Running Secret

Psst. Wanna know a secret? It’s about running. And, it’s a little crazy.

I hate hills.

That’s not the secret, that’s the set up. I would guess that most runners dislike running up hills. It’s hard work, your legs burn, your lungs burn, it sucks. You want to slow down, or walk. But I don’t. And it’s not because I’m a great runner, or really strong or any of that. It’s because I’m stubborn. I refuse to walk. I refuse to slow down. It really is mind over matter. That is the biggest lesson I have learned from running - what you decide, is what you can do. (Consider that a bonus tip since that isn’t the main tip in this post).

Back to hills. My secret is to get mad. Here’s where the crazy comes in. I get angry at hills, especially big hills. My run at home includes a lot of hills. Here's the elevation graph from my Garmin.



Some are long, some are short, some are steep, some are not. In my opinion, the short, steep hills are easier. You can see the top, it’s not that far off. You can push and once you get up there, you can recover. Long hills, on the other hand, are mentally *and* physically tough. You can see just how far away the top is, and you know it’s going to be a while before you get to recover. You can’t just sprint up the hill. Especially if you hit a hill with what I call a false peak. You *think* you’re at the top, but there’s just a little dip and then more hill. F%$&ing hills.

A long hill mentally and physicall defeats you. So I get mad. I refuse to let that hill beat me. I look at the road (I try not to look up to the top of the hill) and I think, “Screw you hill. You won’t beat me. I will kick your ass.” And I run. I warned you, I said it was a little crazy, but it works! I’ve sworn at hills. Whatever it takes, just get up that hill.

I am not a fast runner. I am not a great runner. I am a middle-of-the-pack runner. I don’t win races, or even my age group. I don’t even come in top 10 or 20. BUT, I get compliments on my hills. I’ve passed many people on hills and had them catch up to me later and compliment me on getting up that hill. So get out there, run those hills and GET MAD!

Has it really been over a week?

Oops. I ran the half marathon on Sunday, April 5th...and haven't run since. I took training easier this time so I wouldn't get burned out. I don't think I did. I didn't run on purpose for the first few days. Then, I just got lazy. It was too cold, or too rainy, or too windy. Basically, I needed to HTFU.

So, today, I am running. In about an hour. It is a sunny and windy 49 degrees out. I am looking forward to it, which probably means it is going to be a terrible run. But, I am okay with that.

I've only got a few 5ks and a couple of 10ks planned this summer, so I'm thinking I may try to increase the number of days I run, rather than the distance. Three miles/5 times per week, with a 10k thrown in once a week. Sounds good.

The Redhook Memorial 5k is my next planned race. I had a pretty slow time on it last year. It was hot, and I realized I run my slowest on the flats, and this race is nearly pancake flat. I've done a lot more running this year than last year, so hopefully I can have a better time. I'll never be fast, but I like to beat myself! (that doesn't sound right, but you know what I mean)

ETA: Just back from run. That was horrible. My legs hurt from my hips to my feet. Bad combination of half marathon last weekend, no running for over a week, eating horribly the last week, not hydrated and brand new shoes. Starting to get a migraine now...ugh. But the weather was really nice. :)

WOW! Amazing account of an incredible journey

Some of you Lotus peeps might know Tim Lorge, well he Tweeted this:

Wanna read a great running story? My GFs friend ran the 6 day 156 mile Marathon des Sables in Morocco. http://sportsrlife.wordpress.com/

Her story is phenomenal. Parts 1 and 2 are up now and it is an amazing read! Check it out.

Great Bay Half Marathon – April 5, 2009

The forecast kept changing from 56 and sunny to 47 and rainy and back again. I woke up Sunday morning to what looked like a sunny day. I decided to wear my running capris and a long sleeve shirt, but bring a running skirt and short sleeve shirt just in case.

Jess and I got to the Newmarket high school (which was the finish of the race) at 9:30. The race website warned that it would be hard to find a parking spot after 10AM and they were right, I think we got the last one. Well, actually it wasn’t a parking spot, but Jess parked there anyway!

It was really windy. I mean really windy. The flags on the flagpole were fully outstretched due to the wind. So, I think it was 50 degrees, but it felt cooler with the wind.

