Desert Running

I've got almost 250 miles under my belt since moving to Yuma. Running in the desert is much different than running in Virginia. The adjustment to the heat, the dry air, and the sun has not been easy. My body has definitely felt the difference and many runs that were supposed to be 'easy' were in fact hard because of the new conditions. A few things I've learned so far include:

1) Cover up. The sun is what makes everything hot. Wearing a T-shirt is better than a tanktop. Wearing a hat is almost a must. And sunglasses make the sun bearable. I don't leave for a run now without a hat and sunglasses.

Mistake! I didn't wear a hat or glasses on this run. I paid for it.

2) Water is my friend. Almost every run I bring water. Unless it is cool, early in the day, or less than 5 miles, I bring water. Yes, it's annoying to carry water but it is necessary. Sometimes it's just a mental help. Knowing I can wet my mouth as it gets dry becomes like a security blanket. I've been using this handheld water bottle made by Nathan because it is less annoying than a hip one. Full review coming soon.

3) Take it easy. When it's hot, I just have to go slower. My body is experiencing more stress and it's not fair to expect it to preform the same when I'm working hard to stay cool. This is hard because I want to be able to run the same as when the conditions are perfect. But training in the heat actually has its benefits. It has the same effect on your body as training at altitude.

"Training in the heat incurs several physiological adaptations, known as heat acclimation. One of the primary adaptations to heat acclimation is an increase in blood plasma volume. Just as altitude stimulates your body to produce more red blood cells, heat stress stimulates your body to produce more blood plasma. A higher plasma volume enhances circulation, which improves the delivery of oxygen to muscles. The result is a greater cardiac output, and higher VO2max at a given effort level, enhancing endurance performance." (source)
 

4) The desert is beautiful. I've seen a roadrunner, a burrowing owl, a snake, and lots of cactus. The desert is a very pretty place and it's worth stopping (in the shade) and enjoying the scenery.

A hummingbird best.

5) Tacos are recovery food! Sketchy street vendors make the best tacos. And around Yuma we have lots of places to choose from. After a run, it's a good idea to grab a cerveza with lime and some carne asade tacos with fresh pico. You can thank me later.

Race Report: St. Patrick's Day 5k

Jen found a local 5k that was put on by Yuma Desert Runners and suggested I run it. We've been in Arizona a week now and a race sounded fun. With all the moving, driving, and bad eating the last few weeks I must admit I wasn't feeling in top PR shape. Even though I PR'd a week ago, I felt much different this week. On top of that my youngest got the stomach bug on Monday. And while I didn't throw up like he did, I definitely felt 'off' and was fighting the same bug. Fortunately I felt normal again Thursday morning. My last race I had the awesome advantage of having my Mom, stepdad, mother and father in law, and kids there to cheer me on! While I didn't have as big of a crowd I did have Jen and the kids there, which was perfect for me.

My only goal for his race was to run sub 20:00. If I was feeling better than I could try for more. I had already run 17 miles in the days before the race so my legs weren't as fresh as they could be. I was just going to have fun. Winning and running fast is fun, but I wasn't taking it too seriously.

Playing in the Colorado River before the race.

Pre-Race: The race started out in Gateway park along the Colorado river. The park had nice amenities and playground. It also had shade. This race was going to be about 50 people, no timing system, and very casual. I looked around to see if anyone else looked like a 'racer' and I only saw a few that looked fast (but looks can be deceiving!).

The registration table. It was a small crowd, but very family friendly and fun.

Mile 1: There were about 4-5 guys that got near the start line with me. When they said "go!" I took off and grabbed an early lead. For the first 400 meters I had 2-3 guys on my tail. By 800 meters it was down to me and one guy drafting me. 6:04

Mile 2: The race was an out-and-back along the river. At the turnaround, which was clearly marked (thank you!), I was about 25 seconds ahead of second place. We high-fived as we passed each other because runners are friendly. Unless I blew up I realized this was my race to win. I tried to push it enough to hold off a late run by Mr. 2nd place. But my mouth and throat were starting to burn.  6:19

Mile 3: At this point my mouth feels like I swallowed a tablespoon of cinnamon. It was dry. Saying it was dry does not communicate how dry it really was. It felt like I just ate a handful of sawdust. I've never experienced dry mouth quite like this. Not even when I wrestled in Jr. High. I tried to ignore the feeling and just press on. Water became my motivation to finish. 6:15

Coming in to the finish line.

Finish: I crossed the line in 19:04 good for first place! I wish I could have seen the time as I approached the finish because I'm pretty sure I could have chopped off 4 seconds to go under 19. My throat was burning with dryness. I grabbed some water and went and cheered in Mr. 2nd place. He finished about a minute behind me and ran a fantastic race by himself the whole way (3rd was probably another minute behind him).

The kids loved picking out which sub to eat.

I know it's blurry, but we were having fun.

After the race they had beer and firehouse subs. They had plenty of food so we just ate dinner there at the park. For my victory I got a gift card to firehouse subs and a t-shirt, not bad for such a small race!

While winning was fun, the highlight for me was seeing Jen and the kids cheer me on the final stretch and playing in the park before the race.

