9 miles!

My friend Nicole and I ran 9 miles this morning!  I am so glad we ran together because she keeps me motivated (she is faster than me so I have to work hard to stay with her) and because I probably would have stayed in bed.  Overall we did awesome!!!  My mile pace was like 10.5 min miles which isn't so bad for a long run.  Its weird to think that on the program I am using to train, 9 miles will eventually become a medium run.  I hope I can do it, sometimes I think this marathon quest is too big for me but I'm going to keep going.  My goal is to finish.  The girl I babysat yesterday asked me if I was trying to win the marathon, I laughed and said no, that's not why you run a marathon unless your a very top elite athlete.  My goal is to finish for myself and to say I did it.

my cool water belt

Eating before longs run has been an issue for me but today it really wasn't.  I left my apartment at 7am and drove to where we were meeting.  So at like 6:45 I had a granola bar, an energy gel, and 12oz of gatorade and I was fine.  I used my cool new water belt on the run so I at some gummy energy chomp things half way through and I had gatorade and water ready whenever I needed it on the run.  So I guess my plan of waking early to eat a whole meal wasn't a great plan.  We'll see, I think it all depends on the heat and whether.  My new fuel belt was awesome though, good investment.  Nicole had one too so we looked hardcore (or dorky depending on how you look at it) together.

not my tank top but i needed a picture

On Wednesday I had to drive the boy I babysit to golf camp and kill 3 hours while he was there.  Well, I went to the outlet mall!!!  I basically spent most of my money I made babysitting there but I guess thats how life works.  I love how they have a reebok, nike, adidas, and under armour outlet store there.  I went to all of them but Under Armour had so much I liked.  I've never really worn Under Armour products but after my run yesterday and today, I am in love with their heat gear clothes (and underwear).  I had on a cute matching outfit today (mostly pink).  My clothes weren't drenched in sweat like normal.  However, with my fun sunburn my arms looked weird in the tank top but whatever.  I don't have to drive him back there for like 3 weeks so I'm hoping they have new stuff when I go back.

I'm glad I got my 20 miles in this week!  Now off to pack for Chicago.

Easy 3 miles and Sunburn

I started babysitting yesterday and boy am I tired.  Its not the babysitting thats tiring, its all the driving and then last night I had doc appointments.  But even though I'm tired, I still gotta fit my runs in.

No, its not this bad

Before I get to my run, I went to the pool today with the kids I babysit.  They are both in middle school so I was able to just sit and chill while they played and swam with their friends.  It was very cloudy out so what did I forget to put on? SUNSCREEN!!!!  So my legs and arms are burned (its a moderate burn for me) in a weird pattern (I had my legs crossed and my arm was resting on one of my legs). 

Well, I tell you this because it is no fun to run with sunburned thighs and knees... I did an easy 3 miles on the treadmill today.  I could have pushed harder but I am running 9 miles at 7am tomorrow and I don't want to be over tired for that.  I'm running with my friend which is good because I have to get up and I'll run faster with her (or I won't stop and walk).  I hope my sunburn is better tomorrow, its going to be a miserable night sleeping.

So, 9 miles tomorrow and then I'll be in Chicago Saturday through Monday.  I hope to get in cross training while there and I'm bringing running clothes just in case theres a moment when I can get out.

100 miles of training done!

According to Daily Mile I have completed 100 miles of running since starting to train for my marathon!!!!!  My 2011 miles are actually higher but since starting dailymile at the start of my training, its 100.  My excel spreadsheet shows me at 97 but I round down on that so for example 3.4 miles on dailymile is just 3 on my excel sheet.  So yay for me!!!

I did 5 miles today.  It was slow but I got it done.  The humidity was so awful and I thought it was going to pour rain at any time (it did 5 minutes after I got back to my apartment).  I almost stopped at 4 miles right before a big hill but I pushed myself to finish what I had planned.  So yay for me!

I got up at 8am this morning and was actually already dressed to go running (yes, for motivation, I sleep in my running clothes so I am more likely to run when I get up) but did I go?  No, my hair looked fine and I knew if I went running, I'd have to shower and do my hair again.  And I couldn't be bothered.  But after my errands at 2pm it was way too hot to go running.  So I took a nap and ran at 7pm.  I wonder what my time would have been if I had just run in the morning when it was nicer out.  I like running in the evening though.  Live and learn, I'll eventually figure it out. 

morning or night?

Back in the groove

I did my 3 mile run today!  Yay!  I could definitely feel that I had lost some of the endurance I'd built up though.  But it was less than 10min miles so I was happy.

Tomorrow will either be a 4 or 5 mile run depending on how I feel.

