It still counts!

I last ran in October. Yes, it has been almost four months since I hit the pavement. Today, although I did not exactly run, I did jog up and down those 65ish steps 10 times, plus another one for good measure.

This school year, I think I have run up and down the steps no more than a half dozen times, and it appears the last time I did it was at the beginning of October. Since I had about 10 minutes to kill at the school today, and the weather was sunny and in the mid 40s, I figured I might as well make use of the day.

I started off strong and fast (for me), but quickly realized that was a bad idea, as I was gasping for breath after only one trip. Regardless, I pushed myself and made the 10 trips in 8:06. The 11th trip was just for fun. Not that it was!

I probably should have gotten out there and actually ran, but doing the steps was probably better. I have a feeling when I finally do run my usual route, my time will be high, and I will be disappointed. Or I will end up not doing the entire two miles, which will also disappoint me.

Even though I have not been updating the blog, I can assure you that I have been working out. I swim two to three times per week and I have been doing Zumba once a week for the last three or four weeks. I feel pretty good, but not great, when I work out three or four times a week. At least I am staying in decent shape. But I feel even better, and as if I am actually doing good things, when I work out five or six days a week. Unfortunately that does not happen too often. But I guess that makes the times when it does that much sweeter. Right?

Until next time.

Way out of running shape

Despite my rare appearance on this blog, I have been exercising. I managed to do Zumba once a week during August (including one week with two classes) as well as swim two to three times per week all month long. Unfortunately, I had not gone running since the beginning of July. That is until last week.

Now that school is back in session, and I have had time to kill between lunch duty and pick up, I figured I had no excuse not to lace up the running shoes. So this past Tuesday, I finally got back out there. It started off okay, though I felt warm almost right away. I don't recall feeling too much, if any, pain, but realizing I was struggling mightily, I decided to run only to the stop sign just before the final (big) hill during the last couple tenths of the first mile. I could not risk running out of gas and then leaving my kid stranded in the parking lot on the first full day of school.

When I finished my run, I was convinced it had to be about 90 degrees. Turns out it was only 81, but the humidity was definitely high. Between the heat and my not-in-running-shape body, it took me probably 10 minutes to stop panting. At least two parents in the lot after commenting on how I seemed to be struggling while running (they drove past me), and I told them they were not wrong, but I considered it a victory that I was still walking. I cannot recall how long it took me to run that approximately 1.5-mile route, but it was irrelevant. Since I had not run that route since March, I am not overly disappointed. Hopefully before too long I can get the two miles in.

My legs felt like jelly

Yesterday, not feeling like running, I decided to run the 64/65 steps at my kid's school. It had been awhile since I had run those steps (probably since the fall when I last did my "usual" 20 trips). That layoff, coupled with my less-than-stellar-running times as of late, led me to think I would probably not get what I consider a good time. In fact, as I was making my first few trips, I was telling myself that in the long run, I needed to decide if I should be more concerned about timing and perhaps not making as many trips, or if I cared more about getting the "laps," for the sake of distance.

Throughout the run/jog, I felt pretty good. I was out of breath a few times, when I started pushing myself more. And I was breathing heavy pretty much the entire time, but I don't recall my knees or feet hurting at all, so that was good. I did, however, have a (left) side stitch for a bit, but I was able to work through it.

When I had finished my 20 trips, I had clocked in at 16:28, which I am pretty sure is my best time ever.

I have no idea how that can be, considering how my running times have gone in the wrong direction. But I will take it and be proud. In full disclosure, I did stop for about 10 seconds to get a drink, but still good.

I'd like to think I will get a run in on Wednesday or Thursday, but we'll have to see about the weather, which, by the way, was in the upper 50s and partly sunny and a little bit windy yesterday. The next few days are not forecast to be as warm (or if they are that warm, then not sunny).

Until next time.

Zumba!

I had slight intentions of running yesterday, but I have been so busy with Christmas shopping and wrapping that I could not get to school early enough to do so. Instead, I decided to take the Zumba class that one of the school parents has been teaching once a week for the past two months. My kid has taken the class three or four times, and I have watched each time, thinking my hips just don't move that way not to mention there is no way I could stay on beat. And clearly the apple does not fall from the tree, although it has been entertaining to watch the kid!

