Rockin' Out To A 13:30 Mile!

This is my last run for the week, at least until Saturday and it was a great run! I don't mean to be overly enthusiastic, but today was a day that really reaffirmed why I like to run. It was sunny, 60 some degrees outside and best of all no bugs. Well, except for the gnat I accidentally swallowed and no it didn't provide an extra burst of energy from the protein.

So I put on my compression capris, because like I said, I love to wear my spandex! I tuned up the ipod and then I went for a run. My accomplishment, I ran 4.1 miles in 55 minutes! For me, that is really good because I used to run about 3.5 in an hour. The best part is that my average pace is well under the 14:20 mile time I was aiming for. More importantly, I threw some extra hills into the mix so that it was more challenging. Clearly I have gotten stronger and it is awesome!

Why today's run was so important to me? During my run, I didn't look at my pace and I began to wonder if I would ever get to the appropriate pace for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, which has a 2 hr 20 min cut off time. This means I must run a 14:20 or better per mile. It was quite surprising to look at my run tracking program and find out that I had well exceeded the expectation put in place. Today has given me the confidence to continue with my goal of completing the 10 miler. I can't wait :-)

Until next time, happy running!

Holy Spandex Batman!

A while I go I threw my endorsement behind compression gear. That still holds true, I like compression gear. In fact, yesterday I bought my first pair of compression capris on clearance from Old Navy. As I have previously stated, I am a UA girl, I love the stuff. I will most likely end up getting a pair of compression shorts and capris later on from them. But, I figured I would try this inexpensive pair first just to make sure I really liked the whole compression thing. Believe me it is a lot of glorious spandex to take in at once.

The Positives:
1. It's tight. You feel like your muscles and everything are kept right where they should be. Also, you don't have to worry about that annoying epidemic that occurs every time you run. You know, the one where your pants keep falling down and you have to hike them up. Trust me, lose enough wait on your midsection and you will have to deal with it too.

2. Comfort. Despite being tight, they are not overly tight and quite comfortable once you get used to wearing them. The cling of the fabric is a little jarring at first, but once you get used to it you don't notice it.

3. Warmth. It was about 40 degree when I went running tonight. Once I warmed up, the fabric held the heat I generated close enough to my body so that I stayed warm.

4. Reduction of Muscle Fatigue. My muscles were a little sore from yesterday's run, but the compression gear helped to eliminate some of the fatigue I was feeling when running today. I ran for longer without feeling exhausted when finished.

The Negatives:
1. Its spandex. I am not a huge fan of spandex and believe me with pants and capris there is a lot of it. There is nothing left to the imagination when wearing these things and you have to be very comfortable with who you are and what you are strutting when wearing them. To compensate, I wore a long tank top to cover my butt. On the bright side, the longer you run the more appealing the rear should look, so eventually I guess it won't be a negative. 

For more information on compression gear go to:
Compression Video

Click on the video on the right hand side.

Well happy running!

Start of Week 11

I just started Week 11 of the couch to 10k Program. It was relatively easy today, a 5 minute warm up, followed by run 25 min, walk 1 min, run 25 min, and then a 5 min cool down. Overall it went well, once I was on the second half of the program I had to stop and walk for an extra minute or two just to give my glutes a little bit of a rest. They cramped up a little, I suspect it is because I need to drink more water. My hydration efforts have been slacking a little bit this week.

My biggest accomplishments of this run were that I consistently knocked a good 20 seconds of my mph pace. I typically run about between a 15:10 and a 15:30 pace, today I ran about a 14:50 pace. As with all of my runs, I start off fairly slow while my body gets warmed up so as the duration of my runs increase my overall speed decreases. I did the math and I was running about a 13 flat on mile 3 today. With the warm-up and cool down included into my hour and 1 minute run, I was able to run 4.1 miles, which I think is pretty good considering I was running about a 17 minute mile per pace in October.

