9ish Miler - I ROCK!

As much as I was dreading it, I went out on week 4's long run of the Higdon program - 9 miles. I definitely haven;t done all of the training required to even deserve to be running the week 4 portion, but that's my own damn fault and I have to start somewhere...I have to start feeling like a runner. After last night's 5 miler (which is now posted with an official time of 58 minutes! My watch said 56...wtf), I set out at about 230 to run it and damn was it hard!? I originally started out running 12min and walking 2 just so I wouldn't get too tired, but that got all effed up when I ended up going hard and stopping at every freaking traffic light from here to Georgetown. I probably ended up walking like 1.7 miles in total, which is still good. I am HOPING and praying that the 5 miles less than 24 hours ago was a major contributor to my suckage, but I hate making excuses! The long and short of it was that I got the 9 in, I did it in 1:42, which is still less than a 12 min/mi pace and I am proud of myself. Tuesday I start week 5!!

Twilight 8K

After a few strong runs on the TM, I was feeling good about maybe running the Twilight 8K at 10:00/mo and finishing it in just under 50 minutes. After getting annoyed with the gym in general, I moved my runs outside and have been struggling a little bit due to heat, humidity and hills. Tonight was no different. I ran mile 1 in 10:15, and was slight peeved that I didnt kick it in gear when I was at 9:50 and could see the mile marker up ahead. The course lopped 1.5 times around a HILLY ass neighborhood before finally kind of flattening out and detouring. I haaattttteee rerunning sections. I ran to Marine Corps cadence the whole time but for some reason wasn't as pumped up as I usually am when that stuff comes on. It did help me keep pace for a bit, but after the first of 3 hills I started slacking of a bit. I got a mean side stitch that dulled and came back with avengance 3x, but finally got through that. Thoughts of defeat as I saw my split times getting further and further apart also contributed to slowing down a little bit. I only took water at one station and walked maybe 5x, for about 30s each. I refused water at the final 2 stations b/c I knew it would make me walk and b/c I was over half full on my Camelbak. Speaking of which, I think I took 4 sips period from the damn thing. I originally bought it b/c I couldn't run more than 1 mile without getting cotton mouth.Maybe I have learned how to run more efficiently and/or breathe a little bit better? It could also be the 4 cups of water I drnak in the hour before the race that made me have to pee 4 times before the race, including the time where I waited in line, hit the porta-potty, got out and got right back in line. Nervous bladder much? Long story short, I finished in 56 minutes and I am disappointed with that. That's essentially zero improvement over my 1st 8K in March. I feel slightly better knowing that I sprinted the last 0.2 miles and that some guy on the sidelines said "whoa look at that girl take off!". I felt good passing people who has been exchanging positions with me all race.

Gotta get in 9 miles tomorrow. I have an out and back course planned that shouldn't be too too bad. Hopefully my legs feel good tomrrow!

Paprazzi do Not Belong in the Gym...and Neither do I

After what I now deem a semi decent run last night, I was ready to go for a 5-6 miler today. It's hot as balls outside, so I was waiting until nighttime, then decided I needed to weight train as well, so I may as well run at the gym. AT least there I can control my pace a little better and it might be a tad bit cooler than outside...right? WRONG. Shittiest run ever!!!! True it IS warmer outside than inside but at least it is fresh air and there is a little breeze. I do not understand why the gym insists on keeping the A/C at 75. People are working out, if they are cold, they can bust their ass a little more and break a sweat. I have NEVER been so drenched while running EVER...not even that day I did the 10K on the freeway in the 95 degree mid-day sun. I set the TM on "10K Boulder Run" and ran about 2 of the 6.2 miles. I did it at a decent pace, 10:30 the whole way through but I was dying of heat exhaustion. That was bumming me out and then...ohhhh then.....this stupid lady was taking pictures of her kids in the pool and that was just it for me. How many pictures do you need of your stupid kid with her stupid goggles on, in her stupid bathingsuit, at night in an indoor pool in a GYM!? (Note: my gym is on the 3rd floor of a hotel....so we share it with hotel patrons) The pool is separated from the gym by a long plexiglass divider, so she can clearly see there are about 15 people working out on the other side of the TWO WAY plexiglass who are probably just as pissed off as I am about all of this friggin flashing going on. Not to mention I don't think you should take pictures if I am in the background sweating like a hog b/c the gym staff likes to be warm and stuffy while they watch tv at the front desk. UGH. So much for that. I have GOT to do my runs outside. If I had been on my 5 mile route today, even if I wanted to stop at 2 miles, I would still have to get back home and in that process I would still have to run another 3 miles to do that. It's just too easy on the TM to be like eh, I am getting off. SO now I am going to TRY to wake up early tomorow and go for 4. I suppose 2 is better than zero right?

