Faithrunner....

Well, this is it....the end of the year 2012!  It's a great time to reflect, journal, appreciate, re-live, review, and then it's time to move on.

A few stats of 2012 include:

*Ran just a smidget over 1400 miles in 2012, that's about the distance from my house to Amarillo, Texas. :)
*Completed 3 marathons, one of which was a new PR and a Boston qualifier
*Finished my first ever outdoor Tri (placed 2nd in my age group!)
*Ran the Boston Marathon for the first time, a dream come true!!
*Ran a 25K with my dad, who is now 65 yrs old. :)
*Set a new PR in the half marathon on a hilly course, a qualifying time for NYC marathon!
*Joined forces with some fabulous running women who inspire me to be a better runner
*Unsuccessfully potty-trained our 3 yr old
*Kept a running journal for the entire year, that's a first!
*Developed a training program for my dearest friend that inspires me everyday
*Got my daughter to run a 4 mile race (as long as her boyfriend did the race too)
*Did the annual sister's Thanksgiving race, which I look forward to each year

I'm thankful for the events of 2012, truly, but I also look forward to achieving new goals and aspirations in 2013.  It's good to set goals for yourself, it gives you something to work toward and strive for.  Without goals, how do yearn for something greater?  What can you challenge yourself to in 2013?  Is it losing 10, 20, or 50 lbs?  Is it running for the first time ever?  Is it striving to work out at the gym 3 times/week?  Is it eating healthier meals?  I challenge everyone to consider at least 3 health related goals you can set for yourself for 2013, 3 things that will make you a better, healthier person.  Write these goals on your calendar, diary, journal, computer, iPad, iPhone, and make a plan to help you acheive them.  Spend Jan 1st making a plan to help you live longer, be healthier, be happier.

Websites I enjoy using to help me stick with a workout plan include:  Runpartner.com, Runner's world gives you a free Training Journal if you subscribe to their magazine, Mapmyrun.com, Garmin's websites (that go with the Garmin watches), and a plain old paper calendar that I hang by my computer and only use it for my workout schedules (sits next to the family calendar).

Good luck to everyone planning for 2013, get motivated to do it!!!

Mantra:
I choose running (walking, working out, you fill in the blank)  Make it YOUR choice

I suppose, having had such a great run on Friday, I may have gotten a little carried away and paid the price for it this morning!  That euphoric feeling of accomplishment, satisfaction and success carried over into Sunday morning, and as I ventured out to my usual trail spot, I actually looked forward to another great run.  The "easy pace" session that usually begins with me banging on my Garmin because I swear it's not registering correctly, turned into a shockingly faster pace that felt more comfortable than I'm used to!  Conquering hill after hill wasn't so bad, passing other runners was a bonus, and the new songs I downloaded onto my iPod provided a few new beats worth running to.  It was all good, except that what I neglected to think through were the tougher workout sessions scheduled from Mon-Wed that might leave me regretting my stupidity of getting caught up in the euphoric moment.  I should know better, honestly, I've done this enough times!  So, what should have been a 4 mile relaxed run ended up being more of a 5.5 mile tempo run that dumped a little too much lactic acid buildup in the hamstrings/quads......yes, that's what I was feeling this morning....ugh.

Today's plan (after hobbling out of bed) was a 3 miles warm up at "easy pace" leading into 15 x 1 min at threshold pace (with 1 min recovery jog in between each), followed by 3 miles at easy pace.  The warm up was both slow and painful, minutes spent tackling knots left behind by the lactic acid buildup and morning stiffness.  Then the fun began as I attempted to crank up the speed one minute at a time, sucking wind and feeling the struggle with each one.  By the 6th one, my ribs were hurting, side was aching, quads were crying, and my brain was doubting!  The added humidity and warm temps AGAIN did nothing for me, it was a good thing Jamie was there to keep us going.  There are "easy pace" days for a reason, it's to let the body recover and rejuvenate (harder to do as you age!)  I did not to that effectively, very noticeable by sprint number 9.  The Garmin was all over the place, registering anywhere from 7:07's to 8:15's and back to 7:20's, not very consistent to say the least!  If Jamie had not been there, I'm not sure I would have accomplished all 15 sprints, it was an ugly run.  Finally, the last one followed by a VERY slow 3 mile cool down.  Completed.  Sucked.  Yuck.  Awful.  Done.  Finally.  

I had looked forward to running on a flat course today (first time in 3 wks!), but I'm almost certain that my legs found the flat terrain more difficult than the hills.  Every moment felt hard, I really wanted to quit.  But, I'm type A and I keep a running calendar and I can't cross off today's workout plan if I didn't complete it, so there you have it.  Finishing this workout was agonizing, but after completing it, I felt accomplished, satisfied.  It's through these struggles that I'll become more efficient, mentally stronger, a better runner and I'll gain a confidence to carry me through even tougher workouts.  It's important to push beyond what you think you're capable of doing, to test the boundaries and to see what lies on the other side, and to learn where your inner strength comes from.  After struggling through this workout, I emailed my coach and asked him if he had made a mistake in the number of sprints I was to perform, maybe he had it wrong.  I explained how hard it was and how I wasn't sure if I could get through all 40 miles that are on my plan for this week.  BUT, now that I've had some time to reflect, I know that this is good for me.  I shy away from tough workouts, I despise them, but they are necessary if I want to achieve my goals.

Today's mantra:
Shut up and Run  (because I need to hear that and because my parents NEVER let me say the words "shut up" when I was growing up, so now I want this on my t-shirt)

Tomorrow, Meredith will NOT have any empathy for my tired body/muscles and she will push me to finish an entire hour of weight lifting, so I'd better relax now while I can.

I can't believe I finally had a great run!!  Today's long(ish) run was the best one I've had in weeks, and it's about time!  The plan was to run 10 miles (on a hilly course) and included 2 x 10 min at threshold pace (about a 10k pace) after the first two mile warm up, then an easy pace to finish out the run.  I'm not very good at running for time vs running for mileage, it has thrown me for a loop but I'm starting to enjoy it.  

When I started the first 10 min challenge, I wondered how I'd push myself to run 7:35-7:52 paces up and down these hills, what would drive me?  Just minutes into it, my Garmin kept showing 7:30's (shockingly!) so I kept pushing.  The trail is unforgiving with its curves, hills, thick leaf covered patches, muddy spots that attempt to slow your pace, but yesterday I took over.  I was surprised by how strong my legs felt, how upright my positioning was, and how quickly I became lost in the music blaring in my ears.  Oh was it ever fabulous, it's really about time!

The second 10 min stretch wasn't quite as fast, but still hovered between 7:55-8 and also hit bigger hills at this point.  Once finished, I had about 5 miles left of the run to be done at "easy pace," allowing me to catch my breath and enjoy the morning scenery.  The time flew by, the run continued to feel positive (not easy, but good) and my legs still felt strong up and down the hills, WOW!  

It's been so long since I've had this type of run, I nearly forgot what it felt like!  That being said, you might be wondering why I run if it doesn't feel good?  Yes, that thought has crossed my mind a time or two as well.  You can't expect every run or workout to go as planned, to feel great, to be easy, or to give you that euphoric feeling.  It may take weeks to build up quad/hamstring strength through lots of painful squats/lunges, stair climbing, hill workouts, etc.  Those weeks may be intense, the pain may stick around for days after the workouts, you may hate doing the exercises, but then one day when you put your body to the test............well, that's when you get that incredibly euphoric rush and it keeps you coming back for more.  Stick with the plan, sweat a little, work hard because the time will come when you surprise yourself by conquering something you never thought you'd be able to do.

Today's mantra came from a post on Another Mother Runner...
I am stronger than I thought I was.

