Cursed Run! Yes, sometimes runs are to hell and back!

So, last week, I went for a run....just like the prior 10 nights.  But no...this one was different.  A simple 5k run...how bad could it have been!?!?  Its 9:30 at night, and there is only one place to run at night in my area....only one road thats lighted.

After 1/2 mile, it poured...all of a sudden, poured!  I was drenched, but after about 2 minutes, it stopped suddenly.  But hey, I was now cooler than before!

After another 1/2 mile, I realized that the coolness was gone.  I was running against a row of trees/bushes and there was no breeze.  I was now hot, wet, sticky and the wind was nonexistent.

After another 1/2 mile, I realize that I simply cannot go back the same way....no wind.  So, maybe I cross the street for the run back.  At least the wind could be better?

I cross the street.  After a mere 20 steps, I am under a large low tree, and its dark underneath.  The street lights do not shine there.  So, right then and there, I trip.  Fly and land on the cement.  My knee is all bloodied, as is my elbow.  Sweat + open sore + blood = stinging pain.  Now, I really want to get home.

I start running again, pushing back the sting, and within 1/2 mile, a beetle flies into my hair!  Seriously, "beetle" is a nice word, but the truth is it was a palmetto bug.  For those of you who do not know what this is...its basically a coachroach with wings.  I'm glad that I had a tight ponytail on, so I was able to bob my head a few times to get it off without touching anything.  So, now, I'm uncomfortable, in pain and am in dire need of washing my hair.

I continue to run.

Another 1/2 mile, I need to desperately use the bathroom.  Problem...if I keep running, it speeds the need. But, if I don't run, I have to continue with this awful feeling of dirty hair and cannot tend to my wound.  So, I try to run and then hope that I don't have to use the bushes on this main street...as there are no bathrooms in sight!

I end of walking most of the way home...just to maintain my dignity, whatever is left of it.  I hope that the bathroom can wait.  I hope that the stinging pain will be eased quickly.  I just want to be home.

I get home. I run to the bathroom.  I bandage my wound.

5 days later, my knee is still swollen.  It still hurts to walk.  When the bandage is on it, it stays continuously moist and has less pain, but when I take the bandage off, it dries and feels like the skin is breaking.  And yes, its still swollen.

Now, its day 7.  Just slightly swollen now.  Still hurts, sitting still.  Is taking forever to fully heal...yes, it was that large of a wound.  So ready to find my mojo again.

Zen Runners

Oh, how I wish I could be a zen runner.  Those people who get their shoes on and just leave the house, with never a thought about taking a watch, music, gps or other "necessity" ....they do it purely for the run, with no need to analyze, dissect the pace/distance/altitude, or the need to be distracted at times.  The run is their high, regardless if its 2 miles or 20.

I will never be a zen runner.  Its simply impossible.  Type A personality here, and while I love the idea of zen running, I fear that my personality would never embrace the  simplicity of zen running.  I have a strong desire for data and analytics (something my current profession very much utilizes).  I love being a Type A, but for running, I wish a Type B personality could fit me comfortably.  The person who is not nearly as competitive (in every facet of life), but if they are, its not something that takes over their lives.  My husband...Type B.  If he "thinks" he ran around a 5k, thats good enough for him.  If he "thinks" it was around 30 minutes, he's ok with that.  Of course, I question this pace and distance...but it doesn't really matter to him.  He is simply glad that he got out there.  No accollades or timers or pacers needed...no "analytics" are required after a run.  Just a run.

Oh, being a zen runner represents such freedom, and yet, the Type A in me finds so much strength in the analytics.  Is it possible to be both?

5K a Day...for 50 Days!

Yeah, I'm going for it.  Anyone else want to join in this challenge?

I may be extra slow out there these days, but the only way to get me back into the swing of things is to focus on a goal....something closer and more tangible than race season (which is still a good 4 months out!).

RW Summer Running Streak 2012

If you need a little motivation, its not too  late to join Runner World's Summer Running Streak!  From Memorial Day to Independence Day (a mere 38 days) promise yourself that you will run just 1 mile every day.  Doesn't have to a be a speedy/hard mile, but it does have to be running.

For 38 days, can you get out there?  I am sure going to try...and if it goes well these next few days, I plan to up the ante...stay tuned for details!

Too hard on myself? Or, not hard enough?

So, I've come to realize that my motivation is quite fickle.  Its not really a bad thing, but something I know that I need to dig deep for.  When I first started running, I had to suffer through getting to that 5k distance alone, like everyone else.  But, once I was up to a solid 4-5 miles, I could join others and partake in the group runs....it was so easy to push myself to keep up and go a little farther.  This is positive peer pressure!  But looking back, running alone was so hard to stay motivated, even mid run.  I'm right back there again...and trust me, its not easier this time around.

