Let's Go Pats!

Week 9: Half Marathon Training

Goal Total Miles: 18 miles

Let's Go Pats!

Actual Total Miles: 19 miles

Well, I made up a mile this week on last week's total. I thought I'd be able to make up a few more since this was a scheduled low mileage week, but travel plans and work commitments prevented this. C'est la vie.

I love football. High school football, college football, pro football - I love it all. I love good defense. I love hard hits. I love seeing the QB sacked - well, anyone other than Tom Brady. That's right, we're Patriots fans. The husband is from Boston, so it's expected. 

We took a weekend road trip to see the Pats play the Jacksonville Jaguars. Without actual tickets to the game, we figured we could easily find a couple of great seats by trolling the tailgating area. It took an hour or so, but we managed to find a nice lady trying to get rid of a couple of awesome seats. 

I cheered on handsome Tommy and the poorly performing Patriots defense to a down-to-the-wire victory drinking a couple of fancy liquor drinks out of plastic mason jars. Cute, right? 

Epic Fail

Week 8: Half Marathon Training

Happy 11th Birthday Ren!

Goal Total: 22 miles
Actual Total: 17 miles

Yep. A whopping five miles short this week. It just goes to show you that having a running partner makes a huge difference.

It was horribly foggy this morning and we just didn't feel like it was safe for us to be out and about on the roads. Safety first - right? So, my long run was shortened to a solo six miler around my neighborhood. Bah humbug.

I did see this cool sign that a family had made to wish their eleven year old a very happy birthday. I don't know if the sign rolled down with the garage door, or if they put it up there to surprise Ren when he/she pulled into the driveway. And how cool is the name Ren, by the way?

Running Rascal

This is Rascal. He lives down the street from me. Rascal likes to run. In fact, he joined me for almost a mile today before flopping down in front of me and demanding a belly rub. Most folks run with a dog. I'm totally on the cutting edge. Rascal the Running Cat Rocks!

My Personal Turkey Trot

Gobble, Gobble!

Week 5: Half Marathon Training
Goal Total Miles: 15 miles
Actual Total Miles: 16 miles

Whoo hoo! I exceeded expectations this week in spite of the turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, corn casserole and cobbler I put into my body this week.

Blow up lawn ornaments crack me up. It seems that every holiday now has blow up decorations. I think I've seen every version of Christmas blow ups available. This Halloween I saw a giant blow up spider on a lawn. But I'd never seen a turkey before - until our long run last Sunday. Yep, a blow up turkey. Full out gobbler. Awesome.

I also appreciate that the family included Veteran's Day in their display by adding the American flag and the Air Force plaque (which you can't really see here). This house is on our normal 10+ route, so I'm kinda excited to see what they bust out with for Christmas. I mean, if you invest in a blow up turkey, you must have some serious commitment to Christmas decorations, right?

Cotton Pickin' Cotton Picker!

This is a John Deere Cotton Bailer. 

Week 2: Half Training
Goal Total Miles: 17 miles
Actual Total Miles: 12.5 miles

Yep, that 14.5 miler killed me last Sunday. I wasn't prepared for the distance. I hadn't built up to that distance. I wore my legs out - period. Those extra six miles I ran last week will have to apply to this week. It all counts, right?

Today's long run was interrupted by this cotton bailer. We had to stop our watches and make our way to a church parking lot to let this darn thing pass. If you are dying to know how this thing works, here's a video of one in action - not the same model but it does the same thing. You know you run in the country when a cotton pickin' cotton picker interrupts your run.

Running Independence

Today's Run:
5.06 miles/ 47 min

I ran on the Greenway Trail again today. It got hot and humid quick today. I saw a cute little bunny on the trail this morning. He was waiting for me after I turned around to head back, so I took a picture of him. Not too many people out today. I guess everyone was recovering from a fabulous Fourth of July. 

Speaking of Independence Day...

I spent yesterday with my extended family on my dad's side. Two aunts, two cousins, their four kids and spouses, my sister and her husband, my mom and I enjoyed a pot luck cookout. We laughed about our crazy family stories and enjoyed remembering "the good old days."

My cousin Thomas is a crazy person serious athlete with a number of marathons and triathlons under his belt. Besides filling my face with the best guacamole I've ever eaten in my life, much of my time at the family gathering was spent picking his brain about hydration, nutrition, cross training and all things running. Really, there's no better time to talk about exercise than when you have a giant plate of banana pudding and crack brownies in front of you.

I'm going to get on the chia train, thanks to Thomas' ringing endorsement. I'll let you know how it goes when I start adding it into the mix - probably next week. I'm sure it won't make me super human, as many chia advocates believe, but maybe it will make me feel better on these longer, hotter runs and that might be just as good as being super human.

Zombies!

Today's Run
5.14 miles/ 50 min

Available on both
iPhone and Android platforms
$7.99

Maybe it's just getting back into the swing of things from vacation or maybe I'm in a running slump, but it has taken a lot of effort the last two runs to get out of the bed and hit the pavement. Today, I decided not to run with my normal running app tracking everything from the speed of my music to how frequently my ponytail stuck to my back (annoying). Maybe all the data was bringing me down?

