Exploding

 Ok, not literally.

At least I hope not!

I am, however, trying to regain some of the power and explosiveness that long endurance running tends to blunt. I have some stuff coming up that will require a very different kind of fitness than I've been tootling around with for years, so I've been trying a couple new things to see what my over-the-hill, chronically-damaged body can manage.

The first thing - and probably the least hazardous - is some tire dragging. A dear friend was kind enough to give me a tire pre-threaded with some polypropylene rope, so all I needed was to improvise a harness. This video from Gwen Jorgensen (who credits coach Bobby McGee with the idea) shows how to craft a simple and effective one with a bicycle inner tube.

In short, put both your arms through the middle, with the top against the back of your neck and the bottom at your lower back. Use whatever you have on hand to keep the front together against your chest.

The stretch of the inner tube helps prevent too much jerking on you as you pull the tire along behind you - essentially playing the same role as the bungee cord in these (quite expensive) pre-made setups. I've only pulled it a couple of times so far, always on pavement: I'm told that a cinder track or gravel road is best (presumably rail trail would be similarly well suited), as the looser surface helps reduce friction.

I got to experience this for ~100m when there was some debris on my street that I ran through - it was definitely easier than dragging the tire on clean pavement!

Because I'm just starting out and not particularly strong yet, I've only been doing a short bout of pulling - I live on a crescent that is about 440m 'round, so I've been pulling for 1 lap of my block, popping off the harness by my front door, then continuing on with the rest of my run. 

Bonus: it feels like you're FLYING for the first couple of minutes after you ditch the tire!
(Yes, I'm still slow as heck with or without the tire)

I'm looking forward to taking it to a track at some point so I can do some intervals, and hopefully working up to being able to pull for a couple of kilometers or more. The effort level feels similar to snowshoe running in not-too-deep unpacked snow, so this may actually be a way to continue to reap the benefits of snowshoe running through the rest of the year.

Oh gawd can we please get to that ice-free rest of the year?

So there's the "power" work, but how about the explosiveness? For that, I'm using one of the most basic ways to try to build fast-twitch response: plyometrics.

Really just a bunch of bouncing around

Here's the thing: I already lift weights in the mornings, doing a variety of different strength stuff that I rely on to keep myself functional. I don't want to mess with that, and I also know that I should be nice and warm and loose before jumping around a bunch - not still bleary-eyed before I've even had a cup of coffee or a bite to eat - so I've been adding in a short circuit after one run each week.

I give myself a minute to walk and cool down a bit after ending the run, then do the plyometric stuff down my street

I've kept it pretty short and simple: I started 2 weeks ago with two sets of 8 jump squats (first gif), 12 alternating jump lunges (second gif), and 20 alternating speed skaters. Last week I added a third set.

You can see the speed skaters at the end, which were super sketchy on my snow-covered street that day!

Throw down a set, walk down the street for 30sec, crank out another, walk another 30sec toward home, then bust out one last set, and finish it all off with some dynamic stretching. The whole thing only takes a few minutes.

With the high impact inherent in plyometrics, I'd rather err on the side of too little than do too much

I've only been working on these for a couple of weeks, but I feel like I'm already starting to see some minor adaptations. I don't know how much I will ultimately be able to improve in the short timeframe I have before I'll be putting whatever gains I'm able to make into action, but I believe this may make me a more resilient runner as well, so I hope I'll be able to maintain these additions to my weekly training consistently enough to discover just how much I can benefit.

If it helps things function a little better when I'm hours-deep into the trail, some burning quads here and there will totally be worth it!

So tell me: do you use any strategies to build or maintain power and explosive strength? If so, let me know what you've found that works, or just what you enjoy!

I'm always open to trying new things!

Give'er

 I know that nobody wanted to go end their holiday season with renewed pandemic restrictions.

Not what anyone needs in the dark of winter

..but as much this could be seen as another roadblock, I hope you can find it in yourself to give'er this year. 

Not an incitement to buy stuff from Give'r, but they do make some great things!

What I mean is, I hope you can find something this year into which you throw yourself passionately, no matter how unprepared or unskilled you may feel. Don't think about it too much - just give'er.

Don't psych yourself out about it - just GO!

I hope you do stuff that scares you.

