halfsies?

june

2008-06-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

...was a slow month for the running. After my huge debut as a half-marathoner, I believe I've gone out for a run 3 times? Nothing stellar. But I REALLY don't want to lose all that training I worked so hard for. I'm not a fan of the long run (I'd say beyond 6 or 7 miles it's just no fun) so I will keep it short and sweet for now, and ramp back up when I have a distance to train for. And I've started back up again - 3 miles yesterday, and I planned on going out again today until I woke up with a nasty headache. So I'll be out tomorrow. I'd like to shoot for 3 runs a week, keeping it at about 3 miles.

I also signed up for another half marathon, but this one I'm doing as part of a relay team with my dad and sis-in-law. Should be fun, and will keep me running over the summer. I'll probably start looking for a 10K to do sometime this fall as well.

And as far as kage / delilas 10K crunch challenge goes, I've been doing my 100 crunches 4 or 5 out of every 7 days. Nothing to brag about, but that's 4 or 5 days more than I was doing crunches before!

I'm looking forward to my annual physical next week. Last year, my doctor encouraged me to make exercise a regular habit (beyond my usual training routine of chasing children) and I haven't seen her since. I can't wait to see her face when I tell her that I didn't just add 20 minutes a day, I ran freakin' 13 miles. And now I've just got to keep it up.

DONE!!!!

2008-06-02T16:56:00.001-07:00

This post is going to have a lot of pictures, but you can just deal with it! Considering I think I've had maybe one picture in the life of this blog, consider this the make-up post!

I started the day with a half a peanut butter sandwich and a breakfast drink, and at 8:40 Chris (my racing buddy / sis-in-law), Mike (her hubby and our chauffeur) and I left to pick up Keighty (our other racing buddy and sis-in-law) to head off for the race. I was... nervous. NER-VOUS. Butterflies in belly. Not sure what to expect. As we approached Woodstock (the biggest town on the course) there was definitely traffic, a lot of cars parking and a bus ahead of us full of people. The closer we got to the start, the crazier it was. And then, we arrived - at about 9:30, with race start at 10:15 - and there were LOTS of people, and notably, LOTS of port-a-potties.

See them there behind us? Yeah, there were lots of them. Okay, so we first made a bee-line for said potties, since we all had to go. I get this nervous peeing thing before I run, I go about 10 times, convinced my bladder is full, but then it's like dribble, dribble, nothing. TMI?

Anyway, after that it was off to registration where we picked up our numbers and our timing chips. We then stood around watching all the "real runners" (as we termed them) stretching. It was our determination that it was too early for us to stretch, so we wandered around and crowd-watched a bit. With about 20 to go until start, we did some stretching, applied sunscreen and ultra glide, downed some shot bloks (I stashed some extras down my shorts) and we packed up our bag and stuck it on the gear bus (which took our bags to the finish line). Then it was time for one more stop at the potties, and then to the start line. Or, more specifically, to the back of the large mass of people at the start line. When the gun went off, it was 2 - 3 minutes before we crossed the line, and then we were off!

Chris and Keighty have always run a little faster than me, and we soon separated and did our own thing. I was probably right on pace in my first mile, but got a little worried in my second and slowed down more than I needed to I think. At about mile 3, you come to a part of the course where the route is doubling back on itself - and of course, by the time I got there, there were plenty of runners coming the other way (they were at about mile 5). The beauty of running slowly, you get the course to yourself, right?!?!? Just after mile 4, the course crosses a covered bridge and comes into Woodstock. That's where our team of supporters was waiting - so awesome and slightly overwhelming to see them!

Another nice thing about being near the end of the running pack is that there aren't a lot of people around to get in the way of photos, so Mike got plenty of shots of me crossing the bridge!

I look quite happy in that last one, don't I?

The highlights of the next 4 miles was a perfectly placed port-a-potty (they must have known when we'd need to get rid of all that pre-race water!) and some water stations and lots of very nice people cheering. If there's a race in your town, even if you don't know anyone running in it, go out and cheer for the people running by - it really does make them feel great! Starting at about mile 7.5, there were gatorade and water stations. I figured out that what I like is to take a cup of gatorade, drink 2- 3 sips, and then chase that with some water to get the taste out of my mouth. Running with that sweet taste in my mouth isn't fun - I'd rather flush it out with some water.

At mile 8, our cheering team met us at the end of a long dirt road stretch, right before we hit the biggest hill on the course. Here are a couple of shots of my son, Max, keeping busy while they waited:

And no, he doesn't know any of those people, he was just really enthusiastic about the whole event. Apparently, he was very upset that he couldn't run, so when I came along, he went out and joined me:

I paused long enough to give him a kiss, pick up a new pack of shot bloks from hubby, and then I was off again for the remaining 5.1 miles (after I trudged up the short but darn steep hill).

At about mile 11.5, when I was glad I had run the course before and knew the end was nearing, a sweet / funny / pathetic thing happened. There was a woman out on her porch, cheering us all on. As I came by, she looked right at me and said, very earnestly, "you've come this far, you're almost there. Look at what you've done! Now finish it!" What she said struck me and I got a little teary, getting excited about accomplishing this enormous feat that I never really thought I could do. Then, because I started to get teary, my throat started to close up, and suddenly, I couldn't breathe! I started to panic as I wheezed with no air, until I finally calmed myself down, mentally slapped myself around for getting teary, and resumed normal breathing. Basically, I got so emotional about finishing the race, I almost didn't finish!! Pathetic.

Speaking of finishing, here's the big moment:

My buddy crossed the finish with me. The time on the clock is my "gun" time, meaning the time from when the gun went off until when I crossed the line. My actual time (from crossing the start until reaching the finish) was 2:43, which is a good bit below my goal of coming in under 3 hours. And now I have a number to shoot to beat next year! Yes, that's right, I'm thinking I'll run it again.

Here are my partners in crime on their runs. They did great!

And here we are, happy to be done. (and stuffing our mouths with food, please ignore our chipmunk cheeks...)

