Running And Stuff...

I'm Baaack!

2009-07-05T14:31:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-11-16T09:58:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-08T22:50:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-26T18:55:00.005-04:00

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

2008-10-20T18:21:00.000-04:00

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

2008-10-04T14:39:00.000-04:00

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...

2008-10-04T14:07:00.003-04:00

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!

Long Run

2008-09-22T20:01:00.003-04:00

OK, I will be honest - I have no interest in doing this whole blog thing right now. My computer is finally back from California, having been fixed by HP. Bruce is in the midst of updating it and such. Although I can't get on my own computer quite yet, I'm still anxious to see how it is going, so this will be short.

Ran my long run yesterday - 12.5 miles. I ran it in 2:26, which is not bad for a training run at all. I ran a course with rolling hills, working on keeping my intervals at 3:1. The temp wasn't too bad - about 74 or 75 in the sun - but it was all sun. I ran the length of Route 7 from Latham to just about where I work, in Niskayuna - 6.25 miles there and then back. It was a good run in that it was interesting and having traffic around me (I ran on the sidewalk, of course) gave me something to watch and look at. Being in the sun the whole time wasn't all that fun.
I completely bonked at mile 10 (bonking is the fun term for no longer being able to run). My legs seized up and I had to walk until mile 12.45 - I ran the final .05 mile as I vowed I would finish running! Silly, yes.
I think I bonked because I didn't hydrate and eat enough early enough in the run. I did drink and eat my jelly beans (I like the Luna Gels better though, I realized) when I thought it was time, but I think I should have either eaten more or drank more, or both. I had to get a Gatorade from the Rite Aid on the way back because I knew I wasn't going to make it on what I had consumed. It definitely helped, but it was too late to recover my legs to be able to run the final stretch.
I didn't start to feel the running until about mile 8....miles 1-5 were really no big deal and felt really good....6-8 were pretty good, but 8-10 started the degeneration of both my legs and my spirit. I did some positive pep talking through mile 9, but when I got to 10 and my legs started to feel like complete stones and seized up, I figured I'd rather stop then risk injury or passing out. Maybe I'll rethink trying a marathon next year and just go for another half...
So, lesson learned - that is what training is for!
And frankly, if I bonk on the big day, I bonk - I know I can finish - even if I have to walk it in, I'll finish! :)
After the run, Bruce asked me how I felt and I told him - my legs were achy and sore but they had this tingly sensation flowing through them that was just energizing and fun. Kinda weird - but I liked it! I've noticed the same feeling on the last two long runs - kinda makes me eager to do it again. Bizarre.

So, that was the long run. This week I have some hill training and drills....Friday I'll do my speedwork. No long run this weekend as it's a speedwork weekend. And, this Saturday is my cousin, Amy's 30th birthday party in NJ, so I will be out of town partying! :)

I'm not feeling the update of my weekly training schedule tonight (I have it written down on my pad next to the couch) so I'm going to log off now and do it another night.

Later!

Not Running Like A Girl

2008-09-13T13:40:00.003-04:00

Frankly, I can't run like a girl because I haven't run this past week period. Well, Sunday...but that was it.

First full week of full-day Kindergarten. I was way too exhausted to get up early to run, and had no energy by the time I got home from tutoring at Sylvan to even think about putting on my sneakers.

So, this week I did nothing (well, I did chase my 22 kindergarteners at times at recess...but that isn't quite the same...)

I plan to go out today and do some speedwork/track repeats. And my hope is that this week I can get up early - thinking about 5:00/5:30 - and get to the gym in the AM before school. That means packing a bag and lunch and everything the night before...but I really don't want to lose what I've gained, so I'm going to see how it goes. I'm tired getting up at 6:00 as is...that half-hour earlier just sounds awful...we'll see how it goes.

In the meantime although I did basically take this week off from running, I don't feel too guilty - I am recalling the last time I took a full week off and how when I went back out I actually did better. Rest can help the body; hopefully I will see the results today when I get out there.

This past Sunday was the Brueggar's 5K and I ran my best time yet - 28:13 with a PR mile of 9:03. I was so happy. If the clock had been a bit bigger I think I might have been able to break 28:00 - I didn't want to turn up my pace too soon and then bonk at the end so I waited a bit longer than I probably needed to. I'm not going to complain though - 28:13 is still 3 minutes faster than last years Brueggar's 5K, and 1 minute faster than my last 5K. Personally, I think that is pretty good improvement.

I feel like this may be one of the best times for running for me. I know I will come to a time when my times and speed will plateau and I will not make significant time gains on races and runs...and I may actually run slower than I had on previous runs. So for now I am definitely enjoying the thrill and satisfaction that this season every race was an improvement on the last. I have one more 5K before the Half - October 4. It is the same course as the Freihoffer's Run and Missing Children run - it's definately a rolling hills course so I am not anticipating anything like my 28:13 time. If I can break 30:00 on it that would be good. The last 2 times I ran it the weather was really hot and sunny....I'm hoping that October 4 will be seasonably cool. I'm just looking forward to the run though - no time goal....

OK, so that is the update. Great 5K, not much of anything since then, going out today to give the track a few turns. My computer is officially at HP in California being diagnosed. I am using Bruce's when I get the chance. I probably won't post much this week...I'll do it as I can; in between teaching, running, tutoring, eating, sleeping and spending time with Bruce. Not in that order. :)

Hopefully this coming week will see much more of me running like a girl. Wish me luck!

The Good, the Bad, and the Holy Crap, it's Labor Day

2008-09-01T17:55:00.003-04:00

Hello friends and other random people that may make their way to my blog...

Let's start with the Bad....

Well, on Friday morning I went to go on my computer and found that it was no longer working. It is literally one year old. So, I didn't panic, tried a few things, restarted, blah blahed, called Bruce...he tried some stuff and we both looked at each other and knew....
Virus.
Seems that I must have gotten infected by some virus that decided to eat my hard drive. I tried a new USB jumpdrive that I got from Staples for Teacher Appreciation about a week ago and that was it....the virus was either on the jumpdrive or my friend's computer...either way, had Staples not lured me to use the fancy jumpdrive I would be typing on my computer, not Bruce's. So, Thanks Staples! Happy Teacher Appreciation to me.
Bastards.
So....I lost everything on my hard drive, but I do have a back up of most of the stuff. Some pictures and videos I took with my webcam and stuff like that are most likely gone (Bruce and my 5th Anniversary video...sniff...sniff..), but what can ya do? I'm just glad that HP is sending me a replacement for free (still under warranty, thank God). I should be up and running (hopefully) by this weekend. I'll give an update on what I definitely lost...I'm still hoping that my back up software did its job and backed up everything (like it was supposed to. Bruce and I, when we checked my back up hard drive only found some of the files. We think that maybe the settings on the auto back up weren't what we thought and therefore only backed up certain files instead of all of them - like webcam stuff and photos...).
That was the bad (and why I haven't posted in so long)...

