My Everyday Life on the Run

So, I left off on the question on whether I finished my long run or not. Well, yes and no. We were supposed to complete 18 miles running along a route that included downtown Houston, Mid-Town, The Heights, and Memorial Park. It was a great urban route that made you feel apart of the heart of the city and its behind-the-scenes look. We ran the route only to discover that our planned route had some closures, so instead of completing 18, we completed 17.2 miles, but my spirits were high.  I not only had run with my little running group inside my big running group but met new people along the way. Since all of our long runs are at conversational pace (believe it or not this does build endurance, that is for a later post), the miles carry different stories. Some are just ordinary life stories but others are a glimpse into my running peeps other lives, the non-running part. One of my Saturday running partners is a teacher from Cuba. She talks about her life in Cuba and her experiences a

Tapering is the hardest thing to do for most runners. Usually, it's done one to two weeks before a major race and the runner is to decrease their mileage to a very low number and effort. This seems like a deal, but to runners, it can be excruciating. All those months of training have made it intuitive to run and run with purpose. To lay off, doesn't feel natural. It almost feels like giving up. In fact, most runners will be irrational and think that by tapering they will lose their ability to finish the race or lose some endurance they have worked so hard to build. You can equate it to cramming for a test the night before. Cramming never is effective. You are too tired the next day do grab the answers from your brain. The same goes for running. You have to trust that the training is working and that all your body has learned is still there to get you across the finish line. It will not be those last few days of pounding out unnecessary mileage and effort that helps you do it.

By setting a goal, you risk a setback. While it is tough to accept, setbacks will happen and usually occur when you are revving up at the start of a new goal.   My new goal is to run a consistent average of 6 miles a day per month, which for the month of December equals running a total of 186 miles or the distance from Houston to Waco. I am not even 4 days in and my knee is already acting up.   Here I go fighting the good fight against Runner's Knee, my self-diagnosis.   According to Runner’s World, Runner’s Knee or Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), is common among runners and hence the name.   Usually the symptoms develop when you increase mileage in your training program and your poorly conditioned quadriceps and/or tight hamstrings are challenged to support the knee cap. If you are a woman, it happens more since we tend to have wider hips that exasperate the problem.   Runner’s World also sites additional causes as worn cartilage, high-arches, flat feet, and turned in knee