A big thanks to everyone who turned out to cheer us on, especially Michelle, our fellow training buddy / sis-in-law who had to sit out the big day due to the baby inside her really wanting to come out (but it's not time yet baby, STAY IN THERE!) so she was there cheering us on. She pretty much did the race though, since she went out on the 12 mile day with us, so she deserves a big cheer as well. (YAY CHELLE!)

Thanks for reading along through this adventure. It's cheesy to say, but I hope this inspires you to set a goal and go for it. A year ago, I would have pulled a muscle laughing at you if you suggested I'd have just completed a half marathon today. But here I am! And i'm not a runner, or a fitness enthusiast - never have been. But this has made me a healthier and more confident person, and I'm glad I've done it. I'm already planning for my next race (a half marathon relay at the end of the summer) and I expect to keep training, so keep reading if you'd like. I'll try to be better about updating you all on my frustrations, fun, and foibles as I go along.

YAY!

it's the final countdown....

2008-05-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

da da daaaa da... da da da da da.... da da daaaa da (come on, don't say it wasn't going through your head too when you read the title)

The race is on Sunday. I am ready. I ran 12 miles on the 17th (I know, right???) and I have my shoes, socks, shorts, and tank all set to go. The last thing I need to do is load up my latest audiobook (The Second Summer of the Sisterhood - I know, I'm ashamed...) and quell the butterflies RAGING in my tummy.

I'll try to post on Sunday (with some pictures even!) but if not, then Monday at the latest. :-)

apparently, I'm not much of a blogger these days

2008-05-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

It doesn't help that I'm a little bored with running, which makes BLOGGING about running fall even farther down the list!

We tackled 9 miles, and while it wasn't as good as the 8 mile run, I'd say that's mostly because I didn't sleep enough the night before. This past week was an "off" week (meaning our regular Tuesday / Thursday 3 mile runs and then a 4 mile on Saturday) in preparation for this Saturday's 10 mile run. It's a testament to how far I've come that I'm not freaking out about it - what's one more mile? Of course, the next week is 12 miles and that sounds a little daunting, but I'm sure we'll do great.

I made it through The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but it wasn't quite doing it for me. So I've switched over to some really hard-hitting literature: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Try not to hurt yourself laughing at me.

Also, after a less-than-thorough and really not scientific search, I've decided that I (along with my running partners / sis-in-laws) prefer Clif Shot Bloks in strawberry as our "performance food" of choice. Next task? Finding some (gulp) running shorts. Ugh.

A bit of a break

2008-04-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello there everyone, sorry, I've been a bit out of the blogging groove these last couple of weeks.

So yes, I was sick. I missed 3-mile training runs on 4/8, 4/10, and 4/17. I got in a 4-mile run on Saturday the 12th and a 3-mile on the 15th, but all said not exactly a stellar training period. Colds suck. 'nuff said.

Then, this past Saturday - 8 miles! It was an awesome run actually. We ran part of the actual race course - from Billings Farm in Woodstock to the Quechee polo fields, just past The Inn At Marshland Farm (where my hubby and I got married, actually). We left a car at each end, stuffed a bag with water and goo shots and dropped it by the side of the road, and we were off! Three of us ran, two (pregnant ladies) walked it. Aside from the water stop in the middle, we ran the whole way. It felt quite good actually.

Then yesterday I had the worst run I've had in MONTHS. I couldn't figure it out, it was only a 3 mile run, which we decided to do on the trails in the nature preserve behind my house. This is where we did all our running last summer, and so it should have felt familiar. However, I couldn't seem to get into it at all - it was totally a mental block, I wasn't too tired, but my body just wouldn't run for me. But after the run, I realized that all this time training on treadmills and the road has allowed me to develop a relatively consistent pace, and it is very difficult to maintain that when trail running - so many twisty little paths, ups and downs, rocks and roots, etc. So I'll be heading back to the road tomorrow, in hopes that it is indeed the solution. I hope I'm not permanently broken!

9 miles to come on Saturday. I finished Harry Potter #7 on the run last Saturday, and while I was tempted to just listen to it again (I love that book...) I thought something fresh might do me good. So I'm listening to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, which I'm enjoying so far. I haven't read the books in decades, so it is like reading (listening) to them again for the first time.

I'm beginning to sense a pattern here

2008-04-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a little low, not really into the running groove. I head out, somewhat unenthusiastically, for a challenging run. I return victorious, energized, jazzed, ready to tackle the next run. Bring it on! And the next step?

... I get sick. I've been down with a cold since Sunday. :-( Which means no run on Tuesday, no run today. I should be back for Saturday's run, but I'm bummed I've had to miss these two. It's spring! I can run outside! I am nearing the (dramatic, gripping, wonderful) end of Harry Potter on my ipod! Nothing can stop me now! ... Except a little snot...

We are the champions, my friends...

2008-04-05T09:41:00.001-07:00

... which is what I was singing when I re-entered my house after my triumphant 7 mile run! That's right, I did it. I DID IT! 7 miles, and..... drumroll please.... NO WALKING! I ran the whole dang thing!

We ran outside - no snow, no rain. It was damp out from all the rain yesterday, but otherwise, excellent running conditions. I did great until about mile 5.5, when I hit a bit of a wall, but now I just know for next time that I'll need to give myself a little "snack" right around that point (oooh, weird exercise gel packs, can't wait!)

Not much more to report about it, other than I did it. But I think that's enough, right? !

Checking in, catching up...

2008-04-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hello blogging world, sorry to have neglected you. Here's the training update:

Thursday, 3/27 - 3 miles, inside at the high school gym. They have an elevated walkway around the top of the gym, which community members can use during the day. You get the added bonus of watching gym class while you run. :-) I actually had a pretty crummy run. I couldn't seem to get my rhythm going, and it was really warm in there, so I don't think I'll be heading back there again. I suppose I was moving, so that was a plus, but in reality it wasn't much better than the treadmill.

