The Joys of Winter Running

I did 6.75 miles yesterday in the cold, and I will admit, the masochist in me rather enjoyed it. The temps were in the 20's, but with wind chill it was more like teens-ish... And since I lived in the south for the last 2 years, it was rather a shock to the system. :O However, I quickly acclimated to it, which is easy to do when it's not windy. And bundled up with a furry hat. The miles at first went by slowly, but then accelerated at a speedy clip. The scenery was great, and I saw fellow nutzos out there (including one runner who was wearing shorts!). Sometimes I just get into a really good zone on my jogs, and roll with it; yesterday was a fabulous illustration of that occurrence. I'm one of those folks who are successful at achieving Zen through running, and not yoga. Some of you will know what I'm talking about reading this!

Anyways, yesterday's workout had some speedy segments thrown in for good measure, but it was overall a pretty conservative effort. I can't believe how racing can impact you even a week afterward. I'm still feeling a wee bit tired, and my legs aren't quite fresh yet. Granted, I did a freakin' marathon, so I know it's exhausting business, but it's still a little jarring to feel the way I do right now.

Hope I'll be able to squeeze in some good runs while I'm in the northeast during the holidays. It'll be a great stress reliever, not to mention penance for eating all those cookies, and drinking all those hot chocolates with Baileys.

A 2-Hr (or less) Half, Here I Come!!!

Let me preface this post with a mini-ramble of how training for Marathon #2 (Palm Beach Marathon 2010) went. Basically, most of it sucked. I felt tired a lot, got sick around key workout times, and essentially felt stale about the whole affair. I'd get occasional flashes of potential and awesomeness on certain runs (e.g., running an 8:35 split on the last mile of a 20 mile training run - how the fuck did THAT come about?), but that was all. Not a lot of meaty substance, but plenty of malaise to go around.

So while I felt adequately prepped going into Palm Beach, I knew that it would be very unlikely I'd reach my goal time of 4:30. I just didn't have the strength and endurance to hack it. But I still set a new PR by 9 minutes. That was extremely comforting for me. However, it also confirmed that I need to rejigger the way I approach training, not to mention that busting out of my comfort zone has to happen in order for me to meet my new ambitions.

Goal #1: I want to run a half-marathon in 2-flat or under
Goal #2: I want to run a full in 4:20 or under
Goal #3: I want to lose 5 lbs. (which will help me reach the first two goals, so actually, this should be the first thing on my plate, but weight loss is never a fun thing)

How will I attain these? I'm still fishing around for a good training program to follow, but I have a few things up my sleeve that will help me on this running journey of mine. I've been reading, and re-reading, Matt Fitzgerald's Run, and will continue to pay close attention to my body's messages, a point that he hammers home in his latest offering. On a more specific level, I also need to up the amount of weekly mileage. I peaked at 40 miles/week for this recent marathon training cycle, and that wasn't sufficient enough in my opinion. So instead of running for 40-50 minutes 3 days/week like I usually do, I'll extend my runs to 1 hour or more twice a week. THAT was really the culprit that led to my OK-but-not-that-great performance on December 5th; I paid too much attention to the LSD runs, but not enough to my tempo and recovery ones.

As for losing weight, the obvious answer is to eat less and move around a lot more. But that's easier said than done. ;) However, if I buckle down and set my mind to it, I'll do it. But as I said earlier, weight loss just isn't fun thinking or discussing.

Back from the Dead

Ok, not quite, but I haven't posted anything in here since October, and now we are waiting for Christmas, not to mention the close of 2010. Yikes!

Since October, I have done the following:

-Ran the Waddell & Reed Half Marathon in Kansas City with a 2:10:38 time
-Did the Palm Beach Marathon on Dec. 5th, and PR'd. Chip time was 4:42:07

Lots of things have been going on with me, so it's been pretty tumultuous for the last two months. I don't want to elaborate on it now, but when I'm ready, maybe I'll talk about it here. But I've always had the hardest time expressing personal life-related matters, and I feel protective of my loved ones.... The latter part especially explains my reluctance in "sharing" my current stressors - I just feel a bit weird and hesitant in disclosing things that are mostly affecting my family.