Race Report: Shamrock Shuffle 5k

To put this race in context we ran it during a cross country move. We stopped in Kansas for 5 days during our move from Virginia to Arizona. The upside of this decision is it made me feel better about taking some days off from running. The downside was, well...we were in an unsettled state which isn't exactly ideal for racing. A big bonus of this race is my good friend Brett ran it with us!

Goals: My 'A' goal for this race was to break my previous PR of 19:38. My 'B' goal was to run sub 19 minutes and my 'C' goal was to place in my age division. I felt fairly confident of setting a new PR because the course was a flat out and back and I have put in some good miles and speed work the past few months. I have been feeling faster .

Pre-race: The race HQ was inside a tavern. They had lots of food and indoor bathrooms which was nice (even if it was a bar bathroom). It was a bit chilly, mid 40's, but also sunny and there was no wind. There was maybe a few hundred runners total. The course runs along the Kansas river on the levee which is covered in fine gravel. It's actually a pretty good running surface. When they announced one minute to go I toed up on the starting line. I didn't notice anyone else besides me Jen and Brett who looked like they really wanted to race.

Mile 1: I took off! I was hoping to hold about a 5:50/mile pace for the race and I started the first 400 meters at about a 5:40 pace. 5 seconds into the race I was leading and I felt no one around me. This actually stunk. I had no one to help pace and share the pain. 800 meters in and there was still no one around me. I didn't chance a look behind me (can't show weakness!) but I also didn't hear anyone near me.

Mile 2: Now I hear footsteps. Someone is gaining on me fast. I've eased off to a 5:50 pace. Very quickly he comes up on me says "hows it going?", I say "good" and then jets past me. I briefly contemplate latching on to him and trying to hold his pace but I'm about maxed out and he's burning it up at about a 5:30 pace. We are all alone. Racing alone is hard. Mr. Speedy is about 15 seconds ahead of me and he approaches a water station or what appears to be the turn around. This water station is a truck parked on the path when a few volunteers with water cups. I see him ask where the turn around is and he actually stops and puts his hands out like "where is it?". Then he turns around right at the water spot and starts his run back. I come up on the same spot and turn around where he did. However, it seemed short. My GPS watch said I still needed to run about 0.08 of a mile more. Oh well.

Mile 3: Mr. Speedy is about 20 seconds ahead. I get the feeling he is putting out enough effort to just keep me comfortably behind him. I have not doubt he could dust me if I tried to make a move. I would love to make a move on him, but I am close to red lining holding a 5:50 pace. Because of the race being an out and back I get to see how close 3rd place is to me. He's probably 45 seconds behind me and I feel confident that I can hold 2nd if I don't blow up. As I start to run past people who haven't turned around yet many people hold out their hands for me to give them a high five and say "good job", "go get him" ect. It was a very friendly and nice gesture. And they all probably think I'm a jerk because I can't high five you while running this fast in the opposite direction. I can't barely keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Finish: Crossed the finish line in an amazing 18:06! My time was good enough for 2nd overall and 1st in my age division. Definitely a new PR by a LOT! My watch says the course was short by 0.15 so I'm a bit confused on my time. One on hand, wow! A huge PR! On the other hand, I feel like the race was short.

GPS watches are not always accurate and they can lose signal when running under trees or overpasses (like the highway we ran under in this race). This can cause them to 'plot' points that are inaccurate. If the satellite doesn't ping at the exact point of the turn around, you can loose considerable distance as well. So was the course short or was my watch off? I don't know. The race isn't new, it's been going on for years so that speaks of them getting it right. But it was also an amateur fest. At the end of the day my time is my time. I feel confident that I can run close to that time again. I guess that means I just have to do more races!

Brett, Me, and Jen after the race.

Hill Training

We were on this beautiful evening run when Ben said, "Do you want to do some hill sprints at the end?"

Does anyone really want to sprint hills?

5.5 miles later, we were sprinting up this hill.

I'm used to hills, but sprinting is new to me.  It's intimidating, but I'm so glad that Ben pushed us to do this training.

 

It made sprinting on flat ground seem way easier and also made regular hills seem not as bad.  I guess we all need someone in our life to say, "Hey, let's sprint up some hills!"

A Runner's Perspective

If you're a runner you've probably had someone give you that 'look'. The look that asks, "why are you running now?", or "isn't it too cold/hot to be outside?" The look asks if their long held suspicion about you is true; you are crazy. If someone has accused you of being crazy because you run, it simply means you are doing it right.

I seem to get that look from people quite often. Mostly it's because I run outside all year. There are actually very few weather conditions that I won't run in. If it's raining and under 50 degrees I won't run outside, and I won't be happy about it. Me and the treadmill are not friends. That's not to say I won't shift my running time or shift my long run day to a day with better conditions, but I won't hesitate to lace up even if it's 'crazy'.

Oh what a difference a day makes in the weather. This is Monday.

And this is me on Tuesday.

