In an effort to motivate my husband, I offered to go with him when I forced him out of the house to do C25K. He complained and got crabby, but we made it to the park down the road after dinner. I turned on the app and we got going.
As I suspected, despite the fact that I often take more steps in a day than he walks in a week, his 6'2" body will just naturally go faster than the legs that come with my 5'2" body. I think the first few one minute runs he was going as fast as 6 mph. Even his walking pace put me to shame. However, I could see that it was quickly catching up with him. After the first few intervals he asked me to push the stroller.
The loop around the park is 3/4 of a mile. After the first loop I offered to take our son to the playground so my husband could keep going. I can honestly say this is not laziness on my part- my son has difficulty being confined and I could tell he was already getting bored.
But to get to the complaint the title of this post references... shorts. I see all of these runners at races in their short shorts- which I understand, I would LOVE to be able to wear shorts when I run. BUT, shorts are something that I am unable to wear. For the first few months when I started running I had just had a child, but even before that I felt so chubby that I didn't think I should show my legs in public. Why wearing workout pants that are nylon or spandex and fairly form-fitting is so much better than shorts? That I can't answer. But somehow showing the skin crossed the line.
This past summer I worked up the nerve to buy a pair of running shorts now that I was down 30 pounds or so. I brought them home and tried running up and down our long hall with them. They had spandex built in under the top layer, which seemed to solve all my problems! That week I tried to squeeze in a short run before dinner, so I thought I would try them out. Epic fail. As soon as I started going that spandex rolled up and the top material bunched up. I was showing FULL leg. I might have been able to live with the exposure if that didn't mean my thighs immediately started rubbing together. I can't say I started chaffing, but I didn't give my legs the opportunity to do that to each other. I turned right around and walked home.
So on this run with my husband I thought, why not try them again? Since I'm down 5-10 pounds from last time, surely this has to go better? Even though I wear the shorts around when I run errands and always have to pull the spandex down, somehow there will be a different outcome.
Well, the outcome was the same. I don't know why I bothered. And I can't help but wonder, how much weight do I need to lose in order for shorts to function properly when I run? And can I lose that amount? I ask this when I just had a work-provided lunch of a Potbelly sandwich, chips, and a giant cookie...
On a related note, I have these awesome C9 leggings or tights I wear to run in the winter. They are awesome, my legs are never cold. However, what I have discovered through several very nearly embarrassing sets of trial and error is that they fall down. Without fail. UNLESS, I wear cotton granny panties. And I say cotton because I haven't really gone through the effort to acquire granny panties in other materials.
Now, I don't know if this is a chubby girl problem, a flaw with the pants, or a general runner problem? I love the pants otherwise. And I can say that no amount of running around in my house allows me to identify this issue. Somehow going further without taking off the tag makes me feel bad, like going that 100 feet will cause me to have microscopic sweat that gets on the pants.
But, I haven't lost enough weight to make shorts an option, and I haven't gone down a size yet in the running tights. So for now, I will have to live with apparel not really designed for people of my build!
Friday, September 25, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Panerathon Cincinnati 2015
On Sunday I ran in the Panerathon 10K. I knew nothing about the race, other than it was cheap, near my apartment, and I wasn't aware of any steep hills in that area.
My intent had been to do shorter, lighter runs all week after my great 6 mile run the previous Sunday. I took of Monday as usual, but that day I left to go to Orlando for a conference. Since I wasn't familiar with the area I thought I might be better off on the treadmill. My mistake! I don't know what it was, but as I was running the room started to feel like a sauna. I only ended up running two miles, which I guess is a light run.
Despite my best intentions to get out the next day and just run outside, I ended up sick that night and the next. I got home Thursday evening, but didn't feel 100% Friday. On Friday I discovered that the race was on Sunday, not Saturday, which just threw a wrench in the plans I had made. My son was going to be at his grandparents' house Friday night since my husband had to work Saturday morning. I had planned a solo spaghetti dinner. And then we could also enjoy ourselves Saturday evening.
I have no excuse for not running on Saturday. I was just grumpy after my crummy week and didn't want to leave the couch.