We jogged over to the elementary school around 10:30 AM. Race start was supposed to be at 11 AM. I think the race started a little late, but we were off! Our plan was to take it easy and run about the same pace as our training runs, which was around 10-minute mile pace. We took a left and hit our first hill. First of how many you ask? I have no idea because there were soooo many of them. Thousands. I think. That’s how it felt anyway.

Hill after hill after hill. Did I mention there were hills? Don’t think I’m just a wimp. My neighborhood is essentially at the top of a large, but gradual hill, so every run I go on involves quite a few hills. This *is* New England, not Nebraska. Even so, this course was pretty hilly. According to mapmyrun.com (since for some reason my elevation data is missing from my Seacoast Half Marathon entry), the Seacoast Half Marathon that I ran last fall had a total 197 foot ascent and 194 descent. The Great Bay Half Marathon had a 253 foot ascent and 249 descent. YIKES! It really WAS hilly.

It was a pretty course, too. We had some nice views of the bay through the trees at one point. However, it was during the second half of the race, so I can’t really say that I enjoyed the views. I was too tired and focused entirely on the pavement in front of me just to get up the GIANT hill at mile 8.

There was some interesting course entertainment. At mile 2 and again just before the end there was a guy playing bagpipes. There were some guys in their driveway around mile 9 just jamming, a couple of guitars and drums. They were a great pick me up. Two folk singers at one point with a guitar and an accoustic bass (I think). A female barbershop quartet. And strangest of all, belly dancers at mile 10. I promise I was NOT hallucinating, there were belly dancers. Had to be the strangest course entertainment I’ve ever seen.

Jess and I took turns feeling good. Not on purpose, it just seemed whenever she got her second wind, I was lagging and whenever I perked up a bit, she lagged. It worked out. We had some fun smiling and waving together whenever we saw a photographer. So no matter how we felt, I think we looked good in the pictures!

So the mile by mile pace breakdown:

1 10:10
2 10:01
3 10:35
4 10:20
5 10:19
6 9:53
7 10:11
8 11:27 – I SAID there was a BIG hill.
9 10:27
10 10:42
11 11:07
12 11:16
13 11:12
0.1 9:41 (pace)

Finish time-2:20:18

And a bad cell phone picture taken right after the race (in other words, I look like crap)…

Half Marathon Coming Up (2nd try)

So I suddenly realized today that the Great Bay Half Marathon is 9 days away (now 6 due to repost). That’s coming up quick! It’s close enough that there are weather forecasts! Not that they’ll be accurate, but still, there are forecasts! (High of 50F and “Few Showers”, if you were wondering).

[ETA: Apologies to those that have already seen this post, but Planet Lotus didn't pick it up for some reason and I am such an ASW that I am re-posting it).

This will be my second half marathon. My first was the Seacoast Half Marathon, last November. My time was 2 hours, 11 minutes, 45 seconds. I way overtrained for that race. It was much warmer than expected that day. I only drank the water I brought, and none from the water stations. I made the BIGGEST newbie mistake, I drank a cup of Gatorade even though I had never had it during a training run. RULE #1: Don’t try anything new on race day. I knew that, and in my dazed state at mile 11, did it anyway. I felt horribly sick the entire last mile of the race. Anyway, excuses aside, even though my time was right in line with what I wanted to run that day, I felt like CRAP. It wasn’t enjoyable. Mile 8 I think I started hallucinating. Mile 10 to the end was terrible.

My goal this race is simple: enjoy it. I am going to run slow. I am going to drink lots of water. I am NOT going to try anything new on race day. I am going to run with my sometime running partner, which should really help in the enjoying myself category. I will probably have a slower time than last race, and I am completely fine with that.

That all being said, it doesn’t mean I won’t panic between now and 9 days from now! :)

6 Days to Half Marathon

Eek. 6 days left. Weather forecast for 56 and Sunny. Just a few "short" runs between now and then. Deep breaths. I need to figure out what I'm going to wear. Not so much from a fashion standpoint as from a comfort and the weather standpoint. I *am* going to be wearing these clothes while running for two+ hours!

