Day 2 Runner's World Streaking Challenge

 When participating in a Running Streak Challenge (this one issued by Runner's World) it is important to stay motivated. Below are two of my favorite running quotes:

"I often hear someone say I'm not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner."
-Bart Yasso 

 "To know you are one with what you are doing, to know that you are a complete athlete, begins with believing you are a runner."
-- George Sheehan

These pictures were taken on a run at Erwin Park. We share the trail here with armadillos, mountain bikers

 and squirrels.

 I think the two quotes above sum up my struggle with my identity as a runner. There was a time when I could almost wholeheartedly agree with the first statement. There are no fake runners, therefore I must be a real runner. But then you come across people with some talent and then you read about their training or in my case you watch first hand (my kids) the training and discipline required to compete at a higher level and you realize "I am never going to be a competitive runner" and you wonder "Is this slogging along really running"?

On any given day I might give you a different answer because these and many other questions of life remain completely undecided for me in the day-to-day. However, when I am running, and by that I mean those days when it feels effortless, when I decide to run farther than planned or faster than planned, on those days I am a runner. I believe in that moment that I am always a runner. Then I come home, plug in my Garmin and see the raw data. I averaged a 10:39 mile again! Is that running? Is it jogging ( a word I have come to despise)? I don't know but I choose to define myself as a runner.

I love running at Erwin Park, the trail is challenging but the flowers and trees are lovely.

I have never told anyone nor have I ever thought of myself as an athlete. I read books (and my Bible), make crafts, watch movies, eat Nutella, do a few crunches, run a few miles and call myself a crafty,  soulful, creative running couch potato! I am nothing if not a bundle of contradictions.

Small pond at the end of the creek bed.

Allergies!

 This week I feel like a runner. I ran Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and today! Participating in a running streak challenge awakens all the aches and pains and blisters that may have lain dormant in less active times. Aches and pains and blisters just scream out, "You are a runner". But not to other people. To other people I look like I'm ready for the geriatric ward where I can have deep muscle massage and do water aerobics.  So stiff and inflexible am I after running that rather than look like the fit person I am trying to be I look decrepit. Parker or Dean automatically hover near me when we exit a movie theater because they know that I will not be able to make it down the stairs without assistance. I will have stiffened up to the point that once I unfold and straighten up I can't balance or bend in any kind of fluid way to navigate steps. I watch as elderly patrons speed past me to get in line for the ladies room.

Week before last I ran 19.43 miles. Last week I only managed 14.63. I had been increasing mileage every week so it was probably not bad to have a low mileage week. Below is last week's running.

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Total
	3.06 33.11		6.01 1:06.53				5.50 1:1.53	14.63

I will be excited to post next week's results. It will be interesting to see what the mileage adds up to after a week of running every day...I am trying not to merely run one mile a day to meet the criteria as I did on most of my runs back in January (my previous 30 day streak). There are many reasons to participate in this kind of challenge but today's reason is to squelch the voice in my head that questions my running identity. There are no fake runners! Happy Running!

Runner's World Challenge: Summer Streaking

Me and Jackson! See below for more pics with Jackson. Taking pictures with bunnies is tricky. They wiggle. They don't cooperate. They blend in with your clothes. They complain and use bad language.

Back in January I ran at least one mile every day for 30 days. Beginning tomorrow I will join the Runner's World Challenge and run at least one mile from Memorial Day until the 4th of July. I have a head start since I ran yesterday and this morning. When I finish I will have run 40 days consecutively. Happy Running!

 

Be Strong, Be Brave

Day 9 (today) of my 30 consecutive days of running project was a recovery run. Yesterday was a not-very-long long run. Over the last 9 days I have run 27.38 miles, 20.25 of those miles this week. My running week begins on Sunday, ends on Saturday and usually includes a longish run on Thursday.

For the first seven days everything was great. I felt very energetic and excited about how the mild winter and sunny days were really helping me stick to my goal. The weather held up but my energy and my body didn't. When a runner or any athlete "overtrains" or exceeds what their body is comfortable handling in training the body responds by having an increased heart rate. Some runners will experience an inability to sleep or irritability. I began to sleep less and less. I can fall asleep easily but wake up early and cannot go back to sleep. Wednesday night I had to announce to Dean and Parker that I was irritable, not because they couldn't already see it for themselves but because if I warn them sometimes they are nicer to me!

Thursday morning was my 8th consecutive run. It was the longish run of 7 miles. It went very well, I didn't feel tired until mile 7. So far so good. I went to lunch with friends, came home, sat on the couch and talked to Parker for a while and when I got up I had a pain. At first I thought it was just the stiffness setting in. After walking around and working out most of the stiffness I had a lingering pain running down the outside of my left leg.

Parker said it was probably my IT band (Iliotibial band). I got out the foam roller and rolled the side of my leg while whining loudly! I performed a stretch for the IT band that stretched my lower back more than my leg. The foam roller was painful but after doing it the pain was much less.

Today was a recovery run anyway and it was rainy so I ran one mile gently.I then read two articles on running to help me continue my journey. Runner's World writer and runner, Amby Burfoot has written an article entitled The 10 Laws of Injury Prevention. The article doesn't really include anything new or earth shattering it just reminds runners of the things we need to do to stay healthy. Many of us do not enjoy stretching and particularly do not enjoy stretching the backs of our legs which is number 8 on the list.

Rule number 1 is Know Your Limits. Hmm. I am hoping that running for 30 consecutive days will not prove to be beyond my limit! The article does give the sage and ubiquitous guideline:  "10-percent rule: Build your weekly training mileage by no more than 10 percent per week. If you run 10 miles the first week, do just 11 miles the second week, 12 miles the third week, and so on." The problem here is that I began this project to get me back into more regular running and to get me off the couch and out the door. In each of the two weeks prior to beginning the 30 consecutive days of running project I had not run more than 13 miles. Theoretically I shouldn't be running over 14.3 miles per week. This week I will probably run 21-23 miles which obviously exceeds the 10 percent rule. In the last month, however, I did have a 15 mile week and a 19 mile week. I was just fluctuating wildly, some weeks running an ok week of 19 miles while other weeks I was barely getting out the door at all. Tomorrow I will run no more than 3 miles and possibly only one mile if I still have pain. I will be foam-rollering frequently and reluctantly stretching. I am the least flexible person on the planet!

To keep me motivated I read another Runner's World article, The Magic of Mantras. Christie Aschwanden states in her article: "To achieve your running goals, powerful legs and big lungs aren't enough—you also need a strong head. Doubts and distractions can derail your attempts, but a well-chosen mantra can keep you calm and on target". The article includes a handy "mantra maker" so that by choosing words from 4 lists you can create your own mantra. I created: "BE STRONG, BE BRAVE".

As I cautiously proceed on my 30 day journey I will try to follow (sort of) the rules of  injury prevention and will repeat over and over in my head, "Be strong, be brave". Life is, after all, a balance between pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone and maintaining sanity and health. Happy running!