I also have a few running-related goals I want to (and WILL) achieve next year... Will discuss them at length in my next post!

I Just Love It When a Plan Comes Together

I rocked a half marathon this past Saturday. Ok, "rock" may be too strong a word, but when you're congested and in the throes of a wicked cold, anytime you exceed expectations, you can't help but feel a little good.

Yesterday morning, I did the inaugural Ft. Leavenworth CAC Half Marathon. I wasn't sure how I'd feel during the race, so I decided to just roll with it, and run according to feeling. If I had to be a slowpoke, I was down with that. If I was up to being brisk in pace, I'd go along with that, too. I wound up doing a mix of the two, and managed to pass three folks along the route! All in all, I crossed the finish line in 2:12.

Per (my) orders, I went to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival afterward to recover from that experience. A little beer and turkey legs are fabulous antidotes to a good outdoor run. ;-)

Running Stats

It's always cool to use the reports feature on the community website that's set up for Garmin's Forerunner. So basically in the last 30 days I've done the following:

Count: 33 Activities
Distance: 100.86 mi
Time: 17:45:31 h:m:s
Elevation Gain: 4,650 ft
Avg Speed: 5.7 mph
Avg HR: 148 bpm
Calories: 8,622 C

Always nice to see that this running thing of mine isn't a fluke.

Randomness

This post will have nothing to do with running or training or anything exercise-related. But I wanted to share with folks my latest, and embarrassing, fixation... A German song for kids called "Schnappi Das Kleine Krokodil."

Here's the clip, if you want to bask in some absurdity:



I first heard it from my DH a few weeks ago, and I don't even know HOW he'd stumbled upon this song in the first place. However, he and I both speak a tiny amount of German, so we've been singing and humming the tune ever since we viewed it (seven times the first day, and many more viewings after that). Even worse is that we also got into another song from the same album called Schnappi Ein lama in Yokohama. What is it with Europeans and trippy children's music????

The Return of the Delinquent Blogger

I just wanted to post what's been going on with me lately. Nothing earth shattering (of course) but things are swimming along.

I've joined the local triathlon club in my town, even though it's confirmed my belief that I am definitely NOT attempting one, or will even start training for one, any time soon! It's simply too much activity for me, and the exercise I already do on a regular basis use up my energy reserves. And I'd like to conserve them for other things, like spending time with hubby or playing with the cat, seriously. However, the club has good discounts, Accelerade and sporting goods included. And the lure of Thai food and beer (they hold their monthly meetings at either a Thai restaurant or a brewery) is too much for me to resist. ;)

My first 10K in a while happened two weeks ago. I performed better than I'd expected, around 59 minutes. Considering the course is hilly and I'm a horrible runner on any kind of incline, I think this was solid. But I still want to reduce my 10K time - I've yet to match the PR of 54:49 I'd set months ago, grrrr....

I've also signed up for a 1-mile race, something I also haven't done recently. I'm doing this, the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile in NYC. That'll probably be the only running I do while I'm in New York, LOL. But I can go super-fast and not worry about the after-effects!

I Can't Quite Put My Finger on That Feeling...

I lived in Florida for only a year, but sometimes I feel homesick for the Sunshine State. Even on the days where dark clouds are hovering in the distance, there's a bit of sun peeking through the murk.

Getting Back on Track

This training cycle for my December marathon affair has already encountered a mini-bump of sorts. After my speed workout on Wednesday afternoon, I started feeling tired and achy all over, as if I was on the verge of a flu. Even my husband noticed that my body temperature seemed to be pretty hot. It remained so until Friday, when I decided to investigate why only the left side of my throat felt sore. I took a look, and I discovered something new: tonsil stones. So if you're a little squeamish, I advise you to skip this paragraph. Basically, it's a small lump that collects in the back of your throat, and it can sometimes cause irritation, including swelling. With me, apparently, it was also inducing flu-like symptoms because once I took two of these stones out, I almost immediately began feeling better.

