The return

was rocky. I've been avoiding writing about it because I wanted to give it a couple days. I'm good now, so I can report!

The first run was ok. Nothing terrible, nothing wonderful. All at the same time it was fantastic to get out there and finally run, and it felt like I hadn't taken any time off. That was 4 whole miles. Easy pace.

The next day was 5 miles. It sucked. I got up and ran before work, and while I normally love that, I was wishy-washy about the 4:30am wake-up and that spilled into the run. My first 2 miles were loops around my development and I almost quit after the second loop. Not even a mile into the run, my left leg felt like dead weight. No shooting pains, but definite aches the length of my leg. It was really uncomfortable and I seriously had tears in my eyes at one point. I'm not sure if it was stupidity or stubbornness or what, but I fought through the discomfort and finished the 5.

Saturday was another easy 4, and then the same on Sunday. By the end of the weekend, I wasn't feeling any of that leg pain anymore, and I was running fine. Slow, but fine. Long run of 7 yesterday, and a short, recovery 3 today. I'm also fitting in some biking and swimming on the shorter run days. So far, so good.

Right now D has me running 6 days a week, with most of the runs at easy pace. I'll hit the track for some short speed stuff on Friday. He's doing the plan 2 weeks at a time, so I have a similar schedule for next week, and then I'll see what's in store after that...

I get nervous with all the easy running -- I don't like feeling like my body is too accustomed to the easy pace -- but I'm trusting D. I run better when someone (smarter, wiser, more experienced) is guiding my training. I'm ready to improve my running. I like having a "coach" of sorts. I'm not very good at keeping at the easy pace, but I'm doing it.

The return was a little rocky, but ultimately, I'm hoping the 10 days off will pay off in the long run.

The end.

Once upon a time, Lora decided she should (finally!) give her body and legs a little break from running. It was decided that to really have an effect, that break should be 10 days. Sounding impossibly long, this break was going to be a challenge...

Through those 10 days, I've strengthened my biking and my swimming. These disciplines are usually afterthoughts for me -- workouts I fit in around my running. Suddenly they became THE workout. So I rode more and swam longer that I ever had before. Now, a 20 mile bike ride is typical. I swim no less than 1500 or 2000 yards each time I'm in the pool.

I also reaffirmed my concerns about stopping training. Over the years, people have suggested I take a break from training. I've told them I can't. I know that when I'm not following a plan, I can get lazy with things. My eating, my workouts, everything. I'm not talking about taking a day off, I'm talking about a break. Day 1 freaked me out, thinking about 9 more days of no running. Day 2 I was still freaked. Then I got enthused about focusing on my biking and swimming. I liked the new challenges I put in front of myself. But I also noticed how easy it was to get lazy with things. Baked tortilla chips and pineapple salsa isn't something I'd snack on after work before running, but there I was enjoying them before heading out on the bike...

That path will only lead to the overweight person I was before I started running. I can't go back there. I haven't gained weight this week+, but I'm already struggling with pounds that I can't explain or get rid of.

So now I'm ready to lace up my shoes and get out on the road. All I know so far is that I am running about 4 easy miles tomorrow. I went to get my plan from D at the store tonight and ended up having to fit someone for shoes and help other customers, so I worked for an hour instead.

I also went to the doc today.

Turns out my crunching noise and aching jaw is simply that -- a grouchy (probably inflamed) jaw. TMJ stuff. No ear infections. My ears are actually clear, and some Motrin should hopefully clear me up.

Good thing, because after 10 days off, I want to start fresh. It's been a long, but in some ways quick, 10 days. I don't know what to expect tomorrow. Will my legs work? Will my breathing be tougher?

Or will I run tomorrow and sense the good that these days off have brought? Will I just know how important these 10 days were? Hopefully, it'll be a good run. Hopefully it will make me happy.

Ever after.

The end.

Day 9

I think I've hit my no-running limit.

Seriously, I hope 10 days off is worth it.

I know my riding has improved, and I know my swimming has improved, but I wonder if I'll still be able to run.

