A little bit of mental toughness

Somehow, I must have gotten a dose of this for Christmas as well.

One of my MAJOR problems with running is the lack of mental toughness that just seems so hard for me to come by.

Well, as the saying goes ~ sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

And for me this morning, that was a 10 mile run on my own.

Due to some illness (poor Lisa) and some schedule conflicts (Pat was hiking with relatives), this Pokey was left alone this morning to knock down 10 miles. I would have LOVED to postpone a long run until the weekend when I could run with my TRC buddies, but I am leaving town tomorrow and it just wasn't possible.

I realized how hard it is ~ mentally at least ~ to get out of bed on a cold morning, when it's dark outside and the rest of your family is still cozily sleeping when there ISN'T someone waiting on you. I so wanted to crap out on this run.....until the realization hit that this was my last long run before RNR. So up and out I went.

My goal was to knock down 10 miles....which would be my longest solo run ever. The longest I have managed by myself is about 6 miles. I was nervous about the prospect of being out on the road for 2 hours with just me, myself and I. Sometimes I am not the best company, and I am definitely not the best motivator.

It was cold ~ about 35 degrees at 8am ~ and I had some technical issues with clothing which kept me fussing with my waistpack and shirt for the first couple miles. I was tired, especially after a couple hectic days with the holiday chaos, and a TON of bad food....so I wasn't sure how the run would go. I just wanted to keep moving and knock down the miles.

Miles 1-3 were *okay*....that is always the toughest part of the run for me as I take a hecka long time to warm up.

Mile 3-4 was feeling good....I stopped after mile 4 at a grocery store for a bathroom break, to refill my water bottle and to eat a gel (Cytomax was the gel of choice today).

After I got moving after the break, Micheline called and I chatted with her for the next 1.3 miles. It was great ~ a running buddy that was a few hundred miles away!!! :P


I felt good until about mile 7.5 and the fatigue really started to set in. I hadn't really paid much attention to my buddy Garmie until about mile 8 (he was really just accompanying me for mileage-tracking purposes, not so much for pace). Once I got a look at Garmie at mile 8, everything changed.

Check out this Bad Boy:

Until mile 8, all my splits were UNDER 13 minutes, and for the first time I had potential to run the 10 miles in 2 hours or less ~ which has always been sort of an unspoken, mental goal that I have had....a benchmark of progress, so to speak.

Knowing that was the only thing that kept me from walking the last few miles home. The next couple miles were rough ~ as seem by the 13 min pace due to more walk breaks than earlier in the run ~ but I was moving in the right direction.

And as you can already tell, I didn't make the 2 hour cutoff. But you know what? I DON'T CARE! Do you see that last split?

11:40 baby............after NINE miles.

It took every ounce of every thing that I could muster...but I got it done. I kept remembering Pat telling me that THIS is where you improve as a runner....in the last couple miles when you want to quit. And then there was Lisa telling me....gee, if you can run 9 miles, certainly you can run 10. LOL :P So even in their absence, the people that motivate me continue to have impact.

Somehow today I managed to dig into a place that I had never touched before. Somehow I was able to grab some mental toughness and see the whole thing through. I ran the best 10 miles of my running *career* today, and just could not be any happier!!!!!!!

Long Run:

Distance: 10.0 miles

Time: 2:05:28

Average pace: 12:32

Can you see me with a big, goofy SMILE on my face??? It's been there all day :P

And now a BIG HUG to Lisa ~ my poor, sick running buddy ~ GET BETTER SOON WOMAN! We have a HM to run!!!! :)

Christmas Eve Wog

I love the term *Wog,* which I stole from Tigerlilly because sometimes it is just so indicative of what I do. I jog....and I walk. Therefore, I wog. I love it!

So this morning was my Christmas Eve wog......which was fantastic. I had planned on 3 miles, and finished up at 3.55 after all was said and done.

