This post is a little long, but the back story takes up most of it.
When I was in 10th grade, I joined my high school track team for the winter and spring seasons. My running experience included running 3 and a half laps during gym class, so naturally I was ready to be a varsity athlete.
In a word, I was awful. My coaches put me in the mile race, because I definitely didn't have the speed to be a sprinter. I hated it. All I wanted was to be a part of a team, and my main motivation for joining the team was to be able to buy a sweatshirt that said "Levittown Track" on it. I thought I was so cool, even though I hardly gave any effort in practice, and compensated for the few miles I was running by eating extra of everything.
Most of our practices were outdoors, and they consisted of interval running on the track. Simple stuff, but I would count the minutes till it was over. I used to contemplate how I could pretend to "fall" and have a reason to not work out. I was really lazy. Once I actually managed to get out of practice by convincing my coach that I had injured my ankle, since I felt a tiny bit of pain when I walked. One step. The night before.
As you could predict, when spring track was over, so was my running career. I got my sweatshirt - now I had no reason to run anymore.
Fast forward a few years, when I decided to start running for real. I was a Junior in college, and I decided I wanted to start running again....so that I could have a finisher's medal in a marathon. This time though, I fell in love with running. I subscribed to Runner's World, and would read every issue cover to cover, wishing I understood the advice in every section. I always skipped over the injury section. My logic was that since I ran so slowly (I started at 4.6 mph on the treadmill....a 13 minute mile!), I COULDN'T get injured. I really wasn't stressing my body, even though I was logging 25 mile weeks. I ran for a year without any kind of pain.
Then during a half marathon in May 2010, I felt some bad pain in my left foot. It hurt to even stand on it for a few weeks after the race, so I made up my mind that I had a stress fracture (I enjoy being dramatic), even though at most it was probably a VERY minor sprain. I took a few months off, and never felt that pain again. I started getting a little faster, and after PRing by about a minute during my first Divas' Half Marathon, I signed up for another half for May of this year.
That's when the whole trouble started. I started feeling a soreness in my right knee. But I still had the logic of, "I'm running over 10:00 miles. I'm just being lazy." I did the same workouts, and upped my mileage as the race got closer.
Then came St. Patrick's Day.
With about 7 weeks left until my half, I decided it was time to run a 10 miler. After a long, cold New York winter, it was around 60 degrees out. My friend told me he'd buy me a beer if I could run 10 miles, so I did it. I went to class that night, excited to get my free beer afterwards. Class ended, I got up, and my knee completely buckled. I dragged myself out into the hallway and sat down at a desk, where I was completely unable to even bend my knee. My friend got to my building, and we still went to the bar, with him basically forcing me to hop on one leg.
I went to the orthopedist, and I was diagnosed with patellar tendinitis. The doctor prescribed me to 6 weeks of physical therapy, along with the worst prescription of them all - no running. I ended up missing the half marathon, and ever since then, I've struggled with my knee when I do too much too soon.
When you're a runner with an injury to somewhere like your knee, everything changes. If I could do nothing but run, I would log as many miles as I could. Instead, I've found myself using the elliptical more than I would like. Running has been my way to escape, but with an injury, it causes me more stress than I would like.
It's funny, but when I think back on my time running track in High School, it really is the polar opposite of how I am now. I "earn" the sweatshirts I wear now. I'm not a part of a team, but a worldwide group known as "runners."
Most importantly, when I used to hope for an injury, now all I want to do is run.
Medals
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
December 2011 - A TRIPLE Challenge Month
30 for 60, Back to Basics, and now Fit for 2012. Since they all seem to have similar goals, I figured I'd just do all three challenges. I have a lot of goals for this month, and there's no better way to make sure I accomplish them than by posting about it. At the end of December I'll go back and see what I accomplished.
Ready?
1. PR in a 5K
This one should hopefully be easy to accomplish. My 5K PR right now is a 29:02. So close to 29:00...yet so far. My training runs have been going well, and I have a 5K next weekend, so hopefully with the right fuel I'll be okay.
2. Eat more vegetables + fewer processed foods
I have the most disgusting diet in the world. When I was in New York living with my mom, all I ate was processed foods. Frozen chicken nuggets, pizza, potato chips. I want to revamp my diet a bit, and eat more healthy foods. I've already cut soda out of my diet, but next up is to add in more fruits and vegetables.
