I'm Baaack!

Well...I've decided to revive my blog. One, I just think it's fun to do. Two, it's a nice place to document my training. Three, I've actually had a couple requests to do it. And who am I to ignore my fans?! Ha ha!
As you can see by my "Upcoming races" post, I'm gearing up for 2 Half Marathons this fall. So...back to training mode I go. I'm really excited about training this summer/fall because my wonderful husband bought me a Garmin 405CX GPS watch for my birthday this year. The thing is ridiculous - it tells me basically everything I want to know about my workouts. As Bruce says, it does everything but make me a coffee. I love it. I "retired" my old heartrate monitor - a Polar - which lasted me over 2 years - and is still going strong - and handed it down to Bruce who is using it for his workouts now.
Well, this is all for now. I'm going to keep this short and sweet!
Later!

Toenails Are for Sissies...

Here is the post we have all been waiting for!! Well, maybe I'm being a bit overindulgent, but it's the post I've been waiting to write!

I'm finished! Yea! Run complete and successful!

My official finish time was 2:26 (that is hours and minutes, of course)! I was shooting to beat 2:30, which I did and was hoping to hit 2:20...which I didn't. No regrets though. I did what I wanted and had a great time doing it, which was the most important part.

The weather was a really big factor. There were reports of torrential downpours during the race and the night before, as everyone is trying to get a good nights sleep, there was a massive thunderstorm with tornado like winds whipping through Richmond. When we went to bed Kerri and I had pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that we would be running in the rain and just running to finish - time goals out the window.

Well, God must have been favoring Richmond...the rains came, but they completely passed by Richmond. On the radar there was a little strip of good weather, Richmond stayed in it the whole time during the race. It was completely overcast up until the last 2 miles when the sun came out - amazing considering it was supposed to thunderstorm all morning. The humidity was the biggest factor though - it was abotu 67 degrees at race start, when I got into the car to go back to Kerri's after the race it was 73 degrees, and the humidity for the whole race was definitely in the 90% range...it was crazy. But, training in NY has its benefits. I was hot, and sweating, but it wasn't as bad as some of the summer runs.

Kerri and Shannon (one of her friends that she trained with), and Bruce and I went to the Exp the night before the race and found some 13.1 bumpermagnets and fun stuff. I found a bumpermagnet that says "toenails are for sissies," which is my new favorite. Given that within a couple days I am going to be without another toenail, I figured I'd just give in and accept losing them as a kind of honor badge to my hardwork. Sorry, I'm sure that grosses some of you out completely...I guess I don't have to worry about spending money on pedi's anymore though! Ha ha!

So....all is well. I ran well. Kerri and Shannon ran well. Shannon ran her best time ever - she was just "on" yesterday. Kerri struggled with the humidity and some pain. I ran with her the first 6 miles and then got in a zone with my music, kept up my pace, and realized about 5 minutes later that she was no longer running next to me....I felt bad. I waited for her and her dad at the next water stop for a couple minutes, but they didn't come around, so I just started to run again. She did a great job, but she was really off (according to her - I think she did great, of course)...the humidity really bothered her and she had some hip pain that was new. I'm hoping that with some time she will look back fondly on it though, so we can do it again! :)

So, thank you to all. It was a wonderful time. I really enjoyed it. I think the Half distance suits me well. The distance is long enough to push you to keep going, but not so long that you spend 5 hours on a course. I'm not sure about a marathon...maybe some day. For now I'm going to relax, enjoy looking at the medal I earned, enjoy the feeling of success, and look around for something to run next. Oh, and add my "13.1...been there, run that" sticker to my car!

Love to you all!

