Running While the World is in a Pandemic (AKA Virtual Races and 100-Day Challenge)

After my last post (in February!) I said I was going to try to post more often, especially after races. We had no idea what was about to transpire in the world and how it would affect races! The Great Scott 25K was my last in-person race until the Olander 24-hour race in September (more on that will be coming in another post).

This was going to be my running year. I had decided to participate in as many relatively local races as I could in 2020 (meaning no overnight stays), and then for 2021 I was going to do only a few. Late last year (2019) I planned it all out. I signed up for more races than usual. For the first time ever, I signed up for the Toledo Run the 419 - Grand Prix Series, which involves running specific races in different parts of the 419 area code. I signed up for several races that were new to me.  What a year it was going to be!  

…

And then the pandemic arrived.

At first races were postponed, and then postponed again. Race directors tried to figure out the best options while everyone was waiting to see how this pandemic would pan out. It is important to note that when we sign up for a race, most of the time there is a very clear notification that there are no refunds. This means that not only are there no refunds if we cannot run the race, but if there are circumstances that the race is cancelled (most often it is weather related) there are also no refunds. This means race directors could have just cancelled the races and been done with it.

But, racers and race directors are a determined group. Race directors knew that runners want to run no matter what the circumstances. After all, we run in rain, snow, sleet, and unbearably hot weather. So, in the beginning, they started offering virtual options. This meant we could run the race on our own, in our own area, and still get the shirts and bling. After a while, there were so many virtual races that they began offering deferments to next year. For some races, it was either take the deferment or run the virtual option. It can be difficult to decide, because none of us know what the next year will be like (even without the pandemic). Some, like the Glass City Marathon, offered the virtual option AND did the deferment. Some organizations increased awareness of their already virtual options. I ran a Disney 5K series that I didn't even know existed before this year. Other organizations started offering special virtual races for this year only.  Two I particularly liked were the  the FaceMask 10K and the Social Distance Run. 

Running Safely

Without in-person races, it can be hard to stay motivated. I signed up for some interesting virtual races like the ones previously mentioned, but that alone wasn't enough. On so many days, I found myself on choosing not to run  because I was too busy, too tired, just didn't feel like it, etc. I noticed I was running less and less. So, I decided to officially challenge myself with a running streak.  It started with a Runners World challenge to run at least a mile a day, every day, from Memorial Day to July 4th. Once July 4th hit, I decided to continue as I could.  It kept me motivated and was a fun challenge. I sometimes ran a quick mile during lunch, late in the evening, even early in the morning at the local school under the lights. I ran in the rain and extreme heat, and a few times in between thunderstorms, barely making it home before the storm hit.

Very Hot Run

Social Distancing

  

Along the way I ran over 15 virtual races, ranging from 5K's to marathons. I picked up some cool bling and ran races I would not normally run. I always wanted to run Gasparilla (in Florida), but the timing has not aligned with vacation time. They offered a "flashback 1/2" so I finally got to get  my pirate medal!  One of the more unique race medals was the Social Distancing Run - it is a coronavirus. Let's hope that race was one-year only!

Gasparilla Pirate Medal

Social Distancing Run Medal

Once fall hit and I started teaching evenings again (I work full time during the day), running every day became more of a chore than a fun challenge. So I decided I would end the streak at 100 days, which was just a few days before the Olander 24-hour race over Labor Day weekend. The timing was perfect. I was able to keep motivated and prepare myself for the September race. It helped with all the stress and anxiety from the uncertainty in the world right now.  And it was something I did just for myself.

I'm still out there running, just not every day. Now that the weather is getting cooler and I'm working both jobs, there isn't time to fit in a run every day. My goal is three days a week.  But, I'm not done with challenges.  I have an exercise/spin bike and just started a 100 day challenge for that!  More on that in a later blog.

Gotta run/ride  No Excuses!

Great Scott 25K

I am going to try to post more often. I might not post most training runs, but I'll try to post after races!

I will admit I'm a little behind in my training for the Glass City Marathon (coming up in April!).  My training plans usually involve on my own training, plus a a few races. Races are a good way to tune up and figure out what to wear, nutrition, how early to get there, etc.

Yesterday, I went for a shortish run with a friend. Both of us are signed up for Glass City, and neither of us has been running like we should. I managed 5.5 miles. Unfortunately, she had to work and was unable to attend the Great Scott 25K run/race today.

