So many of us are saddened to hear of the missing Montana teacher Sherry Arnold who is now presumed dead. Such a tragedy! Those of us who are solo morning runners are no doubt freaked out.
When I was in my early twenties, I used to run alone outside in the mornings, and I never thought about safety even a little bit. Course that running stint didn't last long so it wasn't a big deal. As I'm older now and have a child to think about, I admit to being a little bit more cautious when it comes to running alone in the mornings. I usually always run in the neighborhood so that even if I'm alone, I'm not out in a completely uninhabited area. But I admit that I can probably exercise more safety precautions. (Lately I've been really safe in the mornings...all snug and warm in my bed!!)
This tragedy is a reminder for all of us. Running alone in the morning or late at night is not the safest thing in the world so please be careful.
PS. I need a running partner!!
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Monday, January 16, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Perspective
Something is amazing to me. Right now I feel like crap. Isn't that amazing? Okay, that's not the amazing part. The amazing part, and my amazing, I mean devastatingly terrible, is that when I reached this same weight on my way down, I felt fantastic. Now that I've reached this weight on my way up, I feel craptastic! It's an amazing perspective, although, I could do without having experienced it. :(
Today I ran on the treadmill. I planned two miles and I finished two miles. The speed was okay and I felt okay, but my body is definitely not where it was. My lungs have definitely lost some of their stamina, but my legs felt pretty good. I plan to run another two tomorrow. Here's hoping that happens!! I am in control.
I was not, however, in control last night. Well, it actually started in the late afternoon. Long about 4:00 it became apparent that I would be working late into the evening and since I didn't prepare for that I had no extra food with me. I was already starving. I made it all of about 15 minutes after the realizing before I was digging into the bagels in the office kitchen. I'm not going to even tell you all that I ate between about 4:30 and 11:30 last night (I finally left the office at 9:45). The last thing I ate was part of a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds. I poured the bowl, added the milk and then beached myself upon the couch. I was going to take some time to find a picture of myself for my son's school project so I started perusing the options, and then I found this one:
That there is the 75 pound coat (my other cat, not Tucker; she's not really allowed on the bathroom counter) and me with skinny thighs! OMG, seeing the picture and remembering how I felt when I took it had me putting the bowl of cereal down quickly. I ended up dumping about 90% of down the disposal.
I wonder if putting that picture everywhere I go would keep me from picking up the cereal in the first place? Thinking about it is certainly helping me today. The truth is in the run.
Today I ran on the treadmill. I planned two miles and I finished two miles. The speed was okay and I felt okay, but my body is definitely not where it was. My lungs have definitely lost some of their stamina, but my legs felt pretty good. I plan to run another two tomorrow. Here's hoping that happens!! I am in control.
I was not, however, in control last night. Well, it actually started in the late afternoon. Long about 4:00 it became apparent that I would be working late into the evening and since I didn't prepare for that I had no extra food with me. I was already starving. I made it all of about 15 minutes after the realizing before I was digging into the bagels in the office kitchen. I'm not going to even tell you all that I ate between about 4:30 and 11:30 last night (I finally left the office at 9:45). The last thing I ate was part of a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds. I poured the bowl, added the milk and then beached myself upon the couch. I was going to take some time to find a picture of myself for my son's school project so I started perusing the options, and then I found this one:
I wonder if putting that picture everywhere I go would keep me from picking up the cereal in the first place? Thinking about it is certainly helping me today. The truth is in the run.
Monday, October 31, 2011
13/21: Don't quit
Today's weight: 161.8 (15 lbs to goal)
I've lost 3.8 lbs during my little challenge. Unfortunately I have only exercised twice-last Monday and today. It's all good, though. My main focus of this challenge was to get my head back on straight and I think it's working.
My exercise goal for this week is to run 4 times. Three 5Ks and one 5K+. I also plan to do a little stretching, abdominals, maybe weights, maybe yoga, whatever I feel like as long as I get in the runs.
I've been reflecting a little bit on my habits last year at this time vs. this year. I was pretty strict about getting 4 runs done every week last year and sticking to my "diet" plan. Reviewing my running data from then kind of gave me a kick in the butt. I know it's doable! Last year, it was all still new and I was still going strong to reach my goal by the end of the year. This year, I'm burned out a bit, still pretty much at the same weight as I was then. While staying the same weight is great and I'm glad to have "maintained", my goal hasn't been to maintain yet. I have spent this year trying to actually lose weight! While I could be discouraged about my lack of progress in that area, I'm going to focus on the fact that I have not quit! I have continued to run, I even ran a half marathon! I've learned a whole lot about myself in the process too.
So with all that set, let's get this party started. 15 pounds to goal! I can AND WILL do it!
I've lost 3.8 lbs during my little challenge. Unfortunately I have only exercised twice-last Monday and today. It's all good, though. My main focus of this challenge was to get my head back on straight and I think it's working.
My exercise goal for this week is to run 4 times. Three 5Ks and one 5K+. I also plan to do a little stretching, abdominals, maybe weights, maybe yoga, whatever I feel like as long as I get in the runs.
I've been reflecting a little bit on my habits last year at this time vs. this year. I was pretty strict about getting 4 runs done every week last year and sticking to my "diet" plan. Reviewing my running data from then kind of gave me a kick in the butt. I know it's doable! Last year, it was all still new and I was still going strong to reach my goal by the end of the year. This year, I'm burned out a bit, still pretty much at the same weight as I was then. While staying the same weight is great and I'm glad to have "maintained", my goal hasn't been to maintain yet. I have spent this year trying to actually lose weight! While I could be discouraged about my lack of progress in that area, I'm going to focus on the fact that I have not quit! I have continued to run, I even ran a half marathon! I've learned a whole lot about myself in the process too.
So with all that set, let's get this party started. 15 pounds to goal! I can AND WILL do it!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Something Borrowed
Today's run was brought to you by this movie:
This movie is based on a book of the same name written by Emily Giffin. The book is one of my favorite books of all time! The movie is just OK, but if you love the book and/or John Krasinski, I recommend it.
The run: 35 minutes, 3.44 miles, 10:12 pace
The run: 35 minutes, 3.44 miles, 10:12 pace
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Control
Yesterday was a day in control and I went to bed feeling GREAT! I managed my food, even included a lunch out of the office, and then managed to stay satisfied into the evening without eating large amounts of CRAP. I woke up feeling thin! As in my stomach didn't feel so overloaded and bloated, and that is a wonderful feeling.
I ran 4.25 miles on the treadmill after work. I have a plan this week to run 5 days in a row, something I've never done. My mileage plan for the five days is 3.1, 4, 2, 3.1, and 5-6. The first two days have gone according to plan and even included a little extra! I like to go out with a number in mind and then exceed it by just a little to keep myself challenged.
Today I plan a quick 2 miles. Usual pace has been around 10:20-10:45/mile, but I'm hoping to run 2 miles in 19 minutes or less. Wish me luck!
I ran 4.25 miles on the treadmill after work. I have a plan this week to run 5 days in a row, something I've never done. My mileage plan for the five days is 3.1, 4, 2, 3.1, and 5-6. The first two days have gone according to plan and even included a little extra! I like to go out with a number in mind and then exceed it by just a little to keep myself challenged.
Today I plan a quick 2 miles. Usual pace has been around 10:20-10:45/mile, but I'm hoping to run 2 miles in 19 minutes or less. Wish me luck!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Treadmill Run Fun
This morning I ran. Before work. Yes, I did it.
My alarm was set for 6:00, I woke up at 5:30. You better believe I stayed in bed awhile before getting up.
The conversation in bed went something like this:
Me: I don't want to get up.
Me: I don't feel like running.
Me: I don't want to go outside, I don't care how beautiful it is.
Me: Running is too hard first thing in the morning.
Me: I could run in the treadmill. The treadmill has movies.
Me: I will run on the treadmill.
Me: I'm now getting up to run on the treadmill.
And so I did it. And I actually really liked it. Sometimes the treadmill is where it's at.
3.5 miles, 10:38 pace
My alarm was set for 6:00, I woke up at 5:30. You better believe I stayed in bed awhile before getting up.
The conversation in bed went something like this:
Me: I don't want to get up.
Me: I don't feel like running.
Me: I don't want to go outside, I don't care how beautiful it is.
Me: Running is too hard first thing in the morning.
Me: I could run in the treadmill. The treadmill has movies.
Me: I will run on the treadmill.
Me: I'm now getting up to run on the treadmill.
And so I did it. And I actually really liked it. Sometimes the treadmill is where it's at.
3.5 miles, 10:38 pace
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
See Jane Run Race Series (Seattle) Review
The See Jane Run series is one like no other. I had not heard of this series until I went to the Bloomsday expo and they were handing out fliers for the upcoming Seattle event. At the time I was still waffling over the idea of a half marathon, but I visited their website that same night and signed up for my first half marathon within 24 hours.
What drew me to this event was that it was organized by women for women. Chocolate and champagne at the finish? That sounded like so much fun. I thought it would be a great run for my first half. A smaller event was more inviting to me than one of the big ones like the Rock and Roll series, although the RnR sounds fun, too. But just read Jane's manifesto and tell me this doesn't sound like a great event series.
I really loved this event and am so glad that I chose this for my first half marathon. The organizers really know how to cater to women and have a great time. If you're considering the SJR series in the future, I would not hesitate to recommend it to you! The high points are worth mentioning for sure:
Happy running!
What drew me to this event was that it was organized by women for women. Chocolate and champagne at the finish? That sounded like so much fun. I thought it would be a great run for my first half. A smaller event was more inviting to me than one of the big ones like the Rock and Roll series, although the RnR sounds fun, too. But just read Jane's manifesto and tell me this doesn't sound like a great event series.
I really loved this event and am so glad that I chose this for my first half marathon. The organizers really know how to cater to women and have a great time. If you're considering the SJR series in the future, I would not hesitate to recommend it to you! The high points are worth mentioning for sure:
- We received a gorgeous tech T-shirt by Born Fit.
- We received an adorable champagne glass along with champagne at the finish.
- We received chocolate!
- The registration price was very reasonable.
- The race location included free parking.
- Bag checking was available.
- Packet pickup was at the race location on the morning of the race, and the expo booths were there as well which was nice for us out-of-towners.
- The pre-race and post-race activites were great and created such a fun atmosphere.
- You could refill your water bottles at the water stations.
- Brightroom was a great choice for the event photographer.
- More bathrooms at the start line and at least 2 at each water station!
- Have a race official managing the bathroom lines so the half marathoners can go first if their event starts first.
- Do not run out of race shirts in any size! This might mean people have to take the size they actually ordered.
- Do not run out of race medals! A rain check for a medal would be so disappointing on race day.
- Larger medals--these things are tiny!
- It would be nice to have the shirts, glasses, and medals include the date and location of the event.
- The paths for the out and backs were too narrow for the number of runners in two directions.
- DO NOT RUN OUT OF WATER AT THE FINISH LINE!!!
Happy running!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Half marathon last weekend, fat pants today.
