Quantity not Quality

Quality of today's 11 mile run/walk left something to be desired. Like a kid who won't eat their vegetables, I had to trick myself into even starting the run. My bed was so warm and comfortable and the thought of the 10 minute drive to the forest to run in the wind loomed without appeal. I concluded once again that the gym would do. Treadmill not elliptical, Amanda. Trouble started after the first three miles, my heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest... and since I'm rather found of having a heart, I decided maybe taking it easy today was a good idea. So I walked almost the remainder of the time... and yes, I realize walking about half of your run is like the Jets kicking field goals instead of making touchdowns, they couldn't beat the Bills that way and I'm not going to beat Oprah that way. Oprah finished in 4:29:15 and it would make me very happy to beat her time. Needless to say I did complete the 11 miles, ran the last couple and felt completely spent by the end. Hope next week is better.

Almost Running

Fluid... organization is necessary at times and something I'm very good at... but organization also can take the fun out of everything... and life usually needs some flexibility... the chance to be fluid. Funny we should talk about fluids, that's how we got here from our "organized" day. Today should have been a promptly scheduled 8am run for 10 miles on either the marathon route or the forest trail. Because yes, I did sign up for that 12 mile trail run at the end of January and haven't run any trails yet. Anyway, bunny trail.... but instead of this scheduled run being done just so, adjustment was needed. Last night was long and this morning I would have sworn Dumbo's pink elephants had been here. Therefore, there was no way I was able (though willing) to run 1 mile, let alone 10 miles. Ahh negotiation time. Maybe I can run either tomorrow or the next day while on vacation? After much contemplation that idea's out. Ok, must do something. Elliptical. Similar to running motion, less effort... comparable. Get dressed, brush teeth, out the door to a 2 hour elliptical wonderland. Turn on the mp3, hit start on the machine, and drift away...

Rain Happens

5 mile run... on a treadmill. Chicken grease to the weatherman who forecasted "80% chance of thunderstorms", drizzle yes, thunderstorms no. Love to my rarely used mp3 player, you really came through.  ** Nowhere to run to baby.. no where to hide..got nowhere to run to baby.. nowhere to hide..

Random

Insanity...a foolish or senseless action....like eating mindless amounts of Christmas goodies. This happens EVERY year. People drop off goodies to the office and I feel the need to try everything like I've never had it before... I think I barely left the kitchen today... cake, cupcakes, cookies, cheese... Seriously if it's yummy, I want some. And then, I think about the fact that I didn't run the past two days like I was suppose to, one of the two. So I do my 3 miles today and the whole time I'm thinking... butter and sugar ugh, please don't get sick. I didn't. And also thinking, WHEN WILL I EVER LEARN! This happens EVERY year! So I'm sure tomorrow I will under eat in order to compensate for today's over eating and tomorrow I run 5 miles. Should be a day of rest in there, but, we all know I'm not running on a Friday.

Is it possible to do the South Beach diet and still drink beer?? (rhetorical question)... what about South Beach and my only carbs ARE beer?!! Think about it...

Turtle Endorphins

Well I made it. It was turtle running but slow and steady gets it done. Really glad it is too, I feel better. I've been such a bah-humbug lately that I needed a little shot of endorphins to smack my brain around. I didn't go to the forest like planned... instead turned a 5 mile trail into 8 miles. Actually... ran to what I thought was the finish and my gps said 7.83 miles - crap. Had to double back and finish it out. There is no "close enough" when training because there is no "close enough" when racing.

Slacker

Confession time... I was suppose to run 5 miles yesterday, and well... I didn't. This is my first Thursday without class since finals and ok, to be completely honest, going out weighed heavier on my pleasure seeking scale than running. Of course with the lie to myself... that I still run Saturday (which I will) and that next week we get right back on the training schedule (which I hope). Funny enough - training related - last night after my NY strip steak, potato cake & asparagus I headed back to "location #1" and ordered rocket tots to which point the "Boston Qualifier" (name has been changed to protect the fast) said... be careful, that's how people get big. HAHA! How true! So weight. Yes, we all want to look awesome in our clothes but additionally...as a runner.... the more you weigh, the more you have to propel forward. The more you're adding to the pounding of your knees, feet... spandex. Ugh, I like living in reality, but sometimes I hate swallowing it.