Right now I am setting my speed goals for the half marathons and the marathon. I think I may use Jarrod from Subway and Oprah as the litmus test, but more on that once I google to find out more about average paces, and etc. All I know is I kind of want to beat my husband at Frederick. Honestly, it probably won't happen because he is a very good runner. He is the kind of guy that can hammer out 7 miles in an hour and make it look easy, all while never having trained a lick. Basically, the complete opposite of me. But adding that little extra motivation to continue on and make sure I don't stop, or if I do stop for a short walk break, to start back up and continue running.

Also, I have decided that once my current 10k training program is over, I won't post as much. Right now, I am posting after every run, and in the case of purchasing spiffy new gear, because I am trying to get in the habit of making sure that I follow through with the blog. I am thinking it will probably be once a week in order to recap the week, unless I have a really humorous or enlightening story to share.

So that's it! Hopefully this time next week I will be sharing that I ran about 5 miles continuously, which would be awesome :-) Happy running!

My Extra Motivation Arrives!

My training t-shirt and 26.2 crab sticker

Just had to share my new gear that arrived. I also just finished reading one my favorite running books ever for the second time. The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide For Women by Dawn Dais. I love this book!

This book is perhaps one of the best reads for anyone who is not a gifted athlete, but is looking to make a change in her life. I actually bought this when I first decided to train for the Baltimore Half Marathon last year. I found it was an easy read, but that it mixed humor and sarcasm with realistic and good advice. What I found most refreshing about this book is that it is written from the perspective of a woman who is not in love with running. She actually chooses to run a marathon as a way to honor her grandfather who passed away from a stroke. She not only includes advice from everything to how to start training to different strategies for completing a long distance run, but she also includes many of personal journal entries that describe her experiences. Not all the experiences she has are enjoyable, but her take on running is real. She highlights both the ups and downs of training through her story. I have taken more away from her book in regards to advice then I have from any technical manual. But as the author conveys throughout the book, she is by no means a running expert, just someone who completed an actual marathon.

So back to my "extra" motivation. I bought the 26.2 sticker and I am going to hang it on my refrigerator, much like I did with the 13.1 sticker a year ago. To be honest, even though I had training set backs last summer and had to stop training mid-August, my decision to run my first half marathon stemmed from three important facts:
1. It was a week after I turned 28, I really wanted to do something major for my 28th birthday.
2. I had that damn sticker, and I really really wanted to put it in on my car.
3. Half-marathons aren't cheap, and I missed the cut off date to defer for another year.

I figured since last years sticker makes me feel super cool riding around letting everyone know that I can complete a fairly long distance, then the 26.2 sticker probably would provide the same motivation. What can I say, I am a person of simple wants and needs :-)

I bought the shirt because like in Dais' book she gives the advice to tell everyone that you know that you are training for a marathon as that extra motivation. She recommends this because she says nothing is worse than telling people you are doing something and then having to explain to them later why you have given up. I figure the same concept applies to a shirt. I will feel like a complete tool wandering around with a shirt on that says I am "in training" if I have in fact given up. Or, I will feel as thought I cannot wear the shirt because I did not complete the marathon. As we have learned from reason #3, I don't like to waste money. Plus, I can't take advantage of the awesome UA shirt in the swag bag. Anyone who knows me, knows that UA is my achilles heel.

So there it is, my less meaning and perhaps more amusing explanations for why I will keep subjecting myself for longer runs! Yes, not every reason is truly about self-fulfillment, even though some of it is. Planning on going for a run either this evening, or tomorrow. I hear the weather is supposed to be nice!

Well, happy running!

I Heart Hills!

I <3 Hills! Well not quite, I've grown to be more fond of them over the course of my endurance training. I remember back in November when I first started running up hills and it was awful. My heart felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest and it was all I could do to make it up the hill. Today, once I was warmed up, I soldiered up many a hill with relative ease.

