Entertaining Facts According to the Results

• The oldest woman who finished was 99 years old. She beat me by 5 minutes. :)
• The oldest man who finished was also 99 years old. He finished in 2 hrs 45 minutes.
• The youngest women were 5 14-year-old girls, all of whom beat me. Their times ranged from 4:13 to 6:26.
• The youngest men were 7 14-year-old boys, all of whom beat me. Their times ranged from 4:29 to 6:50.
• The actual fastest person to finish was a handcycler (hand wheelchair) who finished in 1:22. Amazing!
• The fastest wheelchair participant finished in 1:59. Again amazing!
• There were 93 participants from Costa Rica, where we honeymooned last year.
• There were 107 from England, 1 from Ethiopia, 1 from Poland, 1 servicemember each from Iraq and Afghanistan, and 1 from Swaziland. (There were lots of foreign participants, this was just a snippet.)
• There were 6 people from Clemson, SC. 439 from all of SC.
• There were 53 people from Lorton, including me. 10 of them did not finish. I was the last person to finish from Lorton. The fastest was in 2:51. I just realized that Ft. Belvoir is in Lorton, so lots of those were probably Army people.

Results!

If you'll notice, I was NOT last, not even in my division. Thanks to the other youngish woman who came in behind me. :)

5K= 3.1 mi, 10K = 6.2 mi, 15K = 9.3 mi, 20K = 12.4 mi, 25K = 15.5 mi, 30K = 18.6 mi, 35K = 21.7 mi, 40K = 24.8 mi. So like I said, after I beat the bridge, I was done. I did what I wanted to do.

And... "age-graded" results are calculated using tables developed by the World Association of Veteran Athletes. The tables can be used in two ways: first, by comparing your time to a standard for your sex and age, you can determine your Performance Level Percent.

• 100% = Approximate World-Record Level
• Over 90% = World Class
• Over 80% = National Class
• Over 70% = Regional Class
• Over 60% = Local Class

Well at least it wasn't 0%. :-D

I MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

It's official—i made it! Obviously my main goal was to "beat the bridge" at mile 20—they opened the main bridge into DC back up after 5 hours—and I did it! Just barely though, I had to sprint the last half mile to make it there in time. But I made it!!! No loser bus for me! But then it took me 2 hours just to get through the last 6 miles because I was hurting so bad. I was literally limping the last 6 miles, and my mom walked the last 3 miles with me and Andy and Amy walked the last 0.3 miles or so with us. So apparently I didn't "officialy" finish, you have to do it in 7 hours and I came in around 7:05 or so. (Haven't checked the official time yet.) But I don't care—I did it!!! Woohoo!

I had some AWESOME support along the way... so many people encouraged me along the training and I received so many well wishes and "good luck"s. And I had a cheering squad today: at various times, I saw my mom and Andy, both of Andy's parents, Amy, and Galen and Kelly. It means SO much to me that you guys were there, and I really appreciate it! Especially since it took me so freaking long. :)

So after a painful walk to the Metro (yeah, more walking even after limping all that way!) we took the Metro (crowded, but eventually got to sit down—for the first time since 6am!!) and hobbled to the car. I came home and took a long, super hot bath, and then took a nap, and then ate Papa Johns for dinner. And sometime soon, wedding cake! Yay! Happy Anniversary to us!!!

And so now, I can barely walk around my house. I have so many aches and pains, it's ridiculous. Some of them I expected, but some of them—like the roof of my mouth being raw from breathing through my mouth too much—well that's just random. Got some blisters but not too bad, none on the arch thank goodness. I think I had my shoes tied too tight the entire time, because those ligaments or whatever in front of your ankle are sore on both feet, and my left Achilles tendon is busted. Not for real, but it feels like it is creaking every time I flex my foot. And, I'm sunburned. Totally forgot/didn't even consider it. I don't know who said marathons were addictive—I'm NEVER doing that again!

I have to say, I'm really proud of the fundraising too. Thanks to everyone who donated money—we raised over $2000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help eradicate blood cancers! That feels just as good as finishing the marathon.

So what's next? I want to start swimming again, and am considering triathlons. I'm not sure how long an "official" triathlon is, but I know that they are held in all lengths. All I know is, I'm going to keep running at least a little bit—at this point 5 miles is nothing, so if I can keep that in mind, it shouldn't be a problem to knock off 2 miles at the gym even on the worst workday. :)

I MADE IT!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :)

Freak out!

I'm so nervous! This morning I couldn't care less, I just wanted to be done with it. But now I'm looking at the course map and thinking about the plan for race day, and I am soooo nervous!

Good Day

Today is a good day. :) I'm still really stressed and nervous, in fact I couldn't sleep last night so I got up and cleaned for an hour before going back to bed at 12:30. Regardless, my boss took me to lunch, my friend Lea sent me flowers to say good luck, and another friend sent a very encouraging email... all the good wishes mean so much to me, and if you're reading this, then I really appreciate that too!

My weekend is shaping up to be very busy and I'm stressing already... but I have a massage scheduled for Saturday so hopefully it will be a good wind-down activity before the big day on Sunday!!! :)

Awesome

Today kind of sucked. I skipped my run because I worked late and was starving. I picked up Wendy's since this is Andy's pool night, only to get home and realize that he made chili on Sunday and I should have eaten that for dinner. (Bad wife!) I found out that the next few months will be extremely busy at work, at least for me and my boss. Also found out that a coworker's daughter has swine flu, so it could very well already be floating around our office. And our house is a mess as usual, but I can't care about it right now. I probably won't care until Saturday morning when I realize my mom is coming that evening. :) I'm also about 90% sure I'll have my happy fun female time during the marathon. Like I said, awesomeness abounds today.

When I was in a sorority, we always had to say something good about someone if we said something bad. "End on a positive" was the rule. So here we go: I still have a job, I have the best husband ever, I have two awesome kitties, a place to live, I'm healthy (for now anyway), and I generally live a pretty awesome life.

There, pity party over. :)

La Musica

Only ran about 3.5 miles yesterday. My knees are still bothering me (IT band issues)... I've noticed that it takes almost 45 minutes for my body to loosen up and actually feel decent while running. Lucky for me that is only about 1/8 of the time I'll be running on Sunday. :)

Also yesterday, started working on a very large playlist for the marathon. I did some research and found out that while you can't cut mp3s in iTunes, you can designate a start time and end time for a track. So I can tell it to start/end whenever I want it to, and put the playlist on my iPod. That way I can have 3 minutes of a fast song and then 1 minute of a slower, walking song. This is going to take a lot of time, so who knows if I will finish it in time... not to mention that I will have to go back and reset every song to its normal start/end time. (when you change it in the playlist, it changes the file in your library as well. Argh!)

Still feeling nervous, although today I just want it all to end. I'm ready to not have to think about the marathon anymore! Too much pressure! After this, I'm sticking with half marathon or less. Probably less.

I'll be happy if I can still walk after.

It's Getting Real!

I'm starting to feel it! Nerves/anxiety/excitement! I signed Andy up to receive text messages when I cross checkpoints (I think there will be 6 including the finish)... so cool! If anyone wants to receive emails or texts, click here! :)

Here's the official course:

Thursday

Thursday's run wasn't bad at all. I've noticed that they all start off badly, usually everything from my hips down hurts when I first start running. It's like my legs are protesting this increased movement... but if I can ignore it for 15-20 minutes, I fall into a rhythm and it starts getting more comfortable. Unfortunately, I only had to run 30 minutes on Thursday, so I just got over the uncomfortableness when it was time to stop!

I've been icing my hips, knees, and shins a lot lately... starting to feel like I'm falling apart. I'm trying to take it easy but still keep moving... I CANNOT BELIEVE that I am running a marathon a week from tomorrow! I'm starting to feel less nervous and more just ready to get it overwith. :-p

Nervous!!

