07.23.08

“Strength” Training

Posted in Uncategorized at 9:09 am by Diana

I must admit, I have been hesitant to post given all the thought-provoking and insightful posts of late. I haven’t had any deep thoughts about running lately. Perhaps this is due to the fact that what started out as a great trajectory of summer training was interrupted by a wedding and then a nasty cold. The recent heat wave certainly didn’t help my motivation to get back at it!

But, on to my thoughts about my new-found love for “strength” training. I started consistenly doing yoga this summer. I have always loved yoga, but it can get pricey and can be intimidating (have you ever seen someone do the Bird of Paradise pose?!). But, I can’t lie — the real precipitant was actually my wedding — who wants to have bad posture in a strapless dress? The strength and flexibility gained beyond that was just going to be icing on the cake.

I’ve discovered that although my legs are strong and my hips relatively open, there are back and shoulder muscles I didn’t know existed. I also realized I have a flexible lower back, which makes it all the more important to have a strong core (I need to find a way to make crunchies fun…). After yoga, I consistently wake up the morning after feeling like pulled taffy, which is much less comfortable to me than being really sore from a hard workout. But, overall I end up feeling stronger, more flexible, more centered.

I’m loving yoga as my “strength” training — and since I hate going to the gym, this is a step in the right direction! Hopefully my finances will allow me to continue my newfound love (second, of course, to running).

Related Posts:

Permalink Comments

05.06.08

Break!

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:31 pm by Diana

I am (obviously) one of the CAC members who started to slack on my posting recently, but my meaningful thoughts of running seem to ebb and flow with my training. I am currently on a running break and have been greatly enjoying a variety of activities, thus I can’t promise this post to be profound in any way. But, I thought it would be interesting to briefly comment on the activities that have been keeping me from becoming a grumpy coach potato. These activities include:

1) Swimming. I’m not a great swimmer, but I have discovered that I can swim an entire lap without stopping! (No flip-turns though, that’s way too advanced for me.)

2) Pilates/Yoga/Yogalaties. Oof. My abs, arms, and upper back were killing me after this. Not to mention I discovered that I don’t really use my hip flexors in the same way these activities require. Embarrassingly, holding up my leg led to much public shaking!

3) Backpacking! Sarah and I have been wanting to go and decided that our break would be a great time to explore the Linville Gorge area. FYI, the label of “strenuous” in the AMC North Carolina Hiking Trails book is probably a bit weak. It was ridiculous. Think climbing over fallen trees every 100 meters or so, scrambling up large (and sometimes wet) rocks/boulders, navigating narrow trails with huge drop-offs on one side, and hugging rocks faces to inch along the trail until it’s wide enough to walk normally all with a 45 pound pack. Needless to say, my lower body is protesting greatly right now.

4) Running. I know, I know. The point of a break is NOT to run. But, I have been enjoying 1-2 20-30 minute runs a week. No watch (sorry, Tyler, no Garmin for me), sometimes no official loop, and no goals. Very refreshing.

5) Weight lifting. This is not my favorite thing to do, but it’s a nice change, and I’m motivated to make sure my upper body is toned for my wedding (Yes, shallow, but at least it’s motivating!).

Other activities I have considered but not yet tried for a variety of reasons include road biking (lack of equipment and fear of cars) and rock climbing (lack of equipment and fear of heights).

Soon I will feel revived enough to dive into a summer of miles, but for right now, I’m enjoying my break from organized school obligations and running.

Related Posts:

Permalink 1 Comment

03.22.08

Revitalization

Posted in Uncategorized at 1:11 pm by Diana

Although I generally experience running to be fun and a way to relieve stress, the last week or two I have experienced the benefits of running in way I don’t normally do. The stress of deadlines for which I’m not prepared has been weighing on me greatly and I’ve found that after my recent runs I really have felt as if a big fat monkey was lifted from my back. My mood post-run was markedly better, and I had renewed hope that I could produce quality work quickly and efficiently. I was revitalized.

