MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS OF A SLOW POKE

Rock N Roll Half Marathon

2009-01-24T10:56:00.000-08:00

I am totally behind in posting any kind of update on the half marathon last weekend, but life has just been extremely busy (and not entirely in the best of ways unfortunately). Between being sick with bronchitis for the past 2 weeks, and work.....it's left me in a bit of a running funk. Instead of whining, I tend to *hole up* for a while. Thus, the lack of posting ;)

I did go out and complete the Rock N Roll Half Marathon, and loved every minute of it. I honestly didn't mind if I went out and walked the entire thing ~ the goal was just to go and do it. I was still pretty sick, but it all went well.

I basically jogged the first 10K, walked the next 4 miles straight, and jogged in the last 5K. It's funny how much you can enjoy a race when there is no mental pressure to perform well :) I finished without leaving a lung on the sidewalk, in just over 3 hours.....so it ended up being a very good day.

I'm still struggling with some endurance issues, and even a 5 mile run with the "3-C's" (Christina, Caroline and Candace) this morning proved to be a challenge. My schedule has me heading for Huntington Beach this weekend to run with the amazing Viv ~ so we gotta chat today and come up with a plan. Perhaps a down scale to the 5K might be more in order for me......we'll just have to see.

I don't have much of a race report, so I'll let it ride with some great pictures of some great running peeps at the RNR Half......it was a great time!

Pre-Race Pasta Dinner

(Pat, Candace, Christina, Caroline & Me)

Race Morning

(Christina, Caroline, Lisa, Me, Mary, Pat & Candace)

Some of the happy HM finishers

(Pat, Mary, Lisa & Me)

Huge congrats to both Pat and Lisa who seriously PR'd this race, and to Candace who ran her very first half marathon in a faster time than I even allow myself to imagine :) Great times!!

Half Minded Thoughts ~ T Minus 9 Days

2009-01-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

6 Mile taper-run tomorrow
Hope the leg holds up well and I don't cough up a lung
Lisa has the TP issue covered for RNR so I can sleep well tonight.

HAPPY RUNNING!

I Got Nuthin'

2009-01-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

I'm fresh out of brilliant or whiney things to say as we approach PF Changs Rock N Roll HM ~ which is now only 10 days away. Wonder if buddies Pat or Lisa have anything wise to say??

Random Running Thought ~ T Minus 10:

The Big Squeeze

2008-12-23T07:57:00.000-08:00

Anyone recognize this little device??

Well today I get to become intimately involved with this lovely little gem as I transition into real womanhood with my very first mammogram! I've heard it call the Death Vice, Boob Smasher.....you name it......but this little number can saves lives. That's why I felt it my bloggity duty to post a PSA to all the other gal bloggers out there ~ if you're now over 35 years old and haven't had a mammogram yet.....go do it! DO.IT.NOW!!!!!

Even if you're like me with no history of breast cancer or other red flags, it's a very important diagnostic tool. And besides, it really just looks like a ton of fun :)

[end of soap box rant]

In other running news, everything is still going well. This last week was my *recovery* week after the Fiesta Bowl HM, and trust me.....I needed it. My quads felt every inch of the 13 miles, and took a couple days to recover. Owchie! That was a new experience!

So I didn't get much (any? Can't remember....) running done during the week (also due to a hectic schedule with the kids) but I did get a decent 8 miles done on Saturday. Based on advice from Micheline, I opted for a mileage cutback in my long run. She's a firm believer in a *rest* cycle every 4 weeks, and talked me out of the 10 miles I had originally planned. The run felt decent and averaged about the same pace as Fiesta Bowl, so I was pleased. Any time I can run 8 miles and feel good, I am happy :)

Yesterday's run didn't leave me with the same warm fuzzies. I had a horribly slow, sluggish and extremely tired 3 mile morning run. It sucked. Let's just leave it at that. Apparently, some times you feel like a run........sometimes you don't.

I'm hoping to head out for some miles tomorrow morning ~ early ~ before all the Christmas chaos starts ~ for at least 5 miles, and hopefully a tad more. My long run schedule for the weekend calls for at least 13 miles.......so apparently the recovery break is over! :)

Hope everyone has a great holiday this week....and happy running!

Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon 2008

2008-12-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

My poor, poor neglected little blog! It is about time that I finally have something to say and enough moments in the day to actually blog about it. I figure that in keeping with blog-tradition that at least a quick race report is in order....

Yesterday was the 2008 Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon up in Scottsdale. It's a much smaller race than what I'm used to (yes, I purposely drown myself in larger races where no one notices if you come in last) and it had never really been on my "to do list". My focus lately has been solely on the RNR Half Marathon coming up in January.

Yet two of my fellow TRC runners - Pat and Christina - were running this race and we had chatted about it on several of our long runs. For Christina, this was her very first race EVER.....and she was faced with having to run it alone :( After a lot of mental struggles, last week before I left town, I committed to running this race with her (strictly as a training run for me as funny enough I had 13 miles on the schedule for this weekend) and got myself all registered and ready to go. The goal was completion....and to give Christina some company as she crossed the finish line for the very first time.

The recipe for this half marathon wasn't exactly ideal:

one week of traveling and little sleep

one week of eating like crap (anything that wasn't nailed down)

one week of absolutely no running

a half marathon???

Well, not in the best of circumstances....but that was my receipe for Fiesta Bowl. Try hard not to be overly impressed ;)

Mentally, I knew I wasn't really ready for this ~ but for once I jumped out of my comfort zone and decided to give it the good ol' college try. My past half marathons have left me with a lot of mental baggage and trepidation....but it was time to face the pavement once again.

The goals are always the same. And yesterday, after a good solid run, I met each and every one of them!

The weather was perfect (although quite chilly at the start), the company was great, and very methodically Christina and I covered the distance. We ran ~ did not walk~ together for 11 1/2 miles ~ solid and strong. At that point, I felt my legs tighten and my mental paranoia started to take over a bit. I knew it was time to walk some, and slow the pace even more and take it on in. So after 11 1/2 miles I sent Christina packin' :) as she was well on her way to a fabulous race of her own, and we each needed to do what we each needed to do for our own success.

I crossed the finish line at 2:46:13, with Pat who came out to greet me (taking pictures of my behind, much to my dismay) and Christina waiting up ahead just outside the chute. I was smiling and happy, not dead, and not cramping. All 3 goals met in one fell swoop :)

It's hard not for me to "what if" this race to death, like I have with all the others. Of course, we were on track for a much better finish time (after 10 miles, my mental math showed that we could have made it in around 2:40.....which would have been amazing!) and I start to wonder if I let all the mental stuff really bog me down. In the past, my issues have been physical; yesterday, I think it was more mental.

I changed a lot of things ~ particularly in the areas of nutrition and hydration. I didn't overhydrate like I think I've done during pre-race in the past; and I kept my intake of calories steady throughout the run, instead of waiting until I felt like I needed it. I did discover that it's much hard to get Sports Beans IN your mouth while you're running, and that it really isn't necessary to leave a trail on a course that isn't an out and back ;)

I also discovered that I can RUN a long distance. It's slow, of course ~ our pace averaged anywhere between 12 mpm and 12:30ish ~ but we didn't stop. This is one area that running with Christina has really helped me in reducing my reliance on walk breaks. I'm still not sure what works better, time wise ~ running a bit faster and incorporating walk breaks, or just running slow and steady all the way through. Yesterday it was slow and steady, and it worked for us. Yet another new accomplishment for me!

And here are the dirty details:

Mile 1: 12:08
Mile 2: 12:24

Mile 3: 12:27

Mile 4: 12:31

Mile 5: 12:40

Mile 6: 12:42

Mile 7: 12:29

Mile 8: 12:18

Mile 9: 12:07

Mile 10: 12:36

Mile 11: 12:22

Mile 12: 13:04

Mile 13: 13:33

Total time: 2:46:13 ~ Average pace : 12:34

Garmie has my total mileage at 13.27, so I guess that makes me an over-achiever :) I hate it when I have to run more than required!!!! And since Garmie time and chip time agree, I think I should get credit for a marginally faster pace :) When you're this slow, every second counts ya know!!!!

But for the first time in my running career, I'm happy with my performance. Yes, it was a PR by about 5 minutes off of my Valley of the Sun HM from March. Yes, that makes me super happy. However, I also know that I can do better. I know that a 2:40ish finish was well within my reach...I just somehow chose not to grab it. Now I just have to get my mental game on and really start pushing myself toward what I know I can do.

But in the meantime, I will relish in the accomplishment as I try to walk up and down the stairs without my quads hurting :)

And congrats to my buddy Christina who finished her first Half Mary yesterday (in about 2:43ish, I think....freaking awesome!) and thanks to my buddy Pat who is always a fountain of moral support. We couldn't have asked for a better day to run!

Happy Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon Finishers

(Christina, Karen & Pat)

Picture my week.....

2008-12-07T12:23:00.001-08:00

First here.....

Then here...

(Orlando, FL)

And somehow, due to peer pressure, I'm going to end up here...

All in the next seven days!! I hope to be back at blogging soon with many good things to say!!

Happy Running!

PS: Yes, it's the half marathon...I've officially lost my mind :)

Testing, testing....

2008-11-27T07:57:00.000-08:00

Is this thing on??

Yes, I am still here.

Yes, I am running. A lot, in fact. November is going to be my highest mileage month EVER!
(freaking awesome!)

Yes, I'm super busy with life in general.

Just wanted to take a quick second and wish everyone in Blogland a HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

And Happy Running!

Everybody has one

2008-11-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Even if you say you don't.

Even if you block it out of your mind and deny that it ever enters the realms of your thoughts.

If you're like me, you'd never speak of it......even if you did have one.

It's just to risky.

Too embarrasing.

Too vulnerable.

For a runner like me, a time goal is just too scary to even talk about in public ~ let alone actually document in writing where others (including myself) might be able to refer back to it at later date.

After all, I'm a *just finish* runner ~ so I really don't need a time goal.

Do I????

It's now two months out from the RNR Half, and I'm so happy to be right on track in my training. I'm getting two short runs in during the week (usually if all the planets align) and a long run on the weekend. And the best part is that my long runs are improving.

I've always said that my goals for my upcoming races is just strictly improvement. For me, this translates into:

1. No leg cramps at Mile 10!
2. Finish strong and with a smile :)
3. Don't die (always a good one to keep on the list)

Not too lofty of goals, really....and if I met all on them on January 19th, I'd be one happy camper. So why the thought of a time goal is entering my brain, I really have no idea.

I'm trying to repress it, but it's trying hard to come out. The thought of adding a PR as #4 on the goal list is just getting way too tempting!

My long runs lately have felt decent ~ although I was extremely tired during Saturday's run (but I think we all were, so it must have been something in the air!) ~ and for the first time, ever, I am able to average under 13mpm during a long run.

Yes, you read correctly. I know it sounds silly - slooooooow.....but up until now, I've never been able to break the 13 minute average barrier ~ obviously due to the mix of walking and running. But now all three of my last long runs (10 miles, 8 miles and 11 miles) have all broken the barrier ~ coming in right around the 12 1/2 minute mark on average. This is what is causing my mind to wander......

My PR for the half marathon distance was somehow set at the Valley of the Sun last year (don't make me drudge up the gory details and discuss how good mine and Lisa's time SHOULD have been based on our performance up until the time that I cramped up....) and averaged just over 13mpm average pace. I do have to admit that this alone is amazing due to the amount of walking we did over the last 3 miles (due to yours truly, of course...UGH)....but I digress. Our final finish time was 2:52 and some change.....when it really should have been somewhere between 2:30 and 2:40. I still get frustrated when I think back to that day.

Then long runs like this weekend and the weekends past make me wonder..........what is really possible for me this year at RNR? If I can average 12.5 on a training run, what can I do on race day?? And the carrot begins to dangle.....

Then I snap back into reality and focus on my REAL GOALS. Time may or may not be on my side this year, but I am trying not to obsess about it. The good news is that I am still two months out from RNR and have already hit some serious long run distances. There are still 12, 13 and 14 mile long runs in my future.....but I know that I am on the right track to being READY.

Ready to IMPROVE and ready to finish with a SMILE :) Isn't that all that really matters in this silly sport???

ORN: Long Run with TRC peeps Pat, Candace & Christina ~ 11 miles ~ 2:20:33 ~ 12:46 average pace.

Happy Running!!!!!!!!!!

Somewhere Pigs are Flying

2008-11-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

I am sure of it. No doubt in my mind. What....you didn't see the pigs today??

Maybe you will find this even stranger........today I ran 8 miles. No really. I RAN 8 miles.

RAN.EIGHT.MILES!!!!!!

No, you aren't getting it.... (stick with me, will ya?)

I didn't run and walk 8 miles. I RAN. CONTINUOUSLY. Like real non-stop running. With no walk breaks!!!

Now you see what I mean about the pigs???? (dang, this bloggity crowd can be slow sometimes)

It was mileage "cutback" week on the ol' training plan, so a few members of the TRC headed out to brave the 42 degree temps (brrrrr.....chilly for AZ!) this morning at 6:30am to trek along the canals as usual.

Don't get me wrong ~ our pace was extremely slow ~ but we ran the entire way. The only exception was one quick stop for me to take off my shirt (don't get too excited peeps....I had a tank underneath) and then one quick walk break at about mile 5 for nutrition consumption (didn't last longer than about a minute). Other than that, Candace, Christina and I ran, and chatted, and ran and chatted for an entire 8 miles. And I felt FANTASTIC!

This is a first for the Pokey Record Books and something I hadn't even intended when we headed out today. But once we realized that none of us felt like walking, we kept the slow steady pace and knocked down the miles. Garmin is in my car, but I think we finished in about 1 hour 40 minutes or about a 12.5 mpm pace.

Good, GOOD things are happening around here in Running Land lately....and it only makes me more and more motivated each day! I'm not fast by any means, but I'm improving. Long run paces are getting marginally better, and my endurance is definitely improving. Have I mentioned how much I love running???

Better watch out for them pigs!!!

The Running Words I Hate

2008-11-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

TREADMILL and SPEEDWORK….not necessarily in that order and particularly if they would ever happen to be combined in the same sentence. That would be horrible!

So it is interesting that the past couple weeks have brought me to the point of trying to combine these two miserable words in my running repertoire. Seriously.

The tread(DREAD)mill??? Well, I’ve found that it has its place in my life when extra time is lacking and kids are sleeping (I hear you can get in trouble for leaving young kids along unattended, eh??) It used to be an old friend of mine back in my early running days when I didn’t have the guts to venture outside much where the *real* runners were. God forbid, I might actually be seen running. Now that I actually like it when people I know comment on having seen me running down the street, the treadmill has become a dusty piece of equipment in my garage. Using it bores me to tears, unless there is a good episode of The Office or Oprah on TV while I’m pounding away.

But time and schedule crunches in the past few weeks – combined with my commitment to myself that I WILL get short runs done during the week – have made the dreadmill a trusty companion. We’re not in love, by any means – but we tolerate each other for the sake of the kids. You know – the ones sleeping upstairs while we rendezvous in the garage. I am learning a whole new respect for my dear dreadmill – I hope it’s not just a fling.

And because time has definitely been of the essence – enter the other painful word from my running mental block: Speedwork.

Speedwork has never really been a priority of mine, because well…let’s face it – when you only have one speed (i.e. slow) how does it really work? I hated the prospect of actually having to push myself faster (oh, one of my running buddy's eyes are burning right now….) because it just might require a bit more effort on my part. Oh.The.Tragedy. (yes, I am a slug)

But I have learned in the past couple weeks that when one only has 30 minutes to run, the kids are sleeping upstairs and Hubs isn’t home yet, that these two grossly obscene words come together quite nicely and make a pretty decent workout. Desperate times cause for desperate measures (translate: short on time = better run faster!)

And the bonus? I actually feel like I have done something different, pushed myself a bit harder, left my comfort zone, and gotten in a decent run where otherwise I would have just been laying in bed dreaming about running.

I love me some speedwork on the dreadmill!!!

(Don’t quote me ~ I’ll deny ever saying such a horrendous thing)

And don’t laugh at my speediness – keep in mind this is Pokey-Style-Speedwork (not to be confused with actual speedwork done by a non-slowpoke runner)

I can’t wait to get back on the dreadmill tonight!!

(GASP! Someone please begin an intervention…..)

Happy Running!

ORN: Dreadmill Run ~ 1 mile at 5.0; .5 mile at 5.5; .5 mile at 6.0 (smokin!!); .3 mile walk/cool down ~ Total short workout: 2.3 miles

Surfacing

2008-11-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

I think I have time to surface today for a quickie update....thanks for all the emails checking in on me.....everything is finally settling down a bit.

Things have improved greatly with my son and his hip issue, but it took two long weeks of doctor appointments, xrays, MRI's, crutches, and a lot of tears and frustration (mostly from me). I don't like being a bloggy whiner, so it was easier for me just to not talk about it all here. I also didn't feel the need to air every emotional meltdown I had in the past couple weeks, and believe me...there were plenty. I think we are status quo for now....thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers!

Workouts and running have been pretty good ~ I still managed a couple of mid week dreadmill runs, even in the midst of all the family stuff that was going on. This past week was a bit rough as I got a bit too ambitious at Body Pump last Monday (after not having gone to class for almost 3 weeks) and didn't back off my weights. Stupid, I know. It took me until Thursday to be able to stand from a seated position without cringing. My hammies certainly took a beating. Next time I will be smarter ;)

I've had a couple great long runs the past couple weekends ~ especially yesterday with Pat and Candace. So good, in fact that I had to steal Pat's splits from his blog since I am too lazy to upload mine :) We got just over 10 miles done, and I have to say that the first 5 miles of the run were the fastest I have EVER run that distance! For me to average under 12 minute miles for 5 miles is a serious success. You can see that we slowed dramatically for the second half of the run, and apparently walked a bit. Pat's neat software (you can check out the details on his blog) shows our average "running" pace (when we were running, not walking) at 11:22.....again, which is a big deal for me. The final distance was 10.4 miles at an overall average of 12:26. Bring it on PF Changs!!!!

The plan for this week includes returning to work on Tuesday (wasn't in my office except for all of 2 hours last week!), 2 short runs and then a *cut-back* long run of 8 miles on Saturday morning. Oh yeah, and trying to keep everyone in my family healthy and on their feet ~ literally!

Happy Running!

If ever running were therapy...

2008-10-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

.....today was the day. I so badly needed a run this morning ~ both physically and mentally ~ that not even a stressful weekend and 5 hours of sleep could keep me from my long run. It was a NECESSITY.

Without talking about it much (because it's just too draining) my oldest son had some sort of relapse of his Perthes Disease on Friday night. Just stood up from the couch and couldn't walk. I don't even have to explain how much that breaks a parent's heart to see your child in pain. Combine that with Hubs being out of town, and it speaks for itself that I was a ball of nerves this weekend. He still can't walk on his own and has extensive pain in his left hip. Tomorrow we head to his orthopedic specialist and will determine if this is just a routine flare up, or a more long term problem. Please keep all your fingers and toes crossed for the former.

So the running plan for this morning was 8 miles ~ 4 by myself and then to meet Lisa for the second half of the run. I'm sure Lisa's blog will have a glimpse of some of the goofy pictures we took this morning (some of which we sent to Eileen as she was running her first half mary in San Fran this morning!! WOOT!), but I'm just too lazy to upload them here ;)

My first 4 miles were good, slow and consistent. Then I joined up with Lisa and she kept me truckin'. We did do a lot of walking ~ half out of physical necessity, the other half just because we had a lot to talk about and our speedy pace didn't allow for both breathing and conversation. We hit about 3.5 miles together and then parted ways. I was happy to report a big fat 11:25 split on my mile home (awesome for me on a long run), finishing up at 8.4 total miles. SUCCESS.

Later in the afternoon I was pondering some of my upcoming race goals (based on some conversation Lisa and I had this morning) and I was reminded of something that I often allow myself to forget. Two years ago about this time I became a runner. I picked a goal out of thin air and decided that I wanted to run a 10K race by the time I turned 40 years old (and I was 34 at the time). My friend Micheline jumped on my ambition and helped me form a love for the sport that simultaneusly both frustrates and inspires me on a daily basis.

So today, as I celebrated my 36th birthday I relished in the reality of not only meeting, but exceeding the goals I had pulled out of my wildest imagination. I am only 36 today, and have completed not only a 10K, but three half marathons. I'm not a great runner, and the finishes weren't necessarily pretty ~ but I've accomplished more than I could have ever imagined back then. My 10K by 40 has now turned into a marathon.....and those who know me know well that it just might take me the next 4 years to train for it! ;) The lesson of all my years of wisdom: don't ever underestimate what you are capable of. And dream BIG! And then dream BIGGER!! ;)

Happy Running!!

PS: Congrats to Eileen for finishing her first HM at the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco today! I heard from Eileen via text message, so I don't have all the details...but am anxiously awaiting a race report!!

Movin' in Maui

2008-10-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

Had I known earlier that the "kick start" that I needed in my running resided somewhere in the South Pacific, I would have bought plane tickets to Maui much sooner!!! Aside from having a fabulous time (vacation wise) last week, I had an even better time RUNNING. Short runs, mind you....the things that are a constant struggle in my running life!

I ran 4 out of the 6 mornings we were there ~ just over 11 miles in total. I don't think I have ever gotten in that many short runs in a week ~ even when I was in "training" mode! Yes, I'm that lousy at the mid-week runs. It's funny to me that the biggest treat for me during this whole vacation was the ability ~ the time ~ to go and run almost every morning. I treasured it like at one time I would have treasured the vacation opportunity just to sleep in and enjoy coffee on the patio. Don't get me wrong ~ there was plenty of coffee on the patio to be had by me ~ it just came AFTER some really great runs :)

Day 1 ~ the Exploratory Run

The first day I headed out with the intent to find a nice path, or boardwalk of sorts, along the beach for my run. Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed to find that the area we were in did not have any such pathways along the beach ~ only sand.

I have serious disdain for running in sand (unless it is like the hard-packed stuff like I found in Mexico last year), but I gave it the good old college try. That lasted about 50 yards. Thank heavens for the amazing view to keep my mind off the pounds of sand that crept its way into my shoes.

So I left the beach and hit the streets. Most of my runs looked like this.....

Run 2 ~ The More-of-the-Same-Run

I was pretty still disappointed about not having an ocean view during my runs (I mean I'm in Maui for goodness sake!), until the next time out I happened upon this little gem. It is unknown how many visits I actually made to this little venue during my time there :)

And even along the same route, I noticed many new things along the way ~ my favorite of which was this cute little church that just really warranted a photo opportunity.

Run 3 ~ A New Direction

It wasn't really my first choice, but by my third run I ventured out in a new direction (to the south of where we were staying in Kaanapali Beach) and hit the highway. Yes, the highway. It was the only option in this new direction.

The first half mile or so was pretty crappy ~ lots of construction going on in the resort area of Maui, so I ran past plenty of half-finished hotels and tried not to get hit by oncoming traffic. The sun had just started to peek up over the West Maui Mountains (which happened to be to the East of me as I was running), when I looked over to my right side and caught a glimpse of my shadow on a tarp that was blocking off one of the construction areas. As I ran along, I realized that I actually kinda liked my shadow! Good running form, cute pony tail. Okay...so this calls for a picture!!!

I had to stand still since I wasn't coordinated enough to actually snap the picture while running, but you get the idea of my vanity ;)

It was during this brief running stint along the highway that I learned something new about motor transportation in Maui ~ more specifically, that motorized scooters are treated like bicycles, not road vehicles. I learned this rather quickly after almost getting run over by two different scooters while running in the bike lane!!!

I'm from Arizona where bikes mean BIKES. The cycling kind, you know? Well, not so much in Maui. I learned a whole new respect for the motorized scooters. And I just LOVED these signs posted everywhere. Watch for bikers, but plow over runners. Sheesh....the injustice!!!!

Run 4 ~ Uphill on Purpose

My last run took me back out on the fearful highway again (this time much more successful at dodging scooters) just as the sun was coming up again.

I had run past this road on my previous run, and wondered what lay at the top of this gigantic hill. There was never any traffic coming down the road, and it was just winding enough so that I couldn't really see where it went. So I decided to do the unthinkable. Run UP the hill. ON PURPOSE.

(gasp! those who know me will find this portion disturbing and highly unlikely.....but true! ;)

Cell phone cameras just don't do this kind of sunrise any justice.

It was a beautiful trudge up the hill, and the thought of actually being able to run about intentional hill-running on my blog may have even given me an extra spring in my step! About halfway up, I came upon this sign which gave me false hopes...

There was not really any coffee ~ just estate lots for sale. *sigh* MAJOR disappointment. I'd run up a hill any day if there was a great latte waiting for me at the top ;)

But my reward came just a few moments later when I reached the highest portion of the road. How can you not love a view like this???

