the other stuff

You may or may not have noticed that I changed the title of my blog after the half-marathon. I wanted to keep blogging, but not solely about running. Ha! That idea went well - I took a little hiatus and blogged about nothing at all. But now I'm back, with an entry about.......drumroll please.............running!

I ran a 10K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. Let's just say that staying out drinking until 2:00am the night before a race is not a great idea. Especially when said race is comprised almost entirely of HILLS. Gah. The race sucked, it really did. It was cold out, I was possibly a *little* hungover, and did I mention the hills? The only thing that kept me going was the promise of a trip to Starbucks after the race. Mmmmm.........crack in a cup. Oh yeah, you're probably wondering about my finishing time. Couldn't be great, right? Um, 58:22 - take that uphill race!

Unfortunately, pulling out that time took a lot out of me. I started feeling under the weather on Saturday and was unable to run for about 2.5 weeks. I was worried about how a break that long would affect me. It was hard to get the motivation to get back out there, but I finally did this past Sunday. I did 2 miles that day, 3 miles Monday, and then 3.3 miles last night. The weather has been really mild this week which has made it SO much easier to go outside and do it. I hope I can keep this momentum going once it gets cold again.

I'll do my best to update again soon, but if it takes me a while let me go ahead and say Merry Christmas!

confirmation

My nike+ipod is indeed a bastard. I wore that little effer for the half-marathon and it had the nerve to tell me that I only ran 12.32 miles. Um, yeah nike+, like you're right about the distance and the race officials screwed it up. I.don't.think.so.

my stats

My chiptime was 2:06:36, which means I ran a 9:40 pace. I truly did not expect to finish that fast and I am thrilled with my time!

Related news - the results were finally posted from the 5K that I ran in October. My official time was 28:58, which means my actual time was at least a few seconds faster. I also ran 6 miles that morning prior to the race. I'm thinking that I could finish a 5K at a pretty good pace if I was fresh. I'll get a chance to test that theory in early December!

i did it!

And it was awesome! Details to come :-)

my bags are packed, i'm ready to go

This is it!! We're getting ready to head out to the OBX for my first half-marathon. This is never something that I thought I would be able to do, much less WANT to do. I feel excited and ready.

To anyone reading this thinking "I could never do that," remember that up until about a year ago, I had never run one mile straight in my life. And I'm old, so that's a long time. *if you're old like me, you probably caught the song reference in the post title :-)

The weather looks good, we've got a free place to stay, my parents (and all 4 of our dogs!) are coming, and I've got an awesome group to run with. It's going to be a great weekend.

p.s. although it does suck to load your car in the pouring rain.

why am i doing this again?

I spent three hours trying to take a nap today in three different places - on the couch, in the bed, and then finally in the guest room bed. I didn't sleep a bit, although I did get to watch Obama's first press conference - he looks exhausted. His speech today wasn't as powerful as what we're used to, but I am still excited for him to take office.

I'm sorry, this is not meant to be a political post. This is meant to be a post about ME. Me being tired, me being stressed, me being this close to faking an injury to get out of this whole weekend. Dramatic? Yes. But it's how I feel. I hate that I get stressed out so easily over the littlest things. It's not that I like being that way, I just am.

I've calmed down a bit since those thoughts went through my head earlier. I've gotten almost everything packed and I'm finally sitting on the couch with my laptop, my wine, and What Not to Wear on TV. Ahhhhh. A little time to relax before the weekend begins.

I got my race bib number!! I'm so excited!!

too tired

I am too tired to blog well, so here is a quick recap. I tried to write a post about my 10 mile run last Sunday, but it just ended up sounding stupid. It was a good run, the last long run before the half, and I finished strong. Second breakfast afterwards was great! Either Perkins has really great food or I was starving.

Tuesday was a nice, easy four miler. Although there is not much nice or easy to say about running in the cold, rain, and dark. I take that back, it was very nice to be running it with my group. I don't think I could've (or would've) done that one on my own. We are hardcore!

Wednesday = three miles. Alone, ugh. I went home after work, let the dogs out, changed into my running gear, brought the dogs back in, and drove over to the neighborhood. In the dark. Luckily there were streetlights, so it wasn't pitch black out. I was in hurry to get it over with I guess, because my pace was under a 10 minute mile! I felt like I had a good pace going, but I did not expect the 9:48 that my ipod reported when I was done :-) That really made it worth it, considering that I almost skipped the run because I am so exhausted.

That leads me to the whiney part of my post. D left Sunday afternoon to go to FL for work. I felt like such a bad wife because I didn't even make it home from my long run/breakfast on Sunday before he left. We met up at Starbucks (when did I turn into such a yuppie?) for a quick goodbye. I know that he had to go for work, but it just really sucks that is was this week before the half-marathon. It has left the the house and the animals solely under my care, which I can handle, of course, but it would have been nice to take it easy this week. I'm also not very good at cooking and/or eating dinner when it's just myself at night. That has stressed me out trying to find the time to plan meals and cook. I've done just OK with that this week. I had second breakfast leftovers on Sunday night, soup and cheese toast on Monday night, Twizzlers on Tuesday night (um yeah, Twizzlers the candy), and a shrimp, veggie, & brown rice stir fry last night. I have leftovers from that for dinner tonight so at least that's covered. D gets back Friday night so maybe I'll ask him to pick up some dinner on his way home from the airport. I am thinking of taking a half-day tomorrow to give myself a little time to rest, I think I'm going to need it.

For being too tired to blog, I sure wrote a lot! One more run before the race, a big two-miler tonight, then book club, then driving home, then handling the animals, then doing laundry, and then...........sigh. I think I'll have more time to relax while I'm running the half than I've had all week!

gearing up

Since I ran such a blistering fast pace on Wednesday night, I decided that I would take my five mile run easy tonight. It was C-O-L-D out there, but I suppose that is good practice for the half-marathon. Tonight I ran wearing what I will most likely wear at the race. Capri length running pants (tights?), sleeveless shirt made of wicking fabric under a long sleeved shirt of the same material (with built in mittens!), and a down-alternative vest. I felt pretty comfortable, but still a little bit chilly. This weekend I plan to look for a warm ear wrap headband thingie (that's the technical term) and also a neck wrap thingie - like this. What can I say, I like to be warm.

