Week two & I already blew it - and the criminals

-the criminals-

Ok, so I was really busy this past week.  I had a new guy out with me for training.  Adam - from Jersey!!!  Adam said he had never seen anything like Phoenix before, so what better than a nice run in the desert to really experience the Saguaros and lizards in all their grandeur?!!!

Adam was up for it, so he joined me on a 3 mile run early Tuesday before his class began. He is a young pup of 36 and of course could run circles around me.  But I have learned to ignore all the competitiveness and angst that arises in me when around those that go faster than I do. I always have to remember that I am OLD and am keeping my pace tied to my heart rate, not my running pals!  Which brings up something I really want to talk about right here and now:  My husband likes to walk next to me while I run and make great fun of how slow I go.  He has also enlisted his teenage daughter in this past time and they both get such great laughs out of my pace.  Well - I showed them both last year when I kept up my pace for 26.2 miles!  So there.  A 12 minute mile may be slow enough for them to walk, but for someone with short legs like me, it's a run.  I don't go fast - but I showed them!  I can go pretty far!  So the moral of that story is, don't ever feel bad that you go slow!  Because while you are going slow, there are many folks out there not going at all.  And I was able to prove that OLD + SLOW = 26.2.  So there!

So back to week 2 of training.  I was able to get up early and get all my runs in before starting my work day.  My schedule called for two 4 mile runs and two 3 mile runs - piece of cake!  Just as long as you get your butt in gear and don't lay around drinking coffee!  And funny thing - I noticed near the end of the week that my quadriceps were coming back!  That was fast!  They were very pronounced and hard by the time I finished my big run in February, but they sort of disappeared when I took my little break.  And oh, there was also this little issue of gaining 15 pounds along with getting soft...!!!!!  Yikes!   But after watching my calorie intake and following this running program for 2 weeks, I am down several pounds and my muscles are poking out again.  It is great to see the results come so quickly.

So I was scheduled to do an 8 mile run this Saturday.  I was mentally psyched and looking forward the trail I have grown to know so well, around the Superstition Mountains.  So majestic and peaceful.  Well... here's the other piece.  My loving husband was gone all week visiting his brother in New Mexico.  He got home around dinner time on Friday and it was such a joy to have him back.  (yes, the same guy that laughs at me!)  We had a nice dinner and watched the Olympics and stayed up late and I drank 2 glasses of wine and... long story short, I slept in on Saturday!!!  I couldn't believe it when I looked at the clock and it was already 7:30!  I NEVER sleep that late.  And the bummer was - I should've been out and back from my 8-miler by that time.  It was just way too hot to start out then.  So now I am miserable and mad at myself and... well... this is exactly why I have 12 extra weeks built into my training program for this dang February Marathon.  I will repeat week 2 again this week.  I knew I was gonna have some screw ups along the way, but WEEK 2????  Jeez!!!!  

Sunday is usually my day of rest but because I woke up early, the loving husband and I, and our 2 criminal dogs, went for a hike on Silly Mountain.  Yes, we broke the law there - no leashes, no collars (!) but our dogs have put so many miles on trails, running with me, hiking with their daddy - that they are well behaved and happy creatures.  We chanced it and were early enough that the dog cops weren't out yet to haul us in.  We were all happy and tired when got back home and made Hatch Green Chili, Egg and Ham sandwiches.

And - I guess I have beat myself up enough for blowing my Saturday schedule.  I will be back at it again tomorrow.  And I won't sleep in!

California Run

I flew to California last weekend to visit my mom. She lives in Costa Mesa. They were all complaining about the heat - 80 in the day and 65 at night! Wow, our low in Phoenix is higher than their high! Anyway, the running schedule said 6 miles on Saturday, so I left my mom's and hit the Santa Ana Riverbed trail which goes straight to Newport Beach. The 3 mile turn around was just short of the ocean's edge. What a delight to run on flat ground, sea level with an ocean breeze cooling your legs! Another nice thing about running is you can do it just about anywhere and the change up of scenery is always fun.

I did a couple of these Santa Ana riverbed runs last year - in fact the picture I have on my profile, (10 pounds skinnier than today!) was taken by my brother last year.  He rode his bike along side me while I did a run to the beach.  We had a blast.  Here is another that a nice bicycle guy took of us when he saw us trying to figure out how to get us both in the picture with my iphone!

