my addictions: running & coffee

I love running. I love coffee. My favorite way to start the day is to have a good run followed by a hot cup of coffee. Very little beats this. It really sets the mood for everything else I do that day. We were on vacation this week in the high desert of Central Oregon and where we stayed wasn't conducive to either running or grabbing a cup of coffee from a local coffeeshop. I was only able to get in one *run & coffee* this week while away. And I had to drive 20 minutes to get there.

As much as I enjoy being *away from it all*, it sure feels good to be home where I can step out the door for a run and Starbucks is just six blocks away.

My sub-5 minute mile!

So what if I wasn't running this sub-5 minute mile!?

I had planned to go out for a short run this morning with the jogger. I had everything ready to go only to find the jogger seat full of water. A sippy cup sat in the seat, leaking all night long. Not wanting to sit the baby in a pool of water and really wanting to get some exercise this morning, we went for a bike ride.

This morning's ride was only 8 miles, but took us all over the neighborhood and several miles were on the local rails-to-trails path along the river. On that path, there are mile markers every half a mile so I decided to time myself. With the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic last weekend (we saw some cyclists finishing Saturday evening -- 200 miles in 10 hours!) and the Tour de France going on, I wanted to see how *fast* I could pedal a mile.

So I timed myself and my one mile was cycled in under 5 minutes. Granted, I was on a mountain bike and pulling a 2-seater Burley with my 27+ pound baby riding along. But maybe 5 minutes is okay. It surely sounds fast.

However, those STP riders we saw finishing in 10 hours were averaging 20mph or 3 minute miles. That's a pretty good clip and to sustain that for such a long period? Amazing. I also can't help thinking that some people actually run one mile faster than I can bike it. Wow. I think my neighbor down the street is one of them and maybe J.P.'s spouse. Yowzers.

recovery run

Last week I ran a half marathon on July 4th and the next day went out for a short 3.25 miles with one of my dogs. It's called a recovery run. They are meant to be shorter in distance, slower in speed and they provide a great stretch following a big effort. I felt amazing on this recovery run. Every part of my body felt really strong and I felt like I could run forever. It was the first time I had run the day following a race, but definitely something I will do again.

This morning's run was also a recovery run of sorts, but not the same as last week. This morning's run was 2 miles and felt very slow. It was work. This recovery run though wasn't the day following a big running effort. Instead, it was the day after a bike ride so I'm not sure if that's really a recovery run. Different muscles and all, you know?

I took my 14mo son out yesterday afternoon for a 10 mile bike ride. I hadn't pulled the bicycle trailer before and it really wasn't bad except for hills. One climb in particular was pretty steep. In fact, the ADA signage posted at the bottom of the hill indicated the grade to be greater than 12%. Gears were shifting and my heart was pumping, but I pulled him up that hill. That was work in the 2:30pm sun.

Using those different muscles yesterday made the run this morning tough and it was only a 10 mile ride! This weekend is the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic. Two hundred miles. On a bicycle. I've known people who've done it in the past and my neighbor is riding it this year. Two hundred miles. On a bicycle. Color me impressed.

Foot Traffic Flat Half Marathon

This morning I ran the Flat Half Marathon out at Sauvie Island. I ran this in 2003 but it was a much smaller race that year. This year's event included a full marathon as well as a half marathon for walkers. Friends and I ran the half marathon. I knew it was going to be a good race for everyone and that there would be many PRs. I think every one of us got a PR today. The weather was perfect for running and the course is super flat.

I haven't seen official chip times yet, but by my watch I finished in 1:54:40 (in 2003, I finished in 2:32 -- full sun and a hot day made for slow conditions!). Not a huge distance PR for me (I finished the Race for the Roses Half Marathon in April this year around 1:57), but it's still a PR and I'm happy to have run under the 1:55 mark. Maybe next time I'll go under 1:50. I knew my friends would all finish somewhere around 1:45 to 1:50 so I had planned to stay with them as long as I could, but they were ahead of me after half a mile. I passed the 4 mile mark in 33 minutes and knew I needed to slow it down. The 7 mile mark was passed in 58 minutes flat. Not slow enough. I knew there was no way I could maintain that pace and after mile 10 I began to incorporate some short walk breaks. It was a tough finish, but it felt awesome knowing I had a new half marathon PR. Also, the plus to finishing after all your friends is that everyone is there waiting for you!

