routines = positive outcomes

So I felt bad to have not blogged at all as promised throughout my training process. In order to entertain my readers I thought I'd make my 12 mile run fairly dramatic for you...so I almost past out. Just to give you something to read about...how nice of me right?
OK...so the drama was unplanned and unwelcome but did happen just the same. This morning was PERFECT for a 12 mile run - decent temperature, low humidity and good cloud cover with a slight breeze - can I order that for labor day weekend in VA Beach please? The 12 miler was great - I felt good, other than my one hip which was a pain in the @#$%* but I finished feeling good - mentally and physically!
My title for the post is what I learned today - keeping to routines equals positive outcomes...deviating from them are not quite as good of an idea.

My routines -
RUN and follow coaches directions for walk breaks/speed etc. -check!

Eat fruit punch sports beans every 45mins or so to refuel along the course - kinda check! (first mistake seen in hindsight - I ate my beans at 45 mins and 1hr 40 mins...I should have eaten them again at 2:25 but I knew how close I was to being finished at that point so I decided to save my dollar bag o beans and skip the food.)

Return from run and eat some goodies at the park - check! (I had an awesome blueberry muffin from Cafe scossa and some meat and cheese.)

Wait for other runners to finish and head to the bagel bakery for an ET bagel with egg, bacon and cheese - OJ and large coffee. (THIS IS WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG!)

Since my full marathon bagel bakery buddies had to run an extra 6 miles more than me today and because a friend from PA was coming to visit so I'd be short on time to eat at the bagel bakery - I opted to go home and shower, head back to the park and wait for my girls then eat breakfast. This planned worked out fairly well until after 20 mins or so after arriving back at the park showered and feeling refreshed I began to feel light headed and nauseas. If you know ANYTHING about me, you know NOTHING is worse to me than feeling like I'm going to puke. I tried breathing through it and then told Lea Ann I was feeling weird. She tried to get me to sit but I refused. Then I felt like I was going to be sick so I tried heading for the car - I wanted to save face and not puke in front of people. I took about two steps before she arrived with water and made me sit only seconds before my legs gave out anyway. I felt like I was in a tunnel and everyone's voices got fuzzy. Amy ran over with wet paper towels and ice - we went over who they could call to come get me and what I ate since I stopped running - roughly 90 mins ago. They decided it was low blood sugar. I shared that I had not gone to the bagel bakery right after as I have been doing now after every run each season and it all clicked. After some orange slices and grapes - and sitting with ice on my face and neck I felt MUCH better - and needless to say took myself to the bagel bakery. I didn't even make it out of the parking lot before my oj was open and half gone!
I arrived back home to my friend sitting in front of my house waiting for me...oops on timing! I was SO thankful for Amy and Lea Ann this AM - for figuring out what was wrong with me as well as helping me through it. I am SO thankful that didn't happen at home or while I was in the shower - or driving for that matter. That's the one thing that really hit home today about living alone - no one would know if I wasn't ok! Scary.
Other than a decent headache and normal stiffness/soreness in my knees and hips I am feeling just fine.
What lesson did I learn - DON'T skip the sports beans at the end of a run just to save $1 and stick to your routine - I wanted so bad to wait for my girls to eat but waiting 2 hours was NOT what my body needed - and it clearly showed me that today.

the rest of the story...

