weekly check-in

[ilanarama]

It's not Tuesday! It's very, very, very late Monday!

How was your week, runners? What are you planning for this week?

Instead of an inspirational quote, I'd like to point you to something a bit longer. Life is for Participating is the account of Kathryn Switzer's groundbreaking run of the Boston Marathon, at that time a men-only event, in 1967. At that time, women were thought to be unfit for distance running and barred from many competitions and races. Switzer's race changed that all: in 1972, women were officially welcomed as competitors in the Boston Marathon, and in 1984 the Olympics included a women's marathon.

Comments

[temve]

I'm in the beginning stages of apartment-hunting, so Friday's run was sacrificed to angsting about rent and associated stuffs, but Wednesday's was the 12K and Monday's happened after viewing an apartment and clocked in at 5.8K.

Planning? To drum up more support at work from my participation in the local AIDS charity race on September 12th :)

[marinarusalka]

I'm running my first-ever race (a 5K) on Sunday. I'm super-slow, so my only real goal is to run the entire distance without walking. I'm pretty sure I can do it.

[vyola]

Thank you very much for the link. I'm astounded at the ignorance of people at the time, believing that women couldn't run long distances. I don't know how anyone could think that, given the way women walk for days carrying heavy packs or dragging travois in some nomadic cultures. Anyway, Kathrine Switzer is a hero, and I'm glad to have learned of her accomplishments.

Sunday I graduated the c25k program, running 5 km in 33 minutes, and I'm very pleased with that result.

I plan to add half a km every week on two long slow runs, and run a fast 5 km once a week, at least for the next few weeks, and see how my legs feel about that.

[vyola]

You can do it :-D
Good luck in the race, I hope you have a great time!

[ilanarama]

And training for it too, I hope? What distance?

[ilanarama]

Of course you can do it! Good luck!

[shanaqui]

Running outside rather than on the elliptical is... not going especially well. Something about it just really isn't working out well for me.

[ilanarama]

What blows me away is that the longest distance women were allowed to run competitively in those days was one mile.

Congratulations on your completion of c25k! And good luck with your planned program.

[ilanarama]

I'm sorry to hear that. Are your shoes proper running shoes that match your form and stride? Do you have access to a treadmill - maybe you can use it to help transition to a running stride?

[shanaqui]

Yep, my shoes have been fine. I just get halfway through a run and feel terrible -- nothing I can put my finger on, but definitely terrible.

I can't get access to a treadmill now, but maybe come September.

[ilanarama]

I ran a 5K on Friday night and did better than I thought I would - well short of my PR, but much faster than my time in the same race last year.

This week I'm aiming to keep the same mileage and run a few harder workouts, but so far this has not gone well as I had to interrupt my hard run this morning with a sedate dash for the nearest toilet.

[temve]

My regular running is training enough, thankfully - it's "only" a 5K, though the atmosphere at that one is so buoyant and fun and speedifying that I'm going to shoot for my first under-30-minute 5K...

[sophinisba]

I hope you have a great time at your first race!

[sophinisba]

Last week I ran about 21 miles in 4 runs. This is the most I've ever done in a week and also included my longest single run (7.5 miles).

So I was feeling all smug and happy with myself, and intending to do the same mileage this week but also work on speed. Unfortunately the weather hasn't been cooperating so far this week and I've got some blisters giving me trouble - one is on the ball of my foot and I just don't think there's any way of preventing putting pressure on that, though I did buy some thicker socks. I don't know, I'd like to try a longer run tonight but there are thunderstorms forecast.

I've started up with swimming and biking after a hiatus, and also moved to a new apartment, which has involved a lot of heavy lifting, so it's not that I'm slacking exactly, but I'll be sad if I can't get much running done this week after last week went so well.

[bewize]

AWESOME!

You can do it! I can't wait to hear about it. I'm getting ready to be at that point, but I'm not there yet...

[bewize]

WOW. That is awesome! Congrats. :D

This is my last week and I'm heading out tonight for run no. 1. But I'm not that fast yet.

[bewize]

I'm on week 9 of c25K. I'm not really too worried about being able to run for 30 minutes, which feels AWESOME to say. My speed isn't up to par, but I'm confident it'll come.

If I could shake this headache, I'd be a lot happier. :)

Thanks for the link. That was awesome and sobering. I can't believe she was attacked while running. That's awful.

[ilanarama]

Great that it feels awesome! And the more you run, the faster you will get.

Get rid of that stupid headache! I get migraines - fortunately infrequently - and I sympathize totally.

[ilanarama]

Wow, I have no idea what one does for a blister on the ball of the foot. Congrats on the 21 miles and the 7.5, and yes, keep it up, get that running in!

[sophinisba]

Thanks for the link to the Kathrine Switzer story. That really is inspiring.

[cyphomandra]

Go you! Hoping for suitable running weather and have a good time!

[cyphomandra]

Congratulations on completing the program! And in ten weeks you'll be up to 10k :)

[vyola]

Thank you :-D
I sure hope so!

[cyphomandra]

Wow, congrats on the 5k! (and hope the sedate dashing has resolved)

[vyola]

Thank you :-D
I didn't think I was that fast yet either, but it felt like a race, so I was very motivated.

[cyphomandra]

Only ran twice last week, but Saturday was a good solid hill run, and I'm on track for at least three runs this week. I have a new puppy, who is slightly impairing my running time :)

[vyola]

I'm by no means an expert, so I'm only guessing here. But when I first started the c25k program I felt terrible physically (though also good mentally and happy), and I believe it was because my joints and ligaments were not yet strong enough to act as shock absorbers.

Having practiced on the elliptical, you've built up muscular fitness, but I doubt you'll have suffered repeated impacts the way you do during running. For me the impacts gave me a nasty headache, and made my whole body hurt as if I had the flu.

It was less and less terrible every time I went running, and disappeared so gradually I can't tell you when, but I know that by the halfway point of the program it was definitely over.

I would recommend you transition gently, ramping up your running slowly and supplementing with the elliptical.

[vyola]

Congratulations on beating your time from last year :-)

Yikes, what a work out - that's not the fun kind! I'm glad you made it to the nearest toilet.

[vyola]

Yay, puppy!

I admire you for running on hills :-)

[shanaqui]

Thank you. ♥ I'm definitely keeping at it, gently, and ramping it up slowly.

Edit: I ran just now, and while I don't feel so great now, I survived the run. I think it'll be a while before I can follow the Couch to 5k plan properly outside, but I'll keep at it!

[vyola]

Haha, I'm glad you survived :-D

Good luck with getting used to it!

[marinarusalka]

Thanks! I actually ran the full distance in my training run this morning -- the first time I've managed to do it! It took me 47 minutes, which seems really pathetic until I remind myself that just a few months ago I was doing the early weeks of Couch25K and quaking in fear at the thought of running three minutes. I've come a long (slow) way!

[marinarusalka]

Thanks! I'm keeping my fingers crossed. :-)

[marinarusalka]

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to it.

[marinarusalka]

Thanks! We've been having a nice cool summer in San Diego, so I hope it lasts till Sunday.

[marinarusalka]

Congrats on finishing the program! You're awesome!