M and our little guy were at the finish (along with other spouses and babies) and we all sat in the grass and ate some island strawberry shortcake. It was a great way to stretch, catch my breath and enjoy the start of a nice 4th of July day.

This run ends my streak of races this year. Since the baby was born last May, I have run a 10K, a 15K, four half marathons and a full marathon. My times have greatly improved over the last year and though I plan to continue running in the coming months, my mileage will likely decrease. I'm playing things by ear, but I have no other races planned at this point for 2006. Just lots of good easy runs for awhile...

[ETA: Official chip time of 1:54:21 for an average mile of 8:43. I finished #161 out of 506 total females and #35 out of 107 in my age group. I'm very pleased.]

June: 97.25 miles?

I'm always a bit disappointed when I don't log 100 miles for the month. I have been sick all week so I haven't run since Monday morning. I got out for 4 this morning, but they were slow and painful. I was coughing so hard at times that it just wasn't much fun. I'm a little concerned about a half marathon I have coming up, but maybe this forced taper is a good thing. Sometimes they are and can result in a PR so who knows. I just need to lose this cold first!

If I can find the energy, I may go out for the extra 2.75 miles later today. I just hate being so close...

summer sizzle

Got out for 14 good hilly miles this morning with the marathon training group. This is good for several reasons. It got me out there to do the miles. I got it done before the weather is too warm since we're heading for 90 today and 100 tomorrow. And I got to meet up with a friend I haven't seen in months. All in all, a very good run.

Ahhh, now I can kick back and enjoy this warm, sunny weekend...

1000 miles!

It has taken me almost exactly one year to reach 1000 miles, but this evening's run put me over that mark at 1005.25 miles. I remember my first run after having our baby. It was five weeks post-delivery and the total duration of my "run" was about 15 minutes. This wasn't even a continuous 15 minutes of running. It was something more like 4 minutes of running alternated with 1 minute of walking. It was painful. It was slow. But I had missed running all those months and just couldn't wait to get moving. It sure feels great to be regularly running again!

[I even found a $5 bill on the sidewalk tonight! I don't think I've ever found something of value while on a run.]

Happy Running!

Running makes me a happier person. No question. I hadn't run since the half marathon, but got out this morning for a quick 3.5 miles in 31:13 (8:55 pace). It felt great to get a good stretch and feel the sweat drip from my ponytail...

adidas Helvetia Half Marathon

This morning I ran the 6th annual Helvetia Half Marathon. I ran this in 2002 in preparation for the Chicago Marathon and I'm pretty sure at the time I swore I would never run this one again. It's incredibly hilly, the field is sizeable and composed of both runners and walkers, and I remember the weather that day in 2002 as being really sunny and warm. Being a rural race, there is very little chance for shade.

Having said that, I registered two days ago and showed up to run this morning.

Tough, tough course. I was actually having a really good race up until mile 9. At that point, the hills were pretty much over and so was I. All the folks I had passed on hills soon began to pass me. The sun peeked out briefly late in the race for me and there was a lost dog that distracted me (I tried to get him to follow me and he did for about a mile.), but I finished strong in the stadium and that felt good. Overall, it's a well-organized event and a good one for beginning runners to do, but the hills on the course will knock you out. Oh, the hills...

Chip time today: 2:00:23. I wish I could have cut that time by 24 seconds to get under the 2 hour mark, but it was still a good run for me. My time in 2002 was about 2:20.

[edit: I just checked my 2002 Helvetia Half Marathon time and it was actually a 2:32:31. I knew it was a slow one; the sun and hills totally took it out of me that day. Yesterday's race was a full 32 minute improvement. Yippee for me! It feels great to see progress like this. Maybe I will have to run this again someday to see if I can improve even more!]

trail running (with the jogger!)

