Long Slow Distance was Slow

The Buckeye Striders met at Sharon Woods park today to do our long slow distance. Several of us training for the Air Force Marathon (Half) were scheduled to do 8 miles today, so we started at 7 a.m.

When I say we were slow, I'm not exaggerating. We were mostly around 14:50 per mile with more than one mile slower than 15 minutes! Once we got slower than 15 min per mile, I went to the front thinking I could pull the group along. Nancy, Steve and I picked up the pace, but the rest kept chatting and slowing as they went.

Three of us finished our nearly 8 miles (It is a 3.8-mile loop)  in under 2 hours. The rest of the group -- who knows.

As I often have to remind myself -- it is a long slow distance day. Still, I don't think we have to go quite that slow!

Regardless, it was a fun morning and I feel great. 

Faster than the Speed of Light

For today's speed workout, I wanted to see how fast I could walk a measured 1/4 mile. There are 1/4 mile marks along the roads at Griggs Reservoir, so I did the workout there.

After a 1-mile warm up, I walked as fast as I could for eight 1/4 mile speed spurts with a 2-min rest in between. My first lap was 3:03. I got faster until I reached my last "lap" in 2:49 -- which would be the equivalent of an 11:16 mile, if I could keep up that pace for that long. I noticed my feet were starting to slap the ground instead of rolling. As soon as I consciously worked on "rolling" my feet, my pace improved and I had my fastest lap!

Though I was having difficulty moving my legs any faster, my heart rate was not near my max and I felt as if I was not breathing my hardest. When I can get the legs faster, I know my heart and lungs are ready!

In my cool-down mile, the cover of my left Yurbud earbud fell off. (I hate when that happens.) I went back to look for the bright red cover, but had no luck finding it. Ugh! I ended up walking more than a mile at a pretty slow pace for about 22 mins while I searched.

My goal is to get down to a 12-min mile pace for a half marathon. And the only way to get faster is to practice walking faster. If I keep up the speed workouts, I'm sure it will come!

My 1/4-mile laps.
3:03
3:00
2:58
2:52
2:51
2:56
2:59
2:49

Roundtown Classic 5-Mile Race Review

Buckeye Striders Pat, Nancy, Steve, Deb and me.

The Roundtown Classic in Circleville, OH was a fun event! A group of Buckeye Striders did the 5-mile race yesterday. There is also a 5K and kids fun run.

The course was a 1.25 mile loop in a park -- mostly on asphalt. There was a short section through a wooded area that was gravel. A line was painted on the trail dividing it in half. Signs indicated that walkers and slow runners were to be on the outside of the loop with faster runners on the inside. (Yes, that does mean that walkers went farther than the runners.)

The crowd spread out quickly, and it was pretty easy to pick up the pace. Because the loop was so large, the faster runners took a while to lap us, and it was pretty easy to pass slower walkers and runners most of the time. The only time passing was an issue was on the gravel section. It was narrower than the rest of the trail. Unfortunately, that is where we got stuck behind a couple of very slow walkers and run/walkers. We were behind them for way too long before we could pass.

The course was nice! We didn't mind the gravel because the wooded area was so pretty and smelled wonderful. It was hard to racewalk, but the section was not too long. The race organizes used fluorescent orange paint to mark any potential tripping hazards like tree roots! Overall the course was flat and in good condition.

After the 5K and the faster 5-mile people finished it felt as if we had more room and I moved to the inside lane and started to use tangents to walk the shortest distance possible. I could tell it made an immediate difference while passing some fast walkers on a curvy part of the trail.

I finished in 1:09:37 by my watch. My slowest mile was 14:16 and my last mile pushing hard and using tangents was 13:08!

After the race, there was a raffle with some nice prizes. We stayed for the awards because our friend Steve won his age group. Unfortunately, it was the last age group for the 5-mile race, so we had to wait for the 5K awards and all of the other 5-mile awards, but that was OK. Everyone seemed excited to see their friends winning prizes. They did not have separate walking awards, but Steve was still the fastest man in his age group.

