An interrupted run

I really wanted to wait to run until tomorrow, mostly because I washed my hair this morning and I hate to wash it twice in one day. But since today's high was only around 73, the humidity was nothing like it had been, and it was not very sunny, I decided to take advantage.

Just as Bailey and I started the awful hill, a little yorkie ran out and right up to Bai. Unfortunately, Bailey is not good with cats, so I am scared of how she might be with little dogs. I tried to yank Bailey away, but the little dog just wanted to see Bai. I left them sniff, and it seemed to go okay, but I was still scared. Fortunately, the owner of the yorkie picked up her dog, and Bailey gave up after a few more attempts. Then we started up the hill, but we lost at least a minute with that. So my 7:30 for the first mile was probably 6:30.

No sooner had we gotten to the top of the hill and turned around did Bailey stop to do her business. Fortunately the rest of the walk went pretty smoothly (though always annoying carrying a bag of crap). As usual, I dropped her off when our 1.2 miles were up, gave her some ice cubes, wiped off my sweat, took a couple gulps of water, and I was off again. But I don't recall feeling any pain anywhere, so yeah.

My second trip resulted in 6:23 for the first half and 6:36 for the second half, so pretty respectable. I ran for another 8 minutes around my street and the field at the end of it. Then I decided to run another 5:30, just so I could hit the 40-minute mark. Sure, there were some rests in there, but all in all, I feel good. I felt my left hamstring pain just for a bit, as well as my right knee pain for a different bit. But, again, it was good.

In fact, I kind of want to run a 5k. Hopefully soon.

Still going

I tend to run after dinner. It typically takes me 30 minutes to clean up after dinner (and, sadly, probably only 7 or 8 minutes to eat dinner), so my food has had a little time to digest. But that is not ideal. Fortunately, traffic was kind to me today, and I made it home just a little after 5:30, which gave me enough time for a short, pre-dinner run.

I did my "usual" run down my street, then down, up, down, and up the hill at the top of the other street. This evening, it took me 6:24 for the first half and 6:24 on the way back. I don't think I have ever done both trips in exactly the same time; I tend to run about 20 or 30 seconds faster coming back, since the killer hill is at the end of the first half. In any event, I ran a little faster than I did last week. And I did not walk the end of the killer hill as much as I wanted to.

After that, I ran for just over 9 minutes up and down my street, so I could come close to hitting 2 miles. In fact, I may have run a little more than 2 miles now that I think about it. My round-trip run is about 1.2 miles, and I did that in just under 13 minutes. But I had to come home, eat, do the dishes, and go vote, so I could not keep going, even though I felt good enough to do so (not including the slight pain in my left hamstring). After all that dinner stuff, I ended up walking with the kid and the dog to vote; it is a short walk there and back. And then we took Bailey on another walk after that.

So all in all, I got in a good bit of exercise, and in really great weather to boot. I will most likely run again this weekend. But I am already starting to think about 5Ks. I have not set an "official" goal of running one, because the reality is that I can tire of this. But it is definitely at the front of my mind.

Actually (kind of) running again

The final line of my last blog post was this: Here's hoping I don't go too long before blogging again.

And I wrote my last post on May 17, 2014, which was over four months ago. Sigh.

Soon after I wrote that post, I must have been inspired to start running again. I wish I had kept better track of when I started and how often I did. But my best guess was right around four months ago, though I guess I could have started as late as June. I do know that by the time we went to OC MD the last week in June/first week in July, I had had a few runs under my belt, and I did manage to run twice while at the beach (once along the sand and actually into the ocean at some points).

About a month or so ago, I decided I want to try to run the Race for Pace, which was the last race I ran in, two years ago. Back then I think I was running about once per week, but don't recall. I do know that I was swimming and doing Zumba regularly. Now, I run two to four times per month. Yeah, not that good.

But I am running. And I think if I keep this up, I can run in that race and hopefully do it in around 35 minutes.I just checked my time two years, and I did it in under 28:55. The competitor in me is sad to read that, and I now want to run the race in around 30 or 31 minutes, but I just don't think I can realistically do it.

