Marathon Fool!

Good Bye, for now...

2008-08-24T16:02:00.003-05:00

Well, not really :)

But I've made a new blog that focuses more on my overall health and weight loss goals and since it is uncertain when I will be focusing on the marathon again, I decided it would be best to just start over in a new place rather than change the topic of this blog.

I hope that some of you take a look at my new spot and will continue to keep up with all the running blogs I love! Thanks!

15 by 2009

Bunny Update

2008-08-07T11:08:00.001-05:00

Well, the bunny is not doing well...which is why I've been MIA. We keep taking her to the vet and getting our hopes up, only to have her come home and be the same, or in this most recent case, worse. I'm at my wit's end on what to do. I've spent about $1500 at this point with no improvement. I'm dealing with the prospect of having to put her down and that makes me feel absolutely awfull. So, yeah. That is where things are at right now.

Anxiety Attack

2008-08-01T13:24:00.003-05:00

Wow. I actually had one. It was the craziest feeling to have a physical reaction to something and not be able to control it. A little frightening even!

See, I've been sick since Saturday and was feeling awful. Around the same time, I started to notice that the bunny wasn't eating her usual amount of food. By Monday, I was calling in sick and heading off to the vet. If you don't know much about bunnies, then you should know that a lack of appetite can literally be a death sentence for them. And quickly! They have toxins that build up inside them and the only way to get them out is to poop. And we all know that in order to poop, you have to eat...and eat high fiber things! Just one day of not eating can be fatal for a bunny. Yes, the toxins build up that fast! So, you can imagine why I was taking her in to the vet!

The vet said he definitely felt a clog in her little belly and sent me home with medicine to get her GI moving and "critical care" food that is basically mega fiber that you mix with water and force feed them. Well, Little Miss Thang was having nothing to do with the medicine or the force feeding. And I admit, I'm not very good at being forceful with her. She just seems so fragile! So, every day this week, I've been carting her to the vet in the morning so they can force feed her while I'm at work and then picking her up at night and watching her like a hawk. Those first few days, she actually got worse and I was literally in a full on panic! I was waking up constantly throughout the night to check on her and then feeling even more upset when I'd see that she hadn't eaten or pooped.

Then came the anxiety attack. I woke up at 2:30am on Wednesday night to check on her. I decided I had to try to give her a dose of the medicine and a force feed because she wasn't eating anything. I trapped her and wrapped her up in a towel and she took the medicine down with little resistance. The force feed was a whole other story! She was not having it and I couldn't hold her still and feed her by myself. I had to give in and let her go. I sat and watched her until 4am before laying back down to sleep on the couch. Once I laid down, I started having what I can only describe as adrenaline rushes. Ever other minute or so, I would get a rush and my heart would start pounding. I tried not to think about the bunny, taking deep breaths and telling myself to calm down, but they wouldn't stop. They probably went on for about 2 hours. I have never had anything like that happen to me before and it was quite disturbing!

Now, she is at the vet again (hopefully, her last day) and she is making progress. She is eating somewhat on her own and I'm hoping that today's doses of the force feed will clear out the last of whatever is ailing her and she will be good to go. Fingers crossed because I'm not sure I can take anymore of this! Nor can my wallet! I'm pretty sure this ordeal has cost me between $600 - $700 in vet bills. Maybe I need to look into pet insurance! All the while, I was sick through this too, but the cold finally seemed to break yesterday. All that is left is a cough that I'm sure will stick around for a bit, as they always seem to do that!

So, that is my crazy, stressful, absolutely miserable week. Let's hope my bunny is out of the woods and I can resume my regularly scheduled life!

HYC & Big Decision

2008-07-29T08:44:00.002-05:00

I completed Week 2 of the Push Ups Challenge, but I know I'm not ready to move on. I can still only do 9 push ups in a row! How embarrassing is that?! Now, the question is do I redo Week 2 from the level I was at, or the level I am now? Hmmm...

I think I've made a big decision. I don't think I'm going to run the marathon this year. for many reason (some my own fault, some not) I'm gotten way off schedule with the running. With only 2 months left, I feel like I'd be in panic mode trying to catch up. That's not how I want the marathon to feel. I want it to be fun. Exciting. Happy. Right now, I feel like it would only be a burden.

I still want to run. And keep running. Then, when I'm ready to try again, I'll have a really good base to start from. I've also got a lot of other things I'm focusing on right now and without the pressure of all these runs I HAVE to do, I can work on those too. I just feel that this is the right decision for now. Come October, I hope I'll still feel okay with it!

HYC Check In

2008-07-22T10:49:00.003-05:00

I'm going to start this off with a great quote I read this morning:

"The only person with us our entire life is ourself"

That struck a chord in me. I have to remember to make myself happy and stop trying to please everyone else. Stop trying to avoid the drama if it just means that its suffocating me cuz I can't let it out. And most of all, stop spending my time doing what everyone else wants me to do!

So, for the check in...did Day 1 of Week 2 of the Push Ups Challenge. It was tough. Not sure why...I'm gonna blame it on the short rest period between sets. I could only max to 5 on my final set. That was a little bit of a downer! But I did it!

Tonight, I must run! It is not up for debate...although my mind will try. I must not give in. The weather is beautiful and I know I will feel better when its over. I just wish I had remembered to shave my legs this morning... :)

Half Success

2008-07-20T17:58:00.002-05:00

Looking at my goals last week, I did good in every area except the one that is the most important right now...running! What is going on with me?

I completed Week 1 of the Hundred Push Ups Challenge and am ready to actually attempt Week 2! I'm pretty excited about that. The biggest change I've noticed (besides being able to do more!) is that I can usually manged to push a few extra out at the end of the set. Unlike the first time I tried them where I seemed to be doing fine on one and then straight couldn't even make it up on the next.

I'm about to do my Pilates here in a moment and that will make twice this week. Yay!

This week is forecasted to be much cooler than the previous few so hopefully, that will be just what I need. Plus, I've been helping my friend move, get situated, prepare for his daughter's birthday party and a bunch of stuff. That has taken time and energy and I let it get in the way of running. The party was yesterday and it was exhausting! He lives on the top floor of his three-flat and I don't know how many times I ran up and down those stairs! At first in tennis shoes (prep), then in heels (during the party), then back in tennis shoes (clean up)! My quads were a little sore this morning, believe it or not! At least it was some exercise!

So, I think I keep the same goals I had last week and try to repeat since it didn't go so back this week! :)

Magic Number 6!

2008-07-16T22:34:00.002-05:00

Oh yeah, baby! I just maxed out my final set of push ups at 6! Read it and weep!!!

Really though, that is a record for me! Not only have I never done 6 in a row, but I never expected to get there on my last set! And let me tell you...I had to work for the last one! That is good progress though and makes me excited for the next round.

Somehow, I seem to be subconsciously sabbotaging my running this week. First there was yesterday where I forgot to bring my running clothes to work. Then there is today where I brought my clothes, then decided to bring them home to run, but managed to forget my shoes at work! What is going on here?! This is really not good. At all. Shoot me now.

HYC Check In

2008-07-15T10:14:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling really good right now...except for the fact that about 20 minutes ago it hit me that I forgot to pack my running clothes and bring them to work. Seeing as it is supposed to be in the 90's today, an outdoor run is gonna be tough. But, now I guess I have no choice!

I did my push ups last night and I swear, they are not getting any easier! If anything, I think I'm getting worse at them...is that possible?!

Got up this morning and did my Pilates DVD. I had a very curious bunny spying on me most of the time. Anything on the floor is fair game for her and she seemed very interested in why I was down there. By the time I got to the leg part, she was all over me and I almost kicked her more than a few times! I forgot how the ab part of that DVD is no joke! Near the end, I had to give up and skip one of the exercises! And this was only the 20 minute version! There was a point in time where I could make it through the full length one with no problems...I guess in time!

I feel chubbier than ever, and I still can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Oh well! At least I'm being healthy! :)

Off to a Bad Start!