Starting weight: 236.8
Last week's weight: 157.0 (actually 2 weeks go)
Current weight: 161.0
Gain/loss: +4.0
Total gain/loss: -75.8
Pounds to goal (136.8): 24.2
Pounds to mini goal (149): 12.0
What's wrong with this picture? I just completed a half marathon 8 days ago. I ran an 8K race this past Saturday (recap to come as soon as I have my official finish time), and yet here I sit in my fat pants.
I have managed to re-enter the 160s over the course of the past couple of weeks and it sucks. Granted, I have not been eating that great. I have been watching it and I have not indulged in crap, but I have gone over my calories or points, whatever it is that I am counting on a particular day. I think I gave myself permission because I was "training". I wanted to train well, and be strong, so I needed to eat, right? Well, apparently I didn't need to eat that much!
So it has come to this day when all must change. I have conquered the half marathon and am no longer officially "in training". It is time to get back to business and refocus on my weight goals. My ultimate weight goal is still listed as 136.8, but my short term goal is 149. Today I weigh in at 161.
I am recommitting to Weight Watchers today. I have been ready to throw in the towel and break up with WW, however, after our long history together, I feel I must make one last ditch effort to become one with the PointsPlus plan. I must remember that "free fruit" doesn't mean I should consume 5 pounds of cherries in two days. It doesn't mean I can eat at least 2 bananas each day. It doesn't even mean that I should eat 2 nectarines for dinner. I know how to eat and "free fruit" doesn't mean it's a "fruit free for all". Do you hear that, Lori, it's not a fruit free for all! One of my very first Weight Watcher's leaders said to me so many years ago, it's not the fruit that brings people to Weight Watchers, it's the fruit pie. Well, I can say that fruit has been a serious problem for me in the basic calories in < calories out equation lately. I must cut back.
I also need to come to terms with my workout schedule and either make peace with the fact that I am not going to be a morning exerciser, or get over myself and just get the fudge out of bed in the morning! Seriously! Every week it's the same ol' thing. I mentally prepare for getting to bed early, getting up early, and getting my workout done first thing. Some days it happens and I feel great, most days it doesn't and I feel like crap. Even if I get the workout done in the evening, I'm so irritated with myself over the missed morning workout that it overshadows the evening workout. Isn't that stupid?! For some reason I have it in my head that I need to workout in the morning to be successful, and I want to workout in the morning so bad. But I hate getting out of bed! I am not a morning person, I'm a night person. Morning workouts cramp my style, yet I can't let go of the idea. Help me! Can anyone recommend some blogs of moms who workout at night? I want to see this plan in action because I can't seem to grasp its worthiness.
One other idea I had was this: run in the mornings, strength train at night. I do not love strength training. I do not even like it, yet I know it's necessary. I have been enjoying Jillian's No More Trouble Zones DVD, well as much as you can enjoy something you don't like, that is, but the thought of getting out of bed and bonding with Jillian before my coffee makes me turn off the alarm and pretend I never heard it. So maybe I should just starting running every morning. Running takes little thought. You get up, put on the gear, leave the house (or get on the treadmill). Not difficult. Then a couple nights a week, as time permits, I can have my sweat sesh with Jillian. How many of you run 5 days a week? Do you cross train?
Anyway, regardless of when I workout, the most important thing is to stop eating so much. So here we are on day 1 of the recommitment plan. So far things are going along well. (Except that I didn't workout this morning.)
What is your typical workout routine?
Last week's weight: 157.0 (actually 2 weeks go)
Current weight: 161.0
Gain/loss: +4.0
Total gain/loss: -75.8
Pounds to goal (136.8): 24.2
Pounds to mini goal (149): 12.0
What's wrong with this picture? I just completed a half marathon 8 days ago. I ran an 8K race this past Saturday (recap to come as soon as I have my official finish time), and yet here I sit in my fat pants.
I have managed to re-enter the 160s over the course of the past couple of weeks and it sucks. Granted, I have not been eating that great. I have been watching it and I have not indulged in crap, but I have gone over my calories or points, whatever it is that I am counting on a particular day. I think I gave myself permission because I was "training". I wanted to train well, and be strong, so I needed to eat, right? Well, apparently I didn't need to eat that much!
So it has come to this day when all must change. I have conquered the half marathon and am no longer officially "in training". It is time to get back to business and refocus on my weight goals. My ultimate weight goal is still listed as 136.8, but my short term goal is 149. Today I weigh in at 161.
I am recommitting to Weight Watchers today. I have been ready to throw in the towel and break up with WW, however, after our long history together, I feel I must make one last ditch effort to become one with the PointsPlus plan. I must remember that "free fruit" doesn't mean I should consume 5 pounds of cherries in two days. It doesn't mean I can eat at least 2 bananas each day. It doesn't even mean that I should eat 2 nectarines for dinner. I know how to eat and "free fruit" doesn't mean it's a "fruit free for all". Do you hear that, Lori, it's not a fruit free for all! One of my very first Weight Watcher's leaders said to me so many years ago, it's not the fruit that brings people to Weight Watchers, it's the fruit pie. Well, I can say that fruit has been a serious problem for me in the basic calories in < calories out equation lately. I must cut back.
I also need to come to terms with my workout schedule and either make peace with the fact that I am not going to be a morning exerciser, or get over myself and just get the fudge out of bed in the morning! Seriously! Every week it's the same ol' thing. I mentally prepare for getting to bed early, getting up early, and getting my workout done first thing. Some days it happens and I feel great, most days it doesn't and I feel like crap. Even if I get the workout done in the evening, I'm so irritated with myself over the missed morning workout that it overshadows the evening workout. Isn't that stupid?! For some reason I have it in my head that I need to workout in the morning to be successful, and I want to workout in the morning so bad. But I hate getting out of bed! I am not a morning person, I'm a night person. Morning workouts cramp my style, yet I can't let go of the idea. Help me! Can anyone recommend some blogs of moms who workout at night? I want to see this plan in action because I can't seem to grasp its worthiness.
One other idea I had was this: run in the mornings, strength train at night. I do not love strength training. I do not even like it, yet I know it's necessary. I have been enjoying Jillian's No More Trouble Zones DVD, well as much as you can enjoy something you don't like, that is, but the thought of getting out of bed and bonding with Jillian before my coffee makes me turn off the alarm and pretend I never heard it. So maybe I should just starting running every morning. Running takes little thought. You get up, put on the gear, leave the house (or get on the treadmill). Not difficult. Then a couple nights a week, as time permits, I can have my sweat sesh with Jillian. How many of you run 5 days a week? Do you cross train?
Anyway, regardless of when I workout, the most important thing is to stop eating so much. So here we are on day 1 of the recommitment plan. So far things are going along well. (Except that I didn't workout this morning.)
What is your typical workout routine?
Friday, July 22, 2011
See Jane Run Half Marathon Race Recap
I left for Seattle on Saturday afternoon. I was staying the night with my mom who happens to rent a studio apartment in West Seattle which is just 20 minutes from Gas Works Park where the race would take place. When I got to town it was dinner time so we headed for dinner at The Spaghetti Factory on the waterfront. I ate my favorite pasta dish: spaghetti with browned butter and myzithra cheese, along with lots of bread and butter. Yum!! We took a short walk after dinner and by the time we got back to her apartment it was after 8:30. We visited for awhile but headed to bed early, around 10:30. My alarm was set for 5:30.
I fell asleep fairly quickly, but long about 2:30 a.m. I was wide awake. I could not fall back to sleep. It was a strange place, a strange bed, and my mom's breathing was strange (not strange for her, but strange for me since I usually sleep with my husband!) No matter what I tried, I could not sleep! Finally abot 4:45 I gave up, resigned to the fact that I would be running a half marathon on very little sleep!
I can't say that I was nervous when I got up, but I did feel a bit of trepidation. Would I be able to do it, would I finish in under three hours, how many times would I have to pee, and so on and so forth! Luckily I had my race outfit, my pre-race breakfast, and all the details of the day worked out. I felt at ease with all that would take place knowing that I had done everything I could to get prepared, even if that didn't include long runs!
We were supposed to check-in for the race at 6:30 and we arrived at the park at 6:25! Woohoo! There was no line for packet pickup although I was dismayed to hear they were out of size large shirts. I didn't order a large, but I was thinking of all those women that did and how frustrating that would be! I already knew the shirts were super cute and purple--it was meant to be, I tell ya!
We walked around the park a little bit. There was a great view of the Seattle skyline which I had to photograph, but before I did that I had to take a picture of the hideous garbage left behind by some hooligans the night before.
Seriously, can you believe that? I was amazed to see that after several runners came over to take pictures of the view, they started cleaning it all up. There are terrific people in the world. I'm not one of them, but I'm so glad to see they exist!
Anyway, the view was amazing even though it was completely overcast. The weather forecast called for rain, but it wasn't happening just yet. I had my sunglasses just in case.
Gas Works Park has these large steel structures that I guess used to do something with gas. I don't know. But I took some pictures. And then I used the restroom.
By now it was about 7:00 and we wandered over to check out the "expo". I didn't really need anything, but wants are so strong at these things. I found a purple See Jane Run sweatshirt that I just had to buy. It was $55 for a Champion sweatshirt! Say what?! Well, I had to have it, of course.
Long about 7:30, I decided to hit the restroom again. I'm sure it was nerves and my bladder, but I had to go again. This time the line was so long! And they did not have enough restrooms, not by a lot shot. They kept announcing to let the half marathon runners go first because the 5K started a half hour later, but it didn't seem to make a difference. At 7:40 when the Jane Fonda style warm-up started I was still in the bathroom line. At 7:50, I was still in the bathroom line. My mom and I started up a conversation with the girl behind us (here name was Brandy) who was very experienced in running these events and by 7:59 we were still in line. The race started promptly at 8:00 and we were still in line! I was asking her if she thought we should head out and hit the first porta-potty, or if we should continue to wait, it was chip timing after all. After much debate we headed out about 2 minutes after the start. We didn't use the restroom! So I was starting my first half marathon having to pee. Good times.
But we were off and running. I was running my first half marathon! Woohoo! And an amazing thing was happening. Brandy and I were chatting! Running and chatting! I never thought I could run and talk before, but here I was. And it was glorious! I felt awesome and the time was passing so quickly. The first three miles was an out and back which was a little annoying when the lead runners were coming back and the path was still thick with runners. You couldn't pass people or you'd get run over so you just had to shuffle along. But we hit 3 miles around 35 minutes which wasn't too bad.
It was right after the three mile mark that we finally stopped to pee. Oh, thank goodness! I had been so stressed because I hate running while having to pee!
At 4 miles, I ate two Gu Chomps (blueberry-pomegranite) and had some water. Brandy and I were still chatting and I was still feeling great! My right heel started hurting a little bit around mile 6 which worried me a bit. I hoped it would not continue to get worse and worse. Luckily it didn't.