The alarm went off at 4:30 to which I promptly hit the snooze button (if you can call it that on a cell phone). I laid there attempting to wake up, deciding if I was excited or nervous - whether I would be spending the morning in the bathroom and not able to eat or whether I was ready to run. Turns out I was ready to run. I had worried about being sick the morning of the race. When I get nervous - even if my mind is unaware of being nervous - by body sends me to the bathroom. Typically this happens on the first day of school etc. It even happened to me on almost all of our longer runs this summer. However on race morning - my body was ready and I became the encourager in the room. Surprisingly enough Nicole was nervous and I was the peptalker! My only goal was to be mentally ready and be able to go to the bathroom (*wink wink*) before the race began. I did NOT want to have to stop along the way.
Around 5:25 several of us runners met in the hallway and went downstairs to gather together before walking to the shuttle. As we got on the shuttle we saw our coaches and other runners on their way too. A few minutes later we arrived at the convention center and waited to meet the rest of our group. There was a steady crowd of people heading to the starting line. That was one aspect that just amazed me. They just kept coming and coming and coming. I arrived at the convention center around 5:45 and I don't think the steady stream of runners started to filter down until after 6:45. As people arrived we shared excited and nervous hugs, took prerace pictures and finally got last minute encouragement and instructions from our coaches. The whole time I'm trying not to tear up. It was such an emotional moment. Having spent the last 4 months working towards this seemingly unattainable goal and realizing that the day I've(we've) been working for is finally here. It was go time...after a group picture and a LONG porta potty line in which I got my morning wish and a 42 minute wait from the first wave start to my wave start. We all moved to the starting line like a herd of cattle. By the time I got to the line I already had to pee...I truly ignored this feeling for as long as I could. We started off around 7:42 and by 7:45 Taylor and I were walking. We made our coaches proud and followed the rules to stick to our run/walk ratio from mile 1. Fortunately many others were doing the same. I took it easy and Taylor and I watched our mile time to try to stay as consistent as possible to what we've been training at. My concern was that my last long run that I completed was the 10 miler. I knew I had 3 miles more than that to complete that morning and I did not want to push myself early and not be able to finish strong. Slow and Steady finishes the race (they may not win but they WILL cross the finish line).
Mile 1 & 2 - Felt great - took it easy and cheered on the elite runners who were rounding mile 11. Hit the first few bands - great music - loud fans albeit no one I knew. I did see an awesome sign - One said "better you than me" the other next to it read "you run and I'll drink" as she held her travel coffee mug to her mouth. I couldn't get over how many people we were running around and was waiting for the mile when this would begin to clear up (that mile never came).
Mile 3 - Finished a 5K feeling awesome. This was where we found Amy W. our "fill in" coach for part of the race. She informed me that Nicole and Tracey were up ahead but waiting in a bathroom line. It was crazy crowded and we waved as we passed Nicole and Tracey in line - apparently LOTS of runners had to go at mile 3. This was the only bathroom spot that had a line longer than 1 or 2 people. Eventually they caught up and we snapped a few pictures while running. It was at this point that everyone else from our group - minus the walkers and one other running group- passed us. These were all groups that had per mile times longer than ours. Taylor and I decided to stick to what was working - stay at or slightly over our normal pace to make sure we made to it to the finish line. She probably could have gone faster being she is only 17 but I appreciated her willingness to stick with me for the long haul.
Miles 4-7 Bands continued to be pretty good. Body still feeling great. It was during these miles I had to keep commenting, quietly of course, how prepared we were. By this point people that started off running were now run/walking or just walking. We passed people who were huffing and puffing, people who were sprinting for 30 seconds only to walk for the next 5 mins, people wearing NEW sneakers, people without water belts - people who did not have awesome coaches who prepared them to face what this day would throw at us. It was also somewhere between mile 7 and 8 that I made my poor running buddy wait for me to go to the bathroom. It wasn't an emergency but I knew I had to go and assumed it would easier at this point to go rather than waiting until I was uncomfortable or wouldn't want to get back up from a sitting position later in the race. While there was no line apparent, I did wait for 5 mins. Grrr. We were finally coming out of camp pendleton with some eh bands where the mental battle started in.
Mile 8&9 - It was during these miles that all I longed for was to see a double digit mile. I kept reminding myself that I had run 8 miles many times and it was no big deal. My back was starting to get sore, my body tired. I had already taken salt and eaten several packs of sport beans. My stomach started to feel a little iffy and all I wanted was to be done but knew I had a ways to go. I think I also knew that coming up on 10 miles was the longest I had run. The final 3 miles were new territory and would be a long mental more than physical battle to the finish line. And of course...right when I needed her most Coach Amy comes running towards me with her arms in the air. We ran for about a mile together and it certainly helped. Encouraging words, a fresh face - a change of conversation with an update on other runners. I didn't want her to leave but I knew it was now time to focus on the finish line - running smart - not giving in to my head saying that I was too tired to run and should walk. She left saying that all we had left was a maintenance run. Around this time I realized that we were not finishing in under 3 hours. I wanted that and assumed it would happen. Secretly disappointed but knowing that crossing the finish line was the more important goal I ignored the overall time on my watch and kept running.
Miles 10-12 - Tough physically - tough mentally. I decided that I was going to maintain my run/walk even if I was tired. I did NOT want to say that I finished but walked the last few miles. That was how I finished the 11 miler and I was disappointed in myself. I was NOT going to disappoint myself now - this was the time to push through. We passed a few familiar faces cheering us on but many of our runners families had already gone to the finish line to congratulate their runners. We kept plugging along ,passed our last water stop, passed other runners and kept watching for the 12 mile sign and the turn onto the boardwalk. The 12 mile sign finally came and shortly after we rounded the corner onto the boardwalk.
The FINAL mile - I don't remember seeing the ocean or sand, even though I know we ran for quite some distance on the boardwalk. I decided to take an extra walk break just so that I could finish strong . With 5 blocks left until the finish line we saw coach Lea Ann and she got us going to the finish. Everything hurt and I was ready to be done. I kept one tshirt I saw along the way in mind - pain is temporary, pride is forever. So with that in mind I sprinted (in my mind at least) to the finish with my calves cramping the whole was across the final line. In 3 hours 9 minutes and 46 seconds I completed my first (and not last) half marathon.
It took all I had in me to keep walking through the secure area to get my medal, iced towel, water, goodie bag, banana, and ice pop. I just wanted to sit and take my sneakers off. Taylor and I got a finish line photo together with the beach in the background and soon after saw Nicole walking toward us. She helped us navigate our way through the crowds to get Tylenol (after a brief survey of course) and to our charity tent on the beach. I remember being tired and just wanting to see Amy and Lea Ann. I spent most of the time quietly sitting by myself just resting and thinking and texting everyone I knew that I had indeed finished. It was great.

