As I write this, our fall came early. I have heard of false spring but around here, there isn’t usually a false fall. The irony is not lost on me that this would have been the perfect temperature for a cross country season. My poor teenage son ran every cross country meet at 90 degrees or above last fall, this is perfect running weather.
I made a batch of chili, no I will not post a recipe or a photo (unless something disastrous happens) but my soup-based meals are usually ok. I will attempt to make cornbread, without any buttermilk substitutions. God willing, it will not taste like a 6th grade science experiment volcano.
44. Forty-four. As an age, it sounds distinctly middle-aged. We were at the cabin this weekend. As it was my birthday, my request was to spend a night at the cabin. As the leaves are changing, our view is opening up even more and it had been couple of weeks since we last visited. I knew it was going to be cold. We plan to install a wood stove, we weren’t expecting this false fall. We packed warm clothing and brought our infrared space heater. The plan was to use the generator to warm up the cabin a bit and then stay chilly but cozy overnight. When we woke up it was 42 degrees in the cabin. Warmer than outside, but not by much. The moral of this story, other than my children will have something to tell their therapists when they are older, is that I was cold. It was in the 40’s and I was cold. When the generator was fired back up and the temperature started rising to 44 degrees my husband said, “It’s 44, your are 44, if you were a temperature you would only be getting warmed up.”
That hit me. If I were 98 years old, that is pretty hot. Even 50 is cold, I probably won’t be comfortable until my mid 60’s. This weekend I will run an 8k, in my new Hokas!
Age, like temperature, is just a number and I am just getting warmed up!
We did more clearing and now Peaky Mountain has a friend!
{Warning} There are no pretty photos on this blog. I can link you to my Etsy shop for that.
I am not afraid to substitute, my family is afraid when I substitute, with good reason. I have had some less than successful baking results, but they were “healthier” so there’s that. Except the time when I added salt instead of sugar, I am pretty sure that was at LD50.
In my defense, my sugar and salt decorative jars are very similar. It was inedible. Spit it out inedible. I blamed the salted butter, which I accidentaly bought during the Corona panic buying. It was not the butter, I added a cup of salt. But they were almond flour, so healthy?
This morning, I needed a pick-me-up, I didn’t sleep well. I am trying to reinvent my life post-COVID19. This is a story for another time. We are not a “paleo” family, no verified allergies, just the vain wheat belly reasons. I randomly subsitute almond flour into traditional recipes, it doesn’t always work out. I also don’t believe in using more than one bowl when baking, sort of a “one pot cooking” but for baking, it also doesn’t always work out. I know there is a science, nay, a chemistry behind the two or sometimes 3 bowls used in baking recipes, liquid/solids, acids/bases, oxidation/reduction, etc. I just don’t think it’s efficient and as I have learned more about myself, my goal is to optimize, sometimes the baking doesn’t look so pretty.
Exhibit A. #blueberry (I don’t know how to use a hashtag either) Kids, come take a scoop of blueberry mess!
Back to this morning, today was a good day. The recipe, once I scrolled past all of the manicured pictures and found the buried recipe treasure, was pretty simple. I decided on a few substitutions. I didn’t have much coconut oil, I generally use olive oil for everything (I know, most of the best pastries are made with olive oil, ha-ha) I buy it in bulk (optimizing) and it usually works ok in most things. I find that olive oil and almond flour prove to be a little leaden when they combine forces so I use whole plain yougurt. This seems to add the fat but allows for a lighter texture. More edible, less building material.
Not all substitutions are successful, i.e. salt for sugar, vinegar and milk for buttermilk. Pretty sure the indigenous people built dwellings from this maize creation. You could really taste the vinegar, which was not at all tasty.
I beat the eggs, yogurt and honey with a hand mixer. I felt like it needed some vanilla extract so I added a capful or so. I then mixed in my salt, baking soda and almond flour, being oh-so-careful not to overmix. Acid/base blah blah blah.
For the topping I used brown sugar, I don’t know what coconut sugar is, cinammon and all spice. Also, I learned that allspice is not a mixture of all of the common baking spices as I thought for most of my life, according to my Google overlords, it is “Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, or pimento, is the dried unripe berry of Pimenta dioica.” I think I will say I added Jamaica pepper next time, sounds more beachy. I drizzled a little oilive oil on top. I did not add slivered almonds as I felt the 3.5 cups of ground almonds was probably enough nuts for my GI system to process this morning.
I popped it in the oven and then the questions began. “Another coffee cake, are you putting blueberries in this one too?” “Is that almond flour, why can’t you use regular flour?” “How old is this coffee?” It baked in less than 30 minutes and was quite attractive for one of my baking experiments.
