Still blogging, new place

I didn't stop running, I did complete the IU Mini Marathon, and I'm still blogging. Our training group for the mini marathon has a team on the www.running2win.com website, so it was easier to log all of my runs there. Our team is called Inrunco if you want to see what I've been up to.

Future races: Komen 5k Indianapolis April 19, 2008 and the Indianapolis 500 Festival Half Marathon May 3, 2008. There will probably be the occasional 5k here and there, but that's what I know about right now. I've run 2 5k races since the mini marathon this fall (one just this past weekend) so that keeps me on pace with improving my times. I'm still not a contender, but I'm enjoying myself!

July 29

I couldn't go on yesterday's group run due to working but got myself out in the evening for a solo run. We had gone to a state park earlier in the day for a short hike and the humidity was just miserable. I waited until nearly dark to start on my run, hoping the weather would improve. It ended up being pretty tolerable--still humid but at least it was overcast and cooler. Today's a rest day, then group run tomorrow. I'm having some labwork done this week and it involves getting two intramuscular injections (in the butt of course)--hopefully I won't be too sore from that. Hubby's also gone this week but I've already arranged babysitting so I can make it to the run. No interruptions allowed!

I'm back

I didn't slack off on my running, just on my writing! For starters, my sick puppy was taking up every spare moment for over a week (he was hospitalized for 9 days, if you're counting) but he did pull through. Parvo + pneumonia = 1 near-death experience for the little guy. The puppy (now named Phoenix) is looking fully recovered now and you'd never know he'd been sick a day.

Training for the mini is going well, I'm still hanging in there and keeping up on the scheduled work-outs. On this past Saturday, we ran the first part of the race route (just under 6 mi of it). Hooo-boy...got some nice hills along that route! I then found out that we are supposed to run the 2nd portion on a Saturday that I was scheduled to work. Since I desperately wanted a chance to do that with the group, I managed to trade my Saturday shifts so I'll be able to go.

After running a 4.5 mi on Thursday, then the 5.7 mi on Saturday, I found yesterday's (Monday) run to be weak. I managed 2 miles before my legs said "no more", but since it was an out-and-back run they had to suffer through the rest of the route anyway. I did 3.6 mi but it felt harder than what I'd done the previous Thurs and Sat. I'm supposed to do 2 miles today but since I have the kids/no sitter, it looks like I'll have to do a treadmill workout (yuck, it's humid in the basement...).

And updated my post to add that I did accomplish the workout and did it outside after all. It's just too nice to run indoors so I crated the puppies, told the kids to behave themselves for half an hour and took myself for a run. I stayed in the neighborhood (figured I'd smell the smoke if the kids tried to burn the place down that way) and did my neighborhood loop. I wanted to do two full loops but after the first loop was ready to quit. I pushed through another half of the route (the loop is more like a cloverleaf with my house in the middle of the 3 leaves) and called it good. Although late for a morning run, the weather was perfect. I may take the kids over to the park for lunch before I head in to work. I rather like the odd schedule I'm working today, makes it feel like a day off!

Too distracted to run

My puppy's still very very sick and I'm finding that it's affecting every aspect of my mood and activity. I did go for my evening run last night, but I just can't seem to turn off my worrying even when I'm running. I'm exhausted mentally and emotionally, that seems to be affecting my physical endurance as well. My training schedule called for a short 2 mile run with 8x100m strides. I ended up doing 1.5 miles with 4x100m strides, then walked back another 1.5 miles. The walking was very soothing to my stressed state though. When I was running, I didn't notice much of what was around me. During the walk, I admired the blooming wildflowers and saw/heard so many birds with fledglings. It's good to take the time to notice the good things. I needed that yesterday.

Been a bit mopey

On Saturday, I got up and got dressed for the group run as planned but had an unexpected situation that made me miss the run. When I came downstairs, I found that my newly adopted puppy (only had him a week) was horribly ill. Luckily for him, I'm a vet so I recognized the signs of parvo immediately and he's been hospitalized since then. On the down side, I've been worried sick about him and it's really brought my attitude down. I did go for a solo run once I was done tending to him, but my heart just wasn't in it. I was planning a 4.5 mile run, but after the first 2 miles I just walked the rest. Crummy day all around.

