Two Month Progress & Homecoming Update

Ok, I have just over 2 months of faithful training clocked now. I started with some short runs in late July and followed my schedule starting August 4th. Remember me telling you guys how I was a data-geek and how I like to chart my progress, etc? Well here is the first update just to show you how quickly all these things add up:

As of today, I have now run 53 hours, burned 33,260 calories and clocked 202 miles.

That's a bunch of extra energy expended versus laying around the pool and reading the paper!!! Don't get me wrong, I still find time for those things, but just by carving out a little time early in the morning and on Saturdays... look how quickly it all adds up!

Oh... and that 12 I redid on Saturday? Here is the funny thing. Got a little bit of a later start, ran on my desert trail instead of the streets and it took me 40 minutes longer!!! Needless to say... there were plenty of times where the heart rate dictated I had to walk. The trail has a 400 foot elevation change from it's lowest to highest points - but the ups and downs vary all over the place during the run. So it is a little tougher run than the street. But the point I am trying to make is it is so much more delightful for me to run on the trails that I didn't get nearly as cranky as the street run, even though my time was significantly slower. I was just happy to be somewhere beautiful. So I snapped a few pictures to show you just how pretty the desert can be... even at the end of summer.



Here's a little trivia for those not in the know: The Giant Saguaro Cactus (the big guys with the arms) grow an average of 2 inches a year. They sprout their first arm at approximately 70 years. They can be several hundred years old when they get the size of those guys lining my running trail. They are also protected by the State of Arizona - you must get a permit to move one and when replanted, it must be oriented to face exactly the same direction as it grew or it will die. Isn't that crazy???

The 2nd picture shows just a glimpse of the face of the Superstition Mountains which jut straight up out of the desert to almost 6,000 feet in elevation. Magnificent views of this range line a 7 mile trail that starts right out my front door. There are many more trails that wind up the canyons that I have yet to try. I am so lucky to have all this so close to home! Makes a hot, 12 mile misery run actually enjoyable. Oh - and I can't forget to add all the critters that accompany me! The birds, lizards, squirrels, chipmunks, coyotes, occasional snake, deer & wandering cattle... I am sure there are more, but so far, they have kept in hiding! Probably terrified when they hear my plodding footsteps approach!

Well, I can't quit without an update on Mackenzie's (the Cha's) first Homecoming Dance. She looked beautiful and her dad was blown away at how fast his little girl has grown up. She had fun and was home on time. Dad is beaming in the picture below.

Then look closely at these two significant loving creatures in my life and ask yourself: "How can 2 such loving people like that, make so much fun of how slow CJ runs???"

Breathing right and Great Britches

Wow. Friday night after a long week of a lot of work! Last time I checked, I worked part time. Last time I got a paycheck, it was part time pay. Trouble is... I work every day!!! Not sure how that happened, but regardless... I missed two 3 mile runs this week because of WORK!!!! Aaarrrrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!

But I got my 5's in and tomorrow I am set to repeat my 12. I am ready for it.

I wanted to talk a little bit about something I notice that happens to me when I begin to get tired or my heart rate is rising. I am smart enough to slow to a walk, but I catch myself doing something that is really stupid. I take short, shallow breaths. Not sure why I do this... maybe I get a little nervous...? Concerned about high heart rate...?

The problem with short, shallow breaths is they don't get a lot of oxygen to your lungs and in turn - into your bloodstream. So your muscles are screaming for more oxygenated blood and your heart starts beating faster to get that oxygenated blood out there. Not the time to start scrimping on breathing. If you do, your heart rate will continue to rise. So watch yourself - when your heart rate starts getting high, consciously think about your breath. Take deep breaths that fill your lungs. Watch your abdomen distend as you pull in big, deep breaths. And then watch your heart rate begin to go down quickly.

Note to everyone: Take slow, deep breaths (kind of like mediation breathing) right before and during a blood pressure test. My readings are significantly lower when I do that versus when I let my nerves take over and I fret about what the reading might be.

Everything works better with deep breathing. Remember to practice it when your find your heart rate rising!

Let's switch gears. I just received two new items of clothing to keep me entertained with running!

