Just Run

After a full day of meetings, work, and teaching, followed by eating and grocery shopping (the most important errand for runners, amirite?) I found myself at a fork (ha!) in the road:

To run… or not to run?

I was starving, so I decided it would be a rest day and that I’d run tomorrow. (Possibly the most overused excuse in the book.)

Instead, I sat down and read about running speed, convincing myself that a small part of me was still… running.

But let’s rewind for a moment - to when I first started running nearly three years ago. Back then, the only goal was finishing one mile. Keep your goals reasonable, they say, and with running, that advice somehow feels both true and wildly misleading.

The first time my feet hit the track, I wasn’t stopping, but I was definitely turtling along. I wasn’t chasing time. When I completed that final loop, I was so surprised I’d finished that I nearly forgot to stop my watch.

Beep.

9:45.

Even more surprising? I felt like I could keep going.

Soon, one mile felt manageable, so I tried two. You can see where this is going.

Eventually, running became routine. Two miles - boom, done. Three or four if I had the time. I was also cross-training and dancing a lot back then. Unlike my high school PE days, I actually enjoyed running.

A few months later, a new question popped up: How fast could I run a mile?

Closely followed by another: How far could I go?

At its core, speed comes down to a simple equation: stride length + cadence. But increasing both at the same time is tricky (and a great way to get injured, from my experience). Overstriding is a common pitfall: reaching too far forward so your foot lands ahead of your center of mass, creating a chain reaction of foot, knee, and hip issues. Plus… it’s just inefficient.

I’m no expert, but from personal experience, cadence is my stronger suit (thank you, years of metronome-based musician training). My stride tends to be on the shorter side, even when sprinting, I might hit 1.2 to 1.3 meters. A cadence around 171–174 feels like a comfortable jog, but holding 180? That’s a whole different beast.

And then there’s the real brain teaser: what if you can hit 180 steps per minute… but you’re still running 8-, 9-, or 10-minute miles?

Food for thought. That’s where the art of training comes in.

Running seems as simple as putting one foot in front of the other.

Or is it?

Declared Rest Day

Okay, I hereby declare today a rest day. Not because it’s Saturday, but because I’m genuinely surprised by how sore I am. My quads, hamstrings, and even my calves have all joined in on a collective whining session.

Taking notes on the track 

And here’s the surprising part: it wasn’t caused by running alone. Nope. It was caused by - brace yourself - I’m saying the G word, which I’ve been avoiding like the plague - the gym.

Over the last six months (okay… maybe more), I got a little carried away with just running and quietly neglected strength training, drills, and cross-training. It’s easy to do when it’s just you, your running buddies, and a trusty pair of shoes. (I’ll never forget that agonizing 10-mile loop last spring - huge thanks to Rod for pacing me from mile three-ish onward after I foolishly tried to hang with Mike and lost him two miles in.)

So yesterday, I temporarily parted ways with my running shoes and reintroduced myself to my longtime gym. Some famous athlete-turned-personal-trainer (name escapes me) once said: Choose a gym close to you, because you’ll actually go. So true. Unfortunately, the gym I committed to is about 25–30 minutes away. My runner logic says: Why sit that long when you could squeeze in a 5K? And yes, my friends will confirm - I do not sit still well. 😆

That said, when I realized my mile pace had slowed to about 9:30 per mile, nearly a full minute off my half-marathon PR pacing, I was, to put it mildly, horrified. I also finally admitted something I’d been avoiding: I hadn’t touched a treadmill, leg press, heavy free weights, or even a group exercise class since August 2016. Eight months ago.

Back in September and October, I raced four weekends in a row - 10K, 5K, half marathon, and 10 miler - and felt great. I even set a PR in the 10 miler. Then the holidays arrived… and I settled in too. Hard.

Suddenly I was sitting. Mostly sitting. Catching up with people over long meals, because, let’s be honest, runners are always saying things like, “Sorry, 8 p.m. is too late, I have to wake up at 3 a.m. for a race.” It felt nice to sit. One dessert turned into another. 

 

This is still healthy, right? Because it is a rainbow of colours.

Through all of this, I still ran for fun. I didn’t race in December, but I made sure I got my outdoor time. I kept things together enough to run a couple of January 5Ks and squeak in under 30 minutes - barely. That’s the sneaky thing about fitness: it can slip away without you noticing… if you never test it.

My times crept up - 30 seconds, then 50, then 60. I blamed sleep, reduced mileage, and the occasional late-night large meals (we’ve all been there). After all, I was still running! Mini miles count!

But when I found myself feeling winded near the 30-minute mark in 5Ks, knowing my PR is 27:11 on a true 3.1-mile course, I thought, Huh. That’s weird.

So… back to the gym. Time to rebuild some strength. Time to show up again. See if they bought new equipment. Or moved anything. Since it was such a drive, I committed to staying one full hour - a massive commitment for someone who prefers running and calling it a day.