So many people today live 'indoor' lives. They go from one climate controlled place to another and never venture into the weather. I think these people miss out on an quintessential experience in life. One of the things I enjoy most about running is being outside. I see nature, I experience it. I feel the wind in my face and the sun on my back. Yes, sometimes nature is cold. Sometimes nature burns my skin and makes me feel dizzy with heat, but I get to face that discomfort and it makes me feel alive. When it's cold and I run, I feel the cold. But the simple pleasure of a hot shower becomes so much more real to me. When it's hot, I definitely experience the miserable feeling of being toasted by the sun, but a glass of cold water becomes so much more satisfying. The highs inherently come with the lows. And the lows bring the highs into vivid contrast.

I don't mind if people call me crazy and give me that 'look' and ask if I'm "really going running now?". When they do I'll just smile and say "yeah, I'm going out now and I guess I am a bit crazy". But I'll take being crazy any day because with it comes a cornucopia of experience that makes life so much more interesting.

The debate is open

 Who's workout was harder today?

Ben ran 10 miles in the snow.

Packers come in 9 days and there is no way I am chancing sickness or injury, so I stayed inside.  Plus, I don't have the proper snow running shoes and the roads were a little dicey so I didn't venture out to the Y.  While Ben was on the road and the kids were having "quiet time", I turned on my favorite HIIT workout.  Why is that kids are drawn to you the second you want to be alone?  My workout was quickly surrounded by little boys pretending to play Super Mario and all the couch cushions turned into tunnels and ladders.

Then there was the "Hey Momma!  Look at this very dangerous thing I can do!"

 

And when Mario defeated the castle, Colin decided to join me in exercising.

"What? climbing on your back doesn't help your leg lifts?  That crazy." 

 

I even had to pause my workout to help Eli find a Lego!  Home workouts are usually a fail for me, but it's time to get creative as we enter into "transition period" of our life.

Let's recap.

Ben's workout: quiet and what he planned, but cold

My workout: loud and interrupted, but full of cuteness

Moving, 5k, and Training

Life's been busy for us. We are moving across the country in two weeks and I'm training my replacement at work, working on moving details like setting up utilities, and purging our attic by making runs to the county dump. So how do you workout when moving 2,500 miles with three kids? We don't know! We may not get a chance to do much while on the road. Our tentative plan is to alternate running (one watch the kids while the other goes out) and use the exercise room at our hotels at night. I made sure to book hotels that have an indoor pool so the kids will get to burn some energy each day. We will survive just fine even if I can't run the miles I want or eat as healthy as I'd like. Although it may feel like it, it's not the end of the world if I have to go two weeks without doing much.

To keep things interesting me and Jen signed up for the Shamrock Shuffle, a 5k in Kansas on March 5th! We'll be in Kansas for a few days seeing family and resting up before making the second leg of our cross country move. Are we crazy to run a race midway through a cross country move? Maybe! But it just sounded fun.


The race is a small local race (>500 people) and it's a flat out-and-back. It should make for a good course to set a PR. I'm actually excited to run this race. I feel like my fitness is at a very high level and, Lord willing, I can run my best 5k ever.

For training I've been doing two new things. First, I'm doing one long run a week. This run is at an easy pace and is about 10 miles long. The purpose of this run is to simply build my aerobic capacity. Second, I'm doing speed work. This has taken many forms. Most recently I did a 2 mile warm up, 6 x 400 with a 60 second recovery, and a 2 mile cool down. The purpose of this is to get my body used to a fast pace and to develop my fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Over the past few months I've also increased my weekly base to 37 miles per week. Over the past 8 weeks I've run, 32, 31, 33, 27 (8k race week), 33, 34, 37, and 37 miles per week. I have really noticed a difference in my speed and ability by running more miles per week and doing some speed work. Last Monday I ran 10 miles at 7:29/mile. This was comfortable for me and I felt like I could have kept going for another 3 or even gone much faster if it had been a race. In November this pace would have been my goal HM pace. Now, due to logging more miles, it was just a good ordinary run. It's been encouraging to see the work pay off. I've always read that if you want to run faster just log more miles. I'm here to say, it's true!

Lastly, I bought a pair of racing flats. Apparently, if you're looking to set a PR this is what you want to wear for a short distance race. Racing flats are ultra lightweight shoes designed to make you go fast. They are not meant for your weekly mileage. They don't have the cushion for that. I got the Mizuno Wave Ekiden 9. They were less than $40! The are extremely light. Wearing kind feels like taking a weight vest off my feet.

I did my last speed workout day with these on. I logged a total of 6 miles which was probably 3 too many. My calves were sore for a few days and my arch was a bit tender on my left foot. I'm hoping this soreness goes away soon. I definitely felt faster with them on. I think they will help with a 5k but I won't wear them unless it's a race, not enough support for my size 12 feet. So far, I'd say they are a good investment.

This is my "why did I wear shorts?" face

This week the weather turned cold, like really cold. For some reason I brought shorts to run in this past Wednesday during my lunch break. It was 28 degrees with 15 mph wind. Mistake. Oh well, live and learn. I'm not letting the cold bother me though because in two weeks we will be living in permanent summer in the sunny Arizona desert.