I started this race with a solid plan. I broke it into three parts. Miles 1 through 8 were basically Bloomsday so I could run those no problem! Then I would run and/or walk as needed to mile 10. And then it was just a 5K to the end--I do 5Ks all the time. This plan and Brandy helped the first 8 miles fly by! I felt great! At one point we kind of got separated and I just turned up my iPod and kept going. I was really amazed at how good I felt! I had a couple Gu Chomps and water every two miles and the pace was easy and steady. When we got to a place where there was a fairly steep, but short hill, I actually loved it. I didn't realize that my legs did feel a little sore but the change to running up hill felt great and was a nice break
I did walk a little bit between mile 9 and 10. Brandy and I had gotten separated so I was a bit sad, and I had to pee again. Eww! So after the 10 mile mark I stopped into the first porto-potty available. Let me tell you how not fun it is to try and go to the bathroom in one of those things when your clothes are soaked with sweat. Everything was sticking to me and it was difficult to maneauver all my clothes and race belt while staying upright. Oh yeah, and that one was on a hill, did I mention that? I almost fell over while I was trying to pull my pants up! That would have been fun! I kept envisioning the whole thing going over with me.
It was about 10.5 miles when I started to feel a little fatigued. I kept telling myself it was just a 5K to finish, and I could run it. But I actually ended up walking a bit between mile 10 and the finish. I was okay with it, though, I wanted to keep going. The last 3 miles was another out and back so eventually I saw Brandy coming back and she cheered for me and gave me a mental boost! I will admit that at one point I was thinking about how I wouldn't be doing any more half marathons after that one! But I kept going. My biggest problem was the thirst. My water bottles were empty and I had to get to mile 12 or so before there was more water. I felt like I could drink a gallon. When I reached that last water station I couldn't force myself to eat any more Chomps and I sucked down a cup of water while they refilled my water bottle. That was only 6oz, though, and soon it was gone, but I still had a half mile to go. I just wanted water! It had started to sprinkle just a bit, but that wasn't the water I needed!
At 13 miles Icould hear the announcer at the finish line and shortly I could see the end. I picked up the pace and finished strong.
I kept scanning the crowd for my mom, but turns out she was standing on the other side of the finish line! Once I crossed it I started to head towards her and a race official started coming after me which startled me a bit! Turns out she just wanted to give me my medal! Oh, thank you! Now I need water. But then I kept walking and someone else was coming after me; this person wanted my race chip. Sheesh, let me get some water! I walked a bit further and a photographer was right there telling me he could take my finish line photo. Yes, please, but I still need water.
Finally, I could head towards the water. Water! All I wanted was water. But they had no water!!!!!!!! NO WATER! I was disappointed and trying not to panic. I knew my mom had water in the car, but that wasn't right there at the finish and I wanted water now. So what else can a person do but head towards the champagne. At least it's liquid right? On my way I met up with Brandy again and she hugged me and congratulated me. I felt awesome! Thirsty, but awesome.
And my mom headed to her car to get the water! It was still raining. It wasn't pouring, but it was a steady rainfall which chilled me a bit. I guzzled the water, sipped the champagne, and ate the chocolate. I also tried to choke down a bagel, but that wasn't happening. Brandy and I chatted a bit more, I thanked her for her help in passing the miles and then finally we decided to be on our way. It was around 11:00 by this time. My legs felt really good; I finally did a little stretching on the way to the car. When I had made my way to the water table only to find it empty, I also started hearing about how they had run out of 5K medals. After knowing they'd also run out of large shirts I was worried they would run out of champagne glasses and champagne. Instead of taking the time to stretch a bit, I was more intent on getting my glass and filling it with liquid than stretching my legs. So a good stretch at the car was definitely in order. I snapped a picture of myself with my phone to text to all my friends and we left the park.
My mom and I went back to her place where I showered and slept for 2 hours! At first I felt guilty about napping, but then I remembered I was up at 2:30 and had run 13.1 miles so I deserved a nap. And it felt great. I thought I would be sore when I got up, but only my knees felt a tad bit tight. Later that evening I drove about 50 minutes to see my friend and I though my legs would hurt after being stuck in the car, but they weren't. She and I even walked a few blocks to dinner, and I felt great!
I even felt great the next day and the next. No soreness! I am amazed. I was sore after Bloomsday for a couple days so I was fully expecting to be sore after this race, but I really wasn't. This has only added to the greatness of this whole experience. It makes me realize that I have been training well and running hard. I may not have run the long runs, but I ran a lot. And all of that hard work paid off! My chip time on this race was 2:44:01. I have posted my splits below and you'll notice the extra time on mile 4 and mile 10--these were the bathroom stops. At first I was dismayed to see that I basically spent 8 minutes going to the bathroom. I was thinking without those stops I could have finished in 2:36, just 6 minutes off my goal...or maybe not. I then started realizing that those bathroom breaks were also running breaks and maybe making those stops actually helped me. Maybe without a rest I would not have been able to finish as strong as I did. So I'm not lamenting the 8 minutes at all. In the end, time doesn't really matter. The fact is I completed a half marathon, and I felt great doing it. I set a goal and achieved it. That is a fabulous feeling! I could not be more proud of myself.
Now, am I still planning to chase down the 2:30 half marathon? Well, we shall see. More on this in the coming weeks. I also plan to share my thoughts about this race series as well as recommend some fabulous running gear.
Thank you for following my journey and supporting me!
I fell asleep fairly quickly, but long about 2:30 a.m. I was wide awake. I could not fall back to sleep. It was a strange place, a strange bed, and my mom's breathing was strange (not strange for her, but strange for me since I usually sleep with my husband!) No matter what I tried, I could not sleep! Finally abot 4:45 I gave up, resigned to the fact that I would be running a half marathon on very little sleep!
I can't say that I was nervous when I got up, but I did feel a bit of trepidation. Would I be able to do it, would I finish in under three hours, how many times would I have to pee, and so on and so forth! Luckily I had my race outfit, my pre-race breakfast, and all the details of the day worked out. I felt at ease with all that would take place knowing that I had done everything I could to get prepared, even if that didn't include long runs!
We were supposed to check-in for the race at 6:30 and we arrived at the park at 6:25! Woohoo! There was no line for packet pickup although I was dismayed to hear they were out of size large shirts. I didn't order a large, but I was thinking of all those women that did and how frustrating that would be! I already knew the shirts were super cute and purple--it was meant to be, I tell ya!
Long about 7:30, I decided to hit the restroom again. I'm sure it was nerves and my bladder, but I had to go again. This time the line was so long! And they did not have enough restrooms, not by a lot shot. They kept announcing to let the half marathon runners go first because the 5K started a half hour later, but it didn't seem to make a difference. At 7:40 when the Jane Fonda style warm-up started I was still in the bathroom line. At 7:50, I was still in the bathroom line. My mom and I started up a conversation with the girl behind us (here name was Brandy) who was very experienced in running these events and by 7:59 we were still in line. The race started promptly at 8:00 and we were still in line! I was asking her if she thought we should head out and hit the first porta-potty, or if we should continue to wait, it was chip timing after all. After much debate we headed out about 2 minutes after the start. We didn't use the restroom! So I was starting my first half marathon having to pee. Good times.
But we were off and running. I was running my first half marathon! Woohoo! And an amazing thing was happening. Brandy and I were chatting! Running and chatting! I never thought I could run and talk before, but here I was. And it was glorious! I felt awesome and the time was passing so quickly. The first three miles was an out and back which was a little annoying when the lead runners were coming back and the path was still thick with runners. You couldn't pass people or you'd get run over so you just had to shuffle along. But we hit 3 miles around 35 minutes which wasn't too bad.
It was right after the three mile mark that we finally stopped to pee. Oh, thank goodness! I had been so stressed because I hate running while having to pee!
At 4 miles, I ate two Gu Chomps (blueberry-pomegranite) and had some water. Brandy and I were still chatting and I was still feeling great! My right heel started hurting a little bit around mile 6 which worried me a bit. I hoped it would not continue to get worse and worse. Luckily it didn't.
I started this race with a solid plan. I broke it into three parts. Miles 1 through 8 were basically Bloomsday so I could run those no problem! Then I would run and/or walk as needed to mile 10. And then it was just a 5K to the end--I do 5Ks all the time. This plan and Brandy helped the first 8 miles fly by! I felt great! At one point we kind of got separated and I just turned up my iPod and kept going. I was really amazed at how good I felt! I had a couple Gu Chomps and water every two miles and the pace was easy and steady. When we got to a place where there was a fairly steep, but short hill, I actually loved it. I didn't realize that my legs did feel a little sore but the change to running up hill felt great and was a nice break
I did walk a little bit between mile 9 and 10. Brandy and I had gotten separated so I was a bit sad, and I had to pee again. Eww! So after the 10 mile mark I stopped into the first porto-potty available. Let me tell you how not fun it is to try and go to the bathroom in one of those things when your clothes are soaked with sweat. Everything was sticking to me and it was difficult to maneauver all my clothes and race belt while staying upright. Oh yeah, and that one was on a hill, did I mention that? I almost fell over while I was trying to pull my pants up! That would have been fun! I kept envisioning the whole thing going over with me.
It was about 10.5 miles when I started to feel a little fatigued. I kept telling myself it was just a 5K to finish, and I could run it. But I actually ended up walking a bit between mile 10 and the finish. I was okay with it, though, I wanted to keep going. The last 3 miles was another out and back so eventually I saw Brandy coming back and she cheered for me and gave me a mental boost! I will admit that at one point I was thinking about how I wouldn't be doing any more half marathons after that one! But I kept going. My biggest problem was the thirst. My water bottles were empty and I had to get to mile 12 or so before there was more water. I felt like I could drink a gallon. When I reached that last water station I couldn't force myself to eat any more Chomps and I sucked down a cup of water while they refilled my water bottle. That was only 6oz, though, and soon it was gone, but I still had a half mile to go. I just wanted water! It had started to sprinkle just a bit, but that wasn't the water I needed!
At 13 miles Icould hear the announcer at the finish line and shortly I could see the end. I picked up the pace and finished strong.
I even felt great the next day and the next. No soreness! I am amazed. I was sore after Bloomsday for a couple days so I was fully expecting to be sore after this race, but I really wasn't. This has only added to the greatness of this whole experience. It makes me realize that I have been training well and running hard. I may not have run the long runs, but I ran a lot. And all of that hard work paid off! My chip time on this race was 2:44:01. I have posted my splits below and you'll notice the extra time on mile 4 and mile 10--these were the bathroom stops. At first I was dismayed to see that I basically spent 8 minutes going to the bathroom. I was thinking without those stops I could have finished in 2:36, just 6 minutes off my goal...or maybe not. I then started realizing that those bathroom breaks were also running breaks and maybe making those stops actually helped me. Maybe without a rest I would not have been able to finish as strong as I did. So I'm not lamenting the 8 minutes at all. In the end, time doesn't really matter. The fact is I completed a half marathon, and I felt great doing it. I set a goal and achieved it. That is a fabulous feeling! I could not be more proud of myself.
Now, am I still planning to chase down the 2:30 half marathon? Well, we shall see. More on this in the coming weeks. I also plan to share my thoughts about this race series as well as recommend some fabulous running gear.
Thank you for following my journey and supporting me!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
I am a half marathoner!!
I am a half marathoner!!