I think what hit me the hardest is the fact that the weather changed dramatically since my IT injury.  It occurred a mere 2 months, in quite normal "spring" weather (for Florida).  I've been trying to find motivation and determination these last 3 weeks, and I am completely demoralized!  However, this week I finally realized that the weather is completely different....its truly summer here.  And that is a HUGE difference to a runner who lives in Florida.

My approach, therefore, is quite different.  First of all, I was trying to run too fast when I returned after my hiatus.  Running a 10 min/mile pace is fine in Spring...but in Summer, that is a dreadful mistake for me.  I should be aiming for 11 min/mile pace right now.  Sure, I'm not there yet, but it will happen.

My self pity of not being able to run a mile straight without the desire to stop....well, again, most likely related to the weather.  I started bringing water with me again....something I have not had to do since September!  And even for short runs of 2 miles, water is needed.  Seems like every 4-5 minutes, I take a sip and then also splash some on my face/neck and it keeps me from wanting to walk.

As for the difference, I didn't run for 6 weeks...so of course, I shouldn't expect to be able to run a 5k non-stop the first day out.  Yeah, I was running 10 miles at a stretch, but I also need to remember that I am a new runner...and I need to build back up slowly.  Sure, if I was running for 10 years and had to take 6 weeks off, this would have been a completely different story.

So, things have changed since I really ran.  Hot, humid, need water, shorter distances and slower.  I need to accept that, and find smart ways to slowly change that.  The last few days, I've awoken early (hard for me!) and ran outside.  These have been short 2ish mile runs...but done in an effort to better acclimatize me to the hot humid weather here.  Also, since I had no fuel with me when I ran these, I will not expect faster times....need to remind myself of this.  That being said, I've been ok with my 11:00+ pace.  Its ridiculously slow, but once I get the distance up, I'm sure that will slowly change.

So, my goal for now is to run daily.  Maybe it will stay at 2 miles or so, but I'm rather hoping that I can get it up to a 5k distance fast.  I really would like to try 5k/day for 50 days now.  I think this is the perfect time for me to give this challenge a go.  So, the moment I hit 5k without stopping, I'm going for it.  Maybe this will kick my butt into gear?  It will certainly encourage me to sleep/rest well, eat nutritiously, and strengthen my muscles.

Words of Wisdom: Alberto Salazar

I had as many doubts as anyone else. Standing on the starting line, we're all cowards.
-- Alberto Salazar


That nervousness is doubt...turn it into excitement!

Give-Away Winners: Announced

The "Running with the Mind of Meditation" books go to....drum roll please....

Congratulations!  Please email me your mailing address at crazymotherontherun@gmail.com, and I'll have this out to you soon!

The Weight of the Nation

Fast food, processed food, lack of exercise, lack of funding for physical fitness classes for kids, fear of your child playing outside without parental supervision, government funding of cheaply processed foods...there are a multitude of reasons why the US has an obesity epidemic.  But, we can stop it...we can start in our homes.  We can ensure that our children are insulated from these external factors that negatively influence poor nutrition.  We can also watch this documentary series:

http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/films

HBO (along with the CDC and a ton of other organizations) put together a 4-part miniseries documentary on the state of the nation, quite literally the weight of the nation.  Watch simply one show episode every night, and see if this doesn't move you into making better decisions!

Fortunately, you do not need to have HBO to access this miniseries...so no excuses!

I highly recommend the series, as just maybe you will find information in here that you can use as a tool to encourage better decision making for yourself and your family.

FitBit: A Week Later

So, I've been using FitBit for almost a week.  I've found the device very easy to use.  The interface is great if you are looking at one week or one month at a time.  The daily view is very difficult to interpret, but then again, we shouldn't be focused on hour to hour changes...the interface is great if you are watching your progress over weeks or months!

The communication between MyFitnessPal and Fitbit could be quicker, but for the most part, it works.  I think the key is to use MyFitnessPal solely for recording calories.  Do not enter a goal or a food plan into MyFitness Pal, and then completely disregard any  exercise/net/remaining calories.  If you disregard these, then you base all of your data/plans on FitBit, which works fine.

Then again, you need to realize that the online data will always be behind the device that is attached to you.  This is fine if you are sitting at your computer at home, where the wireless connector resides...but if you spend hours in front of a work computer, don't even bother checking FitBit, unless you are reviewing historical information.  It does do a decent job at estimating calorice burn rate, but it could easily be a couple hundred calories off by the afternoon of a work day.