Amazing.  Now, to find out if, indeed, running is allowing me to actually work more quickly and efficiently!

Related Posts:

Permalink 1 Comment

03.09.08

Creepy

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:38 pm by Diana

This morning, as Sarah and I were going around the Pumpkin Loop we had the (unfortunate?) experience of finding the skeletal remains of a deer leg, hoof and all. Initially, Sarah stepped on it and thought it was a branch/stick, but when we looped around for a more relaxed lap, we realized it was, in fact, not a stick.

Clearly, this post was not particularly deep or intellectual, but normally I find interesting things on my run in the woods, like cute furry animals or pretty birds or blooming flowers, and it was striking to find such an intact specimen of something rather dark.

Related Posts:

Permalink 5 Comments

02.17.08

7 years

Posted in Uncategorized at 11:31 am by Diana

It’s been 7 years since I set foot on an indoor track. That’s a really long time — almost a quarter of my lifetime. And my most vivid memories of indoor track were the chest pain and track hack that onset immediately after a mid-distance race and didn’t subside for a day or two. That, and losing the 1000 by just a smidgen at the line at a championship meet after leading significantly the whole way (I probably should have added my story to Jason’s earlier post…). So, it was a bit nerve-wracking to line up, seeded 9 seconds faster than I’ve ever run, on UNC’s indoor track yesterday at lunchtime.

Jason did a great job of talking me down (or up!) as I prepped for my warm-up and reminded me off all the work I’ve put in and the number of years I’ve been running. I left for my warm-up with his statement “Your body will know what to do” repeating in my head.

And he was right. My body DID know what to do. I was totally consistent and on pace for a 6 second PR until around lap 6, when the systemic lactic acid feeling started to emerge. But I got back on pace for laps 7 and 8 and came out with a 2 second PR. Six seconds would have been awesome. But, I can’t complain about running 2 seconds faster than I ever have in the mile, and doing that on an indoor track. And that slowdown on lap 6 was very much a lack of acclimation slowing, rather than due to an empty tank.

So, hopefully the week’s schedule will work out and I’ll be able to carve out the time to hit the Tin Can again and see if I can cut a few more seconds off that PR. It was great to feel the excitement of being on the track and racing again, even though the track hack was as bad as I remembered it to be.

Related Posts:

Permalink 2 Comments

01.25.08

Synergy

Posted in Uncategorized at 1:51 pm by Diana

Joan used the term “synergy” a lot in the fall. I think there were moments of it, but on Wednesday I felt lucky, grateful, and pushed by the synergy the women had on the track. Everyone took their turn pulling/pushing the pack; as individuals tired, someone else would step up to fill the gap and make sure the workout stayed on track. The workout was hard, but it was such a relief to feel the burden of the workout on the group as a whole, rather than each individual trying to get through it singularly.

I think I took my high school and college team dynamics for granted. Sure, not everyone got along, but the team feeling was almost always there. Perhaps that was due to more extensive opportunities for bonding (e.g., long bus rides to weekend invitationals, locker rooms, shared classes and coursework). It was great to feel the women come together as a whole Wednesday and have the whole be greater than the sum of its parts. 

Related Posts:

Permalink Comments

01.16.08

Trail race opener

Posted in Uncategorized at 10:40 am by Diana

I ran the Little Rive 5K as my “opener” for the track season.  Last year I was signed up, but bailed for a variety of reasons, one of which was being nervous about not running fast enough (whatever that means).  This year I signed up and showed up, and I am so glad I did.

It started out a bit cold for my taste, but warmed up to be a beautiful crisp January day.  The Trailheads are fun, the atmosphere was inviting and laid-back, and the location is gorgeous.  (Too bad the Open Eye coffee ran out before I was ready!)