And there WILL be professional photographers there. Let's just say last half marathon, I looked like I felt. :P

Why I Love Running *This Time*

I think I've mentioned this before, but prior to September 2007, I HATED running. Really. I wouldn't have run unless a bear was chasing me. So, now I'm running half marathons. Lots of people ask me, HOW?

I think a HUGE part of it is starting slow. A few times in my life I've tried to take up running and hated it. I got stitches in my sides, couldn't run more than 1/2 mile without feeling like dying and just generally felt miserable.

This time I started with a program called the Couch to 5k. The program starts you out with just 60 seconds of jogging. Anyone can do that! Especially if you take it slow. I ran sooooo slowly. Seriously, I'm pretty sure little old ladies in walkers could have walked faster than I was running. I started off around 12-minute miles (or 7:30 kilometers, I think if I did that right). It seemed really slow, but that is what allowed me to complete the program.

The program works you up to running a full 5k in 9 weeks. I took 10 weeks, but who is counting? :) The program works by building up your confidence and your stamina. Knowing you can do it is almost (maybe even more) as big a part as physically being able to do it.

Also, I think a huge part of my success this time was stubbornness. Yes, I know that sounds strange, but I really wanted to do it. I didn't want to quit. I realized that a few minutes of discomfort wasn't really that big of a deal. I picked a 5k race to sign up for and there was NO WAY that I was going to miss it. There was also no way I was going to walk. See, I told you. Stubbornness.

After my first race, I was hooked. I also knew I had to sign up for more races, so I would stick it. I signed up for, what else? A 10k. After a couple of 10ks and several 5ks, I decided to sign up for a half marathon. The great thing about running 13.1 miles is that a 5k seems a lot smaller! Of course, I still have bad days. I still have runs where I just have to force myself out and tell myself how great I'll feel after. I still have spells where I don't run as often as I'd like. Races really keep me motivated.

Just like anything in life, I think you have to find what works for you. Some people like to run with music. Even though I love music, I personally can't stand to run with music. Some people like the convenience of the gym or a treadmill. While I would love to get out of the snow and cold of New Hampshire, I hate the treadmill. I would never run if that was my only choice. Some people like to run with a group, and that is what I did for my first half marathon. I also started the Couch to 5K program with a friend. I also have a GREAT running partner that I run half of my runs with. HOWEVER, I love running alone, too. It's my me-time, my "inbox back to 0" like I mentioned in my last post. You just have to find what works for you.

Why I Love Running

I ran nine miles yesterday. My thoughts right now as I try to write this are all a jumbled mess. I want to type out as quickly as I can a thousand different things that all have to do with running, but none of the thoughts are in order. Or would make sense to anyone but me.

There is something about running nine miles (or an hour and a half), that takes you from jumbled thoughts that scramble through our brains a million times per minute to ... nothing. It sounds silly, but I love when I hit that point in a long run in which the thoughts just shut off. I'm just me, just running, just putting one foot in front of the other. I'm not thinking about work, or people that annoy me, or the thousand things that need to get done, or money, or cleaning the house, or anything. I'm just running.

Plod, plod, plod, car, plod, plod, plod, pretty tree, plod, plod, plod, dog, etc. That's all there is. In our crazy busy lives when we're all working on ten different projects at once and we need tools to manage our to-do lists, it's nice to think about nothing for a while. It's like getting my mental inbox to 0. A clean slate to start from, when the thousand thoughts come flooding back.

I’m in love with Big Red

Big Red, of course, being the nickname I’ve given my Garmin Forerunner 305. I’ve had it over a year now and I love it. NOTE: I get nothing in return for writing this entry. I simply love my Garmin and can’t live without it. I recommend it to all of my running friends, and wanted to share that with all of you (you know, all three of my readers).




For those that don’t know, the Garmin Forerunner 305, is a watch-styled GPS for runners. It tracks location, distance, pace, heartrate, time and probably 50 other things. The really cool thing for geek runners is that you can upload all of the data to your computer.