Sunday's run was bad, I barely made 5 miles. Everything hurt! I guess that's what happens when you take a week off... even on Tuesday it was a struggle to put in the required 30 minutes. I just feel so tired and my knees and hips hurt. :(

I'm really starting to get nervous again, I can't believe it's just over a week away! What was I thinking??!! I don't know why I feel so much pressure to do well. I guess it's the fact that everyone I know knows that I am doing this, and they will all be asking about it when it's over. And the fact that people have donated money to the LLS while linked to my marathon. Mainly I think it's just pride. I have a hard time with "failure"—whether it is real or imagined.

I just really want to well, which in my mind I guess is finishing at around a 14 min/mi pace and not getting injured along the way. Maybe being injured is what I'm so nervous about... I was really struggling with the blisters those last 4 miles of the 20 mi run. I can't imagine 6 more miles with that pain...

I think I should get a massage tomorrow.

Getting Back in the Run

I haven't run all week—not usually a good thing, but it couldn't be helped. My foot is feeling better, we'll see what happens when I put on my shoes tomorrow morning. Can't decide if I'm going to do my 8 miles here or meet the rest of the group. They're running near the Iwo Jima memorial, which is the finish line of the marathon. I feel like it could be beneficial to see something I recognize as I'm finising the marathon... but then again I could just take the Metro and walk part of the course to see what the end is like. I think it will come down to how tired I am in the morning—I've been pretty tired this week. It's rough getting back into a routine when you've been on vacation. Fortunately, I have Monday off for Columbus Day. God bless the U.S. government. :)

Ouch.

The huge blister on my righ arch is not healing very quickly. I had to do some minor surgery on it last night because it kept filling up with fluid even after I drained it. Now I have Neosporin and a giant gauze bandage on it... trying to keep it somewhat elevated by putting it up onto my old desktop computer, which fortunately was still under my desk from 2.5 years ago when I got the laptop.

The worst thing is that I can't run in this condition. I can't even wear my running shoes, because I can't have anything rubbing on the arch... fortunately my work shoes don't touch that area... don't think I could hobble around here barefoot like I do at home.

I am noticing the effects of not running, though... especially coming back from such a long time off, my eyes aren't used to staring at the computer all day, and I keep getting tension headaches. I need my stress relief back! Amazing that I'm complaining about not being able to excercise, huh? :)

20 MILES!!!!!

I ran 20 miles yesterday! Well, OK, I had to walk the last 4. But still!!! This is the first time that I actually think I will surivive the marathon. I still need to work on my pacing though, because I did the first 10 miles in 2 hrs 5 minutes, and the other 10 miles in 2 hrs 40 minutes. That includes the walking 4 miles. So, if I could reserve some of the energy I had in the beginning, then hopefully I can prolong the running and save more walking for later in the race... Still though, 10 miles in 2 hours! That's the fastest I've done a long run! UNbelieveable. I'm thinking I will still race so that I have a goal to keep me running after the marathon. But 10 miles is probably the farthest I would go... maybe the occasional half marathon.

I also have some physical issues to figure out still... no shin splints (knock on wood!) but I have some INSANE blisters from yesterday... I might have been able to push more running but the blisters were killing me. I even have a huge on on my arch of my right foot... Why? How? What?? I also need to be better about stretching afterward... the stretching I did was apparently not enough, because I have tin man syndrome for the first time in a long time.

Still, 20 miles!!!!!!! Now I get to "take it easy" from here until the race, with the longest run being 8 miles next Saturday and the shortest 3 miles the week before the race. I think I am ready! :)

Douthat

Last week, Andy and I were on vacation at Douthat State Park.

They have great trails there, and they're multi-use so we were able to do some awesome mountain biking. Basically, the state park goes from peak to peak, with a lake and cabins and campgrounds in the valley. The last time we were there (when we got engaged!) we hiked up one side of the mountain. Well, this time we BIKED up the other mountain!

It took us 5.5 hours round trip, because it was a lot of climbing. I usually have a hard time on uphill rides, but this was so much harder because the trails aren't smooth; they are rocky and have roots and it's just harder in general. So we took about a million 2 minute breaks and about 25,000 6 minute breaks, but we made it to the top!

The photos, as you can see, were so worth it... you'd think that coming down would be great, but I actually enjoyed the descent LESS than the climbing! It was pretty scary, and although I only fell once, it really shook me up to be sliding down the side of the mountain. Fortunately, I fell in mud, so it was a soft landing. (How often do you say "fortunately, I fell in mud?!") In any case, we made it down in about 25 minutes, as opposed to the 5 hours of climbing.

All in all, it felt great, and we are really proud of our accomplishment! Of course, we did absolutely nothing the rest of the day. :)

Last Sunday

I cried over running. Twice. Who would've thought??

4 Weeks...

Wow... in just 28 days I will be running a marathon. Just typing that makes me nervous! Here is a pretty map of the course with some interesting details, like "beating the bridge" before it reopens to traffic.

Tomorrow we leave for Douthat State Park, the same place that we got engaged almost exactly 2 years ago! It's a great park with tons of mountain biking trails, so it will be nice to get out and ride for a change... although it's been months since I've been on the bike and it will take a few runs to get comfortable I'm sure. I'll have to run a couple of days while we're there too, but I'll be getting plenty of cardio in during the week as it is!

Before we leave, I'm running 15 miles tomorrow morning. It's been raining cats and dogs this afternoon and all evening, and while I'd like to say that I'm tough enough to run in the rain, it's also chilly and I don't want to! So I may be camped out in the gym for a few hours tomorrow. People will think I'm crazy... but if they are in there the whole time I am, then they are just as crazy I guess. There better be a good movie playing in the cinema tomorrow, that's for sure... I'm sure I will see an entire movie if not 1.5 times!

As a side note, the last day for donations is October 7! If you have any friends or family who would like to donate (or if you'd like to donate yourself), please send them the link to my donation page (http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/corps09/sperlman) and I would more than appreciate it. :)

80s Chic

Oh yes, the 80s are back!
I got my custom insoles the other day and after trying to run with them last night, I realized that I need to wear them in normal life too. Therefore, I came to work in my sneakers today, with a skirt and sweater set. I’m officially an 80s working mom. At least I’m not wearing pantyhose and socks with them.

Ugh

I've been feeling crappy lately... My neck and shoulders have been really sore and I've woken up with a headache probably 5 out of the past 7 days. I think I've even started grinding my teeth again. I have no idea why.

I ran on Saturday, was going to do 18 miles and only did 9.5 (Andy picked me up at my "turnaround" point). My entire body just felt like it was achy, and I felt like I was running through Jell-o. Maybe I have Lyme disease. Or maybe I just have been out of running for so long that I'm out of shape. (I love that "out of shape" means 9.5 miles... I'm telling you, after this marathon, I'm going to be so excited to run 5 miles!)

So now I'm kind of worried again about the marathon. I know, it's like a cycle... I have a bad run, I get worried, I have a good run, I get excited... that's just how I am I guess. But if I could only do 9.5 miles, how am I going to run 26.2 in 5 weeks???

Time to take some Advil and get back to work...

Spider-Man

That's the movie that I saw at the cinema. Well, not the whole thing. Getting back into running was easier than I thought it would be, although I only ran about 3.75 miles. (I can't wait until the marathon is over and I can stop saying "only".) :) I'm going to try for 6 miles on Thursday... hopefully the weather will be OK and I can do it outside!

Back to Basics

Wow... I've only run twice in the past two weeks.

I ran Wednesday morning in Oklahoma City, but only for about 45 minutes. That's it. Tonight is going to be ROUGH. And I have to do 18 miles this Saturday and 20 the Saturday after that, so it's critical that I don't miss any runs from here until then. After that, it's taper time. Yesssssssss!

It's been so long, I think I might have to go to the cardio cinema just to keep myself entertained. NCIS reruns only get you so far, especially when you've seen them all.

This is gonna hurt...