Saturday, 3/29 - 5 miles! On the treadmill. I should have taken a lot of joy in completing this run - my first 5 miles, ever. But I think Thursday's run had me down, so while my 5 was a pretty good run, I just couldn't seem to muster enthusiasm or excitement over the achievement. Not like when I first ran 3 miles (ha! Seems so long ago!) when I ran around proclaiming it to the world with great joy. So I ran 2.5 miles, walked for a minute, and then ran the remaining distance. I think I needed the break mentally more than physically.

Tuesday, 4/1 - skipped :-S I really wasn't into it, and stayed up too late the night before, and hubby stayed up WAY LATE working on a business proposal, and I didn't want him to have to deal with AM kid stuff, and.... well, I basically made up a bunch of excuses and skipped. By Wednesday morning I was regretting it though. I may not love the running, but I like the feeling of using my body. Makes it feel like less of a useless lump.

Today! - 2 miles on treadmill. It was a shorter run today to prepare for Saturday's 7 miles (GULP!) which I'm desperate to do outside (although the report is currently calling for rain... better than snow I guess!). Anyway, I picked up the intensity today, and it was a pretty quick 2 miles. Glad to be back in the saddle again. It was good to miss a day and regret it, helps me to chase away the thoughts of skipping next time!

Stay tuned for the 7 mile adventure...

3 miles with no pauses

2008-03-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

Most of my runs up until now have worked like this: run a mile, walk for 1 minute. Repeat until the mileage has been achieved. It was such a nice reward after each mile to get that one minute of relief, get my breath back, and then attack again, renewed. But for my run on Saturday (3 miles, done outside in the afternoon) and my run today (3 miles, on the treadmill this evening) I did the full distance with no pauses, no walking. Woo hoo! It wasn't even that difficult. I found my breath to be in control for almost the entire run, I really only had to pay attention to it that last mile. It give me confidence going into Saturday's 5-mile run that I'll be able to handle it, no problem. I only hope that the forecasted snow (!!!!!) does not occur, so that I can do it outside. That long on the treadmill is just too boring, no matter what I'm listening to.

Off to hit the shower...

2 miles - the Chi is with me...

2008-03-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was just 2 miles, and I was back on the treadmill. Hopefully tomorrow's run (which is only 3 miles actually - gearing up for the big 5 miles next Saturday!) will be done outside.

I spent most of yesterday's run concentrating on my posture and form. I'm reading a book that a friend recommended called Chi Running, which I thought I would hate based on the title, but have actually found quite interesting. The short overview is that you should try to use your core muscles as much as possible rather than running just with your legs. Difficult to describe, interesting to attempt! ;-) I felt a difference in yesterday's run, so I'm continuing to read it and figure out exactly what it is I'm supposed to be doing!

OUTSIDE!!! - 3 miles

2008-03-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

I ran outside today! I'm so excited, it felt so good to be moving and breathing fresh air. And the best part? Average of 12 minute miles! I'm so relieved.

Of course, it's an 80% chance of snow tonight, with freezing rain as well, so who knows if I'll be outside again on Thursday, but at least I got a little taste of it. So much better than treadmill, I've got to say. Now I'm just looking forward to the end of snow and the end of mud season (which will follow the snow) so that I can get back on the trails. I don't like running on the road where there are so many people to see me!

saturday - 4 miles

2008-03-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

It is done. I have officially crossed the 4 mile mark. Hooray! It didn't feel quite as triumphant as the 3 mile mark. Wasn't quite as energizing either, as was evidenced by the nap I took on the playroom floor at about 2pm. :-)

I'm anxious to get outside to run, in part because the treadmill is getting a little monotonous, and also in part because I'm curious about my actual pace. Back when we were running outside this fall, I was doing about an 11 minute mile. Nothing fast, but that's not really what I'm going for here. According to my ipod (with the Nike+ tracker) I'm still running about the same pace as I was when we were outside, but the treadmill says I am running 14.5 minute miles! That sounds pretty darn slow to me. I'm looking forward to getting outside where I can run a course that I've tracked on the Gmap Pedometer at the same heart rate that I've been running at, and see what the equates to as far as pace. If I'm unlucky, I've actually been running slower. If I'm lucky, the treadmill is off and I've been running further than I thought, which would be so nice. I guess if I'm REALLY unlucky, the treadmill is off and I've been running much slower and much shorter distances. Sigh. Trying not to get my hopes up!

So yes, in order to run what the treadmill told me was 4 miles, I had to run for an HOUR. Plus warm up and cool down. That's a long time to stare at a brick wall. When I was leaving, one of the older men who was working out commented that I'd been on there a long time, and I definitely agreed with him. If you had told me this fall that I'd be spending an hour on the treadmill by choice, I'd have laughed in your face.

Thursday - "Just two miles"

2008-03-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

That's what I said on Wednesday night when Nate asked me how long I had to run in the morning - "Just two miles". Ha! Never thought I'd be saying that. It was fine, I ran at a higher intensity, so it didn't exactly fly by, but it wasn't so bad.

Tomorrow will see the dawn of the 4 mile run. Gulp! I was considering an outside run, but I just checked the weather and there's an 80% chance of snow. Sigh. So it's off to the treadmill for me. I got a couple of new gear bits to bring with me - a replacement Nike + sensor (since my old one died about 10 miles ago...) and a super-duper little pouch to put the sensor in. I"m glad to have it back, I've missed having Lance Armstrong telling me what a good job I'm doing. :-)

3 miles - awesome run

2008-03-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'm back! After a week of no running (and no cross training unless you count my boogie time on Friday night) I hit the treadmill this morning with a bit of trepidation. This whole daylight savings time switch has been really hard for me. I can't seem to get to bed before midnight, 12:30, and then 6:30 comes really really quickly. It just hurts to not only get up at that time, but to go EXERT.

But, mile 1 of today's run was one of the best I've ever had. I found myself thinking "how was one mile ever a challenge?" - that's how quickly and easily it flew by. Mile 2 was a definitely not as comfortable, but still not awful. Mile 3... well, about halfway through that my legs decided they were too tired and they'd rather stop, but I ignored that and powered through. So clearly endurance is needing some work! But it was great to feel so good for the first mile / two miles, especially since I've got a four mile run coming up on Saturday!