I decided on a circuit-style workout: drills, weights, and a little jogging (because I couldn’t help myself). About 20 minutes in, I wanted to quit. I was breathing louder than the music blasting through the speakers. But I stuck it out for the full hour, wondering how I used to do this weekly, in a group class, no less.

And now… today.

I am feeling it.

The foam roller is my best friend. So are turmeric, avocados, and all the anti-inflammatory foods. And honestly? This feels like the perfect day to sit, recover, and blog.

Rest day officially approved.

Carlsbad 5000: All Day 20K

An "all day 20K" sounds long. All day? It is a test of endurance, though packed into short bursts of four 5K races. The Carlsbad 5000 attracts many runners, because of it's relatively flat and fast course in downtown, you guessed it, Carlsbad, CA. Each 5K was divided into the following groups:

Masters and Men over 40

Masters and Women over 40

Ages 20-29

Ages 30-39

So guess what the all day 20Kers did? 

We committed to all four races.

As soon as I heard about the 20K, my hand gravitated towards the "REGISTER" button. This would be a cool challenge, and if I was going to make the trek to San Diego, I might as well run four races instead of one, right? 

Plus, another question I had for myself was, would this be more difficult or easier than a half marathon? I had to find out. My hunch was this would be easier, because I had at least 30 minutes break between each race. But, 5Ks tend to be fast, so perhaps I would burn through more sugary carbs, and use more fast twitch muscles, yet need to rely on the endurance muscles to...endure this four times? 

The first race started at 6:55 am, which meant wake up was 4 am. It was chilly out, dark, and my first thought was, "Well...at least some people wake up at this hour." My mom kindly agreed to come along and be my cheerleader, photographer, and elite runner sidekick oogler. I opted for VIP parking, which cut down on the stress and time weaving through the road-closed downtown area. Totally worth it. 

The infamous row of Port-o-Potties

Because the course crossed the railroad tracks, the start times had to be adjusted with the train schedule. So a tad after 7 am, we were off! The majority of the runners were men over 40, and I definitely got passed up by guys twice my age. Like I said, this race attracts the speedsters!

The front of the pack looking very...speedy

I knew I had 3 more races to run, so I tried to pace ultra conservatively and not get too carried away with the speed of the others. Closed out the first mile in 8:49. A bit on the fast side for my strategy. 

I ended up hanging in there and pushing it and finishing in 28:20.

Pretty stoked, a little red, and already onto water bottle #2

I was feeling pretty good, and ready to take on the race #2, which was supposed to start around 8:12 but got pushed back to 8:26. Again, train schedule. I had grabbed some fruit and snacks at the finish line but wasn't hungry. Instead, I popped an energy gummy that tasted like a watered-down, jello'ed version of the Starburst candy. Hopefully it'd deliver some sugars to my muscles fast.

Race #2 with the Women's division felt better! Either because I had "warmed up" or was just enjoying running in mostly feminine energy. I finished in 29:45. Now, I was starting to feel hungry.

Eating anything I could get my hands on

The ladies taking off - I am not pictured because I was not in the  5 minute per mile corral :)

For race #3, I was starting to feel a bit fatigued. Wasn't sure if it was more mental than physical. I had been in "race mode" since 7 am, and it was now 9 am. If I were running a half marathon, I'd be nearing the finish line at this time.

But - the all day 20K was only half over. Race #3 slated to start at 9:26 am. I spend the time waiting and digesting several crackers and a blood orange. 

Originally, my goal was to run all four races under 30 minutes. Seemed reasonable at first, but going after how I felt, I changed it to just run all of them nonstop. No walking. That's one thing endurance running has taught me. Be adaptable. 

I ran it in 31:37. 

Ok, more like ran-jogged. My legs were starting to feel like steel. Not in the power way, but the weight way. 

Yug.

So my finishing picture after race #3 is more of a starting energy for race #4. I got this!!!!!

By 10:30, the final race was off. Three and a half hours after the initial race. 

We ran the same course, so this time around it was like running in auto pilot. Oddly enough, it didn't seem long, as repetition can make things, at least mentally, seem much longer. In fact, it felt faster than the first race, even though I know I "snailed" out on this one. 

Non-stop running got me a finish time of 32:29 for the fourth and final leg.

I was glad to be done. Didn't have much more energy to do another 5K. 

However, it did make for some pretty data: 

I was ready to now be a spectator and watch some of the elite races that followed us. It was awe inspiring to see these runners clocking in 13, 14, 15 minute 5Ks. 

Stride length goals, among many others

Awesome!

I left the race physically tired, but mentally refreshed and inspired...hey that rhymed!

Was it easier than a half marathon? No way. I thought the waiting times between the races would be an advantage, but it feels like getting the miles done in one go is easier, provided you pace yourself well in the beginning.