My Body - 2 small blisters underneath a callus - some leg and back soreness that was gone by Tuesday night. This run was easier on my body than others - and contrary to what some people say - I did run hard - eventhough I was less sore than other runners. I just ran smart! hehe

Something I found funny - so many people commented on the humidity - how hard it was to run through that. I honestly did not notice the humidity at all. I've run in much worse. Maybe I didn't notice because I was so focused/excited/prepared - who knows. Either way I'm glad I felt the weather was great for a run - even if others found it tough. G0 figure!

I still cannot believe I finished. I can't believe I set out to do something so unlike myself. I am a runner (I may not look like one but I am darn it!) Next time I'll come in under 3 hours. I've said so many times that I would have NEVER agreed to do this if it weren't for Amy. She has been such (she is such) an encouraging person and is one of the only reasons I stuck with this. I didn't want to let her down and in the end I didn't let myself down either. This not only helped me get in better shape - even though I gained weight (my own fault) - but reconnect with old friends and develop new friendships. I've found an athletic event I can be good at and improve on. I am living proof that ANYONE can do this - even someone still many pounds overweight and someone who started VERY out of shape. I still find myself thinking about the race from time to time when I'm doing other things. There is no way to truly say thank you the way I want to to Amy and Lea Ann and have yet to begin to try to show my appreciation. I just cannot put into words yet what their dedication and encouragement has meant. I keep forgetting that throughout this I also raised over $1,200 for Easton ROCKS. I gained so much out of this process that I forget I helped my kids too. :)

Apparently I miss getting up at 5am on a Saturday so much that tomorrow - during the pouring rain - I'll be doing water stops for our full marathoners who are running their 20 miler training run in the morning. I did enjoy eating what I wanted to tonight though - no more pasta w/ meat sauce - I went out to eat! Woohoo! I said all along that I would not do a stop the first Saturday after our race because I was going to sleep in but when do I actually stick to my original thoughts - If I had I would have been cheering on other runners instead of being cheered on while running.

