I did it! Earlier this month I completed my first half marathon. This is the culmination of all the running I have been doing for the past 10 years. My journey here has had its challenges from weight issues and prescription painkillers to a global pandemic. This is, essentially, a bucket list item for me so where do we go from here? What does the future of running look like for me?
Tag: Flying Pig
I’m a month overdue talking about my annual “Bad Idea Birthday Challenge”. Granted March and April have been a bit complicated and unorthodox. This year is a birthday milestone too. The big 4-0. Last year the challenge was to convert my age to kilometers, divide by 10 and complete that distance in miles. If I were to repeat that challenge, that means running 6.4 miles and that is not very challenging this year. So I need to come up with something new. The unprecedented living conditions of our current situation also creates complication. So what can I do for my bad idea birthday run amid covid?
40 Miles?? I Don’t Think So!
I’m not crazy enough (yet) to stop dividing by 10. Running 40 miles seems frightening, even if I divide the distance up over a couple of days. The pandemic has postponed (for now) the Flying Pig events until mid-October. The plan for the pig, this year, was to complete a 15k (i.e. run the 10k followed by the 5k). I thought about making the 15k my birthday challenge; however by October I will be half way to 41.
Each week I’m beginning to push myself a little bit more. I’m inching (literally and figuratively) toward 5 miles a day, and 8 miles on my “push day”. Therefore I’m leaning toward completing a half marathon, over the course of two days, as my 40th birthday challenge.
If I’m successful it might be the mental leverage I need to convince myself that in 2021 I will reach the apex of my running workouts. It might mean that the Bad Idea Birthday Challenge for 2021 will be the Flying Pig Half Marathon.
I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!
FitBit map of the 10K
Two years ago I got this crazy notion to run a 5k for the first time. Following the success of that first 5K, I ran in the same Flying Pig 5K a year later. Since that day I am running 3.1+ miles every day so going for the hat trick didn’t make sense because it wouldn’t be a challenge. Therefore, the most logical decision is to up my game and go for the 10K. On May 4th (aka Star Wars Day) I completed my first ever 10K race which not only fulfilled a New Years Intention but also my Bad Idea Birthday Challenge obligation. The image on the left was taken from the FitBit app after I completed the race (click the image to enlarge it).
Training for the Race
I prepared for the 10K by still running 5 days a week, the change was how far I was running. Four days out of the week I increased the distance to 4+ miles and on the 5th day I would try running over 5 miles. I never actually ran 6 miles while training. This 10K is supposed to be a challenge for me and if I can run 6 miles before the day of the race, then it’s not really a challenge.
I also began doing additional exercises prior to running. These exercises mostly consisted of crunches or sit-ups, lifting free weights, perhaps even a warm up on the recumbent bike. I increased how much water I drunk and decreased my meal portions and soda consumption.
Flying Pig 2020
So now that I have a 10K under my belt, what is the next challenge? The next highest race at the Flying Pig is a Half Marathon, which is 13.1 miles; more than double a 10K. I really don’t think my knees are ready for that; and I’m not entirely confident they will be ready in a year. Now that I have 6.2 miles under my belt, I plan to try to work that into a weekly routine.
So, with that said, the plan right now is to run a 15K in 2020. Since the Half Marathon is the next highest race at the Flying Pig, that means I will sign up to run both the 10K and the 5K (they occur at different times), hence 15K. If I can accomplish 9.3 miles without feeling like I’m going to fall apart, then I will consider the Half Marathon in 2021.
When I was reviewing my 2017 goals for the year I was vehemently expressing my intention to run my first 5K. I am focusing on the Flying Pig 5K, which is coming up the first weekend in May. A few weeks ago, after running on the treadmill, I started experiencing sharp pains in my knee that lasted a little over a week. My wife and I both became concerned as to whether or not my knees will be able to sustain running the 3.1 miles. The most logical next step was to consult with my doctor.
There are a lot of runners that support the theory that running actually helps their knees feel better. The mechanics of running seems to support the notion that its harder on your knees. My doctor, however, had an interesting suggestion. While she didn’t want to discourage me from running, she suggested that I don’t run on the treadmill. Apparently the physiology of our bodies and the slight contortion necessary to run on the treadmill can cause irregular motion of the patella. Since my patella is already prone to slipping, that is not a situation I want to risk. Running outside, however, is fine (as long as I’m wearing a brace).
How Can I Train If I Can’t Run Everyday?
So the conundrum I face is how can I train on days where the weather isn’t conducive for running outdoors? There is an app I started using last summer, C25K, which takes you through a 9 week regimen to prepare you to run the full 3.1 miles. It’s a great app that prepares you for running a 5K but it assumes you will be running at least 3 days a week. The treadmill made it easy because I didn’t have to worry the weather or finding the space to run the required distance for each session.
The Flying Pig 5K is now a little over 9 weeks away. I don’t know if I am going to be sufficiently ready by May 6th. I may end up walking the 5K again and perhaps set my sights on running it next year. This will give me a year to find a training regimen that won’t cause severe knee pain. The concept of waiting another year really bums me out because I was so pumped to actually do it this year. I am open to suggestions and feedback. Part of me is thinking that I will run outside when I can, use the treadmill for speed walking, and do exercises that will strengthen the muscles around my knees.
I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!