Running Buddies

A friend from my running group shared this on my Facebook, and it is perfect.

Shane and I try not to push our interests on our kids. Both boys play baseball, like Shane did all the way through high school, but they both love it. If they didn't, we wouldn't push it. Luke is in taekwondo and Tommy will be soon--this is something neither Shane nor I have done. Last year, Luke started expressing an interest in running 5ks with me. Like a typical runner, he discovered that he hated the actual running part but couldn't wait to sign up for another race. In his first 5k, he finished in 30:37 and came in 5th in his age group--beaten only by 9 and 10 year olds. In his second 5k, it was a trail race and we finished in 35 minutes--earning him 2nd in his age group.

When a local 5k in support of an abused dog caught my eye, I asked Luke if he wanted to run it with me. He said, yes, of course. I told him that I could get him under 30 minutes if he stuck with me, but he was skeptical. The only running he does is at baseball, so it's not like he's been training. Still, I told him that I knew he could do it.

Race day was perfect--overcast and 60s. Luke was nervous beforehand, but I reminded him to channel those nerves. When we started off, Luke pulled ahead of me, and I reminded him to pace himself, but he remained ahead of me by about 1/4 mile. Although he didn't have a watch, I was running just over 9 mi/mi, so I knew he was hitting sub-9 miles. I was worried about him, but I loved watching his natural, bouncing stride from behind, and I really loved hearing the race volunteers cheer him on. Kids always get more cheers, I think, and it was awesome to hear those cheers for my child. Because this was an out and back course, he turned past me at the halfway point, and I got to cheer for him. The man next to me who told me originally that his 7 year old dog doesn't know how to pace herself (she kept up the whole race!) said, "Man, he is still going strong." At the two mile mark, he slowed to get a cup of water and dumped it over his head. I could see he was struggling a bit, and I caught up with him at 2.1. He started telling me he couldn't do it and he wanted to walk, but I reminded him that we just had a mile left and he could do this. At the last turn with a volunteer, I said, "He's struggling!" and the man started clapping and cheering and saying how amazing Luke was. This got him through a little bit more, then he started to walk. From past experience running with him, I know that if I run ahead, he will use me as a rabbit, but if I run next to him, he'll walk and whine, so I said, "There's no walking--I can see the tunnel to the finish line," and I pulled ahead of him. I kept about 1/4 mile ahead of him but continued to look over my shoulder. At one point, I could tell he was crying, but he was still running, so I kept going and shouted, "Come on, buddy. You can't let anyone pass you!" At which point, he picked it up. I also told him that if he was crying and yelling at me, he wasn't running hard enough. I'm such a nice mom.

The end of the race went through a tunnel on the bike path, and I knew that would be a good place to stop for him. I also knew from looking at my watch that if I kept going, I would get a PR. That thought flickered so briefly in my mind, but it wasn't even an option because getting Luke across the finish line meant more--so much more. I stopped and said, "Come on, come, you're going to cross the finish line ahead of me!" He caught up to me, still crying and yelling at me that he couldn't, but I reminded him that he could and he was. I pushed ahead and he kept even with me, then we got out of the tunnel, and there the finish line was. I dropped back a step so he could cross ahead of me, and then we were done. And the tears really started in earnest because he said his stomach hurt, but they dried up pretty soon when the two adults behind us came up to him and asked what his name was, then told him how he got them through the end because they were focused on him. The one man even brought his daughter over, probably about 12 years old, and asked her to tell Luke what hurts when she runs. She told him his chest, and I said, See? We all have something that hurts when we finish. We went over to the food and water table, where I knew all the workers and they all congratulated him. Some cold water perked him up and then he was all smiles and so proud of himself.

Because it was a charity 5k, the timing was donated so our results haven't yet been posted, and I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't stop my watch (THE HORROR), but Luke thinks he crossed at around 27:27. I know it was somewhere in the 27-minute range, which is quite frankly, so incredible to me for an 8 year old who doesn't really run. When it came time for awards, I knew he had finished in front of the other boys in his age group (yes, I definitely scoped out the competition!), so I was pretty sure he had the first place in his age group. They did females first, and I was surprised that I got 2nd in my age group because it was a ten year split. I won a hat, a $10 g/c to Fleet Feet and a key chain bottle opener (SCORE). Then they got to the males and after overall male winner, Luke's age group was first, and he won! The smile on his face was hard to beat. The man behind us who crossed just after Luke started cheering his name, as did my friends who were working the event, so it was pretty cool to listen to him have his own cheering squad.


