Category: Geek Girl Runner

I was so busy yesterday getting ready for the presentation that I forgot to post my training update!

Week 2 distance: 12.4mi (20.01km)
Week 3 distance: 13.4mi (21.48km)

That’s a much more modest distance increase of only 7%. Good, huh? Unfortunately I did feel some pain in my lower back on the second run. Stretching and anti-inflammatories seem to be helping.

This surprise work trip to L.A. means I’m going to miss the Bay Run next weekend. I’m sad about that, but at least I’ll be back for the City 2 Surf. The company apartment over there apparently has gym access, so I should be able to run on a treadmill in a pinch.

I’ve just finished Week 2 of my training for the Melbourne Half-Marathon. I’m feeling good!

Week 1 distance: 10.8mi (17.37km)
Week 2 distance: 12.4mi (20.01km)
Fastest mile so far: 10:41

That’s a distance increase of 15%. I know that’s higher than the 10% most runners aim for, but that’s because I’m still ramping up the length of my daily training runs. They’re at 35 minutes now, but in a few weeks they’ll top out at 45 minutes. Then the only increase will come from my long runs on the weekend.

I’m still going nice and slow on most of my runs (as per Galloway’s book), and I’m loving it. I did my long run yesterday at a 12:00/mile pace, and that included taking a minute’s walk break after every kilometer. I didn’t feel too tired at the end at all. In terms of injuries, my left hamstring has been feeling a little tender lately (I’m trying to remember to ice it each night) and my right shin started to feel a little sore towards the end of the run. My lower back pain is almost completely gone. I’ve been trying to pay more attention to my form, and I think that’s really going to pay off in the coming months.

I ran a “magic mile” on Monday night and managed it in 10:41. According to Galloway, that means I’m capable right now of running a half-marathon at a 12:30 pace. That’s actually a little bit slower than I ran it in May, so I’m not putting too much stock in his prediction right now. Or maybe I didn’t run the mile as quickly as I could’ve. It was hard to pace myself over the distance, and I was running on the sidewalk in Newtown (and therefore dodging people). Maybe for my next one I’ll make a trip over to the proper athletics track…

This past week was the start of my Melbourne Half-Marathon training. I did easy half-hour runs on Tuesday and Thursday, and I was happy to note that my lower back pain was almost completely gone. On Saturday I had a long, leisurely walk with the Snook. On Sunday, I headed out for a 5-miler. I’ve been reading Jeff Galloway‘s Book on Running and I’m already trying to put a few new things into practice. The big one is speed. My pace on the long runs has been way too fast. My goal pace for the actual race is 10:00/mile, therefore I’m supposed to do my long runs at 12:00/mile (including walk breaks). It seems counterintuitive to slow down now in order to go fast later, but as I understand it, the biggest factor in gaining speed is not getting hurt. I can be patient. The other thing I’m working on is FORM. Galloway gives the helpful mnemonic “CHiPs”: Chest up, Hips forward, and Push off. I think I’m improving, though I still get annoyed when I check myself in shop windows and catch myself leaning forward too much. (Check out this Phedippidations episode for a great discussion about running form.) Anyway, I did my five miles at 12:00 pace pretty easily. The biggest problem I had was my perpetual bugbear – hydration. I thought I’d had enough to drink but the sun was hot and I got parched quickly. I hit every water fountain I could find but still my mouth was dry. I really need to work on that.

Happily, my lower back felt pretty good after the run and I had a great final session with the physiotherapist this morning. My pelvic alignment is rock solid and my core strength is improving. I think I’m pretty much fixed! I actually feel kind of stupid for suffering through so much back pain when all it took was a couple sessions to correct. I can highly recommend Michael over at Peak Physique for any exercise-related injuries.

