29. retraining running legs

I'm retraining my running legs for the Cape Town 2 Oceans Half Marathon in April. I say retraining because I used to be a runner but I've lost the running skill since being in Windhoek. I got inspired to race again so it's back to the basics and remembering how to put one foot in front of the other in the hot climate of Namibia.

Running is definitely a skill. We all run around as kids, but once you grow up there's definitely a learning curve to finding the rhythm. I remember learning to run with my dad in the 7th grade. We would jog/walk the trek to the end of the road. A mille there. A mile back. 2 measly miles. And every time I remember being winded, cramped, overwhelmed and strangely embarrassed. (It was middle school.) But then it slowly got easier. Eventually, running was just another part of land training for high school swimming and college rowing.

In graduate school in Denver, Colorado, running took on a new dimension for me as an extreme escape from my grueling studies. I started running longer and longer distances and learned how to train for a marathon through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Team in Training (TNT). Over the years, I've completed 5 marathons, and then my first ultra - the Cape Town 2 Oceans Marathon. (Technically the 56k is just a little beyond the normal marathon distance of 42k. So....a mini ultra. Still counts though.) That race was epic and wonderful and rivaled the beauty of the Big Sur marathon back in the USA. And I've been running on and off for pleasure ever since.

Before we get any further, let me just admit that I was NEVER fast. Like ever. I just enjoyed the feeling, the meditative repetition, the peaceful routes, the way my whole body felt shimmery after a good run. I loved leaving everything behind. The breeze in my face, the swish of my ponytail, the cooling sensation of a good sweat. I enjoyed planning my runs when I was single. I enjoyed running with my partner when we got together. And I enjoyed running in every new destination we've been assigned to since.

So why did I stop running in Windhoek? Well, let me count the ways. First of all, there aren't dedicated sidewalks, so you have to run on the gravel mix and dirt alongside the road and high-fenced properties, sometimes at some really awkward angles. (See a video of the sidewalks here for example.) Parks are mostly sand, rocks and open african bush so it's just...not very nice. Second, it's crazy hot for most of the day so you have to go really early or wait until the sun is going down. Since mornings are just not for me, I always found it tricky to run at the end of the day when I'm in a groove with work. Third and most-distressing - I was warned so many times about not running. Don't run alone. Don't run with headphones. Someone got mugged there. Don't run on this street, this neighborhood or that area. It's not safe. It's not safe. It's not safe. It's really hard as an outsider to judge the crime and safety of a new place. Even more so as a female. It was frustrating and uncomfortable. So...I just gave up.

I didn't realize that when I stopped running I would lose my cardio strength. I mean, duh. But I just thought that my other training (yoga, weight-lifting, swimming, stair-stepper) would keep my cardio in check somehow? I deluded myself into thinking it would be ok even though I know no other cardio compares. So, when someone brought up the 2 Oceans Marathon - I thought, that might be fun to do again. I don't think I want to do full marathons anymore, but the half could be cool. So I dusted off an old schedule and started to train.

And then I went for my first run. And it was awful. My legs burned, my lungs hurt, and I felt so ashamed when I had to walk at some points. There's something really humbling about running. You can't fake your strength. You can't trick your breathing. You can't push through your pain. You have to just huff and puff and walk and hurt all the way, until after some repetition it starts to feel easier. And then running will even start to feel good. The actual joy of running doesn't click in until much later in the training...which is probably why so many people hate it.

So I got through that run, and the next, and the next. Mostly through grit, but also with patience because I knew the ease of running would eventually come back. I had to just wallow in the frustrating part and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. What a life lesson. It's so simple and so difficult at the same time. It's also interesting how the repetition itself is what pulls you through to the next stage. You can't think your way through it, you just have to be in pain and live with it and repeat, repeat, repeat until eventually the pain is still there, but somehow you are moving gracefully through it.

And now I'm running three times a week and its starting to feel good again. Unfortunately, I do a lot of my runs on a treadmill because it's convenient. I know that's cheating since the track wheel is doing some of the momentum work. But I always put it at 1.0 incline, and try to push my pace to test faster speeds. Getting on the treadmill is easier each time, but the pacing feels like a manageable challenge. I feel like I'm getting stronger V02 capacity because my breathing rhythm is easier to manage at these faster paces.

I try to also run a couple of routes in the neighborhood from time to time. I know I'm testing the limits of my safety, but it's so different running outside that it's really helpful for training. I'm a bit of a lone wolf when I go because I don't have running friends yet, and even if I did it's hard to schedule or pace with others. Such is life. I do my best to vary the routes, and greet every dog-walker I come across so I know someone has seen me.

On the weekends, I'm lucky to have my partner join me for longer distance runs as we zig-zag through the city. We planned out a couple of routes and just add a bit more to each route to make it long enough for the training. I even bought a running vest for these longer runs, which I actually don't enjoy wearing since it scratches me up, but we've kept the silicone water pouches and found a way to run with those. I've been filling them with electrolyte mixes since the long runs in the heat here can really sap the energy out of the legs.

Here's what I'm learning about running in Windhoek:

• mark an oil line all the way around the top edge of the ankle above your sock to catch some of the gravel and sand before it goes down your shoes

• heel-lock the laces on your shoes to prevent the most egregious blisters while scaling hills (here's a really quick video that explains how to heel-lock.)

  
  

• track the UV index for the right time to go out for your run (approx. 2 hours before sunset) for when the desert sun is less dangerous to the skin

• brace yourself for barking behind every fence you pass - dogs are trained in Windhoek to be crime-defense animals

  
  

• prepare to run alone because scheduling will make it tricky to join others. Send an sms to a friend with a screen capture of the route and your departure time and leave the phone at home. Once you get back, send an sms so no one has to send out a search party.

• prepare for the boredom because headphones are *likely mugging target so memorize a poem, or think through a puzzle, or just focus on your breathing and let your mind wander

  
  

cross-training, weight-lifthing, swimming and running in Windhoek © thesmarti

As the weekend routes expand, I'm finding that I'm able to switch off the brain and just cruise. I still wish I could listen to music or podcasts for these outdoor runs, as it's such a helpful distraction when the runs are long or when there's too much stimulation. But at least I get to watch something on the treadmills - I like to program action adventure movies for anything longer than 30min, and its always a lot of fun to get caught up in the story and forget I'm even running!

I'm also realizing how great these Windhoek hills are for training. It's super hilly here. (Maybe that's why it was so humbling when I restarted training?) These hills really up the ante - a daunting challenge for any athlete. It takes a lot more exertion in muscles and lung capacity to climb the incline. I just lower my eyes and focus downwards on keeping pace until we've crested the top. And then I'm always grateful to coast down.

I'm not sure I'll race much beyond this next half marathon. But I'm definitely keeping these running legs now that I've made such an effort to earn them back. I'm getting to the point where some days the runs do feel glorious with the warm breeze and open skies, the crunch of the gravel and the anonymity of being the only one on the road. I think I'll find more joy for running in Windhoek as time goes along. For now, I'm just glad I'm back on my feet.

cheers to keeping or retraining your running legs,

smarti