So, it turns out, you CAN actually run a half marathon if you weren't a runner 3 months prior. How do I know this?
Because yesterday, I ran a half marathon.
I started out with the 2:30 finish time pace group, and stuck with them through mile 7. I knew miles 7-10 would be my demise, and I was right! I had to stop a few times to fix my knee brace, as well as walk through the water stations. So my pace did suffer as a result, but I am still nonetheless thrilled that I completed the task at hand!
It was hard, it was exhilarating. It was like nothing I have ever done before.
And I want to do it again. : )
My 2:41 finish time needs big improvement - that, will be my next goal to tackle! 2:20 anyone?
Monday, April 12, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
One less person to compete with on the running trails..
....the epitome of ridiculousness....
She had so much surgery she doesn't want to run anymore? Wow.
Guess that is one less person I have to worry about lapping me in the park!
She had so much surgery she doesn't want to run anymore? Wow.
Guess that is one less person I have to worry about lapping me in the park!
Bad Blogger...
It has been a full 2 weeks since I really felt the need to post to this blog. Perhaps it's the fact that I no longer needed it to make me feel accountable. It was the looming 13.1 on the calendar that made me feel incentivized to run! Alas, I will share the trials and tribulations of my last 2 weeks worth of runs.
3/26 - I ran nine (count them, nine) miles. It. Was. Amazing. I really could not believe I ran 9 miles, and felt like a million bucks. I met up with my hubby after the run, and he had done 11, and was hurting head to toe. We both went home, nursed our sore joints, and ate a much needed dinner!
After running 9, I really felt like the half marathon was doable. Sure, 9 miles was hard, but if I had to run another 4 to finish off the half, I could have done it! Enter: knee pain.
I have now been nursing knee pain on the inside of my knee (probably a 2 out of 10 on the pain scale), that has persisted ever since my 9 miler two weeks ago. I went to a meeting on Saturday after my run, wore kitten heels all day, and I think made my knee pretty ticked off that it was not only forced to run 9 miles, but then tackle 9 hours in heels, plus stairs. Fail.
I took last week easy (doing only 2 short runs and a cross training day), and I paid for it come long-run on Friday. I had to run 10 miles, and though I had diligently iced my knee, and stretched, it was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. Oh - to add insult to injury, there was a 20mph sustained wind, and it was 80 degrees. We don't get 80 degree weather in late March here in the upper midwest - it's craziness. So, I was hot, pushed the other way due to wind, and exhausted from my constricting knee brace. My husband met me with the car at mile 8.5 and coaxed me into the vehicle. It was probably the best thing I could have done, as the sky opened up about 30 minutes later. I learned to listen to my body. I learned that sometimes it is better to just stop than to push it and get really injured.
I also learned the valuable lesson that cross training will save you from running hell if you have an injury. I didn't really cross train all that much, or anything close to the intensity that I run at during a training run. I needed to bike harder, or swim, or SOMETHING other than 30 mins at a HR of 100bpm. Ugh. My cardiovascular system hated me during that run - I had weakened it and it was angry!
So - this week, I am tapering my miles. I did a little under 4mi yesterday, and will do 3, 2, and 2 respectively through Thursday. Then, I get to rest Friday and Saturday - and RUN on Sunday!
Yup - 13.1 miles - here I come! Who knows? Maybe I'll actually finish the 13.1 in under 3 hrs, and then start looking to the marathon as another goal! : )
3/26 - I ran nine (count them, nine) miles. It. Was. Amazing. I really could not believe I ran 9 miles, and felt like a million bucks. I met up with my hubby after the run, and he had done 11, and was hurting head to toe. We both went home, nursed our sore joints, and ate a much needed dinner!
After running 9, I really felt like the half marathon was doable. Sure, 9 miles was hard, but if I had to run another 4 to finish off the half, I could have done it! Enter: knee pain.
I have now been nursing knee pain on the inside of my knee (probably a 2 out of 10 on the pain scale), that has persisted ever since my 9 miler two weeks ago. I went to a meeting on Saturday after my run, wore kitten heels all day, and I think made my knee pretty ticked off that it was not only forced to run 9 miles, but then tackle 9 hours in heels, plus stairs. Fail.