The entire cake was consumed in a few minutes, there were no stray blueberries squished onto the floor. A success! Additionally, I had but one bowl to wash. It was relatively light, delicious and practically a vegetable. I went on a run later and did not feel like I swallowed any lead weights.
No, I am not a professional photographer, but I can see why you might be wondering.
Today is a special day for me. This is the 3rd year I ran in our local Sleighbell race. 2 years ago was my first 5k. 2 years ago I was so tired after the race, I spent the next day in bed and took many Ibuprofen. 2 years ago, I was panting my way to a 32 something finish time. 2 yearsa go I know I walked part of the race.
Today I ran a 25:43. Today I did not need to take any Ibuprofen. Today, I ran the entire race and sprinted (my version) at the end. Today I feel good. What a difference 2 years can make. 2 years of running consistently 3-5 times a week, despite illness, injury, and weather.
It’s not just a difference of 7 minutes, it’s a difference of confidence and stoicism in the face of less than ideal body and weather. It’s knowing that you have committed and short of something cancelling the race, you are going to show up. My body feels strong and my mood is good.
Maybe you are new to running. Maybe you ran in years past but want to try again. Maybe you just want to read a blog post on running a 5k, no judgment here, everyone needs to start somewhere. This is the story of running my first 5k.
The first question you need to ask yourself is, “why should I run a 5k.” I don’t think there is a good answer but knowing your “why” will help keep you motivated. For some it is a way to lose a few pounds, for others, a chance to spend some time away from people and devices. Since this is my blog, I will go first and tell you why I ran my first 5k.
I actually ran 2 first 5ks which isn’t actually possible but I will explain. The first was never meant to be part of a larger running plan, my son was in a Montessori preschool and as an annual fundraiser, they had organized a 5k race. I was a local business owner and was one of the sponsors, a perk of which was a free race entry. As mentioned before, my son is a natual born runner and he “trained” with me. By trained I mean he ran next to me, talking the entire time while I gasped for air. I don’t think I ever even ran 3 miles until the day of the race, this is not the way to train for a 5k!
This first of 2 first 5k doesn’t really count in my book. I did finish and may have even placed (it’s a really small race!) and I was sore for several days afterwards. There was no plan and there was no commitment.
My Second 1st 5K
My interest in running was piqued about 6 months before my actual first 5k. My son was in middle school and was in the running club. As part of the running club all of the schools in the district participated in a spring 5k that runs through Colonial Williamsburg. The race is early in the morning and spring in Virginia can be unpredictable, this year is was a very hot race morning. My son was the only one who raced that year. I stood near the start line and as the runners passed, I felt an overwhelming mixture of emotions. I was brought to tears by the ROTC and military runners leading the race, many of whom held American flags as well as the wheelchair and stroller athletes. There were waves upon waves of kids, elementary, middle and high school all running together. I guess it was the together that got me. I felt so isolated and an “us and against the world” mentality that I was envious of people who were participating as a group. I was jealous of the runners. Proud and envious at the same time. I wished that could be me.
watching the start of the race, as a spectator
“I can’t run, I hate running, the last time I ran was when they made me run a mile for the Presidential Physical Fitness Test in high school, my organs aren’t well attached to my abdominal wall and they jostle too much when I run.”
I had repeated those things to myself and to others for so many years that I truly believed them. I also thought I was in pretty good shape, not overweight and I walked a bit, sometimes I even did a You Tube yoga video!
It was in the fall 3 years ago that my son brought home the flyer for the winter race in which the school participated. In a half joking way I said we should all run it. We signed up. We paid our monies and I put on what I thought were running shoes and headed out the door.
Which brings me to me feet. I had been having foot pain, likely from a neuroma, for a few years. The only shoe that seemed to help was the Ryka Graffik, super light weight and good arch support. This is what I started running in, today, this wouldn’t make it though a month of my running but at the time, it was good enough. You don’t need fancy shoes to get out there and get started! I ran in these shoes for several months before changing to a minimalist shoe discussed here. We live in a neighborhood with many hills, out house is at the bottom of one of those hills, it is a half mile of a steady incline from our house to the top of the main road. I made it about a quarter of a mile, I have no idea what my pace was, I wasn’t tracking my pace, my time or anything I was just putting one foot in front of the other!
My family laughed a little at me, I was more out of shape than I wanted to believe (did I mention I had just turned 40?) but I walked up the rest of the hill, turned around and ran back home. Downhill. I had about a month of what I will call practice because to me training implies a plan and there was no plan, only survival. My only goal was to finish. I may not have been in the best shape but I am very stubborn and perhaps too prideful, I would finish this race.
