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Swing your partner round and round, do-ce-do, oops wrong occasion!
Yes, it is May Day, a holiday I know zero about, apparently something like Labor Day. It has nothing to do with square dancing but the picture reminded me of whooping it up in 4th grade in Tennessee...ahhh, memories!Today is my first run in May and as I wrote in the last 'Long Run' post, my asthma was directed to disappear into a cave or bother someone else. It is also pretty hot in AZ and it feels like the kickoff to summer running season so I was excited. Plus I had a doctor visit scheduled for Monday and I was hoping for either a massive 'roid injection or a "You're fine. Marathon next weekend? Go for it!" from the doc. ;)
Usually the long runs are on Saturday, but I had a rough Thursday and Friday so I could not muster the mental strength to run on Saturday. I needed to be ready for work by 7:30 A.M., so Jeff agreed to a 5:30 run on Sunday. I looked forward to a quieter field along the canal. Jeff wanted to run 8 miles and I negotiated to 6. As much as I liked flirting with my cute podiatrist, I really wanted to run, skip and walk without plantar fasciitis greeting my a$$ every morning! Sorry Dr. H., I am going for 0 more visits!!
We took off, following the usual route, heading north to the canal. Again the pace for these long runs is supposed to be 10:30-11:00 and once again we ran too fast. Thanks a lot, Mr. Ego McGeyer!
We ran west on the canal and slowly increased the pace. :( When we reached the 3-mile mark just north of 24th Street, I expected us to briefly walk for a GU gel and water. That did not happen, but I slowed down to sip a little water and Jeff kept going. I slowed down a bit more to eat the GU but I struggled so I walked at mile 3.75. I started running again at mile 4. The walk did me good and my pace got close to 10:00 for the last 2 miles. I stayed steady and finished 6 miles in 1:02:15, average 10:21 pace, 3 minutes after Jeff.
The Arizona Road Racers Summer Series starts in 4 weeks. I signed up for the entire series, 5 races between 5/28-8/14. Last year I only ran the last one. I will miss the ARR race on 7/16 to run the 2nd Annual Brown Center for Autism 5K with my brother and sister in TN. My goal is to beat 29:30, PR set last year. Hopefully running the first 3 races in AZ heat will prepare me for TN humidity! ;)
Happy May Day and happy summer running! :D
are honeysuckles really that sweet? I don't think so!
April 1-27, 2011
My loyal followers (yes, only 6, but everyone started with 0, right?!) know that I have asthma. Yep, my whole life and it sucks. Before I moved to Arizona, I usually spent most of March and April in an oxygen tent. During my senior year in high school, I missed 3 straight weeks in April and almost did not graduate because my Calculus teacher thought I was skippin'. We no longer talk...
even at home, my mother wore her nurse's uniform
Fast forward to 2000 and my delusional idea to move to AZ for relief from breathing problems. Instead of using current medical information found on that new-fangled thing called the Internet, I relied on the encyclopedia and discovered that the desert southwest was perfect for allergy and asthma sufferers. So I sold my junk at a few garage sales, packed up the rest of the stuff in my tiny Acura and drove west.
The first 5 years were pretty good and I was rarely sick other than mornings after the pub crawls. Then I started teaching, got pink eye (excuse me, conjunctivitis) every February, and put my pharmacist back on speed dial in March and April. 2006, sick; 2007, sicker; 2008, very sick; 2009, medical leave.
Last spring was better! I had spent 10 months away from work, trained for hiking and running challenges, vacationed in Hawaii, took daily naps, you know, living the good life!! I also spent a good amount of time inside the gym, running on the treadmill, and skipped races from March-May.
I ran races in June-August, returned to full-time work in early August, saw my doctor on schedule and kept running steadily again in late September. Thought I would be fine this Spring.
