Running....does is get any easier?

So another month of training is under my belt.  I ran a total of 80 km's for the month of April.  That may not sound like a lot to some people but in March I ran a total of 70km's so I am increasing that's for sure.  This month I'll be running 120km so that will be a huge increase.  Should be fun! LOL

While I am out running I have lots of time to think and try to silence the nagging things that go on in my head.  I'd say voices but then you'd think I was crazy. lol You see, when I used to run before it was much easier for me.  I was much lighter, and didn't have arthritis in my hips and knees and I was younger as well.  I am a very big believer, for myself, that I have to better my time or at least stay the same as my last run or I feel like I'm not advancing.  When I say it out loud I know it's crazy and I would never make my clients feel this way. I'd tell them it's all about getting off the couch and doing what many people won't/can't do. The time is not important and to focus on the fact you are actually doing it.  When I get inside my head all this "common sense" talk goes away but it is getting slightly better on many of my runs.  I'm trying to focus on putting each foot forward and the km's and time will take care of itself.  

I'm also a big person for routine as has been pointed out to me many times.  Sometimes routines have to be broken and it throws things off for me.  Last week, my last 10k had to be run on not only on a different day but a different time as well.  Oh no, this wasn't going to go well for me.  I played mind games with myself the whole morning.  My two clients that I had that morning gave me a taste of my own medicine saying "you'd tell us to suck it up and to just do it" so I did exactly that.  I already had all the excuses in my head as to why it was going to suck but I would do it anyway.  My first km in my legs hurt, my hip hurt and how the hell would I finish a 10k if I was already hurting.  Hmmm....maybe I would push through to a 5k and be done with it.  I introduced a few hills the week before and as all these things are going through my head I realized I was on my second hill and I wasn't dying.  But wait, where did the first hill go, I don't remember running it. But, since I had to do one to get to the other I clearly did it. lol Ok, I just may have this!  Maybe this run won't be the one that kills me. I continued on as usual.  However, I forced myself to lean a bit forward (which is unnatural for me) and to look up every now and then.  When I did this I could feel my body moving forward slightly faster and with a little more ease.  My God, I may be on to something here.  I tried to focus on this for the rest of my run and it must have worked, I finished my run almost 2 mins faster  then any of my other 10k runs since I started last month.  I did encounter a bit of wind and for the    most part it wasn't a big problem but at one point late in the run I must have been tired,  I did turn the corner and was met with the same wind that greeted me at least 3 other times and I yelled out "fuck" in frustration.  As soon as I did it I started to laugh and looked around to see if anyone was near me and thank God there wasn't.  So nobody thought I was some strange mad women who should be committed, just little ol' me with something to keep me smiling through the rest of the run.  I must say by keeping my head up I got to see more dogs and there was one specific lab retriever who kept nudging my hand with his/her nose every time I ran by which in some strange way gave me motivation.  It was a pretty good run that I was happy with.

On Wed or Thursday I start with my 12k's runs and they scare me a bit, knowing how hard 10k's were. 12k runs are not something I did on a normal basis even when I ran before. If I remember correctly it was a 5k, a longer run, and a trip to the track as well.  But I was scared for the 10k too and I did them.  I'm assuming my body will hurt a bit more and recovery time may take a bit longer but that's ok.  I'm normally pretty sore the night of the long run and then not too bad the next day so we'll see what happens this week.  Adding the extra k on to my shorter runs may cause for a bit more hurt.

This upcoming month is also race day for me.  I haven't registered for the 10k in the Bluenose yet but I'm pretty sure, as long as nothing happens, I will be registering shortly.  I think putting the fear of this race behind me will help.  The last time I ran this race I was injured and it was tougher then tough for me. Going across the bridge makes for a beautiful run though (once you are at the top of the bridge...lol) I'm hoping for no injuries this time and a huge difference will be this time I'll have Frank at the finish line waiting for me, and knowing that will and does make all the difference. Hey, I may even have Payton there as well!! :)

So, here's to my new training schedule of 6k,6k, and 12k's every week for the month.  Fun times for sure!!

Becoming a runner again!

Running was something I enjoyed when I did it a few years ago, actually about 4-5 years ago.  I can't believe it has been that long!  I didn't realize until now how much I missed it.  I also didn't realize how hard it would be to build up my distance again.  I did a few races but kind of "winged" them, not really properly training or taking them seriously.

I have always loved the feeling of running across a finish line and since I won't be doing my Mount Washington bike race this Summer I decided I needed to do something.  I have decided to run in a few upcoming races, and am toying with the idea of a 5k in April, 10k in May and possibly a 21k in Oct. It is going to take a lot of hard work and a huge commitment to training but I finally feel like I'm ready.

I have arthritis in both my hips and my knees so I could very easily sit on the sideline and watch life pass me by, giving up on the things I really enjoy, but if I'm going to hurt either way I may as well do the stuff I enjoy and find a way to deal with any pain that it causes.  At least the mental side of me, as a person, will be somewhat content.  And I have a husband to rub my legs after each race! Hey, he's really good at taking care of me when I hurt. :)

Right now my run is nowhere near where it was. I used to do a 5k in about 26:30 and now it takes me almost 35-40 mins and it took me 1:15 mins to do my 8k yesterday. We all have to start somewhere though right?  I'm not the same person I was back then, I weigh more (something else I'm working on and the running should certainly help with that), have more stresses in life and my schedule isn't as fixed as it was before.  Having my own personal training clients means I have to pretty much go when they are free. But hey, that' s a life I have chosen and I love it!  Anyway, back to running....I almost feel like I'm learning things all over again.  I have to realize that it will take a while to get to where I was before.  I couldn't do it right away then and this time will be no different.  I have a running calendar which allows me to write my successes in it each day/week so it makes me feel really good when I can see that I met my goal for the week and it seems with each run (on the treadmill) I can see some improvements.  I also have a few supportive fellow runners who are offering some great support. Support can make a huge difference too.  I know in time I can get my distance and time back to where I want them to be but I have to be patient (not my strongest trait) and know that my hard work and determination will show through as I get closer to killing those goals.

My plan right now is to run 2 4km runs through the week and an 8km run sometime through the week as well. I will be following this program for a month. Hopefully now that the nice weather is coming more of my runs can be done outside.  That way when I'm at work in the gym I can concentrate on weight training and making my body stronger.  After March is over the plan is to increase my short runs by 1k, making them 5km, and increasing my long runs by2 kms, making it a 10k run. That will give me another month of 5 and 10k runs before the 10k race in May.  The only other 10k race I did was at the same race, The Bluenose so it would be nice if that was my 10k race again.  I remember that race, I was injured and taped up enough to get me through.  Man, I hurt but I pushed through. My goal was to finish in 60 mins and I would like to make that my goal again.  When I do my 5k run in April I'd like to finish in 30 mins or less.  Only time will tell if these are reasonable goals or not. At this point I'm just happy to finish each run and to have a concrete plan to run with (no pun intended...lol).