(Tommy was jealous because no one was congratulating him for doing a fine job spectating.)

I have a feeling that if he continues running, I'll be seeing more and more of the back of his head, but it is right now so cool to share this common interest, to be able to cross a finish line together. It's something I never imagined when I held this little guy in my arms, but seeing him do this is the coolest thing ever. Mostly what impresses me is how he pushes through the mental part of it, which is honestly the toughest part of running for me. He wanted to stop. He was hurting. He was yelling that he couldn't do it, but aside from five steps walking, he ran the whole thing. I can't wait to see where this takes him.

Fireworks 5k

This is and always will be my favorite race. One, it's a half-mile from my house, meaning we can walk there. Two, it's a small race, usually capping out at about 200 participants. Three, it's laid back, like most small races. There is no technical starting line, just a starting area. You run when the firework explodes. I also love it because like I said, it's so close to my house--meaning I run those roads several times a week and could run this course with my eyes closed. I know there's a big hill at the halfway point, and I know that when the road starts to slope upward at the end that I'm almost done.
They've been doing this race for four years and I've managed to run every single year, which is pretty cool. In fact, it was the first race I ever ran, so obviously it holds a special place in my heart. While I run it, Shane usually takes the boys to playground. He also usually manages to miss me at the finish line, but this year, he swore he would get there on time.

This year was extra special because Luke wanted to run the 5k. I was a little nervous about it because although we've run 3 miles together before, we hadn't been doing it on a regular basis. Also, he was insistent that I not run with him, so I could just picture him taking a wrong turn or something crazy because I didn't know where he would be at in the crowd. In fact, I wrote his name and my cell number on his bib in permanent marker just in case. We did run the course together before the race, so I made sure that he knew the course. I also had a friend who I knew would be further back in the pack and she was going to watch out for him, too. Still, I was nervous because, you know. I'm a mom.

Luke started out the race running next to me for about 1/4 of a mile. I kept telling him he needed to fall back, otherwise he was going to crash and burn. I asked him again if he wanted me to run with him and he said, "Nope!" then fell back behind me. I was still super nervous, but tried to focus on my run. I haven't run with a watch for months and wasn't wearing one during the race, so I just tried to find a good 5k pace and settle in. I hit mile marker one at 8:50, according to the woman with a stopwatch. I still felt good, so I tried to keep my pace even. At the halfway point, there's a hill that you go up, loop around and go back down. As I was coming down the hill, I spied Luke coming up the hill. He had a super determined look on his face but managed a smile at me as I clapped and cheered for him. I couldn't believe he was that close to me and didn't know if he would be able to maintain, but seeing him relaxed me enough that I was able to just focus on finishing the run. At the two mile mark, the woman with the stop watch shouted out 17:30. I've been trying to break 28 in a 5k for awhile (and I use trying loosely here, in that it's just a goal… I haven't been doing any speed work or focused training), so I knew that if I maintained, I would most likely be able to make it.
The only thing I dislike about this race is that they don't close down the streets. I understand why because the parade starts at the same place as the 5k, so they can't exactly deny people from getting to the start of the parade--especially those in the parade who need to line up. That said, the police are very good about making sure traffic is stopped for runners; however, the exhaust fumes from the idling cars are pretty brutal. At about 2.5 miles, there's a gradual uphill that you don't notice in a car, but you definitely notice it while running. I was behind a little boy about Luke's age who was crying to his dad that he wanted to walk, but dad kept telling him that the finish line was near. I turned my head and said, "Good job, buddy! You're so close!" and got a small smile out of him. At the final push, he blew past me like I was standing still. Kids!