2008-07-14T15:43:00.003-05:00

Um, that 15 miles I was talking about knocking out yesterday...um, that didn't happen. I barely even attempted to make it happen. I crashed at my friend's house and pretty much slept in until 11am! Then we went to "breakfast" and by then the afternoon was half over. The thought of running it in the evening didn't even cross my mind...and if it had, I'm not sure I would have been motivated to do it anyway! Bad girl!!

So...let's change that goal to 15 miles THIS Saturday! Yeah!

Completely off-topic, but have you ever encountered those people that insist on talking on their cell phone in a public restroom? While on the toilet?! I admit, I do it at home...but that is AT HOME! And I usually give the person advance warning about what is about to happen, then give them the option :) Now, I work at a college with lots little young things and they have no shame! Like its not annoying enough to listen to someone's cell phone conversation in a small enclosed area...now I can't even have any reprive in the bathroom?! Come on, ladies!

This Week's Goals

2008-07-12T10:24:00.002-05:00

Since making secret little goals in my head seems to do nothing for me, here is what I'd like to accomplish this week:

Successfully repeat Week 1 of the Hundred Push Ups Challenge. Someone told me that real push ups are done with your fingers together versus spread out (which is how I was doing it) and let me tell you, something as small as finger position makes a HUGE difference! They feel a ton harder, so I'm giving in and repeating Week 1 before moving on!
Get in ALL my training runs. I will not avoid the treadmill if the temps make outdoor running a bad idea. I will try my best to wake up early and get it done in the morning. And most of all, I will do the runs on the days they are scheduled so I'm not cramming them all together in an attempt to make up for lost time!
I will cover the total mileage on my 15 miler tomorrow. Due to my lack of running recently, I highly doubt that I can do this distance running the whole way. BUT, I WILL get the mileage covered even if it means walking parts. No more just stopping and heading back when I run out of steam!
Here comes the broken record goal: I will do my pilates DVD!!! Dammit, I VOW to get this done twice this week! Eating all this protein doesn't do much good if I'm not workin' the muscles!

There! I think that is a pretty good list! Nothing too crazy. Everything should be very much accomplishable ( is that even a word??)...but, you know me! We'll see...

Tired Morning!

2008-07-10T10:30:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I got up at 5:30, ate some breakfast and was out the door for an easy 3+ miler by 6:15. I felt pretty good, the weather was fantastic and I rewarded myself at the end by cooling down with a walk to Starbucks :) Having a gift card that fits in your pocket and doesn't absorb sweat like paper bills do is great! The big shock came when I didn't have my usual afternoon "pooped out" moment that always happens when I do a morning run. I felt pretty energized all day!

I forgot to do my pushups yesterday and then meant to do them this morning...but, you know, I forgot that too! I also woke up again at 5:30 in hopes of a repeat performance. Instead, I somehow managed to fall back to sleep on the couch (yes, empty bowl of cereal next to me, Weather Channel on the TV) and didn't wake up until 8am! I'm not sure I've ever put myself together so quickly in my life! And even look pretty cute today, if I do say so myself! :)

I brought my running stuff to use the treadmill after work, but I'm already dreading it. Wasn't it just a few short months ago that I was dreading running outside because I was so used to the treadmill? What is going on? But that is the age old question, isn't it? To treadmill or not to treadmill?

Push ups will also have to be done tonight, but I'll admit that Jess's experience with the Challenge is freaking me out a little!

I went to GNC yesterday in hopes of finding my good ol' faithful protein shake, but they were out of stock. Boo! :( I'll try to make it to a different one after work. I'm hopign this protein boost will do the trick and help me shed a few pounds. My knees will be very happy!

HYC Check In

2008-07-08T11:56:00.002-05:00

I would really like to think that I'm going to make some serious changes this week. I am aiming to add a little more protein to my diet and get back into the workout groove. That week off made me lazy and unmotivated! I started the Push Ups Challenge over again last night and managed to max my last set at 5...that is one up from the first time I tried to max out that set! I think that is a good thing!

Tonight will be a simple 30 minute run...we'll see how motivated I am when I step out into these hot and humid temperatures! But, the show must go on...and that, folks, means that I must get my butt a movin'!

Oh! After my Garmin konking out on me not once, but TWICE, I took it down to the Garmin Store this weekend and found there was a software update for it that is supposed to fix that very glitch! I downloaded it, but since it didn't do it every run, I'll just have to cross my fingers that is it fixed. I have 15 miles as my long run this weekend and I'm scared sh*tless! I haven't run anything even remotely close to that in at least 6 weeks. The warm weather comes and all my success goes right down the drain! That stinks!

Hello Again!

2008-07-05T19:27:00.002-05:00

Wow...I can't believe I haven't written in so long...even if it is for a good reason! I won't go into the details of my trip home since no one (including me!) wants to relive the funeral and whatnot. I will say that it was a beautiful service and if we must say good-bye to someone so young, it was a wonderful way to have done it. Although, I may have been the most teary-eyed person there!

Got a chance to see my friends and meet my girl's 3 1/2 month old daughter. Too cute! Other than that, it was low key. Time to be with family and available to help out where ever I could. I managed to get in a 7 mile run, but that was it. Pretty disappointing, if I do say so myself! But, I have high hopes for a comeback!

I'd like to run 9 miles tomorrow, but 11 would be ideal. We'll have to see what my body is up for after all this laziness. I've been sleeping way too late every day that I've been back and that can only lead to big trouble come Monday morning! Tomorrow's run will at least force me to get up and beat the heat!

I think I'm going to try a few new things with my diet and also try to really incorporate some weight training. My push ups never got done while I was home, so I'll be starting back at Day 1 tomorrow :( Yipee! Fingers crossed that I'll find a little dedication and implement some of the things swimming around in this noggin!

Some Serious Willpower!

2008-06-27T08:56:00.006-05:00

Okay, okay...and a little guilt or something! I skipped out on my 45 minute run on Wednesday and blamed the heat. My plan was to get up and do it Thursday morning before it got hot. That didn't happen. Then I brought all my gear to work, figuring I'd just knock it out on the treadmill after work. Yeah, I got in my car and drove straight home. As I sat on the couch watching the clock near 8pm, I started to feel just the tinsiest bit guilty that I didn't run. I mean, I do have an 11-miler to knock out on Sunday that Portland/Vancouver Fit has so graciously allowed me to run with them.

So, with a heat index of 84 degrees, I hit the road, jack! In an effort not to kill myself, I took it nice and slow and told myself that I would stop if I started to really feel like it was too hot. Luckily, the pace helped a ton and I got the whole 45 minutes done at an average of 10:07/mile! There were only a handful of crazies out there, like me...usually you can't go 2 blocks without coming across another runner...I think I only saw 4 other runners the whole trip! Oh, but I did have the company of the lightning bugs and I love them! With those also came the little swarmy bugs that you can't see until its too late...I few of which I managed to spit out...and a few of which I'm pretty sure I ate. Yum.

I also did Day 2, Week 1 of the Pushups Challenge...it was tough, but I got it done! I'm thinking my pride will push me through to Week 2, but I'm pretty sure I'll have to repeat it before I can move on to Week 3!

The crazy part is that I feel so much more fit than a few months ago, but there really isn't any proof. The scale still won't budge, I don't see any changes to my appearance (although I swear the thighs of all my pants feel a little looser), I just seem to be building muscle that is all hidden away until my fattie layers :( If I can even manage to get 5 pounds off this summer, I swear, I'm throwing myself a party!

A Good (Hard) Run & Some Pushups

2008-06-25T12:18:00.002-05:00

Last night was a 40 minute run. It was about 79 degrees and luckily it didn't feel too humid. It was cloudy so that helped a ton! I felt like I was running really hard and thought for sure I was going to see amazing numbers on the Garmin as far as how fast I was clocking my miles. Alas, this was not so! Kept all my miles under 10 minutes, but nothing mind blowing. Nothing like what I FELT I was running. Poo. It must have been the heat.

In an attempt to get my run in before dark, I got home, changed and was right back out the door. It wasn't until I was on my cool down walk that I realized I was supposed to do my push ups BEFORE I had gone out to run! What is it with me trying to get out of doing these push ups??? It is not on purpose! I swear!! So, once again, I was looking at delaying the start of the challenge. About 10pm, as I was getting ready to shut the house down and head to bed, I thought...I should try the push ups. I figured, if I felt like I might never get back up off the ground, I'd wait until the next day. But, if I could get it done, then all the better! And that I did! Did my 4 sets of 2 (yeah, yeah) and then my final set to max out...which I did at 4 :) So, 12 total pushups! Hey, I gotta start somewhere!!

