11.5 miles into the week

quick update for my 4 readers ;)

For Sunday my long run goal was 7 miles. I took it easy Saturday night, ate real healthy, pounded the water, stretched and got decent sleep. I was running by 8am hoping to escape some heat. I completed my out and back loop along Hines and 6 mile and felt decent.

Unfortunately, I looked at my route at map my run on Monday and I think it was actually only 6.5 miles. Kind of a let down. I mean, sure, sure, I am still pleased that I did more than the previous week but 7 sounded more powerful. I also did some upper body weights and my abs. Still trying for 1,000 crunches but I have a l-o-o-o-o-ng way to go.

Today I hit snooze for a pathetic while, but still managed to haul myself out of bed and into my running gear. I completed 5 miles, but at 8am it's still hot as the dog days. Yeow!

that's it.

Then there are the 3 mile slug runs

I know that I need to be adding in another day of running to get up to necessary mileage of real training. I think I will add in another day next week and see how that goes. Right now it's about taking it easy. So, since I'm trying to stay in shape without over doing it, I decided that my Thursday run would be 3.5 miles. After all I had the great 5 on Tuesday.

I went to work a bit early to get out to have quality time with my friend Rachel. This schedule pushed me to about an 830 pm run. Not so bad considering the temps cool down in the evening. Well, some how the systems were out of whack. My head wasn't in it and neither was my body. I'll spare you the details but a run after two bean tacos just doesn't bode well with the gut :) It was an ok run. Not great. Not memorable. Not a total waste of time. Just so so.

I think part of it was not realizing how sore my legs still were from weights on Tuesday. I am going to have a hearty stretching session tonight and work out the kinks.

This weekend's long run: 7 miles.

Soaring 5 miles on an eagle's back

What really is a performance-enhancing drug anyway?

I mean why is a steroid a bad drug but caffeine isn't? Don't we all somehow modify our habits, foods, sleep patterns, vitamins to maximize our level of effort?

For instance, yesterday, I slept in too long and missed my chance to get to the gym in the morning. This means I had to go after work which I dreaded, especially because I would be there a long time with the run and a PT-like session of weights. I staggered my snacks and meals so that I'd be adequately full (but not too full) when I entered the gym. I had a latte about 2 hours before because I was feeling sluggish and looking to perk up. I also downloaded a few new songs for my i-pod and changed up my playlist. However, I was so tired on my 30 minute drive to the gym that I didn't think anything would power me through 4 miles. I actually pulled into the parking lot, leaned back my driver's seat and snoozed for ten minutes before getting out of my car. I felt beat. I felt this would be one pathetic run.

I lazily stepped on the elliptical for a ten-minute warm up. I slowly went through the motions of a few stretches. Gosh, I even contemplated running a mile and then just leaving the gym. But somehow as I upped the pace on the treadmill, my legs began to rhythmically keep up. I was pumped for the new "Stand Back" Stevie Nicks remix. Those electronic dance beats are like a metronome for my stride. I was rockin to the Coconut Records' "Nighttiming." I wasn't churning out the boring minutes of lackluster songs that I heard 20 gazillion times previously. I felt so energized that I actually ran 5 miles (instead of the planned 4) in about 55 minutes. Holy Honkin' Hallelujah! I think I actually heard birds singing.

So, back to my original thought. Did I owe my success to performance-enhancing drugs? Was it the latte? What about the new songs---could I have been so enthusiastic without my i-pod? Or, really, what about that power nap?

I don't know what the secret yesterday was. I mean I ran for nearly an hour and then did another hour of weights. It was just one of those times when everything seems to fall into place, when my attitude and my body's willingness are connected in a euphoric sense. One thing is certain---with results like these, I'll be duplicating some of these things in the future.

6 miles

Not feeling very loquacious for this post.
I did run my 6 miles on Saturday. I decided to run about 6pm in the evening. Still very warm outside. Walked during a few uphills but felt pretty darn good about the whole thing.

So, last week
6 Saturday
3 Thursday
4 Tuesday
5 Sunday
---------
= 18 miles. That's great but I'm also cheating by including two long runs in my tally.

late night workout

On Thursday a couple of things came up that really threw off my usual routine. Nothing bad to speak of, just not a usual day. This means I didn't get home until after 8:00 and I still had to get a run in. I had lofty exercise goals but by the time evening rolled around, I was just hoping to do something decent. I did my boring 3 mile run to CVS and back. It's not an exciting or challenging route but I know the distance, so it's a good fall back for when I am not feeling too adventurous or energetic.