I can't believe it's nearly Christmas and the end of 2012 is around the corner, where has the year gone?!   This was the first year I actually kept a running journal for the entire year (thanks to the Runner's World training journal book I got free with my subscription!)  I've enjoyed looking back at the training I've done, miles run, the hours spent on foot, the paces I struggled at and where I was just 5, 8, 10 months ago.  It's funny to read that on Jan. 6 I had the flu but managed to still put in a 33 mile week, what was I thinking?  It's amazing to see that I logged just over 570 miles between Jan and April and completed 2 marathons.  It feels terrific to note that so far, my total miles for 2012 are just over 1300 (which includes time off during the summer).

I find it inspiring to go back over the past year and reminisce, see where I've been and where I'd like to be, and learn from both mistakes and triumphs.  There were highs and lows of 2012, but the one thing I've learned is that you just keep pressing on.  "Keep fighting, drive harder, believe in yourself, find empowerment to be better, struggles mean progress, and just be the best you can be," it's like a really long mantra for those really long runs.  :)   The journal is a tool, a way of keeping track of successes and failures, a way to remind yourself of how you climbed Mt Everest when you thought you couldn't even make it to the mailbox.  I believe I will keep a journal for 2013 as well, I encourage you to keep one too.

This is week 3 of training, and the beginning of workouts that don't include the words "easy pace" anymore.  Monday, for instance, meant running 2 miles of rolling hills followed by 6 x 1 min climbs up an enormous hill, followed by 2 more miles of rolling hill running, followed by a really long, hot shower.   It went well, it was just harder than I had anticipated and the added heat/humidity/fog just didn't help.  Wednesday, a cooler morning and a 5:30am run start, was tougher!  Keeping an 8:15 pace (rather than an easy 9min) on gentle rolling hills for 6 miles nearly killed my hamstrings!   My training plan said to run 55-65 min at an easy pace, but since I ran with a friend and her plan said to run 6 miles, I thought I'd just go with that.  BUT, since we finished in 49 min, I fell short of my plan's requirements......hmmm.  Running 6 miles at a faster pace should be equivalent to running 55-65 min at a slower pace, but in my head I was struggling with these numbers and my plan.  So, after heading home, having breakfast, bringing the kids to school, I went back out and ran 15 min in my neighborhood.  Completely satisfied after that!!  Today is a REST day (awesome) and Friday will be a long run day (on hilly surface with tempo running!)  I look forward to the struggle.

Your workout is what you make of it, do it all the way!

Two things were absolutely fabulous yesterday, there were other good things, but there were two things that really struck me as incredibly significant....both led me to tears (ok, I cry easily).  I share these as inspiration for the day.

Item numero uno!  My most fabulous friend, "bestest" friend, that I'm working with called yesterday.  She proceeded to tell me that for her long run, she not only veered away from the training plan, she cremated it!  Instead of doing cycles of run/walking, she decided to see just how strong she was by letting her body just go, letting it run as far as she could without stopping!  She not only ran past the 9 minutes she was supposed to have run, but she kept going and ended up pushing it into a 2 mile run!!  This news was utterly amazing, extremely significant, monumentous to say the least!  After 18+ weeks of training, diligently sticking with the workout plans, suffering through pains and doubts, it has all paid off.   We are well on the road to her first 5K race in over 20 yrs!!

I shed some tears after our conversation because really, this is what it's all about.  It's about making the choice to suffer, to struggle through doubts and fears and come out a stronger person.  It's about the effort it takes to put yourself out there in an uncomfortable circumstance or situation that causes you to grow and stretch.  It's about persevering through troubled times and finding joy in things you normally don't enjoy.  My friend is amazing.  She's so much stronger that what she believes, she's so inspiring to me and others, and her journey is just beginning to unfold.  I'm proud of her, I'm learning from her, and I absolutely LOVE that I can be a part of her journey and share in it with her (cry sometimes too).  New motto?  Yep, hers is "Suck it up and RUN!"

Item numero dos!!  I received a Facebook message the other day from a friend I haven't seen in almost 20 yrs.  I quickly browsed through the message until I realized that her words were bringing tears to my eyes, so I re-read it more carefully.  Another person on a difficult journey of finding health, wellness, and happiness and looking for support.  In this message, she said "I really have to make a change in my life and am ready to do it. I know now may not be the best time of the year to begin trying to learn how to run with winter fast approaching, but honestly I could find an excuse for any day not to exercise."    Now isn't this true of all of us?  Can't we all find an excuse NOT to exercise?  It is about making a choice, deciding to change our lifestyles, patterns, diet, habits, etc.  My friend, you are not alone in this.  I'm proud of you for deciding to make a change (yes, Michael Jackson inspired line) and no time like the present to do it!  Find a companion, a support system, a partner in crime who'd like to join you on a journey to good health too and be an accountability partner.  

These inspiring stories made it a little easier to roll out of bed at my 4:30am wake up call.  4:30 gives me enough time to eat, stretch, gather my items and drive on over to a friend's house (a crazy friend who also enjoys running in the dark of night) for a 5:15am 10 mile run.  I have come to enjoy running in the early morning hours because it provides a sense that all is at peace in the world, everything is quiet and still, even the birds have not begun to chirp.  Your voice echos, your headlamp cuts through the darkness and lights up a small portion of your trail, your breathing is seen with the morning chill, all the houses are dark and cars are parked and traffic has not yet begun, it's amazing!  The beauty of it begins as the sun slowly makes its way up the horizon, over the trees, and illuminates the sky with brilliant colors of orange, pink, and yellow.  It's so breath taking, it never gets old, and it makes the 4 1/2 hr night sleep absolutely worth it.  Running early with a friend is the best way to start the day, followed by some caffeine to keep you awake while you scurry to get your children ready and off to school, and if you're lucky, a 15 min power nap in the pick up line!

Motto today?  "I choose Running."

The end of week one......one down, 15 to go!

This week was the start of a new training session, a 16 week rigorous plan to make it to the Tobacco Road Marathon (then 4 wks recovery until Boston!!)   I must say, coming off of the City of Oaks Marathon just 3 weeks ago has left me a little drained and a lot disappointed.  The training was too short for that race and the timing just wasn't right, but I knew that going in so I wasn't surprised with my horrendous performance.  Nevertheless, blasting out that negativity and searching for some positivity is what is necessary to begin a new training plan.  So, 31 miles accomplished this week and many more miles to come, I'm ready.

I've been thinking of running slogans, mantras, t-shirt ideas as inspiration for running.  It's funny how one little idea can consume your brain when you go out for a long run without your iPod!  I thought about those who don't run because they're physically unable, those that don't run because they won't, those who choose to run, those who run because they love to, and many more scenarios.

Why do I run?  When I was young,  I ran because I drove my parents and teachers crazy with my busy body and uncontrollable amounts of energy, and I suppose I still run in part for that same reason.  I run because I can, I'm able, I've been given the ability to run.  I run because I love that time in the morning to myself, a time to refresh my mind, body, and soul before the family takes over me.  I run because it makes me feel good, empowered, happy, fresh and lively.  I run because it's become a huge part of who I am and what I believe in.  I run to inspire my children, to let them know that they can do anything they put their mind to.  I love the challenge that running brings, the struggles too.  I run to stay in shape, healthy, strong, and sane.

So my mantras?  My favorites are from two of my children, the 12 yr old said, "You can't hit a sonic boom walking."  Today, my three year old (while running with me on the trail) kept saying, "Run with me, run with me mommy (for 2 whole miles!)"  I love that, it speaks volumes to my heart to know that my kids are taking part in what makes me a better mama.  Other ones I thought of, "Suck it up"  "This is my gift"  "Discipline your mind, Endure this run"  "Run Aimlessly"  "Run to Obtain it"  "Be in this Moment"  "Run Satisfied"  "Trail Affair"  "Trail or Road, that is the question"  "I'd rather be running."

Onward I go, 15 weeks and counting.

