good days and bad days

Today was a bad day.  I woke up early for my training run and decided to do it on the treadmill so I could have the ease of the treadmill keeping my pace and wouldn't have to use as much willpower.  I guess my legs weren't quite ready after my 15 mile run on Saturday.

My long run on Saturday went really well and I felt pretty good considering it was my longest run by 5 miles since my last marathon in October.  I ran it at my mgp (marathon goal pace) plus about 30 seconds which is what my training plan had me do.

But today my legs felt like lead.  I chalked it up to a bad day and cut my intervals down a bit and ended up getting in 5 miles.  I hope my next one goes better.  I think I'll hit the pool tomorrow and do some laps to give my legs another break.

Nike +

I just cashed in my hard-earned Coke Rewards for a $50 Nike Gift Card.  I've been purposely saving up for this for months.  I knew I wanted some running gear but I wasn't sure what.

I was thinking a nice waterproof jacket would be really useful or maybe even a fun pair of shoes but when all was said and done, I went with the Nike Sports Band and the Nike + Sensor.

It came in the mail yesterday and I've already got my training plan on the website so that my runs will count towards my goal.  I'm excited to have a new gadget to run with!

Back up and running

The ending of the Provo Half was the beginning of a miserable illness.  I had a massive cold for about 10 days, which also turned into an ear/sinus/throat infection, which also included a day of puking and chills.  I took two full weeks off and still even had a hard time starting back up.

I really take the days when I feel good and normal for granted. 

I'm at the bottom of my training plan again and ready to start getting serious again.  I'll be starting my marathon plan on Monday.  We're planning on doing the Top of Utah Marathon in Logan in September.  I did this marathon 5 years ago and really like the course and since we didn't get into St. George this year, we thought we'd go for it. 

A Half to Remember

I froze my butt off today.  This was by far the most miserable race I've done in terms of weather.  The morning started out beautifully.  It was cloudy but not too cold.  I planned to wear tights and a long-sleeve tech shirt.  No hat, no gloves, no jacket.  My choice of clothing proved to be a bad one when just after the gun went off, the rain started falling.  I think there were about 10 minutes where it wasn't precipitating. 

I felt great through about mile 9.  My splits for miles 1 and 2 were 8:22, mile 3 was 7:45, miles 4-6 were 8:18, mile 7 was 8:06, miles 8-10 were much slower (where I started to freeze to the bone) at about 9:30, mile 11was 9:09, mile 12 was about 8:30, mile 13 was 8:20.

I ended up with a 1:51--7 minutes faster than last year but still 6 minutes slower than my overall half marathon PR.

I'm happy with my performance and even happier that I didn't lose any limbs or have to be hospitalized for hypothermia. ;)

Jon tried to be at the finish line but the weather was so crappy that he decided to wait in the car and cheer me on at mile 13.  Meanwhile, the car battery died, which meant I was left to walk back to where he was parked.  I was so numb and cold at this point that Jon had to help me get my wet shirt off because my hand wouldn't function and my arms were frozen stiff. 

Let's just say that my warm bath was the most welcome bath I've ever had!

When we got home, Jon checked the status of the online registration for the Hobble Creek and saw that it had already filled up (in 2 hours) and the only way to register was to go stand in line at the Runner's Corner before noon (it was 11:30 when we found this out).  We rushed over and I signed up!  I'm excited for that race.  I've heard its a fun, fast course and I've never done it before.

I'm also waiting on the status of our St. George lottery.  We're supposed to hear next Friday.  Crossing my fingers.

To race or not to race

That is the question.  I've been thinking about doing a last minute sign-up for the Utah Valley Marathon.  I've never run this one but it's downhill, fast course is appealing. 

If I do sign up, I won't count on a PR since I'll only have about 8 weeks to train for it.  My mileage is already at about 15 miles so I'm not to worried about increasing it.

Now it looks like we'll be here for the majority of our summer so I may do it.  Yikes!! (excited yikes)

Snowy Trail

Last week, my friend and I decided to run a downhill, half-marathon route to mix things up a bit.  The first 4 miles were beautiful and fast.  Once we hopped onto the river trail portion of our run, we found ourselves running through 2 or 3 feet of frozen, uneven snow.  We weren't the first to run through it--apparent by the other foot/bike prints.  Luckily it was frozen, otherwise our run would have been ruined.

So it was slow-going.  We ended up having to slow to an 11 minute mile pace just to make sure we didn't twist knees and ankles.  The last thing I wanted was an injury in the middle of training. 