The Good...
I did my speedwork this past week and kicked butt (for me...still no Olympian, mind you). I really was concerned because my run schedule got all mixed up from my having to set up my classroom and meet with some parents and such. So needless to say, I didn't do much running this past week. I went out to do the speedwork on Thursday figuring that I would do crappy. But, I guess the week off (sort of) did me good. I ran about 1 minute faster than my projected time and I got faster with each repeat. I was very happy. I think the weather helped too - it was very overcast, a light sprinkle and cool. Plus, and I may be over thinking this...but I got about 5 inches of my hair chopped off. I think it took off some weight on my head - it feels lighter, I think it made me run faster. Ha ha! Just teasing.

So, it's freakin Labor Day...I can't believe it. I know that this next week back to school will be crazy and I'm not sure how the running will go. I've got a tentative schedule made out through the end of the month, but I'm going to do what I can. I know that I'm going to be tired and have to adjust and play it by ear. I am not concerned though...I will do what I can and not stress about it. I may get cranky from not running like I have become accustomed over this summer, but I will not be stressed about missing a run. I am trying to convince myself...I am going to keep trying.

On a side note, Alana - I have video from the Wedding Dress spectacular, and you are more than invited to the Second Annual bash next year! Kirstin has the pics, I think....If she gets me them, I'll post them. The video I will try and figure out how to post once I get my computer back, :)

Busy, Busy

2008-08-24T18:47:00.002-04:00

Sorry that I haven't updated the blog in a while....I've been busy getting my classroom organized and set up for school (starts a week from this Wed).

So, running has been going well. I've been tired this past week - I think all the Olympic watching has been catching up with me ;) I'm almost glad it is all over now...it's been exhausting trying to watch all the coverage. Michael Phelps...amazing. The marathons were fun to watch, but I was disappointed that Deana Kastor (women's, USA) had to pull out 20 minutes into it (fractured foot) and that Ryan Hall didn't medal - but he's young and fast and will be back, I'm sure. It was a great Olympics - can't wait for London. I'd love to be able to go....maybe I should make that a goal. Go and watch, of course - not participate...I'm not that crazy.

So, my own training is coming along. I've been running as scheduled and this morning I finished my 9.5 long run. My pace was 11:30, which was just what it should have been for practice - but it was HARD today - it was soooo hot. My heart rate was above where it should have been, and I probably over-did it for training purposes, but I really just wanted to be done and get out of the sun. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the route I made for myself was a bit hillier than I expected....oh well.

I ran my fourth time trial this week - 9:08, my fastes mile yet. I was thrilled.

What else...oh....I started writing down all my calorie intake, protein, carbs, fat, fiber, etc....I am not necessarily trying to lose weight, but I haven't budged a pound, nor has my body fat % gone down in 6 weeks - given the amount of running I've been doing I think it's a bit odd. I have been very consistent with doing Weight Watchers points, but started to wonder if I'm just not eating enough calories, even with replacing calories that I've burned off from exercising. The last two weeks have been interesting....my initial hunch is correct (I think)...calorie-wise I've been eating my daily allowance, but when I convert it to WW points it ends up being like 32 points a day - about 9-12 points over what I was eating before I started counting calories. So, I definitely think I was not eating enough calories and my body was thinking it was being deprived. We'll see if the scale budges one way or the other in the next few weeks. Like I said, I don't necessarily think I need to lose weight, but I should see the body fat % change, that will let me know that my body is utilizing the energy I'm giving it and getting me stronger.

I'll update my running/exercise schedule for this coming week tomorrow. Right now, I'm hungry for dinner and a bit tired....

Only 12 weeks until the Half...I know I'll be prepared...I can't believe it's approaching so quickly though....

Holy Cow, Michael Phelps

2008-08-12T17:47:00.005-04:00

My cousin Biz said that she thinks that Michael Phelps may be part fish - I think I agree. He is so amazing to watch swim - it is crazy. If you haven't watched him yet in the Olympics, check the listing to see when he is swimming or check the replays at NBC.com - he is a marvel.

I'm having a blast watching the Olympics. It's on like 8 hours a day and I love to watch it all....I can't stop - I may be addicted. Call intervention (which is another good show, but I digress).

I've been loving watching Michael Phelps (as I said) and was so happy when I found out the Raj got on the men's gymnastics team after Paul Hamm dropped out. Raj was an alternate, and, in my opinion, should have been picked for the team in the first place. He has had an amazing year and was fantastic at the trials. I love watching him to - he lights up the events. I can't wait until Friday - that is the start of Track and Field. I'm eager to watch the marathon, of course, and the triathlon too. It's a good thing that school is out of session - watching all the coverage is like a full day "job." Thank God for my DVR (like a Tivo).

Amidst the awe and inspiration of Olympians, my own training continues...

I took off Sunday AND Monday from training all together. Instead of working out myself on Monday, I went and helped out at a 5K Trail Run hosted by a local running group that I am part of. It was fun - I got to hand out the water while everyone ran by all muddy on their way to the water obstacle. It looked like a lot of fun. I think I might run it next week. It had just stopped raining when the run began, so the course was still very wet and slippery and muddy - and it looked like an absolute blast! :)

So, today I did my speed drills. The cadence drills are coming along - I maxed out at 53 steps in 30 seconds - couldn't have gone faster if I'd tried. But that is about 2 steps faster than last time, so that is still improvement. The acceleration glides were tougher, and I had realized, while re-reading, that I had been doing them wrong the last couple times. So I did them the right way this time - my glides were fewer, but again, when I was doing them before I wasn't counting right. They still felt good and I'm getting the hang of them.

Most interesting part of today's workout was the weather - it pretty much sprinkled the whole time. I didn't much mind the rain, but the wind picked up a bit a few times during my drills and I could feel it impeding my body.

This week I don't have a long run because I go to the track for my first round of 800 meter timed runs - they are designed to keep me at my pace and focus my body on working at tempo. This week I'll do 3 sets of them. I'm going to do them Thursday instead of doing my normally scheduled run cause Bruce and I are traveling to Rochester on Saturday for my uncle's birthday party. There will be a lot of eating - and although I have come to love running - I am not going to pretend that I might be able to squeeze in my run while there is fun and partying to be done! :)

So, one more day of training down: overall, a good workout. Now I'm going to go feed my Olympics addiction by watching the white water rafting finals and spend the remainder of my evening with Brucie watching Olympians make everything look really easy.

New PR....Woo hoo!