I promise to post a complete recap very soon! This experience has been one of the best of my life, and I feel amazing! I can't wait to share the whole story with you all! Until then, here is my official photo from the finish line.
See Jane Run Half Marathon - Seattle
July 17, 2011
Chip Time: 2:44:01
Monday, July 11, 2011
Finally summer!
I'm coming off another great weekend filled with sun. My tan is in full swing! I love summer!
This week is my "taper week" as I head into my half marathon this weekend. Tapering would mean less mileage, but since I haven't run the long runs (over 6 miles), this week will feel fairly the same. And even though I haven't done those long runs, and even though I am still nervous about my half marathon, I am completely excited about it at the same time. No matter what my finish time is, I'll have a PR! Finishing=winning.
I leave for Seattle on Saturday and will be staying until Wednesday with my BFF or BFFL, however you want to look at it. We plan to shop, laugh, and have a great time together no matter what happens with my race on Sunday. I really wish she was doing the half with me! And I will say it again, I don't think I will tackle another half marathon unless I have a buddy. My mom will be dropping me off at the race and she'll be there at the end, but having someone along side me, earning the same medal as me would be so much more special. A half marathon still feels like a huge accomplishment to me and I'll love having achieved this goal, but I would love having someone there with me, too. Oh well, I have been a solo runner all these months so running the half solo will be fine. I am still hoping for the 2:30 finish, but without the proper training on the books, I'm leaving it up to God and my legs and lungs to determine my finish time. I'm okay with whatever time I get as long as I finish on my own two feet!
 |
| Wearing the white shirt again! |
I leave for Seattle on Saturday and will be staying until Wednesday with my BFF or BFFL, however you want to look at it. We plan to shop, laugh, and have a great time together no matter what happens with my race on Sunday. I really wish she was doing the half with me! And I will say it again, I don't think I will tackle another half marathon unless I have a buddy. My mom will be dropping me off at the race and she'll be there at the end, but having someone along side me, earning the same medal as me would be so much more special. A half marathon still feels like a huge accomplishment to me and I'll love having achieved this goal, but I would love having someone there with me, too. Oh well, I have been a solo runner all these months so running the half solo will be fine. I am still hoping for the 2:30 finish, but without the proper training on the books, I'm leaving it up to God and my legs and lungs to determine my finish time. I'm okay with whatever time I get as long as I finish on my own two feet!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Don't think, just do!
I'm back. You didn't know I was gone, did you? Well, I've kind of been laying low and now I'm going to get back online. But what does that mean? Hmmm, I'm here with my stats, first.
Starting weight: 236.8
Last week's weight: 157.4 (actually May 24, last check in)
Current weight: 159.4
Gain/loss: +2.0
Total gain/loss: -77.4
Pounds to goal: 22.6
You may notice that I've gotten even farther (further?) from my goal. Argh! I'm not too concerned only because I've been weighing anywhere from 156 to 159 for the past month. It's just that nothing is clicking with me right now.
As for my training, well I posted about that here, and it hasn't really gotten any better. I'm now wishing I could just get this event over and done with. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm ready for it to be done. July 17th can't get here fast enough, although I hate wishing that because it's like wishing the summer to go faster.
I'm ready to get back to my regularly scheduled running. My best friend visited over the weekend. She has also been running for about a year and she is doing awesome. She really got me to thinking about how much I just miss my fitness runs. An easy 5K a few times per week sounds excellent right now. I have always thought that I want to become a "5 mile runner", but now I think I'm a 5K runner. I like that distance. You have time to warm up, run, cool down, and then still do some good stretching afterwards, and still complete all of it in well under an hour. It feels easier to add in some other activities with that distance as well. For some reason I've had it in my head that if I'm not doing 15-20 miles a week, I'm not doing enough. I don't know where that idea came from, but that's what I've been stuck on. But what if I did some biking or swimming, some strength training, and some running? Maybe only 12 miles a week, or even less? That should be okay, shouldn't it? I'm trying to get to a place where that feels okay.
I really need to add in some other activities. I wouldn't say I'm getting bored with running, but I do need some additional exercises to start shaping this body. Running is not enough. I never thought it was, but I wasn't really ready to add anything else. Now I feel more ready. My friend is doing Zumba and yoga which she loves and I would like to add in something like that too. Whether it's a class or in my basement, I just need to do it! Do it! Do it! Don't think, just do! Right?
As for my weight, I still have my goal weight set at 136.8, but right now, my mini-goal is 149. Once I reach that number, I'm going to evaluate how I feel about where I am at. I have been down to 152 and now I'm back up to 159 and quite possibly the 130s are too low for me. I try not to get too fixated on a number (say 15-20 miles a week, for instance), but in my heart I know I am not happy being in the 150s so I'm not ready to change my goal yet. But I might settle for a 90 pound loss instead of 100. Of even an 86 pound loss. I just want to get out of the 150s, a place I have been since November! It's kind of freeing to think about actually, that I might find a weight that I am happy with that's not just about a number, but also about how I feel. I have never taken the time to think about that part of it, I've always been fixated on a number. I do believe my original goal weight was 145, but then I decided it would be fun to lose 100 pounds and changed it to 136.8. I gotta tell you, though, 145 sounds good right now.
Size is becoming a huge thing to me, as in clothes sizes. I wanted to wear a size 8, but I think I am okay with a size 10. What I'm not okay with is the muffin top midsection!! I bought some capris at American Eagle the other night, size 10. They fit, but they are very snug in the waist! I know some bloggers who outweigh me by 30+ pounds who are still smaller than me! But they are very active in all around fitness activities (running, cross training, strength training) when all I do is run. That is why I feel really ready to add in some other activities. I might firm up and lose inches even if I don't lose 100 pounds. 145 or 149 might feel terrific if I were several inches smaller. The only thing that can make that happen is me, and I need to take the steps and get it done.
I've learned that I can be a solitary runner (except for long runs and that's another post), but I think I need group fitness classes. Whenever I try and start something in my basement, I quickly lose interest because it gets mundane and boring, even after 2 sessions. Currently I don't know anyone I can work out with, but perhaps if I rejoin a gym, or find some community fitness activities, I can meet some people. I just cancelled my gym membership in February because I didn't think it was for me, but I've really been digging deep lately into just what my ultimate goals are and how I can achieve them. Is a gym the way to do it? I'm deciding.
I'm also still working on my workout schedule. Morning? Evening? Both? This morning was my first day back at work after a week of being on pseudo-vacation (i.e., not having to come to the office but keeping up with email and a couple projects). We were out to dinner with friends last night and I had a few things to take care of when I got home so I didn't get to bed until after 11:30. This means a morning run is doomed. This late night stuff happens way too often. That means after work I'll have to run. And of course I'll HAVE to because of this training thing, and having to really makes me cranky. I don't want to HAVE to! Oh, I can't wait until this half marathon is over.
So there you have it. Still here, still trying, still thinking more than doing.
Starting weight: 236.8
Last week's weight: 157.4 (actually May 24, last check in)
Current weight: 159.4
Gain/loss: +2.0
Total gain/loss: -77.4
Pounds to goal: 22.6
You may notice that I've gotten even farther (further?) from my goal. Argh! I'm not too concerned only because I've been weighing anywhere from 156 to 159 for the past month. It's just that nothing is clicking with me right now.
As for my training, well I posted about that here, and it hasn't really gotten any better. I'm now wishing I could just get this event over and done with. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm ready for it to be done. July 17th can't get here fast enough, although I hate wishing that because it's like wishing the summer to go faster.
I'm ready to get back to my regularly scheduled running. My best friend visited over the weekend. She has also been running for about a year and she is doing awesome. She really got me to thinking about how much I just miss my fitness runs. An easy 5K a few times per week sounds excellent right now. I have always thought that I want to become a "5 mile runner", but now I think I'm a 5K runner. I like that distance. You have time to warm up, run, cool down, and then still do some good stretching afterwards, and still complete all of it in well under an hour. It feels easier to add in some other activities with that distance as well. For some reason I've had it in my head that if I'm not doing 15-20 miles a week, I'm not doing enough. I don't know where that idea came from, but that's what I've been stuck on. But what if I did some biking or swimming, some strength training, and some running? Maybe only 12 miles a week, or even less? That should be okay, shouldn't it? I'm trying to get to a place where that feels okay.
I really need to add in some other activities. I wouldn't say I'm getting bored with running, but I do need some additional exercises to start shaping this body. Running is not enough. I never thought it was, but I wasn't really ready to add anything else. Now I feel more ready. My friend is doing Zumba and yoga which she loves and I would like to add in something like that too. Whether it's a class or in my basement, I just need to do it! Do it! Do it! Don't think, just do! Right?
As for my weight, I still have my goal weight set at 136.8, but right now, my mini-goal is 149. Once I reach that number, I'm going to evaluate how I feel about where I am at. I have been down to 152 and now I'm back up to 159 and quite possibly the 130s are too low for me. I try not to get too fixated on a number (say 15-20 miles a week, for instance), but in my heart I know I am not happy being in the 150s so I'm not ready to change my goal yet. But I might settle for a 90 pound loss instead of 100. Of even an 86 pound loss. I just want to get out of the 150s, a place I have been since November! It's kind of freeing to think about actually, that I might find a weight that I am happy with that's not just about a number, but also about how I feel. I have never taken the time to think about that part of it, I've always been fixated on a number. I do believe my original goal weight was 145, but then I decided it would be fun to lose 100 pounds and changed it to 136.8. I gotta tell you, though, 145 sounds good right now.
Size is becoming a huge thing to me, as in clothes sizes. I wanted to wear a size 8, but I think I am okay with a size 10. What I'm not okay with is the muffin top midsection!! I bought some capris at American Eagle the other night, size 10. They fit, but they are very snug in the waist! I know some bloggers who outweigh me by 30+ pounds who are still smaller than me! But they are very active in all around fitness activities (running, cross training, strength training) when all I do is run. That is why I feel really ready to add in some other activities. I might firm up and lose inches even if I don't lose 100 pounds. 145 or 149 might feel terrific if I were several inches smaller. The only thing that can make that happen is me, and I need to take the steps and get it done.
I've learned that I can be a solitary runner (except for long runs and that's another post), but I think I need group fitness classes. Whenever I try and start something in my basement, I quickly lose interest because it gets mundane and boring, even after 2 sessions. Currently I don't know anyone I can work out with, but perhaps if I rejoin a gym, or find some community fitness activities, I can meet some people. I just cancelled my gym membership in February because I didn't think it was for me, but I've really been digging deep lately into just what my ultimate goals are and how I can achieve them. Is a gym the way to do it? I'm deciding.
I'm also still working on my workout schedule. Morning? Evening? Both? This morning was my first day back at work after a week of being on pseudo-vacation (i.e., not having to come to the office but keeping up with email and a couple projects). We were out to dinner with friends last night and I had a few things to take care of when I got home so I didn't get to bed until after 11:30. This means a morning run is doomed. This late night stuff happens way too often. That means after work I'll have to run. And of course I'll HAVE to because of this training thing, and having to really makes me cranky. I don't want to HAVE to! Oh, I can't wait until this half marathon is over.