It's a good thing there are times to be able to "do-over, try again please."  We should always be learning, growing, changing, discovering, exploring life from childhood to adulthood and in doing so, there will be time for mistakes, errors.  Errors help us grow and change, show us what we've done wrong and how to learn and grow from it.  Our ways of thinking that were once right were really just sadly wrong, so we must do-over, try again.  It's okay, just pull up the boot straps (or in my case, lace up the shoe strings) and try again.....one foot in front of the other.

As I look back over the journey of my life, I see how I have changed, how I've grown, what has shaped me, and what has moved me.  It's good to self-reflect every now and then, and for this past month, I've been doing lots of that.  In this one journey of life that we get, what do I want to leave behind as my legacy?  I've been soul-searching, pondering, and wondering what my deep rooted passions are and how I can best use them.

Running, it's been a part of me for nearly 34 years and I can't imagine how many hours I've spent on foot, or how many miles of ground my feet have covered.  It's what I do, it's what I love, it's a part of who I am, it's one of my many passions.  In spending several hours preparing a 26 week training plan for my dearest college friend, I learned that it's not the need to run that consumes me but it's the passion to be healthy that does.  If I could travel the world and get on my soapbox, the one thing I'd proclaim to women everywhere is that I'd love for them to try running.  One foot in front of the other, just try it.  Explore a trail, feel the wind, watch the sunrise, breath in nature and forget the stressors that you just left behind.  Running gives you peace, a time to be alone or with a friend, endorphins that make you feel empowered to do anything, and a chance to reflect.

As I embark on yet another marathon training session, I'm taking a "do-over."  I'm trying a new style of training, wearing a new brand of running shoes (first time in probably 30 yrs--sorry Nike!) and probably a new shirt or two, trying to set a new PR, and trying out a new, fresh outlook on this passion of mine.  I'm beyond thrilled to watch (and be a part of) this wonderful friend of mine as she takes on this new running journey (one baby step at a time) and I'm inspired by her tenacity, her will-power, her goals, and her outlook on becoming a healthier mom.  She's been given a "do-over" and she's taking this bull by the horns all they way to a 5k race that we get to run together.

Begin the journey, do it over.

Every marathon I train for proves to be long, hard, strenuous, and ends with a bitter sweet taper time.  I'm always relieved that I physically made it to the taper without injury, but tend to stress that I didn't run enough, sprint enough, or suck it up enough in order to enjoy the taper period.  Ahhh, I'm such a mental case. :)

Last week was my final strenuous 40 plus mile week, but the week fell short with the long run not quite making it into the week.  After having my friend bail on me at 5:45am Sunday morning, I attempted to psych myself into running solo for the 20 miles, so I continued the morning routine and headed out to the trail.  I didn't see a single car or person at the trail when I got there, so spent another 30 min driving to another trail in hopes that I'd have company.  I had mentally prepared to run the 20 miles while my friend biked beside me, carrying the water/GU supplies and keeping my mind distracted while I focused on running a negative split.  My plan was to have this run be a race day practice run through, so once I knew I was going to have to run alone, run with water, and carry a cell phone.....I think my brain and body just deflated....the motivation went out the window.  I sat in the car for 30 min trying to get myelf movitvated to do this 20 miler, but my legs were still so heavy, my brain was talking me out of it, and I just couldn't do it.

I realize now that for the past 3 long runs, I've run with people who are much faster than me.  Sure, I can keep an 8:05-8:20 pace for the first 12-14 miles, but I'm not conditioned well enough at this point to sustain that for an entire 22 mile run, and I didn't.  Even though these were successful runs, it was too much race pace for me and I'm now paying the price even with extra days off.....heavy, sluggish, tired, sore......not good.  I'm not sure what to do next, run through it or add even more days off.

So, this week begins the taper period.  It's  a good thing I'm not going for a PR anytime soon. :)  I will enjoy it and see what happens, day by day.

My house is quiet, silent except for the "wiggle worm" song playing softly in the background conveniently keeping Mateo as quiet as a mouse.  It's been a great two weeks, I've loved having my parents with us, but I'm also taking a moment to enjoy the peace and stillness of this very moment.  I think my voice echoes in this house....ahhhhh... During this two weeks, we also took in a mom and her 10 yr old daughter, so we've upped our grocery bill, noise level, chaos level, and everything else that makes my head spin.

I realize it's already Monday and I haven't even posted from last weeks running yet!  Since last week was my 41st birthday, I wanted to make it a 41 mile running week in celebration.  I backed down to just 4 days of running in order to have more days off, but that meant more intense running days. Monday was an easy 4 miles of hills, Tues off with an hour of Active Edge and pushing from Meredith (love it though!), Wed was 10 miles of hills with Edie joining me for the first 6 (thanks!).  Thurs I canned the track workout and took the day off.  Friday was a pace 5 mile run, Sat. off, and Sunday......well Sunday was a crazy day of 22 miles!


Sunday began with a jog to the ATT from Kara's house (along with 4 others) and down 11 miles.  On the return back, the skies opened, the thunder cracked, and the lightening flashed all around.  Yeah, there aren't too many places to go for protection when you're surrounded by tall trees so we just kept running and hoped we wouldn't get zapped.  I'm utterly grateful to Kara, a much faster runner than I, for keeping me company, pushing me physically, encouraging me, constantly coming back for me, and for getting me back to the car some 3 hrs later!  Even though this run was physically tough, it was still more successful than I thought it'd be.  8:26 pace for 22 mi, that's completely pushing it for me!  That was the longest run of this training cycle, the worst is now behind!  The taper is about to begin!

I'm enjoying today's "off" run day....it's a cold, blistery Monday anyway. :)

With my parents in town, I haven't found a moment to sit, reflect, and type.  It's been fabulous having them here to visit AND help with the kids, I'm not sure I'll be ready for them to go on Suday.  Two weeks just goes by way to quickly.

So..... last week was a triumphant 42 mile week that finished with a long, 20 mile run!  Though the 7 x 800's at the track weren't as fast as I had hoped, at least the pace was fairly consistent.  A 6 mile tempo run on Friday proved to be better, averaging between 7:44 - 8:05.  The Wednesday morning run in the dark was awesome as usual, love wearing my dorky headlamp and jumping out of the way of  "animals" otherwise known as piles of leaves or simply dark shadows on the trail.  Sunday's 20 mile run proved to be the most difficult, most challenging, most exhausting run of the week.  At least there were 5 of us suffering together, that certainly helped.  I'm not sure there's any easy way of getting through a 2 hr 49 min run, it's just plain tough.  The Garmin logged the 20 mile run as 2:49:18, 8:27 pace, and 1945 calories burned. :)

We're in the final countdown, just 5 weeks till race day, and based on how I felt after the 20 miler, I'm not so sure I'm ready to race 26.2.  I'm definitely feeling under trained this time around, I just haven't been able to put in the number of miles necesarry to feel strong and secure.

I will continue to train, there just won't be enough time to really put in the proper training, and I'm okay with that.  This week, 45 miles on tab.

I love it when your long run goes better than you had expected it to go, it's more than a marvelous feeling!  An 18 mile run on the trail, long and beautiful, hot and sunny, with friends and solo, all went better than I had hoped.  The plan was to run the first 10 miles with Jamie, a really long run for her, so I had expected us to pace around an 8:30.  Nope, did the 10 miles in 1:24, way faster than I had planned and that left me worried that I wouldn't make it another 8 miles (and I knew I wouldn't be able to negative split).  I headed back down the trail and finally ran into Caren, so I tagged along with her for just over a mile before she had to return to her car.  Then, just before my turn around point, I ran into Allie and Carter and enjoyed the smiles and encouragement they provided!

The heat kicked in shortly after my run began, but with my previously "planted" water bottles along the course, I was able to run without my big belt and that was freeing!  I felt good, my body was cooperating, and my mind was in a positive place.  In the first two miles on the trail, I nearly jumped as I saw some rare trail creature crawling along!  I shouted, "Jamie, it's a lobster!"  Ok, she clarified that it was just a Crawfish, but the thing was weird and completely unexpected in the middle of nowhere!