I took last week easy (doing only 2 short runs and a cross training day), and I paid for it come long-run on Friday. I had to run 10 miles, and though I had diligently iced my knee, and stretched, it was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. Oh - to add insult to injury, there was a 20mph sustained wind, and it was 80 degrees. We don't get 80 degree weather in late March here in the upper midwest - it's craziness. So, I was hot, pushed the other way due to wind, and exhausted from my constricting knee brace. My husband met me with the car at mile 8.5 and coaxed me into the vehicle. It was probably the best thing I could have done, as the sky opened up about 30 minutes later. I learned to listen to my body. I learned that sometimes it is better to just stop than to push it and get really injured.
I also learned the valuable lesson that cross training will save you from running hell if you have an injury. I didn't really cross train all that much, or anything close to the intensity that I run at during a training run. I needed to bike harder, or swim, or SOMETHING other than 30 mins at a HR of 100bpm. Ugh. My cardiovascular system hated me during that run - I had weakened it and it was angry!
So - this week, I am tapering my miles. I did a little under 4mi yesterday, and will do 3, 2, and 2 respectively through Thursday. Then, I get to rest Friday and Saturday - and RUN on Sunday!
Yup - 13.1 miles - here I come! Who knows? Maybe I'll actually finish the 13.1 in under 3 hrs, and then start looking to the marathon as another goal! : )
Monday, March 22, 2010
8 miles!
I used to read stories of people who took two cars to their running locals so as to not end up on the other end of the park, miles away from their car. (Do you see where this is going?)
The good news is, I ran 8 miles on Friday. Eight. Miles. Wowza.
I had to stop for a few walk breaks -but ended up with a 11:20min mile pace even with my walk breaks - not too shabby. For me, the first 4-5 miles are always a bit of a struggle, but once I get past 5, everything is gravy! It did feel nice to run 8 miles and then feel like if I had to run another 5, I could!
The bad news was, that I didn't plan accordingly, and ended up 2.5 miles from my car after running 8 miles. And I was out of water. And none of the water fountains were turned on in the park. Go figure.
After walking a mile, I could see my car in the distance, across the golf course. I had two choices - either walk on the running path (which would take another 1.5 miles to get there), or sprint across the golf course and hope I didn't get pummeled with golf balls.
The result? Oh, I ran like a mad woman across the golf course, scaring several golfers in the process. I was tired, sweaty, and probably had the most flailing gait since I was exhausted. Just. Wanted. To. Be. Inside. Car.
Haha. I did get quite a laugh out of it when it was all said and done.
The great thing about running 8 miles? You pretty much run off whatever you have eaten so far that day. Yum for dinner!
The good news is, I ran 8 miles on Friday. Eight. Miles. Wowza.
I had to stop for a few walk breaks -but ended up with a 11:20min mile pace even with my walk breaks - not too shabby. For me, the first 4-5 miles are always a bit of a struggle, but once I get past 5, everything is gravy! It did feel nice to run 8 miles and then feel like if I had to run another 5, I could!
The bad news was, that I didn't plan accordingly, and ended up 2.5 miles from my car after running 8 miles. And I was out of water. And none of the water fountains were turned on in the park. Go figure.
After walking a mile, I could see my car in the distance, across the golf course. I had two choices - either walk on the running path (which would take another 1.5 miles to get there), or sprint across the golf course and hope I didn't get pummeled with golf balls.
The result? Oh, I ran like a mad woman across the golf course, scaring several golfers in the process. I was tired, sweaty, and probably had the most flailing gait since I was exhausted. Just. Wanted. To. Be. Inside. Car.
Haha. I did get quite a laugh out of it when it was all said and done.
The great thing about running 8 miles? You pretty much run off whatever you have eaten so far that day. Yum for dinner!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Trying out the am run.
I am a morning person. I will gladly wake up at 6:30ish and revel in the fact that I have a good 2 hours before I must leave the house for my office. I'll do laundry, tackle dishes, etc. I enjoy the my morning java with talk radio. I am, in essence, a retired woman trapped inside a 26 year old's body.
Enter morning running. Cue the "I'm a morning person" persona racing out of the room to hide in the closet. See, I am all about morning household to-do lists. Morning runs? Not so much.
This goes against everything I will have to do in 4 weeks at the half marathon. Since the start time is when? Oh yes, 7am.
So this morning, I decided to give a weekday am run a go. I had 5 miles to tackle, and I figured backing into that frightening 7am start time would be a good way to manage. If I ran at 8 or 9am, then shifted it a half-hour earlier each weekend, I would end up thinking 7am and 13.1 miles go together like, well, peanut butter and jam.
Running at 8am requires the requisite eating of a snack at 6am, which means I have to set and alarm and a banana at my bedside, eat said banana in a groggy haze, and go back to bed for another 30 mins/hour ish.
