Pain

In the interest of full disclosure, here is something every runner/aspiring runner should know.  It hurts.  If you are running hard, it will hurt.  Not injury hurt.  But I-am-pushing-myself-to-the-limit hurt.  The kind of hurt that fades quickly in your memory to merely "hard effort" so that our brain tricks us into running again.  The kind of hurt that is easily over-ridden by the joy of personal bests and conquering difficult things.  It hurts, but fortunately the pain is temporary.  

G. Gordon Liddy of Watergate renown famously held his hand in a flame to show his pain tolerance.  When asked what the trick was, he replied, "The trick is not minding." (Quoted in The Quotable Runner). This is the trick to enduring long distance running as well.  We train our bodies to not mind the pain.  We can train to reduce the amount of pain we feel, or how early it comes to us.  We don't train to avoid pain. Rather, we train not to mind, because we have experienced pain before, liived through it, and become stronger for it.  It shouldn't hurt the whole time you run, or every time you run, but if you expect (and meet, and conquer) a little difficulty once in a while, you will be stronger for it.  

Now that I think about it, I guess the same thing can be said for life, too. 

Bumper stickers

To brag or not to brag? 

 I have read several online rants lately against runners in general and bumper stickers in particular that proclaim the driver is a runner.  I have been puzzled about the hostility behind such rants, but since it is of such critical importance in the eternal scheme of things, I will attempt to offer a solution to the battle of the bumpers: GET OVER IT!

Here's the basic debate.  Many runners, especially those who run relays, half- and full marathons, like to celebrate their accomplishments with a window sticker that quietly proclaim their conquest.  "13.1" and "26.2" are common stickers, along with the logo for prominent races (which is really just cheap advertising for those races, but that's another subject).  In the style of "my kid is an honor student" stickers from years ago, these stickers shout to the world, "I'm great and you should care!"

On the other side are the non-runners we will call Jealous Jim's. Jim thinks that runners should keep their celebrations to themselves, because it makes him feel inadequate.  He feels badly that he hasn't earned a "13.1", and isn't clever enough to get his own "0.0" tag, so he doesn't think anyone should have one.  He probably doesn't have an honor student either, but again, I digress.  The argument, as I understand it, is that anyone who has the audacity to run should keep it to himself. 

Will these two sides ever see eye to eye? Probably not.  Yes, Runners do use the bumper stickers to show off.  But they are also claiming their position in the broader fraternity of runners worldwide.  For a sport that is generally solo, it is nice to be part of something bigger.  Does it actually hurt non-runners to look at a bumper sticker for a sport they don't understand? No, it does not. 

So maybe we can come to some sort of truce.  Runners can use whatever bumper stickers they want, and non-runners can ignore them.  Runners can continue to accomplish great things, and non-runners can continue to accomplish whatever it is people do when they don't run.  Let's just accept things as they are, agree that we are not going to change each other, and stop fighting over the bumper.  

Now don't we all feel better?  Great, because it's time to go for a run.  Maybe I'll tell you about it on my bumper sometime.  

Eternal truths

So I was lukewarm about running today.  I had a lazy morning, and as it got later and later I kept reducing the miles I was going to make myself run.  I got to the point where I was only going to run 4 miles instead of the 6-8 I had planned.  Then my husband suggested that we run together.  While I love my husband, my initial reaction was not joy.  He is faster than me, so I knew that even if he promised an easy day, I would end up running harder than I would on my own.  He also wanted to run 5 miles, so I would have to talk myself back into going farther than I wanted.  But I agreed to go, because the company is always nice, and the day was beautiful, and really, why not. 

As we ran, I discovered I was half right in my predictions.  I did run faster than I planned, but it wasn't as hard as I expected, either. And while we did go farther than I planned, as we finished I thought I probably could have gone another mile or two, even with the faster tempo.  I was pleased with how the run had gone, and glad I had been talked into it. 

I think I must have been unusually philosophical as well, because I was reminded of several simple, eternal truths over the course of the run:

1.  You usually can give more than you think you can. 

2.  What is easy for someone else might be hard for you, but you will be better for trying to reach beyond your best.

3.  There comes a point when you just have to decide to do what is hard. Even if you don't want to.  

Winter running, AKA what doesn't kill you makes you stronger

When I finished my marathon, I was on a running high.  I started planning my winter training, to maintain base for a fast 5k, add speed  in the spring, and then build the distance again in the summer for an attempt at a sub-3 marathon. It sounded like a good plan.  And then it snowed.  And then I realized why I never have a training schedule that includes anything besides slogging miles in the winter.  It is hard to run when the streets are icy, snow is blowing in your face, and you can't feel your toes.  But taking all winter off would lead to a larger, unhappy version of myself, so I keep going.  Unfortunately I am not a treadmill runner, so all my winter miles are outside, but I have learned that you can do anything with the right gear and expectations.  Here is my list of things you need most to survive winter running:

1. Attitude:  remember that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and all those days you spend training in the cold are putting you ahead of the lazy (though warm) slugs staying inside.  Remind yourself how much you love the seasons and having the streets to yourself.  And remember to smile when you get looks that tell you people think you are crazy.  You are.

2.  Spikes:  Ice is not our friend.  Most of the time the plows scrape off the top layer of snow and leave the smooth but deadly ice underneath.  Find some nifty spikes that strap over your running shoes and give you a bit more traction.  They can be pretty affordable and are available in different thicknesses (from rubber studs to chains) depending on your winters.  

3.  Layers:  abandon all cotton, you winter runners.  Use layers of technical fabrics, so the sweat is wicked away from your body and the heat is trapped in.  This way you stay dry and warm. Also you will feel faster and sleeker in long tights instead of sweats.  Don't worry about the looks you will get from neighbors, they are just jealous of your ability to wear spandex in public.  Common advice says if you are warm when you start, you will be hot once you get going, so dress a layer down from what you need, or be prepared to undress as you go.  

4.  Mask/balaclava:  once temps drop into the teens, I need face protection.  If it gets into the single digits, or it is windy, I pull the mask over my mouth and breathe through it to warm the air. Icicles will form on your eyelashes but as long as you can see you can run.  

5.  Lower your expectations:  By all means, maintain mileage, and throw in speed days when the roads are clear and the sun is  shining, but don't expect a lot of your training.  When it is frigid, your body has to work harder to achieve the same results, so fast times are harder to come by.  That's okay.  Know that whatever base you put in during the winter puts you closer to a PR in the spring, so just go with it.  

6.  Hot chocolate and hot water:  just taking about the hot cocoa and the hot bath awaiting at home get me through many cold days. Hot water is a wonderful thing.  

Finally, have fun. Find a buddy, take a cross-training day somewhere warm, or go sledding instead once in a while. Think about the good things of winter, while looking forward to fast times in spring.  Just don't talk to people who live and run in warm weather.  It doesn't help.  Trust me.