  The end result?

Very pleased with the run, at least for where my training is at.  Still slower than last year at this time, but catching up quickly.

I have high expectations for this week.  I'm really wanting to push and stretch myself, put in some hard training, get in the miles in order to ready myself for the peak of this training season.  The Monday morning run was great, 7 x 800's at the track with Jamie, felt hard but satisfying.  By the afternoon, the fatigue, cramping, bloated blahs kicked in and I was already self-doubting.  You ladies know what I'm talking about, for a whole week out of every month, your body is hating on you like no one's business.

Tuesday morning's plan was a solo run of 8-10 miles in CH with promises of big, long hills.  But, after two Midol, I simply wasn't feeling it physically, and mentally, well that's a whole different story.  I was late taking the 3 kids to school, each one progressively later than the first.  Then a text message from the middle child reporting that he desperately needed a paper he had left on his side table which meant my run was going to begin even later!  In order to make my 10am appt with my trainer, I needed to make this run fast and furious, and closer to home.

Already feeling sluggish, bloated, fat, disgusted, crampy, and just plain yuck, I didn't have much will power to get me through this long, hilly, humid run that I had to do solo.  I contemplated my outfit, I think it made my bloated belly protrude, so maybe a quick stop at home was needed.....maybe I needed new music on my ipod......I think I had the wrong inserts in my shoes.....really, the list went on and on in my head before getting out of the car.  It's seriously ridiculous!  Finally, when I though no one was looking, I got out of my car and proceeded to the trail.  I usually do a few dynamic stretches, find a good bush, then begin my run, but while I was stretching, I noticed a few ladies approaching and I needed to wait until they passed me.  Once they passed, I finished my routine, then did a brisk walk to the start of the trail.  As I caught up to them, the first lady said, "oh, I love your legs!"  What?  I turned down my music, not certain of what I heard.  The middle lady said, "Yes!  I love your legs! Wow, you are so lucky!"  The three of them smiled as I had no idea how to respond to that.

As I ran the first several miles, I kept thinking about the timing of these ladies and how fantastic their words were at that moment.  At any other time, I probably wouldn't have thought much of it, but at that exact moment, when all the self-doubt was bubbling at the surface, it felt awesome to receive such a compliment.  And yes, I should be thankful that I have two legs in which to run with.  Why don't we compliment one another on a more regular basis?  What are we afraid of?  Is it really too hard to speak kind, encouraging words to people we don't know?  My silly self-doubt was washed away by three ladies who had the courage to speak compliments (heck, they don't even need to be true!) to me.  I will return the favor and pass along the goodness.

This week is what I call a successful week.  There were many runs that felt strong, hills that felt a little easier than usual, and long runs that kept good paces.  I know my training isn't what it was at this point last year, especially with extra time off in late summer, so I'm trying to figure out what I can expect from my body.  A few good indicators occurred this week and I was pleasantly surprised by the results.    

First, there were the two early morning runs this week, both 5 mile hilly runs that I normally struggle through, but not this week!  I felt so strong on the ups and was able to recover quickly on the downs, maybe my iron levels have something to do with this, but I also think my legs are stronger.

Another indicator run was on Saturday, a 16 mile long run day.  16.1 miles at an ave pace of 8:30, and I felt like I could have run at least 4 more!  I couldn't believe how great I felt and I was pleasantly surprised by the pace of the run.  Chocolate milk for the ride home, a great 4:1 ratio of carbs/protein, and all is well with the world again!  If I can keep the 8:30 paces for each of the next 3 weekend runs, then I'll know that my fitness level is where I want it to be.  Next weekend 18 mi, hoping for the same results.












Lastly, I was able to power through an hour long spincycle class just minutes after a hard 4 mile run and that, my friend, is far better than I could have anticipated.  The class was fun, first one I've done since moving to NC 4 yrs ago, and I'm glad I tried it out.

So, this week, success was measured in runs that showed improvement, felt great, and left me wanting more.  I was itching all day today to go out for a nice 3-4 mile run but forced myself to let my legs recover fully.....hard to do, especially when I feel so good.

30 mile run week, no swimming, 1 hr spin class, 1 hr of AE....7 weeks to go!!!

Oh, and a round of ice cream from our FAVORITE Maple View Farms ice cream place!!
 

Yesterday, when I least expected it, I received this amazing email from my bestest friend.  See, my bestest friend has been by my side through thick and thin since college days, and that was many moons ago.  She's one of those special people who have a heart that's made of gold, hands that are used for helping others (and moving mountains), feet that are good for coming to your rescue, and a mind that's half filled with lists and half filled with so much knowledge that I'm surprised her brain doesn't explode.  She's a beautiful woman, strong as ever, compassionate beyond words, an extraordinary mother of two boys, and just simply amazing.  She's seen me at my worst, been there when I thought I was near death, been by my side in times of pain (and childbirth), and have always been a rock for me.

This year, we are finally taking a girls weekend getaway in Florida to enjoy some R & R together.  What's even more exciting is that we are planning this trip around a 5k race, her very FIRST 5k race!! What's even MORE exciting than that?  She has never ran that far, she has never attained that goal, she has never believed she would ever even attempt that goal.  But, after years of saying that one day she will conquer a 5k, she is finally doing it.  She asked me to put together a plan for her, so I came up with a 26 week training plan on a fancy calendar with lots of pictures, encouraging words, smiley faces, etc., and she is currently on week 7 of the plan and going strong!  I've always made training plans for myself, but not someone else, especially not someone who hasn't run before.  This was a test for me as well, to sit down and really think about what would be best for her, where to start, how to build her confidence and stamina, and how to get her motivated to keep going and believe in herself.  I know her, she's my closest friend, we have a history, so there was lots for me to go on when I made this plan.  I know where she falters, I know how she doubts, I know how her schedule can quickly take over her mornings, I know where her treadmill is, I know her husband's work hours, and I know how her lack of confidence shakes and shimmies.  So, after 6 weeks of following this plan, she has met every goal we've set, met every challenge, completed each day of training even in the busiest week of the summer, she is doing it!

I was just about to walk into a cafe yesterday when I received this email from my friend, I had to stop before entering the cafe because tears began to build in my eyes (I wasn't feeling up to looking like a fool at that moment, other times it's fine :)  ).  This is what she wrote,

I feel compelled to share another victory story with my beloved trainer :).  First I have to say that I was NOT feeling victorious during my long workout day last week... I'm seriously wondering if I will actually be able to run 3 minutes straight after my performance that day :).  BUT the good thing is that I'm starting to reap the benefits of 6 weeks of consistent  exercise!  Today Bobby and I had to move a couch and dining set up from the basement.  During the move I realized was not only carrying heavy loads up the stairs, but I was going fast and not coughing up a lung from the exertion!  That, my friend, is why I will keep running :). Thanks for doing this journey with me!!! Love you!


This just made me smile, cry, laugh, and rejoice, all at the same time!  I'm so proud of her!!  If you only knew how much of a struggle she's gone through, the yo-yo- diets she's been on, the constant weight battles, the huge amounts of self-doubt, then you'd realize just how amazing this accomplishment is.  We've still got 20 weeks to go, but she is on the right path and making HUGE strides that she's never done before, and her confidence is building up like a lego tower--one block at a time!  She's so FABULOUS!  