I think I have an ear infection. My ear/jaw is bugging me, so I got a doc appointment for tomorrow. I can't open my mouth wide or it hurts, and when I do, I hear a crunching sound.

I talked with D yesterday, and I'm picking up my new training plan tomorrow. He's got some interesting and somewhat scary (ok, more than somewhat scary) goal times planned for me. He's adament that I follow his plan and not add/change the workouts, and I've told him I'm committed to this. I have to trust him. He knows what he's doing.

Day 10 can't some soon enough. I feel like I need my running to keep me on track. It's too easy to take the lazy route if I'm not running. I don't care if it's pouring rain, thundering, even hailing on Thursday. I don't care if D's plan only has me running 3 miles. I'm ready to lace up my shoes and get back out there. I need to.

Somebody stop me!

I just registered for two races. Is this what happens on Day 7 of a self-imposed 10 day break from running?

The first is a scary idea, but a challenge I'm forcing upon myself. It's a scary challenge for me because the swim is almost twice as long as the other tri's I've done, and it's in the Schuykill River in Philly. A couple friends have done it (or a different one there) and they're all fine, so I'm hoping for the same. I think it's a good chance for me to do a local race that's a bit more in distance overall than the 3 I've done. .46mi swim, 17mi bike, 5k run.

Yikes.

I mean, BRING IT!

The second race I registered for is the Philly Distance Run. This is a great half marathon -- the first distance race I did, actually -- that I've run twice before. I haven't done it the past two years because the LBI tri was the same weekend. This year, they've cancelled the tri. Grr. But that means I can run this cool race again. Yay!

Day 4: Kenpo and core

With the grey, rainy sky hanging over us today, I knew it would be a great afternoon to check out the P90X workout videos that my friend has loaned to me for a while. I wanted to do one that would have some good cardio stuff, get my heartrate going, and make me sweat. I settled on the Kenpo X video -- something I've never done before.

(p.s. this shows the P90X+ video -- I only have the regular one.)

Kenpo is a high-intensity cardiovascular workout packed with lots of punching and kicking combinations to improve balance, endurance, flexibility, and coordination (from the website). Basically, it was boxing/martial arts moves, and while I'm not a boxing fan, I know this can be a great workout. I moved the ottoman and pulled up the area rug and hit play.

After the 5 or so minutes of warm-up and stretching, we jumped right into the Kenpo.

Or, rather, I should say the buff people on the video jumped right into it. I flailed my arms and tripped over my own legs trying to do the first set of punching moves. After switching sides and moving onto the next set, I sort of started to get the hang of it.

Sort of.

I still kept messing up which arm punches first, when I hook, when I move my back foot, and, ok, let's be honest, I barely even sort of got it. I did better with the kicking sections, for sure. Clearly, I'm not a fighter.

There were several breaks built into the workout where you run in place, pretend to jump rope, do jumping jacks, and do jumping X's. I kept the impact low but got my heart pumping and really ended up enjoying the workout. Even if I never quite got the punching.

As the workout finished after about 58 minutes, I noticed that the people on the video were sweating way more than I was. That's when I decided even though they had zero body fat, I was in much better shape. Ok, that's probably wrong, but I did feel like I needed to do some more work. So I broke out the Core Synergistics video and did about 15 minutes of that. I may have done more, but by then I'd been working out in my living room for an hour and 15 minutes and I needed to move on, go outside, get some fresh air. I like working out outdoors so much better!

It would've been a great -- cool, grey -- evening for a run. Tomorrow marks the halfway point.

Day 3: biking

I woke up this morning and did some lower body strength stuff and core work. Wall sits and weighted twists and stuff like that. I'm making a conscious effort to do something every day before work. Some days it's situps and pushups, some days it's a whole upper body weights circuit, sometimes it's lower body, etc.

After work, I hopped on my bike. Rode through the neighborhood and made my way to a park loop that's good for riding and about 3.6 miles around. I did the loop 4 times and then made my way home. Finished with just over 20 miles. It felt good to get out there in the fresh air, although I noticed myself checking out all the runners on the loop.

