So Sick of Being Tired and Oh So Tired of Being Sick

The last several posts have been me begging myself for consistency in my running regimen and yet here I am again posting about a run 6 days after the previous. At least this one wasn't entirely my fault as I fell sick last week and spent nearly the whole weekend in my room, extending to yesterday. I probably didn't have to stay home from work yesterday but anymore I tend to go all out combatting sickness, trying to beat it in as few days as possible. I hate being sick. So of course I went running last night. Maybe I should have stayed in, but I tend to try exercise toward the end of a sickness as a way to flush the last bits of crap out of my system - a method which is not backed up by science at all, but whatever. Also in this particular case I'd been laying/sitting around for three days straight and it was driving me crazy. Thus I found myself in my running gear, slipping into my running shoes, and setting off on my Fort Greene loop on the same day that I called out from work because I was congested with a pounding headache. A headache which did not appreciate the rhythmic striking of feet on concrete, but which subsided after about a mile of running. The wobbly knees faded as well, though the sore abs as I nearly a mile and a half were not a welcome replacement. In the end I managed to complete the loop fairly easily (even taking a phone call toward the end of it) which I attribute mostly to the fantastic weather, with temperatures hovering right around 70 degrees. So easy to run when it's not muggy and hot. Such a pleasure. I suppose, though, I really do have to get better at running when I'm not comfortable. Pushing myself when conditions aren't ideal. Today and tomorrow will be good practice, since the weather will be returning to uncomfortable summer levels. We'll see if I'll be able to run easy, even when the running is hard.

Later and Later, the Latening Gyre

So two days late. I dislike that I'm letting myself slip on these, though to give myself a bit of an extension I just ran again yesterday. As I start running every day I don't actually think chaining posts together will be worthwhile, as this whole blog was meant to be immediately reactionary, and an exercise in consistency. But here we are.

Anyway, Monday was the Labor Day 5K at Roosevelt Island. Since I'd run there in April to start the summer (spring?) I decided to run there again to end the summer and see what kind of improvements I'd made to my time. For the record, in April I ran this course in 30:03 and then a few weeks later I ran it again in about 28:30. This time? 28:59.

There are a lot of reasons why I ran a worse time than when I ran this course in May, despite several additional months of running, including a 7.5 miler. Monday morning happened to be incredibly humid, which certainly got to me in the first mile of the race before it started to break. I didn't respect the course, and so didn't prepare (hydrate/stretch) properly the day before. I hadn't run for a week leading up to the race, and since the heat wave in July I'd only been running about twice a week.

Really, though, my biggest downfall was pacing. I ran that first mile faster than I ever do normally, which put a lot of unexpected stress on my legs and led me to walk somewhere during the second mile. Twice.

And this was a problem born mostly from competitiveness and a lack of familiarity with my own ability/limits. As I started the race and the scrum separated I paced myself with runners faster and better trained than myself. I had an inkling that I was running faster than normal, but as people continued to pass me I was determined to keep up. I pushed harder, worrying more about other peoples' progress in relation to me and less about how I felt, and how I was running in relation to my own ability. This is a problem I've noticed in earlier races, most notably the J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge in which I thought I was running very fast because I was passing people the entire time, when actually I ran a terrible time and was mislead by the slow pace of other runners. I need to get to a place in running where I'm familiar with - and comfortable with - my own speed and level of endurance. I can't let the ability of other people dictate what I do.

This is something that extends past running, as well. Generally in life I - despite my best efforts - tend to get bogged down with concerns about whether I'm keeping up with my peers, or with some standard of human achievement. Have I advanced enough in my career? Am I behind my friends that are married and having kids? I remember when I used to believe very strongly that you can't judge your own happiness by other peoples' goals, but it seems like I've forgotten that in recent years. As with my running, I've got to get back to that place in life where I can strive for the things I want to achieve, and not worry about how well other people are performing relative to what they want in their own lives. Other peoples' standards do not have to be my own.

Anyway, after the demoralizing race on Monday I decided to redouble my efforts to run more often and more consistently - especially since I'm apparently going to be running back to back 10Ks in October. The distance is very doable for me, but I'll have to train to get to the point where I can push myself for 6+ miles on consecutive days. I'm quite looking forward to the challenge.