Motivational quote time... Charles Swab said.... A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm. Hmmm...dictionary.com says enthusiasm is absorbing or controlling possession of the mind by any interest or pursuit. Doesn't action need to be involved? We'll modify...
A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm and drive. Hm, just found my steering wheel.

The Tony Robbins Special

D.O.M.S....Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. That's my foreshadow for tomorrow. Did my long run today. Was suppose to do it Saturday and well, I didn't. Sunday either. Was worried the rain was going to come early today and I was going to have to do 7 miles on the treadmill but thankfully it didn't. After mile 3 I found my pace and finally, finally, the last 4 miles felt pretty good. How'd I manage that??...I stopped letting my head do my running and started letting my legs (internal conversation) what's that body, my knee is swelling and starting to hurt - that's nice, suck it up and keep going. Anyone who's told you you'll feel great training for a marathon meant it, but not necessarily physically.... long runs are not always going to feel good. They are meant to teach us to endure. To learn that we can go farther than we ever thought. And if you treat your body well inbetween these sessions of remolding (today it's Aleve, popcorn & an amazing foam roller) it will continue to work hard for you.

Wooh!

High five to all the runners out there today! That's one of the things I love about running.... almost everyone can do it. You don't need special training, you don't have to be built a certain way, you don't need fancy clothes or shoes, you don't have to be fast... you don't even have to be motivated, just dedicated. Pretty sure I've confirmed that several times. I saw all kinds of people out running today... advanced runners, beginning runners, heavy runners, thin runners, couples, friends, singles. Through my short years of running I've seen equally as many wide varieties of people who are all joined together by running - hippies, stroke victims, 5th avenues, the average "joe", I've been passed by 8 year olds, I've been passed by 80 year olds. IT'S AWESOME! We've all got our own story, but on the run course there's only one stereotype.

A Battle Till the Finish

Self-discipline and defiance have ridden into battle within my head today. Self-discipline all day has been mapping out exactly how we will accomplish our 3 mile run …drive to school, park, bring running clothes with to class, change after, return work clothes to car, run from parking garage period, end of story. Drove to school, parked…defiance… class will be quick today, I’ll just go, return, and then run on the treadmill at home. Class ended very early. Self-discipline … good now go home, change, and run. It won’t take long. Defiance… ehh, write my paper for class first, talk to Adrianne, then run. Can’t go to bed till I do, right?

An hour later, home… haven’t written paper and haven’t run. I’ll update you in a couple hours.

Not A Gazelle Yet

Gazelle = lustrous eyes/check... graceful movements/still working on. Ran my 6 miles yesterday. Actually was a pretty good run considering I didn't plan very well. Mid-day, 70 degrees, and didn't bring any water or gu. Dumb, but managable.

I did an out and back on the first 3 miles of the marathon route. The start is different than last year... downhills in the get go instead of the uphill on Blossom. The "Saluda Street Sizzler"as I'm dubbing it is still there. It's a gradual uphill climb for a decent distance. Had to walk. Decided it's a lot harder to allow myself to walk when running on main roads where people can see... makes me feel like a sissy. I am pretty excited I get the opportunity to get used to the route before the race though. Think it'll be easier to section it on race day....ok, who am I kidding, the term "race" is for fast people... easier to section it on "run" day.

OH! And I wore my running skirt for the first time....I LOVE IT! It is sooo comfortable!

Humble Pie Motivation

Today's just been one of those days. A little humbling. A little motivating. Three distinct moments...

Pie Slice #1
Location: The Floor Scale
Time: 4:17 a.m.
Situation: Yikes! rhymes with bikes... which apparently I haven't been on lately.

Pie Slice #2
Location: Columbia Marathon Facebook Post
Time: 12:42 p.m.
Situation: Posted a 2012 Marathon Finishing Time Chart (below)... I finished last year with a 5:33:46

 

 

Pie Slice #3

Location: The Elliptical

Time: 7:54 p.m.