I really struggled to get out of bed on Sunday. So far my race morning routine has been to have a shake or smoothie and some water, hang out, get dressed, and then eat a poptart or a piece of toast on my drive in. I did the same thing here, except I forgot to grab food before I left.
I got to the race and picked up my packet and shirt. I realized that since it was in the 50s, my normal tank top was leaving me a little chilly, and I seemed to be one of 3 people who was wearing one. I tried on my race shirt in the parking lot since it was at least short sleeved, but it didn't feel that comfortable for running since I got one that was a teeny bit snug. Is it terrible to change in the parking lot if you have on a sports bra? I feel like I got the side eye from some people. I certainly wasn't showing off, I was kind of doing it behind my car door, and I don't have much to be conceited about.
I had a little bit of difficulty finding the starting line, so I just went to the cluster of people and tried to face the same direction they were. I could hear someone was talking into a microphone, but it wasn't audible. I eventually heard the countdown and everyone started running.
I don't know if it is better to start in the back of the pack when you are slow, or in the middle or front. In the back of the pack it almost seems lonely and you don't really even get a sense of all the people. Further to the front you just see everyone pass you, and that speed can make you feel off on your pace. I found myself feeling slow compared to everyone else because they were passing me, but I looked down and I was running almost an 11:00 mile, which is way too fast for me to start with.
The course runs about a quarter of a mile back to a long road, where they have you run up one side, then back down the other. There are some gentle inclines, but nothing too bad. The 5K participants split off to go back to the Panera when they come back, but the 10K runners run past that entrance to the shopping center to a point further down the road where they turn around and do the loop again.
I once again found myself with the jog/walkers and some people who make me think, "Do I really look that slow?" There was even one tall man who was practically strolling and keeping up with my 12:00 mile time. But I like having some people around me. It gives me something to push for, to catch that person in front of me. There were even 5K people going so slowly that I was passing them when I got closer to the finish line!
At the finish line were some bounce houses, some fire trucks for kids to explore, and kids crafts to participate in, as well as food from Panera.
http://panerathon.com/cincinnati-panerathon/
Here is my overall review:
Pros:
My intent had been to do shorter, lighter runs all week after my great 6 mile run the previous Sunday. I took of Monday as usual, but that day I left to go to Orlando for a conference. Since I wasn't familiar with the area I thought I might be better off on the treadmill. My mistake! I don't know what it was, but as I was running the room started to feel like a sauna. I only ended up running two miles, which I guess is a light run.
Despite my best intentions to get out the next day and just run outside, I ended up sick that night and the next. I got home Thursday evening, but didn't feel 100% Friday. On Friday I discovered that the race was on Sunday, not Saturday, which just threw a wrench in the plans I had made. My son was going to be at his grandparents' house Friday night since my husband had to work Saturday morning. I had planned a solo spaghetti dinner. And then we could also enjoy ourselves Saturday evening.
I have no excuse for not running on Saturday. I was just grumpy after my crummy week and didn't want to leave the couch.
I really struggled to get out of bed on Sunday. So far my race morning routine has been to have a shake or smoothie and some water, hang out, get dressed, and then eat a poptart or a piece of toast on my drive in. I did the same thing here, except I forgot to grab food before I left.
I got to the race and picked up my packet and shirt. I realized that since it was in the 50s, my normal tank top was leaving me a little chilly, and I seemed to be one of 3 people who was wearing one. I tried on my race shirt in the parking lot since it was at least short sleeved, but it didn't feel that comfortable for running since I got one that was a teeny bit snug. Is it terrible to change in the parking lot if you have on a sports bra? I feel like I got the side eye from some people. I certainly wasn't showing off, I was kind of doing it behind my car door, and I don't have much to be conceited about.
I had a little bit of difficulty finding the starting line, so I just went to the cluster of people and tried to face the same direction they were. I could hear someone was talking into a microphone, but it wasn't audible. I eventually heard the countdown and everyone started running.
I don't know if it is better to start in the back of the pack when you are slow, or in the middle or front. In the back of the pack it almost seems lonely and you don't really even get a sense of all the people. Further to the front you just see everyone pass you, and that speed can make you feel off on your pace. I found myself feeling slow compared to everyone else because they were passing me, but I looked down and I was running almost an 11:00 mile, which is way too fast for me to start with.