When I got to the final turn into the parking lot towards the finish line, I saw that the clock said 27:0x and relaxed because I knew there was NO WAY it was going to take me 50 seconds to cross the finish line. My official finish time was 27:15, which is a 5k PR for me. I ran the turkey trot two years ago at under 27, but the course was way long so my time was not at all reflected on the official time (yes, I'm still frustrated about this). My time two years ago was after coming off a rigorous half-marathon training schedule and running myself into an injury, so knowing that I can hit my goal with no speed work or training, aside from making myself get up and run five miles every morning before summer school? That is a good feeling.
And yes, Shane made it to the finish line this year. It was a good feeling to see him clapping and cheering at the end. After finishing, I grabbed a bottle of water and stood next to Shane and Tommy to catch my breath for a minute, then I headed back to find Luke. I'd just started down the sidewalk when I saw him coming and truly, I wish I'd taken my phone to capture this. He didn't see me because his face was sheer determination, arms and legs pumping. I hopped in next to him and said, "You're almost done, just around the corner!" and he kicked it in so strong that I couldn't catch him--legitimately could not catch him.

He crossed the finish line at 30:37 and hands down, I am more proud/excited about his time than mine. He was so close to a sub-30, he did way better than I expected and on so little training. He finished 5th in his age group. Aside from the boy who finished just in front of me, the other kids who beat him were 9 and 10.

After the race, he told me that he couldn't feel his legs and that halfway through, he wanted to stop and walk, but his legs just wouldn't stop moving. He's already asked me when we could run another 5k, so I registered us for Run Dirty. I think he will love a trail race!

Not to be outdone, Tommy ran the sparkler sprint for the first time. Little kids are funny because they all just fall in a perfect line and don't pass, but I loved watching him run and he loved getting a box of sparklers and a ribbon at the end.

All told, it was a perfect way to kick off our 4th of July. I am hoping next year, Shane will also run!

Crownfest 5k

When I saw this one advertised, I knew I would sign up because I was going to the fest afterward. So why not? I also knew it would be a challenging course, despite being a 5k. The fairgrounds and the area surrounding the fairgrounds is hilly, so a month out, I started doing weekly hill repeats. I've been kind of lax about hills lately because I find them annoying.

The day of the race was perfect. 50 degrees, some wind, a little overcast---you couldn't ask for better running weather. And the best part? Barb was also running, which meant I had someone to chat with before the race. Shane was there, also, but it's funny to have a running buddy, too. The second best part is that instead of a t-shirt, you got a pint glass. I will use this much more than t-shirt. The race was small, only 110 people. When it comes to 5ks, I really prefer small, local 5ks. In a half marathon, if it's big, eventually you start to spread out. In a big 5k, you never spread out from the crowds of people and end up hopping around until the very end.

It was also very casual. We grouped up at the starting line, the director said, "On your marks, get set, go!" and we were off. I started out at the back of the crowd, but dodged my way to the back of the front pack pretty quickly. I wondered if this was a mistake, but I felt good, so why not? The cool thing about the course is that even though I'd just seen the course map that day, I knew exactly where it went because it was an out and back in Barb's neighborhood (past her house, actually). I liked this because I could visualize the course in my mind the entire time. Now, when Barb and I looked at the course map, it became quickly apparent that the course was going to take us on a gravel trail by her house. I've run this trail before--several times--but obviously never during a race. Gravel makes me nervous because I'm afraid I'm going to turn an ankle, so between the gravel and the hills, I could just see myself strolling across the finish line in last place.

Once I settled into my pace, I felt pretty good, although my legs were starting to protest early on in the race. Possibly at the upcoming hills. There was a short hill out of the fairgrounds, then it was across the street and into the subdivision. Now, we got to go down a really big hill, one that I sometimes do repeats on, but I knew we had to go back up it at the end, so I wasn't too excited. After going down that hill, there was a minor uphill, then we were on to the gravel path. I thought I would need to slow for the gravel, but it was pretty well packed down from all the rain we've had. I eyeballed the guy who was about 100 yards in front me and kept the same distance between us the whole time. Because of all the rain, one part of the path had water moving across it. The tall guy in front of me leapt it pretty well, but I splashed right through. It was cold. A benefit of knowing the course is that I knew that after the 1/4 mile on the gravel path, I would have to go uphill. I mentally prepared myself, but it was straight uphill on gravel and I was not feeling it, so I walked halfway up. At this point, I was at the back of the front pack where I would stay the whole time, and except for one girl pretty far back, I couldn't see any other runners. I felt like I was pretty safe to walk.
After this, I saw Barb's husband and son in her front yard. I shouted that the hill sucked, but it was really nice to see friendly faces halfway through the course. After this, we looped around and went uphill a little, then thankfully down a big, brutal hill.