I stood for quite a while taking it all in (and catching my breath) and was just so happy that I had decided to venture up there that morning. And just to prove that I was really there, I snapped a shot of my trusty running partner and her long supermodel legs ;)

There's plenty more vacation babble and pictures to come.....hope everyone had a great time while I was gone....have lots of catching up to do!

Happy Running!

A Hui Hou

2008-10-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

If you need me ~ I'll be HERE

.

We are leaving on Saturday ~ me, Hubs, the Boys and the In-Laws ~ for some sun, sand and (hopefully) a little R & R. I am being realistic in knowing ahead of time that I certainly won't have time to post between now and then, thus A Hui Hou. It means "see you later" or "until we meet again" in Hawaiian. I know. I'm so linguistically advanced :)

Running has been in the crappy department this week, as in ~ there has been none. Still crazy busy, not feeling 100%, and just being lousy at working it into the priorities. I've already beat myself up mentally for it, so I'm done. I have a corrective plan of action once we return from Hawaii, and I'll deal with it then.

For now, I'm planning an early morning 5 miler tomorrow morning, a looooooong ass plane ride on Saturday, and then some running on Sunday morning when I wake up at the crack of dawn Hawaii time. And if I can get a short run (3ish miles) done every other day while I'm there, I will call it a success.

Good luck to my buddy Lisa who is tackling the 70 mile Tour de Scottsdale this weekend, and to any other peeps who may be racing!! ALOHA!!!

Bumblebee, Wildebeast & a TRC Explosion!

2008-09-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was methodically laying out all my running gear for this morning, I got this reaction from Hubs: “ You’re not really going to run tomorrow morning, are you?”

Me: Ummmm…..YEAH. (rolling eyeballs in disbelief that he would even insinuate that I might miss a long run!!)

I may have not been the best decision I’ve made in a while, but certainly not the worst either ;) I was feeling better – although not 100% yet. But I wasn’t going to miss another run.

The thermometer on my car was promising ~ 74 degrees ~ the best starting temperature we’ve had in a long time. Yes, it is already that warm in the dark at 6am. But for us, that is a real TREAT.

Our Tumbleweed Running Club exploded this week with the addition of several new runners! And can you guess….of course, they were all female. Yep, Pat remains the lone male of the group….today accompanied by FIVE other women. Other men on the canal must either envy or pity him ~ not sure exactly which! Luckily today there were no ramblings about female issues, crotch sweat or irritating husbands….just general banter about running and life.

The first portion of the run felt pretty good in general. I could tell early on that my breathing was going to be an issue. I had soooo much nastiness in my throat from being sick all week, that it really made it difficult to get my breathing under control. Then, combined with the fact that I ramble way too much on group runs (note to self: talk less, run more) it went downhill pretty fast. At the turn around point at just under 3 miles, it really hit me.

I made it to about mile 4 before I had to fall back a bit. We were running in two groups: three of us up front, the other 3 a little ways back. My intention was to fall back and join the other group, when I got attacked.

I was LITERALLY hit in the back of the head by the biggest BUMBLEBEE I have ever seen. You know, the huge black/blue ones that look like small aircraft? It hit the back of my pony tail, and then continued to swarm around my head. I tried dodging it, but it wouldn’t give up. So I did what any runner along the canal would do: I RAN.

I would run a bit ahead, and stop to catch my breath…..and then there it was – back in my hair!!! I must have smelled so good that it just couldn’t resist chasing me. Or, my all black running outfit may have made me look like the Queen Bumblebee….I’m just not sure.

So this thing won’t give up on catching me, so it was time to seek help. So I yell for Pat ~ who is not too far ahead of me ~ that I am being chased. And what do you suppose my running buddy does?

He laughs…and then goes on to yell back a story about how in the wild, bumblebees chase, and I quote – “the weakest wildebeast” – from the pack in order to attack it for food once it separates from the group. While still dodging the bee, I yell back to him that he’s full of crap and that it’s LIONS that chase wildebeast, and not bees. Oh, and by the way ~ did he just call me a weak wildebeast? Yes, he did. See what I tell ya ~ good running buddies are hard to find. I’ll have to take this issue up with Pat again on a future run ;)

So I ditch the bee finally~ but it didn’t help my running. I somehow made it to the 6 mile point where the group was going to stop. Pat and I had planned to run a couple more miles at the park to hit our 8 miles, which I still opted to attempt even after the lousy six miles.

So we ran about a mile around the park, and then it was time to let Pat move on. My breathing still hurt, my side hurt, my legs were tired ~ and although I didn’t mention it to Pat (I figured I had whined enough already) I had the slightest twinge of a cramp in my left calf muscle. So Pat went on and I planned to walk around the park back to my car.

So I walked a bit, stopped and stretched my calves, and felt marginally good enough to pick up the pace just a bit. So I reverted back to the old days and the Pokey Shuffle. There really isn’t a more accurate way to describe this ~ it’s really just a shuffle. Slightly faster than a walk, but definitely not a run. Not even a jog. But it got me through, and I shuffled around the park until I hit my 8 miles. I am getting more number-stubborn every day apparently ~ there was no way I wanted to come up short today. The splits ended up being pretty decent for the majority of the run ~ actually faster than last week. Not sure how that happened, but I’ll take it.

I still feel pretty decent, although my throat is a little more sore this afternoon ~ almost certainly from all the huffing and puffing this morning. In retrospect, it may not have been the smartest move to attempt so many miles today after a week of the sickies…..but you know, I’ve never claimed to be the smartest runner out there.

So the TRC is back in full action, with a great group for fall training! All six of us from today, plus Lisa and Eileen will all be running the RNR Half Marathon in January. I’m completely sad that I won’t be able to run with the group next weekend since we’re gone for fall break, but I’m looking forward to the coming weeks and more great miles!

And looking forward to settling up with Pat for the wildebeast comment….

Happy Running!

Apparently, I'm Average

2008-09-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

I'm a number-geek, and this bothers me.

I got a C. I'm "Average."

I should have gotten a B and been "Above Average."

I'm talking about WORKOUTS. Workout COMPLETION, to be exact.

I have had 18 training workouts on my schedule so far for the month of September, and I've missed 5. So I get a 72% for the month of September. Fudge. That's actually a C-MINUS.

Had I not been sick this week, I would have gotten an 84% and been a little more pleased with myself.

Nooooooo, I'm not a compulsive number junkie ~ why do you ask? Me thinks I may have been hanging around with Lisa a bit too long now. But nooooo....I can still run somewhat uneven mileage and feel good about myself. So I'm safe.

And in case anyone asks, of course I included tomorrow's long run in my completion totals!!! DER.....it's going to be the highlight of my week :)

Sicko

2008-09-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

My great workout streak has been broken this week, compliments of a nasty throat virus and my kids. You guessed it ~ mom and dad now have the bug.

I missed my short run last night and will try again tonight and see if I can at least squeak out a couple miles. I was really trying to keep the mileage streak alive ~ even at a low level ~ but it just may have to wait for next month.

This week I'll settle for one short run and a good 8 miles again on Saturday.

AH-CHOOOOOO!!!!!

Monday Ramblings

2008-09-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

That must be what my boys hear every morning when I grace the bathroom scale with my presence. I think the thing hates me ~ just like Garmin does. Hey.....maybe there is a conspiracy among electronic devices in my household??? You know, it's a definite possibility. I might need to launch an investigation.

The scale eased up on me a bit this weekend with a pound or so drop....which I will take with supreme gratitude. I have been exercising a ton (well, a ton for ME...maybe not other crazy people that I know....) and have been eating well, and all I can seem to do is maintain. Apparently my body really, really likes the weight it is at and doesn't want to drop down any further. So we are at a battle of wills.....with me chugging along each week just hoping to see the tiniest of losses. I won't babble on any more about what a difficult process weight loss is ~ I've whined about it way too many times before. So I'll be quiet and go eat some more carrots...

That was Ramble #1.

Ramble #2: Running

I had a mediocre workout week last week ~ one short run and one weight lifting class. I broke my streak of mid-week runs on Thursday night when my youngest son ended up at the emergency room with croup. Yeah, you can Google it ~ it's a stupid childhood illness that usually affects kids much younger than a 4 year old ~ so it was just dumb like that my little guy got it. We spent 5 hours at the hospital so that he could get a breathing treatment, and then called it a night. It was exhausting and sure FELT like a workout.....so maybe I should count it anyway ;)

Saturday morning was a group run with Eileen and Christina, and it went pretty well. I had 7 miles on my schedule; Eileen had 8 and Christina had 5. So we ran 5 miles together along the canals, dropped off Christina, refilled water bottles and Eileen and I headed out for a few more laps around Tumbleweed Park. I love Eileen to death, but I think she tried to kill me :) This was her *low mileage* week following a 14 miler last weekend....but was a BIG mileage week for me. I hadn't run that far since the Valley of the Sun HM in March, so my body sure felt every mile of it! It was a bit hotter than I would have liked, and my legs just felt tired. I thought for sure I would be crazy sore the next day....but to my surprise, I felt great! I can definitely feel a difference in how my body recovers now, versus a year ago. All good stuff...

Ramble #3: Proud Mom Moment

My older son's football team has been getting a lot of publicity around Chandler, including the newspapers and an online publication called the Valley Sports Ledger. The Ledger is dedicated to kids's sports in the Phoenix area. Last week, his name was mentioned in a printed article ~ and this week his picture made the team highlights. He's the defensive lineman, just about to nab the quarterback. Not necessarily his best side, but you get the picture ;)

Yup, he gets all his athletic abilities from his mother. Happy Running this week!!

ORN: 8 looooong miles

Running at the Office

2008-09-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

Would that not be just the coolest office layout EVER?? Micheline sent me a link to the full article ~ asking me when my company was going to invest in this stuff. AWESOME. I need to start sucking up to my boss big time ;)

Until then, I will sit on my butt, talk on the phone, solve employee problems, juggle our finances and keep us legal each day.......instead of burning calories. *sigh*

On a positive note ~ I made it to Body Pump yesterday!!!!!! [jumping up and down with big happy grin] I took an opportunity to work at home another day this week ~ since my office was mostly empty, and there wasn't anything that I was working on that I couldn't do from home ~ and then took a little side trip to the gym while little T was in preschool ;) Yep, where there's a will, there's a way. I feel like a blob of goo if I don't get a weight lifting class in each week. Yes, Nat ~ I'm serious. I am totally addicted.

I'm paying dearly for it today though, as I think I may have been a little over-ambitious with my weight loads yesterday :) I'm pretty sore ~ all over really, but especially in my chest and shoulders. Oh, and my legs. Oh, and my abs too. See.....weight lifting is FUN FUN!!! ;)

Tonight I'm on schedule for a short run, which may not be pretty given my current state. We'll just have to see how well the ol' legs hold up. Then tomorrow it will be serious rest for a long run on Saturday.

Pat is trying to get a team together for this crazy Mad Mud Run. It reminds me of playing *Oozeball* in college....i.e. mud volleyball. But I'm older and much wiser now....so I dunnnnooooooo. My main concern is who would push my butt up and over that wall?????

a little negativity...

2008-09-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

...... goes a LONG way!

Not much to ramble about today ~ other than a great midweek short run last night ~ 3 miles with a big, fat negative split on mile 3. I mean BIG. Like almost a minute per mile negative BIG.

Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about.

Again, still just patting myself on the back for getting a midweek run done, so indulge me for a while until this becomes a habit, will ya??

I'm in a bit of grief that I don't think that a trip to weight lifting class will materialize tonight ~ darn kids ~ but I am plotting to see if I can work from home tomorrow and squeeze it in. We'll see what happens. I love me some weight lifting....gotta have it!!!!!!

It's also nice to see the mileage numbers in my side bar actually increasing for a change. Apparently this happens when you actually start running ;)

Check out them legs!!!

2008-09-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Somedays I really wish I looked like my shadow.....check out them super model legs!!! And look how TALL I am!!! Awesome!!! It must be Pat's expert on-the-run photography that makes me look so good. It's the only way I'll ever get legs that long in this lifetime ;) Can you guess which shadow is mine??? (I love stealing pictures from Pat)

Great run this morning with the TRC ~ 4 miles along the canal, plus another 2.4 at Tumbleweed Park with Pat. Weather was relatively good again, and my legs and energy held up nicely. I'm still on the high of getting back into the swing of running, and I'm over my garbage-disposal-style of eating from the past week. The goals this week include 2 short runs, a weight lifting class, and one other XT endeavor (probably a quickie Tae Bo session) ~ and of course, a week wouldn't be complete without a long run on the weekend. Seven miles this week ~ BRING IT!!!

ORN: Long Run ~ 6.4 miles

2008-09-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

I've had a really lousy week food-wise. Not sure what happened, but I fell off the wagon and consumed way too much of the foods I've been trying to avoid ~ namely PIZZA!!! It's absurd the amount of pizza I comsumed this week. ABSURD. And I wonder why my stomach isn't getting smaller???

Enough of that. I guess I'm entitled to food diversions every now and then...and this one is over.

On a positive note for this week, I stayed completely on track with exercise, including two short runs!! Count em ~ TWO!!! You may wonder why this is such a big deal, but it really is. Mid-week runs are extremely hard for me to fit in my schedule ~ just trust me, it's not an excuse ~ they really are tough.

But I think that planning my training in two-week blocks has helped ~ it allows me to see where my other commitments are and plan my mid-week runs in the gaps. Sure, it's usually 9:00 at night ~ but they got done! Last night was particularly cool as I got to run again with Caroline, and another runner Kristina (who happens to be C's neighbor and friend). What a treat to run with others during the week!!! 3 miles passes nicely when there is chatter :)

I hate to break it to Pat, but it looks as though Kristina is going to be yet ANOTHER woman added to the Tumbleweed Running Club!!! Dang it folks, this man needs a friend ~ a MALE running buddy to help him counteract all the estrogen on weekend runs!!! Sorry Pat, buddy....looks like you'll just have to tough it out for a while ;)

6 on tap for tomorrow....happy weekend running!!!

It's like Crack

2008-09-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

(Or, I guess it is.....seeing as how I've never actually done crack, it's just an educated assumption!)

Running, I mean. Running is like my crack.

No, not like Plumbers' Crack......RUNNING CRACK! Are you following me now???

Nothing makes me feel physically and mentally better than a great, morning long (ish) run with friends. This morning Pat and Caroline and I (in our attempts to revive the Tumbleweed Running Club) met at 6am for the start of the long-run season.

We were blessed with better-than-normal weather, which included a mostly overcast sky ~ which in our temps, is a HUGE bonus. We hit 4 miles together on the canal, and then I added an extra mile around Tumbleweed Park to round off my even 5 miles for today. I started feeling pretty good around mile 3, which is typical for me....so I decided to take advantage of the feeling and keep on keepin' on!!! And the first long run of the fall is in the books.

There is NOTHING better than coming home and taking a long shower after a great run. It boosts my mind, my body ~ and I just feel exceptional for the rest of the day! Days like today remind me why I run. It's my CRACK! I'm addicted.....I love it....and I need MORE!

See you next week TRC ~ same time, same place! I have 6 miles on my plan....could it be another 6 at 6???

Virtual Mile + A Little Humble Pie

2008-09-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

I really had not even remotely planned to run the virtual mile race (which happens to be sponsored by one of my fellow Zonies), until somehow some inspiration spilled over from Pat ~ and made me slap on some running shoes at 9pm last night and head out the door. It also helped that I had missed my short run on Tuesday night (due to an explosion of craziness at my house that night) so I needed to make up the run any way. I am committed to NOT missing a scheduled training run. I need to make it up some how, some way.

The mile really isn’t my favorite running distance. Especially the FIRST mile of any run ~ it is always the total WORST for me. It seems to take forever for me to find a groove ~ which if the planets align properly, sometimes happens between miles 3 and 4. So that explains why a 5K distance never works out well for me either. Maybe I am really a distance runner at heart????

Last night's run was also in celebration of my RACE-aversary, which as Wes articulated ~ really should be celebrated with a RUN. So I donned my Bridge to Breakwater shirt in honor of the occasion and headed out. It was still somewhere near 90 degrees at the time. No sun obviously, but toasty.

And to totally buck the system, I even took my least-favorite running partner out with me: Mr. Garmie. I had to dig, mind you, to find him after a long summer of 4-5 mile per week, Garmie-less runs….but we rediscovered each other after a relatively short search. I had asked hubby for assistance in locating my friend and all I got was this:

Me: I’m looking for my Garmin

Hubs: Oh, that watch-thing?

Me: (in utter disbelief, covering Garmie’s ears and walking out the door) I believe he prefers to be called a PERFORMANCE DEVICE.

Sheesh!!!! Non-Runners.

So the plan was simple: one mile out, one mile back. Shower. Bed. Sweet Dreams.

So I ran. And ran. And RAN….

I even passed a jogger up ahead of me ~ and believe me when I say that this kind of stuff NEVER happens. I am always the passEE, never the passER.

Garmie was tired, almost running on zero battery power….just like me. We made a perfect pair last night. I glanced at him 3 or 4 times during the first mile ~ and was elated to see a 10:18 or 10:20 smiling back at me. I was convinced that I was going to ROCK this Virtual Mile race with my fastest mile split ever. The fastest mile I had ever run was in June over in San Diego ~ about a 10:48 with hills ~ and I knew I was trucking along at a much faster clip last night.

It takes a lot for me to run that pace and not allow myself to stop. I thought of all the blogging buddies that might be running a Virtual Mile right along with me. I told myself that I should be able to do ANYTHING for 10 minutes.

When Garmie screeched loudly at me over my huffing and puffing, I came to a halt. I was excited to see the final verdict.

That’s when a big piece of Humble Pie came falling from the sky and landed squarely at my feet: 11:05.

I was in utter disbelief! Didn’t even break 11 minutes?? All that effort and I couldn’t even beat my June split? I believe a string of profane sayings came out of my mouth ~ or at least went through my head ~ as I took a quick breather and turned around for the jog home. I donned my usual comfort pace, turned off Garmie, and went over it all in my head again.

I tried to convince myself that maybe Garmie had a bad night. I mean, after all, he was totally on almost nothing for battery ~ so it can happen, right? I’ve read many accounts of other runners with messed up splits. Right? Or maybe it was too cloudy and the satellite didn’t pick up properly. Right? There had to be a reason. Maybe Garmie was just paying me back for the watch remark from Hubs? I wouldn’t blame him for being angry, you know.

But sadly, I am a logical person and while I believe that Garmie can mess up individual mile splits on a longer run, or even be vindictive on a whim, I happen to know that TIME is TIME and there was no way to dispute that it took me 11:05 to run the single mile. It was 11 minutes and 5 seconds after I had left home, and that could not be disputed.

It was time for me to eat the Humble Pie that had been served to me and make my way back home. I analyzed many things on that last mile ~ perhaps that maybe I should have timed my SECOND mile for the race, after having a chance to warm up…..or perhaps it was the heat…….maybe it was my new shoes not being entirely broken in…….maybe………maybe. But by the time I got home, I had a new appreciation for who I am as a runner….as well as who I am not.

I am not fast, but I AM a runner.

I am a runner that has to work hard all the time and not take things for granted.

I am a runner that has run 4 miles a week for the past couple months, yet expected to knock out a stellar mile on a whim.

I am a runner that has to do short runs in the late evening hours after all the work and family obligations are satisfied.

I am a runner that just a couple years ago would not have been able to run continuous mile at all, at any pace.

I am a runner that shouldn’t compare myself to others, but relish in my own accomplishments instead.

I am a runner that not long ago was still running 12-13 minutes splits, no matter how short the distance.

I am a runner that despite what I often believe, is making slow progress on a regular basis.

I am a runner committed to setting goals and reaching them.

I am a runner that will continue to be inspired by others.

I am a runner...

I could go on and on about all the things I learned about myself last night in 11 minutes and 5 seconds. And instead of coming home disappointed and deflated, I came home renewed and inspired. I have many, MANY things to work on in the coming months ~ last night gave me a very clear indication of that. It was both a wake-up call and a reaffirmation.

So thanks Reid, for the idea of this Virtual Mile ~ and to my buddy Pat, who without even knowing it, in an indirect way gave me the mental push I needed to go give it a try.

Today I officially registered for both the PF Chang’s RNR Half next January, and the Surf City Half in February.

The goals are officially out there again ~ now it is just time to do the work.

Sing with me, willya????

2008-09-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Happy RACE-aversary to ME!

Happy RACE-aversary to ME!

Happy RACE-aversary dear Pokeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Happy RACE-aversary to ME!

(applause….hoots & hollers…..)

Okay, so it was actually YESTERDAY and I missed it. Oh well, it is still a sweet day on my record books.

September 2, 2006 ~ the day of my very first “real” race (real long, that is!!) I had never in my life imagined that I would be able to complete an almost-8 mile race.

It was the Bridge to Breakwater 12K in San Pedro, CA ~ it was hot, humid and miserable ~ but after my finish you would have thought I had just won a world record. Time was 1:36:34, or about a 12:44 pace.

What a sweet, sweet day. It was the start of many great things for me, the most important being the pursuit of health and fitness. I’m not that much of a better runner today than I was two years ago (I’m still hecka slow!!) but I am a much healthier and stronger person ~ both mentally and physically. For these reasons alone, this day of running was a true success.

This was back before I discovered that running with a hat or visor in the heat is truly a necessity, but you will all be happy to know that even back then, I only wore black ;) In case it’s not obvious, I am the short dumpy one next to the two tall, skinny ones.
It also reminds me that I need to reconnect with my friend Lisa (in the hot pink) who shared this day with me :)

Thank you, Running ~ for such a monumental day in my life. I am ready for MORE!

In the Zone

2008-09-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

It is finally September.

And it is TIME.

Time to get moving again after the long summer heat. It is time for FALL RUNNING in Arizona!!

(well, almost) It is still going to be 106 here this weekend, but I am trying to block it from my mind.

I love this time of year when even the slightest notion of cooler temps hits my brain, and I can start planning out the next few months of running. Fall is prime running weather here in the desert, which is good because there are a couple of big race goals on my agenda.

But today isn’t about the races themselves, it is about my TRAINING GOALS.

Pokey Training Season officially begins today, so it is time for me to get back on the running wagon. And here is how I plan to do it:

Run ~ 3x a week ( a lofty goal for me due to a hectic family schedule in the fall, but it is a must this year if I want to see race improvement)

Strength Training ~ 1x per week (in the form of a Body Pump class where I get my butt whooped by an overly hot instructor on whom I have a serious girl-crush!)

Cross Training ~ 1x per week (not sure what form this will take, but it is a necessity. This will be the hardest for me incorporate into the regimen because my mind subconsciously wants to tell me that it is unnecessary)

I am committing to planning out my training weeks in 2-week blocks, so that I can shuffle training as necessary to help mitigate family / schedule conflicts. I already have the first two weeks of this month mapped out ~ now it is just time to go and DO.

Oh yeah, and did I mention I still need to drop some pounds? Yeah, just that little issue called “weight loss.” *sigh* It is so hard. I am really kicking the diet in gear during the month of September before training runs become really long. I’ve been doing well on the eating front ~ for the most part ~ and maintaining my weight….but now I have to focus on LOSING again. I need to be 10 pounds lighter before my next half marathon.

Now how many times have you all read THOSE WORDS??

Yeah, I know.

ORN: 4.2 mile weekend run ~ slow and sweaty

One ticket to the circus, please

2008-08-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

The 3 Ring Circus, of course.

Isn’t that the best kind ~ where you can watch 3 different events running simultaneously before your very eyes???

Welcome to my life………..

Ring Number 1 ~ WORK

Ever since returning from San Diego at the end of June, work has just been a whirlwind. It was audit after audit after audit ~ all routine of course, since Pokey runs a tight ship ~ but ridiculously time-consuming nonetheless. For a gal who typically prefers more of a life balance between work and home, the last couple months have been totally draining. I feel like I am behind in BOTH places….which usually isn’t a good thing.

I am starting to surface again, slowly but surely.

Ring Number 2 ~ FAMILY

Let the chaos of school begin!!!! Then throw in some football and we put on quite a good show!!!

Yes, school started for my oldest (6th grade) on July 28, and for my youngest (Pre-K) on August 15th. Each an every day is just a new adventure in what I call the “morning circus” where we all try to find some miraculous way to make it out of the house on time.

Football practice for my older son happens every night during the month of August – read it: EVERY night! I won’t go in to the long list of things that this affects in my family life ~ everything from homework, to dinner, to laundry ~ so let’s just call it CHAOS and be done.

We are only a few days away now from a return to somewhat normalcy when practice changes over to 2X per week. Totally do-able in my book and I’m looking forward to a little sanity.

