Well, I thought I'd do something different and not write about my daily run (awful by the way). I am determined to turn my negative into a positive by sharing why I decided to join and keep on training for this crazy sport. My trio and I discussed our top reasons for getting up to train and here they are:
1. The Swag. You usually get awesome stuff from running a race which ranges from shirts, socks, medals, certificates, customized bibs, gift cards, samples, hats, bragging rights, etc.
2. To be healthy. Too many people are sedentary (that included us) and exercising is a great way to keep disease at bay, maintain/lose weight, and make new friends.
3. Because it's hard. If running were easy, everyone would do it and we like being part of that small percentage of people who run races.
4. It's an excuse to wear running clothes all day. This is a great one for lazy people who just want to wear their comfy gear all day and let everyone know you run.
5. For the unspoken bond between runners. We get up early in the morning, run, go to work (or home if you are unemployed like me), talk about running, read running magazines, lay our our running clothes for the next morning, eat healthy (or healthier than you would if you weren't running), go to bed early, and do it all again.
6. To feel good about myself. There is nothing that feels like how you feel after a good run. I feel energized, accomplished, strong, healthy, and just plain awesome.
7. I get to buy new stuff. I have bought and attained so much new running apparel, gear, energy supplements to try, etc. I would rather buy a new tech shirt than a new cute going out shirt now.
8. Getting closer to friends. My trio and I have grown a lot closer because we all go through the same ups and downs. We also run at about the same pace and are together every Saturday and check on each others runs. It's like our own little running family :)
9. To inspire others. I see onlookers sometimes when we run and I hope that one chubby person sees us running and says...hey if they can do it I can do it. Seriously, if I can do it anyone can.
10. To cross the finish line. I am seriously excited about the half-marathon and crossing the finish line of those 13.1 miles. I have crossed once before when Kat and I walked the first San Antonio Rock n' Roll 1/2 marathon, but this will be special since we will be running.
11. For the future. I want to pass on this healthy lifestyle to my future kids and family. I am glad that this is becoming a way of life and I want to keep it this way.
12. Lastly, to plan more runs! This is crazy, but we are already planning other half-marathons and Kat and I want to do a full marathon in late 2013.
There will be more of these coming soon...
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Rockport Running
Hello! Greetings from Rockport, TX inside of a beautiful cottage on the gulf. I am intensely enjoying the weather and view of the water. It is lovely here and I am with my family from Oregon, Rockport, and Houston. Well, even though I am on vacation (how much vacation can an unemployed person have?) that doesn't mean the training stops. I got up yesterday with my aunt, uncle, and cousin to do the Saturday run. I was pumped, dressed and ready to go. When we went outside there were two frat boys sleeping on the lawn next door. It was pretty funny and we all took pictures of the unconscious duo. My cousin and I took it slow while taking in the view of the water, sunrise, birds, and beach houses. There were fewer people exercising at 7 then I expected, but they all decided to come out around 8 or 9. The roads were pretty bumpy and rocky, but the good part was that it was virtually uninhabited and we had a nice breeze. We did 42 minutes (all time longest run for me and my cousin)and it wasn't too bad. Not sure if I am going to leave today or wait a week...decisions, decisions.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Bad Honey
I was ready to run today. Monday I didn't run because my foot was sore from a certain petite figure that lives in my house. Tuesday I was out running and that thing that runners dread happened: I had to go to the bathroom. Stomach cramps ensued and I literally ran back to the car, luckily I wasn't far out. So, today I was pumped and ready to go. One thing that is good to do on weekday runs is to try out different forms of consumable energy (gels, beans, bars, chomps, etc)and I had found this brand called Honey Stinger* which is honey with added B vitamins. I thought, mmm honey for breakfast. Well, it tasted like honey that had little crystallized pieces in it, ew. It was semi-pleasant until my throat started to hurt. I thought this was due to the sweetness or something and drank some water in hopes of relieving my pain, no such luck.
Mom and I met Leah at North Shore to do our 30 min run and then my stomach started hurting and a mini-wave of nausea set in. I wasn't sure if today would be my day, however, I ran through it and actually did pretty well. By the end my stomach still felt a little iffy, but the honey did provide some energy. We had a PR of 2.1 miles in 31.5 minutes with an overall pace of 15:47" which is awesome. It may still be "slow", but our other record is 16:00" flat. I am proud at how we are shaving off a few seconds at a time on our weekly runs so that our race time and pace will eventually be better.