The shirts are nice, but they are in men's sizes only. The small is large on me, but I understand that small races like this one can't afford to do women's sizes, too. The medals are great! The date of the race is on the back and the inside section spins. The awards were very nice, too. (We called them ice sculptures.)

This was a well-run and fun race! I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a shorter distance event in Ohio.

http://roundtownclassic.com/

Do it Anyway!

Don't you hate it when people throw your own advice back in your face? Me, too!

Here's the back story.
A few months ago I listened to a podcast interview with Adam Carolla. Near the end of the conversation he gave some advice that stuck with me. He said something like this:

If you don't feel like getting out of bed, get out of bed anyway. If you go for a run and feel like quitting, run 1 mile farther. If you don't want to shower, take a shower anyway.

It hit me as so simple and so deep at the same time. I must have told everyone I know about this nugget of advice.

Jump back to today.
I had a long day, ran some errands on the way home and more after dinner. I had planned to do a couple of miles tonight, but it was late and I just didn't feel like it. Like an idiot, I said that aloud.

My husband turned to me and said, "Do it anyway." I looked at him in confusion. He repeated, "Do it anyway. Isn't that what that guy you love said?"

I laughed, put on my walking clothes and walked for 30 minutes. It felt great!

When I got home I thanked him.
____________________

In hindsight, the most amazing part of this entire story is that my husband listened to me when I talked about the podcast.

Long-Slow Training

My friend Deb and I met bright and early today for this week's long-slow distance. We are training for the Air Force Half Marathon in Dayton this September, and we were scheduled for 7 miles. We went to Sharon Woods, which has a 3.8-mile loop, and did two loops for 7.6 miles.

It was hot and humid, so we took it slow. We both laughed when we realized how slow -- 15-minute miles! Well, it was supposed to be long and slow. I guess we succeeded.

Despite the heat and speed, the distance felt good. And an added benefit was walking with Deb! I haven't had much of a chance to walk with her lately, and catching up made the miles go by much faster.

Definitely a good way to start a morning!

Without Power from Summer Storms

The tree that blocked the trail at Antrim Park from Friday night's storm.

My house was one of the millions without power from the storm that hit the Midwest and some Eastern states on June 29th. Luckily, the power came back on July 4, meaning we were without electricity for only five days. I say "only" five days because there are still plenty of people suffering without power. I feel extremely fortunate!

My family used to do quite a bit of camping back before our son started playing summer baseball several years ago. That means we know how to store and cook food without power and we are pretty resilient.

The only snag was the oppressive heat. We slept in the basement and yesterday I ended up hanging out at Starbucks and going to a movie. I don't know how people without a basement or a nearby movie theater survived!

Though we have power, we still do not have cable or Internet access. I will not complain with so many people without power still. And because of places like Starbucks, I can sneak in a few minutes of connection here and there.

Let's not forget about all of the people still waiting for power. Please keep them in you prayers. Let's also pray for those men and women working night and day to get the power back up. (They are working outside in this heat!) And if you know anyone who is still without power, try to offer some relief if you can.

I am confident this will be one of those events that in a few years we will say: Remember when ...

Happy late Fourth of July everyone! 

Maintaining Motivation

It's pretty easy to keep up your motivation to train when you have a race scheduled -- especially if it is a longer event that requires months of training, such as a marathon or half marathon.

What is tough is maintaining your motivation, or even maintaining a level of fitness, when you are not training for a specific purpose.

When asked, a couple avid walkers shared ways they keep up their motivation to walk or workout:

• Look back at how far you've come. Whether you have lost weight, reached a fitness goal, or even hit a mileage milestone, looking back at where you started (and the desire to not repeat all of that hard work) can keep you going.
• Mix things up by focusing on a different training goal. Instead of just walking goals, the focus might be flexibility, weight loss, strength, endurance.... Don't stop walking, just make your main focus something else.
• It's also OK to use bad examples. I know it is not politically correct, but thinking about people you do not want to be like is OK if it keeps you moving. As one of my favorite quotes goes: If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning. (Catherine Aird)
• Set an appointment for workouts and take them as seriously as any other appointment on your calendar. For many people, if the time is blocked out, they won't miss the workout whether they want to walk or not.
• Give yourself rewards for meeting goals. Rewards can be as simple as a new pair or socks, a small ice cream cone, or even as big as a new workout outfit. Depending on where you are starting, your goals can be finishing your first mile, first 5K race, half marathon... whatever distance works for you.

