running out of time

Where have I been?

2010-04-26T11:43:00.002-05:00

Well I completely forgot my login information so I couldn't update anything. I'm still running. I have my third marathon coming up in June. I also have a few new part-time running buddies - Jax and Eric.

I hope to get back to running with the Happy Joes group very soon. I miss them.

AHHHH!!! just a few days left

2009-04-08T20:17:00.002-05:00

My first marathon is on Saturday. I am officially freaking out. How am I going to do? Will I be able to sleep Thursday or Friday night? Will I even finish? I'm telling everyone that I simply want to finish and be in good enough spirits to still want to do another one. That's really it. I hope this doesn't completely suck. I hope I'm still able to walk on Monday (I took the day off just in case :)). I am going with an amazing group of people. I really am so thankful for that.

So my plan right now is to start with the 10:52 (4:45) group. I tend to run faster in the first part of my runs and I think this will really hold me back. Then I should have energy to break away and do whatever I need to at the end. Logically, looking at my 20 miler splits, I can do this without a problem. Mentally I'm losing my mind.

I'm freaking out about what I'm going to where. Do I dress in layers and just toss them as I get warm? It's going to be warmer than it has been around here lately so I'm not sure what I can wear without worrying about chaffing. Where am I going to put my sports beans? Do I need some of those new right foot/left foot socks (No! change nothing!)? I'm going insane.

Like I said, it's good to have such a great group to go with. I know they'll keep me sane enough to run 26.2 miles.

Where am I?

2009-03-30T10:25:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I haven't been blogging but I have been running. I am training for the IL marathon in two weeks. I've had some troubles; my shins and calves really act up towards the beginnings of my runs but loosen up after a few miles. My long runs are going okay. I ran 20.06 miles on Saturday in 3:35. It's not fast but I'm not really going for fast. I figure since this is my first marathon that the only thing that matters is that I finish it. Besides, it leaves more room for improvement on my second marathon. That's right - I'm already considering doing another one.

To help make sure I am getting my runs in I have my Runner's World calendar posted at work and I put a little sticker on the days that I run. Some of my co-workers stop by to make sure I'm getting the right number of stickers each week.

I'm trying to eat better too but that's hard. I don't really eat a lot of fried food or anything but I do tend to eat more than I should. I need to figure out how I can balance that. I just switched buildings at work so now I have a long walk to the cafeteria and it makes more sense for me to bring my own meals. Now I just need to make time to pack them.

I'm overly excited that it's getting warmer. I need to get outside more. The cold weather has really been wearing on me lately.

Anyway, two weeks until my very first marathon. Wish me luck.

Trophies!!

2008-10-16T18:31:00.002-05:00

October has been a pretty good month for me for trophies. I cut almost four minutes off of my time last year at the Deere run and got third in my age group. That being said if I would have known I was only twelve seconds behind first place I think I could have found some speed somewhere. It was a really good run for me and I really wanted that trophy. It was cold and misty but I am so glad I did it.

The next weekend I ran six miles with the Happy Joes group on Saturday and then had a 10k race on Sunday. I wasn't really planing on going out very hard so when everyone took off at the beginning I kept back. Less than two miles in the run I felt my ab start acting up so I slowed down some more. It didn't help. Shortly in to the second mile I had to stop and walk. For some reason if I push my side in when I run it won't hurt and if I stop to walk and hold it in for a while I can run a while before it hurts again. I walked a little more right at mile 3 and then ran the rest in slow. I actually still finished in under 59 minutes. I also managed to get a second place trophy in my age group. As a group the Happy Joes crowd had seven trophies. We rock!!

I was really regretting running on Monday. I have no idea how I can run a hilly course hard one week and a week later be in so much pain during a flat easy race. I could feel my ab scream every time I moved on Monday. I was actually stuck in a hotel room for work Monday night so I spent some time in the hot tub. I was hoping if I let the jets hit it for a while it might feel better. I am not sure if that is what did it or not but I felt better on Tuesday.

I am going to be back at my dad's this Saturday so I won't be able to run with the Happy Joes crowd this week. I've debated taking some time off but honestly I am terrified of putting on weight if I stop running. I love running. I just really wish my ab would get better. Right now the plan is getting an easy run in on Sunday morning.

I've been running....

2008-09-20T12:32:00.003-05:00

Blogging only takes a few minutes. I'm really not sure why I haven't been doing it.

I've been running. I just haven't been running hard. I've decided I will be doing a spring marathon. I don't have anything big planned for this year although I'm still in good enough shape I could do another half. I've still been running with the Happy Joes group and keeping my miles up. I really want to get another 14 miler in. I haven't done that much in a while but I've been trying to do at least 10 on my long runs. I also still run with the Wednesday night group. I started classes so I had to stop going to track.

I've been trying to give my ab some time to recover so I've been staying pretty slow on all of my runs. It seems to be working because I haven't had a problem since the end of July. I have noticed my quads have been getting really tired early in my runs. I wonder if that's because of my medicine. I really need to figure that out.

My next big goal is to get a trophy at the Deere 5k in early October. I think I can do it if I come in under 26 minutes. I ran some hills around my house yesterday in 25:19 so I think I can do it.

I have a couple of races left this year and I'm pretty sure I am going to get a medal again for winning my age group in the local race circuit. It's been a really good year for me but next year I'm going to avoid hurting myself in April. I think I have potential to do even better.

Checking In

2008-07-27T12:34:00.003-05:00

I wanted to break an hour for the Bix 7 (7 mile race in Davenport). I started out pretty well but my side is still acting up. I'm debating taking a break from racing for time. I still beat my time from last year but I missed the hour by 5 minutes. Oh well. Hopefully I can rest my ab and come back better for it next time.

A pretty good week

2008-06-29T08:29:00.004-05:00

It's been an interesting week for me. Tuesday I went to track hoping to get some speed work in but I didn't want to push it given the problems I've been having with my ab. I got three sets of 800s in before my ab started acting up. I was smart enough to call it quits for intervals but still wanted to get in some miles so I ran a 2.5 mile cool down.

On Wednesday I went to Iowa City to chat with my doctor about my back. I'm less than excited that I have to take muscle relaxers everyday but at least I haven't had too much trouble with my shoulder while running lately. Anyway, he had made some comment the last time we spoke about how 'it wasn't like I was training for a marathon'. I decided even though I'm not actually training for one I should tell him about the miles I've been putting in. I guess the medicine I'm on makes my muscles weak so if I started training at the same time as someone else I wouldn't progress as quickly. I'm doing pretty well so I wonder how I'd be doing without it. He would like me to start weaning myself off so I guess we'll see.

Thursday I ran the Bix at 6. There is a large 7 mile run here at the end of July and for a few Thursdays before the actual race they block off the course and let everyone pre-run the course. There are a few challenging hills but the run went okay. Last year I ran the race in 1:06:37. My casual run on Thursday was just under 1:01 so I should be able to break an hour easy.

I was going to go for a run Friday and I have to admit I actually started to run but there I started to think about my long run Saturday and all of the miles I'd done for the week already so I stopped with less than half a mile. It wasn't my proudest moment but I guess it happens sometimes.

Saturday was my long run with the Happy Joes crew. I wanted to get 14 miles in but I knew I would have to run them slow or my ab would act up. My plan was to stay between 9:30 and 10:00 the whole time. My first mile came in fine and then I started to speed up. I kept telling myself to slow down but I have trouble. The great news is that my ab wasn't mad at me doing most of my run. I decided at mile 5 that I should be able to run without my side killing me. Instead of turning around at 7 miles I ran just a little further in case I didn't want to make it all of the way up the hill at the end.

I felt really great on the way back. I debated running 15 but decided I really shouldn't. My side started to hurt a little around mile 11 but luckily I was almost to a water stop so I stopped to drink some and eat some sports beans and then I was off again. It didn't bug me much after that. In the end I ran 14.52 miles. Not bad considering I'm not officially even training for anything yet.

14.52 miles in 2:09:50 = 8:57 avg FASTER THAN MY ACTUAL HALF
1.00 - 9:45
2.00 - 9:18
3.00 - 9:27
4.00 - 9:05
5.00 - 8:56
6.00 - 9:02
7.00 - 8:59
8.00 - 9:01
9.00 - 8:39
0.00 - 8:40
1.00 - 8:04
2.00 - 8:27
3.00 - 8:41
4.00 - 8:51
0.52 - 4:47

Where am I?

2008-06-22T09:11:00.002-05:00

Dave called me out yesterday on not posting in a while and that's exactly what I needed to get another post up. Although I haven't really blogged much in the last month I've still be running. I did one race - Race for the Cure. The race was so packed that my friend Luke and I ran it without worrying about our time. I still had a 26:55.

On the Saturdays I don't have races I'm still going to Happy Joes for my long runs. Yesterday I ran 12 miles with Larry, Monica, Jay (I think), and Brenda. Jay and Brenda ended after 10 but Monica and I really wanted to get 12 so Larry ran with us and we added a few on to the end. At the beginning of the run I really wasn't sure I was going to be able to do it. My side was on fire again. I'm trying to figure out why sometimes I don't notice it and other times I can't run a mile. Right now I'm thinking it has to do with whether or not my stomach is empty. Crazy - I know.

I haven't been able to go to track much yet this year. I've been spending a lot of time working on my basement. Pictures!! It's almost done. I have a coat of paint on everything so now I just need to put on another coat, paint the ceiling braces, and swap out the tiles. I'm just ready to be done so I can worry less about when I can paint and more about how my interval runs are going.

I will try to post more but if you notice that I'm not - just comment on my last post and it will email me a nice reminder. I really love having this blog. It's just sometimes I pretend I'm too busy.

My side.... and my PR

2008-05-25T15:11:00.002-05:00

I had another PR in the 5K yesterday. I knocked another 15 seconds off of my last best. You'd think I'd be over the moon today but I'm really not. I pulled my ab during a race over a month ago. It aches a little every now and then but it felt pretty good for my half so I was thinking the worst part was over.

I got busy with another class after the half and took almost a week off. I ran a few shorter runs and then my race yesterday. The course had a lot of rolling hills but none of them were too steep. I felt okay running it but today my side won't stop hurting. I really do want to go out for a nice long run but I'm thinking if my side hurts this bad now - how will it feel during a run. I might have to give it today and tomorrow off and then give it a shot on Tuesday. I need a long run. I'm craving a nice 12 miler :)

MY FIRST HALF...

2008-05-12T14:44:00.007-05:00

Yesterday marked my first half marathon. I made sure to drink tons of water on Saturday and took one of my trusty muscle relaxers before I went to bed; I knew if I didn’t my mind wouldn’t stop spinning and I would worry too much. I knew I needed a good night’s sleep.

I woke up early on Sunday and ate my half bagel and peanut butter breakfast. I stepped outside and it was exactly how I hoped race day morning wouldn’t be. It was pouring rain, low forties, and winds gusting up to 40mph. I spent the next hour starring at the local weather hoping the storm would pass soon but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. My friend Luke sent me a message letting me know his knee was acting up and he wouldn’t be running.

I debated for quite a while about what the best things to wear were. I actually bought three different shirts with me to the race and made my final decision in the parking lot. I was all set - ready to brave the wind and rain - and started walking to the starting line. It took me a few minutes to realize I hadn’t put my bib on yet. It was going to be a fun day.

At the starting line there were a lot of people huddled under umbrellas or wearing plastic bags. My shoes were already soaked. There were no speeches and anthems, just ready set go. My mind was racing - don’t go out to fast, don’t worry about everyone who’s passing you, you have 13 miles to go.

My first mile was still a little fast but I managed to slow it down for mile two. I kept thinking about how much time I was going to need to bank to break even for the time I’d lose running into the wind. I thought if I could get the first half in sub-nines then I could afford to go a little over into the wind and up the hill. I saw Larry on his bike somewhere around mile 3 and Missey was handing out water.

I was pretty strong the first part of the race. Around mile 6 I started running with the wind at my back and it was great. I let it push me along so I wouldn’t waste any energy. We turned around just before mile marker 8 and that’s when the wind hit. I think anyone who ran the race would tell you this was the hardest part of the race. My pants were soaked - obviously I made a bad choice on what to wear. I really felt like the wind could sweep my away at any minute. I honestly gave up on breaking two hours. I brushed some of the rain off my garmin and must have pressed stop because the next time I looked at it it wasn’t moving. Towards the end of my head-wind experience a line of running ran by and told me to jump in; they had created a train so only one person had to brave the wind. It was brilliant. I wish I would have met them a few miles earlier.

My legs felt like I had huge weights strapped to them by the time I got out of the wind. I gave up on breaking two hours; I wasn’t sure how much time I really lost in mile 10 so I had no idea what my real time was. I knew I could still break 10 minute pace if I didn’t let the weather break me. I’d love to tell you I ran the whole way back but I didn’t. I ran up half the last hill and walked the rest. Just as I was coming down the hill I saw Laurel. I knew she was busy doing bike patrol so I thought she’s encourage me some and then move on but she didn’t. She rode next to me!! She told me I might still be able to break 2 hours if I finished strong so I picked it up. Honestly, I couldn’t have done that without her. I really hope they have better luck next week at Green Bay. Anyway, I ran pretty strong the last half mile and Laurel rode with me until I got into the track.

I almost wish I could have seen the time when I got into the track. Maybe I would have picked it up even more. I could hear people yelling for me; I have to say I love the running group. I came around the corner just in time to watch the clock changed to 2:01. - You mean I was that close to breaking two hours - If I wouldn’t have mentally gave up on breaking two hours I could have still done it - If the weather was better I could shattered two hours. I finished in 2:01:07. 68 seconds short of my best goal.

John handed me my medal and I walked around for a while. Laurel introduced me to a lot of people and I really feel like she was proud of me. I ran into Dave, the “leader” of our Happy Joes runs, I talked to Larry, and I wondered around a little. My fingers were frozen; when I left the race I sat in my car for a while trying to warm up my fingers enough to get them to wrap around the steering wheel.

The truly amazing part - I felt great during the whole race. My left calf has been tensing up the first few miles of all of my runs; it didn’t happen this time. My ab ached a little while I was running into the wind (probably because I was using my arms so much) but nothing that even made me think I should back off. My shoulder didn’t act up either. I tape the toes that usually give me problems. I realized around mile 8 I was starting to get a little blister on my baby toe but that didn’t really hurt either. My hamstrings are a little sore today but only when I press on them. I feel great! Laurel (my amazing friend and massage therapist)- you rock!

So rather than dwelling on how I could have done I’m very focused on what I can do now. I’m trying to pick out a half to run this fall. I also think I could be a marathoner. It only took me a few months to go from 5ks to a half marathon. If I keep up the training this summer I could be awesome.

It will probably be quite a while before my shoes dry out.

1.00 - 8:27
2.00 - 8:59
3.00 - 8:51
4.00 - 8:49
5.00 - 8:49
6.00 - 8:59
7.00 - 8:42
8.00 - 8:59
9.00 - 9:59
0.00 - 11:00+
1.00 - 9:33
2.00 - 9:46
3.00 - 9:41
0.10 - 0:46

13.1 miles in 2:01:07 = 9:15 avg pace

I even made the front page of the sports section. I'm the second to right with the purple hoodie. Look like I'm smiling? I am. I'm thinking about how insane I must be to be starting a 13 mile run in pouring rain and winds gusting up to 40mph.

** Special thanks to Larry for snapping a pic of me running at about mile 11.

Almost there

2008-05-10T16:47:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow marks my first half marathon. I'm nervous but I know I can do it. Physically I'm set; it's the mental part I'm working on. I went on my last real run on Wednesday. It was cool and misting but a nice run. I ran with the Wednesday bar group that I ran with a lot last year. It was a nice run.

1.00 - 9:56
1.00 - 9:22
1.00 - 9:04
1.00 - 8:53
1.00 - 8:30
0.12 - 0:56

5.12 miles 46:43

Thursday night was my first softball game. I stopped in for an appointment with Laurel first. My left calf has been bothering me and my ab aches a little still. I had my last sports massage before my run and now I should be set. Softball went pretty well. I played right field so I wouldn't have to throw much; I don't want my shoulder to tense up while running again. Two of my at bats were great hits. Overall it was a good night.

I had class Friday night and all day today so I went for a very short run today. Only a mile. I ran it at about a 10 minute pace just to get my legs moving.

So now what? I'm going to bed early tonight. I plan on laying out most of my stuff tonight. I picked up my packet tonight; I'm #58. Part of me wishes I would have pre-ran the course but I'm okay with the fact that I didn't. I've ran some of it along the river already anyway. I've studied the elevation. I've listened to people's evaluation of the course. As long as I can sleep tonight I know I can do it.

Goals? My goal first and foremost is to finish my first half marathon. My secondary goal is breaking a 10 minute mile pace. My last goal is breaking two hours. I do really want to break two hours but I don't want to miss it and feel bummed out if I miss it but still finish.

Race Morning Forecast? Cold, Rainy, and Windy... The wind is the only thing I'm actually worried about. Hopefully it's at my back the whole time. I'll worry about it tomorrow.

Getting Ready

2008-05-07T08:16:00.003-05:00

It's less than one week until my first half marathon. I'm nervous. Physically I know I can do it; it's the mental part I'm worried about. I felt I needed one more long run so I planned 12-14 miles on Saturday. I started out running with Larry's wife Suzanne and her friend Tina. They run slower than I'm use to but since I was running 14 miles the week before my race I thought slow would be a good idea. I ran the first three miles with them and then we noticed Missy was slightly ahead of us and looked to be having some trouble.

We ran with Missy for a while; she was having trouble with her leg. Missy started to break away and I didn't want to leave her on her own so I ran with her for a while. I didn't want to leave the other two but I'm sure they didn't care. Missy ran with me until mile 6 and then she turned back. I really wanted to get in 14 so I kept going. I ran the last 8 miles faster than I'd been running. I wasn't too worried about my splits but they turned out pretty good. I hit 13.1 miles at 2:18.
1.00 - 12:04
2.00 - 12:38
3.00 - 12:09
4.00 - 11:11
5.00 - 11:05
6.00 - 10:06
7.00 - 10:03
8.00 - 9:49
9.00 - 9:43
0.00 - 9:40
1.00 - 9:39
2.00 - 9:34
3.00 - 9:29
4.00 - 9:23
0.13 - 1:12
14.13 miles in 2:27:53 = 10:28 pace
CHECK OUT THOSE NEGATIVE SPLITS

After the run we had a group potluck. Our speaker was someone who had ran Leadville. 100 miles in the mountains... I'm not even at a marathon yet. Pretty cool though.

Monday I went for a short run in the neighborhood. I ran a lot faster than I'm use to running my short runs. Ron was coming over to work on my basement and I didn't want to be late. I felt good though.

1.00 - 8:41
1.00 - 8:26
1.00 - 8:05
0.38 - 2:57 (7:49)
3.38 miles in 28:11 = 8:21 pace

The local running club meets at a different bar each Wednesday so I'm going to do that tonight before meeting up with some work friends. I'm thinking maybe 5 slow miles. Then I'll try another short run on Saturday maybe (class on Friday really dampens any chance of running then).

still running

2008-04-30T09:49:00.002-05:00

I haven't been fair to my blog friends. I'm in the midst of training for my first half marathon and I haven't been blogging much. Here's my attempt to catch up...

After I talked to my doctor I took a few days off of running. I went out for an easy three that Thursday and they felt fine. My ab ached a little but nothing too bad. I went out for another easy three on Friday but this time I didn't make it. My side really started to hurt. I figured my options were to either push it and risk hurting myself more or back off. I only ran 2.5 that day.

