Sunday, July 19, 2009

A Runner Again

A month ago, my running was in the toilet. After adding biking and swimming to my training, I felt completely sapped of energy and enthusiasm every time I headed out for a run. Just 6 weeks after running a marathon, I couldn't even run 5 miles without walking. I was starting to worry that I had lost my running mojo and that maybe my days of counting myself as a runner were numbered.

I'm back, baby. Cooler temps, a change in my training and a little luck have worked their magic. No, my running bucket isn't filled back up yet, but I can see that the momentum has shifted and the level is slowly rising. I still have a long way to go before I am running the miles I would like to be, but the worm has turned.

Having grown up in St. Louis, MO where hot and humid summers are the norm, you would think that I could handle a little heat. If I did at one time have a tolerance to the heat, Minnesota cold winters have frozen it out of me. We had some warm temps a few weeks ago after a cool spring, and I just never got acclimated. We are back to our cool summer and I couldn't be happier. Yesterday I ran 7.5 miles with cloudy skies and temps in the low 60's. Perfect. I ran strong the whole way and kept a reasonable pace.

I hadn't intended on changing up my training, but life intervened. I had been doing two workouts most days of the week. I felt good for all of the workouts except for the running. While on vacation and since we've been back, I've just had time for one workout a day. My pool time has been suffering, but it's leaving more energy for running. Luckily my next two triathlons are short so I'm not worried about not being able to complete the swim. Things will be busy for the next few weeks, so this schedule will be the norm for a little while. Maybe it's for the best right now.

Finally, a little luck! The Twin Cities Marathon on October 4th has a companion race, the TC 10 Mile. This is a very popular race and there is a lottery for entry. A couple years ago I tried to get in but wasn't selected. This year I entered the lottery with Mike and our 14 year old son as a group. Either the whole group would be selected or not selected. This year I was lucky and we got in. Yeah! I'm really excited about our entry and 10 miles is the perfect distance for me right now. It's not an overwhelming prospect with the tri training but it's enough to make sure I continue to build my long runs. A little motivation goes a long way and I couldn't be more excited about having this race on my schedule.

Admitting that I'm feeling better about running is a little scary because I don't want to jinx myself. In general, though, I feel like I'm on an upswing and I can't hide my relief. The forecast for tomorrow is for a cool morning with temps in the low 60's and sunshine. Looks like a great day for a run!

11 comments:

Velma said...

Glad you got the running mojo back. Congrats on the 10 mile race entry - how fantastic! I can't wait until I can run with my boys.

Mark said...

Wish I could've gotten in that Marathon. Sounds like great running weather. So glad you are back on the upswing with your running. Have a great run!

Nat said...

Yay! I am very excited you got in to the ten miler!!! Great job on the running too.

Mel-2nd Chances said...

glad you reminded me of your running bucket post... that was a great one, and I find that my running is really struggling. Glad you've got your mojo back :)

Jean said...

Good to hear, Beth! This past weekend was outstanding weather for running, wasn't it? And congrats on getting into the TC 10 Miler. I hear that is not so easy to get in to!

montisse98 said...

Congrats on your TC 10-mile entry!

Porkchopwi said...

Glad to see you back running (and posting), it had been a while!

Good luck this weekend in the 10K!

Nate

Londell said...

OK, I will take the pain medicine... Thanks for the advice...

Nitmos said...

Like riding a bike, you'll never forget how to run. Just persistence and attitude and the right plan. ROCK. ON!

Sunshine said...

You sound good!!
Congratulations on your group plan for the 10 mile in Oct.
I think you have to get used to hot humid weather all over again every summer. And I'm with you; let's just have cooler instead.

Helen said...

Nice one on the 10 miler - fun race. I def think changing things up is good - it helps prevent the body from getting used to the same thing. When you have more time again and throw in a few double workouts you'll see a nice bump again in some area. Finding that balance between benefit/time/injury risk is difficult not least because it constantly changes and you're covering multiple sports - but that's half the fun, right?! Glad you are enjoying the runs again - though I personally am hoping for a hot and sweaty August :)