The “Why” Behind The Humidity

Following the Peachtree Road Race, I had Friday off so I decided after finishing some errands that I would go for an afternoon run. Running at any time other than the morning is rare for me so it kind of felt like a little adventure. I didn’t feel fatigued from the race so I was looking forward to stretching my legs and getting out on the road.

The contrast of traveling via van, train and foot for almost 2 hours to get to a starting line to run 6.2 miles and walking out my front door to run 4 miles was glaring. There have been a few times where a group of us would travel to a race together and we’d joke that we could have just stayed home, run 6.2 miles from the coffee shop and been done with it.

I did my 4 mile route around Avondale and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Since it has rained so much, all the lawns, trees and gardens are vibrant and it’s a real pleasure to run through the neighborhood. As it was early afternoon, it was warm and humid but I kept a steady pace and hit all the hills.

Lots of green and blooms around the neighborhood

It felt great to be on an “easy run” where I just ran for the fun of it. Nice steady downhill to the picturesque lake, circle around and then a nice long hill leading away. Another downhill to the park and then the challenging “hill of woe” to really get the lungs working. Nice long flat segment to catch my breath and then back to the house.

Lake Avondale

I read an interesting article in the new Runner’s World that talks about the effects that humidity has on runners. Since I have been a bit frustrated lately with my endurance and pace, I found the article extremely informative and it also gave me a sense of relief.

In a nutshell, the article explained that humidity affects runners by decreasing the amount of perspiration that evaporates from our bodies. This makes it more difficult for our bodies to cool and even affects our blood flow since it is diverted to areas of the body that need the blood to help compensate for the increased temperature. This means that other areas, such as the digestive system as an example, don’t receive as much blood and can cause stomach issues. It also pointed out that the larger you are, the worse it is because your body has to compensate even more. So at 6’1″ and 235lbs, it became clear to me why I have been struggling as of late.

Interestingly, the article didn’t mention anything about breathing as I always assumed that it was the humidity that made breathing more difficult. But it looks like the breathing issue comes from your body working harder to compensate for not cooling properly. Fortunately, your body does acclimate to the humidity somewhat so there is that silver lining.

In fact, today at boot camp, I had one of those awesome mornings where everything felt great and I was really able to push hard during the workout. And while it was warm and humid, it didn’t feel like much of a factor. The workout involved using medicine balls (or as we call them…Slam Balls) at 3 of the 5 workout stations.

Jason was the lead and he used me to give examples of the various exercises since I had created the workout and we had only performed it once before. I really enjoy using the medicine balls and particularly the slam ball exercise where you rise up on your toes, hold the ball above your head and use your whole body to slam the ball down. I tell people to think “Hulk Smash!” or just something that really makes them angry so they can take out their frustrations.

I bet The Hulk could really put on a show with a medicine ball!

We did three rounds of exercise at each station and had a good 30-minute workout. Some of the other exercises performed were inclined push-ups, 6″ leg lifts, kayak twist and trunk twists with medicine balls, alternate push-ups with one ball passed back and forth from hand to hand and many others. We finished up with some sprints and them a mountain climber pyramid which can fatigue the legs in a hurry.

So I am hoping this morning was a good sign and I am finally acclimatizing to the humidity. But then again, even if I’m not there yet, I won’t beat myself up about it because at least I know “The Why Behind the Humidity!”

Running the Peachtree

On Thursday, July 4th, it was time for an Atlanta tradition: The Peachtree Road Race!

The day before, the forecast said we were supposed to have rain and lots of it. The hourly forecast reported there would be a 100% chance of rain when the race began, which doesn’t really leave much of a chance of it not raining.

I woke up at 5:15am to start getting ready. I set everything out the night before per my OCD but I still like to wakeup with plenty of time to spare. I was meeting Paige and Eric at the Decatur MARTA station around 6:15 so we could head to Buckhead and the starting line. Eric and Paige were in the “E” wave which would start at 7:50 and I was in the “G” wave with an 8:00 start time.

Eric, Paige and I about to head to the race!

I parked at work and walked to the MARTA station in a very light rain. We found each other and minutes later we were on the train with lots of other runners. We had to stand but it wasn’t to crowded, which was a relief. That didn’t last long.

After a couple of stops the train was filled to the brim and rather unpleasant. It became very warm and the stench of many unbathed runners filled the rail car. I was perspriring profusely and began to wonder if the one bottle of water I brought would be enough to keep me hydrated before the race even began.

We exited at Five Points station to transition to the north line and head to the Buckhead station. Unfortunately, it was just as crowded if not more so, and my mind went to its happy place until we could get out. Once we pulled up to the Buckhead station and were released from the car, it was wonderful to step out into the cool morning air and light drizzle.

All runners had to exit the station on the same side for security reasons so it was a crawl to get to the street. By the time we made it to street level, it had stopped raining. It was also 7:30 which meant the elite men were about to begin! Within seconds, the elite’s came flying by and ran right by us. I recognized Ryan Hall right away and turned to Paige and Eric and said “Hey! That was Ryan Hall! I just finished reading his book!”

The elites were by us quickly and we continued to our starting corrals. At one point we had to part ways as the “E” folk went one way and the “G” folk another.

Ol' Glory

I found the “G’s” and stood at the back absorbing the atmosphere. It was overcast and humid but not too hot. Everyone was energized and ready to run. We could see the large American flag that flies over the starting line in the distance and hear the announcer releasing each wave every 5 minutes. With each wave we moved up and in 15 minutes, we were at the starting line.

At 8:00am the “G” wave was off! I decided to not pay attention to my pace and just run at a clip that felt comfortable. The first couple of miles are flat or downhill so it’s a great beginning, especially for runners who take a while to warm up and get into the groove. There weren’t as many spectators as usual at the beginning of the route but as we moved down Peachtree St., more and more folks lined the street.