2008-08-10T13:11:00.003-04:00

Well, first off, let me say that I had a lovely weekend with Kirstin and Beth. We had a great time in our wedding dresses watching movies and hanging out. I did not do as much drinking as I was planning (yes, I was actually planning on perhaps getting a buzz-on...). Alas, my tummy had different thoughts about the matter so after the 2nd (really delicious) Cosmo, I stopped all alcohol consumption and stuck to water.
I'm thinking my race that morning dehydrated me a bit as was and I just wasn't as hydrated as I needed to be to enjoy the benefits of a good alcohol buzz. Oh, well. It was a fantastic time, alcohol or no, and I had a blast with my old (meaning prior, not age-wise) college roommates.

So...on to the race results.

Kirstin and Bruce braved the morning sun to be up at 6:30 on Saturday - voluntarily, mind you - so that they could watch me run. Beth too planned on joining us, but her alarm clock chose a different path for her, in the end.

We got up to the race course at about 8:10 and I did my warm up thing; Bruce and Kirstin hung and looked at the dogs being primped for the dog show taking place across the street and videotaped me warming up....Bruce and I just got our video recorder back from being fixed, ....I'll post it if I can figure out how to do it. The race sign in was at the bottom of this very nice, steep hill. Luckily, the start line was up the hill and about 1/4 mile down the road, so we didn't have to run up the hill - but we did get to run down it...more on that later.

So the race started, and then stopped. False start. First race I've been in that had a false start. It was funny to watch everyone hit the "start" timer on their watches as they began to run...stutter a bit....and then come to a halt and reset their watches....

Second start was the charm. I really wanted to stop running a couple times during it - in all honesty, I don't think my legs were recovered enough from my long run on Thursday- so I was not feeling as great as I had hoped. But, I also had decided that I just wanted to run it and have a good run. The first mile was a real struggle mentally....But...then I heard my first mile time and it was a 9:10 - my fastest yet...so I was like, cool, I can slow down since I'm not looking to do any PR or anything, just finish under 30:00 again. That helped me mentally - despite not feeling great and actually feeling pretty sluggish, I had run my fastest mile. Mentally I was uplifted, but physically my legs were still not playing nice. So, I did slow, but I still managed to keep a good pace up and really didn't rush myself.

I started down the long and steep hill (as an aside....I was told it was a flat course...um...not really. There were some small hills, but hills nonetheless. Flat courses are just that, flat. I would have categorized this as mostly flat with 3 or 4 small hills and one gigantic down hill at the end.) I thought I was going to land on my face it was so fast a descent. It was hard on my back and my shins, and although I tried to use my momentum to not waste energy, I had to "put my brakes on" to avoid rolling to the finish line. Instead of my normal acceleration to the end, I had to slow down to keep from falling. Mentally, it was kind of a weird feeling - going against my normal routine.

But slow I did, and crossed the line - on my feet - in 28:36! I broke 30:00, and 29:00! Almost a full minute off my last race...I am really happy - especially considering how I felt most of the run.

Rest today - my plan is to watch a lot of olympics and get either
1)inspired to keep training harder or 2) fall asleep on the couch :)
I'm fine letting the Olympians do all the work today. Ha ha.

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

Breaking Dawn...oh, and running...

2008-08-07T15:32:00.003-04:00

I finished Breaking Dawn last night at around 9:30 - it was so damn good. I have to say, probably the best series I've read recently- Harry Potter excluded, of course (I think that is the best series I've ever read).
The plot was great, some of it dragged at times, but generally I was really happy with how she weaved everything together.

But, now that I'm done...it's all done. That's the problem with good books and series - they come to an end. I have a ton of books sitting on my shelf ready to be read though, so I am at no loss for material.

On the running front, yes, I did my 8 miles today. Yesterday I took the whole day off as planned. As I was getting ready for bed last night I started to think about maybe running just a bit - maybe not the whole 8....I just felt like if I didn't do it I would miss it. Crazy, I know.
So I packed my gym bag, cause my plan was, with the predicted weather - heat and potential thunderstorm, just to run on the treadmill for however long. My calf is back to normal and I figured I would just keep it easy and not put any pressure on myself for how long/far I ran.
At work, I had some very annoying students (did not stop talking for 3 hours....oi), so by the time I left I was ready to just zone out with my music and go for a run.
I got to the gym, started out not overly into the whole treadmill thing, but by mile 4 I had loosened up enough to enjoy it. That and there was a re-run of Friends on the TV - the episode where Joey finds out that his tailor has been fondling him while taking his measurements - so funny. Caught up on some Days of Our Lives too (Bo and Hope got married - again - like for the 5th time of something). I don't really like treadmills too much, but today it was perfect.
So I got my long run in, even though I wasn't planning on it, and I feel pretty good.

Tomorrow Kirstin (friend from college) comes into town. She and my friend, Beth (also from college) will accompany me to my race on Saturday morning (Bruce will be there too, of course) and then we are all hanging out. Saturday night is wedding dress night - 1st Annual. Beth, Kirstin and I will put on our dresses and sit around watching stupid, but good movies and drink lots of beer. Great way to celebrate another 5K under my belt!

Chances are I won't post again til Sunday. Hope you all have a good weekend. Wish me luck on Saturday - I'm shooting for 29:something again. I don't have to be faster than last race, but I'd still like to come in under 30:00!

Revise...Revise...

2008-08-06T14:11:00.002-04:00

Ok, so my calf is still a bit tight today - and I've been really tired the last couple days. So, I've decided that I'm taking today off totally (I have grocery shopping and laundry to do - which requires 4 flights of stairs - anyways) and I might do 8 miles tomorrow...I might not. I figure with the race this weekend and my calf just feeling a bit strained, I'm going to take it easy instead of risking injury.
Got plenty of time til the race, not concerned with skipping a long run...though, I will admit....I do feel a bit guilty for.
But I'll get over it.

We hit 100!

2008-08-05T15:48:00.002-04:00

When I logged on today the counter was up to 106 - yeah! We hit 100 - I say "we" because it wouldn't have hit without you all checking in....I only drop by once a day or so so I know ya'll are visiting -

Thank you, thank you!!! (Now if when you drop by you'd drop a note or comment to me on the page once in a while, that would be cool too - hint, hint - LOL). :)

Yesterday I made it to Spin class. The damn knob on the bike was stuck so (like a total idiot) I tried to loosen it with my right heel by kicking it, and overshot it and jammed the knob in the bottom of my foot right on the arch. Nice purple bruise. It's there, I can feel it, but it's not so bad that I can't walk or run (thank goodness...Spin is NOT worth it). I did take it pretty easy in class, but my hamstrings and my left calf are a bit sore today...may need to skip spin next week - I'll see.