The Great Scott 25K is put on by Toledo Roadrunners It's not so much a race as an organized run. The course is at Oak Openings. You can choose one time around, which is 7.7 miles, or two loops, which is 25K. Even though you sign up for either distance, you are free to either run the second loop if you feeling really good, or stop after one time around, even if you signed up for two. That can be good or bad!

I made a few mistakes before and during this race (remember, the purpose of these races is to learn!).

First of all, I should not have run 5.5 miles yesterday (and I also went on the elliptical last night . . .).

Secondly, I found a great runner to talk to during the first time around. That's good - it made that first loop go quickly!  But, she was doing only one time around (her longest distance to date) and was younger and faster. She was doing intervals, too, but she was doing 90 second run/30 second walk, while I do 90 second run/45 second walk. But we were having such an interesting conversation that I wanted to stay with her. So, even though I KNOW the 90 second run/45 second walk works best for me, I ran with her the entire first loop.

We got to the end of the first time around, and I was feeling sore and tired. I debated ending there and being satisfied with 7.7 miles. This is where running has made me stronger mentally I believe (and running is at least 90% mental). The debate with myself lasted about 30 seconds, and then I decided I would at least START the second loop. I knew there was a turn about a mile after the start, and I could always turn back. I got to that point, and told myself I would try a little further. There is another point where the course crosses on itself - if you go to the right, it's  about 3 miles back to that crossing point. I got to that point and the decision was to either turn right and go the distance, or turn left and end up with about 12 miles (still a decent run). I turned right!  I have learned to persevere through running.

At this point, I thought I was the last person in the race - I didn't see anyone ahead of me nor behind me.  Finally I came upon another runner. I don't mind being last (a few years ago at this very same race, I tried to be last. Another runner and Ikept slowing down because we each wanted to be last!).  It turns out there were actually 3 people behind me - the others were so far back I couldn't see them.

I was struggling a bit and walked through a few of my running intervals.  Finally, I could see the finish line!  It seems like it took a long time to get there, though, once I saw it.

I ended up finishing the 25K!  I was (and still am) very sore and tired, but I made it. And, for signing up (it was only  $10), I got a nice, new, soft sweatshirt.

My running motto has always been "no excuses".  Maybe it should be "perseverance"!

Gotta run/No Excuses

Also, I have an instagram account - it's mostly my animals, but I post running/race pictures there sometimes:  https://www.instagram.com/catdrich/

Long Time, No Post (Again!)

It's been a long time since I posted. This is just a brief post to say I will be back!  Even though I accomplished some running goals last year, life got busy and I didn't write much.  I have a busy, fun, race schedule planned this year, and I hope to write about my training and my race experiences.

Gotta Run!

Trash and Drivers

This was another week of weather ups and downs in the Midwest.  My Tuesday and Thursday training runs were on the treadmill.  I think once the time changes (on March 10), the weekday runs may be a little more doable outside. The sun won't be going down, along with the temperature, as I get toward the end of the runs.

My Saturday and Sunday runs were outside. Hurray! It was a little cold, and even worse when running into the wind, but it was tolerable. Due to construction in our town that will last all through this training cycle, I'm cut off from my favorite route. I could take a detour to get to some of my favorite places, but the traffic is heavier than usual on those roads, and local drivers apparently have forgotten how to drive safely. There has been a significant increase in accidents, and as a runner I don't want to take a chance! So, on Saturday during my longish run, I meandered around some different roads. I have come up with some decent routes for the long runs coming up soon.

I noticed two things this weekend that bothered me - trash and drivers.

As I run, I look ahead a little bit, at the ground though because I don't want to trip and fall again. I don't know if it's the time of year or if people are just getting worse, but this weekend I noticed a lot of trash as I was running. There were diapers (yuck!), garbage bags, fast food remnants, and so much more. One of the worst things I saw were those plastic holders for bottles/cans. Those are so dangerous to wildlife. They can get all tangled up in them or get stuck. This is what I'm talking about:



I try to pick them up whenever I can. I found that when I am wearing my pack that holds water bottles, I can hang these on the strap. When I get home, I cut them up before discarding them in the recycling. I may need to start carrying a garbage bag, but that  might slow me down a bit :)

Another thing I noticed were the drivers and how much worse they have been lately. As I mentioned above, with the major detour in our town, there has been a significant increase in the number of accidents. I guess people are in so much of a hurry that they forget to pay attention?  I am always so cautious when crossing a road. Drivers ignore the fact that I have the walk light, especially when they are turning left onto the road I am crossing. If it's the least bit dark (even on a cloudy day), I wear all sorts of  things that light up, so I'm very visible. It doesn't matter. At one intersection I counted five cars that turned left, ignoring the sign that "pedestrians have the right of way", while I was trying to cross at crosswalk, with the walk sign.

