Respect The run: Running Sick take 2- even a bad run is a good one

Most of my runs last week were rough, but I’m still glad I did them.  Monday was fine, the first time on the up route, the one that has some hill work.   By hill work I mean requiring me to  raise my knees higher any longer than for the dips in the curb to get on and off the street.  It was a 4 miler and it actually went really well. The hills sucked but he weather was decent and I broke an 11 minute pace.   My legs were tight from  that small amount of hill work, they chose to let me know this in the middle of Wednesday’s 5 miler.  Wednesday always seem to bring the best weather and the most brutal run of the week.  This week Wednesday brought me a tickle in my throat working its way to a full blown cough, 20  mile winds and a 2nd trip on the 5 miler route that turns around in the parking lot of the church Babu and I got married in almost 12 years ago.   The weather was awesome enough to entice me to dig the running skirt out of the drawer and slide on the body glide.  Technical difficulties with fiddling with Runkeeper caused us to start at the very back of the pack.  I just couldn’t seem to put anything together; my breath was hard, my  heart rate was climbing and my legs were not happy about Monday’s run.   We made our way through it but he wasn’t feeling the best either and we don’t have very much fun together running when we are both one-sided. When it was over we high fived like we always do at the end of a run and I knew two things. One- I was  probably getting sick Two- My body was begging for a date or 4 with the foam roller.

Side Bar:  If you think running with your mate is all romantic and will be super bonding conversation time I laugh while I tell you that happens about 20% of the time.   Another 20-40% is “You’re not very fun to run with are you”  and/or “This running this very one-sided for you isn’t in?” time.   Babu is right on one of those counts.  Running is and should be a one-sided sport.  Running is nothing more than a battle of you vs. you.  Maybe the Kenyans are trash talking each other on the course but every person who runs at the for kicks level I do is nothing but supportive out there because we all get that we are all battling ourselves.   Near as I can tell the rule of the road is go on ahead if you are able and I am not.  That gets a little sticky with a spouse or maybe even a running buddy that is also a really good friend.  Babu and I  have been running together for a while now, only due to his recent back injuries and my recent increase in ability have we gotten on a more even running field. Always in the past he has been better than  me and usually trained at his own pace group unless it was just the two of us. Then he would choose to stay with me in the races.    I’d still say he is the better runner of the two of us but  we are in this weird sort of no mans land where you just don’t know who will be the better runner on any given run.  We are fine tuning our run communication  emotional expectations.   The rest of that running together is spent just running some version of near each other and plowing through mile after mile together, they best we each can while trying to engage and support the other at whatever level they require that day.

Friday rolled around and I knew I was actually ill.  I had a 10k training race in prep for the Mini Marathon in May and I didn’t want to miss it. I debated, but in the end decided I would foam roll and stretch out as mush of the pain and tightness as I could and run anyway.  I decided I would get up at 5:45, med up  to dry out my nose and stop my cough and sweat it out.   I knew going into the race it would likely be a rough run.  I have cursed all Saturday weather this year with wind and cold and yesterday was no different.  Wednesday’s 20 mile winds combined with 25 degrees and a course full of every hill our flat downtown has to offer.   Even in the excitement of the race start our first mile was 12:30.  My heart rate was fine, but I was getting light-headed and my body ached.  I kept running  and by mile 3 my hips and knees felt like someone was stabbing them with every step, if I slowed down to fast walking my leg muscles tightened and screamed at me. I finally told Babu about getting light-headed and slowed down to walk.  I am sick, I shouldn’t be out on this course right now. He agreed.  This is going to sound crazy but I was still happy to actually be out on the course.   Slowing down to that walk allowed Babu and I to have one of those rare 20% of  runs were we engage in couple conversation bonding time.  I’m glad that I now know what it is like to have a bad run on cold medication, if I choose to do it again I will adjust accordingly.    I’m happy that I got my push-ups out of the way before the race and didn’t have to worry about them when I got home.  I’m not all that thrilled that my body feels worse after my 1:22 10k  than it did after my first 13.1.  But ultimately I am still happy that I completed those 6.4 race miles, even if half of them were walking and all of them “sucked”. I will also admit I’m a little anxious about Monday’s run, but hopefully a few more dates with the foam roller will alleviate those concerns. And maybe even if Monday is still rough, Wednesday’s pending 6 miles will feel like nothing compared to Saturday’s 6,4.

