Increasing Mileage

I have a short time here to increase mileage, being that I've got a marathon coming up mid-April.  My progress plans went down the toilet the end of December.  I haven't run a twenty plus mile since January 2nd.  Plan is now, increase mileage as much as I can, without injury.  Without injury, without injury, without injury!  Then go for it and run those 26.2 miles, even if I don't get a twenty plus mile in before then (though I'm hoping on at least one). 

Oddly, this hip injury could be the best thing that has happened to my running.  Why?  Because I learned firsthand how important core strength is (& I've already experienced the benefits).  I learned how important warm-ups and cool downs are.  I used to warm-up by running slowly, and my cool-down consisted of merely stretching.  Now I've added briskly walking for ten minutes to both the warm-up and cool-down periods.  And  I've learned some good exercises from physical therapy.  And what do I get from all this?  STRENGTH.

My run this morning (flat run!) was strong. (And I by the way, wore shorts!)   I ran in and out of every crevice of Doheny and Capo Beaches (where I passed that train above), the campgroup loop four times, the wharf a couple times, the island, and all along the marina.  The weather was warm, though a slight cool breeze blew around the marina waters that did wonders for me, not to mention the dozen or more drinking fountains along the way.  The whole run did wonders actually.

Miles logged today:  14.29.  I aimed for fifteen, but 14+ is good.  I simply cut it a bit short, because I still had things to do at home.

Felt great back at home.  I had a few blisters on my feet, which is an entirely new thing for me.  Never happened before.  Iced the hips (the injured and non-injured).  Then as evening approached, oh about 6:00 PM as I ran in high heel shoes to make my son's concert (I made it in the exact second they played the first note : ),  my feet took quite a beating in the blistered area.  About 8:00 my hip began to ache and stiffness set in.  After my physical therapy exercises and stretches, the ache was gone. (I suppose I'm still not 100% back yet)

Not a Good Day to Run in Pants

I went for my run this morning in pants.  Mainly because it has been so cold lately, and also before I was a trail runner and ran only roads, I wore pants.  I put them on today out of habit.  Needless to say, I was exasperated by the heat.  I even changed my route to avoid the sun as much as possible.  It was 86 degrees, I hear.  EIGHTY SIX. 

I'm not complaining really.  I swore to never wear pants to run again, and enjoyed my carefree run.  I added a few sprints, experienced no pain whatsoever, most importantly in the hip.  I passed plenty of drinking fountains throughout the marina, made sure to run the shady sidewalks.  And then to my delight, I saw a friend that I basically haven't seen since I started trail running (we used to pass each other at the marina all the time). 

Actually, I didn't see her at all.  In fact, I ran right past her, my earphones blaring. Then ever so faintly, I heard, "Lauren!  Lauren!  Is that you?"

Nowadays when I hear someone say, "Lauren," I don't even flinch.  It seems like every third little girl is named Lauren.  Growing up, I was the only Lauren I knew.  Well, not exactly.  There was Lauren Bacall, Lorne Greene and a boy named Loren in my high school class.  So, today, it was almost like a dream, someone faintly hollaring, "Lauren."  I'm not sure why I suddenly halted and turned around.  But I did.

I love coming across people I haven't seen in a long, long time.  It's one of my delights on this earth.  We chatted for a few minutes, she put back on her headphones, I put mine back on, she continued her walk, I continued my run.  Just like the old days (well, not that old -- I've only been running trails since June '08, and didn't almost entirely give up road runs until last June).

Miles logged this hot, hot morning:  8.66 

Just Shy of Exclaiming -- I'm Back.

Sunday morning, time for a longish run -- it was difficult to get going due to the time change (Spring forward : )

I followed PT orders with a ten minute warm-up.  That is, I WALKED down Highway One (a gradual hill that I am forbidden to run for the time being).  The weather was cold, cold, cold, and being that I was WALKING, made it even more difficult to get these old bones warm.  I wanted to cross the highway to walk the sunny side.  But I was spooked by an drunken old guy who mumbling loudly, stumbled a few steps forward then one step back.  It was 7:50 AM, and I had to wonder whether he had been drinking all night or did he just start early AM?  Sad to see.

As soon as I hit flat ground I took off running.  Slow to start, I ran into Doheny Beach's main entrance, happy to see that today was the Grunion 5k Run.  And I was running on the course!  I didn't see any runners, but off in the distance I noticed an empty start/finish line, so I knew they were out there somewhere.

