Poor Running Etiquette #1--Splashing Runners

The past few days have been grey, dreary days in Southeastern PA. Monday was grey, dreary, and sticky. It has since gotten cooler, but remained grey and dreary.

To some extent, I enjoy running in this weather. I can breate pretty well, and if it isn't raining, at least the plants and trees are wet, and provide instant cool-downs should a cool-down be required.

This morning I pulled myself out of bed and went out for a run before work. It was a very fine mist of a drizzle...the kind that you really don't notice until you are wet and wonder how that happened. It had rained all night, so there were puddles, but nothing I haven't tackled before, and nothing vehicles and runners cannot co-exist with.

Until Mr. White Van drives by and decides the puddle on the side of the road has a red target mark in the middle.

I didn't see it coming. First minute I'm running along, my mind off on some obscure topic, and the next, my left leg is soaked from the hip down.

And all before the completion of the first mile.

I hope he's having a good day.

Today Runs A Marathon

My first job out of college was as a sales assistant for a publishing company in Center City. The most beautiful aspect of this job (besides the steady paycheck, which consisted of mere pennies but they were pennies I could count on) was the commute...with a 9-5 workday, I could leave my apartment 15 before I had to be there, and still have time for a cup of coffee and a bathroom run before logging on for the day. This now compares to me leaving my house at 7:00 for a 20-mile drive (which we all know means squat in rush hour traffic) to be at my desk shortly before 8:00. What I used to be able to get accomplished in the morning astounds me, especially since I would consider the days I woke up as "early", which is the time I now am pulling away from the house.

The first commute allowed me to watch the Today show, and they had just started one of their annual "Today Throws A Wedding" features, and I was hooked. Planning the weddings for these brides-to-be was like playing dress-up...I monitored the choices and voted, taking into account body shapes, complexions, past votes, making sure everything tied together, and cursing the other viewers who voted only because they liked the purple tulips, even though they clashed with the yellow bridesmaids dresses.

Once my commute changed, I still monitored each Today Throws A Wedding segment from my high-speed work connection. Recently, I visited the site to see what the next steps were in this feature, and was thrilled to see the banner above--Today Runs a Marathon.

Now how are they going to do this? I wondered. Do I get to vote on running shoes? Outfits? Races? Post-run meals? Distances? The options were endless. Further research showed I was not going to be able to manually determine each run and each race, but that I could follow the progress of the runners.

This segment follows the path of Karen, a cancer survivor, who is training to run the New York Marathon as part of the Memorial Sloan-Ketting Cancer Center's Fred's Team. Joining her will be NBC correspondent Natalie Morales (who probably never ate a bagel and peanut butter or broke a sweat in her life). Each entry follows their success, has training tips, and highlights parts of the training for Karen...her struggles, her achievements, down to race day.

This proves to be a great segment, one of which I have bookmarked and will follow to the point of obsession. I think it would be better if votes were able to be cast, but I would dread to see a determined runner be required to run in heels, because a few voters decided they liked the color.

Humble Pie

Three months ago, I was smack-talking my experience with Broad Street, and was all "Philly Distance Run or bust!", certain that I could maintain the distance plus three miles and be in great condition to do the Sept. 17th run. After all--I had already done the hard part, right?

Ladies and Gents...please pass me a fork so I can eat this big piece of Humble Pie.

Actually, I've been eyeing up the Humble Pie for quite some time, pretty much once I realized the recovery week from Broad Street was turning into plural terms, then into a recovery month. I knew when I began to get nervous for the 5K in July that I was in trouble...and the chances of me preparing and completing the Philly Distance Run in September were about as far away as that finish line. So I will not see all of you at the Art Museum come the 17th...but I'll be there in spirit.

With that said...I will make it up to you come December 2nd. Last winter, Ted's aunt moved to Memphis. When Ted said to find a weekend to go visit her, I chose this weekend. And not by accident. This was carefully planned and executed...you see, December 2nd is the Memphis/St. Jude's Marathon and Half Marathon. And I have every intention in my body of completing this Half Marathon, and going one step farther and becoming a St. Jude's Hero, by raising funds for the hospital. But I'll keep you posted on that.

The 16-week training schedule I downloaded from runnersworld.com started yesterday. I am to run 2 miles yesterday, tomorrow, and Friday. This is candy for me, and during yesterday's run, kept thinking this is almost too easy. I guess we'll see when those remaining 11 miles get tacked on...but I am (fairly) certain this should be possible.

I won't have the heat and humidity of summer working against me. And it typically isn't very, very cold until later in the winter here. In fact, most of the training should be fairly mild. To make it even easier, Ted somehow got roped into joining a men's study group at church that meets before the Sunday Service. "Should I go?" he asked me a few weeks ago. "Absolutely, I think it would be great!"I responded, unfortunately, not with his spiritual well-being in mind. I saw an extra hour of running possible, without having to try and force myself out the door, while thinking of him laying on the couch watching TV.

So that is my plan. The biggie race of the fall. Besides the Rothman 8K in November and various 5Ks throughout now and December, this is the Mother Race I will focus on. After that, I guess it's Broad Street again...But Maggie will be "Running in Memphis"! (Should I buy a pair of blue suede trainers? Or how many other people do you think thought of that one already?)

P.S. Speaking of "mother races", my mother has completed Week 2 of her running schedule...and is doing great!!!!

Two worlds of running

Sunday Ted said he wanted to run. We didn't.
Monday Ted said he wanted to run. We didn't.
Tuesday morning I got up and ran, even though Monday night he was adamant about running on Tuesday. I did 2 miles, figuring if he decided to go, it wasn't enough to hinder a second run, but if we didn't go, I wouldn't feel like it was another day wasted.
We went.

