Jodi’s Running Blog

I’m still geared up to run the Seattle Rock N Roll half this Saturday, June 26th. I’m a little nervous, as my longest training run totaled 10 miles, and it’s been about five and a half years since I’ve covered the 13.1 mile distance. It feels right, though – I’m in as good of shape as can be expected while finishing my residency/fellowship training with two little kids, and it seems an appropriate way to bid farewell to Seattle after having spent an amazing five years here.

I finally visited Mount Saint Helens this weekend, a trip I have been meaning to take for years. I promised myself I would run there before leaving the area, so I ran my 5k yesterday evening – 23:45 (7:40/mile). I am going to break through that 23 minute mark someday (hopefully soon – it continues to tease me!).

I never even saw the mountain this weekend, though – the clouds/fog/rain completely obscured any possibility of a view. Ahhh, western Washington June weather. Who can complain when so much is right, though? I suppose that is just all the more reason to return someday.

The Seattle Rock N Roll half-marathon looms on the horizon for Saturday, June 26th. I am excitedly anticipating the event, but know there is still a long way to go for me to comfortably run 13.1 miles. This week was terrific for training. I’m still facing the challenges of only really being able to run early in the morning (as in, finishing the run and the shower that ensues by 7AM when the kids wake up), although I broke down this week and ran my “long run” on a treadmill on Friday night after the kids were down for the evening.

I also participated in the Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes 8k run this morning, my first organized road race since October 2008. I definitely felt the burn during the last mile and a half or so, but it was such an incredible feeling to cross the finish line on the field of Husky Stadium in Seattle’s University District. Such a great cause too – as of 9AM over $1 million had been raised for juvenile diabetes research. Many enthusiastic teams of walkers and runners participated to raise money in honor of loved ones afflicted with the disease. I excitedly achieved what I thought was a far-fetched goal (but turned out to be achievable) – to average less than 8:00/mile. Overall time was 39:00, giving me a 7:51/mile pace. Yay!!

But focusing on this week’s mileage:

5/9/2010: 7 miles outdoors (9:19/mile)
5/12/2010: 4 miles on treadmill (8:16/mile)
5/14/2010: 8 miles on treadmill (8:57/mile)

Total for week: 19 miles

I’m only managing about 3-4 times/week with everything else going on, but things are feeling great! I’m looking forward to June 26th and the half-marathon that awaits.

I actually managed to fit four workouts in this week, my minimum for race training. The week was a pretty good one! And on my “off” days I’ve still been walking to and from work (2.6 miles roundtrip).

Anyway, here are my stats from the past week:

4/11/10: 5.0 miles outdoors (gorgeous day!); 8/10 intensity; 43:01 (8:36/mi)
4/12/10: 4.0 miles on treadmill; 5/10 intensity; 37:52 (9:28/mi)
4/14/10: 1.5 miles on treadmill plus core strengthening exercises/weights; 5/10 intensity
4/17/10: 3.1 miles on treadmill; 8/10 intensity; 27:01 (8:43/mi)

Total Mileage this week: 13.6 miles running + 7.8 miles walking (commuting to work)

The long run last Sunday of 5.0 miles was the lengthiest of my workouts since December 2008, so that was a satisfying one. The warm, sunny weather made the experience that much more exhilarating. I just returned from today’s long run, but that’s for next week’s post.

My almost-seven month old daughter, Caroline, is playing on the floor next to me as I write this and keeps looking up at me with those huge blue eyes. I love her smile at this age – a big gaping mouth with two white teeth bottom and center. She does not know it yet, but we are about to take her for her first walk around Green Lake Park. I challenge any other city to prove it’s a more pleasant place to live on this day than Seattle.

This week went – not so well. I began working as a fellow in the neurological ICU, and days start between 6:30 and 7:15AM, which means in order to run, shower, and get to work (and pump, since I have a five month old daughter), the days would start much earlier than I find tolerable. I can start at 5:30, or even 5 for a longer run, but there is something psychologically disturbing when I see that it is 4-something and the day is already upon me.

Briefly, my running this week can be summarized in this manner: Sunday, February 28th – 4 miles outdoors with Caroline in the Bob Revolution stroller. It was, again, a day of perfect weather and a bonding experience with my baby. The hills still pose quite the challenge when pushing a stroller, but I think of them as good mechanisms for conditioning.

What was interesting, though, is that I walked to work every day this past week and home four of those days, totaling 14.3 miles (including up and down a significant hill on which the hospital sits). I now keep dress shoes and a pair of dress pants in my office at the hospital, and wear sweat pants with my running shoes during my trip to work and on my way home. When I ran my four miles this morning it was not difficult, though I had expected it would be after not running for a week. I think the frequent walking as a means for commuting to work has helped significantly.

Here is to hoping I can squeeze a few workouts into the upcoming week, even if it does mean crawling out of bed at four-something.

Also, I would like to publicly commend my brother, Tim, on his recent re-initiation into running. He possessed talent both as a distance runner (frequently running on the varsity cross country team as a seventh grader) and as a hurdler while in high school. He has now become motivated to return to sprinting in hopes of achieving a competitive age group time in the 400m run. We are holding one another accountable to ensure better running compliance.

I formally registered for the Seattle Rock N Roll Half-Marathon several weeks ago, knowing I needed to have a race of a significant distance on the calendar to motivate me to run at 5:30AM. A 5k or 10k was not going to be far enough, but a half-marathon is a distance great enough to take me down if I do not train adequately for it. So $91 later ($85 entry plus $6 online registration fee) I found myself ready to go.