I am guessing that the temperature on race day will be............OH CRAP..............I don't have to GUESS the temperature. The race is next weekend. Which means the weather forecast is available! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's that close. OK, so I just checked the weather forecast and so far it looks good. The high the day before is 65 and the low the night before is only 51 - that is freaking awesome! Back when I was guessing, I thought we would be running in the 30's to 40's, so the idea of the 50's is absolutely fab!! So it looks like I might not need the ear and neck warmer thingies. I'll probably buy them anyway "just in case." Plus, I just like to buy stuff. That is how I ended up with a brand new pair of running shoes in my car - oh wait, make that TWO new pairs of running shoes - that I'm not even wearing. Gah. That is a story for another day.

My next run (and last long run before the race) is a ten-miler on Sunday. It's a group run (yay!) and afterwards we are going out for second breakfast! I think the thought of pancakes will be an inspiration for us all!

i'm superfast

I had no idea how much better it is to run in a group than alone. After my group long run on Sunday, I met up with everyone again on Tuesday for a five miler. Something about being with a group makes the cold more bearable and the distance feel shorter. And I run faster! We started off running about a 9-minute mile and my nike+ipod says that we averaged 10:09 per mile once we were done.

Alas, the past two days I have run alone. Yesterday I did three miles and I really tried to push myself because of my recent paces on the group runs. I knew that my body was capable of going faster so I decided that it needed to work up to its potential. So I pushed and ran like the wind - while I was running I was thinking, "damn, I'm probably burning it up, running a sub-10 minute mile. Go me!" So yeah, when I finished, I found out that it was 10:11 per mile. I'm not saying that's bad AT ALL, but I'm just saying that I expected it to be better because of how much I "felt" like I was pushing myself. I guess I should have expected that because it's always the case. It still makes me wonder about the calibration of my nike+ipod. I think that when I push myself harder, my stride gets longer, BUT because the nike+ works as a pedometer, it thinks that I am just taking less steps, therefore shorter distance than I really am covering. Therefore my pace is not as ...............shit, I am not even making sense to myself at this point. Summary - nike+ is a big fat liar and I most likely run at a 7:00 per mile pace - HA!

what i've been up to

I know I've been a slacker (on posting!) again. To make it up to you, here's an extra post for today.

The day after my 9.5 mile run I did a 5K walk - why, you ask? Well, because I'm crazy. No really, sort of. I participated in the 20th Annual Walk for Hope. The walk benefits the Foundation of Hope, an organization with the following mission statement: "To promote scientific research aimed at discovering the causes and potential cures for mental illness in order to develop a more effective means of treatment. Additionally, the Foundation is committed to raising community awareness and supporting effective treatment programs." I've wanted to participate for a couple of years now, but the timing never worked out. It's a cause that is very near and dear to me (for reasons which I may go into eventually) and I'm glad that we were able to take part.

The walk was officially a 10K, but you had the option of turning around at the halfway point to make it a 5K. We (D & I) planned on doing the full 10K, but I was still so sore and exhausted from my run the day before that we had to cut it short. I was OK with that, but I wasn't OK with being just a walker. I think I can really classify myself as a runner now because I was SO JEALOUS of the the people who were running the event as a 10K! I just have to sit and shake my head at myself because that is never something that I thought I would say. It is still kind of unbelievable to me that I have gotten this far with my running. The night before the walk, also the night after my craptastic 9.5 mile run, I told D that I was definitely going to run a marathon. There may or may not have been margaritas involved :-) But I have no doubt that I will run a marathon one day. Running has given me so much self-confidence that I've never had before. (That sounds so super lame, but it's true.) That also brings me back to the crazy - I think running has helped me with a lot of my "issues" and I will always be thankful for that.

1.1 miles to go

Yesterday morning I finished my longest run yet - 12 miles!! I had a hard time deciding what distance to run because I have gotten so much different information about training. I was originally following Hal Higdon's novice half-marathon training plan, but since I started it early I ended up finishing it early. In my revised plan, I had decided to run 11 miles yesterday, 12 miles next week, and then the half the following week. Well...........then I learned about "tapering" before a race and that I really shouldn't run 12 miles the week before the half-marathon. BUT, in Hal Higdon's intermediate training plan there is a 12 mile run the week before the half-marathon. Confused yet? So was I. I understand that the idea of tapering is to give you a rest before your race so that you can run your best, but if I'm not worried about my time, does that really matter? If I was training for a marathon, wouldn't I run 12 miles one week and then 13 the next? What's the difference, really?

In the end, I decided to take bits and pieces of everyone's advice and information and form my own plan. When I started out yesterday I set my nike+ipod for 11.5 miles. That was a good compromise and I knew that if I went that far, I could finish out 12 if I felt like it. I ran the first 8 miles with a great group of ladies (hi!) and then went on to finish the last 4 on my own - well, with my audiobook :-) I really felt good for the entire run and when my ipod congratulated me on finishing 11.5 miles, I already knew that I was going to push for 12. I had to keep checking the distance on my ipod for the last .5 miles because NO WAY was I going further than 12! When you check your status using the ipod, it announces your distance, total time, and pace. By doing this, I realized that I was *very* close to running 12 miles in under 2 hours. I pushed it as hard as I could and finished in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds. Only once I was done did I realize that I had run 12 miles with just under a 10 minute per mile pace. I haven't run under 10 minutes per mile in quite a while! I owe a lot of thanks to the group for that!

I'm feeling good about the half, knowing that I only have to go 1.1 miles further than my longest run. Could I physically do it with 10 miles as my longest run? Probably. Could I mentally do it? Not sure. Knowing what I know now, about how much of a mental sport running is, I'm glad I went the extra distance. Now I have no excuses come race day.

postscript - i have plenty of excuses for why i haven't updated my blog though! none of them are very good, but hey, i'm not getting paid for this :-)

so, 9.5 miles...............

