Hitting the road

I've been avoiding road running, with the excuse that my knee is too delicate to risk hitting a patch of snow or ice. Which is true, for the most part; a torn ACL means I have little lateral stabilization and a slip on the ice is not only likely to happen, but very dangerous for the other parts of my leg.

But this weekend, unseasonable Minnesota warmth has forced me to muster my courage and put myself to the test.

Yesterday, I made use RunKeeper's GPS tracker, which not only actively maps my course and distance, but how fast I'm going each step of the way. Very useful stuff.

I eased into the idea of road running by setting out for an afternoon walk with my parents. We walked together a while, until my legs got that tingly feeling that tells me they're ready for more. When I started to jog, something funny happened.

I got tired. Fast.

I didn't get it. I can jog for several minutes on the treadmill, even while slightly tired. Why couldn't I go more than a block without wanting to double over? I persisted, doing run/walk intervals, but I was a little demoralized.

Later, I logged onto the RunKeeper website, to review my map. It explained everything.

I was running and walking considerably faster on the road than I do on the treadmill. The lethargic pace at which I move on the treadmill is wicked hard to maintain out on the road, so without realizing it, I was motoring right along. No wonder I got so tired.

Armed with this knowledge, I decided to take advantage of the weather again today and push myself a little farther. Google told me that I live 2.7 miles from my parents, so rather than hopping in the car to get to our little Sunday family shindig, I decided to go on foot.

I almost chickened out. Despite the fact that I've gone farther on the treadmill, it seemed so impossibly far away. I needed to prove this to myself.

I've never been a road runner, so I don't have any neat little bags or straps to hold my miscellaneous things. I tied my keys in my shoelaces, put my photo ID in my clippy cell phone case, and hoped I wasn't forgetting anything.

I was, of course. I always forget something. I forgot to tie my hair back, and it was windy enough that my hair was attacking me from all sides. It was maddening. Thank goodness people are always losing hair bands - seriously, look around next time you're on a walk... how does this even happen? - and I picked one up off the road.

Please don't judge me.

I played it safe, not pushing too hard, trying to pay attention to my body. My RunKeeper app interrupted Pandora every five minutes to update me on my distance and pace, which was encouraging.

Looking back on my map, I can see the places where I walked and where I ran. I felt like I was somehow falling short while out there, like I wasn't running long enough. But now that I can see it on the map, my running intervals were respectable.

Treadmills can't show distance. There's no perspective. When I thought I was wimping out by only running to the next block, or the next street sign, I was actually running nearly as far as I do during my treadmill intervals. And I was doing it faster, too.

The moral of the story, I suppose, is that it's hard to equate treadmill running and road running. Limiting myself to the treadmill has given me a skewed sense of what I'm capable of, which won't do me any favors. Getting out on the road and trying out different terrain is the only way for me to know what kind of real-world pace I'm setting. In the months leading up to this 5k, that's what matters.

I made it to my parents' house, 2.73 miles, in 39:20. Including my ten minutes of walking at the beginning, that's a 14:23-mile pace. Excluding the warm-up, it was a 13:44-mile pace. Not the end of the world.

It'll be back to the gym for me tonight, to do a little cross-training. Weekends with the family always lead me to make poor food choices, so this is payback. That's one thing I love about the weekdays: routine!

I will sleep well tonight, that's for sure. Looking forward to it.