It also means I get to run my slow butt around rush hour traffic while everyone says "Gee - that girl is sweating far too much given how slow she's running..." But I managed my 5 miles today. It wasn't the most exciting or interesting run, but I completed it, and came close to my race time from this past weekend. Hooray!
The other fun part? A grandfather was taking his two grandkids to breakfast this morning at a cafe near my house. I ran by them as they were walking in, and then ran by them at the end of my run, as they were leaving the cafe and getting in their car. The 10 year old promptly asked "Have you been running this whole time?"...to which I responded (short of breath) - "YUP!" : )
Big. Grin.
Oh - and for the record, I did no household errands this morning. Left my gym clothes on the bathroom floor like the bachelor I met 9 years ago. Sorry honey - I'll tidy up when I get home this pm. : )
Enter morning running. Cue the "I'm a morning person" persona racing out of the room to hide in the closet. See, I am all about morning household to-do lists. Morning runs? Not so much.
This goes against everything I will have to do in 4 weeks at the half marathon. Since the start time is when? Oh yes, 7am.
So this morning, I decided to give a weekday am run a go. I had 5 miles to tackle, and I figured backing into that frightening 7am start time would be a good way to manage. If I ran at 8 or 9am, then shifted it a half-hour earlier each weekend, I would end up thinking 7am and 13.1 miles go together like, well, peanut butter and jam.
Running at 8am requires the requisite eating of a snack at 6am, which means I have to set and alarm and a banana at my bedside, eat said banana in a groggy haze, and go back to bed for another 30 mins/hour ish.
It also means I get to run my slow butt around rush hour traffic while everyone says "Gee - that girl is sweating far too much given how slow she's running..." But I managed my 5 miles today. It wasn't the most exciting or interesting run, but I completed it, and came close to my race time from this past weekend. Hooray!
The other fun part? A grandfather was taking his two grandkids to breakfast this morning at a cafe near my house. I ran by them as they were walking in, and then ran by them at the end of my run, as they were leaving the cafe and getting in their car. The 10 year old promptly asked "Have you been running this whole time?"...to which I responded (short of breath) - "YUP!" : )
Big. Grin.
Oh - and for the record, I did no household errands this morning. Left my gym clothes on the bathroom floor like the bachelor I met 9 years ago. Sorry honey - I'll tidy up when I get home this pm. : )
All I talk about is running...
Not just on this blog, because, well, quite frankly, I have no followers, and I did this blog as a way to keep myself accountable to my mileage while training for the half marathon in April.
But lately, life has become hectic, and it seems all I do is eat, sleep, work, study, and run. As the runs get longer, my preparation gets longer, and my recovery is a bit longer as well. This eats into my overall time set aside to have a life. Hence, I do not have one at this moment.
I have a few great recipes I need to post. However, all this week, I have been eating a Chicken Tamale Casserole from Cooking Light (that I made on Sunday). I have organic, free-range chicken sitting in the fridge, waiting for me to cook it. Tonight perhaps, we shall see....
On a side note - as women, we all need our iron. I made a giant pot of kale that I sauteed in olive oil with a bunch of garlic and red pepper flake. De-lish. I put a piece of bacon in there for flavor - but it was nitrate free, and at 20 calories a slice, well worth the flavor boost. : )
But lately, life has become hectic, and it seems all I do is eat, sleep, work, study, and run. As the runs get longer, my preparation gets longer, and my recovery is a bit longer as well. This eats into my overall time set aside to have a life. Hence, I do not have one at this moment.
I have a few great recipes I need to post. However, all this week, I have been eating a Chicken Tamale Casserole from Cooking Light (that I made on Sunday). I have organic, free-range chicken sitting in the fridge, waiting for me to cook it. Tonight perhaps, we shall see....
On a side note - as women, we all need our iron. I made a giant pot of kale that I sauteed in olive oil with a bunch of garlic and red pepper flake. De-lish. I put a piece of bacon in there for flavor - but it was nitrate free, and at 20 calories a slice, well worth the flavor boost. : )
Update to the train gain post...
For anyone who needs a handy tool on figuring out just how many cinnabons you have run off -
It's a great point. Yes, we burn calories running. But we also burn calories sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing, just breathing. So we have to subtract those couch potato calories from the running calories to get a true net of our calorie deficit for the day. Ugh. Math! : )
It's a great point. Yes, we burn calories running. But we also burn calories sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing, just breathing. So we have to subtract those couch potato calories from the running calories to get a true net of our calorie deficit for the day. Ugh. Math! : )
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