By in a Flash

I can't believe this week is over already! We've been so busy at work getting ready for our convention in Oklahoma City next week. I've had this tab open in my browser all week, and just haven't had the time to write.

Saturday's run was AMAZING!!! I ran 16.5 miles, half a mile farther than I had to :) and I felt great. Very tired and my feet were very sore, but I felt so happy that I accomplished it! Andy (a.k.a. the best husband EVER!) met me at my halfway point, which was Occoquan Regional Park, with a sports drink because I wouldn't have had enough. Even so, I had to stop at CVS (about 2.5 miles from home) on my way back to get some water. But I did it!

I think that the key to my success is my Nike+iPod app—I am able to check my pace whenever I want, which helps me to know if I need to slow down or speed up. Usually I'm running too fast at the beginning and just walking too slowly all the time. Much easier to walk fast on a treadmill! This worked so well, I was running the same pace on my way back as I was on the way there. Awesome! I did skip a few running intervals during the last 5 miles or so, but I tried to keep running as much as possible. All in all, it was a big confidence-booster.

Then on Tuesday, I tried to run at the gym but my legs were sore. Not from the run on Saturday, but from wearing heels... guess the doctor was right. She said that I have to stop wearing heels because my Achilles tendon is shortened and it needs to learn to stretch back out again. So that's why I have problems with my lower legs sometimes. (There are other issues, but that's a big one.) I have to go shopping this weekend and find some comfortable—yet stylish—shoes for the convention next week. I don't think I'll ever be able to completely give up heels though!

I didn't run last night, and I'm not running tonight, so we'll see how the 10 miler goes tomorrow morning. It's a week "on your own" since some of the team is running in the Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon at Virginia Beach on Sunday. I'm starting to think that maybe I'm better on my own after all...

Next week is going to be interesting. We're working a LOT while we're in OKC, and I won't have a whole lot of time (or energy) to run. And I definitely will NOT have time to do 18 miles on Saturday. So, I'm not sure how that will play out, I might have to just run 18 miles the next week or something. If I do that, then I'll be running 18 miles one week and 20 miles the next, with no "lighter" week in between (the lighter week is 12 miles, does that really count as lighter anyway?) but I think it's better than skipping the 18 miles.

Maybe I'll run 12 miles tomorrow, and then 18 miles in 2 weeks and on with the 20 miles the next week.

Screaming Expletives

That's what I was doing when I woke up 15 minutes ago.

I set the alarm for 5:30, and I got up to hit snooze. That's all I remember until Andy woke me up saying, "Babe! It's 6:45!" And then I screamed some bad words into my pillow and got up.

So what does this mean for me?
1. No running with the team. I could have raced around and sped to Vienna and been only about 20 minutes late, but that's a terrible way to start the morning and I would have worried about trying to catch up to everyone, which is the worst thing I can do on such a long run.
2. No water stops. I'm not sure how many they were going to have, but now I have to be pretty much self-reliant with the fluids. It worked out OK last weekend by stopping at CVS, but I'm not sure where my route will take me today.
3. On the plus side, I was going to use my iPod, which is frowned upon by TNT. So at least I don't have to hide it.
4. Another plus, I don't have to factor driving time into my schedule. I am going to be starting at least a half hour later, but I don't have to worry about driving home, so that should make up for the difference... plus I can stretch and relax in the AC without having to sit in my car for half an hour after my long run.

It's overcast, and it might rain. The high today is only supposed to be 85, and it's supposed to be cloudy the entire time I'm running. This is AWESOME.

I can do this. Who cares that I won't be with the team? I CAN DO THIS. 16 miles, here I come. For grandma. And for me.

Visualization

From our weekly coach's notes:

TRAINING TIP OF THE WEEK: VISUALIZATION

We have focused this season in large part on the physical side of training. Let’s turn now to a topic that’s equally important for endurance athletes; the “mental” aspect of training. Here are excerpts from a training tip that we’ve shared with our athletes in past seasons:

“We've all visualized ourselves doing something successful. It's a process that we start as children when we dream of winning a gold medal or a spelling bee. But the act of visualization is much more than just daydreaming—it's a powerful performance tool that we can use to help us in our day-to-day lives, including getting the most from a fitness regimen. If you are having a hard time seeing how you could look when you truly “transform your body,” you could use a little visualization to reinforce in the brain what the body is trying to achieve. Visualization is not simply a process of thinking about something (although that is a decent start); it's an organized process of mentally working through weaknesses and seeing improvement in order to make progress.

Visualization is also referred to as “guided imagery,” or the process of creating a scene in your mind of what you want to happen. An Olympic athlete will create images, like pictures or movies, that recreate their best performances or envision desired outcomes so that imagery becomes a “normal” part of the psyche. While imagining these scenarios, the athlete actually imagines every detail and the way it feels to perform the way they want. These images can be visual (images and pictures), kinesthetic (how the body may feel), or auditory (creating sound triggers to stimulate repetitive performance). Using the mind, an athlete can call up these images over and over, enhancing skills through repetition or rehearsal, similar to physical practice. With mental rehearsal, minds and bodies become trained to actually perform the skill imagined. A layperson would apply the exact same techniques to improve on push-ups, yoga positions, finishing a desired number of repetitions, or just about anything. Such repeated imagery can build both mental experience and confidence in one's ability to perform certain skills or achieve a certain outcome.”

Here are several steps to help you begin to visualize like the pros:

• Visualize with as many of your senses as possible. Try to re-create as many feelings and muscular stimuli with each visualization as you can.
• Visualize as many times during the day as possible; when you get up, before training, after training, and always before you fall asleep.
• Visualize all the various situations that you will be facing. See the challenges and opportunities.
• Visualize those situations that are the most difficult for you. It is important that the images you create are as perfect as possible. Include as much of the physical feeling of doing these techniques as you can.
• Repeat each image in your mind as many times as possible. Utilize every opportunity to reinforce neuromuscular patterning.

Supposedly this really works—we'll see... :)

The Other Business

So on the MCM website, I encountered an interesting tidbit:

EXPERIENCE THE BROOKS VIP PORTA POTTY
Any runner wearing Brooks MCM 2009 apparel or Brooks shoes on race day earns the special privilege of using the Brooks VIP Porta Potty. Luxuries you’ll enjoy inside the Brooks VIP Porta Potty include flusing toilets, partitioned stalls, climate control, fragrance dispenser, hot and cold water, auto shut-off faucets and even an oak vanity and mirror. Download the location map of the Brooks VIP Porta Potty.

Fascinating. My current shoes are Brooks.

Busy-ness

I've been crazy-busy this week... our annual convention is coming up in 2 weeks, and I'll be flying to Oklahoma City (yay) to work 15-hour days for 5 days, then spend a day flying and go back to work the next day. But before that, we have to get everything ready to ship out on Monday—it's much cheaper to have a freight shipment take its sweet time and drive across country than it is to FedEx or UPS a bazillion boxes, even at ground rates.

Since I'm in charge of everything that's printed, I am usually the last link in a long chain for every piece that needs to be made. Which sucks, because the chain consists of many links, each one feeling as though there is all the time in the world—I mean, it's 2 weeks away, right? So I have to put pressure on my coworkers, and they have to try to convey the urgency to people who are miles and miles away and are busy with their own work. Ahhhh, the life.

Anyway, I'm busy getting all of these things done at what feels like the last minute. It's all under control, but every minute of my work day is full (and then some). Tuesday I did my run after work, which lasted until around 7, then went home and ate dinner at 9, and went to sleep at 11. It was a weird, sluggish run, my legs were aching and I just felt like I was running through quicksand.

I have to mention that I have a cold; Andy had it first, and now I'm a couple of days behind with it. Today is the worst day so far, I'm kind of achy and just feel crappy in general. Not to mention feminine issues (sorry gents) and today is the worst day of those cramps, too. So I'm just a big hot mess this week, and today seems to be culminating.