(This felt about 100 feet high while I was up there)

I hope you give'er in the sun..

However fleeting it may be

I hope you give'er in the dark..

Headlamp optional

I hope you find something that moves you

Wanna get strong? Give'er

Wanna get your first pull-up? Give'er

Want better balance? Give'er

I don't care if it's cross-stitch or calligraphy or rowing or running or learning to speak a new language - I just want you to give'er!

Want to get into photography, or study crystalline structures? Give'er

Stoke comes and goes - you're not always going to be super excited to do whatever it is.

No-one wakes up every morning with their heart on fire

..but even if you're not really feeling it, you can always choose to give'er.

Couple of hours after my booster vaccine - not feeling 100%, but still givin'er

If the last few years have taught me anything, it's that you never know what can happen if you just shrug your shoulders and throw yourself into stuff.

Enough snow for a snow angel? Give'er and find out!

The end result doesn't have to be perfection. You can always try again!

Doing something - even if you feel a bit silly - always beats doing nothing

So don't let the snow and cold deter you, and definitely don't let the new restrictions get you too down.

There's still so much to see and do, even with winter and closures about!

So whatever you do, don't just sit there

Though I grant that you may want to pause now and then..

Just find your thing - whatever it may be - and give'er!

You can bet I'll be out there givin'er, too!

And if it turns out that's not your thing after all, well - find something else, and give'er a go!

Happy new year all!

Getting down

Not really to business.

I've had rather enough of business lately

I've had a tough week. I'm trying - with not a ton of success - to start pushing mileage back up to something even approaching ultra training, but my ankle has been resisting. My back, too, has been causing trouble this week, and when you pile a ton of overtime (and lack of sleep) on top of that, well... I've been struggling.

This sunny run down to the market feels like a hundred years ago

There's a certain irony to Mental Health Week 2021 falling during month end, when I tend to have a rough time of things anyway. My company brought in an absolutely delightful consultant who took us through a movement-based wellness break at lunchtime each day this week; while I made the time to participate and truly enjoyed the sessions, a half-hour of yoga each day isn't quite enough to rid me of the heaviness that clings to me as I wrestle with a massive workload and trying to be a decent wife, friend, and runner.

Darkness just seems to seep in around the edges

I know it doesn't help that I've barely seen the sun since Sunday - deep cloud cover and fits of rain through the start of the week, and I only managed to get out for one run before sunset.

Though just before - it dropped below the horizon before I hit the turn-around

I really need things to look forward to, but it's difficult to have much faith in even the few odds and ends we have planned actually going forward when so much is up in the air. There's also something big - SCARY big - looming in the next few months, and the bit of scouting I've done for it has had the opposite effect of assuaging my fears.

Though it does involve a beautiful forest

I'm grateful that I have people in my life who are willing to put up with and support me when things are getting on top of me, even if I tend to convince myself that I'm nothing but a bother to others.

This guy right here being my main source of light in the darkness

I just need to remind myself that the sun will shine again, the flowers are blooming, and there are so many trails left to chase.

Can't quit now - I've got a long way to go

I just need to catch my balance.

..and keep looking for the little fragments of joy.

Wishing you peace in your heart and sunshine in your life. If you're struggling too, please know that I am here to support you; don't ever hesitate for a moment to hit me up through facebook or instagram, or by smoke signal or carrier pigeon or however you feel most comfortable. I may not have the answers to what troubles you, but I am always happy to offer an ear to listen or shoulder to cry on, and I never want you to feel like a burden or less than.

You don't have to be perfect - you just have to be you.

You are not alone: you are worthy and deserving of love and care, and capable of so much more than you could possibly imagine. I may not be great at believing in myself, but rest assured that I believe in YOU.

Don't wait up

 There are multiple schools of thought on when the best time is to run in a day.

Most of which are not based on when the sky looks the prettiest.

Sometimes it seems like the entire world runs first thing in the morning - the dawn patrol, as it were.

Or - in my case - more like the "tennish, after a cuppa" patrol

..you know, after the sun has had time to get up and stretch its legs a little.