The Peachtree is an interesting race not only because of the entertaining side-show along the route but also because there is such a mix of participants. Some of the folks who do the Peachtree run races regularly and others do the race for the event itself. This means you have racers who are trying to run efficiently, following a pace in a straight line and then you have people who will suddenly run straight across the course to say hi to a spectator they know or folks who just stop in front of you to search for a song on their smart phone. It can be frustrating but you have to go into it knowing it’s going to happen and just try to enjoy.

After coasting for the first 2.5 miles, the course has its first hill called “Cardiac Hill”. While the name sounds intimidating, it comes from the fact that Piedmont Hospital is at the top. Not to say it’s not a challenging hill but it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds.

The hardest part of the course for me is mile 4 and 5 because it feels like it takes forever to get through this section. There is another good-sized hill and other smaller ones so it’s more challenging but it just feels like it never ends. Part of it may be that we are running on the same road for almost the entire route. When you finally make it to 10th street and take a left, you know it is almost over but then you are met with a mental challenge.

There is a large scaffold setup over the course with photographers taking pictures and the structure looks like the finish line. You run under it and realize you still have a little longer to go but it’s a slight uphill so you don’t immediately see the actual finish line. Even though you know this is coming, it can still mess with your mind a little bit.

When you finally cross the finish line and enter the park, it’s all worth while as you get your water and then your bag with the finishers shirt, the design being one of the best guarded secrets in Atlanta.

The Happy Finishers!

I met up with Paige and Eric at the “E” balloon and we celebrated our awesomeness. Paige had a PR of 55 minutes while Eric had a PR of 56 minutes! It was so cool to celebrate their PR’s with them! I had a 1:02 which I was happy with though it was several minutes off my best 10k time. Given my recent challenges when running with humidity, I was content to run comfortably and finish strong.

In the end, running the Peachtree is worth it because there is such a great energy and joy. You have 60,000 people running the race and all the spectators lining the course and cheering everyone on. You can’t beat it as a fantastic way to begin the celebration of Independence Day and the celebration of America!

when you finish up in Piedmont Park with all the other runners, there is such a great energy and joy.

Hiking, Burpees and a Strong Morning

Sunday was a planned rest day and though Saturday’s 6-mile run was quite a challenge, I didn’t really feel any wear and tear so Angela and I decided to hike up Stone Mountain.

For those who have never experienced it, Stone Mountain is a huge (understatement) rock just east of Decatur. It’s a great place to go to be active as there is hiking/running trails with interesting terrain, a trail all the way to the top and a 5 mile loop around the mountain.

Angela and I ready to hike Stone Mountain!

We arrived around noon and took a nice steady pace up the mountain. Angela had ordered some hiking poles and we wanted to try them out. Neither one of us wanted to take 2 pole’s so we each took 1. While I could see these definitely being helpful on a long hike with rough terrain, I didn’t really use mine so I gave it to Angela so she could experience using them both.

The trail to the top of Stone Mountain

Hiking Stone Mountain is different in that you are walking on solid granite the entire time and in some spots, fields of boulders take over the landscape so you have to choose your path over and around. It’s about a mile up and the higher you go, the steeper it is. Once you get above the tree line, you can see downtown Atlanta and on this day, rain clouds were coming in so the view was particularly stunning.

Above the tree line, storm clouds in the distance.

Once we realized it was going to rain, we headed down since walking on wet granite is no fun at all. It gets extremely slick and is like walking on ice. As we neared the bottom, it began to drizzle and I was glad I had on my trail shoes as they work fairly well on slick surfaces. Angela had one fall but was OK and we eventually made it down. Hiking Stone Mountain is definitely a great workout!

On Monday, we had a make-up day at boot camp from June and performed a workout that David created called “Run and Burp”. This is a new workout and the first time we were going to try it, we had thunder and lightning and had to postpone. The “Run” part of the title was self-explanatory but the “Burp” part had nothing to do with gastro problems, instead referring to “Burpees”!

The workout was simple in design: Do 20 burpees then run a lap and repeat 5 times. We began our burpees and the first 20 weren’t to bad as we ran our first lap. You get a little winded during the run so it makes starting the burpees again a little tough. The burpees make you breath even harder so you spend your run trying to calm your breathing, which doesn’t work to well since you are running. So each round you get a little more out of breath and your legs get a little more tired so by the last round you can’t really talk and just make hand gestures to people.

Once we finished the workout, we started a finishing routine where we did 20 dips, 20 incline push-ups and 20 sit-ups, repeating until everyone was done. Then we played a round of “Plank, Plank, Goose” which is just like the children’s game. We all plank and one person walks the circle and then kicks someone’s shoe. That person jumps up and tries to catch the “kicker” before they get back to their spot. As we planked, we found many little mushrooms sprouting out on the soccer field. Wonderful proof of the consistent rain we have been having in Georgia!

Mushrooms on the soccer field

On Tuesday, we went for our final run before the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th. I led a route around Avondale Estates with Stacie, Paige, Eric and Michele and I have to say I felt much stronger on this run. Part of it may have been that it was much earlier so the heat wasn’t as bad. It was still really humid but there was an occasional light breeze that helped cool things down.

We did our usual 4.1 mile course which follows most of the 5K course for the Labor Day 5k race. We usually begin the run heading down the “hill of woe” and then enjoy lots of long gradual uphills and downhills throughout the neighborhood. The highlight was passing the lake just as the dawn was beginning to break and the water was like glass. We finish the run by heading up the “hill of woe” which definitely makes the lungs and legs burn!

I really felt strong during the run so I am hoping this is a good sign that I am finally acclimatizing. I could tell I was pushing my pace and it felt nice to push it and maintain. Hopefully this will translate into a great Peachtree Road Race tomorrow! One thing is assured…it will be wet! The forecast is 100% rain in the morning. So basically there is no chance that it won’t be raining!