My planned long run on Saturday got curtailed to 3000m on the rowing machine, and 2 miles on the treadmill. Not bad, actually, considering I'd also spent the first half of the day outside at an event, in really hot temps, walking around with bags. For some reason, those kinds of activities (low-key but lengthy in time) just leave me feeling really beat up. Maybe the free spareribs that I ate yesterday morning while at the fair made things seem easier than they were, who knows.

Alrighty, with that, I hope to kick things off tomorrow with a 6-mile loop around Ft. Leavenworth. It'll be the same hilly route that I'll have to take for the Great Escape 10K later this month - hope I make it in under an hour!

Going to Kansas City, Kansas City Here We Come...

Actually, DH and I already made it to Kansas as of the second week of July, and we're not really in Kansas City. But I still wanted to use that song lyric regardless, LOL.

Running is *starting* to slowly pick up again, as is my weightlifting. I went to the gym last night and did a bunch of semi-heavy deadlifts (for me, that's around 120-145 lbs.), and my back is feeling them today. Oy.

I'm also checking out the races that are coming up in the area, and there are 2 half marathons scheduled in my vicinity in the fall... I think these would be great opportunities for me to PR for my half time. The first HM I did last year resulted in a 2:09 time. I believe that a 2-flat is within reach. But I gotta focus, focus, focus and train hard. Eeesh, the "focus" part is pretty challenging for me. I have to get back to feeling comfortable with, ahem, discomfort. And you runners know how "discomfort," whether in training or in a race, feels. It sucks while you're out there, and if you don't work through it, you feel like kicking yourself afterward for not sucking it up. Or at least that's how I feel after the fact.

Hope I can actually start posting mileages again here soon. I won't even make it to the 10 mile mark for this week. *sigh*

Getting It Done

I did set a new PR, though only by 10 seconds, at yesterday's 5K. The official results haven't been posted yet, but I came across the finish line at approximately 26:42. Even better is that I got 3rd for my age category - finally!!!!!

Just Random Stuff

I'm doing a 5K this Saturday, and hope to smoke my previous 5K PR of 26:52. I think I can, I think I can... This post will serve as a good reminder for me to write something on that, too.

Also, signed up for the Palm Beach Marathon, so I gotta get my training shiz together and all. Full throttle, baby, I'm going full throttle for this!!!

Bluebonnet 10K Race

Ran this in 56:26 - hardly a PR. However, I didn't push myself out there today, thinking there was no way I was in racing shape. I just ran this at a comfortably hard pace. Maybe I should've picked it up a few notches, because this was relatively easy, actually. I wasn't even breathing hard or sweating when I crossed the finish line. So I'm getting my running moxie back, and am so happy. Now I know I can actually "race" the next 10K or 5K I do. I feel new PR's coming up...

Fitness Nerd Info Alert

I totally recommend listening to theFitCast.com. In between the smart-ass comments, there are nuggets of great information on sports nutrition, exercise, etc. This is a must-listen-to podcast for fitness geeks! (Thanks to Bree, for mentioning it in some of her blog & forum posts.)

Am currently listening to the Berardi interview, and am distressed to see that he still hasn't gone back to sporting his soul-patch. Who am I gonna make fun of now?

Diet Adventures

Now that my training volume has gone considerably down (and I mean, WAY DOWN - I only ran a total of 10 miles last week), I decided to take advantage of the situation and start a diet. I'm definitely one of those folks who can't do full-throttle training and adhere to strict dietary rules at the same time. If I'm training hard, I eat... whatever I want. :P And when I want to cut, I still work out, but not at the same intensity as when I'm in full-on omnivorous mode. That's just a recipe for a major disaster.

So my diet of choice turned out to be TNT. What drew me to it, you ask?

a.) there's no calorie or macros counting involved and
b.) it's a high-fat, low-carb plan*.

I'll be honest, my running hasn't been as exhilarating since I started this last week, and I've incorporated off-plan meals (i.e., low-fat carb-ups) to ensure I don't spin my wheels out on my long runs. But on the other hand, my overall energy levels have been steady, and I'm actually looking forward to my meals. I'm not stressing out over my eating, and I'm getting back in touch with my inner herbivore. Even with all the fat in the diet, the real secret weapon to its success is that you EAT.LOTS.OF.VEGGIES.

