PSYCH 101: Acting "As If"

Two things happened this week that left me wondering if I can really do this. Can I really run a full marathon . . . 26.2 miles?

The first thing that happened was on Monday morning. I had a conversation with a co-worker (who is a dedicated runner) about running a race together in December. I mentioned that my long run for the week in which that race is scheduled to occur will be 16 miles. The conversation went like this:

Co-worker: 16 miles. You mean you are training for the FULL marathon, not the half marathon?
Me: Yes, that is my current plan
Co-worker: Wow, even I've never run 16 miles.
Me: Well, er, uh, yes, right now, that's what I'm shooting for. We'll see how it goes . . .

I was really upset with myself after the conversation for not just shouting from the rooftop, "Yes, that's my goal. I'm going to finish a FULL marathon!" I think I just had a moment of feeling silly, like here I am, someone that can barely run for 15 minutes, and I'm telling this dedicated runner that I'm going to run 16 miles. If she thinks that is a lot, maybe I'm crazy?

The second thing that happened was that I overheard someone talking about a "marathon" phone conversation they had just finished . . . meaning they got stuck on the phone . . . forever . . . and their way of describing this very long phone conversation was to describe its length as "marathon." I panicked . . . which may seem silly, but all of a sudden, I had the realization that people use the word "marathon" . . . this thing that I want to run . . . to describe something that is really, really, long . . . and I guess for a few minutes . . . that freaked me out.

It is hard for me because I fear looking like a fool. So I still hesitate, sometimes, to say, "yes, I'm going to run a marathon." I want to develop an attitude of confidence and optimism. Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer suggests that in order to develop the optimism, all you have to do is act "as if" it were already true. How do people who are confident and optimistic about things act?

They walk around with their head up and with a steady confident look in their eyes. When asked how their training is going, they say it is going great and that they have no doubt they are going to do well. When asked how they feel, they respond that they feel terrific. Sometimes they even volunteer (without being asked) that they are really enjoying the training and they feel strong and confident. When they run, they smile and look like they are enjoying it.

The point is that if I act as if I am confident and optimistic, I will begin to feel confident and optimistic. And thats a lot more fun than feeling pessimistic and unsure.

So this week, I'm going to test the power of the "as if" and repeat the phrase, "I am a marathoner" in time with my steps.

I invite you to ask me, "Are you a marathoner?" (yep, come on, you should ask me). I'll answer, "Yes, I am!"

I Am a Marathoner!

Physiology 101: Why are you soooooo slow?

This week my pace has averaged 15-18 min./mile.

I know . . . I know. You could walk faster than that.

I talked to several of my co-workers this week both of whom are both runners. One said she averages 10 min./mile and the other averages 8 min./mile. So . . . you know . . . just roughly HALF of what I'm running. I sorta started to feel down because maybe what I'm doing is FAKE running. Can you really call taking 18 minutes to move your body one mile "running"?

Hark! I opened up the Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer and found EXACTLY what I needed to know:

Your pace each day should be one that is "cardiovascularly comfortable" for you especially during the first 15 minutes of the run. Starting out a run at too fast a pace can be devastating. Starting out at a pace that is slower than your normal pace allows for proper warm-up and will enhance your ability to finish the run. At no point during the run should you feel it is difficult to breathe in a rhythmical fashion. If you do, you should slow down. Your legs may become fatigued, but this is normal and expected.

In regards to my previous concern that my legs were feeling too tired, I am NORMAL! My legs are supposed to feel tired. I also went back and reviewed my heart rate data from the last few workouts. My heart rate has been right where it's recommended to be 70-85% of my estimated maximum heart rate.

For the typical individual, the appropriate training heart rate should be 70-80% of the maximal heart rate (estimated by subtracting your age from 220). This 70-80% range is the heart rate that, as training progresses, should be sustainable over the distance of my long training runs. As I progress through the training, I will have to run faster to achieve my training heart rate.

Visualizing my heart, what is super cool about this is that the reason my pace will have to increase is that as my heart becomes more efficient at pumping blood, I'll have to run faster to convince it to beat faster 'cause it will be getting so efficient.

The turtle status is okay, for now.

