Here is a quickie update before I get to the main event. I ran 4.2 miles on Saturday with Kat and Leah and all I have to say is that it was marvelous! It was about 40 degrees, clear, and the air smelled like autumn. This is my favorite season and I am glad it has started to yield some good results. The loop we did was pretty easy to follow with a few inclines and half of the time we had a view of the lake. I think it is the runners reward to see the sunrise on an early run and it was lovely that morning. It came up over the water as we were going over a bridge and the colors were brilliant and soft all at the same time. About two miles into the run I took off my jacket. I also stayed just a little ahead of the girls on the run because we had a really thin shoulder to run on. There was also a ton of running groups out that morning as well. I always seem to run into my fellow religious education teacher there. It is starting to be nice to see familiar faces out. There are always a lot of very nice people out who say words of encouragement and tell us how well we are doing and how awesome we are. This is certainly a sweet boost that early in the morning. After we settled into some yoga and all three of us were the peanut gallery during the stretched. Plus I kept laughing as the sweat off of Leah started to evaporate. It looked like she was steaming and I almost fell over in my downward dog when I saw it evaporate off of her butt. Kat was really tired and was just kind of laying there during a plank making some sad noises and the guy next to me said "there is no crying in baseball" which made us all laugh.
Now, tonight was a different story all together. Leah, her mom and I met at a park to do our weekly short conditioning runs and boy were they lousy. We did 2 miles and her mom did 3 and it was just miserable. The weather was fine, but for some reason we started off and continued to be faster than usual. We warmed up too quickly and pretty soon our calves tightened up. We attacked a hill instead of approached it and all of the stupid roads to go around the park had really annoying inclines. Where is some flat land when you need it? This was a far cry from Saturday where all seemed beautiful and full of possibilities. I don't understand how this turned out so bad and it wasn't even a long run. Plus, I officially need new shoes. I have worn some of the rubber down in the middle of my shoe and am now lacking the cushion and support I need. I am still dealing with sleepy feet and a little pain. Everything else that hurt when I first started running is pretty much OK now. I have learned to run through the little aches (and sometimes big ones) and pains to finish up and get my miles in. We also got our new training schedules and I cannot believe that we are on week 9. I feel pretty impressed with myself and my girls. This weekend I do 4 miles again, but the next week we move up to 5! This just feels great to know that I can do this and I am genuinely proud that I haven't quit and that I have found something active that I love.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Man Down!
It was bound to happen one of these days...
We did our group Tuesday run and I was late. My coach is really specific about the time we start and I was running late. I thought I would be there on time and ended up there 5 minutes late. I was texting Kat to see how far ahead they were and then I booked it. My 10 minute warmup was all over the place and I was going faster than my race pace. The problem was that I burned myself out really fast and I still didn't see them. Eventually Liz came back and got me and we found Kat. By now it was about 7:25ish and pitch black outside. We were following her little flash light as we did 1:1 patterns up and down the little hills. By now my foot was falling asleep as per usual and I was trying to wake it up. Then both of them started falling asleep. And then it happened. I don't know how, but as if in slow motion I hit the pavement. Splat! It wasn't so bad, but it was the first fall I had ever had on a run. I just ended up with a bloody knee and a sore ankle. I feel pretty good now, but it is so annoying to have to shower with a freshly skinned knee that burns like hell when water, soap or anything touches it.
On a lighter note, now I know how my route goes for the next two saturdays! It is amazing what actually looking at the map will do and actually following directions. Go figure.
We did our group Tuesday run and I was late. My coach is really specific about the time we start and I was running late. I thought I would be there on time and ended up there 5 minutes late. I was texting Kat to see how far ahead they were and then I booked it. My 10 minute warmup was all over the place and I was going faster than my race pace. The problem was that I burned myself out really fast and I still didn't see them. Eventually Liz came back and got me and we found Kat. By now it was about 7:25ish and pitch black outside. We were following her little flash light as we did 1:1 patterns up and down the little hills. By now my foot was falling asleep as per usual and I was trying to wake it up. Then both of them started falling asleep. And then it happened. I don't know how, but as if in slow motion I hit the pavement. Splat! It wasn't so bad, but it was the first fall I had ever had on a run. I just ended up with a bloody knee and a sore ankle. I feel pretty good now, but it is so annoying to have to shower with a freshly skinned knee that burns like hell when water, soap or anything touches it.
