18 aftermath

I went on so long about the run itself that I thought I'd talk about the aftermath in a separate post.

After SAJ and I got back to her house, I climbed in my car and headed home. I was feeling pretty dazed -- couldn't believe that I had actually just run 18 miles. I came in and went right to the kitchen to make myself a glass of chocolate milk to eat with a rice cake and a banana.

Funny about chocolate milk. I've read many times that it's a great recovery drink and I used to pooh-pooh it. But when I finally tried it, I was an instant convert. It does a great job of saving me from the awful post-run queasy feeling I am subject to after a long slog. And it also primes me to be able to eat something more substantial in another hour or so. I love it!

I only got to rest for half an hour or so -- then head to get in the shower and go to the girls' school to pick up Sweet A for an orthodontist appointment. In the shower, I started to get that yucky "I need to eat so badly that I am nauseous" feeling and realized I'd probably waited too long to eat some more food. Or perhaps the milk, rice cake and banana weren't enough. Regardless, I downed a container of yogurt and went to get the girls.

The yogurt helped and I felt OK for the first half an hour or so. Then, at the orthodontist's office, I started to completely fade away. I really should have been eating a big meal right around the time I went to get the girls, but there just wasn't a way I could make it happen. By the time Big A was done and we were heading home, I was pretty desperate. We stopped at a Taco Time drive-through (an indicator of how desperate I was feeling) and I nearly cried when I saw that there were three cars ahead of us in line. I actually said to Sweet A that I was feeling so tired and hungry that I felt like crying. True to her nature, she said, "It's OK Mommy, you can cry if you want. And we'll be home soon, then you can rest." What an angel.

After what felt like an hour but was probably actually five minutes, we got our food. I drove us home, grabbed my meal and took it straight upstairs, where I laid in bed eating and then immediately fell asleep for an hour before getting up to get ready for the arrival of my best friend SHG.

Another first: 18 miles

Yes, 18 miles! Holy crap, I can hardly believe it's true even as I type it. Even better, it was manageable. Not easy, but do-able -- and I'm getting even more hopeful about my chance of completing the Seattle Marathon next month. I haven't signed up yet, mind you ... I want to get the 20-mile run (the longest one on the training calendar) behind me first. If I complete that, I'm going to register.

It was a successful run in every way. It had been raining up the wazoo that morning and things looked pretty grim when Little C and I got in the car to go to school. But by the time I met SuperAthlete J (SAJ) at her house, it had slowed to a drizzle. We organized ourselves and started the first of our 8-mile loops. Our plan was to do two big loops, then finish with a short two miles near her house.

Hilly route notwithstanding, the first loop felt great. I think taking a rest day before made a big difference for me. I felt strong, refreshed and ready to go -- even though, as usual, I had psyched myself out the night before and hadn't slept well. Why do I always do that?

We made a pit stop at SAJ's house at the end of the first loop to use the bathroom and grab more supplies. I had decided to experiment with a mix of foods during this run: vanilla gel (not bad, tasted like cake frosting), cut-up Lara Bars in peanut butter cookie flavor (fantastic) and frosted Cheerios (super-high glycemic index and yummy too). I can't do all gels, gus, sport beans or anything that's basically straight sugar without getting an unhappily sour stomach toward the end. But I do love the quick energy they give me. So I thought I'd mix things up and overall, I was happy with the results. Nothing gave me a stomach ache, although I did think I was going to have some fun diarrhea at one point. And I didn't feel sick -- during the run or immediately after, so I must have been doing something right.

For the second loop, SAJ asked if we could use our headsets. She used an analogy she picked up from her cycling class and said the second section of the workout is about commitment (I wish I could remember what the first section was supposed to be about, but I do know the last section is supposed to be about "going for it," which made me laugh because in my mind, those last miles are more about "getting through it"). Anyway, she really wanted to focus on her running -- so we plugged in and headed back out. We did stay together and exchange a few words now and then: a few times when we got slammed with the big winds that were blowing through that day -- why did they always come when we were running uphill? -- and again when we got a glorious sunbreak and felt a little heat on our shoulders. Heaven!