On my to do list outside of work:
• Write thank you notes to people who have donated recently. They are stamped and addressed, but I've been carrying them around for a week and haven't written them.
• Clean our house—we're having a party Saturday. After my 16 mile run. Yes, I'm serious.
• Plan the menu for the party.
• Pick up items to be borrowed from various friends: 2 blenders, a cooler, possibly a beach umbrella (it's a beach-themed party).
• Try to make some food ahead of time on Friday night.
• Get materials/pre-make food for a work party on Friday at lunch. Seriously considering purchasing something to bring.
• Make a fun playlist for the party (at home).
• Get plenty of rest Friday night for the run Saturday morning.
• DECIDE WHETHER TO RUN INSIDE OR OUTSIDE ON SATURDAY. This is the biggest concern I have right now, which is kind of silly considering all of the other things I have to do. Andy says I should run outside because I need the practice and it just isn't the same inside. He's right, but at the same time, I had SUCH a terrible run for the 14 miler that I am terrified of this run. I have psyched myself out of it, and I'm nervous about it. These are my concerns/worries/fears about it:

• HEAT. I am not meant to be out in the heat. If you've met me, you know that my skin is uber-white and not meant for sunshine fun beyond a certain point. Especially when extra exertion is required.
• WATER. At the 14 mile run, Team in Training ran out of water for the water stops. Yes, I carry my water belt, but it only gets you so far. So I get water and try to refill at the water stops, but it's kind of difficult when they run out. My entire second half of the 14 mile run was without water, except for one of the coaches coming by to hand out water bottles—to share. Way to plan.
• PACE. We all know that I am having major problems with pacing myself. Again, the 14 mile run started out way too fast, and I was spent by mile 9. The only way I know how to regulate this is to use my iPod because it can tell me how fast I'm going and I can judge whether I need to slow down or speed up. It is against the TNT rules to use headphone while running because you need to be aware of the trail and the other traffic. I understand this, but it's the only way. So I am considering sneaking it and doing my thing. I need it.
• TIME. This coincides with pace... I'm worried that it's going to take me forever. I was one of the last people to finish the 14 mile run, and I am NOT exaggerating. This is the opposite of a confidence booster. If it takes me 4 hours to do 14 miles, how can I finish the marathon in a reasonable time? I don't want them to reopen the bridge before I get across it. The pace time listed on the website is 14:00/mi—anything slower than that and they reopen the bridge, which is at mile 19 (So I have to do at least the first 19 miles in roughly 4.5 hours). And it would be extremely dangerous to try and run with traffic on it! Plus, they stop timing people at 3:30, so that's a maximum of 7.5 hours. In theory, if I could hold my pace I might be able to finish around 6 hours. That would be awesome by my standards!!!
  

Andy is a such good coach. He won't let me quit, even when I'm whining uncontrollably. And he keeps me from cheating myself, which sometimes I'm all too ready to do. So I guess I'm running outside on Saturday... there may be a party going on at my house while I nap. :)

Close Enough?

Well, as I often do when there is no set time and place to be, I procrastinated. Which is bad, because it only gets hotter... I didn't start until 10am! I couldn't do the run to Occoquan Park and back because I had planned on using the golf course path for about a mile where there wasn't sidewalk... and the golf course has a fence around it! So I altered my route, and ended up not running all 10 miles. (I ran 7.) But take into account:

Weather when I started
Temp/Humidity: 77 degrees/84%
RealFeel Temperature: 85 degrees

Weather when I stopped
Temp Humidity: 81 degrees/76%
RealFeel Temperature: 90 degrees

Also, did you know that your body heats up much more on the inside than on the outside while excercising? (The linked article is very interesting, as are the comments on it.) There is something called the 20-degree rule (I could only find reference to it here although we've talked about it in training. What can I say, I'm lazy with the Googling today.) So if it was 85, after some excercising it felt like 105. And who knows what my internal organs felt like?

I'm getting closer and closer to the decision to run all 16 miles next weekend INDOORS on the treadmill. I get plenty hot, and it would be nice to a) not have the sun beating down on me; b) have plentiful amounts of water nearby, and c) movies to watch. :-D

Perchance to Dream

I overslept my 5:30 am alarm today, there was a major thunderstorm and one lightning strike had to be in our neighborhood... not to mention that I was randomly dreaming about plane crashes before that even started... and I went to bed with a bad headache... let's just say it wasn't a great night for sleep.

So, I didn't make it to the group run, and now I'm running on my own. Luckily it's only 10 miles... I could go to the gym, but I'm going to do it outside since it's still early and hopefully the 10 miles will get me back inside by 9:30 or so (if I hurry up and leave soon!). I'm going to run from my house to Occoquan Regional Park, which will involve a big hill right at the turnaround.

Fingers crossed that it stays fairly cool for a while!!! Otherwise I will wimp out and turn around and head to the gym.

Running Music

I am currently doing research for running music.

Saturday's run was TERRIBLE, in the most epic way... it was the Grapes of Wrath of my workouts so far. HOT HOT HOT so effing hot, and I don't do heat... plus I started out way too fast and just died. Of the 14 miles, I think I ran somewhere around 9 and then just walked verrrry slowly to the end. I started off in the middle to front of the pack, and ended up being one of the last people in. SUCK.

So I need to figure out how to pace; training inside on the treadmill cheats me in that respect because the treadmill paces for me. So... although it's "against the rules" I have decided that I really do need my iPod if I'm going to get through this thing.

I've looking at some websites that let you search for songs with similar beats per minute, but I haven't figured out what range I like yet. Right now I'm just looking at all kinds of recommendations from all kinds of people/blogs/websites and I'm going to check out the songs I've never heard and see if any are my speed. (Pun intended!)

Any and all recommendations are welcome! First person to leave a comment wins a prize. A lame prize, but a prize nonetheless... :)

Prevent Sore Shins From Running at Runner's World

Prevent Sore Shins From Running at Runner's World

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This week

Tuesday night, ran 3 miles at the cinema. They were showing "The Uninvited," of which I saw the last 10 minutes (which didn't make any sense to me at all) and then the first 45 minutes or so. I didn't want to leave! Not that it was that good, but I was wrapped up in the story, you know? The dangers of hitting the gym without the possibility of catching an entire movie. Plus, why show a scary movie? Once I almost jumped off the treadmill. :)

Last night was a good run, 4 solid miles just watching NCIS reruns. Still using the treadmill because it's so hot, but keeping it at the 1% incline to hopefully mimic the difficulty of running outside. We'll see. 14 miles tomorrow, and it's a hill workout... apparently there are no flat stretches but plenty of shade... Starting at 7am!

hottttt

Wow, it is hot! I'm glad I ran inside... I just spent a couple of hours scrubbing our patio (it was green) and I am completely soaked with sweat. I look like someone got me with the hose. Lovely, I know. :)

Recovery Run

I'm not sure I understand the "Recovery Run." It's supposed to be the day after your long run, and I have yet to do it on the Sunday that I am supposed to. But I have gone on bike rides on Sundays, so does that count?

I guess today is my "recovery run" even though it's Monday and I have to run again tomorrow. I'm feeling very productive though, because I got a lot done this weekend around the house, so I want to keep up this wave of energy and be sure I get into the gym while I'm enjoying it! :)

Here's a random photo, since I haven't posted anything but words for a while:

I can't believe that I'm going to be in the midst of all of these people... it kind of gives me an anxiety surge just looking at it!

I Heart the Treadmill

Mmmm so nice to run inside on the treadmill! I ran 7 miles at the cardio cinema yesterday (was supposed to do 8, but we had plans with friends so I had to hurry) in just at 90 minutes. This is a good thing! And, as a bonus, I got to see the last 1/3 and the first 1/3 (in that order) of "Fast and Furious."

The thing is, it really wasn't that bad.

OK it was kind of bad, but not like "Glitter" bad, more like the movies that you see on Saturday afternoon on TBS, and you're flipping through, and the movie isn't that good, but you're like, eh, what the hell, nothign else is on.