The fact that I sailed through the first week on this new plan enduring PMS is a miracle. I didn't even have a chocolate craving at all last week! I just had lots of coffee to counteract evil PMS, wheee...

I'll roll with this for 3 more weeks, and re-assess. I'm contemplating incorporating the general TNT principles into my maintenance eating, or going more paleo. We'll see.

*(And um, I like the fact that cheese, beef jerky and half & half are considered "compliant" on TNT, but low-fat anything is not.)

I Did It, I Did It!

So on May 2nd, I finally ran my first marathon. I survived it, and even though I'm disappointed I didn't meet my planned time goal of 4:30, I survived and I still crossed the finish line in under 5 hours despite the heat.

And yeah, that's the other part that really ticked me off about the New Jersey Marathon: how unstable Northeastern and MidAtlantic states weather gets in the spring! It was 80 F when DH and I arrived at Philadelphia Airport the Saturday before the race. And it only got hotter once I arrived at Long Branch to start the race, which began at 9 AM - much later than what I'm accustomed to. And you know what the kicker is? The temps got back into the 50s and 60s once I left NJ. Fuckers.

I'll say that my first-time marathon experience was an enlightening one. It taught me that the kindness of strangers can be incredibly helpful, because if it weren't for them, I may not have been able to finish. Many of the spectators were hanging outside of their homes throughout the marathon, hosing people down with water or handing out ice. While the race's water stations were frequent, I am still grateful for these folks who got involved on their own.

To sum up my feelings during the marathon:

Miles 1-16: Running at a steady clip. OK, hot, but not bad.
Miles 16-25: UGH! I'm hot, then cold, then hot... And constantly thirsty. Because I was getting a clammy feeling at around mile 13, I was beginning to worry that I was getting overheated, and may pass out. Then I got plain 'ol overheated at mile 16 onward. My running becomes jogging, then I decide to simply run/walk.
Mile 25: Pass my pace leader, who at the outset of the race said this was going to be "easy." When I see him here, he's walking very slowly and looking like death.

For whatever reason, something in me got jolted awake, and I began running at a good pace (around 9 min/mi) until I crossed the finish line... It felt close to an out-of-body experience.

The sick thing after this rather uncomfortable experiment is that I want to do another marathon. You'd think I would've learned my lesson after dealing with all this. But I never learn.

In Search of Inspiration

I haven't updated here since my tapering began, mostly because PT is taking up some of my time, and partly because I don't feel inspired to write much at the moment. I was even talking with a friend tonight about writing projects, and I mentioned that I haven't been doing anything on that front, either. I just haven't been compelled into tackle anything of even a modest magnitude, so even writing a brief post is enough to put me into a tailspin. *whee*

Got flight tix to NJ, and will be heading up this weekend. DH and I will head immediately to packet pickup after we land. I'm really, really hoping the marathon goes well. I woke up this morning with the realization that it's happening, and a fleeting sense of panic. Good times.

Assess & Correct

Had my first-ever physical therapy appointment today, and it went well. It uncovered some surprising nuggets of information which threw me for a loop.

1. My quads aren't firing properly. Actually, my quads are also not that strong - shocking, especially because women generally tend to be quad-dominant. Apparently, I'm an exception.

2. My left hip is stronger than my right. Weird, considering I'm right-handed, so I presumed the opposite would be the case.

3. My core is weaker than I thought! However, when I did a plank for the physical therapist, she said my form was perfect. But there is always room for improvement here.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the results of today's session, and will head in a few times a week for PT. I'm actually really excited, because the corrections my therapist prescribed will make me a stronger, faster athlete. And I'll move closer to getting one of my goals of really tight, lean and strong abs.

Tapering

My last long run before this whole May 2nd deal happens is now complete: 23 miles were done and over with as of April 10. Didn't feel any ill effects afterward, and while my hips and legs are still a bit tight, I think I can handle an E-Z recovery run tomorrow.

So now, it's taper, taper, taper 'til May! I'm so thrilled. And based on yesterday's time, while I can't do a 4-hour marathon now, I think it is within reach for next year. I'll just have to, ahem, train for a much longer period of time than say, 3 months. :P

Some of My Current Favorite Things!