Yesterday, I was scheduled to run a 5K in Raleigh, but the 9am start time put a time constraint on the rest of activities going on, so I had to back out.  Instead, I chose to perform my own 5K right here on the east campus loop.  Appropriately named the Charles In Charge 5K, I picked a starting area on the loop and began to run as fast as I was able while pretending there were people I was beating.  I tried to envision hundreds of runners along side me, motivating me, pushing me to run harder, but that didn't work out so well.  Instead, I picked markers along the way and attempted to see how fast I could get to certain spots, or how fast I could pass another person on the trail.  I wore my Bull City singlet, my Garmin, my new shoes that I'm trying out, and away I went.  Official time (no chip timing), was 23:41 and that was good enough for first place!  Yeah, if only I could have won some prize money along with that, or even a shirt!  It was fun, and it was a good way to test myself and see what sort of pace I can push myself at.  The Brooks Launch seemed to serve me well, very light feeling!







After finishing the run, I headed over to the pool for a 1.2 mile swim.  I still had my running gear on, including my visor, so as I walked into the pool area with my head down, I was completely shocked upon lifting my head!  I instantly realized that I had not been paying attention!  There in front of me, all gathered together, were about 15 Duke Aquatic male swimmers standing about 10 feet from me....yes, all in the tiniest black speedos.  Aye.....it's so awkward to look up, not look startled, and then quickly look away and keep walking.  By the time I walked out of the changing room, they were all in the water swimming, that helped.  A few interesting things about my swim:  one, I'm competitive by nature, so swimming in a lane next to many fast swimmers only makes me want to swim faster and at each flip turn, I could see who I was going to pass next.  Totally ridiculous, for sure.  Two, with all those huge men swimming in all the lanes next to me, there were waves in my lane and I was gulping gallons of water with each breath!  Each breath became a quick spit, short exhale, huge inhale, face back in the water sort of move.  I kept thinking about how much more difficult open water swimming will be and how it's a good thing the Triathlon has the swim first, otherwise I would surely drown.  My heart rate was all over the place, I found it difficult to slow my breathing, and I was taking in way too much water, something needed to change.  After 500M, I stopped to catch my breath and gather my senses before going any further into my swim.  Once I started back up, I began to fall into a rhythm that continued easily until 1.2 miles.


This morning, Sunday, was long run day!!  My favorite run of the week!  Today was 14 miles and I was able to hook up with some fabulous Bull City women on the ATT.  With the low temps, low humidity levels, today was FAR easier than any run since Spring and it felt amazing.  The first 7 miles were an easy pace (staying around 8:25) although I was worried that my legs would be too worn out to make it all 14 since I haven't had a successful long run in quite some time.  Miles 7-14 were way faster than I anticipated and that I've run in months, so it completely took me by surprise!  8:19, 8:15, 8:02, 7:56, 8:07, 8:15's to the end!  Maybe all these horrific runs in the heat/humid conditions are paying off? I know that running with these fabulous women (Alicia, Caren, Kara, Becky, Ellen) is also part of the good run today, they are all motivational and inspiring (and much faster than I) and I'm thankful for the added "pace push" they gave me today, it brought out the best in me. :)  My legs felt tired and my feet were hurting towards the end, but I just kept thinking that I wanted to finish with a good pace, a good feeling of success, and a good test of where my fitness level really is at.  It was fabulous.  8:18 ave pace











All in all, a fairly decent week (tough).

31.5 mi Running
4000M swimming

This week has proved to be another tough week to get through!  I'm hoping this past iron infusion kicks in sooner than later, hoping and hoping.

I've struggled through a few runs already this week, but at least the swimming has been fabulous.  2300M x 2 already!  Monday was a day of recovery but I couldn't help going to the pool for a refreshing 2300 swim.  Tuesday's 4 mile run wasn't too bad, but that was followed by an hour of weight lifting with Meredith.  Wednesday was another hilly run with Edie but since we ran on the trail in the darkness of the morning, I got to wear my sweet headlamp!  Oh yeah, love looking like a dork!  With a few minutes to spare before pick up, I darted to the pool for another great 2300m swim.  Then today, with my legs feeling like lead again, I decided to wait until the afternoon to knock out a track workout.  What was I thinking!  The hot summer sun and humidity seem to suck the air from my lungs making it incredibly hard to breath normally, I left a nice trail of sweat in lane one.  2 x 800, 2 x 400, 8 x 200, done.  It wasn't pretty, wasn't the pace I normally run these at, but I got it done.  What helped me push through?  One single song on my ipod, yep, "Leaving On A Jet Plane,"  old school baby.  Brought me right back to the 80's.

I'm battling one decision this week that I can't seem to figure out.  I've been wanting to run a 5K in the month of Sept. mostly to see where my fitness is at, it's been quite some time since I've run a road race, but now I think I'm too afraid to do it.  Silly?  Yes, but honest.  If I fail miserably, then my outlook on my current training is negatively affected.  If I do well, then I'll feel as if I'm on the right track.  If I don't do the race, then I won't know...good or bad.  So, even though I've already registered for a race this Sat morning, I'm still debating whether or not I will do it.  Not only am I worried about failing miserably (especially considering how my training has been going), but this race doesn't begin until 9am and I need to be home by 10am.....it's 42 min away....so there's this time constraint lingering over me......  Will probably make my final decision at midnight on Friday. :)

I've taken a liking to this new swimming routine, it's working for me!  There's something so peaceful about swimming, it's hard to explain but I've learned to love the solitude I find in it.  The softness of the water, the gentle waves, bubbles popping, the quietness....ahhh, that's the key.  The quiet, stillness of the underwater experience has got me coming back for more.  After the hustle and bustle of the frantic morning routines, a quick drive to the pool and a swim in that quietness has got me hooked.  As soon as I get in that water, I long to find that place of solitude and I can't help myself for staying in it until my fingers are completely pruned.

Sometimes I find running to be a peaceful, a oneness with nature and my thoughts kind of experience, and sometimes it's joining up with friends and chatting all the way through.  But running is hard, it's long, it makes my muscles scream and can take my mind to places of pain and I'm not always able to combat those experiences.  Don't get me wrong, running is my thing...my passion....it's what I love most.  Lately, however, I have longed for that swimming pool.  I catch myself wishing I was swimming while I'm struggling up a hill and my quads are feeling like bricks, or I'm sweltering in this awful heat and humidity and buckets of sweat are dripping from every pore. This week, even though a tough running week to get through, I made it over to that pool 4 times and not because I needed the exercise, but because I was craving that peacefulness and relaxing experience.

Tuesday, since my quads were on fire (thanks to Meredith's fantastic workout on Monday) and I had no ability to run, so I took myself to the cool water of the pool.  1200M swim later, good as new.

Wed was a 9 mi run + 1 mi walk with the amazing Kara, and still.....with a one hour window before the school bell rang and pick up began, I found myself quickly driving to the pool to get in a few laps.  Now I know, 1000M can take about 23 min with a pull buoy, 43 sec to complete a 50M swim, 1:43 to complete a 100M swim, and 4:43 to complete a 250M swim.

Thursday, 6 miles of hills with Edie proved to be a struggle but I survived.  My legs, still heavy laden, needed something cold and soothing.....so back to the pool for another 2000M swim.  I use the pull buoy (floaty) for the first 1650M (mile), that way my legs get a chance to feel the coolness of the water and not work the sore, tired muscles.

Friday was my first ever, BRICK!  I laid out my shoes at my "transition" area, then hopped on my bike (in the basement, safely on the trainer of course!!!) and forced myself to a 45 min bike session followed by a 2 mile run.  My legs still felt like jello when I ran up the stairs to put on my shoes, but at least I will practice this several more times before the next tri.

Saturday I decided to just swim, I needed that.  Under the hot sun, the water felt amazing and the swim was perfect.  Another 2000M down.

Sunday.....oh Sunday.....not a good running day.  Let's just say that the 12 miles I managed to shuffle through happened, but that's about it.  I may have walked 20 times or more, I lost count.  At one point, I sat in my car debating whether or not I should stick it out or come back another day and hash it out.  I opted to keep going, suck it up, and as ugly as it was at least I got it done.  The humidity was a huge factor, 3 pounds of sweat loss in fact, it was not a good run.

