My 'not so slow' Long Run (my 100th blog post!)

It just occurred to me during my run this evening! This post will be my 100th since April 24, 2011. I am not sure what one 'does' to celebrate this milestone, but I am excited that I have been disciplined enough to keep the blog (and my health journey) moving forward for almost 1 year.

When I started this, I wasn't even sure I would have enough to 'say' to maintain this 'diary of effort'. Not to mention that people like you would find my postings helpful, funny, or even inspiring. I am truly thankful for everyone who has encouraged me, gave me a kick in the pants when needed, and stood by me for the past two years (and one year via this web site).

Thanks for sticking by me, and I promise to keep moving forward! Together, we will reach our goals and celebrate a long, active, healthy life!

The Not So Slow Long Run

This morning I woke up feeling terrible. My entire digestive system was on strike! Friday night I went with a friend to see the new "Wrath of the Titans" movie in 3D, and the theater is one that serves a full menu of entrees right at your table during the movie. Of course, the options on the multi-page menu are filled with amazingly tasty items that defy all laws of healthy nutrition.

'Full disclosure' demands that I tell you that I had a "Whoopie Goldburger" which was a 1/2 lb Angus burger with BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, onions, etc. with fries. Plus, my friend and I shared some nachos with beef, cheese, jalapenos, and guacamole. About the only good thing I had was several tall glasses of water. Oh my gosh!! I hadn't eaten something like that in two years! I was so tasty!!

But by the time the movie had ended, I knew I had made a big mistake. Did I mention it had been two years since I had eaten like that? I felt bloated, full, and uncomfortable the entire drive home. Well this morning, that feeling was still there but add to it a little nausea. I am never going to eat that junk every again!

There was no way I could go out for my 10-mile run that morning. I wouldn't have made it 20 steps before getting sick. So I slept instead until I had to get up to attend a meeting from 10am - 3pm. The lesson from my story: stick with the healthier eating habits that you have been cultivating over time. Once your body starts to crave good food, it will rebel against you if you feed it too much JUNK!

After the meeting, I came home feeling okay. So I decided to go ahead and do my 10-miler before the daylight left for the evening. I had about 2.5 hours of daylight left. So I got dressed and headed out, wearing my new Newton Distance shoes. I was a little worried about taking them on a 10-mile run, but with my Half Marathon four weeks from now, I felt I needed to see how a Long Run in them would feel if I planned on wearing them for the Half. I only have one more Long Run before I start my Taper, right?

Note: common wisdom when running in minimalist shoes is to VERY gradually increase your mileage in them over time (in months) in order to avoid injury to your calves, achilles tendon, and arches. I have been following that rule with my Instincts all year, having gotten up to 5 miles per run in them. So I felt that I could manage things with the Newtons (and if I had a problem, I would just stop and walk back).

I took a new route today, running from my home all the way (5 miles) to my church in town. I brought my church key with me in case I needed to call home for help (or more likely that I would need to use the bathroom). I don't think I will be running to church to attend services on Sundays though (not sure the congregations wants a sweaty, smelly person in the pew next to them. Hahaha).

The run to the church was really nice (and uneventful). I started off with a 5-minute warm-up walk, and then started my run. I passed by my son's Middle School at the 5K point, and then kept going to the church. The temp was about 54 and the weather was perfect. I just loved it! And the shoes were doing just great. I was running in Zones 2 & 3, and I really wasn't feeling like I was exerting a lot of effort. But the watch was telling me that I was running fast (for me anyway), faster than my usual Long Run pace. In fact, I found it hard to slow down in these shoes. They felt so comfortable at the average 8:32/mm pace I was maintaining.

I reached the church and then headed back home. The run home took a slightly different path just because I missed a turn. Oh well, it was no big deal. I was feeling fine. In the end, it didn't really impact my overal mileage. I came in right where I wanted to be. I reached my house, where I started my 5-minute cool-down walk.

When all was said and done, I had covered 10.15 miles in 1 hour, 32 minutes -- a 9:03/mm pace. If you exclude the two walks, the distance is 9.58 miles at an 8:32/mm pace! Wow! This certainly DOES NOT qualify as a Long Slow Run! My coach will be happy with the time but chastise me for not running 2 minutes/mile slower.

But one thing is for sure. If I can continue to run these paces, I will have an amazing PR experience at the Illinois Half Marathon on April 28th. And THAT will be a real joy!

The best Run of my Life

I went for my regular run this morning, deciding on running it at race pace to test out a new pair of Newton Distance shoes I bought on Tuesday. It is a very lightweight, neutral shoe with only a 2mm heel drop. My current Saucony Ride 4s were pretty worn so it was time.

