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?