It’s the humidity

Another tough run today. I went out to Valley Green at about 11. The temperature was already in the mid-80s. While the humidity wasn’t bad for sitting around, it wasn’t great for running. I came off of a night in which I finally got to sleep around 1 a.m. and was able to get up at 9. Then I had a light breakfast—4 ounces of orange juice, coffee, and half a bagel with salmon cream cheese.

Psychologically, I had a lot staked on this run. Yesterday’s experience was so bad that I felt I had to have a good three-mile run today just to keep my motivation up over the long term. Friday’s run wasn’t great either. Problem is, I fear allowing discouragement to win out and to stop me from running. I imagine a chain that leads to failure: “Oh, it’s too hard today? Just take it a little easier.” The chain of excuses grows. Before long, I’ve given up running.

Today’s run began without too many problems. I warmed up with a slow trot followed by some stretching. Then I began what I’d hoped would be a three-mile run at the 2-1/2 mile marker by the Valley Green Inn. By the first half mile, though, I was beginning to feel discouraged. I felt that whatever I did, I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. Nevertheless, my heart rate was staying in or below the aerobic zone. Then, too, perhaps I just didn’t have the psychological resources today to push myself harder.

Around the first mile, I was feeling better, but about a quarter of a mile on, my breathing became uncomfortable again. Finally, 15 or 16 minutes into the run, I decided to walk for about two minutes before attempting to run again.

I walked for two-and-a-half minutes and then ran for another miserable two before walking again. When I arrived at the 1-1/2 mile marker, I decided to try and run at least another half mile before calling it quits for the day. I began at a very slow, deliberate pace. This seemed to work. Not only did I get the half mile in but I continued another half mile, finishing where I started.

Measured by what I hoped to achieve going into the run, today’s was a failure. Yet measured by what I learned, it was a mild success. And what did I learn—or what do I think I learned? That slow trudge might be just what I need to make it through the onslaught of humidity that I’ll be facing throughout the summer. Perhaps my body will adjust to running in the humidity. I’ll look forward to some of the discomfort dissipating. Finally, I have to learn to work with the psyche I have. A little give-and-take between my cardiovascular, musculo-skeletal, and nervous systems is a good thing. Maybe my psyche knows more about the body than I give it credit for—but not too much.

Lousy Run

Physiological and psychological factors combined today to produce the worst run that I’ve had to date. I’m not even sure I can call it a run. I did run, but not too far (about a mile-and-a-half), and then the worst happened: I received an excuse to give up.

First, some context: I didn’t sleep well last night. When I finally got up, I ate a bagel and drank my coffee. Problem is, I took forever to drink my coffee, and I wasn’t planning to run until I finished it. So, when I finally got to run, it was 1:00 in the afternoon.

Today I went with my son down to Northwestern Avenue. I had planned to run four miles. My son, Elliot, meanwhile, was going to ride his new bike.

The run got off to a good start. Although it was a warm, slightly humid day, it wasn’t unbearable. Further, the trees along Forbidden Drive and the angle of the sun at this time of the day work to keep the path noticeably cooler than in the sun.

I suppose the first warning sign for me came at the first half mile: I had run it in six-and-a-half minutes, slow even for me. This was not encouraging. Still, I was able to run the next half mile in about five minutes. After I passed the mile-and-a-half point, I began to feel that four miles was going to seem long today. In fact, three miles began to seem long.

Then I passed another runner who asked if I had a son named “Kelly.” I said, “No,” but I began to wonder if something had happened to Elliot. Then I passed another runner who asked me if I had a son named “Elliot.” She explained that he’d wiped out on his bicycle, his elbow was cut and bleeding, but otherwise he was okay. At this point, though, I knew that I had my excuse to get out of what was turning into a bad run.

I decided to stop running and walk a little bit to recharge. Yet when I began to run again, I found I was working harder. I finally got to Elliot. He was up and riding again, and I followed him back on foot. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be working right as I tried to run. Either I was working too hard or my legs felt like lead. I attempted to alternate between walking and running, but the running just seemed too difficult.

In the last analysis, I think that the combination of the lack of sleep and the time—midday when the heat and humidity were a bit higher—probably contributed to my discouragement today. Perhaps, too, I need to hold off a week or two before I attempt to get a four-mile run in.

