This morning I ran the first (for me) race in the Summer Sunrise Watermelon Series, hosted by the Lakeland Runners Club. I missed the first race because I was out of town, but signing up for the whole series is still a total deal ($30 total). So I did that. The race itself is pretty nice: you run around Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland, which is about 3 miles around, so ideal for a 5k. I did the series back in 2010 with the philosophy that if I could run four races in the middle of the summer, a marathon should really be a piece of cake.
I have to say that I was less than enthused about this race because I thought that it would be torture, and also I have not been doing a lot of running as of lot. Or Crossfit for that matter. In fact, I have kind of been doing not much. Although I have tried to do some heat adapting, which has mostly consisted of getting out in the evening (around 6:30PM), hoping that this will build some resistance to crazy temperatures. Is it working? I'm not sure, although this morning was encouraging.
In fact, it was so encouraging, that I may have possibly PRed on this course for me--I can't find my old numbers to prove it, but I was close. Seriously. I assumed that I would have to walk and that it would not be fun, but I did okay (remembering, of course, to slow down a bit when I felt that I had to walk). It was even above the Threshold of Ick (temperature + humidity > 160), but that didn't seem so bad. In fact, I felt that I did pretty well, especially considering that I have not been dedicated to training as of late.
I have been doing the Picnic Island runs as well (we are already through two of three) and a few other 5ks here and there. In fact, I have been doing a race almost every week, which wasn't the plan at the start of the summer, but here we are. These shorter distance ones are evidently better for me. It's nice to feel better about things, even if it was just for one morning!
This week I should be getting back into the routine. I totally plan to go to Crossfit (unlike those days last week when I totally planned to, then didn't...) and may come up with a super-easy running plan. However, part of me thinks that continuing in the same vein might be a great idea. This more laid back approach seems to be working for me, and probably I will want to get back to the grind in the fall. We will see!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
I could get used to this
Picture it: Southern Ontario in early June, temperature in the 60s (that's the high teens for you Canadians), and nary a percentage of humidity to be felt.
[Yes, I watch a lot of Golden Girls reruns]
Okay, admittedly there is a wee bit of humidity, but we're talking under 50% here. That doesn't really count. Not to mention that these weather conditions were found in the mid-afternoon, a time when you could not pay me money to go run in Florida at this time of year. I could certainly get used to this. Except that I am going back to Florida in a few days, so I am trying not to get too used to it.
I went running along the Walter Bean Grand River Trail, which is conveniently located not too far from my house and is very nice. This whole area has been developed over the past 10 years or so and they have done a very nice job. Some of the trail went by a golf course, and there was a part near a Mennonite farm that smelled like summer sausage (signs that you are in the Kitchener-Waterloo region include...). Also, a gaggle of geese hissed at me as I crossed them and their goslings on the trail. I will take that over alligators, although admittedly the geese were a bit scary.
I have had a few realizations about running lately. One of them is that I am kind of burned out from it. That would make sense because I had done so many races in the past couple of years, many of which were long and required considerable training. I did put in for the lottery to the NYC Marathon, although I figured (rightly) that I would not make it. That's okay. In this case, fourth time is the charm, because if you try to get in for three years and don't make it, you have an automatic entry for the fourth year. So I was mostly just keeping my spot open.
The downside of this is that I am not sure what is coming up next on my schedule, because I am in the process of some potentially life-changing stuff happening. So I don't feel comfortable planning for things quite yet. I would like to do the Aching Quad, which is put on by the Lakeland Runners Club and consists of four races in two days (they are all 5k or under). It's something quirky and could be fun. I am also signed up for lots of 5k-esque races through the summer, including two more Picnic Island Adventure races and three more of the Summer Sunrise Watermelon Series, which I did in 2010. I missed the first one of these, but I will make the remaining ones.
Now, if I were still a sane person (e.g., not a runner), I would probably think that five 5k-esque races is plenty. But there is nothing big on the horizon. There is no point in training for these in terms of performance because the weather conditions will make it too challenging to break any personal records, which is okay--at least it keeps me running. I feel like it would be easier to get back on schedule, though, if I had a schedule. Hopefully things will start sorting themselves out soon.
Now if running were more like here all the time, it would probably be easier too. At least I can enjoy it while I am here!
[Yes, I watch a lot of Golden Girls reruns]
Okay, admittedly there is a wee bit of humidity, but we're talking under 50% here. That doesn't really count. Not to mention that these weather conditions were found in the mid-afternoon, a time when you could not pay me money to go run in Florida at this time of year. I could certainly get used to this. Except that I am going back to Florida in a few days, so I am trying not to get too used to it.
I went running along the Walter Bean Grand River Trail, which is conveniently located not too far from my house and is very nice. This whole area has been developed over the past 10 years or so and they have done a very nice job. Some of the trail went by a golf course, and there was a part near a Mennonite farm that smelled like summer sausage (signs that you are in the Kitchener-Waterloo region include...). Also, a gaggle of geese hissed at me as I crossed them and their goslings on the trail. I will take that over alligators, although admittedly the geese were a bit scary.
I have had a few realizations about running lately. One of them is that I am kind of burned out from it. That would make sense because I had done so many races in the past couple of years, many of which were long and required considerable training. I did put in for the lottery to the NYC Marathon, although I figured (rightly) that I would not make it. That's okay. In this case, fourth time is the charm, because if you try to get in for three years and don't make it, you have an automatic entry for the fourth year. So I was mostly just keeping my spot open.
The downside of this is that I am not sure what is coming up next on my schedule, because I am in the process of some potentially life-changing stuff happening. So I don't feel comfortable planning for things quite yet. I would like to do the Aching Quad, which is put on by the Lakeland Runners Club and consists of four races in two days (they are all 5k or under). It's something quirky and could be fun. I am also signed up for lots of 5k-esque races through the summer, including two more Picnic Island Adventure races and three more of the Summer Sunrise Watermelon Series, which I did in 2010. I missed the first one of these, but I will make the remaining ones.
Now, if I were still a sane person (e.g., not a runner), I would probably think that five 5k-esque races is plenty. But there is nothing big on the horizon. There is no point in training for these in terms of performance because the weather conditions will make it too challenging to break any personal records, which is okay--at least it keeps me running. I feel like it would be easier to get back on schedule, though, if I had a schedule. Hopefully things will start sorting themselves out soon.
Now if running were more like here all the time, it would probably be easier too. At least I can enjoy it while I am here!
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