Tag You're It

I am not much for blogs, but since Overpronator tagged me, I will bite. I guess I have to tell you 6 things you didn't already know about me. Since I am an anonymous blogger, that should be pretty easy right?

1. I am petrified of spiders
2. I actually graduated from college 1.5 years after everyone else in my life thinks I did.
3. I <3 beer with all my heart and soul
4. I have never been in love (exception #3)
5. I clean my ears AND my nose several times a day with Qtips
6. Often times if I run at night I go to bed gross and wake up for my AM run without showering AND putting the same clothes back on.

Speaking of running....5 miler here I come

Let's Get It Started...

Okay boys and girls...102 day until the marathon...it's crunch time in the training logs and that means I have GOT to blog about it. The drop-dead date for the Higdon plan came and went and I was a week behind before I even realized it. Shit...BUT good thing I have essentially been doing weeks 1-2 since oh don't know...January perhaps? I rolled right into week 2, doing 3/3/3, skipped my 6 miler b/c I had a soccer triple header in 100 degree heat, then did 3/3/3/5 the following week. So I cheated a little bit, sue me. I was up and running while the rest of the world was sleeping and or boozing ( evening HH runs) so I win, they lose. Plus I have been having lots of soccer games, those sprints up and down the field kiinnnddd of count like fartleks yeah? Okay I know they are not but shut up.

I had been running a mix of TM runs and my default, outside 3mile loop, but last week opted to run my 4 miler ( week 3 is 3/4/3/5) on the Mall. I had my watch and NO IDEA where mile markers were. I had to google pedometer my route when I got home and lo and behold I was running 9:45 ish for miles 1-2, then slowed up and ended up with 11 min/mi splits. Not half bad for it being 90 degrees out and 10pm and up hill both ways to and from the Mall. I was kind of pissy b/c I had been running on the TM and jacking the speed up as fast as I could take it. I was doing 7:00 pace for about 1/3 of every other mile and was settling in at a flat 10:00, which is my ATM goal pace. Previously I had never pushed myself and though 11:00 was as fast as my fat ass could go.

Fast forward to week 4. Here it is, Tuesday and instead of doing 3/4/3/9, I am going to do 4/5/4/8K4.9mi)+4.1 miles, as I need to "catch up" on mileage and prepare myself for a Twighlight 8K I have this Saturday. That will be a hoot....I can't decide if I wanna run my 4.1 Saturday AM or hold off and run a full 9 on Sunday. I am thinking I will be pretty used to my 4 mile course and pace by then so I will do it in the AM and rely on energy and nerves to get me through the nighttime run. Plus there is beer at the end of this race AND a few people I know are running it, so the competitive beast in my will be out, pushing me to beat their times, even if it is only by 1/2 a second.

Just got back from my 1st of the 4 milers, on the course that was "unfamiliar" to me last week. Started off slightly slow, at a 10:15 pace, got a wicked side stitch ( I am still struggling with how to breath without sounding like I am in labor), and slowed it down a bit. Around mile 1.75 a boatload of negative energy found it's way into my brain.... I am thinking...'wow I can't even run 4 freaking miles, how am I going to run 26.2. Why am I doing this...I only have a 100 days...I CANNOT do this!! My family is coming to watch me...how embarassing!" That just slowed me down even more and I ended up finishing at 10:50min/mile. I keep finding myself stopping for no reason. I won't be winded or sore.... I'll just be lazy and bored. I have downloaded some Marine Corps Cadence and have found those boys are jogging at about a 10min/mi. Hearing their footsteps and being able to repeat back what the SGT or whomever is barking out cadence, is saying helps me slow down and get into a groove. Other music either pumps me up and tires me out or is too slow and makes me angry.

