The Slump

What a slump I've been in for the past few weeks!  I know that all runners experience a slump at some point but it can be difficult to look at it as a short term problem when you're in the middle of one.  For me the problem seems to be three-fold: post-race time off, lack of a schedule due to a break from school, and the prospect of heading back overseas.  The post-race slump is pretty common and I almost fell prey to it once before following the Atlanta Marathon.  With no follow-up race planned and a sense of satisfaction following the Peachtree Road Race I felt I deserved a little bit of time off from running.  I had no intention of cutting out running altogether but I did cut back on my run days to three or four days a week instead of five or six.  I guess I got a little too comfortable with that routine.  Also, the school semester ended so I found myself with no set schedule to follow.  Telling myself that I could go work out any time of the day usually resulted in not working out at all or begrudgingly heading to the gym later in the day.  Finally, I've been looking into going back overseas (as a civilian) so that in my mind I feel that I should be taking advantage of my free time now before I find myself on the other side of the world.

 There's nothing wrong with a slump.  In fact it can be beneficial in some ways.  Taking a bit of time off to rest is good for the body and taking time off from running keeps me from getting burnt-out on this repetitive exercise.  The problem is when the time off becomes the norm.  I know I need to shake up my workout routine.  I need to do something different to make it interesting.  I love running but there are only a couple of places that I regularly go to run around here and I'm already bored with them.  When I run outside I run around the college.  When I run inside I run on the indoor track at the college.  Tuesday I decided to make a change and drove to the Clinton Nature Preserve again, a former haunt of mine that I haven't gone back to since I moved to a different town.  It was one of my more enjoyable runs over the course of the past several weeks.  Too bad it's 45 minutes away now.  I need to find new routes closer to home.  I also feel that I'm slowing down.  My past 10 runs or so have been slow ones and I'm worried that my fastest days are behind me.  I also realize that a large part of my problem may be mental.  Getting burnt-out on running would also result in slower times.  Changing things up may inevitably help my speed too. 

I should also really consider cross training.  If I'm away from running for a few days I get an itch to run and usually capitulate if even for a 30 minute run.  I need to hold out a bit longer.  Doing cross training for a couple of weeks will have me chomping at the bit to get back out there and run.  That's the feeling I need to recapture; an all-consuming desire to run.  Of course, all this becomes moot if I go back overseas.  I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of leads so it's really difficult to come up with a training schedule when you have no idea what your schedule will be like.  I know that if I do go back overseas that I'll have to tailor my workout plan and goals to fit a schedule that will likely consist of 12 hour days and may or may not include a gym to use.  But, that's no excuse to stop working out until then.

So, where to go from here?  Until I know for sure what my future holds for me I'm going to adjust my goals.  No pace goals or races planned or even any distance goals.  I'm scaling back my running to a minimum of twice a week and getting the rest of my cardio through cross training.  I'll also be focusing more on strength training which I can do at home as well as at the gym. After a couple of weeks of this I should be mentally and physically recovered.  The hard part will be coming out of the slump.  I can't make my slump routine become my normal routine.  With a little bit of motivation and inventiveness I plan to make it out of this slump a better runner.

Peachtree Road Race Time!

     Wow, I have seriously been slacking with this blog.  Luckily I have a better commitment to running than I do blogging or I'd have turned into a slob and fused with my couch by now.  I've been keeping up with running regularly even though I'm not logging the seriously heinous amount of mileage I was logging before the Atlanta Marathon last year.  I recently moved as well so now I live in a neighborhood with sidewalks (Hooray!) and I live near the college so I can take advantage of their running track and trails (Double Hooray!).  I didn't realize until now how much more convenient it is to be able to just go for a run from my front door instead of always having to drive to a park or the gym.
     
     I've made a big change in my exercise routine along with my new move.  I now workout almost exclusively in the mornings.  I would never have thought myself capable of this (I rarely wake up earlier than necessary for any reason...unless there's bacon) but after a couple of weeks of short morning workouts I've made it a habit and have even started waking up earlier to get in a longer workout.  It is hella convenient.  I get my workout over and done with before breakfast and I can get on with my day without having to set time aside later to workout.  About the only downside is that I have to make sure I go to sleep at a decent time in order to wake up early enough.  I am not one of those people that can get by with a few hours of sleep.  Deprive me of sleep and/or caffeine and I will de-evolve into a goblin/banshee/succubus creature that will poison even the most optimistic of attitudes.  My husband, on the other hand, can sleep for four hours and go about his day sans coffee like it's no big deal.  I have no desire to be like that.  I think it's good to have limitations.  It keeps me from going overboard and becoming an Ultra-Marathon Woman. (Btw, after reading Ultra-Marathon Man's autobiography I've concluded that he's just insane).  It seems I've finally overcome my aversion to early morning workouts instilled in me by the Army and it only took two and a half years!

