#the same pattern keeps repeating unfortunately and every time I feel myself disconnecting more

[dabilove27]

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[bfgplanner]

I think it’s been a couple weeks since I’ve dropped by with an update, and as usual, a lot has happened! When I last checked in, I was feeling a bit down about my pace. Losing my speed has been the most frustrating aspect of my recovery- it had been YEARS since I did a run (of any distance!) at a 10+ minute pace. Yet, there I was, finishing each of my runs between a 10 and 10:30 pace. The good news, I suppose, is that at least I was consistent, I was running my long runs at the same pace I was running my shorter 5 milers! The problem is that I don’t have much time before New York, and my goal is to get the endurance I need in order to finish the full distance. So, I just don’t have time for speed work, and I'm really timid about doing hill repeats because I’m not sure if my knee is ready for these. Therefore, I just got stuck at an easy slower pace.

About 2 weeks ago, though, I got really tired of running so slowly. Having so many speedy friends on Strava and Garmin Connect really put a spotlight on how much my speed differed from that of my teammates and friends. Something had to give. I deleted all of my speed and distance records from my Garmin, and decided I needed to start fresh. I started pushing myself more, mostly on my mid-distance runs. I would run the first 2 miles easily, and then start pushing my pace for each remaining mile, always ensuring my last mile was my fastest. Slowly but surely, my speed increased, and on every run I was getting a new 5k or 10k record. Then, finally, I got a mile under a 9 minute pace. I felt a bit silly feeling so proud of this accomplishment, especially since my pre-surgery MARATHON pace was under 9 minutes. That’s right, I used to be able to run 26 miles under a 9 minute pace, but it took me a year and a half of recovery to get just ONE mile in at this pace. Since then, I’ve been pushing myself more, and am happy to be edging closer to a 9 minute average for my short and mid-distance runs. 

Another issue I’ve been dealing with lately is finding the right shoe. For the past 3 years, I’ve mostly run with Nike Pegasuses (Pegusii?). I think I’ve gone through 5 pairs! Unfortunately, though, I think my days of minimal-support running shoes are over. A few weeks ago, during Hoboken’s annual street festival, our local Fleet Feet had a really great sale on shoes. It gave me the opportunity to buy a few different types at (really) discounted pricing, so I didn’t feel so bad if they didn’t work out. One of the pairs I got was was a pair of Hoka Bondis. They took zero time to break in (my first run in them was dream-like!) and I was certain I had found my forever-shoe. That is, until it came time for a long run. As soon as I got about 7 miles in, I literally wanted to rip the shoes off and go barefoot. My hypothesis is that the heel drop is so severe, that it puts ALL of your weight on the balls of your feet. This isn’t so bad for about an hour, but anything after that becomes just unbearable. Maybe this works for for some people, but it doesn’t match my normal strike pattern and it’s downright painful and unnatural for me. 

We went upstate this weekend, and I had hoped to get in 18 miles for my long run (I was really looking forward to trying a new trail I had found!), and I was on track to do so, but by mile 12 in the Hokas, the balls of my feet and toes were in incredible pain. I kept having to stop and shift all of my weight to my heels to provide some relief. I was only able to finish 15 (after which I took off my shoes and walked in just my socks to where I had parked the car). This unfortunate incident aside, the path itself was gorgeous- see the photo above! It’s called the Mohawk Hike and Bike trail, and it follows the Mohawk river for 35 miles through the woods. The leaves have started changing in this area, and of course the weather upstate this time of year is perfect. I haven’t been running hills at all, so the 500+’ elevation gain provided a fun challenge (and reminded me how undertrained I am for the NYC bridges I’ll soon have to conquer!)

Luckily, I also picked up a pair of Asic GT’s as well, and as of today, I’m trying desperately to break those in before NY (which is in less than 3 WEEKS!!). 

And lastly, the first photo is from a wedding we attended last weekend for one of my closest Hoboken friends, who is part of the running team I joined when moving here. When I joined the team, it was because I wanted to become faster and have some camaraderie and competition at local races, I didn’t realize that I would also gain such close friends. It’s been 5 years (last month!) since I moved here, and over the course of those years, we’ve run hundreds of races together and even celebrated the weddings of four of us (the fifth, and final, wedding is coming up in November of next year). 

I guess where I’m going with this, is that I don’t fully understand when people say that running (or any sport) is simply a hobby. Will I ever be an elite runner? No way. Will I ever do an Iron Man? Probably not, but I also used to say I would never do a marathon, so I’m not closing that door for good. Maybe a post-baby goal? I just think that anything that makes you excited to get out of bed at 5am every morning, keeps your heart, muscles, bones, lungs, and brain healthy, AND gives you friends you will probably be close to for a lifetime, is something more special than a hobby. I think it’s more of a lifestyle. In the age of being constantly connected to our smartphones, there are only so many activities you can do that completely disconnect you. Having a three hour get-together with friends where the only thing anyone is paying attention to is the conversation = is incredibly rare these days, but that’s just what a weekend long run provides. You don’t even have to be running with anyone to enjoy this luxury, I look forward to my morning solo runs because the last thing on my mind is work emails, texts and any sort of social media. I just get lost in my thoughts and am able to escape for an hour. I think that for most runners, it becomes natural to have this break from being connected, and is also why we start to go crazy if we don’t get our daily disconnect time!

Anyways, I guess the countdown to NY has begun, and with it, FORTUNATELY, cooler weather is finally here. My favorite season in my favorite city, and soon to be running my favorite race :)