I've been mixing up my runs lately and trying new things in a quest to keep it from becoming mundane. Tonight I ran 4 trail miles with the jogger. It's an old fire lane that is very rocky and essentially up for 2 miles and then back down for 2 miles. Seemed a little bumpy for the baby, esp. in the first mile, but he did fine overall. My jogger weighs 21 pounds and the baby is an additional 25 pounds. Needless to say, it was a tough run. I definitely earned that beer afterwards!

marathon training group run

I knew I'd have some motivational problems with getting out the door this morning for 12 miles solo, so I joined the local marathon training group run. Approximately 25% of the route was on streets and the other 75% on a trail. This particular out-&-back route is pretty much straight up and straight down. It felt great to cover the 12 miles in 1:45 to average an 8:46 minute mile. My legs are covered in mud and I feel great!

May: 100 miles

Yes, I did it. Two runs today just so I could log 100 miles for the month. M thinks I'm crazy, but it's something I needed to do and it feels great. No run for me tomorrow!

new running pal

Another great motivator for me is to find new people to run with. This morning Thomas and I met a woman and her baby from our neighborhood for a nice run. It was great to meet her! We have a number of similarities and are a really good match for running together. We ran 5.25 miles at just under a 9 minute mile pace. Hopefully we'll meet up for another run again soon!

This morning's run put me at 95.75 miles for the month which means I'll be out circling the neigborhood this afternoon/evening to get those extra miles. I need to hit 100 miles for the month.

motivation?

Every few months I look for something new to motivate myself to run. Sometimes it is an upcoming local race, sometimes it is changing who I run with. I find that making some changes every once in awhile helps to keep things interesting.

Yesterday I tried a couple of new things on my long run. Instead of heading out the door to run the entire distance by myself, I took my son with me for the first half. M was home so I estimated my time for the first half and we did a hand-off halfway through my long run. I thought this worked really well. I enjoy taking him with me and 5 miles is about his limit.

The other new thing is tied into this first one and that was to run loops. I always run a single loop because to me it's all over once I see the finish. Mentally, I stop.

Yesterday's run was composed of two different 5 mile loops. The first through the neighborhood with a nice flat stretch in the middle miles and the second on a hilly route. The break between was very brief. M was waiting for us and came right out to retrieve our son so I didn't have to stop for more than a minute. Maybe it was this little distraction at the "finish" that helped me to continue on for a second loop?

It was a really great run.

trail running & toe update

Ran 7+ hilly trail miles this morning and I think all the downhill loosened up the toenail because tonight most of it came off. I couldn't take all of it off because some of it is still okay and pulling on it is causing it to bleed. Ugh. It's bumpy, multi-colored and not a pretty sight.

I need new running shoes.

Yes, the toe adjacent to the big guy has also suffered some trauma (though this was weeks ago). It's purple and will likely fall off eventually also. The third toe over was just trimmed too short.

The run was good though. Initally had planned for 5 miles but we ended up doing 7.25 miles total. The group pace was comfortable, but the hills were a workout!

5 miles

Five miles with the jogger in 42:47. Whoo hoo!

something is clicking

Two things are clicking: my left knee when I walk up stairs and something with my running this week. I think it's due to my runs with the jogger, but it may also have to do with running in the afternoon versus the morning. Anyway, I finished my 6.5 miles this afternoon in 56:35 which is an 8:42 minute mile pace. I hope these faster runs this week continue!

resistance training

I ran my usual 4 mile route this morning in 31:08. This is the first time I've run this route in under 32 minutes. A full minute is pretty substantial and I'm feeling awesome! I'm crediting this faster time to the runs I've been doing with the baby jogger. With the weather warming up, I've been doing some of my runs in the late afternoon pushing the jogger. The additional resistance, particularly on the route we run which curiously always has a headwind regardless of direction or time of day, must be paying off. [note to self: must continue training with jogger.]

my big toe

Since early February, my toenail has been changing colors. Over half of the nail has now separated from the nail bed, but the rest of the nail remains intact and there's no sign of this thing coming off any time soon. The white area is thicker than the normal nail from almost the cuticle to the end of the nail. I've been keeping all nails short since January, but this one in particular is kept really short so nothing happens to it. I would hate to return from a run and take my sock off to find no nail on this toe.

Note: This ugly toenail does not keep me from wearing sandals. Pedicure, yes. Sandals, no.

April: 77 miles

I'm glad this month is over. I'm blaming the low miles on my back problems earlier this month. I wasn't able to really run for over a week and even then they weren't good ones. Fortunately the pains have passed. I'm looking forward to a fresh start beginning tomorrow. New month, fresh miles starting again from zero...