On a lighter note, now I know how my route goes for the next two saturdays! It is amazing what actually looking at the map will do and actually following directions. Go figure.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
DIY Route
This weekend I was pumped for starting 4 miles. This is the first increase we have had in a while and I couldn't wait to see how my legs faired with it. Kat and I started at 6:30, (15 min before the others who are doing 4 miles because our pace is slower) did our yoga, checked the route, and headed out. We got as far as Grogan's Mill and Woodlands Pkwy when we realized that our directions didn't make any sense. They had us going to the left and hitting a street we knew wasn't in that direction. We also thought going right would be suicide since it is a high traffic area with no path. We decided at that point to make our own route. The problem with this was that we didn't have anything telling us how far we were going, we forgot our phones, and unlike our high-tech friend Leah we didn't have gps. We knew the streets we were on so we ended up making this crazy convoluted route around the Mall area. We were out for about an hour and fourty-five minutes before we made it back. Now, it takes us about 52 minutes to finish 3.25 miles, and here we are at almost twice that time. I seriously thought we walked too much and only got in about 3.5 miles or so. Katherine looked really tired, but I figured it was from her job and I felt OK. After I got home, I decided to see how far it was on www.mapmyrun.com. I was extremely surprised to find the result: we went 5.29 miles. This now explains a lot. I started laughing really hard and immediately called Kat to let her know about our mishap. I think next time I ought to print out the map and maybe we won't end up late, confused, and sore.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
First 5K
Picture this, a calm sleeping body nestled in a sea of blankets. All is well with the world. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!!! The impending feeling of death and misery ensues. I begrudgingly get out of my warm bed at 4:30am to get ready for my race. My poor friends are sharing similar fates in their homes at about the same time. I do feel groggy, but semi-excited as I get all of my gear together, get dressed, and pull my water bottles out of the fridge. My friends arrive at my house at 5:25am so that we can trek to Reliant Park/Stadium for the Running of the Bulls 5k. Leah has been through several running races, but it is mine and Kat's first 5K and running event. On the way there Leah falls in and out of sleep while Kat and I make snarky comments about a myriad of subjects, basically anything to keep me awake. I even remember taking a sharp curve that woke Leah up (she sleepily told me so and apparently doesn't remember it). We land around 6:30 to pick up our packets (koozie and ugly shirt) and meet a few other members of our running group and our coach. When we got our bib numbers, we found that Kat had been graced with the number 666. This pretty much made our day. We warmed up around the parking lot and did a few drills full of awesome things like butt-kicks and high-kneed skipping.
There were probably about 3500 people doing the run/walk and we felt like we waited an eternity to start. Almost half of the participants broke a running etiquette rule by wearing their race shirt that they got for this race, during the race! This is not only tacky, it's just something you don't do because you haven't finished yet so it's like you didn't earn it. Also, they needed to do a better job of separating the walkers from the runners. Out of courtesy, we went to the back because we are slower, however, we were in a sea of walkers, and quite a few of them were mixed in the middle and front with the runners. This gets to be frustrating because even though we are going slowly, we still had to go around and between walkers. It was also pretty humid and warm during the race so we were sweating like crazy! I was so salty it was unreal. Overall, it was actually a good run. Leah was ahead of us for most of the race, but we all three managed to finish in under 50 minutes.
My favorite part was that after the race my coach, a team member, and all three of us went to breakfast together. It was really nice to get to know them better and not have to stand in the longest food line ever. This was a really good experience and I can't wait to sign up for my next race!
There were probably about 3500 people doing the run/walk and we felt like we waited an eternity to start. Almost half of the participants broke a running etiquette rule by wearing their race shirt that they got for this race, during the race! This is not only tacky, it's just something you don't do because you haven't finished yet so it's like you didn't earn it. Also, they needed to do a better job of separating the walkers from the runners. Out of courtesy, we went to the back because we are slower, however, we were in a sea of walkers, and quite a few of them were mixed in the middle and front with the runners. This gets to be frustrating because even though we are going slowly, we still had to go around and between walkers. It was also pretty humid and warm during the race so we were sweating like crazy! I was so salty it was unreal. Overall, it was actually a good run. Leah was ahead of us for most of the race, but we all three managed to finish in under 50 minutes.