That second loop went well overall, but I could definitely tell I was getting tired. Plus, I had stupidly forgotten to restart my timer at our last bathroom stop, which meant that my deluxe watch wasn't tracking distance for me. I had to rely on SAJ to tell me how far we'd gone. By the time we made it back to SAJ's house, I was pretty wiped out. As soon as we stopped, I felt my calves and hamstrings stiffen right up. But we only had a mile and a half to go. I stripped off my jacket, which I'd been keeping on in case the skies opened up again, and we kept going. SAJ took us uphill initially, which felt brutal -- but also meant that we got to do our final 3/4-mile going downhill. As soon as we turned the corner and started heading back to SAJ's house and our end point, I got a complete feeling of delight and success. I kept thinking, "I've got this, I'm going to finish!"

Knowing that I was actually going to complete the distance gave me a happy burst of energy. In perfect timing, Michael Jackson came up on my iPod (I keep it in shuffle mode on long runs to keep things interesting) and I managed a few creaky gyrations as we ran along. Without talking about it, SAJ and I both increased our pace until we were going at a full clip. We rounded a corner and ... she gave me the high sign to let me know we'd finished our 18. Amazing!

Weekly roundup

A mixed bag of a week. On the up side, I completed my longest run ever (more on that to come). On the less up side, I took an extra rest day for a total of three non-exercising days in a single week -- something I really try to avoid unless I'm sick or purposefully taking it easy on vacation.

Monday, 10/19:

Full-body workout -- except abs, which I ran out of time for AGAIN!

45 minutes on the elliptical trainer in mid-zone 1 (125 bpm)

I have got to learn to stop procrastinating and get to the gym in time to complete my entire workout! As it is, many times I wait 'til the very last minute, bust down there, hurry through my workout and run out of time for abs -- which I always tell myself I will do at home and rarely follow through with. Speaking of which, I should be leaving for the gym right now so I will finish this later.

[More than 24 hours later ... and no, I didn't have time for abs at the gym but I did do them as soon as I got home with Little C. Small steps ...]

Tuesday, 10/20:

9-mile run

SuperAthlete J and I enjoyed a sunshiny, almost entirely flat run on a new route with lots of great scenery. Yay!

Wednesday, 10/21:

Upper body weights (chest/back)

Intervals on the track

Like last week, another split workout day: I did weights at the gym in the early afternoon, then met SAJ and several others at the track for intervals in the evening. Husband M came along for the second week in a row, too. I'm really starting to like this workout ... I had no idea how much I enjoy sprinting! It's definitely hard work but doesn't feel like it's on the verge of being too much to handle, like it did the first time. I also think it will really have a positive impact on my running overall. And it's fun to do track work with a group in the dark!

Thursday, 10/22:

Rest

I knew in advance that I was going to take two rest days this week. After reading up on marathon training and consulting the two books I've got on the subject, I thought it would help me to sandwich my long run for the week between two rest days -- on weeks when I'm increasing distance, that is. I was especially apprehensive about the week's scheduled 18 mile run, and wanted to prepare for it as much as I could. Although I felt guilty about missing a day of exercise, I rationalized it by saying that I was going to spend twice as much time exercising during the long run than I would have during a trip to the gym. So cumulatively, it was going to be the same amount of exercise over the course of the week. Until I took that extra rest day on Sunday, that is ...

Friday, 10/23:

18-mile run

So awesome and such a happy achievement that I must write about it in a separate post.

Saturday, 10/24:

Rest

Another on-purpose rest day and boy, did it feel needed. My legs were definitely tired after Friday's long run. Because I spent the day with my best friend SHG, shopping and preparing for a baby shower we were co-hosting for my sisters that evening, I was probably more active than I should have been. Plus, we stayed up late to talk and drink wine, then got up pretty early in the morning. Which probably explains what happened on Sunday ...

Sunday, 10/25:

Rest

I just couldn't make myself do it today. I was supposed to do full-body weights and an easy zone 1 workout (heart rate about 125 bpm) but I felt a fatigue and tiredness in my bones that couldn't be denied. And I just kind of had the blues, you know? My wonderful best friend had headed home to Spokanistan in the late morning, the rain was coming down, I was wiped out after skimping on sleep for two nights in a row, and overall I just felt troubled and lonely. I kept putting off the trip to the gym I was hoping I'd find the energy to take until it was simply too late and I had to skip it. Part of me wishes I'd just decided in the morning that I was going to take an extra rest day, instead of torturing myself with indecision all day. I'm sure it's clear that Sunday was kind of a crappy day overall. Fortunately it was the last day of the exercise week, so I could literally turn the page of the training calendar I use to record my workouts and look forward to starting fresh.