3. Sleep like a normal person
Being unemployed means that I run on my own schedule. This means I can stay up watching TV till all hours of the night, and I take full advantage of that. The way I live right now is that I stay up till 3-4:00 AM, and I have to set my alarm to force myself to get up at noon. Anything earlier than that and I physically can't get out of bed. I'm going to try to go to bed earlier, and hopefully have some kind of a normal sleep cycle.
4. Stretch
I never stretch. NEVER. The one time I was forced to stretch, it was when I went through 6 weeks of PT for patellar tendinitis. I've run 4 half marathons, and I can't even come close to touching my toes.
5. Finish the challenges
This should be the easiest...and most difficult. Simply to finish the challenges. I'm not saying I need to be perfect, but even during bad days I need to not give up and blow everything.
6. Hit 500 miles for 2011
I spent the better part of this year injured, so this total won't be as high as I'd like. Still, I'm at 464.2. I go back to New York (and the freezing weather) on Christmas Eve, so the more miles I get in before then, the better my shot.
So those are the key goals I have. I'm sure I'll come up with more, but for now these are the key points I want to hit.
What are your December goals? If you're on Twitter, I HIGHLY recommend you join in on one of the challenges: #FitFor2012, #30For60, #Back2Basics
Ready?
1. PR in a 5K
This one should hopefully be easy to accomplish. My 5K PR right now is a 29:02. So close to 29:00...yet so far. My training runs have been going well, and I have a 5K next weekend, so hopefully with the right fuel I'll be okay.
2. Eat more vegetables + fewer processed foods
I have the most disgusting diet in the world. When I was in New York living with my mom, all I ate was processed foods. Frozen chicken nuggets, pizza, potato chips. I want to revamp my diet a bit, and eat more healthy foods. I've already cut soda out of my diet, but next up is to add in more fruits and vegetables.
3. Sleep like a normal person
Being unemployed means that I run on my own schedule. This means I can stay up watching TV till all hours of the night, and I take full advantage of that. The way I live right now is that I stay up till 3-4:00 AM, and I have to set my alarm to force myself to get up at noon. Anything earlier than that and I physically can't get out of bed. I'm going to try to go to bed earlier, and hopefully have some kind of a normal sleep cycle.
4. Stretch
I never stretch. NEVER. The one time I was forced to stretch, it was when I went through 6 weeks of PT for patellar tendinitis. I've run 4 half marathons, and I can't even come close to touching my toes.
5. Finish the challenges
This should be the easiest...and most difficult. Simply to finish the challenges. I'm not saying I need to be perfect, but even during bad days I need to not give up and blow everything.
6. Hit 500 miles for 2011
I spent the better part of this year injured, so this total won't be as high as I'd like. Still, I'm at 464.2. I go back to New York (and the freezing weather) on Christmas Eve, so the more miles I get in before then, the better my shot.
So those are the key goals I have. I'm sure I'll come up with more, but for now these are the key points I want to hit.
What are your December goals? If you're on Twitter, I HIGHLY recommend you join in on one of the challenges: #FitFor2012, #30For60, #Back2Basics
Friday, November 18, 2011
Where did all the girls go?
Part of moving to a new state means that I had to find a new gym. I was a member of Bally's up in New York, but since there are no locations within about a 100 mile radius of where I moved to, I had to quit my membership. I never really loved Bally's - I loved their treadmills and ellipticals. My location was always crowded, unless I went an hour before close and had to rush my workout in. But it was cheap enough, so that was a huge positive.
I joined a gym down in Florida under the name "Bailey's." Going from Bally's to Bailey's meant more than just a slight name change. I love this gym. Everything about is in an upgrade, with the exception of it being $5 a month more expensive. Even the bathrooms are much nicer. And rather than being forced to use the gym an hour before it closes, I can go whenever I want. Literally. 24 hour access was something I could never get at Bally's, and it's a huge upgrade, especially since I'm still unemployed.
What's the point to all this? Well, since I can go to the gym literally whenever I want to, I've been going a lot. Last night when I went, I looked around and noticed that I was the only girl, with about 20 guys working out. I figured there would be a few girls on the treadmills or stairclimbers, but when I turned my head I realized I was still outnumbered 20-1.
What gives? Do girls just not go to the gym late or something? I've noticed that usually there are only a few other girls at the gym when I'm there, but I'm always outnumbered.