Okay enough ranting and raving from me for one day....until tomorrow!

Inaugural 10K!

I ran my 1st ever 10K on Saturday, at 8am on a 95 degree, humid, Washington DC morning. I really had no business running it, as I have only been back to running for 2 weeks, and I only ran once this past week. But I did it, and I finished it, even though it took me 72 minutes. I didn't finish last though, and not even last in my group. I mist say that between that and all of the biking and other sports I did this weekend, my quads are jelly. I think this means I am back on track and ready to kick some marathon ass

AAannnnn We're Back

A combination of being lazy + a broken metatarsal HAD slidelined me for a while, but I am back in the saddle and actually have been training at a faster pace than I was running at previously. The do or die date for the 18 week program is rapidly approaching, so I have to HAVE to HAVTE TO stick with it. I'll be the first to admit I sleep way too late and drink way too much beer, and both of those have got to stop.

I was afraid to run my 3mi outside b/c I didn't want to be too far from home when my foot hurt, and I wanted to try running with my Camelbak...both worked out A-OK, but it's a little cooler in the gym, so I have been doing 3 miles on the TM at a 10min/mi pace and 1.5-2% incline. I think I am going to run again tomorrow and then start AM running this weekend.

I have also been in a pissy mood the last few weeks, so hopefully running will be my stress reliever!!

YES!

Yeesh I have been a bad poster b/c I have been a bad runner. I had to rest that foot up, then I got smacked in the face with a softball and had other various things come up. BUT I registered today for the MCM. I've paid the man, I am promoing it as a big weekend to my fam....so I am in it to win it (or at least finish in under 5hr). Bad news is, I have taken way too much time off...good news is I am still a few weeks ahead of the Higdon program. Less than great news is I have a 10K on 20MAY and I am not ready for it.

So...

This morning was my 1st day of AM running and my 1st day back since 22Mar2007 ( I know...). That combination was not so pleasant. I finally rolled out of bed at 6, after hitting sleep 3 times and was on the road by 615. 1st mile felt fine. I was on pace. Second mile is when my mind crapped out. I was finding myself back in high school during soccer practice when we had to run 20 mins at 7am in the last 2 weeks of August and I would look for ANY excuse to stop and walk. Running is such a mental game for me....I always stop and I am not sure why. I just get discouraged that I can't truck along for all 3 miles the way I do for the 1st one I guess. I can run even splits, but the 1st mile feels effortless and the last few are torture.

I had a stitch on my LEFT side....weird and my foot was kind of hurting me...

I have a 10K on the 14th....hopefully I can get ready!

WTF

I haven't run in 10 days and I have a 10K in 14.. WTF you lazy sack of shit. April 2 at 0530 will make the beginning of my career as a morning runner. I am planning on running 3 mi for sure T,W,R and maybe less M and F. My "training plan" calls for those to be rest days, but I need to wake up at that time and do something, even if it is just walking or running 1.5 miles. I have to get used to the early mornings. Now, what am I gonna do with my time after work!?!?

Back in the Saddle

I finallyyyyy have internet at work, so I can psych myself up for my runs before I even leave the office, and hopefully that will also remind me to DRINK WATER!

I meant to post after my run on 22Mar07, but my internet was down and I haven;t run since then ( dagger) , so I haven't posted much...

Thursday's run was very cold and kind of shitty. I did my normal 3 miler in about 37 minutes. I had dry throat again and for the 3rd consecutive time, my iPod shit the bed mid run. Oh other highlights: I ran through a watermain break, I had some dude tell me i was losing weight "in all of the right places if you know what I mean (ewww)" and I also had a homeless man tell me to stop being lazy and run when I took a walk break. Speaking of walk breaks, I don't understand why I am walking. I am usually not out of breath or in pain, but I think I mentally give up and I walk. I usually think to myself, why the !$#% are you walking, then jog some more. Am I bored with my route??