This morning I went out and ran 9.5 miles - my longest run yet. And it.kicked.my.ass. Literally. It is now 4:00pm and my legs and butt are still hurting. I don't think that I have felt this bad during or after a run up to this point. In fact, things have been going so well that last night as I was reading about marathons in Runner's World, I actually had the thought in my stupid head, "THAT WOULDN'T BE TOO HARD." OMG, what? Has running fried my brain cells? This morning was a real wake-up call for me. I finished it though and didn't walk a bit, even though I contemplated it.

After a run, and after the half-marathon, I want to be able to say that I "ran" it, not "finished" it. That may be silly, but it's what I've gotten in my head as the goal that I want to accomplish. I have gotten past fretting over my ever slower pace and I don't have a time-goal in my head at all for the half-marathon. I haven't even tried to figure out what an average time is or what my time would be if I ran a certain pace per mile. Right now I'm just concentrating on running, one foot in front of the other, for 13.1 miles.

T minus one month!

Holy cow y'all!!!!!!!! (insert laughter here) The 1/2 marathon is one month from today! I feel good, I feel like I'll be ready. I had a great run last night - 3 miles at 10:10 per mile. Unfortunately, you'll just have to take my word on that because my stupid piece of crap effing ipod lost my run. Bastard. Of course it just had to be the best pace I've run in a looooong time. Oh well, at least it didn't crap out during my run. We'll see if it holds up tonight on my 4-5 mile run - I haven't decided on the distance yet.

I am trying to figure out my training plan for next week. We are going out of town Friday morning and we'll get back on Monday evening. So next week I'll probably run Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I am signed up for a point-to-point 5K on Saturday morning - which will be my 2nd race ever! I can't decide if I want to run just 5K that morning or if I want to try to stretch it out to a 15K - running the distance back and forth 3 times. I hate to miss my long run, and that will be my only opportunity to get one in next weekend. Does anyone have any advice for me? How bad is it to miss a long run this close to the 1/2?

up to speed

So, yes..........I am a little behind on my posting. Let me get you up to speed:

9/22: ballet workout
9/23: 2 miles (I had to take Casey to the vet that afternoon and I could only get in 2 miles before it got dark. Better than nothing!)
9/24: 5 miles
9/25: elliptical
9/26: rest
9/27: rest/slacker
9/28: rest/slacker
9/29: 8.5 miles
9/30: upper body workout
10/1: 4.5 miles
10/2: 3 miles
10/3: 4 miles
10/4: rest
10/5: 9 miles (group run)
10/6: upper body workout
10/7: 5 miles

Ahhhhhhhh, now I'm all caught up - maybe, just maybe I'll be able to keep this updated for one more month until I've completed the 1/2 marathon!!!! I am not nervous about it at all and I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not. My runs have been going so well lately, it's kind of hard to believe. Last night I did 5 miles with no problem at all - not even the knee pain that I usually experience when I start out. I also added a steep hill to my run last night and it was a lot easier than the last time I attempted it. I guess that means I'm getting better? No faster though - meh.

My training schedule for the rest of the week is tentative because of the weather. I will probably try to run today and tomorrow and then take Friday off. I'll do my long run (9.5 or 10 miles) Saturday morning because I am doing a charity 10K walk on Sunday morning. After that, I'll take a well deserved rest! For a few hours, at least................

unexplained run

bad run
crappy run
hell run
shitty run
unfinished run

Those are a list of titles for this entry that I tossed around while I was running last night. I planned to tell all of you that running EIGHT MILES after all you'd eaten that day was: a poptart, wheat thins (of course), and peanut M&M's - was a BAD idea. Oh and don't forget that you'd had no water all day, only coffee and a diet cherry coke. Yep, that's how I started out on my run, with a sharp pain in my side and a bad attitude. Well guess what, folks?!?! That is evidently a winning combination. I was able to run the full 8 miles at a faster pace than any of my long runs thus far. I've said it before and I'll say it again - WTF?

This is one of the reasons that I have a hard time accepting and respecting my body - because it doesn't make any sense.

up to 7.5 miles!

I can't believe that it took me so long to share this! I ran 7.5 miles on Monday night. Remember how great I said I felt on my 7 mile run? Well, this was definitely not a repeat of that experience.

I was supposed to run Sunday night, but I didn't, because my Mom was in town and we got a little sidetracked by all of the um, shopping at the outlet mall. So I planned to make it up to myself and my running schedule on Monday night. I was a little hungry when I got home so I thought it would be a good idea to eat a Luna bar for a snack. Guess what? NOT a good idea. I had intense stomach cramps for the first couple of miles. I was literally doubled over at some points. Does that make me dedicated, or just stupid? Not sure.

Around mile 5, things started looking up. That is, until I looked down and saw that I almost stepped on a snake! I generally do not mind snakes, especially not black snakes, but I *really* don't want to step on one. This particular specimen was not a black snake, either. It was patterned with brown, tan, and black - I think that it was probably a corn snake, but it very well could have been a copperhead. I told D about it when I got back to the house and he asked if it had a diamond-shaped head. Now, I know that is how you tell a venomous snake from a non-venomous one, but really? I'm not getting close enough to look.

After my little scare, I went on to finish my run uneventfully. By the time I was through, I was just happy to be done. I did my usual post-run activities - a cool down walk, some stretches, and then a shower. I am having a really hard time eating after my runs lately. I ended up not eating dinner that night, but I was honestly never hungry. I know that's not great for my body's recovery from my run, but I am also stuggling with some other "eating issues." As part of my treament, I am trying very hard to eat only when I am hungry and to make sure I stop when I am full. I know that running is good for me because it is helping me to appreciate my body and not hate it so much, but it also adding another layer to my food struggles. I've gotten a few suggestions and my post-run plan includes: cooking afterwards so that the aromas will tempt my appetite; taking a couple of bites of something because that usually makes me hungry; and if neither one of those work, I will try to sip on a smoothie or protein drink. I feel positive that I'll work this out.

remembering 9/11

Change of pace today.......