So there you have it. Still here, still trying, still thinking more than doing.
Monday, May 9, 2011
TMI - It's Here to Stay
Good morning and happy Monday!
This morning I had my first official training run, gosh it was fun to mark it off the list, and now I start my plan to go caffeine free. What? Have I gone insane? No and I'll explain.
I have been consulting my favorite physician, Dr. Google, about my bladder issues (overactive bladder, stress incontinence). I'm concerned about running 13.1 miles and having to stop and use a porta-potty, or worse, not being able to make it to one. I'm going to make some changes during the next few weeks to see if it helps the situation. If I don't see any improvement, I'll be calling up a real doctor. If I do see improvement, well, I might still call up a real doctor. Time will tell.
Up first is the plan to go caffeine free. Now, this is very difficult for me because I LOVE coffee. But I love running (without peeing) more than coffee so with that in mind, I embrace this plan. Today I had two cups of regular coffee (my usual is at least 5) and then switched to decaf. Decaf is fine, but not as lovely, so I don't see myself drinking much of it. It's more to help with my habit of always having coffee on my desk. Tomorrow I'll have two cups regular, but then Wednesday I will go down to one. By Saturday or Sunday I plan to have zero. Coffee is really all the caffeine that I consume these days, although I also love me some Diet Coke, but I hardly ever have it. I can always buy some caff-free if I really want it.
Up second on the plan is to decrease the liquids I consume overall. I drink a TON of water. I have a water bottle that holds 26 ounces and I will easily fill it 5 times per day, more if I am up late. I think I probably do it more out of habit than actual thirst and that makes my bladder work overtime. Instead of mindlessly drinking all day long, I plan to try and tune into my body's signals and drink when I am thirsty. Of course I still plan to get in my 48-64oz, but anything beyond that will only be when I'm absolutely thirsty. Cutting back coffee will decrease the overall amount of fluids too. I also plan to stop drinking anything past 7:00 p.m. Hopefully this will help me sleep through the night without having to get up to pee! Last night I was up 3 times!
Up third is to start practicing kegel exercises (sorry TMI). Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles is important in my situation. Having a large baby, coupled with being obese for several years has not done this area any favors. So I will consciously make time for these exercises everyday, more than once a day.
I am sharing this on my blog because I know I'm not the only female runner who experiences these issues. It's not fun, it's rather embarrassing, but it's also a fact of my life. If I can help anyone else who might be in a similar situation, I'll go ahead with the TMI on my blog. Hopefully no one is offended.
This morning I had my first official training run, gosh it was fun to mark it off the list, and now I start my plan to go caffeine free. What? Have I gone insane? No and I'll explain.
I have been consulting my favorite physician, Dr. Google, about my bladder issues (overactive bladder, stress incontinence). I'm concerned about running 13.1 miles and having to stop and use a porta-potty, or worse, not being able to make it to one. I'm going to make some changes during the next few weeks to see if it helps the situation. If I don't see any improvement, I'll be calling up a real doctor. If I do see improvement, well, I might still call up a real doctor. Time will tell.
Up first is the plan to go caffeine free. Now, this is very difficult for me because I LOVE coffee. But I love running (without peeing) more than coffee so with that in mind, I embrace this plan. Today I had two cups of regular coffee (my usual is at least 5) and then switched to decaf. Decaf is fine, but not as lovely, so I don't see myself drinking much of it. It's more to help with my habit of always having coffee on my desk. Tomorrow I'll have two cups regular, but then Wednesday I will go down to one. By Saturday or Sunday I plan to have zero. Coffee is really all the caffeine that I consume these days, although I also love me some Diet Coke, but I hardly ever have it. I can always buy some caff-free if I really want it.
Up second on the plan is to decrease the liquids I consume overall. I drink a TON of water. I have a water bottle that holds 26 ounces and I will easily fill it 5 times per day, more if I am up late. I think I probably do it more out of habit than actual thirst and that makes my bladder work overtime. Instead of mindlessly drinking all day long, I plan to try and tune into my body's signals and drink when I am thirsty. Of course I still plan to get in my 48-64oz, but anything beyond that will only be when I'm absolutely thirsty. Cutting back coffee will decrease the overall amount of fluids too. I also plan to stop drinking anything past 7:00 p.m. Hopefully this will help me sleep through the night without having to get up to pee! Last night I was up 3 times!
Up third is to start practicing kegel exercises (sorry TMI). Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles is important in my situation. Having a large baby, coupled with being obese for several years has not done this area any favors. So I will consciously make time for these exercises everyday, more than once a day.
I am sharing this on my blog because I know I'm not the only female runner who experiences these issues. It's not fun, it's rather embarrassing, but it's also a fact of my life. If I can help anyone else who might be in a similar situation, I'll go ahead with the TMI on my blog. Hopefully no one is offended.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Tomorrow is Day One
Tomorrow starts my official training for my first ever half marathon which is on Sunday, July 17. (I start out with a rest day, awesome!) I looked at several training plans online and adapted a couple of them into my own plan to work with my schedule. This training schedule is 10 weeks long, and I will run on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I will complete a yoga workout on Tuesdays and Fridays (or possibly some other DVD workout). I will have one rest day per week.
During my regular runs I run for distance, but during my training run I will run for time. This makes me a little nervous, but I think I can adapt. I'm both nervous and excited to start my training.
Feel free to view my training schedule here. You'll notice I don't have any set speed workouts on the schedule, but I do plan to add in tempo runs and interval workouts a bit. I just don't know when. I do have a time goal for this 1/2 marathon (2.5 hours), but mainly I just want to finish strong. I want to feel great during my training, great during the race, AND great during the days that follow the race. Right now, I don't feel a huge need for speed. 11 minute miles for 13.1 miles will be fine. Just fine.
Here we go!
During my regular runs I run for distance, but during my training run I will run for time. This makes me a little nervous, but I think I can adapt. I'm both nervous and excited to start my training.
Feel free to view my training schedule here. You'll notice I don't have any set speed workouts on the schedule, but I do plan to add in tempo runs and interval workouts a bit. I just don't know when. I do have a time goal for this 1/2 marathon (2.5 hours), but mainly I just want to finish strong. I want to feel great during my training, great during the race, AND great during the days that follow the race. Right now, I don't feel a huge need for speed. 11 minute miles for 13.1 miles will be fine. Just fine.
Here we go!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Bloomsday 12K Race Report - Finally
Bloomsday has been a big deal in our family for as long as I can remember. I'm 36, this was the 35th running of Bloomsday, and my dad just completed is 30th consecutive Bloomsday. My step mom, while only having been in my life for the past 20 Bloomsdays, also just completed her 30th consecutive. I myself just completed my 4th Bloomsday. But this was the first time I actually went out with a goal in mind. The last time I participated was in 2000 and my time was somewhere around 1:45. During that time I had been running a little bit in the morning, but I was nowhere capable of running the entire 7.46 miles. But still, I was proud of that time because the two prior finish times were both well over 2 hours each. One, in 1989, when I was 13 was 2:35 and the other in 1994 was about 2:15! Anyway, lets just say I have a history with this event and my family takes it seriously.
Last year, I had been running for just a couple months when Bloomsday came along and I didn't feel like setting my sites on that distance would be a positive thing for me to do. So I didn't sign up. I'm still glad for that decision, although the shirt last year was seriously cute. But even last year I knew that I would participate this year, so you could say the event has been on my calendar for over a year, looming up ahead.
As the event approached I did begin to feel a bit apprehensive. I didn't know if I could complete it in my goal time of 1:25 and I was completely freaked about "Doomsday Hill" which starts at around 4.25 miles and finishes just after 5 miles. All of my "long" training runs ended up being 5 miles or less (usually less) and I never hit my goal of running a 10K in the weeks leading up to the race.
What I was excited for was the Bloomsday trade show! On Friday, the 19th, I headed down to the trade show with my parents (my dad and step mom). There was no line for my age group/last initial so I was able to head right over to the trade show while they picked up numbers for every Tom, Dick and Harry they knew! I ended up buying some running clothes from the Nordstrom Rack booth (that I would later discover were too small) and a new Bondi Band to match. (Side note: the Bondi Band booth was a joke. One person working there, who was wearing a strange combination of Bondi Bands. All of the bands were just heaped into two piles, solid and color, and the prices were more than on the website. There was no one even looking at the booth when I went by. Had I not known about the, I would probably ignored too just because the presentation was so bad.) I also found the Fuel Belt handheld water bottle that I wanted for cheaper than it was online-score! I also found the iFitness booth and picked up a new running belt. Unfortunately, they have been sold out of the black with purple zipper on their website for weeks and also didn't bring any to the trade show. I was bummed about that, but I picked up the breast cancer awareness addition and it's pretty sweet (review and giveaway to come). All in all it was a successful day and really added to the momentum of the race. I was pumped after seeing all the gear and picking up a few pamphlets for upcoming events. I was really wishing the race was on Saturday, but instead I had a whole day to wait.
I know you're not supposed to wear a new outfit on race day, but I really had my heart set on wearing my new clothes. Unfortunately, given the fact that they were too small left me with little choice but to find something in my own closet. So I spent about two hours on Saturday modeling all my clothes and coming up with something. The weather was supposed to be sunny with a high of around 60 degrees, but I knew that standing at the start would be chilly at 8:30 in the morning. And I wasn't sure if I wanted to wear long sleeves during the whole run! I finally decided on wearing a short sleeve shirt with a long sleeve shirt over the top with capris. I also took a sweatshirt which I planned to leave at the starting line. Unfortunately, my husband slept through my departure so I have no prerace photos except for those that I took of myself. (Apparently I was too focused on the fact that my husband was in bed that I didn't even think to have my handy-capable son do the job. Oh well.)
Another piece of anxiety for me was parking. I wanted to park in my office building since it is right next to the starting line. However, since I didn't plan to arrive until after 8:00 a.m. I was afraid it would be full. (I found out later I could have easily parked there saving myself some time.) Instead I parked at one of the pay lots about a half a mile away. I set off from my car with my race belt and my sweatshirt, headed for my office building where there are real toilets and windows overlooking the start. I planned to wait up there until it was race time. That idea proved to be smart and dumb. Smart because of the bathrooms, smart because it gave me a place to leave my long sleeve shirt which ended up being too warm even for the walk down there, and smart because I could drink a quick half a cup of coffee. Dumb because I was up there for awhile and ended up getting to the back of my starting group. I didn't think this would be a big deal because of the chip timing, but I quickly realized the error in that theory.
When I finally lined up, it was rather lonely because I was all by myself. You might wonder why I wasn't with my parents and that is because they had a whole agenda for the morning which included picking up Tom, Dick, Harry and Sally, and attending a worship service in the park. There were no real bathrooms on their agenda and whole lot of dilly dallying--not my style! Anyway, it took about 45 minutes from the time I lined up until our group started moving, and about an hour until we actually started. I had my sweatshirt with me and that was warm enough and with all the people it was quite pleasant. I was ready to go, however! The longer I stand there, the bigger chance I have of needing to pee during the race and that was making me anxious.