My best run since I started running again was around 20 minutes for two miles (I think I probably ran a little less than two miles). One would think I could translate that into a 31-minute 5k, but since that was my best (again, I think; I have not measured the distance of my runs over the the past two months), I have to be realistic. Even though the longest I have run is 30 minutes, and most of the time, I have been running about 25 minutes, I am optimistic that I can finish the race without having to walk. And most of me thinks that should be my goal. So in that respect, 35 won't be so bad. But if I don't walk, maybe I could do it in under 35.

Clearly I am just thinking out loud here.

Here is the other wildcard: This year, the Race for Pace is having a super hero theme. So I could totally forgo the competitor in myself and just have fun.

Wonder what I will do...

Race for Pace

I completed the Race for Pace in 28:55.

If I would have run the race about three weeks ago, when I was working out like crazy, that time time might have been a little disappointing. But I have to keep telling myself over and over that I am 40. Unfortunately, saying it does not help me accept it all that much. Not that I am 40; I am cool with that. But that I am past my running prime. But proof of that was right before me: I ran into a former student whom I beat by about two and a half minutes when I ran the race two years. This year, he bested me by seven and a half minutes.

I know I should be focused on my finishing the race in under 30 minutes, which is great, considering I have been running about once a week. And I am absolutely proud of myself, particularly considering that I struggled a bit during my runs lately. I was not convinced I could do it in under 30 minutes. But I did it.

A few other notes:

It was cold, probably about 35-degrees at race time, but sunny. My running gear consisted of a long-sleeved t-shirt, a windbreaker, yoga pants, socks as gloves, and a flexible knee brace I used to wear at the beginning of this century when I ran several times a week. I unzipped the windbreaker during the last 2/3 of the mile, and maybe even took it off. The socks on my hands also came off about that time (I did not have gloves, but those babies worked great, even for nose-wiping purposes, as gross as that sounds, but it was cold).

I am happy to report that I was almost pain-free the entire time (the knee brace was a good call); even my feet hurt very little, though during the first mile, two of my toes were numb from the cold! I have this odd breathing pattern, which I tried to replicate when I was lying in bed, but couldn't. Regardless, it seems to work for me, and, almost as important, I am not wheezing and gasping as I seem to always notice some people do during these races.

I started off strong, kept a pretty steady pace, struggled a bit near the end up the last hill, but "kicked it in" as best as I could the last tenth of a mile. Having my friend Diane there cheering me on really helped. As I was struggling up the last hill, she made me laugh (or at least smile as I was out of breath) when she yelled, "Go, Faith! Don't embarrass me." 

During the last mile, a woman who I determined was somewhere near my age (which impressed me, because I am lousy at figuring out ages) passed me. I thought about pushing myself even more, in case she was going to be the difference between my getting third place and fourth place. But in the end, the last hill was too much for me, and I could not go any faster. I convinced myself to just keep going as I was so I could finish in under 30 minutes

When the time came for my age group awards, the person they announced for third place was that woman who passed me. I could not believe it! Oddly enough, when I checked my results online that evening, I was listed as being in third place in my age group. I emailed the race director about it, who just emailed me a bit ago saying she would look into it. I admit the competitor in me is disappointed to think they made a mistake that cost me getting my name mentioned and a medal, but the mature gal in me is going to keep telling myself this:

I am 40, I finished the race in under 29 minutes, and I am proud of this body!

Race for Pace

I ran in the Race for Pace this morning. I decided since this was, in all likelihood, going to be my last race of the year, I should "leave nothing on the field" as Hines Ward says. So from the get-go, particularly since the beginning has a slight downhill, I started off at a pretty nice pace. Within the first minute and a half or two, I ran up to one of the seventh graders that I sub. I think he runs (or at least ran) cross-country, and I did notice he started the race at the front of the pack, something that "good" runners tend to do. When I reached him, I asked what his pace was, thinking if it was around 9 minutes, maybe I could run with him. He told me he had no idea, and I realized that I was slowing down a little to talk to him, so I left him in the dust, never to see him again until after the race.

So how was the race? The course has some up and down hills, nothing as steep as what I normally run, as well as some flat sections. I did my best to pick up speed any time I went down a hill, which helped with my timing. The unfortunate thing was there was no one shouting out times or mile markers, at least not when I ran by, so I had no idea how far I had run at any point during the race.