The point is that I did my 7 miles in the air conditioning, so I was still extremely hot and sweaty, but I could actually breathe because the humidity wasn't 98% like it is outside. :-p Welcome to August!

Return of the Run

Last night's run was verrry short. Not because I was out of breath or hurting, just because the week without running made me lazy already! So tonight I'm going to try a 5-miler on the treadmill and see if I can bring back the pace a bit... I think I'm going to the Cardio Cinema, so they better have something good playing...

So Many Updates...

... so little time to post the updates! A list will have to do:

• No run in San Francisco.
• Biked across the Golden Gate Bridge! Was about 5-6 miles total I think, up to the bridge and then across and down to Sausalito.
• SF is freaking HILLY and so with the walking and biking we did, I feel OK about not doing the run.
• Got X-rays, don't have stress fractures.
• The doctor told me I have to STOP WEARING HEELS!!! Life over. :(
• I am dying to run... and way behind on work. Trying to figure out how I can get a good run in, get some work done, and have dinner with my girls tonight.

Unrelated... just got back in touch with a good friend from high school, and found out that he is big into mountain biking! I would love the chance to have Andy meet him and have them ride together. :)

More later!!!

San Francisco Route

Did a good 3 miles on the treadmill last night at an incline of 1.5%. It went pretty well, although it helps when you get one of the treadmills with TVs. :)

I've planned my San Francisco route, and I'm just a little bit nervous about it, mostly about running across the Golden Gate Bridge. It's something I really want to do, but it's very high and I'm scared of heights, so... it's going to be interesting. I think that this run should take me 3 hours or less; I'm not too sure because of hills and traffic lights and all of that kind of stuff. But I did plan it fairly well as far as hills, which is great. :)

Here it is, the 12 mile run:

Finding a Route

Trying to plan a route through San Francisco... I'm trying to get a feel for the neighborhoods, as well as for the HILLS... if anyone has any input let me know!

8 Really IS Great!

Aw yeah! This time, 8 miles turned out to be just fine. It might even be the farthest I've run, considering that I stuck to the 3:1 run/walk ratio the entire time. My legs were giving me some trouble, but I kept truckin... I know that running with the team helped me again this week, because I was feeling like slowing down towards the end. I made a new friend—Lisa—and we ran the 8 miles together. I'll only see her for a few more weeks though, because she's training for the Virginia Beach half marathon over Labor Day weekend.

Next week seems daunting: I have to do 12 miles, and I'll be in San Francisco on vacation. It's going to be tough. I need to figure out a route, and then once I get there I need to EXECUTE! It's gonna be really tough... I sent Helen a text to see if she might stoop to my slow-ass level and run with me. I think it would help me a LOT. But I understand if she just wants to enjoy her vacation. :)

Sexy Belt

Not sure I mentioned... I bought a water bottle belt. Yes, I know how ridiculous it looks. But it worked SO much better than the Camelbak! I guess I have to sacrifice my dignity for my health.

Return of the Shins

Tuesday morning, I went to a sports doctor (orthopedic surgeon) to get my shin situation checked out. Mainly I wanted to find out if I had some sort of deformity that was making me run funny, like if one leg is way shorter than the other or etc. Pretty much I waited for 1.5 hours and then saw the dr. for 15 minutes, just like any other dr's office.

He basically told me that I had shin splints, but he wanted to take xrays just in case to make sure it there weren't any stress fractures. (I found it interesting that he especially recommended this after he found out the insurance I have. Is it something he wants to do, but would have waited on if I couldn't afford it? Or does he want to go ahead with it because it will make him more money? Ah, the joys of our healthcare system!)

So I'll humor him, I don't mind having the xrays to rule out something that would be really bad. (Running on stress fractures will eventually lead to full-on broken bones—no thanks!) I have notoriously strong bones though, so I'm 99% sure that I just have shin splints. He also prescribed some stronger anti-inflammatory drugs to take and told me to cut the running in half, if not resting completely, for 2 weeks until my next appt.

So, I didn't do the Tuesday night run. I wanted to go for a bike ride with Andy, but I worked late and had to run errands and he was hungry, so we didn't end up going after all. Tonight I'm going to run on the treadmill a bit, not sure if I will do the whole 50 minutes (I probably will) but I'm going to take it easy. It's strange how I feel like I haven't excercised in FOREVER, but really I excercised on Monday night. I am turning into someone who enjoys excercise?! Or at least feels weird when they don't do it. :)

8 miles Saturday morning! I have to drive all the way to Reston though, and be there by 7am. It's pretty far... another early morning... :-p

Last Saturday - 10 miles!

I can't believe it's taken me so long to post... and now I don't have the time to tell all about it properly... suffice it to say, I did 10 miles at 7 am on Saturday morning, and it was ok! Of course it was hard, but I think I made it harder on myself: The first 5 miles were great, I was running with 2 other ladies and chit-chatting and it passed by so quickly. I didn't even feel that tired! Then, at the turnaround spot (we were doing 5 mi out and back) I had to pee... of course... so I told them I'd catch up to them. Well, instead of the port-a-potty I was expecting, there was nothing... so I ran up to the post office, forgetting that there is no public bathroom in a post office, and then ended up peeing in the bushes after all. (Which is fine, totally used to the camping-style bathroom!) So then I was behind and it was pretty hard to catch up. So I was running harder to catch up, but it just ended up biting me in the ass, because I got tired more easily, and then ended up walking more... vicious circle! But overall, I learned that a) I can actually do 10 miles! and b) it REALLY pays to stick with the pace, because it does wonders. My run/walk ratio was 3:1, which I think is great.

Then I layed around the house for the rest of the day. Woohoo! :)

Thursday 7/16

It was soooo hot and humid on Thursday!! It was 95 degrees and it felt like I was breathing water. Not to mention the fact that I had skipped Tuesday's run in favor of Wendy's and Tetris. :-p Regardless, I completed my 50 minutes of running, although I didn't get very far. I'm learning, though, that speed doesn't matter much in endurance sports. At least not for beginners. (I'm not trying to qualify for the Boston marathon here, just want to finish without dying!)

Marathon Course Video

I was expecting something different than this video, maybe because it was described as a "3D view of the marathon course." Nevertheless, it's interesting to watch the course get traced (but painful to imagine how far it really is!) throughout the DC area. I'd love to see a Google maps overlay, or maybe a MapMyRun track... hmm, maybe I should check and see if someone has done one already! If they haven't, maybe I will make the time to do it... Or not... :)

Runner's Hedonism

In pursuit of pleasure, I was very bad yesterday—I skipped my run, ate Wendy's for dinner, and played Tetris instead of doing the dishes. This is what happens when my husband leaves town. :)

Attack of the Mountain Bike

We went for a ride on Sunday to a place called Schaffer Farms near Gaithersburg. After only a few minutes on the trail, I told Andy to go ahead. I was feeling slow and wanted him to go ahead and have fun. I regretted that later, when I got off on a WAY challenging trail by myself. The trail was very rooty, and there were spots where it had steep, short dips where you'd come right back up again. Sometimes I would get to the crest of the hill to get back to normal, and I just couldn't get up over the hill—you'd think I would give up after falling the first time, but I was determined to keep going—I just kept falling over and over again! It was terrible. I definitely cried in the middle of the woods, hoping that no one would come by and see this wimpy girl. I don't know if I was just having a really clumsy day, or if the trail was that much more above my level than either of us thought. In any case, I now have 29 bruises and 9 scrapes (yes, I counted). This is the worst one, on the underside of my forearm, near my elbow:


It looks better in the photo than it does in person. Andy wanted me to wear long sleeves so people didn't think he beat me. As if. :)

Sesame Street Lied: 8 is Not so Great

I had every intention of coming home after Saturday's run and writing all about it—especially since I was blogging in my head during my run. It entertains me to think of what I will write about later... but most of the time when I get back home I just want to lie on the couch and veg out to the tv. :) Some of the experience has blurred, but the basics are still ingrained in my mind...

