Morning Run Convert ~ Maybe

You may or may not remember when I posted about my HORRIBLE experience with an early morning pre-work run.

Well, surprise, surprise, surprise (are you hearing Gomer Pyle's voice here :))

A friend was extolling the virtues and benefits of running before work so after missing yet another after-work run 'cause I was too tired ... I got up the next morning at 6:00 and went out at 6:20 for a 5k run.

I have to say, people, it was a near religious experience! My run was a bit slow, but the sun was out, the birds were chirping, and morning people, I discovered, are SMILEY!! They all grin at you and say "good morning" in very cheery voices ~ weird. That's not necessarily the case with late afternoon people and certainly not in-the-dark evening runners.  

I was also euphorically surprised to find that I had TONS of energy ALL day long! Huh? What happened last time?

I'm going to try very very hard to get up and run before work TWO mornings a week. Then my plan is to sustain that habit through the summer holidays, right through 'til October and then hopefully this habit will be well-established by the time I have to run in the morning darkness and rain.

To motivate myself and anyone else who needs it, I searched on-line for the benefits of early morning running.

Here you go:

1. Weight Loss: Some experts believe that you can lose more weight if you exercise before eating breakfast. If you kick-start your body's metabolism early in the day, it keeps going longer and burns off more fat. Also, if your stomach is empty your body is forced to burn calories from your fat stores rather than your now very low carb stores.

2. Convenience: The run is done! You don't have to worry about fitting it in later in the day when you are busy and/or tired.

3. Cleaner and Cooler: The air is cooler so you can run further, especially in the summer. And if you live in a big city, there's a lot less pollution to breathe in.

4. Stress relief: For some people, running in the peace and quiet of the morning amps up the stress-relief you get from running at other times of the day.

5. Energy Enhancing: Hopefully you will feel energetic all day long :)

Don't forget to ease into your run with a gentle warm-up and stay in safe areas. I won't be running in wooded parks early in the morning....there just aren't enough people around for me to feel totally safe. Also, I'm afraid of cougars :)) Don't laugh ~ they wander into town every summer and they like to eat in the morning and evening!

Beautiful from a distance :)  Nice Kitty!

A character building run ...

... or 20 k of agony!

Okay, I exaggerate a little, but not a lot!

I got back from my 2nd to last long run in preparation for the dreaded highly anticipated Goddess Half Marathon.

I was plagued with:

* no energy

* stomach cramping for 2 k

* blisters on both feet

* hot weather 

Here's why:

* I had a VERY stressful week

* Thursday night I couldn't sleep cause I had a stomach bug

* I ate nothing on Friday (lots of water and tea) until dinner, when I had a gluten-free veggie pizza

* By Friday night I was close to tears

* I kept waking up last night with cramps in my feet

So what do I do? I get up Saturday morning, eat only a Clif bar, and go for a really long run on a really hot day!!  Come on, tell me I'm smart, I dare ya :)

But I did it and now, an hour later, I feel pretty good. I just had a banana protein smoothie and I'm ready to go.

About 6k into the run I knew it was going to be seriously tough, so I took lots of little walk breaks and picture breaks.  Enjoy!

Meandering through the trees at Beaver Lake

Stopping for a brief rest at 8k

Sunny and hot but beautiful!

Max, my energizer bunny

I heard tail slaps in the water and  wondered if it was a
 beaver. I've never seen evidence of beavers here but
it IS called Beaver Lake.

I love paths that seem to go on forever

A little frog my husband saw while he was golfing
 this morning. A Northern Pacific tree frog, maybe?

Another Running Buddy

 Introducing ... Benji!

Son Andrew and Benji

I don't wanna run! Just rub my tummy.

My son and his fiance adopted Benji a few days ago. And this chubby little fella went on his second run today.

He's a little out of shape, so after about 4k he decided to call it quits. Literally! He just stopped and lay down in the shade. It was so funny. So we walked the last k back home (amazingly he perked right up when we started to walk -- ha ha).

He's going to be a great little runner though and company for Max. Until he got tired he ran right beside Andrew with no pulling or criss-crossing!

Here's where we ran:

Along this path (it was full of people and dogs)

Then down on the beach path for awhile.

 There was lots of walking and waiting for Benji to greet other dogs ... perfect for my post-race legs :)

Race Day!

Please don't think I'm an idiot (although there's definitely an argument to be made :)). I deleted my last "Last Post" because I already miss my little running blog AND I realized it will be too hard to comment on the page I set up at Grade ONEderful because it's just one long post with one comment section.

