Weekly check-in

[ell]

Happy Monday Runners!

Today's quote is from Peggy Fleming:

The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.

It's been so hot here on the US East Coast that it's hard to remember that we do love running as we get up earlier and earlier in order to get our long runs in before the heat and humidity become not only unbearable, but also somewhat unsafe to exercise in.

How was your week? What is one thing you love about running?

Comments

[gnomad]

Running this week was largely non-existent. I did one run on the treadmill and was supposed to do another on Sunday as part of a training tri, but it got cancelled due to the heat. I have 2 runs on the schedule this week, but I'm going to try and fit in a third.

One thing I love about running, huh? Um...I'm always pleasantly exhausted afterward?

[melusina]

Last week was a light week overall (resting in preparation for the tri on Sunday). Ended up with TriWaco on Sunday - my goal was to run the whole 5k leg, and, despite knee/IT band problems, I hit that goal (my pace was. . .abysmal, but hey, I did run it!). I did yoga last night and this morning and my leg already feels better, but I'm not going to run this week just to give my leg time to recover (it's a rest week for me anyway, recovering from the tri, but I'll do a few short swims and an easy spin on the bike).

I love running because it clears my head - when I get into the zone, it's like I'm *in my body* and all the noise in my head gets quiet. . .

[sophinisba]

I ran about fifteen miles this week, same as the week before, but in three runs instead of four. I was really happy about the long run I did on Saturday, especially because I was taking time out from a sort of stressful rl thing to be by myself doing something I enjoy. Another thing I like about running outside is seeing places I know (or, recently, places I'm visiting) from a different perspective.

[bewize]

Too hot to run. It's disgusting outside, but I am going tomorrow because people have noticed that my mood has deteriorated. I love that it has the ability to make me feel calmer and happier.

[vyola]

Congratulations :-D

[vyola]

I'm still doing c25k, and I've now reached the monotonous last few weeks. I still love running, especially because it improves my mood so much.

[shanaqui]

I'm now onto the last week of Couch to 5k. I've been running on an elliptical, so I tried a gentle run outdoors and... it didn't go well. Body was mostly willing, all but my lungs, which I quickly realised were the most important part. So I'll probably do the Couch to 5k program from the beginning again to transition to running outside, and be glad for doing it on the elliptical to bring me up to a better level of health in general to make it possible at all...

The best bit about running at the moment is when I think, "I couldn't do this nine weeks ago."

[ilanarama]

So how do you plan on continuing after you are finished with the official program?

[ilanarama]

Hmm, I bet you can come up with something that is a midway transition, that doesn't have you starting over totally but that lets you build on your gains from the elliptical. Do you want me to help you brainstorm a plan?

[shanaqui]

I was planning to start from the beginning but step it up faster as much my body would allow (e.g. if week one was easy, go straight to week two), but, hmmm...

(We also have a tougher elliptical which I had been planning to use to step it up, but I don't have access to it for much longer -- which is why I want to transition to running outside.)

[ilanarama]

I didn't run much due to being on vacation (rafting on the San Juan river, and you can read a long report with way too many photos on my journal) but I did get two runs in when we returned, including a 12-miler that is my longest post-injury run.

Running always gets me outside and moving. Even when it's snowing I enjoy being out in the world.

Also, I love that it lets me eat ice cream and drink beer and not get fat.

[ilanarama]

Personally, what I would do is stick with the jog vs walk intervals given, but extend the total time/distance to what you have already achieved. That is, instead of doing a total of 20 minutes in week 1, do 30 minutes, but still with the 60 sec/90 sec intervals. And continue to add time on this base if you can.

[shanaqui]

Hmm, I think I will try that. Thank you!

[sophinisba]

Also, I love that it lets me eat ice cream and drink beer and not get fat.

LOL I'm with you on this too.

[yvi]

:( I have been slacking. Moving and working was much more exhausting than I expected and so I only ran twice in the past three weeks. *sighs*

[temve]

How was your week?

Lax... I only got back from the sauna that was ell's last Wednesday, and having just come off an intercontinental flight, didn't feel up to running so I biked and swam a little instead (blessed cool water!).