Tonight, I have a 45 minute run on the agenda. Day 2 of pushups will be tomorrow and then another 40 minute run on Friday. Bright and early on Saturday morning I head for Portland where I'll be through Thursday. Have I mentioned yet that I'm tired? :)

A Lazy Evening

2008-06-24T09:24:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a rest day with the running, but I was SUPPOSED to start the Hundred Pushups Challenge last night. Too bad I did not remember until after the lights were out and I was all snuggled up in my bed...once I'm in bed, there is no getting me out! :) And since we all know that mornings aren't my thing, I'll have to start tonight. Now, do I do them before or after my run? Hmmmm...

I've been really, REALLY tired lately working all these hours at the office and having trouble sleeping since the death of our friend. I made my flight home for his service last night so at least now I know how long I'll be gone. I'm hoping to still be able to keep up with my running and push ups while I'm there. It will be fun to run all my old routes and actually attempt a few hills! Maybe I'll even go check out the Portland Marathon course so I can really see what I'll be up against! Its just too bad that I'm going home for such a sad reason :(

Finally, today is my first check in for the Healthy You Challenge. My goals for this are to just feel better, stronger, more energized and in an overal better place than right now! Losing a few pounds along the way would be fantastic, but that isn't how I'll be measuring my success! Here goes Week 1!

13 is a bad number, anyway!

2008-06-23T09:16:00.002-05:00

Yes, this weekend was supposed to be my official half marathon. This did not end up the way I had planned. I could blame it on a lot of different things, but ultimately, my mental strength gave out. Dammit.

The first couple of miles were rough, but once I got warmed up, I was feeling good! The weather was warm, but not hot and there was a cool breeze blowing. I looked down at the Garmin and saw that I was 4.5 miles in and feeling really good. A few minutes later, I looked down again and saw a blank screen! What?! I started frantically pushing all the buttons to no avail. The Garmin was dead. This is where it started to go downhill. I was not on the mile marker path at this point so there was no way for me to now be sure of how far I'd gone. I started having to estimate how far it was until I got to another marker. Plus, this may sound silly, but the Garmin is motivating for me. Without the Garmin working, my morale was shot!

Oh yeah, and I had tummy problems, as usual. I had already spent some quality time on the porclain throne before I left :) But, it was acting up again. I was tired and started in on the "just make it to the next water fountain" routine. At one point, I noticed I had stopped sweating, but I only had a few more miles...I was guessing. Then I started to get goose bumps and feel very cold. This is the point at which I had to call it quits. I know the signs that my body is way dehydrated. The down side is that I think I was somewhere between 11.5 and 12 miles in. Could I have pulled it out? I think so. But, I was so uncomfortable with the belly problems and the fatigue that I used dehydration as an excuse to stop. And it is a valid excuse, so I should not get down on myself...at the same time, I don't want to be a quitter either.

Disappointing. And I blame it all on Garmin! Okay...and the bar food and beer I had the night before...but whatever!

I got home and called my friend to bitch and moan about the Garmin. He says, did you hold the buttons down for 6 seconds to reset it? No, I say. I hold the buttons and lo and behold, it pops back on! Grrrrrr...had I only known.

So screw the half marathon! That was my last attempt. I'm just moving forward with the training. That means 11 miles this weekend and that I can do!

Tonight starts the official training for The Hundred Pushups Challenge. Wish me luck!

Whirlwind couple of days

2008-06-21T09:20:00.002-05:00

Wow...a lot seems to have transpired since just a couple of days ago.

I was MIA yesterday because Thursday night my mom called me to tell me that someone close to our family died. He was young (in his 20s) and while its hard to deal with anyone's death, I'm not sure anything can prepare you to lose someone so young. I was even more shocked when my mom phoned again last night and said that the police are now looking into it as a possible homicide. Needless to say, it has been a difficult 36 hours.

Of course, I have to go home for his services and to support his family. As I mentioned in my last post, my co-worker is out on bereavement leave herself so that complicates matters at work. Being the manager of this department, I don't feel I can just up and leave it without a handle on the staffing. So, I'm hoping I can fly out Tuesday night since my co-worker should be back on Wednesday. I'll just have to have her close down the office early each day and we may have to be closed on Saturday. I don't know, I can't even think it through very clearly at this point.

That said, I got a great run in Thursday before I was dealt this bad news. All my miles were under 10 minutes and that was nice to see since it doesn't seem to be happening as often as it was a month ago. I'm waiting until Monday to officially start my Hundred Pushups Challenge, but I've been trying to prepare myself a little by doing wall pushups and actually trying to do a few real pushups here and there. I still can't believe how hard they are!

It looks like the weather is going to work in my favor tomorrow so the 13.1 will happen! It will be very nice to get it out of the way and be able to move forward with the training. I'm excited. I obviously don't know how the running will work out next week since I'll be in Portland, but I'll just have to play it by ear!

Oh, the humiliation!

2008-06-19T09:32:00.002-05:00

So...last night I had to do the "push up test" so see what program I need to start on. Um, yeah. I did 4. You read that right...4. Obviously, I do not work my upper body much! I went down for the 5th one and there was no getting back up. It was actually quite funny to me. But this is good, it will give me something other than running to think about. And maybe even inspire me to do my pilates video a few times a week like I keep saying I will.

Yesterday's mini-goal was a success! I had NO CHOCOLATE all day! One of my co-worker's even offered me an ice cream cone treat that had chocolate on it and I turned it down. Well, it is waiting in the freezer for me to have today :) But still! I turned it down yesterday! Cut me some slack here!

Today's mini-goal will be to eat 5 small meals throughout the day.

My co-worker's father-in-law passed away yesterday morning and since we are a department of two, that leaves me, and only me to man the fort. Which means 10 hour days and working on Saturday until she gets back next Wednesday :( I have a feeling this is going to leave me quite unmotivated to run after work, but I'll have to find it within myself somewhere to get my butt out there! The weather looks questionable again this weekend, but there is no skipping out on the 13.1 again. I'll just have to get out there no matter what!

Hee Hee

2008-06-18T12:16:00.000-05:00

This made me laugh...hope you enjoy:

I'm Training to Ruin a Marathon

ChallengeS

2008-06-18T10:49:00.003-05:00

Yes, that is right, I'm not only going to do the Healthy You Challenge, but I'm also going to try the 100 Pushups Challenge! What I've wanted to do for a long time is learn to do a pull up cuz what would be cooler than to see a GIRL doing some pull ups?! I did find a program that worked up to it, but of course I didn't print it out right then and now I can't find it...so if you have one, let me know! For the moment, Push ups will have to do!

As far as a Healthy Me, I'm not only on a quest to finish the marathon, but also to drop a few pounds (especially now that my friend moved near a pool and thinks that I should go play in it with him...yikes!), fix a few "problems in my diet"...ahem...chocolate..., and basically just treat my body a little better than I do! I was thinking of starting something like this on my blog, but now that I've found someone else who's already done the dirty work, I'm joining up!

Like I mentioned last night, first I'm going to start off with daily goals for the rest of this week. After that, I figure I'll create a weekly goal along with the dailies and see how it proceeds. Should be interesting!

Fool Proof!

2008-06-17T21:48:00.002-05:00

Since I've been having a hard time getting up and running again, I came up with a fool proof plan to get me into action! See, my friend was nice enough to pick me up from work tonight and instead of having him just drop me off, I put my plan into action!

I ran inside, quickly changed into my running gear, grabbed my key, Ipod & Garmin and was back out the door and in his car.

The destination? His house.

The catch? I'd have to run back home :)

I knew I'd never back out and have him take me all the way back to my house so once I was up there, there was gonna be no choice but to run my way back across the city. And run I did! It ended up being 5 miles...split about half and half with the lakefront path and street running. No better way to get back in the groove than to leave yourself with no other option!

