On Vacation

I’m on vacation at the beach and determined to get into my running habit even though, I am really a treadmill runner. I woke up around 8am so that I could beat the morning sun. I started slow this morning and did intervals of quarter miles walking and running. In total I went four miles, but I stopped doing the running intervals after a while.

It’s nice to be back at it again. I’m hoping to decide on a street (and ideally flat) 5k to have a specific goal to work toward. I think my personality needs that destination.

The Warrior Dash 5K on Windham Mountain is precisely what it sounds like: On a freaking mountain. It seems that I got myself so excited about a Viking Helmet (which actually looks like a muppet version of a water-buffalo), that I had forgotten that it took place on a mountain.

The running part didn’t seem to intimidate me as much as I expected. That is, until I got there. It seems we were supposed to run UP a mountain, and then ACROSS a mountain and then DOWN a mountain. Handling obstacles all along the way. I’m not far ahead of the world’s worst runner, but add a mountain and i’m cooked. Then when you try running across the steep slope, it gets tricky tricky tricky. 

My ankles and I made the active choice not to run. I’m prone to throwing an ankle twist in my own way, so I decided it would be best to walk. I’m also a pretty darn slow walker. Oh well. 

As for the obstacles, I feel like I handled them fairly well. I successfully:

Crawled over walls and under wire.

Worked my way through tires and over old cars.

(Through the generosity of a fellow dasher) walked the balance beam that was six feet off the ground, angled up and down, (with no spotters to rescue you if you fell).

Waded through water and over logs

Waded through mud and up a muddy hill via ropes.

Ran through a course of tire swings.

Crossed a lateral rope wall.

Slid down a muddy mountain slip and slide.

Jumped over fire.

Crawled through mud beneath barbed wire.

Obstacles I did not achieve:

There were two obstacles involving heights. The first I climbed up and got to the other side only to realize you had to drop yourself down with your arms. I was concerned about my arm strength and climbed back over which in itself was challenging. The second was a much taller rope wall that overlooked the mountain. I stood discouraged at the bottom of it after many attempts. I finally convinced myself to climb once more and got to the top, but couldn’t get myself over.  Fear of heights is challenging.

All in all it was a fun experience, though I am not a crowd person. And after facing multiple height challenges having a crowd scream at me as I approached the fire jump didn’t help. The mud pit either.  

Did I get what I was looking for when I signed up for this? No, I didn’t get myself quite as on track as I’d hoped with regards to training. I didn’t register that running up a mountain is damn hard. But going forward I think it gave me a sense of what to do next. I am going to find a 5k on a street that isn’t quite so challenging and improve from there. 

warrior…yes.

More details later.  Yes, finished. but mountains are tough.

The moon? Or saturn? Everything seems a little prettier in the catskills

The moon? Or saturn? Everything seems a little prettier in the catskills

Saturday is the Day!

I ran and walked about 2.5 miles today. Do I feel ready?  No, especially not to achieve my goal of running the whole race. But I am excited, nervous, concerned. You see there are wacky obstacles and while I saw a youtube video of the NY location, I still get a little nervous that they will be more intimidating than they appear on film. For me, the key is to finish, not to impress myself by running all of it. But by finishing it and having a great time. 

There was a starting point at the beginning of this, and end point in mind. And much like my previous challenges I’m ever shifting and not quite following through in my workouts. I’ll surge with commitment and then peter off. Then I will rally again all within a few short weeks.  I never veer for too long, but also never quite take it to the next level.  Last fall, I had about three months of real persistence, but life changes quickly (and apparently if it doesn’t then i do). So looking at my deadline and knowing there is nothing more i can do to prepare, I once again, feel an upswing, a renewed movement to get better at this getting better. 

It is said that if you stop focusing on the steps and instead concentrate on manifesting what you want as what IS, then the universe will work to achieve it. I hope to stop focusing on the steps (WHILE STILL TAKING THE STEPS) and hopefully I will find myself in the healthy place I know I belong. 

Eleven days and we will see what happens

I definitely think I will be slow, but I definitely think I can run a lot of it. Not feeling like I’m on the right track, but we will see!

Not sure what the hold is

Im assuming because I’m allowing an extra day between runs, I am losing momentum. Today, once again I attempted to run the full 3.2 miles that I will have to run in 32 days. Technically with my warm up and cool down, I totalled 3.81 miles, but my goal was to actually do the full amount during the workout, regardless of my warmup. I did 2.7 so, was only shy about a half mile.

Today at least the first interval was longer. I had decided to at least make it a mile before walking. Then in the midst of it, I change my trajectory and decided to push myself to go 20 minutes before stopping which meant I made it to one and a half miles. I waked for a quarter mile and then pulled another 3/4 mile (which I only thought would be a half mile). So I’m glad I’m pushing myself, but wish it seemed to get easier. Especially when the daunting task of running outside in a mountain area is on the agenda.

32 days to go and I feel unready.

Not sure what the hold is

Im assuming because I’m allowing an extra day between runs, I am losing momentum. Today, once again I attempted to run the full 3.2 miles that I will have to run in 32 days. Technically with my warm up and cool down, I totalled 3.81 miles, but my goal was to actually do the full amount during the workout, regardless of my warmup. I did 2.7 so, was only shy about a half mile.

Today at least the first interval was longer. I had decided to at least make it a mile before walking. Then in the midst of it, I change my trajectory and decided to push myself to go 20 minutes before stopping which meant I made it to one and a half miles. I waked for a quarter mile and then pulled another 3/4 mile (which I only thought would be a half mile). So I’m glad I’m pushing myself, but wish it seemed to get easier. Especially when the daunting task of running outside in a mountain area is on the agenda.

32 days to go and I feel unready.

Vacation and near to the end of the couch to five k

I was on vacation at a friends wedding in Vermont. I got a run 2.14 mile run. I had a difficult time with the elevation and really just felt like I was plodding. But kept at it. I also got a good row in on a canoe. I went about 3.21 miles. I got back to the city and only had one run left to go to finish my couch to 5k (as a run walk). Hopped on the treadmill with every intention of getting it done. Unfortunately my energy was wack and I was hoping to be able to mostly run the whole thing and do a full 3.11 run, but I only got 2.5 miles of intervals, starting strong and fading. Including the warmup it was 3.5 miles.

Today I went riding my bike around the hood. I’m feeling okay about my running, but hope that get myself http the gym on the other days too. Five weeks from now is the warrior dash and I feel a little unprepared!

Great Run Today! New Record!

I warmed up with a slow walk to the gym, then completed the run in a few installments due to time limitations at the gym. I did the appropriate intervals for the first 3.0 miles, then got off for about a minute to make sure no one was waiting. I got back on for another half mile interval of running and quarter mile walking. The run felt pretty good and I think I will actually start doing my longer run inside, and instead do a shorter run outside.

My intervals were half mile running, quarter mile walking. Today I ran 4.28 miles including a slow warmup and a cool down. Total time was 1:03:59. I tried to keep myself in a slow pace, but a few of the intervals I did increase my normal speed (since the music helped me go faster).  I really enjoyed today and ended with some ab exercises.  I am technically nearly done with the couch to 5K, but don’t really feel capable to run a whole one, only interval it.  I guess the next 6 weeks will be about easing myself into the running the full distance. Perhaps I will play with the incline again, keep running 5k but at changes to the incline, may be helpful.