It's the Little Things

Sometimes it's the simplest little things that make you realize all the hard work is totally worth it.

I've always liked how running helps me clear my head, and I like long runs even more since it's even more time for all the weird thoughts running through my head to sort themselves out. Green Lakes was quiet, peaceful and as always, beautiful at 8 am this morning. Even with the 70+ other runners, it was the perfect mix of supportive nods, smiles, good mornings and solitary running time.

At one point, running all alone on a stretch of road completely surrounded by trees, I saw a deer standing in the road about 20 yards ahead of me. It just looked up, stared me down, then calmly turned and walked into the woods. At other times there were beautiful views of the hills around Syracuse, leaves just starting to turn. I can only imagine how beautiful it will be 2 weeks from now when we hit the park again. I'm going to be sure to bring my camera.

But the one thought that made its way into my head and stuck there today, was how good I felt on this run. It occurred to me that this is what Kevin's running program is all about. Sure, the seemingly endless lists of people PRing are wonderful, and I'll fully admit to feeling my share of pride every time I crack another one or hear of someone else smashing one of theirs. But the way I felt this morning? Like I could run forever? This is why you put in your time day in and day out, week after week. When your base is big enough, strong enough that you feel really, really good out on a long run. It totally makes the hard work worth it. No crowd cheering at the finish line necessary.

Even when the elevation profile of said run looks like this:

Pressing Restart

With my tri season over and nothing specific to train for, this week felt like a reboot. And it was exactly what I needed. The timing couldn’t have worked out better. I finished the Skinnyman on Saturday morning with a run that felt suspiciously like a tempo. Exactly the workout I’d missed during my taper. I filled in that last spot on my training log with a successful race and turned it in for a new one.

So I’m starting fresh with a new group of runners (um, hello, Thursday night group? Where were you yesterday?), a new training plan and some time to slowly build my mileage while staying healthy. Then it’ll be time to pick my new goal race. I’m torn. Half-Ironman? Marathon? 1:45 Half-marathon?

But it can wait. I’m running the ARC 5K tomorrow morning. Just for fun. No time goal this time. It’s supposed to be a perfect morning for a race. Then next week I have my volunteer spot for the Syracuse Ironman 70.3. I can’t wait. I wonder if I’ll get re-bit by the tri bug? If it’ll make me want to do that race next year? We’ll see. I’m just going to experience the environment and cheer on my crazy friends who made the commitment for this year. Win-Win. :)

Amazing!

This quote has been sitting in a sticky note on my work computer for more that a year now. I happened to glance over at it this morning and realized it perfectly suited my mood for today.

Facebook said it was too long to post as a status so here it is. (I think it's from a Nike ad, but I'm not 100% sure.)

“You pretended the snooze button didn’t exist. You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept. While others ate their pancakes you had a feast of protein, glucose and electrolytes. You double-knotted. You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you.

You ran 5Ks, 10Ks, 26.2 miles. Some days more, some days less. You rewarded a long run with a short run. And a short run with a long run. Rain tried to slow you. Sun tried to microwave you. Snow made you feel like a warrior.

You cramped. You bonked. You paid no mind to comfort. On weekends. On holidays. You made excuses to keep going. Questioned yourself. Played mind games. Put your heart before your knees. Listened to your breathing. Sweat sunscreen into your eyes. Worked on your farmer’s tan.

You hit the wall. You went through it. You decided to be man about it. You decided to be woman about it. Finished what you started. Proved what you were made of. Just kept putting mile after mile on your interval odometer. For 25 years, you ran. And we ran with you. How much farther will we go? As far as you will.” 

Just a Little Competitive

If you know me, you know I can be a little bit competitive from time to time. Ok. Maybe more than a little. But I'd like to think it makes me push myself a little harder when there are other around that I am striving to keep up with, instead of being competitive in a bad way.