Pup's making slight improvements, which helps my attitude somewhat. Today we had great weather for our run: 77F and barely any humidity (don't know the actual % though). I did the 3 mile campus loop and my goal was to finish it before the 4-milers caught up to me. I almost made it--they passed me with 2 blocks left to go but I still had a good pace. The guys who passed me had done an 8:18 mile pace so I was right at an 11 minute pace. Nothing too impressive, but I felt pretty good doing it so I'm happy with it. I'm having some doubts about whether to register for the mini. We'll just see how this goes over the next few weeks before I commit.

Shortcuts

The group did a 4-mile run today. Unfortunately, Melanie and I were a bit behind the pack and lost track of the route. It turns out, we skimmed off 2 blocks of the route. If the conversion chart at http://www.onlineconversion.com/length_all.htm is correct, that means we lost 0.125miles. So that leaves us with 3.875 miles, which I finished in 42:03. I guess I'm happy with that pace (10:30 mile) but somehow I am doubting my calculations. If I really did a 10:30 mile, I'm thrilled. Next time, I'll have to be sure I know all the turns on the route since I can't keep up with the 8 minute milers! Weather condtions at the time of the run: 75F but humid (80%). I had on a tech shirt but the cotton jog bra defeated the purpose somewhat. Now that I've got the tech shirts in order, I need to order some bras that'll wick moisture. I can't believe it's going to be July next week--here comes the really hot stuff!

Run in the sun

They had us running another route at the group run today and this time, it felt like we were in the full sun the whole way. Whew, it was HOT! Temperature was actually only 81F, 64% humidity but we were all commenting on how drenched we were at the end of it. I only did 3 miles, since I'd done 5 yesterday I wasn't really recovered yet and didn't feel up to doing the 4 to 6 that everyone else did. I'm debating whether to make tomorrow a rest day or not, my schedule and legs are all out of synch since I missed Saturday's run. I didn't care much for today's route, it felt so "industrial" due to the scenery. It was all gravel, warehouses, and concrete. Blah.

Drizzly day

It was a pretty busy day but I managed to run in spite of that. There is a paved trail near our home that I've been wanting to see, so I finally did that. It proved to be a nice change from the usual routine--very quiet, pastoral views with very little foot traffic. It crosses 3 paved roads, but otherwise is just pedestrian traffic. The day was overcast and a bit drizzly, not too warm (69F) but it was humid. It still was nice running weather. I ended up doing the full trail (out and back) which made for just over 4.5 miles. My pace was slower, it took me right at an hour to do it but that was my second "long run" this week so I don't mind. It has screwed up my schedule because today was supposed to be a rest day. We'll see how I hold up at tomorrow's group run.

I must be HUGE!!

I didn't run today, my stomach's been churning for two days and I was too chicken to push it until it's settled again. Instead of running, I shopped for running apparel which I think must give me partial credit, right?

I was in need of some good running bras, preferably something comfortable AND supportive. Why can't they combine the two? And even more importantly, why don't they make them in a normal woman's size??? I'm not huge by any means but I was getting frustrated at the sizes available. Apparently, I must be too large to be running because the largest size they had in the style I liked was a 36C. Hmmm...never thought I would have THAT problem! I only needed it one size bigger (38C) so I went ahead and bought the available size to see how it fit. They also had a nice long-sleeved running shirt on clearance so I bought that plus a short sleeved tech tee. I have found that I can't stand to run in a cotton tee outside in the Indiana heat/humidity. Another non-ladylike trait of mine is that I sweat! There's no "glistening" going on here and I can't stand to wear a drenched t-shirt. I have a technical tee that I picked up at a local close-out store and it's wonderful. I thought it might just be a gimmick to convince the consumer to spend more $$$ but it really does make a difference in how well your body cools. My tip for the day for beginning runners: if you live in a warm climate, invest in at least one tech tee (Nike DriFit is one that's easy to find, there are many others too).

Tomorrow's supposed to be a rest day but hopefully my stomach will be treating me more kindly and I can get a run in the morning.

Milestone today!!

I was feeling pretty good this afternoon on the way to join the group for this evening's run. I wondered if that'd all fall away once we started to run or if I was really gearing up for a good day. Turns out it was the latter!