My favorite part was that after the race my coach, a team member, and all three of us went to breakfast together. It was really nice to get to know them better and not have to stand in the longest food line ever. This was a really good experience and I can't wait to sign up for my next race!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Chalk and the Darkness
Ah yes, trail runs are a fun part of my week. Every Thursday there is a new "leg" to run and you "collect" miles per leg you run or walk. This week, I was a little late to my destination and ended up running in the dark....again. Leah was without her garmin (must have made her feel naked) and we had to make due with my stopwatch which I happily relinquished to her. We basically ran a 3.1 mile giant loop where we had to cross over intersections six times. Now, nothing hurts more than having to stop once you are on auto-pilot and we did this so many times! The first stop I did this little don't-stop-moving dance where I looked like I had to go to the bathroom. I am sure I entertained many people in their cars as I did this for about five minutes. Leah was exhausted from work and at one point started singing about how much our run sucked and that it was dark and we couldn't see anything. She had her trusty headlamp which was nice, but she looked like an angler fish! Towards the end of the run we started to notice little chalk markings on the sidewalk and then we realized they said stuff. Kids started to write in chalk because of a new rule in the school district that says if you live a mile or less away from your school, you cannot take the bus. So, there are little sayings all over the sidewalks like "keep it up" and "walking and rolling". It was pretty cute and we felt like those little sayings not only distracted us from feeling pain, but were uplifting little reminders :) Plus, it didn't hurt that our coach puts happy faces on the trail to make us feel good and so we know we are going the right way. Love it!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
I'm Runnin Solo
Today was a sad day because I didn't have my girls with me :(
Alas, Kat was doing job stuff in Houston and Leah was sick so I was the lone slow person. It wasn't all bad. I had a mini pep talk from Leah last night to go anyway and not to give into wanting to skip because they weren't there. To tell you the truth, I had only done one run besides today this week. Tuesday there was some freaky lightning storm so we opted out and on Thursday there was also a mini-storm brewing so we opted out then too. I have no excuse for not running Wednesday or Friday, so I needed to do my Saturday run. This would prove that I am really dedicated and not just full of crap. I have a history of giving up on projects that I am excited about in the beginning and I don't want this to be one of them. We are now into October and I have been working at this since July so it is way too late to give up now and I have a little over 5 more months of training until the half.
Well, I went with the group and we all did 3.25 today and as I thought I was at the tail end doing my own thing. My right foot was hurting as per usual and my left ankle/shin was yelling at me as well, but it was so beautiful this morning. It was chilly, the air smelled fresh, and I just kept looking straight on. Once I recognized where I was at, it became so much easier. I knew where every footfall would lead and I could gage my time. My breathing was good, I didn't overexert myself, and I kept up with my run/walk schedule without my trusty timekeeper extraordinaire (Leah)! I realized that I am capable of training alone even though it is hard for me. I missed the jokes, random chat, comments, corrections, and check ins we usually have. I know it was one lousy day, but it also made me realize how much I love and appreciate my good friends that I am lucky enough to run with. Ladies, you are the best and I look forward to many miles of friendship :)
Alas, Kat was doing job stuff in Houston and Leah was sick so I was the lone slow person. It wasn't all bad. I had a mini pep talk from Leah last night to go anyway and not to give into wanting to skip because they weren't there. To tell you the truth, I had only done one run besides today this week. Tuesday there was some freaky lightning storm so we opted out and on Thursday there was also a mini-storm brewing so we opted out then too. I have no excuse for not running Wednesday or Friday, so I needed to do my Saturday run. This would prove that I am really dedicated and not just full of crap. I have a history of giving up on projects that I am excited about in the beginning and I don't want this to be one of them. We are now into October and I have been working at this since July so it is way too late to give up now and I have a little over 5 more months of training until the half.
Well, I went with the group and we all did 3.25 today and as I thought I was at the tail end doing my own thing. My right foot was hurting as per usual and my left ankle/shin was yelling at me as well, but it was so beautiful this morning. It was chilly, the air smelled fresh, and I just kept looking straight on. Once I recognized where I was at, it became so much easier. I knew where every footfall would lead and I could gage my time. My breathing was good, I didn't overexert myself, and I kept up with my run/walk schedule without my trusty timekeeper extraordinaire (Leah)! I realized that I am capable of training alone even though it is hard for me. I missed the jokes, random chat, comments, corrections, and check ins we usually have. I know it was one lousy day, but it also made me realize how much I love and appreciate my good friends that I am lucky enough to run with. Ladies, you are the best and I look forward to many miles of friendship :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)