First I will tell you about the functional piece I ordered - The Stabilyx 3/4 Tight. What an incredibly engineered piece of clothing!!!! CW-X makes several versions of shorts and tights that have built in support straps to give structure in the right places. Wearing them is almost like running in ace bandage wraps. They are expertly designed to support your major muscles and your knee joint. So I finally broke down an ordered a pair ($90!!!), after studying a very complex sizing chart. When they arrived I pulled them out and held them up and the first words out of my loving husband's mouth was, "don't cut the tags off, you're sending those back". Seriously, they looked as if they would fit an 8 year old. They are about 8 inches across and maybe 24 inches long... before you put them on. I was really unhappy because I thought they sounded so cool and I really wanted to try them out! So I reviewed the sizing guide again and dang it all, I had the right size! So... I tried to get them on.

Pulling them on was like putting on a pair of REALLY THICK pantyhose. It was a bit of a struggle. But.. they were accommodating my tree trunk legs and once I got them all the way up... they felt pretty dang good! They are extremely supportive and I know they are going to help me keep my knees healthy. They are high compression which I like! Makes all the jiggle disappear. I am going to love running in these tights this winter.

Check out their Website to read more about them: www.cw-x.com

Next! I read an article on all the great attributes of running skirts. Okay... I fell for the girly image of running in a skirt! After reading all the reviews, I ordered one. Had to find a skirt that had shorts underneath and not bikinis because of the thigh chub I wrote so much about a while back. Found one that looked good, so I ordered it. Skirt Sports GymGirl - even has great hidden pockets and a port for your iPod cord! I was nervous. Wished I could have tried one on before buying, but went for it anyways. Well... it is VERY comfy! GREAT waistband that is wide and sits below the belly button. I have put several miles on this skirt since it arrived as it is cool and flattering and covers the right things and sways with your stride just perfect. The ad said running in this skirt makes you feel happy to be a girl and ya know... they were right. I love my GymGirl Skirt and I just might go buy some more. It is so comfy I could see running errands, going grocery shopping, even just hanging out in my GymGirl skirt!

Check them out at: www.skirtsports.com

I am exhausted now and gotta get to bed. I want to get up real early for my 12'er tomorrow. I'll let you know if I have a better 12 tomorrow than last week's drag of a 12. I don't think it could get any worse! : )

Good days and Bad days

Not every run is a feel good run. Some start out crummy and get better and some start out great and end up feeling like a trudge through hell.

As was my Saturday run.

I was scheduled to up my mileage to 12. I was ready, having done two 10-milers in the past two weeks. I decided to take a path more traveled and hit the streets rather than my mountain trail. After plotting a nice loop route with the help of Google Earth and loading my Camelback with ice, Gatorade, GU’s and my cell phone, I was off.

Out the front door at 6:30 a.m. and the first 9 miles were great. I took a GU at 5 miles and another at 9 when I was starting to get really worn down. By this time the sun was out in full force and my head got hot. I was thinking a cap might have been smart, but too late for that now. I still had 3 miles to go and things were not going my way…

My heart rate began go up too high, so I would walk to bring it back down. Down it would come and off I would trot and in no time it was too high again. This was making me mad. Pretty soon I was walking way more than I was running and next thing ya know – I am out of Gatorade.

This was a drag because I had 2+ more miles to go! And mostly uphill. Note to self: if I do this run again, go the opposite way so it's down hill on the way home!

Had to walk most of the final 3 and my 12 ended up taking me 3 full hours. That is an average 15 minute mile... way slower than I hoped for. Oh by the way - when I got home and saw the temp over 100 - (topped out at 104 on Saturday), I better understood my misery. It just got too dang hot for a big run. October can't come soon enough to this desert!!!!

But here is some important stuff - One of our team members - Sweet Nicki in Phoenix was telling me about her run last weekend. She got dizzy, sick and had to sit on the curb and have her husband drive her home. She was so beat down over it. So, being inquisitive, I asked what time she ran at - 1:00 pm!!!! I asked her if she was using GU's - No!!! So if I got overheated at 9 in the morning in this blazing desert, just think what she was going through without even electrolyte and glucose supplements! This is serious stuff for us desert runners - summer isn't over yet and we all need to be really careful running in the heat. We need to be smarter than we've been. A ball cap for me - maybe stashing some water bottles along the way. And for God's sake Nicki!!! Run earlier and utilize the GU's!!!!

