Eat, Pray, Run
October 2010
18 posts
Gain is good?
I don’t obsess about my weight and I weigh myself only once a month or once every two months. The last time I checked my weight was sometime last month, and the digital scale said I weigh 112 lbs (I’m 5’4”, by the way). I have since started going to the gym to do weights.
Fast forward to today. I happened to stand near the weighing scale at our office’s reception area and thought about checking my weight again. This time it said 113 lbs. What’s weird is, people have been commenting that I look like I’d lost weight. My clothes also feel looser. So I’m thinking, could it possibly be that the 1 lb was due to muscle gain? If so, whoa. Weight sessions are friends, not foes.
Time to tempo
It was my first time to attempt a tempo run this morning. I’ve never done any form of speedwork before (saving it till I get my Garmin - ha!), so I did it by feel. I used my trusty old Suunto for timing my laps, and here are the stats:
1.1 km warm up at 7:55 min/km pace
3.3 km tempo run at 6:23 min/km pace
1.1 km cool down at 7:48 min/km pace
I felt dehydrated at the end of my run. I didn’t bring hydration because I was running around the village and I figured I didn’t need to. Plus, I figured I’d look like a dweeb wearing a hydration belt around our small village.
Have a great day, everyone! :)
“That’s a beautiful aspect of this sport: It is what you make it. The recreational runner is no greater or less than the competitive woman, and vice versa. And there should be no apology required for either pursuit.”
—Dagny Scott Barrios, Runner’s World: Complete Book of Women’s Running
The Racer's Field Manual →
runnersworld.com
Can’t you tell I love Runner’s World? :)
Give an Appropriate Postrace Hug
For how long may you embrace someone after you’ve finished a race, without things getting weird?
Baseline duration: 3 seconds
If the hugger personally knows the huggee: +2 seconds
If the hugger and the huggee are strangers: -1 second
If both parties are sweaty: +1 second
If the hugger is male and the huggee is female: -1 second
If the hugger is female and the huggee is male: +1 second
If the hugger and the huggee are a couple: +3 to 5 seconds
If the hugger and the huggee are a couple, but their spouses are nearby: -2.5 seconds
“Life sucks, and then you run.”
—grabbed off twitter from @goheadband and @running_junkie
Back to square one
So today I started using the training plan that Smartcoach drew up for me. Using my 5K time, it created a 16-week 10K training plan, and today called for a 3 km easy run. My knee is okay today, thank God.
Tomorrow, I head to the gym for some strength training.
On another note, here’s an interesting open letter by James to the organizers of the Adidas King of the Road race: http://running.journeyingjames.com/2010/10/an-open-letter-to-the-organizers-of-adidas-king-of-the-road/. I think the 21K runners had it worst. I hope the race organizers do a much better job next year.
First 10K, done!
I ran the Adidas King of the Road 10K race this morning and I feel quite proud of myself. It was my first 10K race and I took it easy so I won’t aggravate my knee. My target was to finish in 1:30 and I was able to do it in 1:28:22. A portion of the route had 10K and 21K runners going over the Kalayaan flyover, which was insane and never ending!
PLUS POINTS: The cool singlet, of course. The route was challenging and varied. There were motivational posters at certain points along the route.
MINUS POINTS: Hydration stations ran out of water (good thing I brought my own). There were only a handful of race marshals. Sometimes runners had to share the road with vehicles. Runners also had to run through a couple of choke points - it took me 12 minutes to reach the 1 km marker!
Now that I know I can do 10K, I’m looking to train better for the next one.
How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do →
nytimes.com
Thoughts about this article, anyone? Here’s an excerpt:
“Mental tenacity — and the ability to manage and even thrive on and push through pain — is a key segregator between the mortals and immortals in running,” Ms. Wittenberg said.
You can see it in the saliva-coated faces of the top runners in the New York marathon, Ms. Wittenberg added.
And here’s another one:
But the question is, how do they do it? Can you train yourself to run, cycle, swim or do another sport at the edge of your body’s limits, or is that something that a few are born with, part of what makes them elites?
Sports doctors who have looked into the question say that, at the very least, most people could do a lot better if they knew what it took to do their best.
Trapped? Might as Well Run →
rwdaily.runnersworld.com
Short but good read, no? Here’s an excerpt:
Not to compare my own — our own — anxieties and uncertainties with those of the trapped miners, but… Isn’t that why any of us run? At least in part? As a refuge against life’s worries and stresses? To feel a little bit more “in control,” when things get hairy? To collect ourselves?
To remind ourselves that we’re alive, and to savor that feeling?
My knee hates me right now
I ran 10 km for the first time yesterday, just so I’d know what to expect when I run my first 10K race on the 24th. I started really slow so I’ll enough energy to last the entire 10 km. I took my new girly-pink hydration belt, and then tried a few pieces of sportbeans before starting.
About the Nathan Speed 2. I got the medium-sized one and when I tried it on in the store it felt right. But as I started running, I had to adjust it many times because it kept slipping up my hips and it would bounce - quite distracting and uncomfortable. As I settled into my pace, though, I got used to it and found just the right spot for it so it wouldn’t move as much. I wore the bottles on the front (I think it’s meant to be at the back because that’s what the illustration on the product shows). As the reviews said, the bottles were easy to get, and the pouch was also convenient. The car keys, mobile phone, and sportbeans fit inside it.
About the Jelly Belly Sportbeans. The packet says you’re supposed to consume the whole pack 30 minutes before your physical activity but I chose to consume only a couple just before my run. I felt the effect about 40 minutes into the run, because I started feeling strong (not sure if it was just a placebo effect). I decided to take a couple more, and I realized how awful it is to consume when your mouth is dry and salty. I did take it with water, but it was just too much of an effort to chew and run at the same time. I will try gels next time.
About the knee. My right one hurts and I could feel my ITB snapping against the outer bone of my knee every time I take a step. I made sure to stretch very thoroughly before and after the run but it still hurts. I’m going to continue stretching, and if it still hurts tomorrow, I’m going to do weights instead of run. :(
- Penny: Honey, have you ever run before?
- Sheldon: Certainly. I’ve run from bullies, dogs, angry chickens and one particularly persistent PE teacher determined to bend me over and give me a scoliosis test.
September 2010
26 posts
“The marathon is my only girlfriend. I give her everything I have.”
—Toshihiko Seko
“An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion…”
—Newton’s First Law of Motion
Again
I found myself back at the gym after ages. I mean ages. As in 6 years. The last time I was at the gym was before I got pregnant!
Anyway, I signed up so I can do some strength training. First session yesterday, I told the trainer about my goals (strengthen legs, tone upper body) and he came up with a program for me. He had me do my legs first, then my upper body, then my abs. It was no fun at all but I trudged through. I kept telling myself, it’s a means to an end, it’s a means to an end…
On another note, I think I will need to buy a hydration belt. I remember feeling absolutely parched at the end of my 8 km run the week before - not good. Also, I want to get a foam roller, a better quality yoga mat, and oh, yes, a Garmin! Whoever said running was simple? I thought it was only about getting the right pair of shoes. On second thought, maybe I’m the only one who’s making it complicated.
Back to the Garmin (can’t you tell I’m obsessed? :))… I’ve already read lots of reviews but I still can’t decide between the Forerunner 405 and 110. Should I also consider the 305? Thoughts, anyone?