I meant to go for a 6 miler on Sunday but slept too late then had crap to do. The only thing I did accoplish on Sunday was going to church. Well that's not true. I saw an old friend, but of the 3 things I had scheduled for Sunday, I only did one. Guess that's better than nothing.

Plan for today : 3 miles at a hard pace today, tomorrow and Thursday then 6 miles Sunday so i can finally move to HH Week 2 ( and get ready for my 10K). Wish me luck!

Blaahhhh

I was falling asleep on metro on the way home today and was like nooooooo, I don't want to run. I have had this nasty wheezy/rattling thing going on for about a month and today started feeling rundown and slightly sick. I hope it doesn't turn into something bad! Anyways, I planned on napping for 40 min when I got home, but hoping for inspiration, logged into Runner's World and went on my 3 miler today, in reverse order, like I did yesterday. My IPod shit the bed about 5 feet out my front door and rather than go back in, I ran with it. Stupid. So I lugged weight around for no reason. Blah. Ran my 3 miler, no dry throat, in 34 min. Man was it windy! Hopefully I'll feel stronger tomorrow and then I will go for 6 on Saturday!

must drink more water

After Sunday's race, I took yesterday off from running and opted for 30min on the bike and some weight lifting for my arms ( I will be selling tickets to the gun show in about 2 months!). I did my regular 3 miler today but in reverse order. When I used Google pedometer to look at the elevation going in the normal direction (down M from 5th to 21st and back up L to 10th to M and 5th), it said the whole thing was uphill. I knew the last bit on L was uphill b/c it always bums me out...it's at the end of the run, I am tired and or bored and the hill, however almost flat it may be, still slows me down. Running in reverse would have made all of today downhill right? Hmm maybe. The first part was a nice change up, but I still feel like the end was uphill. Oh well.

I definitely did not drink enough water at work today or yesterday. Actually yesterday perplexed me. I consider myself as well hydrated when my water looks the same going out as it did going in. Yesterday, knowing I wasn't going to run that afternoon, I drank 2 cups of coffee and a Sobe LifeWater and lo and behold....I looked hydrated. Weird. Today I drank my coffee and about a liter of water. (I usually drink like 3-4, then a Propel right before my run). I kept meaning to drink more but before I knew it, it was time to go home and run. Cue return of the dry throat!!!! I thought it might have something to do with the wind, but Sunday's race was wayyy more windy and I was definitely waaayyyy hydrated for that race and no dry throat. Now I know..... that was really the only thing that made me slow/walk for a bit. It sucks to not even have enough spit in your mouth to swallow.

I did some reading yesterday about training for a 10K. i signed up for the Stop the Silence 10K on 14APR2007. After all, what's another mile added onto what I ran Sunday. ( I've run 6.2 before ... in 70min ... ouch). Anyhow, it talked about speed work and how to incorporate it a little bit each run and how just that little bit can shave minutes off of your next race. So, after running one mile, I began to run fast for about 15 seconds and then at slightly slower than normal pace for about 45-50 seconds. I am also trying to consciously remember that I should pick up the cadence of my stride, taking smaller strides and more steps (quicker turnover). Anyhow, I ran today's 3 miler in 33 min ... my fastest yet ( I think...I don't remember).

I am still feeling like running is WORK, as much as I love it. When does it get easier? When will I start getting into a groove where I am running and not thinking about it? Do I need to run longer time-wise? Distance-wise?

I.am.AWESOME!!

After a fitful night's sleep, I woke up around 730 today, burned 2 pieces of toast, had a SMALL cup of coffee ( I know.....bad idea, but I needed it to wake me up), a non-burned toast and a banana and I hit the road for my 1st race ever - the Washington DC St. Patrick's Day 8K.