Respect the Run: Running the Little Lovies and random training musings

Little Lovies Run a Mile

This  morning in the  cold, wind and  not really snow but blowing snowflakes I slogged my tight legs and body through a 5K.   I don’t know why winter always has to pick my Saturday runs to remind me that it really is February in Indiana.  We are having an incredibly mild winter here, so I really shouldn’t complain.  I’ve had plenty of Monday and Wednesday runs in capris and a long sleeve shirt, practically unheard of for the season and certainly not the bitter cold and ice I ran in last winter.   It  just seems like every time the weekend Saturday morning run comes,  I wake up to something that feels more like February is supposed to. Mileage is climbing for Mini training. Last week was 4 on Monday and 5 on Wednesday, from here on out each week will bring a new longer Wednesday distance.  I’m grateful for the ability to run, I’m grateful for an injury free body so  far. But  man I am telling you this morning I was not grateful for the weather.   The local High School sponsors what they call a Tiger Trot every year.  It is a fund raiser for their cross country and track teams.  There is a 5K for the adults and families with kids that can run that far, and a 1 mile race for the kiddos.   It is no secret to MiniMe and The Destroyer that we are trying to turn them into runners, that we desire to make this running thing a family sport.  We started them on the Rookie Run last year, followed it up with the 2 mile Freedom Festival and this morning I subjected them to  something that is likely a little more like what “real” running will be for them.   A small race, with a few participants and support coming from basically the parents of the runners.

The 5K was probably smaller than 130 runners. I say this because I clocked a 34:03 according to the race results.  Pretty darn respectable considering my 5K PR is a 33:43 I  gained last year in the Mini training series when Babu set the first miles pace at something like 9:00. The Freedom Festival I  finished under 40 minutes and I don’t even know what I did the Turkey Trot in without looking it up on Runkeeper and I am in a hurry to get this post done and too lazy to go do that.  The point is I came in on the race results sheet listed as #103 …. out of #105.    Now Babu and the kids came to the finish line to cheer me on as I entered the track for the one lap to finish, and he swears there were at least 4-5 people behind me. And we saw more coming in as we headed out to the track with the kids.  I’m not too bummed about being listed as 103/105 because an 11:06 is not too darn shabby for me thank you very much. I have been sore and tight since Wednesday, just now coming down from the Girl Scout Cookie diet and it was seriously freezing and windy this morning.   To be honest I was grateful I wasn’t doing the  normal 45 minute Saturday run because I would have been required to put another mile on the 3.2 this morning and I really don’t know if I had it in me today.

How does this tie into the  Little Lovies?  Well for starters we didn’t train them for this race, at all. They were running cold, in the cold with only the assurance from  Babu and I that they had already run 2 miles with Dad, so this should be no sweat.   The course was a basic 4 times around the track and the top finisher was a girl about 12-13 who did it in 6, yes SIX MINUTES!!!!    Both MinieMe and The Destroyer had times during those 4 laps when they struggled. Both of them had times when they started to stop and walk.  I knew The Destroyer would probably not give up, but I had some doubts about MiniMe.  She  wants me to sign her up for Girls On  The Run, and I swear I’m going to get off my butt and do it soon.   Pacing is an issue for both of them and somewhere along the 2nd lap she was seriously losing steam.   Babu and I ran back and forth across the field to catch them on both sides of the track and when I got there for lap 2, she yelled to me. “Mom, I can’t do it!”  She was already holding her side and she needed to simply slow down her pace and breathe through it, but she also needed a boost of badass.   I’ve been there so many times it isn’t even funny. There are some  runs where I call on my mantras, or use a breath trick, or some other  mind trick to make my head get it in gear and let my body keep doing its thing.  Sometimes I’m not sure which part of me is convincing the other that we can keep doing this, but somehow I pull it out of myself and just do it.  So many things in life are a mind trick, a convince yourself, an attitude or confidence thing.  Running helps fine tune those inner mind skills and part of the reason I want to turn the Little Lovies into runners is so they learn how to engage those skills early.  Running  may be the one sport where trash talk is looked down on.  In Running it is expected that you support and cheer those around you.  At least in the back of the pack where I run, that’s how we roll.  So I shouted as loud as I could to her and she headed my way, “You Absolutely CAN do it, baby” You absolutely can. Slow down and find a pace, but don’t stop running.”  And I could see her little face screw up in resolve, I could see that stubborn streak make its way out in the form of keep going.  And darn if she didn’t come in near the back of the participants, but that little 9 year old still  clocked a 10 minute mile with zero training.  Her little brother found  the whole thing a little easier and finished around 9:15.   Both of them, even when struggling, can go faster than us right now.

After they were done, we both hugged them and told them how proud we were, but they were both grumpy and not happy about the cold or the run.  In fact  he was crying about how he hated running and there was nothing good about it.  I’ve been there after a run or 5, but I also have the benefit of knowing that training makes it easier.  If we keep them doing this, if we continue to set an example for them with our own runs, we maybe just maybe can accomplish that family of runners dream I have. After some hot chocolate and another ribbon/medal to add to their collection they were feeling pretty proud of themselves.   By the time we got home they were already talking about doing the Rookie Run again in May.   Don’t tell Babu but I just had an idea that maybe I will sign us up for the St. Patrick’s Day run as a family. After all the whole idea of turning them into runners started because it is hard to get babysitting at 6:30 in the morning so both Mom and Dad can run 5K’s.  If we run them as a family, no babysitting needed!

PS-  IPhone Runkeeper  access and OCD to the rescue! Turkey Trot was 36:20, that totally had to be from trying to keep up with Martini Curls b/c I was so out of shape in that race it was ridic.  So my worst 5K is still Freedom Festival at 39:06, that was heat and humidity for sure.