When you share a traumatic event with someone, your lives are tied together forever. Every time you think of that person, inevitably you think of that painful memory at the very same instant. Today, I am sure that a lot of people are thinking of that moment, seven years ago today, when the unthinkable happened.

September 11, 2001 started off as any other day for me at the time. I was working at my first job out of college, managing a small horse farm. (who knew you needed a college degree to shovel shit?) I was at the barn early that morning, doing my usual chores as well as getting a horse, Bentley, ready to show to a potential buyer. The first news of the attack that we received was from my assistant Robin's husband. That set off a flurry of calls to Alex (my boss), my parents, and friends. It was very hard for any of us at the barn to wrap our heads around what was happening. There we were, outside on one of the most beautiful days of the season, untouched. I don't think that I could fully comprehend what was happening until I got home and turned on the television. And watched. And cried. For hours.

Whenever I happen to think of Alex, or Robin, or dear sweet Bentley, my mind also goes back to that day that will always connect us. Hug your family extra tightly tonight. God bless.

rain, rain go away

It's been raining for the last 2 days here, and while we certainly need the precipitation, I also need to run! (never thought I'd say that) It hasn't slowed me down too much yet though. I had a 4 mile run scheduled yesterday and by the time I got home, it was drizzling. I decided to go out right away and hoped I could get done before it got much worse. Wellllllllll, let's just say that didn't work out. I was about a half-mile in when it started to thunder. *side note here: I am scared of storms, like hide under the bed and take a xanax kind of scared* For some crazy reason, I decided to chance it and keep going. I made it about a quarter of a mile further before a huge streak of lightning split the sky right above me. At that moment my fear (and common sense) kicked in and I sprinted to the car. I drove back to the house and tried to decide what to do.

The running bug has bitten me hard in the ass y'all. I made the executive decision to go back out and finish my workout. I checked the radar and it looked like the storm was moving away from the area, so I figured it would be OK. There were a few more rumbles of thunder and 2 crazy bright flashes of lightning, but I finished. It was dark out by that time and I almost collided with a deer, but that really made it more worth it. I'm especially glad that I made the effort since I don't think I am going to be making the effort today. It's raining harder today than it was yesterday and, on top of that, my legs are pretty sore. I've already done the 30 day shred workout today, so it's not like I'm taking the day off completely. It's still light out now, so I may change my mind - we'll see.

2 months to go.....

The half marathon is two months from today people!! Although I still have a long way to go (6.1 miles) I'm feeling confident that I'll be ready. I am finding out that it is harder to work your way up to 5 miles initially than it is to add another mile to your long run. My long runs should start to be more enjoyable too because I've found a group to run with. I'm really looking forward to having some company on my runs and to meeting new some new people. This group is planning on running the half-marathon too, so I'm excited about that!

I'm really trying to stay on top of my workouts for the next couple of months. In addition to running, I'm also doing this ballet workout once a week and the 30-Day shred workout twice a week. A typical week (in a perfect world) looks like this:

Monday - ballet
Tuesday - 4-5 mile run
Wednesday - 2 mile interval run & 30 day shred workout
Thursday - 4-5 mile run
Friday - 30 day shred workout
Saturday - rest
Sunday - long run

It's keeping me busy, that's for sure.

new look!

I was getting tired of looking at my previous background, so I thought that I would change things up a bit. Thanks to "The Cutest Blog on the Block" I've got a great new *free* background!

halfway there!

Last night I ran 7 miles, so I'm safe to say that I am halfway to my half-marathon distance. Actually a little further than halfway if you want to be precise. My run last night was great. Granted, it wasn't fast, but I felt good the entire time. The past couple of long runs I've done have had me out of breath before mile 2 and limping at toward the end. My left knee has been giving me some trouble, but last night it held up well. It hurt when I first started out (as usual) but after about a mile, it felt fine. It stiffened up a little last night, but it's feeling OK overall today. I'm feeling really confident right now about the half-marathon. I know I'm sure to have some bad runs between now and then, but for now I'm concentrating on how good this past run was!


I started a new book last night too - Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner. So far it's good enough and easy to listen to. It's always hard to get into a new book in the beginning. I think that I am still emotionally connected to the characters in the book that I was previously reading/listening to. Speaking of, I recommend reading Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. It's a combination love story, ghost story, history lesson. It was very thought provoking and had the usual Jodi Picoult twist (which I love!) at the end.

new beginnings

Um, yeah, so anyway, where have you been? I mean, I've been posting for the last month, but no one has been reading so I guess the posts like disappeared or something?

OK, I give, I've been a slacker once again. When I first started reading blogs I always got so irritated when bloggers did not update in a timely fashion. So, of course, when I started blogging I thought I would *never* be that way. Life lesson - things don't always go as planned. Let's just chalk it up to summer vacation. Today is the day after Labor Day and while the official start of autumn is a few weeks off, it might as well be today.

If you've ever been a kid in school (which I assume most of you have been) you probably equate this time of year to new beginnings. New school year, fresh start, yadda, yadda. While my I'm not starting a new running plan, I am going to try to start over with this (and possibly my other) blogs. Even though I haven't been blogging, I have been running and I'm still planning on being ready for my 1/2 marathon in November. I ran the Nike+ Human Race 10K on Sunday and I am running a 5K in October. It's a point-to-point so I'm planning on running it back and forth as either a 10K or a 15K. I'll be on vacation during that run, so I'll make that call that day. I remember being so irritated last year with the people who were running it as a 10K - I thought they were just showing off as I could barely run 5K at that point. I guess this year I'll be one of them.