As I have blogged earlier, my training runs have usually been on the TM, with the exception of this past TWR - which were 3 mile loops outside. On the TM I was averaging 10:40s or something like that and outside, not counting traffic lights under 60s, I was running 11s. I have run 5 and 6 miles on the TM before. I forget what the 5 mi time was ( it's written down at the gym) but I know my 6 miler was about 70min. With all of the reading I have been doing about how the TM and the road are vastly different, I was hoping to finish the 8K in under 60m ( at the most) and ideally in 55 ( hence the 11min mi...I know 8K is just under 5mi, but I was running on the outside of the loop and the course is measured running inside, so I probably ran more than 5mi).

Fast foward to race day ...I get off metro at Federal Triangle and I can hear bagpipes and I instantly get a little rush of adrenaline. Awesome. Then I turn the corner and see all of these people running and stretching and warming up. Also awesome. I hit the WC a few times ( thanks mostly to my coffee and bottle of Propel I drank on the way to the race and lined up with the 12s, thinking I would run mile 1 slow, and adjust after I see how my pace is. We take off, things are going well. The only thing I hated about this course was the stupid hairpin turns. I would rather run out and back without sidetracking down a tiny street for 2 blocks only to turn around and get back on the main drag. Don't even get me started about the cocktease one 0.1 mi from the finish line, which I am pretty sure WAS NOT ON THE MAP! I digress...

We hit mile 1 and I look at my watch...9:10!?!?!? Shit! I am feeling good at this point but I slow waaayyyyy down to conserve energy. I am very nervous at this point b/c I have not trained OUTSIDE for a 5 mile run yet. Good thing to note though - I can probably run a little faster on my 3 milers. At mile 2 looked at my watch , 21:40. (So 12:30) That is more like it. Mile 3 was annoying and under a sketchy bridge with a lot of wind. I ran that one by 33:08 (11:22). That's pretty much where the straight part of the course ended. Lots of turns, lots of weaving in and out, some walking and finally someone says we are at mile 4 and my watch says 43:00 (9:58!?!? wtf that can't be right because I WALKED a few times this mile..whatever). Sweet! I have 12 minutes to come in under my 55 min goal!! We turn a corner and I can see balloons in the distance. I started running fast and then I saw the friggin left hand turn. I wish I had seen that earlier b/c I wouldn't have kicked up my pace so much. To top it all off, I can't see how deep said left hairpin turn is. It could be 10 feet, it could be 0.4 mi. I am a horrible distance judger! So I maintain pace and then it started catching up to me just as I turn left. I struggle through the left hand turn, get stuck in a kind of slow mob of peeps, turn left back onto Penn and turn up the heat. I am not even looking at my watch at this point b/c I just want this to be OVERRRRR. So I sprint across the orange mat (now I am scared that ChampionChip did not pick up my start or finish time..I seriously need to get a life and stop worrying). I see the race clock says 58:07. My watch says 55:21. Sooooo definitely under my 60 min mark .. hooray!!!! And slightly over my 11min/mile goal of 55 min. Dagger. Oh well. I am also secretly excited b/c I found out one of my friends ran this race last year and I think she finished in like 70 mins or something. Haha I win!

Lessons learned : 1)You are running faster than you think you are at the start of the race even though a: you are in a pack that you think looks sloooowwww. b: you can breathe. 2) You can sneak your IPod to this race!!! Everyone else did! This was my 1st run ever without one. Could have helped a little!!

All in all, an awesome morning. I woke up, ate breakfast (twice) and a ran an effing race in good time for me, before any of my friends even thought about waking up with their silly hangovers from yesterday's beerfest (where I was chugging club + lime!). I feel like running some more! Why do I always get the runners high about 15 mins after I stop running!?!?

Nervousness Ensues

At this time tomorrow, I will have finished ( hopefully), my first ever race - the Washington DC St.Patrick's Day 8K. I am petrified. I am excited. I am petrified. Did I mention that I am petrified?

I have all of these what if scenarios floating around in my head ... what if I don't finish? What if I oversleep" What if it's icing outside? What if I finish in 2 hours instead of the stupid 55:00 that has been kicking around in my head for the last 3 weeks. What if what if what if...

