Week 6: Yin and Yang

The week started out good with an easy 40 minute run with generous walk breaks. I swear, it doesn't make that much difference in time if I take walk breaks. My knee has been good, for the most part. I was working at home, so I took the opportunity to run at about 7 a.m. in the park. It always amazes me the number of people running in the park on a weekday, during rush hour when most people are commuting to work. There's some equipment sitting in the middle of the lake, but I never took much notice of it before. Today, I saw the equipment in action and realized that the algae is periodically removed from the lake.

This week, I did three workouts--run, bike, and run--on consecutive days. The whole thing is making me incredibly sore, and I'm a bit discouraged. I took Saturday off due to muscle soreness, skipped the swim workout, and then closed the week by running on Sunday (after volunteering at IronGirl). I'm also frustrated with wearing the knee band, which seems to help prevent knee soreness on longer runs. When people see me at the end of a workout with that band on, more than once I've been asked "Are you OK?" Yes, I'm OK!

I'm trying to figure out how to juggle all of the workouts so that I can complete everything without falling apart. I believe that the developers of the training plan envisioned that people were going to be doing a very leisurely bike ride or a very slow swim on their cross training days. Instead, I'm able to bring some conditioning to both sports and I'm an experienced swimmer, so I may be doing these workouts at a greater intensity and overdoing my crosstraining. Maybe juggling days will help and watching the overall intensity level of crosstraining will help. Maybe, just maybe, my body might adapt someday.

Phase I of my CAE prep came to a close. This weekend, I didn't do any real reading; instead, I'm reviewing my flash cards prior to my online class starting. I think I'll also go back and tackle the new edition of PPAM and take notes on the marketing book. Every time I turn around, I find a new book that's recommended reading, and now a book on core competencies in professional development is recommended reading before ASAE's course. I quickly ordered it and I'll tackle it when it arrives on my doorstep.

I think I finally comprehend the meaning of studying and running. To my understanding, it's like yin and yang -- the equal and opposing forces of mental and physical that when combined in proportion can complement and counterbalance each other to bring about an equilibrium to life.

Week 5: The Mist on the Water

Training has not been spectacular. I began the week with a stretch & strengthen session. A heat wave this week made it difficult to exercise. On Tuesday, I did a 40 min run at a conversational pace - I truly felt that I was running in slow motion, at the rate of a fast walk. Even with very generous walk breaks to avoid the hills near my home, I ran about 12 mins/mile. This should be my long run pace. My knee felt a bit sore at the end of the run and my thigh muscles felt a bit sore that night, probably because of the previous day's stretch and strengthen.

Cycling is easier in the heat because it creates a breeze and there's the feeling of propelling oneself through the air. I went out longer than I should have, but in the middle of the ride, I got one of my foot cramps in my left foot with waves of pain, so I stopped to walk it off in a nearby neighborhood. My legs were sore afterward, especially around the right knee.

Thursday, my knees felt sore after sitting for a long time at work, and I didn't like the way my knees were talking to me, so I took the day off of running and used the time to study. The lesson learned this week is to back off and not overtrain; otherwise, I'll never make it to race day.

Right now is the countdown before my distance learning class begins. It was suggested that we read three books--one about employment law, marketing, and financial statements--prior to starting the class, so I'm trying to get through these. Then, the plan is to go back and read and take notes on any chapters I missed in the other books. I also need to schedule a regular time to review the flash cards, perhaps during breakfast, tutor time, and the last hour before bed when I'm tired and falling asleep while reading.

Friday night I ran at one of my favorite haunts, and I like going back to the park periodically so I can see the ecosystem as it goes through seasonal changes. The one thing that I'm going right is that I'm running slowly at a conversational pace, taking generous walk breaks, and kinesthetically establishing a long run pace. This makes running very easy. Still, at the end of the run, my legs felt sore.