5:28 am: I wake up, go to the bathroom, and lie back down in bed even though I'm unusually pretty awake.
6:00 am: My alarm goes off, time to get ready to drive to Sterling to run with the TNT group. I turn it off and lie down again, even though I'm still pretty awake.
6:28 am: Andy says,"it's almost 6:30." and I reply, "I know. I don't feel like driving to Sterling." I am wishy washy for about 15 minutes until I decide that it's too late to make it in time and that I will run by myself.
7:00 am: I get out of bed, and begin getting ready for the run. I haven't been up this early on a Saturday in I don't know how long. I am reminded of getting up for swim practice on summer mornings when I was in middle and high school, and how much I hated getting up and getting in the water when it was so cold. (70 degree water is pretty chilly.)
7:20 am: I'm on the internet, looking at maps of the W&OD trail, with Andy looking over my shoulder advising me on the best place to go run.
7:45 am: Andy leaves to go to work. I'm slowly getting everything ready. Yes still.
8:30 am: I finally leave the house to go to Falls Church and hop on the trail.
9:05 am: I am on the trail! Walking at first to warm up, then running. I am wearing my Camelbak since Thursday's run was decent with it on. I didn't consider the fact that 8 miles is a lot farther than 3 miles when you're wearing a backpack.
9:15 am: There are lots of cyclists on the trail, and they are kind of rude. Not many of them announce their presence and so they just zoom around me without warning. I am being very careful to look behind me first if I am going to go around a walker.
9:30 am: My legs already hurt. Shin splints again. I've only been around 2 miles.
9:37 am: I see a woman walking a ferret on a leash. So weird.
9:45 am: I've been 3 miles, with lots of stops along the way to try and stretch my legs. I sit down and call Andy for some advice. I know he will give it to me straight.
I say, "I've been 3 miles, and I can't decide if I should go the 4th mile, because then I have 4 more to do. It's not a matter of whether or not I can make it--I know that I can keep going another mile. But my legs are killing me and I'm not sure if I should keep running on the shin splints. What do you think?"
He says, "Well, you could turn back now, and if you feel like it's OK, you can go a mile the other direction on the trail and then come back to the car." Genius.
9:52 am: After some more stretching, I'm headed back in the other direction. Every walker I pass makes me feel great. Every person who passes me while I'm walking makes me feel terrible. Such a roller coaster of achievement/failure feelings!
10:05 am: I've only been on the trail for an hour, but it feels like an eternity. I'm about 1/3 of the way back to the car, but time is crawling by. The Camelbak isn't heavy, but it distracts me. I also think that it makes me lean forward more, which is not good for the leg issue. It might be time to buy one of those ridiculous looking belt things with the little water bottles on the sides. Ugh.
10:15 am: I pass the third person wearing a Camelbak while running, but they are all the little ones with nothing but the water pouch. Mine has room for storage, and although I don't have much in it, I think it's just distracting to me having it there.
10:20 am: Less than a mile to go, and it's very hard to keep running. I take a long walk break, about 5 minutes, and I'm beginning to realize that I will probably be walking a lot of this marathon. But it doesn't matter; I just have to finish. I can accomplish the same thing by walking as I can by running.
10:35 am: Back at the car! My mind is telling me to put the Camelbak in the car and to keep going for a mile in the other direction, but my body is telling me to just get in the car and sit down. My legs are throbbing. I wish for the shin splints to go away so that I can keep running, because I am getting better with the endurance and as much as I hate the running, I like the running.
10:45 am: I finally start the car after taking my time getting my shoes and socks off and drinking some water.
11:15 am: I'm back at home, wishing already that I had at least walked the extra 2 miles. This is the first mileage run that I have come up short. It's very discouraging. I briefly consider not even writing about it here, and then decide that it won't help me any to leave out the bad runs.
12:00 pm: Andy is home from work, and we eat pizza from the freezer. Then we spend hours watching reruns of Mythbusters, napping, and just enjoying being lazy. I haven't had such a lazy day in a really long time, and it feels great to know that I at least left the house and got some excercise this morning.

Looking back, I really do wish that I had walked the extra 2 miles. I might be walking a lot more of the marathon than I thought, and I need to work on accepting that. (I wasn't planning on running the WHOLE thing anyway, but I was hoping to run maybe half?) I'm not sorry that I missed the group run though; I am beginning to realize that, as much as I want company, I don't want to feel pressured by someone else's pace or expectations. When I need to stop and walk, I need to stop and walk. I don't want someone telling me to keep going, because I know when I need a walk break. Plus, I have all of you reading this so I know I can't quit. And I told my grandma I was doing it for her, and that's the ultimate motivator. :)

So now I need to recover from the shin splints, AGAIN. I've been told that running by leaning forward causes extra stress on that part of the legs, so the Camelbak may just exacerbate that. We'll see.

Thursday July 9 (Yesterday)

Yesterday was a good run too. I wore my Camelbak for the first time, so it was a little different having that additional weight on my back. And a little slower, but my shins were bothering me—I think the increasing mileage has taken a toll lately. I've been icing my legs and trying to stretch a lot. I'm a little worried about the shins for tomorrow's 8 mile run, but all I can do is try it out. It's not like I've never run with shin splints before. I feel like the hip has gotten a lot better, still need to do some weight training though. And some fundraising!!! If you're reading this, please PLEASE make a donation—$10 would be great—the link is to the right of this post!!! Thanks :)

Tuesday July 7

Unbelieveable!

I worked late and then had to do a massive grocery store run, so I didn't even get to start running until almost 8pm. I put away all the refrigerated groceries, left the rest in the car, and head out for what I knew would be a short run.

Andy was out on a bike ride, so I expected that he'd be back by the time I got home, short run or not. I left around 7:50 and did a shortened version of my usual loop around the neighborhood. I decided not to do the 2:1 run/walk ratio and just ran when I could and walked when I needed to. I felt really good, really light on my feet, but I chalked it up to having a light lunch instead of going out for a BLT. :)

So imagine my surprise when I got home, and Andy wasn't back yet! I checked the time... I had only been gone for 20 minutes!! Two miles in 20 minutes!! Amazing.

Monday July 6

I was supposed to run a 30 minute recovery run on Sunday, but we drove back and then got lazy for the evening. On Monday, Andy and I went out for a bike ride after work, which was really great! It was our first workday outing since his shift changed. It's so nice to be able to spend time together every day like normal people! We had a good bike ride, but I was getting a little scared because it was starting to get darkish and we were at Laurel Hill in the woods. Even when you're not in the woods, the bushes are higher than I am so it gives me the creeps when it starts getting dark. Anyway, good ride, 1.5 hours, and good quality time too.

July 4: Six Patriotic Miles

So I did my 6 miles around Northport, and it was really great! I finished on-pace, roughly 13 minutes per mile. Not bad for running and walking, especially this one hill on James St.—it's pretty much straight uphill for at least half a mile. I probably passed 15 people and they were all going downhill. Anyway, it was a really good run, I was feeling good (even without my iPod), and it all took place before a nice cookout and holiday. Woohoo!

Beginning of the Backtrack: Thursday July 2

I didn't have the best run last Thursday, but the thing is that I ran. It was the night before a holiday, and Andy and I had just been laying around the house for over an hour. Finally, I decided that I had to run, so I just got up and went running. I was really proud of that—it wasn't the longest or fastest run, but I got up off my ass and did it. So again, I am turning a new leaf.

The bad part is that I left my iPod out on the floor while I was charging it for the trip... and Fry decided to chew on the earphone wires. My fault, I left them out even though I knew he would chew them up (he's done it before... 1 time shame on you, 2 times shame on me!) but I was too lazy to wrap up the cord. So, I've been running without music since then. Not terrible, but the music really helps me.

not an update!

