Just Breathe » This and That

Overcrowding

Kelsie — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:48:48 +0000

After my less than stellar outdoor run on Tuesday, last night I was determined to get in a good run by logging some time on dreaded treadmill. As a longer distance runner, this is always a bit tricky. My gym doesn’t have time limits to their cardio equipment, but even so I try to be courteous – hitting the gym during non-peak hours for my long runs.

I arrived at the gym around 9:15 last night. Seemed like a solid plan. Parking my car, I caught a glimpse of the treadmills through the window. They were all full! I sat in my car for a few minutes, pondering what to do. After about 10 minutes I decided to leave and drove back home. I just didn’t have it in me to wait any longer. So frustrating. Los Angeles is so congested. The streets are crowded, the gyms are crowded. So today I’m going for attempt #3. I have my running gear at work with me and plan to run around the neighborhood by my office before driving home. Fingers crossed.

Urban Running

Kelsie — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:19:01 +0000

With the days getting longer, I’ve started to take advantage of the late afternoon sunshine. I’ve recently moved from the beach to mid city Los Angeles and just can’t seem to find a good outdoor loop. Yesterday I was determined to change this – surely it can’t be that difficult to create an amazing 5 mile loop.

I mapped it all out while still at the office, choosing familiar streets and neighborhoods. At 6pm I shut my computer down and began my 30 min/9 mile commute home. I hate traffic. By 6:45pm I was laced up and out the door. I figured even at a 10 minute/mile pace I had enough daylight remaining. My run did not go as planned. Between pedestrians, bike riders, dog walkers, bus stops and traffic signals I was only able to run 6-7 minutes at a stretch before having to stop. It was miserable. My run ended up taking me over an hour, even though I had clocked less than 50 minutes of running. Ugh, there’s got to be a better way.

So tonight I’m going to hit the gym for a good 90 minutes on the treadmill. I need to get some serious cardio time in so I don’t lose all of my progress from my recent LA Marathon training. My quest for the perfect outdoor running route continues…

The Elusive 4:30 Marathon

Kelsie — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:29:54 +0000

This is it. 2010 is the year to achieve my goal of a 4:30 marathon. I’m well into my training, completing all the necessary long runs, tempo runs, speed workouts and rest days. Everything is going as planned, maybe even a little bit better (knock on wood). Now I’m just looking for something extra to motivate me on race day. Even with proper training I tend to hit a mental “wall” during marathons. I was the kind of kid that always did really well on the homework and then performed below par on tests. Make sense? That’s me, the once with test anxiety, running a marathon. Ugh. I hoping that using a simple temporary tattoo on my forearm will push me.

I’ve seen PaceTats for sale at many pre-race expos and have always wanted one. Problem is, my goal time always sells out. I guess 4:30 is a pretty typical marathon finishing time. This time I’m planning ahead and just ordered a couple online via their website. I purchased two: a 4:30 for the full marathon and a 4:00 to cut in half for a half marathon. I’m anxious to “get my Tat on” and run like mad on February 21st in the Pasadena Half Marathon. I’ll report back after the race to give you all my two cents

Get all the info and order your own on the PaceTat site.

Rainy Los Angeles

Kelsie — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:53:39 +0000

So we are going on. what feels like, day 10 of rain here in Los Angeles. Back in my high school days I loved running in the cool Southern California rain. I think I’m getting a bit soft in my “old” age, as it’s getting increasing difficult to train in the rain. So far this week I’ve logged a 17 mile LSD run, 5 mile recovery run, and a 7.25 mile tempo run (all indoors). I’m thinking of taking it easy tonight. Planning on hitting the gym for a nice even 10k. I’ll probably do this at about a minute/mile slower than my race pace. Looks like the sun is going to peek out a bit this weekend. I would love to do my 19 mile LSD run this Sunday on the beach. For now, I’m resigning myself to the treadmill.

For those of you that are not stopped by a little water, I found this article from Runner’s World, written by Kristin Armstrong.

In fact, I can say that running in the rain is special. It has a redemptive quality to it, a washing clean of sorts, clearing my head and removing a layer of emotional or spiritual dust. If anything is bothering me when I begin a rain run, I actively imagine it washing off me before I return home. I love feeling the drops fall off the tip of my nose, my anemic, pruny looking fingertips, and my snarled, incorrigible mass of ponytail. I love pulling out of my squeaky shoes on entry rug, stripping off soaking socks, and padding to the shower in bare feet, peeling off soggy clothing and leaving it (splat!) in a dollop on the shower floor.

Read the full article here.

Nike Gets a Little Race-y

Kelsie — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:52:22 +0000

Nike released a pair of hysterical new running videos that are definitely worth watching. The short commercials provide a full view of “Bear Butte Running Camp” where you can really “let it all hang out” on the trail. I think these are awesome, fantastic viral marketing, and I’m still laughing my “butte” off.

“At Bear Butte Running Camp, we take a less-is-more approach to training. We strip away the boundaries and comforts of modern society in order to embrace the inherent benefits of natural running, and use those benefits to become faster, stronger, better athletes.”