*All energy products affect people differently and the Honey Stinger Brand or regular honey works really well for some athletes. For instance, Leah prefers Sport Beans, her mom likes Chomps, and Kat and I like Powerbar Gel.
Mom and I met Leah at North Shore to do our 30 min run and then my stomach started hurting and a mini-wave of nausea set in. I wasn't sure if today would be my day, however, I ran through it and actually did pretty well. By the end my stomach still felt a little iffy, but the honey did provide some energy. We had a PR of 2.1 miles in 31.5 minutes with an overall pace of 15:47" which is awesome. It may still be "slow", but our other record is 16:00" flat. I am proud at how we are shaving off a few seconds at a time on our weekly runs so that our race time and pace will eventually be better.
*All energy products affect people differently and the Honey Stinger Brand or regular honey works really well for some athletes. For instance, Leah prefers Sport Beans, her mom likes Chomps, and Kat and I like Powerbar Gel.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Tip Toes
I can't tell you how much I look forward to Saturday runs. It plays in my head all week and I dream of personal bests and pushing myself a little further. This Saturday was no different. On the way there, I was listening to Bob Marley (Buffalo Soldier) and that was in my head half of the time. I even timed a few of my breaths to it "1-2-3, Buf-fa-lo". Hey, there are weirder things to do your breaths to!
We moved up to 35 minutes and next week is 42 and then 3 miles by Sept 1st. Today I was running with a bloody toe...yummy. Our pace was pretty OK (16:30 which includes 10 min of walking which puts us more at 16:00). I kept pretty steady and find that if I maintain good posture I run faster and more efficiently. I also stare at things on the road and try to set little goals like.."Oh, look at that light..I'll run there". However awesome this is, my feet still fall asleep around the 20-25 minute mark of running. I read in a forum in Runner's World about people who have the same problem I do. There are a lot of people like me! I took the advice of one woman who said that she ran on her tip toes for 15 seconds every mile or so and her feet woke up. I tried it and it works! I just need to do it for longer next time. Let me tell you, after a steady run of about 30 min and then you decide to go on your toes your calves kinda burn. However, it is way easier to run on feet that are awake rather than ones that you can't really feel. My motivation the whole time was a Skinny Iced Caramel Macchiato and my towel and we made it! Woot!
We moved up to 35 minutes and next week is 42 and then 3 miles by Sept 1st. Today I was running with a bloody toe...yummy. Our pace was pretty OK (16:30 which includes 10 min of walking which puts us more at 16:00). I kept pretty steady and find that if I maintain good posture I run faster and more efficiently. I also stare at things on the road and try to set little goals like.."Oh, look at that light..I'll run there". However awesome this is, my feet still fall asleep around the 20-25 minute mark of running. I read in a forum in Runner's World about people who have the same problem I do. There are a lot of people like me! I took the advice of one woman who said that she ran on her tip toes for 15 seconds every mile or so and her feet woke up. I tried it and it works! I just need to do it for longer next time. Let me tell you, after a steady run of about 30 min and then you decide to go on your toes your calves kinda burn. However, it is way easier to run on feet that are awake rather than ones that you can't really feel. My motivation the whole time was a Skinny Iced Caramel Macchiato and my towel and we made it! Woot!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Hot Running
Tonight we embarked on our second run with the trail running group. I was pumped, I had spent all day with Kat and we even watched "Spirit of the Marathon" to get pumped. We met Leah at the meeting point and started out OK. We had run in the evening before and thought it would be fine...however...no. It was about 103 degrees and really humid so we decided to do the short route (2.7 miles). We had a run/walk plan, but that did not help with the heat. All three of us were having a bad run where we felt stiff and much slower than usual. I have no idea what our pace was, but it took forever. Our normal run would have us do about a 29 min run today, but good grief. I finished all of my water and was covered head to toe in sweat. Leah and Kat ran on and off for 30 min and I did about 23 because I didn't want to push it in the heat. Kat had been running in the evening and she seemed fine after it was over, but Leah and I were another story. She immediately had to get into her car and put on the a/c. I felt OK at first, but even with my walking my heart was beating really fast. I drank more water and then Kat dropped me off. I literally pounded on my door at home and pushed past my parents, peeled off my clothes, and hurled myself into a cold shower. I felt horrible. Evidently, our bodies perceive the temperature to be 15 degrees higher than it really is so that means my body thought it was 118! I thought I was going to get sick at one point and then decided that I can still do the trail running in the mornings to make it up and wait until it cools off to run in the evening. I have never felt this crappy from the heat, but I learned my lesson.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Hey...the Waterway didn't suck today....