Me at the expo…getting photo bombed by the guy in the tie dye shirt

I headed down to the expo today to get my number and do a quick lap through the vendors. One of the few places I could blow a lot of money if I wasn’t disciplined. It’s always cool going to the expo because there is so much energy and it’s cool being around all those folks who are into running. Can’t wait to toe the starting line tomorrow!

Trying to get back to the Joy

You can definitely tell the Peachtree Roadrace is coming up by the increased number of folks getting out and running. A couple of weeks before the big race, the numbers multiply exponentially and it’s always good to see. I’m running it for the second year in a row and really looking forward to it.

On Thursday, we had a fun workout that Janice came up with using Skip-Bo cards. We form groups of 4 and while 2 team members sprint about 30 yards to the Skip-Bo cards to discover what kind of exercise to do, the other 2 team members do a holding exercise (such as a plank). When the running members come back, they hold while the other two run out. The cards tell you which exercise to do and how many but there are also a couple of surprises. If you draw a 7, you get to rest while the instructors do an exercise and if you draw a Skip-Bo card, you simply sprint without doing an exercise. We did three rounds, changing up the exercise and the holding exercise and it really keeps you moving!

Skip Bo!

Following Skip-Bo, we did a finishing routine that involved sprinting backwards around the track. This is a favorite of mine since for some reason, I am really fast when I run backwards. We stayed with our Skip-Bo teams and each went to a different part of the track to make it a relay race. Once we finished running backwards, we turned around and raced again running forward. It feels really good to sprint hard but it’s amazing how long it takes to recover if you leave it all out there.

Friday was the last day of June boot camp when most boot campers perform a PT Test that mirrors the one they took at the beginning of boot camp so they can see the progress they have made. Since I wasn’t able to do the first PT test, I opted to do the alternate workout called the “Murph” with Todd, Eric, Laura and Angela.

The “Murph” is a timed workout where you do the following:

2 Laps around the track
50 Sit-ups
50 Push-ups
50 Squats
50 Dips
2 Laps around the track

Since we do it for time, you try to get through each exercise quickly. The toughest part is the final two laps. After doing all the exercises the last 2 are generally slower than the first 2 laps. The humidity was something else, which made it tough to keep the oxygen flowing. I always use the analogy that it’s like trying to breath with a wet paper towel over your mouth. I finished in just over 15 minutes so I was happy with that. We joined the rest of the group for a timed “plank-off” and cool down.

After boot camp, I decided to do a short run with Paige and Suzanne S. The route is a triangle loop that’s about 2.75 miles and something they started doing on Friday’s following camp. We headed out and it didn’t take long for me to realize that I wasn’t going to keep up with them.

Not sure if it was from being a little tapped from the workout or the humidity but I decided to fall into a slower, more comfortable pace. We ran into downtown Oakhurst and took East Lake to East College and then down S. McDonough and back to Agnes Scott. The sun really bore down on the E. College section since we were running directly into the sunrise. I met Paige and Suzanne back at the cars and we celebrated our extra-credit run!

Oakhurst

An adrenalin filled moment came in the middle of the run when a car almost rolled through a stop sign and hit me. The guy driving was looking at his lap when I shouted at him and he looked up startled while slamming on the break. Obviously he was texting and came about 2 feet from being dragged out of his car to receive a proper thrashing. Fortunately for him, my shout saved him from hitting me.

Saturday was our long run day and for some reason I was feeling a little anxious. My running hasn’t felt up to snuff lately and I was feeling a little frustrated. I know I was out for a couple of weeks but it shouldn’t have had that much of an effect. I’ve been running and working out for a couple of weeks now so it seems like I should be back to form.

As I drove to meet everyone, I found myself questioning what was going on. Will I have it today? Is it my legs? Is it the heat? Then I stopped the questions with an over-riding thought: You are not running with joy!

I had the realization that I was getting too caught up in my pace, keeping up with everyone, etc. and not just running for the enjoyment of doing it. I think because I was coming off such improvement after the interval running course, I’ve been putting to much pressure on myself to have every run be lights out. So on a hot morning with 95% humidity, I decided I would only run as fast as my breathing felt comfortable. I would start my Garmin and then I wouldn’t look at it until I was done. That took the pressure off and changed my outlook on the morning.

Suzanne S. came up with the route and Eric, Paige, Laura, Susan, Bobbi and Jason with special guest Brad and his sidekick Charlie all showed up for the run. The other hit was Laura’s new shoes that are definitely the most colorful I have seen!

Brad and Charlie with Eric

The first part of the route was nice and flat which was nice for warming up the legs. I ended up between groups so I was by myself for the first 3 miles and it made it easy for me to focus on my breathing and just relax.

I didn’t look at my Garmin at all and as we made our way into the neighborhood of Lake Claire, Suzanne ran with me for a bit before she headed back to check on those behind us. I ended up at a crossroads of sorts and fortunately, Suzanne and Laura arrived and Suzanne pointed us in the right direction. We ran together for a while and it seemed like everything from mile 4 was uphill.

Laura’s Technicolor Shoes!

Suzanne and Laura pulled ahead of me and I slowed my stride once again, trying to find a comfortable breathing pace. Of course, that can be hard to do when you are running uphill and the heat of the morning is on the increase. Around mile 5, I lost sight of them and on a particularly long hill up East Lake, my legs just slowed to a walk. It wasn’t a conscious decision, it just kind of happened. I walked about 20 paces and took off again. I had this happen again and when I began running after a brief walk, Suzanne came into view.

I pulled up next to her as she was walking and I asked her if she was OK. She basically mirrored how I was feeling which was kind of zapped from the humidity and heat. We walked the last half-mile and just enjoyed it. We met up with everyone talked about the last part of the run and Jason said he also ran out of juice and walked a couple of times. I took some comfort in knowing it wasn’t just me. I think I had forgotten how much high humidity can take out of you and how long it takes to acclimate.

