Day at the Races

It was a near perfect day at the races, track races that is. It would have been perfect had my son been running, but he is nursing an injury. As I sat there, I realized how difficult it is for all of us, especially young men, to gauge when they should sit out and rest and when they should try their luck. I'm glad he chose the conservative route. I think it was a good day for the rest of our kids that ran, although I'm sure they would always be happier with faster times. This was probably the most relaxing meet I've been to since all I had to do was watch other people's kids racing and take pictures, which are posted on my gallery. We couldn't have asked for better weather.

Spent!

I wonder how long it takes to really recover from having the stomach flu. I just know that my legs just felt really spent, especially on that last hill. I'm sure those of you who run are familiar with that feeling when you feel as if there is no more fuel left in your muscles. Patty and I ran from Cheese Park down to Heritage Park and back at a pace that really surprised me considering how I felt. On our first two miles to Heritage we average 9.09 and I knew we were running fast because at one point I asked Patty why we were running so fast. She said she was just trying to keep up with me and all along, I was just trying to keep up with her. Overall, we averaged a 9.22 pace for our 4 mile run today. I'm very happy with that since my legs just felt like jello the whole way.

Up and Running

Well after a weekend at home with the swine (I mean stomach) flu, Marathon Mom felt well enough to join C and I for a run this afternoon. Our wacky weather kept the temps downright cold for most of the day, and of course by late afternoon the winds had kicked up quite nicely. We started from Heritage Park, because we have gotten into a rut at our beloved Cheesepark. The plan was to run toward Bridgeport and hook up with the Lowe's trail for an out and back of around 3 miles. When we reached Bridgeport Park, we stopped for a breath and decided to run around the Bridgeport Lake. Luckily the gnats were not out at the time we ran and it was a nice change of scenery. We managed to stay together for the entire run and get in some good conversation while doing it. The pace was slow, but it counts as a "recovery" run, and it is just nice to have everyone feeling good again. I just know the "hills" and the "speed work" are in our future. Are hives a symptom of the "swine" flu? I am just curious.

Two Steps Forward, One Back

I really liked the quote for today when I read it because it's something I can definitely relate to right now. I think my running friends and I have all been there when we're feeling good about our running then something sets us back, whether it be a rock in the trail, an aching IT band, problems with our kids or husbands, or just a common cold or flu. I really feel like our running for the most part is two steps forward and one step back. I suppose the important thing is that if we just keep going forward, then we will eventually end up further from where we started.

A Pleasant Surprise!

We were leaderless this morning as Marathon Mom is home with a nasty virus. I met M and C for a run and after a short discussion we decided to run the "train bridge" loop starting from Valencia High. This was the run I had in mind before we met, so I was glad that everyone was up for it. Our friend M who suffers with arthritis in her hips and just about everywhere else, seemed especially perky this morning which never ceases to amaze me. We finished our run and other than the wind on the way back, it was very pleasant. We all agreed that starting at Valencia was much easier (mentally) than starting at Peet's. I don't have a clue about our pace, but I am going to say we did 5 miles (although my internal GPS thinks we may have cut a bit off with our route). I am happy that we got our run in, and that I have the rest of the day free. Get well Marathon Mom, we are ready for another run!

Track Day

I'm not sure which is more exhausting, watching people run at a track meet or actually running yourself. Today was a perfect day for a track meet. No complaints for once. The weather was cool, but not too cold and the the wind gods were taking a break in SCV for the day. As usual, I took some pictures of the meet, but none of my own son actually running in a race. Last time when I posted some pictures of the meet, so many people asked me why I didn't have any pictures of my son, but I'm sure most of you with kids can understand that it's actually easier to take pictures of other people's kids than your own at a sporting event. You get so wrapped up in what's happening in your child's race. We also carry the weight of the pressure these kids are under on our shoulders too. When they have a good day, we have a good day and when they don't have such a good day, we feel their disappointments just as much, if not more.

Leaping Lizards!

Okay, you know it's officially Spring when you see a ton of lizards all over the place. "C" missed our run today and also missed an opportunity to see me and Patty scream like little girls at the same time. As Patty and I started our run, two or three lizards zigzagged and ran right under our feet. The poor lizards were scrambling not knowing where to go and Patty and I were hopping and leaping trying to avoid them. Unfortunately, we were still in the park area and I'm sure enough people heard us screaming too. . . how embarrassing. I can't imagine what it would be like to actually step on one. Yuk! Well we were more alert to what was in front of us from there on. We ran a 4 mile loop to the west side of the river trail, down to Decoro, back up the east side, and up the dirt power line trail. It was very humid out, but it wasn't as hot as it has been the last couple of days and there was a nice breeze the whole way. Oh, and I'm happy to report that there were no more lizard encounters, which I'm sure the lizards are happy about too.

Friends = Long Life

I figured there was some other motive as to why my friends keep putting up with me and as it turns out it's probably because studies show that friends add years to your life. I knew there was an ulterior motive! I know when I've had a bad day, I can't wait to run with my friends. Not because the running itself relieves stress, but because I can unload all my worries on them. The article below talks about studies done on friendships and it's possible increase in longevity:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/health/21well.html?_r=1&em

As I recently told a friend of mine who was having trouble with a family member, "You can't choose your family, but you can always choose your friends".

Yes, We Are Hot!

I know what you are thinking, but it is not the matching pink shorts, or the matching neon water belts that I am referring to, but unfortunately the over 90 degree weather that kept us sweating today! We even postponed our run untill 6pm to give the temps a chance to go down a bit, but I still think it was over 90 when we started our run. We left from Cheesepark and entered the Heritage Trail from the dirt hill off of McBean (we didn't have the energy even at the start to go all the way to Copperhill). The good thing about running toward Heritage Park was the breeze that was blowing, not too strong, but it helped. We made it to the Heritage Park, and then back to Cheesepark via the dirt, hill trail, and managed to put in 4 miles at just under 10 min. pace. It was a hot, very low energy day, and we didn't try to push the pace at all, I think that was for the best. It was not the best run we have had, but it wasn't the worst either, and we got a chance to catch up on what has happened over the weekend. It has only been two days off running, but we never seem to run out of things to talk about! I do feel badly about complaining about the heat since all of our children were at track practice at 2pm in 100 plus heat. The weather man says it is supposed to start cooling down by Wed. and I am going to hold him to that!

Did You Eat Your Iron Today?

The bottoms of my feet have been sore since we ran our higher mileage yesterday and it got me thinking about a study I once read regarding the loss of iron through the bottom of our feet. One of our running friends has been feeling a little sluggish and I wonder if iron could be the culprit. As runners, we tend to be more at-risk for low iron, just enough to make us feel less than our best, but not necessarily anemic. It turns out not only do we need more iron by virtue of our physical activity, but the activity itself destroys the very nutrient we need by the condition called footstrike hemolysis. Footstrike hemolysis is defined as:

Repeated foot strike associated with running causes red blood cells to break down. Red cells circulating in capillaries through the bottom of the feet are crushed by the foot strike. The faster red blood cells break down from foot-strike hemolysis, the more difficult it is for athletes to maintain a normal concentration of red blood cells (their bodies can't make the red blood cells fast enough), which may result in anemia.

There's a link to an article stressing the importance of iron, especially for women runners. It's a bit scientific, but if you can get through it, there is some good info in there. So remember what your mom always told you, "Eat your spinach".

http://www.healthline.com/hlbook/nut-the-oxygen-nutrient-performance-relationship