This wouldn't be an issue, but since I've been doing a lot of weight training, I usually feel a little awkward lifting 30 pound weights when there are guys around me lifting over 100 pounds and doing the typical grunting and groaning that you would expect from heavy lifters. I suppose I should feel a bit more empowered to be able to hold my own on some machines (I think I can out leg press most of the guys I work out with!) but it still feels a bit strange.
What do you guys think? When do you girls work out? Should I feel tougher by being the only girl in a gym full of guys?
I joined a gym down in Florida under the name "Bailey's." Going from Bally's to Bailey's meant more than just a slight name change. I love this gym. Everything about is in an upgrade, with the exception of it being $5 a month more expensive. Even the bathrooms are much nicer. And rather than being forced to use the gym an hour before it closes, I can go whenever I want. Literally. 24 hour access was something I could never get at Bally's, and it's a huge upgrade, especially since I'm still unemployed.
What's the point to all this? Well, since I can go to the gym literally whenever I want to, I've been going a lot. Last night when I went, I looked around and noticed that I was the only girl, with about 20 guys working out. I figured there would be a few girls on the treadmills or stairclimbers, but when I turned my head I realized I was still outnumbered 20-1.
What gives? Do girls just not go to the gym late or something? I've noticed that usually there are only a few other girls at the gym when I'm there, but I'm always outnumbered.
This wouldn't be an issue, but since I've been doing a lot of weight training, I usually feel a little awkward lifting 30 pound weights when there are guys around me lifting over 100 pounds and doing the typical grunting and groaning that you would expect from heavy lifters. I suppose I should feel a bit more empowered to be able to hold my own on some machines (I think I can out leg press most of the guys I work out with!) but it still feels a bit strange.
What do you guys think? When do you girls work out? Should I feel tougher by being the only girl in a gym full of guys?
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
RE: The 8 People Who Will Ruin Your Attempt to Lose Weight
I love Cracked.com. Obsessed is more like it. Ever since my best friend sent me a link to a random article, I've spent many nights wasting time reading through as many articles as I can. It's probably my favorite way to spend the time on the internet (and by spend the time, I mean waste time).
So today I read an article called "The 8 People Who Will Ruin Your Attempt To Lose Weight," and it really had me thinking about running, and how everything written there (save #1) can apply to people who are just starting to pick up running, or who have been runners for a long time. Go check out the article (but I warn you, you WILL get addicted to the website) and then read what I think about each point. Number one was kind of a joke post on Cracked, so I'll leave that off of here (which explains why the numbering is off.) Consider these "The 7 People Who Will Make Your Running Life Hell."
#8 - People who think they are doctors
This one absolutely applies to me, especially since I've been dealing with a knee injury for the past few months. My parents, bless their hearts, are kind of paranoid that I'm going to blow out my knee if I keep running on it. So now every time I go for a run, it's "you know, running causes knee damage. Stay in." Or as my dad said when I told him I had developed tendinitis, "My buddy at work says that you should only do 10% more a week. Did you know that?" Only a handful of times have I heard them ask, "Well what did your physical therapist say to do?" People who think they are doctors will tell you any kind of running advice they can remember, even if they haven't run a mile since High School.
#7 - People who are cartoonlishly supportive about body image
This point typically comes about when you announce to your family that you are starting a running regimen. I told my parents that I was going to start running, and I was immediately met with, "Why? You aren't fat." I've never been fat, and the decision to start running had more to do with the fact that I wanted to improve my overall health (and get a shiny finisher's medal!) than anything else.
#6 - People who take food too personally
This is exactly as it's posted on the Cracked site. Runners tend to try to eat healthy, since nothing could sabotage your race time like fuel of pizza and ice cream. At my previous job, the section next to mine would have ice cream cake for every birthday/anniversary in the section. In 3 months, I had more than 7 cake offers. I was half marathon training at the time, but all that food didn't help.
#5 - People who never think it's good enough
This point is the number one point that I think any runner experiences when it comes to other people. Case in point: When I started running, I went to my college gym, got on the treadmill, and ran for as long as I could. I was logging anywhere from 15-25 miles a week, and ran a half marathon a few months later. My time was slow, but it was as fast as I could go. In the 3 half marathons since, I've always gone as fast as I could go. When I told my friends and dad the time, their reaction was the same. "That's a long time to be out running. Don't you need to run under an hour and a half to be competitive?" I'm not running to win the NYC Marathon - breaking 2 hours in a half marathon would be a dream come true. When people judge you solely on your times, not your effort, all the fun gets sucked out of running.