I struggled this month. I smelled every honeysuckle and rhododendron bush I passed. Other people relish the smell of fresh cut grass, but my bronchial tubes contracted a little tighter. Jeff's biggest dilemma was whether to wear the support hose in black or white. I wondered if I should leave the extra GU to bring an epi pen instead. I really like exercising outside but I may have to take it inside next time. Unless McGeyer invents a lightweight, portable Nebulizer!
Jeff and I were out there 3-4 times a week + 2 hikes and logged about 60 miles in April. That's nothing to sneeze at.... ;)
I know it is technically LSR (long slow run) but I like the title acronym!
It is my day off for Good Friday and I woke up slightly later than normal to go for a training run. Yeah, I am that dedicated! Ironically Jeff wanted to meet at 6:30 A.M. and I asked him to meet at 6. Crazy, right?! Amazingly enough, it was strategic. I knew how long we would be on the road so I wanted the least amount of sun beating down on me as possible. Yes, in Phoenix, 30 minutes can make a difference!
I got to his house, late as usual, and after a silly debate about wearing a hat or sunglasses, we took off at 6:15. Jeff has an interesting, staggered marathon training plan so he wanted to run 8 miles this morning (normally Saturday). I said 6 miles was the max for me with my April asthma and plantar fasciitis issues. The pace for these runs is supposed to be 10:30-11:00 and I needed that pace. Sometimes I run faster than this pace but lately I have struggled with a faster pace even with short runs.
We headed north to the canal and encountered few people as we ran west on the canal. The traffic picked up around 32nd Street and I welcomed any chance to stop for a brief moment. We reached the 3-mile mark just west of 24th Street and we stopped for chit chat, a GU gel and water. At this point, I planned to walk another 0.25-0.5 mile, then walk back same section before running the 3 miles back to Jeff's house. Jeff thought we would not meet up again so we said, "Hasta luego." It felt weird to walk when my legs felt good but I knew I had to go back 3.5 miles. So I just enjoyed the calm of the morning while walking. Then I turned around and started slowly running again at mile 4. I figured out pace-wise that Jeff would catch up to me if I ran a little slower, I was approximately 4 minutes ahead of him when I started running again.
I was right! Jeff caught up to me at mile 4.5. He obviously had been running longer and needed to walk and catch his breath briefly around mile 5. I did not mind because I am a terrific running partner! Jeff, however, caught his breath and then his ego took over!! We crossed back over 32nd Street and the pace picked up, getting closer and closer to 10:00. Granted, we were running downhill but definitely off the 10:30 mark! Jeff asked if I wanted to run faster during the last mile and I said, "GAMF!" He went ahead and I wanted to stay steady and avoid lung ejection syndrome. I finished 7 miles in 1:23:34, 2 minutes after Jeff and his 8 miles. I felt good about this run. The last time I ran that distance or more was 2/12, the day p.f. came to visit and overstayed its welcome! I still need R.I.C.E. but feel really good about my summer running. :D
Asthma, you are on notice: be gone by 5/1 or else!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
I ran with Jeff and Norman (crazy funny chocolate Lab) this morning...again! ;)
I hiked on Wednesday afternoon and ran on Friday morning so I was nervous about my foot. We often run long on Saturday but I had to walk during ARR South Mountain Classic 5K last Saturday. In addition, I typically have serious allergy/asthma problems in March and April. Our goal for this "long" run was 100 5 miles. We started at 7:45 A.M. (late for us), already H-O-T! We walked for about 0.5 mile and also walked about 0.25 mile at the 2.5 mile turnaround. Lots of cyclists, runners and walkers on the canal...not used to sharing space, but we survived. Jeff ran faster during the last mile and I remained slow and steady...again. I finished 5.05 miles in 58 minutes for a slow 11:34 average pace. I finished the last section at 9:28, had negative splits other than the brief walk at halfway mark and felt good about my legs and the mileage. But I knew my L foot would need ice throughout the day...again...boring! :s
Friday, March 18, 2011
I went out this morning with Jeff, my running partner. I have been suffering from plantar fasciitis for nearly 5 weeks and Jeff had bronchitis the week before...we need serious healing. We usually run long on Saturday and we both had signed up for the ARR South Mountain Classic 20K on 3/26. I had an appointment with a foot specialist on 3/21 and remained hopeful for miracle respite. We started off walking and also walked a bit at the 2.5 mile turnaround. Jeff wanted to run faster some time around mile 3.5 and I knew I needed to remain slow and steady. He turned it on for a strong finish! I finished 5.07 miles in 53 minutes for 10:37 average pace. I finished the last mile at 9:28, had negative splits other than the brief walk at halfway mark and felt good about the mileage. But I knew my L foot would need ice and pills throughout the day. I had hoped to insert a table from my new Garmin but I am inept, need additional tutorial from Geyer! I figured it out!! (4/13/2011 update)
The weather in Phoenix in March is perfect for morning runs and my body felt good other than the foot. More on the doctor visits to come...