I also came across something fun today that I've decided I'm going to be a part of. It's called The Healthy You Challenge, but I'll blog more about it tomorrow.

For now, I think I'll start by making daily goals. And tomorrow's will be that I can have NO CHOCOLATE! This may sound easy to most of you, but rarely a day goes by that I don't have chocolate in some form or another. It might be my mocha in the morning. It might be a Banana Baby at night. It might just be some straight up candy from the vending machine! I'm a Chocoholic and I'm not afraid to admit it! So, tomorrow, no chocolate :(

And really, you should try the banana babies!

Hmmm...where's the running?

2008-06-16T18:03:00.002-05:00

I think my last run was on Wednesday :(

I wouldn't exactly call that falling off the wagon, but I do seem to be finding it hard to get moving!

The weather has been hit and miss this past week with the worst of it culminating in me cancelling my 13.1 on Sunday. It takes me awhile to get psyched up for this type of run so I was ready to go! Woke up at 6am on Sunday, turned on the weather channel and saw the biggest, ugliest storm about to hit Rockford. It would probably be about an hour and a half before it reached the city. No way could I run 13 miles that fast :)

Sure enough, it hit with force and by a little after 8am, it was about over. But, more watches and warnings were coming up. And while the temperature did dip down as far as 60 degrees during the rain, it was rising swiftly. No, the run would have to wait until the evening if that. And...well...let's be honest here...if you give Nicole too much time to make excuses to not do something, she will :)

So, it did not happen. Not at all. Poop. That's all I got to say.

Rise and Shine!

2008-06-10T15:32:00.002-05:00

Yes, with summer upon us, I have to start the morning runs. So, here were the things I did to make sure I would be up and ready this morning to kick out a 35 minute run:

Sleep on the couch. Why? Because it is bright as hell in my livingroom at 5am and the bunny is up and rowdy so she'll often times jump on me and wake me up.

Have a friend call at 5:30am and give me a good morning pep talk. This is much better than any alarm because you can't hit snooze and it forces your mind into action.

Turn off the AC. The less comfortable you are, the less likely you are to want to stay in bed.

Go to bed early. Yeah right! That didn't happen...

Miraculously, it worked and I was out the door by a little after 6am. The first mile felt great! I was cruisin' along enjoying the beautiful morning. Mile two, not so great. Started to feel a bit fatigued already! I guess I used up what little energy I had in that first mile! :) Still, I finished the run in good time and was glad to have it over with for the day.

I am dragging a bit now, but hopefully my body will adapt!

Reality Bites

2008-06-09T09:59:00.003-05:00

And that reality is that summer has hit Chicago and it's not going away any time soon! Remember those easy 8 miles I was talking about? Yeah...that didn't happen. That may have been the absolutely worst run since I started this year!

I got out there a little after 8am...I know, I know...I shoulda been out there at 6am and saved myself, but you know me in the morning! Just 2 miles in I knew I was in for bad things. I already was sweating a ton and my legs felt very fatigued. I stopped at every water fountain and spent at least a minute standing there trying to convince myself to go on. I did make it all the way out, turned around and about halfway back I decided I couldn't do it anymore. I was too hot and too tired. I clocked 6.25 miles, but I was very disappointed in myself.

As I did the walk of shame for 2 miles back to the car, I watched everyone else running and just kept kicking myself for giving up. When I got back home and saw that the heat index was over 90 degrees, I did feel slightly more positive about my having given in. Still, it was a disappointing run. Please let the weather gods give me a break for the big 13.1 this coming weekend!

4 Months

2008-06-06T09:37:00.002-05:00

4 months from today I will be done. I will have crossed the finish line, probably bawled my eyes out and be lounging away my sore muscles. 4 months from today is the day after my marathon.

I know I'm still in the beginning, although running seems to be coming much more naturally to me already. Yesterday I didn't have a run and I found myself feeling the urge to get out on the road as I lay in bed last night. 4 months is a long time. Although, I've already been at it for almost 2 1/2. Crazy, ain't it? Time flies, I guess.

The heat settled in here with a quickness. This is the real test. There can be no holds barred! Heat or no heat, treadmill or sidewalk, the runs must go on! Tonight is only 30 minutes...it'll be on the treadmill, no doubt :) I have 8 miles for my long run this weekend and it's pretty funny to me how I'm looking forward to 8 miles like its a walk in the park. It it was only a few weeks ago that I was dreading 8 miles and crossing my fingers that I'd make it back alive!

Next weekend is my first benchmark...half marathon distance. Will I be ready? I'm pretty sure. Actually, I should slaughter my Chicago Distance Classic time from last year without a doubt. Boy, did that race suck for me :)

I've got a long ways to go, but I've already come so far. I couldn't be prouder of myself right now. 4 months and counting...

Another run & String Cheese Rocks

2008-06-05T14:19:00.002-05:00

Let's start with the string cheese, shall we? I bought one the other day at the Walgreens across from my building because I wanted a light snack that wasn't bad for me. Oh, how I had forgotten how satisfying a little string cheese can be! And how fun it is to actually string pieces off instead of just scarfing it down in 4 bites. All that fun for only 75 calories! String cheese rocks!

Okay, on to running! Did a quick 30 minutes on Tuesday. Still running sub-10s on my daily runs. I usually fall somewhere between 9:30 and 9:45...and I can live with that!

Last night, my friend and I braved the incredibly dense fog and went for a run on the lake. The weather was humid, but cool so it felt pretty good. I usually don't like running with other people because I feel like its going to go one of two ways: Either I'm going to kill myself trying to keep their pace or I'm going to be totally guilt-ridden that I'm slowing them down. Being that I forgot to bring my Ipod, I welcomed the opportunity for a distraction and my friend and ran together.

I know I was a little slow for what he likes to run, but I bit my lip and avoided telling him to go on without me. And even though we didn't say much to each other, just him running with me was a distraction and made the run fly by! And of course, he made me push it for the 2 minutes or so and finish strong. It was a nice way to change things up and I really enjoyed it!

11 Miles: Conquered

2008-06-02T11:03:00.002-05:00

Wow, I haven't been blogging much lately. I guess it's kind of like how you are much more likely to go complain when you have a bad experience than you are to go give compliments when you've had a good one. So, that's a good thing because it means that my running is going absolutely wonderful!

I got in all my weekly runs at a pretty good pace, although some of them felt very tiring. And I'll admit, the Soldier Field 10 Mile stomped on my confidence a little bit because I struggled with those last 2 miles or so. This made me incredibly nervous about the 11 miles I had to run yesterday.

My tell-tale sign that something is bothering me is that I get stomachaches. It's been happening since I was a kid. I had stomachaches all night Saturday and had a hard time sleeping. I kept thinking about what route would be best and if it was going to be hot or not. Should I take some shot blocs with me or just try to go on water? It really sucked. Sunday morning was no different. I stopped by my friend's house before heading out and he was like, just relax, you'll be fine!

Knowing that I was nervous and that I'd run out of steam a little on the 10-miler, I decided I would just take it really slow. And it worked! I averaged a 10:14/mile pace, but the difference between this one and my other long runs is that I had enough steam in my engine to keep going if I had to. On my other long runs, I had to struggle to get to that last mile. So, now I know that 9:30 miles are great for during the week, but somewhere between 10 & 10:30 is good for the long run.

I feel very relieved and my confidence is back up! I drop down to 8 miles for my long run next weekend so I'm not at all worried about that, but then it's a half marathon the weekend after! Now, let's just pray the weather cooperates!

Hot and Windy!

2008-05-26T13:53:00.002-05:00

EW!! That is my reaction to today's run! I waited too long to get out there and the heat index was 82! And it was pretty humid after last night's thunderstorm. Then there was the wind. At first it was like, stop wind, you are making it hard to run! But then it would stop and the reality of how hot it was would take over. Then I'd be thinking, Wind, where are you, come back!

I tried to slow it down to compensate for the heat, but my body just seems to have a different idea! I ran all sub-ten minute miles. That is something that I really need to get a hold of because as Saturday proved, I cannot be doing that for my long runs. At least it is cooling back off tomorrow...but that was a little window into what I'll have to deal with this summer. Great. My favorite. :)

My first PR!