Wet and Loving It ( No Not like THAT)

So today was my 3rd run outside (in as many days)...and my first in the rain. Also my first try at layering. Man I wish I had some technical T's. I opted to skip the waterproof jacket....just as it prevents water from getting in, it also prevents sweat from getting OUT and even though its only 45ish here, I do not want to get too toasty. Todays temp is also what is predicted for Sunday's 8K, minus the wet. I think I will wear what I wore today - DriFit workout pants, a cotton short sleeve and a cotton long sleeve.

I didnt have the problem with the dry throat today, probably b/c it was cooler/wetter outside. I also didn't tire as fast as I did yesterday and the only real walk break I took was on an uphill, uneven and wet stretch of sidewalk about 2.67 miles into the run. I experimented a little bit with gait and stride today as well. I hit mile 1 at 13:02 BUT I waited to cross Thomas circle for a 1:20, and while I don't usually subrtract time at stoplights from the daily run time, I am subtracting this one b/c it totally daggered my 1st mile. I hit mile 2 at 24:02 - exactly 11 min. I also hit mile 3 at 35:01, another 11 min/mile. So I think it is safe to say that run...an 11min/mi. That the pace at which I feel most comfy I guess. Hopefully I will punch that up a little bit on race day! Those mins also do not factor in waiting to cross the street, as I said before, so I am probably doing more like 10:50s. I feel good...I feel accomplished...now if the scale would start moving DOWN I would be ecstatic. I don;t get it. I have been running 5 days a week, not drinking a single drop of alcohol and not being too huge a pig...what gives? Until this week, I was doing weights at the gym after every run. I definitely have bigger arms. I can see that and feel it even, but I feel like the scale should be trending downward by at least like a pound or something..... c'est la vie!

Getting Stronger of Just Good Timing?

After waging a mental battle with myself over whether or not I should take a day off since I have a race this weekend, I decided I need the outside running, so I repeated the 3.something miler I did yesterday. It took me 37 mins yesterday and 34 min today. I stopped into City Sports on the way home from work today and bought a 15$ sports watch. I also made sure to get a sense of where my mile markers were in the run, so I could adjust my pace after the 1st mile. I made a conscious effort to slooowwww down early today and hit mile 1 at about 11 minutes. I hit mile 2 at about 22:40, so not too bad. I felt better, throat wise today, and I tried to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, which helped. I am happy with the watch purchase...I think it will help me a lot. Now I am trying to decide if slowing down helped me finish quicker b/c I stopped less or if I just hit less fewer traffic lights!!!! I will take the optimistic route and say I am getting stronger!

I need some new running music...ideas???

Toss Up

Soooooooo today was my first run outside since I made the exciting decision to try my hand at running. As I have stated below, I've been running for about a month now, with my max distance being 6 miles so far. I am registered to run an 8K on Sunday and I am petrified. I need to get used to running outside vs. the TM and today was my 1st stab at that since I was lazzzzzzzyyyyy this past weekend. My official route ( as laid out by Google pedometer) was supposed to be 3.1 mi. But I had to make a small detour due to a sidewalk closure and I ran on the outside of the "loop" that I am calling 3 mi midtown run in the box on the right hand side of this page. If I had to guess at how much extra I ran, I'd say 0.3 mi is about right. I finished this distance just 4 minutes slower than I run 3mi on the TM at a 0% incline. I think this is pretty good, considering it was longer than my usual run ( at least by a definite 0.1 mile) and that I had to stop at countless traffic lights ( some for 45 seconds each!!!). I did not carry a watch, but used my IPod to time it out. I ran from 7pm - 737pm and I am pretty sure I did 3/4 of the run but 722pm! I definitely went out too fast, and when I was conscious of this ( not too often early on), I slowed down. Being sooo nice out here in DC though, everyone downtown was eating and drinking outside, including several dozen GORGEOUS boys, so I ran very fast from about 19th and M, down 21 to L and from 21 back to 19th and L. I guess it all evened out in the end, but gosh my throat is/was soooo dry. I am fairly confident this was from sucking wind during the 1st half of the run, but I also did not carry a water bottle or a camelback pack, and having run on the TM only, I am used to swigging water whenever I want to. I am going to try this again tomrorow and try to slow dowwwwwnnnnnnnn. I might even opt for a different route tomorrow that takes me down to the Nat'l Mall where there are water fountains.