Back to last Saturday!  So I left my mom's about 9 am - (WAY too late for a run in summertime Phoenix!)  and hit the trail with my iPod and my camelback.  This year I shared the trail with about twenty thousand guys going by me at about 40 miles per hour on bikes!  Wow!  I was thinking all of Southern California is biking now!  No problem - we coexisted just fine on the Riverbed Trail.  It is always a joy to have a wonderful view when you run and nothing is better than coming up on the ocean at the turnaround point.  Never fails to make you smile and be happy you are alive and running.  That and the cool breezes - quite a difference from my desert runs!

Took Mom to her one year follow up appointment for her hip replacement surgery on Monday.  It is amazing how much get up an go she has!  She will be 86 in October.  She had full range of motion in that hip.  I saw the xray and the doc said it healed perfect.  I hope the running I am doing today will help me be as active as my mom is when I am 86.

Anyway - it was great to see my mom and my brother.  I sure wish we lived closer!  And it was great to run to the Pacific Ocean and back... in my new shoes!

Hello New Shoes and Bye-Bye Blues...!

"...Hey, I put my New Shoes on and suddenly everything's all right..."

Do you know this song...?!  It's a great song!  By Paolo Nutini - New Shoes on the These Streets album.  It's a great song and it was given to me courtesy of Eric B - (one of those hot guys I work with - 1st on the left in the skiboat pic!)

When I finally got to the time to run the big race last year, I had this stroke of genius.  I asked all my pals to give me a song that they thought would be a good song to keep me running when times got tough.  I got songs from all over the country!  I put each of them on my iPod and ended up with a 5 1/2 hour Playlist of the greatest songs; old, current, rock, country, pop... even a little rap!  While I was running and each song came up, it was like whomever sent it to me was right there with me saying,  "keep it up Ceej!".  Definite genius on my part.

Anyway,  back to shoes - I fell in love with Pearl Izumi running shoes last year.  They fit my feet like a glove and come in such pretty colors, you can't help but want to lace them up and go for a run in them.  They say ANY running shoe should be retired after you have clocked 500 miles on them.  Even though they may still look in good shape, the sole loses its umpf and its support. My Pearl Shine's were done so I went online to order another pair and come to find out, Pearl Izumi has retired the Shine!!!!  I couldn't believe it!  So I called their 888 number and a really great guy there steered me into the Float II.  They arrived yesterday and this morning I got to lace 'em up (they feel just as good as the Shine's) and take 'em for a spin.  Me and my new shoes went 4 miles this morning and I was tickled to click over to Eric's song and feel the joy of my new shoes!  (and ok, I admit, I sang a little bit, right out loud - while I was running!)

"...And suddenly everything was all right!!!! "

Thanks again for the song recommendation Eric - I still get a big smile and think of you every time that song plays....!

Happy Birthday to me (why I run)

Well, today is Birthday #48 for me.  Where did all that time go???  Seems like just yesterday I was 34 and jetting around with my new job (the same one I currently have).  However... there is a big difference in how I looked at 34 and how I look and feel today!!!  I am going to attach a picture of the guys I work with just so you all can see what I have to deal with!  Check them out!  They are a bunch of young 30-somethings and they are all smart and hot!!!  Can you imagine how much fun working with them is?  The odd thing about aging is in my mind I am still their age... but then I realize just how much I can't keep up with them!  When we get together for meetings...I have to go to sleep early so I can function the next day.  They all go out and whoop it up... just like I did when I was in my 30's!  But I can't do that stuff anymore.  More than one drink and I PAY huge the next day with just feeling plain ol' crappy.  I am not talking a hangover, just feeling lousy and not up with my A-game.

Now take a closer look at the picture!  This was taken just last month - we met in Austin for a Quarterly Meeting and got to spend the end of the day on Lake Austin with Wood's Skiboat!  Me and these YOUNG men!  Tried the Wake boarding thing and loved it.  Then, for the next full 5 days I could barely walk because my arms, legs and back were full of sore muscles!!!!  I had used muscles that I guess I don't use anymore because they were crying out, no... SCREAMING in pain for a good part of the following week!

So what did I do?  Go buy a wakeboard.  It was so much fun, I have to get good at it!  

And why do I run?  Because some time has slipped by.  I will never have the body back that I had when I was their age.  I will never have the energy like I had back then.  Just like the wrinkles that have begun to appear around my eyes, my forehead and my smile... my body is changing.  

I work with some pretty cool physicians and one once told me that running is one of the best all around exercises you can do for overall health.  Well... I am now 48 - there is nothing seriously wrong with me and that is something to be very thankful for.  I know there is a time out there, somewhere in the future, when my body will require me to stop running.  I have no idea when that time will be... middle age?  Is there a chance I could be like the 80+ year old guy who ran in my last marathon?  I don't know and I can't guess.  But this I do know:  If I keep up my running and do these big runs once a year at least - maybe I can put that day of hanging up the running shoes off a little further into the future.

