In which I rant: Running Traffic Patterns

All runners adhere to an orderly pattern of traffic flow, similar to the rules of vehicular traffic.  Each person runs to the right of the path, allowing runners going in opposite directions to pass without collision.  A faster runner may pass a slower runner on the left, when there is no oncoming runner.  It is polite to move farther to the right if possible, if you are that slower runner being passed.

In this country as well, the rules of running traffic appear to emulate the rules of vehicle traffic, i.e. if there are any, no one follows them.  Now, I must add that this is a huge generalization and there are numerous exceptions.

In the nearby park, people tend to pick an orientation on the running path and stick to it.  That might be right-, left- or center-justified.  Two people generally spread out to take up the whole thing.  This works smoothly as long as all participants move in a counter-clockwise direction at the same pace.  But should anyone run in a clockwise direction, egads !!

While running in a clockwise direction, I have seen people fall into one of the three following categories:

1. The Steadfast Walker never gives an inch.  If two are walking together, give it up and head for the grass is my advice.  They might part in the middle about 3 inches so you can squeeze between them.  Just get a dog.  That tends to move anyone out of the way pretty quickly.  
2. The Confounded Walker just stares at you, completely confused and overwhelmed by the fact that someone is breaking protocol.  They cannot emotionally deal with the fact you are walking in the opposite direction.  They regard you with scared, apprehensive eyes as you skirt them.
3. The Foreigner is usually from a country with a) traffic control patterns and b) manners and generally moves to the right of the path so you can pass by.

Now you must excuse me, I have to go practice my traffic maneuvers.

 

 

 

In which I run my favorite distance – 5 miles

I love a 5-miler.   It’s short enough to fit into one hour and long enough to really clear my head.  When I run 3 miles, it’s so short sometimes I spend the whole distance waiting for it to be finished, thinking about what I’ll do afterwards.  But with 5 miles, you really have to settle in for the long haul.

6:15 am my and my running buddy (see below) left for a good fiver.

I finished them in about an hour, but I don’t know exactly because my Garmin died at mile 3.79.  My splits are approximately as follows:

Mile 1 – 12:04

Mile 2 – 18:33 (stopped to talk to a friend)

Mile 3 – 12:14

Mile 4 – ????

Mile 5 – 11:00

It’s amazing what a couple weeks of solid running will do for you.  Honestly, I have run more consistently the past two weeks than ever in my life.  I always averaged 3 runs per week, maybe 4 during serious training.  I always used to give in to silly excuses to cancel a run.

Since I’ve been dedicated to following the plan, however, I have felt my fitness and comfort with running increase quickly.  I only had one brief moment of tiredness in the whole 5 miles.

I am contemplating making 5 miles my normal morning routine.  It’s a nice, easy distance.  I can finish it before even the earliest of my responsibilities.  We’ll see how I feel about getting up at 5 am tomorrow to run at 5:45.

I also am thinking about adding some more serious core work.  I know running is hard on my posture and therefore on my chronic back neck tension.  So, I hypothesize that if I really work at strengthening my core, at the end of training, I won’t be a hunchback like normal.  We’ll see how well I follow through.

Post run, I swept and mopped my floor (a mostly daily occurence), made breakfast for my husband, showered, and, finally hungry, made a bowl of health and yum for my breakfast.

My bowl contains

• 2/3 cup oats
• 1 TB almond butter
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup yogurt

I am off to eat!

 

No-Excuses Workouts

I didn’t sleep well last night/I’m hungry because I didn’t fuel properly/My foot has a twinge/My water tastes funny.  Therefore, I can’t finish my workout as planned, right?  Right.

Do you have this conversation with yourself during a workout?

On Saturday, I ran 3 miles on the treadmill.  It was the first time I’ve ever run 3 miles on a treadmill.  I have not historically run on a treadmill because I hate them.   I find running in place demoralizing    I much prefer seeing my progress as I run.  I find one static pace to be difficult to adjust to.  I prefer self-adjusting within a pace according to changes in terrain.

So during the entire workout, I kept thinking of reasons to stop.  I had plenty to choose from including, heat, tiredness, and general laziness.  But I didn’t let myself convince myself to stop.   I knew my pace was slow enough to allow me to finish without tons of discomfort.  I had a magazine to read to distract me and music to motivate me.  I had all the pieces to finish my workout.  I just had to stop the negativity.

When excuses popped up, I just said, “No!  You are finishing this workout as planned.”  Last week I adjusted and skipped on workouts.  I didn’t feel guilty because I am just getting back into the rhythm of training and don’t want to put too much pressure on myself so that I give up and quit.  But at the same time, if I can’t discipline myself to stick with my plan reasonably well, I will never regain that rhythm.

I really believe in no-excuses workouts: when you don’t let any excuses stop you from finishing the workout you know you can finish.  It is a good technique to practice because it comes in really handy during races.  Races tend to have many painful and uncomfortable moments when you have to tell yourself that you can continue, that you are going to finish the race, that you can run through the pain, that you have this race.

Of course, sometimes you should adjust or quit a workout or race.  If you are genuinely in danger of being injured or making yourself sick and you stop, that isn’t giving in to excuses.  That’s keeping yourself in shape to run the next workout.

The best part of a no-excuses workout?  At the end, you know you finished, no excuses.

Tomorrow’s running plan: 5 miles.  It’s a step-down week on my plan, so I only have 5 miles to do tomorrow.  And I will run them, no excuses!