I have suffered from insomnia most of my life, mostly due to anxiety. I was so anxious leading up to this stupid 5k, I know it wasn’t the Olympics but I was really afraid I wouldn’t be able to do it. I slept little and poorly and woke up very early. It was freezing outside, literally freezing rain, about 30 degrees and sleeting. I knew from other parents that there was a lot of standing around outside before the race so we opted to leave the kids at home and head to the race ourselves. Miserable, cold, wet, nervous. I wasn’t sure what to wear, how many layers? How do I pin on this number? This all becomes important around mile 2 when I am so hot I am trying to take off my outer layer, which I have pinned to my inner layer, while running since I told myself that I wouldn’t stop no matter what. I planned to take it slow and steady and finish this race.
My husband and I huddled under the hospital carport to escape the wind and did some stretching, when it was time to line up, we left our coats near the breezeway and headed over. They had little signs for your anticipated time, I lined up in the 30-35 minute spot. I remember little about the first mile, it was kind of surreal to me, “you are actually running in a 5k, you are really doing it!” There was a a turn around near the 1 mile mark and as I headed back the other direction, I was surprised by how many people were behind me, despite my very slow pace.
I tend to run hot. I get really hot when I run. I didn’t know this yet and had put on gloves, ear muffs and 2 layers of long sleeves. Even at 30 degrees, this was too much. After the 2 mile mark, I pulled my outer layer over my head, while holding my phone and my not cordless headphones, wriggled one arm loose and discovered that I was pinned by my number to my inner shirt. I am still not sure how I undid all of this, I was able to free the pin and I must have repinned the bib, though with freezing fingers I think I only managed to get 2 back on. I tied my sweatshirt around my waist and pressed on. My husband later marvelled that I was able to do all of this while running and holding the above mentioned phone and headphones. I don’t know, as a mother we figure out all kinds of ways to get out of a jam. The good news is that all of this undressing and phone holding distracted me from the feeling that I was dying so it brought me another half mile closer to the finish line. As I made the final turn into the parking lot towards what I thought was the finish line, I was so disappointed to see there must be another parking lot loop to go as I couldn’t see the finish line. All I saw was another hill. I stopped for a second, then I heard my husband yelling, “Don’t stop the finish is just around this corner!” I wiped the snot on to my sleeve, mopped the rain from my eyes and pressed on. Though I had planned not to stop, I forgave myself, I had tried my best and finished the race. My time was a 32:35, a 10:31 mile pace. I placed 275 out of 575 runners/walkers. I was amazed to have been in the middle and impressed with all of the people coming out in this awful weather to do this thing together. I was part of the group, a crazy group of people raising money for Habitat for Humanity, cold and wet together.
I was looking back at my Runkeeper activities and I didn’t start using the ap until the week following this race. But I got right back out there and ran regularly despite the holidays and inspite of the weather.
My next race was even colder, taking place in the beginning of February 2018. My goal for this 5k was to be under 30 minutes. This race also featured a large uphill in the beginning, but as I had been running a similar hill from my house, it didn’t seem so bad, plus I got to finish on a down hill! My time for this second 5k was a 29:05, a 9:23 pace. I had shaved over a minute per mile in just over a month.
How I feel about cold weather running, I’m usually hot but I don’t want to be cold….
I tried to run every other day, usually 2 to 2.5 miles. I do not like to run on a treadmill so unless it was below 25 degrees or ice/snow on the ground, I ran outside. Being outside is probably what I enjoy most about running. I feel like an animal on the earth not a human in a cage. I know a lot of people need to run on treadmills due to work/family/weather issues but it takes much of the joy out of running for me.
My 3rd 5K,
At the beginning of this post, I talked about the mixture of joy/envy/pride I had watching that group of runners from all walks of like running in unison. This year, at the same race, on a beautiful and not hot spring day, I found my place with the people.
If you haven’t visited Colonial Williamsburg, you should. It is a unique place of living history, both in architecture and landscape. I love running here. Having a backdrop of the interpreters dressed in colonial garb next to the William and Mary students and the elementary student field trippers and tourists provides endless people watching opportunities.
The race begins adjacent to the William & Mary campus, winds through the campus and finishes on the historic Duke of Gloucester St. Williamsburg in the spring is beautiful and seeing everything come alive is invigorating. This time I was not a spectator, I was part of the messy, loud throng!
My Runkeeper clocked this course as a 3.2 (which it has in subsequent years) so I think it is slightly longer than a 5k, my time was a 27:54, an 8:44 min/mile pace. Nearly 5 minutes faster than my race a few months earlier.