Calcium Rich Foods



Dark Leafy Greens



I saw a nutritionist today.  Not sure if it was a waste of time or not.  She was more concerned with iron and calcium so she wrote me a list of calcium rich foods and a list of leafy green vegetables.  I honestly just wanted to know for my height and weight how many calories do I need to eat to run well and maintain my current weight (I'm under orders not to lose any weight while training).  But I guess I never really came out and asked that.  She said I wasn't eating enough for my activity but chose to focus on calcium and iron.  I was once diagnosed with osteopenia but I reversed that in college and in March I was vitamin D deficient.  For the vit D issue I was put on prescription doses of vit D and had my levels checked today.  Hopefully they are better.  And while I've never been anemic, I guess she was concerned about iron and energy.  I thought I would get advice like "eat more carbs", "eat more protein", "add calories here", "stop eating this junkfood", etc.  Instead I got the usual, "eat dairy" "add iron".  I agreed to see her again in July.  I wanted to email her some more questions but her email on my insurance's website isn't working so thats annoying.  O well.  I went out and bought brocolli, celery, raisins, yogurt, and string cheese.  Those items were all on my follow up sheet.  Anyways, I guess it was helpful but when I left I was very thankful I don't pay for much under my health insurance plan, nutrition is free.



I hope to get a good run in tomorrow.  Wednesday is rest. Run on Thursday and Friday.  I'm going to Chicago for the weekend but I should be able to get in walking or my relatives have an elliptical machine.

Past week = :(

So this past week was the last week of school and I did an awful job running....

Monday starts hard core following of my running plan!

Today

I woke up today and my back was soooo sore.  My back has never been sore from running, not during high school cross country, not while running in college, not training for my half marathon in 2009, and not really recently.  My dad said it is probably left over from my back injury at work a few weeks ago.  This is not good.  I know I have mild kyphosis (basically i slouch) and so my running form is not as it should be but its never made my back hurt like this before.  Also, I don't think it can be the kyposis because it is my lower back that hurts, not the upper back.  So booooo for my work related back injury, I hope it doesn't happen again.  Also, my friend and I ran on a dirt trail with some rocks so the terrain might be playing into this.  Because I was fine a week ago on my 8 mile run and 2 weeks ago when I ran 9 miles.  I'll keep monitoring it.  Tomorrow is field day at school.  I hope my back is still not sore.

I'm bummed I didn't get my 21 miles in this week.  Today I ran 3 miles slow on the treadmill and did the elliptical for 30 minutes.  My body was fine on a low level on the elliptical but wanted off the treadmill so badly.  This is yet another crazy week so I hope I can fit in my 4 runs and 1 cross session.

Fail

So, my friend Nicole and I attempted our 10 mile run.  It was so humid outside and it felt like we were runnign through a sponge.  I guess the title of this entry is a little wrong because we completed the 10 miles (and probably more) but I ended up having to walk some and our legs were beyond sore when we were finished.  Our 8 mile run last Saturday was so good that this run was a bit depressing.

This week hasn't been good all around for training.  I was supposed to get two 3 mile runs in and a 5 mile run.  I only got the 5 mile run in on a treadmill.  I had 2 doc appointments this week over an hour away after work on Monday and Wednesday.  Then I was just so emotionally drained from work and the third anniversary of my best friend/college roommate's death. 

Live and learn.

This coming week is a step back week.  The long run is only 7 miles so thats good.  Its a 3-5-3-7 week.  Its the last week of school though so we'll see if I get it all in.

Well, I have to babysit in 30 minutes and I'm hanging out with my best friend later tonight, I guess I'll get some rest in tomorrow.

Long over-due Update

This week in a nut-shell

Monday: 9 mile run/walk.  Average of 12 min miles.
Tuesday: cross (too hot outside and I can't run before work)

Wednesday: rest

Thursday: 3 miles treadmill, a little over 9 min miles
Friday: short 2 mile run

Saturday (Today): 8 mile run - 1 hr 23 minutes - average 10:22 min miles

Today was supposed to just be a 4 mile run but the friend I am running the marathon with asked if I wanted to go on an 8 mile run.  So I dropped a mile on yesterday's workout.  I know I run better with someone with me to hold me accountable and I wanted to see if it was my motivation or the fact that it was a morning run that make morning runs so hard.  I got up at 4:30 and ate a peanut butter sandwich and drank 12 oz of gatorade.  45 minutes before the run, I had a granola bar.  I did ok for the first 6 miles but all of a sudden at mile 6 I was so hungry or thirsty.  My stomach wanted something in it so that made the last 2 miles hard.  I can't run if I'm hungry.  As the long runs get longer I'm going to have to play with more food 2 hours prior and then water/gatorade on the run and gels (which I hate).  My friend has her facebook status saying 133 days until the race so I've got that long to figure some of this stuff out.

My legs are no longer sore the next day or later in the day (if I ran in the morning).  I am over that hump of getting in shape to run.  Thats good because it makes running so much more enjoyable and fun.  I'm really laid back about training.  I want to get my runs in and I have an excel sheet totaling miles and shoes and plans and other stuff but I'm don't want to kill myself to meet this goal.  I'm not sure if that is the right attitude but its the one I've got.

I do have a 4.5 hour drive out of state today and then back tomorrow.  That probably won't be fun for my legs.  At least I'm not driving the whole way, I hope we switch off.

This is a picture of me.  I like seeing what people look like when I read blogs so I can put a face to a blog.  Just thought I'd randomly share.  I should get a pic of me in my running clothes.