We did the out-and-back run again that we'd done earlier in the week. I had a pretty good pace going and thought I'd see how I felt at the 1.5 mile mark. I was still bringing up the rear of the pack, but I was much closer to the pack this time. At the 1.5 mile mark, I was still feeling pretty good so decided to give it a try and run the rest of it. We made it to the turn-around point at 22 minutes (2.25 mi). Unfortunately, the route back home was 80% uphill...uggg... My time for the full 4.5 miles was 49:24 and I was THRILLED!!! It was the first time I'd ever done more than 3 miles and I felt surprisingly good. I'm so proud of myself, couldn't be happier! Running conditions: 87F, 40% humidity, 6-8mph breeze.

Lovely evening

My hubby was late getting home today, which meant I had a later run than usual. He didn't get home until after 8:30, I hit the road at 8:45. It actually was beautiful outside at that time. After the heat of the past week, we had a little cold front move through earlier today. By 9pm, it was a pleasant 77F and there was a light breeze. It was heavenly to run in that! By the time I was finished with my 3 miles, it was dusk but I had enough daylight to stretch and then do some strides in the backyard. Wonder what the neighbors thought of me running barefoot through my backyard repeatedly? Doesn't matter because at the end of it, I felt really GOOD.

Did I mention how much my physique has changed since I started running 6 months ago? I started this as part of my program to improve my health and fitness later. Running was my means of improving my cardio but I also changed my eating habits considerably. Until a week ago, I was on a low-carb, high-protein diet. I decided to boost my carb intake though to help with my running (still waiting to see the effect of that!). In 6 months, I've gone from a size 16 to a 10 and dropped 30 pounds. It's nice to not dread looking in the mirror and to feel my body getting strong. In a way, running is a means to an end (weight loss) but I also know that I need to continue to work at it to improve the fitness (muscle/endurance) and that's a never-ending process. Joining the training group is one step to keep me on the straight and narrow, once that's done I'll find another goal to reach for since that helps me to keep pushing. I tell me friends it's not a "diet" it's a lifestyle change.

Building

My legs seemed to have recovered a good bit from Saturday's run, although still more tired than I expected. We did a new route this evening on the group run. It was an out and back rather than the usual loop on campus. Most of the group did the full 4.5 mile route but my legs and training schedule told me to stick with the 3 miles for now. ;) Actually, the schedule as presented to me was only dictating a 2 mile run but that seemed a bit light. The weather was pretty tolerable, it was 82 and sunny. I didn't notice until I made the turnaround that I'd run the first half with a light tailwind. My pace was much better than 2 days ago--I did the 3 miles in 34 minutes compared to 37 the other day. I felt MUCH better during the run as well. The run was all up or downhill though--no flat portions to it. It started with a decent uphill for 3 or 5 blocks, then back to a gradual down slope for a mile. Although that was nice, I knew I'd have to come back up it so I was dreading the route home! At least the very last portion was good for coasting.

I was actually a bit disappointed that we didn't run the campus loop as I was wanting to see how I was doing. It helps me gauge my improvement to see how I pace at a given spot in the route. I imagine that Thursday's run may go back to the loop, we'll see. I think tomorrow for the run on my own I may do the local rail-trail. I've been wanting to do that one for a while but just haven't made it over there (other than the day I took the pup for a walk there). It's 3 miles one way if I do the whole thing, maybe could run out and walk it back b/c I know I'm not up to a 6 mile run just yet! Although if it's a flat path, it won't be as rough as the routes I've been doing. That's one thing about southern Indiana though, not too many routes are flat!

Busy week!

On Thursday, we took the kids on a daytrip to a local amusement/water park so I missed the group run. I couldn't stand to see my box for the day going unaccomplished, so I got up extra early to fit the run in before we left for the day. It was nice and cool at the early hour, only 67F so it was a very comfortable run. I ran the route around my neighborhood which I've been running off and on since I started outdoor running. It's nice to see that my endurance is slowly improving, but I'd like to see more. It annoys me how slow I am but I guess speed will come eventually.