Instead, I ran with a game app called Zombies, Run! This game makes you a part of the action and the better you run the better your town survives. When you put in your earphones you become Runner 5 and the world is being taken over by a zombie apocalypse. Your missions differ from run to run - like today I had to rescue a kid who was abandoned in no-man's land.

Speed work is built into each mission. As zombies approach you are warned and you must up your pace and sustain it for at least a minute to out run the living dead. If you don't, you drop some of the supplies you've collected to distract those that want to eat you.

The app tracks your pace and distance and uses your music between the story segments. It certainly isn't serious running, but I kinda think it is what I needed today. My last two runs I barely broke four miles. Today I easily did five and could have gone longer if I had the time. Besides, when you look at all the talk of zombies and flesh eating bacteria in the news these days, this app might just help prepare you for running for your life for real!

On the docket for the afternoon - bad movie viewing. Rock of Ages and That's My Boy are on the list and both have totally been slammed by Rotten Tomatoes and Entertainment Weekly (my personal movie bible). Sometimes you just have to watch horrible, mindless movies in order to appreciate the good ones. Movie snacks to be packed include: mini-bag of popcorn, an apple and a Coke Zero. My movie bag is considerably bigger than my actual purse. No it does not have wheels.

Crack My Back

Today's Run
4.3 miles/ 9:01/mile

I'd love to have my own roller table!

Getting back on the wagon is tough. After a week of vacation it wasn't fun to get up early and get out the door. I'm not going to lie, I had grand plans of upping my mileage, but after my lack of motivation I decided to just do 40 minutes and be done with it. Maybe getting back on my "normal" early morning schedule for a few days will give me my motivation back.

Today I went to my chiropractor for my regular adjustment. I started going to the chiropractor a year ago in March thanks to lower back pain that would not go away. My mother was a basket of nerves thinking that some quack would paralyze me by cracking parts of my body that shouldn't be cracked. After a month of treatment, I could finally sleep through the night without getting up and assuming child's pose in the floor of my bedroom to stretch out my back. Now I see her every four to six weeks just to keep everything in line.

I've noticed as I've upped my mileage, my back gets a little out of whack a bit easier and my neck gets pretty tight. Obviously it's a form thing and I'm not sure how to fix that since I'm so new to running, so for now I try to think about relaxing my shoulders and visit my chiropractor regularly. I also try to work in a massage from the massage therapist at least every three months. It's not like going to a fancy spa, but she's good at what she does.

Lake Front Trail - Chicago

Today's Run
5.7 miles - 9:21/mile
Lake Front Trail, Chicago

I was happy to sneak in this run after a far too big breakfast celebrating Father's Day with my FIL. Note to self - running and jalapeno peppers do not mix.

Running on the Lake Front Trail in Grant Park was a feast for this southern girl's eyes. Between the water, the marina, the sky scrapers in the background and the diverse group of people out on the trail on Sunday morning made the time fly by.

I was in the minority this morning. Most people seemed to be on bikes - something I don't have to worry too much about on my local neighborhood treks. I became a tad bit paranoid and kept looking over my shoulder in fear of being run down, but I escaped without harm.

The other thing Chicago didn't lack was a multitude of people with ridiculously awesome bodies. Lots of eye candy on the trail. And in total juxtaposition to the sweaty, super-fit that were seen along the way, I saw two Muslim women, covered from head to toe out running together. I'm pretty sure this is something I won't see again (at least for a very long time) and it made me smile.

I spent the rest of the afternoon looking at crazy skeletons of things that should only be living in some creative movie maker's mind and not having lived on our planet at some point in our Earth's existence. Seriously, whales with arms and legs or giant sloths the size of elephants totally creep me out. But I did like getting a closer look at a T-Rex named Sue.

I'm kinda just running without any goals right now, other than not dying of dehydration from the heat. I've decided to pick back up the Ease to 10K program if for no other reason than to begin building my stamina for my half training this fall. I can run this far, but I feel like I need something or someone to tell me what to run each time and this distance seems heat friendly enough.

Rain, Rain...

Today's Run:
4.77 miles at 9.01/mile

I have issues with severe weather. Maybe it is because my dad would put me and my sister in the bathtub with pillows anytime there was a severe thunderstorm. Growing up in the mountains of North Carolina, he and my mom didn't have tornadoes or vicious storms, but when they moved to Georgia, the storms would derail life in our household until my father felt it was okay to come out. When the storms blow in now I no longer hide in my bathtub - well, I can't because it is on the second floor and now I have a basement and it is much safer - but I do try to avoid all windows, electronics, and running water. I know in my heart that lightening can jump through the pipes in my house and get me in the shower.

My plans to long run yesterday morning with a few girls from the Where's The Finish running group were  canceled due to rain. I was pretty bummed since I was up early and all geeked up to go the distance. I'm not much of a rain runner. I mean if I wake up on race day and it is raining, it won't stop me from going, but on a normal running day, I'd rather stay inside and sleep run on the dreadmill. Even though I was all dressed up with no where to run, I came back home and put my pjs back on. Loser.

