National Running Day: June 3

Be there or be square on June 3.  From Deena Kastor's blog:

Hi Running Fans,

I am posting from the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California where I have been training the month of May. 

Wednesday June 3rd is National Running Day. This sport gives us health, fitness, sanity, confidence, and adventure so celebrate the day by taking a friend for a run and share your secret of success with them. If you are a running enthusiast, then June 3rd is your day to promote our sport. 

If you have procrastinated engaging the runner in you, this is your chance to get moving. Think of National Running Day as a second chance at your New Year’s Resolution. To get tips on how to incorporate running into your day visitwww.runningday.org. Treat yourself to a run on a trail you keep meaning to explore. The first step is the most difficult, but the benefits that follow just might get you hooked on the sport for a lifetime. If you are a morning person, run before work. Use your lunch break for a jaunt through a local park. Unwind at the end of a long day by treating yourself to a run around your neighborhood. Whether you run 5 minutes or 1 hour, you have grown that much healthier. The point is engaging in the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other. 

I will be in New York with my friends at the New York Road Runners to celebrate the day. The New York Road Runner’s Foundation is putting on a kid’s event at Icahn Stadium where over 1000 children from Manhattan and the Bronx will be running. But, the beauty of running is you can participate anywhere at any time. So, grab your shoes, get moving and share the experience with a friend. 

Alright, Runners. Need Your Advice.

I was in Utah this past week and mentioned to one of my friends that I would be running the full Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco this October. She asked me about my training regiment and I asked about hers.

I generally run an increase of two miles every other weekend for my long runs. (12, 14, 16 etc. every other week) building up to 20 miles two to three weeks before the race. Then I taper. The last few marathons I've doubled up on my 20 milers. For 10 marathons, it's worked. Tried and true, but my friend's training schedule piqued my interest. Here goes:

16 weeks of training. Runs varying from 4-8 miles during the week and then weekend runs as follows:

• Weeks 1-4: 10 miles, 10 miles, 10 miles, 10 miles
• Weeks 5-8: 12 miles, 12 miles, 12 miles, 12 miles
• Weeks 9-12: 14 miles, 14 miles, 14 miles, 14 miles
• Weeks 13-16: 16 miles, 16 miles, 16 miles, 16 miles

Does that make sense? You run straight 10 miles every weekend for a month, 12 miles every weekend for a month, etc. etc. etc.

I'm intrigued and wanted to know what your thoughts were. Here are mine:

• Pros: Different training, more interesting, try something new, no super long run
• Cons: Lack of recovery in between weekends (especially during month 4), no super long run before race

My friend has run 26 marathons. The training's all about endurance. It's worked for her. So, what do you think? Should I do it?

Scaredy Cat? Maybe Not.

Jona and I have really enjoyed running together this spring. The sun is coming up earlier, warming the morning air, making it much more pleasant to get up and enjoy an early run.

Some mornings we run around our lake which includes a challenging mile of wooded trail. It winds, rolls, and keeps you on your toes with its many tree roots. Maggie loves it. She's a machine during that stretch of the trail, fast and focused. It's great for our proprioception and ankle strength, as long we don't trip which, believe me, happens.

Last Monday we noticed a sign posted throughout the trail notifying trail users about a woman who had been attacked and raped by a man in broad daylight a few days earlier at a neighboring trail. It freaked me out and I was grateful Jona was with me.

Fast forward a week later. I was planning a morning run around the trail where the woman had been attacked. No need to live my life in fear, right? I put out on all my gear on the floor the night before, drank a ton of water (helps me get out of bed for the run in the morning because I have to pee so bad), and went to bed.

That night before the run I had amazingly scary dreams. Dreams about people coming into my house, dreams about scary monsters (I had watched Fringe the night before), and another specific dream about that man on that trail that I was going to run the next morning.

My alarm went off and I felt that I should not go on my planned run. I felt like an idiot. Like that guy, would be at that trail, on that morning, where I would be running. I felt paranoid and lazy, but didn't go out on that run. I slept in a bit, dragged Jonathan and Maggie out of bed, and hit our regular loop around our lake.

I read once that we as humans are the only species on earth that will put ourselves in an enclosed space like an elevator if we feel we are in danger. We deny and ignore our instincts if our "fear sensors" are firing. Maggie is living proof of that. If she's afraid, she's gone. I'd like to think that maybe that is what happened this week when I didn't run on that trail. The whole point to this big, long-winded post is trust your instincts. Be careful. You just never know when your "fear sensors" might be trying to tell you something.

update

Thank you for all your advice, ladies! I ran my 10-miler on Saturday and my sister was nice enough to join me in walking a couple minutes for every mile we ran. Overall it went really well. As for the time? Let's just say it's mentally challenging to have your 10-miler time be slower than your usual half marathon time. No joke.

My hips and back didn't start aching until mile 9 (as opposed to mile 6 the week before), and I didn't hurt AT ALL the next day. Huge improvement. Thank you, thank you!

The only problem this time was that I got really tired near the end and had to walk the last 1/2 mile. I was exhausted and just wanted to sit down. That worries me more than achy muscles. So next time I think I just need to bring pretzels, trail mix, or cliff shot blocks (or an entire pizza) along instead of just one Gu. I think I'm slowly figuring this whole thing out.

I have to be honest--I really didn't expect running to be this complicated this early in my pregnancy, but I'm excited I'm still running and that I feel good. Thanks for your advice!