I had a good run tonight - finally! The weather is starting to cool off at night which is good for running, but makes me sad to see summer ending. Another sign of the summer ending is that the sun is setting earlier and earlier. Sigh. That is making it harder and harder to stay up later, so g'night!

bad mood = speed

Last night I was in a very bad mood before I went out on my run. Not for any real reason, just because I'm a girl and sometimes I'm moody. I decided that I would use my irritation and frustration in my run and see if that would help me increase my pace as well as calm me down. It worked! I had the best run that I've had in a while. I did 4 miles and my pace was about 10:30. I think I've just gotten a little too complacent while running and I haven't been pushing myself to improve. I've been putting in the miles, but not working up to what I am actually capable of. Because even though I cut 30 seconds off my pace, it wasn't that hard and I still did it comfortably. I was even able to sprint the last 100 yards, which is always my goal. It was a good lesson to learn last night.

I also learned that running harder improves your mood. I'm not sure if it is the endorphins or if it's just that you're too tired to be bitchy. Either way, it's a good thing.

well, crap

I found out that some people are actually reading my blog, so I *might* start making an effort to update it in a timely fashion ;-)

So where did I last leave off? Oh yes, I had run two 3.5 mile runs and one 5 mile run. Well just go back and read that entry because that's pretty much the same point that I am at now. I have decided that I am no longer running on Sunday nights because, well, at that time of night on Sunday I'm already drinking. Just kidding. Um, sort of. Seriously, I'm just not feeling the Sunday night runs. I usually spend all weekend running around, doing transports, taking care of my dogs and horses, cleaning the house, etc. By the time Sunday night rolls around, I am tired y'all!

For right now it is working out much better to do my long runs on Monday nights and then following up with my shorter runs on Wednesdays and Fridays usually. This week I'm planning on increasing my short runs to 4 miles each and my long run to 6 miles. I'm feeling good about being able to complete the distances, but I'm still feeling crappy about my pace. I was ready to quit last week when I continued to get slower with each run. I'm going to stick with it though and just hope that my slow pace is a result of a) increasing my distances, b) the heat & humidity, or c) my nike+ipod being a bastard.

last night

And once again, I was behind a day on my runs. I was exhausted and crampy on Sunday so I gave myself the day off. At least I'm able to make up my days when I miss them instead of just skipping them. I'm pretty proud of myself for staying so motivated. Anyway, I did my second 5 mile run last night. It was HOT outside so I really took it easy. My pace was around 11:00 and while I was not thrilled about it, I'm trying to not let it bother me. My main focus right now is increasing my distance and endurance and I need to remember that. I have a good excuse anyway, there were freaking bats diving at my head while I was running. That'll get you a little off course, ok? For some reason we were discussing bats at work recently and one of my co-workers said that if you throw rocks up in the air, the bats will dive at them. Well, I got desperate enough to try it, but it didn't seem to work. The bats kept pace with me occasionally flying too close for comfort. I tried to ingnore them, but you have to admit, it's kind of freaky.

I'm still listening to Second Glance by Jodi Picoult - coming soon...........book review!!

um, yeah

So I'm a little behind on posting, no one is reading this anyway, so no big deal!

The last time I posted was after my first 5 mile run. Since then I've run two 3.5 mile runs and another 5 miler. Woo-hoo!!!! I did my first 3.5 mile run on Tuesday as scheduled, but then didn't get to run my next one until Friday. I was supposed to run it on Thursday night, but I went to a 311 concert on Wednesday and well, let's just say I was still recovering from it on Thursday night. 311 is OLD and so I am - I needed a nap. That's probably going to be the story again tomorrow because I'm going to a Counting Crows concert tonight.

I did make up my second 3.5 miler on Friday evening. D wanted to play disc golf, so I went to a local park with him and ran while he played. It was nice to run somewhere different, although there was no specific loop to follow. I ran along sidewalks, in parking lots, along a gravel road, through the woods, and around a baseball field. That made it interesting. Of course, the most interesting (and scary) thing I saw was a drug deal in the parking lot right as we were leaving. I don't think I'll be visting that park again soon, which sucks. It makes me mad that people do that sort of thing in what should be a safe place for kids, runners, dogs, etc.

To make up for that lost running spot, I found an open track at a local high school! Yay! I have been looking for a track to run on occasionally, but all the ones I've seen are gated and locked. This one is not too far from my house and it is definitely open to the public. Now I just have to talk D into going up there with me and staying to make sure I don't get kidnapped.

arrrgh!

So last night I.RAN.FIVE.MILES!!!!!!!!!!!!! For the first time ever! Can you tell that I'm a little excited? I was a little apprehensive starting out last night because my stomach was not feeling oh so great. We ate a new Mexican restaurant on Saturday night and let's just say I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon. I don't really think it was the establishment, but just that my system is not used that kind of food. It was good though.

Anyway, I was nervous about the run because of my stomach and also because - 5 miles. That just sounds so more intimidating that 4 miles. It is more of a milestone. But I did it! I didn't push myself too hard since I already didn't feel great. I also wanted to make sure that I would have enough left for that last mile. It was pretty humid out last night which slowed me down a bit too. My pace was 10:56 which isn't great, but isn't horrible either. I really feel like I need to re-calibrate my nike+ system, but I just haven't had a chance to. I'd also like to find a track to run on so I could test my time for real. What I'm hoping is that my nike+ is telling me that I am running slower and shorter distances than I really am. It is going to be a big letdown if the opposite is true.

About 3.5 miles into my run something flew into my eye. I thought it was a bug at first because I could feel something in my eye. Then the stinging started - OMG - I have never felt such painful stinging in my eye before. I thought maybe it was sweat (and a bug?) but I couldn't get it out. I didn't want to stop running because I was so far along and also because there was really nothing I could do. I still had about 20 minutes before D came to pick me up and it was already too dark to walk home. So I put my hand over my eye and kept going. I'm sure I looked like a deranged pirate who had lost their eye patch and was having to improvise. The pain subsided a bit and I was eventually able to continue in a normal running stance. My head was filled with thoughts of getting home and fishing that annoying bug out of my eye. Ah - the relief it would bring. I got home and went directly to the bathroom mirror. Guess what? No bug, no nothing. I hoped that it would work its way out while I slept. This morning I woke up to a red, goopy (sorry!) eye, but no bug and no relief. I'm wearing my glasses right now debating on whether or not I need to go to the eye doctor. Ugh.

