Thursday, July 30

Where has the month gone? It has flown by ... probably because I am running 3-4 days a week!

We met today at o dark thirty ... fifteen minutes earlier to accommodate my scheduling. Thank you, E & M! E & M wore headlamps so we could see our way down GA. I think I would have been in a state of panic had they not had them. There was a funny moment when we thought there was a fallen tree ....

We did 5 miles and how do I say this without sounding like a weird-o? It was easy, but it also seemed long. We made it to our turnaround point and back towards the park (that seemed quick), but heading back down GA seemed to take forever. Never ending almost. We made it up the dreaded hill, and then we were done. Whoo-hoo!

The one thing that has me perplexed is that I feel like I may be getting a blister on both feet! Argh. I have 2 calluses (normally), but they seem pretty tender and puffier ... like they are possibly going to blister. I knew I felt something on the run. I don't know if my shoes were damp from last night's somewhat rainy run or if my socks somehow twisted. I wore the same shoes and same kind of socks that I always do. Oh, I hope that I'm not going to get blisters ... I've made it this far without them and really don't want any now.

DISTANCE / TIME: 5.01 miles / 56:28
FUEL: 1 piece whole wheat bread w/ PB, water

Tues. July 28 & Wed. July 29

Whooops. I forgot to post yesterday.

We did five miles on Tuesday and I was running a bit late, so as soon as I pulled in the parking lot, off we went. It was dark. It's so surprising how much darker it's been lately. There had been some pretty bad storms the night before, so we were all a little paranoid about tripping over fallen branches, debris, etc.

I don't even really remember the run other than I was definitely missing that extra rest day since we had run on Sunday instead of Saturday.

DISTANCE / TIME: 5:18 miles / 58:22

Tonight, we met the Show & Go group and decided on 2 miles. It was raining when we did our warm up and we were a little worried that it may really start storming. Luckily, it held off, but it made for a steamy run. Yuck. We were all literally soaking wet when we finished. Nice. Two miles felt strange ... it's probably the shortest distance we've done in quite some time.

DISTANCE / TIME: 2:11 / 22:26

Sunday, July 26

Yesterday was the first Saturday in quite some time - 10 weeks maybe? - that I haven't gone on a run.  All morning and into afternoon just didn't feel "right" and I think it was because I hadn't gone out for a morning run.

Long story short ... my friend, K. was supposed to come and visit and would be leaving on Saturday morning, so I asked Charlie if we could trade running days (my Saturday for his Sunday).  He agreed, then our entire plan went downhill.  Unrelated to running, but K's daughter got sick and they didn't come, Charlie's car window was shattered with a BB gun, so he spent Saturday morning talking to the police instead of running with his marathon group.  I digress.

I met E. and M. today at 6AM to do our 9 mile run.  I actually felt better than I normally do most early mornings and was really looking forward to a good, long run.  

We set out to do an out & back course.  I felt a little stiff at first and I blamed it on my massage. I'm still a little more sore than I think I normally am, so I think that is what is has to be.  My feet are very sore ... no idea why.  It was a nice, quiet morning and the scenery is nice.  There were a handful of other people out on the greenway.

I got into my groove and felt good.  Luckily, E. asked if it was time to Gu and it was.  I had my Gu Chomps pinned to my shorts which actually worked out OK.  It almost seemed like as soon as we had Gu'ed that it was our turn-around point.

We headed back and when we got to the "hills", I really think I walked up them.  I was "technically" still running, but oh was I feeling slow.  I was tired and I think we all were by then, but we knew we didn't have that much further to go.

When we made it to GA, we heard a Whoo-hoo and Liz and Kari were behind us.  As E. said, nothing like your coach running up behind you to give you some motivation to not stop!  Liz said that we looked great as she effortlessly ran past us.  

We hit the 9 mile mark, and finished up at 9.07 miles.  Overall all, I felt really good.  A few aches and pains - mainly knees, hips, and feet.

DISTANCE / TIME:  1.43:55 / 9.07 miles

FUEL:  Pre:  Whole wheat mini bagel with PB and banana, water.  During:  Gu chomps at 3.5 ish and 6.5 ish miles.

WHAT I WORE:  Nike shorts, C9 top, new Brooks.

Thursday, July 23

Met the girls at 5:45 AM for a 4.5 mile run. It was pretty humid this morning and after doing the hill repeats last night, I was a little tired. We opted to go straight on LB Rd. and that made it nice to avoid any unnecessary hills!

So tired that I accidentally wore my shirt inside out this morning and we didn't notice until after our run!