2.5 miles later, we hit a frontage road and it felt amazing to be running our normal--even faster--pace.  We had a good fast run and ended up averaging about 8:30 miles including those 11 minute mile early on.

I never post pictures but here are a couple of pictures I took with my phone.

Cancelled

Well, I've canceled my Weight Watchers subscription.  I just lost steam.  There's no other way to put it.  I was totally committed and working hard for about 2 months and I just couldn't do it anymore.  Figures.  Yes. I'm a little disappointed in myself.  I didn't reach my goal.  I'm 4 pounds lighter than I was but I was hoping for 14! 

So I'm still running hard and have just decided to focus on that.  Hopefully I'll have some pleasant side effects.

A New and Refreshing Route

I live so close to the most wonderful running trail and have spent most of my time on that trail because it's beautiful, provides distance, and is close to home.  When I run, I like silence (well, except for music).  I don't like noisy cars and trucks and I hate the smell of exhaust. 

Today, because I didn't have my running partner with me, I decided to stay on more public roads while the sun rose.  I ran down to an older part of town and enjoyed looking at the old houses--some well-kempt and others not so much.  There were some interesting new smells and sights, providing distraction from aching muscles or tired lungs.

I think I'll start trying more new routes.  I enjoy running through neighborhoods and seeing the homes and people about. 

When I leave this place and we end up wherever we end up, I will miss my old trail but I'm excited to discover new areas and new favorites.

Today I ran 10 miles...and enjoyed it.

A Pain in the Knee

As I've mentioned before, this is the longest period of time I've been running consistently and I suppose I'm paying the price for it.  My right knee is being a pain!  Literally!  It hurts just below the kneecap, which I assume is my patellar tendon.  I don't ice it and probably don't do anything I SHOULD do to take care of it.  I don't stretch enough and I don't elevate it when I'm sitting down (of course, with the amount of time I actually get to "sit", it probably wouldn't do much good anyway. 

So I've been planning a break in running.  I'm not sure exactly when I'll do this but I think I'll need to take at least a good month off to see if I can get it back to normal.  I'll continue to cross-train and will try to get as much benefit from that as possible.  Who knows?  Maybe that will help with the recovery.

I'm also debating a marathon in the near future but I'm not sure it's feasible with our potential travel plans for the summer!

Any tips on recovery??  I'd much rather not have to stop running if possible.

Test: Failed

I went for a long run today to close out my first week of training for the half marathon.  I met my friend who is training for the Ogden Marathon.  She was due to run 15-18 miles today and I only needed to run 13 so we started together and she went on at the end to finish her run.  I decided to try out a new program I installed on my phone.  It's called Endomondo and it is designed to use the GPS system in my phone to track my run, time it, and post it online.  I pressed Start and didn't look at my phone until the end of the run.  (Running with my phone was a pain--all the jostling and bouncing.)

The run started out fine but I felt tired and unmotivated--this combined with a horribly, bitter-cold headwind made it difficult to keep up spirits.  The return run was easier with the wind at our backs and running down the long incline we'd just run up.

I finished the run feeling achy and tired.  I guess that means I worked hard enough.  I took a look at the finished map created by my phone's GPS and looked at the distance run--1670 miles?  I don't think so.  I guess I'll be testing other GPS programs for running in the future.  Ideally I'd like to get a Garmin but that requires money! 

I think a good stretch session is in order tonight.

Something worth training for

My running is going well and I enjoy working toward this goal of 1000 miles.  This doesn't mean, however, that I'm content not training for any races.  So yesterday, in a food-induced search for something to further motivate good eating and exercise habits, I signed up for the Provo Half Marathon.  I'm really excited to start training for this race and to start including speed work and tempo runs into my workouts.  I'm also recommitting to my WW plan and now have my dear husband on board with me which will help tremendously. 

Let the fun begin!!  My race is May 1st.  I may be signing up for some other races soon but I'm still researching options.  Perhaps a triathlon?

The Saturday Run

A few months ago I'd have given anything to be done with the long and sometimes dreaded Saturday run.  But today is was welcomed.  My friend whom I have semi-trained with in the past invited me to run with her today as she has started training for the Ogden Marathon.  She was supposed to run 14 miles today and since I've only been up to 7 miles this year (and on a treadmill), I told her I'd love to go but that I'd only be able to do maybe 9 or 10. 