Finally we were off and this is when I realized I wished I would have been further to the front. This race is well organized and though out with the color groups and staggered starts, but this race also has over 50,000 people, so there is bound to be gridlock no matter what. The further you are towards the front, based on your color group, the better your chances of being held up. You estimate your finish time and they assign your color group based on that, and also your past finish times. Although my estimate was 1:25, I still ended up in orange due to the lack of race history. Orange is one of the largest groups and is in the middle of all the color groups. And it was elbow to elbow for quite a while after the start. I didn't want to waste energy weaving around people so I just tried to keep steady until the crowd thinned out.
Mile 1: 11:43
I was feeling great when I saw the mile marker and was really glad to see the distance on my Garmin at 1:04. The crowd was still fairly congested so you had to pay attention to where your feet were landing and if someone was slowing down in front of you. I have to say I am one of those runners who gets very irritated when walkers don't keep right. Slower traffic, keep right! Anyway, I just paid attention and kept running.
Mile 2: 11:06
The pack is thinning out a bit, but now it's more common to be impeded by walkers. Still, I don't want to do the weave and sprint routine because I do not want to get tired out before I reach the big hill. I am still scared of the hill. I know that once I am to the top, I can give it all I've got, or at least not have to worry about it anymore. For now I am content to just keep an easy, energy saving pace. The course up until Doomsday is far from flat so I don't want to use up all my strength too early.
Mile 3: 11:25
Mile 4: 10:52
When I saw the mile 4 sign I knew we would be getting towards Doomsday fairly soon (I'm also familiar with this town so I know the course), but seeing the sign for mile 4 put things in perspective. I felt great, number one. I knew I was over half way to the finish and that gave me such peace coming up to the hill. And I start running up the hill feeling fairly strong and the crowd is really thinning out which I like, but again, the walkers are not on the right which I don't like! About halfway up, my legs feel strong, but my lungs feel tired and I am breathing too heavy. I decide to walk to the top. First I'm taking big, long strides and then I remember that's dumb and I start quicker, shorter strides. Much better. I walk to the top of the hill water station, drink about half a cup, and set off running again.
Mile 5: 10:45
Mile 6: 10:59
I notice per my Garmin I am still on track for pace/finish time and by now I feel like I have this race in the bag. There are less than 2 miles left, it's relatively flat to the finish and I am ready to put a little more energy into it. The weather is gorgeous and the temperature is perfect. The crowd is thinned out and if I pay attention I will not run down any walkers. The only draw back are those spectators who came out of their houses to cheer on the runners, with their cigarettes. Not a wonderful thing to smell while running.
Mile 7: 10:17
I am feeling awesome, a little tired, but not in pain or anything. I make sure and drink water at the final station so that I can keep pace to the finish. By now I have to pee and I am cussing out my bladder. Near the finish are hundreds of spectators cheering, I smell barbecue, and I see the lilac and purple balloons (it's the Lilac Bloomsday Run) flanking the finish line. I am ready to finish strong.
Mile: .46 of 7.46 5:43 (a pace of 10:15)
I try and smile when I cross the finish so I can have a good picture, but I have no idea on what side the camera is or if it's both. Mostly what I know is that I feel awesome. I remembered to stop my Garmin about 10 seconds past the finish and see the time is 1:22:55 for 7.58 miles. I had surpassed my goal of 1:25. And I felt great. I was noticing many people around me complaining about their legs, their hips, their feet. But me? I think I probably had a smile plastered on my face all the way through the T-shirt lines. I was amazed at how awesome I felt, seriously. Not only had I achieved my time goal, but I ran Bloomsday!! It is hard to explain what that feels like, but having been around people for years and years who run or walk this event annually, I am so proud to have completed this event with a time to be proud of. For some, 11 minute miles are laughable, but for me, it is success. For me, it means that I'm living my life instead of watching it go by. I went to go to the Bloomsday after party (read: food fest) at my parents as a real participant, not just as someone who likes to eat. No other race finish has had such a profound effect on me. I loved every minute of this race, even dodging the walkers. I am a runner!!
Looking back on the event, I think I could have pushed myself more in the beginning if I weaved through crowd. I am already planning on returning next year with a goal time of 1:15. Hopefully my goal for next year along with my time from this year will put me in a more forward color group. If not, I'll just have to get there earlier to line up!
I'm disappointed that I don't have a good race photo, or any race photo really. There is a couple of the entire finish line which I am in, but I am a speck in the crowd. I can order it and crop it, but there is no way to view it cropped to even see how it looks. And since I had no cheering section I didn't get any race photos along the way either. I didn't meet up with my parents at the finish which turned out to be a good thing since they didn't get home until about two hours after me! Dilly dallying I tell you!
My official finish time was 1:22:40. The only drawback to the day: a tan line on my face from the ol' Bondi Band. Oops.
Whew! That was long. Thanks for reading!
Last year, I had been running for just a couple months when Bloomsday came along and I didn't feel like setting my sites on that distance would be a positive thing for me to do. So I didn't sign up. I'm still glad for that decision, although the shirt last year was seriously cute. But even last year I knew that I would participate this year, so you could say the event has been on my calendar for over a year, looming up ahead.
As the event approached I did begin to feel a bit apprehensive. I didn't know if I could complete it in my goal time of 1:25 and I was completely freaked about "Doomsday Hill" which starts at around 4.25 miles and finishes just after 5 miles. All of my "long" training runs ended up being 5 miles or less (usually less) and I never hit my goal of running a 10K in the weeks leading up to the race.
What I was excited for was the Bloomsday trade show! On Friday, the 19th, I headed down to the trade show with my parents (my dad and step mom). There was no line for my age group/last initial so I was able to head right over to the trade show while they picked up numbers for every Tom, Dick and Harry they knew! I ended up buying some running clothes from the Nordstrom Rack booth (that I would later discover were too small) and a new Bondi Band to match. (Side note: the Bondi Band booth was a joke. One person working there, who was wearing a strange combination of Bondi Bands. All of the bands were just heaped into two piles, solid and color, and the prices were more than on the website. There was no one even looking at the booth when I went by. Had I not known about the, I would probably ignored too just because the presentation was so bad.) I also found the Fuel Belt handheld water bottle that I wanted for cheaper than it was online-score! I also found the iFitness booth and picked up a new running belt. Unfortunately, they have been sold out of the black with purple zipper on their website for weeks and also didn't bring any to the trade show. I was bummed about that, but I picked up the breast cancer awareness addition and it's pretty sweet (review and giveaway to come). All in all it was a successful day and really added to the momentum of the race. I was pumped after seeing all the gear and picking up a few pamphlets for upcoming events. I was really wishing the race was on Saturday, but instead I had a whole day to wait.
I know you're not supposed to wear a new outfit on race day, but I really had my heart set on wearing my new clothes. Unfortunately, given the fact that they were too small left me with little choice but to find something in my own closet. So I spent about two hours on Saturday modeling all my clothes and coming up with something. The weather was supposed to be sunny with a high of around 60 degrees, but I knew that standing at the start would be chilly at 8:30 in the morning. And I wasn't sure if I wanted to wear long sleeves during the whole run! I finally decided on wearing a short sleeve shirt with a long sleeve shirt over the top with capris. I also took a sweatshirt which I planned to leave at the starting line. Unfortunately, my husband slept through my departure so I have no prerace photos except for those that I took of myself. (Apparently I was too focused on the fact that my husband was in bed that I didn't even think to have my handy-capable son do the job. Oh well.)
When I finally lined up, it was rather lonely because I was all by myself. You might wonder why I wasn't with my parents and that is because they had a whole agenda for the morning which included picking up Tom, Dick, Harry and Sally, and attending a worship service in the park. There were no real bathrooms on their agenda and whole lot of dilly dallying--not my style! Anyway, it took about 45 minutes from the time I lined up until our group started moving, and about an hour until we actually started. I had my sweatshirt with me and that was warm enough and with all the people it was quite pleasant. I was ready to go, however! The longer I stand there, the bigger chance I have of needing to pee during the race and that was making me anxious.
Finally we were off and this is when I realized I wished I would have been further to the front. This race is well organized and though out with the color groups and staggered starts, but this race also has over 50,000 people, so there is bound to be gridlock no matter what. The further you are towards the front, based on your color group, the better your chances of being held up. You estimate your finish time and they assign your color group based on that, and also your past finish times. Although my estimate was 1:25, I still ended up in orange due to the lack of race history. Orange is one of the largest groups and is in the middle of all the color groups. And it was elbow to elbow for quite a while after the start. I didn't want to waste energy weaving around people so I just tried to keep steady until the crowd thinned out.
Mile 1: 11:43
I was feeling great when I saw the mile marker and was really glad to see the distance on my Garmin at 1:04. The crowd was still fairly congested so you had to pay attention to where your feet were landing and if someone was slowing down in front of you. I have to say I am one of those runners who gets very irritated when walkers don't keep right. Slower traffic, keep right! Anyway, I just paid attention and kept running.
Mile 2: 11:06
The pack is thinning out a bit, but now it's more common to be impeded by walkers. Still, I don't want to do the weave and sprint routine because I do not want to get tired out before I reach the big hill. I am still scared of the hill. I know that once I am to the top, I can give it all I've got, or at least not have to worry about it anymore. For now I am content to just keep an easy, energy saving pace. The course up until Doomsday is far from flat so I don't want to use up all my strength too early.
Mile 3: 11:25
Mile 4: 10:52
When I saw the mile 4 sign I knew we would be getting towards Doomsday fairly soon (I'm also familiar with this town so I know the course), but seeing the sign for mile 4 put things in perspective. I felt great, number one. I knew I was over half way to the finish and that gave me such peace coming up to the hill. And I start running up the hill feeling fairly strong and the crowd is really thinning out which I like, but again, the walkers are not on the right which I don't like! About halfway up, my legs feel strong, but my lungs feel tired and I am breathing too heavy. I decide to walk to the top. First I'm taking big, long strides and then I remember that's dumb and I start quicker, shorter strides. Much better. I walk to the top of the hill water station, drink about half a cup, and set off running again.
Mile 5: 10:45
Mile 6: 10:59
I notice per my Garmin I am still on track for pace/finish time and by now I feel like I have this race in the bag. There are less than 2 miles left, it's relatively flat to the finish and I am ready to put a little more energy into it. The weather is gorgeous and the temperature is perfect. The crowd is thinned out and if I pay attention I will not run down any walkers. The only draw back are those spectators who came out of their houses to cheer on the runners, with their cigarettes. Not a wonderful thing to smell while running.
Mile 7: 10:17
I am feeling awesome, a little tired, but not in pain or anything. I make sure and drink water at the final station so that I can keep pace to the finish. By now I have to pee and I am cussing out my bladder. Near the finish are hundreds of spectators cheering, I smell barbecue, and I see the lilac and purple balloons (it's the Lilac Bloomsday Run) flanking the finish line. I am ready to finish strong.
