5K, Part Deux

I added an entry to my "upcoming races" gadget on the right side of the page. Yes, I started "running" again a couple of weeks ago. The quotes are to emphasize that my current two runs per week, from the perspective of any serious runner, are quite laughable. What may draw even more chuckles is the fact that those two runs both involve speed work. Who the heck needs base training?!

Have I officially gone mad? Likely. Since it's become apparent that any halfway decent volume significantly affects my bum heel (and the associated scar tissue in my Achilles tendon), I thought I'd see how running fast (relatively speaking) will affect it, while the mileage and frequency are low. So far, so good.

Does this mean I'm back on my 5K PR Quest? Nah, not really. I'd like to not embarrass myself, but I have no desire to put pressure on myself with this small amount of training. Since my 'Where I'm At' post from a few weeks ago, I've come to realize that I enjoy small, local road races too much to completely give them up, fast times or not.

So, come May 19th, I'll toe the line in Arlington, WA to run a 5k on some short speed work and very little mileage. This should be fun.

And I promise not to gripe if I lose to a 60-year old lady.

No offense, 60-year old ladies...

Trail Running Article in Northwest Runner

As promised a couple of weeks ago, here's the article I wrote for Northwest Runner Magazine (click on pages to enlarge):

Cartoons

As you may know, I'm a freelance illustrator. For quite awhile now, I've thought about publishing a sports-related—or, more specifically—a running-related single-panel cartoon (did I include enough dashes in that sentence?)

There’s a possibility that a regional running magazine may start carrying the cartoons, but nothing official has been discussed at this point.

I thought I'd post a few here, just for kicks. Enjoy.

Where I'm At...or, 3 Runs on an Oregon Beach

When I publicly announce a goal, I never intend to bail on my attempt to reach it. One of the benefits of participating in the online running community is the accountability we can have with each other.

That said, I'm bailing on my 2012 goal of setting a PR in the 5k. Why? One word: love.

I made one of my many comebacks to running in early 2009. I had a pretty decent stretch of building up the mileage and competing, including running my first marathon in May of 2010. Shortly thereafter, I got injured and have been fighting it ever since. I've made a few attempts at racing since—and during—the injury; some semi-successful, many unsuccessful. I went into this year hoping to, if not put in a lot of mileage, at least work on my "short speed." I ran a 5k in January and had a terrible race. The weather was awful, my time was disappointing, and my attitude was sour, to the point of being embarrassed at my own mental state.

Through this entire process, one thing gradually happened. I lost my love of running. I'm a very competitive person by nature (fast or not), so putting in the work has never been a problem for me. In fact, it's usually "too much, too fast, too often" that I have a problem with. Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed getting out there and putting in the miles, the long runs, the tempo runs, the intervals, the races. But during the process, the end overtook the means. I won't say that running became a chore because, as I said, I never had a problem getting out there and putting in the work. What did happen was that I became obsessed with my times, with going for the next big thing, to the point of losing what drew me to running in the first place—that pure, innocent joy of running (as Forrest Gump might say) just to run. Many runners can balance both the joy and the competitive fire. Somewhere along the way, I lost that ability. Thus, my little hissy fit back in January, which led me to give up on running for two months (partially due to some aches and pains, but not entirely).

Fortunately, I do know exactly what I need to recapture. Allow me to flash back to September of 2002. My family and I vacationed on the Oregon coast. I had been running just a little the previous few months. During our vacation we stayed on Rockaway Beach, and that week I got out early in the morning three times to run on the beach. Each one was about 45 minutes, in the mist, with the sound of seabirds and the surf and a persistent salty ocean breeze. Hardly another person in sight. Of course, not every run can be like that, but that pure love of running just for the sake of running is what I need to discover again. When I think of what I love about running, I always recall these runs. Not the speed work, not the races.

I may still run a few races yet this year, but not with the usual competitive fire. Running won't consume me as it has in the recent past. I'll run as often, as far, and at whatever pace feels comfortable.

I'm sure that one day down the road my body and, more importantly, my mind will be ready to shoot for another PR.