I took off out of the gates and knocked down the first mile at 11:44. Do you all get how fast this is for me? By myself, nonetheless? I was stoked. But then reality hit, and with a long run pending day after tomorrow, I figured it was best to not try for a 3 mile PR this morning after all :P

So I covered up Garmie......jogged a little, walked when I wanted/needed....and just enjoyed the morning out.

I was ECSTATIC to discover at the end of 3.55 miles that all my splits, even with a few walk breaks intermingled, were under 13 minutes. I mean ~ think about it ~ when one runs a 12 minute pace, and then takes walk breaks ~ splits are never under the 13 minute mark. Well, kids....this was today:

Mile 1: 11:44
Mile 2: 12:36
Mile 3: 12:51
.55 mile: 11:51 (pace)

Total: 3.55 miles
Time: 43:38
Average pace: 12:18

This tells me that my running pace has MUCH improved lately. I am close to saying I have knocked a minute off my pace from a few months back. What a good, good way to be winding up 2007.

Garmie has never, EVER surprised me in such a good way before. He must know it's Christmas :)

Happy Holidays everyone!

Quick run update

Yesterday morning I was reminded of why I run. It was 37 degrees and sunny when I left the house a little before 8am....and it was just beautiful.

This run was quite possibibly the best 5 mile, SOLO run I have ever had. Without my running buddies, I tend to walk a bit too much [insert embarrassed face here] but today was the exception.

I headed out slow and easy, and maintained an easy pace for the entire 5 miles. The goal was to be slow (even in Pokey terms) and keep moving. I walked only once, after the 3 mile mark, to adjust some clothing and take a water break. If not for that break, all my splits would be negative.

Slow, steady, consistent, WONDERFUL run:

Lap 1: 12:37
Lap 2: 12:30
Lap 3: 12:20
Lap 4: 13:28 (walk break)
Lap 5: 12:10

Total: 5.0 miles
Time: 1:03:11
Average pace: 12:37

G.I.G.O.

I am a bean counter by profession, and we have a saying in the accounting world:

“Garbage In, Garbage Out”

(or GIGO for short ~ we accountants love acronyms :p )

In my work world, it basically refers to transactional integrity. Meaning if you put garbage (bad data) into a system, you basically get garbage (bad data out). Makes sense, yes?

In my running world, it means that if you eat like crap for three days straight, you end up with a lousy, painful, exhausting run.

It is entirely too embarrassing to even account for a fraction of what I have put into my body over the last couple days….my blogging buddies would be disgusted. And the sad part is that I didn’t really care. I knew I was eating like a cow, and just didn’t care.

It took all the mental and physical energy that I could muster last night after a long, crazy week of busy days and late nights…..to really get out of the house and run. My plan called for 3-4 miles; I somehow managed to drag myself for 3.

Again, mentally….it is so refreshing. I wish I could find a way to run every day because I know it would keep my eating in check. My run last night was definitely an *atonement* of sorts for my bad choices during the week ~ I paid for them every step of the way.

But it’s okay ~ I got myself out of the house and ran.

I’ve now got to stay on track for 5 miles on Saturday; 5 miles on Monday and then a long run on the day after Christmas. During that time, I need to learn to control my mouth.

Part of me is leaning toward returning to Weight Watchers after the New Year. I need something to keep me on track. I need the constant kick in the tail.

Tonight is our friends’ Christmas party…..a huge deal that we look forward to every year. We have Mexican food, the kids decorate cookies and then we walk around the corner from our friends’ house to see the most awesome Christmas light display ever…..kind of like a Candy Cane Lane or Christmas Lane kind of setting. It has been our tradition for the past 10 years or so. I can’t wait. Today some of my stress subsided and I really feel like I am in the Christmas mood :)

So HAPPY HOLIDAYS everyone!!!! We’ll be up North after Christmas, but hopefully I’ll be able to still give everyone a yell before 2008!


Short , Seriously Slow Pokey Run
Distance: 3.0 miles
Mile 1: 13:05
Mile 2: 12:30
Mile 3: 12:05

Officially *Official*

That's what Lisa made the Tumbleweed Running Club when she got Pat and I these great shirts as a surprise Christmas gift (pic stolen from Pat):

We MUST be an official running club now with cool digs like this. Thanks again so much Lisa!!!