When I got down a hill, I couldn't believe that we were about to loop back toward the fairgrounds. I still felt pretty good, no side stitch or anything, and it didn't seem like I was about to hit the two mile mark. Or what I assumed was the two mile mark because I didn't see any course markers out there there anywhere. After this, it was time to go back up the big hill. I made it about halfway up, then my legs started to cramp. Once again, there was no one behind me, so I figured, why not conserve my energy for the end? Although I walked part of the two hills, I started running as soon as I got to the top. After that, it was quickly back into the fairgrounds for a loop around the pond and back to the finish line. I didn't push while I was running around, but when the finish line was in sight, I could tell there was a low 28 on the screen and I wanted to end before 29. I reached down deep and pushed myself to crank forward as hard as I could. Some guy standing about 200 yards in front of the finish line shouted, "Good push!! Looking good!" which pushed me to move more. I ended up crossing at 28:32 and was the 10th female overall. Most people finished in under 40, so I feel pretty good about my place and definitely felt that if it was a flat 5k without gravel, I probably could've shaved off those 32 seconds. But for not doing any speed work and not monitoring my pace in… months? I'm thrilled with how I did. It is amazing to me how well watchless running works. I ditched my watch months ago because my feet were in a bad spot, but I'm not eager to go back to it. Last summer's 5k without a watch for two months before earned me an AG award. Last fall's half marathon without a watch earned me a 7 minute PR. I just do better without the technology weighing on my wrist. I feel better. I'm running. I don't know how fast or slow I'm running, I just know that I'm getting from point A to point B and I'm leaving all the pace obsession behind and that seems to work.

After finishing, Shane and I hung by the finish line and walked down a bit to wait for Barb to come in. I had Shane ready to get a picture of her crossing the finish line, too. The best part is that as I walked down to cheer her on, the same guy who cheered for me said, "Go Barb! Which one is Barb?" and started cheering and clapping for her, too. I love nice spectators.

Would I do this race next year? YES!! It was so much fun. Small, good crowd at the end, well organized, great swag, and a course that really made me push myself. I loved all of it.

2 best friends | 679 miles | one virtual 5k [week 5]

This week was the best because it was spring break and I ran every single run in the SUNSHINE. Not in warm sunshine, mind you, but in the sunshine. It was amazing and thinking about going back to dark laps around my block makes me want to cry. Maybe one of these days it'll get warmer.

The high point of my week was probably running 7 miles. I haven't run that far since November, so I was a little worried. Somehow it seemed way further than 6 miles! I headed out early because I was meeting Luke at his school for lunch that day and the thought of running 7 miles after eating a school lunch was definitely not appealing. I set a steady, slow pace and tried to ignore my watch, focusing just on getting to 7 miles. At mile 3, I was running up a pretty steep hill that is usually the bane of my existence when a guy standing on his porch starting cheering and said, "Wow, girl! You're looking great. Keep up the good work!" I kept that one with me at mile 5 when everything started to hurt, my pace slowed, and I so badly wanted to stop. I didn't. I just kept replaying his words and thinking, "I do look great. I can finish this." And I did, managing to keep a sub-10 pace (just barely).

The low point of my week was probably the easy 3 miles on Friday. I'd already run 17 miles that week and my feet and legs were pretty shot, but mostly I'm frustrated because my pace on my long runs and short runs are exactly the same. I know my speed will return, but I would like it to return a little bit now. I did manage to start out my first mile a little faster than I have been doing morning runs, but I'm mostly just managing a steady pace for 3 miles, instead of pushing myself progressively faster each mile. Not for lack of trying, either! I know the speed will return and I am super excited that my endurance is returning, but injuries are dumb. I just want to say that. Injuries are DUMB.