Mile: .46 of 7.46 5:43 (a pace of 10:15)
I try and smile when I cross the finish so I can have a good picture, but I have no idea on what side the camera is or if it's both. Mostly what I know is that I feel awesome. I remembered to stop my Garmin about 10 seconds past the finish and see the time is 1:22:55 for 7.58 miles. I had surpassed my goal of 1:25. And I felt great. I was noticing many people around me complaining about their legs, their hips, their feet. But me? I think I probably had a smile plastered on my face all the way through the T-shirt lines. I was amazed at how awesome I felt, seriously. Not only had I achieved my time goal, but I ran Bloomsday!! It is hard to explain what that feels like, but having been around people for years and years who run or walk this event annually, I am so proud to have completed this event with a time to be proud of. For some, 11 minute miles are laughable, but for me, it is success. For me, it means that I'm living my life instead of watching it go by. I went to go to the Bloomsday after party (read: food fest) at my parents as a real participant, not just as someone who likes to eat. No other race finish has had such a profound effect on me. I loved every minute of this race, even dodging the walkers. I am a runner!!
 |
| Purple shirt, purple Bondi Band, purple Ryders glasses--this is the Lilac Bloomsday Run, after all. |
I'm disappointed that I don't have a good race photo, or any race photo really. There is a couple of the entire finish line which I am in, but I am a speck in the crowd. I can order it and crop it, but there is no way to view it cropped to even see how it looks. And since I had no cheering section I didn't get any race photos along the way either. I didn't meet up with my parents at the finish which turned out to be a good thing since they didn't get home until about two hours after me! Dilly dallying I tell you!
My official finish time was 1:22:40. The only drawback to the day: a tan line on my face from the ol' Bondi Band. Oops.
Whew! That was long. Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Quickie Check-In
Last Monday's weight: 156.6
Today's weight: 153.8
Loss: 2.8 pounds (9 days)
At this weight, my BMI is considered normal if I say I'm 5'6". It is still overweight at 5'5". Regardless, I want to get below 150! Then there is no borderline. I wll be in the 140s and I will have a healthy BMI! I have not been logging my food, but aside from Sunday's splurge, I have been eating fairly well. For some reason logging anything seems too tedious. I'm trying to keep things in check on the eating front. I'm hoping to get below 150 before my half marathon on July 17.
My half marathon training officially starts next week. I'm following a 10 week program which calls for 4 runs a week and I will also continue with 2 yoga workouts. I am still working out my run schedule. I have been running M,Tu,W,F with yoga on Tu,Th, but I might need to break up the rest days with the increase in mileage. I'm considering a running schedule M,T,Th,Sa with yoga on W,F. I'm just not sure if planning my long runs on Saturday is a smart idea.
This week I am running and resting. I will still post the Bloomsday race recap, but for now I'll say that I was riding the high from my results through a rest day on Monday until 1 mile into a run yesterday. And oh boy, my legs were tight and somewhat rebellious. I finished all 3.1 miles, but it was fairly slow and I stopped to stretch a couple times. This morning, just 12 hours later, I headed out for another 3.1. There is something that's certain--my muscles do not like cold temps. This morning it was about 35 degrees and it was a very hard run. The sun was shining so I wanted to get outside, but I think when it's below 40 degrees, I'm just better off to hit the mill. Tomorrow I recoup with some yoga, and then I'll run another 3-5 on Friday. I will rest Saturday and Sunday and then start my official training on Monday 5/9!! Yay!!
Today's weight: 153.8
Loss: 2.8 pounds (9 days)
At this weight, my BMI is considered normal if I say I'm 5'6". It is still overweight at 5'5". Regardless, I want to get below 150! Then there is no borderline. I wll be in the 140s and I will have a healthy BMI! I have not been logging my food, but aside from Sunday's splurge, I have been eating fairly well. For some reason logging anything seems too tedious. I'm trying to keep things in check on the eating front. I'm hoping to get below 150 before my half marathon on July 17.
My half marathon training officially starts next week. I'm following a 10 week program which calls for 4 runs a week and I will also continue with 2 yoga workouts. I am still working out my run schedule. I have been running M,Tu,W,F with yoga on Tu,Th, but I might need to break up the rest days with the increase in mileage. I'm considering a running schedule M,T,Th,Sa with yoga on W,F. I'm just not sure if planning my long runs on Saturday is a smart idea.
This week I am running and resting. I will still post the Bloomsday race recap, but for now I'll say that I was riding the high from my results through a rest day on Monday until 1 mile into a run yesterday. And oh boy, my legs were tight and somewhat rebellious. I finished all 3.1 miles, but it was fairly slow and I stopped to stretch a couple times. This morning, just 12 hours later, I headed out for another 3.1. There is something that's certain--my muscles do not like cold temps. This morning it was about 35 degrees and it was a very hard run. The sun was shining so I wanted to get outside, but I think when it's below 40 degrees, I'm just better off to hit the mill. Tomorrow I recoup with some yoga, and then I'll run another 3-5 on Friday. I will rest Saturday and Sunday and then start my official training on Monday 5/9!! Yay!!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Legends of the Fall
They released a special edition of the movie which practically made me froth at the mouth, but then I found out it was only a few seconds of extra footage during the movie which only consisted of an extra sunrise. I wanted more Tristan! There were, however, some deleted scenes which kind of put a few parts of the movie into clearer perspective so that was nice.
 |
| This scene is not in the movie. |
I'm telling you about my love of this movie today so you'll understand how awesome my run was this morning. I finally hooked a DVD player up to my treadmill TV and decided my inaugural movie/run should absolutely include Legends of the Fall!! I started the day with 4 easy miles AND Tristan Ludlow! Now, that is what I call a great start!
What is your favorite movie? Have you ever watched it while running?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
This post is long and rambling.
There was no running yesterday. I didn't get to bed early enough on Sunday night. I didn't even pretend I might get it done in the evening, although the thought did cross my mind several times.
I was preoccupied with rearranging my office last night and ended up going to bed super late again. But I told my son before he went to bed that I was going to get up and run in the morning. I felt like telling him would make it so. Since I went too bed late, I changed my alarm from 5 to 6 and wouldn't you know my son came in at 5:45 to let me know that I didn't run. Oh ho, I said, I am getting up at 6:00. And even though I didn't want to, I did it. I ran 5K in about 34 minutes. Slow and steady. My cable receiver wasn't working so there was no yoga to be had. Boo! I will hopefully get that worked out later and then will be able to do a quick yoga workout while my son is at soccer practice tonight.
If there's practice, that is. Can I just say this is the crappiest spring on record?! We woke up to snow again this morning! Last night's baseball game was cancelled, that's the 2nd one. We're going to have so many make up games it's not even funny! And I just plain need the sun! Luckily we had a nice weekend, but we're back to rain, snow and sleet this week. Right now the forecast for Sunday is sunny and 60 degrees. I will take that for racing weather. I do not plan to attend the event if it's pouring rain or snowing. It's just not that big of a deal to me. My parents have done Bloomsday for more than 25 years in a row so they will be there regardless of Mother Nature's jokes, but I'm sorry to say that I won't.
I posted recently about gadgets and running and I do love me some gadgets! How did I ever live without a Garmin? Since then I have been thinking about running with music, which I love, but I started wondering if I can run without music. And would I like it? I didn't dare try that on the treadmill last week, but on Friday's run, I headed outside without my iPod. And do you know what? I really loved it! First, I could hear everything around me and I felt more relaxed not worrying about someone or some animal sneaking up on me. Second, I loved hearing the birds! This spring has been so awful with rain and snow and cold that I am starting to feel like a hermit crab holed up inside my shell (house). It was really, really nice to get outside and hear nature, hear my feet hitting the pavement, and hear my own (heavy) breathing.
This morning, I headed down to the mill with my iPod. I started my easy run listening to my usual running playlist which contains songs by Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Pink, Nickelback, Rick Springfield (yes, I said it) and Maroon 5 among others. Long about .8 miles into it, I was just annoyed with the music so I parked my iPod on the console and finished out my 3.1 miles sans music. Honestly, running on the treadmill without music was something I didn't think I could ever do, but I did it, and I enjoyed it.
This brings me to my "race" on Sunday. I am considering running sans music. Or at least planning to--I can always stow my headphones in my running belt just in case (I'll already have my phone). I keep wondering if I'll be able to do it, run 7.46 miles without stopping, so I don't know if planning to leave my music behind is a good idea or not. I still have a few days and a couple more runs to think about it. I can tell you though, the thought of one less thing to worry about when I go running, makes me feel a little free. And that is so weird because just a couple weeks ago I was convinced that music was a necessary running partner. And maybe it is, but perhaps we just need to "take some time". Perhaps I just need more solitude right now.
I can't tell you how excited I am for the Bloomsday Expo! I haven't been to a race expo before and I can't wait to pick up some new stuff! One thing I'm on the hunt for is a new running belt. I need something that doesn't bounce and has an element of water resistance. I'm have my eye on the ones from iFitness and they'll have a booth at the expo--I just hope they have the purple ones, or the black with purple! I am also possibly in the market for a handheld water bottle. While I do love my hydration belt, I am kind of ready to part ways with it and give a handheld a try. Not positive on this one, though. I also plan to pick up some new running socks. I don't really need anything else, but it will be fun to look around anyway.
Do you love race expos? Do you use a running belt? Have you ever used a handheld water bottle?
I was preoccupied with rearranging my office last night and ended up going to bed super late again. But I told my son before he went to bed that I was going to get up and run in the morning. I felt like telling him would make it so. Since I went too bed late, I changed my alarm from 5 to 6 and wouldn't you know my son came in at 5:45 to let me know that I didn't run. Oh ho, I said, I am getting up at 6:00. And even though I didn't want to, I did it. I ran 5K in about 34 minutes. Slow and steady. My cable receiver wasn't working so there was no yoga to be had. Boo! I will hopefully get that worked out later and then will be able to do a quick yoga workout while my son is at soccer practice tonight.
If there's practice, that is. Can I just say this is the crappiest spring on record?! We woke up to snow again this morning! Last night's baseball game was cancelled, that's the 2nd one. We're going to have so many make up games it's not even funny! And I just plain need the sun! Luckily we had a nice weekend, but we're back to rain, snow and sleet this week. Right now the forecast for Sunday is sunny and 60 degrees. I will take that for racing weather. I do not plan to attend the event if it's pouring rain or snowing. It's just not that big of a deal to me. My parents have done Bloomsday for more than 25 years in a row so they will be there regardless of Mother Nature's jokes, but I'm sorry to say that I won't.
I posted recently about gadgets and running and I do love me some gadgets! How did I ever live without a Garmin? Since then I have been thinking about running with music, which I love, but I started wondering if I can run without music. And would I like it? I didn't dare try that on the treadmill last week, but on Friday's run, I headed outside without my iPod. And do you know what? I really loved it! First, I could hear everything around me and I felt more relaxed not worrying about someone or some animal sneaking up on me. Second, I loved hearing the birds! This spring has been so awful with rain and snow and cold that I am starting to feel like a hermit crab holed up inside my shell (house). It was really, really nice to get outside and hear nature, hear my feet hitting the pavement, and hear my own (heavy) breathing.