The course runs about a quarter of a mile back to a long road, where they have you run up one side, then back down the other. There are some gentle inclines, but nothing too bad. The 5K participants split off to go back to the Panera when they come back, but the 10K runners run past that entrance to the shopping center to a point further down the road where they turn around and do the loop again.
I once again found myself with the jog/walkers and some people who make me think, "Do I really look that slow?" There was even one tall man who was practically strolling and keeping up with my 12:00 mile time. But I like having some people around me. It gives me something to push for, to catch that person in front of me. There were even 5K people going so slowly that I was passing them when I got closer to the finish line!
At the finish line were some bounce houses, some fire trucks for kids to explore, and kids crafts to participate in, as well as food from Panera.
http://panerathon.com/cincinnati-panerathon/
Here is my overall review:
Pros:
- Price
- Not too many elite runners- which is good if you want to try and place.
- Location- very accessible
- Cause- you can feel good because you are running for charity
Cons:
- Street cleaning- is it normal to see 3 dead animals on the road? And then since you are looping you see them more than once.
- Food- if you are finishing near the end like me they only had a handful of plain and blueberry bagels left. That's fine, but the reminder that you missed out on cinnamon crunch and cherry vanilla because of the signs makes it sad. Most of the sandwiches left were Mediterranean Veggie. Having worked at Panera, I find that few people order that sandwich, so why would you make so many!? I realize that this is upsetting mainly because I'm a picky eater, so this is not a con for many.
- Course- the repetitive loop was a little boring, but I do that on my own long run so I can't complain too much.
- Walkers- while this was not a problem for me, I could see that there were a lot of people really taking their time and taking up most of the road. I started to see the faster 10K runners having to navigate around them a lot as they came back to do their second loop.
Overall I would run this race again for the price. I'm a sucker for t-shirts. My time was great! I finished in 1:14:50, or a 12:03 pace. I didn't think I could possibly go that fast, which only makes me think more and more that maybe I should try that 15K.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Feelings of Euphoria
Today was a great run! I thought it would feel better than it has in a while when I saw a high of 66 and a current temperature of 52. So not only did I get out and run, but I made my husband go as well.
While we all complain about exercise before we get going, and maybe even during when we push ourselves, I don't really know anyone but my husband who complains so much AFTER. Sure maybe you are sore, or the workout kicked your butt, but you have all those endorphins running through you, and you feel great about what you did. If he ever experiences that feeling, he has never expressed it.
So I pushed him to try and start the C25K app again. He did it with me when we were trying to work out for our wedding, but we both probably only made it to week 3 or 4 (and we both managed to not gain weight, but were unsuccessful in losing anything). He has zero interest in running, but he has zero interest in any physical activity other than maybe shooting a basketball. Since our son is at an age where he is either going to run away when you turn around or scream if he can't make the basketball go up, I feel no guilt in pushing the running with a stroller.
He headed out the door and so did I.
I always try to keep my pace around 13 mph for the first two miles. Other than my actual 10K race, I have barely been able to sustain that pace, and often get slower as I go on. Today, I found my speed increasing. Eventually I just stopped looking at my pace and just running however I felt like running. I know I have enjoyed running in the heat and humidity less than the fall and spring, or even winter. I have also read that you can see speed decreases as the temperature climbs. I just had no idea mine were that significant. It was hard to see because even in the summer when I felt slower, I was still faster than last summer when I was just getting started running.
Days like today remind me why I run. Just when I was questioning whether I should think about doing something else.
When I returned, my husband did not feel the same way. But I didn't let him get me down.
I checked out facebook and saw a friend of mine had signed up for the Hot Chocolate Run in Columbus.
http://www.hotchocolate15k.com/columbus/
My sister had been requesting that I come up and do it as well. Two months ago I thought, "Why run the 5K when there is a 15K?" A month ago I thought, "No way I can do the 15K. Why bother going up?" Apparently 5Ks are now beneath me even though I finish back of the pack, because at no point did I think, "Sure let's do a 5K." My sister is not a runner at all, and has no interest, but she likes fun runs. She would not be joining me in the 15K distance.