We finished up the run with iced coffee and assorted baked goods from Kavarna and sat outside and enjoyed the morning….my favorite part of our weekend long run!

Hills, Humidity and Intervals

Following the long run on Sunday, we had a run day scheduled at boot camp on Monday morning. I was looking forward to following up the 6.5 miles with a shorter run and for some reason had it in my mind that I would run “easier” or said in another way, back off the pace a little.

When I walked out the door, I could immediately feel the “thick and muggy” of summer in Georgia. It’s really the first morning this year in which I immediately felt the heaviness of the air.

We went though our warm-up/dynamic stretch routine and everything felt good. Then we returned to the parking lot to split up into our speedy and super-speedy groups. Jason was leading the super-speedy group with which I would run with and my previous thoughts of backing off the pace went out the window.

I felt OK at the start but after about half a mile, fatigue from the previous day reared its ugly head and I felt like I was running with lead legs. Add in the high humidity and it became one of those runs where you don’t so much enjoy it but just try to survive it.

Decatur Cemetery Entrance

We ran through Decatur and entered the Decatur Cemetery which is nice and quiet and has some very challenging hills. We crisscrossed on the pathways with Jason making sure we hit all the hills and then he took us out on a dirt path that I didn’t know existed. It was nice change to suddenly be in the woods running through the trees. We exited the woods and were back on the street where we were faced with the steepest hill of the run. I usually love hill running but with leg fatigue and “dog breath” humidity, it was all about putting my head down and just getting through it.

Decatur Cemetery

We eventually made our way back through Decatur and back onto the Agnes Scott campus. As we arrived at the parking lot, I looked at my Garmin and it said 3.98 miles. I ran around for a few more seconds to get it to flip over to 4 miles, just to even things out.

Following 4 miles with 6.5 and getting my legs back under me was tough but I know it will pay off in the long run. I ended up taking Tuesday off as I definitely needed the rest. I originally had scheduled to have Thursday off but I switched, realizing that Tuesday would be the better day.

On Wednesday, I headed to the Agnes Scott track to run intervals. I arrived at 5:45am to do some stretching before the workout. The moon was still out as the dawn was just beginning to break and the bats were flying around overhead, hopefully eating all the mosquito’s.

I knew the workout that my friends over at the Active Oval were going to run so I decided to join them in spirit and perform the same workout. The routine was as such:

1 x 800 (2 laps) warm-up
12 x 200 at goal pace with 200 recovery in between

Basically I was running half a lap at goal pace and then recovering the other half a lap and doing it 12 times. My legs were well rested and it wasn’t as warm as Monday so I looked forward to getting started. I did my 2 laps of warm-up and had to make a concerted effort to go slow.

Agnes Scott Track

I put my water bottle down at the mark where I would begin my intervals so I had a marker and hydration at the end of each recovery. I began my first interval and tried to find my groove. The first one always seems to be the fastest because it’s hard to gauge a pace that you feel like you can sustain, plus your legs are fresh. I ran the first one in 57 seconds and since I was aiming for 58, I was pleased with that.

I continued on, decided to grab a quick drink after every third lap, which helped make it easy to keep count of how many I had done. I stayed fairly consistent but had a few laps that were out of range. My fastest lap was 54 seconds and my slowest was 61 seconds. This is still pretty close but it’s interesting when all the laps have the same “feel” but the pace wavers. Also, I didn’t gradually get slower. My fastest interval was lap 4 and my slowest was lap 8.

It felt really good to push myself, particularly through the mental part. Around interval 9, that “little voice” tried to convince me that it would be OK to call it a morning but I ignored it and pressed on. Another thing that I like about the track is that one end is over grown with jasmine and honey suckle and this time of year, the scent can almost suffocate you…but in a good way.

Jasmine and Honeysuckle at the end of the track

It has surprised me how just being out for 2 1/2 weeks effected my endurance but I think a large part of it has to do with how much the heat and humidity has increased during that time. Being back in boot camp and being back on the run is getting me acclimated so hopefully it won’t take long to return to form!

Getting the Groove Back

Finally attended boot camp as a camper! June is my month to take off the blue instructor shirt and workout as a boot camper and with my poison oak woe’s, it only took half a month before I was able to show up at a session!

KITF had taken a week off between May and June so it had actually been 3 weeks since I did push-ups, sit-ups, etc. I would have gone to boot camp on Monday but we awoke to thunder and lightning and it was back to bed. On Tuesday, the weather was a little more inviting so boot camp was on!

The workout was called “Ab-Normal” and as you might guess, it was pretty much all ab work. The workout involves sprinting 50 yards and then returning and doing 30 reps of an ab exercise, sprint, exercise, etc. There are about 12 different exercises and being all ab-related, you can really feel it by the time it’s over. I felt strong through the entire routine and didn’t feel like I had lost any of my fitness so that was encouraging.

We then did a finishing routine of a push-up pyramid where we do 10 push-ups, 9, 8…down to 1 and then build back up. By Tuesday afternoon, I was really feeling it in the arms and abs!

On Wednesday, I met Stacie, Jason, Angela and Mike at the Agnes Scott track to do some interval work. The idea was to mimic what our friends over at the Active Oval were doing with one minor change. The workout was an 800 warm-up lap followed by 5 x 800 at goal pace with 200 recovery in between. We essentially did the same thing except we did a build-up on each 800 with the last 200 at goal pace. This meant that for each 800 we started slow and slowly built up over the first 600 and then ran at goal pace the last 200.

Agnes Scott Track

Going from the Active Oval which is a 1/2 mile loop (400m) to the track which is a 1/4 mile loop (200m) took some brain power, particularly when Stacie and I were trying to explain the conversions. For instance, we might say “On the oval, we ran a quarter of the loop which is an 1/8th of a mile but on the track, that will be the same as running a 1/2 lap. We decided afterwards that we should just stick with meter numbers and forget trying to interpret between the two settings.

