Finn & Reba Chronicles (formerly Adventures of Swirl's Serfs): Lessons I've Learned

Saturday, March 29, 2014

I’m a novice when it comes to running and I use the word runner lightly. I do the motion of running but I don’t really consider myself a “runner”. Since starting this most recent running streak (I have tried many times before but eventually gave up), I have learned a lot things.

Do:

Pee before a run.
Wear clothing for the temperature your body will feel like after a mile instead of what it feels like outside at the beginning otherwise you will need to strip mid-run or risk getting overheated.
In the winter, if at all possible, run into the wind at the beginning and with the wind on the way back because you will sweat and there is nothing worse than running into the wind with sweat on your body…you will freeze!
Test out shoes in cold weather beforehand to determine which ones will keep your feet warm. I learned this on the hard way…I never wore my Brooks outside and decided to wear them to Polar Dash…the coldest race of the year and suffered miserably!
Take a break if you are in pain, don’t tough it out!
Walk if you need to, it isn’t evil and can be beneficial!
Ease into running otherwise you will give up. I have eased into this time and look, 7 months later and I’m still running and actually like it!
Sign up for races so you stay on track.
Shop at Kohl’s for new, smaller clothes before a long run will keep you motivated!

Don’t:

Eat a Davanni’s deep dish all-meat pizza before a run and expect to go far.
Eat a Pearson’s Salted Nut Roll right before a run, you will get sick.
Run hard every day! Do some “easy” runs. Even if that means just going for walk.
Start too fast, ease into the run so you can finish it later.
Focus on speed, especially in the beginning because it will make you frustrated and more likely means you will give up. So what if a person passed you like you were standing still, let them run their run, you run yours…they could be a pro, you never know!

Learning!

So two of things on the list I learned today. Shopping at Kohl’s for new, smaller clothes before a long run is a good motivator to make you want to run because the running makes you smaller. That means in no time at all you can buy more, smaller clothes. And don’t eat a Pearson’s Salted Nut Roll right before hand. I didn’t get puking sick but I really didn’t think I’d make it. I hadn’t planned to eat the nut roll but I had to pee and forgot to use the bathroom at Kohl’s so I went to the convenience store by the park to pee and you can’t just use the bathroom without buying something and I thought the salted nut roll would be good. Wrong!

6.1 Miles

So my run today was 6.1 miles and was a bit slow. My average pace was 13:27 or something but I’m not upset, I had some really hard runs earlier this week so this was my easy run. Also there were some icy spots that I walked over because I don't want to get hurt. And don't forget I ate a salted nut roll beforehand so I wasn't feeling 100%!

Here are the splits:

Also this week…

I did a speed work out at the community center track on Thursday. I ran a lap at normal pace and a lap faster and repeat over and over. Some of the fast paces were around an 11 minute mile pace so I just have to get used to running that pace. Last night we went to the KC Fish Fry for dinner with Greg, Celeste, Evelyn, Beth and Abbie. And then afterwards we took Beth and Abbie to Mystic Lake Casino for their first gambling experience. They both did well. Here were their winnings.