Nothing sucks more than to have to acknowledge the aging process.  I had this discussion with my 50isthenew30 e-Trainer friend on Wood's Skiboat in Austin - (Yes!  He is in the picture!  Check him out - 2nd from the Left!  And you thought all my boys were in their 30's!  My e-Trainer/PowerLifter Buddy is 50 and doesn't he look hot for 50???!!!! )  Well we have worked together for 14+ years and both have stayed long enough to get really good at what we do... and ... grow a whole bunch older than most of our peers!  It was a bittersweet conversation about the good ol' days and the adjustments necessary now that we find ourselves 15 years older than the rest.  Aging is an odd thing.  Getting smarter and calmer and more thoughtful are awesome products of age.  Hopefully we use those things to push our bodies to stay as young as possible too.

And that's why I run.  And that's why my longest distance ever came when I was 47 years old.  And there is no reason - other than laziness - that I can't do it again when I am 48.  And hopefully, 49, 50, 51, 52... etc!  You get the picture!  

Now I have to go do a 3 Mile run - according to my training schedule.  Judging by the heat, it will be a walk/run, but I will go 3 miles.  What a great way to celebrate this birthday - breathing in the beautiful Sonoran Desert!  Sharing the trail with JackRabbits, Chipmunks, Lizards, Cactus Wrens, Harris Hawks and (if I am lucky like yesterday)... a sighting of my Texas LongHorn Bull friend that someone has turned out to graze!  Not a bad start to year 49... What a wonderful birthday celebration - the ability to run - at dawn in a majestic desert.

DAY ONE AND SUMMER RUNNING...

Wow!  The greatest thing happened this morning!  I awoke to dark skies and rain clouds covering up the blazing Arizona Sun.  This made for a great way to go for a run - no need for sunglasses and no blazing sun effect on my face, arms & legs!  How about that for a Training Day One gift?!

I wanted to say a few things about running in the heat.  First off, it is very different than running when it's cold.  I am grateful that my initial training runs are shorter distances and when I get into the long runs, the weather will be much cooler.  So let's talk a little bit about what happens when you exert yourself in heat.

The human body is an amazing thing with a very complex computer running all of it's systems.  When you are old like me, you need to keep an eye on some things to make sure you don't get yourself in trouble... like your heart rate!  I train to a heart rate - go faster when it is lower and slow the heck down when it is too high.  So back to the amazing human body... when it is warm out the mainframe tells your capillaries to dilate, so that breezes and sweat evaporation can cool your blood supply.  Then your heart rate has to step up so that it can pump blood to those dilated or larger blood capillaries.  This sort of plays havoc with the training because your heart is already beating faster than normal just to deal with the heat.  So you really need to keep an eye on your heart rate when it's warm out, or like Arizona... HOT out!  

Today I ran 4 miles and it took me 60 minutes.  That is a 15 minute mile pace which is much slower than my training rate last year of 10-12 minute miles.  However, this was absolutely necessary because I had to slow to a walk several times when my heart rate began to exceed my normal training rate.  This is how it's going to be until the Arizona desert begins to cool down later next month.  So here's how I watch out for my ticker...

I use a Polar F-11 heart rate monitor watch.  I like it because not only does it give you continuous heart rates, it also can be programmed to give you the total calorie burn during your workout.  I like that!  Because I like to eat and I have to watch what I eat and right now I am counting calories because I need to lose 20 pounds.  The total calorie burn puts me in a nice deficit so I can eat a little more and still lose weight.

But more important, that heart rate is my immediate monitor to my health and keeps me in the proper zone so I don't overdue it.  If you run in your zone, you can go a much longer distance than if you're running at a higher heart rate.  Find out what your zone is for your age and health and use that religiously when you train.  You will be delighted when you find yourself getting more fit and you have to run faster and longer to stay in your zone!  If you don't have a heart rate watch, go get one.  There are several great models out there so look around and get one that is easy to use and fits your needs.  If you are a data-geek like me, you can start charting your average heart rates, your calorie burns, mileage and times and see the wonderful progression as you get into better shape.  It's a delight to see your progress along with the way your feel improving every week.  And it is amazing how fast your heart health responds to training.  So come on... let's go!

The Thing about a goal... and the thing about shoes...