So despite my last post where I decided, why not stick to the 10K and work on getting faster? I think I may sign up for the 15K. I figure, if I want to get faster I am supposed to have my long runs be longer than a 10K. I should at least be able to finish a 15K. Of course I will do that and somehow think, "Oh, that half marathon is just 3 or 4 more miles, why not?"
So what's three more miles when you have awesome 10K speed like this:
6.00 mi | 1:14:08 | 12:21 min/mi
While we all complain about exercise before we get going, and maybe even during when we push ourselves, I don't really know anyone but my husband who complains so much AFTER. Sure maybe you are sore, or the workout kicked your butt, but you have all those endorphins running through you, and you feel great about what you did. If he ever experiences that feeling, he has never expressed it.
So I pushed him to try and start the C25K app again. He did it with me when we were trying to work out for our wedding, but we both probably only made it to week 3 or 4 (and we both managed to not gain weight, but were unsuccessful in losing anything). He has zero interest in running, but he has zero interest in any physical activity other than maybe shooting a basketball. Since our son is at an age where he is either going to run away when you turn around or scream if he can't make the basketball go up, I feel no guilt in pushing the running with a stroller.
He headed out the door and so did I.
I always try to keep my pace around 13 mph for the first two miles. Other than my actual 10K race, I have barely been able to sustain that pace, and often get slower as I go on. Today, I found my speed increasing. Eventually I just stopped looking at my pace and just running however I felt like running. I know I have enjoyed running in the heat and humidity less than the fall and spring, or even winter. I have also read that you can see speed decreases as the temperature climbs. I just had no idea mine were that significant. It was hard to see because even in the summer when I felt slower, I was still faster than last summer when I was just getting started running.
Days like today remind me why I run. Just when I was questioning whether I should think about doing something else.
When I returned, my husband did not feel the same way. But I didn't let him get me down.
I checked out facebook and saw a friend of mine had signed up for the Hot Chocolate Run in Columbus.
http://www.hotchocolate15k.com/columbus/
My sister had been requesting that I come up and do it as well. Two months ago I thought, "Why run the 5K when there is a 15K?" A month ago I thought, "No way I can do the 15K. Why bother going up?" Apparently 5Ks are now beneath me even though I finish back of the pack, because at no point did I think, "Sure let's do a 5K." My sister is not a runner at all, and has no interest, but she likes fun runs. She would not be joining me in the 15K distance.
So despite my last post where I decided, why not stick to the 10K and work on getting faster? I think I may sign up for the 15K. I figure, if I want to get faster I am supposed to have my long runs be longer than a 10K. I should at least be able to finish a 15K. Of course I will do that and somehow think, "Oh, that half marathon is just 3 or 4 more miles, why not?"
So what's three more miles when you have awesome 10K speed like this:
6.00 mi | 1:14:08 | 12:21 min/mi
Monday, September 7, 2015
Where Do I Go From Here?
From my research (googling), it really looks like I have a decision to make. Right now the longest race I have run is a 10K. I was really happy with my time personally, though I am nowhere near even the middle of the pack. I have not made the progress on getting back into training that I would like- especially this week when I was up in the mountains on a work retreat. Let me tell you, mountain trail running at 9600 feet? I was barely above a walk and my heart was racing.
My attempt to run 6 miles yesterday fell flat. It was so hot and humid that I gave up after 3. I think when I ran the 10K several weeks ago it was just like I had given my body a short break and I was fully recharged. At this point it is really just showing that I am not training where I was.
But back to my decision. Is 10K where I stick for a while? From what I have read, it is very difficult to get faster and go further. My big goal is to at least do a half marathon. Maybe I go further than that eventually. BUT, given my current speed, I don't know that I have the TIME to train for even the half. When you go as slow as I do, I need about 1.5 hours to go out and run 6 miles. Do I have the time to run 2-2.5 hours one day each week, and an hour 3-4 other days a week? Plus the weight training...
Or do I stick here? I know weight loss will make me faster, though it would have to be pretty substantial to REALLY make a difference. However, substantial weight loss is what I need. But if I stick here I can focus on getting my time down before I move on to bigger things. Maybe I can get down to that sub 10-minute mile eventually. Or at least down to a time where I can finish a half marathon in less than 3 hours so I don't have to worry about a pacing golf cart picking me up.