After my previous downer of a post, I think a more upbeat one is in order. I've been on a fresh-veggie and fruit kick lately - spring must definitely be within reach. (And yes, I know we're only a few days away from spring officially arriving, but I'm referring more to the ambiance in the air...It's been warmer and sunnier recently, and it's like a cloud has lifted.)

Lately, I've grown more adventurous with my vegetables, incorporating them into things I wouldn't have thought before. About a month ago, I decided to put some spinach into my usual post-workout banana smoothie to boost its nutritional content. To my surprise, I really, really, really liked it. The spinach taste was still there, but it didn't overwhelm the bananas. And it turned my smoothie into a rather pleasant shade of green, basically this:



Then I found out from one of my online fitness forum buddies that there's a great repository of green drink/smoothie recipes on a blog called Oh She Glows. I love it! Actually, the blogmistress there is also behind the "Green Monster Movement" website, where everyone can share the love for, uh, green monsters. ;)

I don't have a hard time eating fruit, but for the last few months, felt like I was in a rut with them. There is only so much one can do with apples and natural peanut butter, fresh berries with cottage cheese, fresh fruit by itself... You get the idea. Then I realized, why don't I apply the principles of further bringing out the sugar content in food... and bake fruit? Roasting veggies draws out some very splendid flavors in them, and the same exists with fruit like apples, pears, even grapefruit. I've been slicing up Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples, sprinkling nutmeg and cinnamon on them, and then baking them at 375 F until they get a little soft in the center. Soooo delicious! I've been making these for dessert, and even DH gives his seal of approval.

And I've been on a genuine salad spree, too. I'm a big fan of Jason's Deli, especially because they have an awesome salad that includes:

-Sliced apples
-Red grapes
-Golden raisins & dried cranberries
-Pepitas
-Walnuts
-Feta cheese

And all topped with a drizzle of sweet vinaigrette dressing. But going to Jason's Deli every day isn't exactly practical, and I realized this is a very easy salad to replicate. So I stocked up on those key ingredients, and have been munching happily at dinner for the past week.



I'll admit, I've been omitting the apples here because I use them for my baked apple dessert instead.

And I've officially overcome my baking phobia. First it was making apple-oat muffins from scratch a few weeks ago. Now, I'm proud to say I've successfully tackled Irish soda bread, and on St. Patrick's Day, to boot! I used this recipe, and it turned out superb. Though I personally prefer my soda bread more on the savory side, with caraway seeds and beer, this one is quite good for satisfying a light sweet tooth. Also, it's a great partner for imbibing Irish breakfast tea, or so my hubby says.

I still can't believe my finished product came out looking and tasting great.


If there's one tip I can share about the bread, it's to not overwork the dough.

That is it until the next post!

Blow-Up

This past Saturday, my hubby and I ran in a St. Patrick's Day 5K in Temple, TX, that also served as a fundraiser for Scott & White Hospital in the area. However, my purpose for the race was purely selfish: I just wanted to do a short and simple race, and since it fit perfectly into my training schedule, I registered, and also signed up DH, just because.

I also wanted this 5K to be a PR opportunity. But as we got closer to the gun firing off, I got increasingly pessimistic and nervous. I don't know why - maybe I was feeling tired, and just not properly warmed up... And once we were on the move, I just knew then I wasn't in a good frame of mind at all. At the first half mile, I came to an abrupt stop, and said to DH that I just couldn't do it, I didn't want to finish the race and that I wanted to just drop out. He quickly set me straight and told me to just get myself together and continue running. After a few minutes, I got back on the road.

I ran solidly for the last 1.5 mile of the race, and I wish I'd started a new lap for the last mile on my Garmin; I suspect that was my fastest split.

Once everything was done, my chip time was 27:46, and my time back was 5:37. This wasn't my proudest moment because I still cannot believe that I'd let my mind mess with me so horribly in this instance, and it produced a very un-fun race in the end. It really could've been a lot more entertaining if I'd just gone with the flow. So for now, this is simply another race result to file away - that's that. I will try not to get choked like this again sometime down the road.

