Days 188 - 195: Getting Back into the Swing

When you take time off of your sport, getting back into the routine of exercise can be rough. As previously mentioned I re-injured my left leg and decided to take some time off to heal. By taking time off, I mean going on the elliptical, biking, and doing yoga every single day. Yes, I am one of those people who tend to get a bit obsessive about exercise, and yes, it sometimes gets me injured or exacerbates my injuries, but this time I was taking it easy. In case you are wondering by “easy” I mean going to bikram (hot) yoga 3 nights a week, going on the elliptical 3-4 days a week for 40 minutes on a high resistance setting, and biking outdoors at least once or twice a week. That may sound like a lot, but for me 40 min elliptical sessions, yoga, and biking for only an hour are taking it super easy. So I had been doing that for a while now and was ready to make my running come back. My injured leg feels stronger than it did before and I have started integrating shorter 3-4 mile runs into my daily routine. After every run, I apply RICE therapy to my legs. I have become more particular about what I eat to make my body better at running, except when it comes to doughnuts. And just to be on the safe side, I started taking take calcium and vitamin D supplements. Anyway, days 188-195 are when I began to take my training a notch up and so far, no injuries.

Day 188 was a Saturday. It was also going to be one of the hottest days I have experienced in the DC metro area. And my mom was in town visiting for the weekend. She had a 5K on Monday and wanted to go on a short 2 mile run two days before, and of course I gladly said I would join her. The plan was for us to run 2 miles together, I’d drop her off at the house and then run 4 more miles, totaling my Saturday at an easy 6. This sounded good in theory, but then we stepped outside that morning and it was like stepping into a steam room. Not exactly ideal weather for running, or doing anything really, other than lounging about in an air-conditioned room. So we set off, sweating immediately (and profusely) and feeling lethargic after the few first steps. As we trotted along trying to not let the heat get the best of us, we talked about different ‘mom and daughter’ topics and our plans for the day ahead. After our run and showers, we were going to head to the Mount Vernon estates; a place I’ve always wanted to go, but not yet been able to. We decided we would go to Mount Vernon, take a tour of the house and grounds and then head over to Alexandria, wander about town, do some shopping, and get dinner. I am going to take a moment and mention that I love Alexandria. It is such a prefect little city with so much character, adorable little shops, and delicious restaurants. If you are traveling to or through DC, try and stop there for a meal, it’s definitely worth it.

We moved along at a brisk pace, mostly because it was so hot and we didn’t want to be running anymore, and finished the 2 miles relatively quickly. I then dropped off my mom at the house to shower and get ready, promising to not take too long on my part 2 of the run. I headed back out along the same route I had just traversed with my mum, this time running just a bit farther. I like this route and have become accustomed to running it day after day. While I like trying out new routes, it is really nice to get to know a trail. When you get to know a trail, you become comfortable with what it gives you and what you can take from it. In suburbia, it can be hard to find a decent trail, but I take what I can get. My trail has some wicked turns and a few small, but steep and technical hills. I really love trail running. It is about 40 times harder than road running, and thus about 100 times more rewarding. Having to scramble up hills and getting dirt on your shoes makes you feel that much more accomplished when you walk back in the door after a long run. On this run, I carried my water bottle and found that, even though up until this point I have not enjoyed carrying the bottle, I really enjoyed holding something in my hand while running. I found that when trail running the bottle seemed to help steady me. This was surprising for me, but a good discovery nonetheless. At the end of my run, I booked it the last half mile back to my house and felt both strong and pain-free. That day I ran a little more than 6 miles, walked a lot through northern Virginia, and had a completely awesome time.