A few neighbors were out for their morning walks while I was running. At the end of my work-out, I was walking to cool-down and one gentleman had some encouraging words. He told me I had "inspired him", in spite of my protests about how slow I am he really boosted my morale with that. :D

Yesterday was a rest day but I wore myself out with other activities--housework, kids, and errands. It showed on today's run. I told the coach that it felt like my legs were made of pudding. Even a couple hundred yards into the run, I knew it was going to be a bear to get through. We were running on the cross country course (grass) again, so that is probably part of it but overall I was just tired before I started. It was the kind of run where if I'd been on my own, I would have quit 5 minutes into it and made it a walk. Since I was out with a group, I had to put forth the effort so I kept trudging along at my slow creeping jog. It took me 37 minutes to do the 5k course and it was taking all of my effort to do that. Ug...at least it was cool out there--65F in spite of the sun.

The group runs definitely help to keep me motivated and try harder. Ben offers a lot of encouragement and reassurance that this stage will pass. I am proud of the effort once it's done, it's just hard to be patient when results aren't immediate. Keep moving...

On track

I really didn't feel like going for a run this evening. My husband is out of town for a few days, the kids are at Grandma's, and I could do whatever I possibly wanted with my few precious hours of solitude. In order to follow the sacred calendar (with those daily squares in need of checking-off!), I kept on track and did the run. It was a short run, only 2 miles so at least it didn't take long. I would have liked to have done one of the trails around town but went for the usual indoor track at the Y.

I forgot my watch, so didn't time myself. I felt sluggish, how's that for specific? Now to get some dinner eaten, some housework done, and some relaxing before everyone comes back home tomorrow!

Week 2 begins

Slowly but surely, I'm getting stronger. How can I tell? I have 3 cues that let me know: I'm going farther before taking a walk break, the walk breaks are fewer in number, and they are shorter in length. Woo hoo!! Yeah, me! I'm still not breaking any records, today's 3 mile run took me right at 35 minutes (I finally remembered my stopwatch). We did the IU Loop again. Weather conditions at the time of the run: 86F, 30% humidity (pretty mild for IN), and light breeze at 6mph from the east. When I got home from that, I took the puppy for a 1 mile walk around the neighborhood. It was a perfect length to wear her out and cool me down.

I will probably always be the slowest one in our group but I'm also sporting one of the biggest smiles. I'm just so proud of being able to do this at all. I like seeing my legs taking shape and the muscles feeling stronger (hey, I didn't even know I had muscles!!). I have a long way to go, but I've already crossed some pretty big hurdles to get here. Onward and upward!

Resting...aahhh...

Today's been a nice rest day, in several ways. Just been lazing around the house, but got a few things done that have been on my to-do list (cleaned out the refugium on my saltwater reef for one thing). I'm heading over to my mom's to drop the kids off for a few days of spoiling, hubby just left for a business trip. Looks like it's just me and the dog for a couple of days.

First run at the CC course

Today's group run was this morning at the IU Cross Country course, my first time there. I was so confused by the route, but followed the crowd and sorted it out. When I got home, I looked up the map for the routes (there are several overlapping routes, depending on your distance) so I didn't get so confused next time. NOW it makes sense!

It felt like a slower run for me today, not sure if I'm not recovered from the previous runs this week or if it's actually a harder route. There were some decent hills there, maybe that was it. I've never run on grass so that may have complicated it too. It was a 3 mile run for me but a few in the group did 8 miles. Someday soon I hope to be up to that kind of distance but right now, the shorter distance is kicking my butt! I recover very quickly and feel like I'm ready to go again, but in the midst of the run I fight for every step. Is that normal? I hope it changes soon.

Conditions for today's run were beautiful: 62F and a gentle breeze. My feet were soaked by the end from the dew on the grass, but otherwise it was ideal running conditions for me.

Ben handed out our training guides today. I'm obviously ranked as a "freshman" so I get to follow the easy schedule. :P He then instructed on us on how to do strides. I'd never heard of them (funny I'd heard of fartlek and tempo, but somehow missed "stride" in my reading) but it seems straight-forward enough.

Tommorow's a rest day, woo hoo!

The heat is on...

Yesterday's group run was at 6:15 pm. I had a bear of a time finding a parking spot, finally decided to just drive our running route and park along it so that I wouldn't miss the group if they got started without me. I actually made it to the store right as they were heading out--good timing!