We left around 9 since neither of us had anywhere to be and it was nice to start a little later.  That's the great thing about running in the winter--you don't have to get up early to beat the heat.  There was a light drizzle for the entire run which was nice.  I've always loved running in the rain.  I felt good and it was nice to have company and to be running outside.  We are blessed with such beautiful running trails here and only a short distance from home. 

We ran together for 10 miles and she continued on to meet her 14 mile goal.  My legs were definitely feeling the distance but it wasn't too hard and I'm glad I went.

Hiatus

For sanity's sake, I took a brief hiatus last weekend from my Weight Watchers habits.  It was not without penalty, however.  I hesitated to weigh in on Monday, not because I was afraid of gaining, but because I didn't want that little graph with my weight loss to show anything but losses.

After weighing in this morning, I was even with my lowest weight so that felt good.  I know I'm not too far off track.  I've been doing very well since Monday and feel refreshed with the healthy eating habits again.

I think I have hit middle ground now--where binging doesn't satisfy and doesn't really even appeal anymore but its still difficult to eat so consciously all the time.  I've never cooked so many vegetables in all my life!

I ran 4 miles today.

Close Call

My WW adventure began 3 weeks ago (tomorrow) and so far I have lost 4.5 pounds.  Good news, right?  Well it's been much harder than I thought.  I guess I haven't stuck to a diet--oops--"life-style change" for a long time.  I have tried really hard and have tracked everything I've possibly eaten.  This last week has been quite difficult as we're getting over colds and it has been hard to get to the gym when I feel like a cement truck has dumped it's entire contents in my sinuses.  I have still managed to put in some miles and it's cool to see my goal slowly being reached.

Wednesday was a make or break day for me.  I started out eating a croissant and hot chocolate for breakfast--something I used to do ALL the time--we're talking every morning.  The bad thing is that once I made that decision (after also deciding not to wake up early to go to the gym since I felt like crap) the rest of the day was a domino effect of bad choices.  For lunch we went to Smashburger, which just opened up here.  My brother and other family members have been raving about this place and since Jon and I both love a good burger, we decided to put it to the test.  Well, it was simply amazing.  The burger was the best I've ever had.  It far surpassed Red Robin or any other restaurant as far as flavor is concerned.  A new favorite.  On the downside, I completely depleted my points for the day and most of my weekly extra points as well.  Can we say "downward spiral"?  So, naturally, I'm feeling "munchy" come dinner time and had already resolved not to eat anything since I'd overdone it with lunch.  If I got hungry, I'd eat vegetables.  Instead I had a handful of chocolate chips and Pirate's Booty.  There was nothing I wouldn't eat at this point.

At some point, I found myself standing in the pantry, looking at all of the snack foods I could possibly move on to next and I realized that I wasn't really getting the satisfaction out of this binge that I would have before I started WW.  This is a good thing!  Maybe I'm learning that eating for boredom and emotional gratification doesn't work.  This is when I ran upstairs, put on my gym clothes and headed to the gym.  I ran 5.5 miles and rode the bike for 20 minutes.  I felt great afterwords.  It was late at night and I was tired but I felt good.  I had somewhat redeemed myself from a day of bad choices.

I'm sure I'll pay for the bad choices come Monday's weigh-in.  But for now I'm going to chalk it up to a lesson learned.  I figure if these pitfalls happen every couple of weeks but I'm able to pick myself back up again, I'm in pretty good shape.  I need to learn to be a little more flexible.  This is real life, after all.

Under The Weather

I've been trying to pretend/avoid the fact that I've been getting sick for a few days now.  I woke up last Friday with a deep ache in my chest.  I still ran 7 miles on Saturday and felt good all day but it turns out my nose was also running.  It hit a bit harder yesterday and this morning, my husband and I both felt crappy. 

Dear Virus,
Please leave me and my family the heck alone.  You have given me an obnoxious headache and runny nose and have left me no choice but to get out the Afrin at night.  All I want to do is wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and ready to run.  You're ruing it.  You have no idea who you're messing with.  With a little help from my friend, Zicam, you'll be obliterated in no time at all.  Consider this fair warning.

Treadmill vs Road

I haven't been outside much this year doing my runs.  The majority of my miles have been on the treadmill.  Something I think about during the mind-numbing hours on the treadmill is if all of the treadmill work will translate over to the road.  I don't run with an incline, so that right there makes the treadmill a little easier--physically.  Mentally, it's a whole other ball game. 

Where do you look when you run on the treadmill?  The distance run, the time, the people walking by, the wall, the TV they've installed 10 inches from your face?  I usually stare at a distant wall and try to get sucked into the rhythm of my music.  That's when time starts to fly by.  The worst way to spend your time is staring at the distance run or the clock if you're going for a certain time.  Time immediately slows.  It's torture. 