bummer

I am really bummed about missing Saturday's 14 miler. While most people would think - hey at least you didn't have to wake up early and run all those miles - I really wished I had. I did do 8 miles (again) - 4 at 5am before we left for New Hampshire and 4 again around 5pm after we arrived. These 2 runs were my first experience with hills. Since life on the eastern shore is F L A T, I don't know how to cope with hills much less mountains. The PA run was great - a little hilly but totally doable - other than the real darkness of 5am! The NH run - not so great. Started out well - some down and doable uphills. I ran until I started to get nervous that I wouldn't make it back up - which happened to be at the 22 minute mark. This made me nervous since I should finish 2 miles in 27 mins. I hoped I was not turning around too soon but as soon as I turned around and saw THE HILL I was glad I did. THE HILL was steep and it was VERY easy to run down. In fact I took very few walk breaks while going down because it was easier to run it. Going back up...not so easy. After attempting to run with my hip hurting crazy and my feet bothering me I decided to walk THE HILL and then go back to run/walk once I reached the top. THE HILL was almost one mile long (which was discovered about an hour later as we decended THE HILL in the car on the way to dinner). I huffed and puffed and stopped to stretch - mind you I am still walking...but I did reach the top. Several times I stopped looking up and looked at the ground so I couldn't see how far I had yet to go. I made it back to the top in 33 mins. When I returned my dad was just about ready to take the car and come find me...oh how wonderful that would have been when I was at the bottom of THE HILL. I stretched & took tylenol and learned of some new blisters (1 blood blister...ew). It was then that I decided 8 miles was going to be enough. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I could look down at a huge lake from the resort or that the resort's name was Steele HILL but I think I picked a bad spot to run! Who knew that I could have driven to the bottom and ran a fairly "flat" for New Hampshire course. Whoops! After driving to dinner - we clocked the run at 4.2 miles - very glad I did the right mileage without knowing it! Coach excused me from running more even though I offered to do a longer run on Monday when I return. I have to head to Hills to get inserts for my sneakers since that is what's causing the blisters! That alone makes me a little nervous - changing my show insides 2 weeks before the race but it's got to be better than how my feet feel after a run now.

Fast Forward to Saturday - I was awake before I would have been if I was at home. I wanted SO bad to be at the park running. Nicole and I texted a bit and I talked to get a few times. I was so proud of everyone but felt disappointed that I would not accomplish 14 miles and do our last long run together. It makes me somewhat nervous to run 13 miles for the first time on race day when the last long run was 10 miles a while ago (I walked the last 3 miles of our 11 miler and our 12 miler got thunderstormed out and never made it up). I've just loved this experience so much and to miss out on such an important day really bummed me out - even though I was hiking an amazing trail - Flume Gorge!!

The next few weeks - eating right, stretching daily (the only thing that's helped my hip), good consistent maintenence runs and a positive attitude! 13.1 miles here I come...

Survival

I woke up this morning and did not feel like an 85 year old! :) The soreness is mostly gone and the blisters are healing well. N wanted to sleep in this morning so instead of running I finished my book, since I couldn't sleep. One more day to get blisters to heal will help and we'll run Wed and Thurs mornings. I can't believe how bad I felt after the 11 miles, I can't imagine how I'll feel after I add on some more.
On an exciting note: Nicole, Tracey and I are registering for the Marine Corp 10K. It's on October 26th and starts just after the Marine Corp Marathon. We'll even be able to jump into the Marathon course and finish with your marathon training buddies. We can't cross their finish line but we can help them along. I'm SO excited. So once this 1/2 marathon is over I'll continue to do some longer runs (4-8 miles) to keep in shape for the 10K. I'm just excited to cheer on the full marathoner and be able to get close enough to run with them at the end. :)

For everyone who lives around Easton - Nicole is hosting a fundraising night at Clay Bakers. They will be donating 20% of all sales to Nicole's Rocks fund. August 3rd from 6-9, come paint and help raise money for ROCKS. If you want to reserve a spot to paint just call or email Nicole the time you'll be there. You don't have to reserve but then seating will be first come first serve. Let's pack the house!!!

ow...

Ok...if you can't handle a whiny post stop reading now!
Saturday was the 11 mile run. I did it all to myself, it's all my fault! Having done no, I repeat no, maintenance runs in the past 2 weeks I deserved every ounce of pain and suffering I felt Saturday. The 11 miles was tough. Since the full marathoners had to do 14 - we met them at mile 3 and started our trek around 7am and it was HOT and HUMID! Right off the bat J and I took the lead and began to run in front of M and T- bad idea. We sped up which felt fine at the time but did not end up well. Around our mile 3 we realized we were going about 30 seconds faster than pace and were advised to slow down. We followed directions but on the trip to the next water stop I began to get goosebumps. I remembered that was not a good sign and asked Amy at the stop what that meant. While she said as long as I was sweating it was fine, she advised me to take a salt packet. That was as pleasant as doing a shot - yuck! I knew I needed to eat but had no desire. I forced myself to eat my sport beans when all I wanted to do was drink. I was keeping well hydrated and had diluted gatorade in my bottle but if I drank all I wanted I could feel the water sloshing in my stomach when I ran (not fun). We kept pushing through, taking it slow while I could feel blisters forming on the bottom of my feet. Around mile 8 with the goosebumps coming and going I decided to walk the remaining 3 miles. It was such a mental battle - I knew I wanted to finish strong but felt aweful - I was so thirsty, no wanting to eat but needing to, legs and feet hurting etc. I figured I'd at least still finish the 11 miles and just walk the remaining. I walked quickly and after a mile my body started to feel better. I had finally drank enough fluid but the aches and pains had fully set in. I kept up my quick speed walking and met up with another running group and finished with them. Regardless I finished 11 miles mostly running, some walking.
But...I STILL feel it. My body feels like a mac truck ran over me. I have 3 HUGE blisters on each foot and every muscle is sore - including my shoulders since N and I painted the Living room and kitchen of the new place yesterday. I walk like I am eighty and am taking tylenol religously. I've learned that maintenance runs are key (duh) and that a full marathon is NOT in my future!