Legs of Lead

A combination of mild exhaustion and a hectic schedule made yesterday a forced rest day. That wasn't a problem, because I know that I can exchange Thursday and Friday and still get in five days of running. This switch, however, comes at a cost: if I'm going to run on Friday, I have to do it in the early morning before I go to work. (If I run Friday evening, I'll not have enough to rest to guarantee a good run on Saturday morning.)

I arrived at Valley Green around 6:00 this morning. I was surprised, and heartened, to see so many people already out. One of the unexpected satisfactions I've derived from running has been the fellowship one experiences with other runners who are getting up early or running in the rain or other conditions that might discouraged people for getting outside for other reasons. You pass another runner in these circumstances and the two of you flash grins at each other that seem to say, "You, too! Great to see you out here!"

At 6 a.m., the skies were overcast, and the air was a bit cool--probably in the low 60s--and slightly damp. I had expected that the day of rest would lead to an easier run, but that's not what I experienced. Instead, for the first mile or even mile-and-a-half, I felt as if I were running with lead legs. I'd hoped to run four miles this morning, but I quickly decided, due to lingering feelings of exhaustion--twinges, really--to stick with a three-mile run. The latter half went better, but I was still concerned that I'd have a lousy fourth mile. I also knew it would be helpful to my wife to drop the kids off at school this morning, so, at three miles, I called it done and went home.

Thereafter, I began to feel lousy. I was hungry (for good reason), but I also had a headache come on (against which Advil was a poor adversary). In the future, I'm afraid I'll have to precede these early morning runs with, say, a half bagel and a little bit of coffee (a common prelude to my weekend runs), and that means I'll have to get up even earlier. It's a small price to pay.

Going for distance

Tonight I decided to run three miles rather than 33 minutes. As it happens, Bob Glover, in The Runner’s Handbook, recommends transitioning from time to distance once one can run 30 minutes continuously. This will help me to begin setting some new goals.

I was pleased to find myself running three miles in 31’28”. I ran the first mile in about 10-1/2 minutes. I probably could have run the entire three miles even faster, but I began to have some intestinal discomfort while running the third mile, so I slowed down a bit. Still, I find it gratifying that my body is beginning to support a faster pace. It’s also possible that running for distance is psychologically easier than running a set duration, at least at this stage in my running career.

The weather tonight was beautiful. I went down to Valley Green at about 6:15. The sun was low enough that the path was covered by shadows, and the temperature was probably in the 70s. All in all, a great evening for a run.

Must … run

I don’t know why, but I was awfully fidgety today. At any rate, I felt like a bundle of nervous energy from the middle of the afternoon until about 7:15 when I finally started my run.

And I had a good run.  I’m sure that having rested yesterday and the dry, pleasant conditions contributed to my performance.

I ran a harder than usual: my heart rate was in the 140s for much of the time, although I made efforts to slow down so I could return to the aerobic zone. I also ran longer than usual: about 37 or 38 minutes.

The weather the next two days is also supposed to be nice. So I’m looking forward to what I hope are two more good runs before my next rest day.

Cool running

This morning the temperature must have been in the mid-50s when I went to run. While I had a somewhat difficult run, it was better than yesterday’s. I finally ran with a properly functioning heart monitor and with music.

My heart monitor seldom functions well unless the contacts on the transmitter are wet. After about three or four minutes, I’ve usually worked up enough perspiration for it to begin transmitting reliably. Since it was cooler today, though, it took longer—about 6’40”—before I started to see any readings. Fortunately, the it worked fine for the remainder of my run.

I tried running a little more slowly but with a longer stride. It felt good on my knees, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing. (Am I screwing up something else?) I also know that I can’t sustain that stride long. But it did feel good—almost as if I were floating. Perhaps it will be the right thing as I build my endurance.

I listened to a recording of the world premiere (1962) of Pierre Boulez’s Pli selon pli. It’s wonderful running music: no steady beat and intellectually demanding: a good distraction from some of the physical discomfort of running.

“I’m not dead yet”

Okay, let’s see what I can remember about this morning’s run.

We left the house at 7:30 and were at Valley Green in about 5 minutes. “We” comprises my wife, Miriam, her sister, Sarah (who’s visiting this weekend), and yours truly.