We explained to everyone how to find their goal pace and then we were off! We started with 2 warm-up laps and then we dove right into the workout. For myself, I was curious to see what kind of numbers I would have on the final 200 since my legs were obviously still trying to get back into the groove. I surprised myself that I hit a :58 200 on the first interval and stayed fairly consistent, hitting between a :58 and 1:00 on each one. Mary and Leslie, our interval coaches, had told us that we would probably run a few seconds faster on a track as it is a faster surface than the crushed stone of the oval. So I came away from the interval workout feeling pretty good about my time.

The next morning was a boot camp workout that was heavy on running. There is a path around the campus Chapel and we use it as a running loop during the workout. Basically, campers are paired up and there are several workout stations along the path. While one partner does the exercise at a station, the other partner runs the loop. When the runner returns to the station, the pair switch and the runner does the exercise while the other partner runs the loop. When the pair has both completed the exercise, they move to the next station and repeat. One of our instructors measured the distance run during the workout and it was 2-1/2 miles! It really ends up being an interval workout with about a minute of exercise (depending on how fast your partner is) in between.

The Chapel

My plan for Friday morning was to skip the boot camp workout and go for an easy run. Since my time off, I’ve really only had long runs and interval runs but no easy miles. Unfortunately, I haven’t been doing very well in falling asleep at a decent hour (a good book is usually the culprit) and by Thursday evening, I felt exhausted and it continued into Friday. I have Friday’s off during the summer and I figured after running some errands, I would take a nap and then run. The highlight of my errand running was stopping by Big Peach Running Store to get a “sorely” needed new pair of running shoes.

Big Peach!

The nap ended up lasting over 2 hours which left me in a foggy state of mind. Lacing up the new shoes just wasn’t in the cards.

I figured maybe I would do my easy run on Saturday but I got up early with Angela to go renew her license. We awoke around 6:15 to have some coffee and then hit the road. It took about an hour to get through the license process and then we headed to breakfast followed by some errands. By the time we made it back, it was nap time again and I slept about 2.5 hours and once again was foggy headed and didn’t run. I really don’t have a problem falling asleep or staying asleep…it’s just that I don’t do it early enough. I really need to start going to sleep early so my weekends aren’t full of naps and missed run opportunities!

This morning it was time to meet the gang and go long. Eric came up with a 6.5 mile route that started from our usual place, Kavarna Coffee. Paige, Jason and Kate rounded out the group as we headed out into an overcast, humid morning. The route took us around Decatur, through Winnona Park and back into Oakhurst. Last Sunday I was able to hang for about 3 miles before my pace dropped off so I was curious to see if I had gained anything over the course of the week. I seemed to have lost a little zing during my hiatus so I was anxious to see if it had returned and of course, I wanted to take the new shoes out for a spin!

New Brooks Pure Flow Shoes

The group stuck together for the first 4 miles as we moved along at a good pace and chatted occasionally. I felt strong and it felt good to move along with everyone. Around mile 4 my legs began to fatigue and by the 4.5 mile, I had fallen behind. I wasn’t having an issue with my breathing or anything else, I just couldn’t move my legs any faster. At least I had kept up for a mile longer than the previous weekend so that’s progress.

I met up with the gang at Kavarna and everyone was supportive that my endurance would be back before I know it. We got our coffee and a bite to eat and sat outside enjoying the morning. Sitting outside of Kavarna is great because there are a lot of active folk, both runners and bikers, that like to finish their activities there. It creates a scene of good vibes and energy!

A Hard Six

I finally got over my poison oak after three rounds of medication. It was a long battle but modern medicine finally won out. Round three consisted of antibiotics, antihistamines, steroids and anti-itch cream and they finally did the trick.

My doctor had told me to take it easy until I finished with the antibiotics which was last Thursday but then I caught a cold which dragged out my not running for another couple of days.

All together I didn’t run or do much of anything for 15 days. As an instructor at boot camp, I get one month to work out as a camper and June was my month. So I basically missed the first two weeks of my camper month which is a bummer cause it’s a lot of fun to take off the instructor shirt and just workout. I also missed running the Dirty Spokes 15K with my friends!

The gang holding up my shirt at the Dirty Spokes 15K

While I missed running, missed my friends and missed boot camp; I was happy that I was able to keep a positive attitude. Usually, I get a little bummed out, eat too much, worry that my endurance will go completely out the window, etc. But this time I stayed positive, told myself to enjoy the rest, continued to eat right and was ready to get back in the game.

At the end of last week, I sent an email out asking if anyone wanted to lead and come up with a route for our long run on Sunday. Laura stepped up and asked how long I thought we should go. Part of me wanted to reply that we should go for 2 miles since I was just coming back but I figured that would be selfish so I suggested we go for 5-6. Of course, if you suggest 5-6, it’s going to be 6!

To prepare for Sunday, I decided I needed to take my legs out for a spin and make them move for at least a couple of miles. I stepped outside in my running clothes around 8:00am with the sun shining, blue skies overhead and I felt inspired. I did a little dynamic stretching and took my time with it, moving slowly and really working all the movements. Then it was time to go!

I began to run and while my intention was to go slow, my legs felt like they were moving really fast. I confirmed this as I checked my Garmin and sure enough, I was going just below a nine minute pace which for me is fast. I decided not to sweat it and just enjoy as my breathing and everything else felt good. I had planned to run a mile out on a relatively flat course and then run back but as I reached the mile mark, I decided to take a left onto “the hill of woe” and let it carry me down to the local park. This was followed by an uphill that felt good and then I decided not to push it and head back home.

As I was close to finishing my run, a funny thing happened. An Avondale Estates police car was sitting on the side of the road and as I ran by, the officer began giving short bursts of his siren. I thought for a minute he might be doing it to warn an oncoming vehicle to slow down but then I realized he was doing his siren bursts to my run cadence. I gave him a thumbs up and finished my run.