2008-05-25T10:34:00.002-05:00

Not only did I beat my target of 1:45 in the Soldier Field 10 Mile, but I beat 1:44!! My official time was 1:43:23! That is a whopping 8 minutes off of last year's time! And over 5 minutes off of my 2004 time! The crazy part is that I was still disappointed in my performance! Are we runners never happy?! :)

My miles got slower as the race progressed. I felt that I was really having to push myself mentally those last few miles. I don't know if it was because it was a morning race, that it was just a race in general or maybe that it was a bit hilly on the way back north, but this felt much more difficult that my nine-miler last weekend and that showed in my time. For the record, my Garmin clocked the course as 10.11 miles. In which case, I averaged a 10:15/mile pace. If it was truly just 10 miles, then my pace was a 10:23. I think mostly I'm just disappointed in my positive splits on the last 3 miles or so. That isn't really something I've seen in my long runs lately so it was a surprised.

At least I have a new PR and I know I'm on the road for good things to come!

On a different note, this gas price thing has really pissed me off and I swear I'm not driving anymore! So, this right after I finish this, I'm off to Target ON FOOT to do some shopping. Let me tell you, I have not run my errands on foot since I got my car! It is a beautiful day out (for the moment...storms are coming) and my muscles could use a little work to keep them from getting sore so I'm gonna go back to the days of old. Backpack on to carry stuff back...20 minute walk there, 20 minute walk back. This is how it is gonna be until they can figure out a way to stop killing us with the gas! I refuse to be a prisoner to their prices!

Confession

2008-05-23T19:55:00.002-05:00

So, I have a confession. Two actually.

Um...so, I was on my way to work this morning. And I'm coming up from the blue line. Up the escalator...halfway up the stairs...and it happened. My most dreaded moment ever. I've seen it happened to many people over the years. I tripped.

Lucky for me, it wasn't one of the really bad, totally bite the dust type falls I've seen many folks take down in the Loop wearing their nice business clothes. It was on the stairs so all it took was a knee hitting the next stair up and my fall was broken. But not before my coffee spilled all over my hand and on my favorite jeans! That was another good thing...at least it was casual Friday so I had my jeans and tennis shoes on. Otherwise, it may have been a whole lot worse!

I quickly recovered and was on my merry, yet slightly embarrassed way :)

So there it is. Yeah.

My other confession is that despite being so much more prepared and in better shape for my race tomorrow, I'm finding that I'm getting nervous. Ten miles is still going to be the farthest I've run so far this year. And now I have to do it with the Jumbotron at Soldier Field waiting for me at the end!

I know I can do this.

This never stops being amazing to me

2008-05-21T21:07:00.002-05:00

How can this year just be such the exact opposite of last year's experience? Every time I have a great run, it still amazes me! It is such a great feeling not to hate, fear, dread, insert-bad-adjective-here my runs!

Tonight was another one of those nights where I got home and was tired and hungry and pretty much felt like laying on the couch was the best way to expend what energy I had left. But, I knew that was not an option. Again, last year, it surely would have been! I suited up and decided to run north. At first I figured I'd run to Addison, but when I got there, I thought maybe to Grace. When I got there, I figured, why not shoot for Irving Park? As I made my way back south, I did begin to feel a bit tired, but I knew I had to make it back! Despite my fatigue, these were my splits:

Mile 1: 9:49
Mile 2: 9:34
Mile 3: 9:44
Mile 4: 9:32
Half Mile: 4:43

That comes to a 9:38/mile pace! That is ridiculous! This can't be me! These can't be my legs! I don't want to get my hopes up too much for Saturday because I know a race is a whole different ball game. There is the crowded beginning that wastes a lot of time. And stopping to get water without being able to stop the clock...My watch allows me to enjoy my water break without messing with my time :) As long as I don't jump out of the gate too quickly, I think I'm still game to make a 1:45 finish. We'll see!

Ahhhh...the morning run

2008-05-20T10:45:00.002-05:00

I hate getting up. This is no secret. No matter what time it is, waking up and getting out of bed is never fun for me. But, I do realize that there are going to be times this summer where training is going to require me to do this at an hour that is absolutely incomprehensible to me. Today was one of those days.

5:30am was when the alarm went off. I was a very, VERY good girl and only hit snooze one time. Then I got up, drank some protein shake and changed. Then I wasted some time cuz I didn't want to go out and run :) Finally, at about 6:15, I headed out. The weather was decent, cool and cloudy, an occasional raindrop.

It took me awhile to really get going. My body was obviously not awake yet. Miraculously, I managed to keep my 10 min/mile pace, but it felt much harder. I felt like I was really working for it. And I probably was! By the end of my 45 minutes, I was glad it was over! Good riddance to that run!

This worries me a little for the Soldier Field 10. I guess I'll just have to get up super-duper early and make sure my body is awake. I supposed if I take the red line down there, I'll have a bit of walking to do and get warmed up, versus driving and only walking from the parking garage to the start line. That is probably the best strategy at this point.

I can't decide if I should try to do all runs this week in the morning in an attempt to acclimate my body to it. Friday will have to be a morning run no matter what so I guess that really only leaves me to decide on tomorrow's run. Hmmm... :)

Runnin' Nine & Feelin' Fine!

2008-05-19T11:04:00.003-05:00

Okay, lamest blog post title ever! :)

Yesterday was my 9 mile long run and I finally felt confident going into a long run! All my runs last week went great, albeit they were short ones. But, this nine-miler was no exception! Here were my splits:

Mile 1: 10:15
Mile 2: 9:56
Mile 3: 10:10
Mile 4: 10:18
Mile 5: 9:59
Mile 6: 9:56
Mile 7: 9:59
Mile 8: 9:57
Mile 9: 9:46

I can't believe I ran 10 minute miles for my long run! That first mile I assume just needed me to get warmed up and then miles 3&4 were when I turned back north directly on the lake and had crazy head winds. And splits are so consistent! That is really great! I tried to speed up the last half mile in an attempt to finish in 1:30, but I didn't quite make it!

I felt really great the majority of the run. I did start to run out of steam somewhere between miles 7 & 8, but not to the point where I was struggling. Just to the point that I was ready to be done! I'm totally confident in how I'm going to perform in the Soldier Field 10 Mile on Saturday! In 2004 it took me 1:46 and some change, last year I was 1:51 and some change...this year I'd like to break 1:45. That is the only goal that I have for it! I also haven't been running in the morning at all, so that might play a role in the race. I guess we'll just have to see...

If every run could be like this!

2008-05-15T21:18:00.002-05:00

I had another short one on the books tonight...just 35 minutes. And you know how sometimes you just don't feel like doing a run? That was me tonight. I was cold on my walk home and that last thing I felt like doing was going back out there. I finally decided I better get a move on before it was too dark to go and headed out. I was worried I might be a little tired after pushing myself last night, but it seemed to be going fine. Once I hit Lincoln Park, I feel a little uncomfortable running on those dark tree lined streets...and maybe that is why my pace picked up, yet I didn't feel like I was running any harder than usual. Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 10:06
Mile 2: 10:00
Mile 3: 9:56
Last 1/2 mile: 4:58

And it didn't feel hard or anything! I would love if all my runs could be at that pace and feel that easy! Finally, running is fun!!

What a difference 40 seconds makes

2008-05-14T20:07:00.002-05:00

When I got ready to run tonight I just had a lot of stress and energy to burn off...so I took off running for real! I only had to do 30 minutes tonight so I figured I'd just make it worthwhile. Here is what my Garmin came up with:

Week 7 Run 1

I do believe that first mile is a little bit off...uh, I was not off-roading as the map seems to think I was! Assuming that first one was more in the ball park of the other 2, I was running 9 1/2 minute or faster miles. That isn't that far off from 10 - 10 1/4 minutes miles I've been doing. Yet, I was totally huffing and puffing this whole run. I definitely felt it in my muscles and couldn't wait for those 30 minutes to come to an end. It was only about 40 seconds faster per mile...and only just over 3 miles...but it felt hard. And really great :)

Maybe I'll try to work in a run like this each week. Just push myself and then take it easy on the rest. I need to remind myself that I'm not bound by my previous results and I can do better!