That Saturday was Run for Renewal 5k. It's a small race through lower income neighborhoods. Parts of the run were actually kind of scenic; I like the big old houses along the river but they haven't been kept up very well. The first part of the run was mostly uphill. It was pretty steep and I wanted to take it easy so I knew I wasn't coming close to a PR. When we got to a point where I thought we should turn no one did. It turns out the race didn't have a lot of volunteers so the lead guy just kept running until someone told him to turn. The last part of the race was mostly downhill so I was running under 6 minute pace for a while. I finished in 23:30 but the course was only 2.8 miles. When my official time it was still another minute faster. I'm not considering this an actual 5k time. I'd prefer to feel like I actually earned it. I still got first in my age group by quite a lot.

I took more time off and didn't make it out for another run until Friday. I wanted to run five but it didn't happen. About half way through my side started hurting and I couldn't run without a lot of pain. I ran/walked back the rest of my route.

After that run I had an appointment with my massage therapist Laurel. I asked if she could do anything about it and she said she'd do her best. She also worked on my calves. For the first few miles of my runs my calves are always burning.

I went for another run Saturday on the same route I tried Friday. My ab had been a little sorer during the day than it had been before Laurel worked on it. During my r my calves still tightened up but my ab didn't act up at all. It was awesome. By the time I made it back home my calves had calmed down so I ran a little bit more and ended up turning my five mile route into just over six.

I went for another run last night. I was under a time crunch so my plan was eight miles. I wanted to run along the river but we've had some trouble with flooding and most of the trails are under water so I ran on the creek trail. My calves were on fire for the first few miles and finally calmed down between miles 3 and 4. After my turn around the run back was really nice. I felt great.

I'm hoping to get a long run (12-14) in on Saturday and then I'm going to take it easy for the next week until my half. I would love to break 2 hours but my major goal is just breaking 10 minute pace. I'm hoping to find another half in the fall where I can see how I would do without a training-limiting injury.

Happy Birthday To Me!!

2008-04-24T21:51:00.001-05:00

The big 25.

I did a race on Saturday. I'll try to blog about it tomorrow. Since then I've been on a break for my side. I will run a few miles tomorrow.

My 'side stitch'

2008-04-15T14:25:00.002-05:00

When I woke up on Monday my side stitch was still there. Walking hurt, laughing hurt. I had to pick up something from the pharmacy (located in my doctor's office) anyway so I asked if I could talk to a nurse regarding how long I should wait before I worried about the pain in my stomach. I didn't think I should bug the doctor yet; it had only been a day since it started.

I guess stomach pain in one of those things they want to have checked out right away so I met with my doctor. He asked me some questions and pushed on my stomach a lot. It turns out I pulled one of the muscles that makes up my abdominal wall. I'm suppose to take anti-inflammatory meds and ice it; hopefully it will go away in 10-14 days.

I'm taking a few days off from running. I'm learning how much I really use my ab muscles. If walking hurts I can only imagine how that feels. I'll try Thursday. I do, however, feel better about my race now that I know it was more than a side stitch. 25:39 is pretty good even without a pulled muscle.

Gilda's Run 5K Race Report

2008-04-13T19:31:00.007-05:00

It's been a while since I've blogged and I apologize. I'll catch up. This marks finals week for me so I've been kind of busy. I'm still running though.

My running has been kind of off for a while. On my Wednesday run the bottoms of my feet were on fire so I took my shoes off and ran for a while. I might be lacing my shoes too tight again. Yesterday my long run was off. I felt sick and came closer than you really want to know to throwing up at mile nine. I need to work on what I eat before I run.

Today was another 5K race for me. I was hoping to do well on a flatter course than what I've been racing lately. I felt fine at first but around the half way point I got a side stitch that wouldn't go away. It hurt so much that I actually had tears in my eyes. I walked for a little bit and then picked it up again. I ended up walking one more time before I finally finished.

My splits are pretty good but I am in no way proud of this race (even if it is over 5 minutes faster than last year). The worst part is my side is still killing me 11 hours later. I tried to jog from my house to the neighbors and it just hurt too much. I'm hoping I just wake up and it's gone tomorrow. I checked my temp and I'm not running a fever at least.

I'm also hoping my trouble running lately is mostly mental and that I can find a way to dig myself out of it.

I managed to get third in my age group, which means I've placed in every race so far this year. I talked with Laurel and Larry for a while. I'm really glad I started running with them. I'm slower than them but they keep running with me and they are really great. Larry helped me quite a bit yesterday and he keeps pointing out I tense up my shoulders; now I just need to relax more when I run.

1.00 - 8:10
1.00 - 8:36
1.00 - 8:27
0.06 - 0:23
25:39

Shamrock Shuffle Race Report

2008-04-01T18:48:00.001-05:00

After my long run on Saturday I pretty much headed right to Chicago for the Shamrock Shuffle 8k. I was running the race with Luke, Teresa, Matt, and Emily. I checked my PR before I left just in case: 44:14.

Saturday night went okay. We picked up our packets and I bought a pair of sunglasses; I have eczema so after I run in the cold and wind my face burns for a while. Anyway, after the expo we went out to dinner and then everyone went out for drinks. Truth be told, I'm the type of person would would rather lay low the night before a race and I certainly don't want to drink in excess. Add that to the fact I ran 12 miles earlier in the day and I was just ready to go to bed.

The night in the hotel left a lot to be desired. Some of us shared a room and I slept on the pull-out, which was missing most of its springs. I also don't sleep well with background noise. It wasn't a good night for me.

I had planned for the hotel to have breakfast; I was wrong. I'll know better next time. We walked down to the race. It was cold and it felt like it was going to rain soon. It wasn't sunny out but I had on my sunglasses; if you had seen my eyes last week you wouldn't have blamed me. We stretched some and then Matt, Luke, and I lined up with the 9 minute pace group. Truth be told I could probably pull off close to 8s but given my long run the day before I wasn't planning on it.

It took almost 15 minutes from the time the first runners took off until we were released. By that time we were in the corrals so long we were starting to cramp up. At least next time we run it we will be up front in the earlier corrals. It was a lot easier to break away from the congestion that I thought it would be. There was a lot of dodging in and out of the crowd for the whole race but local Bix is worse.

Since we were running between the high rises and through some tunnels my Garmin had no idea what was going on. Apparently my pace ranges from 6 to 30 minute miles. I had a little bit of trouble with the surfaces on the course. They attempted to cover the grates with strips of carpet but they only covered a small area. I ended up rolling my ankle into a pothole around mile 3 but luckily I recovered right away. I haven't been running with my ankle brace and I know I should but it makes my foot cramp up.

I really started to exhausted somewhere in mile 3. I finally thought maybe it wasn't such a great idea to run 12 miles the day before a race. The only way I rationalize that is I'm training for a half marathon and the 8K was simply a stop along the way.
Luke ran with my most of the way. I actually thought it was really nice of him but he's starting to take offense to me saying he 'ran with me'. He thinks I mean it as 'he managed to keep up with me'. I don't. I'm honestly just glad I'm in such good shape in March; there's no way I could have ran with him last year.

With about half a mile left I told him if he had a kick in him he should finish without me because I had nothing left. There weren't any hills on the course but the steepest incline was right at the end. I guess it's a good thing I'm training myself to run up the hills when I'm already tired.

1.00 - 7:44
1.00 - 9:04
1.00 - 9:22
1.00 - 8:07
0.96 - 7:55
Total: 4.96 miles in 42:10 = 8:29 avg. pace

I got another PR by just over 2 minutes. I'm curious if I could have done better if I was in the earlier corrals with the runners who had done the event before. Most of the darting we had to do was around the people in the corrals just before the first timers. I also have to consider the fact that I had run 12 somewhat quick miles the day before.

Truth be told - I'm more than happy with 42:10. I was amazed at the time on my watch when I crossed the finish line. This is going to be a great year for me.

I can't say much about the post race party. It got even colder as the rain started to move in and my lips actually started to turn purple. I think it would have been a lot of fun if it hadn't been so cold.

I have some catching up to do...

2008-04-01T17:58:00.002-05:00

I was going to do my seven mile tempo run last week. I had every intention. I even started my seven mile tempo run. Just under two miles in my calves were on fire so I decided to call it a workout after two miles.

On Saturday I went out for my long run. My plan was 12 miles and since my legs were well rested I figured I'd be okay. Plus I just had a massage and I was feeling pretty good. I ended up running by myself. I just don't know many people at my skill level yet. I started off faster than I wanted to (sound familiar?). There was a water stop around 3 and 9 miles into the run. The first half of the run went really well.

I didn't realize the wind was at my back until I turned around and started running into it. The second half of the run was a little hard for me but I kept my times up. I ended up walking a total of 2 minutes during the run, mostly in 15 second intervals so it was more of a mental break. I stalled probably a minute at the water stop but I finished strong. This course ends with a nice incline. My goal from the beginning was to finish running up the hill. It was hard and I was tired but I made it. I ran 12 miles.

1 1.00 - 9:07
2 1.00 - 8:47
3 1.00 - 8:46
4 1.00 - 8:50
5 1.00 - 8:48
6 1.00 - 8:47
7 1.00 - 9:10
8 1.00 - 9:10
9 1.00 - 9:13
0 1.00 - 9:08
1 1.00 - 9:13
2 1.00 - 9:05
Total: 12.01 miles in 1:48:20 = 9:02 avg. pace

Obviously I ran these a little too fast. I need to work on slowing these down a little so I'm not so exhausted at the end.

March

2008-04-01T09:33:00.004-05:00

Run: 17 times - 100.4 miles - 15:34:58

Strength Training: 4 times
Walk: 3 times - 4.16 miles

Finally a post

2008-03-25T19:04:00.003-05:00

So I've been running I just haven't been blogging. There are multiple reasons for that but the biggest would be that I spent the holiday back at my dad's in the land of dial-up.

Sunday March 16
I went for a short run around the neighborhood to get my legs back after my race.
1.00 - 8:57
1.00 - 8:54
1.00 - 8:46
0.40 - 3:22 (8:30)
Total: 3.40 miles in 30:01 = 8:50 avg pace

Tuesday March 18
I ran my tempo run partly in the country and partly in a very nice part of town. My training plan called for 7 miles, 5 of them at a 9:46. Since I've been running faster laps than that in my long runs I just decided I'd run without telling myself to slow down. That worked really well until my cool down lap when I hit a hill and walked a little ways up. It was still a pretty good run. I liked the route and I plan to keep it in mind for future runs.
1.00 - 9:26
1.00 - 9:04
1.00 - 8:44
1.00 - 8:43
1.00 - 8:23
1.00 - 8:41
1.00 - 10:24 cool down
0.38 - 3:38 (9:07)
Total: 7.38 miles in 1:06:55 = 9:05 avg pace

Thursday March 20
I wanted to get my long run in before I went to my dad's. I ran along the other side of the river and explored some new scenery. I tried to keep it slow and I tried to relax my shoulders. My calves were tight for the first few miles but they got better.
1.00 - 9:35
1.00 - 9:21
1.00 - 9:17
1.00 - 9:26
1.00 - 9:18
1.00 - 9:52
1.00 - 8:51
1.00 - 8:53
1.00 - 8:54
1.00 - 8:46
1.00 - 8:46
0.37 - 3:13 (8:40)
Total: 11.37 miles in 1:44:17 = 9:11 avg pace ** Longest run to date
Since I was so close I wanted to see how I would finish the half marathon if I just walked the rest for my cool down. I walked the last 1.74 miles and finished 13.11 miles in 2:12:36.

Saturday March 22
I ran a few miles on the gravel roads near my dad's. It was colder than it has been lately but given how cold my last few Saturday morning runs were I shouldn't complain.
1.00 - 9:15
1.00 - 9:14
0.54 - 4:54 (9:03)
Total: 2.54 miles in 23:25 = 9:14 avg pace

Monday March 24
I ran a few miles around my neighborhood. I was in a terrible mood from work and I was hoping the run would make me feel better. It worked a little but my calves were on fire almost the entire time. I stretched them out before and after the run so I'm hoping this is a one time painful run. It also felt like the wind was against me the whole time.
1.00 - 8:59
1.00 - 9:04
1.00 - 8:51
0.18 - 1:29 (8:28)
Total: 3.18 miles in 28:25 = 8:57 avg pace

I have 7 tempo miles scheduled for tomorrow and if my calves act up I'll just take them slow. I let someone borrow my Garmin so I'm not going to be concerned with splits. Thursday I have a sports massage. Friday is an easy three. Saturday is between 10-12 miles and then I leave town for the Shamrock Shuffle on Sunday.

CASI St Patrick's Day 5k 2008

2008-03-16T13:14:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my first 5k of the year and surprisingly I wasn't as nervous as I usually am. I decided to go to the gym before my run to get a lift in. I know working out before a race isn't always a great idea but I wasn't putting too much pressure on myself for this race. So I lifted and then headed straight to the race.

I met up with some of my friends and we complained about how cold it was. Truth be told, the temperatures for this race weren't nearly as cold as my last race. I lined up next to my friends in about the middle of the pack. After the gun went off I spent the next several minutes trying to dodge around walkers and slower runners.

The first mile was pretty flat. I managed to run it in 8:13. The second mile was mostly up and down hills. Since the course was out and back, we ended up running up them twice. I didn't look to see how I ran my second mile. The last mile was flat again. At 2.3 miles, Luke passed me. I was okay with that for several reasons: Luke's been doing pretty good at these 5Ks, I might have a kick at the end, and I knew I was already doing better than I planned.

When it came to the end I really didn't have much of a kick left and ended up finishing 14 seconds after Luke. Larry and Laurel were waiting for me at the finish line. Larry snapped a picture of Laurel and I and asked if I PRed. Sure enough I did - by almost 2 minutes!

1.00 - 8:13
1.00 - 8:00
1.00 - 7:54
0.06 - 0:28
My garmin didn't get quite the full 5k.

Official time: 24:37 = 7:57 avg. pace

I ended up placing third in my age group. I got a nice mug and third place ribbon. It was a great race. Up next? Shamrock Shuffle 8k in Chicago two weeks from today

2008-03-13T19:56:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a long run for me. I decided to do a lap around a local small island, run to one of the large bridges, and finish with another lap around the island. This would put me at 9 miles. I was hoping I could actually run the entire 9 without walking this time.

I was a little paranoid running alone out here but there were a lot of people out and about. I ran my first mile along a golf course and was a little worried when I noticed golfers picking up their balls on the other side of the road (just keep running). My first mile was 9:48 - not bad.

My second and most of my third miles were still on the island. I decided to stop looking at my mile times. I wanted to run just by the feel of it. I kept trying to remember what Larry had said on Saturday about relaxing my arms when I run (he didn't actually make the comment about me but I knew it applied). Somewhere in mile 4 the balls of my feet started hurting again. I turned around at 4.5 miles and made it to exactly 5 miles before I stopped to loosen my shoe laces. I stopped a total of 37 seconds and I was off again.

I made it back to the island and started my last lap. Just before 8 miles I debated running a little further than my planned 9. I decided to not make the decision until I got closer to my scheduled end. I planned my run just right so I got back to my car at 9 miles and then I kept going. How about just to the entrance of the island? OK, now how about to the end of the fence? Well, how about to the railroad bridge? I finally stopped at 10.28 miles. I wasn't exhausted and (other than the small shoe stop) I ran the whole thing. My splits even look pretty good...

1.00 - 9:48
1.00 - 9:22
1.00 - 9:31
1.00 - 9:22
1.00 - 9:25
- 0:37
1.00 - 9:24
1.00 - 9:34
1.00 - 9:30
1.00 - 9:19
1.00 - 9:23
0.28 - 2:29 (9:04)

10.28 miles in 1:37:48 = 9:31 avg. pace

My outer calves were feeling a little sore so I iced them as soon as I get home.

Today I only needed to run 2 miles. I took a short nap after work and then I was off. I just ran around my neighborhood this time. My legs felt really sluggish at first but they started to feel less like jelly a few minutes in. I kept the run short and it felt pretty good.

1.00 - 9:21
1.00 - 8:48
0.37 - 3:18

2.37 miles in 21:28 = 9:03 avg. pace

Tomorrow is my first 5K of the year. My goal? I'd like to just break 30 minutes. Given how I've been running this shouldn't really be a problem. Last year my time was 31:57. Wish me luck.

tag

2008-03-12T20:07:00.003-05:00

So Jess tagged me a little while ago and I haven't gotten around to replying yet.

Seven random things about me? I could cheat and refer to my existing list but I'll try to come up with new ones.

1) I like chicken but I refuse to eat it when it's still on the bone. For some reason it's different if someone has already taken it off for me.
2) Once when I was young my mom told me I had an eyelash in my eye so I cut all of my eyelashes off.
3) I have eczema. It really messes with me in the winter when I have to keep my skin covered when running outside.
4) I'm growing out my hair for Locks of Love.
5) My current job involves working with IT people all around the world.
6) I'm either very organized or very messy. There is no in between for me. I'm still working on organizing my house so right now it looks awful.
7) I'm a featured runner!! This should answer most of S's questions.

I'm going to tag..
Kate
Greg even though I'm not sure he'll play
In My Sister's Shoes
S
I'll have to try to come up with some more.

tempo run by the river

2008-03-11T19:06:00.010-05:00

Yesterday called for 7 miles - 1 warm-up, 5 @9:46, and 1 cool down. I knew I could physically do it after my run on Saturday but I was having trouble with the mental aspect of it. I left work, changed into my running gear, and headed down to the river. Iowa is separated from Illinois by the Mississippi River. The river has trails along both sides so I'm very fortunate.

I wanted to run my first mile slower. I was hoping for over a 10:00 mile. I came in at 9:54, which isn't too bad if I could keep it up. I picked it up for the second mile - 9:34. I wanted to run 3.5 miles out and then turn around. At least that way I'd know I still had to run back to my car so quitting wasn't doing me any good. The third mile felt really long to me but I did it in 9:25. There's been some flooding on the trail from all of the snow melting so there was one spot where the trail was covered in ice.

I reached the end of the trail with less my desired 3.5 miles so I kept running and ended up running through the marina. The sign said owners and guests only but who's boating in 30 degree weather anyway. I enjoyed how some of the boats appeared to be shrink wrapped. Anyway, I reached the end of the marina at 3.5 miles and turned around. I snacked on some sports beans on the way back and somehow managed to pick up my pace. The trip back felt faster to me; maybe because I knew there was actually an end now. I debated running more but I knew I had a long run coming up soon enough.

I took some pictures again this time. Most of them were taken after I finished running and walked around for my cool down. These pictures remind me of how fortunate I am to have a nice place to run. These are also some of the views I'll be seeing on my half marathon course (hopefully without the ice).

1.00 - 9:54
1.00 - 9:34
1.00 - 9:25
1.00 - 9:32
1.00 - 9:23
1.00 - 9:15
1.00 - 9:03
0.07 - 0:35
Total: 7.07 miles in 1:06:45 = 9:27 avg. pace

The bad news? I got really sick when I got home. I went to bed at 8. I'm feeling better today for the most part. I still had a few moments where I wasn't sure I was going to hold my lunch but I made it.

Tuesday and Wednesday are classes days for me. I'll be back on Thursday!

still behind posting but running anyway

2008-03-10T14:22:00.003-05:00

I apologize for falling behind on my posts.

I purchased new shoes on Thursday. I wanted another pair of my Nikes but they didn’t have my size so I got some Saucony shoes’. I’ve been having some trouble with Adidas shoes hurting my feet when I run so I took the Sauconys for a five miler on my treadmill on Friday. The balls of my feet were on fire again.