I wanted to keep my weekend schedule the same, so I got up an ran on Saturday morning. Once again, I ran slowly at a conversational pace and took walk breaks. Even so, my time is only a minute slower at 12 min/mile. At the end of this run, my right knee was sore. I hope I didn't overdo.

I went earlier trying to beat the heat, but it was a cool summer day that made me think of the coming fall season. The lake was like glass. Sunlight was shinning on the mist on the water. As time went on, the mist largely disappeared, but when I left, I could see traces of the mist that I've seen before. At first, I thought the mist was due to the different air/water temperatures, but now I think that maybe there's mist was on the lake every morning -- it's a reward for getting up early for a run.

Week 4: Twists and Turns

I'm busy navigating twists and turns on both the running front and the CAE front.

After I spent most of the spring reading and taking notes on two books that are key CAE literature, they came out with new editions! One book doesn't seem to have a great deal of change. But the other book, a collection of topics on association management, has several new chapters, different authors on familiar topics providing updated information as well as a slightly format that features questions at the end of each chapter. I'll be dealing with this in the fall as I go through my online class. Right now, I just want to read/skim all of the books before the class begins. I have several other entire books to read. This should keep me busy.

On the running front, week three flowed into week 4 because I realized that I'd wind up a week short on the training program. Rule number one: Always begin your training program by writing down the weeks and calendar dates. I'd been too lazy to do this before now. But it wasn't a big problem because week 4 was the same as the preceeding week, except that the long run was 5 miles instead of 4 miles.

On Saturday, I tried to get to the park as early as possible in order to beat the heat. Everybody was there! It was like a big fitness party, which provided plenty of opportunity for great people watching. Member of the local running club were running around and a lot of cyclists gathered in groups for a ride. As I left, people were parked on the grass and some cars had kayacks on the roof.

The run went well and I was huffing and puffing along. In my zeal to try to get back into shape, I ran a very consistent 11 min/mile pace, which was good but way too fast. This is my race pace. My long run pace should be a conversational pace of 12:30-13 mins/mile. I'll have to focus on my mantra of "no need for speed" even if everyone seems to be blazing by while I'm waddling along. I also used my fuel belt, which seemed to work well. My knee was fine during the run, but when I got home after the run and began doing household chores, my right knee felt stiff and I had trouble bending it while walking down the stairs. I iced it and the stiffness resolved, but this is worrisome. I also ordred a knee support which I'm going to be experimenting with.

In looking at the IronGirl Triathlon course map, which will be held in the same park in two weeks, I realized that I could extend my route around the lake from 2.4 miles to 3.4 miles by going down a different trail that winds around a baseball diamond. I'll have to try that. The map also helped me discover the route that all the cyclists may be using.

I closed out the week with a 40 min. swim, once again trying to use the low-impact sport to re-build my aerobic fitness. I swam at a moderate/fast pace for about 25 mins., using the rest of the time to warm up or cool down.

Weeks 2-3: A Snake in the Path

Week 2 of the half-marathon training program was spent at Myrtle Beach. The entire vacation was superlative in every way. The weather was 86 degrees and sunny every day. The beach was the best that I've ever been at. The water was warm, like a bathtub, and the waves were not too intense, until the late afternoon. The beach is extremely well lifeguarded, so I felt very safe. The hotel had a tiki bar with live music every afternoon, which could be heard on the beach and in the pools. We spent 3 days on the beach, and by then we were sunburned and friend. Then we decided to take a day away from the beach to visit Alligator Adventure and Boardwalk on the Beach, which had 100 shops and a the feel of a Disney theme park with its theme decor. My youngest son went off to a wizard adventure with his dad, while I shopped with my older son. Later, we all went to Ripley's Aquarium. You wouldn't think that Ripley had an aquarium, but it was excellent. The highlight of the aquarium was the "Dangerour Reef." To design the reef, most of the building was a giant fish tank with a glass tunnel at the bottom so that visitors could look up and see the sharks teeth as they swam over the tunnel. Every tank was clean and spotless and all of the fish, with the exeption of one or two, looked extremely healthy. We spent one more day on the beach, and then topped it off with a visit to a local water park, which was nice, but not all that great in comparison to some of the water parks that we've been to. The only downside was the drive, which was purported to be about 8 hours on TripTiks, but actually stretched to 11-12 hours with traffic jams, bathroom breaks, and food stops.

