Runnin' with the wildlife

Saturday morning started out great. My friend Susan and I met early to get the first 4 miles of an 18 miler out of the way, before we head to the trails. We were moving right along, sometimes faster than a 9 minute pace. We reminded ourselves several times to slow down; we have along way to go. But we still average 9:04 when we hit 4 miles. So we were feeling pretty good about ourselves. Then we head to the trails.
We met my other friend Heather for the 14 miles we have left. So we started out on the trails, and hit the dreaded steep, rooty, rocky area. We knew it was coming, we've only been running that section for 2 years now. So we get through it, and hit a really nice, long down hill. We were all just talking away, when I just stopped dead in my tracks. I did the whole motherly thing, and put both arms straight out to my side. Right there, in the middle of the trail, is a coyote.
At first, I thought it might be a fox. But soon realize that, oh, it's no fox. So I just watched it a minute. It ran down the enbankment, but only about 15 feet. Then it decides to come back up. So what do I do? I get my handy dandy cell phone, and no, not call for help, but I take a flippin' picture of it. The noise from the picture sparked his interest, because he decided to walk up to us. So I'm not quite freaking out yet, but I was pretty close. He must have smelled something on me, maybe my dogs. But he just sniffed my legs, and went on by. I could hear the tension in my friends' voices, but I just said to let him sniff, and go on by. Do not run.
So he sniffs Heather, and just goes on by. He got to Susan, sniffed her legs, and put his teeth on her. She screamed and kicked at him, and then he bit her leg. 2 puncture wounds in her calf. Oh crap!!! So he gets off her, and starts to walk away. We move about 10 feet down the trail, and he starts walking back to us. Susan and Heather yelled at him, and I threw a rock. He finally scampers off the trail, and we didn't see him again.
But, now Susan has 2 bites on her leg, and we're on the middle of a trail. So, I pulled out my handy dandy cell phone and called my husband. I told him to call the park rangers, and told him where we were on the trail. Luckily they aren't miles long. They call me back, and we finally get off the mountain. They clean her leg up, and we filled out some info, then we headed home.
So what's the moral of the story? Always have a cell phone, yell at the wildlife before taking their picture, and always run with a friend.
I'm not quite sure why we didn't just yell at him in the beginning. I guess we weren't sure what he would do, or if he was rabid. I've never really met a coyote before.
I finished up my run with Heather on the roads in the afternoon. So I at least got my 18 in for the day.

Happy trails.

Changes in training

My ultimate goal right now is to train smart. Following a 65 week training plan for Umstead 2010 was intimidating. I realize that is my most important race. But I have several races I want to do this year, all ultras. I was going to use those as training runs, and I still will. But I realized that I can still have fun with those, too. I still need to build my mileage efficiently for those, and work on nutrition, to be successful.
So after a lot of thought and discussions about my training plan, I have changed it (although I haven't written it yet), to prepare me for my first ultra in the spring: Buncombe Trail 34 miler on May 3. I have taken out my speed walk days, and turned it into cross training. Mainly cycling. And during today's long run, I made a decision to do something I never would have done before. I'm adding walk breaks into my long runs. I thought that it will break it up into sections. I ran for 28 minutes, then speed walked for 2. I drank while I walked. I repeated this cycle until I was finished with the run. But it also was easier mentally, knowing I was going to get a break soon. It's also a great way to practice my speed walk that I will need for ultra races. I might increase the break to 4-5 minutes for the very long runs. I noticed that my average pace did not slow down that much. I was able to go faster than normal when running. Of course that could also be the result of the killer speed work session I did on Tuesday. Who knows?
I've also been told another way to train for very long distances, is to run by "Time on feet". That sounds like a great idea, but I don't think I quite understand the concept. I know I slowly increase the time I'm running, and not judge so much by how far I've gone. I'm just not sure I understand how to increase the time, and then what do I do for the weekday runs? Go by distance, or time? If anyone has insights or advice, please let me know.
I had a good week for training. I felt tired at 5:30am Wednesday morning for my run, but I did speed work at 4pm the day before. Less than 24 hours later. My legs were tired. But my husband applauds my dedication. That's always really helpful.
Tomorrow is a rest day, and I will enjoy it. Besides, I get to watch a bunch of guys run around a football field.
Happy trails,
Cheri

Training

I just started training for Umstead on Jan 5. I know it's 65 weeks away, but I can't start training too early. I just keep thinking about the training and dedication it will take to accomplish such a task. But I feel really good so far, and am excited to train.
It's been cold, so I had to go the gym a couple times. It's been a battle for the machines, since all the new years resolutionists are coming in. I have to be there at opening to get a good machine. But that's OK; I just get more time.
I've been running with my dog, Stephanie (my son named her. She's really his dog.), who is a 1 year old lab. The pound said she's a mix, but I don't see it. Everything about her says lab. I'll have to get a picture of her. She's such a sweetheart. Yesterday we went for a run early in the morning, lighted by a piece of moon. It was great.
This Saturday's run will be quite chilly. It will only be about 11 degrees. I have to go 10 miles. I'll have to dress warm.
Happy trails,
Cheri