1.0 incline
1.00 - 11:12
1.00 - 10:58
1.00 - 10:54 (2.0 incline)
1.00 - 10:42
1.00 - 10:32
0.42 - 4:48 (cool down)

Total: 5.40 miles in 59:10 = 10:55 avg. pace

Rather than blaming two pairs of shoes I took my Adidas’ on my long run on Saturday with the Happy Joe’s crowd. I started out with Laurel and Larry from last week. They were doing 8-10 9:00 miles. I figured there was no way I could stay with them the entire time but I could for a while. We ran our first mile in 8:24 and our second in 8:36. I really didn’t know how long I’d keep that up but I was doing okay.

We stopped to get some water somewhere between miles 2 and 3. I brought sports beans with me and they were frozen by the time we got to the water stop.

The trail we ran on was under water at the beginning of the week so there was a lot of mud on the trail. Lucky for us, it was well below freezing while we were running. Not so lucky - I caught my toe on a dry piece of mud and whipped out. I stopped myself with my hand and then rolled onto my shoulder. My back popped but that’s about as common as gas prices going up so I wasn’t worried about it. I got right back up and kept running. I guess it was a pretty good roll and it got people talking.

We ran our third mile in 8:55. At this point I’m thinking about how awesome my 5K time is going to be this summer compared to before. Mile 4 was also 8:55. I decided I was going to turn around at 4.5 miles to make it a 9 mile run. Larry volunteered to turn back with me. I felt like I was cheating him on his workout but he assured me he didn’t mind. We walked a little when we turned around and then picked it up again.

You can see where my splits became a lot slower once I wasn’t running with everyone. That’s perfectly fine though. My training plan still has me at 11 minute miles and I don’t think it matters how fast I get them in as long as I get them in. Larry and I talked on the run back so for the most part it was still a conversational pace for me. I hit a small wall just into my last mile. I kept telling myself just a little further but I caved with just over half a mile left. Larry walked with me for a minute and then we picked it up to finish back at Happy Joe’s. Larry’s splits were different than mine but I figure that has to do with when you stop/start it and when you pause it. My feet felt fine = It's not the shoes; I'm spending too much time on my treadmill.

1.00 - 8:24
1.00 - 8:36
1.00 - 8:55
1.00 - 8:55
1.00 - 9:44 (walked about .1 at the turnaround)
1.00 - 9:13
1.00 - 9:27
1.00 - 9:22
1.00 - 10:21 (walked a little)
0.05 - 0:25 (9:08)

Total: 9.05 miles in 1:23:27 = 9:14 avg. pace

Yesterday was supposed to be a short easy two mile run. I went to the gym and lifted my legs and then started my run around the neighborhood. Less than two minutes in my legs felt dead and I really wondered how I could get the two miles in. Just short of a mile in I completely switched gears and was trying to figure out how to increase the route to three miles. I was almost home at three miles when I decided to run around the block to get in a 5K.

1.00 - 9:34
1.00 - 9:14
1.00 - 9:11
0.13 - 1:10 (8:48)

Total: 3.13 miles in 29:10 = 9:20 avg. pace

I’m sure I could have run longer but I have 7 miles scheduled for tonight so I wanted to save my legs. I plan on running right after work.

I still need to get to the tag and my running history. Maybe I can write that up during class tomorrow.

Scenic Run

2008-03-05T18:31:00.009-06:00

I'm a little behind on my blog. I switched back to first shift so I'm trying to adjust and Tuesdays and Wednesdays are pretty much shot with me going to class.

I went for a run on Sunday along part of the same route I ran on Saturday. I took my camera with me so instead of rambling I'm going to blog with pictures.

Sunday was a beautiful day. Temps hit 70 trying to melt the snow and ice.

I ran on a trail near the creek so I could listen to the water roaring and the snow melted.

The problem with rapidly melting snow is ice dams.

The trail was occasionally lined with ice

or covered with puddles.

I ran my first mile faster than I'd hope. I wanted to stay around or over 10:00 miles but I ran it in 9:47 (including stopping to take pictures). I kept telling myself to slow down on my second mile but I still ran 9:34. I hit the end of the trail and turned around. My socks were soaked at this point because instead of running through the huge puddles I tried to run through the snow on the side and it was just slop.

On the way back I saw a barn in the middle of town, which is probably only cool because I'm a farm girl.

My third mile was 9:36. My fourth mile was 9:14. At this point I'm tired (because I'm running too fast but can't slow myself down) but I'm thinking I only have a mile left so I didn't worry about slowing myself down. When my Garmin told me I only had a quarter of a mile left I picked a flag in the foreground as my ending point. It felt great getting to that flag.

1.00 - 9:47
1.00 - 9:34
1.00 - 9:36
1.00 - 9:14
1.00 - 9:17
0.07 - 0:35
Total 5.07 miles in 48:05 = 9:30 avg. pace

When I finished running I walked a mile and enjoyed the weather. I'm glad I did because it's back in the 20s already but not before all of the melting caused the local rivers and creeks to flood. By the next morning this trail was completely under water. The amazing thing is after 70 degree weather we still have tons of snow left over.

I pushed my Monday run back for two reasons: my right shin has been acting up and my friend wanted to go out to dinner for her birthday and I knew I wouldn't be able to get the quality of run I wanted. I lifted some (which I haven't posted yet) and then went to dinner. Tomorrow I'm going to get a new pair of running shoes and dinner with Teresa. Friday and Saturday I'm going to get in 5 miles each. I'm already missing the time I had on second shift.

** Sorry if this post is kind of lacking. I know I'm behind so I'm in a hurry to get something out there. I'll respond to the tag from Jess and comments from S hopefully tomorrow. Sorry everybody!

Great Long Run

2008-03-01T18:08:00.006-06:00

On Wednesday I mentioned moving my long run to Saturday and getting a run in with another branch of the running clubs weekly runs. This group runs on Saturday morning from a Happy Joe's Pizza. I decided to give it a try after Laurel, the lady who gave me my massage on Tuesday, recommended it.

I'd been debating whether or not I was going to go this week. When I work second shift getting up at 7AM is rough. So today when my alarm went off I shut it off and went back to bed. I only laid there for a few minutes before I felt like a total POS and got up again. I changed my clothes, stretched, and headed for Happy Joe's.

I had every intention of running by myself. I had downloaded the newest steverunner podcast and got my iPod ready. Laurel and two of her friends had ran four miles before everyone else started so they could get their mileage in. She invited me to run the rest of their workout with them and I said I could start with them but I'd probably punk out early (she had said on Tuesday they were running 9:00 miles).

We started out at a very relaxed pace for me. I felt like I was holding them back for a while but now I'm not so sure I was. We stopped a few times to drink some water and eat some gummy bears. Larry, another guy running with us, was very nice and offered me some of the things he brought. I really haven't gotten to the point where I think I'm running far enough to refuel mid run but he convinced me to have some.

I wish I would have brought a camera. We ran on a local trail that runs by the river and it was so pretty all of the ice and melting snow made it very pretty to look at. I'm thinking about buying one of those newer smaller cameras. ANYWAY, the ice might have made the course nicer to look at but the black ice scared me a little. The great news is I didn't roll my ankle, which I did a lot last year. About half way through the run we switched to running side streets where they at least wasn't so much ice. I resisted the urge to check my pace as we were running because I didn't want to psych myself out if I was running faster than normal. I checked the overall time a few times just to make sure I was still on track.

By the time they finished their run I was only at 7.5 miles so I ran to the stop light and back. I stayed and had a breakfast burrito with them and met some new people. I have yet to meet a group of runners that isn't friendly. I'm glad I went. I enjoyed running with them and my long run felt a lot shorter than I thought it would. I hope to go again next week.

1.00 - 9:49
1.00 - 10:42
1.00 - 9:29
1.00 - 10:50
1.00 - 10:38
1.00 - 9:30
1.00 - 9:25
1.00 - 9:30
0.04 - 0:20 (9:20)

8.04 miles in 1:20:17 = 10:00 avg. pace

My weekly goals were...
1) Lift 3 times (done)
2) Run 20 miles (done 22.6 miles)
3) Run my first race of the year (4 miles at 8:59 pace is a great start to the season!!)

My goals for this week are:
1) Lift 3 times
2) Run 15 miles - another recovery week
3) Work on adjusting back to first shift

short run and sore legs

2008-02-29T19:03:00.004-06:00

I'm changing the name to "running out of time". Thanks for the suggestions. I'm horrible at that stuff.

I pushed my long run back until tomorrow. My hamstrings hate me right now but I have no idea why they are so sore. My right shin is also starting to act up so I think I need a new pair of shoes. It's very convenient that the running store just sent out 20% off coupons.

I hit the gym for a short run this morning. After that I walked a mile and then rode the upright back for another 20 minutes. At least I got some cardio in today. I'm icing my shins and hoping to get my long run in early tomorrow. If I have trouble tomorrow I'm going to shift my runs next week, which should be fine since it's a 'recovery week' anyway.

2.11 miles in 22 minutes

On the plus side it is suppose to get into the 40s this week. I'm looking forward to getting outside. Plus, I'm moving back to first shift tomorrow so I can get some runs in when it's a warmer time of the day.

February

2008-02-29T18:56:00.001-06:00

Run: 17 times - 81.26 miles - 14:16:48

Bike: 4 times - 26.1 miles - 1:25:00
Rowing: 2 times - 4.3 miles - 0:34:54
Stair Climber: 1 time - 36.2 floors - 0:15:00
Strength Training: 11 times
Walk: 5 times - 5.6 miles - 1:47:10

I need to move my runs outdoors

2008-02-27T19:42:00.005-06:00

I need to start running outside. I ran on my treadmill for my tempo run on Tuesday and it was so boring. I only had to run a mile warm-up, 4 miles @ 9:45, and a mile cool down. I got my miles in but it was difficult for me. I wanted to quit, not because I was tired but because it wasn’t enjoyable.

1.00 - 11:09 warm-up
1.00 - 9:45
1.00 - 9:40
1.00 - 9:35
1.00 - 9:31
1.00 - 10:59 cool down
0.20 - 2:10 cool down

6.20 miles in 1:02:54 = 10:09 avg. pace

After my run I showered and headed to my massage. It was awesome. The lady who gave me the massage is not only a fellow runner but she was one of the first girls to finish on Sunday. She seems like a very cool person. She even invited me to a weekly run they do on Saturday mornings. I might move my long run to Saturday this week and try to run with them then instead. I also signed up for another one in a month.

Today I was scheduled for a short run of two miles. I did a new strength workout at the gym today and I think I messed with my hamstrings when I did dead lifts so I won’t be doing those anymore. After I lifted I set the treadmill to a 2.0 incline and set it for 25 minutes. I ended up with 2.25 miles.

2.25 miles in 25:00 = 11:07 avg. pace

Since my hamstrings are sore and I don’t have anything on the schedule for tomorrow, I’m resting. I might do a short run on Friday, depending on how I feel, and then a long run Saturday no matter what. The great news is it is suppose to get into the forties on Saturday, which means I can move outside without worrying so much about ice.

I splurged a little bit yesterday. After my massage I stopped to pick up some sports beans and ended up buying a new running tank. I also picked up a new running book today since I’m almost done with Running with the Buffalo.

Chili Chase 4 Miler - 2008

2008-02-25T19:18:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was my first race of the year - the Chili Chase. I stretched before I left home and got to the race an hour early. I'm one of those people who have to be early for everything. I stretched more at the race and met up with Luke, Matt, and Emily. We overheard the course directors talking about how icy the first and last mile of the course was. We all decided this wasn't a course we were going to push it on. This was more like a training run with a lot of people.

The first part of the course was downhill and it's amazing I didn't see anyone fall. I felt like I was going too fast so I told myself to slow down because this race didn't actually matter in the long run. I got to the first mile in 9:07. I really thought I slowed down until I heard the person at the second mile marker announce I was under 18 minutes. I did my second mile in 8:38.

Around this time I looked behind me and saw Luke. For the first time in a long time I was in front of Luke. I didn't care if I finished before him or not; it's just been a long time since I've hung with Luke for two miles. I finished mile three in 8:41. The last mile had a lot of ice and a steep hill at the finish. I wanted to walk up the hill but I took it a little at a time. I counted three electric posts before the top of the hill and I took them one at a time. I ran my last mile in 9:02.

I wasn't planning of this but I was very happy for myself. I actually PRed. I beat my last time by over a minute - an :18 per mile average. I even placed in the top 35 females so I received a nice mug. What a great race. It was more than I expected but definitely a good sign for the rest of the year when I go out hoping to run well.

I was worried my slow runs on my training plan would hurt my 5K pace. I guess after your body gets use to running so long a 5K feels like a breeze.

1.00 - 9:07
1.00 - 8:38
1.00 - 8:41
1.00 - 9:02

Avg Pace = 8:59

Official time - 35:55

Bonus: my first ever sports massage tomorrow!

My blog

2008-02-23T20:33:00.001-06:00

I hate the name of my blog. Does anyone have any ideas?

Long run, ramblings, and next week’s goals

2008-02-22T17:41:00.003-06:00

Today was my long run. I got out of bed, stretched, and hit my treadmill. My first couple of miles felt so slow and sluggish; I kept thinking about how many miles I still had left. After I hit mile 4 I started to feel better. The last half of the workout felt great. My right shoulder didn’t bother me at all. My left acted up a little towards the end but it went away. I listened to 2 podcasts: Phedippidations and 4 feet running.

My plan called for 8 miles @ 11:16. I kept the treadmill at a 1.0 incline.

1.00 - 11:23 warm-up
1.00 - 11:12
1.00 - 11:06
1.00 - 11:00
1.00 - 10:54
1.00 - 10:48
1.00 - 10:42
1.00 - 10:31
1.00 - 10:48 cool down
0.60 - 06:51 cool down
Total: 9.60 miles in 1:45:20 = 10:59 avg. pace

Now my rambling… I’ve started reading Running with the Buffaloes and I really like it. The chapters are really short so I read a few pages each night before I go to bed. I’ve picked out some more books on Amazon but does anyone have any recommendations?

I’m also thinking about getting a new small camera that I can take on runs with me. My other one is kind of old and I’d like one that fits in my hand. I don’t plan on running with it every time I run but sometimes. Again any recommendations?

Sunday is my first race of the year. I’m not aiming for a PR or anything because I’d prefer to run controlled and not ruin my legs early in the week. It’s a four mile run and the only part the scares me is a hill towards the end; I’ve always had trouble with the mental aspect of hills. There’s also the question of ice and snow on the course.

My weekly goals were...
1) Lift 3 times (done)
2) Run 20 miles (done 23.11 miles)
3) Start tracking my nutrition (I have a little book that fits in my purse. I’ve been entering what I’ve been eating. I’m not concerned with eating too much but rather than I’ve been limiting myself to too few calories for what I need.)

My goals for this week are:
1) Lift 3 times
2) Run 20 miles
3) Run my first race of the year

The big 100

2008-02-21T16:50:00.002-06:00

I’m a little behind on my blogging but not on my running. Monday I was scheduled to run 7 miles of intervals but the intervals didn’t add up to seven miles so I ended up running an extra interval and finishing with 8 miles. I wasn’t really looking forward to this run. Something about running 9:03 on the treadmill for 4 miles scared me. I got through them though and I didn’t feel like they completely whipped me out - I even decided to run the extra one.

Treadmill 1.0 incline
1.00 - 11:22 warm-up
1.00 - 9:03 interval
0.50 - 5:28 recovery (10:56 pace)
1.00 - 8:58 interval
0.50 - 5:24 recovery (10:48 pace)
1.00 - 8:55 interval
0.50 - 5:25 recovery (10:50 pace)
1.00 - 8:46 interval
0.50 - 4:59 recovery (9:58 pace)
1.00 - 10:33 cool down
Total: 8 miles in 1:18:53 = 9:52 avg. pace

Tuesday was a cross training day so I went to the gym to lift, hit the stair climber for 15 minutes, and rode the upright bike for 20 minutes. I think I could have put forth more effort on the cardio but I think its okay to go easy after an 8 mile interval session.

Wednesday was another lift followed by a short run. Since it was leg day I went really easy on all of my weights again and just upped the reps for some things. I wanted to play around with my short runs so I ran the hill program on the treadmill at a low level. The incline went up to 2.9 but nothing huge. I ran for 30 minutes instead of just 2 miles.

Total: 2 miles in 30:00 = 10:46 avg. pace

Something cool happened during this short run. I hit the 100 mile mark for year. Wednesday was also my third lift day this week and I purchased a small food journal that fits into my purse. So assuming I get 6.49 miles in during my long run tomorrow I’ve hit my goals for the week already. Awesome! I really like setting weekly goals so if you think it would help you go for it.

I also want to thank everyone who is actually reading my blog. The comments are encouraging and I enjoy sharing my progress while checking in to see how you are doing. A running blog is such a great idea.

Cloud 9

2008-02-17T21:35:00.003-06:00

I went to the gym on Saturday and made up the lifting that I missed earlier in the week; I lowered almost all of my weights so I didn’t ruin my legs again this week. I followed it up with 15 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes walking on the treadmill.

Today was a short run for me today. I went to the gym and lifted again and then I hit the treadmill. I get outside when I can but the snow/rain mixture grounded me to the gym.

I set the treadmill to 1.0 incline and ran for 30 minutes. I upped the incline to 2.0 for a while. When it warms up I really need to check out the course for the half in May. I want to pre-run most of it so I know what I’m up against.

2.72 miles in 30:00

Now the great news, this short run today means I’ve ran more miles so far in February (46.3) than I did in the entire month of January (45.0). That’s a pretty amazing feeling considering it’s only the 17th. Add that to the feeling of just running my longest run ever Friday and I’m on cloud nine in the running world.

My weekly goals were...
1) Lift 3 times (done)
2) Run 17 miles (done 20.47 miles)
3) Non-running goal: turn my spare room into a guest room (getting my new bed Tuesday)

My goals for this week are:
1) Lift 3 times
2) Run 20 miles
3) Start tracking my nutrition

My longest run

2008-02-15T14:53:00.002-06:00

I slept awful again last night. My morning was kind of busy so as soon as I got up I hit the treadmill. I remembered to put the 1.0 incline on it this time. I put on another podcast and set my TV to a muted CNN. I live in Iowa and work in Illinois so the Northern Illinois thing feels really close to home

My training plan called for 7 miles at 11:16. I knew I wanted to go longer and aimed for 8. My shoulder acted up a little in mile 2 but it went away shortly after.

My first few miles felt really slow but that’s mostly because I was thinking about how many more I had left. When I hit 7 miles I was definitely feeling great. It amazed me that as I was nearing mile 9 I was still singing to my iPod (the podcast had ended by then) and was bouncing around on my treadmill. I felt like I could go forever.

So I know it wasn’t outside but 9 miles is the most I’ve ran in my life without stopping to walk. I’m very happy with myself and can’t wait until next weekend (the weather should be good enough to let me go back outside).

I’m hitting the gym tomorrow and lifting legs. I’m going to back off all of the weights so I don’t destroy myself like I did last week.

1.00 - 11:25 warm-up
1.00 - 11:16
1.00 - 11:06
1.00 - 11:02
1.00 - 10:54
1.00 - 10:49
1.00 - 10:35
1.00 - 10:22
1.00 - 11:05 cool down

9 miles in 1:38:38 ~ 10:58 avg.

I'm back

2008-02-14T20:44:00.001-06:00

My legs felt fine yesterday when I woke up so I was able to get my tempo run in. I forgot to set the incline for my warm-up mile and left it at 1.0 for the rest of my workout to be nice to my legs. Running inside is wearing on me but I’m not going to run outside when the highs are only single digits not even factoring wind chill.

I added an extra mile during cool down because I still felt pretty good.