It’s all about form
I had my third session with the physiotherapist yesterday morning. I’d taken a few days off at the end of last week, so I was curious to see whether that helped or hindered my pelvic alignment issues. The verdict? It hadn’t budged since he’d straightened me out last week! So that was good. There was still a slight twist in my lower back, but that was quickly put to rights. I went through my exercises and stretches and Michael said he could already see an improvement in my core stability. He gave me a few new things to do, including a simple little exercise to work the glutes (which left me with a SORE BUM all day long). Michael said that by the time I run my next race, I’ll be one of those runners with a strong and stable upper body instead of looking like a floppy marionette. Sounds good!

Today marked the official start of my Melbourne Half-Marathon training, so I headed out for an easy 30 minute jog. I immediately noticed a difference in my form. My core muscles were engaged and I could tell my pelvis wasn’t moving around so much. I felt like I was running more upright. I was also going a little bit faster than usual, so I decided to push it and see how quickly I could do the second mile. I did it in 10:56. I know the iPod is slightly miscalculated, so my real mile time should be slightly less than that. Not bad! (I wonder how much faster I could do it if I actually ran it as a sprint…) I could tell that my form suffered a bit as I started to tire towards the end. I’ll get better.

Isn’t my Nike Mini-Me cute? I discovered them over on Max’s site. You can build them on Nike+ if you’re a member.

Runners for Obama. I’d buy that T-shirt.

Miracle of miracles – I got the Snook out on the road again! He hasn’t done any running since the 9K Bridge Run in September of last year. His company is entering a team into the City 2 Surf though, and he’s feeling the pressure not to come in last. So Sunday he headed out on a short half-hour run around the neighbourhood with me. My back was still feeling quite tender from the physio earlier in the week, but I managed. My lungs are in great shape now. I didn’t feel winded at all. I may have even been pushing it a bit, trying to impress Snookums with the improvement in my fitness. He kept up with me the whole way, but I think a lot of that was male pride. He’s hurting a lot worse than I am today. Anyway, now I just have to keep him motivated for two more months.

In other news, I went back for another session with the physiotherapist today. My back was starting to lock up again (as he expected), but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was last week. He put everything back in place and then showed me some simple Pilates exercises to start strengthening my core. I’m still restricted to short 30 minute runs, but I’ve got another week or two before I begin my Melbourne Half-Marathon training in earnest.

Lastly, I was getting caught up on my podcasts this morning and was happily surprised to get a shout-out on Brandon’s Marathon. Brandon ran a triathlon earlier this month, a feat that I can only dream about right now. Well done, Brandon! Good luck on whichever of the fall marathons you decide to do…

Last night I officially registered for the Melbourne Half-Marathon on October 12th*. I also booked us into a hotel for that weekend. My friend Kylie told me about this “secret hotel” thing where you can get a reduced rate at a 4* CBD hotel, but the catch is you don’t know which one it is till after you book. (Presumably it’s whichever one has a room to fill.) Now me, I like surprises. So I made a reservation and we ended up getting the Batman’s Hill on Collins. Not bad, considering we’re saving $70/night off their regular rate. Anyway, now we just need to get some plane tickets and I’m all set. Well, except for that pesky TRAINING part…

On that note, I went for a short, slow 4.5k run this morning. My lower back had been feeling a bit bruised from the manipulations, and it got weirded when I ran. I felt like my whole “caboose” was moving around a lot more than normal. I suppose it probably was, given that he’d freed up a lot of muscles that had become frozen in place. I noticed that it was easier to run without hunching. It’s a few hours later now, and I’m feeling some uncharacteristic soreness in my abs. I suppose these are the core muscles that are meant to be engaged when I run, but due to my misalignment I haven’t been able to use them properly. It’s a little weird to have to get to know your body all over again.

* I will be doing this as part of the Phedippidations Worldwide Half Marathon Challenge. The idea is that thousands of runners around the world will all set a goal to run a set distance (5K, 10K, or the half-marathon) around that date in October. You don’t have to do it in an official race; you can run it on your own on the treadmill if you want. There are about half a dozen Australians signed up so far. If you’re a runner and you need a goal, I really recommend you consider taking part. It doesn’t cost anything and you get access to some great training plans and running forums. Check it out!