That was a doozy

2008-05-10T19:25:00.002-05:00

This was one bad running week! There was that first treadmill run. Then a 45 minute run on the lake yesterday that included head winds so strong that I totally wore myself out just fighting them. That lead to me starting today's 8-miler on very tired legs. I could already tell I was having a hard time from the jump and to top it off, I suddenly had to pee after less than a mile in! It is amazing how much a distraction like that can throw you off! I kept passing the bathrooms up because I was worried that if I stopped I wouldn't be able to start again due to what a struggle it was to be moving at all! On my way back, I knew that it was going to kill me if I didn't stop at the first one I saw. That was at about Mile 6 :) Amazingly enough, my last 2 miles were my best miles of the run, time-wise and comfort-wise. Next time I will not be so hard-headed!

I have to be up early tomorrow for the Y-ME Race to Empower and I'm supposed to be RUNNING the 5k. Right now, I'm not thinking that is going to happen! I think a nice little 1 mile walk will do me just fine!

The "other" streak is over!

2008-05-07T12:19:00.002-05:00

That would be my no running streak. I didn't run for 8 days. I'm so ashamed :) But, after 2 failed attempts at getting up in the morning, I went to the gym today during work and knocked out my 40 minute run. It was tough. Mentally I was gone after about 20 minutes, physically gone after about 25. But I refused to let myself stop and I did the full 40. So, I'm back! No more missing runs for awhile cuz I don't want my runs to feel like today's did!

I survived!

2008-05-06T11:35:00.002-05:00

Whew! What a weekend that was! I flew to San Fran on morning and met up with Jon. We were picked up by his long-time friend Brian and went back to his brother-in-law's place to meet up with him (Rick) and Brian's wife Chris. Oh yeah, and their adorable 11-month old daughter, Maya. We had a nice little lunch in Golden Gate Park and then went to their cousin's house to stay for the night. After a wonderful pasta dinner, we settled in and went to bed. We got up early and headed for our campsite. It was a 2 hour drive south into the middle of nowhere.

Most of the crew was already at the site so we didn't have much to really do except set up a couple of tents. Easy enough. The temperature rose pretty quickly as the day went on and I was kicking myself for not bringing shorts! This was desert and we were lucky enough to have a campsite with several big trees for shade...most campers were not so lucky! I met a bunch of absolutely great people this weekend! The other campers were: Justing & Quinn, and their 18 month old son, Logan. Justin's brother Brian H. & his partner Ryan. Glenn & Laura and their 22 month old daughter, Rachel. And of course, me, Jon, Brian S., Chris, Rick & Maya. There isn't a whole lot to do when camping except talk to everyone and eat! I'm pretty sure I gained a few pounds out there!

When night time came, the temps dropped quickly! By bedtime, I'm sure it was only in the high 30s to low 40s. I barely slept that first night because I was so cold and could not get warm. One of my pinky toes even went numb and I couldn't feel it until about 9am! Brutal!!!

Saturday was the Wildflower. Jon, Brian S., Rick & Brian H. were all doing the long course. This is essentially a half ironman. And with how hot it got that day, I don't know how they all did it! We only had 2 of the 4 finish :( Jon went down to injury and Brian S. got 3 flats on the bike course and didn't make his checkpoint in time. Huge bummer! Our campsite was bordered by the running course just after the 8 mile marker and it was awesome to watch the runners come by all day long. Although, it was also a little heart breaking to watch those that were struggling to make those last 5 miles. I was a cheerleader the whole time and tried to yell something to every single runner that went by :) Justin did the Mountain bike course which was a 1/2 mile swim, 10 mile bike & 2 mile run. He obviously finished with no problems! Ryan was doing the Olympic course which was 1 mile swim, 26 mile bike & 6 mile run. That was on Sunday so we didn't get to see how he did, but I'm sure he did great!

After all the boys were done, we ate a nice big dinner and chatted the night away in front of a HUGE fire we built in an attempt to use all the wood we brought. That second night, I made sure I gathered up a couple more sleeping bags and I was toasty! I did have my sweatshirt hood up and closed over my face so only my nose was out to breath though :p That cold air was freezing my face off!

Sunday morning, we packed it up with a quickness because they closed the roads at 9am for the Olympic course and we wouldn't be able to get out. We all met up at a McDonalds in the first little town we came too and had a greasy breakfast. We parted ways with half the crew and drove back up to San Fran. After a long-awaited shower, I was dropped off at the airport and on my way back to Chicago.

I have to say this trip was so amazingly fun! Not only was it fun to meet new people and see Jon reach for his triathlon goal, but it also opened my eyes to the importance of taking a break from our daily routine once in awhile. There was zero cell phone reception, no mirrors to do your make up in or check your hair, no shower to get into every morning, no email access...just good people and good times. And I wouldn't trade any of those regular life conveniences for those couple of days out there without them! I think my friends and I need to come up with an annual expedition just like this to just be together and have a good time!

Finally broke the streak!

2008-04-30T14:34:00.002-05:00

With a friend in from out of town and prepping for my trip, I finally missed a run! Dang it! But, as we all know, it's bound to happen! And being that I'll be in B.F.E. California for the next 4 days, I'm not sure how much running I'll get done at all! I know the scenery would probably be great out there around the lake, but the truth is that I really don't feel all that comfortable running around by myself in a rural area where I don't know where I'm going. That just sounds like an abduction waiting to happen! But, we'll see!

Today, to make up for yesterday's missed run, I went to the gym upstairs on my lunch hour and did it on the treadmill. I cannot believe how great I feel after that! I came back was just bursting with energy! And the run went incredibly well...not only did I never feel fatigued or tired, but I wasn't even bored! The run felt so easy that the 40 minutes just flew by. It's almost like I'm a real runner now or something :)

I won't be taking my laptop on the trip, as a tent just isn't the most secure place to store $1500 worth of electronics! I will charge my phone before we leave San Fran and I guess it will last as long as it lasts! This is going to be very strange to be so out of the loop for a few days. But in a good way! I guess I will see you all after the Wildflower!

Good Food & Mojitos

2008-04-29T12:08:00.002-05:00

I needed last night. It made for a less than stellar morning, but I really, really needed it! One of my girlfriends is in town for the next few days, but due to my running schedule and leaving for my trip to see Jon compete in the Wildflower on Thursday, last night was the best night to meet up.

It started with a freezing cold walk through the rain to Bandera on Michigan Ave. Hello, yummy! First off, great ambiance! Very dimly lit, mostly boothes, but some great tables overlooking the Mag Mile. We got a booth right next to the jazz band that was playing and it was awesome. You couldn't stop tapping your foot or bobbing your head...great time! Now the food...oh, the food! This is definitely a meat-happy restaurant, so my choices as a vegetarian were limited. But, I got the Veggieburger and it was ridiculously delicious! It came with coleslaw covered in a peanut sauce...BOMB! It was a different, but a great take on coleslaw! We decided to share a side of their Mac & Cheese and it was so rich I could only eat a few bites...oh, but they were heavenly!

From there, we headed back to her hotel to meet another one of our friends at the Crimson Lounge downstairs. This place was great too! The decor was totally awesome and it was only moderately packed (as it should be since it was a Monday night!) and a great place to just chill! I had a couple of mojitos and they were sooooooo yummy! Good thing I stopped at 2 cuz it was hard to get up this morning just off those! My tolerance isn't what it used to be!

This night out was just what the doctor ordered. I've been trying to be good since I started training and have lost 5 lbs in the past 4 weeks. But, it felt so good to splurge for a night and know that I don't have to feel guilty about it since I'll be making up for it with my runs. Yay for a night on the town and finding new places!

Week 4...DONE!

2008-04-27T14:11:00.002-05:00

I have successfully completed another training week. That makes 4...with 23 left to go. That sounds like a really long time!

Friday's 40 minute run was spent on the treadmill since the forecast showed quite the storm rolling in. It's amazing how quickly I became used to running outside because this treadmill run seemed to take forever! But, it was done.