I thought that by today I'd be itching to get out for a run, but I'm really not. I'm really trying to keep the idea in mind that this break will rejuvenate my legs. I am looking forward to running again, but the break isn't killing me yet.

I'm already planning what I'll do tomorrow to sweat and get my heart pumping.

Day 2 of 10...

10 days off from running, that is. I might go crazy long before the 10th day...

I've thought, for a while now, that I needed to give my legs a break. I've been running -- marathon training, really -- since the summer of 2006. No down time, no break to give my legs a chance to recalibrate or reenergize or just s.t.o.p. for a minute. After my marathons (I've done 5 since I started running), I usually only take a couple days off.

This weekend, on my 10 mile run on Sunday, I decided I need to do something. My legs are feeling heavy, I don't feel like I'm improving in my running anymore, and my body is not responding to my current fitness regime.

Yes, I did a couple days of multiple workouts last week that probably taxed my legs. Yes, I haven't been getting enough sleep for my normal daily stuff, let alone all the workouts -- on top of teaching 7th graders each day. Yes, I still have about 8 pounds too many on my body that I can't seem to get rid of and which probaby contribute to my sucky running.

That said, I feel the need to recalibrate. I think back to my first year or so of running and it was easier. It was also the last time I ran on fresh legs.

So I talked to my running store owner friend (D) and he was shocked to hear I haven't taken any time away. "You've never taken two straight weeks off? Even after a marathon?"

Uh, nope. I usually take about 2 or 3 days. Should I take this week off to reset things?

"Take 10 days."

Um, WHAT?! I can't do that. How about a week?

"10 days. No less. Your legs need that time."

Oh, God. I'm going to go crazy. Ok, I'll do it if you help me work a plan to get back into it after the 10 days, and improve.

"You got it -- but only if you follow my plan, and not add other workouts and stuff in."

Ok.

So that's how I've gotten to 10 days of no running. I trust D. He's a 2:30 marathoner and knows his stuff. He's helped me before, and he's helped a couple other people. I trust him.

I keep thinking that when I run again it'll be on fresher legs. That's what I'm hoping for.
In the meantime, I'll be swimming, biking, doing core work, yoga, and strength stuff. I know it'll be good for me, even if it's going to be tough.

I was her.

When I first started swimming as I trained for my first triathlon, I enlisted the help of a swim coach. D is the husband of a co-worker and really great guy. He was patient with me, he guided me, and he taught me things that I think about every time I get into the water.

On that first meeting, when I had to borrow goggles from D because I didn't have any, I remember struggling to feel comfortable in one complete lap of the pool. I grew up in the ocean and the bay, and I know how to swim, but I had never tried to swim for a race or even for exercise. This was all new to me. I remember feeling awkward, inefficient, and a bit self-conscious.

I also remember watching a woman in another lane swimming continuous laps, back and forth and back again. I remember thinking how smooth she looked. How effortless she made this swimming thing seem. I remember thinking, there's no way I'll ever get there. D explained what she was doing and how it allowed her to swim so long without a break, and I just watched in amazement.

That was about 2 years ago. I've done 3 sprint tri's since that day, and I have yet to feel really comfortable with the swim. Until today.

I got into the water today, and everything fell into place. I did about 250 yds (5 laps/10 lengths) of mixed warm-up stuff -- pulls, kicking, etc. Then I intended to do about 500 yds of freestyle easy swimming, rest for a minute, and do another set. I planned to get at least 1000 yds done, maybe more if I felt like it, but I was also running with my sister later this evening, so I didn't want to be spent for that...

I ended up with 2000 yards.

By the time I was 250yds into the free swim, I noticed how easy things were working today. I kept my kick easy and soft and light, I pulled with my arms, and I could breathe. I didn't jack up my heart rate, I didn't feel like I was sinking. I kept going. 500 yards done, I kept going. 750, 1000, I kept going. The thought that this is farther than I've ever swam without stopping to rest kept running through my mind. I became aware that I was swimming continouously, relatively effortlessly, and I could still breathe. I kept going.

Today, I was that woman in the other lane on my first day of swimming.