I've been so slack about blogging... I've been writing in my head but haven't found my way to the keyboard yet! I have so much to tell... overall, good runs lately! Which is good. I'll catch up soon, I promise!! :-p

Mehhhh

Another crappy run. The overall pace was much better than I thought (much MUCH better than it felt) but still. I did a short run because I knew that it wasn't going to be great. I felt as if I was literally dragging myself around the neighborhood. Just not light on my feet. I can remember swim practices where it was an effort just to get to the other end of the pool, much less consistently swim laps. So I guess I really need to focus on drinking more water and eating a lighter lunch on my running days. The good news: I realllly didn't want to run; I was in the recliner for an hour before I went running at 8 p.m. So I guess I am getting to a new level of discipline, which is good!

Northport

Just planned my run for Saturday while we are in New York for the 4th of July:


It took me a while because I kept having to zoom in to make sure there was sidewalk on the roads that I was looking at, and also because I have no sense of scale and I didn't know how far each segment was going to be until I plotted it.

I really want to run to Asharoken and back (that weird neck of land north of Northport that juts into Long Island Sound) but it would be 8.5 miles round trip. I could do it, but I only have 6 miles on the schedule this weekend and I think that I will enjoy more of my holiday if I can keep it to 6. :) Plus, there are lots of seemingly fancy houses there, and I don't even know if they are public roads or if it is Snootyville. I'll investigate and maybe run there next time.

So tired... don't want to run... I hope someone is reading this and knows how dedicated I am! ;)

Mmm Pizza...

The office bought everyone pizza for lunch because only half of us were here (tomorrow is a holiday). This is a really nice thing to do, and of course I ate pizza, but now I'm a little concerned about how the running will go tonight. I woke up this morning dreading it, just because I'm tired, but geez... after eating pizza and drinking Coke, I'm not sure it will be a good run. Oh well... maybe my sweat will smell like pizza sauce. Yumm...

Is pizza any better for you if it has fruit on it??

pace yoself, fool!

Forgot to mention that I have problems pacing myself. It's either running 10 min/mile or walking 16 min/mile. And as you can guess, I can't hold the running for very long at that pace. So I'm trying to consciously run slower and walk faster. Running slower is harder... but since I am such a rhythmicly inclined soul, I've been pinpointing songs that are upbeat but not too fast. Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl and Fight for Your Right (to Party) by the Beastie Boys are good examples.

Someone should invent sunglasses that you can wear and see your stats as you're running. That would be really cool. They probably already invented it and it's a bazillion dollars and only Saudi princes and Bill Gates can afford them. I would say Warren Buffett, but he is way too practical and rich to have spent his life buying stupid shit like that. He would wear a watch. An ANALOG watch. Because he is old school like that. Yes, I'm rambling about Warren Buffett on my running blog. What?

agua/maji/vatten/wasser/eau

Yes... water! I need to drink more. And eat a better lunch. Well, my lunch was fabulous--I mean to say that it needs to be healthier. Tonight's run was not as good as last Tuesday... oh yeah, maybe I should be better about doing my workouts too! I am recommitting to this schedule and making it a priority. Must. Complete. Every. Workout.

I cut the aforementioned route a little bit short (only 2.6 miles) because the sky was very scary (and because I suck today). Fortunately, it didn't thunder or lightning, and it only rained a little. Rain, I can handle. Lightning, not so much. Also, remember the big hill I talked about? It really

SSSSUUUUCCCCKKKKSSSSS!!!!!!!

When I can run that hill all the way without stopping (or dying), then the marathon will be a piece of cake. I guess in a way I'm lucky to have such a hard hill to practice on in my neighborhood.

I had this idea of walking the actual marathon route sometime. Maybe on a Sunday, I can do my 30 minutes of recovery run and then walk the rest. I'd really like to be able to visualize running all of it. Maybe I will do it a few times over the course of my training. It's always easier for me to continue on when I know what I'm facing. If the end isn't in "sight" then sometimes I just give up. Working on that trait too...

Anyway, tomorrow is either rest or cross-training, and I'm opting for cross-training. There's a spin class at the gym at 5:30 tomorrow, perfect!

Pump it Up

Trying to get motivated for my run tonight. I always feel great afterward, but the hard part is getting started...


I think I'm going to try this 3.5 mile route through my greater neighborhood area:


It's basically up Silverbrook (as everything is from our house) and to the church, then back down Silverbrook with a longcut on Laurel Crest. Right around the 3 mile marker on the map is where a big hill starts. Should be good for me!

A Nice Day for a Hike

Mom came to visit this weekend, and we went for a girls-only hike on Saturday. We headed to Sky Meadows State Park, about an hour/hour and a half away from our house and into the mountains. The weather was perfect, it was warm and sunny but there was a great breeze at the bottom of the trails as well as on top of the ridge. The map of Sky Meadows is below:



We took the North Ridge Trail (1.7 miles) to the Appalachian Trail, then headed north for about 2.5 miles to the trail crossing at Route 50. After a quick rest and a muffin, we headed back southbound on the AT and took the Ambassador Whitehouse Trail (1.1 miles, dumps into the North Ridge Trail) back to the parking lot. The trail up to the AT was VERY steep in sections, but the AT was fairly level until close to Ashby Gap (where it crosses 50). Then back up the gap, across the ridge, and down the hill to the road. Overall, it was a good hike, and I feel like the effort getting up the steep hills was better than the 5 miles I was supposed to run!

The only bad thing about the hike was my boots; I have some massive blisters on my heels. My left heel has a blister the size of a pepperoni! And that was after putting moleskin on to prevent the rubbing! So... I'm not sure if they need to be broken in more, but I am pretty sure I'm not willing to find out.

Tuesday's Run

Was awesome! I felt really good and I set a new record for my avg min/mile time. I even ran a few extra hills that I didn't have to!

I'm supposed to run today but I have too much stuff that needs to get done at home. (Didn't get home from work until around 7 so I just need those precious hours between getting home and sleeping.) And, I'm supposed to go on a hike with my mom on Saturday, so if I do that I won't run my mileage. I will have to do it on Sunday...

Helen gave me some great tips on the hip injury, since she has experienced something similar. She suggested some stretching, which I've tried but I've recently found a better resource for stretches. She also suggested some strength training for the hip adductors because it could be that the muscles are too weak to do what I'm asking them to do. In any case, my hip is still sore from Tuesday, so it's probably good that I'm not running tonight.

It makes me nervous to miss a scheduled workout, but I know that in the long run (ha!) it's more important to be healthy... plus this is just one that I've missed since the beginning. (I've made up any others I've missed on the next day.)

I need to work on my fundraising letters and mail them out. If you are actually reading this, then please hop on over to my fundraising page and help out! You also will probably be on my list to get a letter, so be warned. :-D

Go do it.

I was procrastinating and decided to search "motivation" on YouTube. (I said I was procrastinating...) This interesting tidbit came up:



I was going to do it anyway. 40 minutes today.

First Mileage Weekend

My first mileage weekend has come and gone... I did 4 miles yesterday. It was a lot closer than I thought it would be, which is great. It was misting out, but not full-on raining, so that was fine. I didn't eat breakfast before though and I really felt the effects. I also didn't take any water with me... I guess I'm going to have to figure something out about that. I need to look into small Camelbaks soon.

Anyway, it was my first outdoor run since the race, and I did the 4 miles in almost exactly 1 hour. I ran up to the house just as Andy was loading the kitties in the car for their vet appointment (they were so happy...) so I got to go along. I have found that having somewhere to be motivates me to go a little faster toward the end of my runs. I did the same thing on Mother's Day when we had somewhere to be. Just running outside in general motivates me because I'm not able to just stop whenever I feel like it.

My hip/groin is sore today, as I knew it would be... It's getting better (I think?) but I'm ready for it to be done. In any case, it feels good to have the first outdoor run out of the way. I'm planning on coming home and running outside from here on out, unless of course it's raining again!