Does exercise make us sick?

An interesting article in the NY Times last week about whether exercise boosts immunity:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/phys-ed-does-exercise-boost-immunity/

In a nutshell, the author tells us that working out really hard can reduce our immunity, while moderate exercise can help increase it, and being sedentary may keep us healthier than totally knocking ourselves out at the gym.

Duh.

Isn't it kind of intuitive that you might get sick, or worsen a mild sickness you've already got, by pushing yourself really hard with exercise? I know it is for me. But at the same time, I also know that the best remedy for that "I think I'm coming down with something" feeling is to head to the gym for a somewhat-relaxed workout. It's a fine line, of course, and I'm not always perfect at walking it. If there's an opportunity to push myself too hard versus not hard enough, I'll always opt for the former. But I do think I have a good sense of when I should skip the workout and stay in bed (or take full advantage of the literal meaning of "rest day," as I did on Sunday).

One thing I did find especially interesting in the article was that, apparently, the longer and harder the workout is, the longer your immune system will be suppressed afterward. Which makes sense, but it was nice to see it quantified (take a look at the article for a couple paragraphs relating to exercising mice and their immune responses for details). And overall, it's always good to get a reminder that washing hands and keeping your distance from sick people is the first line of defense in keeping bugs at bay.

Insane rainy 12 miles, happiest ever ending

Here is me after running 12 miles in a torrential downpour on Saturday morning. I actually look pretty dry, which is because the rain finally eased up around the 10-mile mark.

How did I come to be running in the most relentless rain we've seen around here in months? Chalk it up to SuperAthlete J, as usual. A few weeks ago, she told me about a half marathon she'd read about online -- and pointed out that it was taking place the same week we were slated for a long run of 12 miles. Not only that, it was free, nearby, and would provide a change of scenery. So we signed up.

The story behind the event is pretty interesting. It was organized by a woman who is attempting to complete 52 half marathons this year. (Yes, an average of one per week.) However, there are a couple significant dry spells in the annual running event calendar -- which meant that she needed to double up on several fall weekends in order to achieve her goal. When she was mapping out her runs for the remainder of the year, she realized that she'd need to run two half marathons on the weekend of October 17 to make her goal. No problem -- except she couldn't find one anywhere near her on Saturday. So what did she do? She organized one herself. She worked her connections at Salty's, a seafood restaurant in West Seattle, and they agreed to let her use their bathrooms at the start and finish of the event. They also offered all participants $10 off brunch after the run. She put the word out on her tiny (non-running-related) website, capped the registration at 75 runners, and waited for registrations to come in -- which they did. Less than a week after SAJ and I signed up, we found out that the event had closed. But not before my stepsister, SuperRunner K, had signed up too. Did you notice my runner's number in the photo? I've never had one with just two digits before.

Friday, the day before the run, did not look promising. It poured all day. But I told myself that there was no way that kind of rain could continue for two days. I woke up on Saturday morning -- at 4:00 am after a night of insomnia and worry, detailed in a previous post -- to calm, albeit dark skies and nary a drizzle. That all changed five minutes before I left to pick up SAJ: the skies opened and the rain came cascading down. In the car on the way to Seattle, it was raining so hard that SAJ and I could only laugh. We couldn't believe we were willingly going to go running in that weather.

Happily, the downpour had dwindled to showers by the time our run started at 8 am. In what felt like a cruel and fateful trick, the showers only stuck around until about 4 miles in, when we were fully committed to the out-and-back run. Then the monsoon began afresh. I was quickly reminded that my jacket is NOT waterproof, and discovered that my wonderful pants, which perform quite well in light rain, become sponges when it's really coming down. In about 5 minutes, I felt like I'd added 10 pounds of weight to my load (and perhaps I had).

All the same, SAJ and I kept chugging along. We both felt quite tired in the first few miles of the run and wondered (privately) if we'd be able to manage the full distance. But I hit my stride at about 6 miles and I think she did too. Between cloudbursts, we talked about how grateful we were that at least it was warm outside (close to 60º and really comfortable) and there was almost no wind. Even better, despite the rain and added weight, we were actually moving along at a faster clip than usual -- and staying in our desired heart rate ranges.