Avondale’s Finest

Later in the day I went for a walk with Angela as she is beginning a walk-to-run program. I wore my running shoes and while the walk was comfortable, it really worked a few leg muscles that don’t usually get worked. The issue is that my running shoes actually have a low heel which makes it easy for me to run on the ball of my foot. Of course, walking is a completely different motion so the muscles just below my calf and just above my Achilles really got a workout to the point that they were still sore as of yesterday.

I woke up Sunday morning excited and just a little anxious about the long run. I knew we were going six miles and while I just had a PR in a 10K only a few weeks before, I still wondered in the back of my mind if this might be a little too much after two weeks off.

I headed over to Kavarna Coffee where we begin most of our long runs and I was the first one there. I began doing some dynamic stretches and tried to loosen up my sore leg muscles. Eric arrived first followed by Paula and Paige. The group continued to grow as Laura, Jason, Susan and Stacie arrived and we began catching up as they talked about the trail race and boot camp and I shared the saga of my poison oak. It was really great to see everyone!

We headed out and I eased into the run. Stacie and I had a similar pace so we chatted as we moved along through the humid morning. We must have been slowly picking up our pace as we caught the lead pack at mile 3. Then my lack of running for two weeks kicked in.

My legs began to fatigue and the heat and humidity began to zap me. I realized that besides not running, I also had missed two weeks of acclimation to the heat which had been on the increase for the last few weeks. Laura joined us at this point and we all chatted but by mile 4, my pace began to drop as did my conversation abilities.

The last 2 miles were pure guts and determination. Well…maybe that’s a little strong. I did have to really focus and talk myself through the last part though. I didn’t carry the directions with me so I had to keep Stacie and Laura in my view so I wouldn’t lose track of the route. My legs had definitely lost some of their “get up and go” but I hung in there.

On the final hill which is probably between a quarter and a half mile, I considered walking for a few seconds but snapped out of it and dropped it into low. I wanted to finish strong so I powered up the hill and then Kavarna came into view. Relief was in sight!

I finished and high-fived everyone and someone asked how it felt. I believe my exact words were “Damn that was hard!” It felt great to finish and complete six miles and while it was a struggle, I also know that I’ll be back to normal running shape in no time.

Everyone grabbed some ice-coffee and then we sat outside and caught up. It felt great to kick back with everyone after the run and catch up on an awesome morning!

Angela and I on the lake

Later in the day, Angela and I took the canoe over to Stone Mountain lake for our first rowing adventure of the summer. It felt great to get out on the lake and cruise around. We brought some sandwiches and pulled the canoe up on shore and sat on some boulders and gazed at the lake.

Awesome Sunday of activity!

Not Running in Orlando

When last I wrote, I was missing out on running the Dirty Spokes 15K trail run with my friends. They all had a great race and I look forward to hearing their stories of awesomeness! For some, it was their longest race yet and others it was their first trail race so I can’t wait to hear about their experiences.

I had an awful case of poison oak and while it didn’t technically prevent me from running,  being out in the heat was making the affected areas turn red and the intensity of the itch would go through the roof.

I received a steroid pack from the doctor when a cortisone shot didn’t work and I stayed indoors for most of the weekend to keep my oak-ness in a more relaxed state.  I was leaving for a conference in Orlando and was hopeful things would improve quickly and I would get a couple of runs in. The resort that hosted the conference was fantastic and I looked forward to discovering what it had to offer in the way of running. The inside was fascinating as there were live alligators in the atrium!

Alligators and turtles in the atrium!

Unfortunately,  my running gear would go unused.  As of my last evening the poison oak has calmed a little but I am still having what I call “flare-ups” where I will feel an itch on either an existing or new bump and it will suddenly become excruciating.  When you add the fact that there really wasn’t any place to run other than the parking lot of the resort and it rained most of the time anyway, there wasn’t a whole lot of incentive to lace up.  The last option would have been the dread-mill but even if I had felt up to it, I’m not sure I could have brought myself to do it.

So while I didn’t run, I did at least have 2 things occur to inspire me when I pick it back up when I return home. I read the book “Pre: The Story of America’s Greatest Running Legend Steve Prefontaine” and attended a keynote address with Aron Ralston who penned the book “127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place” about his experience being trapped in a narrow canyon and how he rescued himself.

The story of Steve Prefontaine is one of running supremacy and a life cut short as he dominated races, many times by sheer will and especially on his home track in Eugene Oregon, but then died at the age of 24 in a car accident. The book is a history of his dominance in racing and contains many stories and antidotes from friends, coaches and competitors. These quotes from Pre characterize his incredible mental attitude in approaching races “Somebody may beat me but they are going to have to bleed to do it.” and “A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts.”

The fans loved Pre and his competitors admired and feared him and the fact that his legend continues to grow shows a lot about who he was and his impact on running. What I took away from the book for myself was his passion and his example of mental toughness. Many times when I am on a long run, I will try to put myself in the frame of mind of another runner to inspire me. Sometimes I may say to myself “I’m only on mile 5! What if I was so and so in the middle of some ultra-marathon and had to gut it out?” to psych myself up. I can definitely see myself trying to will a little “Pre attitude” to keep going when the going gets tough.

On the last full day of the conference, we were treated to Aron Ralston’s incredible story of survival. To prepare for it, I watched the movie in my hotel room on Tuesday night. I already knew the back story that Ralston had been trapped and had to cut his arm off to escape but I didn’t know much else. After watching the movie, I was more taken with the way he approached his situation and his attitude throughout.

Aron Ralston along with a self photo of himself while he was trapped.

Ralston took us through his 127 hours, the mistakes he made that brought him to that point and all the things that fell into place for his eventual escape and rescue. Even having seen the movie, to see the real person on stage telling the story of what happened was amazing. The audience was completely silent and hung on every word in complete disbelief. He discussed the things that he found were most important to him such as the love of his parents and sister and where his mind continued to go throughout the ordeal.