Weekly total....27 miles of running, 45 min of biking, and 7000M (just over 4 miles) of swimming.

Monday's workout was a bit of a rude awakening, I think it short circuited a few muscle groups that haven't been pushed lately.  Since my long run happened on Friday, that meant Saturday was a day off and Sunday was a short 4 mile run followed by a 2200M swim.  I wasn't really sure what to do with Monday's workout, it wasn't on the schedule, so I made up a workout that kicked my butt.....(believe me, it needed a swift kick!)  After a 5 min warmup, I headed over to the stadium to run stairs.  My goal was to do 20 flights of stairs up and 20 flights down.  Even while struggling through the last few sets, I was able to knock out 25 flights and still manage to run another mile back to my car.  That's an improvement from the last time, so I left feeling positive even though I have a long way to go yet.

Perhaps stadium stairs wasn't such a great idea for Monday, it didn't register in my head that my appointment with Meredith at AE was scheduled for that morning!!  Oh yeah, minor detail.  You can't cry "mercy" with Meredith, that just doesn't fly in her gym, NOPE.  There were squats, and squats, and more squats to be had and with each one, I was quietly cursing myself for doing a stair workout the same day as a weight lifting session.

Today, Tuesday, needed to be a low key day, a swim workout for sure.  I had to walk backwards while carrying our 37 lb 3 yr old down two flights of stairs at 6:45am, my legs felt like lead that's been twisted and knotted, almost as bad as after a fast paced marathon run.  Luckily, my massage therapy session was today.... some screaming, wincing, bruising, pain, and then some relief.  I saved my swim workout for this evening, 1200M in the cool pool water helped loosen these tight muscles.  Not sure how Wednesday's 10 mile run will go, but I'm sure there will need to be much stretching in the morning.

Sooooo  tired....heading to bed.  Looking forward to excelling this week and making some strides in the right direction.

Regional Cancer Center in Durham has been good to me, another successful iron infusion on Thursday!!  Six hours of being hooked up to an IV pole and I leave feeling "whole" again, it's amazing!!  Meredith, if you're reading this, I'm really sorry.....the nurse thought my blood sugar was to low during the infusion so she wanted me to drink something sugary.....I chose the Coke over the other choices!!   I swear I

Speaking of long runs....  This week's long run was a 10 miler, which I did on Tuesday with Kara at an 8:23 pace (huge surprise!)  Wednesday was 7 x 800's at the track, between 3:23-3:32.  Friday was a rare opportunity to run long with a friend that I usually don't get a chance to run long with, I couldn't pass up this chance!  We ended up running just under 12 miles in HILLY Chapel Hill which ended up being the highlight run of my week.  We tackled several steep hills, repeated smaller hills, and circled around to re-do challenging hills that kicked our butts the first time around.  Nothing better than being challenged and coming out on top, huge success in my book!

Since I'm experimenting a little bit with triathlons, still trying to figure out if I like them or not, I thought I'd add a few swim and bike sessions this week as well.  I'm not a big fan of the bike yet, so I only put in 15 miles there.  BUT, I've really enjoyed the swimming and even surpassed some of my usual distances.  Today was 2200 yds in the pool, probably the farthest I've gone in several years or maybe ever.  There's something so peaceful about the water, it's so quiet and serene, so soft and gentle, so different from the hot struggle I find in the running, very appealing.  At least I found my goggles and could actually see where I was going this time, very different experience from Monday.  Oct. 14th will be another small Tri race, I'm hoping that this time I'll be a little more prepared for the event.

Though I'm behind in my training, I'm thankful that I'm able to run and I'm heading into fall marathon racing with no expectations of speed/pace, just distance.  I'll have the winter months to work on speed in hopes of breaking the every lurking 3:40.

 

Sunday's triathlon proved to be a good decision and I left feeling like I could conquer more.  The experience was perfect for a beginner like me, it was all the things I needed to hear, see, and do in order to climb over this "fear" of a multisport event!

I learned so much about the event, transitioning, challenging myself, proper etiquette, what to do next time, and that it was really good to push myself out of my comfort zone.  For years I've told myself to either sell my bike or ride it, do a tri and don't be afraid, but for many years I've allowed myself to back out.  The Rex wellness tri was a perfect start, a great way to conquer all those little fears that like to creep up into my head.

At the packet pickup place, I stood around and waited for the informational session (though feeling like a nerd, I was determined to get over that).  It was extremely helpful to learn where to put my bike, where the swim would be and how it would be done, the routes for the courses, etc.  It really took away many "what if's" and "how to's."  Later that night, I followed the advice of Jason K and watched as many YouTube videos as possible on how to set up your transition area.  Total geek (again!)  BUT, extremely helpful in not looking like a novice on race day morning.  :)   With my new found confidence, I packed my bag, laid out my clothes, made my lists, and loaded up my car.  I was bound to do this event if my car was already loaded, another way to keep myself from backing out.

Race day morning, 4 am wakeup call, not as exciting.  I've been up this early for long runs, for marathon events, but not for something I was less than confident in doing and I wanted so badly to hit the snooze button.  Considering I had finally fallen asleep sometime after 11:30pm, this alarm wasn't very inviting.   I wasn't sure how to fuel for an event like this, so I just did my pre-long run routine and went with that.  I set up all my gear at the transition area, got marked (can't say I like having my age written over my calf muscle, but LOVED knowing the ages of those I passed while biking/running!) then walked around to see what other people did next.  I was really out of my element, how does one warm up for a tri?  Running, that's what I do best, I run, so that's what I did to warm up.

The race began at 7am with everyone lining up by bib number in the pool area.  I learned a couple of things about this type of swim.  One, do not be the "nice" person that let's the lady cut in front of you because she didn't feel like waiting in line like everyone else UNLESS you know that she is a faster swimmer than you.  Two, if someone says that you may feel free to pass them in the water if they are too slow, they are lying.  Three, figure out how to pass while swimming with multiple people in your lane or the frustration will eat you alive.   That's what I learned about participant number 100, yes, she was an irritating little lady that helped me know what NOT to do for the next tri.  After treading water 4 times so that I wouldn't get entangled in her legs, I wasn't able to swim my rhythm or speed and I wasn't experienced to know what to do in that case.

The bike was amazing, hilly but great.  The wind whipping at your face, flying down hills at much greater speeds than on foot, and bugs shooting at your eyeballs and mouth at warp speeds were all new phenomenons to me.  My bike has many gears, the problem is that I have no idea how to use them or when to use them.  This is something I need to learn before the next tri....

Ahh, then the run.  After getting off my bike, my legs were like jello and I had no control over them!  I felt as though I had just ridden a horse for hours.  I should have practiced, should have trained, then at least I would have known what to expect and how to manage the crazy jello legs.  Such a strange sensation that stayed with me until mile 2ish when they finally relaxed enough that I could safely increase speed.

The finish line was a welcomed sight, I could finally stop and grasp all that I just accomplished and relish in the fact that I had finally conquered some long time fears and goals.  It was an amazing feeling.

Here's the final result:  3rd in age group, 15th overall female---bad for a first time ever tri, I'll take it. :)

15

102

Lora

Charles

41

Durham

NC

0:05:00

29

0:01:37

40

0:35:14

17.0 m/hr

19

0:01:22

51

0:25:30

8:13 min/m

17

1:08:46

I've already signed up for another one in October, I'll be back.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but it's true, I'm doing my first ever triathlon tomorrow morning!!!  I have no idea what I'm doing, haven't trained for this at all, it's just a crazy on a whim idea.  

Ever find yourself feeling like you've been left behind, choking in the dust, left by the side of the road in the middle of the desert and no one is coming to get you?  That about explains how I've felt for the past few months about my running, sad but true.  While others are finding success in their races, getting faster, attempting track workouts and hill repeats, I can only read about their accomplishments and realize that I've been left behind, all on my own accord.