So, have I learned anything this last week?  First and foremost, I now know why I'm always so disappointed with a lack of results when going on a diet.  I'm amazed at how sedentary my life is!  The graph below (from FitBit's site) clearly illustrates my burn versus eaten.  My burn is easily increased when I exercise, but if I don't I'm shocked at how low it is!

A few realities have already set in:

• During a typical work day, assuming I do NOT do cardio, I burn a mere 1900 calories.
• During a somewhat busy weekend day, assuming I do NOT do cardio, I burn around 2300 calories.

There are no stairs in Florida.  Its so hot that we rarely spend much time outside unless its between Novemebr and April.  I have a desk job....which means I just don't walk much during the day.  All of these play into those low numbers above.

I suppose I've always understood the concept of in/out calorie-wise, but I presumed that based on my weight, my natural metabolism would burn much more than 1900 during a week day!  Just going out to lunch and having dinner typically puts me over that...so in essence, if I indulged over the weekend as well, I would put weight on every single week.  This was definitely an eye-opener.  I was always so discouraged when I wouldn't lose a pound when I went under 1600 calories.  Well, assuming I only burned 1900/day, I would have to do this for 12 days before losing a single pound...and with the changes in water weight that occur throughout a body, this may not even be seen on a scale for a good three weeks.  Wow....maybe I was delusional to think that I burned more than 2000 calories/day. 

So, the Fitbit has thrown it into my face that I need to be more active....not just for "exercise" sessions, but for every day activities.  I need to take the stairs whenever possible.  I need to walk around work more.  I need to do things that don't require me to sit for extended periods of time.  This is very obvious to me now.

On the other hand, I have worn it while sleeping, and the site assigns a percentage to your sleep efficiency...I had one bad night of sleep, but for the most part, I consistently scored above 95%.  So, at least I know I'm getting a decent amount of sleep and a decent quality of sleep.

I think I always had a good sense of my calorie intake, but its this other side of the equation that I was just assuming that the quick-and-dirty formulas were working for me.  And maybe without this kitchen fire which has forced me to eat out for the last 4 months would never required this type of understanding, but I'm glad I did it!

Our kitchen will not be done for a good 3 weeks, so I definitely plan on wearing this at least until then.  Will update you after another week!

FitBit Ultra...initial thoughts

I just got this from amazon last night....I've always wanted to check these little things out, so I succumbed.  So far though, I'm intrigued!

What came in the package?  The Fitbit Ultra, a "pager" style holder (not really needed), a synching/charging cable/base, and a soft wristband that holds the fitbit while you sleep.  There is absolutely no paper in the package...you are simply directed to go to Fitbit.  You then download the synching application and create an online account.  Simple.

The application download took forever to install, so I just let it run when I went to bed.  Finished setting up my account in a mere 2 minutes in the morning.

Now, one thing I like about this is that is somewhat syncs with MyFitnessPal.  You log all of your activities at Fitbit, and all your food at MyFitnessPal.  They do not sync instantaneously, but if you are looking for trends or prior-day successes, this is well done.  You should not log activity in MyFitnessPal, nor log food in Fitbit, as its possible that you will double-count calorie intake/burn.

So, I really started using this just before 7am.  Based on my weight, activity level, etc, the online tool estimates your calorie burn and then when you sync your device, its trued up.

Initial surprises:

• It was easy to attach to the side of my bra right under my upper arm...there is no chance of it slipping and it really is quite small.  I could feel it, but it didn't bother me.  I'll do this if I have form-fitting waist clothing, but its easy enough to put this around the waistband if the clothing is better suited for this.
• I'm shocked at how little I exert energy while at work.  I know that its a desk job, but I seriously walked less than 1500 steps before leaving work.  I burned a mere 1200 calories before 5pm.  This was an eye opener already.
• Knowing how little I burned at work made it more necessary for me to exercise tonight...hard NOT to do this!
• The Fitbit can be viewed at any time to get current day's stats....so its more up to date/accurate than the website/mobile application.
• Its 8pm, and my busiest time (eg most energy used) is definitely in the evening.  My Fitbit currently states 8:20pm, 8909 steps, 4.83 miles, 2042 calories burned, 2 flights of stairs climbed.  This was AFTER 30 minutes on the elliptical, so I already know that if I do not actively exercise during the week, I'm a FOOL thinking that I can maintain my weight during a normal work week.

I'm curious to see how this day compares to my average work day versus an average weekend day over the next few weeks.  What really is "norm" for me?