Mileage:

• Sunday, 2/21/10: 4.0 miles outside on a gorgeous Seattle day – 60 degrees and full of sunshine. Is it really February? It was also my first time running with Caroline, my beautiful baby girl, in the Bob Revolution, so we enjoyed a wonderful bonding experience as well. She thoroughly enjoyed herself!
• Monday, 2/22/10: 3.1 miles on the treadmill, and also my first run in my new Brooks Adrenaline shoes. I really hope Brooks continues to make this shoe throughout the duration of my running existence.
• Tuesday, 2/23/10: break, flying to San Antonio for medical conference
• Wednesday, 2/24/10: 4.0 miles on treadmill in the fitness center at the hotel. I also found $0.03 along the way. I read an article in the December issue of Runner’s World about a guy who has found a total of >$8,500 while running over the years. Intriguing. Anyway, this was a terrific run at a moderate intensity – very invigorating.
• Thursday, 2/25/10: 3.1 miles on treadmill in the fitness center at the hotel. Another good run. No pennies in the hallway this time.
• Friday, 2/26/10: break, flying back to Seattle and playing with the kids
• Saturday, 2/27/10: 5.0 miles on treadmill in fitness center back in Seattle. About 4/10 intensity.
• Total Mileage for Week 1: 19.2 miles
• To date, the knees are cooperating. I’m incorporating a lot of stretching before and after workouts, beginning workouts slowly and building speed as my muscles indicate they can handle it, and including some light weight training for strengthening. Here’s to hoping for no injuries and a fun race experience in June.
• I can feel myself growing more fit again after recovering from the delivery. It’s so nice when that physique returns. Here is my newest little running partner.
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I have had some great running experiences this week, the best of which was my 4.25 mile Labor Day race in Woodinville, WA. Gabriel accompanied me in the stroller. There is nothing quite like pushing a 25 pound child in a stroller with the front wheel locked, and having to generate upper body strength constantly to keep it straight or to maneuver turns. Lately when I finish running with him, my arms have received the greater workout over my lower extremities! In any case, running with Gabriel has been a great chance for further bonding with my boy. He’s delightful, cooperative, and starts babbling/singing to me about two miles into every run.

Here is the summary of my week:

• Sunday, 8/31: ran/walked easy 3 miles (outdoors), pushing Gabriel in the stroller; 33:15 total (11:04/mile); post-call on this day, but wanted some gentle mileage
  Monday, 9/1: Super Jock N Jill Half-Marathon and 4.25 mile run (I opted for the shorter of the two choices), pushing Gabriel in the stroller: 37:03 total (8:43/mile).
       – Stats: Mile 1 – 9:21, Mile 2 – 8:15, Mile 3 – 8:41, Mile 4 – 8:51, Final 1/4 mile – 1:55; placed third in my age group out of 26; 43rd overall (women) out of 214 total
  Wednesday, 9/3: ran/walked easy 3.1 miles (outdoors) with the family (which included pushing Gabriel in the stroller), 37:22 (12:04/mile)
  Thursday, 9/4: ran 4 miles (treadmill – 5:30AM before work), 38:18 (9:35/mile)
  Saturday, 9/5: ran 5 miles (outdoors), 41:54 (8:22/mile) – this was a terrific run, run at a comfortable pace, from my home across the I-90 pedestrian bridge toward Mercer Island. Gorgeous weather, lots of fellow runners and cyclists out, and a little excitement over the thought of getting closer to that sub-50 minute 10k one month from now.
• Total mileage for the week: 19.35 miles

I’m looking forward to another week of fitness. It’s feeling wonderful for running to be fun again. When I first started back, it felt a bit like a chore, which was not going to work for me, since there is a lot of strategy that goes into squeezing in workouts. Now that it’s feeling fun, I can get myself out of bed at 5:30AM more easily, or I can push the stroller more eagerly.

Here’s to another week!

What an eventful week. Barack Obama accepted his party’s nomination as he continues to strive for the presidency. John McCain named his VP choice in Alaska governor, Sarah Palin. Residents of New Orleans are fleeing from a hurricane only three years after Hurricane Katrina. My thoughts are definitely with them at this time.

It has also been an eventful week for running (for me, anyway). Still fired up about the men’s and women’s Olympic marathons, I remain enthusiastic enough to drag myself out of bed very early on some mornings. I managed to run four times this past week, and I’m once again getting that “toned” feeling that one has after several weeks of consistent exercise. Love it! I’m going to try to start posting my weekly summaries of mileage as I prepare for the Salmon Days 10k on October 5th.

Sunday, 8/24: 4 miles (treadmill) – no time available
Wednesday, 8/27: 3.5 miles (treadmill) – no time available
Thursday, 8/28: 5 miles (outdoors – Judkins Park/Smith Park/Lake Washington Blvd) – 46:08 (9:14/mile)
Saturday, 8/30: 3.1 miles (treadmill) – 29:34 (9:32/mile)

I’m getting there, albeit slowly. I keep finding I’m tempted to run faster or farther, but I’m still fearful of injury as it seems that each time I seriously commit to training something happens (ie, the pubic ramus stress fracture in 2006). I know it’s best to slowly build a mileage base and not to push things too quickly, but I’m conscious of the fact that if I become injured, then I will not be running at all, which is worse than running slowly. Therefore, I’m mostly not recording times because I don’t want to be disappointed and I don’t want the pressure there to push myself. It would be nice to finally run that sub-50 minute 10k on October 5th, but I’m not there yet, and I don’t want to be upset if I fall short when, in reality, I’m just grateful that I’m back into the sport regularly, despite many demands on my time.

I think I’m going to take Little G to Woodinville, WA on Labor Day for a 4.25 mile race. It might be fun to push him in the stroller for a morning jog! I love my runs with him the best. I’m still hopeful that he will want to try running after accompanying his mother on her outings.