My friend who was in the hospital (Kristy) is back home, thank goodness. She is feeling better but has some life changes to adjust to - if you want to read about what's going on, you can go here. I'm just glad that it isn't something life-threatening - you hear spot on the brain, and your mind just runs wild with it.

the good, the bad, and the ugly

2008-03-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

the good - the library budget passed! Yay! That certainly makes my life much easier for the coming year. I'd hate to think how many bake sales it would have taken to keep the doors open...

the bad - I'm sick, so no running today. I'm very bummed, not only because I really don't like being sick, but also because I was really feeling in the groove. Today was supposed to be a 2 mile day at a higher intensity, and i was looking forward to feeling like 2 miles was a short run after my last two 3-mile runs. Hopefully I'll be back in business for Saturday's run. Also for my cross-training on Friday night - my sis-in-law is having a disco night for her birthday, so I've got to get my strength up so that I can boogie the night away!

the ugly - one of my dearest friends was admitted to the hospital yesterday after she had a seizure. The CAT scan has found something on her brain, and she's still in the hospital having tests done today. We should know more tomorrow. I'm wishing I had more energy today so that I could distract myself a little more - lying around on the couch staring at the ceiling just gives me a lot of time to worry about her.

More soon...

3 miles and I stayed up too late

2008-03-04T05:26:00.000-08:00

First of all, I didn't get my cross training in yesterday. It's Town Meeting time! Official Town Meeting day is today (Tuesday) but in my town, Tuesday is spent voting by Australian ballot on the measures that we discuss in a meeting on Monday night. I was at that meeting last night from 7pm - 10:30pm. Go Democracy, right??!!? I'm Treasurer of the Board of Trustees for our local library, and I had to appear at the meeting to speak on behalf of the library and basically beg the voters to approve our appropriation. We'll see what happens after the vote today. Anyway, I didn't get to go to pilates class because of the meeting, and I was too disorganized to find another time to work out during the day. Excuses, excuses.

BUT, after staying up until midnight (I had to unwind after the crazy long meeting) I got up at 6:30 and headed to the gym with C to run my three miles! Yeah, you know, it's old hat by now, I'm totally cool.... ;-) It felt pretty good. I can't say I'm LOVING it, but 3 miles isn't as awful as I imagined it to be. Talk to me at 4 miles. :-)

3 miles!!!

2008-03-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles! I ran 3 miles!

I feel like I can do anything. Well, anything except run another 10 miles. :-)

1.8 miles - gotta get up earlier

2008-02-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

Due to various complicated child-supervising schemes, which I will not bother to describe in detail, I had limited running time this morning and was not able to fit in my whole run. My own darn fault, I just like sleeping too much.

I also totally blew my "training diet" last night with a visit to our local diner. Mmmmm burger and fries, so yum yum yummy. I did manage to go without the shake, does that earn me any points? But I'm back in the saddle today, deciding right now what delicious and healthy meal to prepare for my dinner.

2 miles and mid-day running is not my favorite

2008-02-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

I skipped cross-training yesterday. Combination of hubby being away and a 3-hour library board meeting in the evening just made it too complicated. But, as I was preparing dinner, I got a little "time to go to the gym" urge. Saturday AM run to Monday evening cross-train is my longest stretch without a gym visit, and my body and mind were definitely feeling a little lost without the regular injection of pain and sweat. Seems I've formed myself a little habit here! Now if I could only drop the one that involves eating handfuls of chocolate chips while standing in front of the pantry...

Anyway, Grammie took Max to lunch today while I hit the gym for my 2 miles. As much as I DO NOT LIKE getting up early, I've realized that running mid-day is just not good for me. I get home, shower, and then suddenly my whole body is screaming that it is nap time. This would be fine if I could fit in a nap, but I can't. With the early AM running, my body is still in ramp-up mode, so I can deal. But if I run mid-day, as soon as 3pm hits it's all I can do to prop open my eyelids.

Thanks all for your rave reviews on the hair. :-)

2 miles and strength training

2008-02-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

... and boy am i tired. Most days that I run, I don't really feel it much the rest of the day. Once I get back from the gym and shower, I'm pretty much recovered from the experience. But today is another matter. I'm TIRED. Not sure what is different, I ran the same amount, and I didn't to a very intense lifting routine... maybe it's just a week's worth of blah hitting me on a Saturday morning.

Got my hair cut yesterday, I kinda like it. A little shorter than I was planning on, but it has some pizazz. I like pizazz.

Happy Saturday all!

2 miles - I'm not sure if I can do this...

2008-02-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

So here's the thing. I try so hard to keep the negative thoughts away while I'm on the treadmill. I know they don't do me any good. But today I just wanted to lie down and rest after 1.5 miles, and that little voice in the back of my head is saying "oh yeah, and a week from Saturday you'll be running 3 miles - you'd only be halfway at this point!" and I just want to give up altogether. How on earth am I going to run 13 miles? Well, I guess the truthful answer is that I'm not, I'm probably going to walk a good chunk of it, but I really want to run stages of it. Sigh. I'll do what I can do I guess. I just keep repeating what M said to me at one point - "I know that I'm going to feel better once I stop, so why not just run a little longer first?"

On a higher note, I can at least feel satisfied that I made it to the gym today. My hubby is on a business trip, which means no running to the gym first thing in the AM before he goes to work. My wonderful sis-in-law and training buddy K took Max for two hours while I did the deed, and I'll pay her back sometime in the next week. It would have been really easy to not go, but i didn't think twice about it, so I'm proud of that. I've also scheduled coverage for my Saturday and Tuesday workouts, so those are set. I'll probably try to squeeze in some yoga at home during the day on Monday for my cross-training, and I won't have skipped a beat. So yay for me on that one!

Wk. 1 - 2 miles - we've hit the big time!

2008-02-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

This is the first week of official training! Yay! (I think?!)