Day 193 was a biking day. I came home and was very Very frustrated from a long unpleasant work day. I was going to go for a run, but decided that instead I wanted to ride my bike. Sometimes a bike ride clears my head more than a run will. This is rare, but it still happens. The weather was perfect; a gradual balance between comfortable and warm, with a light breeze coasting through the trees. I quickly loaded up my bike with water, ate a banana, and hoped into the saddle. Bike riding for me is a little like my favorite activity when I was a kid, horse back riding. Whenever I get on my bike, I still resort back to being a little kid and imagine I am on the back of a horse. While the riding style and speed is (maybe obviously) completely different via horse or bike, I still always feel like I am being taken for a ride. Maybe it’s just that the way the wind whips my cheeks when I am on my bike reminds me of how my hair used to sting my face when I was training to ride bareback.

I head off on my trusty steed Sally (bike’s name, see earlier posts) to my bike trail, which is round about 18 miles. When I bike with my friend Shea, we usually go down to Rock Creek Park or ride to downtown DC and Haines Point. When I bike by myself, I tend to stick to familiar routes that I could easily get myself home if I got stuck riding after dark. My route winds along a paved trail that coasts mostly behind suburban neighborhoods through “woods.” I say “woods” because when I think of real woods, I certainly do not imagine being able to touch civilization with the toss of a stone. However, it’s better than nothing and at least I have some kind of wooded area to ride through that makes me feel like I am (kind of) escaping the suburbs. Many cities do not include this.  So I whizzed through the trees letting the wind slap me harshly and bending and twisting my bike molding myself to the trail’s curves. I love that feeling, leaning into the wind. On this day there were a lot of others out on the trail walking, running, biking, and I often had to dodge the other trail patrons which led to a few interesting encounters. But mostly it led to me weaving along through everyone seamlessly. When I reached the half way point, I found a bench and flopped down onto it to drink some water and eat a few Milano cookies, Double chocolate. I have always loved eating cookies on longer bike rides, I wonder if (and hope) this will carry over to ultra running. I have not yet been on a run long enough for me to justify eating real food while running. Up until this point I have always ingested the stuff they give you at races:  GU’s, Shot Blox, gels, Sports Beans, etc and whatever electrolyte drink they gave the runners during longer runs. I have not branched out to eating real foods while running.

The thought occurred to me while on that bench that it is a little strange that some of us runners, run to get that pure bliss feeling and be one with what is around us, but what we put in our bodies along the way is chemically engineered. Think about it. Traditional running (road running/racing) is entirely geared around what is essentially out of nature running. You run on the sidewalk, boardwalk, asphalt, pavement, etc. and then ingest gels and blocks of goo, which are not made by nature, and then you get home and say, “Yeah, it was good to get outside for a run.” How are you any different really from those people you complain about on the treadmill in the gym? I know this may sound callous of me, but please humor me on this tangent. I know that I too spray on sun tan lotion, loop my iPod in my ears, stuff my cell phone in my bra, run alongside streets, and consume man-made gelatin, but I am seeing the flaw and wanting to change. Running should be done on trails. It should be done in the snow, sleet, rain, hail, and sunshine. You should have to traverse over and through mud, muck, puddles, leaves, roots, dirt, gravel, and sand. You should wear less complicated clothing, no iPod, something water proof, and a pack (of the smaller size). You should eat soup, pretzels, bread, peanut butter, chocolate, and bananas. It should be about simpler things, because running is something more. It’s more than fitness, it’s more than remedial exercise; it’s about reaching higher and farther. It’s about growth and being outdoors. It’s about stopping mid-run because you randomly saw a deer with its fawn chewing some grass. It’s about running water logged in the pouring rain for hours because when you finish you feel alive. It’s about running 50 miles through ever expansive trails, because you can. Running is definitely about being more.