Race in T minus 5 days....ahhhhh!!!!

Bollocks

I hydrated well yesterday, ate a bagel for dinner and tried to go to bed early last night, all in the hopes of waking up at 0800 this morning and doing a 6 mile circuit around Penn Qtr and the Nat'l Mall. I hit sleep waayyy too many times and finally rolled out of bed at 11 something. I had planned on running, going to Eastern Market, cleaning and going to Mass. Scratch some of that ... I ended up cleaning the apt., and the fridge and the freezer, all so I could put off my run. I did, however spend a lot of time reading about training. If running was a consulting job, I could bill for that right? Anyhow, after Mass I decided to go for an indoor run on the trusty old TM, as it was 7pm when I got home from Mass and as gorgeous as it is outside, I do not want to be running on the Mall in the dark (e.g. not safe...ahh the joys of Washington DC). In preparation for Sunday's 8K I decided to do the whole run (which was supposed to be 6 mi) in a 1.3% incline, to mimick running outside. Well I got to 2.6 miles and I was BEAT. So I quickly decided to make this a 3 mi run, and ramped up the incline to 4.5 for the last 0.4 mi. I finished today's 3 mi run just shy of 33 min. Not too bad for a 3 miler. I think I ran it a little fast, and the addition of the incline for the whole run defintely made a difference. I was also running in a new Enell sports bra (AWESOME) that doesn't do a super awesome job of wicking, so I got very warm very fast. All in all I might even say I was BORED and was looking for a semi decent goal to achieve so I could call it quits for the night.I am going to have to run every day this week (except Saturday and do some light jogging Friday),if I don't want Sunday to be a complete disaster. Dammit...there are sooo many 5K's for St. Patrick's Day....why the hell did I pick an 8K?

I want to be a runner?

This will serve as my 1st entry into what I hope will be come a blog about how a 5-7, 200 something pound, 25 year old, transformed herself from a binge-drinking, late-sleeping pile of crap, into a healthy, fit, energetic marathoner!

A Little Background

A few years ago I made the commitment to myself to get healthy. I weighed a ton and one day, when I tried to go out for a run I was disgusted at how an athletic, energetic high school soccer player had turned into a tub of crap that could barely do anything. I used to be able to run, although I never enjoyed it. This day I could hardly run 2 blocks without stopping. I decided all of the extra weight that countless frat parties, late nights, pints of Ben and Jerry's had packed on me, was contributing to my difficulty, so that very day I went through our cabinets and threw out anything and everything that contained carbs ( my skinny little roommate wasn't too excited about this), and I began Atkins. Over the next 8 months I proceeded to follow that way of life, went to the amazing gym down the street every single day for 1-2 hours and lost 70 lbs (I contribute the last 20 of that to being stressed out to the max about moving 600 miles from home for the 1st time ever, (e.g. I wasn't eating and hardly had any money with which to buy food once I moved...that was when I was at my lowest weight!). 70 lbs. sounds like a lot, and it is, but when you have somewhere in the neighborhood of 110-120 lbs to lose before your doctor considers you "ideal", it doesn't look as impressive as it sounds.

