I had passed it. I must have subconsciously picked up the pace trying to make up for lost time on the start. Indeed, my magellan clocked my 2nd quarter mile a whole minute faster than the first quarter, and then 30 seconds faster a quarter mile later.  I did start out too fast again the first mile. 

I would suffer for that the entire rest of the race. My legs were willing, but I needed to utilize mind games the rest of the way, having to talk myself out of walking on several occasions. I watched people stopping left and right, some walking to the right to get out of the way, and children stopping dead in their tracks, one directly in front of me. I ran into him, felt badly, but did not stop. I instinctively put my hand on his shoulder as I ran into him, and I realized he was still on his feet. I didn't need to look back. 
I tried my best to slow my pace instead of walking. I did not feel successful. My chest was burning, my heart pounding - I was very uncomfortable. Some of the tight turns in the park diverted my attention for a small while. I was trying to take the straightest path through the turns, trying to shave some precious seconds off my time.
By the time I made the turn back onto the road that lead to the finish, I was flummoxed. How could I feel so shitty? I told myself it was okay to slow down to a crawl so I would not expire on the course! How embarrassing would that be to drop dead right before the finish line, and on Thanksgiving morning? But Trish had finished before me, and was waiting on the sidelines telling me to get my ass in gear, and I sprinted, as well as any 52 year old, cardiovascularly challenged person could, through the finish gate. That saved me an additional 5 seconds. Thank you, Trish. 

My coat was still there, I walked/jogged straight on to the starting line to retrieve it. Trish and her husband were back at the finish line, and she had water and a banana for me. We chatted a bit, and she headed home.  I stayed, needing to see if I placed. Out of 13 in my group I placed 2nd, out of 491, #155 overall. I was tired, dazed, yet very happy. I wanted to hang around for the awards ceremony, but I had my parents back at my house preparing for the big meal, and I felt compelled to get home.

Official time: 26:31  pace 8:33 A new PR!

Magellan Data
MMR Data

Finish Line Video

Wise words..

Here is a quote from one of the runner blogs I follow,Shut Up + Run :

On being grateful, everyday..

"Stop comparing yourself to others. This is the single most important thing to do if you want to feel better about your life. This is your day, your journey, your race, your family, your relationship, your job. Make it a point to be the best person you can be, and refuse to feel less than because someone else is stronger, richer, prettier, faster, smarter or more intelligent. If you feel envy, use it to your advantage. Being jealous of someone tells us what we might want more of in our lives. Figure it out, and go get it."

Happy Thanksgiving!

No Control.

Two days before the Oyster Bay Turkey Trot, my plan was to run two miles. The first mile slow, second mile fast. Yeah.. right.

 I set my Magellan to 1/4 mile recording, just to see how much my pace varies each mile. It was interesting to see that I started out at a 9:45 - but then I came up upon another woman running, and I tried not to watch her, because I didn't want to match my pace with hers. It ended up that she switched to the other side of the road, and I started to speed up to pass her, so I wouldn't be running along side of her and to avoid seeing her in my peripheral vision. Well, by the second half of the first mile my cadence picked up and I was running much faster than I wanted to. At the end of the first mile I had to walk, an indication to me I went too fast. I was running negative splits..which is good, -  but I'd like to know that I'm doing it at the time. I just have a terrible subjective feel of the whole thing.  I lost my discipline, my train of thought, while chastising myself for not sticking to the plan again.

Maybe I need a coach? Or better utilization of my watch? 

Here's the Magellan data, since it has more info than MMR.

I'm going to try visualization of the run for Thursday, picturing myself running negative splits again, coming in at or under 16 min at mile 2, and pulling it out at the end.

Today's Shitty Run.

Acceptance.

I had a lousy night's sleep last night, and I had to be at work at 7:30 am this morning. Thank goodness for Erin, the young woman who is trained as an art therapist, but makes one hell of a PT aide. She keeps the place humming while I do my thing.