PS - I will keep this blog going just for some fun...and when I get to the point where I have a new run to work towards I'll start a new training journal. So keep checking back if you want! :)

Bad Blogger

Well, I have not been a good blogger lately...it has been a fairly stressful last couple of weeks. Between the upcoming trial, some problems in my class, and just being exhausted after work every night I have had no time or interest in blogging.
BUT - there are only (about) 6 days left until the Half - I can barely believe it! I am getting really excited - especially since about 3 days ago I didn't think I was going to be able to run in it at all (trial scheduling...long story...).
So here I am, about 6 days out, having the typical taper paranoia that I think a lot of runners have. See, about 1-2 weeks before a major run you're supposed to "taper" or decrease the mileage and intensity of your runs. Of course, with only 1 week to go the natural tendency is to think - I only have another week, I need to get in as much training as I can. But, no...that is not the best plan. So, I taper....I run slower, and for shorter distances...and start to think I may be ruining my training. My body is so used to a certain level of activity that now I feel like I'm sabotaging myself. To keep myself sane I'm just rereading passages of my training book and reassuring myself that the hard part is over - the next time I'm going to be running anything long it will be down in VA, with Kerri, and I'm going to be running for the finish!
I am really excited - I can't wait to see Kerri, and meet some of her friends that I've heard so much about. I know that about an hour after I'm done running I'm going to be wondering what to do with myself, and what I should start training for next. But I'm going to do nothing, sign up for no other big runs until after Thanksgiving.
I have really enjoyed my training...I love to run...it gives me more than I ever thought a form of exercise ever could...but I am also a bit thankful that I will be done with training for a bit. The weather is getting cooler and the gym is going to become a more regular part of my routine (blah)...at least on the mornings when Hoosick Street isn't properly plowed - which is like every morning in the winter...

On a side note - and an important one: Thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement. I'm grateful to everyone for checking back and shooting me the occasional email. I'll let you know how the run goes on Saturday, of course - so make sure you check back in a week! Wish me luck, good weather, and Godspeed....well, just my regular pace would be fine, I suppose. Ha ha....

Running Partner...Paying Off

Well, with my new found determination to get out and run I decided to put out an email to a few people in the running club that I belong to and see if anyone was interested in meeting up for some early AM runs.
I got two responses, but after I replied with what time I wanted to run - 6:15ish - I only got one reply from my reply.
And a running partner I now have. Promptly at 6:20 in the morning on Thursday, I met Matt at the end of my apartment complex and went for a really early, cold morning run through Troy. Of course, I carried my keys with me, just in case, since I really didn't know this guy ...and Bruce had his phone next to the bed and my plotted route in case I didn't return in an appropriate amount of time. Appropriate amount of time....I chose the route we ran on and I usually run it in about 30 minutes...Took Matt and I a bit over 28. Dear God, despite my telling him what my pace is he runs just a tad bit above that to keep me working. I didn't know whether to thank him or try and strangle him. It was a really great run, in all honesty, and I was so happy when we got back to my street and I knew I was done. And I said thank you and started running towards my apartment, and as he continued down the hill I heard him say, "see you tomorrow morning."
What?! Oh, I was soooo not planning on doing this everyday! But I'm a wuss and couldn't admit to that, so...yup, I got up and did again on Friday.

And for the last week I've been getting up at 5:30 so I can go for a run around Troy at 6:20 with Matt. Not everyday, just a few days during the week. It's been really nice, actually, to get up. He is a good runner and while he does keep the pace a bit faster than I would like, I think it is paying off for me. I went and did speedwork and ran my fastest mile yet - 8:38! I pushed for it, but I didn't even hit my top threshold to get it, so that got me psyched.