I started off with a 5-minute warm-up walk, then started my run. I ended the run with another cool-down walk and finished with 4.47 miles in the books. I felt pretty good so when I got home, I checked the watch to see what my pace was (I didn't look at my watch during the run; I wanted to go by 'feel').

Excluding the .67 mile of warm-up and cool-down, I ran 3.8 miles in 30:15 minutes! I don't even believe it! I had to double-check all the stats. I ran those 3.8 miles at a 7:57/mm pace! That's like 7.5mph! That pace would be a 5K PR of under 25 minutes! W00t!!

I have never run that fast for that long a distance EVER! It didn't feel like I was running any faster than I normally do, but it did feel more fluid and I was totally in the 'zone' with my breathing and stride (and my feet loved being in the shoes). Maybe it was the new shoes, or maybe Tinker Bell sprinkled some extra Pixie Dust on me. Either way, I was totally excited! In fact, the smile is still on my face.

Who knows if I will be able to repeat this in the future (hopefully). But for me, this was one of those 'running moments' where you just marvel at the experience and you know in your heart that you are a runner.

I also purchased a pair of Brooks PureCadence shoes (they have a 4mm heel drop) to wear for walking the AVON Walk for Breast Cancer because my Newtons are not really designed for walking. I wore these shoes for the first time on Wednesday on a 4.55 mile walk and found them to be very comfortable. Over the past three months, I've learned that I really prefer the minimal heel drop designs in shoes. Now all of my shoes have 0-4mm heel drops.

I still have the Altra Running Instincts (my zero drop shoes) which I love to wear. I have been wearing them for maintenance runs once a week, and most recently at a 5K race with my son last weekend (Race Report coming soon). I love them but I am not so sure I want to wear them for a Half or Full Marathon distance because they do not have tons of cushioning. I have yet to wear them on a Long Slow Run.

So for now, I have three pair of great shoes to wear for this year. Hopefully, I can switch between all three so that I don't have to buy new shoes again until September. The best solution would be to only do my Long Runs in the Newtons so that they will still be viable for the Chicago Marathon in October. They say, depending upon how efficiently you run, that Newtons can last up to 700 miles (which is good because they are more expensive than the average running shoe that might need replacing after 350 miles). We will see.

Natural Running Course

On Tuesday, I met with an RRCA-certified Running Coach and NASM-certified Personal Trainer to kick off a 7-session Natural Running program where you work with a trainer to learn to adapt to a 'natural running' (not barefoot!) form. Since getting the Instincts, I have moved to more of a midfoot strike and find that it works well for me. So I thought it would be a good idea to work with a professional to make sure I am making this transition the right way and not picking up or reinforcing any bad habits.

I spent about an hour with the coach. She did an assessment of my flexibility, core strength, balance, posture, etc. And then she did a full Gait Analysis, videotaping me from multiple viewpoints. It was very cool! She gave me a lot of good feedback at each step along the process, including watching the video together as she pointed out areas that we would work on together over the 7 sessions. At the end, we spent another 30 minutes talking about shoes, the whole minimalist thing, and then finally picking out the shoes I was going to use for the AVON Walk and my training leading up to the Chicago Marathon.

Well, it turns out that my running form is pretty good. I am a midfoot striker and my running posture is good. I need to lower my arms a bit and bring my elbows a little farther back as they swing. My feet pretty much land underneath my body which is good (I don't overstride or heel strike), but my right leg swings a bit outward as it comes forward and she would like to see it come straight out and not make that slight outward sway. And she says I do not 'bounce' (meaning I have very little 'up and down' motion) in my stride which is a good thing; it makes my running more efficient. So she was very comfortable suggesting the Newtons to me because my transition to natural running form is already well underway. Yay!

So I will meet with her for six more sessions, at the end of which she will do the entire assessment process again, including another full Gait Analysis. Then I get to see how (or if) I have improved and incorporated natural running techniques into my running. The sessions will include 30-minute outdoor runs with the coach as well as exercises and instructional sessions on important running stuff (like nutrition, equipment, hydration, stretching, etc). I am really looking forward to this. And the sessions will be done several weeks before my next Half Marathon, so I hope to be able to utilize what I learn to improve my race results!

I might be choosing her as my Marathon Coach for this year. She offers a program for RRCA members that looks really excellent (and is a bit cheaper than the program offered through LifeTime Fitness). I have until June to make my decision on that. It is good to have options when either one would likely be perfectly fine for my needs.