The last two miles were definitely a push, but the rain seemed to acknowledge our struggle by subsiding when the going really got tough. We were both thankful to get to the end of 12 miles and walk the final mile to the finish (even though the event was a half marathon, we both agreed that we didn't want to run any more than was specified in our training calendar!).

The happiest ever ending? I ran those 12 miles faster than I've ever run that distance before, coming in at 2 hours and 10 minutes. Had we gone the full 13.1 miles and maintained our average pace, we would have finished at about 2 hours and 22 minutes -- a full 16 minutes shorter than my time on my first half marathon two years ago. Yahoo! Even though I'm working on accepting my leisurely running pace, it is gratifying to know that all the training I'm doing is helping me step it up a bit, all the while remaining in my efficient, fat-burning zone. What a fabulous surprise and reinforcement after all my worry the night before!

Weekly roundup

This week felt completely manageable, thank goodness. It was a bit of a respite week, with a long run of just 12 miles in preparation for next week's 18. Yikes. I finished everything on my schedule with the exception of some ab work that I ran out of time to do at the gym, then forgot about once I got home. Not bad!

Monday, 10/12:

Full-body weights

40 minutes on the stairclimber in zone 1 (125-133 bpm)

Ordinarily, I'm a stickler for 45 minutes of cardio on my weight training days. But I'm working on cutting myself a little slack right now since I'm really making up for anything I miss on the long runs, which last for at least a couple hours. So I forgive myself for doing 40 minutes on the stairclimber instead of 45. (Go ahead and laugh, I know I'm ridiculous.)

Tuesday, 10/13:

8-mile run

A bit of a slog, but I got through it with the fine company of SAJ.

Wednesday, 10/14:

Full-body weights

4 miles running on the track, including intervals

I did my workout in segments today: weights at the gym in the afternoon, then intervals on the track in the evening. We started with a half mile or so of easy jogging, then did close to three miles of interval work (8 sets of one lap around the track at a sprint, followed by a recovery lap). We wrapped up with a few more recovery laps and mixed things up with skips, grapevines, sideways gallops and backwards jogging. It was a great night -- the rain had been coming down steadily all day but the skies cleared just in time for our 7pm meeting time. Even better: my wonderful husband, who hasn't been out running since I cajoled him into it when we were on vacation in August, joined us and was able to complete the entire workout. I was so impressed! And, since he is always interested in working on his short burst energy to enhance his jiu jitsu practice, I actually think he'll come back and do it with us again. Yay!

Thursday, 10/15:

5-mile run

I was anticipating an easy-as-pie run with my charming Cousin B -- and instead, found myself dragging alongside him and wondering if I could finish. Just another reminder not to get too comfortable on my high horse. And a chance to be grateful that I only had to feel that way for 5 miles instead of two or three times that. Regardless, it was a treat to run with him and catch up on what we've been doing.

Friday, 10/16:

Upper-body weights

40 minutes on the treadmill in low zone 1 (105-109 bpm)

This was the day when I ran out of time to do abs -- and didn't reach my goal of 45 minutes of cardio, either. That was probably for the best: in my efforts to stay at or around 100 bpm, I had to keep decreasing the speed on the treadmill until I was barely moving along at the ridiculous pace of 1.2 mph ... and still I couldn't get my heart rate below 105! Crazy. (Although it must be said that I had the incline set to 15%). I wasn't sure if I was overly tired or coming down with something -- or both -- but thought it best to try to take it easy for the rest of the day in preparation for Saturday's 12 miles.

Saturday, 10/17:

12-mile run

So ridiculous it deserves its own post and picture (to come).

Sunday, 10/18:

Rest

Hallelujah. I haven't felt this in need of a rest day in a while -- nor have I ever taken the term so literally. I laid in bed for a good portion of the day, alternating between reading and napping. Does it make me sound a bit less self-indulgent if I say that I felt like I was on my way to coming down with a cold? I do think the rest helped: it's two days later and I don't feel nearly as many symptoms. Cold averted? Fingers crossed.

SuperAthlete J's full-body workout

We've got a great guy doing some painting at our house this week and I've been chatting with him about exercise. He's plenty younger than me (27 to my 41) and he totally has the build of a track runner. When I asked what he does for workouts, he told me that he runs 5-6 times per week, 4-5 miles each time, pretty much as fast as he can muster. He also does 600 (yes, you read that right) pushups every day in sets of 50. Good gravy!