Many of these folks cite the satisfaction of having their run out of the way before they start the rest of the day, so that nothing can get in the way of them getting it in. I grant that it can be nice to already have run, but since I generally don't let anything stop me from going for a run (except on Fridays), I usually just find that it ends up pushing other things I need to do (some of which I am less dedicated to than running) later in the day, or perhaps to that indeterminate "sometime, when I have time" that is a black hole for all the stuff like cleaning and yard work and generally being a responsible adult.

"Aww jeez - getting late, gonna have to postpone the weeding"

Some people also cite the fact that races are held first thing in the morning (sometimes literally), so training their body to run well early in the day is important. On the surface, the reasoning is sound, however since body temperature for most people drops overnight (with its lowest point around 5:30am) this can leave your muscles and connective tissues cold and more susceptible to injury. Furthermore, the overnight fast may leave you inadequately fueled for a morning run, and some runners have digestive issues if they try to eat before a morning run. Speaking of eating, I always find myself hungry for the rest of the day after any run of more than an hour or so, so that leaves more time for me to over-indulge (though I recognize that's not necessarily a widespread issue; I'm sure most people have better-regulated appetites than mine!). 

On the right: normal person's stomach after a run.
On the left: the nigh-bottomless chasm that resides south of my ribcage.

Time can also be an issue, too - if you're trying to make sure you're at your place of business by a certain time, need to care for other humans' needs in a timely manner, or have some other appointment, you may either end up being late or having to cut a run short if it's taking longer than you anticipated.

THEY SAID IT WAS RAIL TRAIL

If you have the opportunity, running in the afternoon can be a great compromise - I used to run around 3:30pm a few days a week on my lunch break at my old office, and tried to continue that when I changed jobs and began to work from home. It does make a nice break in the day, with fewer of the disadvantages of morning running: I'm better fueled, my body temperature is higher and tissues have had time to loosen up, and I'm generally wider awake.

The sunshine is quite nice, too.

Afternoon runs, though, still have their disadvantages: if I'm not done work yet, I'm still on a schedule to try to get back to my desk on time, and in summer this is frequently the hottest part of the day. It's lovely right now, as the warmth has time to build from a chilly morning - there are loads of days in shoulder season that on my weekly Saturday morning run I am freezing in tights and long sleeves to start but ready to overheat with everything zipped down by the end - but when the temperatures soar in June through August (and sometimes outside those months), running at 3pm can feel like a penance for your sins. 

Lately, though, that hasn't been the case - more longsleeves than tank tops this week!

I've honestly been having a lot more trouble tearing myself away from my desk recently, too, until my workday is done. I'm not sure if it's a result of working from home, or it being very busy at my company the past couple of months, or simply not having my daily appointment to have coffee with Tanker and run back to my office that I had for years.

Though I've been finding some interesting new places to run around my neighborhood

In any case, I've come back around to running in the evening. It may just be an effect of the sun staying in the sky later, so it's not miserably cold and dark yet when I get out at 5 or 6 or even 7pm.

Ok, it was almost 8pm last night, but who's counting?

I know many people don't enjoy evening runs - I have heard that it makes it difficult to get to sleep afterward for some, and for others they find their motivation wanes once they've already put in a long day at work or doing other things. For whatever reason, neither of those is a factor for me: I actually like knowing that I already have everything else done, and all I have left to do is run, eat, and sleep.

There are some rather scenic perks as well, sometimes.

Of course, I know I'm blessed with a wonderfully accommodating husband (who doesn't mind having dinner later than most people go to bed, or waiting at a dark trailhead for my idiot arse to emerge) and very little in the way of time-sensitive responsibilities. I also know that running in the evening can pose additional challenges, like knowing when you'll need to bring a headlamp along.

I've not always judged that 100% correctly

There's also the fact that I'm running at almost the polar opposite time of day to the start of a race, but perhaps even that in and of itself has value for ultrarunning: if you're still able to go have a pleasant romp after every other tiring, frustrating, energy-demanding thing you've done that day, aren't you slightly better trained to keep pushing yourself in a race that has stretched on longer than the daylight?

Learning to disobey your circadian rhythm can be a powerful thing.

So I ask you - what's your favourite time of day to run, and why? Now that I've spent years running at all different times of day, I know I prefer to do so later - once I've shaken off the morning stiffness and sipped something caffeinated - but I'd love to hear others' experiences and preferences.