« July 2006 | Main | September 2006 »

August 27, 2006

Little bits of good news

My back didn’t hurt after my long run this morning. My back has always gotten sore after long runs, and after MG was born it was even worse. In the past several months I had come to the conclusion that my crappy posture was the main culprit for this back pain. My abs look strong, but the inner layers of muscle are pretty weenie, which causes my back to sag and my butt to stick out when I walk, stand, run … whatever. It was this realization that prompted me to sign up for a session with a personal trainer and friend who gave me a short but intense set of exercises to focus on my core. Then last week I went to see a physical therapist who took one look at my posture and confirmed my suspicions. She gave me another type of exercise to try. I think the exercises are working.

I think my running form is improving, too. Two summers ago Gilbert took me aside and tried to show me what good running form felt like. When I finally put all his advice together that afternoon and got his approval on my form, I felt like I was running in a squatty little ball, all hunched over on legs that never stretched out. It felt weird. At the time, I just thought, “well, I guess I’ll never run with good form because I’m NOT running around like this.” But his advice has stuck with me for the past two years, and I’ve slowly incorporated the pieces into my daily running. (I had plenty of time to work on it: if you ever find yourself pregnant, consider it a great time to work on your form.)

In addition to making my back feel better, figuring out the problem with my posture has helped with my running form. The reason I felt all bunched up when I ran “right” for Gilbert was that my natural form was way too arched. Working on my core has helped me pull my hips under and has strengthened my hip flexors enough that driving my knees forward feels much more natural. It’s nice. If nothing else, I feel like I look more legit as a runner now. (Which is, of course, muy importante.)

It’s almost September. Not that this is remarkable because it means that things are going to cool off around here. September is a killer around here as far as temperatures go. (By the way, what is Beth smoking? Fall? I always think of September as kind of a twilight zone – it’s still summer outside, but why is school in session and why do I hear John Madden’s voice coming from my t.v.?) It’s remarkable because September means Zilker Relays, Cancun, and ACL Fest! Our little family is going to have some sweaty fun in the next few weeks.

Posted by jenandmats at 4:27 PM | Comments (3)

August 11, 2006

Moonlight Margarita 5K

Last night the Town Lake Trail Foundation put on its Moonlight Margarita 5K - an evening affair with a fiesta afterward. It was a great fundraising idea, combining a race and a party afterward for a somewhat hefty fee that can easily be justified by the fact it will be used to benefit the Town Lake Trail, which is, to me, the heart of this city. Aside from my family and friends, it's the heart of my life here (sorry, work!) In the middle of my high-mileage summer a friend asked me if I lived down there.

Andy bugs the crap outta me before a race. I think he thinks it's funny to bug me. (Well, to be honest, many many things bug the crap outta me right before a race.) He's always so chatty and wants to be funny and I just want to revel in hating the minutes before a race. I want to be pissy before a race. I usually feel anxious enough to feel a little nauseous. It's funny how my nervousness changes once the gun goes off - weirdly enough, I feel such a sense of relief that we're on our way that that's when I usually get chatty, much to the annoyance of most people around me.

In the years before MG came along I felt I'd kinda lost some of my short-race mojo; that I had been more fearless - less afraid of pain - when I had first started running, and that marathon training had softened me up a little since marathons involve a much different type of pain than shorter races do. Last night when the gun went off I saw two women I knew and one I didn't take off from me like I was standing still. And I didn't go after them, and I thought that I hadn't gotten the mojo back. But after I caught two of them and found myself ahead of them just after the half, I realized I was running beyond my comfort level and was still trying to push. I think. My thoughts were all kinda fuzzy. I didn't even respond when people said things to me, which is not very characteristic. I couldn't walk straight at the finish line. My ears were ringing and I couldn't talk very well. Yay mojo!

The course was flat and fast, although not quite as flat and fast as my p.r. and only sub-20 on the bike path next to the Schuylkill River in Philly, and people were able to set p.r.'s despite the August heat and humidity. I clocked a 20:21 for a 6:31 pace and 3rd overall female. I'm definitely happy with that, and I'll be interested to see what happens from here. With that race I can say with some certainty that it took me about 6 months to get back to where I was pre-baby, without any specific training plan and with only sporadic workouts. But ... it's a place that historically I haven't really been able to move beyond. Nearly seven years ago I ran my first race in this low 20-minute range, and the farthest I've moved beyond that is 19:57. And I have run and trained my ass off in those intervening years!

I think I've decided, though, that this year is going to be a low-mileage year. I'm going to resort to the schedule of my pre-"serious" training days, when I would run only three days a week with two workouts and one long run and no "junk." We'll see if the body can handle it. I still have the love for running, but our work schedules leave me with options for running that I don't really care for, like waking MG up early in the morning or running with her after work. The girl needs her sleep in the mornings, and I enjoy too much the two hours I have with her between work and her bedtime to spend it pushing her in the jogger without really interacting with her. That may change, but for now I've decided to only count on three runs a week. If I can swing more than that well whoop de doo!

Posted by jenandmats at 9:40 PM | Comments (5)