Week Four and a Running Expo

A few years ago, I was in the DC area for work and went to visit some friends who had moved to Annapolis.  We met in Baltimore, at the Ravens' stadium, where Mindy wanted to attend a running expo before we went to dinner.  I remember thinking, quite clearly, "what in the WORLD do they need an entire EXPO for?? It's running!  You just run!"

5 years later, here I am, attending a running expo of my own.  This one was much smaller, and much less vendor-focused.  This really was my very own expo, as the keynote speakers were Furman professors, the event planner was a Furman alum, and the trainer that very recently kicked my butt was there to talk about the Y's running programs.

When I walked into the room, though, my heart fell into my stomach.  There, in the front of the room, was not only Dr. Pierce, whom I was expecting (his name was on every flier), but Scott Murr, my former boss at the gym at Furman and Health & Exercise Science professor.  Scott was not just any HES professor - he was the HES professor in whose class I was enrolled in Spring of 2002, or The Semester of the Broken Back.  In order to get a good grade in that class, I had to work out every day.  If you did not work out, you did not get credit. This was before anyone knew that my spine was actually fractured.  All I knew that was that I was in a tremendous amount of pain, and my professor didn't seem to care.  He insisted that I work out, and not being terribly brave at the time, I listened and continued to do damage to the area surrounding the break.

I'm not mad at Scott - it was, of course, my choice to continue exercising.  It was just such a shock to my system to see him, a person who is so wrapped up in the narrative I've told myself countless times, standing in the place I'm using as the setting for my new story.

I knew he wouldn't recognize me, and after a few minutes of discomfort upon hearing his (grating) voice again, I was able to relax and take it all in.  Even though their presentation was geared toward long distance endurance runners (half marathon+), I learned a lot about cross-training, quality runs, and running economy.

I had a great time at the rest of the expo (which was more like a workshop than an expo), and in true Sarah Brown style, made all sorts of connections and might even be starting a running group for slow folks like me.  I learned some pretty awesome stuff from a sports nutritionist, such as the fact that if you are not properly hydrated during a run (or any other exercise), your body cannot use fat stores as energy.  !!!

Tomorrow is Week 4, Day 3, meaning I've officially passed the halfway point in my Couch to 5k training.  Day 1 was really, really hard, and I genuinely thought I wasn't going to make it.  Day 2 was hard, but I pushed through and it went pretty well.  Is this starting to sound familiar?  Each week, I think I won't be able to make the adjustment to the longer runs, and by the end of the week, I'm totally pumped that I did it but am intimidated by the following week's runs.  Ah, if only I would just believe in myself!

Seriously, though, the training is really picking up. The jumps in interval length are significant, and I'm really having to push it.  Tomorrow is day 3, and I am either going to the cross-country course on Monroe Rd. or the track at Myers Park High School - haven't decided yet.  The course is a dirt/gravel path with clearly marked distances, which I think would be less mundane than a track, but a track is just so nice and measurable.

I'm in the market for a running buddy, so if you know someone who is willing to put up with my complete inability to talk while running and embarrassing sweat situation, I'd be delighted to have someone join me.

Week Three COMPLETE!

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit.  I hope that's true, because I just finished Week 3, Day 3 of my training!

After not getting enough rest on Friday and not exactly making the best dining choices (but Cantina is always worth it), Saturday's run was a wash, so I aimed for a successful Sunday.  Apparently I didn't get enough rest on Saturday, either, and the pimiento cheese sandwich, fried pickles, and a pint at the Penguin surely didn't help. Today was the hardest run yet.

Thanks to this nice warm front, I was finally able to take my training out of doors. I've been looking forward to this for a while, but have also held great trepidation as to how I'd actually fare when the running became actual running.  If you remember, the last time I ran off-treadmill was a complete disaster thanks to the tiny sloped track at the Y.  Those were only 60 second running intervals, and my latest intervals, while only a terribly unimpressive 3 minutes each, are significantly more challenging.

I won't bore you with the minute-by-minute, but that's exactly how this run felt.  Minute by minute, second by second, willing myself to keep going.  I really want to blame it on the unhealthy weekend, because I don't want my running experience to be like this.  I want to feel challenged, of course, but I don't want to struggle.  I  enjoyed being outside - the fresh air and change of perspective was refreshing - but without the distraction of the TV and the other people doing stuff around the gym, it was just me and the road.

The reason I probably struggle with this is probably the reason I struggle with insomnia: I cannot turn my brain off.  If I could somehow just run and be completely physical for that half hour, I think I could be a good runner.  For now, though, it's millions of microthoughts, all working against me.  I bet I could talk to some runners, though, and see how they deal with clearing their heads.  I want the exercise to be brain-clearing, not brain-clogging.

Three weeks down, six to go.  Week four is going to be tough, but I know I can do it.  Let's go!