What I learned: I am stronger than I give myself credit for.

off the subject

I'm toying with the idea of making this a running/life blog. I like the idea of keeping family and friends updated with what we are up to, but I really don't want to keep 3 blogs up to date. On that note, this is who we met yesterday:

How cute are they!?!? We drove a leg of a dog rescue transport to help these little guys (and others) make their way from a kill shelter to a rescue and then eventually their forever homes. It was a great experience - we met lots of dogs and some great people. It really is amazing and wonderful to see good things happen for no other reason than to help make the world a better place. We are inundated and overwhelmed with so many negative images and news stories every.single.day. It's easy to forget that there are good people out there and that good things are happening every day. I plan to transport in the future and urge you to do something good for someone or something else - you will not be sorry!

If you are interested in transporting, let me know and I'll be happy to give you some info. New drivers are always welcome and desperately needed!

it's better to have it

My latest run was 3.5 miles on Thursday evening. I really tried to push myself on this run because I would like to see my pace improve. I know that I really should add intervals to my runs, but for some reason I am hesitant. I think that I am afraid if I run full out for even a short distance then I will be too tired to keep going afterwards. I am thinking of doing a 2 mile run on Wednesday of this week and trying out the intervals then. Anyway, even without adding interval runs yet, I managed to finish with an average pace of 10:28 which was not bad.

I got my RoadID in the mail on Thursday, so I wore that when I went out on my run. I hope that it will never be needed, but it's a good thing to have. It has my name, phone number, and emergency contacts engraved on it should they ever be needed. As D always says (and as I'm sure our future children will tire of hearing), "it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!" I got the ankle ID and I was worried that it would bother me having something foreign around my ankle while running. It turns out that I barely even noticed it. With my order I received a coupon code for $1 off - if anyone is interested let me know.

Later today I have a 5 mile run planned. It will be the farthest I've ever run. I'm constantly amazed at the things that come out of my mouth. Last night D and I were on the way to dinner and I told him that I had that 5 miler planned for today - and I said, "I'm not worried about it though, it'll be easy." Where did this person come from? I'll let you know if she's still here after my run later this evening!

yawn..........

I did go for a run on Tuesday as planned. AND I increased my distance to 3.5 miles! It went well, uneventful actually. The weather was nice again, hot, but not humid. I took a day off from running on Wednesday and did the elliptical machine instead. I needed a break after 2 longish runs in a row. I've noticed that I am able to go faster and longer on the elliptical now than when I was not running. That makes working out on that machine more enjoyable.

This is going to be a short entry because honestly, I can't think of much to say and I've got to get back to work. I'm planning to go on another 3.5 mile run tonight.

What I learned Tuesday is that I am much more comfortable running in a cotton tank top than in a synthetic material shirt that is "supposed" to keep me cooler and drier. I have tried my hardest to like those cool-max or dry-weave or whatever material running shirts, but I just don't. I feel sweatier and hotter in those - go figure. I've always been a bit contrary though!

ha!

Another way that I know I'm a runner: we're going on a cruise (my first!) in February and I am SO EXCITED that there is a jogging track on board. What is happening to me?

just do it

I was supposed to do my long run on Sunday, but a little something called a "beach weekend" got in the way! My mom came down to visit on Saturday morning and we headed for the coast. We had gorgeous weather all weekend long which made it especially hard to leave on Sunday afternoon/evening. I honestly planned to run when I got home, no matter what time it was. I'd had a realization earlier in the day about what Nike's slogan "just do it" means. We ended up getting home about 8:45pm, but I came in and changed into my running clothes, grabbed my ipod, and.........realized that my ipod batteries were dead. Super great. At that point, I had a little tantrum and tried to charge it for about 10 minutes to see if that would help. Um, no, it didn't. So I gave up and took a shower.

I redeemed myself by making up that 4 mile run last night. The weather was nice - it was hot, but not too humid. I felt decently OK while running, I was having to push myself just a little bit. I didn't push too hard because honestly I was still tired from the weekend. I was pleasantly surprised when Tiger Woods came on my ipod when I finished to congratulate me! My average pace was 10:22 which I was very pleased with! I guess I am getting a little bit faster without even realizing it because I'm getting more conditioned.

Now my quandry is whether or not to run tonight. My right knee hurt last night before and after running, but not during - try to explain that one. It's hurting in a different place than it has before, so right now I'm just keeping an eye on it. Honestly, I already know that I am going to go running tonight. And I also know that I am going to increase my distance to 3.5 miles from my usual 3. I was thinking about it last night during my run. So much of this running game is mental - I had no idea. That's what I learned this time - that once you get that goal in your head and tell yourself to "just do it" it's actually harder not to do it.

Oh! One other (frivilous) thing I learned: running skirts are super cute and comfy! If you know me, you know that I am very easily influenced about some things. So of course, when Runner's World did a story about the rise in popularity of running skirts, I had to have one. I always stalk the clearance section at Target for workout gear and yesterday, lo and behold, running skirts were on sale. Lucky day!

nightrunning....

........deserves a quiet night. I don't think all - oh, you didn't listen to REM in the 90's? Well then, you are missing out!

Anyway, I did my 3 mile run last night and it went pretty well. I ran the first 2 miles in a .5 mile loop which was kind of boring, but nice because I just zoned out and did it without thinking. It was pretty dark out when I started my last mile, but the streetlights in the neighborhood gave off plently of light. I felt like I was keeping up a good pace, but I didn't feel like I was having to push myself too hard. Happily, my pace was 10:35 and I was really pleased with that. Especially because my legs were pretty achy from my ballet workout the night before.

I usually continue to listen to my ipod while I'm walking to cool down. Last night, however, I took my earphones out and just listened to the night sounds. It was so peaceful - well, up until a large dog started running towards me. That kind of ruined my zen-like mood.