What I took away from it was to always try to remember what is most important in life and cherish it while not sweating the things on the peripheral. It’s easy to get wound up in the day-to-day and let issues become bigger in our mind than they really are. This can take away from things we most cherish such as family, friends and of course, running.

So…while I didn’t actually run this week, I feel like I at least gained a couple of tools to inspire my life and my running!

Damn Poison Oak!

As I type this I should be in Jackson, Georgia running the Dirty Spokes 15K with my friends.  Instead, I am sitting on the couch at home, trying not to scratch and lamenting my poison oak situation.

Ann, Paula, Stacie, Paige and Kat ready to run the Dirty Spokes. They sent me this picture with a “Wish you were here!” message that was very kind.

This week had started out fine as I was fresh off the high of a 10K PR at the Memorial Day 5K/10K in Marietta on Monday.  Angela and I had worked in the yard the Saturday before pulling up lots of encroaching vines and while I figured it might be poison oak, I wasn’t to worried as I thought I was immune.  Hah!

Several years ago I had my first bout with poison oak and it was awful.  It covered most of my body, arms and legs and for whatever reason it took me a week to realize that I needed to go to the doctor.  The doctor looked at me in horror and asked why I didn’t come in earlier.  I told her I thought the calamine lotion would eventually work and she just shook her head.  I got a cortisone shot and that cleared it right up in a day or two.

Over the next few years, I continued to come into contact with poison oak but each time the effects became less and less until I finally gained immunity. Apparently, immunity is only temporary.

I began seeing the bumps that show the first signs of poison oak on Tuesday but didn’t think much of it. I figured it was just a few bumps on my arm and they would go away in a few days. After all, I bragged to Angela “I am immune”! Angela, by the way, has absolutely no reaction at all from being in contact with poison oak. By the end of the day, however, I noticed an increase in the number of bumps and made the decision to go to the doctor the next day just to be on the safe side.

Wednesday morning was an interval run day and I noticed even more bumps on both arms and a couple on my ankles. I was a little itchy but it didn’t stop me from heading out to run. While our interval class was over, Coach Mari has a meet-up group at the active oval every Wednesday where they perform an interval workout while she works out as well. Paige, Ann and I decided to go and our friend Laura came to experience the interval running joy.

The workout, which I completely interpreted incorrectly to Laura, was as follows:

Easy warm-up lap (1/2 a mile)
5 x loop with a sprint and recovery every 1/4 of a lap. (2.5 Miles)
Recovery (1/2 a mile)

So basically we would run hard for a quarter of a lap, recover, run hard, recover and do this cycle 5 times around the half-mile loop. I was proud of my consistency as I timed each hard run and was within a second on each interval. This is particularly gratifying near the end of the workout when your legs are feeling tired but you are still maintaining your speed.

Ann, Paige and Laura after our interval workout and the active oval in the back ground.

During the intervals, the poison oak didn’t bother me though once we stopped, I definitely felt itchy. I did my best to try to ignore it and was glad I made an appointment with the doctor. Later that afternoon, the doctor confirmed my poison oak-ness and I got the cortisone shot as expected. The doc also called in a prescription for some anti-itch cream and told me if the cortisone didn’t work by Friday that she would call in a steroid pack. I was confident that wouldn’t be necessary as I was sure the cortisone shot would work.

I didn’t notice any changes Wednesday evening or when I woke up Thursday morning. In fact if anything, I noticed a few more itchy spots. I had decided to go for a short run Thursday as a last tune up before the before mentioned Dirty Spokes race and was joined by Stacie who was also running the race.

It was very humid and warm as we did 3.5 miles around my neighborhood and we kept the pace light as Stacie was still recovering from a cold and I was starting to feel and overall malaise from the poison oak. The run felt OK but again I was super itchy afterward as it become obvious that heat, sweat and poison oak bumps don’t mix. Even with all this, I was still convinced that I would be OK by Saturday because the cortisone shot will surely start working at any moment.

I continued with the planning of the caravan to the race as we were going to have a large group heading down and I was driving one of the vehicles as I have a van that seats six. By the time Thursday evening rolled around, I had a meeting with Paige and David to discuss boot camp business and I was really starting to feel the overall effects of the increase in itchy/painful areas and the mental doldrums that accompany it. I put anti-inch cream on the worst of the areas before our meeting and it helped a little but I was not my usual happy self.

By Friday morning I finally had to admit I did not feel good. It was obvious that the cortisone wasn’t going to work and the poison oak continued to spread. Every time I walked outside and exposed myself to heat and humidity, the affected areas would go haywire and the itch factor would increase exponentially. I called the doctor first thing to let her know the cortisone wasn’t working and I needed the other prescription.

Poison Oak…Yuck!

It also finally occurred to me that I shouldn’t run the race unless there was some dramatic change in the way I was feeling. I had to come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t feeling good physically or mentally and trying to run 9 miles in the heat with an overall feeling of “ugh” just wasn’t in the cards. I let my friends know that I was pulling out and wished everyone a great race.

It was a mix of disappointment and relief when I made the decision. I really hated to cancel but I know it was the right choice. Besides the pleasure of running itself, my favorite part is sharing is sharing in the joy of the accomplishments with my friends and I think that is mostly what I am missing this morning.

I am leaving for a conference in Orlando on Monday so my hope is that with the steroid pack and staying out of the heat for the next couple of days, the poison oak will begin to subside; hopefully enough to where I can even run and do a little exploring!

Six Mile Run and a 10K PR

Since a few of us had signed up for a 10k race on Memorial Day, we decided to cut back the miles on our long run on Saturday to 6 miles so we could still get in a good run but also be fresh for the race. The Memorial Day race was to be something of a graduation for Paige, Ann and I as we put into practice our interval running experience. Paige and Ann had taken the interval course a couple of summers ago and set PR’s on a 5k so I was hoping for the same result in the 10k.