To wit, I ran yesterday evening despite sore legs, and managed to complete the Fort Greene loop in one go, without stopping, despite some side stitches and some early calf soreness. It was a pretty average run, but considering it was the day after a race I'm glad to have completed it. For some reason this year I've tended to over-rest, giving myself a break after fairly short runs. I'm not intimidated at all by the 5K distance, so I'm not sure why I've felt I needed a day off after running it in race or in practice. I'll still have to watch out for knee pain, but sore legs have deterred me far too many times this year.

Hopefully I'll be able to hit a double loop of Fort Greene park later today, since it's generally not until that third mile that I really start coasting and after that, on the single loop, the end comes far too quickly. After all, what's the point of battling through that 2-mile wall if you don't cruise through on that runner's high?

Run easy.

The Belated Update

Wow, so yesterday was the first time since I started this blog (which admittedly was not that long ago) that I actually forgot to write after my run. How embarrassing! After all that talk about consistency in my last post, I actually get it together to get a run in, and still manage to mess up the routine. Ah, well. It was a pretty good run. I ran the Fort Greene loop again and managed to do five intervals on the stairs. The humidity was kind of brutal and the pace of my second-half split after the stairs was almost a full minute slower than my pace on the way there. Still, I count it as successful since it didn't hurt so much - except at the beginning as my legs were a bit sore from Saturday, but I managed to push through it - and hit a good rhythm in the last mile. I feel like every time I do this Fort Greene loop I get in a really good groove right at the end of the run. Maybe it's time to try Prospect Park again? Added bonus to today's run - the incredibly cute girl that blew past me on the runner's loop, and then ran by again while I was running stairs. Not sure why she caught my eye more than the other women that I see when I run that park, but there it is. I hope to get in two more runs this week before I shut it down this weekend. I'm running a Roosevelt Island 5k on Labor Day, and while it should be pretty easy to beat my Memorial Day time, I want to crush it. Where was this motivation the last four weeks? Run easy.

I Need To Do This More Often

So I've been playing Rec League volleyball off and on for several years. Last year was an off year, and when I came back to it I noticed that I was playing just a touch slower than I used to, and that I wasn't able to cover as much ground as quickly. I grudgingly chalked that up to rust and age and began to accept my newfound slowness, but as I ramped up my running this summer I noticed that my play in the summer league started creeping back to my previous, energetic, levels. So upon discovering that my running was helping out my volleyball playing I naturally spent the week leading up to the playoffs not running, and eating shit. Because, once again, I'm a genius. Playoff night I was slow, erratic, and didn't really get going until the very end of the final game, at which point we were one game down and playing from behind. We lost. I typed all that out just to further impress on myself the fact that I HAVE to run more consistently. I never understand my inability to start on things that I really enjoy going, namely running and writing. I love the push and struggle and breakthrough during, and the feeling of relief and accomplishment after, but holy hell is it hard overcoming that inertia of doing nothing. And, as I typed earlier, nothing clearly has consequences. Take as further evidence today's run. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and warm-but-not-hot, with a gentle, cooling breeze. It was the same course as my last run, from what seems like forever ago. Fort Greene loop, with stairs in the middle. I hit the park without too much trouble (and at a roughly 8:15 mile pace, which is fantastic for me) but once on the runner's trail I started to flag. The first trip up and down the stairs was much harder than it should have been and not only was I breathing too heavily, but the energy seemed like it was draining right out of my legs. Trip two was more of the same, and the third, and final, trip of the afternoon ended with burning upper quads, and an extended sit down at the bottom of the stairs. Sure, my pace was faster but I don't feel that I should have been that tired on that cycle at this point in the summer, especially given that last year I was completing this loop with five reps of the stairs and pushups and crunches in between each. I want to do better than this, and in order to do that I only need to do more, and more often. The back half of the run started a little touchy, on slightly unsteady legs. As I exited the park I considered stopping until "Body Moving" came on and I was forced to power through. A Cloud Cult song followed that managed to barely keep me moving, and coming up on the final stretch of the run I was trying desperately to not stop when on comes "Boy With the Arab Strap." There are a number of songs I put on my mix, not because they boost me, but rather because I can just coast with them. They are easygoing, but steady and calming. On the wings of Belle and Sebastian I was able to cruise my way home, running easy all the way.