So today was track day - cadence drills, acceleration glides and a timed mile at race pace....ugh, it was hot.
Humidity was only like 64% or so, but the sun was high in the sky and didn't hide behind a cloud for more than about 2 minutes so it was H- O - T...I'm guessing about 83 in the sun. Had lots of water and took lots of walking breaks.

My cadence drills were pretty good - got up to 53 steps in 30 seconds (3 more steps than last time) but my freakin hamstrings were tight. I felt like mentally I could do more, and wanted to, but I really didn't want to push my legs. So 53 is not bad. The acceleration glides went much better - I managed to glide for 30 steps at the end, which is really awesome. I'm also noticing that when I run down hills I am able to use the gliding; instead of physically pushing my legs to go, I just run on momentum that I've built up. It's pretty cool.

Timed mile at the end was good, but definitely tough being as it was so hot. I ran a 10:50 mile, including my 2 x 1 minute walking breaks; but it was a tough tempo to keep. If Richmond proves to be this hot in November, I'm quite sure I will not make my time goal - but that is fine - I am enjoying the training (for the most part - if the heat would go I'd be enjoying it more) and am looking forward to just running it and finishing.

So, hot, not overly humid, but sunny and not the greatest running weather - but I'm all done for the day. Tonight I'm helping Beth pack (she's moving in about a month) and tomorrow I have lots of errands and laundry to do...so, I may take the whole day off and just "rest" - especially since I want to be fresh for my long run Thursday.

Breaking Dawn update...I am totally loving this book - I love what she did plot wise (I provide no hints, for those of you that may be reading it) and I am happy that now I don't have to dislike Jacob anymore :) Hope you are enjoying it too, Biz. :) I have about 200 pages to go - won't get to much tonight since I'll be out, but my plan is to post this and get a few pages in before I have to leave.

Happy running, reading, or whatever you plan on doing today!

Monday Malaise

2008-08-04T15:21:00.005-04:00

Had a great weekend with the cousins - Amy, Steve and Biz. They came up on Saturday from NJ - in some not so great weather and through even worse traffic. We had a lot of fun and it was great to see them. Lots of food, laughing and hanging out.
We visited Saratoga, met the most unfriendly and rude waitress, ate some great food, bought Breaking Dawn (more below), lost some money at the Racino, checked out the grave of Uncle Sam, and just had a general great time.

So, now, company gone, I'm bored. :(
(Good thing I have company coming this weekend too..plus a race on Saturday...)

Picked up Breaking Dawn (fourth and final book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, for those you not in the know....you need to get with it....teenage vampires - such good reading) and have been reading that since last night.

Oh, last night...power went out around 8. Apparently a squirrel ate one of the lines (this is speculation but the current theory around the apartment complex) and caught itself on fire, thus catching the pole on fire. Good thing we'd had rain - otherwise the forest outside our apartment could have gone up pretty quickly. So, pole on fire, that was exciting - fire dept. came, NIMO came and cut the pole down around 11:30 (chainsaws at 11:30 = no sleeping) and had power on around 1 am ish. So from about 8:00 on it was candle light in the Salisbury house.

Around 11 I couldn't take reading by candlelight anymore and headed to bed...stayed awake listening to aforementioned chainsaw. Woke up this morning, have been reading all morning (to page 300), but now...kinda sick and bored of sitting around. There is a spin class at 4:30 but I'm not really feeling that either....so...not sure what I'll do for the rest of my time. My pedometer broke...maybe I'll go shopping for a new one...

Back to Breaking Dawn.....it is good so far, not disappointed...After about 15 pages I totally called what was going to happen (I won't spoil it...)....pretty good twist of events...Needless to say I'm really enjoying it (despite all the stuff with Jacob...blah, blah Jacob, blah, blah) but am just stir crazy sitting around.

So...off I go...where, not sure...probably to spin...who am I kidding?

:)

Morning Sunshines!

2008-08-03T09:10:00.002-04:00

Well, it's about 9:10 as I type and I just finished my long run for the day....yeay!
7.5 in 1:23:00 - n0t bad - a bit faster than I should have been going, to be honest. My pace today was supposed to be 11:30-12:00 miles and I ended up doing 11:00 miles...but it was a nice, cool morning (humidity was a bit much at times).
Passed by 3 dead skunks - that'll make you run faster.... :)
So, my pedometer broke and my mapmyrun mileage was off by 3/4 of a mile, so I had to run around the block to get my mileage in - I'll fix those things later.
For the rest of the day it's relax, chill and hang with my cousins who are in town.

Long run officially done for another week!

Track Training #2

2008-07-31T22:51:00.002-04:00

Today was my second go at a "miracle mile" - basically just a mile that is run after warming up that is supposed to help predict performance and speed growth. The overall premise behind them is that if you do them consistently then you will be able to accurately predict your pace time for a longer distance run.
So, my first TT (why it's not called an MM I'm not sure...) was 9:35 and I did that 2 weeks ago. Last week I didn't do any because of the race.
My race last week was my fastest mile yet - a 9:20. I was surprised, given my fastest time before that was 9:35.
Today, I was able to hit that 9:20 again so I was really pleased - especially since my legs were very heavy.
Yesterday I did Pilates and Arm Running (literally just standing and going through the movement of running with just your arms while holding light weights). My legs felt pretty good.
Today, my legs felt OK until I went to go run...then my hamstrings tightened up like a cinch.
I kept it easy for my warm up and my mile cooldown after my TT, but really tried to beat my 9:35 - I was shooting for anything lower than 9:35, hoping around 9:30...so when I saw the 9:20 I was pretty excited.
But, 15 seconds in 2 weeks might be a bit too much of an increase. I'm going to just go comfortably next week and see how I come out. The last thing I want to do is increase my pace too fast and risk injury.

In the meantime....tomorrow is X-train, or I may just rest depending on how my hamstrings feel. Saturday is scheduled rest (and my cousins are coming into town from NJ - yeah!). Sunday is my scheduled long day, but since my cousins will be here, I'm going to play it by ear...it may have to wait until the evening, or Monday, or if I'm motivated I may get up really early Sunday...but I'm not counting on it. I'm just gonna see how the weekend goes. So far I've kept spot-on my training schedule and I'm pleased with my efforts. :)
Tough run today, probably the toughest so far (especially with 80% humidity), but I got through and with a nice time under my belt.
I'm looking forward to taking it easy tomorrow!

