A long run and realization in the City of Roses!

While on our road trip, this past weekend, some friends in Portland, Oregon were nice enough to let us stay with them for a few nights. Not only did we stay with them, but they cooked delicious (and in my opinion, gourmet) dinners for us all three nights! This was greatly appreciated considering we still eat frozen ravioli and take and bake pizza like college students. They also showed us some awesome sights around the city of Portland including Powell's book store (HUGE), the International Rose Test Garden (more on that later), and Deshutes' brewery (among others). Thanks again guys!

I have discovered that being in a new city can have a wonderful affect on my running (particularly when that city is 5,000 ft. closer to sea level than the one that I live in). On Sunday morning, I was able to take a long run. It started out as a 4 miler, then 5, then 6, then... hell... why not 9 miles? I found that the excitement of being in somewhere new, one that happens to have miles and miles of walking/biking paths can inspire me to run farther. I actually didn't want to stop... it was so exciting to continue exploring... and what better way than by foot? I was able to run quite a ways along the Willamette (apparently pronounced with a nice Buffalo short a) River, a beautiful waterfront park/wildlife refuge, the Portland Opera House, and experience (on accident) a portion of the Portland Pride festival and parade.. heyy why not... I was on a roll!

PROBLEM: This was my longest run so far during this training period. It was somewhere between 9 and 9.5 miles. I can't be certain because my "awesome" iPhone shut off somewhere between 8 and 9 miles. Though it was a wonderfully inspirational and exciting run due to the new surroundings, towards the end, I realized that MAYBE I should not have run that far without having been totally ready. My hips ached and my back felt awful by the end. I realized what John has been telling me for weeks... "You need to strengthen!!!" When I spent an hour icing my lower back that Sunday afternoon is when I finally thought, "Yes, John, you are right, I am weak". I didn't do much strength training for the last half marathon, but I also felt very weak then as well. I think it's time to step up my game if I am going to run more continuously and for faster times.

SOLUTION: As a part of the DetermiNation program for the American Cancer Society, we get a "coach" of sorts. This is a professional who donates their time to the program to help the runners with training and any questions or problems we are having.... pretty cool huh? I was lucky enough to get an email from one of my coaches this week on the importance of core strengthening (abs, glutes, hamstrings, back, etc.). Just what I needed, thanks coach!

TIP OF THE DAY: As a runner, it may seem like speed, endurance, and cardio are what we need to focus on. Focusing on just those things, I've come to notice (as my body fights back against me), is like building a house on no foundation. I'm going to crumble and fall someday! Coach sent me a great core workout from Runner's World magazine that focuses on all the muscles I mentioned above. Hopefully with these workouts I can become a more balanced runner. The workout suggests exercises like planks, bridges, and supermans (among others). Coach also pointed out that Pilates' is very helpful for runners as well. This is about a 15 minute workout that I am going to try to fit in a couple times a week (after the road trip, of course). I think it will really help me improve and feel better after running! Here is the link to the article (it is 4 pages long)... Enjoy!:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263--13030-3-1X2X3X4-4,00.html

Superman

Plank Lifts

Thanks for reading! Keep looking back for some awesome pictures from my road trip that I am going to turn into cards! My goal was to see at least 1 amazing thing each day. Here are my latest pictures, you be the judge: https://picasaweb.google.com/KBuerster