So, I got home around 12:20 after picking up a 20# turkey at a local Stop&Shop. I had a bite to eat, and noticed at about 2:00 that it probably wasn't going to get any warmer than 54 degrees. I put my long c9 pants and compressions on, and just my neon pink long sleeve tech shirt with my gator, and a headband. One day I'll remember to take a picture so I don't have to type out what I wore.

I got stuck in the driveway with my magellan trying to find my foot pod and a satellite signal. My phone with MapMyRun had a signal immediately, but something was not right with the watch. I started jogging in place trying to warm up, and trying to stay in the sun - because I found I was cooling off very quickly. I finally decided to turn the watch off and on again, and that seemed to do the trick. Off I went on my usual route.

About mile 2, I realized I was not recording my heart rate, and I had no info about my cadence. It must be time to replace the batteries already.

The run was pretty much unremarkable. I was practicing turning off the negative thoughts in my head. I think I got it down. I switch my thinking to concentrate on improving my form - and for a short while I forget that I'm fatiguing, or ready to give up.

I took some extra turns on the route, trying to change the scenery, and   accumulate some extra mileage before having to do the circle around the neighborhood again. Too many stop signs. The extended route took me running down faster, main roads. I'll no doubt do it again.

As the miles ticked off, MMR was telling me I was coming in faster at the end of each mile than I previously remember. My memory sucks, though, so I'll have to do some research later. 2 miles at 17.59, 5k at 27:21, 4 miles at 35 minutes, 5 miles at 43 minutes. On a whim, I had told my magellan I wanted to do a 10k in 52 minutes. I knew by the way it was beeping during the run that I was not keeping pace, but when MMR told me I was 43 minutes at 5 miles, I got kinda happy. Too bad I was coming up to some inclines on the last mile. I was tired. But I also wanted to pull it all out. I did my best. I almost had it.

If I had run it like this in the morning, I could have come closer to that 52 minute goal. I do my best running in the morning, and the lack of sleep and then working just before the run did not make it happen for me. The good news is, I understand and accept that. So, it was a good run, regardless! 6.22 at 54:37, 8:47 pace.

TPP

Today's Run

*Snort*

Oh, this is sooo funny..
How not to crap yourself on a run

I can fly in the cold!

I went for it. 37 degree temperature, barely a breeze, blue sky. Why not give it a try? If it's too cold, I thought, I'll just come home.

Long C9's, compressions, sports bra, long sleeve high collar shirt, grey C9 jacket, gloves, motorcycle gator pulled up over my head.

My face, nose, lips, and fingers were cold. By the end of the first mile, my hands were fine. I had pulled up the gator over my mouth because  the air I was pulling in was chilling my chest a bit. As soon as I warmed up again, I tucked it away and I was fine. 

I felt I was alternating my speed, starting out fast again, took it steady up the inclines, and slowed down a bit on the declines. All I had was a cup of coffee this morning, so I did not fuel properly. The main reason for this run was just to test out the temperature.  I came in under a nine minute mile, so that was icing on the cake! I started walking back  to the house, and I felt like I still wanted to go, so I just ran up and down my block doing a quarter mile of fartleks. I really should have a more solid training plan.

I forgot to charge my phone last night, so I lost my MapMyRun data. I've got the Magellan data instead.

Today's Run

Maybe time to sell the Sunfish..

I think I've decided on a treadmill, but I'll be waiting until after our staff meeting on Friday to see if I should make the purchase.  I tried it at Sears, and I liked it a lot, except for the fact that I really should be an inch or so taller to see the screen properly. After chatting up the folks at Nordic Track tonight, I was told that I could   export the video to a tv connected to the internet. I'm not sure if that means I could export ALL screens to the tv, or just the data shared through ifit.com. So many questions. I guess I could go back and ask the Sears dude.

Chi Running Tips for Treadmill Running

This could be risky..

I just added a 5k race on Thanksgiving morning. I wonder how that will go over with my family?