Have I mentioned in a while that I have the best running buddies EVER? I don't know what I would do without them.

For those who are still wondering......IFG was defeated yesterday in the battle over pumpkin loaf, but claimed a victory later in the day over a batch of chocolate cookies. Yup....really gotta get running tonight :)

If pumpkin loaf could talk

I would be in BIG trouble right now.


Because a full loaf the delectable little treat is sitting on my desk today, staring at me….just begging to be eaten. One of my coworkers somehow thought it would be a nice gesture to bring me some of my favorite holiday food….not realizing that it would put IFG and Pokey into a heated battle for the rest of the day.

*sigh*


So far, I have resisted for 4 hours. Now it is just a battle of principle. I am such a SUCKER for sweets…….ugh, it’s horrible.

I need to run tonight, but probably won’t be able to until tomorrow.

Here’s my plan for the next week:

Wednesday ~ 3-4 miles
Thursday ~ 3 miles
Friday ~ off
Saturday ~ 5 miles
Sunday ~ off
Monday ~ 5 miles
Tuesday ~ Merry Christmas!
Wednesday ~ Long run with Pat & Lisa ~ actual mileage TBD: 10-14 miles
Thursday ~ off

Starting that Thursday, we will be up in Flagstaff until January 1, so I have some work to do to figure out a running schedule. I need a “longer” run of 6-8 miles over the weekend of the 29th, but it’s going to really suck having to knock that down by myself :( I’ll probably just have to have the family drop me off somewhere so I have no choice but to run home!

After the first of the year, we have one weekend run left – a 5 miler on 01/06/08 and then ba-da-bing: Rock N’ Roll!!! It’s crazy how fast that has snuck up on me.

Oh yeah……and I just have to say that I got the absolute BEST surprise Christmas gift from a fellow blogger yesterday…..but the catch is, there is still another one of these great gifts that still needs to be given….so MUM is the word until then, as to not ruin the surprise. I sooooooo want to post a picture, but I guess it will have to wait. My Surprise Santa ~ you know who you are ~ THANK YOU again! I LOVE IT and can’t wait to show it off!

Frosty

I don't care what grief Pat gives us about living in AZ, while Mr. Marathon was snug in his warm bed, Lisa and I ~ along with the great company of her friend T ~ headed out at 6 am when the temperature was a CHILLY 37 degrees!!!!

And you KNOW it's cold when after 8 miles your running buddy looks over and says "WOW....you have FROST on you!!!" My black shirt was frosty alright, and so was Lisa's visor. So I think we can fully substantiate that it was COLD today :)

To help Lisa out, I'll post splits from Garmie....but for this run, it's also important to note the actual running pace for the 6 miles that we ran with T.....since she is a speedster, and my sheer goal this morning was to be able to keep up. We did R7W1 intervals, but our MAX running pace was CRUISING! (at least for this slow poke) So while the overall workout pace was still 12:45.....check this out:

Lap 1: 13:38 (from my house to meet Lisa - includes walking warmup)
Lap 2: 8:00 (.55 mile walking to meet T)
Lap 3: 11:42 (here we go..... running pace ~ 9:48)
Lap 4: 12:16 (running pace ~ 9:50)
Lap 5: 12:19 (running pace ~ 10:21)
Lap 6: 12:59 (running pace ~ 10:37)
Lap 7: 12:59 (running pace ~ 10:10)
Lap 8: 12:39 (running pace ~ 10:09)
Lap 9: 13:04 (running pace ~ 10:11)
Lap 10: 5:05 (.45 mile ~ running pace ~ 10:24)

Overall run: 9.0 miles ~ average pace 12:45

AWESOME RUN!!!!!

When I get more time, I'll post some of my thoughts about running in the cold, in shorts and unable to feel your thighs....and the potential consequences :(