Today was my 7 mile long run. Despite the fact that I know I can do it, I still get nervous before my long runs. I'm sure its some crazy psychological thing that has to do with last year...hopefully I'll break out of it one of these weeks! The run went pretty well overall. The wind was brutal at certain points, but I've miraculously turned into that runner that will not be deterred and it was just a challenge to get through, whereas last year it would have been an excuse to stop and bag it.

I will say that this run felt nowhere as easy as last week's 6 did. It wasn't like it was difficult or anything, but I felt slower and not as excited about the progress as I was last week. Let's say the wind had something to do with that, shall we? :) Okay, good. Right now, I have faith that I can handle any distance scheduled, but the mental part is still going to need some work. Boredom on those long runs is going to become a huge problem. I can already see it coming. Poo.

Here is what my Garmin recorded for this run:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/57978

Problem is that the pace on the watch usually was somewhere around ten and a half minute miles. Sometimes even eleven minute miles. So how does that equal ten minute miles being recorded EVERY mile? Either the pace thing is not accurate or timer isn't. As crazy as I would look running with 2 watches on, I'm about to do it for a run to see if its accurate. Ten minute miles would be great, but I'm just having a hard time buying into it.
And there you have it, folks. Week 4 is done. Bring on Week 5!

Doesn't this sound fun?!

2008-04-25T14:16:00.007-05:00

I'm currently following the training schedule put together by the training group I ran with back when I was in Portland...and well, since I'm running the Portland Marathon this year, it just plain makes some freakin' sense! But here is the hiccup in my plan. They have scheduled benchmarks that are based around some races. One of these is a half marathon scheduled in June. Yes, I know, I can always run a half marathon along the lakefront, but wouldn't it be more fun to actually go run a Half Marathon?!

I set out to see if there were any going on in my neck of the woods that same weekend. Here is what I stumbled across and immediately fell in love with the idea of: The Hatfield & McCoy Half Marathon! You run all over and around this highly infamous and disputed land of the Hatfield's and McCoy's. Plus there is a whole festival! I was all psyched up and ready to register when I began trying to figure out how I would get there and how much of a hole this was gonna burn in my pocket. Can I just tell you that this is not an easy destination to reach?! Here were my options:

1) Drive all the way. This would be about an 8 hour trip each way in my gas guzzling automobile. Due to the length of the drive, probably at least 2 nights in a hotel would be required. Expenses: Gas, Food & Lodging

2) Fly to Louisville for a fairly cheap price. Rent a car and drive the other 4 hours to get there. Again, due to travel time, probably at least 2 nights in a hotel. Expenses: Airfare, Car Rental, Gas, Food & Lodging.

3) Fly to Charleston, WV for a ridiculous amount of money. Rent a car and drive just over an hour. Could probably pull this off with just one night in the hotel since the airport is much closer. Expenses: Huge Airfare, Car Rental, Gas, Food & Lodging.

The bottom line here? My excitement came crashing down when it became quite apparent that this would be costing me a whole lot more than I can even remotely feel comfortable spending on a run. Maybe if I wasn't already going to have to spend money to get to my marathon, I could splurge on this fun little gig. But that isn't the case :( I will definitely have to keep this little ditty on the radar for the future though cuz I think it would be a hoot!

Guess what I saw?

2008-04-23T21:11:00.003-05:00

So, I'm out on my run tonight and I run east (as usual), but decide I'm going to try to go all the way to the lake. I run and run and run...straight into the Lincoln Park Zoo. Great. So, I start running north just to see where I end up. Just as I'm about to make the turn to head back west, I see something move out of the corner of my eye. I turn and there's camels! Right there. Eating and staring right at me.

Well, I'm not THAT into my training that I can't stop for a minute to wave at the camels! Okay, and maybe talk to them just a little bit...but only after looking around and making sure that no one caught me! Oh, no worries, they just kept eating and staring. So, I went on my merry way! I love that I'm getting a chance to explore the city on foot with my runs!

I'm sure my watch has to be lying to me because I had another great run! 4.96 miles in 50 minutes. Ran just over a 10 min/mile pace again. This just can't be right. It can't be. But, you know, I'll take it!

10:08

2008-04-22T20:48:00.002-05:00

That was my average pace for my 35 minute run tonight! I realize this is nothing special for the majority of you, but to me this is huge! Not only am I doing better than I even remotely expected, but I'm also proving that I am the shizznit of running!!! Yeah! :p

Okay, back to reality! Seriously, I couldn't be happier with how things are going. For those of you that followed me through last year's ups and downs, I hope you can see how different this year is going. I'm excited and motivated and actually doing the damn thing! My 405 is making it even more fun cuz its giving me something to work for. If only I could figure out how to post some of the data on here...hmmm...

Running on the streets seems harder than the lake front. Not sure why. Maybe its just the cruelty of the concrete. And the curb jumping. And the dog poop dodging. Maybe. The pace calculating on the watch while I was running was WAY off. Therefore, I had no idea I was going as fast as I was until it would beep that I'd clocked a mile. The satellites must not reach Bucktown and Roscoe Village :p Yeah, I ran north tonight which is something I have NEVER done. Yes, believe it or not, I always run south and east. It was fun. Roscoe has a ton of cute little shops and eats. Might have to check those out some time. All this time I've been so close and never knew!

Back to running. I did clock a good time for me, but I also felt pooped by the end. So, tomorrow's 50 minute run will have to be at a slightly slower pace...although since the dang pace doesn't work, how I will work that out, I can't tell ya! You know, I've never known what it was like to not dread my runs :) This is an amazing turn of events. Somewhere pigs are flying. I'm sure of it. So, I'm actually hyped for tomorrow night because I want to see if I can slow it down and make those 50 minutes feel as good as my 6-miler did. Fingers crossed...

Nothing to be afraid of!

2008-04-21T09:44:00.002-05:00

First off, I should say that I splurged BIG TIME and bought the new Garmin Forerunner 405. They got an early shipment in down at the Garmin store so I went to pick one up for my friend who was stuck at work. He called and they only had 6 left. I was there in less than an hour and they were down to 3! I felt the pressure...so I bought one too! That left only one after my purchases... so cheers to whomever that lucky duck was!

I was very nervous about my 6-miler. I dilly-dallied all morning and into the early afternoon. Finally, after running out of excuses, I put on my running gear. Strapped on the new watch. Grabbed my Ipod and Gatorade. Out the door I went. Drove up to Montrose, fought the Cubs traffic, got a decent parking spot and got ready to go. To change it up and overcome the mental challenges I have with the lake right now, I decided to head north a mile first, make my way back and then head south for 2 miles before the final turn around.

I set the watch for an 11 min/mile pace. That first mile I stayed pretty much on pace. And the GPS was working great because it was almost perfectly on with the mile markers posted. By the 2nd mile, I noticed I was speeding up a little, but I figured it was because there were more downhill spots on the way back. By the third mile, I knew that 11 minute miles were too slow for me. I was feeling great. Trying not to get overzealous, I did try to keep slowing down, but everytime I looked down at the watch, my pace was around 10:30. I figured I could live with that. I kept right on truckin! When I finally got to the first accessible water fountain I was so excited that I could actually stop the time and distance on the watch and just drink for a second. Then I trudged on. Got to my turn around point and realized that maybe the reason those 3 miles south had gone so well was because the wind had been at my back :) Very windy on my way back. I thought this might slow me down a bit, and it did at first. But soon, I seemed to be right back on my previous pace. And for the record, I can't believe how easy this run was going...I kept waiting for the fatigue to hit me at any moment. I hit mile 5 and felt amazing...not tired in the least so I did something that I never do. I challenged myself to pick it up and run that last mile in strong and hard. And I did just that :)

I was running about a 9:30 pace for that last mile which is not like me at all! I finished the 6 miles at 1:01:48. A 10:18 min/mile pace! Obviously, this is just one run. But I can't help but feel there is something big in the making here! It's got me excited about running again! I want to beat my times and challenge myself to more than I've given myself credit for! If my next few long runs continue to feel this good, I might actually have to change my marathon finishing time goal! And I love this watch!!! :)

Where to start?

