Running without Music...part 2

Facing your fears, no matter how insignificant they may seem to others, is all part of the running journey.  I love the incremental improvements I have made in the past 8 months.  Last June, I had never even run 5K.  Now I have two 10K runs under my belt and am about to attempt a 9 mile road race.  I have signed up for 2 half-marathons later in the year.  But I must admit, as the miles mount, so too does the fear factor.  But like I say (as one of my running mantras) Bring It On!

As I mentioned in my last Blog entry, one of my fears regarding the Norton 9 next Sunday (03/03) is that I will be doing my first 'undulating' road race without music.  I hope there will be some whooping and cheering and motivational 'shout outs' from fellow runners, and that I will not be left alone with my internal monologue!

In preparation for the 9 miles, I did a short 3 mile run without music yesterday.  It was OK, my pace was a bit slower, but you have to start somewhere, right?  My long run today was an 8 miler, so I did the first 3 without music, and then hit my iPod, and fell into the arms of Guy Garvey as he sang 'One Day Like This' which is the tune I like to start my run to.  I love my playlist, but I'm weaning myself off.  My pace is slightly faster with my tunes, but I'm not going for a PB next week.  As long as I finish, it will be a PB, as I've not run the distance before!

Norton 9...yes, I'm a bit nervous, but I am also looking forward to it.   Will I ditch the tunes afterwards? I suppose it's possible.  The running journey is one of many surprises.

Running without music

I've only run once without music, because the battery was flat on my Nano. It wasn't good.  I'm quite skittish and easily frightened, and ended up screaming and nearly jumping into the road when a horse stuck its head over a fence and neighed at me.  I deduced then that running without music was not for me.  

I adore my running recently revamped running playlist.  Some tunes (Lady Gaga's Bad Romance and The White Stripes' Hotel Yorba) even help me to up my running pace to an 8.23 minute mile!  So it was with panic that I read the words on my information letter  for my next race "The wearing of headphones is strictly banned."

Maybe some people with headphones run like muppets, but I don't.  My headphones aren't even that good.  Today, when running with my tunes, I noted that I could hear the cars that were coming behind me, the barking of dogs, the wind, the hum of the electricity pylons.  I like to think that when running, I am completely aware of my surroundings; I try to look pain free and cheery as I pass a walker or an oncoming cyclist. I honestly believe that I can run safe whilst listening to music.  But obviously, not everyone does.

For the race, I must admit that I have considered running the wires up the back of my neck and feeding the headphones up through my hair and into my ears.  But I won't do that.  Instead, I am going to have to rely heavily on motivational tools, mantras and visualisation.  I have even wondered if I can sing my playlist as I run the race (won't I be popular with the other runners!)  

Any survival tips or advice will be greatly appreciated as this tunes addict prepares to go cold turkey!

Feel the fear...and do it anyway!

Six months ago, I stopped being a jogger, and became a runner.  Before that, my jogs didn't stray far from the boundaries of my village.  I plodded along, wondering what it would be like to run in a race, wondering if I could possibly manage a 5K.  Fear stopped me from taking the next step.  Even then, I was an avid reader of Runner's World, and I used to scan the running events near me, but each date passed me by without a commitment from me.

Then in July, I was touched by Olympic Fever. I chose a local 10K, entered, and then had that heady, giddy feeling of having pushed myself outside of my comfort zone.  Of course I ran the race, and discovered that I absolutely LOVED it!  I was buzzing for days at my sense of achievement.

Since then, I have become very comfortable with 10K, or 6.2 miles.  It's a distance I can do on a weekend without really pushing myself. Due to dark evenings (and there are no street lights to talk of in my village), minor illnesses with the kids, work and snow, my runs have been haphazard and I have not progressed beyond 6.2 miles.

The time has come!  The evenings are getting brighter and it's time to face my fears again...and overcome them.  My next challenge is a 9 mile run (Norton 9, near Doncaster) on 03/03.  It is a challenge not only for the distance, but also because the route is undulating.  As all of my runs are on pancake flat roads, this will really test me.  Bring it on!

Snow Get 'Em!

Snow and ice get the blame this week for my low mileage!  (Well....it's a different excuse to last week's!)  I will run in rain, and wind, and even in a bit of snow if the roads are clear, but I draw the line at ice.  What's the point?  You can't go fast...you might as well have a nice brisk walk with your dog instead (which is exactly what I did).  And I didn't feel too bad about it, because if I don't run for a few days, it doesn't matter.  