Fridays run was 6.2K, pleasantly easy consdering how little I'd run while on vacation (too hot, too many other things to do!), and yesterday's didn't happen due to torrential rain. On the upside, that means it's cooled down quite a bit so I can go run tonight.

What is one thing you love about running?

The pleasantly heavy-yet-energetic feeling afterwards.

[vyola]

I haven't entirely decided yet. I miss intervals, so I might do the podrunner Freeway to 10 k program. I know I shouldn't work on increasing both speed and distance at the same time, so I might also concentrate on running 5 km every time and trying to get a bit faster, because otherwise I would probably not have time to run 10 km 3 - 4 times a week ;-)

I figure if I can run 5 km in half an hour it's a good starting point for learning to run 10 km.

[ilanarama]

It sounds like your part of the world is horridly hot right now. Good luck getting some outside stuff in.

[ilanarama]

Oh, I totally agree about seeing places differently! I did some running at a conference I went to in another city in June, and that was just wonderful. I'm glad you've been able to run during your trip.

[ilanarama]

Heh, I have the same problem of crankiness when I can't run (or do other outdoorsy stuff).

[ilanarama]

Well, a good thing to do is to keep a few runs longer and slower, and others shorter and faster. The variety will help keep you uninjured and provide good training stimulus.

[vyola]

Yes, that sounds like a good idea :-)

I like the idea of variety, and particularly on weekends it would be nice to go on long, leisurely runs in pretty and interesting surroundings.

[gnomad]

It has cooled down to the low 90s! Which, frankly, seems practically balmy after this past weekend.

I keep wondering, as I drag my feet over each workout, if I'm getting burnt out over triathlon. But then I remember being in San Fran last week and my eagerness to do my training every day (7.5 pwnd with ease!), and I realize it's really just an aversion to going outside. :\

[gnomad]

Woot!! Congrats on the tri! And not hurting your leg too much. ;)

[littledrop]

I'm still stuck on 18-19 minutes, which is so close to 20 I can taste it. The thing is, I'm sure I could run 25 or maybe 30 if it wasn't so damn HOT. I'm really frustrated with the weather! I pray every morning for a nice, cool shower, or a stiff sea breeze. Alas. Sunday just gone was the hottest I've ever been after a minute of running. I got my twenty minutes in, but I had to stop randomly on three different occasions because the heat was so distressing. And, like, I live in north east England so it's not like I'm running in tropical heat or anything, but it's all what you're used to. I am not accustomed to 16 degrees at 6am! This is obscene!

I'm going out tomorrow morning and I'm going to knock down 20 if it kills me. *g*

[littledrop]

20 minutes! Went out half an hour earlier, it was a lot cooler, and I got my twenty minutes. Coolbeans!

[melusina]

Thanks!

[melusina]

Thanks - this was tri #2 for me, and I had a bit of a sophomore slump. Getting excited about #3 in August. . . ::grin::

[melusina]

Woot!

(The heat definitely makes a big difference - I'm amazed at how much more I can do when the temperature drops below 85 or 90. . .)

[losingit]

I'm still making some progress at c25k. I started week 5 today. It wasn't the pretiest, but I survived. I need to remember that speed will come and right now I should focus on getting stronger - and if that means running at 4.7 mph or so rather than 5mph but keeping it consistent, that's what I need to do.

I do love how I feel when I finish a workout/run. I may hate it while I'm doing it, but eventually at some point I think "Hey...I'm doing something I didn't/couldn't do before!" and I feel all shiny and sparkly. :) And I love that I'm starting to think of myself as a runner.

[cyphomandra]

Posting late to say thanks for the boost from the thread this week - I hadn't run for just on a week, and various other stresses were making me feel more than a mite fragile, and running seemed like it should be way down the priority list. Then I read the first handful of comments and thought, "yes, it does change my mood", and ran 5k Wed, then 8k last night. And I do feel better!

Sympathies to those struggling with the heat - it was minus 2 celsius here last night! I'd much rather run in that than heat.