With the end of that rambling outdoorsy thought, I bring you to Day 195, my longest run in about 3 months. I was up early, probably about 7:30 am, and quickly suited up into my traditional run wear to go for my 10 mile run. While I was nervous about the length of this run, I knew I could do it. Leading up to this point, my legs have been feeling strong and springy and I figured that I would be able to do well if I ran slow and steady. I filled up two water bottles with a mix of water and lemon-lime Gatorade and strapped them to the belt on my hip, pulled on my sunglasses, laced up my sneakers, and headed out the door. It was about 8:15 am when I stepped outside onto the porch and it was easily already above 80 degrees. Everything about running in the heat makes me unhappy. I don’t mind sweat while exercising, because that is just a fact of life, but sweat because it’s hot outside your body and it’s hot inside from the muscle working extra hard, completely sucks. For the first moment I started running, I wanted to quit. But then again, that is just the first part of the pattern. The pattern goes like this: Distain; Grudging acceptance; Mindless acceptance; Bliss. At first, you simply do not want to run. Everything hurts; you feel tired and sore, strange parts (read as thighs, butt, etc) of your body jiggle, you are cranky and whiney, you are out of breath and nauseous. Then your brain (not body, your body will accept whatever punishment you throw at it, your mind is the culprit of your desire Not to run) realizes that despite its best efforts to deter you from running, you are still slowly tossing one foot in front of the other. So your brain tells you, “okay, I’ll play your game” and moves forward but not without throwing some curve balls at you (a rolled or twisted ankle) and still complaining quietly under its breath. Eventually, you have been running for a while (for some people this point is 2 miles, 4 miles (mine), 8 miles, 10 miles, etc.), and your brain simply turns off. Let’s say it goes into hibernate mode. The logic here? Your brain thinks, ‘well if you’re not gonna listen to me, my ideas of lying about on the couch, and my complaints, and then I’m gonna go have a nap.’ So there you are, your body coasting along at your pace, putting one foot in front to the other, reacting to the environment around and not thinking one bit. Just past the stage of mindless acceptance, is bliss. It happens when you find yourself leaping and making a hooting noise over a section of above ground roots. It happens when you decide to run through the shallow river instead of over the bridge. It happens when you are in the moment, at peace, and happy.

I was stuck in the grudging acceptance stage for a long freaking time. When you are stuck in this stage, your brain is still active, throwing wise crack remarks at you, making comments about your butt, questioning your capabilities. The hardest part of running is getting through this stage. This is the only time during my run that I think and I think a lot. Because I am often beginning from a negative place my thoughts usually start there. I judge other runners passing by, I getting annoyed at the lack of care and oversight of the trail, I am bitter toward people running with their dogs (though you would never know it because I have this lopsided dopey half smile on the whole time and saw hi to everyone I see). Once I have run out of visual stimuli to tear apart, I start in on myself. I go over my personality flaws and then move on to my (perceived) physical flaws. Eventually I get bored of judging, and drift from topic to topic: ‘do I have enough water to get my to the next water fountain, this trail got a lot of rain recently, I don’t like Rubik cubes, I wish I had a dog, the belt is sliding up again, this song is boring, what’s next, is that a shadow or someone behind a tree, a shadow, OOOOOOHHH A BUNNY, wish Rach was here and saw that bunny, family in the park, ham sandwiches or is that turkey, CORGI!, people playing tennis, I should play tennis, I made a point of buying a tennis racket but never played here, what’s next, cars are a bit odd, I don’t like small cars, dog, dog, dog, I want a damn running partner dog, fish are kind of cool, where the hell is the damn water fountain?’ I kid you not this is pretty much a verbatim string of my thoughts while on a run. People always think runners have deep enlightened thoughts while they are running, but clearly that is not the case. Any runner that tries to tell you they have deep enlightening thoughts while running is either a liar or hasn’t run very far or both. I will tell you that right before you move from the grudging acceptance running state to the mindless acceptance running state you think these exact words, “man, I’m sleepy.” I hit my turn-around point and came back and was in a state of bliss from then through till the last quarter of a mile. By then it was around 10 am and about 95 degrees Fahrenheit outside. For the last part of my run I coasted lazily on the sidewalk, up a massive hill, through the blazing sun, and to the corner of my block. I walked to the driveway, up to my porch, and high-fived the air before ducking inside.

I have learned a lot from running, but mostly I found that if you take your time, work hard, and give it your best, you WILL have a great time and everything will turn out just fine. Trust your gut and just keep going.