For the first time my run on the Waterway wasn't horrible! This is my fourth time running here and all the other times were abysmal. We did pretty OK today with a 1 min walk/29 min run/1 min walk at a...16:15 pace. Leah's garmin kept going in and out the other day and said we did a 17:30 pace which was really depressing. I slowed down quite a bit at the turnaround because my right knee became stiff for the first time and I noticed the second I straightened my left foot that my right foot started pronating inwards. Am I pigeon toed now? Geez. Well, as you can tell that was not my most exciting run, but most of them won't be.
I came across an awesome documentary called "Spirit of the Marathon" on Netflix and it was on streaming..yay! I usually am not a fan of inspirational pieces because most of the time I find them to be cheesy and disingenuous, however this one was different. I was able to relate to the runners and it had a good variety of people from 2 elite runners to a couple trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, to an old man who has done marathons before, to two newbies. I watched them in their running groups or running solo early ass in the morning. I laughed because we look like crazy people to most because we are out around 6-6:30am, 5 days a week. Leah showed me this youtube video that I think you will enjoy about a man training for an Ironman competition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03dFMG8nR4
I came across an awesome documentary called "Spirit of the Marathon" on Netflix and it was on streaming..yay! I usually am not a fan of inspirational pieces because most of the time I find them to be cheesy and disingenuous, however this one was different. I was able to relate to the runners and it had a good variety of people from 2 elite runners to a couple trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, to an old man who has done marathons before, to two newbies. I watched them in their running groups or running solo early ass in the morning. I laughed because we look like crazy people to most because we are out around 6-6:30am, 5 days a week. Leah showed me this youtube video that I think you will enjoy about a man training for an Ironman competition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03dFMG8nR4
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Running Fears and Such
As much as yesterday felt like a disaster, today was a triumph of sorts. I took it extremely slow. It was like in movies where someone is driving in a pos car and other cars pass them followed by motorcycles, bicycles, runners, walkers, and soon an old person with a walker. One thing I noticed was that my lung capacity has gotten better because I was conversational about 80% of my run. Towards the end I got a bit faster, but both of my feet fell asleep...again and it felt like they had been dipped in cement. Another cool thing I noticed was how cognizant I have become with my running. For instance, I have to remember not to look down, straighten my left foot (with tends to pronate inwards), and keep my knees up. This becomes a job in and of itself and it's nice when you run with a partner or small group that you notice what they do as well. I know that Leah tends to look down a lot too so every few minutes I yelled "LOOK UP!" to her while she made some sort of goofy noise that I am unable to demonstrate with mere letters and symbols.
I read another article in Runner's World called "Attack of the Nagging Fears" and they listed a lot of common fears that runners have such as falling behind, not meeting speed work goals, not finishing, falling off the treadmill (hahaha), and getting injured. I looked at them and figured out what a few of mine are and how to fix them. The first one is falling behind. Well, I think this is something that I need to get over because I am a beginner and the goal is to finish. I know that pride is a big issue for me in most of my daily life and this is no exception. I don't want to look like a loser or be embarrassed by my slowness. I am starting to feel slightly less fearful of this because I am running for me and not the hypothetical guy in the Tapout t-shirt yelling at me to speed up.
Another recent fear of mine has been gaining weight. Those who know me know that this is a struggle for me and will continue to be one. I am not one of those lucky few who are blessed with a figure that never quits nor wavers. I have to work hard to lose every pound and every inch. Lately my eating hasn't been too hot because I use the excuse of "I ran so I can have that". Yeah....no. According to the article, you don't need extra carbohydrates if you exercise an hour or less. There is no need for added consumption, and this week my goals are to eat for my chosen sport. I will run faster, less pressure will be on my lower body, and my muscles will show up better if I weigh less. Wow, I never thought that would be my motivation, but I'm glad it is.