It was a really hot run though. This morning, I checked the weather stats for 6pm and it was officially 88F, 46% humidity (not bad at all for Indiana in June!) with winds of 22mph. I swear, I felt every degree and every gust! I think I like the rain better. I was wiped out but I did the full 3 miles, although I had to resort to walking a few times especially at the end during some uphills. One of the organizers of the group came back for me with about a half mile to go and kept me moving stronger than I would have on my own, that's good for me but I still feel so inadequate! The rest of the group finished in 29 to 30 minutes, I was again at the 34 or 35 minute mark.

Today is a rest day, which just means I'm hectically busy without having to fit in a run. Ha! Tomorrow, we run on the IU Cross Country course at 8 am, although a couple of us are planning to get there early to try to beat some of the heat.

I think I can, I think I can...

I have decided I need to blog my misadventures in running. If nothing else, it will help keep me motivated. There's something about checking items off of a daily to-do list or having a rigid schedule that keeps me on track. If I'm keeping a blog, it's out there for the world to see if I decide to slack off and eat bon bons! I suppose that I should admit up front that by "running" I really mean "jogging at a snail's pace and walking when the strain of that becomes too much". Running is my goal, right now I'm just happy to get from point A to point B without collapsing!

It all started with the new year rolling around and I decided that was as good a time as any to get this project underway. I'd actually tried to get a simple running program started the year before but was sidelined by surgery for a couple of months and just never got around to starting over. I have never NEVER been a runner. Never. I was always the fat slow girl that you probably either laughed at or felt sorry for. No athletic skills, no speed, and definitely no grace. Kinda sad, huh? Unfortunately, that's all still in effect but now I just don't really care what I look like as I go lumbering along, I'm doing this purely for ME and what people think of me is irrelevant. I'm proud to say "I'm a runner", even though that may be stretching the truth just a wee bit.

So how did I start? I found a program called 3 weeks to a 30 minute running habit at http://running.about.com/c/ec/1.htm that started me at intervals of running 1 minute/walking 1 minute. I printed up a schedule, stuck it on the fridge (again, I love checking items off each day!), and got to work. I'd set up the treadmill in the basement, turn on a dvd, and do my work-out. Once I finished that program, I moved on to another program to develop my endurance. By the end of that program, I was up to doing 3 miles at a time. Woo hoo!! I ran my first official 5k in April (the Komen Race for the Cure). Although I didn't run in the competitive race, it was still a huge win for me. I never would have believed that I could finish a 3 mile run and I did it anyway!

That was about 6 weeks ago and I've let my schedule fall a bit slack. Without having a goal to push for, I wasn't pushing to improve but just kept going through the motions doing what I could already do. Last weekend I decided to find another 5k to run so that I'd have a goal to work towards. Instead, I found that my hometown actually has a half-marathon in the fall and that there is a training group available. Not only that, but their first run was in just 2 days. I emailed the organizer of the training, told him what I can do right now and asked if it was even possible for me to reach the goal of finishing a half-marathon. He's optimistic and said it's do-able, as long as I'm not worried about my pace. Hey, if I finish the route without being hauled away in the ambulance, it's a success!

I actually missed the first group run because I had to work, but attended the second run last night. OMG...it was only 3 miles but it was faster than my usual pace so I was really hurtin' to keep up! I never lost sight of the runners in front of me, but I was lagging so far behind that at one point I thought I'd lose 'em. I don't know whether she took pity on me or was tiring herself, but I did catch up with another runner and we finished together. I finished the run in about 32 or 33 minutes, faster than I've ever done 3 miles. Whew!!! Oh, and it was in a downpour to boot. I actually loved that, if we could just schedule all future runs in the rain I think that'd be great. It kept me cool and the water felt so much nicer than hot sweat! It didn't hurt that it kept all the other pedestrians out of the way--I really wasn't up for an audience! It was a nice route, through the university campus and then back downtown, a few smallish hills but nothing steep. I'll have to try that on my own sometime.

Today's run was solo so I went to my usual place--the indoor track at the Y. I timed my pace (which I hadn't done since the April 5k) and found it a miserable 13 minutes. I don't know if it's fatigue from the day before or if I just pushed myself that much harder in the group run. I suspect the latter. Our next group run is Thursday. I have to decide by Saturday whether to officially sign up for the training. I'll probably do it, even if I can't work up to 13 miles I figure it'll still be good for my running to work with a group. I may be the very last at every run, but it's better than watching!