Week 5 - Signs

Signs come in all different forms. They could be the obvious ones, for example road signs, where you're suppose to follow them. Speed limits, that's just a suggestion, right? Signs can be used as a gesture, for information, or offer direction. They can be direct or subtle, but the sign is only effective if we notice it. I kind of like the subtle ones. The one I'm specifically thinking of is this night. I easily could have shrugged off the conversation as nothing more than friendly chit chat. But something was very different. What prompts an acquaintance, known from a completely different sport, to plant an idea which spread like a virus? To me, that's a sign. I easily could ignored it, but the randomness of what took place, there was something special to this sign.

Getting out of bed at 5:45 in the morning on a Saturday, I'd classify that as a bad sign! Yet, this is what's required. It was a cold and snowy morning, lots of new snow this week, and it was still coming down. Run Camp started with a clinic on what paces we should be running our various distances at. I admit, I zoned out and this is what was running through my mind. 7:45, finally it's time to go! Stepping outside, the snow had stopped, the sun was coming out, there was still a chill in the air. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a sign it was going to be a good run! ;)

Five weeks in, I've put in lots of miles. The past two I've started to get a few aches and pains. My ankles have been sore, which I believe has to do with running on the snow which calls for constant adjustments. I don't mind that pain, because I know they are getting stronger. I worry most about my knees and one has been giving me slight pain, not while running, but more after. Then on one run this week and at about mile 4 today I think I felt Plantar Fasciitis for the first time. It went away quickly, so we'll keep an eye on that. My partner, CT, is nursing some hip pain, so I'm not the only one. We check on each other during the run, typically her question to me is "How are you feeling old man?". Yeah, so I'm a few months older than her, but I hardly think that qualifies that statement! Today was especially funny to me because when I turned to answer her, it was so cold that ice crystals had formed on her eye lashes, eye brows, and better yet had turned the top of her hair pure white! My instant thought was this little old lady next to has no business calling me old....and hey she's kind of a fast to be keeping up with me!

The distance that I'm running now, I have to start thinking about nutrition along the way. I've been hesitant so far because it's just one more thing to keep track of. There are a number of different options, but I like easy, so my choice is something called GU. It comes in a small foil packet, has various flavors, and the concept is to rip off the top, then squeeze the contents into your mouth as you run. I've been reluctant to try it so far because I worry about cramping or worse yet, it not agreeing with me and making a spectacle of myself hurling all over the road. Somewhere around mile 4, I felt very euphoric. Maybe it was runner's high, I don't know what it was exactly, but that was my sign that today would be the day to GU. We reached the 5.5 mile marker, stopped and took our GU...which was almost frozen solid. Maybe it was psychological, maybe it really did the trick, either way it worked. I felt much better for the second half.

After the run today, we stopped at a coffee shop to kill some time before another running clinic, Gazelle's GFR (Good Form Running). This is where this picture comes from. Sometimes those subtle signs are hard to recognize, but how could you not notice this one? I think it's safe to say, this is the sign I love running!

Normally, I'd end my post here, but I at least have to comment on one thing that made me smile from the clinic. I can't say enough good things about Gazelle's and I want that on record before I say this next part of this story! If I could have paid them extra for what happen, I would have, but honestly I didn't! The clinic video tapes you running, then they critic your form, offer pointers, and basically try give you hints to run properly. I talked a number of friends into joining me for this class and even had a guy who's been running with me on Wednesday nights in the class. It's somewhat nerve racking when it comes to be your turn on the big screen. The first thing they point out on me was basically a compliment. Had they supplied popcorn, ALL of my friends would have thrown it at me! You should have heard the grown, boos and hisses from my "friends"! Talk about putting a target on my back, thanks Gazelle's! I was already feeling great from doing 11 miles (a new record for myself), but the cool sign from the coffee place for my blog entry for the week, and now this....sure was an AWESOME week!