1.00 - 11:36 warm-up 0 incline (I forgot)
1.00 - 9:50 1.0 incline
1.00 - 9:45 1.0 incline
1.00 - 9:40 1.0 incline
1.00 - 9:33 1.0 incline
1.00 - 10:21 cool down 1.0 incline
1.00 - 11:23 cool down 1.0 incline
7 miles in 1:12:11 = 10:19 avg pace

I made it outside for my run this morning. It was a short run at it was 26 outside so I braved it. I felt slow and sluggish but I’m sure that had to do with all of the snow I was sliding on. Apparently no one realizes there’s a law requiring people shovel their sidewalks. I wore my ankle brace today and I’m glad I did. I had to scale a few snow banks on the corners so I’m sure I would have rolled it.

1.00 - 10:06
1.00 - 9:41
0.26 - 2:28 (9:26)
2.26 miles in 22:17 = 9:52 avg pace

Going easy

2008-02-12T14:50:00.000-06:00

What really sucks about my legs being sore is last week was my recovery week. How could I have hurt myself and not even put a hard run in? Anyway, yesterday I went to the gym and lifted pecs and delts followed by a little rowing and then I walked on the treadmill for a mile.

When I woke up today my legs felt a lot better but still a little sore so I'm taking today off. I could get my 6 miles in today but I don't want to push it and if I wait hopefully I'll feel great when I get my run in tomorrow. Since my schedule has some rest days in it I figure I'll still be on track this week. I have a 6 mile run, a 2 mile run, and a 8 mile run left this week.

Sore

2008-02-10T19:19:00.000-06:00

I lifted legs yesterday. I didn't increase any weights and I didn't rush through it. Last night I woke up with an awful charlie horse in my calf. When I got out of bed today my legs were on fire. I really don't know what I did.

I debated putting off my short run today but thought it might help loosen my legs up. I went to the gym and lifted my arms and then hit the treadmill for a short 2 miler. I enjoy watching people on the treadmill. I love the people that set a huge incline and then hold on to the treadmill for dear life.

Anyway, I was supposed to keep my pace under 11:16 but I didn't notice that until I was done so I did 11:19. Oh well.

For my reward from last week, I bought a new blender. My old one stopped working on I used it to mix protein smoothies after lifting. Nerdy I know but I splurged and got a really nice one. This week when I get all my workouts in I'll get something small.

Tired of snow

2008-02-08T19:16:00.000-06:00

I went back to the gym yesterday to lift and cross train. I decided to row 5000 meters, which was a great workout but my fingers are on fire. I’m hoping rowing will help strengthen my back and help with my problems.

Today I finished putting up a closet organizer in my spare room. I’ve been putting it off forever and I’m so glad it’s done.

After I finished with that, I went down to the basement to run my 4 miles; there’s still an insane amount of snow outside so I figured I could stay in. For some reason my run felt really boring today. The first two miles took forever. I guess that’s just more incentive to get back outside.

1.00 - 11:18
1.00 - 11:06
1.00 - 10:54
1.00 - 10:42
0.52 - 5:58

4.52 miles in 50:01 - Treadmill 1.0 incline

I’m GOING to make up my lifting workout from Wednesday tomorrow before work. I told myself last week if I met my goals I could buy something fun for my someday basement bar.

My weekly goals were...
1) Lift 3 times (stay tuned)
2) Run 12 miles (done 15.12 miles)
3) Run outside again (done)

My goals for this week are:
1) Lift 3 times
2) 17 miles see my training plan
3) Non-running goal: Turn my spare room into a guest room

All better

2008-02-06T22:10:00.001-06:00

I went to bed really early on Monday night and when I woke up I felt a million times better. Thank you for the words of encouragement. It’s amazing how a good night’s sleep changes your mood. I was extremely productive on Tuesday. I went to the same trail I did on Sunday but ran the other end. There was still some ice but mostly it was just puddles. I felt like I was going really slowly but my splits are pretty good.

I really enjoyed running this route. It just seemed very peaceful and since it was along the creek the scenery was nice. I finished off running up a rather steep hill so at least I’m getting those in. I haven’t been wearing my ankle brace but my ankle has been holding up pretty well.

1.00 - 9:21
1.00 - 9:36
1.00 - 9:43
1.00 - 9:53
0.51 - 5:04 (9:52)
Total: 4.51 miles in 43:38 - 9:40 avg.

I was supposed to go to the gym to lift legs today. We were hit with over 8 inches of snow today so I shoveled when I woke up today and then did some more work in my house. I’m planning on going to the gym Saturday to make up for today and then I can still give myself a star and count it as staying on schedule.

Blah

2008-02-04T19:55:00.000-06:00

I've been kind of off the last few days. I didn't sleep very well on Saturday night and my run on Sunday just felt slow and awkward. I went for a run on a local trail and there was still quite a bit of ice but at least I was outside. My miles felt really slow but the numbers look good.

1.00 - 9:46
1.00 - 9:45
1.00 - 9:26
1.00 - 9:22
0.28 - 2:38 (9:33)
4.28 miles in 40:58 = 9:35 avg.

I slept awful again last night and almost canceled my workout today. The main thing that kept me going was knowing I'd be breaking a 3+ week streak of following my training plan. It just feels like things around me are falling apart. I just really need Spring. After I lifted today I spent some time on the elliptical.
1.81 miles in 25 minutes

I've decided I need a reward this week. When I finish all of my workouts for the week I'm going to buy something for the bar I hope to build in my basement.

Another awesome long run

2008-02-02T13:29:00.000-06:00

Friday was my long run. It snowed again Thursday night so I stayed in my basement again. I keep checking the weather in hopes that I'll be able to move outside on a regular basis again soon but until then it's up to my trusty treadmill. I plugged into another podcast and was off.

My plan was 7 miles @ 11:23 pace. I always try to keep the treadmill at a 1.0 incline so the actually terrain outside won't floor me. I also try to get negative splits when I'm on my treadmill. For this run I played around a little more than normal and since I ran 7 miles last week I decided I could take this one up to 8.

I got a side stitch just after mile 1 but amazing my right shoulder left me alone the whole run. My left shoulder started hurting in my last mile but nothing compared to what my right usually does.

1.00 - 11:22 Warm-up 1.0 incline
1.00 - 11:13 1.0 incline
1.00 - 11:06 2.0 incline
1.00 - 11:01 2.0 incline
1.00 - 10:54 3.0 incline
1.00 - 10:48 3.0 incline
1.00 - 10:42 1.0 incline
1.00 - 11:52 Cool down 1.0 incline
8 miles in 1:29:03

Check out those inclines. I had a lot of trouble with hills last year and I really want to do better this year.

My weekly goals were...
1) Lift 3 times (DONE)
2) Run 14 miles (DONE 15.41 miles)
3) Get in at least 1 run outside (DONE Got in 2)

My goals for this week are:
1) Lift 3 times
2) 12 miles = 4 mile run 3 times a week (I think this is a rest week for me)
3) Run outside again

** So I've noticed since I've started this half marathon training I've lost almost ten pounds. I was so hungry after my run yesterday but I kept it healthy. I love that all of my jeans are too big for me :)

January

2008-01-31T21:48:00.000-06:00

Run: 13 times - 45.0 miles - 8:06:58

Bike: 3 times - 32.4 miles - 1:30:00
Rowing: 1 time - 1.2 miles - 0:09:57
Stair Climber: 1 time - 30.2 floors - 0:15:00
Strength Training: 11 times
Walk: 7 times - 11.9 miles - 3:43:33

Weather in Iowa

2008-01-29T20:15:00.000-06:00

I felt a lot better on Monday and the weather was still warm. I decided to postpone my cross and strength training and run my Tuesday workout outside. I headed down by the river this time with the plan on running 1 mile warm-up, 3 miles @ 9:46, 1 mile cool down.

When I run down here I usually run east but this time I wanted to go west for a little bit. The wind was awful. It was blowing at 20-30mph with 40 mph gusts. My warm-up mile went a little faster than I wanted but I felt like I wasn't moving when I slowed down. I hit a couple of gusts that made me feel like I wasn't running at all. I ended up running 2 miles west before turning around; I really liked the change in scenery. I'm glad that I kept my 3 middle miles under my goal.

When I got back to where I started I still had my cool down left so I kept going. I ended running my cool down faster than I probably should have but I felt great. I ended up tacking on a little bit more on my cool down. The fun thing about my cool down was I didn't turn around so when I was done running I still had over a mile to walk back to my car.

1.00 - 9:54 warm-up
1.00 - 9:29
1.00 - 9:21
1.00 - 9:31
1.00 - 9:55 cool down
0.26 - 2:32 cool down
Total: 5.26 miles in 50:42 (9:39 avg pace)

Today was not outdoor running weather. It just iced all day. I went to the gym to make up my workout from yesterday. I played on the rowing machine for the first time today and I actually liked it a lot. I think I'll cross train on it more to give my legs a break.

Running with a hangover

2008-01-27T23:14:00.001-06:00

I had a really rough night on Friday so when I went out yesterday I just wanted to drink. I'll save you the story but I basically felt awful all day today.

It was a really nice day out today so I went outside for my short runs. Which reminds me, I finally posted my training plan under the links section of my blog (the images are broken). I ran slower than normal but still faster than my goal pace. When I was running I was worrying about my next run. I have no problem running 7 miles on the treadmill but how will I do running 5 miles outside? I guess I'll find out soon enough.

I had 2 miles in when I got home but I ran up the hill outside my house just to get some more hills in. Last year when I was running races I would always walk the hills. I just want to do better this year.

I hung out at home and took a nap before heading to the gym. I lifted legs again today and it's amazing how much different I think my legs look after even lifting just a few weeks consistently.

I might do my 5 mile run tomorrow and cross train on Wednesday. Tomorrow is suppose to still be nice weather wise. Hopefully I don't feel like I was hit by a truck again tomorrow.

1.00 - 9:59
1.00 - 9:51
0.15 - 1:33 (10:23 pace for the hill)
Total: 2.15 miles in 21:24

8 degrees = Treadmill = 7 miles!!!

2008-01-25T20:59:00.000-06:00

I’m getting really bored with the cold weather. Today it was 8 degrees when I ran so needless to say I was in my basement yet again. I really like my treadmill and I have it set up so I can watch tv when I run but I’d rather be outside. Today I tried to mix things up by playing with the incline a little bit.

Treadmill at 1.0 incline unless otherwise noted…
1.00 - 11:22
1.00 - 11:23
1.00 - 11:15 (0.50 at 1.5 incline and 0.50 and 2.0 incline)
1.00 - 11:13
1.00 - 11:06 (0.50 at 2.5 incline and 0.50 at 3.0 incline)
1.00 - 10:56
1.00 - 11:27 cool-down
Total: 7.00 miles in 1:18:45

My workout only called for 6 miles at 11:23 but since I went 6.5 last week and I still felt good I pushed it for 7 today. My shoulder acted up early as normal but it went away quickly and my chest never bothered me. I know base training is suppose to be at a conversational base so to make sure I wasn’t pushing it too hard with the inclines I sang and ‘danced’ around with my iPod; I figured singing is the about the same as having a conversation. The balls of my feet were on fire by the time my run was over (stupid new shoes). In fact, I decided to walk a mile when I was done running and I actually paused to take my shoes off and walked in my socks. I think I also bruised and am probably going to lose my second toe’s nails on both feet - great :(

I’ve had two separate conversations today that really make me feel like a runner. These are quotes that actually came out of my mouth this afternoon:
1) “Well I ran seven miles this morning but I ran them at around an 11 minute mile pace so it’s not like I was pushing myself.” - to my doctor when we were talking about if the pain in my chest and shoulder could be from stress.
2) “No, I ran them at home. The treadmills in the gym only let me run for an hour.” - to my dad when he asked if I ran at the gym

My weekly goals were...
1) Lift 3 times (DONE)
2) Get in 13 miles (DONE 15.62 miles)
*** Tomorrow I’m getting a massage with a bunch of my girl friends - rewarding myself with a spa day. Goals need rewards.

My goal for this week are:
1) Lift 3 times
2) Run 14 miles: 2 miles @ 11:23, 5 miles (warm-up, 3@9:46, cool down), and 7 miles @ 11:23
3) Get in at least 1 run outside; it looks like the highs next week are going to be way nicer than what they have been.

Shave your 5K

2008-01-25T19:09:00.000-06:00

I signed up for this...
Check it out

Intervals

2008-01-24T17:36:00.000-06:00

I did my first interval training run on Tuesday. My plan was warm-up a mile, 2x1600@ 9:13 w 800 jogs, cool down a mile. I forgot to put BodyGlide warm on my shoulder but after it started to hurt it went away like it always does so maybe I don't even need to warm it up. The run felt like it went pretty fast.

1.00 - 11:28 Warm-up
1.00 - 9:06
0.50 - 5:20 Recovery
1.00 - 9:03
0.50 - 5:09 Recovery
1.00 - 11:00 Cool-down
5 miles in 51:10

Wednesday I lifted legs at the gym and hit the elliptical for 20 minutes. So I've meet my goal of lifting three times this week already. Tomorrow I need to get my 6 miler in. I have a girls day Saturday and then my brother will be in town at night so I really need to get it in tomorrow before work.
1.42 in 20 minutes

My shoulder started to bug me last night during class and it hasn't let up since. I've never really had it act up when I'm not running before. Today it carried down into my chest so I'm miserable. My chest and my shoulder burn. To top it off one of my co-workers had his house broken into so now I'm paranoid and when I called my dad for some assurance all he could talk about is my step-mom. I know January 21st is suppose to be the most depressing day of the year but today might win.

At least my running is going well. I was worried about my 5 and 6 mile runs when I made the training plan (which I will post) but now I can say I'm not even worried about my 7 miler coming up. I am, however, worried about moving them back outside. I put an incline on my treadmill for all my runs but outside will be tougher. I'm including a pic from my house so you can see the lovely weather I'm dealing with.

Random: I bought a new bed and some furniture so I'm setting up weekend goals. Note my weekend runs from Sunday-Tuesday this week. I need to paint my guest room closet, put up the wire racks, organize my office, and clean my basement. I have two runs set up those days but I'm actually looking forward to those.

Short Incline Run

2008-01-21T15:53:00.000-06:00

Today my plan was 2 miles @ 11:23. I started off by lifting at the gym and then the treadmill; it's still insanely cold here and it was snowing yet again today so I'm still on the treadmill. I decided since it was going to be such a short run I'd play with the inclines a little. I ran the first mile at 2.0 incline and the second at 3.0. I heard the second mile of the half I'm training for is uphill so I figure this will help.

1.00 - 11:20 2.0 incline
1.00 - 11:19 3.0 incline
0.20 - 02:21 1.0 incline
Total: 2.20 miles in 25 minutes - 11:22 pace

On a side note I have to cut out one of my April races. I have class the day of Steve's Old Time Tap 5K so I won't be doing that one this year. I might swap it out for another race with a better cause although beer runs are always fun.

Do or Do Not - There is no try

2008-01-20T16:55:00.000-06:00

I almost psyched myself out of my long runs this last week. I woke up Thursday and tried to think of everything else I could do rather than run. 5 miles was just scaring me. I went to the gym in the afternoon and lifted my arms and back. Afterwards I had no other excuses so I hit the treadmill. Now I know treadmills are not the best places to go your long runs but it's been crazy cold in Iowa lately. My goal was 1 mile warm-up, 3 miles at 9;46, and 1 mile cool-down. Somewhere a little after half-way I decided I could actually finish it. I listened to a Phedippidations podcast about half marathons. One of the quotes was from Yoda "Do or do not, there is no try". I kept running and finished my 5 miles just under schedule.

1.00 - 12:05 warm-up
1.00 - 9:42
1.00 - 9:41
1.00 - 9:34
1.00 - 11:08 cool down
Total: 5 miles in 51:10 = 10:14 pace

Saturday I had a slow base run - 6 miles at 11:23. Since the treadmills at the gym automatically go into cool-down mode after an hour, I ran at home. The high for the day was 1 degree so I didn't think it would be smart to go out. Besides, this is what I have a treadmill for. Anyway, I used my Garmin to get the splits; I used it as a very expensive stop watch. I listened to another Phedippidations podcast this time about base training. It did me a lot of good. When I wanted to speed up the podcast reminded me speed wasn't my goal.

6 miles went quick. I set my treadmill to a 1.0 incline and just ran. My splits are under 11:23 but I ran at conversation pace the entire time. I added another half mile to try to make up for being inside. I've very happy with this run. Now I just need to get outside.

1.00 - 11:20
1.00 - 11:13
1.00 - 11:06
1.00 - 11:06
1.00 - 11:06
1.00 - 11:06
0.50 - 05:59 cool-down
Total: 6.5 miles in 1:12:56 = 11:14 pace

So my weekly goals were...
1) Lift 2-3 times (DONE)
2) Get in at least 10 miles (16.95!)
3) Design my half training plan (Done - should be posted soon)

My goal for this week are:
1) Lift 3 times
2) Get in 13 miles: 2 miles @ 11:23, 5 miles (Warm-up, 2x1600@9:13 w 800 jogs, Cool-down), and 6 miles @ 11:23

Shorts runs

2008-01-15T18:15:00.000-06:00

I printed off a half marathon training guide from Runners World and I've been working on personalizing it to my schedule. Yesterday I was suppose to run 2 miles @ 11:23. I have trouble running that 'slow' on my own so I used my treadmill. I ran my first mile at a 2.0 incline and my second one at 3.0. Since I was still waiting for the clothes dryer to finish I walked another half mile.

1.00 - 11:07
1.00 - 11:19
Total: 2.00 - 22:26

At least I kept it over 11 minutes.

Today I went to the gym and lifted legs. My legs are still sore from the last time I lifted so I went easier on my calves. Since my workout doesn't call for another run until Thursday I played on the elliptical for 20 minutes. I'm really nervous about my Thursday and Saturday runs. I don't even remember the last time I ran 6 miles. Wish me luck.

2007 wrap-up

2008-01-14T16:37:00.000-06:00

Dec 2	Reindeer Ramble	5K	28:24
Nov 4	Governors European	5M+	1:30:00
Oct 21	Pumpkin Dash	8K	46:23
Oct 13	Homecoming	5K	28:52
Oct 7	Deere	5K	28:16
Sept 3	Run with Carl	5M	46:49
Aug 4	Crime Stoppers	5K	26:29
July 28	Bix 7	7M	1:06:37
July 14	Moonlight Chase	4M	37:07
July 4	Firecracker Run	10K	1:02:00
June 9	Race for the Cure	5K	33:51
May 26	Wild 5	5K	29:08
May 20	Swing Home Run	5K	30:09
May 12	Run for the Teacher	5K	41:22
Apr 28	Steve's Old Time Tap	5K	32:22
Apr 15	Gilda's Run	5K	30:56
Mar 7	CASI St Patrick's Day	5K	31:57

PRs

5K	26:29	Aug 4
4M	37:07	July 14
8K	46:23	Oct 21
5M	46:49	Sept 3
10K	1:02:00	July 4
7M	1:06:37	July 28

Most miles in a week: 21.98 August 2007
Most miles in a month: 75.89 July 2007
Longest run: 7.22 July 2007

This week...

2008-01-13T20:05:00.001-06:00

This week I'm starting to post weekly goals. This week I'm going to try to get over the fact that my job makes establishing a routine almost impossible. This week I'm going to start training for a half marathon.

I added this handy little tool from Runner's World to my blog that shows my latest workouts. I really like it. The last few days I've been babying my shins but still working out. I've been to the gym the last three days and my entire body hurts from starting to lift again but it's the good kind of pain at least. I also played on the elliptical today and I'm counting it as a run. It does, however, drive me crazy that I can spend so much time on that thing and only get 1.66 miles. I got my heart rate up and I guess that's what counts.