DISTANCE / TIME: 4.52 miles / 49:28
FUEL: Mini whole wheat bagel with PB, water

Wednesday, July 22

Hill repeats tonight and I had to do 6. This hill to me was harder than the other because you got up the big crest of the hill to a straight away that was a still a gradual hill. Once I hit the flatter part, I felt like my legs were so heavy.

I have a hard time trying to figure out how much to push, how much to pull back and still get some benefit from it all. The last one I did, I was really pushing it and could tell. I don't think I could have kept that the same pace the entire time. Ugh.

Anyway ... they didn't become easy tonight, so I guess I can chalk it up to a good workout.

DISTANCE / TIME: 2.84 / 40:14 (Garmin was running the entire time ... I'm not that slow.)

Saturday, July 18

Nine miles! Whoo-hoo! I'm still kinda impressed with myself because not only did we run 9 miles today, but we didn't walk at all. Even through Gu, and having issues getting mine open, and up CP hills, and seeing other Janes stopped for Gatorade for a few seconds, but we kept going. Whoo-hoo!

I'm also pretty impressed that my distance is over 21 miles this week. I'm sure that is where it's right supposed to be, but it just sounds like a lot to me.

I felt good today - it seemed a bit hard to get in a zone at first and we were trying not to go too fast, but I felt like once we got over to GMP that I felt more in our usual mode.

Lots of chatting today definitely helped. E and I both laughed that it's amazing what a good conversation about baby names will do for a run. I think I may have looked at my Garmin only 4 times today and I used to check it every half mile!

I did trip (?) on a little stick (???) and kind of rolled my ankle, when we were almost on the home stretch. Luckily, any pain went away while we were running and I don't feel anything at all now. My knees still feel a little tender, but I'm hoping that will go away as well. I plan to stretch out better this afternoon

It's nice to have long runs where you feel accomplished, tired at the end, but not quite ready to quit. I really think if someone would have told me that I had to go ahead and finish a Half today, that I could have done it. I think I would have been tired and have sore knees, and would have needed one more Gu, and probably needed a running buddy, but I think I could have finished.

DISTANCE / TIME: 9.10 miles / 1:45:09
HOW I FELT: This was a good run. I felt like I kept a good, consistent pace and felt good throughout the run. Even my evil hills at CP didn't seem as bad as usual.
WHAT I WORE: Brooks shorts, blue c9 shirts, OLD C9 bra = bad idea because I forgot that this one rubs. Note to self - throw it away!
FUEL: Pre-run: 1 piece whole wheat bread with PB, banana, water. During: Gu chomp blocks at around 3.5 miles and 6 miles, I think.

Thursday, July 16

Met my group of crazy running girls at 5:45 for our 4.5 mile run. I was expecting to have cool air hit my face this morning, but no such luck. It was humid right from the start.

I'm not feeling as blah about my run on Tuesday, but it still wasn't my most favorite run ever.

It's strange ... if you would have asked me last year at this time to run 4.5 miles, I would have looked at you like you were crazy. I also had two babies in the NICU, and a big ol' twin skin pregnant looking tummy, but that's for another post. Now it almost seems somewhat normal. That part makes me proud, but I wish that I could get that runners high that everyone talks about.

One woman did comment about how clear your head feels when you run and I guess that is true. Sometimes during the run I don't notice it as much, but I do think that I am overall a less stressed person when I am running. I think during the run, sometimes my mind is all over the place. True ADD at it's finest, but after I probably am a little more clear.

TIME / DISTANCE: 4.5 miles / 49:58
WHAT I WORE: I had to try out my new Nike shorts again since this run was a little different than the trail run. Love them! I may get a little thigh-rubbage because they are a little shorter than my usual shorts, but I love that they don't ride or move around. I may need to invest in some of that body glide stuff so I don't get chaffed on a long run.

Wednesday, July 15

And the 3 short miles that would never end ...

I met Debbie and Emily for an easy trail run tonight that seemed to take us forever. The trail part was fun ... even though there were some pretty steep inclines and a few real root-y places, I still think trails are fun. I am slow as Grandma these days, but it definitely brings me back to my days at Yellowstone.

When we finished up the trail, we were only at 1.6 or 1.8 miles ... I can't remember, so we headed down by the golf practice range and back up toward the pool. I think we all felt like we were running in circles and we probably were!

Nice to mix it up a little and I do think I'm spoiled to run in the mornings when it's cool versus in the heat and humidity.