But as an epilog - I made it home and ice packed my knees, ankles and hips and read the Saturday paper. I was a little sore, but homecoming is next weekend and loving Step-Cha (I just can't get child out anymore! She is almost 15!!!), needed a dress so off we went to the mall. We walked to every store and she tried on no less than 250 dresses. I think forcing myself to walk all afternoon (and the ice), worked through the aches because I felt great on Sunday. This morning I did a 5 with no problem.

But - I will be repeating my 12 next weekend and changing some things up to have a better result before I move on with the schedule. This past weekend was just one of those runs that feels bad. We will all have those days - don't let them get you down or make you stray from your goal. Your next run will be better. Trust me!

And the Cha will look lovely in her cute silver party dress - ! ; )

Memphis Commitment!

Wow!  It is amazing how quickly things start to happen!  

There is a run coming up - December 6th - in Memphis, Tennessee.  This is important because two of our club members live in Memphis; Pam & Jen!  We had a quick, little email session yesterday and the result:  Pam & Jen have signed up for the 5k.  I told them if they ran I would fly out and run too!  So I committed to the 21k.  Then it got a little interesting... it was said if they ran, their husbands would sign up and run the 5k!  So, long story short, now my husband is also going to run the Memphis 5k.  This is especially interesting because Ted (mine) and Tony (Pam's) are both post arthroscopic knee surgery patients.  Ted will be 12 months out and Tony will only be 3 months out.  They may do it at a walk, but that's ok!  The fact that they are willing to try, after injuries and surgeries is awesome.

Then, (because it is my nature), I began an inquiry into another family I know and love that live in Memphis.  If there is a way we could get Jamie and Sharlyce and maybe a couple of their teenagers to run too, well..!  That's quite a representation of the 50 is the new 30 Running Club!

For anyone else interested in a December run in the land of Elvis and the Blues (not to mention awesome barbeque!), here is the offical web site!  Come join us!  It's a great cause.  (think of the opportunity for a really good post-run dinner!!!! : )

http://www.stjudemarathon.org/index.htm

So this is how it begins... You make a formal commitment.  Sign up for a run that is several months out.  Then follow the schedule to get you ready for it.  Before you know it, the race day is upon you.  You feel so much better, so much healthier than the day you signed up (with doubt in the back of your mind).  For us that have committed to the Memphis run, December 6th is going to come whether we run or not.  But we will run and I am excited for Pam and Jen to feel that awesome sense of accomplishing something they cannot do today.  The sense of self that comes with this kind of goal.  I am delighted I will be there to share it with them.

DOUBLE DIGITS!!!!

Running in the Canyon of Gold, (my backyard), more commonly known as the Superstition Wilderness.

I am so dang lucky.  Really, I am.  Look what I have just out my front door!  Here is a little picture of me on a run from last year.  This is a trail I have grown to know well and love.

Yesterday I ran my first 10 mile run of this training!  I am 4 weeks into it now and took advantage of the big storm that had passed and was able to do my run in canyons with cool breezes and washes still damp from running just days or hours before.

I was surprised how easy this 10 mile run was.  I guess this is why you follow the training schedule.  I had built up the muscle and the stamina and really could have gone farther if I wanted to.  I still continue to need to walk during intervals to keep the heart rate where it's supposed to be, but that is happening less and less.  I am not at the 12 minute mile pace I trained for last year, but don't expect to get there until it cools off significantly more.

By the way.  I have lost 8 pounds.  Right at the 2 pounds per week goal, so things are right on schedule.

If you are ready for double digit mileage, it is time to start thinking about hydration and supplements.  Seems like you can do anything under 10 miles, but when you start going 10 and more, you really need to be smart about what is going on with your body.  I finally got a Camelback for carrying fluids.  They make one for women that is comfortable and can carry 2 liters without weighing you down.  I fill it with 1/2 Gatorade and 1/2 water.  