So far, so good. I made it to the gym on Saturday, my last workout before training commenced this week. And, not only did I run my two miles, but I started out with some weight training. Finally, right?!?! There's a great room at the back of the gym, a "quiet room" so to speak, that they recently moved some treadmills into. I've been doing my runs there and I'm usually the only person in there, and they also have a number of weight machines in there. It's a whole lot less intimidating than the weight room, which I have yet to tackle!

Last night I did my first official cross-training day, pilates as usual. I think I'm getting better actually. At least a couple of the moves were not quite as ridiculous as in past weeks. Now I just have to move my arms and legs in the proper position while contracting my (less-than-stellar) abdominals and breathing properly all the while. No problem, right?

And then, today, 2 miles down. On to two miles on Thursday...

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T18:13:00.001-08:00

I went for a great run this morning. 2 miles. I followed the instruction of my training book and concentrated on completing the distance rather than worrying about my speed, and I took it pretty easy. It felt good though, and I'm looking forward to running on Saturday morning. YAY! It's great to feel that feeling.

And, I'm still only at the wedding in the Harry Potter book (the beginning for those of you who are not fans) so I have plenty of HP runs in my future. Ahhhh...

Max and I celebrated Valentine's day with my sis-in-laws (read: training partners) and nieces and nephews and assorted friends (14 of us in total) on a sledding adventure. A great day. The snow had a pretty thick crust on the top, so hiking up the hill was a workout in itself (cross training?) but the kids lasted for a long time, and we spent the rest of the day eating bad foods and hanging out. A great way to spend a day! Here's my favorite shot of us from the day:

Hope you had a great one!

now this is ridiculous

2008-02-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

I did make it to the gym on Saturday, in my new shoes. Maybe at some point I'll update the blog header and theme to match! Anyway, after one outing, I'm happy with them. Very well cushioned, very light, roomy, comfortable. Hopefully I feel the same after 5 or 10 outings! And Zappos is AWESOME. Ordered the shoes at about noon on Thursday, had them just after lunch on Friday, free shipping.

So, I had a decent run on Saturday, but I definitely felt the effects of being away from the treadmill for so long. I was happy to be back in the swing of things, hitting pilates class on Monday night. I'm not very good at pilates, I think I've mentioned this before. I have a difficult time isolating my abdominal muscles, especially in any face down positions. Mostly, it's because my abdominals are so weak, so hopefully as I strengthen them and get more accustomed to the moves, it should get "easier"! :-)

Laid out all my clothes for a Tuesday morning run, feeling motivated. Then woke up Tuesday morning with my throat hurting and achy-stuffy-yuckiness. You've got to be kidding me! Called in some reinforcements for child care (thanks M!) and slept for the morning. Today I'm almost back to health (thank goodness) but a little annoyed that I don't think I've got a full week of training in yet. Sigh.... Well, the real thing starts this Monday, so I'd best be getting my act together!

Working on some meal planning, more on that soon...

the latest excuse

2008-02-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

we got a lot of snow overnight, so driving wasn't so great first thing this morning. Okay, so I COULD have gone. But I didn't.

My ticker is freaking me out, it is under the 4 month mark now. Saturday I get serious. No, really. I will.

My new thing is that I'm listening to Harry Potter 7 while I walk/run. I love the book (I've read it 3 times) and Jim Dale does an excellent job of reading it. It is such a gripping story that it gives me incentive to head back to the gym so that I can listen to the next chapter. I'm NOT ALLOWED to listen anywhere but on the treadmill.

I'm ordering some new sneakers later today. I don't have a ton of miles on my Ryka Momentums (seen in the header at top of page) but, they are a good shoe for pronators, and I'm a supinator. No idea what I'm talking about? Here's a good explanation. Basically, it means I have really high arches and I tend to roll on to the outside of my foot. So I need a shoe that has different qualities than the one I have, which may explain some of my knee pain - I'm hoping. I found a listing of recommended shoes for the supinated, and I'm making my decision later today. Thank goodness for Zappos - free shipping and free returns means that those of us in the middle of nowhere can get shoes fast and not have to worry about shipping incorrect sizes back and forth.

uh-oh

2008-02-05T06:37:00.000-08:00

no pilates last night for various logistical reasons.

However I went to bed last night with my gym clothes all laid out, ready for me this AM. And then I woke up at 4 with my throat on fire, and then Max started vomiting at 4:30am, and now I'm feeling nauseous.... NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

this has got to stop...

2008-02-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

... this once-a-week blogging. How boring is that?!?!?

Yeah, so I kind of took last week off as well, and I hit the gym on Saturday with a 30 minute walk, and so far so good on the knees. Unfortunately, my knee pain hit right at the same time as some January blues, so I just couldn't pull my butt out of bed to get to the treadmill, much less blog about not getting to the treadmill! I do believe I'm back on track now, heading to pilates class tonight and then more walking in the AM. If I can have two more good walking days, I'll go back to running on Saturday, perhaps with some new shoes - we'll see what happens.

I totally over-indulged during the SuperBowl yesterday, and I now think that I've grossed myself out enough that I'm ready for some good eating. Ignore the fact that I snacked on 7-layer dip for lunch today...

it's been a week

2008-01-28T05:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't been out since my great run last Saturday. My knee was off all week, with some swelling and stiffness, peaking on Tuesday. So no runs, no walks, no nothing. I'm hitting the treadmill again tomorrow, just walking this week. Hopefully, some stretching and strengthening will make the difference. Fingers crossed!