I read another article in Runner's World called "Attack of the Nagging Fears" and they listed a lot of common fears that runners have such as falling behind, not meeting speed work goals, not finishing, falling off the treadmill (hahaha), and getting injured. I looked at them and figured out what a few of mine are and how to fix them. The first one is falling behind. Well, I think this is something that I need to get over because I am a beginner and the goal is to finish. I know that pride is a big issue for me in most of my daily life and this is no exception. I don't want to look like a loser or be embarrassed by my slowness. I am starting to feel slightly less fearful of this because I am running for me and not the hypothetical guy in the Tapout t-shirt yelling at me to speed up.
Another recent fear of mine has been gaining weight. Those who know me know that this is a struggle for me and will continue to be one. I am not one of those lucky few who are blessed with a figure that never quits nor wavers. I have to work hard to lose every pound and every inch. Lately my eating hasn't been too hot because I use the excuse of "I ran so I can have that". Yeah....no. According to the article, you don't need extra carbohydrates if you exercise an hour or less. There is no need for added consumption, and this week my goals are to eat for my chosen sport. I will run faster, less pressure will be on my lower body, and my muscles will show up better if I weigh less. Wow, I never thought that would be my motivation, but I'm glad it is.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Wake Up Feet!
First of all, I would like to give a shout out to Judy, Lizzy, and Melissa for doing wonderful in their sprint triathlon (turned into a deuxathalon, butwas still hard)! Y'all make me want to be a better runner.
After watching those awesome ladies run and bike, it made me excited for my run this morning. There was an article in Runner's World called "Affair of the Feet" where a guy goes through a midlife crisis and instead of buying a new expensive sports car or taking up with a younger woman, he instead sneaks out to train for a marathon. He is absolutely in love with running. This is how I felt last night. I looked up races, checked out the swag they offered, readtips about nutrition and stretches, etc. This morning, however, I woke up feeling blah.
I dragged myself out of bed slower than usual and by the time we reached North Shore, I was a zombie. My poor mother has to deal with me every morning which should probably put her in the running to be a saint by next month. Leah commented that I was actually a lot quieter than usual (I am usually the annoying running partner that jokes too much and sings songs that make the other runners want to strangle you, i.e. anything by Journey). The run started out at a faster pace because Leah was on fire this morning. I kept up for about...8 minutes or so and then fell behind. The turnaround was horrible and I ran for another 4 minutes or so and then I had to walk. My right foot has started hurting on the bottom around the arch and in the middle. My left ankle and shins were acting up as well. I added in a few faster bursts of running so that I would at least have 2/3 or more of my exercise this morning be running.
I had such a great run on Saturday and I was bubbling over with my l'amour des pieds that I am really disappointed in myself for not running the whole time and keeping up. Ugh. I know everyone has a bad run and this is one of mine, I just wish they were less frequent. One consolation was that I found out that using a tennis ball to massage your feet really works and feels awesome.
After watching those awesome ladies run and bike, it made me excited for my run this morning. There was an article in Runner's World called "Affair of the Feet" where a guy goes through a midlife crisis and instead of buying a new expensive sports car or taking up with a younger woman, he instead sneaks out to train for a marathon. He is absolutely in love with running. This is how I felt last night. I looked up races, checked out the swag they offered, readtips about nutrition and stretches, etc. This morning, however, I woke up feeling blah.
I dragged myself out of bed slower than usual and by the time we reached North Shore, I was a zombie. My poor mother has to deal with me every morning which should probably put her in the running to be a saint by next month. Leah commented that I was actually a lot quieter than usual (I am usually the annoying running partner that jokes too much and sings songs that make the other runners want to strangle you, i.e. anything by Journey). The run started out at a faster pace because Leah was on fire this morning. I kept up for about...8 minutes or so and then fell behind. The turnaround was horrible and I ran for another 4 minutes or so and then I had to walk. My right foot has started hurting on the bottom around the arch and in the middle. My left ankle and shins were acting up as well. I added in a few faster bursts of running so that I would at least have 2/3 or more of my exercise this morning be running.