Until then, I'll just be a recreational/fitness runner and have fun.

Magazine Article

This morning I ventured out to Lord Hill, near Monroe, WA. Lord Hill boasts a popular series of trails. The weather was (is) uncharacteristically sunny (lately, anyway), so off I went on a photo recon mission.

I was commissioned to write an article for Northwest Runner magazine about getting started in trail running. Most contributing authors shoot their own photos to accompany their articles, and I'm no different. As fate (luck) would have it, I picked the right day for the task.

I spent just over an hour out on the trails. I even mixed in some light running. Given that my body isn't used to it, I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow. I just hope it's muscle soreness and not the usual injury-related soreness. It felt good to get out and do some trail running & power-hiking, alone on the trails.

I'm not sure which issue of the magazine will run the article. I'll post the info here when I find out. In the meantime, here are a few of the photos I shot at Lord Hill.

Brooks PR Invitational

At the Brooks PR Invitational indoor track meet, featuring the fastest high school kids in the nation. Had the girls' picture taken with Amy-Eloise Neale, of Glacier Peak (just up the road from us). She finished second in the mile with a time of 4:44! Hopefully a little inspiration for Natalie as she goes into her 7th grade track season.

Solicitations

Yes, I've been a bit AWOL. Briefly, I was snowed in all of last week, so I took the week off (i.e. no running). This week, I've had a cold with a nasty cough, so I've taken this week off as well. Next week? We'll see. My heel has been acting up ever since my 5k, to be truthful. There were more hills on that course than I expected.

Now, for the topic du jour. Lately, I've been receiving emailed solicitations from folks who want me to tout their cause or make my readers aware of an event or a far-away running adventure on my blog. While I certainly have nothing against these causes and/or events, I make it a policy to not give away free advertising. In fact, I wouldn't accept paid advertising, either. The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my ongoing relationship with running; the struggles and successes, as well as my thoughts on training, racing, injuries and the like. It's usually a personal reflection, but I also hope to entertain (and possibly inform?) from time to time.

So, those of you whom have a cause/product/event you'd like me to post about, I respectfully decline*. I do wish you well, though, and thank you for your interest.



*unless you're advertising a Ferrari 458 Spider and would like me to test-drive it for a month...

Nookachamps 5k

Before I elaborate a bit, here's what I wrote in my Daily Mile post about the race:

Cold, rain, sleet, snow, wind. That pretty much sums it up. I was literally drenched to the bone, from head to toe. I was humbled this morning. Did not have a good run at all. Went out at 7:23, followed by the same time for mile 2, then my lungs & throat tightened up to where I couldn't breathe well. Slowed down for a 7:36 mile 3 (23:13 finish). Aside from pacing my daughter, I've never run a 5k this slow. Even though it was miserable and I couldn't breathe, I expected to run faster than this. Perhaps 12 miles of running per week isn't enough? ;-)
Next up will probably be the Smelt Run 5k in La Conner on Feb. 25th (unless I retire. Only half-joking).

It took me about 20 minutes in my truck after the race (with the heat all the way up) to thaw out, even with fresh, dry clothes. Since it's about an hour's drive home from where the race was (Mount Vernon, WA), I had some time for reflection. I concluded that, even though I've gotten back into running (after a LONG fight with an injury) in a restricted and minimal way, I just don't feel like a runner right now. I know that just getting out for a run — period — defines me as a runner, but I'm so blasted goal-driven and time-focused that when things don't go well, it's hard to accept.

Running and I have a one-way co-dependent relationship (I tend to depend on it, but it certainly doesn't depend on me). Right now, I'm not particularly happy with this relationship. I've tried to slowly bump up the mileage and intensity, but more mileage right now doesn't agree with my injury. So I'm sort of stuck in a "Runner's Pergatory," where I can run just enough to whet my appetite, but not nearly enough to perform the way I did prior to the injury.

So...what to do. I'll tell you one thing I'm doing immediately, and that's taking next week off from running, entirely. I don't want an activity that has brought me so much pleasure the last 28 years (well, the times I wasn't injured) to be something I dread or fight against. I'll do some rides on my bike trainer and lift some weights next week, along with a few dog walks...but the running shoes will go untouched.