DISTANCE / TIME: 3.05 miles / 36:55
HOW I FELT: I felt good on this run, a little slow after the trail portion, and then just a little mental that we were running in circles to finish out our three miles.
WHAT I WORE: I tried out my new Nike shorts and I loved them. I was a little worried that they would be too short, but they were great. Charlie had picked them up for me on one of his Off N Running visits, so I was worried that they wouldn't fit right. I may definitely be getting more. Just wish they had a bigger pocket(s) for Gu.

Tuesday, July 14

We had 4.5 miles to do today ... our 1st bump in a while on the weekday training. We had a pretty large group this morning, but everyone broke off into their own separate groups after a while.

The run itself was good, but I just don't think I was there mentally. I guess that's nice for me sometimes and just be able to zone out, but probably not as nice for my running buddies.

DISTANCE / TIME: 4.5 miles / 50:17
FUEL: Banana, 1 fig newton bar, water
HOW I FELT: Comme ci, comme ca.

Saturday, July 11

8 miles today ... whoo-hoo! This is my 2nd week at the 8-mile distance and I'm glad to have conquered what is normally a big mental hurdle, not once but twice. We had an overcast, but humid morning and I was very thankful for the lack of sun ... especially on one stretch where the sun normally beats down and can make things very miserable.

I felt really good for the 1st four miles or so. We Gu'ed a little before 4 miles, then turned around to make our way back. I think it was around 7 miles or so when I felt a little tired and excuse me for what I need to say here, but I was having some stomach issues. To the point that I really thought about trying to figure out where a bathroom would be on the last mile. In the apartment complex by the pool? I knew I wasn't stealthy enough to find a tree on this route, but I was honestly a bit worried that I would have to run past everyone and jump in my car to speed away to a restroom.

Luckily for me (and for everyone else!), that feeling subsided and I was able to finish the run, get back to the car, drink some Gatorade and stretch. Whew! By the way, a blowout during the race is my #1 fear because I used to have a co-worker tease me about it AND one of my friends witnessed it happen at a marathon and the guy finished the race in poopy shorts. I am sorry to say, unless I could find a sink, soap, and a new pair of shorts on the race, I'm stopping and someone can bring my humiliated self to the finish.

Anyway, enough about my poop-paranoia ...

I felt good today. My knees were a little tender at around 6 miles or so, but overall it was a good run.

I heard some of the girls talking about goal times and while that is something that I am normally all about, I really haven't been thinking about it much. I have a time in my head that I would like to beat, but I really need to see if it's feasible with the pace I've been running. I hope that I can finish this race and really not walk with the exception of water stops, and most importantly, feel good while doing so. My husband has been talking to me about using pacing bracelets to stay on pace, but it scares me that it will just freak me out if I'm off pace. I don't know if I'm really at a point in my running to start really worrying about my time or if I should just stay in my "happy place" and just run to finish and not worry about it. Part of me feels like the whole point of running is to be faster, more efficient (thank you Liz for the buzz word), and a better runner. Not sure if I'm doing a lot to be a better, faster runner. But, most importantly ... I'm out there running a minimum of three times a week which is something that I haven't been able to say in a long time. Plus, I have to admit that I'm pretty impressed with myself to have two young children and do this too. I feel that most of us in our class are in the same boat as me to balance career, family, and all the other obligations and I think that we are all doing a stellar job.

Whew ... what ramblings are going on this morning. As I type, I just noticed that one of my twins has taken off her PJ pants and is swinging them around. Obviously, it's time to wrap this up!

DISTANCE / TIME: 8 miles, 1:31:40 / 11:27 pace
FUEL: 1 slice whole wheat bread, peanut butter, banana and water. 1 Gu on the run
WHAT I WORE: Brooks shorts, Moving Comfort top, new Brooks shoes, Nike hat.
HOW I FELT: See above

Thursday, July 9

I met the girls at 5:45 for our run.  My alarm woke me up at 5:12 so I quickly got dressed and ready and out of the house.  I did have time to scarf down a banana and piece of bread, but I just didn't feel quite awake when I got there or when we started.

We did the 4 mile route that we did on Tuesday and this run seemed much better than the other day.  I was a little worried about feeling some after effects of the hills repeats last night, but I didn't notice a change.  That will probably come tomorrow when I can't walk down the stairs without grimacing.

TIME / DISTANCE:  4.10 miles / 45:44

HOW I FELT:  This run felt pretty good ... we chatted the whole way and I never felt entirely out of breath which is always a good thing.

Wednesday, July 8

I went to the hill repeats tonight. I had been thinking about them all day long and probably not in a good way!

There was a small group of ladies there, so we did a loop of walking to warm up, then came back and did our stretching and a short run to warm up. We met Liz at the HILL.

She told us that for the ones of us who had done them two weeks ago that we would be doing 5 repeats tonight. Great. I wish Liz didn't have such a good memory.