Record Heat

With run/walk #1 and #2 out of the way for the week, I am happy to report it is going really well! No problems with the two- 15 minute intervals of running. I shouldn't have doubted myself. The only new thing I really noticed this week is that after both workouts, my legs felt tired all day. I LOVED the way that felt. It was a little reminder during the monotony of my work day of the super fun thing I'd done that morning. The fatigue was gone by the following morning. To me that means it was just the right amount!


Tuesday morning I was attacked by mosquitoes. Total bite count: 14! Wednesday morning, I wore bug spray, and I didn't notice a single mosquito. It's amazing how much more enjoyable the time is when you're not swatting those nasty little bugs off of the back of your calves the whole time while you run. Luckily, the mosquitoes seemingly aren't interested in Bella.

Because my posts about mosquitoes and the heat seem to come hand-in-hand, I thought I'd share with you some information that was passed on to me by Kevin:

July 2009 will go into the history books as the hottest month the Valley (Phoenix) has ever seen. The average temperature for July will be 98.2 degrees. That includes the morning lows and afternoon highs. The previous record was 97.6, set in July 2003.

I am excited to think that if I can make it through this heat, my mornings are going to start getting more and more enjoyable because it will gradually get cooler. Here's to hoping the average starts dropping a bit very soon. If not, don't you worry . . . I'll just keep on running!

"The Stick"

I recently got the coolest thing: The Stick.

My cousin, Brian, an avid runner, recommended it back when I was having the shin/calf problem early on. When I ordered it, I realized that it is dubbed "A Toothbrush for Muscles" which I think is funny and cool. The stick is supposed to: "roll knots out of muscle, providing myofascial release and trigger point therapy. (It) inactivates trigger points, warms muscles, increases circulation and encourages nutrient-rich blood flow. It relieves pain, increases range of motion, promotes flexibility, and accelerates recovery."

Here's a link to some videos that show you how to use it in case you're curious.

So far, all I can say is that IT FEELS REALLY GOOD. That's enough for me! I'll continue to try it for its said purpose as my training progresses, that is, if I can stop using it on my dentistry-induced sore neck and back long enough to try it out on my legs :)

Week 7 . . . Here I Come!

Training Days: 4 days
Total Time of Each Session: 40 minutes

Objective: Jog for 15 min. and then walk at a fast pace for 5 min. Repeat once.

Once again, not because I doubt myself but because my legs feel so weak and tired, I wonder if this is the week where I'll have to alter my schedule and possibly do another week of 10 min. run/5 min walk. I've told myself that I'm going to set out Tuesday morning determined to run 15 minutes. If I need to alter it, I will, but I'd really rather not! 5 minutes isn't THAT much more. I'll keep you posted . . .

This week, in preparation for my upcoming reading/research/posts on what nutrition best fuels a runner, I'm going to try to pay attention to how what I eat affects how I feel for each run. I'm not saying that I'm adding a hidden agenda (eat super psycho healthy in addition to training), but I am reasonably aware that as the workouts get longer, I'm not going to be able to "fudge" (no pun intended) on what I'm eating quite so much and have it not affect my training. So, that's perhaps a little bit of extra credit for the week--eat consciously! Stay tuned for a Nutrition post.

Evidence that my "Fail-proof" Support System is Working

I really am the luckiest person ever! I have the greatest friends and family that anyone could ever ask for.

This week, when my blogging lagged, I got more than 5 calls, comments or emails as to my well-being and training progress. I don't think this means that I'll be appearing on perezhilton.com or having paparazzi anytime soon, but it did make me feel super important and loved!

It'll also help me remember in the future, when I'm not "feelin' it" for my morning run, that if I don't run, I'll mostly be letting myself down, but I'll also be letting my "fans" down too!

Thanks everyone! I don't know how to thank you enough.

Sunday Morning Heaven!

Bella and I just had a great workout! We drove down to the canal again but this time we headed north! I wanted to go the other direction because I got out of bed a little later than I would have liked, and I didn't want to be staring at the blazing sun on the way back! I had set the alarm for 5:15am but didn't actually get up until 5:45 and thus to the canal until 6am. I definitely regretted this extra half hour of sleep. You wouldn't think 30 minutes would make that big of a difference but once the sun breaks the horizon, it's toasty.