Unlike my previous run, today I did run with music. My earphones that I’d feared lost turned up Thursday night in the wrong drawer of the dresser where I keep them. I also ran with a replaced battery in the transmitter of my heart monitor. Unfortunately, once again I put the battery in upside-down, a mistake of which I didn’t become aware until two or three minutes into my run. Since I fear breaking my commitment to running 30-some-odd minutes continuously, I resigned myself to running without the readings from my heart monitor. Consequently, my heart rate read 0 throughout the run. Sometimes it’s really hell being me.

In The Runner’s Handbook, Bob Glover discusses the perceived level of exertion. In the absence of a heart monitor, a runner can not only regulate but gauge the cardiovascular effectiveness of her run by the amount of effort she’s expending at any moment. I have no doubt, then, that I’m getting an adequate aerobic workout. My reliance on the heart monitor, rather, stems, I think, from a psychological need. Without a properly functioning heart monitor, I find the psychological challenge greater during the more difficult moments of the run.

So how was today’s run? Better than Thursday’s, if only because I had music: the celebrated recording of Leon Fleisher playing Beethoven’s Emperor concerto with Georg Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra. It was still a tough run, though.

I wasn’t entirely surprised at the difficulty of today’s run. Although yesterday was a rest day (I didn’t even cross-train), I’ve not slept well the last two nights. I’m not sure why. Isn’t running supposed to help me sleep better? Perhaps the reason has to do with eating.

I’ve been having better runs and have been sleeping more soundly when I run a half-hour or more after eating. Thursday evening, I ate after running. In fact, I ate a lot. We ordered take-out from my favorite Chinese restaurant, and I ate too much. I also drank a beer. Last night, we went to Chili’s, where I drank a Margarita, ate a whole the Jalapeño Big Mouth Burger and too many chips. Maybe all this eating is screwing up my blood sugar and preventing me from getting my z’s, even though I’m going to bed two or three hours after eating.

These days, it seems that I’m consistently running 11-minute miles. My stride is rather short. In theory, I could lengthen my stride, but I don’t think my legs (and my ankles in particular) are strong enough for me to maintain a longer stride for long. But this may be one of the next things I work on.

Of non-boiling watched pots

No, it’s not a long-lost section from Nietzsche’s “Thus Spake Zarathustra.”  it is, rather, the way I felt today when I was running.

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that my heart monitor seemed to be malfunctioning, perhaps because the battery was low. I didn’t replace the battery before tonight’s run, but I did take it out of the transmitter to see what kind it is. When I replaced it, alas, I did so improperly (I put it in upside-down), so that the transmitter sent no signals to the receiver. Consequently, I had no way of watching my heart rate.

I also misplaced my earphones yesterday, so I ended up running without music. With no heart monitor to check and no music to distract me, the run seemed a lot longer. All I could do is look at the stopwatch to see how long I’d been running.

I ran for 33 minutes. The first 20 were rather difficult, but I kept going. Only toward the end of my run did I begin to feel good. Perhaps my body was simply tired from having run 30+ minutes the two preceding days.

Well, tomorrow’s a rest day: I don’t even plan to cross-train. Then, I’ll be ready Saturday morning to hit the trail again.

Heart monitor goes haywire?

Today, I began my usual run but discovered, about three minutes in, that I’d not set the stopwatch going. That was okay: I took some time to stretch and then started my 30-minute run in earnest.  (Actually, I ran for 33 minutes.)

My heart monitor didn’t seem to be working properly: the readings were too high to jibe with what I was experiencing. At one point, the monitor read 220! For a while, it was in the 160s and 170s; but I couldn’t have been running that hard. I wasn’t breathing too hard, nor were my legs tired, nor did I feel nauseous. I’m going to replace the battery; perhaps that will make a difference.

Back to the trail

Yesterday was a rest day—well, actually a cross-training day. Miriam and I returned to Forbidden Drive (where else?) and we both rode our bicycles. I’ve not ridden since last summer, so I was interested in how my new-found running habit would affect my cycling. The first thing I noticed is that I was using muscles that I don’t use as much while running. I also rode at a faster pace than I usually do in order to get a few minutes of aerobic exercise.

Today I ran 32-1/2 minutes continuously. The first two minutes were hard, but after about two or three minutes, I felt good. I spent most of the rest of the time with my heart rate between 130 and 140 beats per minute.

I also think I ran faster. I passed the covered bridge, the midpoint of most of my previous runs,at about 13’10.”  I’m going to start marking that point to get a sense of how my pace is increasing.