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?