Because we headed the other direction. Bella didn't get to see the cows today but she did see quite a few horses. Some of them even neighed at her as we went by.

Dad--the other thing I found this morning was the Chandler Water Treatment Plant. I never knew I lived so close to it.

The running itself was actually great! Slow, but great! The first 10 minute interval I wasn't paying very close attention to the time and I even ran 30 seconds past 10 minutes

Here's my Garmin data for anyone who is interested.

When Bella and I got back to the house, she was ready for a swim! Bella's had her best friend Abby around all weekend, so it was an extra big party. (Abby didn't go running. She stayed in bed with Rick. Abby has a wild spirit, and I didn't think I could manage both dogs on leashes as I ran), but she was awake and ready for the swim by the time Bella and I got back to the house.

Here's Bella's super long tongue as she was trying to cool herself off:

Bella beat Abby to the ball this time:

This time Abby beat Bella to the ball:

Bella in all her cuteness:

Oh my goodness they are both so adorable. Bella and Abby:

What I've been up to during Week 6 (aka the late version of Week 6 Goals)

Training Days: 3
Total Time of Each Session: 30 minutes
Objective: Run 10 min. then walk at fast pace for 5 min. Repeat 2 times.


I'll be honest, this week didn't start off very well. I was exceptionally tired all week and generally annoyed with the heat. Don't misunderstand, I am not complaining about the heat. I still love Arizona, and I should just go back and read my previous post and start again. . . . so here goes . . . "I was really tired this week and it was incredibly hot . . . but it doesn't matter."


Tuesday morning was the hottest morning so far, and I was really aware of the heat the whole workout. The other thing that really put a cramp in my style that morning was that about 4 minutes into my workout, the Garmin shut off due to a low battery. So, I actually don't know how long I worked out or how far or long I ran or walked, but I did the best I could to estimate based on previous workouts and paths. My heart was NOT in it on Tuesday morning!

Friday morning was a different story. It was slightly cooler, and there was a very slight breeze. I made sure the Garmin was all charged up, and Bella and I did so great! I was really happy with my two 10 minute running intervals, and the time passed really quickly. I still worry a little because my legs just feel so tired during the running. My lungs feel like I could go all day. I need to spend some time thinking about how/if I'm going to incorporate resistance training or some way to make my legs feel better, or if I should just wait it out and hope with continued running that things get better on their own.

Overall, my body is feeling really great. The shin problem that I was having early on during the walking seems to have completely gone a way!

Tomorrow's my last day of Week 6. I'm excited to finish it off on a positive note after waging through some loss of focus and negativity this week. I want to wake up super early and head back to the Canal trail to break up the monotony of my weekday route. I also think Bella misses the cows!

Don't Worry . . . I'm still running! (Week 5 Recap)

I haven't missed a one! However, I have been majorly slacking in the blogging department. It just seemed like one day turned into one week, and now it's been almost two.

My running (with some walking) is actually still going quite well! I finished all three workouts last week, and I was happily surprised at how easy the 5 minutes of running was/were (which is it mom? I'm unsure). I am especially proud of my workout last Sunday:

My crazy brother, Jeff, and sister-in-law, Farris, talked me into signing up for a 4 hour long kickboxing aerobics fundraiser which benefitted Breast Cancer Research. So, last Saturday morning, I kicked and punched and generally jumped around doing high-impact aerobics for basically 4 straight hours. I don't know if what I was doing by the end would still qualify as "high-impact" because by then I was really just proud to still be standing upright, but I somehow managed to survive all 4 hours.

Needless to say, I was NOT pleased with myself on Sunday morning when I woke up and realized that I could barely move and that I had also left one of my workouts until Sunday (I didn't do it Friday like I sometimes do because I had company-which is a bad excuse because I run/walk so early in the morning that my friend who was visiting was still sleeping.) The weeks where I only have 3 workouts are harder for me because I sometimes talk myself out of getting up on Friday because I know I can do it Sunday, but of course, it's not like I'm dying to get up early on Sunday mornings, so sometimes I regret not just doing it on Friday. I blame Elaine, my friend that was visiting, for making me drink too much wine on Thursday. How's that for a blame shift?