One of my training partners is C, my sister-in-law who is also my "roomie" right now, since she and her hubby are living with us. Last night, as we sat on the couch watching the SAG red carpet, she suggested that once we start our official training (just a couple weeks off now!) that perhaps we should pay closer attention to our eating. As if the dinner I had prepared (fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and broccoli) was not a healthy meal. :-) I agree totally, I'm just not looking forward to it. I did a very good job monitoring my food this past summer/fall when I started this running gig, but in general I have NEVER been good at it. Moderation is not my strong suit when it comes to food. Eating is what I'm good at. So I'm going to spend some time preparing over the next couple of weeks - stocking the shelves with good healthy snacks, doing a little meal planning, etc. We really don't have a HUGE change to make, in general I think I do a pretty decent job of balancing our meals, I just get a little lazy with lunch (mmmmm mac and cheese - at least I've upgrade to Annie's from the other stuff) and late-night snacking. So if I can just keep up my decent dinners and get lunch and snacks under control....

uh-oh

2008-01-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

My knee is feeling fuuuuuunkkkkeeeee today. They were both a little sore after my great run on Saturday, but I was feeling fine yesterday. And then today, my left knee is just wrong. Not really painful, but I'm worried about it. I'm "aware" of it, if that makes sense - I can feel things moving around in there as I go about my normal course of mommy duties, and I don't usually feel things as I shift my weight and crouch down to dig legos out from under the bed. So I will probably do some good stretching tonight, and take it really easy tomorrow morning - maybe a walk, maybe a light run, we'll see how I'm feeling.

I think this means I'd better get my strength training underway.

i [heart] new clothes

2008-01-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

... in whatever arena they happen to fall. I had a great run today, really hit my stride for the first time since before I was sick. I can't say it felt GOOD to be running, but the time passed quickly and it didn't feel BAD. I credit the new Nike pants and shirt I was wearing. I just felt great in them, and I really do think it made a difference. So thanks M! I've felt so yucky and lumpy in the stuff I had, but I especially love the new pants that M picked up for me - the Nike Perfect Fit Pant. They are soft and stretch in the right places, but the waistband is very wide and doesn't cut in to any... soft belly spots... not that I have those... and they are pretty thick and substancial, but not heavy at all. If I could wear these all day every day, I would. My one issue is that they are a teeeeeeeny bit too long, but that's just the story of my life at 5'2".

Now, I just need some new sports bras. I have one that I like and two that I don't, and as I'm not on top of my laundry enough to wash that one every other day, I end up having to wear the two that I don't. They are just useless, and when you're a D cup, useless just doesn't cut it! So that's my next shopping adventure...

new gear!

2008-01-18T06:54:00.000-08:00

My training buddy M went home to visit family for Christmas, and took advantage of a family connection to stop into the Nike employee store and shop for all of us with a discount. Yay! So I got two new pairs of pants, two shirts, a tank, and some socks. I'm very excited to go try them all on, but at the moment (well, when I'm not writing this post...) I'm trying to get some work done so that I can afford these new clothes and the gym membership to go with them!

So far so good this week as far as staying on track with the training. Ran for 27 minutes yesterday, was doing 25 before. Concentrating on keeping my heart rate in a moderate zone, and not worrying about pace right now. Figure that as time passes, if I keep my heart rate the same, pace will increase when my body is ready for it! So another run tomorrow morning, and then back to pilates on Monday.

Started reading the weight training chapter again, and I'm coming to realize that I just find weight training BORING. My plan at the moment is to use the hand weights I have at the house and do the at-home exercises. I haven't decided when in the day i'm going to do it, but setting a standard time is going to be important in terms of actually getting it done! Maybe in time I'll build them into my gym routine, but as for now I just don't think I'm going to pull that off. The cheap gym I joined doesn't have babysitting, so I have limited gym time available to me.

back in the saddle again

2008-01-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

I hit the treadmill today after a week away. As you know, I skipped my run on Thursday (1/10) because I didn't feel like getting my butt out of bed. I then skipped my Saturday run, because I was hosting a party for 60 people at my house that evening, didn't get to bed until 1am on Friday night, and decided that I needed the energy for party prep. It was a great party by the way, surprise for my dad's 60th. Anyway, Monday night was supposed to be pilates, but visiting family members invited us for a family dinner (which was lovely) and so... here we are. Amazing how life can really get in the way!

I had some serious "what the heck am I doing, I'm never going to be able to run more than 2 miles" thoughts today. I had a hard time getting my legs going at the beginning of the run, I felt very bumbling and weighted down. But I hit a good stride in the middle and discovered the perfect song for my current running pace ("All My Life" by Foo Fighters) which is an excellent find. That will help me find my pace when not running on a treadmill, provided I'm still using this pace in 4 months!

It's time for me to start re-reading my training book chapters on weight training. I've been avoiding it, because I think working that into my schedule is going to involve getting up even earlier, one of my least favorite things. But it's going to be important for building up my endurance, something that is severely lacking at the moment.

I was reading an article in marie claire last night, and in it, Jill Baek (founder of Rescue Beauty Lounge) said "Before I hit 32 five years ago, I was one of those women who could eat whatever she wanted. But now I have to practice portion control..." I'm amazed at how much my body has changed in the last 18 months or so. I certainly wasn't an "eat whatever you want and be rail thin" kind of girl, but I was a "pay no attention to what you eat and be a decent weight" person. And throw in a little exercise? Heck, I was set. Now, suddenly, I have this poojie belly that makes me look 4 months pregnant, and I just feel thick. I was blaming it on many things, but honestly, it's being 31. Sigh. Welcome to my new reality, right? So along with the weight training, it's time to modify my diet. No more party leftovers for me... mmmm but that cheese is soooooo gooooooood....

chastise me, please

2008-01-11T04:47:00.000-08:00

I, Marian L. Blogger, did a horrible thing. Yesterday morning at approximately 7:01am, I turned off my alarm and rolled over and went back to sleep. I did so consciously knowing that I was skipping my scheduled run, that it was violating the contract I made with myself to train. I told myself I could do it later in the day, but I knew that was a lie. So please, please, be merciless. I need it.

lazy legs

2008-01-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

I actually survived the pilates class without making a fool of myself, though I have to say I am NOT good at pilates. I think you have to HAVE abdominal muscles in order to tighten them. Although, whatever muscles I do have, I'm certainly more aware of them today. That class takes a lot of coordination, and although I like to think of myself as a reasonably coordinated person, it is revealed to me in moments like pilates class that I am in fact not. Nothing like contorting your body into strange, sweaty shapes in front of a mirror while wearing tight clothing to make you feel really really good about yourself.