Reflections of 2008, insights for 2009

Reflections of 2008

2008 started out with the conclusion of training for Holiday Lakes 50K. The first in a series of 3, ending with Mountain Masochist Trail Run, or MMTR, my "A" race, the most important. I was pulled out of that race with only 8 miles to go in 2007. I wanted to do that race, and thought I might as well do the entire series.
A week before the race, I started out on my last long run, being only 12 miles long. A half mile into the run, I tripped over a root, and fell hard, injuring my right proximal hamstring. At the time, I thought it would stretch out if I just walked a little. Who was I kidding? It hurt like hell just to stand on it. I had to call it quits for the day, hoping it would feel better with ice.
Throughout the day, it hurt more and more, even with ibuprofen. Sitting made it all worse. I had to sit on a pillow, and the only relief I could get was to stand up. Of course I didn't go straight to the doctor, why would I do that?
So I tried Holiday Lakes, and made it only to the half way point, knowing I was doing further damage to the muscle. So I pulled myself out of the race. I had a hard time with that, but knew it was the best thing for me.
After a visit to the doctor, I started physical therapy.
I had other 50K's in mind, the first one only 2 months away. I figured I could do that one, since there was no cut off time. I could take my time. But after several visits with the therapist, I was realizing that running this race (also the first in a series of 4 races), was next to impossible. I struggled with only 3 miles. A 50K is 31 miles. How was that going to be possible? My physical therapist and I decided that I just needed to quit running for a while, and let everything heal. And so started the journey to "Lack of Motivation."
It was frustrating to see all these people out running, when I couldn't. But an odd thing happened: when I was able to run again, I lost the desire. I tried to train for the second 50K race in the series, but had short long runs, not even 10 miles. Heat was another set back for me. In the last few weeks leading up to the race, I tried a long run in the afternoon, and succumbed to the heat. I realized again that this race was out of the question. So again, I lost motivation. Going through the summer was difficult. This is when I had a job teaching swim lessons in the late morning. I tried to do my runs in the early morning before my husband, Patrick would go to work, but I quickly got tired of running in the dark by myself all the time. Doing long runs on the weekend seemed to be difficult, although I'm not sure why.
It wasn't long before I really hit a deep rut in my training. It got to the point that even doing MMTR was depressing. I didn't want to train, I didn't want to run at night, I didn't want to run alone. I had so many reasons and excuses; it was pathetic. But it didn't stop there. It flowed into cross training and strength training. I lost desire to those as well, including cycling on my bike. I used the heat as an excuse for that.
I got so negative about the whole thing, that it was hard for me to connect with my normal running partners. I felt like I was complaining about everything when we were on the phone, or running together. It made it harder for me when they were getting faster, and I was getting slower, which added to my negativity. I think I was getting a little jealous, and I had a hard time dealing with that.
I know of two things that definitely added to my lack of motivation. 1) My birth control had changed, and I think that effected my mood. 2) Dealing with the anniversary of Mom's death was really hard this year. It's been 8 years, but I really struggled with it this summer. I'm not even sure why. It just made me really, really sad. The second 50K race I wanted to do was on her anniversary, and I wanted to run it in honor of her, but I wasn't able to, due to lack of training.
Even though I considered not doing MMTR, I never really decided to not run it. I just wasn't dedicated to my training. But as fate would have it, I wasn't able to run it anyway. At the end of August, after a 20 mile training run, my right foot started to hurt pretty bad. And of course, I didn't run off to the doctor. I tried to do a run a couple days later, and my foot hurt so bad , that I only got 1 quarter mile, and had to stop. I tried again another 2 days later, and only made it a half mile. So I finally went to the doctor. After x-rays and an MRI, I had a precursor to a stress fracture, meaning that it could break on any training run. If it did break, then the doctor said we would be talking about plates and screws to repair it, and at least a year off from running. OK, well I decided to stop running, for the second time this year due to a major injury. He told me MMTR was out. I couldn't run for a t least 6 weeks. I could cross train on the bike, and do the elliptical, but I just couldn't run.
So here I was again, getting all depressed. Now enters the drama with John, my step father. That's a whole other story, but not even worth my time. He's out of my life for good now, and believe it or not, that's a really good thing. But it was long and dramatic, and took a lot of energy from me.
I started a new job the first of December, and the hours were in the afternoon. I thought that was great, because I could run after the kids went to school. But I really wanted to work morning hours, so the kids wouldn't have to go to the after school program. They were just not used to that. On my second day on the job, they promoted me to the morning hours, to become a lead teacher in the two year old room. It was perfect. This area of my life has worked out well. Blessings from the Lord!!!
I also decided in December that I would just finish out the year with what ever worked. I released any goals I had, and set new sights on 2009. A new year, a new me.
So for 2009, here are my goals.
1) I will train effectively for my ultimate "A" race, Umstead in April 2010. That is 1 year, 4 months away, but I will take this whole time, 65 weeks, to train smart.
2) I will get faster. I'm not setting a pace goal. There's room for disappointment. I know what my average pace is now, and I just want it to be faster by the end of the year.
3) I want to run 2000 miles or more by 12/31/09. That was a 2008 goal, that obviously was not met. And so I will this year. I will run 4 50K races, and a 50 miler this year in preparation for Umstead. 2000 miles should be easy to reach.
4) My diet needs to reflect that of an ultra runner in training for a 100 mile race. I need to cut out the fountain sodas. This will be a hard one. I just love to drink them. I don't do the diet ones, either. I go for the sugar and caffeine. I need to eat healthy, and keep it that way.
5) I want to lose 10 pounds. Again, by no certain date except for the end of the year. I figure if I can cut out the sodas, that shouldn't be a problem, especially when the mileage really builds up.
6) Keep a good and positive attitude. No matter what happens this year, all the races I have planned will be treated like training runs. If I miss a race, I only miss a training run, to be made up at a later date. I need to lighten up a bit about following a training plan. It's there as a guideline, and not set in stone. It's OK to change it.
Just a couple phrases that are important to me:
"Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to achieve it."
"Every great achievement was once considered impossible."
I'm happy that I have my family, my friends, and my health. And on top of that, I get to run.
Happy Trails,
Cheri

