Wind and Weather Whiplash

My run yesterday started on a mild spring day, and finished in the heart of winter, with rain pounding so hard and so cold that I didn't think I would ever get warm.  No, it wasn't an ultra distance, or even  a double digit distance - this run was a relatively short 6 mile tempo run.  I left the house in shorts and a tee shirt, and noticed it progressively getting colder and darker, until about a mile from home, the wind kicked up, the sky opened up, and it poured.

 I have only run in that much rain one other time, (last year's A-10) and just like then, I had stretches where I ran with my eyes closed to keep from being pelted with the concrete raindrops.  I was so relieved to be home, and certainly wasn't giving much thought to today's 15 miler. And then last night I woke to the wind slamming something on my roof, and I knew I was in for another epic run.  I tried to get an early start, before the temperature dropped to the predicted 30 degrees, but that didn't save me from the ferocious wind, or the leftover flooding from last night.  I flew up hills when the wind gave me a shove and then cursed the wind when it stopped me like a brick wall.  My brain was telling my legs to run, my arms were pumping and I was breathing hard, but I don't think I was moving.  And this is how it went, all 15 miles.  But I finished, always a good thing, and then sucked down a very dark, very thick cup of coffee so I could stay awake through work meetings this afternoon.  I think I will sleep very well tonight.

The Green Drink

I have become a fan of "the green drink."

Well, not really, but I am trying.  I figure that along with all this logging miles and speed work and long runs (and longer runs), I should make an effort at really eating well.  I think I am a pretty healthy eater normally, but I am one of those people who has "go to" foods, and tend not to vary my diet very much.  I eat lots of fruits and veggies, but usually always the same ones - the "green drink" seemed like a good way to get some other produce in along with my favorites.  Once you get past drinking something so neon, it actually tastes pretty good.  You can't drink much, maybe 4 oz or so, but in it are cucumbers, celery, oranges, apples, pineapple, parsley, and spinach.  There are a bunch of variations around the web, but this works for me.  It packs a wallop, that's for sure, and if it keeps colds and the flu away while I am training, I'll keep downing it every morning!

What a Difference a Day Makes

Not sure exactly what this is attached to the stop sign, but I watched it bend and sway all morning on Saturday and decided to postpone the 25 miler for a day.

It looks pretty vertical in this picture, but it was bending and blowing until a truck came by and took it down Sunday morning.  I don't like to be at the mercy of the weather, but there are just some days that trying to fight the wind and ice hardly makes the painfully slow pace seem worth it.  Turns out that Sunday was a great day for a long run, and my pace/mile for 25 miles was faster than my last marathon, even with 3900 feet of elevation gain!  Yeah!  Now I am looking forward to a cut back week before I run the Mid-Maryland 50K on February 9th.  Hopefully these multiple weekends of 20+ miles will translate into a great run out on the trail!  Can't wait!!!

Ticking Them Off

Give me a schedule and I'll follow it - or at least do my very best.  Yesterday it was 22 degrees when I headed out for my 15 miler.  Surprisingly though, it didn't feel cold at all, and my biggest complaint was that instead of sucking my gel, I had to chew it.  (YUK).  At the end of every run, there is so much satisfaction in crossing off the day's workout and moving on to planning the next one.  My garmin keeps me honest, my schedule keeps me on track, and my coach, family, and friends keep me motivated.  There is not much for me to do but run (and obsess over details, but that will only get worse I am sure!)  The real test comes next week when I am forced to schedule the runs around my teaching schedule.  I have gotten spoiled by the long winter semester break, and now I may end up running at  more crazy hours to get in the miles.  The good news is that yesterday it wasn't fully dark until about 5:35, and each day stays lighter longer.  I know I will be running through the night in April, but it won't be 20 degrees (I hope) and there won't be the creepy factor of being out there alone.  (Seriously, am I the ONLY one training for a 100 miler through the winter???)  Oh well, I still have the weekends, and it looks like I will be heading off for another 25 miler tomorrow in sub freezing temps - but this time the gel will be cozy, warm and thawed inside my shirt!

A Fantasy of Another Kind

After a zip quick trip to take care of family issues on the weekend, I have settled right back into my training plan and knocked off a cold and surprisingly speedy 10 miles today.  Since I am terrible at knowing my pace yet pretty good about listening to my body, it amazes me to complete a run faster than I thought I was going! The long runs are stacking up and back to back runs are more common, but I feel stronger and much less sore than a few months ago.  While I run with a garmin, I try not to look at it too often.  Instead, I can gauge my progress week to week by seeing how my times drop doing similar runs.  Its cool!
Umstead is never far from my mind, however.  This really came to light driving the 13+ hours on the weekend.    As I looked out at the woods on the side of the road, I scoured the landscape for a trail.  I wondered how it would feel to run there?  Does anyone run there?  How long would it take to get to the top of that mountain? How could I get across that creek?  Would the rocks be slippery?  Where does the snow start?  How deep is it closer to the top?  On and on, my mind whirled with running thoughts.  I actually longed to be out of the car and gloriously running to the top of the mountain to see what the road looked like from up there.  It was probably a good thing we didn't run into any traffic, because with my running shoes always at the ready in the back seat , I might not have stayed buckled in.

Running Incognito

I knew when I started treatment with efudex I would have to hide out . While only slightly noticeable at first, my face did as predicted and lit up like a campfire within a week.  The next week was ghastly and this week is only slightly better.  And no, I am not exaggerating.  (Ask my family!)

