Happy New Year!

Happy new year! Today is the day when I usually would make a resolution or set goals for the new year. Instead of setting goals, though, this year I'm approaching it as planning new things that I'd enjoy doing. So this post is the conclusion to my 2010 List O' Fun.

10 Fun Things To Do in 2010:

#1: Run a half-marathon
#2: Run on single-track bike trails
#3: Do some speedwork
#4: Run in the mountains
#5: Volunteer at a race
#6: Experiment with cute hairstyles at races
#7: Explore places in town that I haven't been before by running
#8: Try out the Try-It-On Triathlon
#9: Run in the 5K hosted by my high school
#10: Maybe...just maybe...run a marathon

Volunteer at a race:
I'd like to see a race from the other side and give back, in a way. I started considering this when I couldn't run, but it would be just as meaningful and important when I can run.

Experiment with cute hairstyles at races:
I've never focused much on how I look during races, but reading the Chic Runner's blog has made me want to try out some cute hairstyles like bows and pigtails. It would be fun, and maybe the race pictures would actually be postable. (Notice how I never post race pictures?)

Explore places in town that I haven't been before by running:
There are some roads in my town that I haven't been down in so many years that I can't remember where they go. What better way to find out than to run there?

Try out the Tri-It-On Triathlon:
I almost entered myself as a contestant in CNN's FitNation Triathlon Challenge, but decided to try something less expensive and intense first. There's a local triathlon held every September that has canoeing instead of swimming, and the biking section is for mountain bikes. I've been thinking about doing it for a few years, and I think that 2010 will be it.

Run in the 5K hosted by my high school:
In 2008, my high school started hosting an annual 5K. I didn't participate that year because I hadn't been in training and didn't want to embarrass myself with bad results. (It's kind of pathetic, but true.) Then this year it fell during the time when I couldn't run, and I'd like to make up for it in 2010. This is, in a way, a time goal, because going back to the track that I had so many hopes for in high school, I really want to place in my age group in this race. To do that, I'd definitely have to run sub-25 minutes - maybe even faster. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what September brings. I hope to be able to be that fast, but if I'm not, maybe I'll grow as a runner if I have the guts to sign up for the race knowing that I won't be able to place.

Maybe...just maybe...run a marathon:
All right, this is a big maybe. It depends on how I feel and what my priorities are. After the half-marathon, I might decide that I'm not ready for the big one yet, or I might send in my registration the next day. It's out there, though.

2010 List O' Fun: Part 4

The new year is fast approaching, so I'll continue my list of fun running things to do in 2010 with something that has been growing in my mind for the past couple of months:

#1: Run a half-marathon
#2: Run on single-track bike trails
#3: Do some speedwork
#4: Run in the mountains

I've always been the first one to say that a hill on a run was tough or to blame hills for my fatigue or a bad race time. I want to do more of them, though, and I want to enjoy them. I want to be able to take my training all the way up a mountain and not be daunted. I want to run up to the top of the ridge and look out and be utterly overwhelmed by the view and the knowledge that I climbed that height.

I really started thinking about this after I started reading Geoff Roes' blog. He is an extremely talented ultrarunner from Alaska who also has an ability to put into words what I've never been able to describe about running, and he runs his best - physically and mentally - in the mountains. I've been wanting to run on technical trails, and mountain trails would be a greater challenge and immerse me even deeper into the natural, wild environment that I love running in so much.

Technically, I don't know if the mountains here classify as mountains. The ones I'd be running have an altitude of about 1,300 feet, but even "hill" tops can give a spectacular view. Just take a look at this one:

2010 List O' Fun: Part 3!

So, in my last few posts, I've discussed how I want to run a half-marathon, run single-track trails, and how I don't want to belly flop into the Hudson River on national TV. Now to continue my List O' Fun things to do in 2010:

#1: Run a half-marathon
#2: Run on single-track bike trails
#3: Do some speedwork

This sounds like a pretty simple, every-day, not-exciting thing. I've never really done it quite right, though, and I think that it could change a lot of things for me. I also have a special place in my heart for a 400m track. And doing some workouts there - done correctly to show some results - would be pretty special.

