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.

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.

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!!!!!

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...

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. :)

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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'.

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.

Another Race Notch on the Belt

The Race: Wellington Horse Country 10-Miler

When: Sunday, Oct. 25, 7:15 AM

Where: Around a lot of horse stables, apparently. ;) If you couldn't see them, you could most certainly smell them...

The past couple of weeks have been eventful for me, on the personal and athletic fronts. I entered my first 10K race, and a great one at that (the Epcot Race for the Taste 10K). I became a godmother to my nephew, and saw my husband for 2 weeks while he returned from Iraq for R&R. So now I'm quite happy to say that I completed my first 10-mile race bright and early today.

It was a fun and great event... And it felt so incredibly slow at times, unfortunately. I felt OK from a cardio standpoint, but every time I tried to go beyond a 9-min mile pace, my legs felt like 2 lead weights. Overall, I felt quite heavy and uncoordinated today. But that's a feeling that will pass soon enough, and it'll happen in the natural scheme of things.

I had pumpkin pancakes afterward at the Original Pancake House, and never has breakfast been so good. Something about running for a considerable distance makes food taste a million times better.

Until the next race!

Movin' Right Along

Still Here!

Even though my mileage has gone down the toilet in the past 2 weeks, it's only a small blip on the radar screen, in the grand scheme of things. I'm still feeling confident about the half-marathon. Don't know if running it in 1:45 is doable at this point, but I'm still aiming for it.

On other fronts, I have some serious paperwork re-organization to do at home, and have to figure out where to pick up in terms of my training schedule. Even being off by 2 weeks just makes me feel so discombobulated.

The ear issue is still there, and I'm scheduling an appointment with an ENT specialist for later this week. I've had enough. I'm currently on a new round of meds, and I actually spent almost an hour last Thursday going through my prescriptions, and figuring out when to take each. Up until now, I had never taken so many medicines in one sitting in my life. It's mind-boggling to me, people. :P

Friday, July 3, 2009

I'm starting to fall behind in blogging here, so this is my little smack to myself to get back on the wagon. I'm still working with my running coach - diligently showing up to my Wednesday night sessions, and started making appearances at the group long-distance runs on early Sunday morning (as in, 6 AM early, and that's unfathomable for a night-owl such as myself). There are some very fun moments that occur during these training jaunts, like being told that I'm fast, even though in my mind I still move like a sloth. Or feeling exhilarated after an 8 mile run, and itching to cover more ground beyond that mark. But the rain and subsequent mosquitoes have put a temporary damper on that. I've been bitten 6 times in the last week by those f*$@!!&& bugs, so now I can't wear my beloved shorts. Bugger.

I'm thinking of running 10 miles this coming Sunday regardless. Maybe the solution to these bug woes is to find a pair of lightweight running pants. Also, a lightweight Hazmat suit, since I also just found out last night on the news that there may be rabid kittens in the neighborhood I go to for my Sunday runs.

Slow Goin'

I'm only in week 2 of the coach's half-marathon training program, and it already feels like I've been through the wringer repeatedly. I guess adjusting to a new schedule and routine is rougher than I thought it'd be (I started a new job this week, too). It doesn't help that I'm not, by nature, an energetic person. Actually, I'm a lot closer to a lazy sloth than a peppy kangaroo or speedy cheetah. Left to my own devices I'm sure I'd spend half of the day in bed, and the rest eating in front of the refrigerator. So getting myself going takes an unbearably long amount of time.

Thank goodness it is Saturday today - I get to putz around, relax, eat my red velvet cake, and all that jazz.

Oh, and while I'm here, I'm gonna post my wish list. In no particular order:

-Foam rollers would be really nice
-And so would a Garmin Forerunner
-A copy of Vegan with a Vengeance (I saw this in the bookstore months ago, and while I'd never be vegan, this is a funny cookbook.)
-And a copy of the Engine 2 Diet
-And another kettlebell, of course

Updates & Whatnot

I finally caved in and got a new pair of running shoes yesterday. Quite happy to report that I got another pair of Sauconys (that brand and my feet seem to have a great relationship), and that I also got that plus a pair of socks for less than $90.