Ring Number 3 ~ HEALTH

As if watching the activities in the first two rings of the Pokey Circus aren’t enough to hurt your eyes, Mr. Pokey decided to land himself in the hospital earlier this month with a case of pancreatitis!!! While trying to juggle Rings 1 and 2, for a full week I also had to manage hospital visits, doctor consults and two boys who were wigging out about their dad being in the hospital. This was nearly a nervous breakdown kind-of week.

The good news is that hubby is fine; bad news is that they have no idea what caused the flare up. He doesn’t fit any of the criteria for folks that usually get pancreatitis, so everyone is stumped. Me? Well I just have my fingers and toes crossed that it never happens again.

I appreciate all the emails I’ve gotten - both the supportive ones and the “get your ass back here” ones. Truly, blogging buddies are the best.

I’ve been doing my best to keep a decent workout schedule, which I have been successful at for the most part. Not a lot of running going on ~ usually just a 4-5 miler on the weekend - but I’ve gotten some trips to the gym under my belt and am still feeling pretty good.

The scale is still holding at the same level, which is both good and bad. At least the chaos of the past couple months hasn’t added 10 pounds of insult to the rest of my life’s injury!!!

I am excited to get myself back on track here over the next couple weeks, as fall running season will officially start for me! I am hoping and praying for some cooler temps to help me out!!!

Hope everyone is having some happy running, cycling, swimming or whatever floats your boat! Bear with me while I get myself reacquainted ;)

Quickie

2008-07-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

I'm heading out again today ~ this time to North Carolina for business and a few days of exercise rest. Not sure how I am going to do it....I've been completely compulsive about my exercise lately ~ which I guess is not really a bad thing.

I actually had to restrain myself from going to the gym twice yesterday, just because I could have if I had wanted to. Crazy, huh? But I resisted, and went back again this morning at 5:15 am for Body Combat class ;)

I'd love to say that my compulsion applies to my running also, but no such luck.

I did get a good run in on Saturday at the ARR Summer Series Race #4 ~ a hot, humid and sweaty 5K with Eileen and Lisa.

I've had better runs, I've had worse.....so I have no complaints. This was a training run for Eileen, so I told her to set the pace and I would just go along for the ride. The heat was brutal, but we knocked down the 3.1 and called it a day. Personally, I think runners should get at least a minute per mile credit for running in such conditions....

Here's our sweaty ~ but always smiling ~ gang after the race:

Congrats to Lisa who set a new PR on Saturday, and continues to amaze and inspire me!! No idea how she did it in the heat ~ some of us were struggling just to move ~ but she ROCKS! Awesome job lady :)

I am just happy to have broken through the scale threshhold that has been holding me hostage lately ~ I finally busted 157 pounds!!! I had been stuck there for sooooo long (like almost a month!!!) so it was very encouraging to see the scale move again. Less than seven more pounds to my first goal.....a new pair of jeans that I have been wanting ;)

The goal for this week is to eat smart while traveling. No easy feat, but I am going to do it. There's nothing that says that pushups and ab curls can't be done in a hotel room too!! ;)

Tricks of the running gods

2008-07-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

I truly am starting to believe that there are Supreme Running Beings out there in the universe that get an immense out of pleasure it messing with me on a regular basis.

It’s like every time I go out to run, one of the running gods (not sure exactly how many there might be) is rolling a dice, flipping a coin, or playing Rock/Paper/Scissors to predetermine the outcome before I even get started.

My runs in CA during the month of June were FANTASTIC ~ my best ever.

The couple shortish runs I’ve had since I’ve gotten back were MISERABLE ~ some of the worst.

As I was plodding along last Saturday morning, swearing at the running gods for the torture, I remembered something I had said long ago: as runners, we are never defined by a single run. In other words, a good run does not a good runner make; nor a bad run does not a bad runner make. Pretty deep, huh????

It is hard not to let a series of crappy running define me, but I’m not. I’ll just say that my running has sucked lately and leave it at that.

I did manage to make some friends on my run last weekend. I even brought them home with me. I decided to name them GNAT.

No, those are not moles or freckles ~ this is what happens when it’s monsoon season in good old Arizona and the humidity shoots up beyond anything that we are reasonably accustomed to. I had to block from my mind how many of these little critters I actually consumed or inhaled during this run ~ I chalk it up to helping me meet my protein target for the day.

When I got home, I was sooooo HOT, sweaty and gnat-covered that I decided to jump in the pool ~ running clothes and all. It felt great ~ and for a fleeting moment I was almost a wannabe triathlete. Until I remembered that the swim should always come first ;)

I’ve been holding steady with my workouts at the gym ~ trying for both a Body Pump and Body Attack class at least once a week. I’ve been good with my eating habits ~ even throughout a ton of traveling ~ but the scale still isn’t cooperating the way I wish that it would. But I feel good, and my clothes feel good….so I remain patient. I’m not patient by nature so I sure it wont last much longer.

This Saturday is the 4th AZ Road Racers Summer 5K. I’ll be attempting to run with Eileen, but am not holding too high of expectations for myself. I figure just getting up, getting out and moving for 3 miles is worth something ~ so I’m doing it. I have no expectation of running with Speedy Gonzales this weekend, although she is being kind enough to pick me up at 5:30 am, which is, of course, her most favorite time of day ;)

In other news, I’d like to announce the formal, official debut of team FOUR SCORE & SEVEN BLISTERS AGO, which will be competing in the American Odyssey Relay Run Adventure in April 2009. Our fun-loving, wacky team is made up of 12 runners; 10 of which are from various parts of the U.S. and 2 from Canada!!!

Somehow this team of 12 is going to spend 36 hours together in van, run 200 miles of roads rich in American history from Gettysburg, PA to Washington, DC, have an AMAZING time doing it. Fellow bloggers Jeff, Rob, Katie, Nat, Cheryl, Ken and Micheline are part of my wonderful team, plus a few other non-bloggers (yet great runners!) who have yet to really determine how crazy the rest of us really are!

I am both excited and a bit freaked out about this new undertaking ~ I’m sure it will be an amazing event. I’m sure I will ramble PLENTY about my team and this relay over the next 9 months.

And last, but certainly not least ~ I am finally publicly able to wish a big CONGRATS to my dear friend Micheline who is expecting her second little munchkin!!! The offspring, affectionately named “Frogger” will be arriving in Reno in late January of next year…..and its mother will still be up and ready to go for the AOR relay in April!!! She is a real trooper, my running hero, and my great friend. So throw some CONGRATS her way ~ as well as a bit of good luck too……she’s gonna need it if she has another boy!! Just ask me….I know!!! ;)

Happy Running!

I'm.So.HOT!!!!!

2008-07-09T16:55:00.001-07:00

Truly. Why do I live here? I should have just stayed in San Diego.

Yes, I'm back ~ or almost back, in bloggity terms. I just wanted to get down a quick post, so none of you think I died or gave up running. Thanks for all the stalking-emails....makes me feel the love ;)

Here's the down-low on me ~

Travel.

Work.

Travel.

Work.

Travel some more (all for pleasure of course).

Get buried by work.

Travel a wee bit more.

Eat right.

Exercise.

Run a little (a scorching hot 3 miles at 6am is all I've been able to knock out lately)

Work.

Try to unbury self and retain sanity.

So that's where I am right now. I am going to be out of commission for some more time ~ gotta get caught up at work just in time to travel again the week of the 21st (this time not for pleasure).

Be back soon :)

This is also NOT a post about running splits

2008-06-27T09:20:00.001-07:00

Seriously.

It's really not.

Trust me. It's just a picture. California-greetings from the whole fam damily!!!!!

We'll be heading home from San Diego for good this Monday, and I'll have plenty of substantial topics to post about then ~ including a race report for the crappiest of crappy 5K that I ran in Del Mar last weekend, and managed to get myself a PW (that would be Personal Worst) ~ and of course plenty of babble regarding nutrition and weight loss. Everything you've come to know and love from me. There will be plenty to go around ;)

I have a ton of blog catch-up to do, but for now I just hope that everyone is doing well!

I headed back home for a few days this week to get some things done at the office (after all, someone in my family actually has to work while others just play at the beach for an entire month....), and my plane hadn't been on the ground for 30 seconds before two startling things happened:

First, the stark realization hit that it was 104 degrees at 8:30 at night. BLECH. I nearly hid on the plane so I could take the turn around flight back to San Diego. But no such luck.

Second, a text message appeared on my phone. It read: "You get one week until training starts."

Dumfounded, I responsed: "Whaaaaat???? Who is this????" (always best to play dumb)

The reply: "Yo training momma."

SIGH. I bet it will be a real stretch for you all to figure out who THAT came from ;)

Happy Running!

This is NOT a post about running splits

2008-06-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

I repeat: this is NOT a post about running splits.

If this had been an actual post about running splits, the blog author would have been in complete violation of the Splitless Summer Edict, and therefore may be subjected to serious harassment.

This is only a TEST. Rumor has it that a Pokey Runner, who shall remain unnamed, as been running like blazes in Southern California for the past week. Garmin reports indicate a 10:48 minute mile, which has previously been unheard of, un-thought of, and UNimaginable up until this point. This mile was second in a 3ish mile run, subsequent to an 11:22 split, and then followed by a big freaking hill that just warranted walking. Rumors are circulating that the Pokey Runner was disgustingly sweaty (compliments of SoCal humidity), yet ecstatic after this major running miracle.

Again, this is only a TEST of the Split Posting System. Had this been an actual post about running splits, it would have been followed by either a lot of whining and moaning, OR in this case, a lot of hooting and hollering.

You can now return to your regularly scheduled Blog Programming.

(wooooooooo hooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!)

Blogity Rambles

2008-06-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

Let me just start by saying that I am so glad it is Friday ~ and that by tomorrow at almost this time, I will be out of the 105 degree temps and back in the cool paradise known as San Diego. Ahhhhh…..I can smell the ocean now. I will be on blog-hiatus for a while as a result ~ other than staying caught up with work issues (sad, I know…it’s supposed to be a vacation), I am also going to be vacationing from the computer somewhat.

This morning it finally clicked in my brain as to what an amazing couple weeks it has been for me in the weight loss and fitness arena. I’ve been a little disappointed at my lack of scale-cooperation on the weight loss front, but that all changed this morning with a simple, daily occurrence.

I got dressed.

Not just in any clothes ~ not comfy weekend shorts and a t-shirt. Not even nice business-casual work clothes that I wear to my office. This morning I put on the most evil, unforgiving piece of clothing ever ~ second only to a swimsuit.

I put on a pair of JEANS.

Even worse ~ newly washed jeans ~ the worst piece of clothing imaginable for anyone who battles the scale on a regular basis. I was seriously disheartened when I picked up my favorite pair of jeans off the cedar chest in my room, only to find that I had washed them last weekend, and their stretchy, somewhat comfortable feel had been replaced with a stiffer, more unforgiving appearance. DRATS!

But resigned to my fate on casual Friday, I donned the jeans. With only one leg in place in the newly washed pants, the shock set in. They felt LOOSE. I put the other leg in, and it confirmed the same phenomenon. When it actually came time to button those bad boys, I thought I had made a mistake. Yes ~ I actually took them off to check the tag to confirm that yes, they were in fact the one pair of jeans I wear on a regular basis (because they were the least evil of all the denim in my closet) ~ and not a pair of my *fat* jeans that might have snuck out of the closet.

Yes, these were my old faithfuls ~ the same, yet entirely different. I will say without a moment of hesitation that all my disappointment over the scale disappeared this morning, all from one pair of jeans. Something in my body is changing ~ shrinking, toning…whatever…..but something REALLY good is happening here. I don’t care what the scale says if I can put on a pair of jeans ~ or any clothing for that matter ~ and look and feel as good as I do today.

All of us who are trying to lose weight always claim that we don’t really care about the scale, only what we look like and how our clothes fit. Yet, I don’t believe that we really, truly buy into that philosophy until it actually happens for us.

Something good is a-happening around here though. I couldn’t have asked for a better end to my week :)

I am sooooo going to miss my gym classes while I am gone for the next while, but I’ll keep up the cardio work with regular running. It will just have to do.

I have also added a new friend to my diet ~ the protein shake. And did you actually know that there is a Starbucks High Protein Frappucino??

Yes, it’s true! I had one this morning. Mocha Frappucino with 32 grams of protein in one serving!!! Who knew? It is the best thing ever for this morning-coffee-addict-turned-protein freak.

Want to know where you can get one? Right HERE ~

(sorry about the lousy picture)

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I have outsmarted the protein gods and created my own lovely concoction ~ still complete with skim milk, coffee, and protein all in one neat little bundle. Can you say YUMMMM?

Thanks for all the recommendations on protein powders ~ I settled on the one you see pictured, highly recommended by Eileen , as a result of sheer convenience ;)

I am currently plotting on what else can be mixed with protein powder….and am leaning toward the Starbucks Iced Coffee Lite in a the can….which is also made with skim milk. That will be next week’s experiment……

Until later gators….

Movin' It

2008-06-12T09:50:00.001-07:00

I Like To Move It - The best free videos are right here

Not only is this my new theme song for the summer, but I have also designated it as the *morning wakeup song* at my house once school starts again!!! Can't you see it ~ blasting this music while trying to roust my kids out of bed??? You just gotta love it ;)

Play the song ~ I promise you'll be addicted!

Happy day today ~ the scale finally moved in the right direction and shows me down 2.5 pounds for this week already.....still 2 days to go before weigh in ;) It certainly must have been those extra 10 minutes on the stair climber (translated: evil, evil machine) that Lisa (translate: slave driver) made me do after 60 minutes of Body Attack class last night. Either the woman REALLY wants to win the weight loss challenge, or is trying to kill me .......I'm not sure exactly which :)

Thanks for all the input on nutrition, and especially my protein debacle lately ~ it has all been so incredibly helpful! I am backing down a bit and not worrying about the *target* and just focusing on making a conscious effort to maximize the protein where and when I can. I am also going to add a protein shake to my daily diet and see how it goes.

I am sorry I have been so lousy at commenting on blogs lately ~ I am truly reading them all when I get a moment, but just don't have anything wise to say lately. I am swamped at work and soooo ready for vacation.

Workout Schedule

Monday ~ Tae-Bo Amped; Jump Start Cardio workout ~ 41 minutes (DONE!)
Tuesday ~ Tae-Bo – actual workout TBD (SKIPPED!)
Wednesday ~ Body Attack ~ 60 minutes (DONE!) + 10 minutes on evil stair climbing device
Thursday ~ Body Pump
Friday ~ Run; 4-5 miles
Saturday ~ Rest and Eat Smart

Yesterday I ate, and ate, and ATE…..

2008-06-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

And then ate some more…..and I STILL couldn’t hit my protein target for yesterday!!!!

EGAD! Here's my food log:

I made a conscious effort to try and hit the target, could barely choke down all the protein in a full can of lentil soup (won’t be having that again anytime soon…) and still came up short. If you recall, the target the trainer set for me was 140g per day. Sheesh.

I was over my target calories by about 70 calories ~ which is fine with me. The Slim Fast shake was probably too high in calories for just a snack, but I was itching for the 15g of protein that it provided. I know there are other protein shakes I should be having ~ I just have to get to the store and figure that part out.

The good news today is that my scale was nice to me this morning and had me down just a smidge ~ about a pound and a half. I’ll take it ~ a loss is a loss! I am hoping this week proves to be successful in the weight department!

I skipped my workout last night ~ and was even too tired to mentally beat myself up for it. I didn’t get home until almost 9am (after a day of work, dinner with some friends so my kids could see their kids before leaving again on Saturday) ~ so I got the boys to bed and all the lights were out by 9:20pm. I was too exhausted to even think about Tae Bo.

So my parting question for today (and I know some of this was mentioned in some comments a few posts ago) is for anyone who utilizes protein shakes as part of their daily nutrition: What kind do you use and why? Do you know (off the top of your head) how many calories and grams of protein it has?

I need to get the most bang for my buck out of protein shakes: the fewest calories and the most protein. Not sure if that’s possible, but a girl’s gotta try ;)

Off to go eat a high-protein snack……

Workout Schedule

Monday ~ Tae-Bo Amped; Jump Start Cardio workout ~ 41 minutes (DONE!)
Tuesday ~ Tae-Bo – actual workout TBD (SKIPPED!)
Wednesday ~ Body Attack
Thursday ~ Body Pump
Friday ~ Run; 4-5 miles
Saturday ~ Rest and Eat Smart

I'm Baaaack ~ at least for now ;)

2008-06-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

So I got to go play in the sun for a few days….now it’s back to the grind for a few days before I get to head out again. The boys and I are home this week ~ Hubs is at the US Open at Torrey Pines ~ and I am working like a hound to get myself in a good space to be able to leave for the rest of the month! Okay ~ I do have to come home and work 3 days near the end of the month, but I can’t complain ;)

So quick recap of my weekend, and then I have to get some work done.

Overall, I would call it a successful weekend with exercise and food choices ~ even while out of my usual routine. Last Thursday was a rest day as planned; and I had short runs on both Friday and Saturday mornings; Sunday was rest again as the schedule just didn’t permit a morning run.

Now, I have to say that if I hadn’t declared a splitless summer, I might be compelled to want to blog about my Friday run. IF I were posting splits ~ hypothetically, of course ~ I would be forced to mention that I ran my fastest mile ever on that day ~ 11:05 ~ followed by a second mile at 11:15 ~ followed by a big flippin’ hill and a 15ish minute last mile. However, since I am not posting splits this summer, I can’t just come on here and brag about my good run. I am only saying that I WOULD have posted about this great run, had I not gone on a split-hiatus for the next couple months. That being said, the jury will disregard any banter related to a good runs or fantabulous splits ;)

Runs both days were 3 miles – with Saturday’s run being not quite as great Friday's run that I didn’t post about. There are some BIG hills in the area of Carlsbad where we are staying ~ so I took Saturday’s run as more of a hill-workout than anything else. And of course, since it is a splitless summer, I can’t allow myself to post any times. I know you all understand.

My food choices were decent ~ if not good ~ during the entire weekend, with the exception of Sunday. I splurged a bit, totally on purpose, and am okay with it. My good-choice days even included a dinner at Ruth Chris’s steakhouse (for the Hubs and my anniversary which is today. Awwwww…..) and a Padres baseball game ~ which is junk food haven for me. So all things considered, the weekend was a success.

Last night I came home, got the boys to bed early and tried a new Tae-Bo workout called Tae Bo AMPED. I did the “Jump Start Cardio” workout which was 41 minutes, and felt good the whole time. Then I sat and planned out my schedule for the rest of the week ;)

The only area of my whole fitness-quest that is disappointing me is the scale. Since I was in Carlsbad with no scale of my own, I emailed Viv for the Weight Loss Challenge and just told her to hold me at my starting weight. I figured I would make up for it later.

Sadly though, this morning’s pounce on the scale showed the same: it hasn’t budged. I am a bit disappointed, but not discouraged. My clothes are feeling good, my body feels good, and I am starting to get regularly comfortable in my own skin. I am hoping that this is just a result of all the muscles I am building

I am going to give calorie-counting a continued try this week ~ sticking to my plan like glue ~ with 5 straight days of working out ~ and see what happens. The difficulty will come when I leave for CA again on Saturday, and my schedule gets all crazy. But I’m confident that with scheduled running and good food choices, I can make it work for the next couple weeks.

After all, this is my LIFESTYLE CHANGE ~ not just a short term diet. Eating right and exercise are going to become part of who I am. The weight loss will inevitably follow.

Right?? RIGHT? :)

On a funny side note, I just had to share a picture. Can any of the men out there even come close to criticizing my youngest son’s friend making ability at the beach? He certainly knows where it’s at :P

Workouts on tap this week:

Monday ~ Tae-Bo Amped; Jump Start Cardio workout ~ 41 minutes (DONE!)
Tuesday ~ Tae-Bo – actual workout TBD
Wednesday ~ Body Attack
Thursday ~ Body Pump
Friday ~ Run; 4-5 miles
Saturday ~ Rest and Eat Smart

Food Babble

2008-06-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

So today is Day 3 of serious calorie counting, no point-mumbo-jumbo ~ and I have a few thoughts (shocking, I know.)

First off, I feel absolutely FANTASTIC! I have been doing the *small meal deal* throughout the day ~ eating approximately every 3 hours like trainer woman instructed ~ and I haven’t been hungry one bit. On top of that, I have a lot of energy, which is the real bonus! So something is working internally ~ at least regarding the way my body seems to process this new schedule.

The only downside so far is that the scale hasn’t budged :( Well ~ okay, maybe some fluctuation between a pound or half a pound down from the weekend ~ but nothing to knock my socks off. I have been working out like a FIEND for the past week and a half, yet my scale refuses to acknowledge this. I know, I KNOW that some of it may have to do with muscle building, which I really feel is going on right now. My body just feels better, and yet I know it just takes time for everything to adjust. I can’t say that I’m not a wee bit disappointed (after all I told my trusty counterpart Viv that I was going to kick her tail in the Weight Loss Challenge), but I have no plans to change anything anytime soon. I am going to keep on keeping on ~ and hope the scale will end up in my favor.

Last night was Body Attack again with my good friend Elaine, and I just can’t keep saying enough good things about this class. It kicks my tail, but I *LOVE* it!!! It is surely going to remain a regular on my workout schedule!!!

I had so many great responses after my last post, that I feel compelled to respond to some ~ especially since a couple were questions….so here it goes:

a) Yes, I checked out both SparkPeople and the Daily Plate….and will probably sign up with one of those if I continue this calorie method. I’ve decided to give it a couple weeks (except when I am traveling, when I will most likely revert to points out of convenience) and then make a decision on my plan of attack for the rest of the summer.

b) I am in total agreement with how much brain power this calorie counting really takes!! I can already feel myself becoming slightly obsessed ~ but no more so than I was with calculating points back when I was on WW. For me, if the obsession takes the form of a constant awareness of what I put in my mouth ~ then I’m okay with it. At least for now ~ ask me again in a couple weeks ;)

c) Thanks for the snack ideas!! It is always good to have more options. Lately my snacks have been cottage cheese with fruit; a lowfat string cheese with a piece of fruit; a Fiber One bar and a yogurt….and a few other combos that I cant remember right now.

d) Protein. What can I say? It seems like we all agree that we need more of this in our diet. In my opinion, I think this is one of the areas where WW may fall short. High-protein items are usually higher in calories, and sometimes fat ~ so they end up costing WWers a lot of points ~ and are sometimes avoided as a result. That’s just been my personal experience, at least.

e) Teacherwoman asked me for some clarification on the nutrition *equation* so I’ll try to relay it the best I can. Basically, I was told that you need (on a daily basis) 1g of protein, and 1g of carbohydrate for every pound of body weight. For me, with a goal weight of 140 pounds, this equals 140g of protein and 140g of carb per day. Fat grams, for just about everyone regardless of weight, should stay below 30-35g ~ simply because that is deemed a *healthy* level.

I don’t have the numbers in front of me right now, but then those figures (140g protein, 140g carb and 30g fat) all have a calorie content (I’m sure you could google it and find out the calorie value of 1 carb, 1 protein and 1 fat…and then do the math). Those totals are what make up the total calorie target for the day ~ which for me is at 1420 right now. It is all derived from the protein/carb/fat breakdown that is suitable for your body weight. Hope this makes sense!

I am hoping that I will at least earn a degree in Nutrition after all this is said and done ~ it certainly is an interesting science! The key for me right now is calorie monitoring and exercise. Only good things can come from that eventually, right??

I know you will all be sad, but my nutritional babble will be put on hold for the weekend, as I’m heading out this evening to San Diego to meet up with my family (who have been out there since Sunday!) I come home Monday for a few days, and then head back for some extended vacation. My plan is to eat sensibly, exercise (which will mostly be made up of running) and continue feeling great! Oh yeah, and maybe even come back with a little bit of a tan :P

Happy Weekend!

Weekly Workouts:

Monday ~ Run with concrete shoes - 3 miles; Body Pump (weight lifting) - 60 minutes

Tuesday ~ Tae-Bo – 30 minutes

Wednesday ~ Body Attack – 60 minutes

Thursday ~ REST (aaaahhhhhh)

Friday ~ (PLAN) Run - TBD

Saturday~ (PLAN) Run - TBD

Sunday~ (PLAN) Run or Rest ~ it's a coin toss

Nutrition Debacle

2008-06-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

My brain has been in a bit of overload mode since my meeting with the trainer on Monday ~ all this nutrition and exercise stuff can get very complicated, very fast!

But I am trying to make sense of it all, and figure out the best way for me to meet my goals. I have the exercise thing all figured out and know what I need to do ~ it’s the nutrition that is weighing on my mind. Basically, I have 2 weight loss options:

The Weight Watchers Way

I am no stranger to Weight Watchers ~ I know how to do it and I know that it works. Well, it has worked for me in the past. It worked great when I had 35 pounds to lose a few years ago ~ and it stopped working as well after I lost a majority of the weight. WW got me to the lowest weight of 149, and that was about 2 years ago. I remember that the drop from 155 to 149 took FOREVER!! So now, at 159 pounds I am almost at the same starting point.