I spent a lot of time alone at the track during my senior year of high school trying to train myself to be good enough for the track team, and I feel like that was a defining time for me. Before that, I had been caught up in the general impression that I just wasn't the athletic type, and my parents never encouraged me to join any kind of organized sport, especially in high school, because it would be a big hassle for them to drive me home from practice. So deciding to join the track team was actually was one of my first steps toward independence.

Thanks to knee issues, my track career turned out to be one single JV race, but the experience of training and then joining the team was powerful. This post shows one of my memories of that experience. It's just a snapshot of an evening alone at the track, but it's one of the best examples I can think of as to "why I run".

So that brings me to doing some speedwork on the track this coming year. Once I started running in 5Ks, I tried to revisit the track to do speedwork -- without having a base. My experience of track in high school was as a sprinter, so I never had to do very long distances. The miles warming up and cooling down were the farthest distances I ran in those days. So, when I started running in 5Ks, it didn't seem odd to do speed workouts when I was only running 10 miles per week, although I can say that those workouts never had much of an impact.

I got pretty frustrated in the spring of 2009, when I was doing pace and speed intervals once every week and could not, for the life of me, break my 5K PR. I couldn't imagine why I wasn't getting faster. Then I started running longer distances and running just for the fun of it, and my speed increased dramatically. Like by a minute and 20 seconds in the 5K! Oh yeah, that "base" thing people talk about. That's what they mean...

So one thing that I would love to do in 2010 is to go back to the track after I've built up a base and do some real interval workouts. If having the base alone could decrease my times so much, I'd love to see what incorporating speedwork will do.

As much as I love the freedom and natural environment of the trail, there is still a competitor in me that loves the thrill of racing on a track, and I definitely want that as part of my running experience in the next year.

Sometimes I'm just crazy...

Sometimes I'm a little crazy (by which I mean a lot crazy). Like this weekend, when, for a few hours, I thought it would be awesome to enter myself for a chance to go on CNN and participate in the NYC Triathlon.

It happened on Saturday morning when I was eating breakfast and watching the news. The medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, came on and said that in July, he would be doing the New York City Triathlon, and that he was looking for 5 people to do it with him. CNN would send trainers to your home and you'd be awesome and train for the next 6 months for the triathlon. It's called the Fit Nation Tri Challenge. I thought, "Hey! I bike. I run. I could do a triathlon! And, who wouldn't want a personal trainer checking up on your progress for 6 months?!" I went on the website and saw that to enter yourself for a chance, you needed to submit a video of yourself explaining why you would be a good candidate.

All of the videos were of people sitting on their couches. I thought "Hey! They look like couch potatoes! Why don't I do a video of me explaining why I should be a triathlete - while I'm running..."

So I went out for my scheduled 3-mile run (with my ancient digital camera in hand) and took this video of myself:



It's a big file, so I don't know if it can even be viewed in increments longer than 5 seconds, but I tried. It's a little goofy. Or crazy.

Anyway, after the run, I took a closer look at the submission guidelines. Look at what I found: "Costs and equipment used to participate in or prepare for the Challenge, such as bikes and personal trainers, will be the responsibility of participant."

Wait, what? I have to pay for the personal trainer they send to my house? Well, I'd better find out how much the race itself will cost to enter. I went to the event website, and it turns out that the race is sold out, so there was no registration fee posted. So I have no idea how much this whole escapade would cost me.

Then I started browsing through the site and saw that the swim segment takes place in the Hudson River. Can you see me diving into the Hudson River? Neither can I. Honestly, the last time I ever even tried diving into a pool, I did a belly flop instead.

Belly flop into the Hudson River while being filmed for CNN? Let's just say that made up my mind against submitting my video. It would have been fun and really exciting, but between entry fees, a personal trainer, a wetsuit, a road bike, a 1- or 2-night hotel stay in NYC, and the whole diving into the river thing, I'll have to pass this time. Dr. Gupta, if you're out there reading this and want me to run a marathon with you, I'll do it, but I can't afford a triathlon.