The other time I was almost hit (this weekend) was at the driveway of a YMCA. People were leaving a church service that is held at the local facility. One car was driving slowly to the exit, I was in the crosswalk, and I knew I had plenty of time to get across, even if they didn't stop at the crosswalk like they should.Well, this car actually SPEEDED UP and blazed through the end of the driveway onto the road. The driver did not even look to their left, which is the direction I was coming from. If a car had been on the road, they would have been hit. I yelled to get her attention, and as she hurried by she mouthed "sorry".

When I run, it's always facing traffic and as far off the road as I can get - never over the white line into the roadway. I can't tell you how many times vehicles cross over the white line on the side of the road, almost as if they are trying to hit me intentionally. It's becoming unsafe to run due to drivers. Are they distracted, bad drivers, or actually trying to hit runners? It's hard to tell anymore.I've become much more vigilant lately.

When the weather improves, my Saturday runs will hopefully be on some trails. I have to drive to get there, but I think that will be safer than dealing with the local drivers. I'm hoping people get out of their winter funk and start paying attention when driving!



No excuses/Gotta Run

Why Run?

Finally outside
Following my training plan, I run four days a week. It was great to be able to do three of those outside this last week!

The two runs during the week are after work. This time of the year they may start out with the  temperature fairly decent (for the Midwest anyway), but as soon as the sun starts to dip, the temperature rapidly cools and the wind seems to pick up. It can get unpleasant, especially at the point in the run when I'm sweating! It was wonderful to sip on some nice warm tea after these runs this week.

Saturday's run was 16 miles. It was the first run at that distance in quite a while, as it's early in the current training cycle. I thought it was warm out, but the wind picked up towards the middle part of the run. To keep myself going, I try to do an out and back run as much as possible.This means that when I was starting to get tired and a little chilled, I was 1/2 way through my run. I HAD to finish one way or another, since I was 8 miles from home. Running seemed to be the quickest way home!

Unfortunately, today it was just too windy to run outside. I didn't feel like getting blown off the road! The treadmill workout kept me on track. Soon I will be running exclusively outside (I hope). I want to start running some more trails, but the ones in the area have been flooded, or just extremely muddy. I don't want to take a chance on getting injured. There will be plenty of time to get more trail running before August.

Why?
During one of my weekday runs, I ran into a non-running friend. She asked me what race I was training for. I hesitated a bit before answering. Yes, I'm following a training plan with the intention on finishing my first ultra marathon in August. And, I have signed up for a few other races along the way (and a few after the August race). But, I'm not running because I'm in training. A training plan keeps me motivated, but I would be running even if I didn't have a race coming up. The only difference might be I wouldn't run the same distance or outside during less that optimal weather. I answered with "I'm always training for a race because I love to run". I enjoy the wildlife I see on my runs. It's fun to see other people out running, walking, riding their bicycles - whatever gets people outside. 

Races are fun, because there I can talk with other crazy runners like me. If they have an expo, I enjoy seeing new products. It's a fun way to add to my shirt collection, too! I rarely buy new running shirts, because I run in the race shirts. Most races also benefit a worthwhile charity. But, races are just the extra bonus I get from being a runner.

No excuses/Gotta Run

Training is hard!

Another week has gone by. Unfortunately, this week was not a good weather week. We had ice, wind, whatever. I don't mind cold weather and have plenty of cold-weather gear, but I just can't handle the cold wind anymore. As far as ice, I'm not taking any chances on a fall. At my age, it would take too long to recover from a broken bone. I plan to keep running until I can't anymore, and I want that "I can't" to be decades away!