Things I learned: I like nightrunning.

a little vacation

I know, I know, I haven't updated lately. But it's not because I haven't been running - I have! I went out of town for the 4th of July and kind of got off track with my blogging. But now I'm back and ready to report.

I ran 3 miles last Thursday evening and quite honestly did not have the best time. I think part of that was due to my crappy attitude. I was just in a bad mood. I told myself when I left the house that I was going to have a good run and be in a good mood, but once I finished and saw my not so great pace..........my bad mood came back. Oh well, at least I did it.

Next up was my 4 mile run on Sunday. I didn't go in the morning as planned because I had a splitting headache. I ended up going out at about 8:15 that evening. The humidity, even at that time of day, was unbelievable. The air was so thick and heavy. In spite of that, I had a really good run. My pace was not the best, I think it was about 10:45, but I felt great the whole time. I never felt tired or out of breath. I really felt like I could've kept going. I ran at my parents' house so the change of scenery was nice. I need to find more places around here to go running.

Funny thing - I really should have put on bug spray before I went out. The gnats were so freaking annoying out there. Actually, instead of bug spray, I needed a bug deflector. I came in and went upstairs to take a shower - when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I realized that I had bugs all over my chest! That's right, ladies and gents, I am a human bug deflector. GROSS.

OK -seriously - last update: my 3 mile run on Tuesday SUCKED. I was starving the entire time. I was planning to eat a snack of yogurt and granola before I went out. Unfortunately a storm started heading our way, so I had to move my run up an hour. I have never felt more like stopping on a run before. I powered through it though and unbelievably my pace was 10:35. WTF????? How can I feel great on a run (Sunday) and have a slower pace than when I feel like I am going to collapse? I.just.don't.get.it. I'm relatively new to this whole running thing though, so I guess I'll figure it out eventually.

I've decided that I'm going to post a "things I've learned" section at the end of each post. I learned this week that I *can* eat before I go on a run. I've been so afraid to eat within hours before running because I tend to get stomach cramps very easily. But on Sunday my mom and I had been shopping all day and didn't exactly eat lunch. I was starving so I ended up eating around 5:30ish and was fine in my run later. I was actually already hungry again, but I didn't want to eat too close to my run.

I didn't run yesterday as scheduled because we had another storm roll through. I did my ballet workout instead and I plan to go out and do 3 miles tonight. I'll report on that in a timely fashion and I'll let you know how my new audiobook is!

i'm kind of a nerd

YEAH!! Last night's run was great! It was only 2 miles, but my pace was 10:08. I've been stuck between 10:30-10:45 for so many weeks now, so it was great to finally break that cycle. As I commented a couple of posts back, my stride feels "bouncier" lately. I know that sounds silly, but that's the only way I can think of to describe it. I am attributing this change to the stretching that I've been doing lately. I really feel like it is making a difference.

So, the reason I'm a nerd. I love to read. A lot. So much that I have downloaded audiobooks onto my ipod to listen to while I run. It really is good motivation to go out and run because you want to hear more of the story. Maybe I'll change the name of this blog to the reading runner - lol. Anyway, I finished my first audiobook last night. Well, not my first ever because Dick Francis got me through a lot of 10 hour drives back and forth to middle Tennessee. But, I digress. I finished listening to "The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs. I originally chose the book because it is about 15 hours long so I figured that I would get the most for my money that way! It turned out to be a really good book and if I have enough time, I plan to review it on here later.

Today I have a 3 mile run planned and I'll also be starting my newest audiobook: "Second Glance" by Jodi Picoult. How exciting!! Told you I'm a nerd.

i learned something today....er....yesterday

Yeah........I had good intentions of updating my blog on the actual day that I run, but that doesn't seem to be happening. I am just too tired after running and showering and eating dinner (and having some wine) to get on the computer and try to be clever. Oh well, it's my blog and I make the rules - so there!

Anyway, I did my 3 mile run last night and the weather was SO NICE! I still waited until about 8:15 to go out and it was in the 70's with low humidity - perfect running weather. I felt really good about my run, but I was disappointed with my pace - 10:34. I really felt like I was going faster than that. This weekend I am planning to recalibrate my nike+ to see if that makes a difference.

Speaking of nike+ipod, have I said how much I love that thing? I love that it keeps track of my distance and my pace and that I can check how far along I am in my run at any time. I especially love coming in after a run and downloading my data so that I can see my progress. It is a really cool gadget, I must say! And for those of you that are wondering, you don't have to have the special Nike shoes to use it. You can simply buy a shoe pouch and attach it to your favorite shoes.

Oh, here's what I learned yesterday - deer are really pretty, but they can make really loud noises and scare the crap out of you. Also, when you are planning to run later in the evening, maybe you shouldn't pick blackberries, groom 2 horses, and brush 1 dog before you head out. It will make you tired.

thanks lance!

So.............I know I'm late on posting, but it's not because I didn't do my FOUR mile run on Sunday! I did it - my longest run ever - as in my whole life. And Lance Armstrong came on my ipod after I finished and congratulated me! I had another congrats when I downloaded my run onto nikeplus and found out that I hit the 100 mile mark on there. All in all a good day.

I did learn a few things that I will take into account on my next long run. I am used to running in the evenings so running on Sunday morning was a switch for me. I am going to stick with doing my long runs on Sunday mornings though because the half marathon is on a Sunday morning, so I will be used to it. I am going to try to go out earlier next time because even though I went out around 8:15am it was already HOT. I also need to remember to eat a good dinner the night before. We went to the beach on Saturday and ate a bunch of crap and got home late that night. I think I would've had a better run if I had prepared better the day/night before.

This week's training plan is a repeat of last week's. I'll be running 3 miles today (Tuesday), 2 miles Wednesday, 3 miles Thursday, and 4 miles Sunday. I was supposed to "stretch and strengthen" yesterday but I was busy giving my dog a bath! That does take some muscle, so that counts, right?

i did it!!

