An Easier Month

As the holiday season starts my mind is asking for a bit of a change regarding my training. I will start my marathon clinic on January 7th and from that day on, until May 4th, the training is going to be hard and intense. So I have decided that during this month I will cut back one run per week and add one cross training activity. That means I will just run two times per week instead of three. I am kind of craving for this change since the weather is getting colder, snow and black ice are already in the forecast, and an indoor training sounds more appealing to me. I will probably even go from one resting day per week to two. I am aware I have to let my body recover to get ready for the intense training that is coming.

I read once that it is not good for your body to train at the same intensity every single day, week and month of the year. You need to have breaks and easier months to be able to perform better on the harder months. December is a busy month anyways, full of family and friends gatherings. I will try to do my best to make myself rest (this does not mean stopping at all) and enjoy this time of the year, until I crave the intense, hard training of the running season.

And what are my running goals for next year? Run my first full marathon in May, run two half marathons (Scotia-Bank and Lululemon) and if everything feels good after that first big race, I will try to run another full marathon during the fall.

My Animal Lover Note:

6th Half Marathon Race of the Year, 8th in Total

At the end of January this year I set a goal for myself: I wanted to run 5 half marathon races that ended up becoming 6. When I wrote about it I thought of it as this big goal I had to accomplish, and here I am writing about my 6th and last race of the year. I did it!

Today’s race was a very interesting experience. I had set a finishing goal of two hours. I trained hard and was ready to do it. I felt really good at the beginning of the race. Oddly, I did not feel the usual discomfort that I feel during the first 5k, while my body is warming up. I was ready from the beginning and I ran my first 5k at an amazing time of 5:15 minutes per kilometer. Since I felt good I took advantage of this knowing that latter, on the second half of the race, things get harder. I ran my fastest 10k ever: 56 minutes. I was happy and confident that I was going to hit my goal.

Since I was pushing hard (when I say it felt good it does not mean it was easy), once I hit the 12th kilometer I hit a mental wall. I checked my watch and it was showing a 6 minutes pace. I was supposed to run at 5:30, and I was doing it find, and without knowing it I found myself up in 6. I tried to pick it up but I could not go faster, my legs were heavy, I felt tired and I started to lose hope. This went on for about 3-4 kilometres. I tried pushing, was able to go down to 5:50, but again it felt hard.

Once I saw the 16th k mark I said to myself, “I need to run faster so this is over faster, I can’t imagine holding up this torture for longer.” The need to finish helped me pushing harder and I picked up my 5:30 pace. It was hard to stay in there. Everything started to hurt, IT bands, hip flexors, knees, feet. I was able to pull it together and managed to handle the pain and the pace for 4 more kilometres. I kept checking my time and I saw that I could make it. I had 10 minutes to run 2 kilometres, something feasible. I knew I had to run a bit faster but that was ok, because I always manage to have extra energy to sprint at the end.

So, kilometre 19 came along. I tried running a bit faster and all those pains that I was trying to keep at bay came very strong and hit me hard. Then I hit the wall for the second time. The pain in my right IT band, hip flexor and knee was excruciating. It was so hard that I felt like crying. I could barely bend my right knee so I had to slow down dramatically. I did not want to walk so I tried running with shorter strides. I went from a 5:30 pace to a 9:00 pace (which is almost walking). I saw my watch and I had 6 minutes left to run my last k. I was not going to make it. At this time I tried to keep running and not give up to walking. I had a new goal now; I wanted to get there in less than 2 hours and 4 minutes (which was my last PB on the ScotiaBank race). Almost crying and dizzy because of the pain, I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 3 minutes. I reached a personal best.

I was not very happy at the beginning because I had not reached my goal. I was very quiet and kept thinking about the race. I ate my banana and drank my soy milk quiet, my brain was processing.

Several hours after the race I conclude the following: after running this race I can tell I am a faster runner. At the beginning of this year’s journey I though it impossible to be able to maintain a 5:30 pace for even 10k. Today I was able to hold it for almost the whole time. I pushed harder than ever. I felt more pain than ever. I found the strength to cheer myself up and pull it together to keep going. But even though it was the hardest race ever, both physically and mentally, I still managed to PB. I am happy, proud and in a lot of pain!

My Animal Lover Note:

This is Why I Post on Social Media

I was caught up by the topic of a TV talk show that was on air the other day: The four hostesses were discussing how people usually find it annoying when runners brag about their accomplishments on social media. I immediately thought of myself, of course, since I have this blog, and also, I usually post on Facebook a comment or two after running a race.

