Race #1

30:46! A new PR is a nice way to end the year.

Goal Setting

I've never run races two days in a row, so I'm not quite sure what sort of goals to set. I had a talk with hubby and he thinks that if I want to really push myself, I should do it on the second race. This makes sense, though part of me also thinks the first race is my best chance to get a PR. Anyhoo...

New Years Eve race-

I'm not setting a time goal. I'm just going to run at a comfortable pace and finish happy and fresh.

New Years Day race-

"A" Goal- a new PR, under 31:44
"B" Goal- under 34:00
"C" Goal- finish upright
"Pie in the Sky" Goal- under 30:00

I'm hoping it's warm enough for me to rock a running skirt both days. Unless my newest order gets here in time, I really only have two skirts that fit as *squeeeee* I've dropped to a size 8. I think I'll have to e-bay the three size 10 ones. Such a shame, as they really only got 5 months of use before I shrank out of them. Who knew?

Keeping the holiday pounds off.

Well, not really. I've run my three 3-mile runs and have a 7 mile long run today. However, I am completely indulging in holiday goodies. Seriously, I can't help myself.

In other news, my shins are killing me. I'm not sure how to correct it. I will have Sunday and Monday off. Next week I'll be tapering in anticipation of my back to back 5Ks on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Hopefully an easy week will help.

3 x 3

This is the first week that I've gotten all three of my weekday (T, W, Th) runs up to three miles each. The end result is than I'm exhausted, and my long run (7 miles) on Saturday feels very daunting. Tomorrow will be a much needed rest day.

On the bright side, it was warm enough for me to run in my new sparkly heart run skirt and *squeeeeee* it's so cute. What?

Blue & Grey 5K Race Report

I was awake by 3:30 am, so excited and nervous about this race. I wonder if races will ever get old, or if I'll always look forward to them this much. Anyways, I took a peek at the hourly weather forecast and realized that we'd be running in TWENTY-FOUR degree weather. So much for running skirts.

We arrived at the race by 6:45 am, and guess what? It really was twenty-freakin-four degrees. We shivered and shook our way through chip pick-up, and ridiculously long port-o-potty lines. A family friend was supposed to be running in the 5K with me, but he was nowhere to be found.

At 7:30 am, hubs took off for his half-marathon, and I did a light warm-up for my race (7:45 am). The gun went off, and I went on my merry way. I like to place myself at the back of the pack at gun time. I'm certainly not fast enough to warrant a place at the front of the pack, and I love to start picking off the runners in front of me who start running WAY faster than they can sustain. At about the .50 mile mark we hit a pretty serious hill, but I danced my way up with no problem and fell in with other runners who were at my pace. I was nowhere near the turnaround point when the front runners started passing us on the way back to the finish. Don't you HATE those guys? You can always spot them before the race even starts. They're long and lanky and are wearing shorts and tanks in twenty-freakin-four degrees. I was maintaining a 10 minute mile pace pretty easily at the turnaround, but I could see that initial beast of a hill mocking me in the distance. The backside of it was a loooong downhill, which I knew meant a loooong uphill. I hit it at a 10:09 pace, and started losing time rapidly. About 3/4 of the way up, I'd dropped my running buddies, but I was spent and began walking. Within 30 seconds, "Eye of The Tiger" came on my iPod. Dammit. I'm pretty sure there's a LAW that prohibits walking while that song is on, so I got dat ass moving to the top of the hill. Once I'd reached the peak, it was a quick downhill and one last turn to the finish. I picked it up a notch and finished strong.

Goal time 32:00. Finish time 31:44, which is over 2 minutes faster than my last race.

Official Goal Setting

"A" Goal- Under 32 minutes
"B" Goal- Under 34 minutes (this would still be a PR)
"C" Goal- Finish upright

Pie in the sky goal- 30 minutes. I know I can run a 10-minute mile, I'm just unsure if I can sustain it.

Packet pick up today and race in the freezing cold of tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Me vs. The Dreaded Treadmill

The weather is so bad today that I had to log my miles by treadmill. I am lucky enough to have one in my basement to use at my leisure, however I really do hate the thing. I started out Couch to 5K on the treadmill, solely to burn calories with absolutely no intention to hit the road. Once I'd completed the program, the obvious next step was to complete an actual 5K. Total disaster. So for all of autumn, I trained outside and learned to love it. Well, winter is here and I'll need to resign myself to running inside occasionally. Today, I found that 1) I'm actually slower on the treadmill. (WTF? How can you be slower when the road is moving for you?) 2) I am incapable of running on the treadmill without hanging on to the handlebars. (again, wtf?) and 3) The calories my heart monitor/Garmin tell me I burned are nowhere NEAR the calories the treadmill told me I burned.

