I Signed Up For WHAT?

Thank goodness today was a relatively short run. The storm Ivan is giving us some much needed rain. However, I absolutely hate running on a treadmill! I have been putting it off all day long. But, as soon as I post this I will get my lazy rainy day keister onto it. Meanwhile, I thought I would show you guys how I have motivated myself to get out there (or on there) for the past couple of months. Maybe even help those of you who are still wondering to yourselves how you ever thought you could ever sign up for that race and complete that "insurmountable" number of miles. Yep, this is dedicated to you and me.

As I have shared before I am one of those people who apparently loves to scare myself into a challenge. Shortly after I signed up for the Tower of Terror Ten Miler I kind of sat there and stared at the course map.

This is the map of terror.

No really. I sat there and stared at the above course map. I looked at it and thought, "Holy crap. That is a long way. WHAT WAS I THINKING?" I was literally starting to psyche myself out thinking I had bitten off more than I could chew. I was new at running! Still am but I was very new. The most I had ever done was a 5k. I, puny mortal and out of shape girlie, was going to triple the amount of miles and finish without getting swept? Idiot! I felt like I was kidding myself.

And then I thought of all those cheesy but true motivational quotes I liked.

"You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith." ~Mary Manin Morrissey

“You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.”- Ralph Marston

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. ~Doug Larson

 Doug Larson was right! And so were the others! I needed to look at this a different way. A different way...hmmmm. *snap fingers* That's it! If I broke it down by the training runs and posted my progress on the "map of terror" it wouldn't be overwhelming. I could see how far I had already run on the actual course...in a virtual way. Yes, I could do this. So I looked at my training plan. First run would be a 3 miler. No problem. I just ran that in May. But then after running that (marking the time on the map) and then several other runs I noticed I was in trouble. Click here for that story. But I noticed my trouble because of my map marking. This required more stuff to add in on my map. 

No longer the "map of terror".

 Marking my goals on the map has completely changed the way I train. How so? Three ways.

#1. I am not so intimidated by the sound of the length of the long runs when I say them out loud. Seriously, people will ask me at work how long my run was last Saturday and I will casually say 9 miles. They gasp and say "You are crazy!" I will giggle and think to myself "I thought so once too." But what I say in reply to them is "Oh you should have seen the things I saw on that run! THAT was crazy!" I can say that because I can SEE how far I have already come.

#2. I am now conscientiously working on improving my time and form. I do however think it had taken getting over the intimidation of how far the runs sounded to even acknowledge that portion of my training.

#3. I now do consider myself a runner. An out of shape runner who is not only working on getting fit but also trying to enjoy her runs a little more each time. And I am no longer afraid to ask questions in my online running groups. I am a runner dang it and I need to know how to love my sport more and more each run and that means info and not ignorance. Never be afraid to ask what you may think is a dumb question. Believe me, someone else wants to know the answer too.

My friends (and those who can relate to my story) never let fear block your way to your goals. Find a way to break it down. Try this map idea. Enjoy your long runs more. Find the crazy happening around you when you run so you have something to laugh about or tell about when you get home. Do not be afraid to ask questions of people who have been running all of their lives. Many of them love to share the love they have of running with people like you and me just starting out. Fresh ears for old stories, ha-ha! And who doesn't like sharing what they love to do?

Meanwhile, a question to all of my new seasoned runner friends out there. "What did/do you do to get yourself away from psyching yourself out of a race when you sign up for a new more challenging race?"

Keep it up and maybe I will see you at a race or two! Ah crud...now I have to go get on the treadmill. Happy running! Look for the crazy!
- Cristina

P.S. Thank you to Carlos and Stephanie for the replies to last weeks posts. They were extremely helpful. Something is wrong with Blogger and I couldn't reply. Thanks again!!

 

 

Calling All Runners! A question or two for you...

Hey there everyone! I know, another vlog. This one is slightly different. A couple of things happened on the 9 mile training run. So I have a couple of questions you experienced runners may be able to answer. And if you don't have time to watch the vlog then here are the questions...