HOLY CRAP IT"S HOT!!!

What's up with the heat?? I'll never pick up my pace if we have 95-100 degree heat.
Tried to do some speed work up hills on Thursday. What a joke!! I set my GPS wrong, so for a while I had no idea what my pace was, and I set way too many intervals. It's one of those days where you just laugh at yourself and say, "Well, I tried."

Final decision

I finally decided not to do the 50K this Saturday. I decided that my weekly mileage and long runs are not high enough to support such a long race. My pace has been so slow, and I've been taking walk breaks when I never would have before my injury. MMTR is most important right now, so I need to focus on that. There's plenty of local races to fill that fix.
I'm so worried about my pace. It has been so slow. I can't seem to get out of this mental funk that I have. I am taking walk breaks when normally I would keep running, and even stopping to drink water, when normally I would just slow to jog to drink. I UNofficially start MMTR training on June 1st, but I threw some runs in the training program to cover the lost 50K. I would also like to drop 8 pounds. I want to weigh 140. Lose this spare tire I seem to carry with me where ever I go. Hot southern summer running will help with that, I hope.

Undecided

I went for a trail run Friday afternoon. My original plan was to go 12 miles. I started at 1:40pm. I took plenty of cold water with me, and a bottle of Gatorade. The trail is about 4 miles, so I thought I could loop it, and replenish my water, and not have to carry it all with me.
I made it about 1.77 miles, and had to stop and drink lots of water. I was so hot!! This is South Carolina so it gets hot quick. And, more than half the trail is fully exposed to the sun. I hadn't planned on that either. No sunscreen, and wearing a singlette. I'm so fair skinned, that I will burn like a fry. And I did. Last year I wore singlettes on the trails of Paris Mountain, and never once thought about sunscreen. So this took me by surprise.
Long story short, I only did 1 loop, and just added on 2 more miles back and forth in the shade.
But something occured to me while on this run. I have not acclimated to running in the heat yet. I've been running, but in the morning, when the sun isn't so strong.
So, I started thinking about the Chattooga River 50K race on June 8th. I'm not sure if I should do it. My longest run has been only 10 miles. My weekly mileage has not been consistent every week either. 14-24-9-30-11 each week. I've been so busy, that it was hard to fit my runs in. But even when I did the 30 mile week, I didn't feel any pain in my hamstring, or worn down. I felt great. Then I had 11 this past week. The race has not time limit, so my plan was to run/walk. I also thought I could at least try it, and drop if necessary.
It will also be hot during this race. I'm not sure how much of the trail is in the shade. But there are aid stations, and I will carry my energy drink with me. I will also apply plenty of sunscreen.
But there's an entirely different element to my decision for this race. June 8th is also the day my mother died, 8 years ago. It's also my younger sister's birthday. I had every intention of running this race in honor of them. That is very important to me.
So, with all this, I can't decide if I should do the race. I really do want to. I started to email the race director to tell her I would not be there, but I couldn't do it. I've already missed her first 2 races from this hamstring injury, and I just feel the need to do a race. But the question is SHOULD I do it.
My big goal race is Mountain Masochist 50 mile on November 1st. I DNF'd last year, and I have to conquer it this year. That is the biggest goal this year. My training will start right after the 50K on June 8th. I just hate to not do something, not knowing if I really could've finished it.
Anyone have thoughts about this? Any advise?

Cheri