10 Mile/10 Day Challenge (Day 4)

 

End of first mile.  You can hardly tell by
the picture, but it was very foggy.

 I started this morning into the fog.  I was a little concerned about the forecast of freezing rain, but it never came, to which I was very thankful as I had nothing to protect from the elements.  I was also concerned about the nagging pain (I guess I'd rather use the word "discomfort") in my knee.  I don't have any experience with knee injuries, so I'm not quite sure what I'm getting in to.  Everything I have read recommends reducing mileage immediately when you feel pain in your knee...but that philosophy just doesn't work for ultra marathoners.

Once my knee warmed up, the discomfort wasn't so noticeable.  I wouldn't say it is worse than yesterday, but definitely not better either.  I got a good pace going (playing the little games I often play), and soon added another concern!  I left my pack in the truck (I don't usually take it on anything less than 13 miles or so), and I was feeling like I might have to use the restroom before my run was over.  Not a problem...

I thought that I had written about the use of Mullein, but I can't find it.  Perhaps I deleted it as "inappropriate," but this is important stuff and is worthy of mention.  I took a risk over a year ago, in an emergency, and when I got home I researched the plant to make sure it wasn't  poisonous.  It turns out that they are a very common plant to be used for TP, but sometimes cause rashes due to either the oils in it or the tiny hairs (I usually wipe the leaves off very good with my hand and have even used a bit of water from a water bottle if I have one).  My skin is actually very sensitive, but I have not had a problem with Mullein...and trust me, I have since used them many, many times!  Another benefit is that they are around all year round and never really freeze (you may have to brush a little frost off... but then they are ready for use) 

 I never really felt that cold this morning.  It was about 30 degrees, and I knew I was sweating good, but didn't realize the sweat was freezing till I looked at the draw string of my hooded sweatshirt.  It had formed a "sweatcicle." I sent a picture to my wife and she thought it was pretty gross... I'm really not sure that it was all sweat.  Freezing moisture was collecting on all the plant and trees.  But how does one know?  I sure wasn't going to test it for saltiness. 

Anyway, it wasn't a bad run.  My time was on target (I set a slow, 12-minute/mile pace for each run during this challenge).  I know I could go faster, but I'm comfortable alternating slow jogs and faster runs with short walk breaks.  As long as I stay within 12 minutes per mile, I'm not too concerned.  The last mile, however, the discomfort in my knee got a little closer to what I would call pain.  As an precaution, I decided to ice it.  Here is another good reason to keep a zip-lock freezer bag in your pack (more about packing here)

Looking forward to the rest of this challenge.  I just hope the knee doesn't become too problematic.  If it does start getting worse, I will try hiking a day and then try to go back to running the next day.  Stay tuned for day 5.

10 Mile/10 Day Challenge (Day 2 and 3)

Day 2

Yesterday was about 10 to 15 degrees warmer than Monday, which put the temperature at about 5-10 degrees.  I could feel the difference.  I was considerably warmer, of course I had prepared for it and layered the best I know how.  I wrote a little bit about layering about a year ago in "Acclimating to the Cold", but thought I should write a better post about layering and have attempted to do so in a recent post: Layering for Winter Weather. 

My biggest problem yesterday was in my first layer.  I kind of didn't have one.  I went straight to thermal undershirt with a thick, cotton sweatshirt over that.  I was missing some sort of sweat-wicking shirt underneath to keep me dry.  Instead, my thermal undershirt was soaked with sweat and froze, leaving me with some mild frostbite on my stomach.  This was very miserable during the last couple miles of my run (P.S. we all know we are not supposed to take hot showers when we are frostbitten, right?  Yeah...follow that advice!  I found out I was not an exception).  But I finished (kind of sluggishly) and completed my challenge for the day--10 more miles dedicated to ten teens I am praying for.

Day 3

Today went pretty well.  It was actually close to 30 degrees...above!  Can somebody say "Heat wave?"  I could feel the difference, and I was very comfortable during the run as far as temperature goes.  However, I was experiencing some discomfort in my left knee.  I don't usually struggle with knee problems, and this seems way too early in the challenge to be experiencing stress from overexerting.  We'll keep an eye on it and see what happens in the coming days.  Despite the discomfort in my knee, I finished strong and actually finished a few minutes faster then Monday and Tuesday.  But more importantly, I was able to think about, and briefly pray for 10 more teens on my mind.