I'm also done with PT but I know I still need to work on leg strength. I did Chapter 1 of IWTB-buns. It's incredibly challenging but only 15 minutes. Anyone can endure bloody thigh screaming pain for 15 minutes. After that I topped off my day with more crunches. I'm still a long way from doing 1,000 but I'm determined to stick to the plan.

This weekend's long run: 6 miles.

sticking to the plan

Yesterday I ran 4 miles on the treadmill at the gym. I'm still at the 11-something minute mile pace. That's okay for now. I know that upping distance and speed at the same time is a recipe for disaster. I'll chip at it slowly.

So, after running 5 on Sunday, a grueling PT on Monday and 4 last night, well today I am taking a day of rest.

new article

This one appears at Her Active Life.

Children seem to grow taller overnight. Pants that fit well a month ago suddenly look like waders. Do they really grow that fast? During childhood (generally defined as the period of life from age 1 until puberty begins), a typical child will gain about 5lbs. and grow 2 to 3 inches in an average year. . .

Read the rest of the article here.

Indeed. All good things come to an end.

I was shocked at physical therapy yesterday to hear my therapist tell me this was my last week of PT according to what I was allowed by my insurance. I am not sad because I feel I need physical therapy to get back to a certain range of motion because my tendonitis has totally healed. Nor do I think I need physical therapy to stay active. I have signed up for the half marathon in October and I'll use that as my goal to stay committed to running.

Rather, I am disappointed that my time with the trainers has come to an end. I am so grateful for them, their patience and instruction. I learned some invaluable things during my time at PT. I fell in love with weights again. I feel that I have become so much stronger, and that I have become smart about how to approach training. Looking forward, I will always aim to incorporate weight training into my workouts. No longer will I think that cardio alone is enough to stay in shape or to stay injury free. Lifting weights is such an integral part of staying healthy. I can truthfully say that I feel better about my body now than when I was running 25 miles a week. It's amazing how much weight resistance has positively affected my body image. I only look forward to sticking with their program and combining that with a tough running schedule. Full steam ahead for the best that I can be.

Continuous improvement.

My lofty exercise goals hit a small snag on Friday afternoon when I bounded out for a run, only to feel that my back was not well. This happens every so often and is a good indicator that my heel lift is worn out and I need a new one Also, it's a sign that I am wearing lazy flip-flops too often and I need to wear my support shoes. This was hugely disappointing. I was already feeling frazzled and rushed for time and was so yearning for the opportunity to quickly work out my emotions. Well, I did the only thing I could do in that situation. I powered though a workout video that I had not done in a long time. Yikes! My thighs were screaming bloody loud! And on top of that, I later strapped on some high heels and went dancing at a wedding.

Now, it's Sunday and my legs are still recovering from Friday. However, I set my goal of running 5 miles and I was going to see it through. After all this half-marathon isn't going to have a moving sidewalk! However, I also had another (albeit, minor) goal of sleeping in. That wasn't such a good idea by the time I got to the park and it was already nearing 70 degrees. Ugh. I gave a very determined effort and stayed upright for the entire five miles but I definitely squeezed in some walking breaks. I really hadn't approached this as best as I might have, but I still met my goal. That was a wonderful feeling!

Now, it's nearly 1:00, I'm done running but it's very hot outside. What's the only thing I want to do? Yes, go swimming! I call up one of my friends to head out to Island Lake. We like to swim from one side of the lake to the other. I'm not sure the distance but we guess approximately a quarter of a mile. Whew. Buns of burning steel! Where's my life jacket? Sharon wanted to swim back again and I said she was on her own. I wasn't going to pull out the I-already-ran-5-miles card, but, seriously, I had already run for an hour today.

Then I got home and started thinking that with all this focus on PT and getting in more runs, I've been neglecting my upper body and core. So I decided to go with the day's current adrenaline and pump out another short workout video for my arms and shoulders. I've also been thinking about the main character in American Psycho who claims to do 1,000 crunches a day. I know full well I couldn't do 1,000 unless you plucked my intestines from out of my body, but I thought I'd give it a try and work up to bigger numbers. Well, I got up to 150 and called a day.