I love to have a running log, but I have a terrible memory. Before Big Red, I would always try to remember to write down all of my runs, try to remember the time and the distance. HA! I would forget have of the runs, or forget one or two important details.

Not just that, but in order to figure out distance, I had to either drive the route beforehand with my car, or try to use Google maps. Google maps can have a lag however, and I often found I was running on roads that didn’t exist according to Google maps. I also had to run to particular points (such as road crossings) that I could easily remember (there we go with that memory thing again) in order to plot them later on. And forget being spontaneous. If I wanted to run a particular distance, I had to run the route I planned, no matter what. I couldn’t change my mind and run a different route, unless it was one I had already plotted.

Then came Red. Now, I can run wherever I want and know exactly how fun I have run. Not only that, but I can see my pace while I’m running, not just after. You can set the Garmin to “auto-lap”, which means every mile (or kilometer, your choice), it marks a new lap. Then when you view the uploaded data, you can see how long each lap took.

Red also tracks elevation changes. Really nice when you see mile 3 took you the longest, and oh, look at that, it’s because there is a giant hill at mile 3. I found out some interesting tidbits about my running that I never realized before Big Red. I run faster uphill than downhill!

Different models come with different options, mine is the 305, so mine came with a heartrrate monitor. I wore the strap in the first six months or so of use. It was very useful for seeing how much farther I could push my running than I was at the time. Now, I’m not so into pushing, so haven’t been wearing the monitor, but it is a nice tool to have.

When I first got Red, you could upload your data to www.motionbased.com, Garmin’s site. Now you can upload your data to www.runningahead.com, my all time favorite running website, which has a really cool running log and great forums.

The Garmin Forerunner 405 is the latest model. Although it is a little smaller, I have heard some complain that it is too small, i.e. it’s too hard to read while running. People always ask me if it bothers me to wear Big Red. NO! I am very finicky about what I wear while running, too. I hate to even wear sunglasses and usually skip them, unless it’s a bright sunny day after a big snowfall and the snow glare is so bad I’ll go blind. So even though sunglasses bother me (and headbands and gloves), Big Red doesn’t bother me at all. It did take some adjustment, but I don’t even notice it now.

Anyway, I love my Garmin. If you are a runner, I recommend getting one. If you are a runner and a tech geek, then I HIGHLY recommend you get one. :)

I may not run marathons - but I did stay at a Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn. I'm not sure, but I think that must translate in some language to "Really Awful Shower". My only choices were boiling hot or freezing cold. Poor water temparature control + low water pressure + crappy massage shower head = boiling hot water shooting out at me every 5-7 seconds.

Anyway, since I am in the lovely city of Woburn, MA at a Holiday Inn, my running choices were a bit limited. I had to resort to the DREADMILL. The lovely Holiday Inn "fitness room" was being renovated, so the temporary fitness room consisted of a treadmill, a stairmaster, a stationary bike and a 27" TV. I got on the dreadmill with plans of running three miles. It was painful. I put on the TV, flipped channels. Mind you, there was no remote, so I had to pick my channel and volume prior to getting on the treadmill. I chose ... wait for it ... American Idol Results Show, which is redundant for boring on a good day. On a treadmill that is so loud, you couldn't hear a jackhammer let alone the TV, the American Idol Results Show is pure torture.

I started playing games with myself. Ooh, it's a commercial, can I guess what it's for before the product is shown? Hmm, let's see...a girl, playing, in the trees, ooh orange trees, it's a commercial for orange juice! Wait, no the mom is sneezing, allergy medication! Nope, Nyquil. Oh well.

Did I mention my view consisted of a brown door three feet in front of the treadmill? Really, captivating.

6 Baby!

As you can see from my Twitter update -->

I just ran 6 miles today. It's been a loooooooooong time since I've done that. It didn't really feel that bad either! My time was 1 hour, 2 minutes, which is the same as my first 10k RACE last June. I feel pretty good, that an "easy" 6 mile run today came it at the same time as a race I ran last year. Last February I was only running 3's and 4's, so I'm ahead of the game, which is great.

As I've mentioned, I signed up for the Great Bay Half Marathon in April. I don't have any time goals since it's the beginning of running season. Finishing would be great!