After a few days of not running, my body tells me it needs exercise.  I feel bloated and sluggish....and my hips hurt (figure that one out!).  Today, my mind was telling me another day off would't hurt.....there's still a lot of snow about, after all.  I dithered for a few hours, then went for it at 10 o'clock.  And I really enjoyed it.  When your body is in working order, it really is 'mind over matter.'  When my mind was saying 'oh, it's starting to hurt,' my inner Personal Trainer said 'Shut up and Run.'  I have asked my husband to kick my ass out the door the next time I'm procrastinating! There are very few runs I have regretted.

Better late than never!

My run last weekend was awful; the sort that made me think that running and I weren't meant to be.  Then I developed a chest cold, so I surrendered to my cough and took a full week off from running. I know that experts use the 'neck up' rule (http://www.runnersworld.com/health/should-you-run-when-youre-sick?page=single), but I didn't need to consult them as I knew that if I couldn't walk up the stairs without panting, I wan't in a fit state to run.With hindsight, I now think that the cold was in my system but I was unaware of it until the day following my run.

 This morning, I pulled on my running gear and set off into the chilly morning mist.  I made a conscious decision not to get caught up in numbers.  Today was about easing myself back into it with a sensible 3 mile run.  After about 2 minutes, I realised that I was actually feeling good.  My body was moving rhythmically without any great effort on my part.  Tentatively, I pulled back the sleeve of my running top  and looked at my Garmin.....my pace was 9.12!  Hurrah.  I am back on form.

Now, I'm filled with the New Year enthusiasm everyone else felt about 2 weeks ago.  I've been leafing through my latest Runner's World and can't decide which Half-Marathon should I do?  I am very tempted by Reading, North Lincolnshire and of course.....The Great North.  Decisions, decisions!

Loosing my Groove!

Like many, I have spent a large amount of my Christmas being a little too-well aquatinted with the sofa.  For a few days of that,  I was struck down by the vomiting bug and rendered lifeless and lacking in energy.  Before that, I suffered a cluster of migraines that lasted 10 days, so on the whole, I've lost my running groove!

Over the past two weeks, I have clocked up 22 miles, which is not bad going for me.  However, today was my first run after the bug.  And it hurt.   I ran for 5 miles, every one was as painful as the last.  My knee hurt.  The wind met me head on at every corner I turned.  I thought I was going to be sick.  I glanced down at my super-duper Garmin (my Christmas present) and felt further dejected when I saw my pace was bobbing between a 9:43 and a 10:03 minute mile. I can't remember the last time I ran at that pace. I called on all the mantras and motivational tools I knew of.  And I managed to keep going.   But I hated my run.  "I want to give up running" I thought briefly.

But I won't.  I am really only at the beginning of my running journey, and I know that running veterans have times like this.  I plan to rest tomorrow and go out again the day after.  The one good thing was that the sun finally came out!  (Albeit, after I got home!) But I'm taking it as an omen.

Here's a little something you may have read before, but I love it:
"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.  We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an action but a habit."  Aristotle

Mind Over Matter

"Slide, slide, skate.  Slide, slide, skate."
This is the little mantra I overheard my daughter whispering to herself the other day when she was trying out her new skates. It got me thinking about the internal monologue we have when we are doing something mechanical and repetitive, like running. I asked some runners and sports people what they do to motivate them.  This is what I came up with:

1)  Just....get....to...the....next...post!
Set yourself small achievable goals, like reaching the next lamp post.  The chances are, once you're there, you'll feel able to get to the next and so on.  The Runners World Streak http://www.runnersworld.com/cold-weather-running/2012-holiday-running-streak is a similar idea, where you pledge to run 1 mile every day over the holiday.  Often, when you get going, you will continue and run farther.

2) Use visualisation
Experts recommend you visualise your run before you actually set off.  Think about how you would like to look and feel at different stages.  If you are racing, it can be a good idea to drive the route before your run it so that you are familiar with the layout and you can visualise yourself running it. (Picture yourself as a Kenyan or an Ethiopian, or even as Mo!)

3)  Lie!
Tell yourself how wonderful you feel and what an amazing run you are having.  You may be so delirious you'll believe it!

4)  Think about the afterglow
Some people love the way their body feels after exercise - and some people like the smug feeling that comes post run!  Whatever your prefer, focus on that!

5) Have a mantra
Here are some little sayings that may help you to keep going once you get out there;

• Pain is temporary: failure lasts forever
• Get comfortable being uncomfortable
• Today is not the day I gave up
• I do it today for tomorrows results
• The harder it is, the greater the victory