I'm still struggling to come back from injury and run in the humid heat. My training plan this week called for two 30 minute runs and a long run of 2 miles, which was accomplish by running and walking. At the hotel, I also took advantage of the workout room to cross train with the elliptical maching, exercise bike, and weights.

Week 3

My week calls for two 30 minute runs, one with 4 quick strides, and a long run of 4 miles. Two days will be spent cross training, and if I'm really good, I'll stretch and strengthen. A highlight of the week so far is that I took the longest bike ride ever for cross training--40 minutes. So far, no soreness or injury. Bike riding in the head is actually easier because there's the wind and the feeling of movement. But then, my bike tire went flat. I'll have to remember to get that fixed.

Today is the first run, and it's a steamy hot 93 degree day and I feel like wilting. I feel lazy like the alligator in the picture and I can't get motivated to run at all. I ran with generous walk breaks and I feel so discouraged and out of shape. All winter I'm running and trying to warm up and I can't wait for summer, but now I'm wishing for cooler weather.

But today was a rare back to nature exprience. As I was about to set out on my favorite trail, I saw a snake in the path. I walked up to it, wondering if it was poisonous or even alive, but then tought better than to cross it's path and I decided to head down another path, thinking that I could see any snakes more easily by running on a paved pathway. As I turned around, I could see it slither across the path. It was alive after all. As I ran down the alternate path, I saw a mother deer and a baby cross the path. I stopped at a distance and let them cross. On the way back, I saw a possum or beaver or otter-like animal. I also ran by a grazing deer. They must not be afraid of humans.

I've got to get back to studying! My husband has a terrible cold, and I hope I don't get another!!

Half-Marathon Plan, Week 1

I am so utterly discouraged. I signed up for a marathon/half-marathon program offered by my local running club. I was really looking forward to this. But now I'm wondering what I got myself into. I'm trying to recover from a knee injury and I've been fighting a cold this week after traveling.

The program kicked off on a hot day and with a dew point of 50%. I thought they'd probably have water because it was offered during other club programs, but they expected everyone to bring their own and of course I forgot to bring water. Then they had everyone run 4 miles--without any stretching. Perhaps they figured that everyone stretched beforehand or this was somehow unnecessary. It was the absolute worst 4 miles I have ever run in my life. I finished dead last.

I felt like my son. He's training for the football team and absolutely hates running because it's boring and he think's he'll loose weight (haha). The first time he did sprints he threw up. The second time, he laid down at the end. He said it was the hardest thing he ever did and he felt like he was in the military. I wanted to lay down during this run or just quit.

At the conclusion of the session, they handed me a half-marathon program that included a lot more miles and a lot longer runs sooner in the program than I was thinking of doing. After my knee injury, I've revised my goals downward and I'm planning to follow the "Run Half Marathon" program in John Bingham's book "Marathoning for Mortals." This program starts out conservatively and ramps up slowly. I pray that I don't re-injure my knee after that run.

I thought this was a program for beginners, but it turns out that everyone has been running for several years and many participants have run several marathons and are looking to improve their time. Prior to signing up, I even e-mailed and asked if this was appropriate, and was encouraged to register for the program. Now I'm wondering why they don't have a program specifically geared to first timers.

I feel so utterly discouraged and demoralized. Now, I am thinking about quitting.

Pittsburgh Triathlon
This experience comes on the heels of a really nice run. I traveled to Pittsburgh for a conference and the hotel had a a route developed by Runner's World. I was naturally hesitant to run early in the morning on an unfamiliar route in an urban area, but a co-worker did it and thought it was safe.