During the last just over 1/2 mile (or thereabouts), a woman behind was saying to her running buddy that they needed to pick up the pace going up this last hill. Personally, I was really struggling, having given it pretty much my all so far, but when I heard her say, "We run 10-minute miles normally; we run 9-minute miles for races," it seemed as if she was talking to me. So I decided to push it as much as I could, which was not easy. I also looked at my cell phone stopwatch at that point and was both surprised and excited to see I had been running for just over 21 minutes. Even though there was a good crowd at this race, I started to believe I could finish it way under 30 minutes and maybe even place.

I gave it pretty much all I had as turned the corner into the long driveway to the school, and I crossed the finish line at what I remembered as 26 minutes. Unfortunately, as I later discovered, I actually crossed the time clock at 27 minutes; no idea why I remembered it as 26.

I ended up finishing in 5th place in my age group out of 15 and 138/300, at a time of 27:01. For comparison's sake, when I ran this race in 2002, I finished 1st in my age group out of 8 and 75/195 at a time of 26:20. I am pretty happy considering I am eight years older than when I last ran this race, I had to run with an extra 100-plus people, and I ran only once this week, on Monday, and no times last week thanks to being sick.

Do you hear that sound? It is I, giving myself a high five and a pat on the back.

My longest run since, well, a long time

Yesterday, I ran (well, mostly jogged) up and jogged (perhaps closer to a fast walk) down the 65 steps in the school lot about 22 times. I felt it during and after, but just not enough to give myself a day off today. With that in mind, this morning I decided to try a longer run, without pushing myself speed-wise.

I did not time my first (usual) mile, though it was probably around 11 minutes. The middle part of my run was on Greensburg Pike, which I used to run on when I lived in the Forest Hills/Chalfant area. I sped up a little during that part because I noticed two senior citizens running at about the same pace as I was; there was just no way I was going to let grandma and grandpa outpace me! Fortunately, there are no killer hills on that road, just some smaller up- and downhills, and I ended up running that leg of the journey in under 25 minutes. I tried to take a slight advantage of the last, mostly downhill mile (I again passed the grandparents), though that mile still took me about nine minutes to complete.

I ended up finishing the run in 45 minutes, give or take a minute. When I measured the jaunt, I was happy to see I ran almost 4.5 miles. I am guessing the last time I ran that far was during the Great Race in 2002 (I actually ran 6.2 miles, since I ran the 10k).

The thing about running races, at least for me, but I bet for most people, is you don't really need to run that distance on a regular basis. If you can run close to it without taxing yourself too much, then you will probably be fine to run farther. This entire summer, I ran 3 miles only twice, and yet I managed to run the 3.1 5k on Saturday just fine.

Anyway, I felt pretty good at the end of today's run, confident I can run even farther next time. So much so, that if I were going to be in town on September 26, I would so be running the Great Race (at a very slow pace, mind you). I guess I will just have to try to get in some more longer runs, for my own satisfaction.

I ran around the square!

It took me almost four years to run in a 5k race (and about 11 months since I started running again), but I finally did it. Yeah, me!

Here are my thoughts:

• I was pretty nervous last night, and I did not sleep well as a result.
• When I arrived in Regent Square this morning, I had a lot of trouble finding a parking space. In 2002, there were 865 runners. This year, there were almost 1,600 runners plus 372 runners who ran the 1.5-mile race (which did not exist in '02). Quite a difference.
• When I walked from my car to the start (a few blocks), my ankle hurt. Fortunately, that went away.
• It was a beautiful day for a race. Probably around 60 degrees with low humidity when it started.
• It was weird not to have someone to start off a race with; when I used to run 5Ks, I almost always had my friend Zuri and/or MBB to begin a race with.
• For the first time in a race, I waited until almost everyone else had started running before I crossed the starting line, which took almost three minutes. Back in the day, I would try to stand/start with the eight-mile pace crowd.
• I liked waiting around to start (well, except that it meant I had to dodge the walkers). Less pressure and fanfare.
• Along with a smile, I am pretty sure I got a tear in my eye as I began the race. It felt good to be doing this again.
• I was glad to see the people cheering, singing, playing instruments (love me some steel drums), and passing out beer and champagne along the way. Great motivators.
• I actually took advantage of the downhills, more so at the end.
• Having run this 5k only once and eight years ago at that, I had forgotten how the course went, so I really could not "plan" for my best pacing.
• Now having just run it, I can say it was probably a good layout--you start off mostly flat and slightly downhill, then you move to a tough mile 2, which is mostly uphill. The last approximately half mile is downhill, which gives you a chance to kick it in.
• I am so glad I did not trip; between the cobblestone in the first mile and the rocky trail for another 1.5 miles, I came close at least once.
• A few times during the second mile, I contemplated running very slowly. In fact, at one point the thought of walking crossed my mind; the uphill climb, although not steep, seemed never-ending. But I just went with a slower-than-usual pace to get through it.
• And that meant I had the energy to pretty much sprint down the final hill.
• When I finished the race, I had a smile on my face (and, I am pretty sure, another tear in my eye).