A mini sort of triathlon is upcoming on the continuation of my List O' Fun things to do in 2010. That one is sprint distance and includes canoeing instead of swimming. I'll save that for another post, though.

Before I end, I want to congratulate bloggers Jenny and Jeri for success at the Dallas White Rock Marathon/Half-marathon yesterday! While I was home being crazy, they were out being awesome. Congrats to Jenny for setting both a PR and a BQ in the marathon, and to Jeri for a PR in the half! You guys are really inspiring, and I enjoy reading your blogs. :-)

2010 List O' Fun: Part 2

In yesterday's post I discussed how I am looking forward to running a half marathon in 2010 as a way to expand my running horizons and enjoy my hobby as much as possible. Now it's time for the next one up on the list:

#1: Run a half-marathon
#2: Run on single-track bike trails

I normally do a good deal of my running on a flat, level trail. It used to be a railroad bed, so there are no steep ascents or descents, no sharp turns, and few tree roots to trip over. It's great for injury recovery or long runs when I don't want to overwork myself with hills, but even during those runs, I sometimes wish for it to be a little less tame.

Every once in a while when I come to a rock cut, where the path was blasted out of a hill for the railroad to pass through, I'll run up the side of the hill to get a different perspective and give some alternate muscles a chance to work. It feels so good, after the repetitiveness of a flat surface, to nimbly jump over roots and dart around rocks to the top and then pick my way down the other side. These types of trails are calling me, and I can't wait to answer.

There's a state park located about a half-hour away from my home with miles of single-track trails. If I do little else in 2010, I want to get out to that park and run on those trails. I know that I'll enjoy the technical aspect of the trails, the scenery will be gorgeous, it will be good for training, and it's an opportunity for the support staff to keep me company on his bike. Given all of these points, I can't believe I haven't done it before!

2010 List O' Fun

Why did I sign up for a half-marathon 7 months in advance at a time when, on doctor's orders, I couldn't even run? Good question. The answer is #1 on my 2010 List O' Fun. Read on and I'll explain.

There have always been different reasons why I run. In high school, it was because I wanted to prove that, geeky as I was, I could join a sport and be good at it. In college, it was to lose weight and relieve stress. After college, it was to participate in road races and feed that competitor in me that didn't get enough in high school track.

I started out 2009 with that competitive motivation. I was determined to lower my 5K race times and place higher in my age category, and when I couldn't keep up with my running buddy, I increased my mileage so I wouldn't be left behind. Then something interesting happened: I went out for long runs and didn't look at the stopwatch. I really liked these runs. I started looking forward to them all week. My self esteem was boosted, and instead of running to lower my race times, I ran because it was my hobby and I wanted to do more of it. I became more laid-back about races and ended up running my fastest times ever in the 5K. Most of that is because I had, unwittingly, built up the base needed for speed, but a lot of it was also that I was having more fun.

And now, after getting shin splints and not running for 3 months, I have a long list of ways that I want to have fun by running in 2010. In some ways it is like a list of goals, but in other ways, it's just a brainstorming of ideas. I expect that I'll be running for many years to come, so there's plenty of time - I'm just so excited about it all that I want to do everything as soon as possible. I'll start working on it in 2010. So here it is, my 2010 List O' Fun! Instead of listing everything right now, I'll focus on one item per post.

#1: I want to have fun by running a half-marathon.

I've had this goal ever since this summer when I realized that my long runs were just a few miles shy of a half-marathon. Now, although it's not until May, I can't wait for the experience. It will be my first really large race. I can't wait to get into the corral at the start and feel the energy from all of the other runners and then have lots of crowd support during the race. It's always been nice to wave to people who stand on their porch as a 5K takes place on their road, but I think that this will be a different experience. And I'll be able to be a spectator as well! After I'm done, I'll be able to watch the full marathoners cross the finish line. And there will be professional race pictures along the course (the support staff will probably be relieved not to have photographer duty!). There is so much that this race will have that I've never experienced before, and I can't wait to enjoy it all.