I had such a great run on Saturday and I was bubbling over with my l'amour des pieds that I am really disappointed in myself for not running the whole time and keeping up. Ugh. I know everyone has a bad run and this is one of mine, I just wish they were less frequent. One consolation was that I found out that using a tennis ball to massage your feet really works and feels awesome.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
The Last 2 Runs
Well, I slacked a little and didn't write about Thursday's run so this will be a combination. (We were all bad and skipped Wednesday's run).
There have been some awesome developments as of late and the best one is signing on with a running coach! She will do individualized plans for each one of us (25 people total) and she is also a yoga instructor so we get that added into the price as well! YAY! Leah and I got to meet her on Thursday night for her running group that is running every trail in The Woodlands. Picture this...6:30 pm, 85ish% humidity, and 101 F. There were two routes (we opted for the shorter 2.25 miles) and it was on a path that was fairly familiar to us. Let me just say that I probably only ran a total of 17 minutes and I'm being generous here. It was so damn hot and miserable and my ankle started to hurt a little while that same foot fell asleep (AGAIN!). It took me sooo long to do this and we were not allowed stopwatches or Garmins on the run either. Leah was a trooper and ran about 36 min while I just walked it off. There was a cute party and drawing afterwards and I went home and crashed.
Now, we are at Saturday. Today felt OK outside and there seemed to be more groups that met at 6am than usual. We decided to do a 5 min walk and then do our 30 min run. We got to run up and down the stupid bridge on Woodlands Pkwy 2x which was...swell. This run actually was pretty good. All three of us generally stayed pretty quiet (I cracked the occasional joke which I found takes too much energy) and at around the same pace. On the turn around I was tempted to walk, but I am now discerning between real pain and fatigue and just being tired/negative. Even though I've heard it before, I have now experienced that distance running is a total mental game. I have to keep positive thoughts in my head and just keep breathing (just keep swimming...). I have also found that our time goes by really fast because we are paying more attention to our breathing, body, and scenery than anything else. I like the mental clarity I feel during and after a run. Let's see if I take that into Monday's run.
There have been some awesome developments as of late and the best one is signing on with a running coach! She will do individualized plans for each one of us (25 people total) and she is also a yoga instructor so we get that added into the price as well! YAY! Leah and I got to meet her on Thursday night for her running group that is running every trail in The Woodlands. Picture this...6:30 pm, 85ish% humidity, and 101 F. There were two routes (we opted for the shorter 2.25 miles) and it was on a path that was fairly familiar to us. Let me just say that I probably only ran a total of 17 minutes and I'm being generous here. It was so damn hot and miserable and my ankle started to hurt a little while that same foot fell asleep (AGAIN!). It took me sooo long to do this and we were not allowed stopwatches or Garmins on the run either. Leah was a trooper and ran about 36 min while I just walked it off. There was a cute party and drawing afterwards and I went home and crashed.
Now, we are at Saturday. Today felt OK outside and there seemed to be more groups that met at 6am than usual. We decided to do a 5 min walk and then do our 30 min run. We got to run up and down the stupid bridge on Woodlands Pkwy 2x which was...swell. This run actually was pretty good. All three of us generally stayed pretty quiet (I cracked the occasional joke which I found takes too much energy) and at around the same pace. On the turn around I was tempted to walk, but I am now discerning between real pain and fatigue and just being tired/negative. Even though I've heard it before, I have now experienced that distance running is a total mental game. I have to keep positive thoughts in my head and just keep breathing (just keep swimming...). I have also found that our time goes by really fast because we are paying more attention to our breathing, body, and scenery than anything else. I like the mental clarity I feel during and after a run. Let's see if I take that into Monday's run.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Slow and Slower
I wanted to stay in bed. I went to bed late again and had my alarm set for ten after five, unfortunately I fell asleep on both my arms (how the hell did that happen?..)and was awoken by that about thirty minutes before I had to get up. Of course, I rolled over and adjusted so that I could resume my rest and then I hear the incessant..beep beep beep beep. Snooze. Beep beep beep beep. Snooze. BEEEEEEEEPPPPPP. FINE THEN! I dragged myself out today in an incoherent state and gingerly got dressed.