So, what tricks do you use to keep yourself motivated when you don't want to workout?

Judgment?

Today I did three laps around Antrim Lake averaging 14:30 per mile for 3.6 miles. The pace was not too easy -- not too fast.

Afterward, while stretching on the deck, I noticed a couple running groups getting ready to start. When I stood up from an IT band stretch, my eyes met those of a young, thin runner who quickly averted her eyes. She was with a group of runners and was standing near another woman whose back was to me.

After more stretching, I stood up and saw that both of the young women were looking at me in that way that makes you assume they are not saying anything nice.

I continued doing my thing, ignoring them, but I couldn't help wondering what they were saying. Was I stretching wrong? Were they looking at my clothes or my shoes? Did they know I am a walker? For a few seconds, I was paranoid and worried about the opinions of these two women.

Then I nearly laughed aloud. Why did I care what they thought? (In hindsight I realize I did not know what they thought.) I'm twice their ages, I'm fit and healthy, I've finished two full marathons and more than 30 half marathons. I'm healthier and more active than the majority of women my age.

I picked up my water bottle, lifted my head and walked past them.

While writing this, I thought of a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Marathon Deaths Rare

The start of the 2011 Columbus Marathon from a
walker's perspective.

The headline in today's paper -- Marathon Deaths Rare -- caught my eye.

Even though I knew it was true, people died in two different races I was in. And the year after I did the Detroit Marathon half, three people died running that full marathon. I'd like to know the facts.

According to the article in The Columbus Dispatch, a Johns Hopkins study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine reported that a runner's risk of dying is slim. The actual number of people dying during or soon after a marathon is 0.75 per 100,000 runners. And men are more likely to die than women -- twice as likely.

The researchers looked at 300 marathons a year from 2000 to 2009. They found that 28 people died during races or within 24 hours of completing them during that time. Over half the people who died were over 45 and all but one of those over 45 died of heart disease. The younger runners died from other things, such as hyponatremia or cardiac arrhythmia.

During these same years, the number of people finishing marathons increased from 299,018 to 473, 355 annually!

After reading this article, I was thrilled to be reassured that the risk of death from "running" a marathon is extremely low. Though the number of people finishing marathons is increasing dramatically, I am a little concerned that this study does not indicate the number who walk or racewalk marathons as opposed to running them. I don't have hard statistics, but from experience I know there are an increasing number of marathoners who are walkers. Are the number of walkers increasing faster than runners? I doubt it. But since it does not appear that any of the athletes who died were marathon walkers, I do wonder if maybe the statistics for dying while "running" a marathon might be higher if you eliminate walkers from the base number.

Despite these concerns, I still believe that the benefits of running far outweigh the risks.

Body Image

For a variety of reasons, many women in the United States have warped body images. Though it ranges from thinking you are healthy when you are heavy or obese to seeing yourself as obese when you are healthy or too thin, I personally have experience with the latter. For the majority of my life, my sister and I both thought we were fat when no one else ever did. In fact, when I look back at photographs from before I was married more than 25 years ago, I was the classic skinny-fat -- way too thin, but with no muscle tone.

This is to explain why I really like a website about body image I found recently. It's call My Body Gallery -- What Real Women Look Like. http://www.mybodygallery.com/

The "Read this" section says:

This site is here as an accurate reflection of what real women look like. All women.

Why?
A recent study found that 95% of non-eating disordered women overestimate the size of their hips by 16% and their waists by 25%, yet the same women were able to correctly estimate the width of a box.

On the home page, to the left, is Gallery Search. There you can enter your height, weight (in 10 lb increments), pant size and shirt size. You can also select the size photos you'd like to see. Up pops a screen of photos of women who fit those criteria. 

Because my weight fluctuates between 122 and 125, I entered both 120 lb and 130 lb. My first thought was. "Wow, these women look great!" I also found it funny that the women who weighed a little bit more looked better to me. I also found some of the women to be too thin. This was such a shock to me -- someone my size could be too thin! (Can you tell I still have issues?)