Sorry for the tangent. Anyway, the workout was DEFINITELY not happening Sunday morning, but by Sunday afternoon (as I read my Runners World magazine from the pool) I was starting to feel guilty that I was about to miss my first workout, so I begrudgingly got out of the pool, laced up my running shoes and got on our treadmill to complete my workout because it was 110 degrees by that time of day. It was awesome!! My right calf was in an incredible knot from the kickboxing marathon, but about 10 minutes in, it started to feel better, and I absolutely think that my soreness over the days that followed was greatly reduced by working out some of the lactic acid on Sunday. Yeah me!

I don't want to do too many runs on the treadmill because honestly, it felt a lot easier, and I'm worried it won't properly condition me for the marathon (plus Bella missed out on the run), but it was nice to realize that if I slip up and don't get out of bed in the morning when it's too hot to go after 6am, that I still can bail myself out by just getting on the treadmill.

Week 5 Goals, RUNNING and Equipment Update

Training Days: 3
Total Time of Each Session: 30 minutes
Objective: Jog for 5 min. and then walk at a fast pace for 5 min. Repeat 2 times

Today marked the beginning of (at least partial) RUNNING! I am so excited! I felt like there was still this big "what if" in my mind about whether or not I would be able to continue making progress and actually running.

It is embarrasing to me to write about how I ran for 5 minutes three times today, but was worried about how HARD the running would be. I know that to someone else that seems really lame, but I'm just being honest.


I woke up really anxious to get outside this morning! I had programmed Garmin with a fancy "advanced" workout so that it would beep at me each time I needed to change from run to walk. The running went well. I think that because, in the past, I have always tried to run too fast at first, it was always my cardiovascular system that hated running. Today, I went REALLY slowly and what was tired was my legs. I just need to build some muscle. Honestly, I ran so slowly that my heart rate and my pace stayed lower than when I was at a fast-walk pace. I don't care though! I was running! **Bella was incredibly bored (and therefore poorly behaved on the leash) with the pace. I just don't think she could understand how I could possibly be running so slowly.**

All weekend, I was wondering if I was going to have to alter my training schedule and do 3min run/2 walk 5 times because I wouldn't be able to do the 5 minutes of running. It was not bad. I just realized that I would like my legs to be stronger so the muscles didn't get so tired (mostly my calves). Maybe some resistance training is in order . . .

Equipment Update

I went to the running store this weekend in preparation for my "week o' running." I purchased this handheld insulated water bottle.

It was very comfortable on my hand this morning, and I really liked it. At the running store, I debated long and hard about which type of nozzle to get. There was one that is always closed unless you bite on the tip and then the water is dispensed. The benefit of that is that you don't have to pull a top "up" to get the water to flow every time.

I chose the more traditional type of top that you have to pull up to get the water to flow but that if the top is up, the water can still leak out. My reasoning was that I wanted the ability to dump the water on Bella and wouldn't have been able to with the one you had to "bite" to engage. I didn't love having to pull the top up this morning, but that is minor. We'll see how it goes. I can always try the other one.

I also purchased the leash system I have I have written about in previous posts because my current water/leash waist pack is too bouncy for running. It was AWESOME this morning. Maybe it is just because I've been using the bulky waist pack, but honestly, I didn't even know I had it on. Several different times, I panicked when I thought it had unhooked itself because I couldn't feel it around my waist. That's how comfortable it is! I'm hooked (literally).

As an after thought, I also grabbed these socks. Last week, even though I was just walking, I felt like some of the other socks I had tried were too "silky" and my feet were sliding in my shoes a bit. I noticed that the skin on the outside of my big toes was sore (like the beginnings of a blister). These Thorlo's were AWESOME--so padded and my feet felt great! The pair I purchased were Moderate cushion. They do make a THICK cusion version. Maybe I will try those sometime too.

Week #4 Recap

This was the last "all walking" week! I walked 10.5 miles in 3 hours and 3 seconds. On a funny note, when I ran a report with Garmin Connect to see how many miles I've walked in Weeks 2-4 (I didn't have the Garmin for Week 1) the total was 24.18 miles. Ha! Less than the marathon. Wow, interesting perspective on how LONG this journey is!

Feeling pretty good physically.

Literally, Holy Cow!