Training Notes and Whatnot

This past Saturday I went the farthest I've ever run yet - 17 miles, in 3 hours. I'm really far from being a speed demon, obviously, but I was really stoked about it nonetheless because I did negative splits on the last 9 miles of it.

It took me forever to warm up, so I felt less-than-stellar in the beginning. Then as I got into a groove, I got sidetracked by a stupid chihuahua. While I was passing a row of houses (maybe at around mile 7?) a puny chihuahua came running up to me, and started barking furiously and trying to nip at my heels. Since the dog was a shortie and I could've easily shaken him off, this was nothing. All I had to do was ride it out for a half mile. I also found some wood along the road, and threw a piece of it to distract him. Still, I realized that I definitely need to buy pepper spray. Heaven forbid this was a bigger dog - then I would've genuinely been in deep shit.

The rest of the run was uneventful. I got back to my starting point, and downed my protein shake. The town was starting to wake up from its Saturday morning slumber. So I knew that was my cue to head back, clean up, and join the rest of the citizenry in doing typical Saturday activities, such as yard sale perusing. :)

----

Sundays are almost always rest days for me, and the only thing I do is go to church with the hubby. And have post-Mass coffee. Today was no exception. However, we also went to a nearby lake this afternoon for a special treat. An organization called All-American Beef Battalion decided to treat my husband's brigade to a steak luncheon that was being held at the recreation area on Fort Hood. Honestly, who can resist a good steak? (By the way, there was enough variety that the non-beef-eating or vegetarian soldiers that were in attendance had a good meal, too).

Hospitality is fading in a lot of places, and to see something like this was truly welcome. I'm thankful that there are still folks who take the time and effort to show their appreciation of others. It absolutely made this past Sunday a nicer one for many people.

PR's and Personal Bests

Last week was chock-full of new personal bests in both my strength AND running workouts. It was as if the stars had aligned, and the universe was finally pulling in my favor. *snickers*

Strength-wise I deadlifted 130 lbs., then 135 lbs. Even better was the 80 lbs. I finally managed to do on bent-over rows! (Previously, I'd been stuck at the 70 lbs. mark for almost a year, ahem.) I also pumped out 1-arm dumbbell shoulder presses with 30 lbs. Shoulder work continues to be a hit-and-miss affair, so I'm feeling more confident about these gains.

Since my running schedule was low-mileage last week, my Saturday session was only a 10K distance. I decided to run this as a race, and not as my normal, take-it-easy self. I ran it fairly hard, and churned it out in 54:49. That beat my previous 10K, which I ran at Disney World, by almost 3 minutes. Smokin'.

Winter (Finally) Comes to Central Texas

This past winter has been a strange one in a lot of places. For starters, much of the South has been blanketed by snow (even parts of Florida!), and it finally hit central Texas today.

As much as I kvetch about snow, it was really cool seeing it after over a year...Actually, make that 2 years. The last time I saw the powdery stuff was in New Jersey, winter 2008. It seems like eons ago, even though it's only been 24 months between now and then.

I wound up not doing the 45-minute tempo run that's on my training schedule. Instead, I walked and took pictures... Very soothing for the soul, and a rare treat for me.

Fluff(y)

Recently, I came across this interesting use of cottage cheese in a quasi-dessert recipe (I'll explain the "quasi" part later), and made a batch of it. It's dubbed "fluff," for a better lack of a word.

The basic recipe comes down to using 1 cup of cottage cheese (preferably fat free, or 1%) and 1 package of sugar-free Jell-O, your choice of flavor. Splenda and protein powder sometimes makes an appearance in some variations of "fluff," too. But I didn't want to spoil the recipe's pureness - heh - so I excluded them.

My only tweaks to this is that I strained the cottage cheese in a coffee filter to make it creamier, and I chilled the Jell-O so that it could really be, well, Jell-O. (You can wait for the mixture to reach room temperature when making fluff, but I also wanted to eat some of those nommy gelatinous squares all by themselves). You simply take the two ingredients, and blend them together until a pink, fluffy mixture is formed.

Mine came out looking like this:


I easily ate this in two servings. It came out light and pleasantly sweet, and it was also quite filling.