I have been somewhat following WW for the past while, and have dropped about 4 pounds. The last couple weeks though, I have been stalled at the 159-160 mark. So I know I need something to mix it up a bit.

The Calorie Counting Way

This is what the trainer has advised for me ~ 1420 calories per day, with a target goal of 140g of protein, 140g of carbs and less than 30-35g of fat.

If you are anything like me, I almost flipped at the 140g of daily protein!!!! I think that’s a lot. But, like anything ~ it’s a target to shoot for.

Apparently the breakdown is based on your body weight ~ healthy weight loss nutrition indicates that you should eat 1g of protein and 1g of carb for every pound of body weight ~ and my trainer used my goal weight of 140 to compute my specific daily totals.

In addition, trainer woman says that I should be eating 6-8 times a day (and apparently Hershey kisses don’t count here), and that every time I eat a meal or snack it should have ALL the nutritional components present. Translated: every time you put food in your mouth, make sure it has protein, carb and fat. Easy as pie, right?

Not so much. This has taking a lot of planning and though on my part over the past couple days to try and make this thing work. Yesterday I stuck to the plan like glue, and was actually struggling last night to make sure I ate all my calories. And the funny thing ~ I wasn’t the least bit hungry.

So I am giving this calorie-counting thing a try for now, and see how it works. Again, the trainer reaffirmed for me that nutrition is 80% of the weight loss battle; exercise is the small remaining 20%.

The best part of all of this is that I feel totally committed. I am committed to making a change this summer, and the end result will be a healthier, more fit Pokey. By the time I run my next half marathon this fall, I AM going to be at least 10 pounds lighter and have a lot less body fat to lug around!!

If any other of my Blogland experts have any nutritional advice for me, I’d be happy to take it! I need all the help I can get ;)

Monday ~ Run with concrete shoes - 3 miles; Body Pump (weight lifting) - 60 minutes
Tuesday ~ Tae-Bo – 30 minutes
Wednesday ~ (PLAN) Body Attack – 60 minutes
Thursday ~ REST (aaaahhhhhh)
Friday ~ (PLAN) Run - TBD
Saturday~ (PLAN) Run - TBD
Sunday~ (PLAN) Run or Rest ~ it's a coin toss

Body Fat Body Schmat

2008-06-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

It's always wonderful to go for an assessment with the trainer at the gym and learn that your body is made up of a third of FAT. That's not a typo, peeps. A THIRD....you read me? Ok, that's just gross. 50ish pounds of FAT. Ewwwwww. GREAT.

So my focus should be on body fat reduction...blah blah....not necessarily pounds....yada yada.....OK, fine and dandy. Either way you slice it, it all means I have a lot of work to do. Trainer (whom I haven't formally hired, but is included once a month with my gym membership) says I can have this done by September 14th AND be at my goal weight of 140 pounds.

Yeah, you're right ~ I think she smokes crack too.

Either that, or all those protein shakes have gone to her head. Crazy, buff little you-know-what...

OKAY. I'M.DONE. This concludes the Body Fat Rant for today. Don't worry, I'm sure there will be another one in the line up coming soon.

Let's talk about something I'm happy with for now ~ my running!!! Got 5 miles done on Saturday ~ a good run. Got 3 miles done this morning ~ a crappy run. There is absolutely no logic to this sport whatsoever.

But I'm moving, and that is what matters. And I've officially declared next few months as the SPLITLESS SUMMER ~ which means that I won't be pressuring myself during my runs about how fast or not fast I am running ~ and I won't be posting any splits on my blog.

(Unless of course, they are FANTABULOUS un-Pokey-like splits that just SCREAM to be posted. As the blog author, I'm allowed to have a double standard like this, and can post splits or not post splits at my sole and separate discretion.) See why it's always important to read the fine print??

So running for pure cardio benefit is what is on the game plan. I did well last week with all my workouts ~ hit every target except Sunday, which just simply warranted a rest. Today will be a double workout day with a run this morning, and a Body Pump class tonight. SUH-WEET!!!

Here's the schedule for this week:

Monday ~ Run with concrete shoes - 3 miles; Body Pump (weight lifting) - 60 minutes
Tuesday ~ (PLAN) Body Combat - 60 minutes
Wednesday ~ (PLAN) Body Attack – 60 minutes
Thursday ~ (PLAN) Run - 4.5 miles
Friday ~ REST (aaaahhhhhh)
Saturday~ (PLAN) Run - TBD
Sunday~ (PLAN) Run or Rest ~ it's a coin toss

Me and my body fat are going to get our nails done now. There has to be a highlight of this day buried in here somewhere!!!!

And on the 5th Day....

2008-05-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

She Rests.

[insert happy dance HERE]

Today is a full-fledged, no-workout day! (Hear me breathing a sigh of relief?)

I’m not attempting the streaking philosophy of some others ~ I have simply been trying to keep exercise as part of my weekly schedule ~ shooting for a target of 5 days a week.

So far, so good. (yeah, it’s only been one week, but you gotta start somewhere!!)

I considered making yesterday a rest day, because by last night my body felt absolutely tortured after Wednesday night’s workout!! Lisa and I chatted in the morning about how relatively good we felt after Body Attack ~ only some moderate soreness for both of us ~ but as the day progressed, I could feel my body just losing it. Everything became so incredibly sore ~ mostly my mid-section (translated: flabby stomach) and shoulders.

So last night, I considered yoga for the first time. I have a Pilates / Yoga set of DVD’s that has been camping out, unopened, in my upstairs entertainment center. I did bust it open, but there’s a part of me that still believes that if I am going to spend 30 or 60 minutes exercising, I want to be burning some calories! I know…I KNOW how good yoga is for you, and all the benefts…blah, blah…..but go easy on me – I opted for something with a little more kick ;)

So I knocked out the 30 minutes of Basic Tae-Bo again, taking it a bit easy as to not injure my already-sore muscles. I worked up a sweat, felt good about myself, and called it a day. Thus ended my consecutive 4 days…..YAY ME!!! :)

So today I am resting (translate: watching movies tonight with the kids instead of squeezing in a workout or run), and have plans tomorrow for a medium run – hopefully 5 miles, if I don’t die from the heat.

And in my current obsessive state, I actually sat down last night and planned out a workout schedule for next week ~ incorporating some runs with some more awesome classes at the gym. I think I am sick. Someone please send help ;)

And now just a reminder ~ if you are reading this and want to join the obsessive workout-and-weight-loss-bandwagon ~ head over to Viv’s….home of the INDEPENDENCE WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE!! We have racked up some great sponsors for prizes – including BROOKS RUNNING and RUNJUNK.COM ~ who are being so incredibly generous!!! Check out the details on Viv’s blog!! GO!!! GO.NOW!!!!

And finally ~ a shout out to all the peeps who are racing this weekend ~ and especially Taryn, Eric and Chad…. some of my AZ peeps who are heading to San Diego to Rock And Roll…..go Team Arizona!!! ROCK that race!!!

And to the best DAM runners I know ~ Nancy and Amy ~ who are running the Dam to Dam 20K this weekend in Iowa…..I soooooo wish I could have made it out there to run with you gals this weekend…..but it is on my plate for next year!!! I love a DAM good run!! You will be so DAM GREAT!! ;)

Happy Friday everyone!

Weekly Workout Summary

Monday ~ Run – 4.5 miles
Tuesday ~ Tae-Bo – Basic workout – 30 minutes
Wednesday ~ Body Attack – 60 minutes
Thursday ~ Tae-Bo - Basic workout - 30 minutes
Friday ~ REST (aaaahhhhhh)
Saturday~ (PLAN) Run - 5 miles
Sunday~ (PLAN) Run - short and/or Tae-Bo Basic Workout

Last night I was ATTACKED!

2008-05-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

You know those things that we all commit to, in the constant pursuit of health and fitness, that seem like a good idea at the time ~ then when you actually get right down to it, you start wondering what drugs you were on when you committed to do such a thing?

That is what my body was screaming about last night after the first 30 minutes of BODY ATTACK ~ a class at the gym which Lisa and I threw ourselves in to…..maybe not fully realizing the serious workout we were about to get!!!

HOLY.WORKOUT.BATMAN!!!! This was some serious stuff. 60 minutes of blood, sweat and tears. Okay ~ so maybe not any blood. Somewhere after the first half of the class, I think my brain just shut down and my body just took over – trying at all costs to keep moving. It was truly the most intense workout I have ever done. Here’s the outline of a *typical class* I get exhausted again just reading about it!!!

Yet funny enough, after leaving the gym last night looking like a drowned rat, and feeling like I had been hit by a truck (multiple times) ~ I absolutely cannot wait to go back and do it again!!!!!!

Could this seriously be 3 workouts already this week? Better watch out ~ something strange could be brewing ;)

But wait!!!!

How could I forget the funniest part of last night’s workout?? While the rest of our class mates waited patiently for the workout studio to open ~ obviously resting up for what was to come ~ not me and my workout buddy! Oh no ~ we were on the treadmill for a warm up walk! (Can you guess whose idea that was???) So we walked and chatted ~ at a good pace ~ until it was almost time for class.

You can imagine the panic for Lisa when the class started going in, and her treadmill read only .75 miles. GASP! In an effort to satisfy her inability to have mileage in un-round numbers, she cranked up the treadmill and ran like a mad dog so she could hit the 1 mile mark. By this time, our class had already gone in. I had already gotten off my treadmill, and was putzing around, trying not to laugh as Lisa pushed for the necessary even-milege. It didn’t work though ~ I laughed :P

Between breaths, with the treadmill cranked as fast as she could stand it, my running-OCD friend asks: “You’re gonna write about this, aren’t you?”

Me: “oh, yeahhhhh.”

There has to be a treatment program for this, right??? :)

Weekly Workout Summary

Monday ~ Run – 4.5 miles
Tuesday ~ Tae-Bo – Basic workout – 30 minutes
Wednesday ~ Body Attack – 60 minutes
Thursday ~
Friday ~
Saturday~
Sunday~

2008-05-28T09:22:00.001-07:00

Just a warning ~ I have absolutely nothing coherent to say today, so this post seriously falls under the topic of *miscellaneous ramblings.*

First, and maybe you all should sit down for this one ~ I have actually worked out for 2 DAYS.IN.A.ROW!!!! Smelling salts, anyone? Shocking, I know.

My legs (quads) were pretty sore after Saturday’s race (yes, at my current fitness level even a 5k at a PR-pace can make me sore for days…) so I rested on Sunday…….and had just a little lingering soreness on Monday. So I opted to take a little dose of the “hair of the dog” so to speak, and headed out Monday morning and knocked out 4.5 miles. The first 2 miles sucked (as usual) and the last 2.5 were fantastic. Solid running ~ felt strong ~ trucked along in the 11 minute range. Done ~ a run for the books.

Last night, I finally dusted off the Tae-Bo DVD that had been sitting, along with my workout clothes on the cedar chest, desperately waiting for me every morning last week to pop it in the player and actually make good use of it. I did the 30 minute *Basic Workout* and it felt sooooo dang good. Back in the day ~ when I was in better shape ~ I used to do the Advanced Workout, and sometimes the Billy’s Boot Camp videos ~ which were awesome. I’m sure that right know I would die in any attempt to use those workouts, so I’m going to pace myself and work my way back up.

Diversity in my workouts ~ it’s the plan for this summer. Running is great, but it’s not getting me to my weight goal. Running and Tae-Bo ~ yeahhhhh. I’m hoping that’s the ticket.

And speaking of weight loss……YOU NEED TO GO OVER HERE!!! Viv has taken the bull by the horns and actually has acted upon the weight loss challenge idea that I tossed out a few weeks back (and embarrassingly, never followed up on). So GO!!!! GO.NOW!!! If you need to lose some weight this summer ~ come hang with us. We’re really cool and I’m sure Viv is going to be the best WL Challenge Director EVER!!! (I am just the poor, underpaid and over worked trusty assistant ;P)

And finally ~ the last of the miscellaneous ramblings has to do with running visors. Specifically my newest Headsweats visors (purchased in order to allow my favorite visor to be tossed in the washing machine before it actually grows legs and walks itself there out of sheer necessity) ~ which have been brutally taken over by my youngest son.

He is in love with these visors, and has laid claim to them as his own. So what is a mom to do? It cracks me up that they even FIT him!! I think I am going to propose a new slogan for Headsweats ~ something like “also great for preschoolers with overly large heads.” ;)

Happy Running!!!

ARR Summer Series #1 ~ Race Report

2008-05-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

I didn't head out this morning with too many high hopes ~ after all, I haven't exactly been the model running student as of late ~ but the prospect of great weather and great company were the two things that made me get out of bed this morning for the first race of the Arizona Roadracers Summer 5K Series.

I got up ~ ate ~ drank coffee ~ s t r e t c h e d like crazy ~ picked up Lisa at 6:30 (notably the first time ever I've actually picked her up for a race when it was light outside) ~ headed out to Papago Park, just in time to meet up with Eileen in the parking lot. Plenty more fun awaited when we met up with Eric and Chad ....and before we knew it, we were all off and running.

Mile 1 ~ 11:15
This was a nice, strong mile for me. I was surprised as all heck at how good I felt after not having stepped foot in my running shoes for over a week. I ran with Eileen, and we kept a great pace. No walking here ;)

Mile 2 ~ 11:36
Even with a quick walk break at the mile 1 mark, Mile 2 pulled down a great pace for me. We ran continuously ~ even hung with Chad and Eric for some and exchanged some running banter. Somewhere around the mile 2 mark, I was wearing down. The fatigue was definitely setting in and I was starting to drag. I bid farewell to Eileen, Eric and Chad and took myself a walk break.

Mile 3 ~ 11:56
Even with a lot of walk breaks, I proud of this pace. Anything sub-12 is nothing short of a major miracle for me. I ran a good pace, and walked when I needed ~ or wanted ~ to. Today was about the sheer enjoyment of running.

The final .1 mile was serious olympic running, my friends ~ 8:59 pace. Okay, so it was a tenth of a mile ~ but you just gotta love it!

Who knew when I got up this morning that this crazy little run would end up being a PR for me? I sure didn't. Now granted, I have a lot of wiggle room in my 5K stats ~ my best time ever was 38 minutes and some change ~ and that was a year and a half ago. I'll say it again ~ I'm really not a fan of the 5k distance.

But today may have swayed me a bit ~ deep down inside I feel this little challenge tugging at me to really work at this distance. I loooooooooove a sub-12 race ~ at ANY distance ~ and today was no different!!

So meet your newest (Arizona) PR setters for the day:

You know it's a great day when all your running buddies set a new PR! Congrats Lisa and Eileen on a FANTABULOUS race!!!

Summer 5K Series - Race #1: 35:29
Average Pace: 11:31

Medical Mumbo Jumbo

2008-05-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks I’ve gotten a few emails with good wishes following my little surgery a while back ~ and some of my friends in Blogland have inquired about what I had done. I guess when one mentions a *girlie procedure* that it sparks a bit of interest!

Well, I’m not shy ~ and I’m also a believer that information is beneficial for the greater good, so I thought I would share a bit. In addition, I don’t have anything running-related to blog about (apparently one has to actually RUN in order to blog about it), so what the heck…

MEN: You might want to stop reading here and flip back over to ESPN.com

WOMEN: Carry on....

No, I didn’t have a boob job. Anyone that has met me in person can attest that a procedure like that is not something I have a need for. Just trust me on this one.

No, I didn’t have my tubes tied. The way I figure, if I had two major surgeries to have my two kids, the least my dear Hubs could do was have one minor surgery to ensure we don’t have any more kids. Enough said?

What I did have ~ after much contemplation and research ~ was an Endometrial Ablation procedure. Translated into normal person terms: I had the inside of my uterus destroyed so I wouldn’t spend a miserable week of every month resembling a scene from a bad slasher-film. Get me? (you can google all the technical terms if you’re interested)

Yeah, I thought all you women would get it.

When you find yourself planning your life, and vacations, and races – of all things! – around that time of the month, something just isn’t right. As I’ve gotten….ahem….older…..it seemed that my dear Aunt Flo was just taking advantage of me.

So after months of consideration, I had a ThermaChoice Ablation done on the 29th of April. It was a less-than-30-minute procedure, done in a surgical center, under full anesthesia (my doc’s preference, and mine too) that has a 40% of chance of ridding me of Aunt Flo all together…..and a 60% chance of just making her a much nicer, normal relative.

The jury is still out on the effectiveness of my particular procedure ~ doc says it can take up to 6 months to determine the final success. But in the mean time, my body is basically struggling to heal a lovely, internal, third-degree burn. Makes it sound pretty, huh?

Which leads me to my frustration and lack of running lately. I’ve been getting really irritated with myself for being so out of sync lately ~ until someone I know (that also had an ablation procedure done a few years back) gently reminded me that my body is still VERY much in recovery mode. Just because I can’t see it….or feel it (thank goodness)….my body has a severe internal burn that it is trying to mend. And I guess I’ve come to realize that I’ve been expecting too much of myself too soon. It’s only been 3 weeks since my surgery, and I’m irritated that I don’t have enough energy to run or workout like I think I should be.

Well, after yesterday I have stopped being mad at myself. It is now time for me to be realistic about all the chaos I have put my body through in the past few weeks, and be patient with the ol’ body while it recovers and catches up with my brain. No more mental beatings ~ I just need to do what my body tells me to do.

So there. Isn’t that more information than you really needed?

But seriously ~ there are more women out there than you realize that suffer from the same, vindictive Aunt Flo that I did. Many might be considering such a procedure, and desperately searching (like I was) for anyone that might have an experience to share. So I throw it out there in hopes that if someone needs my insight – they know where to come ask for it. I stumbled upon several blogs during my search, and actually emailed a couple of the authors to inquire. First-hand experience is a very valuable thing.

So watch out ladies – you just might be insanely jealous of me in a few months when I tell you that I have rid myself of pesky, monthly-visiting relatives FOR GOOD! Until then, just smack me when I whine about my running and tell me to get over myself. I’m doing exactly what I should be doing.

Happy Running!

Good Body Image Day

2008-05-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

Ever had one?

You know those days, when somehow by a stroke of cosmic luck, everything just seems to fall in place? Your clothes fit right, you have a good hair day, and everything just seems to click and you feel comfortable in your own skin?

I don’t have them very often (actually can't remember the last one), but I’m having one today ~ and it really just does wonders for my motivation! I find that I eat better, feel better and am just more motivated to exercise ~ all in the hopes that it keeps me feeling this good.

In my constant battle with the scale ~ and the mirror ~ and my clothes….a day like today is noteworthy. So I mention it only in the hopes that it helps someone else take notice in their own life and helps them realize a Good Body Image Day of their own!

And making my day even better, I got this little gem in the mail ~

The postman must be wondering who POKEY is ~ so I guess I’ll have to educate him. He needs to understand that POKEY is just like the IRS ~ all you gotta do is slap it on an envelope, with a city and zip code, and it gets there. No address. No problem. I am very well connected. Really. I. AM.

Thanks Nancy ~ for the great gift!! I tell you ~ finishing a race DAL really has its perks!

Wishing you all a Good Body Image Day!

Weekend Ramblings

2008-05-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

You know you're true friend when you agree to play airport shuttle service at 4:15am on a Saturday morning.

Either that, or you're just a runner that loves early Saturday morning runs, and figure you'd be up early anyway! ;)

Not sure exactly which one I am ~ hopefully a combination of both ~ so I drug myself out of bed at 4:15 to take my friend K (and her family) to the airport in the wee morning hours. I donned my running clothes, visor, and a pair of flip flops. With coffee in hand, my super shuttle did it's morning duty.

After getting home at 5:30am, I tossed on my shoes, stretched out my extremely tight muscles.....and was out the door just before 6am. The plan was 2 or 3 miles ~ whichever distance showed the least probability of killing me.

The first mile out was rough. Mentally, I was disappointed......seems like each time I take a step forward in my running, I end up taking 2 steps back. Some days I feel like I've spent the past 2 years spinning my wheels, and not really getting anywhere. The first mile of this run felt much more like the Pokey of 2 years ago.....not the Pokey that just less than 2 months ago, rocked the first 10 miles of the Valley of the Sun HM with Lisa (the fact that I crashed after those 10 miles really isn't the point, in case you wondered! :P)

I stopped for a brief moment after the first mile to stretch. Everything was so tight. I checked Garmie: 13:02. BLECH.

I decided to take a 3 mile route and see what happened. I figured that walking wouldn't be the worst alternative.

Somewhere in the middle of mile 2, I started to feel good. I was running continously ~ no walking ~ and was somewhere in my comfort pace. When I gave a glance to Garmie again, I was incredibly surprised. My *comfort pace* had turned to 11:15.

Well, friends ~ there is no better motivation for me than seeing a great number on good ol' Mr. Garmin. My fastest mile ever run was 11:15 ~ and some of you may recall that it was in a hail storm, in the freezing cold!!! (I really had just wanted to get home!)

So somehow yesterday ~ after all the beating my body has taken over the past 3 weeks ~ I somehow found some mental toughness to keep me moving. I ended up pushing for a 5K distance, and in the end, my arch-rival Garmie had nothing but nice things to say to me:

Mile 1: 13:02
Mile 2: 11:41
Mile 3: 11:38
.1 mile: 0:59 (9:55 pace - that's a sprint for me, in case you wondered!)

I am all for negativity ~ as long as it manifests itself in SPLITS!!!! ;)

Most of you already know my disdain for the 5K distance ~ and the fact that I've only run 2 of them in the past couple years ~ so the fact that this is my fastest 5K probably won't surprise many of you. Crazy, isn't it? Not bad for my surgery-recovering-snot-blowing-stuffy-headed-hacking-up-a-lung-haven't-been-running-worth-a-crap-body, huh???

Running is the eternal surprise ~ you never know what awaits you when you hit the pavement.

NOW....... if only the rest of my weekend had gone as well, I would continue to be thrilled! As I type this, I sit here waiting for my hubby to return from golf so that I can go the urgent care center by our house. Oh no...it's nothing super urgent.....just a nasty case of PINK EYE that graced me with it's presence upon my waking this morning :X Apparently, all the lovely snot I have in my nose has backed up into my eyeballs ~ lovely visual, eh?? So I am in serious need of some eyedrops...and don't want to wait until tomorrow when I wait up looking like the Monster of the Deep. *SIGH* I really hope my body gives me a break. I'm tired of being sick. Ahhhh, yes ~ I'm a mess.

So for now, I will sit here with my drippy eyeballs, relish in my great run from yesterday, and wait anxiously for all the race reports from all the great peeps that are racing this weekend!

Plagiarism at its finest

2008-05-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

Since I yet again down and out with illness ~ this time just a lousy head cold that makes my brain want to explode ~ and am not feeling particularly bloggy.....I'll simply pass along some plagiarized material.

THIS, friends.... is quite possibly the funniest blog post I have ever read. Seriously makes me want to go and run a marathon. Hope you laugh as much as I did!!!

0 for 2

2008-05-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Those are the current standings of Project:Morning Run at my house this week. Sadly, it just ain't happening.

I need to run in the mornings because I am just way too tired at night ~ yet the morning schedule at our house is just so hectic that I can't make it work. I am counting the days until summer vacation (for both hubby and kids) so that I can return to my beloved early morning runs. The only bad part is that by that time, it will be 90 degrees at 5am :X

So I am attempting plan B: Tae-Bo ~ an old, faithful workout companion of mine that I can do in the early morning hours ~ even if it's dark outside, or hubby is gone and the kidlets are sleeping. It's not exactly a run ~ but it's a workout, and that is what I need right now. One thing at a time.

On the weight loss front, all is still well. I gained back 2 of the pounds I lost while I was sick - which I totally expected. I had lost waaaay too much water weight for it to stay gone. No problemo.....I'm still down on the scale, which makes me happy. I'm eating right and feeling good....so I can't complain.

On another exciting front, I'm psyched to say that the American Odyssey Relay team that I posted about a while back has become a REALITY!!! There are 11 other lunatics that have agreed to run a relay of close to 200 miles, and when they aren't out pounding the pavement, they'll be hanging out in the close confines of a club van with stinky ol' me ;) Micheline and I are working on the pre-registration details for our team, and the plan is to be registered by the early registration deadline in July. I'll post more on this when I have time ~ including links to some of my fantastic fellow-blogger-team-members: Nat, Jeff, Katie, Rob, Susan, Micheline and Ken!!! One thing for sure ~ we are going to have a BLAST!

And lastly, a big shout out to Nancy once again for the fabulous virtual race last weekend!! It is highly unlikely that this woman knows exactly how much inspiration she provides for runners all over the place! ;) I would never have run 10K that day if it weren't for the support and inspiration from Nancy, and all the other Cave People out there!!! I'm proud to be a Club-Carrying member of this great association! Thanks again, Nanc......you ROCK!

