Today was our first all group run at South Mountain Park in Phoenix. There were about 30 or more runners, plus another 10-20 cyclists that were preparing for the Team In Training triathlon. It was a grueling 10-mile run (5 miles out and back) of rolling hills. I keep complaining about the temperature, but it was brutal. On the 5 mile return, it was close to 100F at 7am. I imagined running in San Francisco, looking out at the ocean and feeling a cool breeze.
After the run we had a chance to meet with the other teams, plus the honorary team members for the fall season. I was really grateful to be able to hear each of the honorary team member's story. Before I joined TNT, I ran for myself or for my egocentric need to win. Now I realize I'm doing something much larger outside of my little world.
Imagine having a chronic leg cramp only to find out it is leukemia. Thinking about the fatigue, the pain and all the other side effects related to cancer treatment made me grateful for my health. Oftentimes we take our health and our bodies for granted. I am the first to admit, I push myself too hard without enough recovery. What I've learned throughout this program is to respect what my body can do.
There are millions of people out there who's only wish is to rid their body of disease. For all the rest of us, we have the choice to have a healthy lifestyle.
Until next time... We are getting close to the 16 mile run, I'm so excited!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
It's Getting HOT
Happy Father's Day!! It's already the third week in June and the big day is coming up fast. Our vacation was canceled, so all the worrying I did about training in my last post was unnecessary. On the bright side, I was able to train with the Arizona Team In Training group this week.
First of all, it is hot in Phoenix! Highs in the triple digits, up to 110F. I met the team for a 4 mile evening run on one of the hottest days of the week. The temperature was 103F when we got started. I kept thinking to myself "This just doesn't seem right". I'm committed though, people with cancer don't give up because it's hot! I did ok at the beginning, but at the end of mile 2, the water I was carrying felt like it was in a pre-boil stage, my left calf muscle was cramping and my stomach was upset. I ate an apple before the run, which is a really bad idea. Scratch off any fruit from the pre-run meal list.
I had a moment of self-doubt that night. What did I get myself into?? I ran four miles, and I felt like I was at my limit. How am I going to run 26.2 miles?? This moment as only temporary. After a good night's rest, I was looking forward to the next evening team run. I am not going to give up, if anything, I will run twice a week in the evening to build up my endurance in the heat. :)
Our long run started at 5am on Saturday, which meant I had to be awake by 3:30am. The weather was very nice, nothing like the sauna I experienced earlier in the week. I had Podrunner in one ear so that I could set a good pace. It worked out really great! By the end of the 7 mile run, I felt like I could've kept going for another four. My confidence is back and I'm excited about my decision.
The only drawback to all the running is the condition of my feet. My big toenail is about to fall off and the bottom of my feet are peeling. Very attractive!! I'm waiting for the day when look down and realize that my feet belong to a cavewoman. I made an amazing discovery to help with my peeling feet though. BODYGLIDE. Best $7 investment I've made so far.
Next week, 10 miles at South Mountain. Rolling hills, it should be interesting...
First of all, it is hot in Phoenix! Highs in the triple digits, up to 110F. I met the team for a 4 mile evening run on one of the hottest days of the week. The temperature was 103F when we got started. I kept thinking to myself "This just doesn't seem right". I'm committed though, people with cancer don't give up because it's hot! I did ok at the beginning, but at the end of mile 2, the water I was carrying felt like it was in a pre-boil stage, my left calf muscle was cramping and my stomach was upset. I ate an apple before the run, which is a really bad idea. Scratch off any fruit from the pre-run meal list.
I had a moment of self-doubt that night. What did I get myself into?? I ran four miles, and I felt like I was at my limit. How am I going to run 26.2 miles?? This moment as only temporary. After a good night's rest, I was looking forward to the next evening team run. I am not going to give up, if anything, I will run twice a week in the evening to build up my endurance in the heat. :)
Our long run started at 5am on Saturday, which meant I had to be awake by 3:30am. The weather was very nice, nothing like the sauna I experienced earlier in the week. I had Podrunner in one ear so that I could set a good pace. It worked out really great! By the end of the 7 mile run, I felt like I could've kept going for another four. My confidence is back and I'm excited about my decision.
The only drawback to all the running is the condition of my feet. My big toenail is about to fall off and the bottom of my feet are peeling. Very attractive!! I'm waiting for the day when look down and realize that my feet belong to a cavewoman. I made an amazing discovery to help with my peeling feet though. BODYGLIDE. Best $7 investment I've made so far.
Next week, 10 miles at South Mountain. Rolling hills, it should be interesting...
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Vacation Time!!
Vacations are awesome, unless you are training for a marathon. Thoughts about training keep popping up in my head. Where and when will I run? What if I don't run, will I lose all the training I've done so far??
We are getting ready for our yearly camping trip to Idaho and Montana. We will be flying in Mark's Cessna 182 to West Yellowstone, then maybe to Schafer, MT, and on to Johnson Creek, ID. It's hard to train on our vacation when the major event on the agenda is hammock time. Going on a solo run is not a good idea, not because I'm afraid of being abducted by someone, but mostly because I'm afraid of bears, cougars, and moose. I don't run very fast, and I don't know if can pretend to be dead when being mauled by a bear! But if I can get some cardio fitness at the higher altitude, then it would be great prep for the training runs in Phoenix.