Much to my amazement, I warmed up less than a mile into my run.  Was it the physical therapy, the planks, or the ten minute walk? Perhaps all.  I've written several times that it usually takes me about four miles to warm up (terribly long, I now realize after Sunday's run).  With a smile on my face I headed on, adding three sprints (okayed by PT) over the next mile or so. 

On the bridge over San Juan Creek, the 5k's front runner made his way toward me -- a delight to see.  As I've mentioned before, it's a rare thing for me to see the front runners.  This guy was a good minute in front of the next runner.  In fact, the first five or so runners were surprisingly spread out.  I studied their forms.  None of them had the swinging left to right arms that I see so often.  All of them kept their torso's facing forward too (no twisting) and most seemed to have relaxed limbs.  Around runner #6 was the first female; the next few in a row in fact were women. 

About that time, I turned into the campground to run my regular loop.  It was full this Sunday morning, bacon sizzling over campfires.  People shuffled along in pajamas, puffing their first cigarettes of the day or holding mugs of steamy coffee.  I was going to run that second loop that I normally add, but I just had to get back out on the race course.  I love the excitement of a race.  And I love how people get out there, especially those who find it most difficult, to conquer the 5k.  (I remember how very difficult it was for me the first several times and how I so feared the dreaded DFL -- last place : (

Then the first large cluster of runners passed by me, followed by a few stragglers, then another large cluster (which I noticed plenty of twisting bodies).  Then the runners thinned out again, with the walkers pulling up the end.  I passed their turnaround point and continued on into Capo Beach.  I felt strong, amazingly strong.  My trunk felt solid, my legs and arms, so, so light.  More importantly, I felt absolutely no hip pain, no ache, no stiffness.

I ran until the side walk ended and made my way back to Doheny, running along the boardwalk with other racers, the finish line up ahead.  I turned off about fifty yards before crossing it, ran onto the grass, around the bathrooms with three or more other runners who did the same. 

Out of Doheny, I ran the road down to the jetty, past a dozen or so longboarders in their wetsuits waiting for that wave to ride in.  Fishermen, and one woman had their lines cast into the marina waters beneath sunny blue skies.  Though my gloves were now tucked into my belt, it was still pretty cold out, with a mild breeze. 

I made all my usual turns, through the wharf, which was lined again with artists and their paintings.  Sunday was the last day of The Festival of the Whales.  Old Woodies lined the grass along the harbor, brand new Fords were out for display too.  Concession stands lined the parking lot at "Baby Beach" just past the makeshift pancake breakfast restaurant. 

I ran every crevice, most of them twice, ending this run with one last short sprint to make the light at the crosswalk.  Then as directed I didn't run up Golden Lantern, instead I walked it and back home briskly for my cool down. 

Great run.

Miles logged:  12.27

Words of Wisdom

Physical Therapy today.  After a recap of my runs, etc., these are the words of wisdom descended upon me.

1)  NO HILLS.  (So, I guess I goofed there.  I thought just as long as I felt no pain, and the terrain, that is horizontally, was flat, that I was okay).  Not.

2)  NO TRAILS.  I haven't run any trails since therapy began.  But I've been aching to.  So, I asked today, what about FLAT trails?  Answer:  No.

3)  PLANKS -- YES.  I can do reversed crunches if I want to, but Planks are really where it's at!

Felt pretty good after PT.  Hip ached quite a bit about 2 hours later.  Now, it's back to normal -- that is, no pain, unless I tweak it.  : )  And so, I won't tweak it.

Miles logged today:  0
Yards swam:  2,250

: )

A Hair Brain Idea?

Thursdays has been a running day for a long time.  So when I got word of an emergency meeting (re: work), I didn't fret too long.  I couldn't run tonight.  I had to work, after that, it was off to my son's orchestra practice.  My only choice:  simply run to the meeting.

My husband said it was a "hair brain" idea.

Hmph.

So did my son.

Double hmph.

I stuffed my glasses, a pen and some paper, plus my phone into my belt, glad that I came up with such a good idea.  : )  Out the door, I began my run uphill, a pretty tough climb.  Afterwards I ran downhill toward Insterstate 5 (even stopped in to see my youngest and husband at preschool).  After crossing over the river, I ran the road that runs between the interstate and the railroad tracks -- the car dealership ghost town.  And then the run got pretty tough -- tough as in, the road was not runner friendly.  The sidewalk ended and cars raced by at high speeds as I ran on an uneven gravel portion closer to the tracks. 