If it’s not one thing, it’s another, really. My lungs are finally recovered to the point where running feels good again. I did an 8K on Sunday and I felt energized at the end of it. No huffing and puffing. It was great… except for my lower back. I’ve had this issue for a couple years now, and it’s been one of the reasons that I always quit after a few months. I started seeing a sports masseuse earlier this year in an attempt to fix it. That made the problem bearable, but no matter what we did, it didn’t seem to right it completely. In fact, in the past week or so it’s progressed to the point where I’m feeling pain even when I’m not running. So this morning, it was off to a proper physiotherapist. I saw Michael at the Sports Clinic at Sydney Uni, and it turns out he’s an expert at this type of thing. He confirmed the diagnosis that my pelvis was pretty far out of alignment. (Like, centimeters out.) This biomechanical issue is the source of just about all my running complaints: back pain, tight hips, pinched sciatic nerve, tight hamstrings, hunched gait, etc. So he set about putting things back in place. There was much pulling-of-legs and manipulating-of-joints, and it all ended with a lovely session under a heating pad. I noticed some immediate changes: I could touch my toes without pain, and my hamstrings were able to stretch a lot farther. Michael gave me some stretches to do at home, and he’s restricted me to shorter runs for the next few days. He says that normally I’ll regress a third of the way back, so I’m seeing him on Monday for further correction. I can’t wait to see if this gives me a breakthrough in my speed and performance!

Struggles and Inspiration
I haven’t been having great runs in the past week. The weather’s been crappy; my back is sore; and I’m still fighting this nagging cough. It’s hard to get out of bed early in the morning. I tried running on my lunch break on Tuesday (since we have a shower in the building), but North Sydney is HILLY and I felt stupid having wet hair all afternoon. I’m just not feeling a lot of excitement about my training right now. I guess I’m still in my post-Big Race depression period. That said, I got a big boost talking to my Mom the other night. Not only did Joe run a 5K recently, but the whole family did the Sunburst Fitness 5K Walk last weekend. How awesome is that? Mom also mentioned that she’s on Week 2 of the Couch to 5K podcasts, with a goal of running her own 5K later this summer. Isn’t that fantastic? I’m so proud of them, and I’m humbled to think that I might have been part of their inspiration.

Last night I registered myself and the Snook for our third consecutive City 2 Surf. I wanted to get in early so we don’t have to start in the Back of the Pack. My goal is to break 100 minutes this year, so avoiding the gorillas, baby strollers, and budgie smugglers should help with that. Now I just have to get excited about training again…

I went for a short half-hour run this morning. I’m still not back at 100% health. It’s really annoying. I’ve got this perpetual feeling that I can’t quite clear my throat, and it makes it difficult to breathe easily when I’m running.

I’ve started planning my events for the rest of the year. Here’s what I’ve got:

• July 27 – Bay Run (7km)
• August 10 – City 2 Surf (14km)
• September 21 – Sydney Running Festival (9km or 21km)
• October 12 – Melbourne Half Marathon (21km)

Here’s my question: How the heck do I train for these? Do I just follow a training plan for the half-marathon and do the other events as I come to them? Hal Higdon‘s “novice” plan for the Half-Marathon (which I used before) goes for 12 weeks, while Jeff Galloway‘s “timed goal” plan goes for 15. (At least, I think it does. It also includes two weeks past your goal event.) If I use the Galloway, I’d need to start by June 23rd at the latest. What do I do between now and then? Or I guess I could start now and stretch out the plan by another three weeks. Will I be overtraining for the race then? I’d really like to hear from any other runners how they’d approach planning out these next five months…

Also: Congratulations to my stepfather Joe, who ran his first 5K race in a long time this past week! And my mom’s going to do a 5K walk with him next week. I’m really glad that I could inspire them to get out there.