This morning, I headed down to the mill with my iPod. I started my easy run listening to my usual running playlist which contains songs by Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Pink, Nickelback, Rick Springfield (yes, I said it) and Maroon 5 among others. Long about .8 miles into it, I was just annoyed with the music so I parked my iPod on the console and finished out my 3.1 miles sans music. Honestly, running on the treadmill without music was something I didn't think I could ever do, but I did it, and I enjoyed it.
This brings me to my "race" on Sunday. I am considering running sans music. Or at least planning to--I can always stow my headphones in my running belt just in case (I'll already have my phone). I keep wondering if I'll be able to do it, run 7.46 miles without stopping, so I don't know if planning to leave my music behind is a good idea or not. I still have a few days and a couple more runs to think about it. I can tell you though, the thought of one less thing to worry about when I go running, makes me feel a little free. And that is so weird because just a couple weeks ago I was convinced that music was a necessary running partner. And maybe it is, but perhaps we just need to "take some time". Perhaps I just need more solitude right now.
I can't tell you how excited I am for the Bloomsday Expo! I haven't been to a race expo before and I can't wait to pick up some new stuff! One thing I'm on the hunt for is a new running belt. I need something that doesn't bounce and has an element of water resistance. I'm have my eye on the ones from iFitness and they'll have a booth at the expo--I just hope they have the purple ones, or the black with purple! I am also possibly in the market for a handheld water bottle. While I do love my hydration belt, I am kind of ready to part ways with it and give a handheld a try. Not positive on this one, though. I also plan to pick up some new running socks. I don't really need anything else, but it will be fun to look around anyway.
Do you love race expos? Do you use a running belt? Have you ever used a handheld water bottle?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
My Thoughts on Running with Shoes & Gadgets
Today, Linzi was asking opinions on running "naked" (i.e. without gadgets and shoes) as is the philosphy of author and runner Chris McDougall. I started writing a huge comment to her blog post when I realized I've wanted to blog about this one myself.
We have a family friend who set records in high school as a cross country runner--he graduated in 1989. He had the nation's top high school time in the 3200m at 8:50 and the 1600m at 4:04 in 1989. He's running Boston next week for the first time. He runs without any gadgets and can't fathom why they'd be needed. I understand this as he started running without any of that. I think it's great that he continues with only the basics: clothes and shoes and maybe a regular watch. (He also doesn't go barefoot.) In fact, on his last long training run he ran for "right around two hours and he figured about 20 miles". Seriously, I'm impressed that he doesn't need to know the stats exactly.
My experience with running started with gadgets and I love them! I've come to rely on them and I don't think this is a bad thing at all. I let my Garmin (used to be Nike+) tell me when I'm done running unless I feel great and have more time. I'll keep going if I do. And no matter what, watching the miles add up gives me such a rush! Seeing my pace decrease, also fabulous! As for my ipod, music is definitely my running partner. Music helps me escape while running, while doing housework, while driving. A good run always includes good music for keeping my mind occupied. A great beat keeps my legs moving faster, too.
Either way, gadgets or no gadgets, I think you can create good or bad running habits. If seeing your pace drives you faster, awesome! If seeing your pace makes you frustrated, feel bad and depressed, not awesome. If your iPod assists you and helps keep you pounding out those miles, great! If you cannot possibly run without an iPod, maybe not so great since batteries do fail sometimes. I don't see these things as distractions but as helpful aids in keeping me on track and motivated to run more, faster, longer, farther.
I will also never be a barefoot runner. I know some argue the point that our feet were designed to run barefoot, our feet were not designed to run with shoes. True dat. However, I don't think our feet were designed to run on concrete or asphalt. Broken glass? Not that either. If we went around barefoot all the time, building up the strength in our feet and toughing up the skin, then it would make perfect sense that you'd also run barefoot. But I cannot imagine why you would take off your shoes at the time you're putting your feet through the most trauma. We've evolved into wearing shoes and our feet have adapted accordingly. I'm sorry, but I will keep my shoes, thank you.
There will always be someone with the newest and greatest idea for running or whatever else. Everyone is free to do what works for them, but my running life involves gadgets and shoes and for that I make no apologies. We live in an age of awesome technology, why not take advantage? If people always used the argument, "We weren't made to do this or that", we wouldn't have things like lights and electricity, let alone GPS watches and MP3 players. The world is constantly changing and advances in technology will keep coming. I plan to embrace those advances and use them to my advantage whenever I can.
And besides, it's a great way to add more purple to my life!
We have a family friend who set records in high school as a cross country runner--he graduated in 1989. He had the nation's top high school time in the 3200m at 8:50 and the 1600m at 4:04 in 1989. He's running Boston next week for the first time. He runs without any gadgets and can't fathom why they'd be needed. I understand this as he started running without any of that. I think it's great that he continues with only the basics: clothes and shoes and maybe a regular watch. (He also doesn't go barefoot.) In fact, on his last long training run he ran for "right around two hours and he figured about 20 miles". Seriously, I'm impressed that he doesn't need to know the stats exactly.
My experience with running started with gadgets and I love them! I've come to rely on them and I don't think this is a bad thing at all. I let my Garmin (used to be Nike+) tell me when I'm done running unless I feel great and have more time. I'll keep going if I do. And no matter what, watching the miles add up gives me such a rush! Seeing my pace decrease, also fabulous! As for my ipod, music is definitely my running partner. Music helps me escape while running, while doing housework, while driving. A good run always includes good music for keeping my mind occupied. A great beat keeps my legs moving faster, too.
Either way, gadgets or no gadgets, I think you can create good or bad running habits. If seeing your pace drives you faster, awesome! If seeing your pace makes you frustrated, feel bad and depressed, not awesome. If your iPod assists you and helps keep you pounding out those miles, great! If you cannot possibly run without an iPod, maybe not so great since batteries do fail sometimes. I don't see these things as distractions but as helpful aids in keeping me on track and motivated to run more, faster, longer, farther.
I will also never be a barefoot runner. I know some argue the point that our feet were designed to run barefoot, our feet were not designed to run with shoes. True dat. However, I don't think our feet were designed to run on concrete or asphalt. Broken glass? Not that either. If we went around barefoot all the time, building up the strength in our feet and toughing up the skin, then it would make perfect sense that you'd also run barefoot. But I cannot imagine why you would take off your shoes at the time you're putting your feet through the most trauma. We've evolved into wearing shoes and our feet have adapted accordingly. I'm sorry, but I will keep my shoes, thank you.
There will always be someone with the newest and greatest idea for running or whatever else. Everyone is free to do what works for them, but my running life involves gadgets and shoes and for that I make no apologies. We live in an age of awesome technology, why not take advantage? If people always used the argument, "We weren't made to do this or that", we wouldn't have things like lights and electricity, let alone GPS watches and MP3 players. The world is constantly changing and advances in technology will keep coming. I plan to embrace those advances and use them to my advantage whenever I can.
And besides, it's a great way to add more purple to my life!
Monday, April 11, 2011
This Week's "Training" Plan
First things first, I gained 2 pounds this week. I know why so I'm not upset with anything except myself, but I'm moving onward and hopefully downward this week.
I am trying something new this week. I am planning on 4 runs, but over the course of 5 days instead of 6 which means I'll be running three days in a row. I prefer this plan because I really don't like having a run on the weekend schedule as sometimes it falls by the wayside with other things going on, or just plain weekend sloth-i-tude. So my planned workout schedule for the week looks like this:
Monday: Run 4 miles, stretching and abs (check!)
Tuesday: Run 2 miles (fast), light strength exercises, yoga for around 20-30 minutes
Wednesday: Run 3 miles, stretching and abs
Thursday: Long yoga routine
Friday: Run 5 miles, stretching and abs
With this plan, I'll be running 14 miles and getting in some strength and core work. The added stretching from yoga will also be beneficial. I haven't actually found the long yoga routine that I'll be doing on Thursday, but hopefully Exercise TV will have something to offer. I'm leaning towards the Body by Bethenny video that's just over 50 minutes in length. I previewed it the other day and read the reviews on Amazon which are mostly positive. I figure since it's free to watch, I might as well give it a shot.
The other part of my plan is to get up and workout/run before work on work days (Monday through Thursday). Of course this is still one of my goals in progress, and I'm still determined to make it work, now more than ever. This week starts our sports season of craziness where we have sports games or practice 6 days a week, with only Friday nights free. Luckily soccer is only until May 7th when we'll cut back to just baseball until June 1st. It will be increasingly difficult to get in a workout in the evenings for the next few months. What better time to focus 110% of my efforts to getting it done before work, right? This morning I got it done and I feel great! I keep repeating, "Remember this feeling, remember this feeling."
The other thing that's going to be harder over the next couple of months is eating well balanced meals. With all the coming and going it will test my battle of wills over whether to eat something easy or eat something healthy. Yes, these can be the same thing, but you know what I mean. I'm up for the challenge for myself and for my son who will want to eat some kind of fast food way too often on our way home in the evenings. But no! We must think about our health, our fitness, and our overall well being and choose the healthy options. We'll also plan ahead by packing (healthy) snacks.
So I'm back to day 1 of my 100 days challenge. Here we go!
I am trying something new this week. I am planning on 4 runs, but over the course of 5 days instead of 6 which means I'll be running three days in a row. I prefer this plan because I really don't like having a run on the weekend schedule as sometimes it falls by the wayside with other things going on, or just plain weekend sloth-i-tude. So my planned workout schedule for the week looks like this:
Monday: Run 4 miles, stretching and abs (check!)
Tuesday: Run 2 miles (fast), light strength exercises, yoga for around 20-30 minutes
Wednesday: Run 3 miles, stretching and abs
Thursday: Long yoga routine
Friday: Run 5 miles, stretching and abs
With this plan, I'll be running 14 miles and getting in some strength and core work. The added stretching from yoga will also be beneficial. I haven't actually found the long yoga routine that I'll be doing on Thursday, but hopefully Exercise TV will have something to offer. I'm leaning towards the Body by Bethenny video that's just over 50 minutes in length. I previewed it the other day and read the reviews on Amazon which are mostly positive. I figure since it's free to watch, I might as well give it a shot.
The other part of my plan is to get up and workout/run before work on work days (Monday through Thursday). Of course this is still one of my goals in progress, and I'm still determined to make it work, now more than ever. This week starts our sports season of craziness where we have sports games or practice 6 days a week, with only Friday nights free. Luckily soccer is only until May 7th when we'll cut back to just baseball until June 1st. It will be increasingly difficult to get in a workout in the evenings for the next few months. What better time to focus 110% of my efforts to getting it done before work, right? This morning I got it done and I feel great! I keep repeating, "Remember this feeling, remember this feeling."
The other thing that's going to be harder over the next couple of months is eating well balanced meals. With all the coming and going it will test my battle of wills over whether to eat something easy or eat something healthy. Yes, these can be the same thing, but you know what I mean. I'm up for the challenge for myself and for my son who will want to eat some kind of fast food way too often on our way home in the evenings. But no! We must think about our health, our fitness, and our overall well being and choose the healthy options. We'll also plan ahead by packing (healthy) snacks.
So I'm back to day 1 of my 100 days challenge. Here we go!
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