Trail Running

Yesterday I was at Ft. Bragg and decided to go check out a trail that a friend had told me about. I found it easily but just as I arrived, about 75 soldiers were lining up for a ruck march. I checked with one nice young man, and he confirmed it was okay for me to run, and that I wouldn't be interrupting their training. The bad part was that I had to run past all of them as I started out--I'm sure you can only imagine what a nice clip I was running at first!

I run exclusively on roads, so it was such a pleasant change to be on a trail. This trail seems to be pretty sandy but it had just rained, so it wasn't too difficult to run on. My shoes got pretty dirty, but it was a lot of fun. Plenty of natural dips on the course, and I ran up one decent hill before stopping to take my jacket off and turning around. I ran 2.4 miles which is a good run for me, and if Ft. Bragg wasn't so far I could see myself going to run that trail every single time. On a hot day running in the shade of all of those trees would be fantastic.

I kept expecting to come upon the marching soldiers, so I forced myself to keep running even though I wanted to walk. My pace was slower than I expected (10:17) but I guess that's okay for a trail. When I finished all of the soldiers were still at the start of the trail, so I cut through the woods to avoid having to run past them while all red-faced, sweaty, and gasping for breath. I'm sure they thought I was crazy, but at least I felt like my dignity and appearance as an actual runner was intact.

Slowly But Surely

I feel like I'm making progress getting back into my running routine. I work a short(er) day today so I was able to get out this morning. I did 1.76 miles in 17:20, which was a 9:52 pace. Not too bad considering the wind was so strong that my eyes were watering even with sunglasses on. I also ran on Sunday, with Laura in the jogging stroller, for 1.5 miles. No stopping to walk today, which is always a plus.

Heating Up

Mid-March has arrived and just as I hoped, so did some warmer weather. It is so pleasant today, and Moxie enjoyed basking on the deck for several hours after I got home from work (short day today!) The thing I always forget though, is just how hard it is to run in the direct sunlight, and how a pleasant day with temps in the low 70's can be just horrible for a runner.

I was without Laura today and thought surely I would go farther and faster than yesterday. I did go farther, but only by a 1/2 mile. And I'm pretty sure I went slower too. But at least I got out there, and hopefully I'll go out at least once this weekend. I was so mad that there were so many people out in the neighborhood today at 1:30 (don't these people have jobs!?!?) because it's hard to run slowly and gasp for breath when people are watching. I think I did an ample job of convincing some of them that I'm a legitimate runner. The UPS guy though: he knows my secret. He passed me right as I stopped my run, and I'm sure I looked like I was about to faint and vomit all at the same time. So much for keeping up pretenses.

14:48 time, 1.5 miles, 9:58 pace.

Crummy Run

It's been over a week since my last run, and I seem to have lost all ability to run. My breathing hasn't been all that great for the last few weeks, mostly due to me stopping one of my asthma medications (Advair). I read an article in the paper a month ago, talking about the fact that the FDA no longer wants people to take it regularly if they can help it. Naturally that freaked me out and I stopped taking it (still haven't been able to get in to see the doctor to get a replacement medication) and my breathing has been really off since then.

So bad breathing, plus Laura in the stroller and a nearly frantic Moxie by my side made for an awful run. We did about a 1/2 mile before a small dog broke free from it's owners grasp and made a beeline for Moxie. What is it with small dogs trying to attack Moxie? It was so ridiculous how hard it was for the owners to recapture it-we eventually had to stop running completely and stand still for about 3 minutes while they corralled it. The breather was nice, but I really hadn't wanted to stop. Once I started back up, I realized my watch hadn't restarted, so I may have gone a tiny bit farther than what it showed. Too bad it wasn't a mile farther. I finished up, exhausted, gasping for breath, bitter over my 1.05 mile run. Grr. (Plus side: 9:39 pace)

Afternoon Run

My bank training is in full swing, but I got off at 4pm today so I was able to do a quick run. My friend who is watching Laura was at the park with the kids and offered to bring Laura back home for me, so I gladly accepted. I felt like the pressure was on to be done with my run quickly so that I was back home before they got there. The weather was absolutely gorgeous today, and I felt so comfy in shorts and a t-shirt. Since it had been a few days, plus my hurry to finish, I went out way too fast. As in an 8:30 pace too fast! I paid for it almost instantly, and was breathing heavily the whole time. I stopped at 1.3 miles because I got back to my driveway and Moxie was pulling to go in the backyard. I dropped her off and finished by myself, arriving back home just a few minutes before my friend arrived.

2 miles in 19:40 which was a 9:46 pace. Now I can comfort myself that I got at least one run in this week. It's a great feeling!

A Personal Victory!

Today I ran 2.5 miles, something I haven't done since April 7th of last year (yep, I checked my little book). What a victory! The down side is I don't know when I'll get to run again since I'll be working full time for the next two weeks while training for my new job. It seems to be the story of my life...finally get to a point where things are improving (running wise) and then I'm forced to take time off for one reason or another, undoing all of my hard work. Maybe the rest will at least be good for my knee.

Today my run took 25:18, a 10:07 pace, and I didn't stop to walk at all. I felt tired and slow the whole time, and really regretted wearing shorts (reminder: sun doesn't=warm) but I did it!

Two Runs

I was so annoyed with my run on Tuesday that apparently I never even posted about it! I had to seek refuge at the gym since it was cold and hailing. The gym felt like it was about 100 degrees inside and all I could manage was one mile of running. What a disaster! Luckily a friend of mine who goes there confirms that it is kept extremely hot and she also finds it difficult to do any cardio. Luckily it wasn't just me.

Today I was able to get back to my roots-running outside. It was clear, but still cold and windy. I marvel that I was able to run in the 20 degree temps back in December, because it was 44 degrees today and I thought surely I would freeze to death! I did warm up pretty quickly though and had to take off my gloves and long sleeved pullover. I stopped to walk and stretch at the one mile mark, and I wasn't pleased that it took me at least 2 minutes to get running again. My breathing hasn't felt as good as usual lately and it shows. The plus side was my pace of 9:44. I completed my 2.02 miles in 19:39. I love seeing my pace get better, although should I ever run a race again I don't think I'll see such a nice time, since sadly they don't stop the clock when you stop to walk.