With the ice and the accompanying road emergencies, I did not make it to the fitness club for the planned strength training. However, I have a DVD with specific yoga programs for runners. Some are for off days and are more intense, and some are for recovering after a run. I started with these again this week since I was a little more housebound than usual. Even one of my cats likes to do yoga! It is already helping - I don't feel as sore, and I think I stand a little taller :)

I managed every scheduled run this week, albeit on the treadmill. I was able to break in the Altra shoes a little more. They have a different heel drop than I am used to, and all the time on the treadmill was the perfect time to try them. I didn't have any issues, but if I had and I was running outside, it would have been a little difficult to stop and change shoes!

One thing I have noticed since I have been sticking to my 4-runs a week schedule is that I am constantly hungry - and I do mean constantly! At this point my goal is to maintain my weight while building strength and endurance. I certainly don't want to gain weight though. I started back on MyFitnessPal this week to track my food. I want to make sure that not only am I eating the correct amount of calories, but the right kind of food.

Even though I've been running for a little over twelve years (I was a late starter), I find that actually sticking to an all around training program is a lot of work; more than I expected. With a long trail race planned in August, I am taking training more seriously than ever before. Also, last year was a bad year for me in terms of running, so I'm trying to make this a much better year. In addition to actually running, there is strength training, nutrition, and recovery. With two jobs and lots of other things that make up this thing we call life, it can be daunting at times. I am trying, for a change, to put these training needs at a high priority. It makes the rest of life work a little more smoothly.

Here is hoping for better weather soon. Running 13+ miles on the treadmill is not fun, but it's better than no run at all.

Gotta run/No Excuses

One of my favorite yoga poses

Silly Cally!

Training and Treadmill Thoughts

Another week is in the books. It was a crazy Midwest weather week, including a temperature change from 60 one evening to a windchill of 0 the next morning. Due to this crazy weather,  training this week included a mixture of indoor and outdoor runs.

Tuesday and Thursday I rushed home from work for my week-day long runs. On Tuesday I was set to run indoors, then realized it was actually warm (for the Midwest in February) and the wind was tolerable. Toward the end of the run the temperature started to drop, the wind picked up, so my cheeks were a little red by the end! Thursday's outdoor run was much better, with a little rain but warm temperatures. Two days of outside running felt wonderful.

I'm not anti-treadmill; in fact I'm just the opposite. I think it's a great tool when circumstances make an outdoor run not possible, for whatever reason. It can be weather related, health related, time related, or anything else. My advice to anyone is to not think of using a treadmill as a failure, or not a "real" run. It's a good way to stick to a training plan and keep on going. I believe a run is a run, and better than no run at all.

One thing I have realized as I have matured is that running doesn't have to be something to suffer about. I don't mean that training should be easy. In order to get better, I need to push myself. What I mean is that if I feel the weather is too cold for me, I should not feel it's a training failure to use the treadmill. Some runners may look down on others as "fair weather" runners or even not a "real" runner, but I am my own self and will do what works for me. A few years ago I had a cold virus and continued to run outside (because isn't that what "real" runners do?) during an spate of unusually cold, windy spring weather. These were the types of runs where the cold/wind takes your breath away and can make your chest hurt. As I was at the peak of marathon training, these were 18-20 mile runs. I ended up with bronchitis and lost three weeks of training. It wasn't worth it just to prove I was a "real" runner. Not so coincidentally, my running partner also ended up with bronchitis.

Another use of a treadmill is for hanging wet running clothes :) Since it was wet on Thursday, I used my treadmill as a running clothes drying rack!

This weekend I had to run Saturday morning, instead of the warmer afternoon, because of family obligations. I felt it was too cold and windy in the morning, so I put on a good movie and got my miles in on the treadmill. Sunday was a shorter, on tired legs run, and again I ran on the treadmill. And I don't feel like it was a failed training weekend. I was able to break in some new, different brand and heel drop shoes on Saturday without the worry that I'd have no way to stop and change them if I had issues. And I accomplished my scheduled miles.

So far, the running plan is working. I have completed every training run I have scheduled. I know circumstances in the future might cause me to make adjustments, but it's a great beginning. Also, by running four days a week, I'm not feeling any unusual muscle strain. I'm taking my non-running days more seriously this time!

I haven't been as faithful to the strength training. Sometimes life just gets in the way. My goal over the next few weeks is to find a strength training schedule that works for me, and add it in a more concrete way to my training schedule. I find if it's written down and I can cross it off as I accomplish the goal, it keeps me motivated.

On to another week!

No excuses/Gotta Run