It's been important for me to take some time off from the scheduled running, and I've enjoyed the stress free days I've had, but now that I'm trying to get back on track, it's incredibly difficult to read blogs, posts, and emails that are filled with running joys and challenges.  With every email from my running group, I see myself falling further behind, missing the marks they're already tackling, and realizing this will keep me from training with them for this fall season.  This will make for a very lonely, long, arduous training season that will require extra focus and commitment.  Am I ready for that?  Do I have what it takes?  I guess I will find out soon enough, but I sure hope so.

Where has my running gone?  Up and down, sometimes literally, it's a hit or miss type of thing, a love-hate relationship for sure.  We took a family vacation to the Smoky Mountains which provided a wonderful opportunity for me to find some time for myself to reflect, to reassess and to figure out where to go from here.  The mountains provided beautiful scenery on every run, breathtaking views, and the added bonus of challenging my body to push a little harder with each uphill climb.

Fall is quickly approaching, it's my favorite time of year for running, especially marathon training. I was able to finally sit down, formulate a 14 week training plan, and register for a few fall races that will keep me both motivate and inspired so I can finally enjoy running again.  The only fall marathon I've signed up for is November 4, City of Oaks marathon.  It's not my favorite race, but it's local and doable.  There will be a few HM races, 5K's, and perhaps even a couple of Tri's (yes, shocker, you heard me right).  I've lost most of the little amount of speed I once had, lost some of the muscle mass I had worked hard for, and am really starting from scratch.....but starting somewhere is better than not starting.  I figure if I at least get in the miles, the cross training, the lifting, then eventually I'll be able to catch up on pace/hill work in time for spring marathons.

It's good to feel back, good to be starting, now if only I can keep going.  One thing I learned last week was that my iron levels had dropped considerably over this summer and that, most likely, has been the biggest culprit for my lack of good training, sluggishness, and feeling winded all the time.  Next week I'm scheduled for another iron infusion and I'm extremely excited to feel "normal" once again. :)

There are certain things I feel very strongly about as a runner.  Things like challenging running plans, perfect running shoes, Garmin watches that don't lose satellite, pre-race routines, mapped out long runs, iPod music on solo runs, and rituals.  Within each item, there are things I don't like to change up.  For instance, 2 gluten free waffles pre-race breakfast is a must, even if I have to eat them frozen in the hotel room.  Garmin fully charged the day before any long run or race and double checked before heading to bed.  Shoes......now that's a sore issue, literally.

As many hours as I spend on my feet, running shoes are of utmost importance.  I will go to great lengths, spend what money I have, spend countless hours experimenting, and do what it takes to get just the right fit.  During my college years, I spent nearly as many hours in the training room ice bath as I did going to classes.  2-3 times/day icing shins, rehabbing stress fractures, cross-training weak muscles, forking over money to specialists, fittings for orthotics, etc...it all carried over into my 20's and 30's.  I learned my lesson.  Buy a shoe that fits my body type, don't mess with it once you've found it, and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."  If only Nike would adhere to my theory!  My dear Pegasus 28's are no longer being made, the 29's have taken over the stores and my feet aren't liking them.  The 29's were giving me arch and heel pain, so I retreated back to the 28's and wow, pain went away.  Put the 29's back on for a run and the pain returned.  Hmmm....  Today I returned the shoes and came home with the new Vomero's, a heavier shoe that I was determined not to wear again.  The dilemma of shoes.  I went with the lighter weight shoe to both help me run faster and keep me more on the forefoot.  Back to the drawing board.

On the bright side, today is day 5 without my two really bad habits-- Peanut M&M's and Coka-cola.  Sure, you can tell me what ingredients are in Coke, show me how much sugar is piled in there, demonstrate how it can rust a nail or clean a toilet but nothing will make me stop loving that savory first sip that sizzles down the throat and leaves you with a sparkly sugar high.  I'm salivating at the thought, but I won't give in.  I gave it up to see if I could drop any weight after putting on 6 lbs since May.  I'm not making any solid promises as to how long I will stop drinking the crap, I'm just saying that it's been 5 days so far and the scale did go down 2 lbs as of this morning.  Stay tuned for progress.....

Today I used our baby's naptime as prime time for putting together a running schedule, at least I began to put it onto paper.  I began surfing the web for local races to add to each month both long and short, local and distant, fun and serious and I'm completely geeked out by it all.  Sitting with my calendar, mapping out runs, and formulating training schedules while surfing the web = my happy place, don't mess with it.

I've added a few short 5k's, 4 mile, 8k's as well as half marathons and full, it's invigorating!  So far, it's looking like full marathons in November, March and April for this year.

The most exciting race on my calendar will be the weekend in Melbourne, Fl in February.  This will be a complete girl's weekend with my most amazing, most spectacular friend from college who will be running her first 5k!!  We always try to put together a girl's weekend once/year, but this year it will be a little different.  Her goal of one day running a 5k will be achieved at this race in Florida and I get to experience it with her, first hand!  Her journey to accomplishing this goal will be long, strenuous, difficult, and challenging, but I'm truly looking forward to being by her side as we venture on this journey together.  I've been formulating a very delicate, baby-step type of program to get her from where she is now to finishing a 5k.  We'll rejoice in a fabulous 5k on Saturday and I'll push to PR in the half mary on Sunday.

I'm looking forward to this training plan coming together and getting myself back into a routine, even if the heat/humidity may dictate what I do and don't do.  July though April, that's the plan!

It's time........

It's time to put together a workout schedule.  Enough of this "relax" running, it was good for a season but I believe that season is over, I'm ready to take on a schedule.  The important part of this statement is that my MIND is ready to take on the daily grind, crazy workouts, and the dedication involved in completing a training plan.   I've had my hiatus, had enough "down" time, had my relaxation, had my cake and ate it too, and now it's time to move on.

The biggest push for this new season to begin is honestly, the feeling of frump.  Yes, frump.  My word for feeling sluggish, blah, eating horribly, having no direction running wise, and my type A personality needing rigor and scheduling.  I can only go so long without schedule and routine before I begin to go haywire and craving order!  Oh yes, I've been running 4 days/week including long runs, track workouts, and hilly adventures but I need more.  The need for completing a goal, having direction, finding order, and working towards a purpose has come to a head....it's time.

Yesterday, July 4th, I ran a four mile race.  My goal was to run it faster than I had last year, at 31:39, but to also run it at a faster pace than I had run the 8k in June.  Given the added heat, humidity, and hills, I wasn't sure if any of it was possible, but these were my goals.  I ended up finishing in 31:02 but that made it a 7:45 pace.....SAME as my last half marathon AND the 8k, both were PR's.  I guess what this proves is that I'm a very consistent runner, I have no other "gear," and I am better at running longer distances.  :)    Did I mention before that I'd rather run 100 miles at a happy pace than run 3 miles at a fast pace?  Me and short distance don't mesh well.  But, I'm trying to run faster these days, so I'm working on it.  In this four mile race, I walked 3 times and wanted to drop out from the half mile mark ALL the way to the finish.  Luckily, my amazing friend Kara had planned on being my pacer for the race and I knew she was waiting for me at mile 1.  Honestly, this was the only reason I kept going.

Truthfully, I'm ready to eat better, be more focused, work harder, struggle through workouts, get some races planned out, and get into gear.  Let the calendar making, training planning begin!!

Finally, a full, solid week of training and I lived to tell about it! After weeks of sluggishness and funk, it felt amazing to get in some good training runs and end it with today's "long" run. Last week's total mileage was 20, while this week's was 31 miles plus two days of lifting, a little on the "overdoing it" side, but it all felt so good.....finally. Monday: 6 mile run on the hilly trail Tuesday: 3 miles of hills plus Active Edge Wednesday: Oh my LORD!! 2 mile warm up, 10 x 400's (jogging inbetween each one) at ridiculous paces for me (1:33-1:48) plus a 3/4 mi cool down. Thanks to Kara and Jennifer, this training day was the worst and greatest of my week! I struggled to keep up with these ladies (wasn't actually able to keep up with them) but the extra push really helped me see where I'm at and where I'd like my training to go from here. I nearly lost my breakfast on that last 400, but I sucked it down and all ended well. Thursday (Active Edge session) and Saturday were "off" running days friday: 6 miles again on a hilly course Sunday: 9 mile long run. One of these days I will sit down and make a training plan, but since I don't have any marathons on the calendar yet this fall, I'm in no big hurry.