Expanding horizons

Yesterday I had the pleasure of working with a patient who is a phys ed teacher at a local school and who is also a runner. She's a decade older than myself, and has many, many years of running behind her. It was so much fun sharing notes - and I love to learn new things about a topic that I have a current interest in. We talked about my toe pain, and she knew right away what advice to give me - just like my sis and store clerk did. We talked about the upcoming races we had planned, and which ones were cancelled because of the storm. I had pointed her in the direction of Athlinks.com, the collection site for all things racing, and she suggested I join The Greater Long Island Running Club, with it's monthly meetings, race information, monthly magazine and clinics. So, I joined last night, and I'm looking forward to going to the first meeting to see what it's all about.

I wonder if it's bad etiquette to ask what a person's average pace is? I did not ask her, but I was dying to know.

It's raining here this morning, my usual run day - but I'm recovering from that plantar injury on Sunday. I have to say that my early intervention really helped. I've gone barefoot in the house, and wore sneakers to work yesterday. I can still fell some pulling, especially after being off it for awhile, but it works itself right out. I had some funky paresthesia in the ball of my foot during work for an hour, but that went away too. The weather is supposed to clear up by the end of the day, but I think I'll stay off of it regardless. I really should get back to weight training. Maybe I can steel myself toward starting again this morning.

TPP

Fun Run? I think not.

Last night, while I lay in bed, I mapped the route I wanted to take today. I wanted to go slow and long - but I didn't want to run in circles again. I decided to map out a run that would have me go 13 miles. I wanted to see what it was like - since I have my hopes set on racing a half sometime next year. What I should have done was found a route that was flat, and that did not take me into potential danger with road debris from the recent set of storms we had.
Live, run and learn, I guess.

The roads I chose were cambered and had inclines that were very gradual and what seemed to be never ending. There were still electric wires strewn across the roads in various places, and so much debris, if I wasn't serpentining, I was jumping over things.

I did bring my new hand held water bottle (thanks, Theresa!) and some gels, as well as an Advil Cold and Sinus just in case.

There is something very unsettling about heading out for a 13 mile run when you understand that by the time you get halfway to your goal, you are far from your home, and subsequently a bathroom. Although I was getting considerably warmer,(I overdressed again, but only with a long sleeve, high collared shirt) I was getting a very scary, chilling feeling each mile I ran with the four way traffic that is 25A. I was positive that I had to go to the bathroom, but I remembered I went before I headed out, and I hadn't had too much to drink after that. So I was concerned about what it was I was actually feeling.  As I looked down (I was at the crest of a hill) and ahead, past the line of cars at the corner gas station at 25a and 107, beyond I saw another long rise of  highway rolling down and up out of sight again, and I let my fear get the best of me. I turned around and headed back. That decision cost me about 4 miles off my route.

So, as I was running back along the same route I had come, I had to decide how I was going to make that up, if I was going to keep my goal of 13 miles. Close to mile 7, I stopped and started walking (the second time, I think) to water and fuel myself. I checked my watch, and found that I was about 8 minutes behind my goal time to finish. I wanted to come in at 2:05:00, but I saw that I was not keeping the pace I wanted, and perhaps should think about slowing down and running for the distance only. I had also decided that I would make a left onto Glen Cove Road, go south a bit, and head back north along a more populated, but less trafficked road. I would also avoid a VERY steep hill on the way home. As I made the left, to my horror I saw the road bear slightly left, and I could make out another long, unforgiving swell of pavement that looked like it would take me right up through the stratosphere. (Being diminutive can be disadvantageous  - things look ginormous at the most inopportune times..)

I went for it, holding on to the brim of my hat, because halfway up that enormous, torturous beast of a hill, 6 or 8  LIPA trucks - the big ones with the cherry pickers - came barreling down the right hand lane - 20 or so feet from where I was running. Some honked as they passed me, probably laughing at the cross current they were creating - I felt like I was towing an additional 20 pounds behind me. As the last one passed, and before I even reached the crest, I slowed down to cross the 4 lanes of traffic, to continue the onslaught of pavement rising up to meet me.  I eventually had to make a right anyway, so the time was right to cross. But this time, I would be running with the traffic. The passing cars, now on my left, would provide a little bit of wind wake, but this time pushing me in the direction I was running. Or so it felt.