Thanks to great advice from my eTrainer Friend and my Bicycle Racing Doctor buddy, I also take a GU gel every hour or every 5 miles.  GU is packed with electrolytes and glucose - both of which you deplete when you venture into long distance runs.  One thing you don't want is to get dizzy and pass out because you become hypoglycemic.  I almost did that and now I don't mess around anymore.  It would be a drag to end up unconscious in some of the places I run.  GU has been my savior.  Important to note, you must drink fluids when taking a GU.  If not, the GU gel will sit in a lump in your stomach and make you feel not very good.  So drink a bit, swallow the GU and drink some more.  It is amazing how it perks you up to finish your run.  You can get GU or other brands of the same thing at Sport Stores, Health food Stores or Running stores.

There is another trick I learned from my above mentioned buddies - After long runs, ice your joints!  I think I mentioned before that every time you run, you create micro injuries to your joints and muscles and tendons and ligaments.  So, if you follow up a big run with icepacks to the hips, knees, ankles and toes you would be surprised how good it feels!  I like to get on the couch and rotate my icepacks and read the paper.  Ice is a natural anti inflammatory and pain killer.  And continued use of it will help to keep your joints from injury.  I never experienced any joint injury last year and I am going to keep using ice to help keep healthy this year.  Also - it feels good!

10 miles + hydration + GU + ice = feeling great!  And = Looking forward to 12!!!!

Corriendo en Mexico

Just home from a great vacation!  Took a week off and the Loving Man and I, (plus the 2 perros) went down to our favorite home away from home - our little beach casita in Puerto Lobos.

The town of Lobos is very small and very rustic. Basically, it is a Mexican fishing village.  No electricity, no fresh water.  A place where the Sonoran desert meets the Sea of Cortez.  As simple and beautiful as it gets.  We have a little house made of rock and a solar plant that powers it.  We truck in water to our holding tank so we have fresh water showers.  Peaceful and relaxing.

But not a vacation from running!  My Monday - Saturday schedule was 4, 3, rest, 5, 3 and a 10. Due to a little Hurricane named Julio, I was able to run under cloudy skies and temperatures about 15 degrees cooler than typical for this time of year.  Humidity??!  Well, how about 96%?! Running at sea level is always an advantage, but throw in that kind of humidity!!!  Yikes!!

So I got up early and did my runs.  There are several dirt roads and trails around the little village so running is a delight.  Not many cars down here either!  In fact, I think I got all my runs in with only one car passing by me!  But here is the highlight of the week:

On Thursday I had a 3 mile run to do, so I decided to go up a hill toward the "airport", which is a clearing with a dirt runway.  I have never seen a plane come to town, but perhaps there was a time when they did.  Anyway, it sits on a mesa, just about 1.5 miles from our little house.  So off I went.

All of the sudden, I had a running partner!  Here comes a skinny Mexican guy, in running shorts and shoes and he joins me, running along side me and talking to me in Spanish!  Well, my brain is a bit disabled when it comes to communicating in Spanish, but we did get a few things understood.  1) His name is Ray.  2) He is training for a big race in Mazatlan in February, 3) Hills are good for the heart, 4) I run slower than him because I am poquita gorda (a little bit fat).  He got a laugh out of that one.  It was fun.  He was about 5' 4" and ran with a spring in his step along side my plodding.  My guess is he will finish his Big Race in Mazatlan at a much faster pace than I finish mine!  We parted on the way back and indicated we would run together some more.

Running in Mexico is a treat for me.  I run past little houses with chickens and baby chicks in the yards.  Mothers with their babies smile and wave as I go by (probably thinking - look at the loca gringa!)  I run past giant cactuses with Vultures roosting on each arm.  Ospreys, Herons, Pelicans are all part of the scene.  And the best part is, the ocean is always on the horizon.  If you click on the picture above you can see the Sea of Cortez to the right of "Black Mountain".

Loving Man got to fish everyday and brought us home a very large Grouper.  I got to see 3 whales, 1000's of dolphins, several Sea Lions, 2 Manta Rays jump, and 3 Marlin jump.  The seas were calm and the peace and rest were delightful.