On Saturday, it was surprisingly cool and felt awesome as I headed out the door to meet everyone at Kavarna Coffee. I had put together a route that took us on less traveled streets so I printed out directions and put them in sandwich bags so they wouldn’t get soaked.

Sweat Proof Directions

We had another large group for Saturday which does a lot to fuel the good spirit of the run. It was really nice to have Michelle join us as we hadn’t run with her since last fall.

Gathering in front of Kavarna

We took off from Kavarna in the bright cool morning and warmed up our legs as we moved along, chatting and catching up with each other. Since we were running a race in two days, my thoughts were to take these 6 miles easy. We rolled along through the surrounding neighborhoods and enjoyed the beauty of some incredible houses and pristine yards.

At around the half-way point, Paige and I were running together and I asked her how she was feeling on this run. The reason I asked is that I was feeling not exactly “on”. Paige responded that she had been thinking that as well and then I looked at our pace and realized we were running at a 9:20 pace. I shared this with her and once we realized we were moving much faster then we thought, it became clear why we were feeling challenged.

We had to re-route around mile 4 as Eric came back to tell us a tree was down on the road ahead. Angela and Suzanne had made it through and past the barking of a police officer but Eric was thwarted. We turned around and came up with a quick detour to get back on course and still finished the run at our 6-mile goal. As we headed up the final stretch on Meade Street, Paige and I opened it up and increased our pace to finish strong. One of the best parts about the interval training is finding the “get up and go” on the final stretch of our runs.

We all gathered for coffee and hung out for a while to enjoy the post-run joy in front of Kavarna.

Post run coffee…mmm…

In planning for the 10k race, Coach Leslie had sent us a plan to follow for the course based on our mile pace on the last day of our interval training. My previous best 10k race time was a 59.18 with an average pace of 9.33 per mile. For the Memorial Day race, my goal was to use the 1st mile as a warm-up and gradually ramp up to a pace of 9:23. For mile 2-5 I would maintain this pace and then at mile 6 I would turn it on and go all out to the finish. Ultimately, my goal time for the race would be 58:37 or 40 seconds faster than my previous best.

I woke up at 5:00am this morning and hit the snooze a couple of times. I had set everything out the night before so I could get maximum sleep and cut down on my morning prep time. When I made it down to the kitchen, I had a special token of inspiration waiting for me from Angela.

Inspiration from Angela!

I headed over to Agnes Scott to meet up with Paige, Ann, Paula and Susan and carpool to the race in Marietta. It was going to be a 40 minute drive with a start time of 7:30 so we were on the road at 6:00am. We found our way to the race which had the start/finish line in the parking lot of an L.A. Fitness. It was a small race with around 350 participants so we were able to park about 50 feet from the starting line and the bathrooms were in the gym. Can’t beat that!

We met up with Johnna from our interval class along with our coaches Mari and Leslie who were also running the race. The route had been advertised as a relatively flat course which in Georgia can be very deceiving. Johnna had scoped it out the day before and said she found it very hilly. Not that I mind hills but when you are trying to set a PR, you want to be prepared and psyched for what is ahead.

We discussed our goals, the pace we were going to try to maintain, etc. before the race and then it was time to line up. The race director was funny in explaining the course and imploring us not to run into the Dunkin Donuts at the half-way point of the 10k. The course was an out and back with the 5k racers turning around at the 1.5 mile mark and the 10k racers turning around at 3 miles.

Ready to run!

My strategy was to start out slow and ramp up to my goal pace by the 1st mile. The horn started and we were off and almost immediately I realized I was going to fast. It didn’t feel like it physically but my Garmin was showing a 8:50 pace. I tried to back-off a little bit but it was difficult because I felt comfortable. I was able to slow the pace a little as we headed down the course and approached mile 1.

Just before the 5k turn-around area, the route became a long stretch of rolling hills all the way to the 10k turn-around. It was hard to keep a steady pace with the hills but each time I looked at my Garmin I was in the neighborhood of the pace I was trying to keep. As I approached the turn-around, I saw everyone in our group at different points and we all cheered each other on. As I began the last half of the race, I was on pace for my goal so I really tried to focus on staying strong. I attacked the hills and tried to take advantage of the downhill sections to make up time.

At around the 4.5 mile mark, I started feeling really comfortable and got into a groove with a pace around 8:50. This was definitely faster than my goal pace but I was enjoying the feeling so I stuck with it as long as possible. This section was the only long, flat part of the course and I knew the final couple of hills were coming so I did my best to mentally prepare.

I had been behind one particular runner for a while and on the second to last hill I passed him which gave me some extra “umph” to keep going. I could see the last hill and began picking up the pace as I knew the parking lot would be coming into view shortly. I checked my Garmin and I was still around my goal pace so I really started to push. Runners ahead were beginning to take a left into the lot where we would snake around a group of buildings and come out at the back of the lot to finish right in front of the L.A. Fitness.

As I came around the building, I could hear my running buddies that had already finished cheering for me which just ramped up my pace even more. I put everything into it to finish strong and charged across the finish line!

My Garmin read 58:11! I had not only set a PR but also beat the goal that Coach Leslie had given me! I was really proud of myself since my previous 10k PR was based on a course that is almost all flat or downhill.

Happy 10K’ers!

To top it off, all of us interval folk set a PR in the race, Susan and Paula both raced strong and Mari and Leslie both placed in the top 3 of their age groups! Lots of satisfied smiles afterward!

Next weekend will be a change a bunch of us head down to Jackson, Georgia to run in the Dirty Spokes 15k trail run. I look forward to running the trails and seeing how the interval training will translate to a pace and endurance as we commune with nature!

Anyone set a PR this weekend or have an awesome Memorial Day race?