10 mile high

So...do I dare say that the 10 miler was enjoyable? Ok...I will...it was fun! After the pain and bad attitude of last week I was hesitant to run this morning. Waking up at 5:10 to 69 degrees and 100% humidity was not the best. I was tired but knew I had to do this. I had decided, per advice from Coaches Lea Ann and Amy, to drop back a pace group - take it slower and see how things went. Bonus of dropping back a group was being able to run with my buddy Marian. Funny fact - my whole pace group ended up with different pace groups this week - G went up to a 4:1 and 12:30 pace, S dropped to a 3:2 and 14:00 pace. I dropped to a 13:30 pace but kept the same run ratio of 3:1. We picked up Tracy around mile 3 and were just happy as can be. We ran on pace, with a few water stops we finished only 3 mins past pace time at 2 hours and 18 mins. The first 7 miles were a piece of cake - no huffing or puffing, no hip pain. We just ran and talked and time passed so quickly. A bit of pain set in around mile 8 - I stretched a bit with not much relief. We just kept chugging along and talking. Bonus treat of sweedish fish and skittles at the water stops. Around mile 8/9 it started to hit that I had been running for 2 hours. My hip was bugging me a bit, I was getting a little more out of breath and started to check my watch to see when walk breaks were coming. This was the first week where I was not checking my watch from mile 1. The miles came and went so quickly, walk breaks spaced well - I never felt the need to count down until the end. By the last mile, transitioning from walk to run was tough as my legs just didn't want to go anymore. No numbness, no major pain - just fatigue. We finished strong after a few last sweedish fish! I felt GREAT! It was a totally different experience from past weeks. It's amazing what a few extra minutes to run slow will do.

On a side note: I recently read about Secret Anti Perspirant - Clinical Strength Sport in Self magazine. I bought it even though it cost $9!!! It said it blocked wetness and was made specifically for athletes. After reading the directions I was skeptical because it said to apply the night before. So...you want me to put on deodorant the night before I run and not reapply in the morning? Sounded sketchy to me but I did it. Surprisingly enough it worked...well...really well! I am definitely going to use it on run days. I was not quite as stinky as I normally am after a run, and on a 100% humidity day that's pretty impressive.

Another note: Wright Socks - Anti Blister - not so much! I have a huge blister on my big toe - it started to develop last Saturday - went away and came back in full force today. I'm not writing off the company but I blistered in my anti blister sock...hm.

Overall - GREAT day - totally encouraged to keep going. Next week is only a 5 miler...woohoo!!! I can't believe I only have to run 3 more miles than what I did today on race day. That's so crazy.

