Run: Unintentional elevation training

I never thought of myself as directionally challenged, but then again, I’ve never lived anywhere but the greater Phoenix area for most of my life. As a native, It’s pretty easy to know your way around. But add tall trees and elevation, subtract 20 degrees and I get mixed up pretty dang quick. This is a fact I was unfortunately unaware of until after my Pine Top running excursion (how I forgot about the Tempe Town Lake confusion, I do not know)

Things started out fine. Okay, I just turn right, and I’m going to make another right and then I’m going to turn around and make two lefts. But then rights turned into lefts and one turn turned into three and before I knew it I was stuck in the labyrinth that is Pine Top and had no idea which direction I was headed or what street I resided on.

Luckily, boyfriend's sister, Miss Brie, had her cell phone handy and remembered what streets the cabin was on. A few wrong turns later, I finally found home. Silver-lining? I ran for an hour in high altitude, and let me tell ya, high altitude hurts the lungs!

Well technically it’s good for the lungs, but I swear it literally hurt to breath at times. I can’t believe how much of a difference it makes. By the end of my adventure I felt an awkward combination of embarrassed and proud (awkward because I got so lost and the entire Mr. Wonderful family knows, and proud because I just conquered altitude training… okay… maybe not conquered...).

I also felt exhausted. I really wish you could see me superior dramatics after a run. After my hour-long, high elevation run, I proceeded to throw myself on to the floor while throwing water on my face and whining. It’s quite obnoxious.

I would love to head north before Rock N Roll and get in super elevation shape, but sadly Phoenix sporting season is in the dead middle of winter, and I don’t think I’d like running in the snow. Uh well, once a desert rat, always a desert rat.

Rest: Relaxing Pine Top style

Mr. Wonderful and I headed North this weekend and stayed at his parents’ cabin. It was so refreshing to get away from the heat. It was also refreshing to get away from technology.

You see, boyfriend and I are pretty much internet addicts (I won’t tell you who’s the farthest gone), and the rest of technology’s dealers are close behind: Cell phones, DVDs, Websites, blogging, social media, chatting, even GPS systems. We love it all. We do also read a ton of books.... but we're even saving up for a pair of Kindles.

I never had realized just how much time I spend on the Internet until my first trip to the cabin. We don’t have a Wi-Fi connection there and our phones barely have service. It usually takes me a couple days to adjust — I do a lot of pacing back and snacking. I typically start drinking around three just because I don’t know what else to do. But this restlessness eventually passes and then all my anxiety melts away. We read, write, discuss art, love and life and listen to old country records. We play with my dog and do puzzles. It really makes me wonder if people really are happier without the distractions of modern society. Is that too hippy for ya?

Well anyway, here I am back on the magical Internet. I can't help it, I just LOVE the internet.  Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

We did a puzzle. It was circular, 750 pieces and I'd say 65% green, so it was very difficult.

We played with Calypso.

Calypso peed. 

We played in the woods.

Stay tuned for my Pine Top running adventure! 

Toodles! 

Run: Hydration in the Desert

I've read a few articles about hydration, but I've never seen any of them mention temperatures above 90 degrees. In case you don't know, in Arizona, it hits 90 by 7am... or earlier. Well I decided to do my long run on Monday morning since I haven't been working on Mondays. The goal was to do 8 miles, which is a little steep for me but I've been feeling ambitious. Much to my dismay, I slowed to a meandering walking pace at about 6.3 miles. How depressing.

I BLAME THE SUN!

No seriously. Let me remind you that I am a novice runner, so I have never had to run in the summer. I have read a lot of conflicting literature on hydration, but many of them say that you don't need to worry about drinking water if you are only running for an hour. I was planning on running for 1 1/2- 2 hours, but I don't have a fancy water bottle belt yet so I figured, how bad could it be?

It was bad-- real, real bad. I started around 7am, and I was feeling pretty good. My knees hurt a little, but being the competitive to the point of irresponsible person that I am, I kept running. I ran on the canals by South Mountain, which I have never done before. It was a beautiful run and I was instantly charmed by rabbits, gofers, lizards and the occasional unidentified critter (which I dramatically always assume is a rattler). By 7:45 am, it was about 95 degrees and I was fading fast. My skin literally felt like it was burning, and not just in a sunburn kind of way. It felt like it was burning from the inside, like my skin might burn off. My hands were tingling, my eyes were stinging, my heart felt like it was sticking to my ribs with each pump and I was sweating a lot-- I mean A LOT. But I kept running, because that's what endurance means, right? Endurance = just keep running.

God I was so mad when I had to stop. No water? What was I thinking?

So I leave you with two thoughts:

1. I need to buy a runner's belt for water and gel and things, and I would just love some suggestions. I am fairly thin and short with a big booty so I don't want to wear a belt that is too lose and gonna bounce around back there. I want something snug and form-fitting... if that's possible in a water bottle belt. Please help!

2. It's really struck me lately how so much of running is a personal experience. No matter how many articles you read and experts you talk to, it comes down to what works for you and your body. Sometimes my body is a big fat wuss and needs water, some times my body feels like it can do sprints barefoot without feeling any current pain. Ya just never know because it's different for everyone.

The last issue of Runner's World featured an article titled, Sipping Points, which I thought was a well-written, well-cited and informative article. The author makes a few hydration suggestions, one of which is to keep track of the water you drink before/after/during each run and keep a journal. The journal, ideally, will help the runner be more aware of her hydrating needs.

And there lies reason number eight why I should be keeping a running journal. Ah, the to-do lists never end! 

Rate: Barefoot Running

I'm pretty skeptical of this fad. I had no intentions of trying it. But then, something happened.

One of my good friends decided the best way to spend her 40th birthday is to fly to France for two weeks, alone, for an introspective and wild adventure. I am so jealous... however I've still got a ways until 40 :) This friend and I have spent many an afternoon walking our two pups through the moderately charming streets of Tempe. Her dog is a rescue, used to be a wild pack dog, and therefore is extremely skittish. However, I've known the dog for a while and she likes me and my pup. It was only natural then, when my friend politely asked if I would watch her dog, Sarah, while she is away, that I agreed. It also didn't hurt that she offered me $20 a day, and money is something I desperately need. So all is well, right?

Wrong. The dog has been terrified and shaking from the second she was dropped off. She won't sit down and continues to pace my house for hours at a time. I tried treats, walks, pets-- everything. But she wouldn't even let me near her. And then something terrifying happened: I opened my front door slightly to get something out of my car, and Sarah pushed the door wide open with her nose, and bolted-- at a full sprint. I grabbed a leash and immediately sprinted after her. There was no time to put on shoes. 

Well to sum it up quickly, although there were a few breaks when Sarah slowed down to consider the treats I was waving at her, I ended up sprinting through my neighborhood sidewalks, barefoot, in my jeans, screaming for all the neighbors to see all while dodging piles of glass. Sarah, luckily, just ran home. I finally caught her as she was waiting at her owner's backyard fence, about a mile from my home. Brilliant. Once I had her captive I started bawling. Why? because I was stressed, exhausted, feeling emotional and so completely relieved that I didn't lose my friend's dog.
 

The point of all this, is that I did barefoot sprints... even though I wasn't intending too. 

When I woke up the next day, I was in an incredibly sore state. I could barely walk. My ankles-- ankles of all things!-- were throbbing. My calves were so excruciatingly tight. And now I get it. Minimalism running builds muscle. It builds muscles that I do not usually use when I am wearing shoes. And apparently, those muscles are going to take forever to loosen up again.
 

Even with that said, I don't intend on incorporating barefoot running into my training any time soon. If for no other reason, because it may give me horrifying flashbacks.