The last 3 years hasn’t always been easy or fun. I have had my share of foot pain, wardrobe malfunctions and less than optimal performances. I haven’t yet run a 5k where after the first mile I am not vowing to never run again. Without fail, once the race is over, I am at the reception table picking up flyers for the next race. Running has brought me emotional peace, a sense of pride in my accomplishments I haven’t felt since my school days and shared experiences. with my family.
This is the story of my first (second first) 5k, In my next post I will give my unsolicited and likely unhelpful advice about running your first 5k!
You know how we all need someone to toot our horn? To make a small accomplishment feel like something worth sharing? I know I am often the first to dismiss my progress as “old lady running,” but in truth, I am proud of my achievements. Runkeeper and I go way back, I started tracking my runs about 3 years ago when my son came up with the hare-brained scheme to sign his family up for a local 5k. As a first-born child I am hooked on praise and concrete goals. Runkeeper (or any tracking app) gives you that instant feedback that the people-pleaser in me so craves.
Runkeeper does more than that for me, the little confetti animations when I achieve a new fastest pace in a week/month/fortnight etc breaks up the miles and gives me a second to reflect. The Richmond Marathon took place this last weekend and though I didn’t run, or even consider running the marathon, I know several people who did run the half-marathon and I have even considered trying it next year.
I have been working on a “training plan” using a more structured approach than my typical go out an run and see how I feel. For the past month, I have been doing one longer run a week, 5 or 6 miles at a slow pace, running for duration rather than speed. I have been shooting for around an hour and found this to be a very pleasant run, usually the run I enjoy most all week. Who would have thought a long run would have been my favorite? Not me.
I discussed my version of a “tempo run” here, I have tweaked this a bit. Once a week I run around my 5k pace, which I believe can be improved by a bit, as I find the adrenaline rush I get at the beginning of a race flusters me. I am trying to push myself more instead of my usual, lazy running.
I have incorporated sprint workouts into my training, I am sure the neighbors think I have lost my mind but I can really tell the difference in my endurance since starting these sprint runs. I am not that fast, I feel like I am really fast but Runkeeper would beg to differ. I run at about 7:30 pace for quarter miles at a time for 1-2 miles then finish with a 8:30 ish mile. I like these days least, but maybe in time I will learn to love them.
Yesterday, Runkeeper sent me the nicest email.
This run was my longest duration and my greatest distance and my largest elevation climb! That’s a lot of adjectives for one run! The best part is that I felt good running, not fast but that wasn’t my objective. I could have run faster as my last half mile was almost a minute faster than the rest of my run. I will fear no 10k!
3 years into my running journey, thinking about it makes me a little emotional. My kids are so much bigger than they were, looking at the pictures from our first race together it doesn’t seem possible that my son is now in high school. I have lost weight, though that wasn’t my goal, I sleep better and I have more confidence to tackle things that I know will be difficult. I will definitely write more about the insomnia thing, running has possibly saved my life in that respect.
It’s been building to a slow simmer these last 43 years…
I have a rival. Does this mean I have a -rive-d? I didn’t know I had a Rival until the I ran a recent 5k in which I made pleasant chit chat with anyone who would make eye-contact with me. There is a YOUNG woman, about my age who had introduced herself to me at a 5k earlier in the year. She actually was the one who encouraged me to sign up for my first 10k.
I had been making my attempts at “tempo runs” so I expected to do well on this flat course on a cool morning. And I did! I set a PR which to others may have been slow but to me, it was a very, very fast, almost supersonic 25:52. I won’t mention that my son who finished in 17:20 was digging into a bagel while I was in mile 2.
I joined the local run group because I thought it would give me discounts on races. It doesn’t. But membership was cheap and joining something in real life not the internet has been on my to-do list for a decade or so. Apparently there is a 40-49 women’s age group award that is highly sought after. The recognition also includes what I am told is a handsome plaque with the engraved race times for the year of the feat.
I am still of the mindset where I am just so pleased that I can finish a race that I can’t quite conceive of being in competition. God willing, that handsome plaque will be hanging on my wall next year!
Today was warmer than it has been and sunny, I took advantage of this by taking a slower paced but longer distance run.
My goal was to run for about an hour and this worked out to exactly 6 miles. The funny thing is, I really start to feel good after mile 4. I am not sure if this is my body going into protective mode, thinking I am dying and sending me off towards the bright light with an extra surge of serotonin, but I feel good. I always think I am an idiot for trying to run in the first mile, I hate everyone in the second mile and by the third I start to feel ok. Maybe that’s why I don’t love 5ks, I spend the majority of the time angry! I need to work on this.
