hal higdon

marathon monday: sidelined & up in the air

March 7, 2016

About April. The OKC Memorial Marathon is now seven weeks away. How we jumped from fourteen to seven weeks in just a few hectic days is a mystery to me, but here we are. I have spent the last couple of months in a state of gradually improving physical fitness despite that truly maddening ankle sprain and the attendant stillness that is just not my groove. Life beyond running has been full to bursting with changes and activity too, so it’s no wonder that time has flown. What does this mean for me participating in the April race? Well, maybe the Universe knew it might not be in the cards for me this spring, and that is why around the holidays when registration was cheap I just kept not clicking through and making it happen. I now feel in my guts that a full 26.2 miles is not what my body needs right now. That’s okay. There are other marathons later in the year for which I could train and be really ready. I had resolved last year not to run distance this again unless I was prepared. 2015 was humbling.

So here I am being all rational and peaceful about this conclusion, then Handsome and I drive to Bricktown last night with some friends and I see this view:

open streets

Wide open streets. Barely stormy skies. The Oklahoma City skyline. My gosh. It’s so tempting. I am going to be really sad if I don’t run something at the end of April.

Maybe the half? Back when Tiny T and I finally went to see an orthopedic doctor, I was granted permission to nibble at running short, slow distances, as long as I wore that bionic-woman ankle brace. So I began slowly, grabbing first a mile or two, then ramping up very cautiously to five miles at once then seven. That was about three weeks ago, and I am happy to say that now my weekly mileage is up to around thirteen (total), plus some barre classes or yoga mixed in, and overall my ankle feels wonderful. Sometimes it’s tight or has a stinging sensation, but it’s no longer painful. My follow-up doctor appointment was cancelled because it fell right in the thick middle of some much more important farm business, so I have yet to see the doctor again for that final green light. But I believe when I finally go in he will say, “RUN! Run for your life!” I want this more than Mitt Romney wanted the Presidency.

Okay, April. Fast forward through my convoluted brain process to this:

I’m okay with not being fast right now, which is the goal I had set for myself last autumn. I’m okay with postponing a marathon until later in 2016. But…Is seven weeks enough time to both get in the shape I crave (so I’m not dieting during race week) and prepare for a good, solid half marathon?

According to this Hal Higdon Training Program, yeah, probably it is. This is a totally reachable goal, and a lot of great stuff can happen in seven weeks.

So. It’s Monday. My plan is to dive deep into the second half of that half marathon training program and be kind to my body along the way (food, water, vitamins, stretches, positive affirmations). I will also call to set a follow-up appointment to check my tight, stinging ankle, and we’ll go from there. If racing even just the half is not in my cards this spring, it’s totally fine. The OKC Memorial has hundreds of volunteer opportunities that sound really amazing, and I would be very happy to participate that way too.

In the mean time, I know a few people running the Boston Marathon soon and I am VERY excited for them!! Most of all a local friend Robin, who in my mind is the Comeback Queen. So amazing. With her permission I might share some of those training updates soon.

Thanks for listening, friends! Obviously this is a big deal to me, haha. What races are you planning this year? How are you keeping in shape, mentally and physically? Do you ever see a wide open city street and fantasize about running it?

Run for Your Life
XOXOXOXO

marathon monday: week 4 complete

January 19, 2016

Hey friends! As I jam out a quick little running update, I see an email sitting half-read that reminds me the OKC Memorial is only 100 days away. Well, less than that now, because that email has probably been languishing since before the weekend. Less than 100 days to prepare for the most fun 26.2 miles of the year!

Truly, you guys, I am excited. Three years ago I was excited to run my first half marathon with my little brother and our nephew (our nephew ran the full). Two years ago I was over the moon to accomplish my first full. And last year, of course, the Crying Games. This year? My goal is to finish really strong and possibly even under four hours. That’s what I’m busy working on, at least.

In order to work safely toward my sub-four goal, I have been following the Hal Higdon Advanced One Marathon Training Plan. Not at all because I regard myself as an “advanced” runner; just because I am more than comfortable with the long distances and feel ready to incorporate structured speed workouts. Last year I just sort of blindly cried out to the Universe, “I’d love to be faster!” then crossed my fingers and went on a stupid diet and hoped for the best. Things didn’t go so great, so this year let’s hope that an actual plan and more measured approach will yield some results.

So far so good. I just completed week four of the plan, and here are the boring details:

Monday: 3 miles outside in the back field, at an easy pace, followed by weights and staying active all day around the W.
Tuesday: 6 miles at an easy pace, again outside at the farm, again followed by staying active. (Easy pace this week started around 10:20.)
Wednesday: 3 miles of sprint/walk intervals on my treadmill, then 30 minutes on the elliptical to cool down. Thought I was going to die. My ribs felt like they had ignited into little black and red flames. Sprinting at a 6:30-7 min pace is HAAAAARD.
Thursday: Busy day! Between chores, housework, and my first day teaching a gardening class, I grabbed 2 quick miles outside at a pace I refer to as “Stress Relief.” It was twenty minutes of bliss.
Friday: Long run! This was something I looked forward to all week, much more fun than shorter speed sessions, haha. I ran 12 miles at my favorite little loop in Harrah at an average pace of 9:12. This was surprising because it felt much easier than that, you know? Like, luxuriously slow? I had a lot of energy left but needed to get home, or I might have kept running. I was happy to realize that after just a few days of speed work and rest my legs and lungs were better conditioned. Zero soreness the next day. Awesome.
Saturday: Ran 6 miles outside at the farm, again at that accidental 9 minute pace!! I wasn’t even trying for this; it was just natural and happy. So, yeah, that felt cool.
Sunday: Rest day. Handsome and I actually took a little road trip then later went to a Thunder basketball game in OKC, so my legs barely moved at all on Sunday.

Having more or less skipped over the first two weeks of the plan in favor of Handsome’s stay-cation and the remnants of holiday cheer, really what I just shared was my second week of consistent running, not my fourth. 32 miles total, and I feel better than ever. My pace is back up to where it was before the autumn recess. My jeans fit better. My tummy is flattened out. I feel generally good. Just overall energetic and strong. Bonus points: I am sleeping like a baby for 7-9 hours per night. That is unheard of! And I am doing this with no sleep aids of any kind. Maybe a big mug of chamomile tea here and there, that’s it.

Thanks for checking in and enduring another running conversation! I feel happy to be on a good path and will soon have lots of health and wellness things to share that are more than just miles. Stuff like book reviews, recipes, interviews, and online resources. Hope to see you again for some of that.

Are you signed up for any of the Memorial events? What training program have you chosen?

Run While You Can
XOXOXOXO

marathon monday: shifting gears

January 5, 2015

Happy New Year, and happy running! Is any new fitness program on your agenda this month, this year? If so, I hope it’s part of a gentle, realistic, healthful mindset for you, something that serves you well in many ways, not something that lords over you and makes you miserable.

Because you’re awesome and don’t need a big ugly guilt trip. xoxo

At the start of this recent holiday season I mentioned that marathon training was starting again and that I’d chosen the Hal Higdon Intermediate 1 program to get me ready for April. Week one was really good, and I felt great and was strongly motivated. Mileage was right on the mark.

Theeeennn… It was Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, and time for family and cuddling and watching movies. I had much better things to enjoy than running alone. Then I tried to get back on track (err, trail) and the weather turned nasty. Quite nasty most days. I can make excuses as well as anybody, but these bumps in the schedule were true obstacles. Family and safety first. Thank goodness this is happening early in the 18 weeks, when I have lots of time to make up for it.

So… Taking the same loving advice I would give you, I’m neither giving up nor accepting the guilt trip.

I just looked again at the schedule to see how badly I’d slipped behind. As it turns out, things could be much worse. No towels have been thrown in! But still… Looking at the next few weeks of weather I don’t see things improving much; so I’ve simply regrouped and shifted from Intermediate 1 to Novice 2, which is a program with the same number of weeks but slightly lower mileage. There’s a real mental benefit to not feeling quite so far behind. If over the next month or so I feel stronger and life opens up a bit, I may step it up. We’ll see.

Current Plan:

For now? I’m doing short runs plus strength on Mondays and Wednesdays. Longish runs (they are still pretty short this early in the program) on Tuesdays and Fridays. Cross training on Thursdays. Taking the weekends off so Handsome isn’t too lonely. That will likely change over time, too, or from week to week depending on our social calendar.

Our Talking Tree, filled with sleepy guineas, on a day so cold the air around us stayed bluish gray.

A question for you:

Speaking of all this cold weather, and by cold in Oklahoma I mean temperatures between 15 and 38 degrees, how cold is too cold for you to run outside? My friend Norma asked me this on Facebook recently and it got me thinking. Apparently the world boasts some pretty hard-core runners who will lace up for miles in sub-zero temps. I MEAN REALLY. haha

I don’t mind bundling up quite a bit, and rain itself doesn’t bother me, but if it’s both cold and wet I rethink it. Or if the winds are blowing down our pine trees, making it too hard to climb hills, I tend to give it about half an hour then reevaluate. What about you? I am so curious.

Thanks for stopping in, friends! I wish you all the best this week, whatever your goals are. I wish you just the right measure of challenge mixed with a deep personal motivation to overcome it. Happy first full week of this new year!!

If you want to live, you must walk.
If you want to live long, you must run.
~Jinabhai Navik
XOXOXO

Marathon Training Begins

December 29, 2013

Ah, January… you temptress. You flirt.

Forever seducing me and scandalizing my imagination with possibility, with promise, with high energy and blank-page calendars just begging to be scribbled with lists and fantasies about all the good things I want to accomplish and become.

But this year, I have a more concrete plan for you.

As January is every year, this month in 2014 will be replete with new beginnings. Fresh starts. Our gardens will need planning and cleaning; the sparkly holiday decor will get swapped for scrubbed baseboards and fresh pillow covers; and I might even be studying Spanish and attending a series of beekeeping classes. All good, worthwhile stuff. But there is one new start that will require more focus and discipline than all the others put together…

OKC Marathon official site

On December 30th, I begin serious training for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. After talking about it for several months, the time has finally come to get to work. Quit goofing aroung and start putting in the hours and miles. Following a wildly successful and really fun half marathon last spring, my excitement level for this new challenge is through the roof!

Our west field is not warm and verdant like this right now. But I am dreaming of it hard.

As this cold new month pries open her sleepy eyes, a mere 117 days remain until the race. One hundred seventeen days to train my body (and more importantly, my mind) to run 26.2 miles safely and smoothly. I will be more or less following the Hal Higdon training program dubbed “Novice 2.” You can see this 18-week plan right here.

If I am reading this plan right, then the coming weeks will accumulate a whopping 397 training miles. EEK. I might need new socks.

Are you running this winter and spring? Are you training for any particular race? I hope to write weekly or bi-weekly updates on marathon prep in the coming months, so I would be really jazzed if you followed along. I’m a sucker for encouraging words, and if you’re local and training too, even better!

Besides running, what other fresh starts are on your January horizon?

Jogging is very beneficial. It’s good for your legs and your feet.
It’s also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed.
~Charles Schulz
XOXOXOXO

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