I absolutely must go to bed earlier. I was having a hard time staying awake after my run this morning, which to me means that the 3-times-interrupted 6 hours of sleep I got just didn't cut it! Anyway, the run itself was great. It was supposed to be an easy run, so I took it slow and focused on keeping my heart rate down by breathing evenly and relaxing. It went by much faster than some of my past runs. But boy are my legs feeling it today, and I'm TIRED. That should help me to get to bed on time!

skipping

2008-01-07T07:31:00.000-08:00

I had to skip Saturday's run, it was a big busy day for us. My husband's new store opened that day, so there was a lot of running around, getting ready for the grand opening. Everyone left the house by 7:00am, so there wasn't a lot of time for running!

I'm catching a pilates class this afternoon with my sis-in-law, and then it is back to the running tomorrow. Time keeps on ticking...

I'm sure I'll do something pathetic in the pilates class, so check back this evening. :-)

the new year

2008-01-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

I have to say, it is intimidating to see that little tracker on the side of my blog drop below the 5 month mark - right now it says 4 months, 4 weeks, one day. Time is a tickin'.

Saw a whole bunch of new faces at the gym this morning. Since it's only about my fifth time there, don't know if these are usuals that I just haven't seen yet, or if they were New Year's Resolutioners joining the fight. Whoever they were, I welcome them and applaud them for getting out of bed this morning when it was -10 degrees. YIKES. Cold.

Anyway, ran 25 minutes. I tried to concentrate on breathing regularly and keeping my heart rate down, and I did keep it lower than on Monday's workout. I'm really just experimenting right now, seeing how my body responds to the different things I'm forcing it to do. Basically, I've made myself a giant science experiment, complete with monitoring straps and electronic measurements and everything. Kind of interesting, except for all that exerting, sweating, and working out. Sigh.

be still my heart...

2007-12-31T19:23:00.001-08:00

or whatever other heart reference you can come up with. For Christmas, my DH gave me a heart rate monitor to use in training. It's pretty cool actually, a strap that you wear around your chest (i kind of tuck it under the bottom band on my sports bra, and barely notice it once its on) and then a watch that reads your heart rate and tracks it during your workout. So I've been playing with that the last couple of days, first on the bike on Saturday, and then running today. Turns out that the treadmill can actually pick up the signal from the monitor as well, so it was displaying my heart rate right on the control panel.

Anyway, the idea is that you use a mathematical formula (or a test done by a doctor which is more accurate but expensive and lengthy) to determine your maximum heart rate, and then use some more formulas to work our your target heart rate for easy, moderate, and hard workouts. Once I move into my formal training schedule, I have days when I'm supposed to do an easy run, and days with a moderate run, so it helps to quantify those numbers. Good thing I have a few more weeks until we get there, because at this point, anything more than a brisk walk is getting me into my moderate to high heart rate. At least it isn't a surprise, I definitely knew I had some work to do to get ready! But I'm a numbers person, so it's great to have something quantifiable as opposed to just "I'm tired" or "this hurts" to measure by.

cross training

2007-12-29T07:47:00.000-08:00

Managed to remember my shoes this time, thank goodness. 30 minutes on the bike. Watched Gossip Girl and the time flew! I'll be downloading the rest of the season for my future bike sessions. Sunday is a day off, so I'll be back to the gym (and the blog!) on Monday.

in case you were worried that I'd be boring

2007-12-28T17:02:00.001-08:00

This morning I got up at 7, got into my gym clothes, put on my boots and coat, and headed for the gym. 20 minutes later, I parked in front of the gym, and reached over to the seat beside me to get my ipod, water bottle, and sneakers. ipod, check. Water bottle, check. Shoes? No. Sitting on the kitchen table. So I went back home (another 20 minutes) and climbed back into bed. Grrrrr. Better luck tomorrow I guess.

back to training... yay?

2007-12-27T19:30:00.000-08:00

I REALLY didn't want to get out of bed this morning and go to the gym. I don't remember feeling this way about running before. I think two weeks off RIGHT as I decided to do this have been really hard on my resolve, but unfortunately it wasn't my choice. Luckily enough, many many people know about this half marathon, so that's enough social pressure to drag my butt out of bed when my personal resolve can't.

Anyway, 25 minutes of running. It wasn't fun, but I did it. I'm looking forward to going back, I know it will get better. That's what I had to keep telling myself. It wasn't my most mentally positive workout, let's just say that.

Tomorrow I'm going to ride the bike, do a little cross-training. I'm wrestling with my video ipod right now, trying to restore it so that I can load a show to watch while I cycle. I'm going to try Gossip Girl - seems just fluffy enough to fit the bill, plus I love Josh Schwartz. I'll report back! If that doesn't do it for me, I think I'll start re-watching Gilmore Girls.

Christmas miracle

2007-12-26T06:36:00.001-08:00

I'm healed! :-) I was actually well enough on Sunday to go have a Christmas luncheon with my 97-year-old grandfather, which I'm very thankful for. I would have been very upset if I had to miss seeing him. And this time, I've STAYED well, which is great. So tomorrow, back to training and making a fool of myself in order to entertain my blog readers. ;-)

sigh...

2007-12-22T13:48:00.000-08:00

I'm STILL SICK. I just decided not to torture you all with post after post of my complaining. So now I've got the super-powered-prescription cough syrup, and I'm finally getting some sleep, so perhaps health is just around the corner. Come back after Christmas and see if I ever get this training routine off the ground! I'm frustrated, I wanted to be in the swing of things before the holidays hit, but I suppose I'll just have to make do. So Merry Christmas all! Stay healthy!!!

I sound like a seal

2007-12-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

as in, I'm barking. My cough is horrid! So no running again today. This isn't exactly a training log, is it?!! It's more like an illness log so far. Well, I guess I can be doubly glad that I started early enough, I don't have to be freaking out about the precious training time I'm losing.

But I did get some cross-training in yesterday - if you count shoveling 10 inches of snow off my front and side walkways as cross training. I do! Hey, I was sweating and my heart rate was up, what more can you ask for?