Working On Up

Post is a little late. After my run this afternoon I got sidetracked by dinner and Doctor Who and things. Ran Fort Greene Park again, though this time I decided to try the steps again. Even before I got to the stairs I'd decided to opt out of the pushups, though right now I can't recall why. Possibly because I hate people watching me do pushups, and figured it'd be pretty busy over there at 6pm. The first mile and a half to the park felt rough. I had soreness in both my calves that didn't go away, and it seemed to take forever to overcome the first mile wall and ease into steady breathing. When I eventually hit the steps, though, I saw that I was running about forty seconds faster than normal, so that's something. As I said, the plan was to hit the steps, running only. After one I was feeling pretty good, and it seemed like I'd regained most of my wind and energy by the time I'd come back to the bottom. After two I felt like I'd probably be able to make it to five. After three I was tiring, but five definitely seemed within reach. Then, at four, I realized that I would certainly be able to hit five, but that my legs might not have enough afterward to make it home running. In fact, at that point it seemed like my legs already didn't have enough to make it home running. I'd caught a few footfalls that seemed to waver, but at that point there was no stopping till I'd hit five reps of the stairs. I barely took my break once completed because the Beastie Boys queued up just then, and so I was forced to press onward. It feels like it's been a few runs since I managed to hit real cruising pace, but I hit it soon after leaving the park. I could still feel most of my aches, but the small hurts didn't seem to matter. It felt like I could just run through anything. It wasn't quite the runner's high when endorphines just take over and numb all the pain, leaving only focus, but it was enough. Probably no run tomorrow, but hopefully Sunday evening I'll attempt to tackle the long Prospect Park loop again. Run easy.

Down With The Sickness

So I decided to play hookey from work today. I woke up at six with my alarm, planning to get a run in before work, and decided to just not bother. After a late-ish night last night and the inordinate stress of this summer I just decided to take a mental health day. Surprisingly (or, I guess, unsurprisingly) my office cannot actually function when I'm not there and I spent most of my "day off" working from home. Happily I actually managed to get away just before lunch, on the nicest running day of the summer. On an afternoon that's 75 degrees and partly cloud there's no way I was just going to waste away at my desk. I got away long enough to run my normal 5k loop through the Fort Greene Park runner's trail. From the very beginning of this run my calves hurt. I was in such a hurry to get out there that I hardly stretched at all and as a result I was feeling it for pretty much all of the run. I pushed through it hoping that the soreness would fade but it never really did. I feel like I was more out of breath than I should have been as well. I was fully ready to write another blog entry about pushing through and enduring through yet another bad run. But then, as I slowed to my cooldown walk, I ended my workout on MapMyRun and saw that I finished the loop more than a minute faster than I'd run it on Sunday. Don't get me wrong, it's still slower than my racing speed. But feeling like shit and still running faster than your last training run is pretty great. On my volleyball off-week I'm trying to get as many runs in as I can - social life not-withstanding - and so I'm hoping I can try the loop again tomorrow after work. Today I wasn't even pushing myself and bettered my time. Let's see what tomorrow brings. Run easy.

Back In The Saddle

So remember all the talk I posted about it being important to push past where you thought your limits were? And remember how I said I did that last weekend trying for the eight miles, but settling for five? Well, this is where I say it's also important to know when to stop because you might injure yourself. The soreness that set in on that long walk home last Sunday never really left and I haven't been able to run all week. I could even feel it during my volleyball game on Wednesday. So today instead of trying the steps or the long Prospect Park loop, I took it easy and just ran the 3.3 mile Fort Greene Park loop. I've decided to slowly ramp up instead of jerking ahead in bursts. This only being able to run twice a week - along with the week I had to take off because of the heat wave - left me at about the same place I was six weeks ago. Since my summer proper is just starting now it's about time I started running properly again. The loop today was easy enough. I never hit cruising speed, and it was certainly work the whole way, but there was never a point where I thought I'd have to stop. I'm always surprised at the moments where I'm breathing hard, but am able to catch my breath while still running. Not something I thought I'd be able to do a couple of years ago. Here's to hoping I can get back out either tomorrow evening or Tuesday morning. I do love evening running, but I think an early morning right might do me good. It certainly is a peaceful time to get out there. Till next time, run easy.