This was a nice opener for me because I quickly discovered that you can only run so fast in a trail race.  Although the trails were not what I would considered extremely technical, in the first mile or so I had picked up speed on a nice section and then had to slam on the breaks as I tried to make a tight turn (the guy behind me sort of chuckled and warned me to be careful).  There was no pressure to make a certain time (besides the trails it’s more like a 5K+), and I ran alone for the last mile or so, so there was no anxiety about beating the person in front of me or getting caught from behind.  But it was a great opportunity to practice racing (pulling in and passing, sticking with), savor the outdoors, and feel the endurance rather than the speed (the last 400 meters or so is uphill), which will certainly come soon enough since it’s track season.  Low pressure, low key = fun and a great first race of the season.

I loved it and can’t wait to do it again next year!

Related Posts:

Permalink Comments

01.10.08

Did I say frigid cold?

Posted in Uncategorized at 9:02 am by Diana

A week or so ago I was “commenting” on the cold.  As much as I like warm weather, I’m a little creeped out by the current heat wave.  I shouldn’t be comfortable wearing shorts and a light long-sleeve in mid-January (now, I just speak for myself as some people (ahem, Dave) wear shorts regardless of temperature of weather conditions and claim to be fine).

On the other hand, it’s much easier to run fast when it’s warmer out than colder.

Ah, global warming…

Related Posts:

Permalink 3 Comments

01.04.08

Dressing for the frigid cold

Posted in Uncategorized at 10:13 am by Diana

I don’t want to whine, but when I moved South from the Northeast, I moved with a huge sigh of relief that I would never have to do workouts in less than 38 degrees. Alas, this week has been frigidly cold. So cold, in fact, that Sarah and I have postponed our normal 6:30 AM runs. This is significant given that we will run through just about anything.

I did realize, however, that as I get older, I’m smarter about what I wear. I think that I’m now wearing far more than I ever did and am managing to stay (relatively) warm during my runs and workouts. Although I may not be wearing more than while I was at Amherst, I am certainly dressing smarter having purged my running clothes of all cotton, which I have found to make a huge difference in how warm I’m able to stay.

Isn’t it funny how as teenagers we (or at least I) protested wearing a coat/hat/socks/whatever? Now that I’m older I am so much more interested in being warm and toasty than anything else.

Related Posts:

Permalink 3 Comments

12.09.07

Mud mud mud!

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:14 pm by Diana

It has been years since I competed in a “real” cross country race. When I say “real,” I mean something hilly and/or messy. Now, our race this weekend was certainly not hilly (Inclines? Really? I guess I missed them. Were the hay bales supposed to substitute for that?), but it was messy. With a capital “M.” And that was great. Sure, it didn’t make for fast times, and it was hard, mentally and physically in a way that a fast, flat course would not have been. But it was cross country. Cross country, where you pray for better weather as you watch the course deteriorate, but then revel in the fact you get to be a kid again and splash through puddles and mud without concern and just “gut it out” (a quote I’d like to attribute to Sarah’s husband, Glenn). Cross country, where the track kids who can rip up a nicely groomed and manicured 6K on a golf course get passed by those who have mud and dirt in their blood.

Like Rob, it has been years since I have traveled with a full team to a race (meaning, both men and women). And it was great to see that the same type of bonding can take place, even when the age span is larger and the life experience different than on high school or college teams. I enjoyed getting to know the men, who I normally just see speed by on the track. I enjoyed belting out songs on the van ride home, talking about our worst outfits as children and trashy romance novels (Navy Woman, anyone?), and hearing stories about each other’s lives. I enjoyed Caroline’s reaction to the spontaneous Breathe Rite strip phenomenon on the women’s team and seeing the men respond to our cheers during their race (Brock, no laughing while you’re racing!).

I know that we are all busy and post-collegiate running, especially cross country, is different, but I wish we could have more opportunities like this during the season. Well, maybe with a slightly shorter van ride…

Thanks to everyone for a fantastic weekend!

Related Posts:

Permalink 2 Comments