     So, what's my current goal? The Peachtree Road Race of course!  It's a week away and I have done no specific training for this race (unless you count spending my days in the sauna we call Georgia).  I'm just running this one for fun since it's such a huge race with zero possibility of me breaking even the top 100...for women....in my age group.  Fun Fact: The Peachtree Road Race is the largest 10k in the world with a cap of 60,000 participants.  I have given my husband the impossible task of trying to photograph me at some point during this race.  It's a sort of punishment really, after he failed to show up along any point of the 26.2 mile course to cheer me on for the Atlanta Marathon in 2011.  I also expect him to capture photos of fast Kenyans who will doubtless finish the race before I've reached the 3 mile mark.  So, I plan on celebrating the 4th of July by running in an overcrowded 10k, eating a hamburger, and watching a fireworks show....in that order.
 

Juggling College and Fitness

I successfully made it through week one of the Spring 2012 semester AND stuck to my training schedule for the week.  It was not easy.  Granted, I spend more time in the gym than the average person but it was often difficult to carve out that 1 to 1 1/2 hours each day to exercise.  I don't handle multi-tasking very well so when my mind is full of chemistry and biology nonsense  coursework I find it hard to switch gears to the exercise mind-set.  

The key to sticking with a training schedule, at least for me, is establishing a routine.  If I tell myself that I can go to the gym whenever I want to during the day then I will invariably put it off and run the risk of not going.  If I establish a routine of going to the gym after class (or at a certain time of day) I'll be much more likely to get the workout done without having to force myself to go.  So far this is working well as I can stop by the gym on my way home from college.  

This week I ran 2 miles in 15:40. That isn't my fastest time ever. My PR is 15:20 which I ran in 2007. I believe I can beat that PR. After all, I wasn't running as if I was racing for that 2 miles, I was just following the pace dictated by the training schedule. It wasn't an easy pace but I wasn't completely wasted afterward either.  I haven't concentrated on speed at all really during the past year as I've been focusing mostly on building up my endurance.  It was a boost to my ego to see that I wasn't too far off my 2 mile PR especially a PR I set over 4 years ago.

I've volunteered to help with the Peachtree 5k/10k next weekend.  I figure that I owe a lot to the volunteers who have given me water, cheered from the sidelines, and handed me food and other goodies at the finish line so that it's only right for me to volunteer for a couple of races this year.  I haven't gotten word on exactly what I'll be doing or anything but I'm looking forward to being a spectator at a race for the first time.  I hope it'll be fun or at least fulfilling!

New Faces in the Gym

The gyms are crowded with plenty of eager new faces set on fulfilling their New Year's resolutions of getting into shape, losing weight, etc.  I have mixed feelings about this.  Sure, it's great to have goals and I suppose the new year is as good a time as any to start.  I think what really bothers me about this is that most of these gym newcomers will hit the gym hard initially but burn out quickly and by February will be going to the gym infrequently, if at all.  Nothing is more annoying to me than someone who doesn't follow through with what they say they're going to do.

The high attrition rate of these new gym members is great for the regulars in that it frees up more space in the parking lot and frees up a lot of the equipment.  I'm sure it's great for the gym too because they have a lot of people paying for new memberships which they'll hardly ever use.  But, it is sad to see so many people give up on their aspirations.  And from what I've seen so far of these newcomers, most of them really need to lose weight and get in shape.  What makes them give up?  Well, it's hard to get into shape and lose weight.  It's intimidating too for someone who's rarely if ever stepped into a gym to workout alongside seasoned gym rats.  Even those gym rats had to start somewhere though.

I have no problem working out alongside newbies.  I don't care if they walk slowly on the treadmill or lift the lightest weight on the weight rack.  I don't care if they ask questions or wander around like they aren't sure what to do next.  What does bother me is when they make negative comments about "skinny people" or "those girls wearing shorts". I have overheard these comments and, no surprise, they're all from women.  The shorts comment came from two ladies wearing pants and jackets who seemed like they couldn't understand why people would choose to wear shorts while working out unless they were trying to show off their legs.  To me this says that they obviously haven't run in the 70 degree gym before.  Just because you feel insecure or out of place in the gym doesn't mean you are right in making derisive comments about those who have been through the hard work of getting into shape.  Many new gym goers assume that those "skinny people" are naturally thin or athletic but that's a false assumption.  A lot of those "skinny people" have to work hard to be in the shape they're in.  Maybe it's just easier to blame your out-of-shape figure on genetics or some other external factor instead of looking at what you're doing wrong. No wonder so many people quit going to the gym by February!

So, if you are one of those people who recently started a gym membership and haven't spent much time in a gym before please keep some things in mind.

• Working out is hard, so don't expect it to be easy
• Everyone started at square one at some point so don't be insecure
• Don't make excuses
• Follow some sort of plan instead of wandering aimlessly from machine to machine
• Start gradually and work your way up to more intense workouts to avoid early burnout

There's a lot more I could add but I think this is a good starting point. :D

My Running and Fitness Goals for 2012

It's that time again...setting fitness goals for the new year!  I've realized that I have to set achievable fitness goals for myself or I end up floundering in a no man's land of exercise that keeps me more active than the man on the couch but does little else.  Last year my ultimate goal was to get back into regular running and increase my mileage to a half marathon distance by the end of the year.  I met and exceeded that goal.  Since I reached that goal mid-way through the year I had to set new goals.  I decided on the ambitious yet doable goal of running a full marathon, which I also accomplished. The full marathon was a far reach though, I'll admit.  I didn't finish it within a time that I'm particularly proud of (4:40) and I know that I have it in me to do better than that.  I realize that I probably pushed too hard too soon but I was really intent on running that first marathon.  Now that I have running experience with a variety of distances I have a better idea of what to expect and aim for. 

So, what goal(s) should I aim for as New Year's Resolutions for 2012? First I'll start by looking at the weaknesses I've identified after a year's worth of running.

Weaknesses

• Slow speed - I've sacrificed speed for endurance by competing in progressively longer race distances.
• Lack of upper body strength - Focusing on running has left my upper body strength training wanting.
• Weak on Hills - The Atlanta Marathon and Half Marathon taught me that hills are killer for me and that I need to work on leg strengthening.  

There are many more weak areas I could mention but these are the main problems I identified throughout 2011.  I don't want to spend the majority of my training focusing just on weaknesses because that wouldn't make running and exercising particularly enjoyable and I'd tire of the grueling pace of things quickly.  In order to develop a useful but reasonable and hopefully enjoyable training regime I need to take my strengths into account too.

Strengths

• Endurance - I know I can handle progressively longer runs and increased mileage if it's done slowly.
• Few Injuries - I have had few problems with injuries (knock on wood) that a short recovery period and some minor adjustments haven't handled.
• Training Plans Work - With a reasonable training plan in hand I usually follow it and benefit from it much better than when I allow myself to improvise.

With all this in mind I've developed a few goals for 2012 that I think are challenging yet achievable and will make me a better runner.

Fitness Goals for 2012

• Run a sub 4:30 Marathon - My ultimate goal for 2012 is to run a marathon before the end of the year in less than four hours and thirty minutes.  This would be a ten minute improvement on my first attempt but very doable as my first attempt was slower than even my training runs predicted.  If I find myself on track to do even better than 4:30 then great, but I'm not going to be overzealous.
• Tackle the Hills - I would love to run the Atlanta Half Marathon again next year but I need to be able to handle those hills a lot better.  At least once a week I will incorporate hill work or intense lower body strength training into my training plan.
• Get Faster - Before I start focusing on longer distances for the marathon I need to work on my speed.  For this reason I'd like my first race of 2012 to be a 5k.  My initial training plan for 2012 will be a 5k plan focusing on a 22 minute finish time. I'll also make sure to incorporate speedwork into my subsequent training plans once I transition to a half marathon or marathon distance goal.
• Don't Neglect the Upper Body - I realize that focusing on running won't allow me a lot of time to focus on the upper body (also depending upon how busy my schedule for 2012 ends up being).  So, I don't want to set an overly ambitious goal of doing upper body strength training three times a week but I need to do a minimum of one upper body strength training session a week and two sessions during my lower mileage weeks.

So, those are my fitness goals for 2012! It doesn't cover every aspect of my training plan because I know that'll change throughout the year depending on my progress and how much time I have available.  It's a good starting point though and includes things I need to keep in mind throughout the year. I have one larger, ultimate goal to work towards that can and may take the entire year to work up to (sub 4:30 marathon).  I also have a few smaller goals that I can start on right away and will help ensure I'm a well-rounded runner and increase my physical fitness level. What do you think? What are your fitness goals for 2012? 

Small Changes Can Prevent Leg Cramps During Strength Training

So, I'm playing a bit of catch-up in documenting my workouts over the past few days.  To be honest, when I started this blog I didn't intend on using it as a workout log at all and instead just using it to track my running training to see what works and what doesn't and maybe help others that were interesting in running as well.  So, I might not always list my workouts here unless I feel they hold some particular significance to the point I'm trying to make (if there even is a point).