Speaking of the dog, I'm still suspicious that I may be allergic to him. I wheeze a lot when I breathe deeply, and I've really had some respiratory issues during the last several runs. Might have to visit my doctor.

As far as effort goes, maybe I'll back off during my next race (Smelt Run 5k, Feb. 25) instead of fighting it. I'm nowhere near being able to bust out a PR, so it might be best to run the first few 5k's this year more as training runs. Can I really do that and not push? I don't know. But today's race unfortunately left a foul taste in my mouth and, like I said, I don't want an experience like that to define what running means to me.

Article on Overtraining Syndrome

Here's an interesting article on Overtraining Syndrome, courtesy of a Facebook friend. Been there, done that, so I can relate.

A Look Back, A Look Ahead

A LOOK BACK

As far as running goes, 2011 was a struggle for me. A good part of the year involved no running at all. Even when I was able to begin some short runs, I'd bump against the wall frequently, still experiencing residual pain from my heel/Achilles injury, along with some "new" injuries (i.e. old injuries coming back for a visit), like my knee. Rehabbing from my injury has been an amazingly long-term process. It's hard to believe it started in the middle of 2010 — a year and a half ago!

At the beginning of 2011, I posted that the year was going to be about balance. Did I achieve that goal? Partially. I always struggle with not going all-in when I have a desire to improve on something. Keeping many balls in the air is a challenge for me. Even though I was only running 3 times per week later in the year, that became my focus. Consequently, my strength training took a back seat. I even lost my desire to hit the pool, and my training on the bike trainer lacked passion (although...can ANYONE be passionate about riding on the trainer?)

Here's a look at the numbers:

MILES
Running - 247
Cycling - 130
Bike Trainer - 145
Swimming - 14 (23,900 yds)
Walking - 102
Schwinn Airdyne - 336

Total cardio hours - 119

Races run - 4 (3 with daughter, 1 solo 5k)

STRENGTH TRAINING
Pushups - 3768 (max:  53)
Pullups - 4500 (max: 18)
Situps - 4022 (max: 40)
Dips - 3227 (max: 38)

Deadlift lbs. - 187,273 (max: 313 lbs.)
Bench Press lbs. - 193,479 (max: 205 lbs.)

I did manage to reach the goal of achieving 6-pack abs early in the year, but as you can see, my mileage was pretty paltry. My weight also fluctuated a lot. I dieted down to 145 lbs. during the abs project. Then, hit the weights (and food) hard and bulked up to 173 within a matter of weeks. As the running returned, the weight started dropping off and I ended the year at about 160 lbs.

A LOOK AHEAD

I was fortunate enough (and surprised) to be invited back as a Brooks I.D. member in 2012. This will be my third year with them. I'll be shamelessly displaying their running gear at the many races I plan on running this year.

Races, you ask? Yes, even with my limited ability to train, I do have a fairly modest goal in mind. I'd like to break my 5k PR. Since I never ran a road 5k at my peak as a runner (in high school), my PR is rather soft (21:15). If I can manage to build enough of a base and — most importantly for a 5k — speed...then I'll take a shot at it. I'll have to average better than 6:51 per mile in order to do so. Even if I can do no more running than my current 3 runs per week, I should be able to achieve this, assuming I can keep the injuries at bay. As 2010 and 2011 showed, that's a BIG if. I'll be basing my training on a modified FIRST program.

The cross-training on the bike and in the pool will continue, as will the weight training. I plan on resuming my weekly swim very soon. I still plan on participating in a sprint triathlon sometime this year. 

I hesitate to set any numerical goals for 2012, as this injury menace just won't completely go away. Like I mentioned above, I'd like to break my 5k PR. I'd also like to run at least one 5k race per month. 

Even though I currently can't run at the same level as many of my running colleagues, you all inspire me. I wish you all a very successful and happy new year. May you run effortlessly and joyfully.

(Wow, that really sounded cheesy. Did I just write that?)