But all the same, he feels like he's in a rut. He wants to increase his muscle mass and work on his running endurance. (He told me that he tried to add a mile onto his usual route a while back and "almost died.") So I've been making some amateur suggestions about how he could get started. Today I typed up SAJ's full-body weight workout for him and I thought I'd post it here, too. I love it because it doesn't require any special equipment beyond a couple hand weights. If you don't have those, you can always use canned food, bricks, rocks or whatever you have handy. I posted a couple of these exercises separately a while back, but here they are in context of a complete workout.

SAJ's full body workout

Do 2 sets of 20 reps for each exercise. Rest 30-45 seconds between each set. If these weight amounts feel too small, feel free to increase them but do be slow and careful with any increases you make on the shoulder press.

1. Lunges with two 10# weights

Hold one weight in each hand. Bring one leg forward so knee is positioned directly above ankle in a straight line. Without allowing that knee to move forward (make sure you can see your toes at all times), drop your hips straight down until the knee of the rear leg is close to the floor. Rise straight back up without completely straightening the forward leg and repeat until you complete a set one on side, then switch to the other.

2. Hamstring curlups with a chair

Grab a sturdy, straight-backed chair. Lay down and dig your heels into the edge of the chair’s seat. Make sure your lower legs are parallel to the floor. Lift your butt off the floor as high as you can without tweaking your back, then drop back down without coming to a complete rest on the floor. If this feels too easy, try single-leg curlups with one foot crossed over and resting on your lifting leg's thigh; or (more difficult) one leg raised straight up toward the ceiling while the other lifts.

3. Calf lifts with two 20# weights

Hold one weight in each hand, feet directly under hips and slightly apart. Rise straight up on your tiptoes, high as you can go, and go back down without coming to a complete rest at the bottom of the movement. If this feels too easy, do single-leg lifts and while keeping your weight off the non-lifting leg.

4. Bench press with two 20# weights

Hold one weight in each hand. If you’ve got a bench, lay on it face up. Otherwise, position yourself face up on the floor with a small pillow or cushion between your shoulder blades. Raise the weights toward the ceiling until your arms are straight, then release out to the side and toward the floor until they’re in a “goalpost” position. Don't let your elbows come to a rest on the floor. Bring your arms up again but don't let your elbows lock. If you like, experiment with different counts on this one: three counts down, one count up (and vice versa).

5. Shoulder press with two 10# weights

Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with a weight in each hand. Bring your arms into a “goalpost” position, then raise them over your head until the weights gently touch together. Bring back down and repeat, making sure to keep your back straight (not arched) through the entire movement. Try to keep your shoulders from hunching.

6. Wall sit with bicep curl, two 15# weights

Hold one weight in each hand. Position yourself against a wall so your legs are bent at a 90º angle and knees are directly above ankles. Press your shoulders and elbows into the wall. Maintain this position for the entire exercise. Drop your arms until they’re straight, palms facing out, then bring them up to your shoulders. When you bring your arms back down, do not fully release the contraction at the bottom of the movement.

7. Tricep extensions with two 10# weights

Hold one weight in each hand. With a slight bend in your knees, bend forward until your back is completely flat (parallel with the floor). Position yourself so your elbows are bent at 90º, hands pointing to the floor and palms facing in. Bring your lower arm back toward your butt until it’s parallel with the floor, then bring back to original position without fully releasing the contraction at the bottom of the movement.

8. Superman

Lay face down on the floor with your arms in the “goalpost” position. Raise your legs so they’re a few inches off the floor and your feet are touching. Lift your face just far enough so your nose doesn’t touch the floor. Inhale. On the exhale, extend your arms forward as far as they’ll go so you look like Superman flying to the rescue. Really feel the stretch along your sides and back. Then inhale and go back to the starting position.

9. Crunches with tabletop

Lay on your back with your knees up and your lower legs parallel to the floor. Press the small of your back into the floor to achieve a pelvic tilt. Put your hands gently behind your head and raise yourself into a crunch. Lower back down without fully releasing the contraction at the bottom of the movement.

10. Side-lying lift

Lay on your side with your legs together and knees slightly bent. Put your bottom arm straight out in front of you; cup the side of your head with the hand of the top arm. Inhale. On the exhale, raise your shoulders and knees toward each other in a sideways crunch. Try not to release all the way to the floor at the bottom of the movement. Do a complete set on one side, then switch to the other.