We went to Springerville, AZ (elev. 7000ft) this past weekend. I packed my running shoes, extra clothes, and a water bottle. What did I do? I pulled weeds for about a half hour, climbed the driveway a couple of times (14% grade, I'd like to point out) and my heart was beating in my ears. Exhausted and out of breath, I read my book for the rest of the day. I wrote it off to being a recovery day. It's amazing how the elevation change can make such a difference in endurance.
Very special thanks to the Team In Training donors. Almost halfway there!!! To Mr. Anonymous, thank you for your donation, you can now post your comments in the blog. Just remember, no politics. Running jokes are allowed. ;)
We are getting ready for our yearly camping trip to Idaho and Montana. We will be flying in Mark's Cessna 182 to West Yellowstone, then maybe to Schafer, MT, and on to Johnson Creek, ID. It's hard to train on our vacation when the major event on the agenda is hammock time. Going on a solo run is not a good idea, not because I'm afraid of being abducted by someone, but mostly because I'm afraid of bears, cougars, and moose. I don't run very fast, and I don't know if can pretend to be dead when being mauled by a bear! But if I can get some cardio fitness at the higher altitude, then it would be great prep for the training runs in Phoenix.
We went to Springerville, AZ (elev. 7000ft) this past weekend. I packed my running shoes, extra clothes, and a water bottle. What did I do? I pulled weeds for about a half hour, climbed the driveway a couple of times (14% grade, I'd like to point out) and my heart was beating in my ears. Exhausted and out of breath, I read my book for the rest of the day. I wrote it off to being a recovery day. It's amazing how the elevation change can make such a difference in endurance.
Very special thanks to the Team In Training donors. Almost halfway there!!! To Mr. Anonymous, thank you for your donation, you can now post your comments in the blog. Just remember, no politics. Running jokes are allowed. ;)
Friday, June 1, 2007
It's All About Balance
Sometimes the smallest goals are the hardest to achieve. Like losing the last 5 pounds or not being late to a meeting. It seems impossible to make it. I've been trying to increase my weekly mileage by 10%, but I just can't seem to get there. This week I only ran 20 miles. But I did some cross-training and it was a nice break from the ground pounding effort it takes to run.
Spinning, you either love it or hate it. I would say I love it. The dizzying, heart-pounding, stomach-wrenching feeling of spinning is not for everyone. After 45-minutes of intervals, I have to wonder where all the water on my face and on the gym floor is coming from. It is hard to convince people to come to the class, especially with the screams of pain that are heard throughout the gym from some class members. The great thing about spinning is learning to control your heartrate. During the last few classes our instructor has been trying (and he is very sincere about it) to teach us how to control our heartrate by breathing. I have not been able to master this ability. My heart seems to have a mind of its own once I reach 85%-90% of my maximum heartrate despite my effort to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. Another plus to spinning is that YOU are in control of how hard you want to work. The resistance on my flywheel may be 1/8th of what the person next to me has. I'm ok with that, the last thing I want to do is keel over from a heart attack. I haven't seen any defibrilators in the gym either.
So, on days when I'm not running or going nowhere on a stationary bike, I do yoga. It's an awesome feeling to surrender to the pose and give all of my body weight to gravity. What's also great about yoga is learning to focus. Many times I find my mind jumping from one thought to the next, not really focusing on the present moment. All I have to do is tell myself "I am here" and bring my attention back to where I am NOW. Not where I want to be or where I was. If I'm going to run mile after mile after mile, it's good not to think about how many more miles are left to run, but where I am at that moment.
It's all about balance. As much as I want to reach my goal of 30 miles a week, I truly enjoy the peace from yoga and the challenge from spinning.
Spinning, you either love it or hate it. I would say I love it. The dizzying, heart-pounding, stomach-wrenching feeling of spinning is not for everyone. After 45-minutes of intervals, I have to wonder where all the water on my face and on the gym floor is coming from. It is hard to convince people to come to the class, especially with the screams of pain that are heard throughout the gym from some class members. The great thing about spinning is learning to control your heartrate. During the last few classes our instructor has been trying (and he is very sincere about it) to teach us how to control our heartrate by breathing. I have not been able to master this ability. My heart seems to have a mind of its own once I reach 85%-90% of my maximum heartrate despite my effort to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. Another plus to spinning is that YOU are in control of how hard you want to work. The resistance on my flywheel may be 1/8th of what the person next to me has. I'm ok with that, the last thing I want to do is keel over from a heart attack. I haven't seen any defibrilators in the gym either.
So, on days when I'm not running or going nowhere on a stationary bike, I do yoga. It's an awesome feeling to surrender to the pose and give all of my body weight to gravity. What's also great about yoga is learning to focus. Many times I find my mind jumping from one thought to the next, not really focusing on the present moment. All I have to do is tell myself "I am here" and bring my attention back to where I am NOW. Not where I want to be or where I was. If I'm going to run mile after mile after mile, it's good not to think about how many more miles are left to run, but where I am at that moment.
It's all about balance. As much as I want to reach my goal of 30 miles a week, I truly enjoy the peace from yoga and the challenge from spinning.
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