At about mile 9, I was now headed in the direction of home. After dodging still more road and even sidewalk debris, I stepped precariously onto a curb, and felt the cool, electric tearing of the fascia at the bottom of my right foot, right at the base of my longitudinal arch. CRAP. I knew what I had done, and although the tingling feeling lasted no more than 100 yards, I was dreading the rehab I was in for. Hopefully, I could start treating it when I got home, before it got worse as I slept tonight. I knew my first steps in the morning would be anything but normal. 

The good news, however, was that I was only a mile away from home. By the time I looked at my watch again, I was on one of the side streets I usually run and saw that I had only run 10 or so miles. I said, out loud, actually - "How am I going to run another 5k?" - and decided right at that moment that I wouldn't. I had ample excuse - I needed to tend to this injury if I was to continue to train in the coming weeks if the weather held. I turned off my devices, and walked home.
No PR's were broken - as a matter of fact, I was slower than my last 10 mile attempt. 
As this was my first long run in my larger size sneaks.. I can say that my sister and the sales woman at the Huntington Running Shop were correct. I had a small blister, but no pain.

Lesson: Going out and back, you have to get back to the elevation you started at, one way or another. I may have avoided that really steep hill on my way home, but I had to make up for it somewhere else along the way. 

TPP

Today's Run

Stay strong.

With so much on my mind from the past week, and things weighing heavily just recently, AND coming off of that chest cold - I was surprised that I ran so well today. I understand now how some people say running really clears your mind. I concentrated on my form for short periods of time, but mostly my head felt empty. I felt like I was running through a tunnel. That my vision was focused somewhere between my eyes.  I had to take special care to watch my surroundings to stay safe. I was running away. I could have been running away from just about anything and everything. But when I got home - I felt lighter. I hope I sleep better than I have been. My last run was 6 days ago, and my pace has not suffered for it. I'm satisfied.

TPP
Today's run

Chest cold, be gone.

Although I'm feeling just a little bit better today, had the weather been dryer, or warmer, I probably still would not have run. My nights have been non-productive sleep wise. I wake up coughing, unable to breathe, and in the morning I've been tired and achy. What I should be doing is some strength training. What I'm actually doing right now is sitting on a line waiting to fill my car up with gas. I filled up before Sandy hit, and since I'm in a Mini Cooper, I haven't really burned a lot of fuel. I work about 7 minutes away, and driving around town all day to do home care 2 times a week has not really depleted my resources as I thought they might. The weekend is coming up, and I'd like to have the freedom to drive around and get some things done.
Some good news is that it's supposed to warm up considerably this weekend, and I'd really like to get out both days. Saturday, maybe a 10k, and a little longer on Sunday. Ultimately, that will all depend on how well I sleep the next few nights, and how my breathing and chest congestion feels overall.
Over and out.

TPP

Can things get any worse?

I didn't run yesterday as I'm still feeling run down from this cold, which made it's way back into my throat and into my chest.  I'm feeling better today, but still very tired. At this point in time I'm looking to purchase a treadmill, because I get the sense that I will be doing MUCH less running outside now that the colder weather is here.  If it were like the winter we had last year, things would be dandy - but Hurricane Sandy and now Nor'easter Athena have just about dashed any hope I had that we might have another mild winter.

So, as my sneezing continues, I'm browsing the ProForm, Sole, and Nordic Track sites. When the gas crisis eases up a bit, I'll take a ride out to Sears and get on a few models, and see how they feel, and if I'm still employed (don't ask) I shall make a decision and then happily keep up with my training. There is about 2 inches  4 inches of snow on the ground now, but I heard that the weekend is supposed to be in the upper 50's, so hopefully I'll get at least one long run in. Maybe even some speed work.


Oh, and because of Sandy, the Bayville 5k Turkey Trot has been cancelled, as well as the Long Beach 10k. I'm still holding out hope for the Seaford Hot Chocolate 5k in December - another sea shore town on the south shore. Ha. Say that 5 times fast.

TPP

Just do it?

