Although it hasn’t been our m.o. in the past, several Orange Lederhosen members have taken up running. Special K and Emma are both working on the Couch to 5K program, while I have developed my own plan.
Now, I know there are several questions going through your head…
- “Where did I put my beer?“ It is probably on the table, but if you don’t see it there, grab another one.
- “Running?!? Is this the Orange Lederhosen blog?“
- “You guys have done 5k before, why train for one now?“
Emma is signed up for God’s Country Off Road Duathlon at the end of March. Last year she brought home 1st place as a Female Relay Team. This year, she is taking on the whole thing and entered as a Solo Female, and figured she better train for the running section of the race. Now, Special K and I have done much more than 5K in adventure races, but we are usually walking and hiking at a conversational pace. At the start of a race, we will run until we are out of sight of the start line, and we will run to a manned check point, or finish line… once it was in sight. The only other time that we thought about running was when there was the possibility of being photographed walking. Those few minutes of running always make for good action photos.
The couch to 5K program came highly recommended by many people when Emma started her training, and it appears to be working out well for both Special K and Emma as they taper up their running each week. The program starts out slow alternating 60 second runs with 90 second walks and increases the running time each week over 8 or 9 weeks.
My approach, the “Bar stool to half marathon” is a little more challenging. Although it isn’t a requirement, the plan is developed (after a few Jack & Cokes) for the procrastinating stubborn fool. I could have been out running for the past several months… building up my endurance, and actually getting up to runner’s pace. But, instead… I found ‘other things’ to do. I could have only signed up for a 4-5 mile run, and I could have signed up for a running event that was more than a few weeks out. Could have… instead, I agreed to a leg of the upcoming Brew to Brew run from Boulevard Brewery in KC to Free State Brewery in Lawrence. A 4-5 mile leg seemed obtainable, so when asked if I can run two legs, I thought to myself… “Self, 4 miles is cake. You did that a few years ago and are still alive. How bad could it be to do that twice in a day?” (a few years ago I did a 5k for Orphans. I finished, but I never did get my orphan) so… I committed to two legs, with a rest in between. Then I thought to myself … “Self, why not just do them together and get it over with, instead of starting a second leg of the run with legs that have already cooled down.” and so that is where I was at. Two legs, back to back, a 8-9 mile run. Obtainable, maybe. Then, after realizing that not everyone on our team will be able to run two legs, and that there is a leg left to run … I volunteered to run the remaining leg. So, now I am looking at around 13 miles of running, and although it might not all be consecutive, it is still going to be a bit challenging and more miles than I have ever run in a day, maybe even in a week.
In the few training runs I have done so far, I have learned a few things …
- Some runners say that a good run clears their mind. So far, in my experience, I have to shut down my brain while I am running so that I am not focusing on the pain. I guess 30 minutes to an hour of rest for the brain does clear your mind up.
- The “runner’s high” that I have heard about, is about the same sensation you get when you hold your breathe for as long as you can and your sight starts to fade out. It however, cheaper than several rounds of whiskey.
- Music is a life saver when running. Although some runners are against headphones during a run, I prefer them. The right tunes on a run both motivate and help distract me so I forget that I am running. Another advantage is, if you try to sing along or even recite the lyrics of your favorite songs while running, you will remember to breathe…. and breathing is a good thing. Unless you are looking for that “runner’s high”.
I leave you with one of my favorite songs to sing when I am out on a run.