Cavepeople 10K on the 10th: A Recovery WOGG

2008-05-10T14:13:00.001-07:00

The Grand Race Plan: Eileen and I had a great 10K run planned at Toka Sticks Golf Course ~ a brand new venue for both of us. Even Pat ~ my long lost running buddy ~ was enticed and considered heading out the run with us. It was supposed to be the crack of dawn ~ a bright and early 6am run to beat the heat. Been on the books for over a couple weeks ~ it was gonna be SWEEEEEET.

But when life gets in the way, sometimes you just have to regroup. Eileen and I canceled the Toka Sticks run as a result of things beyond our control ~ specifically that my last 2 weeks consisted only of the following:

1. minor surgery

2. the stomach flu

3. absolutely no running whatsoever (unless I get credit for the 3.5678 miles that I ran back and forth to the bathroom during event noted in #2 above. Ewwww, I know.)

So we scrapped Toka Sticks for another day when we figured we could actually have a *fun* run out there, instead of a Pokey-Bodily-Torture-Run. My legs were still aching every time I climbed the stairs in my house, and my body just hasn't recovered yet. Friends don't let friends witness that kind of bodily abuse ;)

The Revised Plan: A few miles on my own on Saturday morning, just to make myself feel better mentally. No worries, I'd tell the trusty Cavepeople Race Director that I just wasn't able to participate. Afterall, can't worry about something that you can't control.....I'd just see what kind of mileage I was able to knock down without killing myself.

What Actually Happened:

5:00 am - Alarm Clock - Oh crap, I am supposed to run this morning. SNOOZE.

5:09 am - Okay Pokey, snooze time is over. Time to get the feet on the floor and out the door. But crap, I just don't feel like running. I'm tired, my right calf still aches...I can't possibly go out and run today. I'll get back at it next week. SNOOZE.

5:18 am - No REALLY......I need to run. Even if it's a mile or two. I NEED a run. Reached under the bed, pulled out the club, and beat away all the hesitation. Feet on the floor.

5:55 am - Out the door.

The plan was simple: run when I could, walk when I wanted ~ cover some distance without hurting myself. Easy as pie. Just enjoy being out and moving for the first time in 2 weeks. I headed for my typical 4.5 mile loop around my house.

Everything still worked, although not well. Legs were tired, breathing was labored, body was a bit out of control (arms flailing like a wounded woodland animal).....but I was moving. I walked a lot, no problem there.

2 miles in to my wogg (oooh, there's that word again!) I approached the turn for the loop back to my house. That's when I made the rash decision to keep going straight.....transforming my loop to 6.5 miles. I was going to do the 10K after all!

So I ran....and walked.....and ran.....and walked......all the while using my club to beat away the thoughts that nagged in my brain about having to turn in such a lousy time for this virtual race. I didn't matter. Mileage mattered ~ movement mattered ~ that was all.

It was truly, without a doubt, the slooooooooowest run EVER! I think somewhere between mile 3 and 4, I got passed by these guys, who were more than cordial.

Then I met this new running friend around mile 5 when my body was really starting to yell at me. He gave me a little pep talk, a high five, and went on his way. I wonder if he had a virtual race today too???

About half a mile later, my legs were aching.....I could start to feel the beginnings of some cramps coming on. This is where brains had to prevail over determination. I turned off Garmie at 5.5 miles, smiled at my accomplishment ~ and walked the mile home with the other new friends I met out on the pavement today.

Total mileage was 6.5 miles.

Is it weird that I finished this race feeling the better about myself than I ever have? Is it weird that my time is so beyond horrible, that I won't even post it? Is it weird that movement just for the sake of movement ~ out in great weather on a beautiful morning ~ is more important than race pace or finish time?

TOTALLY.

But I never claimed to be normal :P

So it is with great honor that I have completed the Cavepeople 10K on the 10th of May, and award myself with the most prestigious award that the running community can bestow:

DEAD ASS LAST

I had an acceptance speech all prepared, but I think you get my point. For those expecting a race time out of me, you'll have to remain disappointed (although as a teaser I'll just say that my best single mile pace was 13:20....and that was for Mile 1!!!! tee hee....)

Aside from my fancy dancy award, the next most fulfilling thing about this race: completing something that I really - by all intents and purposes - shouldn't have been able to do today. COMPLETION. It's what drives me. Finishing last isn't the downer I had always assumed it would be. So Mrs. Race Director - put me down as Dead Ass Last - with a big smile :)

But you want to know the real added bonus from today?? I absolutely positive that I finished LIFETIMES ahead of all those couch potatoes who didn't even start :)

Hope you ALL had just a just as wonderful 10K today!!!!

The Heart Keeper

2008-05-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Eleven years ago today my heart left my body for the first time, and took root in an 8 pound bundle of joy. After I got over the initial feeling of being scared to death at this new little phenomenon in front of me, over the years I watched my heart run about in its new location – taking first steps, speaking first words, getting on the school bus for the first time, riding a bike, playing football.

It’s an amazing feeling that only a parent can understand when you truly watch your heart – your whole being, every ounce of yourself – walking around in a being separate from your own.

You can’t protect your heart yourself, as it is totally under the control of its Keeper. Over time, it will be elated, broken, stepped upon, proud, disappointed ~ sometimes all at the same time. It all depends on the Keeper.

Today is a special day for one of my Keepers – and he makes me so proud to be a mom.

Happy Birthday my big man……your mom loves you so very much!

New Weight Loss Formula

2008-05-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

I have to confess that I have cheated already on my 10 pound weight loss goal ~ and lost 5 pounds already in the past 5 days.

Wanna know my secret? Do ya…..huh? huh?

Well, here’s the secret formula:

Surgery + Stomach Flu = Less Pounds for Pokey

Sadly enough, I don’t really recommend my new secret. It has kicked my tail for the past 4 days!!! Not the surgery part – that was easy ~ it’s the stomach flu that has me beat.

Hubby and I both had the bug the entire weekend ~ and had to farm our kids out to grandparents to keep them from going stir crazy and/or being infected after being locked up with sick parents for so long. It was insane.

So I’m behind in blogging and reading, behind at work, behind in running, and behind at life in general….it appears the only thing I’m ahead in is in weight loss ;)

Okay, so I’ll take it. I’ve learned not to be choosey when it comes to weight loss. It’s the first time my scale has seen the 150’s in over 2 years. I expect to gain a bit back as my body recovers, but it sure is nice to be sustantially in a different range on the scale. I’m only 7.5 pounds away from my personal weight goal; 12.5 pounds away from what the oh-so-lovely-weight-charts tell me that I *should* weigh for my height. I plan on being there before my next big race ;)

Sorry to dangle the 10 pound challenge in front of everyone and then drop off the planet….life just happens like that sometimes I guess. I’m still holding out hope that I’ll be able to run the 10K on the 10th this weekend….but we’ll have to see how the ol’ body holds up this week.

Hope you are all running well ~ I snuck a few quick blog peeks this morning and have to say congrats to Lisa for a great Splash & Dash ~ and to Laura for totally kicking the tail out of that half marathon ~ and last….but especially not least – to Jeff for completing his very first FULL MARATHON!!! For those who don’t know him well, this man has been an amazing source of inspiration for me! You da man Jeff!

And to my favorite partner in crime, the woman who has not donned running shoes since late January but can still complete a half marathon in about the time it takes me WITH training (can you say beaaaaatch!!!!)….congrats to Micheline on a great half marathon up in Reno this past Sunday as well. I would love to see what she could accomplish if she actually tried! :P

Happy Running this week!

Thought for the day

2008-05-02T09:48:00.001-07:00

Just Plain Busy

2008-05-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

WOW! I had no idea that when I threw out the idea of a *10 Pound Challenge* that I would have so many takers!!!! If I had, I obviously would have thought through my idea a bit better before opening my mouth ;)

I’m thinking on it….but I am just swamped with not much time to blog.

My girlie procedure went WONDERFULLY and I am feeling fantastic! Thanks for all the well wishes!!

Once I unbury myself from all the work I have fallen behind on lately, I’ll be back (in my best Terminator voice!) :P

No Excuses

2008-04-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

NOXQSZ

I love it! Nice job all you smarties that figured it out ~ and to all the resourceful bloggers that figured it easier just to read the preceding comments ;)

Several of the team members from American Odyssey pointed out that it could make a great team name! Dang, you guys are thinking!!! I think a few simple letters ~ translated into two simple words ~ goes a long way. At least, it usually does for me.

I had many great victories last week and over the weekend, and funny enough, only one of them was related to running. I had a great run on Saturday morning ~ up and out the door by 5:55am to beat the heat ~ and knocked out 6.75 miles. I revisited interval running with R5/W1 intervals, thinking it might help me pickup my over all pace (my last couple 5-6 mile runs were continuous and slow as molasses). But……..it didn’t!! I was still slow ;) But it didn’t matter ~ I felt great for most of the run. The last 2 miles were my strongest, and I ran them continuously with no walk breaks. I was tempted to keep going longer, but I actually used my brain and remember that I need to rebuild mileage gradually. It’s just hard when a run feels so good.

Almost more importantly that my run, I realized over the course of the week that I was having many other small victories unrelated to running. No wait ~ they are actually very BIG victories for me.

Back in my Weight Watcher days, we used to call them NSV’s ~ Non-Scale Victories. This meant good choices and habits during the week, which didn’t always necessarily lead to pounds lost on the scale ~ but were personal victories nonetheless.

I am proud to say I had many NSV’s last week, which for me simply translates into good food choices. Specifically, things like throwing away the last bit of my boys’ french fries from McDonald’s (which I loooooooove) instead of chowing them myself; or having one Entemann’s donut hole and not being tempted to eat the entire box. It meant having salads over burgers, fruit and yogurt for snacks over junk food ~ and the best part……not even feeling like I was depriving myself. I felt fabulous!

I am not sure what switched in my brain last week ~ nor am I totally naïve enough to think that it will last there permanently without struggle….or if it is just a temporary phase of “being good” ~ but whatever happened, I like it. I feel a bit different about it than I have in the past ~ wondering if this is really THE time that it will stick with me.

Only time will tell that ~ but for now, all is well. And as a bonus, I was treated to a real *scale victory* and turned up down 3 pounds ;)

Now the plan is to get through my outpatient surgery tomorrow ~ just a little elective girlie-type procedure ~ and come back running in a couple days…..and keep eating healthy this week when I won’t exercise much.

I have a new weight loss goal: 10 pounds by June 1st. Anyone else up for a 10 pound challenge? Any wagers huh, huh, huh?

Remember: No Excuses!

NOXQSZ

2008-04-25T09:11:00.001-07:00

Do you like my new motto? Any smarties out there know exactly what it means?

I saw this on Tuesday night at D's sports training place ~ a group of girl soccer players had it on the back of their shirts and it spoke to me. No ~ it screamed at me :)

I think I need to go have a shirt made!

Running has been sub-standard again this week, but I promised myself I wouldn't whine about it. I got one short run done instead of two; and will head out tomorrow morning for a 5-6 miler. Mileage is mileage ~ I'll take what I can get.

I have a little outpatient medical procedure scheduled for next Tuesday, so my hope is to get a couple of decent runs in before then. Afterwards, I'll have a couple days of not being allowed to run, but after that I should be able to ramp back up. I've already regressed quite a bit since earlier in the year, so I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Now a side note: I am loving that a couple of new runners came out of the woodwork to comment on my last post, but I don't know how to reach some of you!! FAWN: do you have a blog? I couldnt locate one ~ but the best advice I have right now is check out the list of fine people to the right (and down a bit)

--------------------------------->>>>

cause they are the best group of running resources that anyone could ask for! Keep visiting and reading, and keep up the running!!!!

Happy Friday!

America's Finest?

2008-04-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

The info below was listed on a racing website as the “highlights” of the America’s Finest City Half Marathon, to be held in San Diego this August.

2-day Expo; Race Day Festival; Tech t-shirts; Medals to all HM finishers under 3 hrs., HM limited to 7,750. 5K limited to 1500

Don’t get me wrong ~ San Diego is absolutely one of my favorite places to go….we are regular vacationers there each and every summer.

But the verbiage of these *highlights* really has me in a tizz. Only finishers under 3 hours are deserving of a medal? Did they cover less distance than sub-3 hour finishers? Did they work “less hard??” Did they shed less sweat, have fewer aches and pains?

Highly unlikely.

In contrast, in my humble opinion, those slowpoke, drag-yourself-across-the-finish-line-at-all-costs finishers are the most deserving of the group. I guarantee you that they shed more sweat, had more mental anguish and more aching body parts than any of the sub-3-ers could even fathom.

I think I am an anomaly ~ as I continue to be more impressed by those who have to work harder to achieve a goal, than I am by those to whom running just comes naturally. Maybe I’m biased since I’m not a good runner, but even in my back-of-the-pack location, I am still amazed by runners that have to work even harder.

I remember my first “big race” very well ~ a 12k along the harbor in San Pedro, California (the Bridge to Breakwater) ~ and the image of a particular runner is still engrained my brain. The course was an out-and-back, and I was poking along at my usual Pokey Pace (I haven’t really gotten much faster in the past 2 years!) and upon my way back down a hilly portion of the course, I saw the most inspiring runner that I have ever seen. A woman, probably mid 40’s, weighing in at at least close to 300 pounds. Everyone of her steps required noticeable effort, and she was sweating buckets in the hot temperatures of the day. As I was heading down the hill, she has heading up, out to the turnaround point at the breakwater. By my calculation at that time, there were probably only 20ish people behind me, and they were all on the downhill, not too far behind me. All except for this woman. As she approached me, I was made aware of the HUGE smile on her face, as she happily gave me a high-five, told me what a great job I was doing, and wished me luck. I returned the sentiments and we both continued to plod along, each in our opposite direction.

This one, single runner inspired me so much that day, that I can’t even express it. It was an undeniable certainty that she would finish last in the race ~ substantially behind everyone else. Yet this didn’t keep her from smiling, high-fiving, and trucking on. While the front-of-the-packers were eating bagels and oranges and analyzing their runs, this woman was still running and sweating in the higher-than-normal California temps that day. How could one not be inspired by that?

I guarantee that this woman, much like anyone else that would run an half marathon in over 3 hours, exerted enough physical energy and mental toughness to be more than deserving of a medal. And it makes me angry when the running community ~ which for the most part is so incredibly welcoming and supportive ~ takes an elitist approach.

As most of might have figured out by now, I am not a stellar half marathon runner (shhhhh…don’t tell anyone else!). There are so many variables and “what if’s” along a course of 13.1 miles that could easily set me back and push me back into the over 3 hour category. If that was me, and I pushed through leg cramps (oh, which I certainly have) and mental adversity to complete a HM course – you bet your sweet selves I would be demanding a medal. And no runner should ever settle for less.

I understand the need for time limits and road closures ~ and I’m okay with it. So if it’s a time limit issue, then call it a time limit ~ and all of us slowpokes would be understanding. But if a race is just going to be greedy with its medals, then it can count me out.

I’ll take my money and my slowpoke behind to another race that has an appreciation of what it really takes for runners like me to complete a race.

Okay, rant over. Back to the regularly scheduled programming.

****Ranter's Note: after some time to re-look at the website and come out of my tizz, apparently they have changed some of the verbiage and indicated that the time limit IS a road closure issue.....not just a "you're to slow to get a medal issue. As promised above, I will be understanding from now on ;) I just won't go run their race, LOL! :) ****

Pat's Run

2008-04-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

I'm in such *relief mode* now that Pat's Run is done and in the books. I was pretty nervous about my readiness ~ or lack therof ~ after a couple weeks off.....but it all ended up okay.

I had a great run with buddy Eileen ~ who I realized early on is a much stronger runner than she gives herself credit for ;) It was a perfect day, perfect weather, and perfect company.

Eileen and I set out with 17,000 of our closest friends for a nice 4.2 mile run. For those who don't know much about the Pat Tillman legacy that runs strong here in the Phoenix area, you can read about it HERE. In short, Pat was an ASU football player (GO DEVILS!!!), turned professional with the AZ Cardinals ~ and basically walked away from a lucrative NFL contract to go serve our country in Iraq. Sadly, Pat was killed by *friendly fire* and his death is still somewhat a sore subject for AZ locals. The Pat Tillman Foundation was created in his honor ~ it provides college scholarships for future leaders. It is a fantastic legacy.

The race is 4.2 miles, and ends on the 42 yard line of Sun Devil Stadium. Can you guess what Pat's jersey number was at ASU? :P

As an ASU alum, and someone who watched Tillman play for quite a while and knew the kind of person he was, this race is near and dear to my heart. People of all ages, shapes, sizes and motivations show up to walk / run and just show support for Pat Tillman and all he stood for. It's a very cool thing.

Sooo.....that being said ~ here's Eileen and I at the start:

(picture shamelessly stolen from Eileen's blog ;)

We headed out with the adrenalin rush of the race, and completed our first mile at a pretty good pace. I'm hoping that we truly got Eileen her fastest mile, as she had suspected when we stopped for a water break at Mile 1!!

We ran at a nice pace, stopping when one of us needed a break. My legs were pretty tired (the good ol' concrete shoes again) but overall, everything was in order. Chip time was 52:35, with an average pace of 12:33. I'll take it! It's miles on the books after a long drought ~ so I consider it a great success :)

On top of that, a race is always a great motivation for me to get myself back on track. I'm hoping for at least 2 short runs this week, and a medium-long run over the weekend. I'm tired of seeing that big, fat ZERO in my weekly mileage total!!!!

Happy Monday ~ if there is such a thing :P

If you're not well trained...

2008-04-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

....then at least be well rested.

Someone wise once told me that (in jest, I think!) ~ but it's my motto for Pat's Run tomorrow.

It's really the only approach given my lack of running over the past week, due to traveling and other life happenings.

If I walk....then I walk. It's only 4.2 miles, so not a biggie if it isn't a stellar run. I'll be trucking along with Eileen, so at least I know the company will be good!

SUPER LUCK to Marathon Dude Bill who is running Boston this weekend, and any other peeps that are racing too!

Happy weekend everyone :)

I got new shoes

2008-04-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

So do you like them?

You too can have a pair of concrete shoes ~ all it takes is a whole lotta bad food and a whole week of no running.

I took these bad boys out for a spin this morning ~ oh, what a run.

But okay, so I ran. FINALLY.

So now Eileen can rest and not have to worry about scheduling an intervention ;) and Scary Woman doesn't need to threaten me via text messages to chase me down the street!!! All is good again.

But I can't sugarcoat ~ the run stunk. Sucked. Horrible. 5 miles and it all hurt. Okay, maybe not hurt ~ but it certainly wasn't comfortable. My legs screamed at me the whole way - trying to figure out how the heck I could expect them to propel me forward for an hour after letting them slack for over a week.

Somehow I made it out and back on my usual 5 mile route ~ even though the urge to turn around at the 1.5 mile mark was way too strong. I needed to get the miles in today ~ no matter how ugly they were.

So, I ran. And walked. And complained. And ran some more. And in the end, the mission was accomplished. Luckily Garmie was dead in the drawer when I headed out, so I can't even complain about how slow I was. A run is a run.

And as a wise, wise woman said to her son this past Tuesday after a tough workout with his trainer:

That's why it's called a workout. If it was supposed to be easy, it would be called a nap.

:P

Who can guess...

2008-04-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

....how many miles I've run this week?

Anyone? Anyone?????

Oh that's right.......I remember......

And how many times did I work out???? Yup, you guessed it. Open me up a big case of fat, lazy GOO.

I have a million excuses, if you'd like to hear them. The first being that Hubby is out of town all this week, so I am juggling work, kids, and life in general all by myself. AND I can't exactly go out and run in the early morning or evening while the kidlets are asleep.....And......I'm tired. And....AF is visiting me and I'm miserable. And......

Oh, sorry....excuses suck. I always forget that part. Did I also mention that I have a nice, working treadmill in my garage? No, it didn't slip my mind ~ I just chose to be lazy instead.

Now I could move on and tell you all the reasons why I can't run next week either ~ mostly related to traveling to NC, 12 hour days at the office and nights of little or no sleep.

But that would be more excuses.

I'd also love to ramble on about how irritated I am that I can't seem to lose weight, but then surely one of my wise RBF's would point out way too many obvious problems with the *Plan* that I am apparently not on.

Heard enough? Me too. I have a couple of good runs, a couple good days or weeks of smart eating....and then I fall off track again. I am very frustrated. Something has got to change here soon.

Love,

Your Friday Friend Flubber

Happy Anniversary to Me!

2008-04-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today was my very first 5K race. That race that was party of my training program fo the impending *big* 12K race in September 2006 ~ and was also the race that set me on the path of wanting to become a runner!

I am still on that very same path ~ only my sights are set a little higher these days ;)

In two years, I have completed 2- 5K races (weird, huh? It's obviously not my favorite distance); one 2M; one 4.2M; one 12K, and 3- half marathons.

Apparently, I'm not quite the experienced racer that I sometimes think I am!! Only two 5K's???? I gotta get moving :) And somebody find me a good 10K!!!!!

I still have my 5K race tshirt, and very first pair of running shoes tucked up on a shelf in my closet. I attribute those items to getting me off the couch and on to the pavement. My hope is to have many more races to brag about by the time my next anniversary comes around!

Happy Running!

Olympic Victories

2008-04-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

"Treat every accomplishment as if it were an Olympic victory."

I can't remember where I heard or read that (sorry to whatever wise person had such a great statement), but I think of it often, and use it equally as often when someone else is having trouble seeing the accomplishment in each and every small step of running.

So this weekend I had my own Olympic victory. I think I even earned a Bronze Medal in the Turtle Division :)

I headed out just after 6am for a solo run. I wasn't daring enough to plan to go *long* by myself, but I figured a medium distance run of 6.5 miles would do the trick.

As I headed out the door, the battery bar in my iPod was flashing red (crap!), as I was walking to the corner Garmie beeped loudly and told me his battery was low too..........so as I started my run, it was anybody's guess who would die first: my iPod, Garmie....or me :)

I am more than happy to say we all made it home alive and in tact ~ and again, feeling like a rockstar. I ran the entire 6.5 miles ~ only stopping for a couple seconds at stop lights (I am a law abiding citizen, you know...).....and oh yeah, I did take a nice walk break at the 3 mile mark to eat a Gu and take a good water break.

It was also at that point where I had a nice, long talk with some body parts. After 3 miles, my arm was screaming at me that it didn't exactly like the tank shirt I had chosen for this run. Apparently after the winter, it's time to get the ol' arms reconditioned for a bit of exposure rubbing ;) So I had a little pep talk ~ c'mon arm chub, it's time to get with the program! I covered the raw spot with the armband from my iPod (a big initial OUCH) and trucked on.

It was slow, and wonderful. It was another olympic victory for me. A continous, 6.5 mile run. Yeeeeeeeeee Hawwwwwwwwwwww!!!!

After my post a while back about conquering the half marathon distance, Jeff asked me how I would know when I conquered it......how would it feel? And I had thought about it then when he posed the question, and thought I knew....but Saturday's run reaffirmed for me. I will just know.

This Saturday, I conquered 6.5 miles. I knew within 5 minutes of the start that I would do it. I could feel it. It's just something in my gut.

Now that doesn't mean that the next time I head out for 6.5 miles ~ or even less ~ that I just might not get my butt kicked. A one-time-conquering of the distance doesn't give you a lifetime guarantee.

It just means for that distance, on that day, at that moment ~ I win.

My hope is that all my running friends will experience their own Olympic victories this week. Dont't overlook them ~ they are right under your nose.

Happy Running!

Reasons Not to Run a Marathon

2008-04-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, I come across something that really speaks to me. I mean ~ don't get me wrong ~ all the motivation and banter in blogland always speaks to me in some capacity......but every so often I find something that really SCREAMS at me. Today I found this.

It's an old post ~ from December 2007~ from this blog. I was laughing, and almost crying at the same time ~ and I've never even run a marathon ;)

5 REASONS NOT TO RUN A MARATHON

ONE: BECAUSE IT'S INSANE
Only a person who has slipped in some idiot juice and fallen face-first into a vat of "I'm off my tree" would even consider it. Insanity clean-up on aisle three!

Think about it: driving for 26.2 miles is a pain in the arse, and you're thinking about running it with 40,000 people in your car?

Here's a suggestion. Slip a stone into your shoe and walk around for 6 hours. Then see how on top of Ol' Smokey and covered in failure you feel. Oh, and don't forget to surround yourself with other insane asylum escapees who will happily throw little paper cups of sticky liquid in your face and call it "aid".

'Cause that's a marathon.

And if you're still going to do it, you're playing footsies with your own delusions. You're slick with the idiot juice. Practically pickled in it after four months of training.

IN-SANE.