I'm thinking of repeating some (if not all) of the Seacoast Series races. They were a lot of fun, and it will be fun to see my times improve (hopefully!).

For me, I need to sign up for races in order to motivate myself to run. And I really need to run. For health reasons of course, but I really find that I am a lot nicer and a lot more tolerant when I run. It's either that or start drinking. :)

Running Schedule Update

Woohoo! Ran the scheduled three on Monday. Was supposed to run 3-5 today, my running partner and I ran 4. I didn't even feel that bad, especially given how long it's been since I've run any more than three miles!

Excuses, excuses

Okay running schedule for this week, 3 today, 3-5 on Wednesday, 3 on Thursday and 6 on Saturday. It's been a looooooooooong time since I've run 6. Maybe last November? I'll take it slow, really slow. Really really really slow. The forecast this week is for upper 30s and mostly sunny. I think there is supposed to be one day of "wintry mix", but I've just got to get out there and run. I've already fallen behind my running partner. She ran 5 yesterday and I skipped it. No more. There isn't enough buffer in this running schedule for me to skip the weekend "long" runs.


I had some really "good" excuses this weekend. I think I saw on the Runner's Lounge, they had a forum going about good excuses for not running. So, what's yours? And what do you do to get over it?

Running Again and Again - But Not Too Much

So I ran again on Wednesday. This is a big deal. As pathetic as that seems.

I ran a half marathon last November, so WHY would it be such a big deal that I ran yesterday? Well, while I was training for the half marathon, I ran 102 miles in October. I ran the half midway through November and only ended up running 46 miles in November. I took a little break, okay?

But then, December? Only 21 miles. And worst of all, January...8.7 miles. Total. That's for the WHOLE month of January. I think this happened for a few reasons. First, I burned out overtraining for the half. I was training with a group, and was following their intermediate plan. It was a LOT of miles. Possibly, too many. Then, winter hit. Hard. This has been a very cold, very snowy New England winter. Excuses, excuses.

Now I am back at it. I've signed up for another Half Marathon, and am going to train for it. But, hopefully, not too hard.

So, it's a big deal that I ran yesterday, and last Monday and last Sunday. It's only February 12th and I've already run more miles than last month!

Motivation Monday - Update

It worked! Both professionally and for running.

Yesterday, I ran again! I also uploaded all of my runs since December and realized I was being much harder on myself than I deserved. I haven't been running a LOT, but I have been running some, which is better than nothing.

Anyway, thanks to the four questions from yesterday's post:

I went running.
I made up a running schedule to get me to the Great Bay Half Marathon in April.
I convinced my friend and running partner to also do the Great Bay Half.

I also cleaned up my desk, cleaned out my emails, organized my to-dos for the many development projects I am working on, and knocked out quite a few of them.

The four questions really can be applied to anything...

What would I like to have happen?

I would like to finish the Contact Management System I am developing in Lotus Notes this week.

What needs to happen to finish?

I need to get the specs on a couple of reports that the users want. I need to finish up the remaining requirements.

Can I?

The specs are up to someone else to create, so we'll see if I get those. I can finish my stuff while I wait.

Will I?

Yes.

See? The beauty of the questions is that you can see what is realistic for a goal. Then you can readjust. For example, I may not get the specs, but rather than be disappointed at the end of the week that I didn't finish the CMS, I know that I can do the rest and that part may or may not happen. Realistic expectations = happiness!

Motivation Monday

While Mondays can be really depressing (Ugh, I have to go to work!), I also find that I am my most motivated on Mondays for things like running schedules, new work projects and eating plans.

Yesterday I was able to attend a seminar for work that happened to also throw out some good motivation tips.

My favorite came in the form of four questions. (I sadly do not have the materials in front of me, so cannot quote the source, but will as soon as I get home). These four questions need to be asked in their exact format as they were created in such a way to be motivational and NON-accusatory.

What would you like to have happen?
What needs to happen?
Can you?
Will you?

For example:

Q: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE HAPPEN? This question puts the desired outcome into specifics, making them easier to achieve.

A: I would like to stick to my running schedule this week.