All these stats are marked on my calendar in a kaleidoscope of colored stars. Continuous improvement---that's the idea.

Feeling energetic!

I am surprised by how giddy I feel because of signing up for the Detroit Half Marathon. I'm really excited about it. I'm enthusiastic about having a goal and a purpose for training. Plus, I am going to approach this training a lot differently! No more tendonitis for this budding super star! I remember hearing someone say that you can finish a race untrained but you can't finish one injured. AYE!! That is so true, it hurts.

I plan to stick to a goal of running a few times during the week and focusing on upping weekend mileage. I don't think I'll be doing the back-to-back and 5 running days a week like I was doing with the TNT program. It was a great program but not for a neurotic novice like myself. I'll be in touch with my mentor Ed from my old TNT training group. In fact, he asked if I was available last Wednesday for a run out at Maybury and I was thrilled to have an open night! I had never done any type of trail running before and it was as much fun as Ed said it would be. It was a thrilling moment in my 'comeback' to finally be able to meet up with a buddy and be able to tough it out. It was 3.5 miles and I couldn't have done that 6 weeks ago. Yeah for signs of improvemen! and YEAH for Ed lighting a fire under my feet!

This weekend's goal is 5 miles. Sheeeeeit, I don't think I have run 5 miles in one stretch since...wowee...that long? Oh man. Yea that was back in April. Ouch!

and I close with a very white-girl moment as I quote LL Cool J

Don't call it a comeback
I been here for years
Rockin my peers and puttin suckas in fear
Makin the tears rain down like a MON-soon
Listen to the bass go BOOM
Explosion, overpowerin
Over the competition, I'm towerin
Wreckin shop, when I drop these lyrics that'll make you call the cops
Don't you dare stare, you betta move
Don't ever compare
Me to the rest that'll all get sliced and diced
Competition's payin the price

A great dad believes you can do anything

My Dad thought I could be the first person on Mars. He also believed I could be the first female president. He figured I was smart and talented; therefore, there was nothing of which I was not capable. Nothing. When I ran my first 5K and finished in about 33 minutes, he wondered aloud, as if were the most realistic thought in the world, why I wasn’t in the group of runners finishing sooner. Did that bother me? No. This is how my dad has always been, pushing me (and my siblings) because he thinks it’s the most natural fact that I would succeed.

Read the rest of the story here.

Registration Number: 445107

Alright, am I a runner now? I'm signed up for the half marathon.
The funny thing was that the form asks for your age on the actual race day and mine will be 31! The race is the day after my birthday. Guess I'll be saving my merry-making for Sunday night this year :)

The difference between a runner and a jogger...

As seen in a Pearl Izumi ad:

The difference between a runner and a jogger is an entry blank.

I love that. I think it's a George Sheehan quote. It moves me. I have GOT TO GOT TO GOT TO sign up for that Detroit Free Press Half Marathon in October.

I wonder how much the cost is right now.

4 MILES!!!

This weekend Jason and I drove to his cottage at Canadian Lakes where his mom currently lives. This was my first trip there during the full flush of summer and it was beautiful. Their house is right on the lake. What a great view for your morning coffee!

I am trying to slowly increase the length of my running distances. Since I miraculously pulled off 3 miles twice the previous weekend, it was only time to try for 4. Since I'm not familiar with the area, I wondered how I'd map out the distance to be sure. Jason and I drove around trying to measure different routes. It turns out the castle at Canadian Lakes was just about 4 miles from their cottage. Perfect. I wouldn't have to worry about a 2-mile out-and-back route with the same old scenery. Jason dropped me off and it was up to me to run back. What a lovely route. I came across two silent deer. I was flooded with the sights and sounds of life on the lake. My workout play list was revamped to include "Sea lion woman" and "You shook me all night long." Seems like everything was right in the universe and I pulled off the 4 miles successfully!

The rest of the weekend included good food, a visit with my brother, chillin' on the pontoon, cold beers under a temperamental sun, frisbee, swimming and numerous laughs. Quite a weekend. Enter July!

Check out my new article!

This one's posted at Her Active Life the sister site to The Final Sprint.

It's about emotionally dealing with an injury. Click here.

Also, give a look at the companion piece for what to say and not say to an injured friend.
That's here.