Some people posted thoughts about feeling unattractive, but for me, that was not the most important thing. It was seeing what other women who are my size look like.

After visiting the site a couple of times, I began to wonder why someone would post photos on this website. Even with my face blocked out, I'm not sure I would do it. But whatever their motivation, I am thankful they did! When I have those days when I start to feel fat, I'll be sure to go back and get a reality check.

Ed Redux

In December, I wrote about my good friend Ed who encourages me to keep going and to "do it better".

A little while ago my husband told Ed about that blog post. I was embarrassed. I never expected Ed to see what I wrote about him. Needless to say, Ed was excited and wanted to read it. After several unsuccessful attempts to get him to the blog online (I never remember this exact URL), I finally printed out the page and carried it in my purse for a week until we could see him again.

This past Friday, I was finally able to give it to him. Just like a little kid, I slipped the folded paper to him and quickly walked away.

As I tried to pretend not to watch for his reaction, I thought about his encouraging words again. Yes, I am getting things moving behind the scenes, but could I do it any slower? Geez!

There are a couple of good reasons why the big things are not happening, and I am making progress on some of the little things, but that does not mean I cannot be moving a little bit faster to get stuff done.

OK, Ed, thank you for inspiring me -- again!

PS: Ed said he was flattered! Whew!

Jealous of this Weekend's Races

Me with Elvis during the
2006 Cincinnati Flying Pig.

There are a ton of great races being held this weekend! The Indy Mini Marathon is tomorrow. The Cap City Half Marathon is tomorrow. The Flying Pig is Sunday. And this is the weekend for the Jack Mortland racewalks!

Unfortunately, I'm not entered in a single one.

It's not because I don't want to be in Indianapolis or Cincinnati this weekend -- I do! These are two of my favorite half marathons. And I almost registered for Cap City. I even have friends entered in each one of these events. However, the increasing cost of races has caught up with me.

I probably would have entered the Cap City Half since it is a local race. With no travel expenses or hotel costs, I thought it would be a good deal. However, at more than $50 for registration, it was too expensive for me right now. The perks of this race really don't warrant more than $50.

So, because of the cost of entry fees, I am entering fewer races, focusing on local races and choosing more small, less expensive races.

And though I am somewhat jealous of my friends who are entered in events this weekend, I am enjoying these smaller, less expensive events. There is something nice about being in a race that notices if you show up. And I like not having to weave in and out of slow runners to get to my pace.

And maybe, in a couple of years when my race budget is a little bit larger, I hope I will still be supporting and enjoying local, small races.

PS: The reason I am not entered in the Jack Mortland judged racewalk has nothing to do with money. I'm just not confident about my racewalking form -- yet.

Watch What You Eat

Over the weekend, I ended up eating something that did NOT agree with me. I was sick all day Sunday and totally drained with headaches all day Monday. (I think it was food poisoning. Entirely my fault.) I spent two whole days on the couch or in bed.

Though today I felt much better and was able to get back to my life, I didn't expect there to be lasting consequences. I was a little tired when I got home from work, but after getting dinner started I still went out for a short walk around the neighborhood. The sun was shining, but showers were on their way -- it was now or never. Less than halfway around our "big" block, I was exhausted! I barely made it back before the rains began.

I wasn't able to do my normal mileage Saturday morning and I was wiped out Sunday and Monday. But I did not expect to still be recovering Tuesday.

In a few days I'll be fine, but in the meantime I'll take it easy and act as if I am starting from scratch. I haven't been working out as hard as normal recently, so maybe this is a sign I need ramp it up a bit.

Apologies to WordPress

The other day, I finally decided to play with WordPress on my laptop instead of my old desktop computer. The reason I always use my very old desktop computer is because it has more memory, and in my old-school mind, a desktop seems to be safer and more permanent than a laptop.

Not expecting anything different to happen, I was stunned to have nearly everything work!

So, though I still do not think that WordPress is very easy, I am thrilled that on a computer that works well, WordPress works much better!