Q: WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN FOR YOU TO STICK TO YOUR RUNNING SCHEDULE THIS WEEK? This forces the respondent to really think about what specific steps need to be taken by the respondent or by others.

A: I need to make a reasonable schedule, i.e. three days rather than five. I need to make sure I have appropriate gear for the weather. I need to enlist the aid of my running partner, so I won't wuss out.

Q: CAN YOU DO THOSE THINGS? This is a reality check. Are you actually able to do the things that are necessary? If one of the answers had been "I need to run 15 miles on Saturday", that wouldn't actually be possible. The respondent would need to rethink either the outcome or what is needed.

A: Yes.

Q: WILL YOU? Another reality check. Just because you CAN doesn't mean you WILL. The respondent may commit and feel motivated to accomplish the tasks, or may respond with "I'll try", which may require a look over the needed tasks to determine which response will elicit a YES to this question.

A: Yes.


I'm looking forward to trying these questions out in various scenarios. Hope they might help you!

Ran Again!

I ran again. It wasn't exactly as soon as I would have liked, but at least it wasn't two weeks after my last run. It was in the mid-40s this morning, I had NO excuse. I ran a little over three miles and it definitely wasn't as bad as last Monday.

I'm thinking I may try to gut it through until Spring and then keep my eye out for either a sale on treadmills or a good used one for sale. Magazines and online sites seem to have a lot of recommendations for Sole treadmills, I have yet to talk to anyone that actually owns one though. Anybody out there have one? Like it? Hate it?

I hope we have more warm temps. And by warm temps, I mean anything above freezing! A lot of snow and ice melting today, that should make the roads easier to run on. Gotta get out there again tomorrow!

Gotta Keep Chugging

This weather is really getting me down. I ran on Monday and posted about it. And...haven't run since. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 40s, as is Sunday. I've really got to get out there.

I noticed that I've been in a really bad mood lately. I thought it might just be stress at work, but then Monday afternoon and evening the mood had lifted. I felt great. Same work situation, but I had run. Stress crept back in over the course of the week. And now, I'm back in a really bad mood.

It's frigid today. Somewhere in the teens, and lower than that with windchill. Portsmouth is horrible about plowing, so the roads and sidewalks are covered with inches of ice. Even if I could stand the cold, I just don't want to risk the ice.

So, anyone have any treadmill recommendations? :)

I ran - FINALLY!

Whew. I did it. It wasn't easy and it certainly wasn't fast, but I ran. Three measly miles, but the first time in TWO WEEKS. It was 38 degrees however, so I had NO excuse. I also enlisted the help of my sometime running partner and we agreed yesterday that we would run today.

It was great weather for running. Not windy, not too sunny, not too cold, just right. I, however, sucked. Wind, that is. Well, it wasn't really my lungs so much, but my legs. My knees, and then my shins, and even my feet hurt! Seriously, I think I felt better running a half marathon than I felt today. At one point I thought cars might start pulling over to see if I needed medical assistance.

Now the key thing is, I must remember how this feels. I must remember to keep running consistently so I never have to feel this feeling again!!!

Running Schedule

A running what now? Oh yeah, a running schedule. Seems like I made one up in preparation for the Great Bay Half Marathon that I am supposedly running in April.

Hmm, now what did I do with that schedule? Oh yes, I promptly forgot all about it. I had fabulous visions of running at least three times while I was in Florida for Lotusphere 2009. Ha! I brought all of my cute little running skirts, expecting 60 or even 70 degree temps. Try 30s and 40s. I ran once and froze. I did not get a chance to run again. Or rather, I was not willing to wear a running skirt and short sleeve shirt in 30 degree weather.

So, what is on tap for me now? Well, according to my running schedule, I am supposed to run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, between 2 and five miles depending on the day.

Judging by the upcoming temps...that may be tough.

Jan 26 - 21°/8°
Jan 27 - 26°/12°
Jan 28 - 27°/23°
Jan 29 - 27°/18°
Jan 30 - 33°/15°
Jan 31 - 28°/17°

Where did my motivation go? I seriously need to just HTFU and get out there. Anyone want to come here and kick my butt?