However, being able to Facebook while running is pretty cool.

It's going to be one of those days...

... where you look out the window and try to make excuses as to why you shouldn't run. Blech.

The Nice Thing About Being A Newbie Runner...

...is that for a good long time, each race is a personal record (PR). I may be getting to the point that getting PRs is going to take some serious work. My 5K time has rapidly improved in 3 races. Going from 40:50 in August to 34:01 in October. I'm hoping to get below a 32:00 next weekend, would wildly love to run a sub-30 5K. Beyond that, I can't even imagine.

In other news, I'm sorta falling in love with long run Saturday. I almost feel that it really takes 3-4 miles to get warmed up and find my groove. Today's 7 miler (this time I carried water and Gu) felt awesome, and I didn't struggle like last week. Next weekend is race weekend, then the following weekend is my last 7 miler and I start builing up mileage to that half marathon. Eep!

Running in the dark essentials.

In order to add a fourth run into my weekly schedule, I've had to start running at the butt-crack of dawn on Wednesday mornings. In the summer this won't really be a problem, but in the dark cold winter... it sucks and it scares me. Here's what I've found to be helpful:

1) Under Armour ColdGear Frosty tights. These are warm, soft and are not low rise, so my butt stays covered and warm too.

2) Reflective jackets, armband and shoes. Because, duh!

3) The RoadID Firefly Supernova. This sucker flashes a super bright light and you can just clip it somewhere on your person.

4) Knuckle lights. Love, love, love these things.

5) Also, if you happen to have an 80 pound German Shepherd laying around your living room like I do... I highly recommend bringing him along.

You CAN run, if you want to.

I think that people don't give themselves enough credit. Don't let your weight (I was 40 lbs heavier when I started) stop you. Don't allow yourself to dwell in the world of CAN'T. Because the truth is, unless you have a medical condition, you CAN. But only if you want to.

Are you overweight and a bit of a slug? Have you become uncomfortable in your own skin? That's the point I'd reached after my third baby was born. I didn't recognize my own body when I saw it in a mirror. I didn't choose my outfits because they were cute, I choose them because they hid this and covered that. I wanted a change. I wanted my outside to match the tough, sexy chick I am on the inside.

I'd done Nutrisystem for a couple of months and yes, it certainly took a few pounds off. I started playing volleyball (my favorite, favorite sport) and it took off a couple more. But I needed to burn some serious calories. A girlfriend of mine had done the Couch to 5K program last summer, and did really well with it. I checked it out online and decided to give the treadmill version of it a try. Starting in April 2011, I worked my way through the program. I did it on my treadmill in the basement. I loaded a Couch to 5K app on my iPad that told me when to run and when to walk and I read books or watched movies while I did it. Some days I literally hung on to the bars and let the treadmill do all the work. Some days I let go of the bars and actually ran.

And so the weeks passed. I signed up for my first 5K at the end of August. When race day came, I'd only trained on a treadmill with one 2 mile run outside. My first race sucked. It was muggy and hot (August, duh!) and it took me a whopping 41 minutes to complete it. That first race also opened my eyes to how much fun racing could be, and how all types and ages of poeple ran. So I signed up for a September race and vowed to only run outside. My second race was around 36 minutes. I decided I liked how running made me feel. I liked feeling strong and capable. I liked the changes in my body. I even liked the cute running outfits! My third 5K came in at 34 minutes, and I set my sights on a November 10K. If you read this blog, you know how that turned out.

And now? I call myself a runner. I take pride in my accomplishments so far and believe I can acheive even more. Do I think I have what it takes to complete a half and even a full marathon? Why yes, I believe I do. I also love that my enthusiasm for running is catchy, that other women feel empowered to give it a shot themselves.

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't. Don't let YOU tell you that you can't. Because the truth is, you can. You just have to want to.

The whole dang lake.

Today I reached a personal goal. My community has a lake at it's center, and the road around it is where I generally run. Usually out and backs at whatever distance is on my training schedule. Today I'd built up my mileage enough to run the whole 7.1 mile circuit around the lake. And it was a bitch. Very hilly and looong. I ran it at an 11:50 pace so it took almost an hour and a half to run. I don't have a belt for water bottles (yet) and luckily for me, husband hopped in the truck and brought me some water at about mile 5.5. Thanks husband!

I wonder if I can find a water belt in pink?