The new shoes

Anyways, my training the last few days have been difficult and slow-going, or at least it feels like it. I ran on Sunday morning, where it was already in the upper 80s by the time I got out of the house, and went slooooowwww. Yesterday was plyometrics and strength, which I covered at a local park. What seemed vaguely fun last Wednesday turned into an absolute chore last night, especially the squat jumps. I'm still feeling the "burn" from those, as they'd say.

And my running coach and I have figured out a time goal for my half-marathon: 1:45. It's doable, but it's also scary thinking about it. I really do want to run a much faster pace, however. I'll just have to buckle down and just do it.

Speedwork Time!

Tonight was the first session with my running coach, and as I drove up to the park where it was held, I actually got a bit nervous. I hadn't done much running up hills in my thus-far-short running journey, and was pondering what would exactly happen at the meeting.

But I got there and was pleased to find out that things started with a 1.5 mile warm up run. OK - that's fine and manageable for me. I can handle it. Then the fun started with plyometrics! We bounded up and down on the grass, ran with butt kicks, knees up, skipped, hopped on one leg then the other, and then for the finale - squat jumps. *thud* I hate those. A LOT!!! I'll do 'em, but it doesn't mean I have to like them one bit!

The excitement, however, really ramped up with this circuit, which consisted of:

-Sprinting up a hill as fast as you can
-At the top, do 10 pushups
-Run/walk/jog to the bottom of the hill, then do 20 sit-ups

Repeat a minimum of 6 times, aim for optimum of 10 times.

I could only complete 7 circuits. And to my credit (because I'm all about giving myself credit), I did the full-on, military-style pushups for each installment. No on-the-knees ones for me. The sit-ups really did me in. I could barely lift myself by the last circuit. I also hate, hate, HATE, sit-ups. But I'm not feeling totally beat up, so things are going better than I'd anticipated.

The running coach commented that my form is good and efficient, but that I have to work on increasing my stride. Got it - the plyo better work its magic in this area, then.

Now I have a craving for cupcakes. Too bad I don't have any bake mix in the house to give into this!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Today's run:
10:05/mile pace
2.33 miles

I actually intended to run 4 miles today, but it got cut short due to my lack of preparation. I didn't eat enough breakfast this morning, had too much coffee, and I felt it. It was not a "golden" feeling that I've had throughout certain runs. To be honest, I had to be my own cheerleader the whole time, and at the halfway point, I was too tired to continue. When I got back home, I was really, really sweaty - at least I worked it. ;)

Depending on how weather conditions are later i.e., no thunderstorms, I may go to my running meetup tonight. That'll definitely help to bump up my mileage this week.

Decisions, Decisions

I made up my mind on the running coach thing, and I got her. I'll start working with her officially on June 10th - that's when our first speedwork session takes place. I'm so excited!

On other fronts, I have more decisions to make, specifically in the job area. I got an offer for a position a few moments ago, and am on the fence now about accepting it. Funny thing is, a few months ago, I would've accepted it without any hesitation and now, I'm not so sure. And I hate it when I'm unsure, because I'm usually so decisive about my life! It has to do with my personal life and things that I anticipate happening in the next 6 months, and I won't bore you with the details. Still, I'm going to have to have a few discussions with hubby about it.

My training today:

Ran 3.28 miles, 10:24/mile

However, I walked the first 5 minutes, jogged for another 5 minutes, then finally started to get into a groove afterward. I'm quite sure I was running faster than 10 minutes/mile (it sure felt like it in the heat), but I started timing myself at the warm-up, not at the onset of the actual run.

Tonight is bellydance class, too - can't wait! I'm gonna shimmy my heart out.