Gorgeous day; great company; a completed run

I wasn't expecting much out of today' run. My last run 10 Miles on the Perkiomen Trail two was weeks ago. I had planned to take the week after that off. However, this week was a bit of a surprise. I must have hugged one too many people at Dad's memorial service last Saturday and brought a head cold home with me. 

I went to work on Monday but it was all downhill from there. On Tuesday, I called out sick. Actually, I texted out sick. I do not take sick days often. My job is such that I can usually muddle through with a head cold and since I have my own office within the office I can keep the germs to myself. But the head ache and congestion was significant this time so I stayed home, medicated at regular intervals, watched Star trek Voyager reruns and slept a lot. By Wednesday, I wasn't 100% (I got winded walking up the steps) but I was well enough to go back to work. 

Each day since ha been a little bit better but this morning I was still coughing a little and clearing my throat regularly. But I needed to try. So off I went to try 7 miles at Forbidden Drive. 

There are not enough great words to describe how beautiful the weather is today. It was a horribly rainy and humid week and this week coming up is going to be hot and humid. But today... was a Mary Poppins kind of day - practically perfect in every way. :) 

Perki and I met David at the Northwestern Avenue entrance to Forbidden Drive and began the trek to mile 3.5. I new from the first interval that it was going to be a rough one. I could not breath properly at all. I slogged along on the run interval and struggled to get my breathing under control. :( 

I hadn't seen David for a few weeks and was looking forward to hearing about his Ragnar Race from the first week in June. He and 11 others ran relay legs totaling 200 miles through Ontario, Canada. They went through Toronto and ended up at Niagara Falls. David ran three legs - including the final leg which was challenging enough to earn him TWO medals. 

We passed the 2.5 marker and I was really struggling to breath. By the way, my legs were fine I just couldn't seem to get enough oxygen. I decided that I would evaluate at mile 3 and possibly turn around there instead of 3.5. Not sure how - because trust me my eyes were glued to the side of the trail looking for the marker - but we missed the 3. Suddenly we were at the 3.5 and I let out a WOO HOO that was way louder and more enthusiastic than was necessary. I think I scared the runner coming toward us. 

I fist bumped the marker and we headed back. I need to take three extra walk breaks on the way back but I managed to finish all 7 miles. 

Keep Smiling and Keep Moving

-Paula

Celebration of Life

That’s what we did on Saturday 6/15 for my dad. As it was happening, I thought it went well. The remembrances shared by my sister Kt, my daughter Emma & niece Amanda, dad’s best friend Marco, my step brother Allan, and a colleague of Dad’s from the clinic where he translated Spanish and English for the patients served well to help all of us transition to the next phase of our lives without him. As the event wore on - and even back at my step mom’s house with immediate family -I felt… well to tell the truth I’m not sure what I felt. I thought I was fine but looking back I was probably just in a haze.

I listened to the thoughts and experiences that were shared about my Dad. I remember all the events that were referenced but not the feelings that apparently went with them. The insights (if that’s the right word) shared by my sister, my daughter, and my niece were new to me. I was seeing my dad through their eyes and realized I didn’t have the same experience or depth of feeling that they did.

Don’t misunderstand this. I do not have any regrets. My dad and I had a relationship and – although like everyone else I wish he was still here – I don’t feel like there are missed opportunities with him. I have many memories and I loved him ….. but in a significantly different way than others did. The sadness I’m feeling right now comes from worrying that I’m bad or weird or wrong because I can’t speak eloquently (or at all) about our relationship.

I'm working hard to forgive myself for being who I am. It's hard and it sucks.

Keep moving and keep smiling (and hope no one notices)
-Paula

10 Miles

Today Perki and I ran on the Perkiomen Trail from the access at the Collegeville Diner. I decided to split the 10 miles into 4 pieces. We went due North from the 5.5 mile marker for 2.5 and back and then headed due South for 2.5 and back.

I used the 1 min 30 second run; 30 second walk intervals.

Miles 1-6 were very good. No aches or pains. Not even my hip flexor or my toe. I was a pretty happy runner.

At mile 7 I felt a stitch in my right side. That usually means I'm running too hard or I'm slouching. I wasn't running too hard. My breathing was perfect. So I focused on form and relieved the stitch.

By mile 8 though I started to feel achy in my shoulder, hip and knee. All on my right side. Not sore, just achy.The kind of joint ache us old people feel when it's gonna rain. By the last mile, the shoulder ache went away but my right leg from hip down to and including my foot was tingly in a very uncomfortable way. Again not sore, and not really numb but kind of like it was buzzing. It didn't feel any better during the walk breaks so I kept up the intervals and just counted down the miles.

At the end of the run, I stretched and the buzzing went away. I guess if it happens again, I'll stop and stretch??? (Insert eye roll with shaking head here).

During the last 3 miles, I did start to wonder if maybe I'm not going to make 13.1. Maybe I should reset my expectations to the 10 mile run instead of the Half Marathon at OCNJ. However, by the time I was done and heading home, I decided that I still have more than 3 months to prepare so it's too early to make that call.

Keep Smiling Keep Moving
-Paula

Making Adjustments

I've been running 4 minute intervals - 3 run and 1 walk. In the past week, I started to look into whether less walk more run would make a difference. I have to admit that this all started because I let the little voice (LV) in my head get the upper hand. LV is the part of me that says if it's worth doing it must be perfect. LV keeps whispering, "you need to do more than just finish". LV is a competitive twit. 😜  If I'm going to succeed at this half marathon thing I have to ignore LV. Having said that LV did kinda do me a favor in this case because here is what I discovered. 

Jeff Galloway, the recognized mastermind behind the run/walk movement has been encouraging folks to lower their walk times. The rationale being that the benefit of the walk break is realized in the first 30 seconds. "Our heart rates come down, the running muscles relax, we catch our breaths, and the fatigue melts away." After 30 seconds we slow down more than is necessary and as a result have to run faster to maintain pace. Ok that made sense to me pretty easily. 

He also encourages cutting the run portion by the same ratio. That part I wasn't so sure about until I did the math. If I cut my run session in half as well, bringing my interval to 1 min 30 sec run / 30 sec walk, then in the same 4 minute period I'd still be doing 3 min/1 min but in two stages. The extra shorter walk breaks means less fatigue so I won't slow down as much at the end of the miles or at the end of my run intervals. Less fatigue means better mental and physical energy. It's worth a try. 

I've also re-worked my weekly long run schedule-- again! While increasing miles slowly but steadily worked in the early stages (lower miles) it does not appear to be working as well anymore. Now that I've hit 10 miles I need to allow more time to recover. I may want to defy getting older but facts are facts. I need drop back weeks more often now. The pressure to keep up or increase the distance now is weighing on me physically and mentally. I'd like to get to 13 before we go on vacation at the end of August and there is plenty of time to do that conservatively. So from here on out I'm alternating long miles (10+) with shorter mileage weeks. 

Keep Smiling Keep Moving

-Paula