I'm short on time over the next couple of days, so I'm not able to complete the move. When I do, you will be the first to know!

And I am sorry I was so publicly critical of WordPress. Obviously, the majority of the problem was me.

Hating WordPress or I Need Help

Every time I go to the WordPress website, I see that it is easy to use and can be set up in minutes. Then why have I invested hours of my time and I am unable to make it work?

I am not stupid. Though I must admit I have limited patience for learning a new technology or software. That said, I think devoting several hours over several days means that maybe, just maybe, WordPress is not nearly as easy as advertised. (I believe it really did take only 5 minutes to set up this blog.)

Here are my issues:

1. There are hundreds of pages of information on how to set up the blog. There is way too much information for an "easy" process.
2. I set up the template, saved it to my website, but when I make changes and save, they do NOT show up on the live blog.
3. Somehow I seem to have created two separate blogs -- one on walk-magazine.com and the other on www.walk-magazine.com. How did that happen?
4. Once I thought I had it figured out, I tried to move this Blog to the WordPress blog. I keep getting an error message, but there does not seem to be a solution to the error. The problem could be that Yahoo is not a Google product, but I don't know. I found another website that had an "easy" way to move a Blogger blog, but this also included posting html code in a variety of places. I'm sorry, but if I have to use html to make it work, it is not "easy". (For the record, I do know a little bit about html, and have edited files, etc., but that doesn't mean I can do this.)
5. I decided to set up a free blog on WordPress first, then figure out how to move it to my Yahoo account later. Even that is not easy. I make changes, save the file and the changes do not show up. I'm find this entire process WAY too CONFUSING!

In the meantime, I have a million other things I would rather be doing: walking, writing, even cleaning my house. But this easy process is driving me nuts.

If anyone has a "easy" solution -- I mean easy for me, not easy for a programmer -- please let me know. Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Speed

I haven't done a speed workout in a couple of weeks. And I can tell. I feel slow and lethargic.

I did a 1-mile warm up, then 6 X 1/4 mile repeats with 2:00 breaks in between.

My times were 3:03, 3:02, 3:06, 2:51, 2:55 and 3:03. Not bad, but definitely a little bit slow for a speed work out. It didn't help that I was wearing long pants -- way too hot for today.

Yes, I hate speed. In the middle of each workout I try to figure out a way to quit early. Still, I'm glad I did it. and I'm pretty sure I'll be back for more.

Moving this Blog?

I'm thinking about moving this blog to my WALK! Magazine website. I've updated my web hosting information and right now I'm playing with the settings and checking out WordPress to see how it will work.

The main reason for this move is I'm planning to start a podcast. I can't even think about doing a podcast until I figure out where it will be hosted. WordPress can host the podcast files.

If you have any ideas/comments about WordPress, or podcasts please let me know!

Get Ready for (Half) Marathon Season!

The winter was mild and spring seems to have arrived early. This is great news for all of us who have been training for spring races!

As the season kicks off, I'd like to remind you long-distance walkers of a few training basics.

1. Add distance gradually.
   As soon we get that first sunny day everyone wants to go out and do a bunch of miles. When you do that, you'll end up either sore or hurt. The rule of thumb is to increase your weekly mileage by only 10%. If you are currently walking 10 miles per week, that means adding only 1 more mile.
2. Carry water.
   At the very least, carry water on your long-distance days where you will be out for more than an hour. As the temperatures go up, you may want to carry water for shorter distances. And, if you're affected by heat, you probably should carry water during all of your walks.
3. Practice what you will eat and drink.
   If you plan to use sport drinks or consume energy gels or bars during a race, practice using these products during your long training days. You need to know if they actually work for you, how much will be a positive for you, and if your system will even tolerate them. I have a friend who wanted to use the Clif Shot Bloks I love and decided to try them during one of her long-distance training walks. Within a couple of minutes of eating her first block, she felt great! About 10 minutes later, she was in severe intestinal distress. Certain flavors of Gatorade and GU do the same thing to me. Thank goodness she tried these products before a race! (Right now this friend is experimenting with mini cookies. She is better able to tolerate cookies and granola bars than "energy" products.)
4. Replace your shoes when needed.
   Depending on the type of shoe you wear, they can last from 300–600 miles. For many people that can be as short as three months! If you don't replace your shoes often enough, you just won't feel right—it might result in lower back pain, sore feet or even shin splints. Also, be sure to buy your shoes early enough that you have a few long-distance training days in them before a long race. You'll want to be sure there is no weird rubbing and that they are the correct weight. (I found out at mile 10 of the Country Music Half Marathon that my new shoes were way too light for a half marathon. My feet were KILLING me!) If the shoes are not right, many running stores have a 30- or 60-day return policy.
5. Follow your training schedule to the best of your ability.
   It is hard to get in every single training mile. Sometimes your body is just too tired or sick to do the miles. But if you do your best to get in all of the miles most weeks, an occasional missed day won't hurt you. Just pick up where you left off and move forward.
   (You can find half-marathon training schedules prepared by Dave McGovern on the WALK! Magazine website at http://www.walk-magazine.com/dave3.html.)