Excuses, excuses... I hear a lot of them. Like how every time my students have a big paper due, printers always break or computers crash. It's amazing how that happens. But I digress. Keli and I also hear a lot of running excuses. When I share what I've run, it's never because I feel like other people have to run, too. It's because I like the encouragement--it helps keep me going when I've had a rough run or a long week. But what happens a lot is that the response I get is people telling me why they can't run. And hey, we all have our reasons for why we can't do things, but let's be real here: we're all busy people.

Heck, before I even get out of bed in the morning, I run through a multitude of excuses in my head:
1. It's early. My alarm goes off at 4:30. I'm tired. I don't WANT to get up at 4:30 and run. I want to sleep for another hour. Why do I willingly do this to myself? What sort of sadist am I? But then I remember that Keli is probably waiting at the other end of a text message and yeah, I'd better get up. Plus, I'll feel better if I run. I always do.
2. My feet are most likely going to be a little sore when I get out of bed. They still aren't fully healed. Sometimes they twinge a little. At the end of a work day, they ACHE. That's part of why I run in the morning. Still, I remind myself that a little sore is manageable and when they really hurt and I couldn't run, that was miserable. Or when I was trying to run and they were horribly injured, it was just about the worst. So I'm thankful now that they are just a little sore and that's all.
3. I'm busy. Well, yeah. I have two kids and I work full-time. I have to be at work by 7:20. I get there earlier because 7:20 is when the kids arrive and anyone who teaches know that it's a recipe for disaster to arrive at the same time as the students. Still, running is important to me, so I make time.

Maybe it isn't important to you AND THAT'S OKAY. You don't have to justify it to me, but don't assume you can't do XYZ because you can't find time. You can. Whether it's running or yoga or Wii Fit or a workout video, there is a way. You just have to find it. A really great site to get inspired is Another Mother Runner because there are a lot of busy moms on there finding time for themselves and honestly, at the end of the day, this is what it's really about for me. When I run, it's for me. I'm setting a good example for my kids and even for my students, but when I run those laps around the block... that time is for me and that's why I can sacrifice my morning sleep and warm bed. Think about all the things you do in a given day that could be cut out and find the block that can be turned into a workout. It's there. I promise. (Or sit on the couch and eat nachos, but OWN that.)

2 best friends | 679 miles | one virtual 5k [week 4]

Week 4 was good to me because I actually completed every single run. I know! I'm as amazed as anyone, believe me. I did have to run four days in a row, thanks to snow and ice last Monday morning (I am so, so sick of this never-ending winter) but my feet held up much better than I thought. I was definitely ready to rest by the weekend, though.

The high of my week was the 6 mile long run on Friday. I didn't have huge expectations for this, because I haven't gone this far since November. Plus, this was day four of running and my calves were starting to feel it. So when I headed out, I told myself that I wouldn't look at my watch until the end of my run and would just enjoy running in the sunshine since I was off work. I did just that and although the last two miles were pretty rough, as there were four hills in the last mile and I was pretty much DONE, I was pleasantly surprised when my watch read 58:04 after it beeped in six miles. My 10k PR was 58 minutes and some change during my last half marathon and before I realized that I was injured, my plan was to get an official sub-60 10k PR. Being able to maintain that pace without having run 6 miles in so long gives me confidence that with a little more training or even just some race day adrenaline, I can still try for that 10k PR again soon.

The low has just been running in the dark. It's been a huge struggle. It's not so much the dark as it is the cold, actually. Winter doesn't want to let go and it's so exhausting to face cold and wind every single morning. I'm tired, my legs aren't moving very quickly and I just don't want to wear gloves and a headband anymore. I'm thankful that this week is spring break, so I have a slight reprieve from getting up at 4:30 (but not from running in the cold).

In things that are only exciting to runners, Keli got new shoes, causing us to have a discussion about the difference in drop between her old shoes and her new shoes. I currently run in Altra Intuitions, which are zero drop shoes. I chose them more for the shape of the toe box to help me get over my foot injury than for the zero drop, but I've discovered that I do actually enjoy the zero drop. My calves were a bit more sore at first, but once they adjusted, they weren't anymore sore than normal. I feel like it has improved my gait because I can feel my feet strike the ground a bit better than with old shoes. Don't get me wrong--I'm not saying that you should switch to zero drop shoes. I'd still be running in Brooks Adrenaline with a 12mm drop. That said, these shoes have been amazing for me and I would recommend checking them out if you're thinking of switching or if you've been dealing with any foot problems. They've been amazing for mine.