So, why run hills? Well for me it is just the nature of the area I live in. Apparently my neighborhood is one gigantic succession of rolling hills. That means that I really really can't get away with running a flat or downhill course. Don't get me wrong, I plan my runs to include gradual hills, steep hills, and small hills. All of which have their varying degrees of difficulty, but in my mind help me to practice running upwards. That way I will be better prepared for the upcoming half marathons and my marathon in Baltimore. Another reason to run hills is for the very reason my friend Amanda pointed out after a whining session I did about how I really just didn't want run another hill. She very astutely said, "You find me a half marathon that doesn't make you run one hill and I will make us stop running them." I had no counter point because honestly she made me reflect on my first half marathon experience. I remember that not only did I start off slower than everyone else, but my pace and my ability to get up a hill helped me pass many individuals who blew by me at the start of the race.  The best preparedness for any distance race is building endurance to hills. Amanda was right, there is no way I can physically be prepared to run up and down hills if I don't train for them because most half and full marathons are not largely flat courses.

So go for it run up those hills, I know I am! Until next time, happy running!

Nervous & Excited

Guess what? I signed up to run the Baltimore Marathon on Oct. 13th, 2012. Am I excited? Heck yeah! Am I nervous? You bet. So why am I going to do this?

First, this whole thing started Saturday night while at dinner with my husband. I told him I was considering running Baltimore after I completed the Frederick Running Festival. If you haven't read my blog until now, my friend Amanda and I are doing the Iron Girl Half Marathon April 29th and the Frederick Half Marathon May 6th. It's a lot to accomplish, but I think I can run the halves in less than 3 hours. Anyway, my husband told me I couldn't run a marathon. Suffice it to say, that made me mad. And when I get mad over something it makes me more stubborn and more determined to prove people wrong. I also wondered if I was just over confident in my abilities or if other people felt the same way. This brings me to my second reason.

 Second, after my conversation with the hubby. I posted on facebook asking people to like my status if they believed I could run a marathon and if they would like to see me try. If I received 27 likes (for the 26 miles and I rounded up the .2 to the next whole). Sure enough, the response was overwhelming that 29 people responded saying that they believed in me. So, I signed up yesterday to run the Baltimore Marathon.

Third, my 20s bucket list. Everyone has heard of the infamous bucket list, the things you do before you die. Well, (and little known fact) since high school I have always had a few goals. The first was to own pets (check), the second to own a cherry red grand am with a spoiler and a sun roof (check), to get a master's degree from Johns Hopkins (check), and last to run a marathon (ummm...not quite yet). Now 4 out of 5 isn't bad, but why not try and go 5 for 5. So by the time I am 29 I will have ticked off the 5 most important things on my bucket list to date.

Finally, I am tired of people (myself included) standing in my own way of what I can do. At some point in time, I have to push myself past my perceived limits. I have already done this once with the half marathon. I never thought I could complete one in under 5 hours. I pushed and completed it in a little over 3.5 hours. Thats without training.  Imagine what I could do if I tried!

What will I do? Over the course of the next 9 months I will update with insights, stories, complaints, etc about my training. Feel free to comment or to leave suggestions, I am always open to them. Or just read, it makes me happy to know that someone out there is reading and paying attention to what I am doing! Or you may just want to check to make sure I am still alive!

What am I in store fore? Honestly, probably a lot of pain, but also a lot of pride and a sense of accomplishment.

In closing, thank you for believing in me. Thank you for reading my blog. Finally, thank you for your support during this amazing and most likely painful journey to complete my first marathon.

Happy running!

Sick Day

I was supposed to run today, but I have a cold so I am at home writing this. I did run this week, even though my partner and I couldn't run together. Tuesday was a beautiful day to run and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy running 20 minutes straight was. Friday, I ran the 22 minutes followed by a 1 minute walk, then finishing with 22 minutes. Again, fairly easy minus the Cheesecake Factory set back.  I offer this bit of wisdom, it is NOT a good idea to eat at the Cheesecake Factory and then in about 2 hours attempt to run for essentially 50 minutes straight. Worst side cramp ever!

With that being said, here is what I learned from my cheesecake induced cramp. You have to stick with it. Believe me, I was running the neighborhoods around my house, so at any point in time I could have just baled and went inside. But, I didn't. I adjusted my game plan and decided to take a 5 or 6 minute walking break to get the side cramp to ease up. Then, I would try running again. Given my naseau too, oh yes, this cheesecake did some damage, I decided to not run the super challenging hills that day and instead do gradual hills that wouldn't require quite so much physical exertion. Sure enough, my cramps subsided as did the nausea and I was able to complete the remaining 30 minutes of my run.