The most notable thing about this race compared to what I remember from previous ones was that I did not push myself super hard. As I mentioned in another post, I used to be very competitive, so I would give it my absolute all, more so than a regular run. But this time, as evidenced by my waiting so long to start and taking it easy up the hills, I just wanted to prove to myself I could do it and do it with a little grace.

Yes, in the back of my mind, I wanted to finish in about 30 minutes. But last week, when I realized I finished the Run in 28:14 when I was in the best running shape of my life eight years ago, I was pretty sure 30 minutes was not going to happen, and I was just going to have to be okay with that.

Ultimately, I finished it in 30:08. I am really proud of myself, though, honestly the tiniest bit disappointed that I did not finish in under 30 when I clearly could have. Because I ran no harder than I do when I run regularly (and probably even less hard), I could have sprinted another quarter of a mile for sure at the end. Had I known where the finish line was, I would have run even harder/faster those last few tenths.

But the good news is that because I did well and yet did not quite achieve that under-30 time, I want to run in another 5k to prove to myself I can do.

Oh, I plan on it.

Last run before the race

Today I ran my two-mile route at my kid's school just before pickup. School is back in session, which means so is, hopefully, more regular running for me. I had really wanted to get a three-mile run in, but I played tag and raced with my kid off and on for over an hour yesterday, so I did not want to push myself too much today. That and I could not get this vision out of my head: Running my old route and falling or getting an awful cramp, rendering me unable to make it back to my car in time. As a result, my kid is left waiting for me in the parking lot, wondering why my car is there, but not I. Actually, she would not be wondering; she has expressed this very fear to me sometime. :-(

I think the run went well. I did my first mile is 10:07, which might be my best time for that not-so-fun mile (wish I had recorded my times more often). I did my second (easier) mile in 8:26, which is probably also my best second mile (I made sure I took advantage of the downhill today, fear be damned!). I did end the run with a couple trips up the 66 steps, but I felt an odd pain in my upper thigh, so put the kibosh on that pretty quickly.

Am I ready for Saturday's race? Not really. But all that I can do is give it my best and hope that I find a nice balance between pushing myself more than when I usually run and not overdoing it so I end up having to jog slowly or (gasp!) walk at some point.

Wish my luck! I will need it.

In conclusion, hills, heat/humidty are evil!

This morning I ran around Indiana, Indiana County again. I ran the same route I did three weeks ago, but I threw in another .3 miles for good measure. Well, that and because the Run Around the Square 5K (3.1 miles) is only four days away. Ugh!

When I started my run today, the wind was in my face and it was quite breezy. The last time I ran in temps that were around 60 degrees, it was probably May. I actually felt a little chilly. Not that I am complaining.

This run felt pretty good. Sure, as usual, it was a struggle anytime I ran up a hill. But actually my bigger concern is that I don't take advantage of the downhills. I guess the speed scares me, so I tend to run kind of slowly. I was thinking about how I need to channel the competitive edge I used to have/feel when I was running regularly years ago. Hopefully, I can do that on Saturday, assuming there are some downhills.

When my run ended today, in stark contrast to last week, I felt pretty good, even though I was pushing myself at the end (mostly because I had been feeling like a running slacker for most of the run). Of course, it makes all the difference in the world when you end your run on a flat street. Still, I was kind of surprised that when I checked my heart rate as I was finishing up today, it was only around 140 bpm. Contrast that with the end of my uphill run last week, when my heart rate was at a very high 180 bpm (which is pretty much my maximum).

