hey folks.

went running this morning. it was a lovely day, and I was glad I went.

It was also a bit rough, but I added a good hill and still managed about 3 miles in 33 minutes, so I felt okay about it! Danny wrote a pretty important article awhile ago about running hills. Read it here, it’s a great set of focuses/thoughts to get you through the tough ones.

The thing about running is that I can do it now and not feeling like I am dying. Really, when I was running along today, (jogging, really) I realized that I didn’t hurt. I didn’t want to die, I didn’t want to curl up and sit on a bench and not take another step. Even though my poor heart and lungs are feeling a bit creaky, I could still do it, I could still feel good about getting up early to go running, to see the sun rise. My muscles felt fine, and I just tried to take it easy.

Danny has a great video blog on avoiding heel strike when running, which he says is best done by not stepping past your hip. When he first told me about this last fall, I didn’t like it. It didn’t seem natural, but now, as I keep my core engaged, keep my head tall, and take small, baby steps, I can feel what he is talking about.

I focused on keeping my neck long, crown high, arm swing at a true 45 on flats, using an exaggerated arm swing on the uphills, and on some of the hills I ran sideways, as described in the book.

Here’s to never giving up running. I will get out there again soon.

… so while most of Asheville was gearing up for St. Patty’s Day celebration by drinking green-tinted beer, I went for a run with Brynn.

I have one word: Rough.

Don’t ever stop running. I am totally motivated now to not take such a long ‘break’ from running. I could totally feel it today, and even though we only really ran about 3 miles, it was rough. We weren’t particularly slow (given my lack of training) but still, it was uncomfortable.

But, I still felt leagues better and more efficient than I used to when I was a non-enlightened runner.

We ran this route, which I have run before, but we shortened it just a bit. It was probably closer to 3.4 or 3.5 miles, which STILL put us at a good 10 minute pace, but I could just feel it.

At the end of my training for the first 1/2 marathon, I had about a 165-170 HR and fairly low PRE (4 or 5 on a scale of 10) for a similar run. This time, my heart rate peaked at 185 and my PRE was about 6, pushing 7. I even got a little nauseated at the end, which was annoying and alarming.

This route has some pretty minor false flats, but I could feel them, and just used my arms as best I could to keep my momentum going. I concentrated on high ankles to create a midfoot strike. I tried to stay nice and tall, too, which I noticed at the end really helped my lean be more efficient and I had a last minute burst of quickness to finish off the run.

I am gonna get out there again tomorrow, I believe. Apparently Seattle is not the flatest route, and I have great training tools here in Asheville with all of these crazy hills.

There are a bunch of ChiRunners participating with me at the Expo and the race, so please holler if you’re going to be there, too.

Here’s to NEVER STOPPING. Ever. It’s way too hard to start again.

I have been neglecting this blog and I have been neglecting running.

Tsk, tsk.

I won’t even try to come up with excuses, though I want desperately to describe for you everything else that has been occupying my time… I think that those of you hard core runners will have no sympathy.

Also, I won’t have any sympathy for myself either, when I get to race day on June 27th and have the jitterbugs in my belly.

I actually caught myself saying this morning, “Oh, I’ll be okay. It’s only 13 miles. I can just run one long run a week and a few others and I’ll be fine.”

Yep, I actually said that. It’s incredible! And totally unreasonable!

I’ll get out there. Hopefully this weekend, in the rain. It was 65 here yesterday, 70 the day before that, and today, it’s COLD and overcast. Bummer.

But how lovely is it that I can go out and run in the Blue Ridge Mountains any time I like?? That’s pretty awesome.

Over ‘n out.

it’s been rainy and overcast for several days in Asheville. I woke up this morning thinking of Gene Kelly singing ‘Singin’ in the Rain!’ and so, I think it’s an appropriate song to adapt to running. What do you think?

I’m [running] in the rain
Just [running] in the rain
What a glorious feelin’
I’m happy again
I’m laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun’s in my heart
And I’m ready for [running!]
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
Come on with the rain
I’ve a smile on my face
I [run] down the lane
With a happy refrain
Just [runnin'],
[Runnin'] in the rain

I think it’s perfect. My friend Brynn and I headed out in the cloudy gloom yesterday late afternoon, about 4 pm. It was raining, but fairly light and we thought, why not? Anyway, we tried to go to the Blue Ridge Parkway where a trail leads off the road; I took a little hike there a couple of weeks ago, but unfortunately, when we arrived to the Parkway, it was blocked at the first entrance. We decided to just go ahead and run anyway on the road (no cars, right?!) and go until we were ready to turn around.

It was uphill the entire 1st half of the run, curvy and windy up the mountain. We actually did really well, and I felt surprisingly good for how little I have run in the past couple weeks (sigh). I really started easy and kept it that way for the whole run. I didn’t feel to bad, and the sinus business I have been battling for the last 7 days wasn’t too problematic.

I focused on really keeping creepy slow, small legs, small strides and big arms. I was also really trying to just lean into the hill and feel what it was like to let the gravity and the road pull me along.

I really felt good and today I feel good too. I am not sore, not achey, nada. So wonderful! I STILL can’t believe when I ‘just go out for a run’ that I don’t have any soreness or pain during or afterward. It’s a true miracle. I have a friend who was on the triathlon team with me in college, (maybe I’ve written this before) but she is as astonished as I am with how easy running is for me now.

I can’t wait for the warm weather. I think I’ll be out there more than I have been lately. I have to confess that with the lack of running, I notice that my pants which fit very loosely about 6 weeks suddenly fit again. Hmmm… I suppose I need to do a little something about that!

I have been going to the gym, lifting weights, going on the stationary bike, going to yoga class, etcetera. Running just takes the cake for keeping those few annoying pounds off, though.

Danny wrote a really good article about weight loss and how running/eating habits can work together. Click here to read it.

On the downhill part of yesterday’s run, I kept leaning, kept relaxing, tried to play with my pelvic rotation and keeping my feet behind my hips. Danny did a video blog about that recently. Click here to watch it.

Here’s to keeping on your feet, keeping that body moving, and still enjoying food (but maybe in smaller quantities for Liz!)