The Fall Line-Up

I love November. I consider it the start of my race year. Maybe it's the Turkey Trots, maybe it's the time change, maybe it's because running clubs start new rounds of marathon training. Either way, I'm excited for November 1st. I have three races to look forward to: The Shelter Island 5K, The Silverstrand 5K, and a Turkey Trot 10K in my hometown of Redding.

I'm trying to get faster, but getting no where fast with my current training schedule (running twice a week...not good). It's time to come up with a real plan and make it a priority. However, if I make the plan for myself, I'll never actually do it. Soooo....thanks to my iphone and the Runner's World Smart Coach App I downloaded recently, I can type in the date of my next race and my racing goals. This is my plan for the month of November (I made a slight modification and flip-flopped Tuesdays and Wednesdays so I could include Track Club). If you have any 5Ks or upcoming 1/2 marathons, I hope you find this plan useful too:

If you're 2-4 weeks out from a race, here's what Smart Coach says you should do: (Works for 5K, 10K, Half Marathon)

Monday: 5 mi, easy run
Tuesday: Speedwork (AKA: Track Club for me)
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 5 mi, easy run
Friday: XT (for me, Cycle class)
Saturday: 8-10 mi, long run
Sunday: rest

There it is. I wrote it. Now I'll do it.

Snail's Pace

Saw this little dude on my long run this morning. I think he's onto something with that streamlined, aerodynamic shell-situation going on. I think we can learn a few running lessons from snails... which is what I thought about for the remaining mile of my run.

1. If you can't go fast, you may as well be "slick."
2. Stay off of busy paths whenever possible.
3. It doesn't matter how quickly you get to the finish line, as long as you don't dry out before you get there.
4. If the conditions outside aren't ideal, or seem a little scary, stay inside the house.

Fog Delay

Look at that.
It's perfect long run weather out there and I'm stuck inside with an injured hip flexor again. Well...almost injured. It's hurting, but still usable--unlike the first time it gave me grief. I realized today what the problem is: hills. Every time I do more than one hill during the week, it starts acting up. This week I took on Laurel Street (22.5% grade) and almost immediately regretted it (it didn't help that I did speed work at track practice immediately after. That's just dumb.).

So there are really only a couple solutions I can figure for this hip problem of mine: 1.) Stop doing hills and 2.) Stop being stupid.

Starting with #1: There are so many flat races out there, so why do hill training if it's unnecessary? Especially since hills (both the up and down versions) are harder on joints and can cause injury more easily than a flat road. And #2: Honestly, what was I thinking doing two major hills this week while trying to up my speed? Just doing one of those things a week is enough...at the very most twice a week. But again, only one thing at a time. It's crazy how invincible we think we are when not injured.

One other thing... After reading this linked article a couple weeks ago I started working on my form: I'm trying to eliminate striking with my heel so much. But, now I'm wondering if in trying to run more flat-footed has caused me to strain my hip flexor in some way. Eh. We'll see. I'll do some foam rolling and a magical spin class and reassess the situation at the end of the week. One week off. That's the plan for now.

Anyone else out there working on their form--or have had to change it in the past? Got any helpful tips-- like, how do you know if you're even doing it right?

Why I Need a Long Run Tomorrow...

I received this email yesterday from a co-worker and almost didn't open it because I thought it would be some kind of Glenn Beck bullshit; however, I'm glad I read it. Although, it sort of made me feel even more like a babysitter than I already do. I literally said to my class of 40 freshman (10 girls and 30 boys...do you even understand what that means for my sanity??), "I am not your babysitter. Do you see any graham crackers and milk?!" To which one of the boys said, "Wait. You have graham crackers and milk? Where?" fml.

Title: Teachers' Hefty Salaries

Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - baby sit! We can get that for less than minimum wage. That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan -- that equals 6 1/2 hours). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children.

Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations. LET'S SEE.... That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).
What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 15 children X 180 days = $140,400 per year. Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here!


There sure is!


The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days =$277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!

WHAT A DEAL!!!!

Fall Racing Season

I love the fall. So many races to choose from... I just couldn't decide, so I signed up for three great ones (and I still need to find a Turkey Trot). They're great. Did I already say that? You should come run them too.

The first is:

The Shelter Island 5K on November 7th: This is a quick one that zooms around Harbor/Shelter Island area and ends at Humphrey's by the Bay for a...wait for it... champagne brunch. Whoo hoo! No need to join the Hash House Harriers with races like this around. I did this one about three years ago, before I acquired my running buddy, and a champagne brunch is just sad and pathetic without someone to toast with. However, this time is a different story. A much happier, drinkier story. If you sign up for this race and need someone to clink glasses with you at the end, let me know. I'll double fist it if I have to.

The second one is the very next weekend:

The Silver Strand 5K on November 14th: I was trying to sign up for the half marathon; however, San Diego is suddenly half marathon obsessed and it's becoming impossible to get into races without planning years in advance. Gone are the days of last minute registration...which means I'm screwed. I do everything last minute: lesson plans, plane tickets, deadlines. Anyway I settled for the 5K which means my goal is to beat whatever time I get in the Shelter Island one.

And finally,

The Carlsbad Half Marathon: I know it's in Winter, not Fall, but we'll ignore that for now. I was debating about whether or not to sign up for the full, but I just didn't feel excited for it like I was for Napa. The problem I've always had with the Carlsbad race is that it's an out-and-back course. Those are just the worst... you'd think they'd do something about that after all these years. It's just cruel is what it is. But, I decided to still sign up for the half because I guess I like being mean to me. I'm hoping to have picked a February or March marathon by then and the halfer will be about 6-8 weeks out and a good gauge for me pace-wise.

That's that.
Keep on truckin'