10 miles complete and a new PR!!!

Here is a recap of the week:

Tuesday- bought new shoes, but had a bad day so didn't run.

Pretty nice, definitely very lightweight and flexible!

Wednesday- Tried out new running shoes and ran about 2.5 miles before the shoes bothered my heel. I like the shoes, but they will take some getting used to and I think I will use them for shorter distances. They were very responsive and very lightweight. I don't think I can get away with running a marathon or half marathon with them only because my arches and ankle need a lot of support. However, for a 3 to 5 mile run, these should be fine. I have to stretch them out a little or block the heel because they do rub. They are a snug fitting shoe so try on before you buy.

Saturday- 1st 5k of the season, the OHS Bear Crawl. Remember how I said that I absolutely hate to run in the rain? Well, I hate running in torrential downpours worse! It was a 4pm run, which really started at 4:15 because of the fun run. Anyway, I ran the entire time and I actually completed it with a personal best time. My best time used to be 43:42. Yesterday, I ran a 41:39. Not bad considering my polar fleece gained about 5 extra pounds due to the rain and my pants were suction cupped to me. As a side note, don't wear wind pants in the rain, once they get wet enough, you can't move. Anyway, I realized that all of my hills that I run helped to give me an advantage. I wasn't the fastest person on the field, but for the back of the packers I was the only one with the stamina to get up and down the hills while running. I also was impressed with myself because when I hit the track, I saw the timer said 41:09 and I was damn near determined to finish in under 42 minutes. I reached deep inside and channeled my inner Ussain Bolt and sprinted all out the last 70 yards. It was an impressive finish, too bad everyone was seeking refuge in the gym and no one saw my Olympicesque finale!

Sunday- Up bright and early to run 10 miles. It took a little over 2.5 hours. I lost a little motivation after 8.5 miles, I was tired. I actually walked very little of this run. In the beginning I walked to warm-up and then I walked up a steep hill to stretch out my legs after mile one. Then a walk at 5.33 miles to eat my energy bloks and get some water. Then at mile 8.5 because I was tired. But, I soldiered through the remaining 1.5 miles and then walked 3/4 mile back to my house. Even though it wasn't my fastest effort, today solidified a few things for me.
1. I am meant to be a long long long distance runner. I think the fact that I can essentially be a nutrient and water camel and run for miles at a time on an energy supplement and one bottle of water is pretty amazing. Plus, the longer I run the faster I usually get. When I train, I am able to easily build endurance.
2. I will finish with no problem the half marathons in the time allotted. I ran a race the night before and still had about a 15 minute pace. With some more training I will easily be able to meet the 3:40 time limit placed on me.
3. I am athletic. Despite my build and despite the fact that I am not fast. I am muscular, I do have endurance, and I have incredible resolve. I think I have always defined athleticism by being a super svelte and super gifted person in order to be athletic. But, you have to admit being able to run 10 miles in a single jaunt and then continuing on with your day with only mild soreness has to indicate some sort of athleticism. So go me!

Total Miles Run: 91.5 miles run

This week will be an easy week, given I will be away for a day or so on a business trip, but happy running!

9 miles down

Almost to my 13.1 goal. I ran 9 miles consecutively and honestly I did pretty well. I ran almost the entire time and at just shy of a 15 minute pace. I ran up a lot of hills, just not the super big hills. I walked those because I didn't see the point in struggling and feeling winded when I had such a long distance to go. I took me a little under 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete. That means I am on pace to complete my half marathon in 3 hours and 22 minutes.  That is 10 minutes quicker than October. So I look forward to beating my pace. Next Saturday is the OHS Bear Crawl and I am hoping for a 39 to 43 minute pace.  Well, I am exhausted and looking forward to sleeping well tonight.  9 miles down and looking to tackle 10 miles next week.

Total Miles Run- 76 miles

Happy running!

Pizza & Running- Not the best idea

Almost done week 6, I got 1/3 of the way through my 9 mile run and decided to try again tomorrow morning. After all, a bird pooped on me after mile 1. So nothing is more of tell tale sign then nature pooping on you during your run. I am having a bit of difficulty adjusting to warmer weather. I never thought it would be this much of a struggle. But I am trying to find the balance between hydrating and over-hydrating. I am not a fan of the port a pot nor am I a fan of peeing in bushes. So I strive to not have to do that. I also have found myself wishing that an aid station were posted somewhere along my longer routes.

Right now I am hoping April 29th and May 6th are somewhat cool days. Honestly, I would love it if I could run in my capris and my polar fleece jacket. I spent the better part of 6 months wearing that stuff and now I am down to shorts and a t-shirt. Don't get me wrong, I love the weather, but when you have your run habits and you have to fix everything you are accustomed to in 6 weeks it is kind of difficult.

I also learned that there is a limit to carbo loading. I got up this morning and decided to eat some left over cold pizza, perhaps my cryptonite. Well, Papa Johns sits like lead in your stomach and honestly it made my run just that much more difficult.  I was running a 3.8 mile pace :-( Not my best, but I just wasn't feeling it. So tomorrow, I am running around 6 am and I am only eating  some gummy chew supplements. In related news, I tried GU "roctane" today and it was awful. I vow that I would rather eat dirty pajamas for sustenance, then eat GU again.

I suggest eating only if you don't find running a half marathon or marathon miserable enough. I mean, why not take your mind of the pain by wondering what exactly it is you are eating at that moment?

See it looks like its all tasty, but its not. It kind of reminds me of snacking on a fresh bale of orange flavored liquid hay with a sprinkling of grit for texture. I have a way with words...I know. So thanks but no thanks GU, I will stick to my clifbloks.