So act like last week never happened, please.

Okay, Race Day!

The Times-Colonist 10k here in Victoria. There were close to 15,000 people in the race and boy, it was crowded.

But Les and I had tons of fun!!  We both felt strong, the weather was cloudy and warm. I could run in shorts and a sleeveless and felt fine.

I was worried whether or not I'd be able to finish under 55 min. cause my training has been less than stellar.  I've kept up with the mountain/hill running and long runs once a week, but have only managed 2 or 3 runs a week for the last several weeks. Sheesh! Note to self: RUN MORE.

But I pulled it off and felt pretty strong. I took short walks through the water stations and a couple more teeny tiny ones (like 10 steps), mostly just to shake my head into a better space.

I finished in 51:32.  Whoo hoo!  (I know it's probably bad form to cheer for myself, but seriously, that was better than I had hoped for this year).

Les was right behind me with 54 something.  I don't know how he does it. He always digs deep on race day and manages to surprise me.

One more month till the very hilly 1/2 marathon I signed up for.

After the race ~ tired but happy :)

This is What I Learned

One more week until my 10k race ... 5 more weeks until the Goddess half.

On Friday I ran 18 k with my friend ... and this is what I learned:

1. Do NOT eat a big lunch 1 1/2 hours before a big run. Duh! The thing is, I didn't think my lunch was all that big. It was only half a regular sized Wok Box. But trust me, it wasn't good.

2. Run S L O W L Y on your long, slow run and the after effects are minimal. I've been running for 14 years and I KNOW this already. But it's always been so hard for me to follow. But I took it really easy for my last two long runs and I was seriously surprised at how great I felt later in the day and for the next two days.

3. Consistency in dog training (and I guess everything else in life :) really does pay off. I've been telling Max to "STOP" at every single cross road we come to (on leash or off -- service road, lane or whatever). He has gotten very very good at it. "Stop" is like a magic word for him now. He doesn't come to a screeching halt. Instead he slows right down and loops back towards me. I LOVE it. Yay, Max.

AND

4. The new peanut butter GU is extremely delicious.

Happy Running!

Have you tried these?

Look what I'm wearing on my body! Look closer. Can you see?

"What," you must be wondering, "is that?"

You ARE thinking that, right?

'Cause even tho' we've probably never met, these look really weird. And what's even weirder is that I have three of them plastered all over my butt.

Yes, you read that correctly.

These are titanium pain patches and my sports massage therapist gave me some to try out. I like to think it's because I'm special and she likes me a lot -- much more than her other clients. But it's probably only because I whine more than anyone else about my achy glutes. In fact, maybe these are actually bad for me ... maybe they'll kill me ... or render me incapable of talking.

Nah, I googled them. Apparently they're as safe as safe can be.

I've been wearing them for three days and I have to say, they seem to work. Now it could just be wishful thinking (or maybe the great massage I had) ~ but hey! I feel better, so what do I really care?

Apparently these little babies work with your body's energy system to help balance the energy flow. They're supposed to speed up recovery and help with muscle fatigue.

Huh? That's quite the claim. But they're cheap (even when you have to actually buy them) so they're probably worth trying out. These are by Phiten and I have a feeling they're all over the U.S., but I've never seen them in Canada .... so maybe it's a new thing for us? Not sure.

I'm curious as to whether anyone else out there has worn these and what you think of them.

Happy running.

Feelin' Good

Training for my 10k race (in 3 weeks) and Goddess Half (in 1 1/2 months) has finally gotten serious!

Sandy and I ran 16 k yesterday on the Galloping Goose Trail with Max (my cocker spaniel mix) and Roxy (her big beautiful golden retriever).

Remember how I said Sandy and I are often mistaken for sisters AND we tend to dress alike when we're running .... well now we're apparently developing the same injuries at the same time. Good grief!

We're both dealing with tight glutes / wonky pelvis issues. I've been treating mine with chiropractic adjustments, ibuprofen, yoga, foam roller and the hot tub.

But here's what finally worked!!! Going for a 16 k run. Huh?  Once I started running for 10 min. all the aches and pains disappeared and I had a wonderful run (mind you, we did 8 and 1's ... but still).

Even today, more than 24 hours later I feel great!  Not sure exactly what finally did the trick, but I'm a happy camper right now. And so's Sandy. Last I heard (last night) she was feeling hunky dory, too :)

Beginning of our run (sort of).

Sandy and Roxy

Do we HAVE to run that far?

Ha! 16 k was NOTHING.