I listened carefully to what they were saying. Their discussion points were the following:
•A real runner does not have the need to tell the world about their accomplishments.
•Only those with a low self-steam have the need to be recognized for what they have accomplished.
•Get a life.
•Other people don’t care about what you do. If you actually do it for yourself, keep it to yourself.

This was basically it. I know it sounds somehow shallow, but what if people really think that of us, runners, who share our experiences on social media?

I thought about it while walking my dogs and here is my response:
•What is a real runner? Is it just an Olympic runner? Well, when you are a runner you know you are as real as any other runner in the world. The fact that some runners win races, get medals and prizes does not make them more real than me. I run, I train, I take it seriously, and I race.
•I follow “real runners” blogs, so guess what? They also post about their experiences and share with the running world lovers their opinions and perspectives.
•We don’t post to get recognized (at least I don’t). I post because I feel proud of myself, the same way someone that just baked a cake posts its picture on Instgram, or when someone feels proud of their son’s soccer game, they put it up there as well. We all want to share with our friends those things that make us happy.
•I have a life, and running is a big part of it.
•I think running is such a big accomplishment, and it requires so much determination and strong will, that those who don’t do it feel intimidated.

When I go out with my no running friends on a Saturday night and I call it an early night they all ask me why. I first say “oh, I have to run tomorrow so I want to get a good sleep.” They usually tend to answer “well you don’t have to run in the morning, you sleep in and then go for a run. What are you running, 5k?” Then I have to say “I have to run in the morning because I train with a group and no, I am not running 5k, I am running 22k. That is why I have to do it early and with my running group, otherwise I won’t be able to do it by myself.” They are usually shocked after I say 22k, or 20k, or 18k and I am not saying this to brag, I am saying this so they get why I actually need to leave early. I actually need to get a good sleep.

Answering with the truth when others ask is not bragging, it is just being honest.

My Animal Lover Note:

And Here it Goes Again

Today, while running our last long run before the race (22k), two thoughts came to my mind:

• During the fall/winter months I always have a hard time before I start my early morning runs. I am very cold and it always takes a while for my body to warm up so I can actually start enjoying the run. At the beginning of the run, when we are walking to warm up, I always question my decision of being there. What was I thinking about? I could be in bed, all warm and cuddle, drinking hot chocolate and watching a movie! Instead, I am here, cold (and some days wet), with a long run in front of me. You really need to be crazy to do this.

After five kilometers into the run, those feeling are gone and I actually start enjoying myself. It is always the same, and it seems that my brain does not get it. That is why it is important to run with a group of people. If I were running by myself I would definitely come up with excuses to run later, and at the end to not even do it. When you run with someone else, there is no way out. You know they are there counting on you, so you do it.

What takes me through all this painful mental process is the feeling I know I will get once I finish my run. There are no words to describe what you feel when you see that it is 10:30am and you have just finished running 22 kilometres, you have just burned 1400 calories, and you still have ahead the rest of the day for you to eat, nap, work, clean and rest. That is amazing! By the end of the day I know my day did not go wasted. I earned every single meal and treat, I am better trained, my fitness level went up a little bit, and I am more confident of what I can do.

• In two weeks I will be running my 6th half marathon race of the year. I can’t believe it is almost here. For this one I am trying to attempt a 2 hours finishing. We have all been training hard and I know I am ready and well prepared. But no matter how many races I have run I keep going through the same mental process: Now that I am getting closer to race day I keep doubting that I can actually make it in two hours. I know I have the training in but every single run proves my fears that it will be hard and maybe I can’t make it. I know this is a mind trick, but it sure feels real.

My Animal Lover Note:

My Two Personalities

A couple of times, while running, I have seen people from work and when I say hi they do not recognize me immediately. They have to think about where they know me from and after some long seconds they finally make the click. I have to keep running so I can’t help them out with their scanning task.

On the other hand, the few times I have seen my running buddies outside the running world, we are always shocked by how gorgeous we all look.

It seems that I have two personalities: My runner one and my work one. I know for sure that any of my colleagues would have a hard time trying to picture me running. I am such a different person when I am at work and I look different as well. I am always very well groomed, everything matches, I smell good (really good), my hair looks nice and clean, and my jewellery is on place as well as my scarf and my boots. I hate getting wet and I always complain when is raining and have no way to cover my hair and my shoes. If I can, I take the elevator to go up one floor. I hate sweating when I am at work, so I avoid any kind of extra effort that it’s not absolutely necessary. Based on this, I can assure that whoever sees me running can’t believe it is the same person.