No Politics Needed

2008-07-30T15:38:00.004-04:00

Ok, those of you who know me well know that I LOVE politics and spend most of my free time watching the election coverage...
Well, I was on Runner's World today and watching a video docu-short about one of the RW editor's who had completed a 24 hour run in Philly, PA. And I came across this video of Mike Huckabee - yes, that Mike Huckabee - and his "acceptance" speech from the 2006 Runner's World Heroes of Running awards. So I started to watch it, intrigued...
I was actually pretty moved by his story because it made me think about how I think about running now.
Before it was the "being chased with a knife" deal....but now...
Well, I agree with Mike.
Last night after my run and speed work, I iced my legs because they felt worn, like I might have overdone it a bit...and Bruce said, did you hurt yourself? And I said that I didn't think so, but I wanted to just make sure and be proactive. Truth was though - why was I icing? Because in my head I was thinking that I would be really upset with myself if on Thursday I missed my run because I was hurt.
I would be upset if I missed my run...
Huh. Who'd a thunk it?
Check out Mike's speech, posted above - it's a great little story - regardless of whether or not you like his politics...

Motivation via Email

2008-07-30T15:17:00.005-04:00

Well, yesterday (Tuesday), I had no interest in my daily run. None. While I usually try and make it a point to get my run in after my morning job, I came home yesterday and just sat and read and watched TV.
And I thought about my run.
And thought about it.
And thought some more about it.
And in between my reading, I would look at the clock, and think about it.
At about 5 in the evening I decided to check my email and there, scattered in my inbox were messages from my friend from highschool, Julia.
Julia knew me, as many of you did, before my days of running, or biking, or Pilates, or pretty much anything sports related - when I still carried around about 80 extra pounds and the thought of running a mile was, well, never even a thought.
Julia wrote me back after I posted my first blog and asked me for help to get her walking - she had been very sick recently and wanted to get back to getting active.
I was really very honored to be asked to help her...I haven't been doing this long, as you know, but it is something that I have really become, surprisingly passionate about. I told her that helping her would, no doubt, motivate me...
So, as I looked in my inbox to check my email and saw her name scattered throughout it, I decided that really, I wasn't being fair to her, or myself, or my goals if I didn't just go out there and do my run. I had no reason other than I didn't feel like it. And really, it wasn't a good enough reason. Plus, I had emailed Julia that the days that I don't want to work out are the days that I know I have to.
So I went out. And I ran my 3 miles. And it really did suck. I walked some when I got too tired to keep going, and really just didn't enjoy a single step of the 3 miles....
Then, kind of a funny thing happened. I got to my apartment and decided that the hill outside of my apartment building would be a good as any to practice some downhill speed drills on...so I walked to the top of the hill and started just running down it....and when I got to the bottom, I decided to do it again....and then again...and 20 minutes later, I decided that I had better stop so I could shower and get dinner ready. And I was a little disappointed to have to stop...
So thanks to Julia, for the motivation to get out there and do my run when I had no interest. And thanks to all of you, for coming back to read what I have to write.

Time for Pilates...

4 days to Go

2008-07-29T07:26:00.002-04:00

Four days until what?

Well, I will give you some clues:

1) It's not a race
2) There will be giant parties simultaneiously around the country at midnight becuase of it
3) It's a tweeny bopper fad that I got hooked into - proudly!

Any guesses?

For those of you that are tried and true Twighliters, you are correct - Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, comes out at midnight on Aug 2.

Let us all celebrate - and, hell, let's make a new poll for it.

If you haven't read the books - go to your local bookstore and get them. Fantastic. Really. They just suck you in.

Go Edward!

More running and sports related posts later....

Getting Stronger...

2008-07-27T14:04:00.003-04:00

Well, yesterday's 5K Silks and Satins race proved to be very exciting.

I woke up feeling pretty good - but I didn't sleep well at all. Before I went to bed I did a quick calculation of what my pace times needed to be if I wanted to break 30:00 min and it was looking pretty questionable, based on my most recent track training. I knew this was a "flat and fast" course, but my last track mile that I ran I clocked in at 9:35 and that was a hard effort run. Even if I can do a mile at 9:35, most people's time goes down as the distance increases...for obvious reasons. So I went to bed thinking about it, woke up a lot during the night and at about 4:25 I woke up and that was it...I stayed in bed til my alarm went off at 5:50, but I wasn't sleeping much that last hour and a half.
I got up feeling anxious, not nervous - more like I really wanted to see how I could do. Checked the weather - it was on my side: about 67 degrees at start of run, 75% humidity (bit high) and partly sunny. Most of my runs lately have been in 80-85 degree weather so 67 was sounding really nice.

Bruce drove up with me. The race took place just around the corner from the Saratoga racetrack - during track season it is packed - even at 7:00 AM. People come out to see the horses warm up, and it was opening weekend so traffic was backed way up. I wanted to be there at 7:15 so I could check in and warm up. At 7:30 I officially had an internal meltdown and told Bruce, when we finally found where I needed to go (the race website had NO directions or information on how to get there - just the intersection, which was no help to google maps or mapquest) I asked if I could just jump out of the car while he looked for parking.

Took me all of about 30 seconds to check in, get my t-shirt (cute - off white with purple), and my ankle strap (for timing). That made up for my stress. I found my friend who was running it too and he and I chatted about the set-up, check in, our hopes and goals for the race. Bruce found me about 5 minutes later and we all walked over to the start line.

This is a 5K (3.1 miles)- usually for big races there are corrals were people with certain times stand...if you run a 5 min mile you usually are in front, and so on to the back. This race had a corral for 4 minute mile runners. I'm hoping for a 9:30 minute mile....basically a 4 minute mile person is half way done before I'm even through my first mile! OK, that was just for perspective...

I won't drag this story much longer - I know you probably want to know how I did.... :)

So, I stood in the 5 minute corral - yes, I stood way ahead of where I "should" but in a race without a starting mat that clocks you as you cross it, your time can be about 2 minutes off if you start in the way back. If there is no starting mat (which there wasn't) when the gun goes off, the clock starts. If I'm all the way back with 9 minute pacers and it takes me 2 minutes to get to the start of the race, my time is not going to be accurate. And I was going for a PR, so I figured, the hell with it - I'll go to the front and start my time when the race starts.

Before the race started Bruce asked how I felt. After my very brief warm up I wasn't feeling all that great. My left knee kind of hurt (it never hurts), I was really thirsty, and I was just feeling kind of dejected....so I told him I felt alright, not great, I was gonna do my best, but I honestly wasn't "feeling it."

The gun went off, I started running immediately and it was very crowded. People passed (whizzed is more accurate) by me (my being very slow compared to them) but I didn't try to compete with them - this was about me and the clock. I kept my mind and body in check, tried not to accelerate when the 70 year old lady passed by me like I was walking, and just kept running.

My first mile I was hoping for a 9:40 pace - that would put me under the 30:00 and kept that pace. Still 5 seconds faster than my fastest mile, but in a race adrenalin can help you go faster than you think....I was counting on that factor.

So when I got to mile one mark and they said 9:20 I was ecstatic! I was 25 seconds faster than my fastest, and 20 seconds faster than my goal pace. The sun was out, but the temp was fine - I was hot, but I could keep this up...
Second mile time was 19:00 - still 20 seconds faster than my pace had to be to make it under 30:00.