Marine Corps Turkey Trot 10K Race Report

I woke up nervous and excited at 5:30 am. A light breakfast, a cup of coffee, a whole lot of deep breaths on the thought of appearing on a Marine base in running tights...and myself, my husband and my running teen were out the door.

As you know, I've been training for and dreading this race for quite awhile. On the ride up, I reached my Zen place. My iPad was loaded with fun new tunes, I knew I was fit enough to finish a 6 mile race, and frankly, it was too damn late to back out!

It was a sold out race (750 participants!!) so both parking and port o potties were an issue. After those particular issues were handles, we were swallowed by the waiting crowd which was upbeat and fun. There was a 1 mile fun run immediately preceeding the 10K and honestly, at least 600 people were there cheering these little kids (some as young as 3-4) in. Serious adorable factor. I found my spot among my "people" at the back of the line, while the fast runners in the family positioned themselves in front. There was a huge bottleneck at the start line and it actually took 3 minutes for me to get on course.

Once out there I took an easy pace that I felt I could sustain. I was passed by aLOT of runners, and told myself that it was OKAY. I got the tunes pumping and just sort of enjoyed the sun, the crowd and the reward for all my training! Miles started ticking away, and around Mile 4 I realized that I hadn't walked at all, nor would I need to anytime soon. A huge grin broke across my face (I must've looked like an idiot) and I started cheering for the fast runners on the other side of the road who'd passed the last turnaround and were headed to the finish. Once I passed the turnaround, I mentally checked my body and pace and figured yep, "I got this". I made my way down to Mile 6, grinning (seriously, I still hadn't had to walk a step!), high-fived the fine lookin' young Marine at the last corner and brought my ass home. I even found the energy to sprint past the couple in front of me. High fives and fist bumps to my family who were waiting at the finish line and I was done! I almost cried a bit because I was so friggin' proud of myself. Goal time: 1:10, Finish time 1:10:06.

So here is why the 10K worries me...

I'm a beginner runner. Yes, I ran when I was in the military, but never by choice. I started seriously training to run in August after my first 5K. The beauty of the 5K is that there are ALL kinds of runners. The speedy competitive runners, the middle of the pack runners like myself, and the back of the packers who are running to finish, no matter how long it takes. (Those men and ladies get mad props for getting out there!) Even with the half and full marathon there are a wide variety of runners, and I feel comfortable surrounded with "my people" in the back third of the pack. But the 10K? Looking at race results, it seems to be all serious runners. There are very, very few finish times coming in over an hour, which is a 10 minute mile pace. Now I can grit my teeth and keep that pace for a short while, but I can't sustain it for long. My comfortable pace for 6 miles is a 12 minute mile which puts me at the finish line at 1:12. Why am I having nightmares about pulling into the finish and finding janitorial staff sweeping up after the "real" runners who've already had their gatorade and snacks and gone home?

Long Run Sunday

Today I ran six miles for the first time in my life. Well, I should clarify that I allow myself short little walks when I need them to lower my heartrate and regroup, usually around 30 seconds. I find that I experience "moments" when I'm out there for a longer period of time. Moments when the sun breaks through the clouds and touches my face like a kiss. Or moments of extreme clarity when details of the road and it's surroundings seem to sharpen. Today I was passing under a tree, when a small leaf fell lazily in front of me and all I had to do was put my hand up and it fell into my palm. These, and the feelings of accomplishment and strength I get when I run, are the things that keep me going. They are the rewards that the road gives me for keeping it company.

I spoke too soon...

... about my love for the three miler! Yesterday's run just left me, well, blah. I didn't feel well, I was slow, I had to walk and I finished in 34 minutes. Slow. I know with mileage, speed will come. I know I'm training to finish races, not to win them. But DAMN. Competitive personalities like myself do NOT like to just finish. I want to finish well. And having a speed demon husband doesn't help. I've only been off the treadmill and seriously learning to run since August. In 3 races I've taken 7 minutes off my 5K time, but I'm still pokey. And a bad practice run is not very motivating.

The Beautiful Three.

I have come to love my three mile run days. A half an hour of my time, and I feel awesome the rest of the day. Currently my training schedule has me running 3 twice a week and a long run on Saturday. After next week's 10K, I'm going to slowly add in a third 3. I love the sun on my face, favorite tunes in my ears and power in my legs.

If you'd told me six months ago that THREE FREAKIN MILES would be my happy place, I would have laughed at you. Now I find myself looking forward to them. And I love watching my time get faster and faster without really any effort besides getting the hell outside and busting out some miles.