My mother's daughter

2007-12-17T05:25:00.000-08:00

It seems that Friday's yucky feeling was the preamble to a weekend spent on the couch, tissue box in hand. So I'm taking it easy today, no cross training. Back to running tomorrow.

I was at a Christmas party on Friday night that my father was also at (my parents live in the next town over from us). He was telling EVERYONE that I'm running a half marathon, which I found both sweet (he's so proud!) and annoying (what if I chicken out? The whole town will know...) In order for this story to mean anything from this point, you have to know my dad - he's an uber-athlete. He is a mountain biker, telemark skier and runner, and he does them to the extreme. He was in a 50 mile bike race this fall, and he came in second for his age group - he turns 60 in three weeks. Anyway, he can kick my butt any day of the week blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back. I very specifically didn't tell him about running the half marathon until after I knew registration was closed, so he wouldn't be tempted to run it with me in about half the time. He's in the best shape of his life.

So back to Friday night - I got into a conversation with a woman who bikes with my dad, who was saying she wants to run the 50 mile race this fall (the same race my dad biked) and was trying to convince me TO JOIN HER. Um, NO. She couldn't understand why I didn't want to do it. And I quote, "Oh come on, if you can run a half marathon, you can totally run the 50!" To which I replied, "I don't even know that I can run a half marathon!" I finally realized that she thought I was my father's daughter, and I had to explain to her that I was not. I'm my mother's daughter- her hobbies are crossword puzzles, knitting, and watching the Red Sox. That's much more my style! But I'm glad my dad is so excited for me, helps me to be just a liiiiiiiiitle bit more excited about this experience.

Friday... ahhhhh....

2007-12-14T06:59:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm not in tremendous pain, so that's good news. However my cold seems to be operating on an alternating days schedule, because while I was fine yesterday, I feel pretty nasty today.

Last night, I typed up the 15 week training schedule for my sister-in-law and training partner, M. And it was horrid. Typing out "5 mile run", "7 mile run", or even "12 mile run" just about killed me. How on earth am I ever going to do this? While M and I were stretching after our run yesterday at the gym, we admitted that we both had little mini anxiety attacks while on the treadmill doing our 1.5 miles. It was like two sides of my brain were having a battle:
"How on earth am I going to run 13 miles? This is not good, not good at all, what did I think I was doing, signing up for this?"
"Stop it! That is not the attitude to go into this with, you're never going to get it done if you keep thinking you can't do it. You're only on day 1 of a 5 month plan, there's plenty of time to get there."
"Yuck. Yuck yuck yuck. It's going to hurt and be hard and I don't want to do it."
"Stop it. Just be quiet and run."

I expect this battle to rage on for quite a while, but I'm hoping once I get back to my 2 mile level and start hitting some new goals, I can kick that other voice out of my head. Because I'm not sure I can just tell it to be quiet and run for 13 miles!

here it goes again

2007-12-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

The first time I went out running (we're talking back in August) it was absolutely pouring. But, I had said I was going to go, and so, I went. I made it about half a mile before I started walking, out of fear of exploding my lungs or my heart. It was awful, I couldn't understand why ANYONE would actually CHOOSE to do such a thing. And then I couldn't move without making strange groaning sounds for the next two days.

Thankfully, today was not THAT bad. I was worried that it might be, after two months of nothing, and we'll see if the strange groaning sounds emerge tomorrow. But I made it a mile and half, not too shabby.

And yes, I did mean to reference the best treadmill work ever in my title. I myself have some excellent treadmill tricks of my own.

Gearing up for tomorrow

2007-12-12T13:10:00.001-08:00

Starting my pre-training tomorrow (as opposed to Tuesday, when I was knocked out by the plague...)

Pre-training? Yes, I have to get back to where I was in September before I can begin my ACTUAL training program, which is a 15 week program. Which means I have to be comfortably running 2-3 miles at a time by February 10th. I was up to about 1.5-2 miles when I stopped back in September, so I feel confident I can get there 8 weeks out - even with the holidays wrecking havoc with my schedule.

Total side note, but I'm still totally confused as to why I'm doing this. It's like I turned 31 (on 12/4) and the next day woke up as a completely different person, and apparently that person wants to run a half marathon. Seriously, I am NOT an athletic person, nor a competitive person, nor a goal-setting person, nor a disciplined person, nor a particularly health-conscious person. I'm a wimp, and I like to eat, watch TV, and mess around on the computer. But apparently the new me has decided to ignore all of those factors and change my life. I'm not sure if I'm so happy about that!

I'm using a training program from the book Absolute Beginner's Guide to Half Marathon Training - can you beat a title like that? I'm about halfway through the book, and so far I've learned a lot. So I'll be running Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (long runs) and cross-training on Mondays. Fits perfectly with my schedule (or more accurately, Max's preschool schedule).

The half marathon I'm running is the Covered Bridges Half Marathon. It takes place about a half-hour from my house, which is kind of nice. I'll be able to run parts of the course for some of my longer runs, and will be able to sleep in my own bed before the race. The course drops 200 ft. over the 13.1 miles, with a small uphill at mile 5 and a short, steep climb at mile 8. I say these things like they mean something to me. Sigh... I'm so out of my league!

hmmm...

2007-12-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

hope this isn't a sign... first day of training postponed because I have a nasty cold. Harumph.

WHAT????

2007-12-10T17:10:00.001-08:00

This is (will be?) the tale of how a lazy, lumpy, 31-year-old gal goes from couch potato to (half) marathon babe.

In August, I started running for the first time in 10 years. I was up to 1.5 - 2.0 miles about three times a week by the end of September, and then life got in the way. I returned from an extended trip about three weeks ago, and ever since have been wanting to get back to running. But it just wasn't happening! And then one day, I got the following email from my cousin:

I wanted to tell you that I am planning on signing up for the covered bridge half marathon in june. I think there are going to be four of us running!!!!! Any chance you want to do it???? So I will come visit in june and finally get to see your new home.

At first, I laughed. And then, I thought. And then, I convinced my three sisters-in-law to join me. We registered this morning. We start training tomorrow. Stay tuned for the adventure!