Now, when I have my runner hat on, I behave different. First of all I look different, I am always wearing black tights, a black long sleeve top, black gloves and a black hat. Nothing fancy, nothing cute, just comfy. My hair is a mess, my face is red, and by the end of the run, my clothes are dirty and all sweaty. I smell bad, like wet grass (maybe because I am vegan?) and if it is raining I am totally wet, including my shoes and of course my hair. I don’t care about running through mud and puddles and I am always trying to get more distance in; I never stop if my watch has not reached the kilometers I am supposed to run. If this means running around the block a couple more times, I will definitely do it.

I have realized that I get enough dirt, sweat, rain and ugliness when I am running, so at work I don’t have to bear with that. Why would I walk up the stairs if that night I am running 10k? Why would I get wet or be happy about it if that night I am going to have to run in the rain for an hour? Why would I like to smell bad if every single night I get a real taste of it? Why would I like to sweat on my work clothes if my work out ones always end up totally damped?

My Animal Lover Note:
"I am a vegan because after much learning and thought about the issue, I have come to see enslaving, exploiting, or intentionally killing an animal as morally equivalent to enslaving, exploiting, or intentionally killing a child. The only difference is one is socially acceptable and the other is socially unacceptable That may sound shocking or "extreme" to some people, but it is only because we are so acculturated to devalue sentient nonhuman beings to the status of "things". What is truly extreme is the violence of intentionally killing about 56 billion *land* animals annually globally for unnecessary food preferences alone. Unless you consider nonviolence and justice to be "extreme", veganism is not extreme. " ~
(author of www.uvearchives.wordpress.com)

Sisterhood + Ron

Those that like running and have found a group of people to run with, probably feel the same that I feel about my running buddies.

A couple years ago, when I joined my first running clinic, I did not know anyone from the running world. Up to that point I was a solitary runner. I remember when people were introducing themselves we all looked at each other with this curious, head to toe look. Who are these people? Are they nice? Are they experienced runners?

Since you end up seeing them three times a week for 4 month in a row, plus the fact that you have to run next to them, there is no way out of a minimal conversation. After the first couple months you start getting this familiarity feeling that leads to deeper conversations. And one day, after running for a couple of hours, you realize you have opened yourself to this stranger and it actually felt really good. You also realize that this person you have been running with has just told you something very private. You keep running. There is no space for judging, just listening.

My running days are my therapeutic days. I get to vent, to talk about stupid things, to listen to similar stories, to laugh.

We have been running together three days a week for almost 2 years, non-stop. We feel so comfortable with each other, and we know each other so well, that we can’t wait to start talking, listening or just running next to one another.

I can say I belong to a sisterhood of runners + Ron: Laura, Melanie, Andy, Teena and Ron are my people, my therapists and my friends. I feel blessed to know them and to be part of their lives.



My Animal Lover Note: 

Too Responsible

I can’t believe what running has done to me. It has become a staple in my life and it gives me as much (or even more) pleasure as other fun things that I love to do. I rarely go out dancing. Last night I went with a bunch of friends to a Salsa concert. I love dancing and I love Latin music. The event started at 8:00pm with great dancing music. We danced non-stop until midnight. But by midnight, the Salsa singer had not come out yet. At that time I was already getting worried because, according to my math, I should be back home by 1:00am to be able to have some decent hours of sleep before my 18k Sunday morning run. The singer decided to start singing at 1:00am! That was not part of my plan. So we stayed for 3 songs and around 1:20 we left. I was not tired but my conscious kept telling me, “you are running 18k tomorrow, you have to sleep, and you have to rest.”

By the time we got home, ate something and got ready for bed it was 2:30am. Some of my friends stayed there until the end and got home around 4:00am.

What I really wanted to do: stay until the end and then go to The Naam (vegetarian/vegan restaurant, open 24/7) for an early morning breakfast.

What I did: Left the actual concert basically when it started, went straight home and to bed.

How I feel today: I am glad I chose option number two because, even though I was tired, I was able to do my 18k run without any inconveniences, and every time I finish these long runs I feel sooooo good.

So being too responsible is good. Loving running as much, or even more, than staying on a pretty cool Salsa concert is good too.

My Animal Lover Note: