30 In 30 Update: Why I Still Hate Setting Goals

Blah. Yuck. Patooey.

What a terrible run. I just knocked out another 3 miles, bringing me to 26 miles and another 4 days to get 4 more miles in to complete the MapMyRun.com Spring Into Fitness 30 miles in 30 days challenge. (Whew! Mouthful!) I should be knocking out the last 4 on a weekend run, hopefully on Saturday so I have a bit of a buffer in case something goes wrong.

Anyway, today's run was awful, and I have one theory about why part of it sucked so bad. My legs felt like solid, painful rocks from the knees down, fronts and backs and sides. And then my hips ached, probably from compensating for my shins/calves. After the past few runs I've been stretching my legs a little bit, and that probably doesn't seem so odd until you consider that I stopped stretching before and after running back in the summer after reading Jeff Galloway's take on the issue. (Basically, man has been running since there was man. It's a natural motion that our bodies are built to do, so there's no need to stretch. He thinks this applies only to walking and running, not to other physical activity.) I've discovered over the last year that this is a hotly debated issue in the running world and I think I've finally decided where I fall on the spectrum. After the way my legs have been feeling on runs following runs where I stretched afterward (follow that?), I'm not stretching any-friggin-more.

You can't make me.

But I do still want to know what you think about it. Runners, do you stretch? Have you always? Have you tried both stretching and not stretching? I want to hear from those of you who might not yet consider yourselves runners, too.

Lastly, my fundraising plug!

Do you want to run the Cincinnati Flying Pig (Half) Marathon with me on May 1? No?

Do you wish you could? No?

Well, do you want to show your support for a really worthy cause as I trudge 13.1 miles through downtown Cincinnati and Mt. Adams? Have you been looking for a way to give back? Do you have an extra $1, $5, $12, $27, $50 or $3,000 sitting around and you want a place to put it? Now's your chance! Check out this post about my Fernside fundraising efforts and let me know if you'd like to contribute. I'll be collecting pledges until Friday, April 29.

Thank you for your time!

Without Cable, With Running

Happy cable-free Tuesday morning to me!

That’s right, the boob-tube is currently without mojo. My sparkly new television has nothing to broadcast. I said so long to cable services as of yesterday while I was at work and since I don’t have an antenna, the screen is black. I’m cool with it though. It’ll give me more reason to run longer runs and to post more frequently and to read books and practice writing other things.

I may also try some evening yoga on non-running days. I bought this “Yoga for Weight Loss” DVD a few years ago and have only done it a few times (shocker), mostly because it’s so long.

From Amazon.

Plus, yoga can be a little too calm for me. But, if I call it my resting day workout, I might be able to come to terms with a “slow” yoga session.

So, running …

I had a good run last night, folks. My friend, Caitlin (Hi Caitlin!) joined me for her second try at this running thing and did a great job. I introduced her to Week 1 of C25K on Saturday in the blazing sun, but brought her along on my new running interval this evening. I don’t think she believes me when I tell her that she’s starting in much better shape than I did. Perhaps she’ll go back and read some of my early posts (start with the first one). If only I had recorded myself breathing (or rather NOT breathing) back in those first days of running … then maybe she’d believe me. =)

I ran without Mr. C25K today. Instead, I’m trying Mr. Jeff Galloway’s suggestion for half-marathon training. [Apparently this guy is some kind of famous runner? I’ve never heard of him. The only famous runners I know are Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the long fingernail chick (is that Joyner-Kersee?), and Steve Prefontaine (woot!).]

Jared Leto in Prefontaine. (Image source)
I watched this movie for the first time with the Wilmington College track team on the way to sectionals or some other championship track meet I didn't qualify for. Excellent movie!

By the way, here's Jackie Joyner-Kersee rockin' the javelin (image source). I guess she's not the fingernail chick. But let me tell you that I had to throw this bad boy in college and it is not fun ... at all. It tears the crap out of your shoulder, and getting it to stick into the ground when it lands--yeah, YOU try it.

Anyway, I got Jeff Galloway’s book, “Half Marathon: You Can Do It” from the library last week, and he suggested that someone at my pace do a run-walk-run of 2 minutes, 1 minute, 2 minutes. I like that idea. It’s shorter running intervals than Week 4 of C25K (3 minutes and 5 minutes), but shorter rest periods. It’s just the combination I’ve been wanting since starting Week 3. I plan on tackling this 2-1-2 interval set hardcore for the next two weeks in preparation for my next 5K (August 21, BigK 5K).

Not so much to say, I guess, except that I’m feeling really good about running these days. My breathing is so much more under control. My legs feel stronger. I’m still working hard on my runs, but I’m confident I can finish the intervals with a little willpower. That’s about it.

Hey, a few more minutes for the question of the moment:

I’ve read here and there about people who run every day. Is that a good idea for someone like me to consider? Is it a good idea for anyone to consider? Are these people crazy or on the right track?

Thanks for whatever thoughts or comments you have to share!

Oh, and Zach … when is your big run?