I probably should have run a little farther today than the 2.9 miles I did, considering the (usual) lack of struggle I felt. Yeah, low temps and flat ending. Regardless, hopefully I can get an over 3-mile run in on Thursday, but that will be it before the race. Almost there.

Slightly better run

Knowing that the Run Around the Square is just nine days away meant I had to get out and run again this week. This morning I ran the same route I did on Sunday, and fortunately it went a little better. I finished the around 2.7 jaunt in just under 27 minutes, shaving over a minute off my time from four days ago. As I was coming up the last hill, I looked at the stopwatch on my phone and saw that I was almost at 26 minutes, so that gave me the motivation to push myself. I just hope I can find that same drive next weekend.

I also wish I remembered the course for the Run Around the Square. According the race packet, the first 1/2 mile is through Regent Square's streets, which are pretty flat, and the second 2 1/2 miles are through Frick Park's cross-country trails. Honestly, the only trail part I remember from 2002 was when someone handed out shots of beer or champagne (people along the Great Race also hand out one or both of those beverages). I thought that was so cool, so I grabbed one. Not sure if I will be so eager this time, eight years older and all...

Regardless, it might be a good idea to run on some type of trail before the race. Not sure where; I just don't know Frick Park that well to feel comfortable enough to run around there alone. The few times I have walked there with my kid, we do so for no more than 15 minutes one way; I am always afraid the trail will end up being five miles long, and she will get tired.

Hopefully, I will feel motivated enough to run Saturday morning. I want to get in two more runs before the race; three would be ideal for me, but probably not realistic.

Almost there.

Cleary I am not ready to Run Around the Square

After almost two weeks off, this morning I ran my new route around my neighborhood. I was pretty sure if I had a knife, I could have cut the humidity with it (it was over 90 percent), which made the run quite challenging.

When I run, I get very sweaty. On top of that, I breathe pretty heavily too. I kept thinking about those two things since I finally signed up for a 5k; can't wait for everyone to see and hear scary-looking me!

But really I am much more concerned about how I will do in the race, the Regent Run Around the Square, which is now less than two weeks away (yes, I finally signed up for a 5k!). I know I am not as prepared as I need to be. I really should be running twice a week, and today marked 13 days since my last run. I could "train" like this at 34, but at 38, I am not so sure.

After a few months of running during the school year, I decided I wanted to run a 5k in the spring, and my goal time was under 30 minutes. But since I have not been running as I had been, I think I am going to have to shoot for a more realistic 32 minutes. (Today, I finished my just over 2.6-mile run in 28 minutes exactly.) And that bums me out. I know it is just a number, and the way I felt today, my goal should probably be to finish the race without walking, but I have to aim higher.

For the record, when I ran the Run Around the Square in 2002, I finished in 28:14, and that was when I was in great shape. Yeah, I might just have to hope for 35 minutes...

A 7 a.m. run

For the first time in about forever, I ran at just after 7 a.m. I was playing airport taxi this morning, and I could not see myself going back to bed at around 7 a.m. when I got home. Plus, most importantly, I was way overdue for a run.

I ran the same route I did almost three weeks, but it went decidedly better this time. I finished the about 2.6 mile run in just under 28 minutes, which was a little faster than I did last time, and I felt better overall. In fact, I started out at pretty nice pace, unlike how I ran right out of the gate last time. And I did not have to walk at the end, even though I was hating that uphill ending. It was also less humid, and it was probably just under 70 degrees, which are pretty good conditions for a late July run.

I still am unsure when I will run that elusive 5k. I have a couple in mind, one in August and one in September, but I am not sure that I have trained enough for either. But if I can step it up a bit, I may be okay.

The first couple minutes are the most difficult

For the first time since probably 2002, I ran around my neighborhood, which is actually hillier than my normal route near my kid's school. Unlike that route, this run started off pretty flat. And, yet, from the get-go, I still felt as if I was not going to be able to run more than a few minutes.

I blame the heat, mostly. It was a hot 75 degrees at just after 10 this morning. Although it did not feel super humid, the sun was beating down. But I think age has something to do with the challenge. When I was training to run the Steelers 5k in 2006, I ran once a week for about six weeks. That was all I needed to do, at age 34 1/2, to get ready for that race. I don't recall feeling a drop off from week to week, and I did just fine in that race, finishing in just under 30 minutes.