I woke up earlier than normal (5am instead of 5:35am) because it is the weekend, and I knew I could take a nap later today. I wanted to see if the extra half hour would make it any cooler. I woke up and forgot to take note of the temperature because I was greeted by an amazing sunrise!

Usually, when I leave at 5:45am for the walk, the sunrise has technically already occurred, but it is still somewhat cooler because the sun isn't directly on us yet. While I like to sleep, it is nice to know that if I have to start altering my departure time to accommodate the longer runs in the future that at least I might catch a sunrise once in a while!

Today, Bella and I hopped into the car and drove 2 miles down the road to the "Consolidated Canal" trail (light blue on very bottom of map below). It is a trail maintained by the power company (thanks Kevin and Jeff) and runs for 20+ miles.





As you can see, there is an extensive system of canals in the Phoenix area. Here is a link that can help you calculate the distance of your run along the canals as well as show you a bigger version of this map.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the trail. I have driven by it many times and thought that it looked nice. Bella and I parked by the Chandler Airport and were literally right by the trail. I don't think I was actually allowed to park where I did, so next time, I may try parking at Tumbleweed Park. Anyhow, the first thing I saw was this bridge over the canal.




One side of the canal is a 10 foot paved path and the other side is a 10 foot gravel path! We walked on the gravel path one direction and the paved path the other.

The trail heads straight through farming country. We walked 10 feet from about 400 cows having their morning meal! Bella really didn't know what to think. The cows (and the clinking tags in their ears) were quite loud and incredibly smelly. Bella's tail was up high! She was extremely interested in all of the animals in a very brave way. She's usually so shy and skittish with new experiences, but with the animals, she didn't seem nervous, just curious.




I really wasn't too sure what we'd find on the trail this morning. I feel like the universe listened to me about something I contemplated earlier in the week. Friday morning on our walk, I picked a route that was too traffic-laden for us. As cars whizzed by us on Arizona Avenue, Bella was nervous, I was nervous, and I noted that I wanted to try to stay away from major roads when possible. It just wasn't enjoyable.


Laughably, this morning was almost the complete opposite of that experience, complete with cows, horses, ducks, lots of open space and no traffic! Despite the malodorous cows, I much preferred the rural scenery over the stressful city traffic.

I think the canal trail is going to be an awesome place to do some of my long runs in the future. What a great morning! Here's the link to the Garmin data for the day for anyone interested!

Music

Today, I took the Ipod! I kept the volume pretty low so I could still here traffic, other walkers, etc. I really liked having the music, nd I felt like it was easier to keep a fast pace. I don't think I'll take it every day, and for some reason the left earpiece was really hurting by the end of our walk, but I think the music helped to wake me up a little faster. Today, we walked 2.75 miles!

Here's what was on my 45 minute playlist:

• SOS--Rhianna
  
• I'm Bringing Sexy Back--Justin Timberlake
  
• Disturbia--Rhianna
  
• It's All Been Done--Bare Naked Ladies
  
• Ride Wit Me--Nelly
• Pour Some Sugar On Me--Def Leppard
• Livin' la Vida Loca--Ricky Martin
  
• Get This Party Started--Pink
  
• Dance 2005 Disco Kings Born to be Alive--Benny Benassi Remix
• Boom Boom I Want You--Venga Boys
  
• What a Wonderful World--Louis Armstrong
  
• Don't Stop the Music--Rhianna
  
• Bye Bye Bye--N'Sync
• All For You--Janet Jackson

I think you can learn a lot by what is on someone's playlist. What did my playlist today, teach you about me? Several of the songs made me feel like doing a little dance, but I refrained due to fear of embarrasing Bella.

Here's a video peak at Bella's morning swim:

Have a great day!

Humidity (still) and a Loop!

I know that I live in the desert and I whine about the humidity, but I like to think that it is because I live in the desert that I am entitled to whine about humidity. Why? I didn't sign up for this . . . In my carefully crafted life plan, I selected my geographical location of residence based on my extreme dislike of humidity (and all things related to it except the ocean). Understandably, when I woke up this morning and dragged myself outside (to put on my shoes while Bella took care of business) and was hit by a huge wall of hot humidity, I was less than enthused about heading out to walk in the STICKIENESS.