But having now done Zumba, which I am fairly certain was my first group exercise class since three days before I delivered the kid over eight years ago, I can say it was not so bad. Exertion-wise, I kept up with it, which did not surprise me since I am pretty active. I certainly was sweating, though no more than I do when I run. And was out of breath a few times as well, but probably less so than when I run.

I definitely struggled with a few of the moves. The instructor faces us, rather than having us watch her back, which I much prefer. I just can't seem to do that mirror image thing, and as a result, more often than not, I was going in the opposite direction of everyone else. But I kept moving, I definitely was shaking, and I think I will do it again. Fortunately, the class is on hiatus until after the holidays, so perhaps I can practice some hip shaking in the meantime.

And that makes two

I managed to get a run in today, which means I have fulfilled my "requirement" to run in the Race for Pace this coming Saturday. Still not sure I am going to do it, though. It has been months since I have run three miles, and I am not sure my two-mile timed runs, followed by anywhere from a couple tenths to a half mile of jogging will be adequate preparation.

That notwithstanding, today's run went pretty well.

Mile one: 9:54
Mile two: 8:21

I was pushing pretty hard to try to get that first mile at 10 minutes, which I did. So, yeah, me! But, as usual, I was huffing and puffing. I sometimes wonder how smokers run. I have to think they would be wheezing uncontrollably if I breathe the way I do.

If nothing else, it was nice to get out there an enjoy the good weather. The temps were in the upper 60s, maybe 70, and there was just a little sun. This might have been my last run in 2011 in that kind of weather, which is kind of sad, but I do like to run in 50-degree temps just fine.

Stay tuned...

Sun, come back!

Because I was running late, I ran only about 1.8 miles on a sun-filled, warm (about 66 degrees!), but windy, afternoon this past Friday. I ran pretty quickly up the hill, thinking that I might be able to squeeze in the two miles in the 20 minutes I had. Of course that hill that left me pretty breathless, and it took me a few minutes to recover. Ultimately, I decided to cut it short; I just could not take a chance and risk getting back into the parking lot, neither cooled down nor stretched at the same time my kid was walking to my empty car.

Fortunately, I also swam 15 or so laps an hour later, so I did get a pretty good workout in. The very next day, the kid and I walked about a mile in 30-some degree temps. (C'mon, did we really need to lose over 30 degrees in under 24 hours?!)

And on Sunday, I swam about 25 laps, which I thought was the most ground (well, water) I had covered since I started swimming again. But then I realized I did that last weekend. I am now trying to swim three or four laps at a time instead of two, to try to increase my stamina. Hopefully, I can keep that up.

Unfortunately, I developed a slight cold Friday evening. Again. After only about a month and a half of being healthy. Grr.

I am still trying to exercise. And fortunately, I have felt better after I have done something physical. But I have a feeling I will neither swim nor run today. Just can't motivate myself.

Like sucking on a giant ice cube

Today marked the first day of the cold-weather season. It won't officially be winter for almost a month, but the 37-degree temps were definitely not fall weather.

As I started up the killer hill, the cold air that rushed into my mouth seemed like the coldest air I had ever felt. I kind of wanted to blame it on the gum I was chewing, some "ice" flavor, but I am not kidding when I tell you I was actually picturing my mouth wrapped around a giant conical ice cube for a couple of minutes, for some odd reason.

I had noticed last week when I ran that I was breathing in and out through my mouth, kind of forcefully, whereas I think normally I try to sometimes breathe in through my nose and then exhale on more of a "blow," if that makes any sense. Well, with today's frigid air (at least to my mouth), the deeper mouth breathing was very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, after I crested the hill and started running on the flat street, my mouth no longer felt like Antarctica. I was cold for the first mile, for sure, and kept my hands inside my hoodie. But on the way back, I was actually a little bit warm and able to let my hands run free and not worry so much about breathing.

Nonetheless, the cold resulted in my completing my first mile in over 10 minutes (I forget exactly how much). I added some side streets to my second mile, which meant I ran almost 1.5 miles on the way back. And I finished up with a few more minutes of running, followed by three laps around the outside of the gym and up the steps.