As we drove there I kept entertaining thoughts of just sitting at the Starbucks we park at and just sipping coffee instead of running. Leah pulls up looking as dead as I do. While we waited for the signal on her Garmin, we waste time with small talk to avoid the inevitable...fartleks*. It is only 6am and it is 80 degrees and 90% humidity. It is one of those good Southeast Texas mornings where you serve atmosphere on a plate. We decide that fartleks are not a good idea and just decide to power through our 24 minute run. It is needless to say miserable, it smelled wet outside (with the occasional cologne a la skunk) and I rereleased something this morning. When you run you feel every bump, incline, texture, crack and crevice. There are things I never thought I'd notice that I take for granted while walking that I now feel (and subsequently avoid). On the turnaround Leah commented that she felt like she was swimming in hot tomato soup. It felt more like going to the pool in the summer when it's about 101 degrees and there are too many bodies in the water. We finished at a colossally slower pace than usual (17:30 which included 6 minutes of walking). Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
P.S. I didn't die from the sandwich yesterday.
*Fartleks according to Wikipedia "Fartlek, which means "speed play" in Swedish,[1] is a form of interval training which puts stress on the whole aerobic energy system due to the continuous nature of the exercise. The difference between this type of training and continuous training is that the intensity or speed of the exercise varies, meaning that aerobic and anaerobic systems can be put under stress. It differs from traditional interval training in that it is unstructured; intensity and/or speed can be varied whenever the athlete wishes.[2]"
As we drove there I kept entertaining thoughts of just sitting at the Starbucks we park at and just sipping coffee instead of running. Leah pulls up looking as dead as I do. While we waited for the signal on her Garmin, we waste time with small talk to avoid the inevitable...fartleks*. It is only 6am and it is 80 degrees and 90% humidity. It is one of those good Southeast Texas mornings where you serve atmosphere on a plate. We decide that fartleks are not a good idea and just decide to power through our 24 minute run. It is needless to say miserable, it smelled wet outside (with the occasional cologne a la skunk) and I rereleased something this morning. When you run you feel every bump, incline, texture, crack and crevice. There are things I never thought I'd notice that I take for granted while walking that I now feel (and subsequently avoid). On the turnaround Leah commented that she felt like she was swimming in hot tomato soup. It felt more like going to the pool in the summer when it's about 101 degrees and there are too many bodies in the water. We finished at a colossally slower pace than usual (17:30 which included 6 minutes of walking). Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
P.S. I didn't die from the sandwich yesterday.
*Fartleks according to Wikipedia "Fartlek, which means "speed play" in Swedish,[1] is a form of interval training which puts stress on the whole aerobic energy system due to the continuous nature of the exercise. The difference between this type of training and continuous training is that the intensity or speed of the exercise varies, meaning that aerobic and anaerobic systems can be put under stress. It differs from traditional interval training in that it is unstructured; intensity and/or speed can be varied whenever the athlete wishes.[2]"
Monday, August 8, 2011
Breakfast of Champions
Today was an interesting run...we did our walk 2/jog 26/ walk 2 and we tried it out in a different place. We ended up running on a half open trail and then around a corporate outdoor resting place equipped with mini-gazebo and koi pond (if not koi then maybe...goldfish, salmon, tiger sharks..who really knows).I also got to try out my new running skirt which unfortunately gives me a muffin and not a very tasteful (surely not tasty :P) one at that. I was almost head to toe in black so you can see where I would be what Kat calls the "invisible pedestrian" who could easily be slapped down by a passing F-150 or BMW. My mother trucked along in her walk as usual and we gave each other the high 5 when we passed one another. My run was momentously slow...not a tad slow, but Mom couldn't tell if I was just hobbling or running. Our usual pace is what I like to call the "bouncy walk" because it is slow, but you can't call it walking because it has the necessary bounce of running. It was probably....95 percent humidity this morning because I was sweating like a Baptist Preacher at a strip club. Thank God for my towel.
After this fun ordeal, we went to the grocery store where EVERYTHING looked sooo good and I kept wondering what to eat. I picked up the latest issue of Runner's World and contemplated what breakfast would be. Most athletes seem to have some yogurt, fruit, maybe a protein shake, toast with an egg...not me. I closed in on the deli at HEB and my eyes wandered to...wait for it...corned beef. Yep, I said it. I was seriously salivating at the idea of a sandwich made with this delectable processed meat. I imagined a ten foot high sub full of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, my beloved deli choice, mayo, spicy mustard, pickles, a little onion, and garnished with a toothpick holding an olive. However, this would probably put me in a coma. When I got home I used my little sandwich thins, a light coating of mayo and 2 slices of the beef. It was lovely, but not as good as it was in my head. I'll let you know how I'm holding up later.