There's this old dude in my neighborhood that is always running (with or without his shirt). Frankly, I used to think he was bat-shit crazy. Running everywhere with a big ol' grin on his face. Now? I totally get it. Go on, old man, go on with your bad self!

Long Run Saturday.

I'm slowly, slowly building up my mileage. Slow as in a half a mile a week. So today's run was a 5.5 miler. This was actually poor planning on my part as my turnaround point was smack dab in the middle of an OMG-Steep-Ass hill. I decided halfway down that I wouldn't be able to stop momentum to turn around and ended up doing this weird skip/hop/who-the-hell-knows-what gait down the hill that must've looked hilarious.

But not as hilarious as today's other issue. Running tights. Specifically, low-rise running tights. I have two pair of running tights, one significantly higher waisted than the other. Those were dirty, so I had to put on the low slung ones. I knew I didn't want to run through my community with half of my butt crack hanging out, so I put a running skirt over it. Um, yeah. It didn't help. Last time I wore those low-rise tights by themselves and though they slid, I could easily grab and adjust them. But with a skirt on top, I had to reach inside my skirt to get at the pants. But because I knew my butt wasn't actually out, I just let it ride. Big mistake. Those damn pants literally slid all the way off my ass. And while they were at it, they decided to take my underwear with them. Awesome. So now I've got my underwear and tights at crotch level, and the only reason they weren't at knee level was a tiny running skirt holding them up. I'm shuffling down the road like this, and wouldn't you know? My normally quiet community had traffic everywhere. I ran like that for quite awhile before there weren't any witnesses to me jamming my hands down the back of my skirt all the way up to my elbows and hauling my panties and pants back up into the light.

The Zen of the run.

There's something wonderful about hitting the street in the sunshine and just moving your body. Three miles is an easy run for me so I don't really need to think about making myself run. Which frees my mind to think about everything else or nothing else. I can just be.

Shin Splints

I definitely have something going on with the shin of my left leg. It's generally fine while I'm running, but is quite painful after I'm done. I took an extra rest day today even though I'm supposed to be cross training. I've also ordered a pair of compression socks in the hope that will help. I know I'm in need of new running shoes, and I've heard about a great running store about an hour south of here where they video tape your stride on a treadmill and analyze which type of shoe you need. I'm thinking that I'm an overpronater and am just not getting the stability I need.

Running. And Technology.

For my 5 mile long run on Sunday, I borrowed the husband's Garmin. It was awesome! It let me know when I finished each mile and told me the pace of my previous mile. Husband said he thought he was getting a little too dependent on his Garmin, as he missed his goal time by 5 seconds in his last 10K when the watch told him he'd make it. So in the interest of NOT being so dependent on it, I asked to borrow it for our next race in November. My request was promptly denied. *sigh*

Today I ran 3-3.5 miles (you know I'd know the exact mileage of that shit if I was wearing husband's Garmin) up a busy road outside my neighborhood. Other than my ankle and shin acting up a bit, it was awesome. A nice paved breakdown lane for me to run in. Nice rolling hills to work-out on, and lots of traffic to prevent me from walking. Because, you know, I like to look like a bad-ass. I did, however, have to backtrack my run for a bit to chase down my running hat that a semi truck literally blew off my head.

Oh, and my fancy new pink and grey Garmin showed up at the door today. Thank you husband!

Marine Corps Marathon 2012

That shit is happening, dammit!

MCM

I am sitting here watching the coverage of the Marine Corps Marathon. Wishing I was among their number. My, my aren't my goals getting lofty! Especially for someone who's longest run so far has been 5 miles. But, damn. That would be cool as hell. Good luck, runners!

It's long run Sunday, and I have a five miler today. Five feels so long, it seems insane that I'd be contemplating 26.2. Let's start with the 10K in November and a half marathon in spring. If I can finish those upright and smiling, well... then we'll talk.

Rest Day

Not much happening today as my training schedule has this as a rest day. Why do I feel guilty taking a day off? I've had a nasty headache since yesterday afternoon and I'm wondering if it's from too much exercise. I can definitely say it's not dehydration, but other than that, I have no idea.

Saturday is scheduled as a cross training day, I'll probably just go for a long walk with the dog. Sunday is long run day. I think training calls for 4.5 miles. Possibly 5. Either way, it should be interesting.

Out and Back.