But now that I am four years older, each run seems a little challenging. To be fair, I did not run at all last week, so I probably lost a little fitness. Although the bench stepping was quite difficult and a pretty good workout, it was not the same as running for at least 30 minutes non stop up and down hills.

To my credit, I do keep going. Since I started running again about 10 months ago, I have never stopped, at least not that I recall, without running at least two miles. Today, I ended up stopping at probably a little more than that, because the hill was just too much for me. So twice up that hill, I walked for at least 30 seconds. Sometime this week, I will drive the route I ran to see how much distance I covered. I am guessing about 2.5 miles. Since it took me almost 30 minutes, I will be pretty disappointed if it is not at least that, though I do have to consider the minute-plus of walking plus bigger, longer hills.

I guess I just need to keep at it.

End of the season run

Today was my kid's last day of school for the year, which also makes it my last day of running my regular route.   :-(

But I am happy to report I ended the "season" on a high note. I am guessing I ran a little over four miles; since my run took about 40 minutes and I tend to average about a nine-minute mile, that seems about right.

I felt pretty good throughout the run. I don't remember my knee hurting at all, and perhaps my running backwards down a couple of the steeper hills helped. Of course, I was hot and very sweaty with the high humidity again, but I did not feel awful as I did when I ran earlier this week. Could it be that I am getting used to it?!

The timing of my run probably was a factor. I typically run around 2 p.m., or just before, but because today was a half-day for the kids and I was already at school, I began my run at just after 10 a.m., with about two bites of a pop-tart and a generous-sized mocha in my belly. Not ideal, but it is what it is.

I am glad that I had a pretty productive week of exercise, definitely one of my best this entire school. I really think running steps in between regular runs gave me an edge. And as crazy as it sounds (at least to me), my thighs seem toner today than they did earlier this week.

I am such a creature of habit, and now I won't have my running route/routine. I really should have run a 5k race by now. But, alas, I did not, so I just have to hope I can get a run in around my very hilly neighborhood when I can. Maybe I will try the local track. We'll see.

Fingers crossed.

Day 2 of new shoes

I took the new shoes for a spin last Thursday. The first few strides were like walking on clouds. Ah. So amazing that I am pretty sure I was actually smiling up the hill. Unfortunately, the next gazillion steps I took were rather painful. In retrospect, I probably should not have done a three-mile run my first time out in new shoes. But looking on the bright side, the pain in my feet pretty much eclipsed the usual pain in my knees, so there is that!

Fortunately, today's run was better. My feet hardly hurt at all, and my knees were relatively pain-free. Of course, I was more focused on my usual struggles on the hills and the sun beating down my face. But I did manage another three-mile run, so yeah me!

I really need to run a 5k soon. I am quite sure I won't be able to handle the summer heat, so my running days are probably numbered. Plus, I am such a creature of habit that I don't know if I will be able to run anywhere else other than the streets by my kid's school, which will be letting out for the year in exactly one month.

Better get moving.

Finally hit three miles

Or at least I came close, anyway.

I had a lot of time to kill yesterday, and time is often my biggest enemy when it comes to running. I tend to have about 30 minutes or so to get my run in, including a couple of minutes of walking (cooling down) and stretching, so I usually have to settle for about two miles. Yesterday I had about 1.5 hours, so I figured I should try for three miles.

I skipped most of the big hill at the beginning, but I pretty much made up for it by running up and down four other, smaller side streets. I passed some guy on the way up and back, a guy who "looked" like a runner. He had the shiny running shorts and matching shirt (or maybe it was a body suit). His form, like most runners, was better than mine. But I was just happy I was able to keep going, to run as long as I did. After I cooled down and stretched for a few minutes, I also took a brisk walk to a coffee shop, for another 15 minutes.

Last week I tweaked my knee. I was walking in the woods and my foot hit a tree root kind of funny. The pain was intense, though it fortunately subsided after a few minutes. However, I was very uncomfortable sleeping that night. I did not run the next four days, just to be safe. I was really worried that I might have to give up running and my goal of a 5k this year, but assuming I can keep going and keep my pain to a minimum, I am still hoping to run that 5k at some point.

Time will tell.