So my weekly goals...
1) Lift 2-3 times (I've already got one done)
2) Get in at least 10 miles (see below)
3) Design my half training plan - with plenty of help from online resources so send me any tips you might have

S) 1.66 miles on elliptical and weights(done!!)
M) 2 miles @11:23, which I'll probably speed up(done!!)
T) XT and weights - leg day(done!!)
W) Rest
R) 5 miles - 1 warm-up, 3 @ 9:46, and 1 cool-down and weights
F) Rest
S) 6 miles @11:23 (it's been a while since I've ran 6 but it's slow enough I should be able to do it)

Trying to get in more miles...

2008-01-10T20:48:00.000-06:00

My plan for today was to get in more miles than I normally do and it didn't really matter to me how I got them. I was getting ready to go out for a run but when I looked outside it was freezing rain so I decided to run on my treadmill. I've been pretty sore since my last run and my right shin is aching but I still thought I could get some miles in.

I walked a mile for warm-up, which is pretty excessive I'll admit. I picked it up and ran the next two miles. I was going to walk 1 and run two a few times. I was also going to try to keep my pace slow but then I started to challenge myself and ran a few minutes at a faster pace than normal. During my second walk I was debating running again and then I decided I'd rather run less than I hoped and not hurt myself than to push it and injure myself worse. I slowed down even more and walked another mile.

I'm happy that I at least got a few miles in today. It's better than sitting on my couch.

So I have this training log that states I should make small goal along with my larger ones from my last post. So at the end of each week I think I'm going to start posting goals for the next week. Forgive me if this sounds cheesy; I'm curious on if it will help me train for the half I'm talking myself into.

2008

2008-01-07T17:16:00.000-06:00

I have to do a 2008 goals post. My goal of running at least 10 races in 2007 pushed me a lot at the beginning of the year. I ran 17 races and 5 out of my 7 PRs came from 2007, which is great considering I didn't even run a 2 miler this year.

So my goals for 2008 are:
1) Run at least 12 races
2) Run a half marathon
3) Don't wait until May to break a 30:00 5K
4) Get in good enough shape that I feel like I can run in a sports bra without grossing people out
5) Get more than 210 points in the race circuit

January and February should be good running months for me. I'm on second shift, which means my social life is gone. I can get up in the morning and go for a run without feeling like I need to be somewhere.

I signed up for the Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago. It's an 8K.

I added my races for 2008 on the right. I don't know if I'll run all of those but that's the plan.

First run of the year

2008-01-07T17:07:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since my last run and I'm going to blame it on the holidays and the weather (but it's really all my own fault). This morning was as perfect as it was going to get. For some reason Iowa went from snow storms weekly to record highs. It was windy and misting a little but the temperature was great.

I ran my normal course around the neighborhood and I could tell I hadn't ran in a while. About a mile in my right side started hurting again and I almost stopped to walk but decided against it. Some guys in a truck drove by a few times and honked at me.

I usually run up a big hill about 2.5 miles in but I turned and went down the side street instead. I got home around 2.85 miles so I ran up and down the street a little. You can tell by my splits that I was having trouble at the beginning of the second mile but my third mile looks okay.

1.00 - 9:25
1.00 - 10:48
1.00 - 9:26
0.01 - 0:06

3.01 miles
29:46

I'll get more runs in now that my work schedule eliminates my social life.

3 miles with my treadmill

2007-12-16T10:06:00.000-06:00

I finally did a run on my treadmill where I didn't knock the magnet off.

We got another couple inches of snow yesterday and I really wanted to try out my new shoes so I opted for a treadmill run. (When are my yaktrax going to get here?) Anyway, I brought up another podcast and muted a movie on tv (gives me something to look at). I think the first half of a workout is always the hardest for me. I wish I could figure out how to hide the clock on my treadmill. I find myself looking down at the timer too much.

I put in 3.1 miles in 30:01. I'm not excited about the :01 but oh well. I set the incline to 1.0 and the pace to 6.2mph and just ran. I think my shoes could use some more breaking in time; the balls of my feet started to hurt about two miles in. Overall, it was a good run.

The podcast wasn't over so I slowed down to a 3mph pace and walked 20 minutes. I'm not counting it in my distance but it was another mile I got in yesterday. I figure those add up.

Treadmill, Ice, and New Shoes

2007-12-14T21:38:00.000-06:00

Monday night I went to the running club meeting to get my medal and shirt for winning my age group in the race circuit (the second place girl is pregnant). I really like the running club but everyone there is so much older than me. I was kind of bored. The shirts are awesome though.

Tuesday night I went for a run on my treadmill. My original goal was three miles. I listened to a few more pod casts, which is working out really well for me. I set the pace to 6.2 mph and just ran. I was feeling pretty good at 26 minutes. Sometime shortly after that, I bumped the magnet and reset my workout. Boo! I plugged back in and did another 20 minutes. I calculated my mileage assuming I only ran 26 minutes the first section.

Wednesday night Luke sent me a message asking if I wanted to run Thursday. We switched sides of the river; it was cold and windy. My fingers were frozen even though I had my gloves on and I was having trouble with the wind. It felt like I had ankle weights on. We were just going to do a 5K but we pushed it a little bit before we turned around. The second half went really well with the wind on our side. There wasn't too much ice left on the trail, which is good since I still haven't gotten my yaktraxs.
1.00 - 9:27
1.00 - 9:24
1.00 - 9:28
0.58 - 5:23

Distance: 3.58 miles
33:43

The running store was running a holiday special so I picked up another pair of shoes today. I don't necessarily need them right now but I will so I figured I should pick some up. I wanted to try another brand so I picked up some asics.

Hopefully I can get a few more miles in tomorrow so I can break 10 miles again this week. I know it's not a lot of mileage but at least I'm getting out there.

COLD

2007-12-09T10:44:00.000-06:00

I went for a run yesterday. I didn't get very far and I really don't care because it was 16 degrees!!

I get bored running the same routes sometimes. I wanted to go down to the trails yesterday but a friend of mine told me they were pretty icy. We got 3 more inches of snow of Thursday night so it's not just about the ice, it's about the ice that's hidden under the snow. I downloaded some podcasts to keep myself entertained. It's not that I don't enjoy running to Black Betty but sometimes it's just not enough. I brought up Phedippidations podcast on Terry Fox and I was off, running the same old route by my house.

My running friends keep telling me this is the type of weather for treadmills and sometimes I really do agree with them. I have a very nice PaceMaster in my basement. I just believe you can get more out of a outdoor run - the natural ups and downs, not knowing how fast you're running every second, the winter game of watching your every step so you don't break something.

My Garmin was still upset with me for not taking it on my last run. About a half mile into my run I stopped to turn my iPod up, stepped on some ice, and landed on my butt. This is when I noticed that I hadn't started my Garmin. Blah. I ran for a while longer and then my shoulder was on fire. The heating strips and the body glide warm help but I don't really want to spend $2 on a heat strip every time I run. I stopped and walked.

I only walked for .1 miles before I decided I didn't want to punk out and it was cold so I wanted to get home. I ran the rest of the way home. People honked and waved; they must have either thought I was crazy or were jealous. I'm going with option 2. There were also several home owners that apparently don't know there is a law stating you have 10 hours to shovel your sidewalks. I can't wait to get my Yaktrax; they shipped on Saturday.

After I got home I decided to retrace the distance my Garmin wasn't working. I walked it. My Garmin map is all off; my laps don't connect. According to mapmyrun.com I got 2.5 miles but my Garmin shows 2.05. Even though I don't believe it, I'm going with my Garmin.

Monday night is the local running club's meeting. I'm getting recognized for winning the 20-29 race circuit. It doesn't mean I'm the fastest by any means. We get points for the sponsored races we run, more points for longer distances and volunteering. I'm looking forward to it.

Catching up on my blog

2007-12-07T20:31:00.000-06:00

I haven't been blogging but I have been running. Since my last post I've gotten in four runs. I also added a little script to my blog to show my last runs so even if I haven't posted them yet you can see them.

Tuesday Nov 27
4.26 miles
42:41
Avg Pace: 10:01

1.00 - 9:59
1.00 - 9:58
1.00 - 10:09
1.00 - 10:03
0.26 - 2:30

I went running with Luke right after work. My goal was 40 minutes. Honestly, I wouldn't have ran the extra little bit if Luke didn't. I didn't want to punk out. It was cold so I wore an Under Armour face mask. On Wednesday I developed some rash on my neck. It turns out I have eczema. I guess my dermatologist already knew that but didn't tell me that was the problem with all my dry skin. Anyway, it took until Saturday to get rid of the rash.

Sunday Dec 2 Reindeer Ramble
3.1 miles
28:24
Avg Pace: 9:09

1.00 - 9:12
1.00 - 9:32
1.00 - 8:55
0.10 - 0:41

There was a large ice storm on Saturday but the course was pretty clear and it was around 36 degrees for the race. I decided not to wear the face mask to give my neck a break. For the half mile I picked a lady in front of me who might be in my age group and made it my goal to pass her. I did and my last split was pretty good but it turns out she was 35-39. Oh well. I got third in my age group. My time was two seconds slower than last year but it just gives me something to work on.

Tuesday Dec 4
5.01 miles
47:24
Avg Pace: 9:27

1.00 - 9:29
1.00 - 9:24
1.00 - 9:32
1.00 - 9:34
1.00 - 9:20

Luke and I went running after work again. We went on the same path we went on the week before. I wanted to go a little further than the last time. I felt really good for the first half of the run but then my arch started acting up again. My left foot felt like I was running on pins and then it went numb. There were a few patches of ice but we were able to run around them. I'm much happier with this run and pace than I was with last weeks.

Thursday Dec 6
3.1 miles
???

Luke suggested another run after work. I picked Thursday because it was suppose to be warmer than Wednesday. It was but it started to snow at the beginning of the run so we decided to do a short one. There was an insane amount of ice and I'm not sure how one of us didn't end up falling. I'm pretty sure my time and pace are awful but I'd rather run slow and careful than fall and break something. I thought I charged my Garmin the night before but I guess not; it didn't even stay on long enough to clock anything. Luke is suppose to send me the splits and I ordered a pair of yaktrax when I got home.

I'm hoping to get another run in tomorrow. It's been a while since I've gotten double digits miles in a week.

Just a little longer...

2007-11-26T18:27:00.000-06:00

When I got off of work on Sunday I was planning on taking a nap. I don't know if it was the idea of it being colder when I woke up or Greg posting a comment telling me to go run but I got changed and got out there. I put my ankle brace on really lose, stretched, and I was off.

I didn't look at my Garmin very much for this run. I wanted to just run where I felt comfortable. I ran a route around the neighborhood that I was familiar with because I wanted to get in 3 miles. My shoulder started acting up about a mile in. I might try to run with one of those heat strips next time. My ankle brace didn't hurt me this time though. Anyway, when I got back to my house I had run 31 minutes. I decided to see if I could run a little longer and get 35 minutes. I ran around the block a little bit longer and got in the extra 4 minutes. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it.

I have a run scheduled with Luke tomorrow. I'm aiming for 40 minutes. I think I can do as long as I don't think myself out of it (if that makes sense). Wish me luck.

1.00 - 9:26
1.00 - 9:34
1.00 - 9:22
0.69 - 6:37 (9:38)

Total Distance: 3.69 miles
Total Time: 35:01
Avg Pace: 9:30

Napping or Running??

2007-11-20T08:10:00.000-06:00

I didn’t sleep very well on Sunday night. I’ve been having some guy problems and my mind wouldn’t relax long enough to let me fall asleep. When I got off of work yesterday my opinions were to either take a nap (and risk not being able to fall asleep later) or go running with Luke. I went running.

The hardest part of running, for me, is psyching myself out. I decide that I’m bored or that I just can’t do it. I haven’t gone running with anyone for a while. Running with someone at least makes it more difficult for me to get bored.

Luke’s goal was 3 miles. My goal was just going for a run. I left my ankle brace at home. After last week I just didn’t want to deal with it. We ran on the trail; the course was pretty flat and well maintained so my ankle was okay. We ended up running just over three miles by the time we made it back to our cars. We also decided we should plan to run together like once a week to keep both of us running. We’ll see how that goes.

1.00 - 9:55
1.00 - 9:58
1.00 - 9:48
0.21 - 1:58
Distance: 3.21 miles
Time: 31:40
Pace: 9:52

I slept better last night but I still kept waking up a few times every hour. I’m looking forward to sleeping in on Thursday. I’m also planning on taking my running gear home with me and at least getting a few miles in.

Playing with my treadmill

2007-11-12T12:49:00.000-06:00

Last Monday I wanted to play around on my treadmill. I ran while watching some reruns of Scrubs. At 1.3 miles I decided I was looking at the screen too much so I covered it with my towel. I ended up knocking the magnet out and resetting my entire workout. I started over but I was just cranky after that. I ended up putting in a total of 50 minutes. I walked about 50% of the second run so I estimate I ran at least 2.5 miles.

I went out for another run yesterday and it didn't go well either. I drove to a different neighborhood to prevent myself from getting bored. I love looking at huge houses and daydreaming about actually living in one. My problem started at 1.64 miles when the cramp in my foot from my ankle brace was awful enough I stopped to stretch. I started up again but only made it .2 miles before I decided it hurt too much. I guess I could have taken my brace off but I really don’t want to roll my ankle again. I walked .11 miles, stretched again, and started running. I made it .76 before I decided to quit.

I felt kind of bad about ended my workout only running 2.6 miles. I went home, started some laundry, and got on the treadmill again. This sounds awful but I didn’t really feel like running again so I just walked. I did 30 minutes of speed intervals and 20 minutes of thigh shaper. At least its 50 minutes I wouldn’t have gotten in otherwise. I’m planning on giving this running thing another shot tonight.

Monday: 2.5 miles
Sunday: 2.6 miles

The good news is Wednesday is my last day of class for two months. I can stop whining about homework and not having enough time.

My blood tests came back fine. I haven’t gotten dizzy in the last few weeks so I’m really hoping that’s over.

Cross Country and then some…

2007-11-05T11:30:00.000-06:00

Thanks for keeping me honest Greg! Really, thanks everybody. The fact that people are checking up on me helps get me out there. I’m done with class next week so hopefully I get out more.

The last week and half have been kind of touch and go for me. I kept getting really dizzy and then I’d get sick to my stomach. I left work sick for the first time in my life. I went to the doctor and they did a bunch of tests. My tests came back fine so they determined I messed up the calcium stones in my ears that keep my balance. I wasn’t allowed to turn my head or lay down for two days. I haven’t gotten dizzy since last weekend so I hope it’s over with.

Check out the bruises from my blood tests… (right away and then now)...

Yesterday I did another run but I really don’t have good stats for you. It is, however, a really good story. Hundreds of people ran a cross country course at a local county park. Hardly anything was paved and it was more of an obstacle course than a race. It was somewhere between 5 and 6 miles (I think) and it took me 1:31 to complete. The way the course was set up is if you followed the red flags, you ran further but it was easy. If you followed the yellow flags, the course was shorter but more challenging.

I skipped the first yellow turn off because it was basically a mud pit. I watched for a few minutes but I wasn’t going through it. There were people in mud up to their waist and other people trying to dig their shoes out of the mud. No thanks. (I should mention I didn’t wear my good shoes for this.) The next obstacle was kind of hard to avoid. We had to cross the creek. Most people waited in line and swung themselves across on a rope. I followed some people and crawled across on a tree that fell across the creek. There were a few signs along the way reminded us that we paid to do this.

I ended up swinging across the creek twice. I trudged through the creek probably half a dozen times. I went up so many steep hills I thought my legs were going to give up. I pulled myself up two muddy hills with a rope. I tripped on a tree root and landed on my face; the people running behind me complimented me on my quick recovery. I pulled a few thorns out of my arms, which are very cut up now. I ended up trudging through water up to my waist. I was really afraid I was going to lose my shoes.

I made sure to leave my Garmin at home. One girl left her Nike+ chip in her shoes and ended up taking them off. My question is why would you take off both shoes? I can only imagine how cut up she is. Why couldn’t you take the chip out and put it in your sports bra or something? There’s no way I would have run this without my shoes.

I wore a different ankle brace because I didn’t want my good one to get muddy. I now have friction burns on quite a few spots on my lower leg and foot. I didn’t roll my ankle though. Last year I rolled my ankle three times over the course.

The things I learned for next year are: wear long sleeves, wear gloves, and find something different to do with the ankle brace. I should take a water proof disposable camera. Pictures would make my blog more interesting.

I know running this course makes it sound like I’m nuts. I did, however, have a lot of fun. It’s one of those things that make you wonder what you’re doing while you’re doing it but that you feel like you really accomplished something when you’re done. Sure I have a lot of scratches but I pulled myself up a hill with a rope. Still crazy I know.

My Disappointing 8K

2007-10-23T20:27:00.000-05:00

My 8K on Sunday went fairly well. The course was really flat and I ended up running everything but a short water break. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to run the whole thing but I just kept telling myself just a little bit longer. The guy from the running store beat me, which isn't unusual but he was pushing a stroller and stopped to use the bathroom. Of course he did just run Chicago so ok I guess. Luke beat me by just under three minutes. I didn't beat my time from last year but I did run more than I did last year (if that makes sense). Overall I wasn't excited about my performance but it's something to improve on.

My shoulders really started bugging me again. I just get this really sharp pain in the joint that appears to be related to my back problem. I've been using BodyGlide Warm and it's been working but not during the race.

My Garmin measured 5 miles...
1.00 - 9:06
1.00 - 9:06
1.00 - 9:12
1.00 - 9:20
1.00 - 9:24
Official Time: 9:20
Avg Pace: 9:14

I went for a short run tonight. I should have gone earlier because I ended up being out well past sunset. I also should have scoped out the neighborhood I ran through before actually running it; I just wanted some new scenery. I felt like I was running faster than I actually did. I made it through the run without staring at my pace, which is normal for me lately. My shoulders felt pretty good but my chest pain came back about two blocks before I got home. I attempted to roll my ankle a few times but my ankle brace seems to be working wonderfully.

1.00 - 9:38
1.00 - 9:56
1.00 - 9:42
0.41 - 3:57 (9:41)
Distance: 3.41 miles
Time: 33:14
Avg Pace: 9:45

I now have over 8 miles for the week, which is a recent high for me. I'll have to work on that.

Yay!

2007-10-19T08:37:00.001-05:00

Last night was the perfect night for a run. I took a nap when I got home from work and then was trying to decide if I should go outside and run or just run on my treadmill. When I stepped outside the weather was too amazing to waste by running inside. I got changed and I was off.

I took a new path around the area this time because it’s always nice to change things up. The first mile was hard but things smoothed out after that. My ankle brace started to bug me in mile 2 but I don’t remember it being a problem in mile 3. I went up some hills I usually stay away from and felt great when I was done.

I’m a little worried about the 8k on Sunday but I’m always worried before I run a race. I don’t think I’ll do as well as I did last year but oh well. I’ll be happy with anything under a 10 minute average.

So I’m done with my GMAT and I have no real excuses not to run. I’m hoping I can get a couple of miles in before I go out tonight. I’m also hoping I can find a way to start going to the gym regularly again but one thing at a time.

I’ve also established a winter goal. I want to be in better running condition next year for my spring races. I want to see how I do when it doesn’t take me until the end of May to break 30 minutes on a 5K.

I also found out some good friends on mine are planning their wedding for the weekend of the QC marathon next year. What is it with my friends getting married on good running weekends? :) I’m going to aim for running a half sometime next year anyway.

1.00 - 9:32
1.00 - 9:30
1.00 - 9:22
0.16 - 1:20 (8:31)

Total: 3.16 miles
Time: 29:46
Avg Pace: 9:25

Two 5Ks and

2007-10-16T13:06:00.000-05:00

First, I want to say thank you to everyone for encouraging me to keep running. I took my grad exam and I passed so that’s one less thing for me to worry about. Now I just need to get back out there and run.