First (and last) water station I ran through, got a drink, doused my neck and back and found my "carrot" - a woman running ahead of me who had passed by me at the beginning of the race (her tank top strap was on her shoulder and I remembered her as she whizzed by at the start of the race)...so if she whizzed by me at the start and was now about 100 feet ahead of me, she was slowing down and I could eventually catch her. I noticed Bruce ahead of me, standing on the sidewalk smiling and waving, and that gave me another bit of motivation to keep it up.

I kept my eye on "the carrot"...didn't try to chase her, just used her as a "carrot" and kept our distance the same. I figured that I would draft her at the end if she slowed....which she did. So I crept up behind her, my pace was the same (she was slowing) and used her being in front to help me along for about a quarter mile. When I saw the finish banner I knew I was pretty close. That and the Theme Song to Rocky ("Getting Stronger...; my favorite "get your butt moving for one last all out effort" song) came on my music player - my cue that there was about 2 minutes left in the race if I wanted to make it under 30:00 (I cued my music to help me know my pace)...I looked at my clock - 28:00....I could do this...about .2 of a mile to the finish...

So I ran a bit faster, passed my "carrot", mentally thanked her, and just kept going. I saw the finish clock ahead and it read 29...about .1 of a mile left...I can go all out for 1 minute and die at the end if I have to...so I just started to accelerate like I did in my speed training drills and I started passing a bunch of people (a few whom I recognized as those zooming past me at the start....take that...lol)....

...and I crossed the line at 29:32!

Overall pace: 9:30 - my personal best ever. :) :) :) :)

Yes, I was tired at the end. I definitely put my all in that last .1 of the mile - I couldn't have gone any faster without falling over....but it was completely worth it to see that clock - and not even that, but to know that I had beat that clock with a solid 28 seconds to spare....

And today, the day after...I am feeling great. My body is fine, not sore, I could run another....but I won't...not til Monday. Today I'm just going to give myself the day off and bask in my own personal glow of self achievement.

Birthday Wishes and Crossed Fingers

2008-07-25T16:31:00.004-04:00

First, Happy Birthday wishes goes out to my cousin, Biz. I know she'll have a wonderful time because she is the kind of person who gets a party going wherever she is. :)

Today is my day off. Just chillin in the house. Woke up feeling fine - no pain from the long run yesterday. Abs are still a bit tight from Pilates. Around 12 I was walking around the apartment and this little sharp pain started on the top of my left foot each time I put my foot down. Walked around a little and it came and went. I am feeling a bit paranoid because the race is tomorrow and I REALLY want a PR....I decided to see if maybe walking lightly might just loosen everything up, so I walked to the Rite Aid up the street (had to pick up some drugs).
No pain during the walk, no pain since...knock on wood....I'm going to take it easy today though....I'll be really crushed if I wake up and can't run the race tomorrow....I'll get over it, but I'll be crushed.

Fingers crossed, laces tied - wish me luck tomorrow. My goal is to hit under 30:00, and under 29:00 would make me jump up and down a lot. :)
Until then....

Pilates Pain and Treadmill Tiffs

2008-07-24T19:29:00.003-04:00

Ok, so yesterday I did Pilates for an hour and I can barely move my arms and when I laugh or cough my abs hurt. For doing "absolutely nothing" for an hour (I was actually bored during the routine, I'm so used to moving so much during my workouts) I am more sore than the day after a race. My HR monitor registered no higher than 55% the whole hour I was doing Pilates yet I am quite sore. Just goes to show you that cardio workouts are not always the hardest. I also realized how freakin weak I am. 10 push ups - thought I would die. Doing The Hundred (Pilates move) - thought I would die. Single Leg Stretches - I think I may have had an out of body experience...thank God I only am scheduling that once a week...maybe twice...

Today....I had no interest in running. Furthest thing down on my "want to do list" but since it was on the calendar (and I am determined not to have to rewrite workouts into the next day block) I moved it to the top of my "do it anyway" list.

Being the Rain Capital of the US this week, I did not venture outdoors to complete my run but rather went and fought with the treadmill at the gym (Tiff had a tiff with the treadmills). I usually like treadmills - I think since I was not interested in running anyways that the treadmills and I were just destined to "have it out." They are machines - but I think they can sense fear and hesitation...they prey on it...maybe I'm being dramatic?

Anyways, got to the gym...my favorite treadmill was in use (by someone walking like 2 miles an hour - I kid you not, the thing was barely on...)...went to a different one...wouldn't work...went to a different one...fan out of service (love the little fan - helps keep the air moving)...went to yet another one - worked fine (or so I thought...read on).

But...to my delight (sarcasm), I managed to hit the emergency stop button on the side of the treadmill like 5 times during the workout- I swear the little red button literally jumped out at me today. Running....running...stop dead. First time, I was excited to have an impromptu break....second time, I was surprised by my continued clumsiness....third time, I got annoyed....fourth time I decided it was a conspiracy and the treadmill had it in for me....fifth time I declared war on the treadmill and vowed that I would continue to pound its belt if it was the last thing I did.

When I reached 6.5 miles, I was glad I didn't have to do 7 - I was ready to be done. It's not that the run was bad - it was actually a good run: kept good pace (despite the emergency stops), my HR was in target the whole time, worked some intervals and hills into my routine - I just really hated doing it today.

I read once that the days that you don't want to work out are the days you HAVE to work out. I think there is some truth to that. I ran my longest run today since Big Sur, which is an accomplishment on its own, I suppose - but if I'm honest with myself my accomplishment today is more that I got over my "I hate this freakin running thing" attitude and added another 6.5 miles to my sneakers....

...did I mention that about 5 minutes into my run the person on my favorite treadmill left...oh yes, I could have switched over, but I figured if I put my feet on solid ground they would have walked me straight down the stairs to my car. That and if I had switched I would never had experienced the joy of the emergency stop button and had the opportunity to write this blog about my war with an inanimate object.

Inanimate or not, today I won. Take that, treadmill!

Tiffany - 1
Treadmill - 0

Speed Work That's Not Too Speedy....