And like I said last week, COULD WINTER JUST PLEASE GO AWAY?

2 Best Friends | 679 Miles | One Virtual 5k [week 3]

Week 3. Week 3 was a doozy. Or a wash. Or a complete and utter disaster. Whatever you'd like to call it. If you missed it last week, Keli and I were profiled on Another Mother Runner, which was the highlight of our life because Dimity and SBS are such huge inspirations. But as we both talked about in our posts last week, ever since we were contacted about the profile, everything has gone catastrophically wrong. I've held it together pretty well--until week 3.

My high point was also my low point (and was also my only run of the week, GAH). Week 3 had a fun workout scheduled for Monday and I'm not going to lie. When I see things like this, I think, "I work on my feet all day... CHECK" and move on. I'm awful. I will do something over the summer, but during the school year, I am lazy. On Tuesday, I decided to get the speed work out of the way. It called for a mile warm-up, 6x400s, and a mile cool-down. Okay, I would prefer to do these on a track, but in my neighborhood in the dark would have to work. Unfortunately, the weather has yet to acknowledge that it's spring and it was 5 degrees with wind gusts of 25mph. In short, it was absolutely miserable. Because I run these on the flattest stretch in my neighborhood, back and forth, I did half of them directly into the wind. By the last 400 (into the wind, naturally), I was running at what would've been a pre-injury mile for me. I finished the cool-down mile with my face stinging from the cold and stood under the hot shower for as long as I could without being late for work. It was miserable.

In the midst of this, the stomach flu was circulating through my house. My husband was sick Monday and I was doing my hopeful thoughts of, "I am going to miss this one, yes I AM." I was at work for an hour before my stomach started rumbling and I felt chilled. Well, of course I felt chilled. It was really cold when I was running. And maybe my stomach was just disturbed from running that morning. It became apparent that I was lying to myself after awhile, though I did manage to make it through the day of work. I got home as quickly as I could and was about to crawl into bed when the sitter called and said that my youngest had thrown up. I went to get him, wondering why I didn't get to be sick alone. We came back home and passed out together. Now, confusingly enough, my feet felt fine when I got into bed, but after two hours of sleeping, my feet cramped up and by the next day, my plantar fasciitis had flared up and my sesamoids were sore. I have no idea how the stomach flu caused my feet to start to hurt again, but somehow, these things happen to me. My friend Sarah, who is super smart and an amazing runner, suggested that it was probably dehydration and my mom thought that maybe the virus ache settled in the most recently injured part of my body. I think my feet are just jerks. At any rate, between my feet and dehydration from the stomach flu, I didn't manage to get another run in last week and that's pitiful. I thought I'd get back on track today, but I woke up to this.

You can't tell, but there's a layer of ice on the street. Come ON.

What we had in common last week was how tough it was, although Keli managed to get out and get some amazing runs in this weekend, but we were also talking about some things that we do differently. Typically, it's much colder for me in the mornings than it is for Keli, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she's running in 70s in the morning. I like to imagine that she is because lately, I've felt like I live in the frozen tundra.
That said, we've found that even though it's colder for me, I run with less layers than she does. Unless it's really, really cold (single digits or below zero), I wear a long-sleeved tech tee and Danskin slim sculpt pants. I also wear Mizuno Breath Thermo Run Glove but my hands usually get so warm that I take them off and toss them in my driveway by the end of the first lap. I also wear the Mizuno Breath Thermo Headband . I do keep that on through the whole run and it is excellent for keep my head warm without being too hot. Otherwise, I don't wear anything else. I can't stand to have a ton of things on me, so I won't wear hats or extra layers. I do have a pair of Mizuno Running Women's Breath Thermo Layered Tight but they're pretty heavy, so I only wear them if it's really cold. The Danskin pants that I wear are thin and don't add any extra warmth. Obviously I'm not a layering person and prefer to start out my runs a little cold instead of overheating! The Mizuno line is great for winter running because it turns sweat into heat. I have no idea how it works, but it does.