#1. How do you deal with the heat when the sun finally rises?
#2. When you experience muscle pain (limping type) in the middle of a race do you stop and stretch or do you just carry on?

I would love to hear back from you all. So please, take a moment and post a comment in the comment section below. And if you have the time take a gander at the video above. Thanks and happy running!

Well that hurt....

I think we all have a moment when we feel like we are doing great and then BAM! A truck comes along and slams you into a wall. My truck came this week. It looks like I have a strained rotator cuff. My doctor says he believes it is more than likely a strain and not a tear but we'll know if it begins to heal within two weeks.

So, I asked him if I could run. He gave me a "????" look and then said he supposed so as long as it didn't hurt. I am not quite sure if the "????" look was because I don't look like a runner or because he had to think about it, ha-ha! Then I asked for a second opinion from my online running buddies. They gave me the same advise. I thought about it and decided to give myself a few days to heal. I also weaned myself off of the pain medication. 

Last night I was feeling okay. This morning my shoulder was a little painful. I re-checked my schedule and read that I needed to do 3 miles. "Okay, I will walk it. I can't stop now. Only 7 weeks until showtime!" I thought to myself. Then I decided to get my dad and my niece to go with me. They were so happy to go when I asked.

We did the absolute slowest walking in the history of training that there ever was. BUT, it was also one of the best walks there ever was. Why? Because I was still out there. I was still trying my best. AND I had the support of my family who really want to see me accomplish my goals. We got in 1.9 something miles before the rain came. I also had to ice my shoulder when we got home and take my anti-inflammatory and pain medication. But I had the best time just being with them and chatting. It was worth every twinge.

Moral of the story this week? Never underestimate the supportive power of a slow walk with people you love. 

A vlog! A vlog!

My first vlog. This is for everyone who is considering taking up jogging but think they can't. You can do this!

The Turtle Gains Some Speed!

Last week he could have out run me!

As I have been training I have become a little nervous. I really have been feeling slow in my runs. Sometimes I imagine the little kids being pushed in running carts watching me with curious expressions on their faces as they are pushed past me. I can almost hear them say to their parent..."Mommy, why is that lady running in slow motion?" To which their mother kindly replies..."Oh sweetie, she's just a new runner that has deluded herself into thinking she can run a ten mile race and not get swept." "Silly lady!" the child will reply and then they'll share in a wonderful bonding moment through laughter.


So, I sat down with myself and did some math. I added in the amount of time it would take me to snap some photos as I run.  Also, how much I would like to walk. Lastly, how much I can run. I came up with the following... 


photos + walking + running / current pace = you haven't got a snow ball's chance to not get swept


Yup. I was in trouble. So, I came up with a running goal of a 13 to 14 minute mile. My current running pace was anywhere from 15:45 to 16:30. I told you I was slow! I called up my friend who is a mom of four who knows how to push people to do their best. 

*Helpful Hint*...if ever you need help being lovingly pushed to do better call up a mother of many who is a runner.

She was a godsend! She met me early in the morning when the crickets were still serenading us and the streets were still empty. We started the run and she gave me some great advice...run like a deer. You know, push off of your toes. I imagined me frolicking in a woodland meadow which gave me the giggles. But I did as I was told and my stride was better. But boy did I find out what muscles I need to target this week for strength! In the end I was still able to carry on a conversation (at times) without having long pauses between my sentences AND my time improved! I ended up with a 14:27 per mile pace...woohoo! Yeay for me!


This week my goal is to keep that pace during my Tuesday training session and my Saturday 8 mile long run. Thursday my goal is to do some hill work. 

*Miracle #2007*...there is a hill in a South Florida park that isn't an overpass! Or a dump.

Meanwhile, I will keep up the cross training. I have a little group at work that is beginning to exercise with me after work. I sure am glad to have friends help me out with training and friends/family with encouragement to do this. From "turtle speed" to "time to take pictures of the turtle and not get swept speed"... here I come! 

Photos to document the journey

Hello gang!