Wasting Money

So my theme for today was stop wasting money. I pay $38 a month to be a member of the YMCA. Several months ago (maybe February) I stopped going to the Y because the parking was ridiculous. OK so that was an OK excuse for a while but then I just got lazy. When running started I enjoyed doing so outside and continued to donate $38 to the YMCA every month without using their services. So today I went - for the first time in a LONG time. So long that I hadn't seen the renovations. After being slightly intimidated by the new machines and layout I had a great workout. I only did 15 minutes on the elliptical because my main purpose was to weight train. I sucked up the embarrassment and read the instructions on most machines because they are so different from the old ones. I lifted for about a half hour - I have a feeling I'm going to be quite sore tomorrow. I've certainly missed working out and will continue. When I did the hip abductor and adductor machine I could feel I was working the area that has been bothering me during my run. I am going to faithfully do that machine and hopefully strengthen so that the hip pain does not continue. The stretching I did yesterday and today has certainly helped with any post run soreness. I can barely tell I ran 9 miles yesterday. Apparently I was not stretching well enough before!
My other wasting money realization was my weight watchers online donation. I pay to use their services online to track my points, find recipes etc. and lately because I've been eating so poorly I haven't tracked my weight or points. I did so today - I logged my weight in and cringed when I saw my pounds lost go down with my weight gain. I restarted my week today and ate wonderfully! I did well on fruits and veggies and ate balanced meals. I ate totally on points today and even had ice cream without going into any flex points. I even earned 3 points in activity at the Y.
So...no more wasting money - I WILL go to the Y more faithfully and use my weight watchers online subscription. I am actually going to a gentle yoga class tomorrow morning that says it focuses mainly on flexibility. I'm hoping I don't look like a fool and that I enjoy it. While tomorrow morning is suppose to be HUMID, tomorrow evening shouldn't be bad so I'll do my maintenance run then. Two workouts in one day?? Who is this person? :)

9 down...4 to go

At 5 am - I woke up wondering why my alarm was going off but I thankfully felt pretty awake. I ate breakfast, got dressed and headed out the door way early. Our run began a little late since poor Robin had to organize everything by herself this week since Amy and Lea Ann were out of town. My group walked to the 1 mile marker to meet up with our full marathoner addition to our group. From the 1 mile mark we headed on our way. It was hot and humid and but the running wasn't too bad. I had taken 2 Tylenol this morning to hopefully avoid the hip pain I've been feeling while running. It did in fact help. My much needed water stop was at the end of rails to trails and enjoyed filling up on water and Gatorade and eating a few skittles. Totally loved having the skittles at each water stop - nice sweet treat along the way. About half way through S started to feel her ankle bothering her after injuring it earlier this week. We agreed to send her home to rest it rather than injure it further. I wanted so bad to be done at 5 corners. For weeks now 5 corners has been the stopping point. It was painful to realize that after 5 corners we had 2 more miles to go. By this point I was worrying about continuing to run. I kept checking my watch and counting down to the next walk break - my right foot started to go numb as the pain in my right hip increased. I stopped to stretch a bit but with little relief. By the time we were mid loop behind the Y, my leg started to go numb. I decided I needed to walk a bit more and we took a little longer of a walk break. At the 8 mile mark I just couldn't do it. G was wonderful and waited with me walking as I needed to. We walked at least half of the final mile - running maybe 2 mins or so at a time and walking for 2 or 3 mins. When the 9 mile marker was in sight we decided to just run to finish. Walking did relieve some of the numbness but not all. It certainly did not help my mood, but we did finish only 4 1/2 mins after our goal pace time. With the amount of walking we did, as well as a few minutes spent at water stops, I was surprised and pleased that we finished so close to pace time. We must have been running faster than a 13 min. mile.
After the run I munched on some watermelon then headed to bagel bakery with D and her daughter. I never in my life have looked at a bagel and not devoured it. I just didn't really want it. I should have just bagged it up and ate when I felt better but I did eat it and drink some OJ. I spent a good amount of time in the bathroom when I got home - not sure why though. I ate Shot bloks rather than sport beans this run - I wonder if that had any effect or not. I think next week I'll try only sport beans and see if that helps. I took a cold shower and stretched and am forcing myself to drink a G2 to replace some salt since I was VERY salty at the end of the run. So overall I was a little disappointed in my amount of walking and my numb foot and leg but I just need to mentally keep a positive head about it. My goal this week is to get both maintenance runs in as well as 2 trips to the Y to lift a bit. If the numbness continues during my runs this week or during next Saturday's 10 miler I'm going to make a doctors appointment.