Stinkin' knee

Maybe the asphalt is catching up to me. My right knee has been hurting quite a bit the last week or so, mostly just when I walk up steps.

For almost two years, back at the beginning of this century, I worked out a lot. Most days, I spent about two hours in the gym between cardio and weight-lifting. I was in great shape. I had low body fat. But my knees started to hurt at some point. Back in August of 2001, I finally made an appointment to see a physical therapist. My first appointment was scheduled a day or two after 9/11. I never went.

Eventually the pain mostly went away. I am sure it helped that I stopped running in 2002, other than that brief period in 2006, which was spent mostly on a treadmill. However, I do recall my knee starting to really bother me late last winter. I remember walking up the 44 steps to the office and deciding that I was going to have to take the stairs. I was laid off that week, so that dilemma was solved!

I really don't want to give up running. I do it only twice a week and for not much more than two miles. But I also don't want to ruin my knee.

I am going to try to tough it out for at least another month or two, so I can get a 5k in.

Wish me luck.

The tale of two miles

On Monday, I finally managed to successfully time each mile of my two-mile run.

Mile one: 10:24
Mile two: 8:36

I consider that a pretty stark contrast, though I am not too surprised considering the first mile has the killer hill at the beginning and then another, longer, though not as steep, hill at the end. I also pushed myself harder on the way back/down, just knowing it took me over 10 minutes to run the first mile.

Based on my 19-minute run, I feel as if I should be able to run a 5k in the next few months, and I may even be able to do it in about 30 minutes. However, because I have run three miles only a couple of time since I started running again this past fall, and I doubt I will run three miles too many times before I actually run a 5k, I will be satisfied finishing a 5k in about 32 or 33 minutes.

Of course, once I get closer to an actual race, I may change my goal. The type of course, naturally, will also affect my time. And this also assumes I don't throw in the towel. I have kept up with running for six months, but I can be fickle about this sort of thing.

Stay tuned.

That ice cream had nothing on me!

Yesterday, I helped serve ice cream (well, more specifically, I spooned sprinkles) at my kid's school. At one point, I helped myself to some of the soft-serve, complete with hot fudge, sprinkles, and whipped cream. And about 40 minutes later I went running.

I used the stop-watch feature on my cell phone, only to accidentally touch a place on the touch-screen phone that I should not have. And, alas, the time on the stop watch went away. But I tried again on the way back, and my second mile clocked in at 8:36. I am pleased with that, though I was running pretty hard (for me) down the hill at the end, doing my best to complete my mile in under nine minutes. For a brief time, I actually thought I was going to do it in under eight minutes, but decided if I pushed myself that hard, I would fall down the hill.

This (more or less) sprint made me think of the time I ran in the Montour Trail 5k (it used to be called the Ikea 5k, FYI). The first mile has a huge downhill at the beginning, and because of that, my first mile came in at 6-something. In fact, I think I had my best-ever time in that race back in 2002, with an impressive (to me) 23:53.

I still want to increase my mileage, but I am happy to end this week's runs with an improved time.

Oh, the pain

I am beginning to think that 40 is not the new 30, at least not for me. I will be 38 in under two weeks, and this running is starting to take its toll on me. Seriously, how do runners run every day or most every day?!

When I was pretty much four paces into my run yesterday (which, to recap, begins uphill), my left thigh started hurting. Not a good sign, but the pain was not so bad that is stopped me. However, at the end of my two-plus mile run, I was practically trudging up the driveway to the school parking lot. I was not tired; I just hurt.

I have noticed since I started running again, I sometimes get a pain in my mid left side. It typically comes on soon after running and then lasts a day. It is mostly gone now. Unfortunately, the mild pains in my knee, thigh, calf and butt, in alternating legs, are still here.

Cardio-wise I feels as if I am really good shape. In fact, I think if I ran the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, I could probably do it in not much over 30 minutes. But I am not sure my legs would cooperate. :-(

Part of me thinks it might be time to throw in the towel. I ran two days last week, and waited five days between my last run and yesterday's run. How much recovery time do I need? I see people much, much older than I running. How do they do it?

I hate to think of giving up, when I have made such progress. And honestly, I fear if I take a couple of weeks off, I might not start again. I wish I knew more about the human body, well, about my body, and what I am doing to it.