2008-07-23T14:26:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was speed work day...I estimated the whole routine to be about 30-35 minutes...took me an hour! Geez! So much for a quick trip to the track!
I really enjoyed it though, so I can't complain. My legs were a tad sore from spinning on Monday- I need to remember to take it down a notch at spin class if I'm going to do it for cross training. Even though I watched the tension on the spin wheel, stayed in the seat the whole time, and tried to keep my cadence pretty average, I think I still over-did it a bit. Didn't interfere with my routine yesterday, but I definitely could "feel" my legs when I went out to run.
So...yesterday - heat and humidity were turned up (shocker!) so I kept it at a good pace and didn't push it. Poured ice cold water on my hat and neck before I ran my tempo mile and that helped a lot!
Worked on cadence drills and acceleration glides (sounds so fancy and technical) - basically just working on making sure that my feet "touch off" the ground quickly and my "turn over" is fast. First cadence drill was 41 steps in 30 seconds, by the fifth drill I was up to 50 steps in 30 seconds. Not bad. Will do this as a planned work out once a week and in between short runs once in a while just to break things up.
Acceleration glides went well too - I managed to work off of momentum ("glide") for about 4-5 steps at the beginning and on the last set I was up to 8 steps.
Ran 1 mile at 10:49 with 3:1 intervals. Was pushing for 10:30 pace but with the heat (and it was the last thing I did in my workout) I decided to just take it back a notch - 10:49 is still respectable for a sunny 81 degrees and 70% humidity, I think ;)
Overall, a good workout again. Enjoyed the track and the speed work - despite my being there twice as long as I thought I would, the time went quickly. Breaking the workout up into minute and two minute segments kept it interesting.

Forgot to post my race on Saturday - Silks and Satins 5K in Saratoga! This is the one I've been waiting for - it's supposed to be a lot of fun. Flat and fast!
So...I'm technically supposed to take a day off before my long run on Sunday so my legs are fresh (less risk of injury and all that). But that means I'd have to do my long run Fri, the day before the race...not a good idea either (especially since I'm hoping for a PR - under 30 min) So....depending on how I feel tomorrow (I'm awfully tired today...) I may do my long run Thursday, take off Friday and then just cross train on Sunday....eh, I'll figure it out...

Spin that Wheel!

2008-07-21T22:18:00.004-04:00

Today was a cross training day.
I decided to go to a Spin class - my first one in like 3 months. I had good motivation though - for my birthday I got a gift certificate from Court and Dave to Skirtsports.com (love their running skirts). Since I have 2 running skirts I decided to buy a biking skirt with the money, so today was the first time I wore it. Very nice. It's green - I call it Mojito Green - it's pretty bright. Has padding in it so my butt doesn't get sore on the bike. TMI? In any event, it was the motivation I needed today to get off my ass and off to the gym.
I did about 70 minutes and kept my heart rate in the 70-80% range, which was my goal. It was not too tough, considering I am a bit competitive. Normally, when I see the other people in the class I try to "beat them" by spinning faster or harder or longer...whatever...it's silly since no one is going anywhere on a stationary bike. But it's what I do.
Today I just kept at my own pace and I also didn't go off the seat. In my training book it says that on off days if I want to doing spinning that is fine, but I should not get off the seat and ride standing because it puts too much pressure on the calves and ankles (and on off days I should be resting them). So....I stayed in the seat. Felt a bit weird and I kinda felt like a woose at the beginning when everyone else got up, but I got over it. Still had a great workout.
And my little green skirt looked cute.
Course, as we all know, that is the most important thing. ;)

PS - A very important congratulations to 2 people: Kerri, who had her 6 mile long run on Saturday and completed it in the awful VA heat, and Julie who got out today and started her walking training routine! Congrats, ladies :)

Ironman

2008-07-20T20:41:00.003-04:00

Today was the 10th running (swimming, and biking) of the Lake Placid Ironman Triathalon. I was checking out the results and came across this video.....

check it out...it's inspirational!

http://www.nasports.com/mediacenter/fordvideo/fordvideo.php

If you're unfamiliar with the Ironman it is THE premier triathalon - a total of over 140.6 total miles in broken up into:
swimming 2.4 miles
biking 112 miles
running 26.2 miles (a full marathon).
The unofficial fourth event is the praying that each competitor does during the other three events ;) Each person has up to 17 hours to complete it (elite traithaloners finish it between 9-10 hours).

Makes my 5 mile run this morning seem like small potatoes! :)

1 Long Run done...5,000 to Go

2008-07-20T18:41:00.002-04:00

Ok, maybe not 5,000....that was an exageration, obviously.

But, yes, today was my first official long run of the half marathon training. Today was a 5 mile run. I went up Hoosick and then looped around McChesney and came back (not that some of you have any idea where this is...but, I'm just blogging).
Very good run. Mostly flat, couple hills - nothing to be scared about ;) The beginning run at Hoosick is a bit of a climb - steady, but it wasn' bad. The weather...that is what could have been killer.
Needless to say, on a Sunday in the middle of July I saw no other runner out - why? Could it be because it was 82 degrees with 73% humidity and anyone running in this weather is an idiot? Ah, that might be it.
Actually, it wasn't that bad. It was completely overcast - no sun to be seen - and there was a nice light wind and constant sprinkle...so, despite the temp and humidity, it was completely tolerable. If it had been sunny I would not have gone (I would have made a date with the treadmill).
I ran a 2:1 pace (run 2, walk 1) which also helped keep my HR down and kept me from getting too hot. My breathing was good - not labored, but I was working. The pace was easy: I kept at a steady 12:00 for the whole thing, as is my "prescribed" time for my training. It felt slow and I did have to back off and consciously slow myself down at points. But considering how hot it was, the pace was perfect.
In my training book it says that pace should be slowed down by 30 seconds for every 5 degrees above 60 anyways...so if my race pace is about 9:30, that would put me at a 12:00 pace for 85 degree weather - so I guess I was spot on.
Tomorrow is cross train or rest. I'll see how I feel. Right now I feel very good. At the end of the 5 miles I was not sore or tired - I was happy to be done so I could shower (I felt pretty gross), but I could have done another 5 if I had to. That is exactly how I want to feel - ready for the next training day. Keep 'em coming! :)

Accommodating Mother Nature

2008-07-18T17:33:00.009-04:00

Yesterdays afternoon training was postponed to this morning due to weather. I'm all for training and being consistent and sticking with it - but I am not about running in 89 degrees with 57% humidity. Thanks anyways.

So, yesterday I took a nice short stroll with Bruce as my substitution for my normally scheduled workout ;)

To accommodate the fact that today was going to be another 90 degree day with disgustingly high humidity I woke up at 7 and got my butt over to the track.

Today was my first TT run (Time Trial or Magic Minute). Basically, by running these consistently during training I can determine a realistic pace for my half marathon and either work to increase it or work to keep on that pace. As this is my technical first half, I'm supposed to just have a goal to finish. But since I did the 10.6 miler of Big Sur (the hilliest and most beautiful course in America) I feel that although it wasn't a real half marathon, it was pretty close - if I want to train for a time to finish in, I think that I can reasonably do that.