Mile 9 take 2 will take place tomorrow at 6am, this I firmly resolve because I need to get it over with and done for training sake. I know when push comes to shove I will be fine for the half marathons, but I can't help but to have butterflies. I am really striving for a 3 hour 15 minute finish time.

So far this week, I have run 10 collective miles.

I believe this puts my mile total somewhere around 66 miles.

Next week I will run in my 1st 5k of the season at OHS. I'm definitely excited :-)

Until next time, happy running my friends!

Beginning Week 5/6

I took last week off between work, stress, allergies, and colds it left me with nothing. But that's okay, the rest was definitely welcome and I went for my first run in a week today.  It was pretty good, but my body need some adjustments. I didn't hydrate as well as I could have and I am also not used to running in almost 80 degree weather. It is a welcome change from the 30 to 40 degree temps so I didn't mind. Like I said my lack of hydration was a problem, I didn't anticipate losing as much water as I did. I was exhausted by mile 3 and I didn't push it. Tomorrow I am supposed to run 5 miles, but I think I am going to stick to another 3 mile fun tomorrow and possibly run the 5 miler on Thursday or Friday. But, who knows I might be feeling 5 miles tomorrow.

Next week, I start running in races again.  I have several 5ks to race in before the double half marathons.  I am excited and a little nervous. 

Well, happy running!

Week 4 Complete!

Yesterday, I completed my 8 mile run. It took about 2 and a half hours. Honestly, it probably would have gone quicker had Amanda and I chosen to not run on a trail. It was very muddy and we had to go slower since the path isn't what you would typically imagine when running on a trail.  Believe it or not, I wasn't as sore as I usually am once I was finished. Don't get me wrong, I was dead tired and all I wanted to do was sleep. However, I forced myself to move around and I actually went shopping with my husband. I wasn't exactly moving at a brisk pace from shop to shop, but I was moving. I think this attributed to the fact that I am not sore today. I just got back from the gym where I did a 60 minute cross training workout. So all and all, I am quite pleased that I don't feel terrible.

So far what I am noticing is that the more you train, the easier things get. I know, I am stating the obvious. I just know that comparatively speaking, I feel better and I can more efficiently use my energy. Believe it or not, I completed almost 6 miles without a drink of water and the entire time without an energy supplement. I don't recommend doing this, and nor did I plan to do this. We just started running and once we had gotten into the groove we realized all of our provisions were left by the car. Once we realized our mistake, we started thinking of all of the things that we need to take with us for our long runs.

I am very excited for next week because I try 9 miles and I hope that I can keep the time at under 2 and a half hours.  In two weeks, I run my first 5k race of the season. I feel like I am better shape for this run :-)

Total miles run: 57.5 miles

Until next time, happy running!!!

All Energy Supplements Are Not Created Equal

For the mean time, ankle has healed up and I was able to complete a 5k distance today in 38 minutes. Can you say awesome???

Anyway, I discovered something today....some of those energy supplements are just plain old nasty. One of the joys of long distance running is that you will get to experiment with all of the lovely energy supplements on the market. The most common supplement is GU its a gel substance that comes in a variety of flavors. On the scale of nastiness I would rank it about a 4 (depends on the flavor...some are worse than others). My favorite is the clifblok which reminds me of chewing really dense gummy bears. My least favorite is the powerade gel chews. Let me do a quick product run down for you.

1. GU: Gel substance that you can consume 45 minutes prior to running and periodically throughout your run. Not sure why, but you are supposed to only drink water after consuming it. My first experience with GU was at my first half marathon. Between mile 7 & 8 around the lake, the race folks offered power bars, bananas, GU, gatorade, and water. While on my hydration mission, I decided to take some GU with me and save my clifbloks for later. While walking through the aid station I squeezed the goo into my mouth and went to suavely throw it on the ground. The problem being I did not realize how runny the goo was and I managed to get vanilla GU all over my leg and consequently my left shorts leg. Since GU is sticky my left short leg bunched together and my hands and legs were all sticky. So be forewarned, know how to dispose of your GU packet and make sure it is empty before forcefully tossing it on the ground.

2. Clifbloks: These are by far my favorite, maybe because I have an unhealthy love for gummy bears. Every two provides a good burst of energy. I like them because they aren't as messy as GU and they hold their shape pretty well while running. I lacked pockets, so I put my bloks into a zip lock baggy and actually carried them throughout the marathon in my hand. My friend didn't think that far ahead and shoved the opened packet into her bra. She told me by the end she basically had melted gummy goo in her bra by the end of the race. So be forewarned, the bloks should never go into your bra.

3. Powerade Gel Chews: I had these today. They provided energy, but they were odd.  I imagine they have the consistency of an eyeball. Granted, I have never chewed on an eyeball, but if I ever did I think these little beauties are a close second in texture. They tasted funny and were kind of rubbery. They were hard to get through the entire packet. Personally, I will probably never buy these again because they were that bad.

So there it is, the different energy supplements you can consume. Coincidentally, like the GU, each of these supplements is only to have water consumed with them. As stated before, I don't know the reason for this. I did watch a friend of mine take a pretty hefty risk and consume the gatorade after her clifbloks and she was fine. But with all the other issues I had to face with a half marathon, I figured I didn't need to add to the potential things that could go wrong.

As of now, the training has been slightly stalled, but I think I got today back on track. My flexibility needs some improvement so I bought a strap to help me get a deeper stretch. I also bought ankle weights to start doing some ankle strengthening exercises. Tomorrow, a stability disk, some 8 lb weights, and a step to do plyometrics on. I better be a beast by the end of this.

Miles Run So Far: 46.5

8 miles coming up this weekend....I am ready!

Happy running my friends!