I also need to get to work on some fundraising letters. My goal is $2500, and I have raised $400 so far... I don't enjoy asking people for money, but I feel like it's a good cause and I don't often ask people for money, so I can suck it up!

B.O.B.

Had a great run last night! It felt really good, although I was sweating more than usual and my face was WAY more red than usual... maybe it was extra hot in there... :) Anyway, the TNT training schedule called for 40 minutes easy run, so I did just that. Not too much walking, either. A good mix.

One thing that really helped me get going last night was the EXCELLENT songs that kept (randomly) coming up during the workout:
B.O.B. - Outkast
Mrs. Robinson - the Lemonheads
Hard to Explain - the Strokes
Jump - Van Halen
A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me" - Fall Out Boy
Spiderwebs - No Doubt
Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado/Timbaland
Helena - My Chemical Romance
We Built This City - Jefferson Starship
Livin on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benetar
Paint it Black - Gob

Good music is such a driving force for me. I believe that the Marine Corps Marathon rules prohibit the use of iPods or other music players, and I know that if you attend the TNT training runs you can't listen to music. Not sure how I'm going to get around that one... during the race itself I'll be fine, the half marathon wasn't bad and I'm sure the marathon will be the same. Music would have helped pass the time, but it's not imperative since the excitement of the actual race is pretty entertaining in itself. It's the miles and miles of practice...

It's been so rainy lately. I've been running inside the past few weeks since I've been sort of injured, but also it's been so wet that I can't count on running outside. Even after the great run last night, my hip is really sore today. I tried to stretch it last night and tried to ice it a bit, but I'm not sure that any of that is helping. Argh...

The schedule for today calls for either a rest day or 30-40 minutes of cross-training. I'm opting for cross-training since I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things. Hopefully I can work through the hip funkiness!

Big Plans

Been sickly the past couple of days, but I'm taking my running shoes on our camping trip this weekend. Hopefully I feel up to a run tomorrow morning! I'm so sick and tired of not working out. Ready to run!!!

Slacker!

I've been slack about the blogging lately... and the running! Yesterday was my first "official" day of training "with the team" and I did not run. BUT, that's because I went on a bike ride with Andy instead. Basically, I need to get back into the swing of things, running-wise. I can't believe that just a few weeks can affect me this much. Blah.

So today I'll run the miles that were supposed to happen yesterday (3 miles) and then pick back up tomorrow. The "long runs" are on Saturdays, so I will almost definitely be doing that with the actual team just to keep myself going the distance. ("Go the distance...") They practice at like 9 a.m. though, in different places, so I'll be getting up VERY early for the next few months. On a Saturday. YUCK.

Oh well. I leave you on this quote from my friend Amanda: "No rain, no rainbows." :)

Running Once Again

I did my first running since the race yesterday, although it wasn't very much. I'm kind of falling apart physically, but the excercise helped some things and worsened others, so at least I'm sort of breaking even. It's discouraging to me to feel like I've been set back so much, but Andy made the point that as long as I keep the cardio up in some way, reminding my muscles how to run shouldn't be a problem. So I'm trying to focus on just excercising in some fashion. I think I might go for a bike ride today after work instead of running on the treadmill... although I think it might rain... AGAIN... :-p

Too Tired to Think of a Title

Went to the gym yesterday, it's been raining a lot. Tried running but the hip hurt, so I walked 2.5 miles. Pretty discouraging—after running 13.1 miles and surviving, I'm ready to run again. I never thought I'd say it, but I really want to go run 5 miles right now!

Owie

I rode my bike with Andy on Saturday, but other than that I hadn't exercised since running the race. I was ready last night, got on the treadmill, and the hip that has been nagging me since the race was just killing me. I ran for an embarrassingly short amount of time and then gave up. I've tried stretching it, but I can't seem to make it any better. I'm going to try again tomorrow, and hopefully it's just a kink that needs to be worked out... If it isn't better by Monday, I'm going to the doctor. Unfortunately my WebMD diagnostic skills aren't helping with this one.

Fortunately my training schedule says today is a rest day anyway. :)

Lovely.

If you think this is good, check out Sexy People—I think I might fit into their category... :)

Early in the race

Pouring Rain!

Downtown Fredericksburg—a lot nicer than I thought

This looks like the speedwalking championships or something...

Almost there! Dragging myself to the finish...

And the lovely finish shot.

Tin Man Syndrome

Still recovering... I like to call my current state "tin man syndrome" because of the way I am walking. :) Surprisingly, the shin splints are still not back... I must have been doing something right. I think that I stretched my lower legs plenty during the race, but didn't stretch my quads once—and those are the muscles that are killing me. Also need to learn to stretch my hips without laying on the ground... or suck it up and just lay on the ground in the middle of the race. Hmm... could be an intimidation technique? :)

Gimpy

Good thing I took today off--I can barely walk! I am trying to get up every few hours just to keep the muscles moving, but apparently I didn't stretch enough yesterday. I still don't have shin splints though! A miracle!!!

I'm already planning on another race, I want to do at least a 10K later this summer. I think I could do pretty well! I always have been a sprinter... if I keep running after the marathon I'll probably do shorter races and work on bettering my times.

Yes, I realize how silly I am, that 2 days ago I was scared and didn't want to do it, and today I'm plotting my running career. :)

Done and done!

5K = 3.1 miles; 10K = 6.2 miles; 15K = 9.3 miles; half marathon = 13.1 miles

10K is almost halfway, as you can see I lost some energy on the second half of the race—I especially tanked in the last 3 miles... my hip is killing me and I need to figure out what that's all about. No shin splints yet, YET being the operative word.

But I was aiming for around 3 hours and I did it! Imagine what I can do after many more months of training, especially with a coach and a team... I'm very sore but I'm so glad I did it. Hooray! I'm calling in sick tomorrow. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Knock on Wood

Oh yeah... it's definitely like thunder and lightning from this afternoon all the way through 10 am tomorrow. I'm secretly very happy—I really don't want to do this half marathon. I guess that's not a secret anymore...

I'm being a baby about it: I don't want to go by myself, I don't think I can run 13.1 miles, I'm just not there yet in my training. I'm scared of failure, but I don't even know what constitutes failure in my mind—I just know I don't want to be struggling and have people passing me all the time. It's all very cowardly really. Not to mention that GK are having a graduation party since Galen just finished his Construction Management degree. So I will have to go home early and go to bed while everyone else is having fun, just so I can get up at 5:45 to go running in the scary weather. Blargh.

I'm going to Fredericksburg this morning to pick up my race packet and information, and I'll ask more questions about the weather policy then. When it comes down to it, I know I should race. It will be good practice for the marathon and just good to push myself to that distance that I haven't reached before. But... the thought of the horrendous shin splints that will come after just makes me want to stay home and bundle up and stay warm and dry and pain-free. :-p

I promise I won't be this way about the marathon. You can trust me for several reasons:

1. I told my grandma I am doing it for her.
2. I am asking people to donate money in conjunction with me doing it. (See sidebar!!)
   
3. I will have LOTS more training before doing it.
4. I have made up my mind that I am doing it no matter what.
5. Everyone I know will give me shit if I don't do it.

Official Team Member!

It's official—I'm running the MCM as a member of the Team in Training! Here is my TNT page, and if you are able, please help me achieve my fundraising goal to help eradicate blood cancer! I called my grandma and told her she was my "honored teammate", and once she realized she didn't have to actually run the marathon with me, she is cool with it. :)

The kickoff event is June 6, and team training begins the next Saturday. The half marathon is in 3 days, should be a nice ass-whipping (as in the 13.1 miles will whip my ass) but at least I'll get some race experience.

TNT First Meeting

Tonight is my first meeting with Team in Training (TNT as they call themselves). It's just informational, but hopefully they'll give me all the info I need to know that I want to join up with them. Here's to hoping that the meeting isn't a room full of super-peppy happy folks who are going to do cheers or something in the name of cancer fundraising. I can't take all the exuberance! :-p