I think that is what I'm going to do. I am going to stick around the 10K for a while. See how the weight loss and the winter goes. In theory, if I really want to run a half marathon, from a 10K I probably only need 2-3 months of training to at least be able to finish a half marathon.
My husband is finally on the weight loss bandwagon with me. Of course, so far that has meant cutting back on snacking after dinner and eating yogurt instead of poptarts for breakfast, which translates into weight loss of several pounds in one week. I'm not bitter.
For me, I'm trying to go to a slightly less processed, less sugar, more veggies, and less pasta route. I love slimfast shakes for breakfast, but I don't think the sugar is doing me any favors. I'm trying to make my own shakes using Trader Joe's Whey Protein Powder- the chocolate one.
I'm adding a couple cups of spinach, vanilla-flavored almond milk, and a few frozen strawberries. I guess I was hoping it would taste like a chocolate-covered strawberry. Once I logged it in I realized it really isn't helping my lower sugar thing. However, I can hide a lot of spinach in there without really noticing any taste.
So now I'm torn because I'm not sure which one is better for me. The slimfast has a lot of vitamins, even though they are put in there chemically. Something about me putting spinach in a blender makes me feel healthier. And maybe I can figure out some other things to add as well. I have to keep it fairly low calorie because I haven't developed the willpower to eat a 400 calorie dinner, and I have to snack between meals to not be miserable. I also haven't developed the willpower to eat plain veggies as a snack, which would solve all of my problems...
My attempt to run 6 miles yesterday fell flat. It was so hot and humid that I gave up after 3. I think when I ran the 10K several weeks ago it was just like I had given my body a short break and I was fully recharged. At this point it is really just showing that I am not training where I was.
But back to my decision. Is 10K where I stick for a while? From what I have read, it is very difficult to get faster and go further. My big goal is to at least do a half marathon. Maybe I go further than that eventually. BUT, given my current speed, I don't know that I have the TIME to train for even the half. When you go as slow as I do, I need about 1.5 hours to go out and run 6 miles. Do I have the time to run 2-2.5 hours one day each week, and an hour 3-4 other days a week? Plus the weight training...
Or do I stick here? I know weight loss will make me faster, though it would have to be pretty substantial to REALLY make a difference. However, substantial weight loss is what I need. But if I stick here I can focus on getting my time down before I move on to bigger things. Maybe I can get down to that sub 10-minute mile eventually. Or at least down to a time where I can finish a half marathon in less than 3 hours so I don't have to worry about a pacing golf cart picking me up.
I think that is what I'm going to do. I am going to stick around the 10K for a while. See how the weight loss and the winter goes. In theory, if I really want to run a half marathon, from a 10K I probably only need 2-3 months of training to at least be able to finish a half marathon.
My husband is finally on the weight loss bandwagon with me. Of course, so far that has meant cutting back on snacking after dinner and eating yogurt instead of poptarts for breakfast, which translates into weight loss of several pounds in one week. I'm not bitter.
For me, I'm trying to go to a slightly less processed, less sugar, more veggies, and less pasta route. I love slimfast shakes for breakfast, but I don't think the sugar is doing me any favors. I'm trying to make my own shakes using Trader Joe's Whey Protein Powder- the chocolate one.
I'm adding a couple cups of spinach, vanilla-flavored almond milk, and a few frozen strawberries. I guess I was hoping it would taste like a chocolate-covered strawberry. Once I logged it in I realized it really isn't helping my lower sugar thing. However, I can hide a lot of spinach in there without really noticing any taste.
So now I'm torn because I'm not sure which one is better for me. The slimfast has a lot of vitamins, even though they are put in there chemically. Something about me putting spinach in a blender makes me feel healthier. And maybe I can figure out some other things to add as well. I have to keep it fairly low calorie because I haven't developed the willpower to eat a 400 calorie dinner, and I have to snack between meals to not be miserable. I also haven't developed the willpower to eat plain veggies as a snack, which would solve all of my problems...
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