It's been the story of my life for as long as I can remember. I've always had to work for things. The things I love to do don't come easily to me. But I'm glad they don't. For me, the challenge is part of what keeps me interested. If I don't need to work at it, chances are I'll get bored with it fast.

But every once in a while, I've got to admit, it is really nice to be the 'best' or the fastest at something. Now I know best is a relative term. But I was out in front of the workout this morning instead of bringing up the rear and I have to admit it felt really good :). Would I have gotten in a better workout if there was someone out in front of me that I needed to chase? Maybe. But there were two people right behind me and I think that was a pretty good push. It was a nice confidence booster going into an couple of easy days (which are really hard for me to let myself take).

Regardless, I am SO glad I got my but out the door at 5:15am and got my speed work done for the week. I'm just sitting in my kitchen now and I'm sweating. I can't imagine trying to get that workout done tomorrow night when the temperature is going to be approaching 100. So the schedule rearranging was totally worth it. And thanks to the swim getting cancelled at the beach tonight, I even got in a boot camp workout :) All in all, a really good day :)

Now if only I could figure out where to squeeze in that swim/bike workout I missed tonight.

5.5 Week Checkpoint

With just over 5 weeks left until the IronGirl, I’m realizing it’s time to get my but in gear in terms of triathlon training. Heading out for a bike ride after work just because I feel like is definitely not going to cut it, especially if I want to do well this year.

So last night I headed to my first CNY Triathlon Club training race and boy did I learn a lot. To say that it was a disaster might be a stretch but it definitely didn’t go well. In all honesty though, it was still a blast and a great learning experience. I feel really lucky to live in a community that has so many great resources for training. We’ve got Kevin’s running program with 200 runners, the CNY Tri Club has over 900 members, the swim clinics at the Y, and too many group rides going on every weekend to name.

Photo Credit: Syracuse.com

It’s also way better to know where I stand with 5 weeks to go then to find out the week before like I did last year. That all worked out in the end but the goal this year is to do better.

So what happened? Well let’s start with the fact that the air temperature was only about 64 degrees and it was completely overcast. Exactly the type of weather that makes you want to get in a lake sans wetsuit, right? I wish you could have heard the running commentary going through my head the whole time. Every thought from, “what the hell am I doing?” to, “hey, this isn’t so bad!” and, "OMG I just drank a gallon of lake water I hope this isn't as dirty as Oneida Lake" went through my head at some point or another. It wound up taking me 13 minutes, 35 seconds. Not terrible, but not great either. At least I know that I have some work to do.

Out of the water, up the hill to the transition area, I didn’t feel too bad. I probably could have gone out harder in the swim, but for the first time the effort level was probably right. I threw on some warmer clothes, put on my bike shoes and headed out. Running to the mount area on the bike shoes wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. But unfortunately the bike portion kind of went downhill from there. I was literally getting passed by EVERYONE. I felt so slow and sluggish. My quads were pretty tired from the beginning and I couldn’t figure out why. It was only a 10 mile bike but it felt like FOREVER until the turnaround. The first half took me about 25 minutes. Not great, but it there were a lot more hills than the IronGirl course will have. I finally made it to the turnaround and was feeling pretty decent as I headed back when disaster struck in the form of a pothole. Yup, you guessed it—major flat. Bummer. The bigger bummer? I was still 3 miles from the beach and I didn’t have a flat kit. Needless to say that’s my first stop after work tonight. Luckily, three of the nicest women I’ve ever met stopped, offered me tire irons, spare tubes and a CO₂ kit. It was good practice for all of us and I am so grateful to them for their help! Thanks a millions Kristen, Kelly & Denise! I’m sending lots of good karma your way :)

Image from here...I wish I'd been carrying a cell phone!

I finally got back on the road and headed back to transition. I forgot to stop or even look at my watch when I got the flat so I have no idea how long the bike took. I had pretty much decided not to run, but when I got back a woman I had met earlier in the night was waiting for me. She introduced herself as “Crazy Hardcore Lynn.” Love it! Well CHL told me I should run, so I ran. I wasn’t about to be outdone so I had to prove my hardcoreness (if that’s a word).