On the last day of the conference I headed out at 6 a.m. and ran along the banks of the Allegheny River. As I was running along, I saw two people with wetsuits get out of the river. I thought they were triathletes enjoying an Sunday morning open water swim. I was right! And that wasn't all. Soon, I came upon the transition area of the Pittsburgh Triathlon. I stopped to ask the volunteer questions, and we chatted about the temperature of the water as he patiently answered my newbie questions. It was the highlight of my day. I recently stumbled upon Meagan Timney's blog, "I Tri Therefore I Am," and if I didn't know better, I'd think it was a sign.

After all that, I ran back to the hotel quickly, and best of all, my knee was fine and I felt like I was back in the running.

A Perfect Downfall

I'm a perfectionist by nature. I want to be perfect in everything I do, and so I tend to overdo things. And true to form, I approach running the same way. I ran and increased my mileage...and then I overdid it. When I look back, I did everything wrong: I ran too many hills and ran on too many banked roads, increased mileage too fast and too soon, and ran too many days of the week with no cross-training or strength training.

Now I'm injured. My right knee aches and so does my achilles tendon. Of course it's always the right leg. At first I tried to crosstrain by swimming, but that seemed to aggravate the injury rather than help it. My bicycle seems to be calling out to me from the garage for cross training, but that never worked out well before because it only aggravated my achilles, so I'm wondering why I have this particular urge. Over the years, I've learned to pay attention to my urges because they lead to some nice things. So, I got a new bike seat that's softer and may be more easy to adapt to.

So, I've retreated to my couch and computer, surfing the net and trying to find the cure, wondering when this is going to go away. I feel so stupid. And restless. And worried. I'm planning to take two weeks off. Then I want to get on my half-marathon training plan and I'm fervently hoping that I can get through this without injury. I blame it on the stupidity for running that last long run...but I'm hoping I'll reach that distance once again, and this time I'll be able to run strong. I hope that I'll be able to learn how to train sensibly.

The good news is that while my running is languishing, my CAE studying is pickiing up!

Running Through Summer

Now summer's here and the weather is really beginning to get hot. I added another run to my mid-week repetoire so that I'm running about 3 miles x 3 days a week. However, I can seldom have a "perfect week." Sometimes life just gets in the way of running and I wind up skipping a workout. If I do workout, then one run is usually very easy, with many walk breaks. I'm also back to increasing my long runs on the weekend. Last week I did 7 miles, and this week I did 8 miles--a record for me!!!!! My running schedule happened to coincide with my church's Run/Walk for Tanzania, which gave me some friendly people to run with at the park where I typically run. It was a real treat to run with other people. I went 4 laps around the lake. There are two duck families and it's been fun to watch the baby ducks grow up week by week as I jog around the park. It takes me about 1.5 hours to run 7-8 miles, and my husband got me a fuel belt, which I'm sure will come in handy.

I've been wanting to get back to my CAE studying and really put some serious time into this effort. But life keeps happeing. There's a board committee project that was more time-consuming than anticipated. The need to prep for an IEP meeting. My advocate quitting. Getting behind at work. A difficult author. Traveling for the holidays. Kids sports and tutor. It seem like I have less and less time for everything. I used to take classes at my local community college in preparation for a master's degree. Now, I can't figure out how I did it all. Maybe it was because I slept less. I remember during one summer class, I was more tired and fell asleep at every boring meeting and at church on Sunday. Maybe it was sheer determination. Where did the time and motivation go? The only fortuitious thing was that I planned out a study guide that called for spending 3 weeks on each area of focus. After all the distraction, I'm still on schedule. I haven't taken notes on all the chapters, as I wanted, but perhaps I can read everything once over before fall. Maybe I can put the piece into place again as I run through summer and the warm weeks fly by.