I Run to Ski

Brundage Mountain.  Look at that powder!
 

I’ve mentioned before that I am running away from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, but there are other reasons why I run.
I run to ski.
Skiing isn’t all about the strength of the legs.  In fact, much of skiing is about endurance and a lot about technique.  When I get tired, my technique (which is not expert, anyway) goes out the window.  Fatigue brings on bad habits.  Wow, that’s another essay in itself!  More later on fatigue and bad habits…  Bad ski habits bring on danger and the opportunity for injury.  The more I run, the longer I ski without fatigue.  The longer I ski, the more I improve.  The more I improve, the happier my ski partner!  The happier my ski partner, the more I enjoy skiing.  And so on…

While my avoidance of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes is a long term goal, I have more immediate motivators to keep my running.  Snow skiing is just one of them.  On days when it seems just too hard to lace up my shoes and get out the door, I can remind myself that the ski hill will be much more enjoyable if I just keep running.

What is your motivation? I would like to hear about it in the comments below.

Happy Running!

The Value of a Running Buddy

With Running Buddy, Susan

Ah, speed work.  How I love to hate it! Wednesday was my first speed workout of my training program for the Famous Idaho Potato Half Marathon.  Due to the shortened schedule (I didn’t start training early enough in the year!) the first timed runs were miles rather than half miles.  Additionally, I planned to run with a buddy late in the day.  I had plenty of time to talk myself out of the speed work. When we met up for our run, I even said, “It wouldn’t take much to talk me out of doing speed work today.” She countered with, “Oh good, cuz I’ve been dreading it all day!”  We decided to do the warm up mile and then choose whether to do one timed mile, two timed miles as the program designated, or to bag it all together and just make it an easy four mile run.

Running buddies can save us from ourselves. The warm up mile was the key.  By the time we had one mile under our feet, we were excited to stop and stretch prior to running a timed mile. We convinced ourselves that it would be okay to just do one timed run.  Then we would see how we felt about the rest of the workout.  So we did.  The first mile was 22 seconds under the target pace!  We started too fast, had to slow down, and then recovered with a good pace for the second 800 meters.  We were surprised and confused with our success.  We slowed, talked about it, jogged for a half mile, and convinced ourselves to run a second timed mile.  That pace?  Thirty-seven seconds faster than the target!  Even our half mile cool down was done at a pretty good clip.

What did I learn?
A – Friends can help us be our best selves.
B – Misery does love company!
C – Speed work really works!


Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!

Happy Running!

Carol - aka Running Granny Green

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It's a Rest Day

The grass is always greener.

 

Rest days or cross training days are built in to race training schedules.  Instead of running every day, or three to four days in a row, training schedules only have you run three to four days per week.  Somehow, the weather seems to know which days are running days and which days are rest days.  It likes to blow and drizzle on running days.

Today was a rest day.  Of course, the sun was shining and the wind was still this afternoon!
 
If I were not training, I would have felt pressure to run today and I may have found ways to talk myself out of it.  Because it was a rest day (and the weather was nice) I had a desire to run, but … it WAS a rest day. If I din't run, what would I post on A Mile for My Heart?

Why is it that when we can’t have something, we want it more?  We aren’t hungry until we begin a diet.  In the summer 65 degrees is too hot indoors and we need air conditioning.  In winter 65 degrees is too cold.  I suppose it’s human nature, but I think it is something we should work on.  So … I am going to attempt to enjoy the rest days and embrace the running days, because I am sure to miss them both when it is not their turn!

Tempo Run - Ugh!

Today’s training schedule said “Tempo Run.”  Tempo runs are almost harder for me than speed work.  It’s early in the training, so the tempo run was only two miles - two miles just under race pace. The problem with a training run is there is no adrenaline boost like there is on race day, so the tempo run feels like race pace!

I did a warm up mile, stretched, and gave myself a pep talk.  Then I set off on mile one, hurrying to ensure I was on pace with the time the schedule prescribed. After mile one I was 26 seconds under the required time – and I was exhausted! Mile two of the tempo run was a bit slower.  Still, I came in 22 seconds under pace.  I ran a slow cool down mile and now my legs feel like noodles – and I am starving! 

The best part was … I beat the rainstorm that was chasing me!

 

 

Question: What part of race training do you dread? How do you conquer your fear?

 



Happy Running!

Training for a half marathon - The beginning.

Today I begin training for the Famous Idaho Potato Half Marathon in May.  It is sunny and there is no wind, so it’s a great day to start. I plan to smash my time logged at the High Desert Half last summer.  Read about it HERE.

If a half marathon scares you (and it should!) there are 5K and 10K race distances at the Famous Idaho Potato, or you can just go for it and run a full marathon!  Visit the registration page.

If you have been thinking about running a half, but haven’t quite committed, there is no time like the present! Today’s workout is an EASY three mile run. 

EASY just means “slow.”  Running is never easy.

I do it for my heart.