I hope the mouth-ice cube thing is just a fluke because we have quite a few months of cold temps coming up. If not, I will just have to deal with it. But for now, I am looking forward to giving my feet and legs some time off from running.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just call me the every-day marathon runner

If I had a dollar for every time one of the parents at school said to me, "That is so great that you run every day" or "I can't believe you run all the time," I would have a lot of dollars. Each time, I have to tell them that I run only twice a week (and sometimes not even that), which surprises most of them.

On a very good week, I will run and walk twice each, but that so rarely happens. The more likely scenario is I leave my car two or three times a week to walk or run, and if someone saw me exiting my car, they would not necessarily know which of those activities I am doing since I don't start running until I am out of the lot and down the driveway. Of course, I do run by probably a dozen or more cars of parents once I actually start running.

I also think it is funny that one of my friends is impressed because I "run marathons"; to her anything over a mile is pretty much a long-distance run, thus counting as a marathon in her eyes. And a woman at lunch today could not believe I manage to run four or five miles at times.

But back to this week, during which I ran about 4.5 miles on Monday and about 4 miles today, which was followed by eight minutes of running around the outside of the gym, including 20 steps (I counted). Hopefully, I can get an "official" step workout in, but my guess is I am done running for the week. On a positive note, I think I cut a minute of my time from Monday to today. On an indifferent note, I noticed that for some odd reason since the temps have turned cooler, I rarely exhale in a "blowing" sort of way. I pretty much pant.
No matter, I feel pretty good about my last few runs.

Sucking wind (or Why I should not let so much time lapse between runs)

I last ran on Saturday the 9th, in the Race for Pace, clocking in around 27 minutes AND beating a sixth grader on the cross-country team, in case you forgot!

The weather was crappy several days last week, and the one day that it was nice, I was just not feeling it, so I walked for about 20 minutes instead. Today, however, I knew I had slacked off long enough, so I set out for my usual run.

Of course the beginning hill was awful. I was panting like a dog in the summer and cursing myself for letting nine days go by since I last ran. But I soldiered on, and even forced myself to pick up some speed as I started the final uphill near the end of the first mile. I was not about to let the half dozen guys paving the road think that I was out of shape!

I finished the first mile in just under 10 minutes, so I can't be disappointed. The second mile I ended up in about 8:15, so also a pretty good pace. I ran at a more leisurely pace for most of the third mile, speeding up for the last two minutes of my run.

All in all, despite my feeling out of shape at the beginning, I have to call it a good run. I managed to get in about three miles, in about 28 minutes. But the important thing is I actually ran.

On a funny note, as I was waiting in my car after school (about 15 minutes after I had finished my run), one of the teachers asked me if I had gone tanning, as my face looked "different." Yeah, no hiding when I exercise; even if I have stopped sweating, the red face remains for quite some time. :-)

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.

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...

In the zone

I mentioned in another post how when I run, I would think about random things. But I realized that when I run now, I pretty much think of nothing.

My run begins up a rather steep hill. I am not sure if that is the best way to start a run, but I can say during the couple of minutes it takes me to get up what feels like a mountain, I am pretty much sucking wind and could not possible think of anything else. The next few minutes I am mostly trying to recover (i.e., stop gasping for air) while attempting to look like this is easy for me. The reason for the facade? I don't want the numerous parents who drive by me on their way to the school to think I am out of shape. Crazy, I know. I don't care if someone thinks my hair is too flat (it is) or that I dress like a poor college student (many dress better than I). But for the love of Pete, the thought of someone thinking I am struggling while running is almost unbearable.

But I digress. When I ran on Wednesday, I actually looked at the cars that passed me (something I pretty much never do), and at least five people waved to me. I am pretty sure they were all parents on their way to school; I recognized most of the cars. I wonder if these people normally wave to me, and I am just too much in the zone to notice (or too busy gasping for air while trying to look unfazed).

I am going to try to be more observant when I run next week and concentrate on more than not getting run over or tripping. But I am not going to lie: I will still continue to pretend like running up that hill is barely a strain.