The good news I managed to get in two 5Ks since I wrote last and I’m doing an 8k this Sunday. I’m hoping to get a run in tonight when I get home. I did roll my good ankle on Saturday so I have a pulled muscle in my lower leg but I think it will be okay as long as I don't roll it again. My ankle brace is doing better on my bad ankle and my toe sleeves are amazing.

Here are my two 5Ks. The first one was a lot of uphill and the second one was just me being lazy. HOPEFULLY, I’ll have something to write about tomorrow.

John Deere
1.00 - 8:44
1.00 - 9:21
1.00 - 9:23
0.10 - 0:43
Total time: 28:16
Avg Pace: 9:07

Homecoming
1.00 - 8:44
1.00 - 9:27
1.00 - 10:04
0.10 - 0:36
Total time: 28:52
Avg Pace: 9:23

Only one run

2007-10-04T07:55:00.001-05:00

Sept 25

1.00 - 9:29
1.00 - 9:17
1.00 - 9:18
0.11 - 1:00 (9:12)

Distance: 3.11 miles
Time: 29:06

I wish I had more than one run to post but I don’t. I’ve been busy but that’s really not a great excuse. I’m half way through the class I’m taking this semester and I’m studying up for the GMAT. I’m actually terrified of failing the GMAT, not because I don’t think I can pass but because everyone is telling me I will. I just don’t want to have to tell everyone that I actually didn’t pass it. We’ll see how it goes.

My main problem right now is my family. I went back to my dad’s and I thought everything was fine. I studied for my exam and helped with some odds and ends around the house. I made lunch on Sunday, which I guess very upset my step-mom because she wanted us to eat leftover pasta salad. I guess I made her cry on Monday night and she said something to my dad about how she married him and not his kids. It’s not like he hid the fact that he had kids. She’d met all of us multiple times before she even moved in. So basically, I’m not allowed back at my dad’s anymore. My family still likes me but my step-mom strongly dislikes me. Maybe it made her mad that I took out the trash or did some laundry for my dad and brother. I really have no idea what I did wrong.

As if that’s not enough to drive me insane, my mom has decided that it’s costing her too many cell phone minutes to talk to her kids and is sending my sister another cell phone in my mom’s network to call her on. Confusing I know. Basically, I’m only supposed to talk to my mom using a cell phone that my sister has. My sister lives at my dad’s, which I am no longer allowed to visit.

My family lives two and a half hours away so it’s not like I went home a lot but it still ticks me off. My mom lives out on the west coast with some guy I’ve never met and my sister is still planning on marring someone is prison.

I need to be running. I’m sure it will help me some of this stress. Maybe it will keep me from actually going crazy.

Finally

2007-09-15T20:03:00.000-05:00

I opted out of my Friday run using the logic I'd put in a better run if I did it on Saturday. So when I got up today I got dressed and headed to the bike path. Today was first run with the ankle brace and toe sleeves (ha!) my doctor gave me. The first mile actually went by rather quickly. My arch started to ache again but I thought I could make it. At 1.42 miles I changed my mind and tried to take off my brace without stalling too much.

I turned around at mile 2 and still wasn't feeling too bad. I created a new play list today and it worked pretty well. I was only planning on 3 miles but I decided I was going to run one more song. So not only did I get in over 3.5 miles but my toe sleeves worked. I'm hoping if I wear my ankle brace longer each time I run, my arch won't cramp up anymore.

1.00 - 9:16
1.00 - 9:14
1.00 - 9:11
0.61 - 5:35 (9:08)
Distance: 3.61 miles
Time: 33:18
Avg. Pace: 9:13

After I got done running I decided to go to the gym. I did three sets on every leg machine I could find, a couple of ab exercises, and finally went home. It was a really productive day and I really needed that. I was in a really down mood last night and ate a very unhealthy amount of tootsie rolls. I need more friends who are actually willing to do things on Friday (or Saturday) nights. The run and weights really perked me up now.

Where have I been??

2007-09-14T10:39:00.001-05:00

I wish I had a really great answer. I wish I could say I’ve been running tons and just haven’t posted them yet. In reality, I have no good reasons just excuses. I’ve been fighting with my ankle and I bruised my toenails running again. Does that happen to anyone else? When I run my toenails bruise, hurt when I wear closed toe shoes for a few days, turn people or white, and then fall off a few months later.

My grandma finally had her surgery. They had to delay it because they found an infection but she’s out of the hospital and in recovery now.

I spent a few days at Indiana University this week and I had a blast. I went for to do some recruiting and ended up seeing some local attractions. If you’ve never see it, IU is a beautiful campus. I’m going back next week to conduct some interviews and I’m looking forward to it.

I busted out an ankle brace last night and decided I was going running. I felt like I was going really slowly but I was okay with that. Barely into the run I knew my ankle brace wasn’t going to work; my arch started cramping up so I stopped after a mile. I walked to the corner and took off my brace. I was still pretty close to home so I started running again, ran past my house, tossed my ankle brace in the yard, and sprinted up one of the hills by my house. I thought if I was going to end early I might as well end on a good note. Some guy was watching me and I’m sure he thought I was crazy but I didn’t care.

A short run but a run at least….

1.00 – 9:16
0.12 – 2:17 (19:18)
0.57 – 5:05 (8:53)

Distance: 1.57
Time: 14:21
Avg Pace: 9:08

So since I’ve met my out of pocket for the year regarding health insurance, I went to the foot doctor today. I have a new ankle brace and some tubular toe sleeves that should keep my toe safe (and no more taping!). My plan is to try everything out tonight.

Run with Carl

2007-09-04T11:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my first ever 5 mile race. I went into it with the attitude that no matter how I did I was going to get a PR. Hopefully after this year I won’t be able to do that anymore.

I really didn’t feel like running 5 miles. Maybe it was my race disaster on Saturday or maybe it was the fact I wanted to sleep in at least one day over the weekend but I just didn’t feel like running. I putted around my first few miles and walked just before mile 3. I didn’t walk long but then I got it in my head that I could walk the hills. I don’t know why I hate hills so much but I tend to let them get the best of me.

My splits are pretty good, except for mile 4 which is where I walked the most. I managed to roll my ankle again at 4.62 miles. Since most of the last half mile of the race was uphill I decided I could walk most of it. When I roll my ankle it feels awful for a few seconds and then it hurts to put weight on it (go figure). I found if I don’t baby it and just walk it off it starts to feel better pretty quick.

So as I’m walking up the hill the guy from the running store catches up with me. Normally the only way he’d be behind me is if he severely injured himself or, in this case, was pushing his niece in a stroller. He gave me a hard time so I picked it up and finished running the last hill.

My time is pretty good but I still feel like I cheated myself. I just didn’t feel it yesterday. I guess everyone has their bad days and I haven’t exactly been the best runner lately. I guess that gives me something to aim at for my next race.

1.00 - 8:32
1.00 - 9:00
1.00 - 9:26
1.00 - 10:34
1.00 - 9:07
Total Time: 46:41
Avg. Pace: 9:20

Official Time: 46:49 (9:22 pace)

Finally a real post

2007-09-02T09:59:00.000-05:00

My grandmother still hasn’t had hip surgery yet. They found an infection so they have to resolve that before they can operate. She’s doing well and sleeping a lot but hates just laying around all day.

My track run on Tuesday went really well. I’m not as out of shape as I thought I might be after taking so much time off these last few weeks. Life has just been getting in the way. Plus I started classes again this week so I have to worry about homework and such now. Anyway, it was hot for track but we still got a good work-out in. We did a short timed workout that involved pyramids and intervals. We ran 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, and 1 minutes with 30 second jogs in between. My splits actually look pretty good considering I really thought I was slowing down towards the end. I was only going to run a half mile cool-down but I felt really good so I got a mile in. I started getting chest pains again during my last lap but decided to finish anyway; they went away before the end of the lap.

I had class on Wednesday, went to see my grandmother on Thursday, and I caught up on sleep Friday. Saturday I went to a local 5K, which was just a disaster. First, it was a high school cross country format so there weren’t many people there for the open; I’d say there were maybe a dozen of us. I feel better with more people because I know I’ll at least finish before someone else but the outlook wasn’t good. Second, the course was set up so you run for a short distance before turning onto the course, running a lap, and turning back where you came from to finish. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem. I’ll come back to that.

Running wasn’t bad. It was mostly grass and the cross country kids were walking around the course trying to cheer us on. I think I stayed in the bottom three the whole time but at this point I really didn’t care. I’m not sure if I just kept following the cross country people or if I just kept my eyes on the guys in front of me. Either way, a few of us missed the exit to the finish line and started another lap. When my Garmin told me I had already completed a 5K and the finish line was no where in sight I started to second guess how long of a ran I signed up for. Eventually the guy in front of me turned around and asked if I’d seen the scenery before; we turned around and attempted to find the finish line. At this point I just felt like a moron. Officially it took me just under 38 minutes to finish a 5K. That’s actually not bad considering I stopped somewhere after mile 3 to figure out where I was and I ran almost 4 miles. I’m not considering this a race for me because it went horribly wrong. I’ll post the times from my Garmin when I upload them.

** Distance: 3.77 - slightly more than a 5K
Time: 36:57
1.00 - 8:41
1.00 - 9:24
1.00 - 9:35
0.77 - 9:17 (12:03)
Avg Pace - 9:48

I’ve run out of time to pre-run the race course for tomorrow. I could run it after work today but I don’t want to risk wearing myself out before the actual race.

So this is another week where I didn’t even get 10 miles in. At least I haven’t stopped running completely. Hopefully next week isn’t such a mess. I’m setting a goal to get at least 10 in, which should be easy considering I’m starting with a 5 miler.

Time

2007-08-31T13:43:00.000-05:00

I had a good run at the track on Tuesday that I need to post. I've been short on time. I had class on Wednesday and my grandma fell and broke her hip so I was home all day yesterday. I promise to post something good over the weekend.

Finally my runs….

2007-08-27T07:37:00.000-05:00

Sunday 8/12 -
Treadmill
Distance: 3.0 miles
Time: 28:15
Pace: 9:25 /mi

Monday 8/13 -
Track
Distance: 2.48 miles
Time: 22:43
Pace: 9:10 /mi

Wednesday 8/15 -
Hills
Distance: 1.57 miles
Time: 14:30
Pace: 9:15 /mi

Tuesday 8/21 -
River front
Distance: 4.04 miles
Time: 40:21
Pace: 9:59 /mi

I’m not going to post my splits this time. Basically I didn’t get much running in the last two weeks but at least I ran some. I rolled my ankle again on the 13th at the track, which caused a lot of soreness in my lower outer leg for a few days. It was really hot and humid on vacation so I’m going to say that’s why I didn’t run a lot. Oh well, I got to hang out with my little cousins and I had a lot of fun. I still don’t have any pictures developed and I lost my digital camera so I’ll post those soon.

After I got back from vacation I hosted a double kegger at my house. It was a lot of fun but lead to a lot more drinking than running last week. The only run I got in was with Luke on Tuesday and I wasn’t even feeling great for that. It was humid and we only got three miles in before we walked. That doesn’t look good for my 5 miler next Monday. Plus, I had a bridal shower and bachelorette party to attend over the weekend.

I’m holding out hope for this week even though I know I shouldn’t push too hard this week given my recent short comings. I’m going to pre-run the route for the race this weekend but I’m definitely not going to push myself. The good news in my legs are all rested up I’m debating running with an ankle brace now.

This post does, however, mean I won’t be coming remotely close to 75 miles this month like I did last month but at least I’m running more now than I was in the spring and early summer.

MIA

2007-08-22T17:30:00.000-05:00

I've only got 11 miles in since my last post and I will be posting those workouts soon. I've been really busy since I got back home. I just wanted to post and let everyone know I'll be back really soon.

In a hurry...

2007-08-10T08:26:00.000-05:00

Distance: 3.04 miles

1.00 - 10:04
1.00 - 9:21
1.00 - 9:18
0.04 - 0:21 (8:17)

Avg Pace: 9:33
Total Time: 29:06

Week Totals:
Distance: 21.98 miles
Time: 3:34:19

I'm in a hurry to start my vacation. I'll try to post sometime in the next week. Be back soon!!!

Bugs In My Nose

2007-08-09T14:57:00.001-05:00

I went running with the running club last night. I wanted to get in 5 miles. I showed up early and stretched really well again. One of the older guys, Alan, who is training for a marathon wanted to leave early and get 10 miles in at around a 10:30. I told him I could run with him for a while but would have to drop out well before 10 miles. **Before you get your hopes up, I didn't run 10 miles.

The first two miles were pretty normal. Even though I was running slow for me, my legs still acted up. We walked a minute at the two mile mark so he could put on his sweat stuff but it was only a minute I swear. Before we got too much further he wanted to walk again but told me to run ahead because the turn-around was coming up.

A little bit after the turnaround I caught up with Alan at around 3.25 miles. He kept altering walking and running and I just kept running. Every now and then I would turn around and catch up with him again. I was still running slow. Before I knew it I had 4 miles and then I wanted to run 5 for practice for my next race. And then I was almost where I started so I wanted to finish. I turned around and caught up with Alan and we got to the end together. He decided against 10 miles and we ran in strong. When we got to the 'end' I was at 6.55 miles so I kept going to 7. 7 miles?? I ran seven miles and only walked a minute when I wasn't even tired?

I did get two bugs in my nose and I'm pretty sure I ended up digesting them. They were small bugs at least but the feeling was still gross. I'd also like to note it started raining during mile 3 and it sprinkled for the rest of my run. It was great.

Summing it up, I ran seven miles and wasn't even feeling exhausted when I finished. I'm not even sore today. I think I had one of those runner's highs I keep hearing about.

1.00 - 10:07
1.00 - 10:18
1.00 - 10:42
1.00 - 10:22
1.00 - 10:22
1.00 - 10:13
1.00 - 10:05
1.00 - 09:53
0.09 - 00:48

Distance: 7.09 miles
Time: 1:12:31
Avg Pace: 10:14

*** Udate: Softball went really well too. I never fielded anything but I batted pretty good. We even won!

The Running Club is AWESOME!!

2007-08-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

First, I referred to myself as runner today to a group of people at work. I'm training and had to introduce myself to a bunch of people. "What do you in your spare time?" "Oh, I'm a runner!!" Isn't that great? That 26:29 helped me say that.

I went to the track this afternoon and it was HOT! I ran the entire warm-up, which ended up being 1.8 instead of the 2 miles they had told me. We had an easy workout planned, which most of us took the liberty of making even easier on ourselves. Instead of running a 400 followed by a 400 of jogging we turned the jogging into a break to grab water and recover. I ran the first lap by myself (none of my friends showed up) and for the second lap an older gentleman named Dale ran with me. We were trying to stay slower than a 1:50 a lap but faster than 2:00. We ended up staying closer to 1:50, which is better than I think I would have done on my own.

I really enjoy these Tuesday and Wednesday night runs. It's two nights a week where I plan on running and I always show up. Plus, it pushes me. Instead of running 6 repeats tonight I ran 7. Since Dale didn't join me until my second lap he was one short so I ran it with him. I think he appreciated it because he wasn't wearing a watch so I could time him.

After I got home, I ran on my treadmill. I know, craziness. I wanted to put in 2 miles but I didn't know my predefined workout times included a warm-up and cool-down. I got 1.89 miles in 20:10, which is a 10:40 pace and includes the 5:00 warm-up (I caught my time before the cool-down). I'm okay with not getting those 2 miles in. I was really close and my chest started to hurt again towards the end of my run. I promised my doctor I would take it easy when that happens. I did add some crunches. I'm working on my abs :)

I'm a little behind on reading blogs this week. I'll catch up before I leave for vacation on Friday and will then be MIA for a week. I'm taking my running stuff with me though so you'll hear about my runs when I get home.

Tuesday -
Distance: 5.46 miles
Time: 49:17

Getting my miles in...

2007-08-05T21:42:00.000-05:00

My sister was in town visiting most of the day but I still managed to get miles in. My first run today was 3.15 miles outside. I started running at around 10AM and did pretty good. I'm not going to say I didn't want to stop and walk but I had a good run. I took a minute break about half way through to re-stretch my calves. I wanted to walk the hills but I kept telling myself I could do it and I did.

1.00 - 9:14
1.00 - 9:10
1.00 - 8:51
0.14 - 1:08 (8:26)
Avg Pace: 9:03
Total Time: 28:34

I just realized I had negative splits. I don't think that's ever happened to me. Plus, I kept telling myself to slow down so this is amazing.

I spent the day shopping with my sister. I'm not one of those people who like to wonder around the mall aimlessly for hours. I get cranky and tired and this was no different when I was with my sister. I did, however, get a few odds and ends for my house.

I wanted to run again today because it's going to be hard for me to get my miles in this week. I still have track Tuesday and bar run Wednesday but Thursday is softball, Friday I'm leaving for Missouri, and Saturday is up in the air.

I was going to run down by the river after my sister left. It was already starting to get dark and I hate running alone in the dark. I was melting just standing in the yard talking to the neighbors so I decided to run on my treadmill. I have an awesome treadmill; it's a Pacemaster Platium Pro VR with decline.

I tried one of the virtual reality courses and it kicked my butt. I ran 3.25 miles in 34:51. Incline was anywhere from 0 to 11. At least I got to run in whatever attire I wanted and I could watch tv. I did debate stopping after two miles but I figured what's a few more minutes and I wanted to finish the whole course.

Sunday -
Distance: 6.39 miles
Time: 1:03:25

My Race Rocked!!!

2007-08-04T15:22:00.000-05:00

When my alarm went off this morning I wondered why I was getting up so early on a Saturday morning and then I remembered my race. My quad actually felt normal. I was exhausted though.

I got to the race early so I could stretch. None of my friends were running but I did see the guy from the running store had signed up. I still wanted to take it easy so I didn’t ruin my legs. I still thought it would be nice to maintain a 9:00 pace to run some time near my best for the year.

I felt like I was running too fast for the beginning of the race but everyone was passing me. Oh well, I didn’t care. I checked my watch at a mile and saw 8:20. 8:20!! I slowed down a little because I still had two miles left and I knew I couldn’t maintain that pace. Just before the mile 2 marker I saw the guy from the running store on his way back. The course was set up as a down and back but the starting line was also the first mile marker and the finish line so you could potentially see people ahead of you multiple times. He said something encouraging and I kept running. I hadn’t walked yet.

I finished mile 2 in 8:45, still well under my 9:00 goal. What was I thinking? I decided I didn’t want that guy to beat me by too much so I wasn’t going to walk. I ran my third mile faster than my second. It actually felt like I was running ridiculously fast. My right shin started to hurt but I wasn’t going to let it stop me. Where did this come from? I even kicked it up for the last part of the race and finished really strong. And when I finished, I felt like I really had enough energy to run more. It was a great race. Plus, the clock was nice to me. I PRed!! I forgot to stop my watch right away but here are the laps anyway.

1.00 - 8:20
1.00 - 8:45
1.00 - 8:29
0.15 - 1:07

Distance: 3.15 miles
Time: 26:42
Avg Pace: 8:28

I waited around for a while, which was really boring considering I’m use to having at least one other person running the race with me. I checked the times after the crowd died down and I somehow managed to place second in my age group. This was good and bad news. I had to wait around by myself for my trophy. I walked over and watched the kid’s mile run. That’s when I saw the running store guy again. He was running with some little boy and pushing a little girl in a stroller. I don’t know the story behind that.

I finally got my trophy, went home, and took the nap I’ve needed all week.