Fractured thoughts. I feel rundown. It's getting cold outside. I haven't run in the cold before. Why am I so cold? I have a head cold. Thank the pharmacy gods for Advil Cold and Sinus.  I spent most of the morning looking at the thermometer and wondering how warm it would get. Wondering if the winds would die down a bit. Debating with myself if I should dress up and go out for a run. My nose is stuffed and running at the same time. What's that about? At least the sore throat I had yesterday is gone. I should stay in and rest. It's the responsible thing to do. umm... no. Running is the responsible thing to do. Or, I could lift some weights, do some leg work, maybe start the Tai Chi program I bought. (Tai Cheng from Beachbody). I really should run. But it's sooo cold and windy out there. (50 degrees, wind gusts 15 mph).

Getting tired of all the contrary thoughts that filled my head,  I decided to wait until the afternoon to make a decision. About 1:30, the winds died down, and the temperature went up to 55. I decided I would pile on the layers, and wear the gloves my sister left for me. I figured, once I got dressed, I had to leave the house.
 Newer, warmer leggings. Compressions, thicker cotton socks. A sports bra, short sleeve light weight tech shirt, my new C9 hip length jacket, my motorcycle neck warmer. I love wearing my tech cap and headphones to keep my head warm. I donned the electronics and stepped outside.
Wow. I felt cozy and protected. I can do this. I can do 5 miles today.
But again, I felt stiff in my ankles, feet and knees. Where is my hip rotation? And then, oh boy, I dressed just right. The sun felt good, yet in the shadows I still felt warm. My form has to improve.
And it did, but it took 4 miles before I started to feel comfortable with my stride. But I was so UNcomfortable and overheated. I'll be damned, I overdressed.
I thought I'd do a 10k - looked at my MMR app as I approached 6 miles, and I thought I'd have another PR. That is, if a 10k is 6.1 miles. Not.
I stopped too early! MMR said I did 6.13 in 55:14. The Magellan put me at 6.22 in 55:52. I did have a hard time stopping the Magellan - it kept pausing instead of stopping and saving, so that's where the extra time came from. I'd rather use the MMR information - just to keep things on the level. My last 10k was 56:14. Based on both data sources for today, I'd say I came pretty close to a PR. Overdressed, and with a head cold.
TPP

Today's Run

Now for another try

I'm not sure what the coldest temperature was that I've run in.  It was about 59  on Wednesday. Today, the thermometer said 55 degrees when I headed out for yet another attempt at a 5 miler. I thought for sure I've run in that temperature before, and was comfortable. I went out in all my C9 gear - baseball cap, sports bra, long sleeve hip length med weight tech shirt, full length lycra pants, my compressions for my calves, and my larger glycerins. My mobi BT headphones kept my ears warm. I did not wear gloves, but the sleeves came down long enough to cover my knuckles, and they were anchored to my hands by thumb holes.

As I headed west leaving my house, I immediately felt an awkwardness in my stride and armswing.  My right arm was not swinging as easily as my left, and myleft ankle felt sloppy. I was having a hard time quieting my foot steps. I was slapping the pavement, more so on the left. Thinking I just needed to warm up, I kept going, trying to slow down, relax my shoulders, keeping my feet underneath me, feeling for 180spm.

The were some other runners out today, and quite a few couples;  bundled up in boots, warm coats and hats, walking arm in arm probably looking to see what progress had been made in the cleanup. I varied the route a bit, and I found I had a hard time concentrating on my form. Instead of feeling myself as a complete unit, I felt uncoordinated, and before I knew it, by mile 2.5 I started feeling strain in my ankles, especially in the front. My feet felt like boats, the extra length in the toes seems to feel exaggerated. My shins felt like they were vibrating with each step.  And again, I started to question just how much furtther I could go. I changed my route again, hoping it would distract me from being uncomfortable, and that worked well until mile 4, when I tossed in the towel, and walked the block back to the house.  I'm hoping for a short run tomorrow, and a longer, slower one of Sunday.  Hopefully the Bayville Turkey Trot is still on for next Saturday.

TPP