And you'll know you're insane at Mile 18 of your precious marathon. You'll shake hands with Mile 18 and discover it has a cold, wet-fish handshake that lingers a little too long.
But there's more. Over mile 18's shoulder, you'll spot something else. In the distance. Here comes Insanity Check, riding over the horizon on a ruddy great mare. This sinewy thoroughbred will pull up right in front of you and snort in your reddened face. At which point Insanity Check will dismount and stick a fork in your thigh to see if any juice comes out. And none will.

'Cause that's a marathon.

That's why insane people scream.

Which brings us to the second reason NOT to run a marathon.

TWO: IT HURTS MORE THAN YOUR NEIGHBOR PLAYING CELINE DION AT 3AM. Unless you work at Marlene's House of Pleasure and Pain (50% off on Bring your own Whip Wednesdays), you don't have to put up with that shit.Seriously, if your knees are crying like baby kittens left in a burlap sack, GIVE UP! If the arches of your feet are burning brighter than banned books at a bonfire, PACK IT IN! And when you see a couple duck out of the race and into the subway in Brooklyn, don't think 'Losers'. Think, 'Now that's smart.'

For God's sake, don't shuffle on.

So what if your friends are at a pub on First Avenue and 88th Street? So what if that happens to be mile 18 and their cheers give you the will to carry on? In the Bronx at mile 21 you'll curse them to hell and back. You'll resent them for not telling you to stop and come inside for a beer. A. Nice. Cold. Beer. And that pain in your foot? It's not going to go away.

Hobbling up the hill on 5th Avenue - a hill that's longer than a Kevin Costner directed epic - you'll have a pain epiphany.

You'll see your body for what it really is. A machine. A ruthless, selfish, hungry beast that is sucking every conceivable gram of energy out of you with its pistons and gaskets and hydraulic need.

It will feed on itself and steal what it can from your blood, your teeth and your hair. It will raid the cupboard of your daydreams and suck the color from the freckles of your face. And it will never stop.

There will be a point where even running through the sticky dried carpet of Gatorade on the road requires too much effort. Too much pain to lift your feet off the sticky tarmac.

The thought that you will need to willingly run though all of this and suffer the consequences in the days after - grinning wildly as you prop your feet up on a pillow - simply proves the first point.

THREE: PEOPLE MIGHT ADMIRE YOU.Who the hell needs admirers? If you're looking for buddies, get on Facebook and friend farm 'til the zombies come home. Join Twitter and follow someone off a cliff. Start blogging long and meaningful posts about your dog, then search optimize that puppy.

What you don't need in life is random comments from real people who are standing right in front of you. Comments about how awesome they think you are. Or how proud they are of you.
You don't need people to tell you that when you texted them at mile 11, just to let them know you had leg cramps and had stopped at a med tent for salt, it felt as though they'd just heard you'd been shot.

And you sure as hell don't need someone telling you that when they saw you on First Avenue running towards them at 88th Street, they thought to themselves, "Holy shit, she's really going to do it."

Do you really need to see them jumping up and down on the side of the road, and screaming for you, and hugging and chasing after you? Really?

Because who the hell knows how to deal with that kind of in-your-face compliment? How do you even react to that kind of reality? That would mean you have friends. That would mean that you were actually doing something extraordinary.

And face it. We all know that's just not you.

FOUR: MEETING PEOPLE. IT'S IRRITATING.Runners belong to the worst kind of cult. They have secret codes and a language with words like fartlek and GU, but they don't have a well-fortified compound.

They just start conversations. Randomly. With anyone. It's annoying. They talk to you at the start of a race, about all sorts of messed up shit. Like how to avoid chaffing like wheat in a threshing machine. And you've never even met them before in your life!

It's like they think that just because we're all sliding around in our body glide together, they have some right to slide all over you. That you really want to feel like you're part of something, and here's your chance. Pfftt!

And then there are the ones that live on the other side of the country, who will randomly read your pathetic running blog on weendure.com and oh, wait for it, start a conversation with you.

Through the Internet.

They will spend four months encouraging and inspiring you to keep slogging away at your marathon training.

YOU WILL BE VERY IRRITATED!

Because that person is now watching you. And you want to quit, but you can't because then you'd have to explain why to that person. That you're too lazy. That it's too hard. That your knees hurt. It's too hot. You've got blisters. You're too hung-over.

You can't use these excuses because he's doing the same marathon you are and you're supposed to meet up at some point, face-to-face.

There'll also be a surprise. You'll find out that not everyone you meet on the Internet is an axe-wielding, homicidal psycho billy. Because you'll meet up with them in a public place (you never can be sure, so pick somewhere crowded), and find out that runners are runners are runners and they're a very irritatingly lovely cult, whether you meet them in the start corral or online.
Still, the Internet is filled to the gills with psychos. You might want to write that on a post it and stick it on the side of your monitor.

FIVE: YOU MIGHT LIKE YOURSELF.The Supreme Being is totally against that. You need to always feel just a little unworthy in life. Aim to be at the top of the worthless class - the Valedictorian of Self-Loathing. Running a marathon is not going to help you achieve that goal.
Running a marathon will burn your body right down to the nub, while also flooding your soul tank with gallons of "I am the shit!" fuel. Who wants that?

Those last three miles through Central Park where you decide to run the rest of the way just to get it over with faster - what do you think that'll do for you? Make you feel like you're achieving something? Make you think that you're overcoming the hardest challenge you've ever had in your life?

Do you really want people cheering you, and saying your name as you run past? Like you're special or something? Trust me, you don't want to feel special. It sucks.

If you're running a marathon, you're an idiot. You should be crying as you turn the corner at Columbus Circle. Because holy crapsticks in a crayon case, look at how wrecked you look on the JumboTron. Don't throw your arms in the air just because you're 500 yards from the finish. Drop out. Now. No one cares.

Actually, why aren't you crying? You know, insanity hurts the whole family, and it's not natural to feel this good when you're actually feeling this bad.

To top it all off, now your face is hurting from the huge smile that you can't seem to eradicate as you cross the finish line. More pain? Really? It's over, and you can't even walk. No medal slung around your neck, or silver blanket around your shoulders is gonna help you get to the truck where your bag is. A truck that's even further away because you have the misfortune to have a surname that starts with an M.

And do you really think that your pain is gonna slip away like hot oil when you see your friends outside the park? Their hugs will just continue to trip the needle in your internal awesomeness meter to condition red. You don't need that.

Trust me. If you know what's good for you, don't run a marathon. Stay in your safe little unchallenged cocoon because it's easier. It's nice and comfortable. And face it; after you've run a marathon, nothing lives up to that. Everything else is...bleh.

Just don't do it. I dare you.

Missing

2008-04-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

I figured since my trusty partner was *missing,* the least I could do was to help in the search.

So if you haven't already, meet Micheline. My partner in crime, my motivator, butt kicker, pie-in-the-sky-have-no-limitations friend. If you have a chance, pop on over to her blog (which she rarely updates....AHEM!) and give her a dose of her own medicine ~ a good ol' version of butt kicking motivation! :P

~AMERICAN ODYSSEY RELAY RUN Update ~

So in less than 24 hours, I've had 5 of the great blogging runners throw their hat (at least preliminarily) into the ring for the American Odyssey Race in April 2009! On top of that, Micheline is tapping her running networks ~ and it's pretty certain we will have no problem filling a team.

KUDOS to the following runners for taking the plunge ~

Natalie

Jeff

Katie

Ken

Rob

Now I just need to get them to sign a non-disclosure agreeement and promissory note not-to-cancel after I fill them in on exactly how bad I smell after running ;)

Obviously we are still in the very soft planning stages, just trying to see if there is interest out there. There are still open slots on the team ~ so if I haven't harrassed you personally via email or the like, please consider yourself harrassed and come run with us!

Oh yeah ~ now on to my current running.

Okay, there hasn't been any. Wasn't that easy?

Plan is for 3 miles tonight (fingers crossed that time allows) and 6-7 miles early Saturday morning. Wish me luck :)

American Odyssey Relay Run

2008-04-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

Calling all runners!

Without sounding too much like an infomercial, I need to know who out there is looking for a great running experience for 2009!

I am now taking applications for a running team for the 2009 American Odyssey Relay!! If Micheline can round up 5 runners, and I can round up 5 runners ~ we are going to consider this bad boy!

Applications requirements are this:

1. You must want to run 3 legs of a 200 mile relay run
2. You must be willing to laugh, have fun, and not have an aversion to spending 24 hours with me in a van :P
3. You must be able to laugh at yourself, and 11 others, in regards to whatever might happen in a van over a 24 hour period!

Simple, yes?

So email me if it’s something that lights you up!

********************************************************************

In other news, a variety of mishaps kept the TRC from reuniting last weekend as scheduled, but all was not lost. I purposely did not check my email before going to bed, so that I would make sure to be up and going regardless of who was running…or wasn’t running….with me. So I got in 5 miles on my own ~ slow, but no walk breaks. I came home feeling like a rockstar.

Yesterday morning brought another short run ~ only 2.6 miles based on time constraints. But I was exhausted, and it was a lousy run, so I wasn’t sad to see it end.

I fell short of a 50-mile month for March ~ which is kind of a downer. But that’s what a half marathon, followed by vacation did for me. No worries. I got it all covered.

A little help from my friends

2008-03-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

What would you think if I sang out of tune,

Would you speed up and run out on me?

Give me a Gu and I'll sing you a song,

And I'll try not to sing out of key.

Oh I get by with a little help from my friends,

I get Runners High with a little help from my friends,

Oh I'm gonna try (to run faster) with a little help from my friends.

Do you need anybody?

I need somebody to run.

Could it be anybody?

I want somebody to run.

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends,

Mmm I get Runners High with a little help from my friends,

Oh... I get by with a little help from my friends.

Tumbleweed Running Club reunites after a bit of a hiatus ~ tomorrow morning, 6:45 am.

Thanks, friends for not letting me stay a lump of goo ;)

Conquer the Distance

2008-03-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

I finally got out last night. 3 miles. Slow. No walking.

It was good. No, it was great. It was the first *real* run I’ve had since Valley of the Sun, and it felt good be just be out (first and foremost) but it was also good to feel strong. I love runs where I feel strong.

As I mentioned already, yesterday Micheline and I spent a long while on the telephone, combined with internet surfing, trying to find a race to run together sometime later this year. Our intent is to try and meet for a race once a year – following in the tradition of Big Sur. An interesting comment was made during our conversation, and I pondered it quite a bit last night during my run.

Micheline knows me well enough ~ and may not even visit my blog enough ~ to know I didn’t take this comment the wrong way…so I’m okay with sharing it.

As some background, Micheline is my pie-in-the-sky-friend. She truly believes that nothing is out of the realm of possibility. She isn’t deterred by physical or mental limitations; she’s ready to throw her hat in the ring for just about anything. She doesn’t share my disdain for the prospect of finishing last in a race ~ she’s all about just going for it. In some ways, I wish I was like that ~ but I’m much more conservative.

That being said, I choose my races carefully. I know my physical limitations, and try not to put myself in a race situation where I know I’m setting up for failure. For example, Micheline wants to do the Wild West Trail Marathon….and doesn’t think anything of walking it if necessary. I, on the other hand, don’t think that my very first marathon should be one that is rated with a 9+ degree of difficulty ;)

So obviously we have some differences in opinions about the races we should consider ~ specifically given my adversion to HILLS. (Yes, we’ve covered that topic already, so it really needs no more explanation.) So in our search for suitable races, the degree of elevation change is an item for consideration. At least for me.

So yesterday as we are perusing the internet, Micheline finds a race (I can’t remember which one) ~ I look at the elevation chart ~ make a grunting noise, signaling my disapproval ~ and I can almost see Micheline rolling her eyes at me over the phone. So she chides me: “I’m sorry….I wish I could just run a search for races labeled *easy.*”

To which I promptly reply: “ummmm, I don’t recall any of my half-marathons being easy for me.”

And she got my point. I’m not about searching for easy ~ I’m searching for do-able. I’m searching for a race ~ and a distance ~ that I can conquer. Up to now, for a variety of reasons, my first three half-marathons have conquered ME ~ not the other way around.

I want to conquer a race. I want to conquer a distance. And then I can move on.

And as I was running last night, I realized that is what makes me enjoy some runs more than others. When I am out there, running ~ feeling strong ~ conquering the distance, without it conquering me ~ I love the run. And as is human nature, when I am on the other end of the stick, I don’t feel quite as warm and fuzzy.

There is something amazing for me about looking back at the completion of a run ~ whether it’s 3 miles or 13.1 miles ~ and knowing the distance didn’t defeat me. That was what last night was for me: 3 miles of Pokey versus the Pavement ~ and I came out strong and victorious.

THAT is what keeps me running.

And it gave me a new sense of focus. I’ve completed 3 HM’s lately, but I still have so much work to do. I have not yet conquered the half marathon. And I won’t move on until I do.

My plan is to complete at least 2 more HM’s this year ~ and conquer the distance.

Big Lump of Goo

2008-03-26T14:11:00.001-07:00

To steal a phrase from Laura, this is seriously what I am becoming ~ a big, lazy lump of GOO.

It’s sadly reminiscent of late 2006 after the completion of my very first *big race.* I came home, with nothing on my plate to work toward, and became completely complacent. I stopped training, kept eating, gained weight and allowed my running progress to take a backward slide.

When you’re a rookie, there is no such thing as a break from running. At least not for this rookie.

So I’ve enlisted a bit of help from my friends today ~ Micheline and I spent 45 minutes on the phone this morning, trying to find some races to target for early summer or fall. I need to have a carrot dangling in front of me to keep me moving. I won’t allow myself a repeat of past years.

So thenI emailed Nancy, and admitted that I am actually considering the Dam to Dam 20K that she had mentioned to me ~ yes, it's in Iowa. But nothing a little good planning and a little bit of credit on US Airways couldn't accommodate if necessary ;)

And in my final act of running desperation, I sent out a pleading email to some of my local running pals ~ Lisa, Pat and Eileen ~ begging for a 5 mile run this Saturday. It’s sad when Pokey ~ the once-upon-a-time-self-proclaimed-solo-runner ~ has to beg for a group run. So help me out, will ya running buddies?

Don’t let this Pokey become a lump of goo. It ain’t pretty.

Kauai Running

2008-03-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

I'm back ~ and still trying to get my brain unscrambled and some somewhat settled again after vacation......but thought I'd post a few pictures for starters.

I only ran twice while in Kauai ~ the first morning and last morning ~ and tried to capture the amazing scenery as best as a cell phone camera can.

But how can a run in these places be anything but great?

I really wanted to run faster, but there were signs like this all over the place! So what's a girl to do? :P

And just so you know that I didn't steal these pictures from other blogs.... I give you the glamorous self portrait ;)

In my world, I consider this a HILL. And yes, I actually ran it....BOTH ways!! ;)

*sigh*

Now back to reality. I'll get caught up with everyone soon!

While I'm away...

2008-03-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

.....I have a few things to say ~

(tee hee, just call me Dr. Seuss!)

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my gal Lisa ~ who will celebrate her birthday next week with the B-Fit Birthday Challenge! Some of us celebrate with too much chocolate and cake, but noooooo.......Lisa is going to swim, bike and run an absurd amount in celebration of her youth! Have an awesome birthday week Lisa! :)

HAPPY, HAPPY TRI-ING to another one of my heros~ Nancy who is doing her first triathlon during my absence!!! Did you hear me ~ TRIATHLON!!! Holy smokes woman, you ROCK!

HAPPY, HAPPY TRI-ING to Mendy & David ~ some veteran tri-do-ers~ who are great at just about everything! You guys make an awesome pair.....go ROCK that TRI on Saturday!!

HAPPY, HAPPY HALF MARATHON to vivacious Viv ~ who is running a HM relay while I'm flying across the ocean ;) You are going to be fantastic!

and last, but certainly not least ~

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY MARATHON to Nat ~ who is running the Shamrock Marathon in VA Beach on Sunday! I've loved riding along the journey with you this far Nat.....so get your tail to that finish line, will ya? You're going to do AWESOME!

Geeze, I almost feel guilty about laying on the beach next week while so many of my kinfolk are doing such amazing things!!! okay, ALMOST ;)

I am looking forward to coming home to some GREAT race reports! ALOHA!

2008-03-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Even though I am still HERE ~

My mind is already here ~

Ahhhhh.....now isn't that so much better?

2 more days until we leave for Kauai, and I am just more than ready. Well, mentally ready - not ready, ready! Unfortunately, the laundry and packing fairy hasn't made it to my house just quite yet.

I'm still resting and recovering a bit from Valley of the Sun ~ I was extremely sore after this race (unlike the other two races where it didn't phase me a bit). Every part of my leg has been hurting ~ calves, shins, quads...the works. Today is the first day that everything actually feels back to normal.

I have to admit that I was just a teeny, tiny bit relieved to know that Taryn shared some of my leg soreness after this race too ~ you know, it's the whole *misery loves company* thing ~ but it just made me feel not quite as bad :) (so thanks Taryn!) Of course, she happened to run this race in 2:13 and I ran it in.....well, you know. Enough said about that!

I am enjoying the little rest from running though, particularly since my schedule this week is so crazy that it would have been hard to fit much in anyway. So it is nice to not have to worry about it.

I'm hoping for a short run tomorrow night (Thursday) and then I'll pack up my running shoes and get some short runs done next week in Kauai. I so cannot wait!

In Memory

2008-03-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, I lost one of the most important people in my life ~ my dear Gram.

But one loss, is another gain ~ and I know there are many people, both living and deceased whose lives are much better today as a result of my Gram and her amazing life.

You won’t ever hear me say the words “rest in peace” ~ on the contrary, I hope that my Gram is having the best time of her life.

I love you Gram.

Valley of the Sun Half Marathon

2008-03-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Pre-Race

Picked Lisa up at 5am. UGH. Coffee. PB&J Sandwich. Whining. Driving. Analyzing. Strategizing. Contemplating. Wondering why we didn’t pick a different sport.

That was the drive to the race – some 40 miles away. It took us 50 minutes to get to the location, when we planned on 30.

Upon the opening of the car doors in the cool weather, in the dark, at the finish line ~ the dorkiness began. Lisa and I just crack ourselves up. No matter if everyone else thinks we’re strange ~ I think it’s just engrained in our MO. (Along the race course, during an apparently weak moment, Lisa dubbed us Laverne and Shirley. I don’t think we ever determined who was who ~ but does it really matter?) :P

Talked to Taryn. Met up with Eileen, who was hopefully not discouraged by our bad behavior on race morning, LOL.

We hopped on the shuttle to the staring line, and compulsively analyzed our Garmins, making sure they were set appropriately – mine with intervals, Lisa’s with Trainer Guy. Done. Got to the finish in the perfect amount of time. Said a quick hello to Taryn again. Headed for the starting line (which ended up being about ¼ mile from where we thought it was).

The Race

We took off in perfect form. Words were spoken that had never been heard on a run with Pokey and Java ~ words like “we need to slow down” and “I think you’re running too fast again.” And we were ~ we had to consciously work to stay ahead of Trainer Guy – but not too far ahead. We both learned lessons at RNR about coming out of the gate way too fast. Miles 1 and 2 were great – some of the best miles I’ve run. Breathing was hard for both of us, but it was all about the warm up stage.

The first hill surprise came sooner that expected – somewhere between mile 2 and 3. So we walked ~ a lot. I was continually amazed at how much energy is expended on hill running, or even hill-walking. It zapped a lot of my energy way too early on, but we trudged on. While pushing up the hill, we looked for Eileen at the relay station, but missed her. Taryn came up behind us, we commiserated about the hill for a bit, and then she took off. We had her in sight for a while, but not long. Way to rock, Taryn!!

This is where the race starts to get blurry for me. I remember miles 3-6 as being okay ~ but I was hot. The sun had come up over the mountains and it was blazing - at least to me. Luckily we were on a nice grade at this point, and we still kept pace.

At just about the 10k mark, we made a turn back onto Bush Highway and this is where the real fun for me began. At the 10K aid station, we were still on track…a bit ahead of pace. Trust me, my running partner not only had Training Guy on her wrist, but the split breakdown on a piece of paper in her pocket. Would you expect anything less?

Miles 6-10 were pretty rough. We had some decent miles, and some bad miles (one at almost a 16 minute pace!!) A lot of hill work ~ although we did have a few nice downhills as well. I have to admit, there’s nothing like coming to the top of a hill and able to look down the other side ~ a view of nice desert scenery and the open road ~ how can that not feel good? At least for a moment ;)

We made a few "aquaintances" along the way ~ one in particular who stayed neck and neck with us, and had to put up with our comic relief efforts. At the top of the large downhill, we apologized to her for having to listen to us. She laughed and said that she wished she had a running buddy like that to joke with. We invited her to run with us, but somehow she thought she wasn’t fast enough. Silly girl ~ she apparently hadn’t been listening to our conversations well enough.

Then at the 10 mile aid station, a worker asked us if we were twins! We laughed – and I said no, we just dress alike. But it made me wonder if running partners are like spouses ~ you know, the longer you run together, the more you look similar? Hmmmm…..

So amid all the joking and Laverne & Shirley antics, it still happened. My 10 Mile CRASH. Yup, I’m a crasher. I have 3 races under my belt to prove it now.

We were still on pace at the 10 mile mark, until my legs had just reached their max. No real cramping, but the tightness was almost unbearable. I know a lot was related to the hills ~ but a lot of it is just the norm for me also. My energy was zapped and my legs were screaming – and we still had some miles to go on an incline. Not good.

Somewhere between mile 10 and 11 was when Lisa morphed from the nice running partner I usually know, into the Slave Driver that would carry me the last couple miles. Apparently, she learned from the expert while running with Lori at RNR. She spewed all kinds of profound thoughts my way ~

“You didn’t come all this way to walk the last 2 miles!!!” I tried to explain to her that yes, really….I did….but she wouldn’t have it. There would be no loafing for Pokey. She bumped our intervals to 1 minute just to keep me moving.

I asked again for the millionth time for her to go on ahead and get her new PR ~ it was still totally in reach if she ditched her baggage. Of course, she refused. She made a comment about what a lousy friend she would be if she left me behind. I tried to explain that I thought racing wasn’t about friendship ~ it was about running. But she didn’t buy that one either.

My trusty running partner somehow got me and my tired legs across that finish line at my best time ever. It’s hard for me to not let my mind wander to what our race could have been, if it had been a flat course like RNR. I know we would have hit our goal –and then some. But it wasn’t RNR, it was Valley of the Sun and it had its challenges. We faced them one at a time, and got through.

Overall, I guess my legs held up okay (better than before) ~ I had a serious cramp issue at the car (more on that later), but ultimately, I was just pretty tired. Lisa finished strong, with plenty of fuel left in her tank ~ which is a tribute to all the work she has done. KUDOS to my running buddy!

I’m bummed that running season is pretty much over for us ~ I have so many thoughts of what we could do now, that it’s hard not to be bothered by it. But I’ve already done more than I ever thought ~ 3 half marathons in the past 5 months, each of them with their challenges, lessons learned, and more success than the one preceding. I really have no room to complain.

Valley of the Sun is one for my record books - at least for a while. At the end of the day, my running buddy ~ with whom I have shared a ton of sweat, whining, and laughs ~ gave up her own PR to help me get mine. So maybe this running thing is about friendship after all...

Lisa, thanks so much for a GREAT run!

Valley of the Sun Half Marathon
Time: 2:51:32
Average pace: 13:06

What to say, what to say....

2008-03-09T12:01:00.001-07:00

For now, I only have 4 things to say about the Valley of the Sun Half Marathon today:

1. Hills ~ BIG hills
2. Slave Driver
3. Leg muscles
4. PR

I'll let you all think on those topics and their meanings until I get a race report posted ;)

Valley of the Sun Half Marathon: 2:51:32

Making a mountain...

2008-03-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

Out of a molehill? No, really ~ I’m not.

I would hate for others to think I am obsessed (cough, cough) about the HM this Sunday, cause I’m not.

I am loving all the comments about hills ~ and it’s great to know there are others out there that are as hill-averse as I am! (and geeze, Mendy ~ I would never think you are snobby ~ silly girl!)

The website for Valley of the Sun for some reason, removed the elevation chart I posted a couple days ago, and replaced it with this ~

Okay, this essentially tells me nothing. *sigh*

I told Lisa that all her recent weight training and time spent with her new gym peeps better payoff ~ looks like she’ll have a few inclines to carry me up! ;)

I am also hoping to meet up with Eileen (Running Knitter) sometime before the race (she won’t like me if we meet after the race), as she is running the half-marathon relay.

Also, Taryn is coming to town with her new-running-buddy ~ so I’m excited about seeing her too!

In other miscellaneous ramblings, I am finally down 4.5 pounds!!!!

[insert happy dance HERE!]