Training Run (LSD): Saturday, 2/12/2011
Since I am a "little" behind on my posts, I have to include the date in the body so everyone can follow along with my procrastination! At least I have a few comments when I logged the run on dailymile . Otherwise, I would have trouble remembering some of the details and anyone who knows me well, knows that I am all about the details. ;)
Jeff (running partner) and I decided to run 3-4 miles several times a week and schedule long runs (6-10 miles) on Saturday morning as a way to build a solid base for the January 2012 marathon. Then we will get really crazy this October and toss in the 18-20 miles as part of the necessary preparation!
We ran 8 miles the previous Saturday (2/5) with few issues. Geyer had been struggling with calf issues (I told him to go vegetarian but to no avail yet!) since December I think but recently bought compression sleeves and raved about the tight feeling. He did feel a twinge around mile 6, we slowed down, he ran through it and was fine. I got a stitch around mile 5.5, slowed down, did the 'arms overhead' thing, worked it out.
Ok, back to the 2/12 run. We started around 8:30 A.M., a decent time for a Saturday morning run in mid-February, and decided to run 8, maybe 10, miles again. We parked near 44th Street & Camelback and ran on Lafayette and canal into old town Scottsdale. My legs and lungs felt great but calves were bothering Jeff again and compression sleeves were not helping this time. The run/walk/run/walk/run pattern was sporadic and I had trouble getting into any rhythm. I know Jeff had it worse since he was in pain. Anyway, despite the lovely views along Lafayette, I was frustrated because usually my head is clear after a long run. I dropped off Jeff at his house, headed home to grab a snack and pickup my gym bag, and drove to the gym to cross train. However, it was a beautiful morning, I like to exercise outside and I had the time that weekend. I figured I had 3-4 miles left in my legs since I walked so much of the LSR. I took off, too quickly I realize now. About 1 mile in, the bottom of my left foot started to hurt and I continued to run and tried to ignore the pain. I finally stopped to walk after 3.7 miles, just 0.25 mile from the gym. The heat from the sun beating down on me + the foot pain was more than I could handle. I hobbled through the rest of my gym routine (whirlpool, pool walking & sauna/steam room). On a positive note, I enjoyed a Chocolate Outrage GU after the run and as far as an artificially flavored energy gel goes, CO is Yumster! Unfortunately, I neglected to ice my foot when I got home. And I added to the pain by going to a friend's birthday party that night and danced the night away in heels. PAINFUL!
This reads like a soap opera, right?! Next on 'Plantar Fasciitis', does Chloe tell Patrick that she is carrying E. J.'s baby or does Suzanne get a foot transplant from a Good Samaritan who is really her twin brother switched at birth and then stolen from the hospital? And J. R. may have been shot by an overzealous cyclist on an earlier episode of 'P. F. Dallas'! :D
Does this dress make me look pregnant?
Do you think Patrick can tell?
Happy May Day and happy summer running! :D