On Saturday I decided to change up the order of my workout.  I planned to do lower body strength training and a 3 mile run on the treadmill.  From previous experience I found that doing the strength training first usually led to my muscles being tight and so I would end up changing my form during the run.  That's not a good thing.  That's how you end up getting injured by twisting your knee or something as a result of unnatural movement.  I also have had the problem of my legs cramping during strength training even if I did some dynamic stretches first.  I figured that my legs just weren't getting loosened up enough beforehand.  On Saturday I did the run first and then did the lower body strength training.  What a difference! I had no problems with leg cramps and I felt the workout was a little easier than it would normally be.  

I also changed up my exercises a little on Saturday.  I tried using the Bosu ball to do body weight squats.  I'm uncoordinated so I figured it'd help with stabilization muscles as well as overall leg strength. I had a few problems keeping my balance but it's the first time I've done that particular exercise so I know I'll improve over time. I also think using the Bosu for squats (without weights) helped to prevent the leg cramps as well.

Saturday December 17 Workout
Treadmill Run - 3 miles in 28:15

Dumbbell Lunges - 3 sets w/ 10 lbs x 10 each side
Bosu Squats - 3 sets x 12
Dumbbell Calf Raises - 3 sets x/ 15 lbs x 10
Step-ups - 3 sets w/ 15 lbs x 10 each side

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Today, Monday, I focused on upper body strength training and did that first before going on my run. I tried to cover all the major muscle groups which took me about 30 minutes to do.  I didn't do any different exercises or increase the weight really but I felt much stronger this time around than I did last Monday.

Monday December 19 Workout

Dumbbell Shrugs - 3 sets w/ 20 lbs x 12
Dumbbell Bicep Hammer Curls - 3 sets w/ 15 lbs x 10
Dumbbell Tricep Kick-backs - 3 sets w/ 10 lbs x 8
Dumbbell Chest Press - 3 sets w/ 10 lbs x 10
                                     1 set w/ 15 lbs x 10 (because 10 lbs is really too light but 15 is a little too heavy)
Lat Pull-down - 3 sets w/ 50 lbs x 10

Treadmill Run - 3 miles in 26:45

These past few weeks have been very laid back in terms of workout frequency and length.  I plan on keeping it this way until after the holidays.  I figure I have to be realistic and it wouldn't hurt to have a little extra time for my knees to heal.  Once the New Year rolls around I will definitely have to increase the workouts to at least five per week and increase the run mileage a bit as well.  The large running mileage increase won't happen until Spring though.  By then I should be completely recovered and more than ready to run, run, run!

Trail Run at Clinton Nature Preserve

Clinton Nature Preserve Trail - Much Better Than Looking at a Gym Wall

Today was a beautifully temperate winter day so I took the opportunity to go on a trail run at Clinton Nature Preserve.  I had no particular route in mind and my only goal was to run for at least 40 minutes but preferably no more than 50 minutes.  Setting a time goal instead of a distance goal is much better for trail running as the terrain variation will make your pace slower than normal anyway while giving an added workout to stability muscles while going over rocks, limbs, etc.  It's also more difficult to hit a goal time or distance exactly as, unlike in the gym, you can't just stop whenever and wherever you want and be within short walking distance of your car.  So, it takes a little more planning to run on trails and until you learn the network of trails in the park or area where you wish to run you need to plan for the unexpected as much as possible.  If you'll remember, this nature preserve is where I got lost while trying to follow the entire red trail.

To track this run I decided to use my husband's Nike GPS Watch which he rarely uses.  I used that in combination with my New Balance Minimus shoes with the Nike+ pod nestled in a pouch attached to the shoe.  The big disadvantage that I've noticed in using the pouch on shoes that are not Nike+ compatible is that the sensor isn't as accurate.  Sometimes it'll underestimate the pace and distance and other times it'll overestimate it.  I guess there's something about the pouch that means the pod isn't as secure as when it's in the Nike+ shoe.  I smell a Nike conspiracy.  Anyway, the pod in this case was just a backup in case the GPS went out.  I was able to recalibrate the Nike GPS watch to my sensor pretty easily but there was no way to change the Nike+ account associated with the watch so the run got logged under my husband's account.  At least it made his numbers look good.

Nike GPS Watch and NB Minimus with shoe pouch (that shiny thing is the pouch)

My run was pretty enjoyable.  It was nice to get back out on the trails after running solely on a treadmill for a couple of weeks.  Too bad this nice weather isn't likely to last all winter.  I saw only two other people on the trails as well as a couple on a bench which they probably thought was secluded enough that no one would see them (but I am a forest ninja).  Every time I come across a couple on a secret rendezvous in a park they're almost always adults and hardly ever teenagers.  It makes me wonder if there's some secret affair going on as adults don't need a secluded area of a park to make out.  Anyway, I finished the run with no issues and without falling down this time (always a plus).

Today's Workout:
5 Mile run in 46:25 with an avg pace of 9'15"