16 days and counting since I have been out in public.  Well, I have been running, but only outside on very cloudy, rainy days and shrouded in a hat, sunglasses and plenty of sunblock.  Even when my kids have friends over, I hide so they won't have to explain my burnt and peeling face. (think full facial chemical peel...and people PAY $$ to do this????)  At least my kids are scared straight into forgoing the "baking at the beach" mentality that was pervasive while I was growing up.  Interestingly enough though, my doc isn't all that preachy.  He knows me well enough to not even suggest giving up on my outdoor activities.  And that is good, because I am not someone who wants to stay alive forever if that means I can't live fully while I am here.  I can't change what I did  as a teenager, but I can be careful now so I can continue to be out in the woods doing what I love to do (even if no one knows who is under all that gear!)

Yup, that's a lot of running.

When I signed up for Umstead way back in September, seven months seemed like an eternity to train and plan and focus.  I've always run about 40 miles a week, so the beginning training actually seemed like less than I was accustomed to doing.  But I compulsively have been following the plan and suddenly it is mid January and the miles are piling on.  Since this 100 miler is having to coexist with parenting, work and other responsibilities, I sometimes have to tweak the training days.  In the past two weeks, I have done a 27 miler, two 20 milers, two fifteen milers, two days of 8 mile speed work, and a bonus 7 just because it was a great day to be outside.  As my kids like to point out, "that's a lot of running."  The crazy thing is that is has become normal to me.  When  my neighbors pass me in their cars on their way to work, and then pass me again some 6 hours later on their way home, I have to remind myself that what I am doing is really not "typical".  Its like the small piece of unfinished trim work on my kitchen floor - after a while, it just becomes a part of the house and we don't see it anymore.  But when company comes in, it is probably the first thing they notice.

Running this much, and by myself for much of the time, I have really learned to become comfortable with my own company.  I have learned that I am a bit of a snoop.  I love to see what people are doing as I run by - having a party for the Raven's game?  Taken those Christmas decorations down yet?  Finished that addition on the house?  No need for a GPS to get to the kids' friend's house, just ask mom - I am sure she has run by that street before. (I have)  Zoning meetings to approve new subdivisions?  Ask me, I can tell you when and where.  And on the trails?  Just watching the progression of the seasons and the very slight differences in the trees and flowers makes every run novel.  I am already looking forward to the bunches of daffodils that spring out of nowhere at one point on the trail near my house as I can imagine the home that must have been there long ago, and the family that lovingly planted the flowers!  Plenty to keep my mind occupied, that is for sure.  Yup, that's a lot of running, but it is also a lot of living.

Challenges

Students in my curriculum class are responsible for writing two lesson plans during the semester.  These plans are pretty comprehensive and much more detailed than the plans they will actually write as teachers.  I do this so they can really see all that is inherently involved in planning, and more specifically, so they will be able to identify anything that might "derail" their lesson.They also have to create ideas that might get their plans back on track, or they have to figure out how to reinvent their plans so they still meet the objective.
This is a good lesson for me as I 'run' deeper into my 100 mile training.  I am pretty good about flexibility - I can tweak my training plan to accommodate schedule conflicts, family commitments, and all those good things.  Since I am on semester break, it doesn't bother me to run at any hour of any day to ensure I hit a particular workout goal.  Now, though, the runs are getting longer, and closer together, so wiggle room has become more of a challenge.  Add to that an unexpected treatment for "suspicious areas" on my face (check out efudex - pretty heavy stuff) and it is obvious that I need to come up with creative ways to check off my scheduled runs.  Since being in the sun is out, at least for now, I have to do early or late day runs, or reacquaint myself with the treadmill in the basement!  Not bad for speed work, but for a 20 miler or more?  Someone wrote that efudex is penance for all the years of being outside without sunblock but I look at it more as just another tough it out challenge that will better prepare me for running some 28 (hopefully) hours without sleep and dealing with what surely will be "discomfort"...okay, PAIN.  Luckily, by this weekend, I will be able to wear sunblock and a hat - good since it will be nearly 60 degrees and I will be out there for 6+ hours.  This train may go off track, but NOTHING will stop it from getting to the destination!

Chargers

We have chargers all over the house...the phones, the kindle, the ipad, the garmon, the shuffle.  I don't even remember what it is like to go to bed without making sure everything is "fully charged" for tomorrow.  Sometimes I wish I could just plug in at night and wake feeling 100% full of energy!  Sure would make getting out of bed a lot easier, especially when I know I have a 20 mile run ahead in the morning!

But something interesting happened to me yesterday - New Year's Day.  I did not greet my alarm at 4:45 a.m. with tons of energy.  Even two cups of coffee wasn't doing the trick.  That's okay, though, I'll meet up with my friends, do the run, and come home having "made it" another step closer to Umstead.  The drive to Key's Gap was quiet as our band of runners shared minimal small talk and deep breaths. The ice on the parking lot had us raising our eyebrows and steeling ourselves to the task ahead.  After more deep breaths and the resignation of what we were about to do, we took off.  And almost immediately, it started.  I felt my energy level rise from the dangerously low "red" to somewhere near "yellow".  With every footfall, every step through the crunchy snow, I felt more invigorated, more alert.  The trail was exactly as clear as it needed to be at the start, not making me think too much as my feet did what they were suppose to do.  As my running got stronger, more snow and ice appeared and it was exciting.  Jumping from rock to rock, sliding down steep hills, grabbing trees to keep upright, suddenly I could not have been more awake - more recharged.  The closer we got to our meeting point with other friends, the faster and more confident I ran.  This feeling continued throughout the run.  At one point, I stopped and took pictures, and could not believe how lucky I was to be experiencing this day - this run - with dear friends.  By the time we had completed our nearly 20 miles, I was ecstatic, feeling happy, calm, confident and so very blessed to have been able plug in to friends, family, and fun to start the New Year fully charged!