Thoughts from Weekend Runs

Saturday's 4.5:

• Oops! Forgot to lotion my legs.
• They really should put a sidewalk on this side of the street. This grass is gross.
• I wonder what they do at this particular Dell building.
• How many uses are there for a tape measure? Apparently not enough for this one on the sidewalk.
  
• What makes white cows white?
  
• Oh boy, I hope those birds don't poop on me, although it is supposed to be good luck...
• If I had a backyard, I would maintain it...probably.
• Sometimes, I wanna run forever...

Sunday's 7:

• Must look cool, must look cool, must look cool...
• I bet this water bottle is making a lot of noise. Blissfully, my iPod prevents me from noticing.
• Less strollers, please!
• I always forget how nice the view is under MoPac.
• Rowing? Perhaps.
• Why can't I be turning around at this bridge? Or this one? Or this one?
• Hills suck.
• Hey dude, there's a door on that bathroom...
• So that's what GU tastes like!?! Very...gooey.
  
• When's it gonna kick in?
• There it goes! Whoosh...
  
• My knee does NOT like this downhill.
  
• Wow, Mozart's Requiem sounds great whilst running under a canopy of bare trees. LOVE IT!
• Wet dogs wet dogs wet dogs
• Yo, Rottweiler...
  
• Sometimes, I just can't run forever, but, man, that GU may have changed my life...

Other than running (and thinking), I baked up a mad storm this weekend. I made Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies twice, and Triple-Chocolate Cookies (America's Test Kitchen) once. Not all for myself, but for different occasions. I may or may not also may have ingested quite a bit of cookie dough and white chocolate in the process, but that's an occupational hazard. I'm normally not a baker (just a cook-er), so it's been kinda fun having my apartment smell like sweet delicious goodness. Tomorrow will be a rest day (from running--sadly, not from work), then back to it on Tuesday. On Tuesday or Wednesday I'll be going to my parents' house, so I'll get to enjoy the flatter terrain...and cope with humidity (oh South Texas). There's allegedly another cold front on the way, so that should be nice. I'm really enjoying this whole "winter" thing we're having this year...

So I lied...

...about using the Runner's World beginner's half-marathon training plan. After doing a bit more research, I decided that I liked Hal Higdon's Half-Marathon Training Plan for Novices (like myself) better. It's still 12 weeks, but it's rather simplified and flexible, allowing you to focus on mileage. I don't get to start until August 24, so in the mean time I'm working on building my base and cross-training.

In my inaugural post, I mentioned that I developed runner's knee back in February. Due to financial reasons, I was never able to have it treated by a physical therapist, so I've just been kind-of working through it on my own. For the most part, it rarely hurts anymore. But, as I've been upping my mileage, I've been noticing a twinge every now and then. Not enough to stop, but enough to say "hey, I remember what that feels like...it sucks." Hopefully strength training will help my quads become stronger, which will in turn help to support my knees. I don't want to be 25-going-on-75.

This morning I did 2 miles on the treadmill at Gold's while listening to the Runner's Lounge half-marathon podcasts. Wasn't sure how I'd do listening to people talk whilst running, but it didn't seem to pose a problem. And gave me something else to think about other than "in 2, out 2." Tomorrow I plan to do my "long run" of 4 miles, though I haven't decided if it'll be at the lake or near my apartment complex. Then, on to Nordstrom's! SALE!!! Lucky I got those gift cards for graduation...

Schooled.

Ah, life lessons. And I thought all that learning business was over and done with after graduation last week. Silly me...

On Saturday, I woke up and drove to Lady Bird Lake with the intention of running 4 miles--my longest distance to date. Well, actually, I was going to use more of a Galloway "run/walk" approach, since I didn't want to wear myself out too early. I left my apartment at about 8:20ish and got to the lake at about 8:45. I munched on half a Clif bar on the way, and drank some water when I got there. Although it was only about 9:00, it was already 80 degrees, sunny, and kinda humid. However, since it was an hour earlier than my last (failed) attempt to run at the lake in the sun, I figured I'd be alright. WRONG.

I decided to do the Pfluger pedestrian bridge/I35 loop, which is approx. 4 miles. It also takes me along Riverside Dr., which leaves the immediate proximity of the lake and follows the street. I started off just fine, even after taking a wrong turn and ending up on Congress. However, when the trail veered off onto Riverside, I about fell over.

Problem 1: no shade (or not much). For some reason, I have a real problem running in the sun. Since I started running in November, when it was much cooler, it hasn't posed much of a challenge up to now. But since the temperature has started its rapid and sadistic yearly rise, I'm having trouble finding a good time to run. The last time I ran at the lake, it was about 10AM. The first half was fine, since it was in the shade. On the second half, however, I hit a wall on Cesar Chavez (not literally, but it probably would have had the same effect). I really think I need to just invest in a good hat. Or run earlier. Or in the evening. But more on that later.

Problem 2: Hills! But that's Austin. I need to get over that (no pun intended--or maybe it was).

So, I hit Riverside. And walked. Didn't get to 35, but turned around and headed back into the shade. Once I got back by the lake, I felt better and was able to run back to my car. Overall, I covered about 3.5 miles. Not 4 miles, but I'm ok with that.

Last night, I went out about 8PM to do 3 miles, as part of my plan to increase my mileage this summer. For this 3 miles, I just planned to do 2 laps around Dell. So, I started off great, saw a few other runners also trying to dogde the sun and heat, and generally felt good. I hit my first mile at 11:00 minutes, which is fast for me. So I slowed down a bit, but I knew the damage had already been done. At the halfway mark, I pooped out. I walked for about 5 minutes, ran a little more, walked a little more, then ran home at a pretty nice pace. 2.5 miles. Boo.

So, my lessons learned?

1. Get a hat.
2. Run before 8AM, or after 7:30PM (until about October).
3. Don't start out too fast (which I've been doing lately, and I really need to work on).

Tonight I start a trial week at Gold's Gym, since I can't go to campus anymore. I need to incorporate more cross-training and strength training into my routine, especially since I've got more time now (outside of job hunting...). Check back for a report on that.