A series of unfortunate gym events

Today’s training task: run 3.5 miles. With my weight training class tonight, I needed an early morning trip to the gym to accomplish this. Although I’d prefer to run outdoors at this point, with temperatures in the low 30s, running outdoors in the dark and cold was not ideal, so I was treadmill-bound. (In retrospect, this is misfortune #9.)

At 6:30, I prepared to climb onto the treadmill and geared up my Nike+ to track my workout with my iPod. Now, I had noticed when I walked into the gym that it was warmer than normal but didn’t think too much of it (misfortune #1). The treadmill I typically use has a built-in fan. I signed it out on the gym sign-up sheets and walked over to it, only to realize it had an “out of order” sign on it (misfortune #2).

Back to the drawing board. I found and signed out a functioning treadmill. On my iPod, I scrolled to the Nike+ menu and selected a workout based on distance—3.5 miles. Yet, for some reason, my Nike+ will only let me select 10K as a distance (misfortune #3). This means that it’s not really tracking the workouts I’m aiming to accomplish, and I will not finish that workout until much later in my training schedule.

I tried to start at a slightly brisker pace than normal thinking it would be a piece of cake after my big run on Sunday—a mere 5.4 instead of 5.2. It didn’t feel so hot. So, I managed for a mile to jog between 5.2 and 5.3 miles an hour. My legs felt like lead posts, I was mopping my brow every 30 seconds with the heat and humidity in the gym, my face felt on fire, my throat was painfully dry, and I started to feel queasy (misfortune #4). I managed a mile, then slowed to a walk to grab some water with the intent of resuming my run to make my 3.5 mile goal. After a minute of rest, I picked up the pace again to 5.3. After less than a minute, I felt seriously ill. I had to stop (misfortune #5).

Panting and feeling worse than I had after running four miles only two days earlier, I stumbled to an exercise bike (the cross trainers seemed a little too intense at that point) that would allow me sit back and just let my legs fly.

Finally, success. I managed to bike 7.5 miles in 20 minutes at a reasonable level of intensity. I stretched for a few minutes but realized that it was 7:30. For me to make it to work on time, I’d have to leave the gym by 7:40 to stop by my car in the parking deck, exchange bags, and walk to work. Ten minutes for the shower (which is a process in and of itself in a gym locker room), makeup, hair drying (with a dryer on the wall). I was going to be late (misfortune #6).

When I made my way to the showers, I had two options: a handicap-accessible stall with no shelving to put my things on and a hand-held instead of wall-mounted shower, or the open showers where anyone could walk in and see me in my birthday suit, as it were (misfortune #7). I went with my first option, which made for a less than satisfying shower, I’ll say. On top of that, the girl in the stall next to me kept hacking and gurgling and making unfortunate sickly cold/cough sounds. Great, like I need to get sick because some girl is hacking up her lungs in the shower next to mine? (misfortune #8).

I managed to throw my outfit and makeup together, and made it to work at 8:20 (not a huge deal, really, since I’ll stay later anyway with my weight class at 6 p.m.).

It was somewhat discouraging to realize that I could bike a half-marathon today if I had to. So why does running have to be so much harder? I’m hopeful that soon the weather will begin to cooperate a little more and allow me to run outdoors before 7 a.m. Another lesson I learned today? I really do need to get out of bed closer to 5 a.m. (versus 5:30 a.m.) to allow myself enough time to really drink some fluids and also get to the gym earlier so that I can build in more time for stretching and still make it to work on time.

And, hey. Tomorrow’s got to be better, right? (At least tomorrow I’m getting fitted for new running shoes, which will be exciting!)

To end on a positive note, I’ll share a quote (from a Starbucks cup, surprisingly) that I think really speaks to this whole half-marathon thing for me:

“The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating—in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.”

– Anne Morriss, Starbuck’s customer

Down Goes the First Toe

I have a limited history of posting on this blog, and part of the reason for that is that I didn't really have a purpose when I created it. Now, I do. This past week, I decided to commit to running a half-marathon on May 2nd in NC. 11 weeks of training to jump from a 3-mile jog (paced about an 11- or 12-minute mile) to running 13.1 miles.

Why? Well, mostly gut. I saw a posting about the half-marathon and my gut kicked in to tell me it was time to go for it. I keep thinking I'll train to run 5K or 10K, but somehow with those smaller goals in mind, I can't do it. I think the half-marathon will be the perfect recipe to get me out and training. A bit drastic? Yes. Worth it? Heck yeah.

I don't have a great history of running: as a novice runner, I ran 10K races in March 2004 and 2005 (with minimal training for each--about three months both times), and any running I've done since then has been mostly sporadic. Most recently, since the fall, I've gotten into a jogging routine (about 2.75 mile route outside or whatever I can manage on the treadmill).

Today was my first "long" run, and the first time I've run outside since, oh, November. Maybe October. Each week, I'll jump up my mileage on the weekends. Today was four miles, and let me tell you, it was not easy. In fact, I had to walk a few times. I felt like my chest was going to burst, and my knees ached. I was a sweaty, gross, purple-faced mess by the time I finished, and I injured my toe for the first time. (I expect it will continue to happen: it is not unusual for me--I lost the same toenail several times in my 10K trainings... the same one that now hurts.) As I finished the four miles and met back up with the group I had started with, I heaved out a raspy "I think I should aim for a 10K first."

The good news? I have a running partner, my friend Kelly from graduate school. Upon my retraction of intent to run a half-marathon, Kelly exclaimed that I couldn't give up. She was right. As I drove home, a mess of internal temperatures (head steaming from the rain, legs aching from the cold, torso vacillating between overheating and freezing), I realized something: "Duh. It's not like this is going to be easy. You knew that going into it." Well, that and the fact that I've told about 20 people I'm close to that I'm running a half-marathon and posted about it on Facebook.

So I'm committed. Kelly and I went and bought some higher-tech running gear this afternoon, and I'll be back out there again Tuesday (tomorrow is my "stretch and strengthen" day on my training schedule).

Here, in my Natalies blog, I will chronicle my journey from 3-miles to 13.1 miles. I may not run the whole thing come May 2nd. It's not going to be pretty. But darnit, I'm in this thing now. No going back.