I’m really, really glad I decided to run. It proved to me that I have the run fitness and that all the hard work I’ve been putting in with Kevin is really paying off. I only ran for about 20 minutes, but I felt really strong and my legs felt surprisingly fresh. It was a great way to end the night and an awesome confidence boost. 

The Space Between

So I’ve spent this week trying to figure out where I am in that space between what’s written on the log and what I’m able to do. It’s a fine line to walk. But I’ve been putting one foot in front of the other and sure enough, here it is the end of the week and I already feel a little different.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not expecting to be back in perfect form tomorrow or heading out for a 2-hour long run, but I feel confident that I will get there, eventually.

Today we did 10 x 1 minute hard, with 1 minute rest. The first four felt great. My foot started to hurt after that but I was able to finish them all and really only backed off on the last one. Progress! I didn’t feel like I was dying! I think getting back into boot camp and a consistent routine with running is the ticket. I need both the consistent running and the lifting to keep myself where I want to be in terms of both fitness and ability.

I was talking to Kevin today and he said he’s glad I was forced to take the time off, so I could learn my lesson and see what it’s like to go through a set back. I learned. And I think he’s right, I’ll be stronger for it in the end and I’ll remember how hard and frustrating it was, so I won’t do it again. Or, at least I’ll do my best when circumstances are under my control not to do it again.

So there are no magic formulas, except for the one I’m following. It’s working pretty darn well as long as I remember to take a hefty dose of patience with it. :)

I think I'm getting in the pool tomorrow. I've got about a week and a half until the swim class starts up and I've been warned I better be ready for a workout ;)

Back to Basics

Well I’m home from Israel and not exactly settled in or unpacked, but I’m getting there. What’s going to take a little longer is getting back in shape. I knew you could lose fitness fast, but I never for the life of me could have imagined I’d lose both leg strength and cardio fitness as quickly as I did. If you watch me run, you’d think I had never run a day in my life. I’m embarrassed. My stride is off, I feel weak and fat. It has been a struggle for me to get in 15 minutes each day. I’m trying to be patient, and I know there is no magic trick to getting back into shape, but I never imagined it would be this hard.

If anyone has any tips or tricks for getting back into it, I’d really appreciate them. It’s not a mental problem, I want it and getting out on the road isn’t the problem. It’s the way I feel once I’m running. I miss that runner’s high. So how do I get my stride back to normal? Hopefully it doesn’t take as long to get back into shape as it does to get there the first time. 

Exploring the Serengeti

It's amazing how something can be right under your nose for so long, yet you go through life without discovering it. I've lived in the Syracuse area for my entire life, and I've been running at Green Lakes State Park since I was in middle school. Yet it took until today for me to finally discover what is unofficially called Syracuse's Serengeti.

Not the Serengeti, but one of the parts of Green Lakes I love.

Wow. I alternately thought I was in Africa, running through the real Serengeti, or on one of my favorite hikes in the Jilaboon, in northern Israel. It was incredibly easy to forget I was running through a state park only a few miles from my house.

We took a tour of the 7@7 Livestrong trail run course and it was incredible. I covers the well-loved lake trails, some incredibly challenging hills and tons of gorgeous vistas. I only wish I could have risked looking up from the ground to enjoy. It's going to be a tough race. I still haven't decided if its one I'm going to do or not, but one thing is for sure. I'm definitely going to be making use of those trails more often.

I probably shouldn't have run today, but it's amazing how the thought of running gets in your head and you can't get it out. I didn't do the whole 90 minutes, but I'm already paying for it and it looks like I'll be back in the pool for the rest of this up coming week.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though. My sister and I leave for Israel on Thursday! I can't believe it's here already. I guess I better get packing!