#4 - Overly spontaneous people
When you're training for a race, especially something like a half marathon or a marathon, these people will ruin you. I know you shouldn't make training your entire life, but there is a certain amount of discipline you should have to complete all your long training runs. My friend decided to throw a party at the spur of the moment....the night before my half marathon.
#3 - Family members who are not on a diet
Race training is a team effort, especially if you live with someone. It's difficult to devote so much of your time and effort to train for something if you don't have the full support of the people you live with. Replace "diet" in this sentence with "training program" and you see where the issues can lie. Family members who hassle you about spending a long time out on runs can completely derail all your effort.
#2 - People who make fun of your stupid exercise routine
Running makes you look awesome. For all the mental and physical benefit running gives you, weight loss and toned muscles are just another benefit. Of course, getting to that point makes you look a little...stupid. Don't believe me? Check out some of the things that are for sale in your local running store. On a trip to Boston, I packed my fuel belt, hat and leggings, since we were going in the dead of winter. My friends saw me dressed up to go running and nearly died laughing.
So there you have it. The 7 People Who Will Make Your Running Life Hell. What do you think? Is there another kind of person who could dash your running hopes?
So today I read an article called "The 8 People Who Will Ruin Your Attempt To Lose Weight," and it really had me thinking about running, and how everything written there (save #1) can apply to people who are just starting to pick up running, or who have been runners for a long time. Go check out the article (but I warn you, you WILL get addicted to the website) and then read what I think about each point. Number one was kind of a joke post on Cracked, so I'll leave that off of here (which explains why the numbering is off.) Consider these "The 7 People Who Will Make Your Running Life Hell."
#8 - People who think they are doctors
This one absolutely applies to me, especially since I've been dealing with a knee injury for the past few months. My parents, bless their hearts, are kind of paranoid that I'm going to blow out my knee if I keep running on it. So now every time I go for a run, it's "you know, running causes knee damage. Stay in." Or as my dad said when I told him I had developed tendinitis, "My buddy at work says that you should only do 10% more a week. Did you know that?" Only a handful of times have I heard them ask, "Well what did your physical therapist say to do?" People who think they are doctors will tell you any kind of running advice they can remember, even if they haven't run a mile since High School.
#7 - People who are cartoonlishly supportive about body image
This point typically comes about when you announce to your family that you are starting a running regimen. I told my parents that I was going to start running, and I was immediately met with, "Why? You aren't fat." I've never been fat, and the decision to start running had more to do with the fact that I wanted to improve my overall health (and get a shiny finisher's medal!) than anything else.
#6 - People who take food too personally
This is exactly as it's posted on the Cracked site. Runners tend to try to eat healthy, since nothing could sabotage your race time like fuel of pizza and ice cream. At my previous job, the section next to mine would have ice cream cake for every birthday/anniversary in the section. In 3 months, I had more than 7 cake offers. I was half marathon training at the time, but all that food didn't help.
#5 - People who never think it's good enough
This point is the number one point that I think any runner experiences when it comes to other people. Case in point: When I started running, I went to my college gym, got on the treadmill, and ran for as long as I could. I was logging anywhere from 15-25 miles a week, and ran a half marathon a few months later. My time was slow, but it was as fast as I could go. In the 3 half marathons since, I've always gone as fast as I could go. When I told my friends and dad the time, their reaction was the same. "That's a long time to be out running. Don't you need to run under an hour and a half to be competitive?" I'm not running to win the NYC Marathon - breaking 2 hours in a half marathon would be a dream come true. When people judge you solely on your times, not your effort, all the fun gets sucked out of running.
#4 - Overly spontaneous people
When you're training for a race, especially something like a half marathon or a marathon, these people will ruin you. I know you shouldn't make training your entire life, but there is a certain amount of discipline you should have to complete all your long training runs. My friend decided to throw a party at the spur of the moment....the night before my half marathon.
#3 - Family members who are not on a diet
Race training is a team effort, especially if you live with someone. It's difficult to devote so much of your time and effort to train for something if you don't have the full support of the people you live with. Replace "diet" in this sentence with "training program" and you see where the issues can lie. Family members who hassle you about spending a long time out on runs can completely derail all your effort.