I am a bit short of my goal, and most likely won’t hit the 8 pound loss by the time I leave on vacation next weekend, but hey ~ I’ll certainly take a 6 pounds loss just as well! It’s been slow, but consistent. Just like me ;)

And finally, I wouldn’t feel like I’ve done my blogger civic duty if I didn’t pass along with very important PSA. It’s primarily directed at those who have kids ~ and hair ~ so if you don’t have a combination of the two, you can move on to a more amusing blog ;)

For those who fit the bill, please BEWARE of THESE:

This seemingly harmless contraption, when dripping in bubble soap and in the hands of a 3 1/2 year old, is able to take a chunk of human hair, and within nanoseconds, turn it into a dredlock-like state, which also resembles a hair ball that a cat might deposit on your carpet. Once this hairball is hanging from your head, and you are past the initial shock, you must use scissors to cut a chunk out of your hair, much like in your grade school days when a piece of bubble gum went astray. Then you are left with a bad haircut, and soapy hairball, and if you’re like me and freak out and lose your shizznit ~ a crying child.

The moral of this story: go the old-fashioned way and make the kid blow the bubbles himself :)

Happy almost-Friday!

2008-03-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the words of wisdom regarding the course elevation for Valley of the Sun ~ it helped me get my mind around it a bit more.

I'm with Jeff ~ being an AZ girl, flat is where it's at for me too :) It makes Micheline crazy that I consider running up my driveway as *hill work*.....but maybe she'd be impressed with the curb-work that Lisa and I do as our hill training? Going up and down curbs can be hard work ;) Apparently some people just don't get it.

I'm kind of excited about this run in a strange way ~ I'm not as well trained as I was for RNR, but for some reason I feel good. I feel strong. And it feels great!

Hopefully, that will hold true on Sunday too ;)

Last night was a quickie, tired run. I hate running so late at night, but I hate even more leaving to run when I could be spending time with my kidlets. We've been having some intense family Wii bowling tournaments the last couple nights! So I headed out around 8:30 ~ the only thing that got me out was knowing I didn't have far to run. It's taper-week, afterall! :)

Short Taper Run:

Mile 1: 13:02 (wow, need to wake up Pokey!)
Mile 2: 11:21 (okay, now you're movin'....)
.6 mile: 6:40

Total Distance: 2.6 miles
Total Time: 31:03
Average pace: I don't need to know ;)

Oh yeah ~ the Word Cloud idea over there --------> was stolen from Viv ~ what a cool idea! It's interesting what words repeat in my blog all too often. I like it....it's kind of an at-a-glance version of who I am and what is important to me ~ running wise. Cool.

Brutal? Or a cake walk?

2008-03-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

How does this look to you?

It's the course elevation chart for the Valley of the Sun this weekend ~ and I was pretty comfy with it until yesterday.

Lisa's super speedy runner friend ~ the one who kicked my tail for 6 miles a few months back ~ was shocked that we were running this thing ~ calling it one of the hardest half marathons she has done!!!! YIKES.

But since it's too late to be nervous about it, now I am just curious.

To me it looks mostly downhill, with a few small inclines. I guess I have a hard time intepreting what 100-150 foot elevation change really means when spread out over a mile. Am I underestimating these inclines?

I guess I need some Elevation Training :)

And So Begins

2008-03-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

The beloved TAPER.

The Valley of the Sun Half Marathon is a week from tomorrow, so today was the last long run of training. There were 6 miles on the schedule that Lisa developed for us.

Sadly, the TRC wasn't able to meet together for this training run :( So I braved the big, bad pavement on my own.

My mental plan was to run ~ continously ~ the first 3 miles, and then do some intervals for the remaining 3. It is always a wonderful feeling when you realize that training is starting to pay off ~ because I still felt GREAT after 3 miles. I slowed my pace to a very slow, comfortable jog......but only stopped when stop lights dictated. I ran a nice, 6 mile loop around my area ~ even past Lisa's house where I yelled at the top of my lungs " Javaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"

Okay, not really. But I thought about it ;)

And amazingly enough, here's where I ended up:

It was a BEEEE.U.T.FUL run!!! I felt strong the entire way. At one point I looked at Garmie, saw my pace, scowled at the data, and then literally said outloud to myself: "It's okay." It is okay for me to run a 12:30 pace for an entire 6.45 miles. And actually, it was BETTER than okay!

Legs felt good. Breathing felt good. Hydration was good. Fuel was good. Everything was GOOD.

Today is just a GOOD, GOOD day!

Medium Taper Run:

Distance: 6.45 miles
Time: 1:20:30
Average pace: 12:29

And plenty of (((((GOOD LUCK))))) vibes going out to all those who are racing this weekend ~ Jeff, Viv, Pat (possibly), Mendy.....and anyone else I may have spaced on :) Hurry up with those race reports!!!

Blog Pressure

2008-02-28T19:50:00.000-08:00

Blog Pressure (blawg press-shur): NOUN; from the Latin Blogus Preshurus: the physical and mental pressure placed on a given run when it is known that performance will be posted on the Blog; see also Garmin Pressure.

Tonight's run was okay ~ not as good as Monday, not as not-good as last night. Hubby looked at me in almost-disbelief when I was getting dressed: "you're running again tonight? Didn't you just run last night?" Yes, it's unlikely for me to have back-to-back nightly runs during the week - simply out of time constraints.

Monday and Wednesday runs were Garmin-Free; tonight I decided to dust off my pal and take him out for a spin. As I expected, I obsessed over the data ~ although I think I looked at Garmie less than ten times during the run.....that's progress, yes???

Short Run:

Mile 1: 12:02
Mile 2: 11:37
Mile 3: 11:25

Total Distance: 3.0 miles
Total Time: 35:03
Average pace: 11:41

Thanks Garmie for the negative splits! I may take you out again every now and then ;)

And NO, I still haven't tried on the suit :I

Evil has Arrived

2008-02-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

I SO wished someone would have marked the box appropriately so I would not have been so utterly terrified when I opened it.

It went down kinda like this ~

Then out popped THIS little number~

Not the lady with the super nice body, just the SUIT. Apparently the nice body was extra, and it wasn’t on my order.

Tonight the real horror begins when I attempt to try it on. It looks pretty good ~ in the box.

Wish me luck.

A Good News, Bad News Kinda Day

2008-02-25T19:43:00.001-08:00

But seeing as how I'm a tell-me-the-bad-news-first-kinda gal, I assume everyone is too ~ so here it goes.

Bad News: I ate like total crap today. I was weak and made horrible food choices. Somehow, some wicked chocolate just kept jumping into my mouth and I was unable to defend myself. Then it was all downhill from there ~ junk food city. But it was only one day, and I'm okay with it ~ time to move on. Tomorrow is a new day!

Good News: I had a beyond-fantastic run tonight. Right out of the gate, I felt strong and confident. By 1/2 a mile, I was in a groove and knew it was going to be a great run. I headed out early ~ right after dinner ~ with no Garmin, and no iPod. For some reason, I just wanted to enjoy running. My breathing, which I had so much trouble with on Saturday's long run, just fell right in check. I wasn't even the least bit winded. It is a great thing when your mind and body are both in check and the whole system just works.

I tried to work on running form as well. Lisa and I both commented on Mendy's great running form at RNR, so I worked to emulate that. It took a conscious effort to maintain a different running form than what I am used to, but it felt good. So thanks Mendy!! :)

And the best part of the whole run? I was CRUISING. This was no Slog, friends ~ it was a true, bona fide JOG :) Tonight would have been one of the nights that I would have loved for someone I know to drive by and see me running. I was smooth, and strong. For a fleeting moment, I really wished I had brought Garmie so I could relish in the stats of my good run.....I am certain that the splits were well under 12 minutes ~ and about 75% sure they were in the 11:30ish range. And NO walking. I was FLYING ~ Pokey Style :)

You just can't have a better night. A fantastic 3 mile run, walking in the door and having Hubby say "wow, that was quick," getting in a quick Light Saber fight with my preschooler and tucking my kids in to bed......it just doesn't get any better than this.

Junk Food Jog:

Distance: 3 miles
Time: Enough
Average Pace: Lightening fast Pokey speed

2008-02-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

"Once you start running, the running actually isn't bad."

Words to live by from my trusty running partner as we plodded along a 9 mile route this morning ~ starting an un ungodly hour when the moon was still high in the sky. There should really be some sort of *rule* about running that early, but I haven't found it yet ;)

We headed out at 6 am ~ yes, really ~ Lisa willingly, without much duress from the Early Enforcer ~ agree to yet another early long run.

Since we were sans Pat, our usual main motivator, we had to come up with our own motivation for what turned out to be a long, slow, tired run. We were a little lacking in our motivational talk, and instead spent the last 4 miles being punch drunk and talking silly ~ anything to make the miles go by. It had been 2 weeks since my last long run and I felt every step, every breath, every mile of it.

We conjured up a few whopper-stories that we had planned to post to help justify our splits :P, but I figure it's just best to come clean: it was a tough run. We ended up a mile short of our goal due to time constraints brought on by our slower-than-usual pace, and ended up with an average pace of a half-minute per mile slower than our 11 mile run two weeks ago. *sigh*

But we got it wrapped up and called it a day ~ a run is a run is a run! Not sure why we were both so tired and sluggish (part of me was wondering if it was the calorie-cutting that I did this week??), but we got 9 miles on the books, when we could have been at Starbucks sipping lattes :)

Next time, Lisa just needs to bring the Thin Mints :)

In other news, I finally got my new kicks today ~

They are the new, Asics Gel Kayano 14. I had the 13-model as my last pair and LOVED them ~ it was unfortunate that they are being discontinued. This new model should be just as good or better ~ I hope they treat me as well as my last pair did. I was long overdue in getting new ones!

I also had the pleasure of running into Eric and his family at RoadRunner Sports! Apparently, great minds think alike :)

Long Slow Run:

Distance: 9.01 miles
Time: 2:01:40
Average pace: 13:31

2008-02-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

It’s amazing what a little will-power can do ~ I am already down 2.4 pounds for this week!!! And my *real* weekly weigh-in isn’t until next Tuesday!!!

It just reaffirms for me what I already knew ~ I am totally capable of eating healthy and being responsible ~ just most of the time I choose not to. Okay….I am so done with that.

I’ve gone back to the Weight Watchers program (not the meetings, just the program) and have been counting points religiously. In addition, the plan for the coming weeks includes the following focus areas:

Water ~ like, LOTS of it. I’m back on track with keeping myself adequately hydrated for weight loss. The phrase that runs through my mind is all about “flushing out the fat.” Gross ~ but highly effective thinking ;)
Calorie control ~ via the Weight Watchers system. I don’t need to attend meetings to know how I should be eating. I know what I need to do ~ and am doing it.
Higher protein and lower carb intake ~ this has worked well for me in the past. Protein is always a good thing when I start to plateau in my weight loss, so that along with the fact that I need protein for muscle strength while training, makes it a perfect goal.

Wanna meet my newest friend?

I LOVE this stuff. I tried it on a couple occasions in the past after a long run, but now I try and squeeze one a day into my diet. Only 30 calories and 5 g of protein ~ plus some hydration benefit.

I also have added this (see below) into my regimen as a late afternoon snack, instead of other crap I had been eating. They are higher calorie (3 WW points) at 190 calories….but with 15g of protein. Such a deal.
And finally, there is carb control. Based on some advice stolen from Lisa’s doctor, along with what I already know about my body, I am working on cutting out bread. Maybe not entirely ~ I love my 5-point Subway 6 inch sandwich just a bit too much ~ but I have definitely cut back. I’m also only allowing myself the whole wheat pasta when I decide to indulge in that carb-festival. Pretty easy changes to make overall ~ with a ton of potential benefit.

I already feel better, just by the mere sake of eating better. It makes me wonder why I always let myself slide back into the rut of crap eating again….. the goal is to not let that happen again :)

Happy Friday everyone!

Ahhhhhhhhhhh....

2008-02-21T09:37:00.000-08:00

Another Garmin-free continuous run last night – just over 3 miles.

But I need a better word than *continuous* run……how about endurance run? Or wait! I know!!!

S.L.O.G.

Unlike it’s cousin the WOG (a combo of walking and jogging) the SLOG is just what you might expect ~ a slooooow jog.

That’s what I have been doing ~ and loving every minute of it.

I like kicking Garmie to the curb during the week and just running for running sake. I say I don’t care about my pace, but the truth is ~ I do. I can’t not look at the Garmin and just run ~ I stay way to focused on how slow I am running, how I should be running faster, and what my splits will look like when I post them.

FOOEY!

My new way is much more fun. Garmie is still invited for the long runs on the weekends, and will get re-introduced to my weekday short runs after a while ~ but for now all is well.

Garmie will just have to rest until Saturday’s 10 miler with Pat & Lisa.

Gadget-Free-Slog:

Distance: 3+ miles
Time: Less than 3 hours
Average Pace: Slow and wonderful

Wear the Fox Hat

2008-02-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get emails that just make me laugh out loud for no real, apparent reason. This came from my brother ~

I'm happy to report I was down 1.6 pounds on the scale this morning after 2 days! Yeah, yeah, I know it's mostly water weight, but don't burst my bubble will ya? :P

And the best news of all today came from Pat's blog, about the new Tumbleweed Recreation Center being open! This is literally a mile from my house.....so I could run there, workout and then run home in a snap! And as Pat pointed out, it is free until April (and I like free). I am soooooooooo there......maybe even tonight!

3 miles on the schedule for today ~ I didn't make it out of bed and onto the dreadmill at 5:30 am as planned ~ so I'll get it done tonight :)

Ignorance is Bliss

2008-02-18T20:40:00.000-08:00

No Garmin ~ no watch ~ no problem.

Just me and the road for a slow, continous 3 miles tonight [translation: no walking]. I had a few issues with my feet going numb (a blast from my sorted running past), but somehow worked through it.

The realization hit me this weekend that I leave in 4 weeks for Hawaii. You know what that means?

A SWIMSUIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*gasp*

So other than making it through the Valley of the Sun HM alive, I have but ONE goal for the coming weeks ~ lose 8 pounds by my vacation.

That's 4 weeks @ 2 pounds a week. Totally do-able if I behave myself.

That also means running for weight loss....not just training. Which takes me right back to slower pace, continous runs during the week.

Sure makes it sound easy :P

Garmin-Free-Continous Run:

Distance: 3.0

Time: Enough

Average pace: Blissfully unknown

Pokey vs. the Pavement

2008-02-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

And the final score.............

Pavement: 4.75

Pokey: ZERO

This morning I had my tail kicked for just shy of 5 miles, on a route that I have run more times than I can count.

The entire time I was commiserating over why this run stunk so bad ~ could it have been that I hadn't run in just over a week? or because of a week of extremely bad eating? or being exhausted? or having cramps? or waking up at 2am with a throbbing headache?

Gee, the possibilities were endless. It was quite possibly the worst run I have ever had.

The plan today was for 13 miles......yes, 13 miles........3 of which were going to be done at a 5K race with Lisa (but sadly, logistics and both of us being a bit out of sync kept that from happening), and then another 10 mile slow run after the race. So I guess it appears that I came up short of the goal, huh?

Oh well - I got out and slogged about my neighborhood for 4.75 miles and called it a day. For a couple of the miles, I am sure I walked more than I ran, but at least I was moving ~ I had wanted to stay in bed and drink coffee :)

The highlight of my run was having "POKEY" yelled out of a passing car in my neighborhood, and getting to stop and chat with Carolyn for a bit (Lisa's pal, GGT)......lucky for her, she was going shopping instead of shuffling around the neighborhood like me :)

I guess I am just happy to have posted some miles finally. My poor WAA team is not going to like me for Week 3......I don't think I charted a single mile.

Lisa and I chatted after her eventful morning this morning (and KUDOS to her for getting some serious mileage done when she wasn't really feeling up to par) and made a change to the schedule up to Valley of the Sun ~

Saturday, 02/23: 11 miles
Saturday, 03/01: 6 miles
Sunday, 03/09: Valley of the Sun Half Marathon!!!

We upped the mileage for next week to help balance th e lower mileage today.....hopefully it will all work out! I am hoping for a much better and more productive week...

13-minus-a-few-miles-training run:

Distance: 4.75 miles
Time: 1:00:59
Average Pace: 12:50

Road ID

2008-02-14T13:03:00.000-08:00

Since I lost my last one (think it got tossed out with the shoes), yesterday I ordered a new ROAD ID. I always figured that I'd hate to be passed out along the road somewhere, with vultures circling and no one has any idea who I am ;)

So today I get this *sample email* that I can send to all my friends, with a valuable $1 off coupon. The email made me laugh, and I'm always out to save a buck or two ~ so I figured it was post-worthy.

Hey Everyone,
I just ordered one of the best products ever. It's called a Road ID - perhaps you've heard of it. If you haven't, go to their website and check it out. Road ID is a great product that could save your life someday.

When I ordered, they gave me a coupon that I could pass along to my friends. Here's the coupon number:

Coupon Number: ThanksKaren351475

The coupon is good for $1 off any Road ID order placed by 03/16/2008. To order, simply go to RoadID.com or click the link below:

http://www.RoadID.com/?CID=ThanksKaren351475

If you prefer, you can call them at 800-345-6335.

You can thank me later,
Karen

Oh by the way, their website is awesome, the customer service is outstanding, and the owners are very smart and good looking.

Happy almost-Friday!

Back from the Deep Freeze

2008-02-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

That picture pretty much sums up my visit to the Midwest this past weekend ~ a frigid 3 days in Davis, Illinois ~ where this Arizona girl was just a wee bit chilly!

With wind chill, temperatures were -30 for most of the weekend.

But now I am home ~ and thawed ~ and just generally back to being a slacker.

I got a 30-minute treadmill run in last Friday morning before we left town, and there has been no running to speak of since then. I was supposed to get up this morning for the same, but apparently I was just too comfy to get out of bed. So TOMORROW……tomorrow it is.

I have a long run planned for this weekend ~ 13 miles ~ part of which, might be running a 5K with Lisa on Saturday morning. I am still contemplating the race, wondering if it’s a smart idea to go run a 5k race, and then expect to tack on another 10 miles afterwards. Not sure.

What I am sure of is that I need to get my butt in gear. I’m not exactly acting like a person that has another half mary in 3 weeks – a race which I am expecting to be a good one.

You all know I need it ~ and maybe some of you do to. So let’s get moving!

Back to Basics

2008-02-06T08:14:00.001-08:00

That is where I am heading ~ back to the old days, circa December 2005 when I took my first attempt at this new thing called running.

The goal back then was to somehow, someday be able to run for 30 consecutive minutes. I started out running 1 minute, and walking 1 minute. Then 2 minutes, 1 minute…..until one day, I knocked out 30 minutes on the treadmill and I was ECSTATIC.

Then I started focusing on mileage….and that is when things changed. In order to go farther, faster ~ I implemented the walk break. Based on information from Jeff Galloway ~ pioneer of the “Galloway Method” ~ it was a perfect fit for a rookie runner. It allowed me to “go the distance” ~ and it worked for me. And like many things, it has served its purpose, but it is now time for a change.

Now it is back to the basics for this Pokey. I have GOT to get myself back on track for continuous running ~ at least for short runs.

There are a couple reasons:

First, I allowed my body to be conditioned to the walk breaks. There was a point when I could run for 45-60 minutes no problem, albeit very slow. Now I have taught my body and my MIND that I need these walk breaks ~ and I don’t. Or I shouldn’t.

Second, I need to lose weight. I have 13 pounds to lose to hit my first weight goal; 23 would be my final, *ideal* goal (although I’m not sure if it’s realistic for me). I need to use running to help me lose the weight – and it isn’t going to happen with the walk breaks. I need 30+ minutes of continuous cardio-running to get the pounds off.

So last night, in my first effort to step back a bit and rethink my running plans, I set out for a TIMED RUN. Very reminiscent of my early days, the only goal was to run for 30 minutes ~ and not a moment more.

And funny enough ~ just like Lisa has also discovered ~ I CAN do it. It isn’t an issue to knock down 30 minutes as long as I have convinced my stubborn mind that it is possible.

So the plan now becomes this:

Timed short runs during the week - at least 2 (preferably 3, but I’m trying to be realistic) – of 30 minutes each. I may even stop taking Garmie and revert back to my old running watch and just set the timer and run. Then after a couple of time runs, I’ll resurrect Garmie and check for any pace improvement. Once I feel like I’ve tackled the 30 minutes at a good pace, I’ll keep adding 5 minutes until……..well, you know.

Long runs on the weekend - keep with the interval running/walking. I am nowhere ready to try and tackle a continuous long run – and the walk breaks serve a purpose in my current race training.

It’s amazing what happens when I run without an iPod ~ I had this all figured out by the time I got home last night! Who knew that so much enlightenment could occur in a mere 30 minutes?

Timed Short Run #1

Time: 30 minutes
Distance: 2.4 miles
Pace: 12:34

Race Bibs + Rain = Happy Pokey

2008-02-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

You know you have TRULY become a runner when you have a near nervous breakdown about the silliest of things ~ being out of Gu packets, having your Garmin die on a great run, getting ready to head out for a long run and finding that your favorite shorts are still in a smelly pile on the bathroom floor ~ you know, running stuff.

Today I had a major meltdown over something new: a race bib. I got a great idea from the Spirit of the Marathon movie about keeping all my race bibs on a metal ring, in order of their occurrence. I figured that surely this beats keeping them all tacked to the side of my refrigerator, so today (after finally purchasing the metal binder ring at Target) decided to organize all my race paraphernalia.

Now imagine my distress when I discovered that my bib from Big Sur ~ my very first half marathon ~ was MISSING! I knew in my brain exactly where it was ~ I had made sure to put it in my dresser drawer for safe keeping with all the other Big Sur stuff ~ and it was GONE.

I went in to a tailspin…..tearing apart drawers and their contents, calling hubby asking if he knew the location of my precious piece of paper, and just generally being a lunatic. How much would that suck to lose the bib from your very first half mary?

Thankfully, I am not being committed to the institution just yet ~ the bib had somehow snuck out of the top drawer of my dresser and into the second drawer which houses some of my running wear. It must have wanted to feel at home ;) WHEW! Dodged the insanity bullet for another day.

Here’s what my bib ring looks like:

Obviously, I haven’t run a lot of races, but I think it’s a nice start.

In other news, my plan this week was to work on short runs (I guess I mean, like actually have some weekday short runs ~ I’ve been slacking on this the past few weeks) because I won’t have a long run this weekend since I’ll be out of town. We are heading to Rockford, Illinois area to visit some of Hubby’s extended family and get to meet our cousin’s new baby boy! I am excited – but being gone really requires some additional planning on my part.

Today’s plan called for some slow, consistent running. Translation: No walk breaks.

So I headed out about 4:30 pm (a totally new running time of day for me) since hubby was home and holding down the fort ~ and I planned to cover up Garmie and just trudge along at the slowest pace possible – and run for 3 miles continuously. I have run 5 mile Pokey-runs with no breaks before, but it is time to start making them a habit.

It was very cold and windy outside ~ mid 40 degree temps and cloudy following a ton of rain earlier in the day. But being in AZ, I headed out wearing my running shorts and a couple of layers on top. I figured it would suit me well.

So I trudged down the road, reminiscent of my very first days as a runner ~ pulling down close to a 13 minute pace (or so I thought - I didn’t look at Garmie until I got home). Yes, folks….it IS possible to run that slow ~ trust me, I know all about it.

Mile 1 was slooooooooow and good. Everything felt good – legs, mind, breathing. I knew after that point that there would be no reason for me to walk today.
Mile 1: 13:08

Mile 2 became a bit eventful. I was still scooting along and feeling great. My only problem was about Mile 1.5 when it started to rain. UH-OH. It was a good thing it was time to turn around and head back. The rain wasn’t bad, and funny enough I found it a bit motivating. I had no real idea of how motivating it would be until a bit later.
Mile 2: 13:04

Just after the completion of Mile 2, the sky totally opened up. The wind was blowing, the rain was pounding and I was FREEZING. I pulled my top layer shirt over my iPod and cell phone that was strapped to my arm, pulled my visor down and GOT MOVING.

The next mile was a total hoot. I got honked at, stared at, and offered 2 rides along the way. I was drenched from head to toe. My shoes were soaked and I could barely see thru my sunglasses because of all the water. I knew I was moving fast ~ and even chuckled to myself along the way. What else was there to do but laugh???

The last .4 mile was the worst, turning north right into the wind and rain. My visor was nearly over my eyes at this point and I kept my eyes on my feet. Then it happened: HAIL. There were small, half-a-dime sized hail pelting my legs and my neck – and sticking to my shirt. I was covered in white dots!!!! It hurt like mad hitting my neck (my shirt was a v-neck), and my only consolation was being less than half a mile from home. It was a HAIL of a run!
Mile 3: 11:15

Did you all see that?

It wasn’t a typo.