Since racing on June 2, I've kept up some sort of consistent running but just haven't kept up the posting.  I promised myself years ago that this blog would be a person journal, a tool for me to use so I can look back when I need to be reminded of how far I've come, how I've conquered challenges and how this running journey is full of ups and downs.  I haven't kept it up lately, mostly due to this lull in my running schedule, but writing now should be a necessity because I will need to look back at this time period and see how I made it through successfully.

With running totals like Jan (156 mi) and Feb (164.8 mi), it makes April (109.5 mi) and May (just 73 mi) seem like a bit of a running failure.  On the upside, June has been more promising and upbeat despite the added heat/humidity!   Finding other runners to buddy up with has also helped me swing out of this running funk and I'm beginning to once again find joy in training.  I have no race schedule on the calendar for the fall and I'm quite content with that knowing that the spring will be chock full of half and full races, including another attempt at Boston!

Goals for this upcoming season?  Set new PR's in the 5K, 4 mile, 10K and HM.  I'd love to PR in the marathon at Tobacco Road (March) again, hoping to break 3:40 this time.  Finish races in top 5% in age group.  Run an international race while we are in Europe next July.  Inspire someone new to running.  Volunteer at more local races.  Less time running solo (I need the push).  :)

This is our 2 yr old, Mateo.  He can foam roll like nobody's business, all body parts yet too!  He is a ball of energy, and Energizer bunny, a spit-fire little boy who happens to enjoy running already.  I'm hoping to enter him in the little kid races at local events I already run, so watch out!

Even though I feel as though this giant "wall" has come down, it doesn't mean I'm in a good mental state for racing.  When I race, it means I'm putting forth 100% effort, looking forward to a great finish, going over the stats with my dad, and finishing up with a splendid race report.  I knew I wasn't ready to race, but this run on Saturday was looming over my head and I wasn't sure if I should follow through with it.

On Friday, I had planned on doing two 3 mile loops with Jamie but after the second loop, I had to back down.  The humidity was a killer and I felt as though my body was made of concrete.  I had decided not to race on Saturday if the weather was going to be the same, and even if it was better, I still wasn't sure I wanted to put myself into race mode.

Later that afternoon, I noticed a post on my FB page from Kara asking if I was running the race and volunteering to run with me!  It was just what I needed to hear.  Maybe running with someone would allow me to run this race and come out with a positive experience, further destroying that wall?  So I decided to participate in Running of the Bulls 8K with Kara.


I've never been more thankful for the opportunity to run a race with a friend, it was exactly what I needed and Kara was more than willing to push me through it!!!!!!  I'm so grateful!  The plan was to start near closer to the start line but not get caught in those paces, stay around an 8min/mi pace, no walking allowed, and for Kara to talk while I huffed and puffed.  This pace was a walk in the park for her, so she had no trouble chatting away.  The first mile went well, I felt pretty good and positive.  The second mile my legs began to feel a bit heavy and I struggled to avoid walking through the first water stop (who even needs water in a 5 mile race??)  The Boston marathon and the 25K totally burnt me out, it became more obvious as the minutes past by.  I questioned myself by mile 3, but Kara kept us going, up and down hill after hill. I knew we were slowing down by this point but I didn't care, I wasn't sure I would actually finish at this point (if I had been alone, I would have walked the last 2 miles).  I had to stop twice during the race, my heart was racing so fast it felt like it was beating outside of my ribcage, literally.  I kept glancing at my Garmin to make sure our pace wasn't 10min/mi because that's what it felt like we were doing, thankfully we weren't.  Once we got to that last turn, last downhill, onto the race track, I felt like I could push to the finish.  With the finish line in sight, it was a mad dash to beat the clock and get this race over with (and get rid of the puking sensation that was about the level of my esophagus by now).


Finish time 38:24, that's officially a PR for me by 1:10sec.  I'm still in disbelief.  This made for a second place age group finish for me, all thanks to Kara!  I am sharing my winnings with her!

I left feeling like I had just won gold in the Olympics, not that I know what that feels like, but it's that good euphoric feeling that you just pushed yourself harder than you thought you could and you were rewarded for it.  Now to see if I can continue to work on shorter distances for the summer and perhaps get faster.

While the days have been filled with busy plans, vacation planning in motion, emotional roller coaster rides from end of the year celebrations and good-bye's, tryouts for next years teams, etc.....I'm happy to say that the running is slowly starting to take the front seat once again.

Slowly but surely, inch by inch, the running regime is starting to makes it's comeback.  The mental "wall" has been demolished and it's dust has settled, there's a clear view in sight as the mojo returns.  One day at a time is the new plan, which is why I'm hesitant to run this 8K race that takes place on Saturday.  I'm just over the hurdle, just landing softly on the ground barely steady, I'm not sure that putting unstable self into full on race mode is a wise choice.  I registered for this race weeks ago, before I had this enormous wall plant itself in my path, before I ran smack into it and had no way to get around it.  Now, I'm questioning my judgement, my state of mind, my physical well-being, and I'm not sure what the answer is.  I'll take "runner's stupidity" for $500 Alex!  

After fully enjoying my 7 mile run on Saturday, I felt refreshed enough to go out for a run Monday morning.  I made it a short one, to avoid over doing it, and was pleased with the outcome.  My biggest issue was the fact that I live in this ridiculous city that has no sidewalks, no safe place to run!!!  Let me get on my soap box of complaints and just add here that there have been 2 more assaults on a portion of the trail while the other portion of the trail is currently under construction for a year, no safe roads to run on near my house, and I have to drive somewhere in order to exercise.  Off my box now....  I drove to the trail, began walking to the entrance when I remembered my friend had her purse stolen from her car last week, so I drove back home to empty all valuables from my vehicle.  I returned to the trail, ventured to the "start" area and felt so incredibly insecure about being the only person in sight on the trail, that I returned to my car and drove away.  This time, I drove to a neighborhood that had sidewalks, my plan was to park on the road and then run on the sidewalks, BUT.....there was construction along a good stretch of sidewalk and it was closed off!!  So, I drove back to my house, ran over to the track and did a 5K on the track----completely boring as heck (I really don't swear but I wanted to here, so feel free to add your own words).  I was so angry by the fact that we moved to Durham, away from a fabulous city with fantastic sidewalks, running paths (in the open, not closed in the woods so you question your safety!) and bike lanes as wide as a car lane!!!   I'm struggling to like it here.....struggling to find the fun in running here..... BUT, the run itself was successful and I was assured that the dust from the fallen wall had settled.

Tuesday was a quick 2 mile run on the treadmill, mostly to avoid the ridiculous heat/humidity, and also to just not have to deal with driving my car to find a place that I can safely run.  Following this run was an hour workout session with my fabulous trainer, Meredith (my butt and hips are still burning!)

Wednesday, a fantastic track workout with Jamie proved to be better than I had hoped.  Despite the rain/wind brought in by remnants of tropical depression Beryl (who comes up with these names??), we had a great workout.  We skipped the usual Yasso 800's  and went with a varied, but short, workout.  1 x 1600 at 8K pace (7:15), 1 x 800 at 3:22, 1 x 600 at 2:38, 1 x 400 at 1:38, and 1 x 200 at 38.0.  Not all out sprinting, but something to get us both on track for summer sprinting and shorter workouts.  It felt good, it's good to be back.