For my 3 mile runs (2-3x a week) I have two choices. Turn left at my front door and run a mile and a half down the road ans back or turn right and do the same. Left is hillier and a more interesting run. Right seems to have less traffic and is a bit safer. Both have me bored to death. My community's main road is a 7.2 mile circle around a lake, and I'm really looking forward to the day when I can just run the whole thing. Today my husband happened to be home so I asked him to drop me off at a spot about 3.3 miles from my front door and I ran home. Unfortunately (fortunately??) that put a big butt-kicker hill at the beginning of my run that I'd never been up before. It sucked and was exhilarating at the same time. For some reason when I run hills I visualize roller coaster tracks pulling me up. You know how they click, click, click as you go up? I see/hear that in my mind's eye. It helps a lot. Now I need to come up with a mantra to say during those times when I feel I can't go on...

Running In The Dark

Because of day plans, I was up before the sun logging my 3 miles. It is both exhilarating and frightening to run on the road in pitch black (my community has neither street lights nor bike paths). Not only am I frightened of cars not seeing me, I also have the normal fear of a woman alone in the dark. I outfit myself with an array of various reflective materials and blinking strobe lights. I've also tried using a headlamp, and only end up looking like a deranged miner/Christmas tree. This morning I tried a fantastic invention called Knuckle Lights. They're these lightweight "flashlights" that slide over your fingers and rest on the front of your knuckles and light your way. I run with my hands in a loose fist, so these really were perfect for me. Not to mention they remind me of brass knuckles, so along with a little "Eye Of The Tiger" action, I got to embrace my inner Rocky. Yo, Adrian!

A bit discouraged.

I was on my daughter's Cross Country site looking for something when I ran across a "humor" button. I clicked it of course... who doesn't like "humor". It was a list of The 27 Types Of Runners You See At A 5K. And while some of them were humorous, one of them was me. The housewife running 10 minute miles, the person proud of coming in 18th in their age division. It got me to thinking. Am I a joke at these races? I have a husband who runs fast enough to usually be in the top 5 for his age division and in the top 15 overall. I'm generally in the back quarter of the pack. It's made me re-think signing up for this 10K once again. That race will not have many if any beginner racers, and I'll finish waaay in the back, if not last in my age division. I'll be lucky to finish in 1:15. So while I'd like to challenge myself to a harder race, that stupid page of "humor" has eroded my confidence to practically nothing.

35 minute 5K

Hell no! I ran that bitch in 34:01, and felt pretty strong the whole way. There was a pretty intense hill at about mile 2.5 that I allowed myself to walk up. Which is unfortunate because I probably would've ended up running in the 33's. But the important thing is that I finished smiling...

Still haven't registered for that 10K yet. I'm intimidated...

An Easy 2

I'm scaling back in anticipation of Saturday's race. Today's practice run was a 2 miler with a comfortable pace. I live 2 miles from my daughter's pre-school so I left my truck parked there and caught a ride home with a friend. Surprisingly, my 2 mile was finished pretty easily in 20 minutes. Not bad for a girl who hated running for the last 20 years.

I still have to walk occasionally, though those are getting fewer and farther between. I allow myself those times, and pick up the run as soon as I'm able. However, four years of trying to keep up with a platoon of male Marines left me feeling that walks are failures. It also left me with the fatalistic attitude that I'll never be able to complete a run without walking. It's a mental stumbling block that I'll need to work on.

There must be some sort of literature out there on the mental aspects of running. Anyone? Ideas?

Just a bit of background.

I'm a thirty-*ahem* something-year-old Mom of three. My last pregnancy left me 40 pounds overweight and too lazy to do anything about it. A year and a half passed where I literally didn't recognize my own body. As in "Who the hell does this ASS belong to? Because surely it isn't mine!!".

Last spring I got fed up. I could not stand the thought of another summer sweltering in jeans because I was too ashamed to wear shorts. Of staying in the boat instead of water skiing because I didn't have the endurance to do it, and I for sure wasn't taking my cover-up off.

So I tried Nutrisystem for three months, and it helped. To a point. Then someone mentioned the C25K program, and though I've hated running since my Marine Corps days, I figured what the hell and started running in my basement on the treadmill. I lost 20 in nine weeks just doing that. I also learned while I didn't like the feeling of running, I sure as hell liked the way I felt after I finished.

In late summer I signed up for my first 5K. It was great and awful at the same time. Great because I finished, awful because I finished in a slow-as-hell 41 minutes. I knew I needed to get off the treadmill and hit the road. Which I did, and finished my second 5K in 36 minutes.

Which brings us to today. My competitive juices are flowing. I'm running a 5K tomorrow and am hoping to get under 35 minutes. I'm considering a 10K in November and have begun to consider the idea of a spring half marathon. My friends are sick of hearing about running. I'm obsessed with the idea of getting faster and running farther. I feel strong again. I feel like me again.