9 miler eve

Tomorrow morning is the 9 mile run at 6am. Have I mentioned that lately? For some reason this week is freaking me out a bit. All along I've been very positive about this running thing. Two weeks ago after eating poorly and being sore I punked out and walked the 7 mile. Two days later I did run the 7 miles with Nicole. Last Saturday I was driving back to NC and missed the 8 miler. Tuesday morning Nicole and I ran the 8 miles. This will be my first week back with my pace group and for some reason I am really nervous as doubts start to set in about being able to run for nearly 2 hours - keeping a consistent pace - and not being super sore in my hips. Maybe the nerves come from the fact that I didn't do any maintenance runs (minus the 8 miles on Tuesday). Or maybe it comes from the fact that I still am not eating totally on track. Maybe it's the massive life transitions lately - summer vacation - 2 grad classes - friends moving to NC - getting ready to move myself etc. Maybe it's because this is the last single digit mile week. Tomorrows run is only 4 miles shy of a half marathon - can I really do this? I know I can - I'm over half way there but it's still a bit of a mental battle. I wanted to be in a much better place physically at this point in training. I'm sure tomorrow will be just fine (even though our two coaches won't be there). I just need to silence the negative thoughts and just prove to myself tomorrow that I can do this.

8 miler

This morning Nicole and I woke up at 6:15 and got ready to run. I fought a bad mood about having to run. After not running for a whole week and gaining a ridiculous amount of weight I felt slightly less than peachy when we started out. I was huffin and puffin and I could feel the fact that I had put on weight. My hips keep getting super sore but they are not popping anymore. The weather was perfect - mid 60s and slightly breezy - great for a run and it did help my mood. Overall the run went well - we finished right on target time - 1 hour and 44 mins. My goal today is not to sit too much since I am S O R E already. I have so much to do before I head back to the land of fried food and sweet tea on Saturday, including a 5 and 12 page paper for my grad classes. I figure I'll so my maintenance run Thursday and then the 9 miler back with my pace group will be on Saturday at 6am - eek (not in reference to the running but the time change).

slacka

I am back from the land of fried food, sweet tea and BBQ and am only 3 pounds (eek) larger. Ugh. I did do a maintenance run Wednesday morning in VA but once we arrived in NC and began to eat the world, running or for that matter eating healthy was not a focus. I was going to run my missed 8 miler this morning but Nicole and I decided it might be better to get back on track more with what we're eating then run the 8 miler Tuesday morning. I am also still super sore from painting - my hamstrings remind me of the hours of painting and swatting to do trim work in E and J's awesome new house.
I won't miss any more Saturday runs until my family reunion which falls on our 14 mile run. The only other time I will be eating not so wonderful will be next weekend and early week when I'm back in the land of fried food to help E and J move. Then it's back on points, maintenance runs and cross training at the Y. I'm looking forward to focusing on being healthy and in shape this summer.

tired

Tired is the word of the day! After being told less than 35 hours ago that I would be moving my classroom, I am officially moved down the hall. In that process of ending school and moving my whole room I've eaten like crap and haven't hydrated properly at all. The whole situation makes me a little nervous for my 7 mile run tomorrow. I can barely keep my eyes open now and it's only 5:30. I am totally sore from head to toe. Moving without a cart requires one to use many muscles! I hope that when I wake up in the morning I'm feeling great - energized & not sore - however I have a feeling that the run tomorrow might be a little tough! I've already decided in my head that I can always drop back a pace group if I need to for this week. We'll see. Schools over - haven't slept in yet - and my classroom is a mess. I'm hoping to finish it Monday with Nicole's help - maybe then it will feel like summer has really begun.

almost half way there

That's right folks - I ran five miles today which is almost half of a half marathon! :) hehe. Today was the first day wearing water belts. While it did bounce around and annoy me for a few miles it was wonderful to have water to drink whenever I wanted it. Next week we also have to have a snack with us - I think I'll try my sport beans (jelly belly jelly beans made for runners). My pace group and I (name still to be determined by my students) ran a little fast - we finished in 62 mins but were slated to finish in 65. We need to slow it down a bit but I'm sure that'll happen next week with 6 miles. I felt it this week! My hips were tight/sore/bugging me and at times I just wanted to slow down. I never felt the need to stop altogether though - I wasn't out of breath just sore. I feel good - I might go for a walk tonight though if it isn't storming just to keep my muscles loose!
A few of us stinky runners went to the bagel bakery after and sat, ate and talked for about an hour and a half. It was so nice to talk to each other and not run at the same time. Some of my fav girls who are in the pace group ahead of me :( came along so it was nice to spend time with my old running buddies. Too fast for me!
On a training/diet update: I've been hydrating pretty well although I should up my water intake more during the school day. I've been on points but after craving Chinese on Thursday, it took up the majority of my flex points so I certainly can't cheat this weekend! Must be good...must be good. My next weigh in is Monday and I'm hoping to have lost more than 50 lbs. I hit the 50 lb park last Saturday but gained some after eating at panera bread, although it was totally worth it! As of this morning I have 12 days to lose 4 pounds. Tough but doable if I don't cheat! We shall see. I didn't cross train at all this past week but I did get my 2 required maintenance runs in -thanks to Nicole. Thursday we were slotted to run but I didn't want to and I wanted Chinese. She bribed me - we ran a shorter amount in exchange for going out for dinner. :) I love bribery!