OFFICIAL TIME: 26:29

Week -
Distance: 15.86 miles
Time: 2:26:36

Frustrate, aggravation, irritation, annoyance

2007-08-03T09:35:00.001-05:00

I‘ve put off posting my Wednesday run because I really haven’t felt like much of a runner the last few days. But I AM a runner; look at what I did in July. I’ve just been in a really bad mood. Plus, my right quad is acting up. Walking down stairs has been killing me the last few days. I really can’t pin point when I hurt myself but I managed to really upset my leg.

Before the run I went to the running store to drop off my race app for October. One of the younger guys that work there makes fun of my every time he sees me. It’s all in good fun though. He runs a lot more than I do. Once he said something about his morning 14 miler and I think my jaw dropped. Anyway…

I ran with Luke again. I get frustrated with Luke sometimes because I know he has to hold himself back to run with me. He has a half marathon in September and I don’t want him to crash and burn because of me. We ran 2.5 miles and then walked a 1/2 mile before running some more. My legs were killing me when I started but they tend to calm down after a mile or so. This run was no different but I was really worried about my quad.

We ran mile 4 a little too fast for me. I didn’t realize how fast we were going until I crashed and burned. I walked the next 1/4 mile and told Luke to keep running. As he took off he made some 2nd grade comment about the guy from the running store. He might as well have pushed me down, kicked dirt at me, and put gum in my hair. He apologized, admitted it was a childish comment, and finished his run. Mile 5 was a slow mile for me but it’s what I would have preferred my other miles looked like (the time, not the walking). I walked half of mile 3 and part of mile 5. If I’m going to get distance, I need to slow my pace instead of using the crash and burn approach. I’d like to cut out the walking.

1.00 - 9:14
1.00 - 9:04
1.00 11:33
1.00 - 9:09
1.00 - 9:43
0.19 - 1:42 (9:09 pace)
Distance: 5.19 miles
Time: 50:27
Avg Pace: 9:43

Softball last night didn’t help my mood either. We were short girls so I played second. My glove is so wore that if I don’t catch the ball in the right place my hand feels like it was just ran over by a truck. My fielding for the most part was good. I made some good plays and caught the ball when we needed the out. I let two balls go past me but luckily it didn’t cost us. My throwing needs a lot of work. I either throw straight at the ground or throw with a huge arch. I’d say I throw well about 10% of the time. I can throw great sometimes; I’m just not consistent at all.

My batting was horrible. My first hit went about two feet and I was thrown out at first. I think I struck out my second bat; I know I didn’t get on base. My third bat went towards the third baseman and I was thrown out at first again. I never made it on base. I was on deck again when Luke got our last out; I think he wanted to save me some more embarrassment. We did, however, win the game.

I’m not running today because my quad is still on fire. I thought about taking tomorrow off too but then I remembered I’m signed up for a 5K tomorrow. That sucks. I haven’t run a 5K since the beginning of June and I was looking forward to seeing how I’ve improved. Now I know I need to go out there and run easy, hopefully running the whole 5K for the first time this year. I probably shouldn’t push it because I’ll have plenty of opportunities to run 5Ks later in the year. I’m just in a really cranky mood. When I get home I’m going to take a nap and then I’m hoping to spend a nice quiet night at home.

75.89 Miles in July

2007-08-01T10:07:00.001-05:00

I didn’t actually have a goal for miles in July but somehow I managed to get 75.89. August will be tough because I don’t have a seven miler to train for, my only race is a 5K, and I’m on vacation for a week. We’ll see how it goes.

July - 75.89 miles
Week 1: 20.2 miles
Week 2: 21.07 miles
Week 3: 11.93 miles
Week 4: 15.17 miles
29th-31st: 7.52 miles

So last night was another Tuesday at the track. Going to the track on Tuesday is almost a habit for me now and I really enjoy the workout when I go. This was Luke’s first week without having class so he came too. We were going to run the two mile warm-up but I got there late. Somehow I thought I could get to the track, warm-up, and be ready to go in fifteen minutes. In reality I couldn’t even drive there in fifteen minutes.

I did some quick stretches, which I know isn’t a smart idea, and Luke and I were off to do our warm-up. We cut the two miles down to one and a half so we wouldn’t be late for the workout. Just before we finished I tried to cut across the street and ended up rolling my ankle on the curb. I’m going to nee a new left ankle before I’m thirty at this rate. My ankle recovered pretty quickly and didn’t affect the rest of my workout.

The scheduled workout required teams of three and we had trouble finding another person so Luke and I were going to do the same workout as last week. I thought it was run a lap and a half followed by half of a lap jogging. I was wrong, don’t tell Luke. Last week was run a lap instead of a lap and a half followed by the half lap jog. Oh well.

We did four sets, followed be a lap walk, and a two lap jog for a cool-down. I did all four of my strides this week but skipped the calisthenics for some ab work. Luke was having some trouble with his knee so it worked better for him. We did crunches, a plank, and I did side planks. My goal is to be confident enough that I can wear just a sports bra and shorts at the Bix next year.

So overall it was a good workout. My ankle feels fine today; I just need to be careful not to beat it up to much.

Recovery Run

2007-07-30T08:01:00.000-05:00

I called Luke yesterday to go for a short easy run. Since I ran 7 miles Saturday I didn’t want to push myself too much so I aimed for 2-3 miles. We ran by the river in Illinois, which doesn’t have a great view of the river but was a change of scenery at least. I spent 20 minutes stretching before the run in case any of my muscles were still mad at me after Saturday. I wasn’t very sore; my abs and quads were a little but mostly I could feel some pain in my left arch.

Mile 1 went pretty good. My lower calves are still acting up when I first start running but calm down after a mile and a half. My shoulder and my back felt pretty good, maybe because I’m on yet another type of anti-inflammatory. My calves started to feel better into mile 2 and Luke pushed me to go 1.5 before we turned around. I was going to turn around earlier but he gave me a hard time about an upcoming incline so I ran to the top and then turned around. I’m getting better with the hills but I know I need to work on them more.

I really had to talk myself through mile 3. I wasn’t tired and I wasn’t sore, I just wanted to quit. I kept telling myself I only had eight more minutes, then five, then two. My last mile looks a lot better than it felt but I’m glad we pushed through it.

Luke asked me to edit my last post so he didn’t sound so bad. I’m not going to. I was frustrated and I told him about it. He doesn’t understand why I took his comments the way I did. My response to that is if I’m tired or cranky someone can compliment me and I’ll take it anyway I want. Someone could say ‘you look nice today’ and I’ll come back with ‘are you saying I don’t look nice most days?’. I’m just frustrated that he’s better than me.

On a side note, this run puts me at 71.4 miles so far in July. I really don’t know when the last time I can say that is. Plus, I still have track on Tuesday. I’m going to be on vacation a week in August but I hope I can break 70 again.

1.00 - 9:23
1.00 - 9:04
1.00 - 9:08
0.03 - 0:14
Avg.: 9:11

Distance: 3.03 miles
Time: 27:52

Bix 7

2007-07-28T15:26:00.000-05:00

My goal for the 7 mile race today was to run under 70 minutes. I rode with Luke, Teresa, Matt, and Emily. We got there really early and my Garmin found it satellites right away. Matt and I were up in the yellow group and everyone else was in the blue group. I knew Luke wasn't excited about starting behind us but whatever. I lost my satellites twice before the race started. I was mad but I ended up getting them back a minute before the race started.

We were all nervous. The gun went off and we were off. I ran/walked up the hill; my left calf started to hurt a little and my right joined in a little while later. By mile 2 my calves were okay but my back was hurting. I did get the okay from my doctor to be running though. He told me just to take it easy and not to push it too hard when it hurts.

I caught up with Matt around mile 3 and we ran about the same pace until around mile 4. I still walked up the hills so he took the lead and I never saw him again. I ran and walked the last few miles but I ran most of the time. I saw a girl on a stretcher who obviously had ran too hard. There were a few people in costumes that made the race more interesting.

I got to Brady Street and tried my best not to roll down the hill. I tried not to look at my watch except to look at my pace and current mile stats. I didn't want to talk myself into running right at 70 minutes so I never looked to see how my time was looking overall.

When I rounded the last corner and saw my time would be well under my goal, I relaxed but didn't let up. I crossed the finish line around 1:07 but knew some time would be cut off because of my chip.

1.00 - 9:19
1.00 - 8:45
1.00 - 9:49
1.00 - 9:32
1.00 - 10:00
1.00 - 10:06
1.00 - 8:42

Distance: 7 miles
Official time: 1:06:37
Avg Pace: 9:31

Luke and Matt both finished in 1:02. Matt beat Luke by a few seconds and Luke took that hard. Luke made me a little cranky today. He made some comment about how someone at work couldn't believe he could beat me and then said something about how the only time I've beat him is when he let me win. It really wore at me. I didn't know I was competing with Luke. I know he was trying to be funny but it gets me every time I think about it. Luke's a nice guy. He bought me food when I wasn't allowed to leave me house after my trip to the ER last fall (that was 12 pounds ago and when I was going to the gym at least three times a week) and he runs with me. I like running with Luke because he pushes me. I just wish he wouldn't rub it in when his times are better. I'm trying. I had a good run today and he rained on my parade. Every time I go on a group run or sign up for a new race I tell him about it. I'm fine with him beating me; I just wish he'd be a better sport.

Anyway, I had a GREAT run today. I ran a few minutes better than my goal. My splits look better than I thought they would. I'm amazed my worst split is 10:06. I feel better good and hope to keep raking in the miles.

Week Totals -
Distance: 15.17 miles
Time: 2:28:57

Hills and Bananas

2007-07-26T07:54:00.000-05:00

I need to look into getting a Garmin for my car. I went to the Wednesday bar run last night and I’m lucky I found my way there. I had to call Luke to ask him what I was doing. It’s a good thing I left early and planned to get lost. Luke might let me borrow his Garmin Nuvi tomorrow to see how I like it.

I also planned on a short easy workout last night. The first mile went pretty good. I didn’t run with Emily this time and kept up with Luke and Matt. About a mile into the run we rounded the first turn and there they were: endless rolling hills. I know I said I needed to work on hills but this was ridiculous. I don’t mean little inclines you find everywhere; I’m talking about hills that start as soon as the last one ends and where you’re never quite sure if you’re at the top. There went my hope for an easy workout.

I’m proud to say I conquered the first three hills like a champ. Matt turned around to run with Emily and Luke and I tried to figure out where to turn. We walked up the fourth hill and the course was pretty flat with a few small inclines after that. Thankfully Luke had the map on his Garmin set up so we were able to figure out how far we had left to go. My back started hurting in mile 3, which eventually lead to pain in my chest for mile 4. Don’t worry; it was the non-heart attack side of my chest but it still hurt pretty badly.

We ended up running 4.62 miles total. I ordered three glasses of water when we were finally finished.

1.00 - 9:07
1.00 - 9:58
1.00 - 10:36
1.00 - 11:04
0.62 - 6:35 (10:41)
Avg: 10:17
Distance: 4.62
Time: 47:32

Thanks Marcy. I picked up some bananas on the way to work today. Hopefully I can banish my leg cramps.

I’m taking tonight off. I have softball for the first time in the while. If I decide to run tomorrow I’m keeping it short, maybe 2 miles. Saturday is my big 7 miler.

** Matt found a Garmin like mine on TigerDirect.com for $170. I almost cried :) but what a deal.

Fear, Anxiety, Panic... and a run

2007-07-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday after work I had an appointment to have an energy audit done on my house. I’ve heard good things so I thought I’d see where I’m losing the most energy and what I should look into replacing first. The guy was half an hour late, told me nothing of any real value, got ink on my couch, and I was almost late for my track workout.

After I got to the track I started to relax. I just got a Road ID in the mail and I was excited in a nerdy kind of way to have something else that at least makes me look like a runner. I stretched and ran a shorter warm-up than normal because I got there late. The workout was light because most of us are running the Bix 7 on Saturday. We ran a lap and followed it with a half lap light jog. My goal at the beginning was five sets and I’m proud to say I did it with no walking. I included some strides at the end but skipped the butt kicks and high knees.

I’m starting to worry about the Bix. Here’s a little snapshot of what’s going on in my head:
7 miles?
Yep, 7 miles
Are you sure you can do that?
I’ve done a few training runs. I think I’ll be ok.
Yeah but then you ran with Luke and Matt. Are you sure you can do this by yourself?
I ran over 6 miles in the Firecracker a few weeks ago.
Yeah, but what about beating your trial time or getting a PR?
I would really like a PR and I worry about beating my trial time because of all of the people. They’re going to be around 15,000 you know.
My point exactly. Plus you’re not in as good of shape as you were last time you ran the Bix 7.
Yeah
And you did roll your ankle a few weeks ago.
Yeah
Plus your time is going to be in the paper.
Yeah….

I’m going to go insane before Saturday. Just an FYI so you’re all prepared.

Does anyone ever get legs cramps while you’re sleeping? The kind that wake you up in so much pain you feel like your leg is on fire and try anything to get your muscles to relax? I’ve had trouble with my right calf and right arch this past week. I think it means I need to drink more water.

Random Things About Me

2007-07-24T11:01:00.000-05:00

Since I haven’t been blogging long I thought I’d post a few things you probably don’t know about me and my life. These are in a very random order.

1) I’m the middle child. I have an older sister and a younger brother.
2) My dad remarried last year so I now have two younger step-sisters and a step-brother.
3) I grew up on a dairy and grain farm in Iowa.
4) I wasn’t allowed to play summer sports in high school because I had to do chores on the farm.
5) I went to state in the hurdles.
6) In high school, my fellow distance runner and I ran out of track practice because my coach wasn’t letting us run more than a half mile outside of race day. We put in six miles that night instead.
7) My mom recently moved to California. I didn’t know where she was for almost a year even though I talked to her every now and then.
8) I rode in a plane for the first time when I was 23. I went to Tampa for work.
9) My sister is never single and tends to date guys who are highly probable to appear on an episode of Cops.
10) Her relationships tend to be short lived, which is why I haven’t panicked because she’s engaged an inmate. (Update: She's calling off the wedding)
11) My brother and I are really close.
12) My dad and I hated each other when I was younger but get along extremely well now.
13) I know very little about the guy my mom lives with. She met him on an internet chat room when she was still with my dad.
14) I usually won’t talk to people I don’t know when I’m online. Blogging is a very big step for me.
15) My longest relationship is somewhere around six months. I tend to be single more than not.
16) A friend in college bought me a chia pet head. We named him Bob. I don’t plant him much because he molds.
17) My right eye was grey when I was born and now it’s only slightly lighter than my other eye (brown).
18) Everyone in my immediate family’s’ (dad, mom, sister, and brother) middle names are pronounced the same. They are spelled differently depending on gender.
19) I work for a large agricultural equipment manufacturing company, which my dad is very proud of.
20) I eat almost everything with some sort of utensil. I even each sandwiches with a fork and knife.
21) I hate spiders and can’t bring myself to vacuum up the dead ones in my basement because they terrify me.
22) I tend to eat my food in groups. For example, if I have mixed vegetables I’ll eat all of the carrots first, then all of the peas… I do the same thing with Lucky Charms.
23) I’m cold all of the time and my co-workers make fun of me because I’m wrapped in a blanket almost everyday.
24) They also make fun of me because I wear hooded sweatshirts too often when I go out. I’ll admit that’s true.
25) I once booked a hotel room a year later than I actually wanted it. Luckily, they still had a room available.
26) I really want a dog just like my dad’s. She’s a mix of heeler and collie and she’s amazing.
27) My sister owns a fainting goat. I tried to make it faint but I’m not good at it. My brother has mastered it.
28) I pick at my nails when I’m nervous or tired.
29) I’ve started making my Christmas list already and it’s only July.
30) My college roommates made fun of me for using the words ‘hay mow’ and ‘bog’.
31) I have a koozie specifically for when I need to drink in the shower. I used it a lot when I worked as a waitress in college.
32) I’m one of those people who have to match their undergarments. I’m even starting to do it when I go running.
33) I’ve never broken any bones.
34) I’ve read all of James Patterson’s books except some of the ones released this year.
35) I’m also a fan of Nicholas Sparks.
36) I consider anyone who lives within five miles of my dad’s house a neighbor.
37) I use to show calves at the state fair.
38) I really don’t like most chocolates.
39) I do, however, have a very unhealthy relationship with tootsie rolls and peanut butter.
40) I’ve actually ate peanut butter straight from the jar before. I no longer allow myself to keep it in my house.
41) Even though my parents aren’t together anymore, I’m still a hopeless romantic.
42) I don’t drink soda. If I don’t have a sugar free red bull and need to stay awake I will occasionally have a Mountain Dew.
43) I’m very passionate about the Susan B. Komen foundation even though no one I know well has had breast cancer.
44) I’ve extremely paranoid about locking doors. I’ll check the same door three times before I convince myself it’s actually locked. I’ve been known to turn around to go home to check the locks.
45) I love the water. If I’m stressed I’ll try to find a river or lake and just sit around and reflect. It’s a good thing I now live near the Mississippi.
46) My second toe is longer than my big toe so I have to tape them when I run. Otherwise the toenail turns white (or purple) and falls off. I’ve also started buying a bigger shoe to run in. (Update: I'm using toe sleeves - amazing)
47) I try to rotate wear I sit when I watch TV at home so I will wear the cushions on my couch evenly.
48) My heritage is 100% German.
49) My first name has a little mark above the middle e, making the pronunciation ‘ra-neigh’ and not ‘ra-knee’. When I type the é it doesn’t always translate right on web sites so I skip it a lot. You can make it by holding the alt key while pressing 0233 on your number pad. (pointless knowledge for most people)
50) I think I’m a runner one day and convince myself I’m not the next. I am my biggest critic. This is probably true for most people.
51) I randomly tear up during movies. It could be the most unemotional scene of all time and there’s still a chance I’ll get teary eyed. I think it’s an early sign of menopause. (jk)
52) I don't like people thinking I'm 'cold' so I put little silcone things in my sports bra.
53) I eat hot dogs cold, straight out of the package. They are precooked. It's something I picked up from some kids I use to babysit.
54) I have a blue dot on my knee from when I was little. My brother threw a lead pencil at me, back when they were actually lead.
55) I really like soup.
56) I really like tomatoes.
57) I think I look best in purple, simply because of my high school graduation picture.
58) I've never broken a bone but have had a form of stitches twice. 1) My sister slammed my thumb in the spring of the refrigator when I was two, which put an end to me sucking my thumb. 2) When I was playing hide and seek with my siblings in Wal-mart I dove in a clothing rack and hit the shopping cart on the other side.
59) I'm cold almost all of the time. My co-workers make fun of me because I keep a blanket at work.
60) I have a crater on my esophagus so I have trouble shallowing sometimes. It's worst with soda. People think I'm choking.
61) I had tonsillitis all of the time in college. It's what caused the crater in #60. I finally had my tonsils out when I was a senior.
62) I had vampire teeth when I was younger and had to have braces.
63)

*** I’m sure I’ll add more later. I think I can get 100.

Rockin Girl Bloggers

2007-07-22T11:37:00.001-05:00

I've been tagged by Run With Neese and In My Sisters Shoes (my fellow Iowan).

The blogs that get me through the day are (links on the right):
Dare to Tri
I Signed Up for This?!?
In My Sister's Shoes
Run Girl Run
Run With Neese
I Can't Live With Caffeine

Some of you are loyal posters and some of you are having trouble finding time to run but you are all inspirational. I started my blog less than two months ago and you have been great. I started reading Run Girl Run, followed by Run with Neese and Dare to Tri. I picked up one the rest of you (or you find me) and you've been amazing. I wouldn't be were I am if it wasn't for you guys and just look where I am already. :)

Three runs and my frustrations

2007-07-22T08:43:00.001-05:00

I spent the weekend visiting my family so I’m a little behind on my postings. The good news is I made it out Wednesday for a run just like I promised. The bad news is it was painful. It was 88 degrees with 74.5% humidity, which I know is nothing for some of you but it made my run suck. I walked up the smallest hills and I felt so sluggish that I didn’t even make 2 miles before I walked. By the time I was done, I was soaked and very frustrated.