Today I ran 7 miles on the treadmill and put my extra shirt over the display in front of me so that the only thing I could see if I looked down was the speed at which I was running.  Time went by much faster and my mind didn't tell me I was tired.

Two In One Day

I woke up at 6:15 this morning and headed to the gym again.  I took my new shoes for their first run.  Six miles.  I didn't realize how much I needed new shoes until I ran in my new ones today.  Boy, did it feel nice!  Ample cushion.  I wonder what people think when they see someone walk in with the whitest shoes they've ever seen--"Those are obviously new, are they new to running, too?  How long before I don't see them at the gym anymore (before they give up)."

My day started out perfectly with my run and my weigh-in.  I have now lost 2.5 pounds.  Just 15 more to go.

Dinner was bad.  We went to Chili's.  In an effort to cheer up Jonathan (dreading returning to school), we ate three courses.  The good news is that I had the points to do it.  I didn't undo my whole week and as long as I keep up my good habits the rest of the week, I should still come out with a loss.

Jon is going to start training for a triathlon.  I supported his decision by going for a jog with him tonight.  I'm proud of him and I'll do that as many times as I can to help him reach his goal.  We ran 2.5 miles.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Yesterday was my 27th birthday.  It feels weird to say it.  Birthdays always get us thinking about our lives.  I can honestly say that I'm pleased with what I have accomplished up to this point in my life and I'm happy and content with where I am in my life right now.  I have been making healthier choices lately with my meals and workouts and for the first time in a very long time, I think I'll actually stick this one out.  I can't count on my little family's 8 hands combined, the number of times I've said, "OK, Monday I'm starting fresh", or "Monday is a new day", or "I'm going to work out everyday next week".

I had a wonderful day yesterday.  Life went on as it normally does on a Friday except that Jon decided to take more time away from school to be with me and help with the kids.  Then we left our kids with his parents and our night together began.  First, he surprised me with my birthday present--a trip to Runner's Corner for a new pair of shoes!  I was hoping he'd do this.  As far as I'm concerned, running shoes are one of the best presents.  With a fresh pair of shoes, the motivation immediately increases and the mind dreams of what can be accomplished.

I didn't get to take my new shoes out today.  Monday.  Monday they'll go for their first run.

I went with the Asics Gel Nimbus 11.

The Price You Pay

It has been three months since I lost two toenails after the St. George marathon.  I'm not sure what to attribute the loss to.  Most say it's from wearing too tight a shoe or even too loose or just from running a lot!  Whichever it is, I've lost many before and don't foresee the trend ending any time soon. 

I'd like to think of my deformed toenails as badges of accomplishment--hard-earned trophies.  Each one represents a battle waged against numberless forces:  hills, heat, pounding, injury, sweat, sore muscles, and all of the other elements of running.

Please forgive the ill-attempt to cover the toes with sparkle polish.

I ran 4 miles today.

Gear Review: Sports Bra (Guys, you can skip this)

A friend recently asked me for my advice on a good sports bra for nursing moms.  Well, I know all about this.  For my first baby, I ran with 2 sports bras.  That's right, I just doubled up for double the support!  It kind of worked but more so felt as if my ribs and lungs were getting unnecessary support--I couldn't breathe!  Add on a heart rate strap and you've basically tied a tourniquet around your ribcage. 

I put up with it while nursing my first baby but when my second came along, I couldn't do it anymore.  I'd finish a run/race and would have an open wound under the strap because of the constant chaff-age.  We all know how painful it is to shower after you've been chaffed from running (no matter what the body part).

So I began my search.  I knew that Title Nine had some great bras but I was hesitant to spend that much money on a sports bra.  I looked in every store I happened across and found no success.  Don't get me wrong--some stores have great selections but they're mostly for women with a smaller bust.  Title Nine has a great measuring system called the "Barbell System".  The bras are all measured according to support needs; the least support being one barbell and the most being five.  This is a great place to buy bras if you're willing to spend some money on them.

I continued to research and found a comparable bra with maximum support and purchased it at a site called NY Lingerie.  I now use the Champion Powerback Wire-Free bra. 

     Pros:  Excellent support.  Great design.  Comfortable.  Doesn't smash.
     Cons:  Difficult to fasten once it's on.  Needs thicker fabric to ensure maximum modesty (if you don't know what this means, ask me).

Today I ran 4.5 miles.