I referred to it earlier as a "quasi-dessert" because it's apparently favored among female figure competitors when trying to satisfy their sweet tooths, but with minimal caloric and carb damage. And let's be real here, this would never make its way to a normal person's dining room table! But for someone who's trying to drop a few pounds (ok, I admit, that's me at the moment), this is a good weapon in combating the hungreez, or a really bad case of the sweet munchies.

However, I can't help but add that when I saw my concoction, it reminded me of the pink slime in Ghostbusters 2. Remember how New York City's sewers in that flick got all clogged up with the stuff?



Pleasant eating everyone!

Training Update

2/9/10 - 5.31 mile run, 50:13

Warmed up by doing an easy mile, then the rest I ran comfortably "hard." Today is a shorter run (around 3 miles), and I may or may not do it as speedwork.

I've also decided that this Sunday's half marathon will be a training module, and not an opportunity to PR. It will also provide an experimental ground for using Galloway's run/walk method. And let me confess: while I realistically don't think I will set a new record here, I am still secretly, deep down inside, hoping that happens. But I won't hold my breath here, either.

Reality Bites

To help me prepare for my upcoming May 2nd shindig, I recently purchased Jeff Galloway's "Marathon: You Can Do It!". And I'm so glad that his run/walk formula exists, because I've concluded that's the only hope I have for finishing my marathon this spring.

Earlier today, I laid out my marathon training program. I have only 12 weeks now to get geared up for it - not a very optimal amount of time. Ah well, what was I gonna do? I'm impulsive that way. Getting back on track, since I haven't done any mileage-building beyond my half in December, I missed getting in some crucial training. *sigh* It doesn't matter anyhow; I don't have a set time goal in mind for the NJ Marathon. But still, I can't help but feel this wasn't the brightest of ideas.

Just allow me to have a freak-out moment (or two) over this, then carry on.

I'm on Fire Here!

I forgot to mention in yesterday's dispatch that I actually ran (Can you believe it?! Sometimes I really do go out there and run! :P) yesterday. I covered a total of 4.08 miles in 40:37, avg. 9:57/mi pace.

My original intention yesterday was to do a regular tempo run. But once I got past the first mile, I realized what I was actually getting was hillwork! It was hard, and I was slower because of the hills, which, by the way, weren't all that steep but still challenging enough because I became a flat-terrain wuss while I was training in Florida.

So I'm beginning to feel a tad bit more confident about my upcoming Austin Half-Marathon on Valentine's Day. While I doubt I'll be faster than the time I posted for the Palm Beach Half, I think I'll be able to tackle it now with more gusto.

I Should Get Better at Updating my Blog....

But alas, that won't be happening anytime soon, LOL. Anywho, here's a roundup of what has happened in my sphere for the last couple of weeks:

1. I moved. Again. This time, back to Texas. And even then, I'll only be there until the summer. This moving thing, while irritating at times, can have its perks, though. For example, I don't have face the folks I may have pissed off in the course of my stay at a particular location.

2. I decided to sign up for a marathon... And even more importantly, I finally made up my mind and decided on which one it'll be as my inaugural! It's the NJ Marathon in Long Branch. Gah, I hope the course is fast and flat!

3. Did I mention that it sucked moving? While I don't totally miss Florida (I'll get some hate for saying this, but the central and southern parts of it are pretty soulless - lots of stuff to keep you amused, but no culture), what made it nice was the people there, esp. my family and the very few friends I made there. Because I'm special that way. :P Also, the safety net of my running coach has been eliminated. That is a bit scary, considering I made incredibly awesome progress through her guidance and advice.

I think that's it, for now. I now have to finish the rest of the unpacking, stock up on protein powder, and get back into a dieting mindset. My weight really didn't go up by much since last year, but it did creep up by 6 pounds between November and now. I'd like to get rid of that, and possibly more. However, my initial plan of choice, the TNT Diet, doesn't seem to be completely compatible with my marathon training/ambitions. It's very low-carb, and while I love the food selections on it (Brats and sauerkraut! Taco salad! Salad with a ton of steak and cheese dumped on top!), I probably won't be able to run OK on this plan, especially when my mileage starts increasing again. *sigh* I need to look up nutrition plans for endurance weenies like me.