This past Saturday, I did my last long run before the Half - 12 miles around Troy. It was a weird run. Bruce didn't join as he had a meeting, so I had to run with my camelback around my waist - it really was very obnoxious for the first 2 miles. It was drizzling and the first three miles were just awful (not becuase of the weather, it was just awful). I really thought I would just stop and give up. Around mile 4 I started to get into it more. The weather continued to drizzle, and it was a bit chill, but it wasn't bad for running. Around mile 5 my hip started to bother me (I think I pulled it on a morning run last week) and I decided that I would cut the run a bit short, in lieu of injuring myself, and head home once I got back to Hoosick St. I walked a lot, on and off and at what I thought was mile 6 I looked down and saw that I was actually at mile 8....I have no idea where 2 miles went, but it made me motivated to keep moving. I walked and ran until I got to Hoosick. I realized that it was about 3 miles to my house and was happy that I wasn't going to end up cutting my run short afterall.
I ran the rest of the way home, enjoying the whole time - even the part where I fell into a fence. It jumped out in front of me, I swear. It wasn't there...then it was there, and I was falling into it. I noticed some of the people in cars driving up the street notice my stumble and smirk a bit - I am sure I did look quite funny being attacked by a fence. Injury free, I continued on.
Despite my walking more often than I usually do I managed to pull out a steady 11:00 minute mile and finish the 12 miles in about 2:12. Although I tried to remove most of the hills from my route, I still can't figure out how to use mapmyrun.com properly and ended up adding in a couple nice hills (note the sarcasm on "nice") instead. But I figure Kerri has told me that there is only 1 hill on the run and it is a short one, the rest of the course is flat...so doing all this hill work will (hopefully) make the actual Half "easier" than these training runs.

I can't believe it's only a couple weeks away....I'm starting to get really excited. I'm definitely looking forward to the run itself, but I'm getting really excited to go down and see Kerri and do this with her. It's been fun "training" with her from afar. Regardless of our actual time or how we finish I know we'll be having a lot of fun celebrating our success! :)

Fall-ing in Love

It has been a long time since I have been out for a run of any distance...the 5K that I did a couple weeks ago was the first (and last) time I'd been running in a couple weeks.
On schedule this weekend - long run - 15 miles. I wasn't sure about the whole thing at all. Of course, I'm paranoid that I don't know how to run anymore, that my time and pace will be off, that I'll be wheezing and huffing, and that I will start running and think, "God, I used to like this - I hate this, it sucks!"

I got up bright and somewhat early for my long run. I know that I maybe should've gone out for a shorter run earlier in the week just to get the legs remembering the whole running thing, but it just didn't happen. I figured that I'd just jump back in, as stupid an idea as that may be, and go for the full 15 miles.

I've always been a summer girl. First, my birthday is in the summer and anyone who knows me knows I love my birthday. Second, I'm notoriously cold almost all the time and the summer, with its humidity and temps above 85, are perfect to me.

But during my long run, I think I may have joined another team...as I ran along the hills of Troy and Brunswick, the winding back roads and up and down the (sometimes) ridiculously long and steep hills, I realized that I'm falling in love with Fall. The trees were gorgeous, the geese were flying, the temperature was perfect for running, and there was no better view to be inspired by than the thousands of red, yellow, green, gold, purple, magenta, and crimson trees that were outlining the landscape above a field of golden hay. It was great. It made the hill that completely sucked to run up totally worth while. I even stopped to admire it, throwing my obsession to my pace "out the window" for a minute.

I really loved (almost) every minute of the (what turned out to be a 16 mile) run/walk. At mile 10 I started to feel my toe on my right foot start to hurt just a bit. I almost always get a blister from it, so it didn't concern me. At mile 11 I decided that I would run up until mile 13.1 - the actual half marathon distance - and then run or walk the rest of the 15 miles home. I was definitely tired and feeling the fact that I hadn't run in about 3 weeks. I was just happy to be out there running, happy that I could make it that far, and happy to know that I was almost done.
At mile 12 I thought I was going to die from exhaustion. I try to think about someone or something to keep me going when I get to the mental wall. Really, my body was fine, my legs were good, I wasn't feeling that I would "bonk," I was just tired. Sometimes I think about how I'll get stronger by sticking with it, sometimes I think about when I weighted 80 pounds more and couldn't run a mile without stopping; a lot of times I think of my mom and how, even though I don't have any conscious memory of it, she must have instilled in me this love of exercise and running. But today, I thought about Bruce, and how he can't run anymore...and how, even though he can't run with me (which makes us both very sad), he will bike behind me when he can just to keep me company and be with me...he's like my own personal pace coach...watching my form, giving me water when I need, throwing out a joke or comment to keep me going...and I decided that I could run another mile and a tenth for him. So I did. And I picked up my pace and I just ran and smiled and thought of Bruce. And when I got to mile 13.1, I looked at my watch and saw my time: 2:25 - 5 minutes faster than my adjusted time goal of 2:30. :) Yea!
I ran for a little longer, about a minute or two, and then I decided to walk home the rest of the way (which ended up actually being 16 miles instead of 15). It felt really good, it was a beautiful day, and I felt really accomplished.