Today I ran my fastest mile ever ~ in the cold, rain and hail. Who knew that is what it would take to get this Pokey moving? That being said, I also had a great, slow warm up period, which I’m sure was also a big help. But it is definitely amazing the motivation that the elements can provide.

The best news of the day? 3 miles, baby ~ all the way ~ no walking.

Now if I wake up tomorrow and don’t have pneumonia, then this will definitely get chalked up as a FANTASTIC day :P

Short-Wet-Pelted-by-Hail-Run:

Distance: 3.0 miles
Time: 37:27
Average pace: 12:29

9 on the 9th + 2 for good measure

2008-02-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading Lisa's blog, and for some reason my dear running partner wants all our readership to believe that we set out this morning~ at 6:30 in 36 degree temps, in the DARK ~ to simply complete our 9 miles for next week's race.

TRUE, TRUE ~ I did notify the race director of our schedule conflicts and our intent to run the virtual race this weekend instead (any particular shade of red, Nancy?)......however, in order not to mislead our readership.....Lisa and I didn't exactly run 9 miles and then feel so overwhelmed with energy and spunk that we just decided to add on another 2 miles!! HA!

Nooooooooooooo. The REAL story is that my Mileage Maven dictated the 11 miles on today's schedule ~ the 9 miles for the 9 on the 9th was just an added bonus.

The real truth is also that we were a couple of TIRED chickies long before we ever even began.

That being said, I have no complaints about today's run (that's because I used up all my complaining from mile 8-11 :P

Here's the scoop:

We ran a relatively long portion of the run along the Hunt Highway, a 2-lane road that runs right along the edge of the desert (where Lisa and Tewonda have sometimes been known to travel). How can you not love a long run when you get to see this?
The vultures were circling over us for a bit, but I guess in the end they figured out we were just slow ~ not dead. I told them to come back in a few miles and they might have a chance ;)

For the rest of the Event Photos, you'll have to visit Lisa's blog. I realized today that she is also the TRC Staff Photographer. Next long run I might actually have to put on some makeup and do my hair :)

The last few miles of the run were tough ~ my calf muscles held up great again (knock on wood) but we were both just exhausted. We did practice some good self-talk along the way ~ "I am stronger. I am stronger. I am going to die, but I am getting stronger" ~ you know, that kind of stuff. Somehow we managed to hit the target once again.

Final Data:

9 on the 9th Report:

9 miles ~ 1:48:06

Long Run

Distance: 11.0 miles

Time: 2:22:45

Average Pace: 12:58

Lunching with the Ladies & a Late Night Run

2008-01-29T20:54:00.000-08:00

The only real highlight of my day today was a fun-tastic lunch date with Lisa and Taryn at Sweet Tomatos, followed by a long, tiring day of work at the office and a couple of out-of-control kids this evening. It was only fitting that I needed a run.

Somehow at 9pm I drug my exhausted tail out of the house for some sleep walking.

At least I will be well-rested, as the Mileage Maven has dicated 11 miles for this Saturday.

I'll-Do-It-But-I-Won't-Enjoy-It-Tired-Run:

Lap 1: 12:31
Lap 2: 12:07
Lap 4: 12:47

Total: 3.0 miles
Time: 37:26
Average pace: 12:28

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2008-01-26T13:13:00.000-08:00

After a lazy week (well, lazy at least for one member) the TRC was back in action bright and early this morning at 6:30 am ~ in the 38 degree darkness of Tumbleweed Park ~ for a scheduled 10-miler (Lisa's idea of course ~ I would have been happy with 7 or 8) :P

We even had Pat ~ our group's sole Marathoner ~ back with us! It was AWESOME!

Here's how it all went down:

Now, Pat will say that he didn't hold up well. But the truth is, Pat was the same consistent, steady runner that he always is. He keeps Lisa and I on track (and from walking too much) and is the *rock* of our group. Pat's only fault from today was agreeing to 10 miles, when he probably should have been resting some more. I think he forgot that he ran 26.2 miles 2 weeks ago!!

Lisa will say that I was on drugs. Truth is ~ Shot Bloks and Nuun got me through today with flying colors, and yes ~ for a bit there, I felt like I was on speed ;) My left calf was very tight from about Mile 4-7 and it had me a bit nervous ~ then around Mile 8, I felt fantastic. We finished up the 10 miles and for the first time, I actually felt like I could have kept going. It was definitely the best run I've had for this distance.

Once I got home and got showered however, things changed a bit. My leg was SEVERELY tight and it felt just like it did after RNR after the cramping and spasming had stopped. So I am not sure what that means??? Did I damage something that is still repairing itself? Is it my muscle getting reacquainted to the long run? I'm not sure ~ but it wasn't anything an Advil couldn't cure ;)

As I was eating my lunch, my brain went all philosophical on me. Today was a great run ~ for which I am grateful ~ but I know that soon, probably this week, a bad run will follow. I get all tied up in knots when I have a bad run ~ and elated when I have a good one. I think I need to get a grip. Neither a bad run, nor a good run defines who we are as a runner. It is simply a result of what our body is capable of doing on any given day ~ given all life's variables, combined with our level of training. PERIOD. I need to approach each run with without hesitation and with no assumptions about my performance. I just need to RUN.

But today was a serious *mental* day for me. I needed today.

I needed my running buddies.

I needed my legs to move me for 10 miles without cramping.

I needed that GOOD RUN.

And I got it ~ so time to move on :)

Now I'm off to buy a few hundred cases of Shot Bloks and Nuun.

Long Run (R6W1):
Distance: 10.05 miles
Time: 2:10:00
Average pace: 12:56

2008-01-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

It is time again to pull this lovely picture out of the archives ~ because I need it. I have been lazy the last couple days and haven't run since Monday. I was supposed to get in 4 miles last night, but I wasn't feeling great (thought I was getting some of T's headcold) and then Hubby didn't get home until 8:30 from a meeting ~ so it was just enough excuse to crawl in bed instead.

I've been eating badly too ~ yesterday I think I ate everything that wasn't nailed down. Like I told Lisa this morning as we were philosophizing over the never-ending weight loss debacle, I somehow seem to think that FAT FREE = EAT MUCH AS POSSIBLE. I mean, seriously ~ if the Fig Newtons are Fat Free, it's okay to eat 30 of them, right???

In another attempt to feel worse about myself last night, I attempted "the plank." As the first few seconds passed, I was wondering what all the hype was about this newfangled exercise. Then after more time passed and my entire body was shaking uncontrollably, I figured it out.

Plank attempt #1: 48 seconds
Plank attempt #2: 25 seconds

See the diminishing returns? Oh well, so I gave it a shot. I can only improve from here.

In other news, I have a hot date tonight to see this flick. I am SUPER excited and hope it throws some running motivation my way!

Everybody's Doing It

2008-01-23T10:05:00.000-08:00

First it was Planks by Nancy……then Family Planks by Pat raised the bar………..and now it’s Pushups by Bev………..when is all the peer pressure going to stop?

Are you all just trying to find new and improved ways to embarrass me? As if my running skills weren’t enough good material??? :P

Okay, okay. I needed some core and strength training so I’m going to give it all a whirl.

I’ll be sure to post how many planks and pushups that I can’t do ;)

Do-it-yourself-5k

2008-01-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

This morning when I woke up, I could only locate one 5K race in honor of the MLK holiday. To the best of my recollection, I think it was called the 1st Annual Run Like a Slowpoke 5K.

Wanna know the biggest perk to my new-found run? I placed first in my age group ~ can you even believe it? I will definitely be doing this run again. Only problem is, when other runners get wind of my fantastic race, the competition may get stiff. But being the Race Director, I do have the option to be selective about who I let compete ;)

Other than having brick-legs, I felt pretty good for my new race. I am definitely thinking this will be an annual event.

Create & Win-Your-Own-5k-Race:

Lap 1: 11:55
Lap 2: 11:31
Lap 3: 11:49
.10 mile: 10:59 pace

Total Distance: 3.1 miles
Total Time: 36:21
Average pace: 11:44

Recovery Run ~ with a new running group

2008-01-19T21:29:00.000-08:00

GASP!

Yes, it’s true ~ I had a new group of running partners this morning. Due to some schedule conflicts, I wasn’t able to hook up with Lisa as I had hoped, so I hesitantly prepared myself for a solo recovery run.

It’s amazing the friends that end up coming out of the woodwork on an early, cold morning when one is preparing to run alone ~ especially following a lousy race and a subsequent week of vacation from running.

So I headed out with my buddies: Mr. Lazy, Mr. Headache, Miss Cramps, Mr. Paranoia, Miss Resolve ~ and of course, Mr. Garmin.

Mr. Lazy gave me grief while I was laying in bed, continually snoozing the alarm and waiting for the sun to come up. We argued quite a bit, and he protested loudly as I headed downstairs to get ready. He whined and complained while I was stretching ~ which took quite a while as my muscles were as tight as they could possibly be ~ so I finally put him in his place. FINE, I told him ~ stay home. I am going running.

The rest of us headed out in to the cool 29 degree temps. As you can imagine, my legs were heavy for the first mile while I drug the remaining running buddies along with me. Miss Cramps was complaining from the start and refused to be quiet. (I am thinking that maybe Mendy left her in my car after last Sunday???) I was counting on the Advil that I had taken earlier (to rid myself of Mr. Headache) to also appease her complaints. She was persistent ~ but I was more.

Mr. Paranoia made himself known with each and every step I took, and perpetuated the vivid recollection of the wicked leg cramps I faced last Sunday. I tried to block him out with the fantastic music on my iPod, but he could not be swayed.

Mr. Garmin was apparently just as exhausted from RNR last Sunday as I was, and he bailed on me just before our first mile was completed. It was a blessing, actually ~ as he tends to put a lot of pressure on me, and it was good just to be out running this morning and not worrying about time or pace. I had planned to follow my typical 5 mile route, so the fact that Mr. G needed more recovery time wasn’t a deterrent.

So we trucked on ~ by the second mile, I had kicked Miss Cramps to the curb. She was not allowed to ruin a good recovery run.

Mr. Paranoia held tight for quite a while. It wasn’t until just after mile 2, with my legs feeling FANTASTIC and my mind feeling even better ~ that I was able to bid him a farewell with the help of Miss Resolve, who had been relatively quiet up to that point. There was no reason for me to be paranoid about cramping. I was out for a nice, leisurely run and I felt GREAT! Miss Resolve reminded me of what I am capable of, and of how far I have come as a runner. She talked me into running the full 2.5 miles to the turnaround point, without walk breaks. Miss Resolve said there was no reason to hurry and to enjoy the run. I really like Miss Resolve.

So I ran ~ slow as slow can be ~ the full 5 miles without walk breaks. I stopped at the 4 mile point to stretch my calves as my right one was starting to feel a little tight….. and then Miss Resolve and I headed home ~ me, with the biggest smile on my face :)

It’s really hard to find good running “buddies,” especially on a morning like today. While I prefer my REAL buddies from the TRC, I think a recovery run with the group at hand this morning was especially beneficial. It taught me who my enablers are, and how selective I should be with who I allow in my brain to run with me. I LOVE RUNNING.

Recovery Run

Distance: 5 miles
Time: As long as it took to cover the distance without walking
Average pace: slow and steady

Coming soon to a blog near you ~

2008-01-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

A much-needed recovery run
2008 goals
Weight loss plan

Those are the things looming over my head after a long week of traveling to the east coast. I have the 2008 goals pretty much figured out, a plan for my first recovery run tomorrow morning (not sure of the distance yet, but I'm thinking 4-5 miles if my calves cooperate) and weight loss plan ~ well....yeah....I know what I have to do on this one, I just need to DO IT.

I've done a lot of soul searching and mental planning after RNR last Sunday and I am ready to hit the ground running (no pun intended). It's almost embarrassing the amount of support I received from all my friends in blogland after last weekend's race ~ so let me just say THANK YOU.

For today I am happy to be back home with my kids and enjoying some good ol' AZ weather!! Hope everyone has a happy running weekend!

RNR ~ the unabridged version

2008-01-15T19:07:00.001-08:00

After a couple days of letting things sink in, I figure I’m finally ready for a race report. I was hoping for enough time to let the emotion of race day pass, and for me to get my head on straight and regain some focus. So tonight, in my North Carolina hotel room ~ following a couple glasses of wine and way too much Thai food ~ I figure there is no better time than the present.

Yes ~ I finished the RNR Half Marathon on Sunday.

Yes ~ I shaved about 2 minutes off my first HM from November.

I think at one time, that would have been the end of my post and I would have been ecstatic about the mere thought of finishing a half marathon. Problem is ~ I learned on Sunday ~ during the long 13.1 miles ~ that my perspective on running, and my perspective of myself as a runner ~ has drastically changed.

The weekend leading up to RNR was nothing other than FANTASTIC. I got to meet and hangout with an amazing group of runners ~ Marcy, Lori, Mendy, David ~ and of course, Lisa. I am hoping that by the time I post this, there will be pictures for me to steal from their blogs :P since I was the only one that forgot a camera all weekend long! Although he’s a little camera shy, I’m sure that David got plenty of great pictures of our group outings :)

The blogger dinner on Saturday night was also great ~ with a chance to see Pat & Amy, Eric & Lori, and Taryn & Clay ~ and a whole slew of other bloggers that I didn’t know. Even my dear hubby, who couldn’t give a rat’s tail about running, had a great time talking to all the wonderful people!

Race day morning went off without a hitch; at Pat’s advice, we took the shuttle and made it to the starting line in plenty of time. As an unexpected bonus, our charter bus (a.k.a. shuttle) had a restroom and we relished in that luxury all the way to the AZ State Capitol Building.

We had enough time to check our gear bags, chit-chat a little and make one final trip to the luxurious port-o-john’s before finding our corral and settling in for the start.

The atmosphere was amazing ~ incredibly crowded….but the people watching and listening was great. It is amazing to me to watch so many people about to run a race for such a variety of reasons. There were solo runners, charity group runners, parent & child runners, runners that looked tense, runners that were cutting up and laughing hysterically, and runners who looked as nervous and anxious as I felt in the pit of my stomach.

I took us just over half an hour to reach the starting line ~ we were corral 16 out of 28 ~ almost dead middle of the pack. The projected finish time for our corral was 2:30.

9:02 came and we were off. The entire group of us ~ Lisa, Marcy, Mendy, Taryn, Lori and myself ~ headed out together. The race was extremely crowded, so it made jockeying for position among other runners ~ along with keeping the group together ~ very challenging. Taryn and I both needed a bathroom break at about mile 2, and against our urging, the rest of the group waited for us.

We took of again, except at this point I could feel a change. We had been trucking at a pretty good pace for the first couple miles ~ much, much faster than my “comfort” pace. Yes, I know it’s a race…..but when you only have one pace, my comfort pace IS my race pace! (Lisa…I really need to get that shirt!!!)

In retrospect, I KNEW I should have broken away from the group at that point. I was way out of my comfort zone, and was doing exactly what I had promised myself that I would not do ~ and that was to head out too fast, only to bomb later in the race. But there was also a part of me that thought maybe ~ just maybe, with the 5/1 intervals ~ I could pull it off.

It became apparent over the next couple miles that this was not going to be the case. I was continually falling back ~ and Taryn, bless her heart ~ ran with me for quite a duration before splitting from the group all together.

Just after mile 5 (and I only know this since that is where both mine and Marcy’s Garmins died at the same time), I finally did the smart thing. I was getting way too behind during the run intervals, only to catch up with the group during walk intervals, and them needed an additional walk time to get my own break. It just wasn’t working.

So I finally took my own advice, which I had been repeatedly giving to Lisa in the days prior to the race ~ and decided to “do my own thing.” I said adios to the group and slowed my pace. We had been running anywhere from 9:30 to 10:30 pace during our running intervals, and it was just beating me up. I slowed down to my comfortable 11:30 pace and all became well in my world again. This also freed up the rest of the group to do what they needed to do, and not worry about keeping me in sight.

The only regret I have about this is my lack of an iPod. I purposely left it in my car, since I had full expectation that I would be able to stay with the group, and would have plenty of chatter to keep me occupied for a couple hours. But now, as a solo runner, I regretted this decision in a BIG way. The bands and cheerleaders along the way were great, but they definitely didn’t give me the motivation that a good playlist could have.

The next couple miles were uneventful really. I ran pretty continuously, without a need for much walking at the slower pace. Up ahead, I could still see the group ~ Mendy’s pink shirt gave me something to track, and it was good to keep them in my sight.

I think it was about mile 6ish that I felt a new sensation. My hamstring muscles were tightening, which was new to me. During long training runs, the only issue I’ve ever really had was hip flexor tightening, and just general fatigue. But I didn’t think much of it, and figured it was just a result of the faster pace for the first 5 miles.

I remember hitting the half way point and thinking ~ COOL, I can do this. Let’s wrap this bad boy up and set a PR. At that point, I still had 2:45 on the brain. If I could do 3:06 at Big Sur, certainly being better trained for RNR, I could knock off a chunk of time on a much flatter course.

Sadly, the running gods were not aligned with me in this thinking. As clear as anything, I remember exactly where I was near mile 7.5 when the first leg cramp hit. It attacked my right calf first (I remember because at Big Sur the issue was with my left leg) ~ and within less than half a mile, the other leg fell victim too.

I started racking my brain for a solution. I ate Gu…and more Gu. I told myself ~ outloud, I believe ~ to listen to my body and walk at the onset of a cramp. I knew all too well that ignoring the initial twinge would leave me curled up on the side of the road. I did a lot of research on the cramping issue after Big Sur, and knew it was nothing to be messed with.

So I ran when I could, and walked when I had to. Out of desperation, I choked down one of the salt packets that I had stashed in my waistpack ~ ANYTHING to try and alleviate the cramping.

Nothing worked.

By mile 8, I was a complete mess. I kept telling myself that it was “just” another 5 miles ~ like an easy training run down to Fry’s and back ~ just another 5 miles. The cramps became more frequent, which meant less running time between them. I was walking a lot.

By this time, I had lost sight of Mendy’s pink shirt and new I had seriously lost time. It was at that point, I knew ~ in my heart ~ that I wouldn’t even break 3 hours. That realization hit me like a ton of bricks, and I could feel my motivation heading for the hills. It was ALL gone. I couldn’t stomach the thought of doing worse at my second half marathon that I had at my first. It was not supposed to work out that way.

By mile 10, I had consumed everything in my pack. That meant 3 Gu packets, 2 salt packets, plus another energy gel from an aid station. My water bottle never became empty ~ I drank as much as I could stomach without going overboard. Nothing was going to eliminate the cramps, so the intent became just to find a way to make it to the finish line.

At mile 11, I was mentally defeated. The pain had gotten so bad, I was so hot, tired and frustrated ~ that I contemplated the curb. Yes ~ I literally considering sitting down on the curb and calling it a day. In other words ~ QUIT. I was astounded to think it had even entered my thought process. But two miles is a long way to go under my circumstances, and I just wanted the race to be over.

It was just at that point when a runner next to me got a call on her cell phone. “That’s so awesome!!!” she yelled, and then proudly exclaimed to her running partner that her dad had just finished the Disney Marathon in 5 hours and 50 minutes. They hooted and hollered, and I found myself being happy for a person 2000 miles away that I didn’t even know.

Then I thought of all the other people I knew racing that day….and all they great things they were accomplishing. And I knew right them that a big, fat DNF on my record was not going to happen.

I was fully able to walk the next couple miles if that is what it took. It was my PRIDE that was tempting me to quit, not the PAIN. Pride said I needed to finish under 3 hours; my body said I would finish when I finished, one way or another.

The last couple miles are blur for me, even now. In the final stretch over the Mill Avenue bridge, the spectator crowd grew. I fought with everything in me to keep running (vanity, of course) and to hold back the tears. There was no way I was having a race picture of me bawling like a baby. Afterall, I have a reputation to uphold ;)

I made it through the chute, and across the finish line (I may have even put my arms up in honor of Lisa) before it all exploded. I was fine until I saw Lisa, and then all the pain and frustration from the last 6 miles just gave way. I am not a cry baby, so the emotion of this event astounded even me.

Lisa, being the mom that she is, tried to get me to the medical tent to get me checked out, but this time my pride prevailed. I knew I just needed some time to walk and stretch, and I would be fine. My calves were still extremely tight, but the spasms/cramps had stopped.

We went on to take what I’m sure will be a fabulous finisher picture as a group, and my running buddies were just as supportive as they could possibly be. Lori ended up being the slave driver; Mendy got the endurance award for feeling like crap and still making a good show of it; Lisa set a great new PR; and Marcy had a leisurely jog and never broke a sweat! :P

Lisa and I went to track down Pat, with the hope of running him in for the last half mile of his marathon. We found him, and he was doing GREAT! I thought that after an hour of rest, I’d be able to help my buddy, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and Lisa had to run him home. I am SO proud of Pat for his accomplishment.

Me? Yeah, I am proud of myself too. Not proud of the race itself, but the fact that somehow I managed to make it across that finish line when everything in me was screaming to quit. Maybe the most beneficial part of my training the past couple months was the little bit of mental toughness that I had been lacking before. The physical training may have failed me, but the mental got me through. And for that, I am grateful.

I realized over those last 6 miles, that somehow over the past couple months, the mere thought of finishing had become no longer enough for me. I had a new set of expectations for myself, which I never dreamed of having. I had trained and prepared well for this event, which is why it was so disappointing to fall short. The Pokey of the past would have been content to finish ~ running, walking or crawling ~ it would not have made a difference. What I realized, is that I am no longer that person.

Right or wrong, I have a new set of expectations and ambitions. In the past, I had never expected much of myself as a runner, and never really thought that I would. Boy, have times changed.

I now have a new set of challenges ahead of me. It is time to seek some medical advice for the leg cramps and try and get to the root of the problem. All the training in the world isn’t going to help me if I cant make it thru race day without cramping. Part of the deal that was so heart breaking for me is that I felt like I had worked SO hard in preparation for RNR ~ only to have it go by the wayside for something I cant control.

So I need to find a way to take control of that situation. I know I am not the only runner that has ever suffered from cramps like this, so I know there is a solution. I just have to go find it.

So I’m finally over myself, folks. I spent the last couple days being crabby and dodging as many of the “how’d it go” phone calls as I could.

I can’t lie and say that I am not disappointed. I will ALWAYS be disappointed about the way this race turned out. But my efforts are much better spent concentrating on the future of my running and how I’m going to get past RNR and learn from it. For starters, this means a trip to the doc to discuss my stupid legs. Anyone got any better ones they want to trade in????

I appreciate all the support from everyone, more than you will all ever know. And to Micheline, who got the major brunt of my frustration on Sunday ~ thank you for being such a great friend.

And Lisa ~ who texted me tonight to make sure I was aware of all the support ~ you da bomb. And you put on one helluva Java Fest! :)

MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS OF A SLOW POKE

Rock N Roll Half Marathon

*Half* Minded Thoughts ~ T Minus 9 Days

I Got Nuthin'

The Big Squeeze

Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon 2008

Picture my week.....

Testing, testing....

Everybody has one

Somewhere Pigs are Flying

The Running Words I Hate

Surfacing

If ever running were therapy...

Movin' in Maui

A Hui Hou

Bumblebee, Wildebeast & a TRC Explosion!

Apparently, I'm Average

Sicko

Monday Ramblings

Running at the Office

a little negativity...

Check out them legs!!!

It's like Crack

Virtual Mile + A Little Humble Pie

Sing with me, willya????

In the Zone

One ticket to the circus, please

Quickie

Tricks of the running gods

I'm.So.HOT!!!!!

This is also NOT a post about running splits

This is NOT a post about running splits

Blogity Rambles

Movin' It

Yesterday I ate, and ate, and ATE…..

I'm Baaaack ~ at least for now ;)

Food Babble

Nutrition Debacle

Body Fat Body Schmat

And on the 5th Day....

Last night I was ATTACKED!

ARR Summer Series #1 ~ Race Report

Medical Mumbo Jumbo

Good Body Image Day

Weekend Ramblings

Plagiarism at its finest

0 for 2

Cavepeople 10K on the 10th: A Recovery WOGG

The Heart Keeper

New Weight Loss Formula

Thought for the day

Just Plain Busy

No Excuses

NOXQSZ

America's Finest?

Pat's Run

If you're not well trained...

I got new shoes

Who can guess...

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Olympic Victories

Reasons Not to Run a Marathon

Missing

American Odyssey Relay Run

A little help from my friends

Conquer the Distance

Big Lump of Goo

Kauai Running

While I'm away...

In Memory

Valley of the Sun Half Marathon

What to say, what to say....

Making a mountain...

Brutal? Or a cake walk?

And So Begins

Blog Pressure

Evil has Arrived

A Good News, Bad News Kinda Day

Ahhhhhhhhhhh....

Wear the Fox Hat

Half Minded Thoughts ~ T Minus 9 Days