The Good, the Sad, and the Ugly

Race Recap - 10 mile Pear Blossom race

The Good

• Was able to connect with other runners in the race using Twitter. Extra fun - a local news station reporter set up a time to interview me via a tweet. (No, I didn’t get my 30 seconds of fame.)
• Maintained my half-marathon race pace to discover I had lots of steam at the end.
• I was dressed just right! The weather was perfect for running!
• Lots of police on motorcycles controlling traffic.
• Enjoyed seeing old buildings in the city.
• A young girl was handing out Twizzlers at the 9 mile mark.

The Sad

• The race organizers did not time the 5k entries. There were over a thousand runners.
• I did not sleep much the night before – despite bringing my own pillow.
• Discovered the lotion I used at the hotel, to massage my feet with, was hair conditioner.
• Witnessed an expensive iPod skip across the asphalt. I wonder if the guy had to run the rest of the race in silence.
• Spotting the halfway mark in the far distance, after climbing up and over the hill.
• The post race raisin bread – had no raisins just cinnamon chips. (But still tasted pretty good.)

The Ugly

• Despite maintaining my half-marathon pace and coming in sooner than expected, I felt deflated when seeing the final race results. I wasn’t even in the top half...

Swag

• Bright orange hand towel.

Fav T-shirt Words

“Paris Rome Frankfurt” For that international flavor.
“That’s How I Roll” Possibilities - roller derby gal, a pastry chef or a pot smoker?

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Why Humans Run - Revisited

Kelly Lambert a behavioral neuroscientist professes,
“We’ve abandoned physical interactions with our environment.”
In the old days we had to build our homes and plant food for our own survival. Nowadays, most of us no longer have any control over our environment.

“We don’t engage the brain’s “effort-driven rewards circuit.”

So that’s where running comes in. (And why it is so important to many of us.)

Going for a run involves:

Planning - How far should I run? Should I incorporate some intervals or do a long run? What amount of free time do I have? I go over some running routes and check mileage. What is the weather like?
Deciding – I will run one of my favorite 5 mile loops and keep a steady 9 min pace.
Implementing – I head out for a 5 mile run. Water and gear onboard.
Evaluation – This is the reward stage. We enter our miles in the logbook. Some of us even like to view it in Google Earth. “Yeah – I ran 5 miles before breakfast and I feel great!”

Have a great Monday!

PS.
I finally started reading the book Why We Run: A Natural History for a more insightful analysis on running. (Thanks to TED for the suggestion.) I will do a review when I’ve finished and then pass it on to one of you : )

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A Year of Running

Around this time, every year, I look back at last year’s mileage and compare it to this years'. And then attempt to sketch out some aspirations for next year.
I’ve only been keeping track of annual mileage since 2001. Thanks to online running journals it’s so easy now.
Last year’s miles 786
This year’s miles 793 (Over 800 by year’s end :)

Aspirations:

• Beat or make my Half-marathon time of 1:55. (Re-read Galloway’s book – "Half Marathon - You Can Do It" book to establish a new training schedule.)
• Race in a new locale.
• Run injury free!
• Maintain my pace – this is a big one for me. Each year I get older and it’s getting more difficult to see any improvements. I know the ice will shatter someday, till then I’m going to keep skating.

Remember:

"The best swimmers are always in the pool."

Meanwhile, back to building a bird’s nest.


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Lowering the Bar

The problem with setting your goals to high is the painful disappointment when you don’t succeed. It is inevitable at some point in your running you will reach your max. Time becomes a variable. There is nothing you can do that will change this path.
So why do we continue to think training hard is the panacea for every failed PR?
Failure - like an open sore won’t heal unless you:

• adjust your focus.
• accept loss and move on.
• be happy with what you have (Yeah that’s right kara - count your blessings!)
• ask yourself what really matters…

Starting today I will reduce my speed work to just one session a week. And not enter the 10miler race this October.

Read
this post by Matt as he ponders what the actual benefits of training harder.
And
Keep on Running

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Need a Protein Boost

As a Vegetarian, it’s easy to fall into the carb trap.
Hungry… munch on a handful of pretzels. Starving… slice of toast with jam. Really hungry…a bowl of cheerios sprinkled with chocolate chips.
But lately I’ve been noticing an increase in flat out exhausted moments – all I want to do is rest or eat more carbs.
(We all know that dead zone feeling after a sugar rush high.)
So for the rest of this week going to see if increasing my protein intake makes any difference.
Today’s Breakfast Protein Amounts

• Old Fashioned Quaker Oats – 5 grams
• 1 Tbs of Soya Protein - 6 grams
• ½ C Soya milk – 4 grams
• ½ Wheat bun – 3 grams
• 1 Tbs peanut butter - 3 grams

Grand total = 21 grams of Protein!

Active humans need around 0.1 gram of protein for every kilo you weigh. So I need around 54 grams. Hey, almost half way there!

More sources of Vegetarian protein

Trader Joe's Soya Protein Powder

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Face Masks

I just finished reading an excerpt from Kenny Moore’s book “Bowerman and the Men of Oregon.” Added it to my wishlist!
He touches on the 1972 Olympics in Munich. It must have been absolutely terrifying for the athletes.

“That’s a gunshot.”… A few minutes later came the pounding on the coaches’ door… Before him stood an Israeli racewalker, Shaul Ladany… “Can I come in? Can I stay here?” … The Arabs are in our building…. They’ve shot some of our people.” I got out through the window.”

Some humans think they are superior.
We come in all sizes, shapes, and skin color. There are similarities in all of us. We speak differently - yet our smiles are the same.
I am a firm believer that events like the Olympics bring us together - not divide us.
So instead of getting off the airplane wearing face masks; why not check out what marathon runner Viktor Röthlin did.

Image on wiki - Dan Brady

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Evaluation Time

This week’s topic for Take and Run Thursday is: Look Back, Look Ahead.
I can not believe August is right around the corner! It's time to review and revive the first half of the year.
I will follow Tom’s format as I love outlines!
(Thanks Tom -> Runners Lounge)

What’s Going Well?

• I’ve run 503 miles which is 38 miles MORE than last year.
• I’m still injury free. (Knock on wood.)
• I completed a half marathon with the fastest time ever.
• Bought my second pair of runners that fit me well.
• The local race organizer knows my name. (And my age:)

What's not going well?

• Feeling unwell at the end of races with nausea and headaches. Concerned I will feel this way with every race.
• Frustrated with the aging process. I did receive some useful information from Crazy Legs Paul.

  “As we age we will also lose speed while running but your endurance is still there. Maybe it is time to try ultra marathons (i.e. 50k, 50 and 100 milers) where speed is not important; instead, finishing becomes your goal.”

• I still have not met up with any of my online running pals. And three were in the same race as I! Shame on me.
• My shyness holds me captive. One of my goals was to volunteer at a race... I’m currently reading. Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway. Struggling with the concept.

What are you excited about?

• I’m signing up for a 10 mile fun run in October. The Monster Ten Mile Dash.
• I going to volunteer (if they want me) for at a race put on by our local SPCA called Greenhill Humane Society. The Rover Romp 2008.
• Planning next year’s races – Hawaii???

“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.”
- Henry Ford.

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