So...based on my TT from today, I have a 9:35 short distance pace (which I was really pleased about - right at where I was estimating). That makes my long distance pace about 11:00-11:25, putting me in line for a sub 2:30:00 half marathon. My goal (before I did my first TT today) was to run a 2:20:00 half. I think that I'll keep that in mind, but be focused on still running sub 2:30:00 - if that means I run 2:29:59, that is great! Of course, most importantly, I want to finish and feel good. If that means a 3:30:00 time, so be it! But hopefully not! :)

Overall, very good training. I ended up doing about 40 minutes, including the TT and some speedwork. Feel great tonight and ready to go for my long run on Sunday.

Tomorrow I am off from training for the whole day - Happy 5th Anniversary to Bruce and I.:)

Can you believe this was five years ago?! Wow!

Wed Update

2008-07-16T21:07:00.003-04:00

OK, I made it out today. Bruce and I took a lovely little walk around the neighborhood. It's still 82 here and the humidity is over 50% so it's still muggy, but it was a very nice walk regardless. And beyond training or anything like that I adore my evening walks with Bruce...they are one of my favorite parts of the day. :)

Africa Hot

2008-07-16T16:57:00.003-04:00

Holy hot....my Lord! So my afternoon bike ride is out - at least until it cools off a bit. Right now the temp reads 89 degrees with 40% humidity - bit too much for me to take a spin around the town in.

I had my first blog comment today! Thanks "ElizaD"! :)

To answer your question - I have a Polar F55 HRM. I have had it for about 1 1/2 years now and I do love it. Can't train without it. Mine has a weight training function in it that you can program if you are into weight training and such. I was....not so much now. So that function doesn't get used a lot. What I love the most is that it saves all my workouts to date and I can go back and review them from the very first one, to my most recent one.
I recommend getting one with a log. (See right sidebar post with all my exercise totals).

My dream monitor is the new Forerunner 405....it is a GPS recorder as well and will track your pace, your distance, elevation, etc. If you use mapmyrun, you will no longer need it - the 405 does it all for you. Maybe for Christmas....right now, it's a bit out of my price range. Check it out on line though - it's really great.

As for my training today...I'll post back.

Track run

2008-07-15T19:42:00.001-04:00

My heart rate monitor is all set up and calibrated. I tested it out today and I think it is pretty close to spot on. Determined my max to be at 198 bpm and got my thresholds for my other % (will post on side bar).

Today I biked about 1 mile over to a local college and ran on the track. I've never run on an outdoor track before and I really enjoyed it. I didn't realize they were all cushy and rubbery...maybe that's a "duh" statement, but I didn't know that.

Weather at 4:30: 83 degrees, 41% humidity, wind a 9 mph, sunny
Training goal: 30 min run at easy pace

Despite the temp and humidity, the weather was actually pretty great and I enjoyed it. The track was open and the sun beats down, but the wind helped out a lot and kept the temperature more manageable.

Actual run: 31:15 at medium pace; ran 3:1 splits (run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute) and my pace was comfortable. 3.2 miles total run.

The running pace was a bit slow, but considering the heat, I was not going to overdo it. As is, my heart rate was at about 85% for the majority of the run - more due to the heat than my actual pace.

I did a 200 meter "sprint" after I was done with my training, just to see what I had left. I ran it in 1:15 - not bad, again considering the heat (I think my goal pace for a 200 m is about 50 seconds...based on this sprint, I'm confident I could do that in cooler weather).

All in all a good running day. Music was great.

Favorite song for the run today: GNR - Paradise City!

HR Max test

2008-07-14T18:48:00.000-04:00

Ok...so today was an "off" day, but I decided that I would test my heart rate maximum, as I've always been a bit skeptical about whether or not my heart rate monitor (HRM) is accurately displaying my HR values.

So...I went to my friendly local gym and got "me-self" on the treadmill and ran and ran. I got all the numbers and feel like they are pretty fair to me. I posted the info on the runner's world (RW) website to see what some of the runner's thoughts were. I'll post what they tell me for my records.

Basically, I just don't want to over do my training or train to light...if I should be training at 65% of my max, I want to be able to look at my monitor and know that is what I'm doing. With outdoor conditions like temp and humidity affecting HR, I want to make sure I'm pretty close to target - especially since I want to do most of my running outside.

Good workout today...I loved the speed part, where I was running much faster than my typical pace....I love the speed. I can't do it for long (I think I'm more of an endurance runner than a speed runner), but I love the feeling.

Oh what a feeling - Toyota! (Who remembers that? Probably no one...)

Proudly Running Like A Girl

2008-07-13T11:06:00.000-04:00

Hellooooo!

I am beginning this blog for purely personal reasons...to track my progress, record my goals, outline my training and, basically, make myself accountable for it. Though I don't think I need any additional external motivation (I am pretty self motivated), I think having a place to document my thoughts, progress, etc is just plain fun.

To Start....

I am training for the SunTrust Richmond Half Marathon on November 15. I will be running (like a girl) with my best friend, Kerri. :) Neither of us has ever run this far. At times (during training and race day) I'm sure we will wonder why the hell we decided to join this....those questions are best left unasked until later. Besides, I haven't (technically) even started my official training yet. No need to get psyched out just yet.

Why I run:

I actually like it (it's a love/hate relationship, really, but this "I like to run" is a new thing for me - I was previously part of the "I don't run unless someone is chasing after me with a weapon" fan club)
I like the feeling of the wind on my face (especially when I pass a really full dumpster on a sunny day - it's awesome)
I like the "me" time to just do my thing and listen to music on my Zune (it's like an I-Pod, but better)
I like the way I feel when I'm done
I like the people I meet along the way (the ones who smile...the ones that just stare at me with the "running-is-bad-for-you" look or "why-are-you-smiling-while-you-run" look I don't care for much and are excluded from that statement)
I like spending between $20-$70 for race day t-shirts

Previous Running Experience:

Not a whole lot...

I did the Friehoffer's 5K back in 2000 then took an 8 year break. Started running again in Jan 08 to train for the Big Sur International Marathon as part of a fundraising team. I signed up for the 10.6 Miler portion.

I started as a walker (when I began training I was still part of the "I don't run unless someone is chasing me...." club) and then realized that if I ran, I could get done faster! Yes! It was almost like cheating...
So, I started to run. And then, the weirdest, most unexpected thing happened....I started to LIKE it. Huh. Go figure.

In any event, I ran the 10.6 Miler in April (as I mentioned, I was part of a large group that fundraised over $216,000 for The Wellness Center of Central New Jersey - a cancer support group. We are very proud of our accomplishment!) finishing in a respectable 2 hours.

But when it was all over I was like...OK...what do I do now? I had somewhat the same feeling as after my wedding day...I'd planned, prepared, and now that it was all over....what do I do with myself?

Train for a Half Marathon!

Which brings me to the present. So here I am...and here is my blog....and here I go!