I made it through my 3 mile run on my third day of running in a row! Woot-woot! I really went back and forth about whether or not I would run today all day long. Especially after I spent 4 hours shopping (for work, people!) in almost 100 degree weather. I was hot, tired, and my knee hurt after all of that walking around. I had a couple of reasons for going ahead with my run for today. One was that I didn't want to run on Friday night so I wanted to get it out of the way tonight. Another was that I just really wanted to see if I could do it. I am learning that running is not a totally physical activity. So much of it is in your mind and how far you believe that you can push yourself. It's really pretty cool actually.

Physically tonight I felt really good. I didn't go out until almost 8:30 just because it was so hot. Luckily there was a slight breeze blowing which was a treat! My strides felt really "bouncy" tonight -like it took less energy to pick my feet up than usual. I was a bit slower than the past couple of days much I am going to chalk that up to it being my 3rd day of running in a row and that I didn't have a chance to eat lunch today. My knees are feeling good, but the blisters on my big toes are ridiculous. If anyone has any suggestions on what to do about them, let me know. I did break down and take some ibuprofen after my run tonight. My bad (aka right) hip was giving me some trouble this morning and right now what I believe is my sciatic nerve running down my left side is not feeling too great. I really am going to look for a doctor. I don't want to do anything to treat my various aches and pains and make them worse. I bought a knee brace today but I am hesitant to use it in case it is the wrong course of treatment.

I have 2 days of rest ahead of me until my 4 mile run (first ever) on Sunday. I think I'm going to get started on that now. Goodnight :-)

p.s. i ran in just my sports bra and shorts tonight - luckily no catcalls this time around!

2 days in

I'm not going to lie, yesterday's run was a struggle. That's partially the reason why I didn't update last night - I was just too tired (and lazy.) I'm not sure if it was because it was the first time I had run 2 days in a row or if it was the humidity. It was probably a combination of both. I didn't feel like I was having a good run, but my average pace was 10:32 which I was pleased with.

Physically: My knees felt pretty good except for when I tried to walk DOWN a steep hill during my warm up. I guess I won't be doing that again! I am also developing blisters on the outsides of my big toes. I'm well versed in dealing with painful blisters on my feet and toes after years of dancing. But these blisters are different than the ones that my pointe shoes gave me. They seem to be on top of calluses and I'm not sure if I should try to soften the calluses and file them off or what. I guess I'll do some research on that. My feet look uglier now than they ever did when I was dancing though which is hard to believe! They are working feet though :-)

Ha! Remember how I said that I felt too exposed in just my sports bra and shorts? Well yesterday I threw on a tank top because on Tuesday's run (which I can't believe I forgot to mention) I got wolf-whistled at by I'm guessing a 13 year old boy. Wouldn't he be dsgusted if he knew how old I am? Yeah, evidently I've still got it - I told D to watch out because he's got some competition!

Today I am supposed to run 3 miles. I am trying to decide if I should go ahead and do it today or reschedule it for tomorrow. I am leaning towards waiting just to give myself a day to recover after running 2 days in a row before jumping into 3 days in a row. Plus it is supposed to be near 100 degrees today and that is just way too hot for a tank top over my sports bra!

first run

Well, my first run of this training program. And it was ONLY 3 miles! Ha! I had just worked up to 3.5 miles so starting off this week at 3 miles was a little bit of a break. With this program, I'm planning to run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays - with my long runs on Sundays. On Mondays and Fridays or Saturdays I plan to do a ballet workout that I have on DVD. Sounds like I'll be pretty busy these next few months!

Anyway, my run today went pretty well. Even though the temperature was near 90 today, the humidity was low. I went out for my run about 8:15ish so by then it was really comfortable outside. I wore running shorts and a sports bra with no shirt which always makes me feel weird to be so exposed. I am trying to get over that though because it is just way too hot with much else on. I know, I'm such a hussy.

I just got fitted for new running shoes a couple of weeks ago. They are finally starting to feel good on my feet and legs. I wasn't very happy with them the first couple of times that I ran and I was worried that I had just blown a ton of money. I added some innersoles to them and that has made a big difference.

I've been having some trouble with my knees lately and I'm trying to decide if it warrants a trip to the doctor or not. My knees and hips have taken a beating over the years dancing and horseback riding. I think they are protesting this new endeavor, but they are just going to have to get over it damnit. I am going to start looking for a sports medicine doctor though, for when the time comes.

So back to the run - I really felt good and I really felt like I was pushing myself in a good way. My pace has been in the 10:45 range lately and I have not been happy with that. When I first started running this spring my pace was much closer to 10:00 and right under. I don't know if increasing my distances has caused me to start pacing myself or what. But today I finished with a 10:31 average pace and I was happy with that. I'm interested to see how I feel tomorrow on my 2 mile run. This will be my first time running 2 days in a row. Piece of cake, right? Mmmm....cake.....

getting started

Let me start off by saying that I have never been a runner. I never even liked running. I thought it was boring. I thought it was too hard and not something that I could ever do. Well, that changed late last summer when I decided that I wanted to run a 5K on vacation. On vacation? What was I thinking? I started off doing the Couch to 5K training plan and ended up shocking myself by finishing my first (and only, so far) 5K in under 30 minutes!

After that race in October I took a few months off. I just wasn't committed enough to run through the winter in the cold and the dark. Once spring and daylight savings time hit, I was ready to get back on the road. I thought for sure that I would barely make it a 1/2 mile that first day out. I shocked myself once again for running about 2 miles without a problem.

I've kept at it and that brings me to where I am today. I'm training to run my first half-marathon later this year with my cousin. Hence the title of my blog - I am 31 years old and I'll be running 13.1 miles in November. I am following a modified version of Hal Higdon's half-marathon training plan. I say modified because the program is designed to train you in 12 weeks, but I have 20 weeks to play with. I am going to take it slow and probably repeat a few of the beginning weeks depending on how I feel.

I am so excited to be doing this! I hope to blog after each run to keep track of how it went and how I'm feeling. See you at the finish line!