Now, let's hope that winter actually goes away now, because honestly, I'd like to put the gloves and headband away!

2 best friends | 679 miles | one virtual 5k [week one]

So week one is actually week two for me because as I said in last week's post, I started this whole thing a week earlier than Keli, not actually planning on following the whole training until I decided to do it virtually with Keli. Funny enough, I figured I'd end up needing to repeat a week somewhere along the line so I'd end up back on track. Well, it turns out that I'll be repeating week two this week, so you know. Let's hope that doesn't happen again. But more on that later!

My running week actually started out really strong and I would count that as the high point of my training last week. I hit some good paces and managed to run progressive runs twice, where each mile was faster than the last. I don't look at my watch in the dark, so I was running these entirely by feel and was just trying to keep my pace up and not fizzle out at the end. The 2x1 tempo run was also pretty strong, as I kept my paces under 9 minute miles--even though a car pulled out of a driveway when I was in the last tenth of a mile of my last tempo mile. That was maddening! Otherwise, I felt great and was doing that thing where I was all, "IN YOUR FACE, INJURY."

As so often happens with this ridiculous injury recovery came the low point. After two days of being on my feet constantly for ISTEPs, my feet were nagging at me. I could tell they didn't feel right, but I was able to run with them mostly feeling okay Thursday morning. However, after a day of teaching on my feet all day Friday, they were pretty much shot. I could feel that my heels were starting the beginnings of plantar fasciitis for the billionth time and when I woke up Saturday morning, stepping down killed my feet. So I stretched and rolled my calves and iced and skipped my Saturday run, which is really not what I wanted to do... but I've learned to baby feet. I would like to stop babying my feet someday soon, but it seems like the slightest disturbance throws them off. I'm starting to feel like they won't fully heal until summer. It's never running that bothers them, always working! After a few days of rest and not working, they feel much better... but I feel like it's a constant teeter totter. I already wear orthotics all day at work and sitting really isn't an option most days, so I'm not really sure what else to do. Knock it off, feet!

I'm sure this week's challenge will be running with the time change. Granted, it always looks like this when I begin AND end my run, so the time change doesn't affect me in terms of light.

But losing that hour of sleep is going to be tough.
A few people have asked me about running the morning. I also frequently get asked about in real life when I mention how I early I run, so I thought I'd cover a few of the things that *always* come up...

Don't you feel unsafe?
No, not really. Or rather, no less safe than any time than I'm running alone. I live in the back of a quiet subdivision, so I do laps around my block. It takes 3.5 laps around my block to get to a mile. There are two hills on my block. They aren't huge hills, but I hate them most mornings. Does this get tedious? A little, but it helps me feel safe because I am never very far from my house. Aside from an occasional neighbor starting a car, I don't see anyone. Truthfully, I've felt less safe running on a wooded bike trail in the middle of the afternoon. The only time I get freaked out is when it's windy and garbage day, because the wind rustles garbage bags creepily. Yesterday morning, I did almost stumble over a possum and that startled me a bit. Mainly because I thought it was a cat, until I saw the disgusting tail. Otherwise, I don't get freaked out by much. Although I will admit that when I line up at the end of someone's driveway to do speedwork, I do always wonder if they're peeking out a window ready to call the police on me for creeping around the neighborhood in the dark.

Okay, but aren't you exhausted by noon?
No more than usual. I get up at 4:30 to run, which is an hour earlier than my usual alarm, so I'm not losing that much sleep. Truthfully, I feel more energized than I do on days when I don't run. Running wakes me up, plus running at the end of a workday is beyond exhausting, so knowing that I get to leave school as soon as I'm done teaching helps keep me going.

Still, I couldn't get up that early!
Are you sure? I didn't think I could, either, and I started doing it during half marathon training because it was too hot in the afternoons to really push myself. The first few times were rough, but after awhile, my body acclimated. Truthfully, I prefer running at 8 or 9 in the morning, but because I work full-time, that isn't an option. So if you're having a hard time fitting a work out into your day, don't discount the morning. You might be surprised. There's a good feeling about knowing that you have your run done before most of the world is even out of bed. Now if I could just get my feet to agree with that...