I made it to the district office with twenty minutes to spare.  Plenty of time to stretch, drink and rinse off my face before heading on in.  I don't really care if people think I'm crazy.  There was one guy a the meeting who congratulated me.  He saw me running by the car dealers as he drove in. 

I decided not to take the same route home.  My plan, hop onto the bike trail and run it on into Doheny beach (I don't call it the "bike trail" usually.  I call it the  "river walk," because it's a paved trail that runs up above San Juan Creek, which is sometimes a river.  Absolutely no one else calls it the "river walk," though.  I get laughs in fact when I call it that).

I guzzled down at the water fountain in a park that overlooks the creek, then headed toward the ocean.  But it turned out that the bridge that crosses the river (creek) was closed.  I headed back into San Juan Capistrano, and ran a much longer route home.  I got to pass my boy's elementary school and finally climbed back toward home as I passed my son's preschool.

I arrived home rather tired, but HAPPY.  Happy for no pain in the hip!

Miles logged this morning:   9.15

Gettin' Better (I hope I am, I hope I am . . . )

I've been doing my physical therapy exercises daily.  And I've ever so slowly been adding core exercises (like planks and reverse crunches.)  Yesterday, I set out for a road run, a little leary.  The wind blew hard as my feet hit the pavement.  I cringed, bracing for the worst.  But I was pleasantly, no . . .  more than pleasantly, more like exhilerated over the fact that I felt no pain, not even an ache in my hip.  I was afraid though, because I could still feel that my hip wasn't right.  It felt weak, as if I was recovering from an accident (in a way, I guess, I was). 

Believe me, I was oh so careful not even to twist in the wrong way.  I focused on posture and form, and gingerly stepped off curbs.  I didn't even cut across the grass woven with thick roots in fear that I'd step on one of those roots and jar my hip.  Didn't touch the sand, just stayed on that pavement for the whole, windy, windy run along the wharf and beaches.

For sure I'm healing.  The trick is, to keep it up.

Miles logged on Tuesday morning:  7.26.  But I feel sad when I look off yonder at those green hills calling out my name. 

Time to Give it a Try

I woke this morning with no hip pain.  I did my physical therapy exercises and stretches.  And being that I had to go to the post office anyway, I thought I'd take a little run.  I headed out in running pants, and a hoodie, zipped to my neck.  Gray skies, it was breezy and pretty cold.  But my hip felt fine.  And oh, about three blocks after taking off, I had that bright yellow hoodie off my shoulders and tied around my waist. 

Flat runs are difficult to come by in my town -- unless I drive down to the marina.  So I ran some minor hills out of the neighborhood, headed toward the sound of live music downtown.  With the roads closed into the town center, I realized that today was Festival of the Wales!  I ran on into the plaza, delighted.  Making eye contact with the band's lead singer, he waved at me as I ran  into the crowd.  The plaza was lined with vendors --different foods, arts and crafts, businesses advertising.

Out of the plaza, I ran across Pacific Coast Highway to the post office.  I crossed the highway and ran the cliff neighborhoods.  I just couldn't take it anymore; my body practically steered itself down the big hill to the marina.  There was a slight ache in my hip, not actual pain, so I figured it was okay.  Definately nowhere near a "2" on a scale of "1 to 10." 

Down at the marina, artists displayed their paintings along the sidewalk as crowds mingled about.  There were face painters, balloon twisters -- all sorts of interesting talents.  I squeezed through, making my way toward the wharf where I was met by another rock n' roll band.  Then I ran through the dry dock to make my way to the jetty -- a run up that road and back was an easy 1/2 mile addition to this run.   Fisherman threw a multitude of lines out into the harbor waters by the jetty.  And a great number of our city's homeless were camped out there as well.  As I ran through, an elderly, seemingly stinkin' drunk man (who could have been homeless) hollared at me, "You're lagging!  You're lagging," all the while shaking his finger and smiling at me with a toothless grin.  I thought to myself, "I know!  I'm doing it on purpose."

I kept up my leisurely pace back to the main road, a little concerned about running the big hill back.  Surprisingly, I took it no problem.  And the hip ached no worse.

Sorry about the hills Doc.  But they were nothing compared to what I'm used to.  And the PT said, "nothing that causes pain."  And the hills didn't cause me pain.  Really. 

Miles logged:  4.0

Back at home:  plenty of stretching, ice and more ice, and something new -- planks!