This brings me back to the original moral of the story, stick with it. I decided not to let a minor set back like nausea and cramps keep me from finishing my run. I learned that making adjustments to get the end result is most important. Yes, I was shooting for a 14:30 mile and yes with walking and easing up my pace for the duration of the run I ran 15:56, but it is better than quitting. Now I feel accomplished and I feel like I can handle other challenges that may take place. Who would have thought self-fulfillment and enlightenment would come from a piece of Adam's Peanut Butter Cheesecake?

Well happy running!

Couch to 10K Training Program

I want to review the Couch to 10k Training Program today. I just started week 10 and the program goes through week 13. The program boasts that through building endurance it will help you  be able to run the distance of a 10k, which is about 6.2 miles.

As I have said before, my friend Amanda and I are training for two half marathons in one week. It seems like an insurmountable task, especially after we began running at the end of October. But now that I am a couple of months in, I realized that I am a lot better prepared and feeling a lot more confident then I originally thought I would be.  This is in part to the training program. I originally downloaded this app for my Ipod touch a  year ago. I never had cause to use it because I felt like the beginning of the training program was "too easy" for the level that I was at. However, when Amanda first contacted me about being a training buddy, I thought that this program might be a good program to try using.

The first couple of weeks were confidence building, we walked more than we ran and we felt like this program would be easy to complete. For those of you who have never used this program, it gives a 5 minute warm-up and cool down, and then you run in intervals to build up endurance. The first week was 30 seconds run, 4:30 walk. Then we saw the walking decrease and the running increase. In the beginning, we had difficulty going up hills, even the "hill of death" as we dubbed it was a lofty foe. But as the weeks progressed, our mileage increased and we became better and stronger runners. We realized the training program has its benefits.  Today we completed a 10 minute run followed by a 1 minute walk for 4 times. We averaged over 3 miles in that time period.

My conclusion is this that the Couch to 10k is worth the investment if you are first time runner or a short distance runner looking to build up strength for much longer races. Overall, I have seen my endurance increase and the miles I am able to complete steadily increase as well. However, completing the program may not guarantee you will be able to run a full 6.2 miles in a 75 minute time period. I am slow, so it will take me longer than that amount of time. Some speed workouts are required if you want to go faster. Just keep that in mind that you may be running for a little bit longer. If you average a 15 minute mile pace, then anticipate about 90 minutes.

You can also do this program on your own without the app. I personally like the app because it keeps me motivated to continue to run until I hear the woman tell me to stop. When my Ipod needed to be charged and I tried it on my own, I tended to cheat or give up before the time to stop. Just something to think about. As a side note, you can also download the couch to 5k program if you are looking to accomplish your first 5k.

Here is the link to review the Couch to 10k program, along with some FAQs:
Couch to 10k App

Happy Running!!!

Compression Gear & Good Shoes :-)

Sorry about that, but I have been trying to post for the past couple of days about my runs since being side lined with a slight ankle injury. The ankle is better now and I have actually gone on two runs since that last post. I actually just finished week 9 of the couch to 10k training program. If you are not a good runner or are looking to build up stamina, I highly recommend this program.

Anyway, I wanted to discuss two important things that I learned about running this week. The first is good shoes. Despite reading countless books on running while originally starting to run, I used to run in the wrong pair of shoes. Originally, I used a shoe finding program to buy two expensive pairs of proper running shoes, but then I ended buying some other running shoes that I thought I liked better. Confused as to why I did this, yeah I am still shaking my head too! Anyway, I realized that shorter distances of 1 to 3 miles, possibly four if you are a fast runner can be run with whatever shoe. I was fine until I started racking up the miles every week, and I watch my husband just pick the cheapest and nicest looking shoes he can find.