There is something very special about considering a feat that is not within your reach.  They majority of people I would guess, would consider and then move on to an action that is well within reach.  No - considering, deciding, planning, working and achieving are collectively a very special action.  And when complete, that thought to action brings an incredible feeling to you.  A sense of accomplishment, a sense of dedication, a sense of self.  There is great joy in meeting a lofty goal.   This blog is about reaching out to you and asking you to join in and set a goal - something that might take 6 months, a year to work toward.  And sharing your joy of accomplishment.

Tomorrow I start my next journey of work toward my 2nd Marathon Goal.  I am excited...!  The last time (which happened to be the first time!), I made this goal, I was terrified.  One time I had run 13.1 miles and it hadn't been the greatest experience.  Why would doubling the mileage be a better experience?  And at 47 and very chubby, how in the world did I think I could even physically do it?  Well, this Blog is to talk about all those steps along the way last year that cumulated in my 2008 Marathon run.  Why am I excited for my 2009 Marathon?  Because I know now, that with the proper training, a Marathon is very do-able.  I ran with men and women who were in their 50's, 60's, 70's, even a guy who was 82!  I ran along side many who walked the full 26.2 miles.  I ran with people who had disabilities.  

The human body is made to cover many miles whether at a walk or jog.  We just don't have a real need to do that anymore in life.  Look up the Nova Program on the Marathon Challenge.  It will tell you that man is built for long distances - in fact can out run a cheetah for distance.  (not speed - distance!).  As long as you engage in correct running technique, you can run or walk incredible distances.  Certainly more than you and I can do today.  Yes, I agree there are some physical reasons why walking or running may not be an option for some, but for most... it is something you can start tomorrow.  The Nova show is also awesome as it depicts the science of all the changes that take place in your body when you move from a sedentary lifestyle to one with walking and running as exercise.  Watch it.  It will motivate you!  Find it on a Google Search.

THE RUNNING SHOE

Let's begin with a quick review on shoes!  Visit your local Running Store and get fitted CORRECTLY for a good pair of shoes.  SportMarts are not the place to go.  You need a knowledgeable salesperson to fit you correctly for your unique feet and gait.  It seems to me that the world is being run by 19 year olds anymore - they are impatient, they have little to no experience or expertise regarding the job they hold and typically they have not developed their Problem Solving Skills in life yet.  Trust me, this is not the person you want to help you invest in your pair of running shoes.  A shoe can make or break your running experience!  Go to a Pro!  If you are in my area, there is a great little store in Gilbert, AZ called RunAZ.  Go there on a weekday and have the smart guys there help you.  They look at your gait, they look at your feet, and they make excellent suggestions for you and your goal.  

When I finally did this, I found I had been running in shoes that were a full one and a half size too small!  I had decided to go in because I kept having problems with blisters that I could not seem to avoid.  This is where I learned that running shoes must be a whole size AT LEAST (sometimes more!)  larger than your normal everyday shoes.  Your toes are never supposed to touch the end of your shoe!  No one ever told me that!!!!  I was up to 12 mile runs by that time and guess what?  I had already damaged toenails and before the oddessey was over, I had lost 7 toenails!  Ok, sometimes losing toenails is part of the Marathon experience, but I am looking forward to this year to see how doing ALL the training in proper fitting shoes will effect my pedicures!

If you pronate or supinate (ways a foot hits the ground), the knowledgeable Sales Guy can put you in the correct shoe to support your foot.  This not only helps your feet, but it helps your ankles, your knees and your hip joints - and all the tendons and ligaments that keep those joints moving.  Places like RunAZ are staffed with salespeople that understand this and I am sorry, big sporting goods stores just don't.  Support your local independent running store.  

The next cool thing the great sales guy at RunAZ taught me was the "Runner's Tie".  FINALLY I know why running shoes have those extra holes up by the ankle!  AMAZING!  This tie-method actually locks your heel down and guess what...?  No more heel blisters!  I would try to explain this tie to you in this blog, but... well, it is probably easier just to have them show you when you get fitted.  It would probably take uploading several pictures, which I guess I am happy to do if anyone requests it!  Just let me know!

While you are there at the Running Shoe Store... get some dual layer Running Socks.  Another blister remedy!  They actually make them in several sizes so if you have little feet, like me, you don't have to suffer with the heel riding up around your ankle.  Sock wrinkles are nothing for everyday shoe use, but when you are running miles - sock wrinkles will put an immediate stop to your progress with a raging, painful blister.  Get several pair!  I like Wrightsocks.  They come in several ankle heights.  

Ok, that's if for today.  I am getting psyched!  Tomorrow is Day One for my 2009 Lost Dutchman Marathon Training!  I've got six months to get ready.  I am not scared one bit this year.  I am so looking forward to all of the excitement and reward that I know is going to come my way.  Come do it with me...!