The Decision

Needless to say, as I settled into my new environment and my paycheck started to cover the debt I found myself in after moving, I began buying food, and going out for dinner, and buying beer and joining teams that focused around happy hours...and I gained about 20 lbs back. I moved again about a year later - another great chance to clean out my cupboards and start Atkins again. Yeah right...... I ended up eating high fat/low carb food and then ruining it on the weekends/out at dinner with high carb food, which completely defeats the point and actually makes you gain weight. So I joined the gym down the street for the new year and while 45 minutes on the elliptical machine is certainly a goal, I needed more. It's one thing to say, "I want to lose X lbs. by such a such a date", because you can always slack off and make up for it later. So I decided to set a fitness goal for myself. I know that running is the most efficient way to burn calories, so I decided I would run. But what kind of running goal should I set for myself? I am a firm believer in the "go big or go home" philosophy, so on a whim one day I decided to commit myself to running the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC. It's open to whomever signs up on a 1st come/1st served basis, while there is a little elevation play involved, it's not like Boston, where the whole things is downhill and then uphill towards the end. All in all, it's a decent race for a first time out. Plus, I feel if I have a fitness/health goal rather than a weight goal, I will drop weight regardless and have something to feel awesome about when I cross that finish mat in Arlington on 28 Oct, even if I weigh 200 lbs.

And Now
So I made the decision to run on 11FEB 2007. I started on the treadmill at the gym and I was seriously dying at about 1.2 miles, running at a blisteringly SLOW speed of 4.5 mph. I toughed it out to 2 miles though and enthusiastically hit STOP as hard as I could the second the pedometer clicked to 2.0. I was very proud of myself! I am pretty sure I even fist pumped and got a smile out of the guy on the bike behind me. The following week I put in 2 miles on the 13th and 14th and 1.37 on the 15th because I was just too tired to keep going. I bumped myself up to 3 on the 18th and was so excited when I finished that night! I found Hal Higdon's 18-week marathon prep schedules online and after doing a little research, Novice I is the plan I have decided to follow. Yeah I realize the race is like 30+ weeks away, but this gives me the chance to repeat weeks when I am feeling shaky ( e.g. the beginning) and also repeat at peak, maybe even sneak in a 26.2 in August before IO kick it down and start to taper in October. According to the HHG, I will be/am currently running on T,W,R, with a long run on S/S and the other weekend day reserved for cross-training. I have yet to to the cross training deal, but I did complete my 1st long run on 24 Feb, of 6 miles. I am not counting that week as a 1st though b/c I only ran 2x during the work week prior, for 3 miles each. The week after my long run, I had a weird head/chest cold and was way too tired to crunch out 3 miles on T, so I ended up doing 1.2 on T, and 3 on W,R,F with a 5 mile run on that following Sunday, 04MAR2007.

So here we are, on 10MAR2007 and so far this week I have successfully run 3 mi on T,W and R. If I can pull off a 6 mi run today or tomorrow, I will consider this to be week 1 of my training, which will be super exciting for me. I am hoping to get outside a little bit today. I have been reading that while treadmill training is great for running when you can't outside, it's technically cheating b/c it's a little bit easier. To compensate for this, I should be setting the treadmill to a 1-2% incline, which I did do for about 1/2 of Thursday's run. I had a little fun with speed this past week. I ran 3 mi on Tuesday in 32 min flat, fluctuating between 4.8 and 6.8 mph (The 4.8 was a recovery jog after running at 6.8 for about 5 min...yeah I know it;s slow but I'm a novice so give me a break!). Wednesday I ran a few fast min. at 7 mph and was able to finish the run in 31:34, so far my PR! Thursday saw the incline but I was still able to finish in 32:34. A little slower but decent considering it was technically a more difficult run.

I have been spending a some time this morning with Google's pedometer tool, trying to map out some 3 and 6 mile outside courses. I decided to sign up for the St. Patrick's Day 8K, which is a 5mi out and back in downtown DC I am hoping that the atmosphere and the whole being outside thing will make me run a little bit faster that I do on the treadmill, but we'll see. As long as I don;t finish LAST, I will be okay. It's really just to get me into a pack mentality and to get a technical T! Plus I have been reading that racing is addictive. The whole crowd yelling for you thing is a great high. I am hoping I finish in an hour or less. That will be my goal! am very nervous and excited at the same time.

Okay so that's enough babbling from me. I am pretty sure I am all caught up with my training now. And honestly, to re-think the past month while I write this makes me feel very accomplished!