When I saw Brucie after I was all done, I gave him a big hug, kiss and a giant "thank you." I certainly could not do any of this without his support.

So...long run done...and I feel a new motivation to get out and run and keep up my training. I'm psyched for Fall, excited for the half marathon, and ready to get out and enjoy those leaves and cool temperatures.

Course Video

Check out the Richmond Half Marathon course video...looks like a good time!

Tour the Half Marathon course (it's back!) Discover Richmond

Still Going....Sort of...

I'm Baaaack....

It's been a couple weeks, yes. I have not run since my long run two Sundays ago when I "bonked."

No, I have not been bitter or feeling like a spoiled little runner who didn't get her way. I just have been so busy with school and working at night that I haven't MADE the time. Oh yes, I have the time - every morning the sun comes up and I could get up with it...I just have chosen to lay in bed instead. So, the fault is mine and I take the responsibility - I also apparently am supposed to take a weight gain of 5 pounds (bastardes!).

This week...well, I'm going to try. It is so hard, really - I'm trying not to complain and be whiny - but 5:30 is just really early in the morning....

But...I can't run around the neighborhood anymore - it's too dark to go alone in the morning....so I have to go to the gym, which is technically on the way to school, sort of...but I have to get up early enough (5:30) to get dressed and out of the house so I can get there early enough (6:00) to be done (6:45) to get a shower and not have to wait and then be able to get dressed (7:00) and be at school by 7:30....and that would really only give me time for about a 30-45 minute run (yes, better than nothing...but 2 hours of planning and crap for 30 minutes of running....).

Is it worth it? (Oooh! New poll! See above)

Not sure if it's "worth it" time-wise, but energy and body-wise, I guess it is. I've really missed running the last couple weeks and today's run reminded me of that.

Today was my last official 5K of the season. I ran the Susan Komen 5K in Albany. It was a fun run and I had a fun time doing it. I kept my pace steady and pulled it out at the end. It's a fairly hilly course with a great downhill at the end, so I was expecting my time to be about 29:00 or even 30:00 (given that it's been 13 days since my last run); the last time I ran this same course was back in July and I ran it in 31:??...it was hotter than hell and I hated it.

So, today I pulled out 28:32 - not bad at all - especially for "not trying" and just doing it for the fun of it. So, today was a great day for running - the weather was great, the cause was great, and it helped me appreciate how much I miss the sport.

So....I'm going to try....Tuesday and Thursday morning this week I'm going to plan for a 5:30 wake up and run at the gym. I will be honest, it is getting cold, and that makes getting out of bed that much tougher. But I'm going to try my hardest to stick to the schedule for one week and see how it goes.
Monday and Friday afternoons and the weekend I can still do cross training and running (I just haven't the last couple weeks because of scheduling problems - meetings, going out of town, etc).

On a side note, Kerri (best friend, VA, I'm running the Half with her), had her longest training run today (she joined a half marathon training group down in Richmond and they have been running the actual half marathon course for the last couple weeks) - she ran 14.5 miles and did it in 2:35:00 - that is an excellent time! Her goal is to run the 13.1 in 2:30:00, so she obviously can do it (as long as race day cooperates). I'm really psyched for her and send her out my Congrats. I'm hoping that I can keep up with her on race day! :)

So...last 5K of the season is done....and I have only about a month of training left - holy crap. Well, I know I can do it....I know I can finish. Yes, I have that 2:20:00 goal in my head which I think I may have to up a bit....but really, I just want to finish - and be in good enough shape to be walking and partying it up afterwards!

More soon!