Here's what I told myself as I contemplated sneaking back to bed: "Self, this is the last week that leads up to your running!" I imagined my body getting stronger as I spend one last week, perfecting my "woggle." Honestly, it really helped.

When I suggested to Rick that I should possibly skip my workout this morning due to the extreme yucky-ness outside, he suggested I "pre-wet" myself by running through the sprinklers that were currently running in the backyard. Isn't he helpful? I think it was his way of saying, "get your butt out the door." And, of course, I really wasn't thinking of skipping the walk . . . it is all the humidity's fault . . . I promise.

So, Bella and I headed out. I was feeling a little bit anxious because it was our first 45 minute day! It wasn't so much that I thought it would be more tiring. Actually, more than anything, I was thinking about how much later I was going to get back to the house. I've come to really LOVE my extra time in the mornings (after our walk but before I have to get ready for work). It just feels "stolen" and indulgent, and I love to laze around watching The Today Show (except today when I was happy to watch less due to the excessive coverage of all things MJ).

I found myself looking at the watch a lot today, which was a little distracting. I think I just didn't have a feel for how far I needed to go use up 45 minutes. I ended up doing a really awesome loop and we didn't have to repeat any ground. At about 22 minutes, I thought about the fact that usually I was coming up on the end (of 30 minutes) but the next thing I knew, I was at 34 minutes and really almost done! It was a great feeling. We walked a total of 2.57 miles today.

Bella seemed to handle the extra time just fine. She still wasn't interested in drinking any water on our walk. When we got back to the house, she was really excited for her morning swim. I think she may have been disappointed by how incredibly warm the water in the pool was. When she splashed me, it literally felt like bath water.

Week #4 Goals--The Last Week of Walking!

Training Days: 4

Total Time of Each Session: 45 minutes

Objective: Fast Walking Pace of 13-16 min./mile

No extra credit although I'm really hoping to make it to yoga this week (which I guess qualifies this as extra credit but the connotation stresses me out)!

This is the last week of ALL walking. I'm dying to be out of the phase of having to write about my "walking" because it just feels lame. I know that it's probably necessary, and I am hoping it ensures that I don't get injured and can effortlessly progress through the upcoming training. I just think I'll feel cooler when I can say, "I'm a runner." It's not that walking isn't "cool," I think that running has just always been so elusive for me that it will feel like I'm starting to achieve.

Week #3 Completed!

Greetings from the lost! The holiday weekend and a little blogging burnout rendered me missing for the last few days.

According to Garmin, Week #3 included 6 miles of walking during a total of 1 hour, 44 minutes. All in all, a pretty easy week, with, as predicted, the highlight being my walk in Albuquerque with my mom! The above picture is the view of the Sandia Mountains we saw as we walked.

We did awesome! We headed up into the open space above my parents' house that has a really nice path. It was great to take a break from walking on pavement. It was also nice to have someone to talk to. Sometimes, we talked so much that our pace fell too low, but overall, my average heart rate was a little higher than average which I assume was due to the increase in elevation. Garmin recorded that the altitude in Albuquerque was right at 5800 feet as compared to 1200 feet here in Chandler, but honestly I really couldn't notice a difference.

On a sad note, even though she made the trip to Albuquerque with us, Bella didn't get to go on our walk. She was too busy playing with her best friend Abby. I felt a little bit lost to be walking without her. Despite the fact that she pulls on the leash sometimes and generally is a little skittish, I've come to LOVE having her by my side, and I hope I don't have to do too many more workouts alone!

Bella had an amazing weekend too though, so don't worry! She may have overexerted herself and is still recovering. Here is a picture of her taking advantage of some prime napping time in New Mexico with Rick and Abby. She really does love to be lazy!

200 Days and Counting!

Just wanted to point out that according to the countdown at the bottom of my blog, today, July 1st, is 200 days until the Rock N Roll Arizona Marathon!

• It seems long--it's more than 6 months away and even after the holiday season.


• It seems short--with only 4/7th of thoses days being workout days, roughly 114 workouts to go!
  

Sunday, for the first time I perused the Rock-n-Roll Arizona Marathon's website. I didn't spend too long on it because I felt like I was jinxing something by studying the marathon already, but I did see that the marathon course goes right by Rick's office, and for some reason, that made me VERY excited!!