Today, I woke up to a thunderstorm. My local weatherman said everything would push through by 6:30a so I waited until 7a when it appeared clear enough outside. Besides all of the tree limbs littering the street, the run was uneventful, short, humid and slow. I ended up racing the rain home and I won. Nothing like a little speed work with Mother Nature.

The remainder of the day has been spent making lists. Lots of lists. Any time I go on a week's vacation I require super lists to get ready.

I've not checked one thing off of these lists, but everything is right there on my paper. I think a nap and some Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Shortcake Greek Yogurt may be in order before anything gets crossed off.

Running in Skirts

Today's Run:

5.08 miles 

8:46/mile

3 hill sprints 

My dogs live and die by a schedule. They get up, like clockwork, at 5:30a every morning to be fed. At 5p, they act like bitches gently remind me to look at the clock and fill their bowl. Before I started running, the 5:30a wake up call was horrible. I prefer to be awake for 45 minutes prior to putting on my running shoes, so their call time isn't as painful as it used to be - especially in the summer when earlier is always better in the South.

I'm unsure if my furry alarm clocks were partying until the wee hours of the morning and I didn't notice, but my alarm went off at 6a and both girls were still snoozing away. Someone must have ruffied my dogs, there's no other explanation.

I decided that I better get up and get moving if I was going to get a run in today. I freakin' HATE the heat, but this morning was pleasantly cool (65 degrees and overcast). When I see 75 degrees on the early morning weather, I start thinking about running on the dreadmill instead. But I'll take overcast, warm and humid over sunny and sizzling any day.

I skipped breakfast and my coffee before my run. Mistake. I was starving after 30 minutes and started getting side cramps. I never get stitches in my side and boy, I hope it doesn't happen again. Not fun. I was also out of chocolate milk, so my post-run recovery wasn't very good. No lie - chocolate milk cures brain fuzz for me.

The rest of the day consisted of working on a few articles for a client and watching Sports Center in preparation for tonight's big game six in the NBA conference finals. Let's go Celtics!

Photo from Wikipedia

I've gotten hooked on a National Geographic show, Amish: Out of Order. I've always been fascinated by this lifestyle ever since I was a child. We took a trip to the Pennsylvania Amish Country when I was 11 or 12 and I still remember the buggies traveling along the roads with the men and women tucked inside. Oh, and that movie Witness was awesome, too. Watching these former Amish men and women trying to fit in with the rest of the world is cra-cra (as the young folk say). It sort of reminds me of watching a new kid enter a middle school in the middle of the year.

I would think the hardest thing about being Amish would be getting used to wearing that long skirt 24-7. Horse riding, chicken plucking, pie making and barn raising all while sporting a duvet cover to your ankles - that's impressive. Runner's World did a story on Running with the Amish in April 2012. Running 26.2 covered head-to-toe and wearing suspenders should be an Olympic sport if you ask me (women don't run, or can't in those skirts). Boy, I bet that's hot in the summer time.

Happy National Running Day

Chick-Fil-A Race Series
Macon, GA - May 28, 2012

If you had asked me seven months ago if I would be celebrating National Running Day, I would have told you that someone must be chasing me if I'm running. Don't ask me how my running addiction happened. This, among other things, run though my head every time I lace up, including:

• How did I ever run in sneakers that really didn't fit properly? While they are cute, I now know that the Nike's that I bought at the outlet three years prior weren't really meant to be run in. Now that I have "real" running shoes, I cannot even put my feet in my old ones now. Not even to wear them to the store or to walk the dogs. Maybe I should bronze them like my mom did my baby shoes? Where's that spray paint?
• I wonder what I look like when I run? I dated boys who ran track and cross country in high school, but they never invited me to tag along on a run. Maybe my stride was is too dorky, because my husband won't run with me either. There are no mirrors or glass windows along my run. I'm pretty sure that's a good thing.
• I am so slow. I think this frequently, even when I'm not running. I read blogs where these women are running an 8 minute mile for 26.2 and still look cute at the end of the race. I've got to learn to accept that my times aren't going to improve overnight. Too bad Marty McFly can't take me to myself in 7 years and see what my times look like so I can not freak out about it.
• Have I hit my pace peak? I read somewhere that beginning runners will see the most progress in the first 9 months of running. After that, the improvements are marked in seconds, not minutes. If this is true the sand is almost out of my hourglass. Wait, did that 9 months start on the first day I started running (October 31, 2011) or my first 5k? That reporter should have been a bit more specific.
• What will I do if I lose a toenail? The biggest fear of training for a half or full - toenail loss. I love open toed shoes and I'm pretty sure I'd have to lay off the flip flops if I'm missing a toe covering. I wonder how long they take to grow back? Maybe I have extra strong toenails because how didn't I lose a toenail or two running in those crappy shoes for the first 200 miles of my running adventure is beyond me.

I've started this blog as more of a record of my running life and hope that one day when I'm running Boston for the first time I can look back and remember where I came from. Happy National Running Day to me.