We all ran one up to the speed limit sign and then back down to warm up and then we were ready to go. None of this 10 second, 20 second, etc. Liz ran with us carrying her clipboard and stop watch and made it look so easy.

It was kind of nice to have our times and I did get faster each time. My last hill I managed to do in 55 seconds with all the rest being over 1 minute, so that felt pretty good. Didn't feel good at the time, but I felt accomplished.

I do think they are helpful, but they still hurt in the process. Mainly my breathing is what is hard ... my legs don't hurt while I'm doing them, but my lungs do. Oh, and the next time we do repeats, it's 6 times up the hill!

DISTANCE: 2.13 miles
HOW I FELT: Breathing was hard, but that was to be expected. The last two really felt like I had a weight pulling me backward. I feel OK now, but I bet on Friday I'll be sore.

Tuesday, July 7

Today was my first time running since last Thursday.  Whoops.  Every time I thought about running over the weekend, it just seemed like something else got in the way.  I think that since I had already run my 8 mile run, maybe I was just needing a little break.  

So, I met the group this morning for our 5:45 AM run.  We decided to go a different route this morning, which was nice to change it up a bit.  Plus, we avoided some of our normal hills so I think that may have been why everyone wholeheartedly agreed.

I was feeling OK today.  It's really amazing to me how every run is so different.  You would think that after training for a while, the way you felt would be similar, but not so much.  While our course was easier, it felt a bit harder ... or maybe I was just feeling slow today.

I'm hoping to possibly make it to the hill workout on Wednesday.  Not that I really want to, but I know it will be good for my training.  Plus, I'm feeling a little guilty about missing my weekend run.

DISTANCE  / TIME:  4.14 MILES / 45:16

HOW I FELT:  OK.  Not my best run ever ... not my worst either!

FUEL:  2 Fig Newtons bars, water

Thursday, July 2

Today some of us had decided to do our long runs since this weekend is the 4th of July.  Not that I'm going anywhere or have any particular plans, but it just sounded like a better plan to run with the group then to risk running 8 miles on my own.

There was a pretty large group who all stayed together, but some split off to run a shorter route, so Maria, Emily, and I ran  together.  The weather was nice and cool, low humidity, made it a perfect morning for running.  We won't mention scary homeless guy that we saw in the woods near GA having a little "me" time this morning.  Oh, I hope he's not there the next time we go.  Probably harmless, but still a little unnerving.

We made it over to the Greenway and into Bur Mil park in what seemed like no time.  I think all of the good conversation made it easier and we were keeping a good, steady pace.  The lake was so pretty this morning when we were crossing it ... even a bit of fog on top.  Ahhh, so nice to have a great view and some inspiration.

We did have the few hills that are pretty steep, but they didn't seem so bad.  We got to 3.5 miles where we were going to turn around, but we all made the decision to keep going up the path since it was coming to an end anyway.

We worked our way back toward Lewis Rec, took our Gu and that was nice to have a bit of energy.  One of the hills did seem a bit harder than the first time, but we were OK.  

Before I knew it, we were back on GA and Emily asked me for the distance and we were already near 7.  I forgot to look to tell them when we hit 7, and then we were past it.  I had to do 8, so I was just planning to run around the parking lot to make up the difference and jokingly asked them if they wanted to keep going.

Best running partners ever and they said yes ... so we kept going which was beyond wonderful so I didn't have to do the last bit by myself.  I was still feeling good, but it's so much easier with someone else.  We had to go right to the cemetery gate to make it to 8.0 and that is exactly where we stopped.

I could feel a little bit of pain in my knee by then, so I was glad to have made it to 8 miles.  I really didn't feel winded today, or wheezy and it was just one of those good runs that I think we all needed and I know I needed after my fight with my water belt on Tuesday night.  My back was pretty stiff when we finished, so I think I'll try to do a little extra stretching tonight.

8 miles has always been a huge mental hurdle for me, but today I felt like I breezed by it.  I can remember training for another half and when I had gotten to 8, I barely could get out of bed to do it and I hated every minute of that run.  I think I always mentally dread it, but today it was so enjoyable.

TIME / DISTANCE:  1:30:46 / 8.0 MILES and didn't walk!  Whoo-hoo!

HOW I FELT:  Good ... this has probably been my best long run to date so far this training.

FUEL:  Mini whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, 1/2 of a large banana, water.  I had pizza late last night for dinner and I swear that gave me some extra fuel.

WHAT I WORE:  White c9 tank, Brooks shorts, Nike running hat, new Brooks shoes.