What are your training tips?

Xenia Half Marathon

Race shirt and medal from the ORRRC Half Marathon.

The temps were in the low 50s and it was foggy when we started the ORRRC Half Marathon in Xenia, OH.

There were about 1100 people registered in the race, though it did not feel as if there were that many people at the starting line.

Me with Steve, Deb and Catherine.
(I know, I wore the wrong shirt!)

The first two miles were in town on neighborhood streets. As the crowd spread out, we moved onto bike trails. Though basically flat, there was a slight incline on the bike trail on the way out, and oddly, there was also an incline on the way back.

For the most part, there was plenty of room on the trail. Though there were pockets of groups, it was not hard to go at any pace we wanted without much need to weave around people. There were several runner/walkers who kept leap-frogging us, but eventually we were fast enough that they were behind us.

Even when the faster runners were returning, there was plenty of  room on both sides of the trail.

At one point the sun started to peek out. It was suddenly very hot and humid! Luckily, the clouds came back and the rest of the day was overcast and comfortable.

As you leave the bike trail, you walk up two or three blocks to cross the finish line at the YMCA.

At the finish we received a really nice medal! (Nicer than lots of other races I've done.) We then went in the YMCA where volunteers served chili, chicken and noodle soup, broccoli cheddar soup, tons of different types of cookies, apples, bananas and several beverage options. The chili was very tasty.

There are a lot of good things about this race: well organized, nice shirt, nice medal, plenty of water stops, Gatorade on the course, police at every intersection, good volunteers, good food at the finish and plenty of it. The bike trail was very pretty. The mile markers were painted on the asphalt and were easy to see. And it is very affordable! When I registered, the race was only $25!

The only negative is that being out on the bike trail can be lonely. If you were to do this race alone, it would be mentally tough. Luckily, I did it with my friend Deb.
__________

I finished in 3:02:44 -- which was both my watch time and my chip time! We averaged about 14:02 per mile.
Mile1 - 13:44
Mile 2 - 13:49
Mile 3 & 4 - 28:14 (I missed the mile 3 marker)
Mile 5 - 13:55
Mile 6 - 14:04
Mile 7 - 13:45
Mile 8 - 14:03
Mile 9 - 14:11
Mile 10 - 13:58
Mile 11 - 13:46
Mile 12 - 14:02
Mile 13 - 13:47

Walking Etiquette

The weather was beautiful today, so the trail at Antrim Park was very crowded. It gets this way in the early spring and late in the fall.

Though it is great so many people are out getting some exercise, the parking is tight, and many people not used to being on these trails can make it less fun.

In honor of spring coming and the weather being great, the following are a couple of walking trail rules of etiquette.

1. Walk to the right side of the trail so that faster walkers, runners and bikes can easily get around you.
2. If you have dogs or small children with you, keep them close.
3. If you are with someone, don't block the trail -- don't walk more than two across.
4. Watch out for bikes. Look before crossing trails so you don't walk in front of them.
5. If you need to stop suddenly (tie your shoe?), step off the trail so that you are out of the way.
6. Watch where you spit.

OK, I know none my regular readers need these reminders, but every spring I feel the need to post something like this. Thanks for letting me vent.