Running Obsession

   

By Wendy



Runners have a propensity for being obsessive. Maybe one needs an obsessive streak to be a runner, or maybe the payoffs of running create obsessiveness. I don't know which it is, but I've see many runners let the obsession take over and drive them to injury or burn out.

One thing I have been working on lately is running for the fun of it and not letting running run my life. Being on the verge of marathon training, I’m looking at my 18 week plan and realizing this will be a focal point of my life for the next 4 ½ months. Often, after a course of marathon training, people are burnt out and swear they will never do it again. Many eventually forget their negative feelings and start up the next year, but my goal is not to get to that place. I want to enjoy my training and finish my marathon thinking about the next one. I want to work my training around my life so that I don’t feel like I am giving up living to run. Part of the way I am doing this is by picking a less aggressive training plan than I had originally intended and rearranging the days so that my long run is on Friday, I can cross train by doing an extremely easy run/hike with a fun group on Saturdays, and take Sunday totally off to be ready to start again on Monday. I’m also learning not to be a slave to a schedule. I love to count things, nearly to the point of being obsessive so it thrills me to see my miles adding up, calculate my averages, and fill in the pages of my log. Unfortunately, I often get lost in the numbers and fail to listen to my body because I don’t want to fall behind on my mileage goals, but this is a recipe for disaster. I will track my training miles, but if I miss a run, oh well, I’m not going to let it make me a worried wreck about race day. I know I can finish a marathon, training is just about how fast and how I’ll feel the next day. Yes, I’d love to set a personal record, but more importantly I want to ENJOY the process and race. Running is good and promotes health. Obsessions, not so much!

Ran 3 miles to continue my taper week

I ran 3 miles instead of my medium run of 5 miles. I forgot my 2-phase timer, so I just ran until I felt tired and then walked. After I had gone one mile, I could tell I was running too far, and I reduced the time of my running phase.

Began my taper-week with a rest run of 3.2 miles

My wakeup heart rate was 56, and I felt great. I had 7 hours of sleep, and that always makes me feel good when I wake up. I went running (9:30) soon after I got up, because I wanted to miss the hottest part of the day (afternoon). I ran 3.2 miles, and I practiced squatting more and bending my knees more.

The stick that I've used to gauge the level of the river is completely covered with water. Last week the stick was about an inch above the water, so the river height is probably 2-3 inches higher than it was last week. The newspaper said the ski resorts nearby still have at least 10 feet of snow, so there is a lot of melting to take place, and the river will continue to rise. There is a law that prohibits the Jordan River from rising more than a specified amount, and eventually the gates that control the amount of water that leaves Utah Lake and enters the Jordan River will be closed. This means Utah Lake will start to rise, and that may cause flooding of nearby homes. The increase in water that I'm seeing in the Jordan River is small compared to the increases in the Mississippi River, but is is large for Utah, especially in the south end of the Salt Lake Valley. As the Jordan River passes through Salt Lake City, It is significantly higher than it is where I run, because several creeks dump water into the river, and those creeks are at flood-stage due to the melting of the snow.

I saw a lot of red, pink, and yellow blossoms that I haven't seen before. The red and pink blossoms are big (4-5 inches in diameter), and the plants having the blossoms looked like poppy plants. The yellow blossoms are small and look like they come from a weed. The blossoms lasted for about 1/4 mile, and they made a pretty sight.

I saw a Pelican eat a fish

During the last half-mile of my run, I saw a white bird in the sky. At first I thought it was a Seagull, but as the bird approached me, I recognized it as a Pelican. The bird was about 100 yards away when it disappeared behind some bushes and landed on the Jordan River. I could tell the bird had something in its mouth, but I couldn't see what it was. When I reached the spot where the Pelican had landed, I saw it in the river with a fish in its mouth. The bird ducked its large beak into the water and held it there for about three seconds. Then, the bird raised its head, and the fish was gone. Apparently the bird needed water to help it swallow the fish.

I stretched myself a bit and ran a long run of 6.5 miles

I wasn't in great shape when I started my run. My wakeup heart rate was 60. I mowed most of my lawns last evening and finished them this morning. On Thursday, my wife and I moved (wheelbarrow) 2 yards of mulch from the front of our house to various places in the back yard. All of this means I was tired when I started to run about noontime today. The shade temperature was in the low-mid 70s (F), although the temperature with direct sun was probably in the low 90s. Unfortunately, most of the route I was using is in direct sun. There was no breeze on the way out, but on the way back there was a breeze of 5-7 mph. Even though the breeze made it harder to run, I was glad for it, because it helped cool me off. By the time I finished my run, the sky was clouding over, and that gave more shade during the last part of the run. I felt OK during most of the run, but I was getting tired by the time the run ended. I drank about 8 cups of water during the run. My Fuel Belt carries 5 cups, and I filled the cups at the Draper City playground on my way back. I take a swallow of water during each walking segment.

The Jordan River is still rising, because there was more water under the 11400 South bridge. However, there is still dry ground under the bridge, and I had no problem passing under the bridge.

I ran all 6.5 miles with more bend in my legs. I noticed that as long as I had better form by keeping my knees bent and lowering my hips by squatting a bit, I ran without much noise. A few years ago, I tried to run with a lighter touch and less noise, I referred to it as stealth running. However, I noticed then that when I was tired, my shoes made more noise, especially from the toes of my shoes hitting the ground. I noticed today that when I had good form, I ran with almost no noise, not even the scraping noise I've frequently had due to my shuffling, and no noise from my toes slapping the ground. Keeping my knees bent means my mid-foot and fore-foot of the shoes are already on the ground, and there is no tendency for my toes to slap the ground. Bent knees also make it difficult to do a heel-strike. I'm glad I read about keeping my knees bent, and that is turning out to be a significant improvement in my form and in my running.

I will be running the Summer Fest 5K next Saturday

I signed up yesterday for the South Jordan City Summer Fest 5K. It's a small race, about 50 runners, and runs along the Jordan River Parkway where I do much of my running. I've run the race twice, and I like the small-town atmosphere of the race. I set my current PR of 30:43 four years ago during this race. However, the blood clots I had in January 2009 have really slowed me down. I ran a 5K 6 months ago and finished in 48:02. I'll be happy if I run the 5K in on Saturday in 48:00 or better.