Socks

Runs have been going okay the past few days. Hill repeats are getting easier and the weather has been fairly mild. I've been training for 2 months now and I decided I needed to reward my accomplishments thus far with a little present...or five.

About a year ago I saw an ad for these running socks in my Runner's World magazine. I was instantly intrigued by the concept. Toe socks for running. How clever! By having each toe covered it eliminates the skin on skin contact that can cause blisters. A majority of my blisters came from this problem so this seemed like a perfect solution. I bought one pair to try them out. At first they felt a little weird having my toes all separated, but once I put on my shoes the feeling was gone. I went out for my run and I was instantly hooked on them. I had no more blister issues and I loved the feeling of having my toes be free instead of crammed together. It was almost like I was running barefoot (which is a bonus because it strengthens your legs). I wanted to buy more but they are kind of pricey and hard to find. After failing to find them at any of the stores around Folsom, I broke down and went to the Injinji website.

I was able to get five pairs of toesocks on clearance for $9 a pair. Normally they run $12-$14 a pair depending on which ones you get. I plan on giving my dad a pair as a late father's day present to see if he likes them. I also got free shipping because my order was over $40. I ordered them on Aug 2nd and I got them today.

One thing to remember if you buy a pair of these socks is to know that the size is by your foot size, not your shoe size. I wear a 10 1/2 in men's running shoes and I wear a Medium in the new Injinji sock and a large in the old ones.

My cat, Rusty, was very into my socks too.

Week 8 Wrap-up

I am pleased to announce that I had another good long run today. My dad met me about 30 minutes in and we run the rest of the way more or less together. I did 14.15 miles in 2 1/2 hours. That came out to a 10:38 pace. I ran most of the way, I just had to walk twice (about .20 mile each time). My groove was there even with the hills which was a pleasant change. I felt very stiff the first couple miles, but then everything fell into place.

Around mile 10 I did start to experience hip pain. My IT band (a muscle that runs down the side of the thigh from hip to knee) tighten up severely and kept causing my hip to pop. Each time it popped, it would radiate pain down my leg. I had to stop a few times to try and stretch it out. While it didn't go away completely, I was able to work through it and finish my run. It's super sore right now and I have been massaging and icing it. IT band issues are very common with runners. A tight IT band can cause everything from knee pain to hip pain. Ways to remedy it is to roll your thigh on a foam roller to loosen it up. I have a foam roller at home that I try to use on regular basis, but I will be honest. Rolling out a tight IT band hurts like hell! Sometimes the pain is so intense I think I will pass out. The tighter it is the more it hurts. I seriously can not think of a pain that is worse. I'm trying to work up the courage to roll it out right now but I'm not quite ready for it.

My other issue came after my run. To avoid getting too graphic let's just say I sometimes get "tummy problems" during my runs. It comes on suddenly, sometimes during a run and sometimes afterwards. For three years I tried to figure out what the cause was. I spoke to my doctor but she didn't really have an answer but she did tell me what foods would be good to avoid before a run. I kept a food diary for awhile to see if I could figure out if it was a food that was triggering it. That didn't seem to shed any light on the matter. Everything was just so unpredictable. I could eat one thing and be fine, and then eat the same thing the next week and run into major issues. I just didn't know what to do other than grin and bear it. Just as I was about to give up hope, I stumbled upon the cause by accident. Dehydration!

Two weeks before I started my training I began drinking 2-3 liters of water a day as a way to help me lose weight. After the first few weeks of training I noticed that I was not having any problems. I changed nothing in my diet and ate exactly as I had. The only variable was the increased water intake. I put two and two together and it seemed to be the answer. That theory was confirmed today. This past week I had a very limited amount of fluids due to being on vacation and being very busy at work. I paid the price for my laziness after my run. I eventually recovered, as I always do, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. I now know I MUST drink my water every single day or I will suffer the consequences. I am very happy to have found an answer to my worst running problem.

Week 7 Wrap-up

It's been awhile since I last updated this and I apologize. I was camping for four days and I couldn't not get a Wi-fi signal in the woods, but we did try. As I mentioned in a prior post, I was scheduled to run a 2 1/2 hour run on Sunday. I ended up breaking that up into 2 days because of the vacation. I ran 1 1/2 hours on Saturday before I left and then 1:10 on Sunday. My run on Saturday was nothing special. I pasted the time listening to a few podcasts and that was about it. My run on Sunday; however, was glorious! I think my dad would agree with that statement as he ran with me. We started out at about 7 AM. It was chilly and I was thankful my dad loaned me a long sleeve shirt. The mist was hanging in the air and the fog was just starting to set in.

Our original plan was to turn left out of our campsite, run up a long steep hill out of the campground, and then down Highway 1. Thankfully my dad changed his mind and decided we should turn right instead and see what was further in the campground. At the end of the campground (we stayed at Russian Gulch State Park, about 8 miles from Fort Bragg) we found Fern Canyon Trail. As you can see below it was just an old road covered with leaves so we choose to explore it.

It was so beautiful. No one was out there but us. I'm really glad my dad was with me otherwise I would not have gotten to run on it. Call me crazy, but I don't like to run on trails by myself in the early morning in a place I've never been. This trail was about 1.6 miles through the ferns and redwoods. There was a small river to the right of us that provided lovely running music.

We eventually came upon the Falls Loop Trail that would take us to a waterfall. This is where the road turned into a true trail. I have not run on many trails in the past, but I did enjoy it very much. The route was described as moderately strenuous. I think that was an accurate description. The hills were steep, but short and I was happy to see that my hill repeats were paying off. The trail also seemed to get more beautiful too. Every turn I made I was in awe. Not only was it a sight to behold, I was also feeling really strong despite the terrain. I was easily able to keep up with my dad. At one point I asked my dad if he ever thought he would be on a camping trip running on a trail to a waterfall with me at 7 AM. He said no. After .7 miles we made it to the waterfall and it was amazing to see!

What a fantastic treat! These are the moments that make me grateful that I am able to run. I know it sounds weird but I never take my ability to run for granted and I enjoy every moment in some way. Even when I think I'll die if I take another step. Of course there are moments I enjoy more than others and this was definitely one of them. I was also grateful I was able to experience this run with my dad. Being with him at that waterfall is something I'll never forget. I will always look back on it with fond memories.

On the way back, the sun was starting to peek through the trees and all the foliage lit up.

We stopped at one point to get just a few more pictures to document the journey.

Everything was going so well, up to the point where my foot hit a root and I did a full on spread eagle face plant onto the ground. It was pretty funny. Thankfully I wasn't hurt and I just bruised up my knees a bit. The picture below was taken shortly after my fall. If you look closely you can see the dirt on my pants. I'm a trooper though and I kept on running.

Here is a picture of my battle wound. As you can see it's not that bad and it only hurts if I bend down on it.

All in all it was awesome, fall and all. Thanks dad for coming with me. I couldn't have done it without you! Nor would I have wanted to.

Weigh In - 7/23/09

This week I was pleased to see a change in more than one area. I am hoping this trend continues.

Weight: 165lb (-2.5 lb)
Body Fat: 32% (-1%)
Waist: 31" (-.5")
Hips: 37" (-.5")
Thigh: 24.5" (-.5")
Bust: 37" (no change)
Arm: 12" (no change)

Today I did my hill repeats on a new hill. It kicked my booty! While this hill is not as long as my other, it's about a million times steeper. I was able to do 5 repeats which was about 2 1/2 miles total. That last one put me over the top. My legs were all rubbery and I found myself having to walk a majority of the way home because I was feeling dizzy. I was proud of the accomplishment though. It was a challenge indeed and I look forward to seeing how I improve over time.

One thing I am concerned with is that I am beginning to feel and see signs of over training. This is such a fine line and I'm not sure how to go about this. I really cannot afford to cut any mileage out of my daily runs. Hopefully these feelings will pass as time goes on. I am eating well and getting plenty of sleep most of the time. The biggest problem I have is the fact that I stand for eight hours a day. My manager is going to assign me to a desk so I will be able to sit more. I hope this will help a little bit with the leg fatigue. I also have been nursing any aches or pains as soon as I feel them. So far I have been able to keep everything under control and I have no real ailments to speak of. I will continue to monitor myself take each day as it comes.

Wrap Up: Week 6

My long run on Sunday was just that, a long run! I got out at 6 am, which was later than I wanted, but still early enough so I wasn't running in 90 degree weather for too long. Overall I would say it was a decent run. I walked a little and I picked a route with some challenging hills. I wasn't as fatigued at the end like I was the week before. It felt like I had run faster then last week, but it turns out I was slower. This time I listened to two podcasts and it made the time pass fairly quickly. The heat and major chafing began to affect me around mile 8 (I did 12 total). Somehow I muddled my way through it, like I seem to do every week.

As my long runs increase in distance, I am beginning to feel the all around fatigue. My body feels tired and my legs heavy. I basically through my hands up at today's run. I went the scheduled 30 minutes, but I certainly was not speeding along. My legs felt so heavy and I just could not get into the groove. These kind of runs really mess with my confidence. I start thinking how I am going to run 50 miles when I can barely seem to finish 3? It's all in my head, and I am aware of that, but it still does not make it any easier. Tomorrow I have 4 miles of hill repeats on a new, more challenging incline. Hopefully I will be able to do that with greater ease than today's run.

As I review my stats for the week, I can see how the heat has caused my pace to slow down tremendously. My usual 10-10:15 minute miles have been replaced with 11:00-11:30 minute ones. That is to be expected though so I am not really worried about it at this time.

Planned: 30 miles
Actual: 30.44 miles
Calories: 3850
Average pace: 11:33

Training Plan: The Next 9 Weeks

After my run tomorrow I will be done with the "Base Phase" and move into the "Build Phase." For the next nine weeks I will focus on increasing my mileage from 30-35 miles week up to 50 a week. I'm a little nervous as I get into the longer runs. For the most part I have been handling them well. I hope that is a trend that continues. As the heat gets worse I'm finding it necessary to get out earlier than usual. Tomorrow I am aiming for a 5:30 AM start time. I have my I-Pod loaded and I feel ready for my 2 hour and 15 minutes. Next week will be a test. We are going camping up at Russian Gulch and I will have to do a 2 hour and 30 minute run. Hopefully there will a place to do it, otherwise I will be making a lot of loops around the campground! My parents might go with us and I hope they do because I will have my dad to run with for part of it. Anyway, here is my training plan for the next nine weeks:

Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun

Week 1: 2 mile/4 mile/30 min; ST/4 mile/30 min; ST/Rest/2:30
Week 2: 2 mile/4 mile/35 min;ST/4 mile/35 min;ST/Rest/2:45
Week 3: 2 mile/4.5 mile/35 min;ST/4.5 mile/35 min; ST/Rest/3:00
Week 4: 3 mile/4.5 mile/40 min;ST/4.5 mile/40 min;ST/Rest/3:15
Week 5: 4 mile/5 mile/40 min;ST/5 mile/40 min;ST/Rest/3:30
Week 6: 3 mile/5 mile/45 min; ST/5 mile/45 min;ST/Rest/3:45
Week 7: 4 mile/5 mile/45 min;ST/5 mile/45 min;ST/Rest/4:00
Week 8: 4 mile/5 mile/45 min;ST/5 mile/45 min;ST/Rest/4:15
Week 9: 4 mile/5 mile/45 min;ST/5 mile/45 min;ST/Rest/20 mile

I will continue to do strength training (ST) on Wednesday and Friday. I will also continue doing my hill repeats once a week; however, I am going to do them on a more challenging hill. As I sit here looking at this training plan I'm starting to feel a little intimidated. I still have faith I will be able to finish this race, but I have my doubts as to how alive I will be once I do!

Week Five Wrap-up

I can't believe I've already been training for over a month. It's gone fast. I do admit I am slightly tired of running so much, but I think I found a way to persevere. Podcasts! I just discovered how awesome they are for long runs. My sister has talked about podcasts in the past, but it wasn't until Saturday night that I went onto I-Tunes and checked them out. all I can say is that I wish I would have found them sooner! I am a big fan of "Real Time" with Bill Maher. The problem is that I don't have HBO so I can't watch the show. Well that's no longer an issue now that I found the podcast for the show.

I downloaded the most recent show for my run on Sunday. I was scheduled to go out for 2 hours. The show was just over an hour. To supplement the remaining hour of my run I downloaded a few new songs to add to my existing music. The first hour just flew by while I was listening to the show. There were many times I found myself running down the road and laughing out loud. Once I had to listen to my music it felt like time just stopped. The last hour was long and tiring. I walked more and it felt like I had weights attached to my feet.

I think it was mostly mental because the music did not provide a long enough distraction like the podcast did. It was also fairly warm (80 degrees and humid). At one point I went past a park that had its sprinklers on. I immediately sought relief from the weather by making a few passes through the mist. It was like liquid heaven! I'm sure I looked funny but I didn't care, it felt so good. Overall it was a decent run, not as good as last week was, but definitely manageable. After my run I went to the lake with some friends and went tubing and jet skiing for the first time. I had a blast, but between that and my run I was quite sore this morning.

Here are the numbers for this past week. I was a little under my planned miles this week due to the fact I only run 11 miles on Sunday instead of 12. I'm not too concerned because overall I am still over my plan.

Planned: 28.5
Actual: 27.3
Avg Pace: 11:00
Calories: 3448

When I add up all the time I've spent running these past five weeks, it equals 21 hours. That's almost an entire day. That's crazy! I've also burned 15,393 calories so how can I not be thinner? I love figuring out and seeing all of my stats. That too is a motivator for me.

So here's to week 6 of training and the final week before moving into a new phase. I'm a little nervous about the next phase, but I'm sure I'll be able to manage it.