We live in a borough home in the heart of a little town. But half a mile down one road, the borough ends and country roads, fields, and beauty stretches out before us. I hadn't run this route since last fall, and Ted had only driven it. "This is easy to run!" he commented. "No sidewalks, no lights, no running in circles..."

We did four miles without realizing it. No, wait, I take that back. We did two miles without realizing it. Then I gently reminded Ted we should turn around and head back...we both were feeling great and I was hesitant to let him know the distance we had gone. I was afraid he would hear 2 miles and think about how great he feels and how bad he should soon be feeling, and decide he was tired.

The run did catch up with him once we turned around, and we ended up calling it a 3-mile run and a one-mile walk. I finished off one stretch with a sprint to the stop sign, then waited for him, just to get that last little bit of urge to run out of my system.

I am fortunate to live somewhere I can enjoy a small town, sidewalks, stop lights, little stores, restaurants, bars, churches, walking to go wherever my heart desires, and still be able to turn left instead of right and be in America's heartland, with fresh produce, Lemonade stands, quiet country roads, corn fields, a single old church, a single older cemetery, and not seeing another car or person for practically the entire run. It's everything I wanted--the charm of a small town like I grew up with, without the feeling that the 20-minute drive to Walmart was considered a night out. If I feel like doing a quick urban run, on sidewalks and around people, I can do that. If I feel like I want a meaningful, thoughtful run, I can do that, as well.

Wherever your running route takes you, I encourage you to find a back, country road, and run it. It truly gives a new appreciation for running, and allows you to see the land and appreciate it more than driving it ever could. And makes you remember why you run.

Running in a Bowl of Soup

Raise your hands if you have ever ran through a pool filled with creamy, thick soup. Anyone? Me neither. But after the 4-miles today, I think I have a pretty darn good idea of what it is like.

5:30 this morning was no more comfortable than mid-afternoon on a normal summer day in Eastern PA. The temperature was in the high 70s, but the heat index is what truly mattered. Any "good" run was thrown out the window, and I chalked just getting out the door and completing the run as a "good" run, regardless of the time.

It got me thinking about missing winter running. As humans, I don't think we are ever truly happy. We want, we want, we want, then we get. But once we get it, we want something else. All winter I dreamt of summer running--now that it's summer running (albeit atypical), I think about cooler temperatures and brisker air. Mentally, I began to determine what the benefits of each are:

1) Breathing. I need to breath. I don't smoke, I am not elderly, I do not have asthma, nor do I have any other upper respiratory condition that would hinder my breathing ability on poor air quality days. Regardless, breathing in hot, humid conditions to me is a challenge. I start breathing through my mouth almost immediately, and wheezing soon after. I chug along, but for whatever reason, my lungs cannot open up enough to get the air they need (although it feels the problem is not my lungs, but one of the little breathing tunnels). Winter breathing is great. Once I get through the first few minutes of shock the initial cold air blast brings, I'm fine. Winter=1. Summer=0.

2) Company. Winter running can be very lonely. Hardly does one see a fellow runner at 5:30 in the morning in February. And I am not one for running in the afternoons where you do see people. Today at 5:30, more people were out than I have ever seen. And they were all walking around, looking like zombies. I figure most houses in my neighborhood are not equipped with central air, therefore, at 5:30 this morning, it was almost worthless to try and fight the temperature any longer. Passing people at 5:30 in the morning, regardless of the weather, is inspiring. You know the other person is out for a reason, and instantly feel a bond with them--Hey! We are both crazy!
Winter=1. Summer=1.

3) Clothing. When I get ready to run, I usually have a window of 5-10 minutes where if I don't get out the door, I won't go. Summer this isn't a problem...with four pieces of clothing to pull on, plus socks and shoes, I'm up and out the door before I realize it. Winter is a different story. I get up, battle the usually-chilly hallway and try to forget about the warm and cozy bed I'm leaving behind, turn on the bathroom light, and battle to put on clothing. It takes the 5-10 minutes to pull the layers on, and I am notorious for putting on too many layers. I read somewhere that if you are warm when you leave the house, you will overheat during the run, and that is true (as I have found, plus half of the town that finds my de-clothed items hidden behind bushes and trees as I heat up). And then there is just the weight of three layers of clothing as compared to shorts and a top.
Winter=1. Summer=2.

4) The Feel of the Body during and post run. I have often told Ted, the feeling I have before I run is not why I run--it's the feeling AFTER I run. The tingle in the legs, the pulsing of the heart, the sheer sense of accomplishment. During the winter, when I get back, I feel good. Tired, maybe in some pain depending on how far or how hard I went, but good. Summer can be a different story, especially today. I start out fine. With a mile to go, my legs become stiff, and I have feel my muscles and whatever acid they burn struggling. I don't get that stiffness in the winter, and can generally have a great run in most weather.
Winter=2. Summer=2.

5) Lighting. The only thing more depressing than having to leave a nice, warm bed to run in sub-freezing temperatures is having to do it in the dark. And have it still be dark when you get back.
Winter=2. Summer=3.

6) Accomplishments. Typically, anyone can get out and run in the summer. Besides the occasionally hot and sticky days, spring and summer can make anyone take the pledge to be a runner and be fit. The true test comes the first time the mercury drops below 40.
Winter=3. Summer=3.

So now I have reached a tie...and I have typically nothing to break it with. The other items I enjoy about running are year-long, or can be argued for both seasons. I guess I'm lucky to live somewhere I can experience both extremes...I know what it is like to run in hot, sticky, humid weather, and I know what it is like to run in snow and wind. And come March and August, I can truly appreciate the upcoming season change and welcome it with open arms.

But when it comes down to it, running aside, I would take an extreme heat wave over a snowstorm anyway. All seasons have their ups and downs...except I'd rather experience those ups and downs without a snow shovel.

Stay cool, everyone!!!!