#2 - People who make fun of your stupid exercise routine
Running makes you look awesome. For all the mental and physical benefit running gives you, weight loss and toned muscles are just another benefit. Of course, getting to that point makes you look a little...stupid. Don't believe me? Check out some of the things that are for sale in your local running store. On a trip to Boston, I packed my fuel belt, hat and leggings, since we were going in the dead of winter. My friends saw me dressed up to go running and nearly died laughing.
So there you have it. The 7 People Who Will Make Your Running Life Hell. What do you think? Is there another kind of person who could dash your running hopes?
Friday, November 11, 2011
Looking for a race....but not just any race
I have to admit, I'm a bit of a hoarder. When I was packing up my room to move to Florida from New York, I was surprised at how many things I had collected over the years. Old cat toys, weird headbands, shirts that I thought were being kept for some important reason.
But the thing I seem to hoard the most are old issues of Runner's World. When I first started running in January of 2009, I went to the local CVS (1/2 mile away...I drove there. My how times have changed) and bought the February 2009 issue of Runner's World. I got on a treadmill at my college's rec center, and ran for as long as I could with the speed set at 4.6 MPH. I've read that issue over and over and over, and I still have it.
And it's that way with every issue since. I've been a Runner's World subscriber since that issue, and every month is the same. I read the issue from cover to cover while on the treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike/stairclimber. I've kept every issue, and it's a pretty large hoard of magazines at this point. Now I'll just grab a random issue and read it during my workouts.
How is all this relevant? Last night I went to the gym, and after doing a solid round of strength training, I got on the elliptical with a random issue that I grabbed from the pile. This issue happened to be from May '09, with RW cover girl Kara Goucher. In her article, she says something that had me thinking...
"I need a race every month or I go crazy..."
I ran my last half marathon a little over a month ago, and I haven't done a race since. No 5K, no 10K, not even a mile race. My workouts lately have been going fine, but I'm worried that I have no real motivation. What am I training for? At this point I've been going to the gym because it's something to do and because I don't want to lose my fitness. But I want more.
So I've been looking for a race to run. I've told myself that I refuse to start training for a marathon until I can run sub 2:00 in a half marathon. My PR is 2:23, so I'm still a little ways away. I'd like to run another half marathon in May or June, so that I have more than enough time to train smart since I tend to overwork myself in training.
Where do I go? If I'm shooting for May or June, I have the option to run either in the southeast or the northeast, since my mom will still be living in the New York house at that point. Do I stay local and run a potentially very warm Florida half? Do I run the LI Half Marathon...again? Do I make a trip out of it and just travel to a random part of the country?
Decisions decisions...
But the thing I seem to hoard the most are old issues of Runner's World. When I first started running in January of 2009, I went to the local CVS (1/2 mile away...I drove there. My how times have changed) and bought the February 2009 issue of Runner's World. I got on a treadmill at my college's rec center, and ran for as long as I could with the speed set at 4.6 MPH. I've read that issue over and over and over, and I still have it.
And it's that way with every issue since. I've been a Runner's World subscriber since that issue, and every month is the same. I read the issue from cover to cover while on the treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike/stairclimber. I've kept every issue, and it's a pretty large hoard of magazines at this point. Now I'll just grab a random issue and read it during my workouts.
How is all this relevant? Last night I went to the gym, and after doing a solid round of strength training, I got on the elliptical with a random issue that I grabbed from the pile. This issue happened to be from May '09, with RW cover girl Kara Goucher. In her article, she says something that had me thinking...
"I need a race every month or I go crazy..."
I ran my last half marathon a little over a month ago, and I haven't done a race since. No 5K, no 10K, not even a mile race. My workouts lately have been going fine, but I'm worried that I have no real motivation. What am I training for? At this point I've been going to the gym because it's something to do and because I don't want to lose my fitness. But I want more.
So I've been looking for a race to run. I've told myself that I refuse to start training for a marathon until I can run sub 2:00 in a half marathon. My PR is 2:23, so I'm still a little ways away. I'd like to run another half marathon in May or June, so that I have more than enough time to train smart since I tend to overwork myself in training.
Where do I go? If I'm shooting for May or June, I have the option to run either in the southeast or the northeast, since my mom will still be living in the New York house at that point. Do I stay local and run a potentially very warm Florida half? Do I run the LI Half Marathon...again? Do I make a trip out of it and just travel to a random part of the country?
Decisions decisions...
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