OK...I stink and the shower is calling my name. Pray I don't get too stiff today and I sit at the PERK!!!! and do grad work and grading. I have almost a marking periods worth of grading to do before I can start my report cards. Oy! Today is a work work work day so I can have FUN tomorrow!

4 miler and beyond

Saturday's 4 mile run went very well. My pace group and I finished 2 minutes faster than we were suppose to but we were feeling good. It's encouraging to know we can slow down a bit. The 3:1 walk ratio is great. It had been awhile since I had done a 3:1 since I normally train at a 4:1. I never felt as though I wouldn't make it to the walk break. The five mile seems less daunting now that I've experienced the 4 mile with such positive results. My hip was super sore after but I've been working on stretching it the right way. After I ran today I couldn't even begin to stretch it but I babied my hip through the stretch - inch by inch - until I could stretch it properly without pain. So far so good. Really other than the hip popping and pain I feel great. Tomorrow I think Nicole and I are going to go for a bike ride as our cross training. This could be my week to eat right and exercise - while getting a good night's sleep Friday. Could the stars really align to make me put all my "requirements" in place at once? We shall see.
I'm cutting it short because it's beautiful out and company is coming over soon. :) Happy running!

tight tonight

So today I ran. That's about all I have to say about that experience. I was tight - a bit sore - and the running just wasn't all that enjoyable. But...I did it. I backed off and only did six 4:1 run/walk cycles and walked a bit before and after. It still falls under what I need to do during the week but I'm feeling the effects of my laziness. I need to move more on work nights - whether it's cross training, cleaning, or doing laundry - I need to be more productive and less sedentary when I get home from work. I'm sure that will help. With that said - I'm off to clean a bit - launder a bit - and then work on lesson plans for next week.
Next Up: Fundraising info tomorrow on my mail in donors this week - final amount of fundraising from beach house raffle - and announcement of the beach house winner.
Saturday is the 4 miler - first increase in mileage - first week in pace groups - first time someone tells me to slow down my pace. :)

Iran with my Ipod

Lovin the Ipod! I did run today - 45 minute run walk ALL over town. I am a bit sore - probably since I hadn't run since Saturday. Bad bad Carolanne.. I know! I will run again tomorrow then await my pace group 4 miler on Saturday. Nothing new really - just watching some American Idol then heading to bed. Still eating on points and working out - I can't wait to see how this pays off.

update

Now that I've been up for 14 hours and have been done running for 12 hours I thought I'd update you. I'm tired. My legs are tired! They are actually kind of restless from hip to ankle! I definitely have to walk a while tomorrow to stretch them out. So..a little sore and tired but doing well (even though I'd like to pig out a bit on ice cream or something but I only have 2 points left for the day...that won't be happening. grrr.)

Unmotivated

So...first week of official training and in comes the lack of motivation. Lots has happened this week that I've chosen to use as excuses. I did run today - down to the ball field to see some students play and then ran back. I was sore and tired but I pushed myself. I could have done better had today not been the first day I ran since Saturday morning. With everything going on I won't run again till Saturday morning. I need to get myself more in gear next week!



On a fundraising note: I am already at 60% of my goal. My Cookie Lee fundraising party is Friday and we're still selling raffle tickets for a beach house. I know for sure I have 2 more checks on their way. I am feeling really confident about the raising of the funds!

The day after

I woke up this morning - no hip popping - no knee pain. Woohoo! I feel good, from running that is. I barely slept last night because I can't breathe. I must have gotten a cold. My head was killing me and I am super congested as well as way tired. I've learned that the post run nap on Saturday is going to be a must, even though I never got one in yesterday. By 8pm I was dragging and just sat around ready for bed. Here's hoping today is a bit more productive on the laundry and cleaning end. Tomorrow is back to school and pilates.