Thanks for Reading, and praise the Lord today for His goodness!

10 Mile/10 Day Challenge (day 1)



Right before sundown, headed out for a run two
nights before 10/10 challenge.

As I mentioned in my last post, my training got off track during the holidays.  Then, I attempted to get back on track, and quite honestly still didn't get in all the miles I was supposed to (I hesitate to post a link here to my training plan, because I'm not sure I want anyone to see how much I was supposed to have run compared to what I actually did.  But you can see the 18 week plan here). 

So, I got determined last week and said, "That's it! I'm not going to mess up next week.  I'm still going to do the 10 miles/10 day challenge I had planned on doing."  Unfortunately, after looking at the calendar, I realized I was supposed to be on week 7 and was jumping the gun a little.  Actually, though, I think it makes better since to move week 7 to after week 9 anyway.  So the challenge was on.



My footprints after a 10-mile out and back run two
nights before Day 1 of the challenge.

And as part of the challenge, I decided to take on the Mile-a-teen challenge as well, where I pray for a  different teen (in some cases, non-teens, too) per every mile.  Besides some of the wonderful spiritual benefits of praying for the teens and dedicating a mile to them, this will also provide some accountability and get me through these 10 days.

Then Friday comes, and with it comes snow.  It was very cold, but I decided to run Friday night anyway.  Then I would rest two days before the challenge.  As you can see from the picture, nobody but the coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, and myself had been on this.  Come Monday morning, the trail was still in the same condition.

Oh yeah!  Then Monday morning I wake up and it is -5 degrees outside--the coldest day of the year!  What fun.  I didn't even bother taking a water bottle since my Gatorade turned into a slushy Friday night...when it was 15 degrees warmer.  Instead, I ate snow along the way which is probably not advised, but it kept my mouth moist (I had hydrated pretty good before the run). 

I dressed warm, but couldn't keep the moisture from my sweat and my breath from freezing.  By the time I was done, I looked like this (my clothes were stiff, my nose hair frozen, icicles on my brows and eyelashes).  Yeah! I had a great time...

 

 

Day 1 completed!  Stay tuned for Day 2.

(Week 3) "Acclimating To The Cold"

The holidays got me a bit, both in my diet and in a couple missed workouts, but I still managed to get in some good, medium "hike/jog"s.  Part of the challenge of training this time of year has been adjusting to the cold weather.  Some of my early morning workouts have been in the the single digits or slightly higher.  I am remembering the basics of layering (after a couple times of freezing off your nose...or other body parts, you start to wise up a bit).

Layering for me in temperatures lower than about 35 degrees is something like this (if I ran the whole time it might be a little different, but since I have been walking at least half of the time, I have to dress slightly warmer):

head:  I wear a hat. If I can't pull the hat over my ears, I wear a scarf or make sure my jacket has a hood.
upper body: t-shirt, sweatshirt, fleece jacket (if windy, I will skip the sweatshirt but wear a windbreaker over the fleece.
hands: I have fingerless gloves that can be made into mittens if needed, but if it is in the upper 20's 
or higher, I usually pull my sleeves over my hands.
legs:     Legs stay pretty warm as long as you are moving, but if it is in the 20's and I feel like it, I will
wear fleece pajamas  under my sweat pants.
feet:     I don't usually have problems with my feet, but occasionally I will wear wool socks.

An interesting thing I have always found is after a few two-hour sessions of early morning jogging in the cold, your body begins to acclimate, and before long you find your self indoors asking "Is it hot in here, or is it just me?"  There is plenty more winter left, so I'm glad to be getting used to it...or at least I think I am.  Week 3 training went as follows:

Monday:            8-mile hike/jog (1/4)
Tuesday:           workout cancelled
Wednesday:      8-mile hike/jog (1/4)
Thursday:          workout cancelled
Friday:              1 hour stationary bike
Saturday:           8-mile hike/jog (1/4)
Sunday:             off