Trail Running: Just Do It!

Nike hit gold when they came up with their "Just Do It" slogan. It's hard to imagine a situation where the sage advice doesn't apply. Today, in particular, I was a poster child for the three word ditty.

When I left the house this morning, I packed my trail running shoes in the hopes that Barefoot Josh would want to meet me for a trail run in the afternoon. When I hadn't heard from him and it was raining out, I'd pretty much decided to bag the trail run. I offered rationalizations as I drove home. I'll just do a quick 5 miles at the house. I need to get on the bike, anyway. The trails will be slippery from the rain. Blah, blah, blah. 

Yet somehow, in the back of my mind, I kept hearing "Just do it." I wanted to do a trail run. I brought special shoes because I'd planned to do a trail run. Why was I now doing everything in my power to talk myself out of running a trail? 

Just do it. I turned onto Strawberry Road, switched out my shoes, and headed for Piedmont Trail. Loved every freaking minute of it. Fall colors, mud, roots, stumps, clumps of wet leaves, hills, bridges... glorious, including the two blisters I got because it's been months since I wore my trail running shoes. 

My plan was to spend the summer running trails. Didn't happen. I do best when I have a running partner, someone to hold me accountable for showing up and getting the run done. Not a lot of people I know either like to run trails or have the flexibility in their schedule to hit them when it's light outside (i.e., during "work" hours). But I enjoyed my solo run today. I'm aiming to get another one in later this week on a slightly longer trail. 

If anyone in the area is reading this and wants to run some trails, please e-mail me. 

Meanwhile, I'll be the solo loony runner out on the trails chanting, "Just do it!" as I hoof it up the hills. 

Cheers,

Dena

Running With No Watch = A Win

Last week I blogged about my plan to run Cannonball's half-marathon sans watch. I ran the race this morning and am happy to report the experiment was a success. I logged a PR of 1:46:47 and felt great the entire most of the way. 

I didn't really have a plan. I maybe went out a little faster than I needed to but when I caught myself doing some speed work around mile 3, I reeled it in. (Mental lecture: "I'm glad you feel invincible but it's only mile three, lame brain. Conserve.") After that, when I felt good, I ran fast. When I was tired, I slowed down. I even walked once or twice. And contrary to the mental freak-out I thought might occur, I luh-uh--uved not knowing my pace. Since I didn't know, it didn't matter. Fast, slow... whatever. I was just out there running.

Now, in all fairness, the course is an out and back which means you get to see where people are on the field. I knew I was behind the people I was supposed to be behind and ahead of the people I expected to be ahead of, so I did have some idea that I was on target. I also felt like I was running a decent pace, but I knew I wasn't killing myself. I was thrilled when I came up the final hill (curses on Scott Bassett, race director, and his uphill finishes) and saw the clock read 1:47:something. I had my girls there, cheering me on... it was a great finish! 

Will I run without a watch from now on? Not always, but more often, yes. Once marathon training begins, it's important to run on pace for tempo and long runs. But until then, I may show up for some long runs with a naked wrist. 

Cheers,

Dena

p.s. Many thanks to fellow Blueliner Stan who did NOT follow through on his threat to run behind me the entire race and shout out split times.

Water World

See this bad boy? I drink one of these a day, minimum. Started about two weeks ago. I'd been feeling sluggish and decided to pay attention to how much water I was drinking. When I'm training for a marathon, I'm good about keeping up the fluid intake. This summer though? Pffftsh... Fail. Epic fail, where the water is concerned. 

Since buying and using this 64 oz. container, I'm a believer. I've noticed a marked difference in my energy level, especially when it comes to exercise. I feel lighter (which is most likely a combination of my eating less because I'm full of water and also I pee every 5 minutes). 

Mornings are key. If I don't suck down half of that bottle by noon, I almost never finish it. I made the mistake of finishing off about a quarter of it one night before bed and was up every hour, paying for it. Now I aim to finish the last of the water with my dinner. 

The down side to all of this is I'm becoming a bit co-dependant. I'm loathe to go anywhere without my ginormous water bottle. It's another means of accountability. I know exactly what I want to accomplish, waterwise, and the bottle shows me where I am and how much further I have to go.

Sad, but true. 

So don't laugh if you see me hauling this thing around town, sipping madly at traffic lights. Instead, throw me a wave of encouagement, than point me in the direction of the nearest bathroom.

Cheers,

Dena