Situation: Not enough time to run today since I need to study for finals. Compromised... 35 min on the elliptical = 102 calories burned = about 10 of the M&M's I had directly beforehand.

 

And all of a sudden it's like Gunnery Sergeant Hartman...YouTube it if you don't know...has jumped into my head and is reminding me...subtly, hehe... what motivation looks like. I'm up for a challenge.

I Did It For The Cookies

Three hours of sleep last night... think I'm running a fever... haven't eaten since noon... training log reads: RUN COMPLETE! Why, for the love of running? Don't kid yourself. Today was for the cookies. Pure love of cookies. ~Off to RICE the knee and take some Aleve. Get pumped... four miles Thursday *smile*

Run Like the Wind?? ehh

I ran past someone yesterday on my first long run this training cycle - 5 miles. And I heard them say something to their companion about "jogging". Lets clear something up right now... I don't "jog". I run. I run like... a gentle breeze.

Treadmills & Rocket Tots

I just spent the past 30 minutes or so staring at a "Pay Your Rent From Anywhere" sign. Time and miles seem to tick by so slowly on a treadmill. Don't get me wrong... they have a place in the world. When I started running about 4 years ago it was all thanks to a treadmill. But then I ran outside and I realized that having to actually propel your own body weight forward instead of just picking up your feet to make sure you don't roll backwards into the wall behind you was a different action. Another positive to the treadmill... in a bout of insomnia I wouldn't have made the decision to run at 3:30am without the possibility of doing it on a treadmill...inside a locked building.

I started my run a little slow today... lets face it IPA and Rocket Tots (pretty good little taters with cheese and jalapenos inside) are not proper hydration, although very tasty. Another benefit to the treadmill, I got to do a progression run which doesn't happen often since I haven't yet mastered the act of pacing myself for any amount of time. The run felt pretty good, found my legs at the start of mile 2 and since I didn't have to worry about what my legs were doing I got to spend some time convincing my heart and lungs that this was just a walk in the park, no need to get excited.

Note to management: please adjust the air... it does not need to be 78 degrees in the gym room!
Note to Luey cat: please stop bitting my legs and arms while I'm trying to stretch. There's nothing like trying to 'hold your pose' with teeth dug into you.

Tomorrow's cross training day, which I'm pretty sure is going to equal eating plenty of Thanksgiving dinner, napping, and watching the Jets beat the Patriots.

....But It's Pint Night

Well it's official...today I ran my first 3 miles out of the 333 training miles it's going to take me to get to my third marathon... so add an additional 26.2 to that number. Despite my many good reasons not to... the eye doctor dialated my eyes, I was hungry, I forgot my hair tie, it's too cold...or wait is it too hot, it's too dark, Jersey Mike's has good buffalo wraps, I don't have my inhaler, I'll have to shower tonight, there could be crazy people out, the day ends in a "y", IT'S PINT NIGHT!! I ended up taking those frustrating steps forward and made it the full 3. I'll admit, it wasn't my pretties run...went out too fast, form went off and my knee is a little tight but I've decided the next couple weeks I'm not going to worry about time, just getting back to the act of doing for now.

Lewis Carroll once said "Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop" and that's what I plan to do this time. I've never actually trained for a marathon in the whole 16 weeks they recommend...I usually do it in about 8-10 weeks cramming in every long run I can. But this time I've thought, why not try this crazy 16 weeks they talk about. Knee might feel better. Unlike the last time I ran this marathon. Which marathon you ask... the Columbia Marathon. Through the streets of Columbia, full of hills and last year hurt my knee so bad the last several miles I had to go down hills backwards. But not this time, no sir... as my celebratory Magic Hat #9 cap says today..."Write your own future". (Don't worry, there's more corny quotes to come).

So stay tuned because as I am also primarily training for this marathon for the first time without the motivation of one of my best friends who recently moved and used to be the encouragment I needed to keep my whinny butt moving forward (it won't be the same without you Amanda) I've decided to start my first blog. Lucky you haha.