If you are trying to find out what shoes are best for you, I recommend this site:
Shoe Dog Shoe Finder

The other thing I discovered today was a compression sleeve for my calf. Repeatedly since August, my right leg has cramped up. Normally I run for about 20 minutes and then my leg muscles loosen up. From that point I can normally complete the rest of the run with little to no cramping. I got a compression sleeve for my right calf because I read that it helps to reduce cramping and shin splints. I ran the entire time with no fatigue. I am now a big fan of compression wear and I look forward to adding to my running repertoire.

Why Compression Wear? Well according to my research, which involves a lot of googling of running sites, I read that compression wear reduces muscle fatigue. Instead of the muscle shaking and jostling, the compression wear keeps the muscle from moving as much which allows you to more efficiently use muscle energy. Mind you, I am not a Sciencey person so I am not using proper terminology, just nod if you think this might make sense. It also helps to increase circulation and it allows the muscle to train harder. Isn't that what we are all about...training harder!

Well, Saturday I graduate to week 10 and I will be running 10 minutes straight with a 2 minute recovery in between!  Happy running :-)

Side lined for a couple of days...

On Tuesday I started the Y Fitness Challenge at my local gym. I was made a team captain since I had already went through the process once. So now the pressure is on to be the person who does the most and doesn't let their team down. For being laid back, I have a surprising competitive edge.

My goal was to exercise 6 days this week for at least an hour each day. 3 of those days were supposed to be running days. I made Wednesday my day off since I had worked out the last 6 days in a row and I was due for an off day. By the time I got home both my legs were swollen and my ankle on the right leg was about 5 times its normal size. It looked like I had grafted my leg from the elephant man. I elevated it and relaxed. The next day, I talked to my co-worker and he told me that I most likely sprained/strained the ankle. I needed ibuprofen, ice, elevation, and rest. I am teacher so staying off of my ankle is really hard, but I made it work. Long story short, after much hemming and hawing on my part, my friend decided she would not run with me as long as my ankle and leg were swollen beyond the normal look of an ankle. It's now Friday and I have not exercised since Tuesday. I don't like missing that much work out time, but what can one do.

On the plus side, my ankle hasn't been as swollen. My hope is to do a light workout tomorrow morning on an elliptical if it doesn't hurt as much. If it does, then I will just do upper body weight training. Sunday, I am going to attempt to run for 75 minutes at a 7 minute run, 2 minute walk pace. Should be interesting since the completion of the 5 run, 1 walk wasn't exactly successful.

While trying to figure out how to cope with my bum ankle, I did end up ordering a compression sleeve to alleviate shin and calf pain. I can't wait for the sleeve to come because I am hoping that will help with my long runs.

I realize this isn't one of my sunnier posts, but honestly running is about pain and endurance. You endure the pain to get better. Eventually your body becomes stronger and the pain isn't an issue. I am anxiously awaiting that day.

Well, happy running and hopefully that will be me soon!

New Year's Day

Well today was an epic fail of a run. I started off good, my friend and I were running at a 14:23 mile pace. This made me happy because I need to run 10 miles at 14:00 pace. Then, my shins began to hurt. I am not talking a little bit of hurt, but the kind where you can't even flex your foot because its so cramped.

Anyway, most people say that they would just soldier through it, which is fine, but for some reason I couldn't get my legs to lift. Weirdest feeling ever. So we walked for a while, then finally since our program was shot we decided to pick random points on our route and run to them. We alternated for the remaining 30 minutes of the 69 minute run until we finished.

This led me to contemplate a lot. I have decided its either because I ate like crap yesterday, or the fact that I didn't hydrate well enough, or the lack of stretching and warming up. Normally, I try to be good and do all these things, but today I was preoccupied and I was more concerned with just meeting my friend and beginning our run.

We also talked a lot about resolutions and we decided that this year it wasn't about resolving to do anything. Instead it was setting little achievable goals for ourselves. She told me she wanted to try and drink less wine, in order to cut calories, and my goal was to complete 100 push-ups and not die in Warrior Dash.

That was my run, terrible agonizing run followed by inner reflection in an attempt to make meaning out of everything I am doing. I suppose not a bad day.

If anyone is interested:
Survivor Harbor 7

Happy Running...