Wednesday -
1.00 - 9:14
1.00 - 9:48
1.00 - 12:31
1.00 - 10:42
0.59 - 6:35 (11:20/mi)
Total Distance: 4.58
Total Time: 48:50 (10:39/mi)

Softball was canceled on Thursday, which was more than fine with me. I wanted to get home before it was too late and I was too tired to be driving. I packed two sets of running clothes just so I wouldn’t have an excuse not to run. I was going to get up early Friday and run but I slept in instead. I ran some errands with my brother and got home later in the afternoon. I decided I was going to run around the block; my dad lives in the country so a ‘block’ is really around 4 miles and its all gravel.

The run started out okay. I actually ran the hills. I know I need to work on conquering hills. I ran the first 2 miles and then walked 2 minutes. After half a mile after I started jogging again something jumped out of the weedy ditch behind me and I suffered a small heart attack. The neighbor’s dog apparently was following me for a while and just decided to make an appearance. I was 2/3 of a mile from their house so I decided to let the dog run with me and I’d have my brother take it back when I got home. I actually enjoyed running with Mya (the dog). She kept running in and out of the ditches and chasing birds but she always stayed within a hundred feet of me.

I rounded the last corner and knew I was going to get in just short of 4 miles when another neighbor’s huge dog started chasing Mya back the way we came. I didn’t want to risk getting the neighbor’s dog lost in the country so I backtracked to where she was now hiding and she ran right next to me while we rounded the corner. I think she thought I’d keep her safe. By the time I was home, I understood some of the pros and cons of running with a dog. My brother took the dog home and I got ready to go out with the family.

Friday -
1.00 - 9:03
1.00 - 9:10
1.00 - 10:09
1.00 - 10:13
0.25 - 2:13 (8:47/mi)
Total Distance: 4.25
Total Time: 40:49 (9:35/mi)

There was a 5K in town on Saturday and I thought it would be fun and I’d get another run in early. I really think I could get a year PR given all the running I’ve been trying to add lately. It didn’t work out that way though. I was the DD Friday night and ended up being out until 2AM. My alarm went off at 6AM and I just turned it off and rolled back over.

I spent the day with my dad, step-mom, and step-sisters. Since I had to work Sunday I wanted to get a run in at dad’s before I left for home Saturday night. I borrowed my brother’s 4-wheeler so I wouldn’t have to run on the gravel again and drove to the highway. My goal was to run a total of 3 miles, the first 2 miles without walking. I made it 2 miles and decided I could make it a little longer. Before I knew it I was almost done so I trudged up the last hill and finished my run. My legs felt a little sore but I ran the whole thing.

Saturday -
1.00 - 9:07
1.00 - 9:21
1.00 - 9:24
0.10 - 0:50 (8:08/mi)
Total Distance: 3.10
Total Time: 28:43 (09:15/mi)

The really bad news is the occasional stabbing feeling in my back is more consistent now and has been showing up after all of my runs since I had that injection. I have a follow-up appointment on Friday.

I need to do some venting regarding my family but I’ll save that for a non-run day. I was so worked up when I left Dad’s last night that I cried the first hour I was driving home. It wasn’t one of those visits that make me want to go home a lot. Here’s a preview: my new step-mom is pushing me too hard and I am getting frustrated with her trying to get rid of everything from my childhood, my sister is engaged to someone in prison, my dad keeps complaining about stuff and never doing anything about it, and my brother is annoying sometimes but he’s the only reason I didn’t go insane the last few days.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and congratulations to Lisa for getting a PR.

Week Totals:
Distance: 11.93 miles
Time: 1:58:22

Track Tuesday

2007-07-17T19:16:00.000-05:00

I didn't go to track tonight. I'm okay with that though. I had three needles in my back yesterday. I am feeling a lot better today though and I think the shots might have helped. I promise I WILL run tomorrow.

Derrick, will you please stop reading my blog? I like talking about running and it's helping me get better. I also really like the people I 'talk' to on here. I'm asking. Otherwise I'm just going to be cranky and mean. It's not fair, I know; but I'm pleading. I want to be a better runner and this is working for me.

Costovertebral Joint Steroid Injection

2007-07-16T17:31:00.000-05:00

I went to Iowa City this morning to get in injection into my back. My friend Emily went with me because I needed a driver. I guess the procedure is similar to an epidural. They took an x-ray to figure out where they wanted to inject and then gave me a shot of a local numbing agent. That's the part that hurt the worst. At first, it wasn't too bad but after a while it really hurt. The hardest part was not moving when I felt the pain start. I'm just guessing you shouldn't move when someone has a needle by your spine.

I'm not really sure what the next part was but I think he was placing a marker of where to inject. It didn't hurt; it just felt really funny. I watched it on the same screens my doctor was using. They took a new x-ray every few seconds so he knew what he was doing. The actual injection was painless. It was weird watching a needle going into the joint between my spine and rib though.

I felt fine when I left but Emily drove anyway. I took her to lunch and quizzed her for her upcoming test on the way home. Now my back feels really sore. I'm hoping it's just bruised and it will feel better in a few days. I'm suppose to go to track tomorrow night. We'll see how I feel.

My ankle is feeling better today. I think it'll be back to normal in a few days.

Everything that could go wrong…

2007-07-15T09:54:00.000-05:00

Last night was the Moonlight Chase. Since I’d never done a 4 mile race I knew I was going to get a PR no matter what but wanted to beat my trial run time of 39:10.

My friend Emily picked up everyone’s packets on Friday so we all planned to meet with her before the race. Luke’s girlfriend picked up her own packet and left it at home so Luke and Teresa had to go back to get it. To make a long story short they ended up getting to the race as the gun went off and since I was holding Luke’s bib, we started at the back of the pack. I started my Garmin at the actual starting line instead of with the gun.

The first mile felt really slow. I wasn’t exactly sure how fast I was running because I forgot to set the backlight on my Garmin. We were dodging in and out of the crowd trying to pass the walkers and get up with the runners. I’d check my pace every now and then as I was jogging under a street light and I really wasn’t going as slow as I felt. I knew I was going to have a hard time getting to my target time though. I pretty much gave up on getting under 39 minutes and just wanted to finish respectably.

Luke took off somewhere in the second mile so I was running at my own pace for most of the race. The second mile was actually a really good split for me. I knew if I wanted to try to run the whole thing I’d need to slow down a little, which I did a pretty good job of in mile 3. I decided somewhere in mile 2 that I might actually be able to do the whole race without walking. I had picked up some energy jelly beans to try so I ate a few of those and kept running.

By the time I rounded the last big turn I knew I could make it. I checked my watch and was at 3.6 miles. Just then I stepped on the edge of an elevated slab of the road and rolled my ankle. It derailed me. I just stood there hunched over. I’m actually really surprised none of the spectators asked if I was okay. I wanted to finish so I started walking; it hurt and I was limping. I walked past two houses and started jogging again. My form was awful but I actually finished pretty strong considering. When I saw the clock at 37 minutes I was stunned, especially since I started at the back of the pack.

Luke came up with the idea of using our packet bag as an ice pack. A guy running near to me when it happened came up to me after the race to see if I was okay. My ankle actually looks pretty good today. It feels like it should be as huge as a softball. I was going to post a picture but there’s nothing to look at. I’m still keeping ice on it. Unfortunately, I have to mow my lawn tonight so we’ll see how that goes. Maybe I’ll wear a brace.

I’m posting the image of my race pace so you can all see how I derailed. I’m still counting it as running the whole 4. I walked past two houses but I finished strong on a bum ankle. My question is: should I set my PR as my time or should I use the official time of around 38?
*** Update - I recorded my official time(37:07) as my PR.

Mile 1 - 9:04
Mile 2 - 8:42
Mile 3 - 9:12
Mile 4 - 9:01

Saturday -
Distance: 4.01 miles
Time: 36:08

I didn’t always post my distance and times this last week so here they are. I actually got over 20 miles again.

Thursday -
Distance: 7.22 miles
Time: 1:10:52

Wednesday -
Distance: 2.34 miles
Time: 0:25:28

Tuesday -
Distance: 3.42 miles
Time: 0:28:34

Monday -
Distance: 4.08 miles
Time: 0:39:10

Week -
Distance: 21.07 miles
Time: 3:20:12

My legs hate me…

2007-07-13T08:53:00.000-05:00

.. but what a great run. Since we didn’t have softball again this week a few of us ran the Bix at 6 again.I felt a lot better this time and was anxious to see how I’d do. I started off running with my friends Luke and Matt. I figured I’d run with them as long as I could and then fall back.

Half of the first mile is a long hill. I ran about half way before I started walking. It was just taking too much out of me. I walked fast and when I got to the top of the hill I picked things up and caught up with Matt and Luke who hadn’t walked yet. I figured that canceled out my walking. We ran a couple more miles before getting to a rather steep hill where we actually could actually walk faster than run.

It was an out and back course so we walked a little after we turned around but picked it up again rather quickly. We walked one or two more times until the beginning of mile 5 when Luke decided he wanted to run the last two miles. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it but I’d see how far I could go. I walked up some small hills while the guys ran and then I’d catch up to them on the flat stretch within a few minutes.

I kept thinking ‘at most I only have to run 17 more minutes’. Only 17 minutes? HA. I knew if I made it to the top of the hill from the first mile I’d be able to run down it without too many problems. It was a struggle but I ran to the top of the hill. Matt and Luke were running just a little too fast for me so I fell back. I made it to the bottom of the hill without falling over and rounded the corner for the last quarter mile.

The trial run course is actually 7.22 miles. I ran all of it last time because I figured it’d help me finish the actual race stronger. Around mile 4 I told Luke and Matt I was running the whole way again. A few blocks before the finish line I saw the guys stopped and talking to someone from work. They told me to stop but I shook my head and kept going; I came this far and I was going to cross the finish line.

Mile 1 - 9:59
Mile 2 - 9:35
Mile 3 - 9:34
Mile 4 - 10:41
Mile 5 - 11:10
Mile 6 - 9:43
Mile 7 - 8:28
0.22 - 1:42 (7:44)
Avg - 9:49

Thursday -
Distance: 7.22 miles
Time: 1:10:52

FYI: I got Fred last night. I’m just hoping he didn’t invite his friends over.

Meet Fred

2007-07-12T13:54:00.000-05:00

I went running with the running club again last night and some of my friends ran too. I decided to run with my friend Emily so she’d have someone to run with and so I’d make sure not to push myself too hard. She’s just starting too.

We started off running and she told me the most she’s going without stopping is 1.5 miles. That sounded a lot like when I failed at a mile. **How far I’ve come in such a short time** We ran around a 11:00 pace. She wanted to stop at 1.25 but she wasn’t winded so I told her to push a few more minutes and make it to 1.5 and she did. I was hoping she wouldn’t hate me for pushing but she did great and she was glad she did it when we were done. She even wanted to run just a little further (to ‘that’ pole) so we got in 1.56.

We walked a mile before we started running again. After that we ran and walked a few more times before we made it back. We went 4.09 miles. Of that, we ran 2.34 miles. I’m perfectly fine with the short run because I didn’t know how my shins would feel, it was my first run in the new shoes, and I’m signed up for 7 miles tonight. My shoes were amazing by the way. My legs don’t feel as bad today and they did the yesterday.

We had a few drinks after the run and it was dark by the time I got home. I took a shower, walked into the kitchen, and then I lost it. Apparently, my house came with a roommate. A mouse jogged across my kitchen counter, stopped, and then ran behind my oven. I’ll call him Fred. I slept awful last night because I kept thinking he was in my room. Hopefully I can catch him.

Note to self: If you don't want everyone to know about your blog, stop updating it at work.

Tuesday at the track

2007-07-11T08:53:00.001-05:00

My shoes were actually dry when I got home from work yesterday. I was kind of hoping they wouldn’t be because those shoes are really starting to drive me crazy. They just feel like someone ran the cushion out of them already.

I talked one of my friends into going to the track with me yesterday. We ran a mile warm-up in 8:13! After that we stretched and waited to see what our workout for the night was. Someone from the running club always makes up a workout and most people follow it Since the weather had cooled off quite a bit after the rain from the night before (some places got six inches), the workout was a little more fast paced than most:

Jog 800
Run 4x200
Jog 800
Repeat until done

I ran towards the outside of the track and used my Garmin to turn the 200s into .15 just to stay consistent. My times look okay and my pace was pretty good. The bad news is my shins are on fire again. I think Kim (where did she go?) was right and my shoes are to blame. The good news is I was so frustrated when I left the track I went straight to the running store for a new pair. I’m keeping my old shoes as ‘running in the rain’ shoes because they are only a few weeks old and really haven’t seen too many miles. I’m testing out the new shoes tonight.

Softball got moved so I’m running Thursday night (if my shins give the okay). I’m taking Friday off because Saturday is my first ever 4 miler. Monday a friend of mine is taking me to Iowa City for an injection into my spine to help the pain in my back. It’s not as bad as it sounds (hopefully). I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Running in the rain

2007-07-09T21:26:00.001-05:00

I decided a few days ago that Monday night I was going to do a trial run of the race I have Saturday. I like getting a feel for the course and preparing myself for the big day. I found out yesterday that it was going to rain. I haven’t run in the rain since high school but I figured I’d try to get the run in before the rain came.

I didn’t get out of my house until after 7 and as I was driving to the course I knew I was doomed. The sky was so dark just north of where I was going to run. I thought about turning around and going home to run on my treadmill. It’s a nice treadmill and those clouds were pretty dark. I decided I was going to give it a shot and see how much I could get in. Maybe it wouldn’t rain too hard and I’d just run through sprinkles or something.

I bought some Bodyglide warm to use on my calves and out some on my shoulder just to see how it worked and I was off. I ran past quite a few people who were standing outside talking about the approaching rain. I’m sure they thought I was crazy. I ran pretty well and managed to conquer the first mile in no time.

About a mile and a half into the run it started to sprinkle. By the end of mile 2 I realized it was raining instead of sprinkling. It wasn’t coming down too hard and I felt pretty good. Besides, I was at the point where I couldn’t really take a short cut back to my car. I was just hoping my shoes would stay dry enough to be able to use them for my track run tomorrow. Plus, now people were watching me run and I knew they thought I was nuts.

I walked for .15 when I was 2.35 miles into my run. I wanted to knock out 4 miles and since I’d never done that before I thought I should take it easy. The rain actually stopped for a little bit too. I started running again and it wasn’t too long before the rain started again. It wasn’t too bad and I was almost done. I had to finish.

I walked again at 3.25 miles for another .15. I think that really upset Mother Nature. The rain started coming down so hard it actually hurt a little. I had trouble seeing the road signs, the wind was trying to blow me over, and I was running in water up to my ankles. I’m almost done. I really can’t walk now; walking means more time in the rain and the lightening was scaring me.

By the time I make it to the finish, I’m soaked. I made one wrong turn and ran an extra .08. My toes are starting to turn into raisins. I didn’t bring a towel to sit on for my ride home. But I’m not complaining; I’m excited. I stood in the middle of the road for a minute and thought about how far I’ve come in the last few weeks. I just ran most of 4 miles in the pouring rain. I might actually be a runner after all and there’s no way my shoes will be dry by tomorrow night. I might need a back-up pair.

1.00 - 9:09
1.00 - 9:15
1.00 - 10:16 - I blame the wind
1.00 - 9:48
0.08 - 0:39 (8:32)
Avg - 9:36

Monday -
Distance: 4.08 miles
Time: 39:10

Upcoming Events

2007-07-08T19:53:00.000-05:00

I took the night off to rest my legs. My calves were still a little sore today so I figured why not. I don’t want to hurt myself like I did a few weeks ago. Besides, last week was a great week.

My social life is starting to get in the way of my running :) Today I decided to pick out a few more runs for this year but I have so many commitments that are on the same days on many of my first choices. I wanted to add more runs so I would always have something to train for. There's a 10K in August that's the same weekend as a friend's bridal shower. I'm on vacation seeing my family for a week in August. My friend's wedding is the same day as the local half/full marathon. September is also going to be rough because I'm out of state a lot recruiting for work. I’d really like to get in something over 7 miles.

The new races I added are mostly 5Ks. Maybe I'll be able to beat my PR from last year if I practice enough. Plus I'm running more now so we'll see how it goes.

This week isn't going to get quite as much mileage as last week did. Tomorrow I'm going to pre-run the 4 mile loop for my race on Saturday, Tuesday is my track night, Wednesday is a group run night, Thursday is early softball, and Friday is up in the air.

My friend Emily challenged myself and some of our friends to see who can get to 50 miles faster using Nike+. I accepted but I don’t plan to win. I don’t always take my Ipod running with me and I don’t use my Nike+ much since I have a Garmin. I calibrated it tonight anyway. The challenge starts tomorrow.

Randomness: Being single sucks sometimes.

Saturday's Run

2007-07-08T09:43:00.001-05:00

My goal yesterday was to run just enough to make 20 miles for the week. I haven’t run 20 miles in such a long time and I was so close so I figured it was worth a shot.

I headed to a local park that I’ve never actually gone to before. It’s a really pretty park in the middle of town with a small pond and tons of vegetation. There was an old man fishing and a few kids feeding the mallards. It’s actually a pretty cool park and makes me think I should visit local parks more for a change of pace.

I started off my run feeling pretty sluggish and I wish I could say it got better but it really didn’t. My legs never loosened up and the smallest inclines felt challenging. One lap around the park was .9 miles, which meant I needed to run just under 3 laps. A walker going the opposite direction as me made the run a little better. I’d see how far around I could get before I met up with him again. I was also yelled at by some guys driving by. Why boys feel inclined to honk or yell stuff like ‘hey baby’ is beyond me. However, I managed to keep my pace slower than normal again today so I wouldn’t tire myself out and need to walk.

I ran 2.6 miles in 23:53.
1.00 - 9:12
1.00 – 9:17
0.60 – 5:23 (8:57)
Avg - 9:10

Week Total –
Running: 20.2 miles

Mighty Mississippi

2007-07-06T20:12:00.000-05:00

Softball went really well last night. Not only did we win but I hit every time I was up to bat and ended on a great one. I really needed that.

Today I had another doctor’s appointment. He put a few more cups on my back and now the doctor thinks I might have a problem where my rib meets my spine so next week I’m meeting with another doctor who is going to give me some more injections. I’m actually looking forward to it. I don’t want to do cupping anymore. Here’s a picture of what my back looked like last week.

So on to the good stuff… my run today was great. I told my aunt I was going to go for a run and she automatically assumed I was going to run down by the river; I live rather close to the Mississippi. I hadn’t run down there in a while so I thought it was a great idea. I’ve ran a lot this week so my goal was 2 miles of nothing but running. I didn’t want to walk.

I slowed up my usual pace just so I could run more. I tried to only look at my Garmin to determine if I was going to fast. I found myself speeding up on occasion and forcing myself to slow down. I finally looked at my distance and I was at 1.15 miles and I felt great. I decided to see if I could go three miles instead of two. I turned around at 1.5 miles and continued running. Lucky for me, the trial along the river is very flat.

Before I knew it I was at 2.18. I decided I should try to run a little extra to see if I could run 5K. Then I decided running exactly a 5K was silly so I ran just a little bit more. It was great!! I’ve never posted my laps before because I walk but today I ran 3.15 miles in 29:25 with no walking. Yay me!

1.0 – 9:06
1.0 – 9:23
1.0 – 9:29
0.15 – 1:23 (9:01)
Avg - 9:19

Week Total -
Running: 17.6 miles