It has been a while and life got really busy. A better blog entry is soon to come. But in the meantime I wanted to share something kind of fun! Well, fun for me. So I have decided to practice carrying a camera. I figured I would definitely like to take pictures along the course during my upcoming races. Plus, I can shoot some video at the same time. The following are some of the photos I have shot so far on my training runs. 

June 30, 2012...3 mile run 

June 30, 2012...sunrise

I shall name him Stretchy and he shall be my Stretchy.

Saturday July 7, 2012...6.11 mile run

The lake I run around. I love the yellow tones of a sunrise.

Same place I shot the very first sunrise shot. Notice the sun is lower this time because
the runner was smarter and started her run earlier.

Beautiful isn't he? He wished me luck as he saw me gasping for breath.

Saturday July 21, 2012...7.11 mile run

You would almost think I was in the country side and not a park in Florida.

Same place as sunrise #1. This guy was dressed as if he
had been running and just decided to go fishing right after.

I hope you are all chasing your challenges and making them your achievements. Talk to you soon!

Cristina

First "Long Run" Of Me Tower Of Terror Training

Lesson Learned!

Guess what happens when you haven't been running consistently for the past three weeks? Yup. All sorts of new lessons in running.


 The day was beautiful. A little cloudy and it didn't feel like it was too hot. I had a good breakfast, sucked down a bunch of water, and with a happy grin on my face changed into my running clothes. Strapping on my new Garmin Forerunner 110 I was eager to hit my favorite unmarked mileage trail. I also grabbed my interval trainer (which was set at my three weeks ago pace) and for the first time my tunes. Usually I run with my training buddy but she wasn't feeling up to par so I wanted a little musical motivation. No worries, good training for my solo run anyway. Off to the park!


Before leaving the car to hit the trail I drank a bit more water. Was it getting hotter? It was only 10 a.m.. After a warm-up period I hit the timer/gps mileage tracker on my watch and was off! Very pretty day at the park. Lots of little ducklings, families, and pit bulls. My tunes were a good cadence setter for me but what was up with this pace? Holy cow! It wasn't this hard three weeks ago! So I turned off the interval trainer. Lesson one...never slack on training and then expect to pick up where you left off.


Summer in South Florida can be brutal. The humidity alone can lay you out even on a cloudy day. And this day was no exception. It quickly began to become a sauna. Why didn't I bring my water with me? By mile one I was thirsty and hot. I got a little relief when it began to sprinkle. I also began to run/walk/walk/run. All I began to think about was Jeff Galloway's advise not to push too hard that you'll injure yourself. That and my water in the car and the pit bull that looked at me like I was a chew toy when I passed it. Lesson two...always bring water with you and remember that rain can be the runner's manna from Heaven. Also, the early in the morning run or evening/night run won't kill you as quickly as a mid-morning run.


By now I was at a walk/walk/sad attempt at running/walk pace. Ooo! Cute guy alert! Hard to flirt when you are red as a beet and almost panting. Water....water...water...water...pavilion with water!!! I knew where there was a water fountain! I veered off of the jogging path and started walking along the road within the park to the pavilion. If a car hit me now I might actually have enjoyed the brief ride on the hood. I would have been that much closer to the water fountain! But I found it without getting hit and none too soon. Sweet sweet germ-y water fountain! I sipped some, splashed some on my face, and grinned at a guy that must have thought I was nuts. I then looked down at my watch. 2.98 miles in 48 minutes. Woohoo! Just a little more and I will have hit three miles! Wooohoo! Wooo...hoo...ooo...aw crud!!! I forgot to turn around at 1.5 miles! Lesson three...no matter how tired or hot you are always remember you have to run back the same amount of miles as you ran away from your car.


It was only about two miles back to my car...maybe less as I tried to cut through fields. All in all it was a good run with some very good lessons learned. The next "long run" will be four miles. I will be sure to start off earlier in the morning, bring water, and turn around at the two mile mark so it doesn't turn into a six mile run. And perhaps a squeaky toy I can throw if a pit bull decides to play.