Trying to be Patient

I haven't run since Sunday. Unless you count the pool running. Which I'm not really sure I do. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Saturday. It's amazing how running gets under your skin, into your head and won't let go.

Call Me Converted

“The moment when something major is accomplished, we are so relieved to finally be done with it that we are already rushing, at least mentally, into THE FUTURE. Wisdom, however, requests a pause. If we cannot give ourselves a pause, the Universe will likely give it to us. In the form of an illness, a massive mercury in retrograde, our car breaking down. And we find ourselves required to stop, to sit down, to reflect.”  ~ Alice Walker

That quote has been up on my Facebook page since I was a sophomore in college. And it pretty much sums up my life about right now. I’ve been going at about 100 miles an hour and as much as I’d like to deny it, my body is putting up a pretty good protest.

I had just sworn off doctors on Friday after my follow up with the spine specialist. My back had been feeling pretty good and I was ready to just deal with the tightness/burning in my shins. Running is what makes me happy and I am done complaining about all the aches and pains that come with it. This is the new, smiley, sunshiny me. I like it a lot. :)

Well, karma (or walking in heels all over Manhattan) came back to bite me in the butt. After the race on Saturday, I noticed my foot was a little achy. Being the genius I am I decided to just ignore it and head out for my long run on Sunday. I got my 90 minutes in, but looking back now I know I never should have done it. The last 30 minutes I could really tell I’d done something to mess my foot up. I woke up Monday morning and it was pretty swollen.

But, like I said, I’d resolved to have a better attitude about the whole thing. So instead of running anyways and complaining to anyone who would listen (did I think that would make people think I was tough? I was wrong!) I got in the pool with Kevin for a pool running tutorial. Um, I’m in love. All the benefits of running, with none of the pain?! Just call me converted. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never permanently trade in my running shoes for a floatation belt and rope, but I love that it gives me all the mental and physical benefits of a great run with none of the bad kind of pain.

Image from Runner's World

It definitely didn’t hurt than I picked up on it right away. Apparently I have a pretty good pool running form. So I’ll be perfecting my pool running technique all week—hopefully I’ll be back on the road in time for Saturday’s long run. But right now my focus is on staying healthy and happy and I think I found my ticket. There’s only one week to go (O-M-G) till I leave for Israel. The last thing I want is for something stupid to ruin this trip.

Meet me in the pool?  

Call it?

This is one of the hardest things I struggle with. When is taking a day off the right thing to do, and when is it detrimental to training? Don't get me wrong - I don't run seven days a week, I give myself a day off every week. But this week, I was planning on taking Friday off.

I got home from work intending to change and head out for a run. But the combination of the cold, rainy day and this persistent cough had me thinking twice. I know in my heart there is nothing wrong with trading one day off for another. But my head won't let me settle with that decision. I worry that if I take today off, I'll spiral into a string of missed days. That because I don't feel up to running today, I might not want to run tomorrow. I walked into my room to change twice before deciding that a run was a pretty bad idea on a night like tonight. I worry that because I chose to stay in instead of settling for the treadmill, I might lose 'it,' whatever 'it' is that has been compelling me to run so consistently over the past 10 weeks.

And it's not even like I took a full day off. Despite a rough night of sleep, I made it to boot camp this morning. Hopefully this is just a lack of sleep catching up to me. I'm going to turn in early tonight and hit the treadmill first thing tomorrow morning.

I think some of the worry I was having about taking today off was being unsure of when I could get my run in tomorrow. But I feel better already having a plan. But what to do when life gets in the way? I know running keeps me sane, but sometimes I feel like I'm walking a fine line between where running keeps me sane and makes me insane. It's silly to run myself sick in the name of not missing a day, 'streaking' on my log sheet to impress a coach. Because in the long run (pun intended) I'd rather take a day off and be able to run for the few weeks than force myself out on another cold wet run and wind up sicker.


~Lyssa
PS - Is spring ever coming for real???