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Even though the 1983 Elton John hit "I'm Still Standing" has to do with a broken relationship, I think the lyrics can just as well apply to my first week of official training for my 10K run:
" Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid"
Ericka S. and I sure felt like little kids, discovering all kinds of things that we never realized were just as important to running as putting one foot in front of the other, such as:
1) What it felt like to run the longest distance we've ever tried before.
After independent runs and a day of doing something other than running (we chose to go to a water aerobics class), we had our first joint run on Day 3. Running with someone else really brought out my competitive self. I didn't want to be a slacker in front of Ericka so I was bound and determined to run the whole three miles this time without stopping...and I did. I stayed in the lead the whole time and then went straight to the fast strides. I was really pushing it and it felt good.
2) What it felt like to be excessively dehydrated.
After a promising Day 3 run, I went home and immediately got caught up in chores and various other activities. Needless to say, I didn't remember to drink or eat after my workout which isn't really new for me because I never eat or drink after a workout. Then about 3 hours later, I started feeling really gross, just like I had the flu. I was achy all over, my head hurt, and I felt like I was going to throw up. Yuck. I figured it was due to my pride in pushing so hard during the training session. But the weird thing was my legs didn't hurt; just everything else did. After a couple of hours of feeling like this, I called Ericka to see if she was experiencing the same symptoms. Nope, she was feeling just fine. She suggested I was probably dehydrated. She knew of my bad habit of not drinking enough (or in the this case, hardly at all). She said my body was suffering because I did not have enough fluids in me. A couple other people concurred with her diagnosis as well. What an idiot I was. Hello. If I am going to work harder, I need to give my body what it needs to perform at its peak. I immediately starting downing the water and also took a nap. When I got up an hour and a half later, I felt much better. Not completely restored, but definitely better. I don't ever want to feel like that again. EVER. Consequently, I have developed a keener interest in downing lots and lots of water.
After independent runs and a day of doing something other than running (we chose to go to a water aerobics class), we had our first joint run on Day 3. Running with someone else really brought out my competitive self. I didn't want to be a slacker in front of Ericka so I was bound and determined to run the whole three miles this time without stopping...and I did. I stayed in the lead the whole time and then went straight to the fast strides. I was really pushing it and it felt good.
2) What it felt like to be excessively dehydrated.
After a promising Day 3 run, I went home and immediately got caught up in chores and various other activities. Needless to say, I didn't remember to drink or eat after my workout which isn't really new for me because I never eat or drink after a workout. Then about 3 hours later, I started feeling really gross, just like I had the flu. I was achy all over, my head hurt, and I felt like I was going to throw up. Yuck. I figured it was due to my pride in pushing so hard during the training session. But the weird thing was my legs didn't hurt; just everything else did. After a couple of hours of feeling like this, I called Ericka to see if she was experiencing the same symptoms. Nope, she was feeling just fine. She suggested I was probably dehydrated. She knew of my bad habit of not drinking enough (or in the this case, hardly at all). She said my body was suffering because I did not have enough fluids in me. A couple other people concurred with her diagnosis as well. What an idiot I was. Hello. If I am going to work harder, I need to give my body what it needs to perform at its peak. I immediately starting downing the water and also took a nap. When I got up an hour and a half later, I felt much better. Not completely restored, but definitely better. I don't ever want to feel like that again. EVER. Consequently, I have developed a keener interest in downing lots and lots of water.
3) How to input our run stats.
My friend, who was a professional runner, recommended a web site, Strava, to keep track of my runs. It is free to sign up and keeps track of when, where, and how far you ran. It also lets you know your speed and finishing time... all very good and important information to keep track of.
Registering was no problem but keeping track of the input was trial and error (mostly error). For my first run in Utah, I didn't check out properly so the clock kept ticking. When I went back to the site to start my Day 3 run, I discovered that my account recorded I had run over 500 miles (the distance between Provo and my house). Argh. Next, I accidentally hit the record button while right in the middle of my run so my stats reflected only part of my workout. Double argh. Finally, I hit another button while running on Day 5, this time erasing everything I had done. Triple argh. Consequently, my stats are far from the truth. Before I start Week 2, I must figure out how to freeze my iPhone screen so that I don't inadvertently hit some random button again. If not, I will never have accurate statistics.
Week 1 is in the bag and yep, I feel like a true survivor. Can't wait to see what Week 2 is going to teach me. Yeah Yeah Yeah.
My friend, who was a professional runner, recommended a web site, Strava, to keep track of my runs. It is free to sign up and keeps track of when, where, and how far you ran. It also lets you know your speed and finishing time... all very good and important information to keep track of.
Registering was no problem but keeping track of the input was trial and error (mostly error). For my first run in Utah, I didn't check out properly so the clock kept ticking. When I went back to the site to start my Day 3 run, I discovered that my account recorded I had run over 500 miles (the distance between Provo and my house). Argh. Next, I accidentally hit the record button while right in the middle of my run so my stats reflected only part of my workout. Double argh. Finally, I hit another button while running on Day 5, this time erasing everything I had done. Triple argh. Consequently, my stats are far from the truth. Before I start Week 2, I must figure out how to freeze my iPhone screen so that I don't inadvertently hit some random button again. If not, I will never have accurate statistics.
Week 1 is in the bag and yep, I feel like a true survivor. Can't wait to see what Week 2 is going to teach me. Yeah Yeah Yeah.
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