On a final note, for some reason my blog is set to Pacific Time and I don't know how to change it sooo things might look weird.
After this fun ordeal, we went to the grocery store where EVERYTHING looked sooo good and I kept wondering what to eat. I picked up the latest issue of Runner's World and contemplated what breakfast would be. Most athletes seem to have some yogurt, fruit, maybe a protein shake, toast with an egg...not me. I closed in on the deli at HEB and my eyes wandered to...wait for it...corned beef. Yep, I said it. I was seriously salivating at the idea of a sandwich made with this delectable processed meat. I imagined a ten foot high sub full of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, my beloved deli choice, mayo, spicy mustard, pickles, a little onion, and garnished with a toothpick holding an olive. However, this would probably put me in a coma. When I got home I used my little sandwich thins, a light coating of mayo and 2 slices of the beef. It was lovely, but not as good as it was in my head. I'll let you know how I'm holding up later.
On a final note, for some reason my blog is set to Pacific Time and I don't know how to change it sooo things might look weird.
In the Beginning...
In the beginning...I couldn't run to save my life. I thought I'd end up one of those helpless victims (though less blonde, non-skanky, and sans the heels) in a horror movie that tripped over everything and would run out of breath while the crazy ax-wielding killer dressed like Alfred E. Newman (Mad Magazine guy) in a bunny suit would chop me into kibble. I would see people on TV in professional sports such as soccer run up and down and up and down and up and down....and then I'd pass out for them out of fatigue. I had attempted to start running several times and had dreams where I could not only run, but run so quickly that I was almost flying. This was an enticing dream about what my body could possibly do, but my feet and lungs thought otherwise. This gradually turned to physical apathy and I thought...well I guess some people are meant to run and others sit...guess who the sitter is? Later on I became a little more cynical and thought "Why run when you can walk or why walk when you can drive" was more or less my mantra...until my friend Leah moved back into town.
We both suffered from being tired and overweight and she had the idea to start running. She has run a few half-marathons and I actually walked one with my friend Kat a few years ago. All three of us combined to create a super girl running group made up of three personality, body, and temperament types. All we need are T-Shirts right? Well, where most might say that they have triumphed and are fast we, however, are not. We are lucky to be a unique group of inherently slow runners who can giggle and speak together in a tight mini-pack. Some skeptical and elite types might not call us runners because we have about a 15:30 pace, we are a bit chubby, and we haven't even ran a full 30 minutes yet. We also come late in the game since we are all knocking on 30, but there are some who start at 70 or older. A part of me is really competative (those who have ever played a game/sport/trivia with me know how I am) and I want to not only finish, but be kinda good at it. At the moment I'll settle for finishing.
I will be sharing many things here. Some might be sad, happy, disturbing, disgusting, nauseating, and otherwise exasperating. Prepare to fall, cry, sweat, and drink many skinny iced caramel macchiatos with me on my journey to finish The Woodlands Half Marathon on March 3, 2012.
We both suffered from being tired and overweight and she had the idea to start running. She has run a few half-marathons and I actually walked one with my friend Kat a few years ago. All three of us combined to create a super girl running group made up of three personality, body, and temperament types. All we need are T-Shirts right? Well, where most might say that they have triumphed and are fast we, however, are not. We are lucky to be a unique group of inherently slow runners who can giggle and speak together in a tight mini-pack. Some skeptical and elite types might not call us runners because we have about a 15:30 pace, we are a bit chubby, and we haven't even ran a full 30 minutes yet. We also come late in the game since we are all knocking on 30, but there are some who start at 70 or older. A part of me is really competative (those who have ever played a game/sport/trivia with me know how I am) and I want to not only finish, but be kinda good at it. At the moment I'll settle for finishing.
I will be sharing many things here. Some might be sad, happy, disturbing, disgusting, nauseating, and otherwise exasperating. Prepare to fall, cry, sweat, and drink many skinny iced caramel macchiatos with me on my journey to finish The Woodlands Half Marathon on March 3, 2012.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)