A "Runnerish" Week

Runnerish (adj): describes a state of being when running feels easy, natural, and satisfying; can be used to describe a so-called "perfect" run; a run when there is a perfect symphony between your head, breathing, and legs; state of being when you can't wait to get out for a run; having a deep-seated desire to run; feeling as though you were born to run.

This word was coined by my friend Julia's husband, Steve, who has been running for many, many years (and still placing at races). I'm sure others have used it as well. Even if you haven't heard it, if you're a runner I'm betting you knew what I was talking about before you even read my definition.

You would think that after a 17-miler on Sunday that I would be entirely spent and welcome my rest day with open arms. Wrong! By Monday night I was raring to go again. I felt like a caged animal ready to break out. It wasn't until after I'd thrown on my running clothes and tried to put on my shoes that I realized it wasn't going to happen. Not out of any lack of volition, but because of what had become a huge, painful blister on the ball of my left foot that I acquired over the weekend. I tried on all five pairs of shoes, but it was a no-go. There's nothing worse than wanting to run and not being able to. As a result, I was pretty grumpy the rest of the night. 

Tuesday morning I work up feeling even more "runnerish" than the night before. I tore out of bed, threw on my clothes, and, to my happy surprise, slipped on a pair of running shoes with much less pain than the night before. It was a perfect run. The sun had just started to rise and it was a delightful 60 degrees out. Since it was a bonus run (as in, not part of my pre-scheduled weekly mileage), I made sure to run easy. I only had time for 3 miles, but I felt like I could have gone forever, even on an empty stomach. Bonus miles really are the best, because they are miles driven purely by the desire to run, not by any obligation to a training plan. You can enjoy running for the simplicity of what it is and not worry about goals or time or speed.

Tuesday night I laced up again to begin the miles on my training plan for this week. Even though I had run that morning I felt excited to get out again. My 7 miles were all the more enjoyable because Mike joined me! It was out first run together in over six weeks. He is in his second week of a 14-week training plan that I wrote for him and its going well so far. We headed across Ben Franklin Bridge and turned around at the end to enjoy the sunset over Philly. It ended up being a backwards kind of tempo run, with a speedy first 2 miles, a slow middle 3, and a speedy final 2. It was really fun to run with him again, especially since I was actually faster than him for once. Better enjoy that while it lasts!

As is typical, Mike is fed up after the twentieth picture I snap

Wednesday morning is usually reserved for speed work, but I was feeling extra sleepy. I decided to swap it for an evening run, with the intention to still make it a speed workout. So my 3 x 1-mile repeats were replaced with a speedy consecutive 3 miles. I was still feeling pretty "runnerish," though once I got going my legs weren't cooperating as much as they had on Tuesday. Regardless, I pushed through and finished with a 7:46 pace. Not bad at all! And since I know you're all dying to see my sweaty face, I made sure to take time afterwards to snap a pic. Yes, that is the same shirt I wore on Sunday and yes, I did wash it between uses. It's pretty much my favorite running shirt at the moment. It's extremely breatheable, and since Mike won't let me run naked, this shirt is the next best thing!

I'm trying to look hard core in this picture, can you tell?

Thursday evening's 7 miler started horrible and ended fantastic! Mike joined me for the first three miles before heading home, making sure he stays "on plan." I was feeling very un-runnerish for the first two miles. Then, at mile three my splits starting picking up. I was in disbelief as they started plummeting: 8:51...8:43...8:32...8:14...8:03...7:56. Final time: 7.13 miles at 8:20 pace. I finished in under 60 minutes! Holy moly!

As happy as I was about my record-breaking training run, however, I started feeling unsettled when my right calf started feeling very sore and painful to the touch post-run. I tried some ice, advil, and rubbed it out before bed, hoping to wake up pain-free. Unfortunately that was not entirely the case. I managed to make it 3.76 of my 4 miles at a horrific 10:04 pace. It's incredible that only 12 hours before I had completed twice the distance in nearly 2 min/mile less time. I have an easy 4 tomorrow before my long run Sunday. I may opt to rest tomorrow instead if it's still feeling sore. We shall see!

Stay tuned for a new post on Sunday evening when you can find out the results of Kristin vs. Irene the Hurricane!

Should be rolling in right as I start my 18-miler Sunday morning. Excellent!