2008-04-19T11:23:00.002-05:00

I have like a zillion different topics floating around my head right now! There is my run yesterday, this breathing technique I read about, the fear I have of my 6-miler tomorrow and then the difference a few pounds can make. I guess I'll go in that order :)

My run - Outdoors! Beautiful day yesterday! Great for walking and shopping, not so great for running though. Don't get me wrong...not BAD for running, but just not so great! Why? Well, first, the wind! Holy moly! It wasn't so bad a first. That first mile was great, I'd found my groove, was window shopping my way down Damen, good stuff. Oh yeah! Totally off-topic, as I was running, I saw that they opened a knitting shop on Damen 2 blocks from my place!! I am so stoked! Whoa, I don't use that word...weird. But yeah, not sure when it opened, but saw it for the first time yesterday!! Woo Hoo! Okay, running. I turned and started running east and was still good. Until I got across the Chicago River, that is. Hello, wind gusts! Totally killed my rhythm! And I had a heck of a time finding it again, just as I'd be getting there another huge gust would blow me down. Then, there was the temperature. When the wind wasn't blowing and you were in the sunlight, it was a little warm for me. But, I made it through! Even felt a little guilty about waiting for stop lights so I tacked on an additional 3 minutes to make up for them.

I mapped my route in Google Earth this morning and found that based on my watch time and the mileage, I'm running much faster outside than I am on the treadmill. Like a minute faster per mile! I told you those stupid treadmills in my gym are hard!!!

Breathing 3:2 - So, I read about this breathing technique that says you inhale for 3 steps, then exhale for 2 steps. It's supposed to even out the impact on your body because you hit the ground harder or something while you exhale and if you are always doing it on the same foot, well, I suppose its not good. But, my guess is that it hasn't killed anyone yet. Whatevers, I thought I'd give it a try anyway. The first thing I found it that it makes me breath faster than I would on my own. Which is weird. I also found that I naturally exhale longer than I inhale, which is the opposite of what this does. This leads me to my final finding that if I didn't concentrate on it, I quickly resorted back to my natural rhythm. Anyone heard of this technique? Is it worth it to try to learn to do it all the time? The upside is that I was concetrating so hard on that, that I didn't concentrate on how hard my run was feeling :)

6 Miles - So, tomorrow is 6 miles. If you had told me when I started back to running that I'd be running 6 miles in 3 weeks, I'd have laughed. But, here I am, facing that exact scenario. Hmmmm. I'm scared. In all honesty, running my mileage on the lake brings back bad memories. The thought of going out there and getting on that same route AGAIN, just feels yucky. And again, I've hardly run outside yet this season. And of course, do I have 6 miles in me? I think I might. It's possible. And it would be totally worth it to walk back to the car all sweaty and hot, just knowing that I once again triumphed over the me that was last year. But that doesn't make it any less scary!

A few pounds - That's all I've lost in the 5 or 6 weeks that I've been back to working out. At first the scale wouldn't budge and I thought I might have to throw it out the window. But, then, despite the lack of support from that old thing, I did notice that my clothes were starting to feel a little less tight. Something must have been moving and changing inside there somewhere. Now, the scale seems to be on the move, albeit slow, but its amazing how much different I feel! I'm not trying to hide under all those winter sweaters anymore. I can actually suck in my belly and make it go flat again! Yeeeeeessss! Granted, I'm also pretty sure I've lost half of my butt already too...but, we must make sacrifices here, people! The most amazing part though is how I just feel so much leaner, even though I'm not. I know its probably just the success of running that is giving me confidence, but I swear I walk taller. It is such a lovely feeling!

Just a Teeny bit closer

2008-04-16T20:58:00.002-05:00

Tonight I think I got just a little bit closer to actually liking running. Yes, I do it. And I've been doing it off and on since I was about 15. But, do I like it? No. I've never been one of those people that finds relaxation and relief from life in a run. It's always been a chore that has to be done. And I've honestly always been okay with that.

But tonight was different. I had to convince myself to go up to the gym, as usual :) See, my headphone konked out out on me during yesterday's run and a treadmill run without TV or music is not a good idea! I brought my backup set which I got free with my Venus razor :p I know, quality at its finest. They actually work fine, but they are the earbud type and I've got either really small earholes or they aren't shaped right. Whatever the case, I have a hard time keeping them in my ears! They just keep popping out!

Anywho, I had 40 minutes ahead of me. Despite the need to push the buds back in my ears every minute or so, the run flew by! Only in the last 10 minutes or so did I begin to get bored. It wasn't that I was tired or fatigued, I was just bored. I finished with my last 2 minutes at 6.0mph and felt great! I thought maybe I'd be tired on my 3/4 mile walk home, but I didn't feel tired in the least bit!

It was on this little walk that it hit me! I actually felt kinda good! I felt strong and confident. The run I was dreading was cake. I still haven't missed a run. I am actually running and not hating it! This is amazing, I thought! I can't exactly say that I'll be getting up in the morning hardly able to keep myself from running, but I'm definitely taking a step in the right direction :)

Crabby

2008-04-15T20:35:00.002-05:00

That's me today. For no reason. I hate that! It took all my energy to smile and be nice to students. I was sort of snubbing my co-worker when she tried to talk to me. I even tried to weasel my way out of a meeting with some people from our Corporate Office because I didn't think I could handle sucking up and being nice :) Finally, I just looked at my co-worker and said, "I am in a bad mood and I have no idea why!". She smiled and said she thought she might be in a bad mood too :p Maybe it was just one of those days!

Since all my energy was zapped from pretending to be nice, running was the very last thing I was in the mood for when I got off. There was a moment today where I dreamed of running outside when I got home, but the cold wind quickly put that idea to bed. Since I have yet to miss a run on my the training schedule, I knew I'd just have to pick myself up and go.

The run actually started off feeling great. I felt strong and I wasn't straining. My LLS seems to be remedied! After 20 minutes or so, I peeked at the clock. It was all down hill from there! I started playing peek-a-boo with the timer for the rest of the run. Nothing makes it go slower! But, the bottom line is that I got it done! Again! I already feel the calluses on my feet coming back :( Ew! I really need to make it a point to treat myself to a pedicure here and there this summer. We'll see...

Off-Topic: Event Ideas

2008-04-14T14:27:00.002-05:00

The past few years for our "big" Y-ME event, we've had a Pink Drink fund raiser in conjunction with a local restaurant in which they serve special pink drinks all night and we get a piece of the proceeds. Last year did not turn out so stellar. So, back to the drawing board we went. We came up with the fantabulous idea to have a Vegas Night here at the school. After much internet hunting, and finally a call to the Illinois Charitable Gaming Dept, that is pretty much off the table...unless we want to go around breaking laws. Which I just don't think quite goes hand in hand with charity! It really is a shame that they make it so difficult to hold a charity gaming event! It's a great idea!

So, the question I pose to you is what other event could we hold that would fun, entertaining and possibly bring out that competitive nature in people? It would be held mid to late May, so outdoors is an option. We have a budget that will cover food and beverages, but overhead should be kept fairly low. And for those who are wondering, no, a dunk tank is not out of the question :) Any ideas you have would be much appreciated!

May the Wonders Never Cease!

2008-04-13T16:35:00.003-05:00

I had 5 miles on the treadmill to get through today. When I woke up and saw the sun, I got so excited that I could possibly tackle these 5 miles outdoors...then I went outdoors. Uh, no. It was cold and windy. Not ideal.

I ran errands, watched some TV, played with my heart rate monitor. Yeah, I broke out that painful mofo. I did the fit test on it and was happy to find out that despite my lazy winter, I seem to be in the same cardiovascular health as when I left off training...which was only "fair", but I'll take it! Finally, I decided I better head on over to the office gym to get this run taken care of.

I admit, I was full on dreading a treadmill run this long. Especially given the slow pace I'm running at right now. I got on, searched the TV channels...ended up stuck with Die Hard 2, not my top choice, but it did the trick...and started running. Here is the crazy thing, I swear this run felt better than all my shorter runs this week! What's up with that?! My heart rate monitor showed that my heart rate was in a good place for most of the run and I didn't have the Lead Leg Syndrome I seem to be suffering from recently. It's crazy! And great!

Once again, I got in all my runs this week. I guess maybe when you actually do the training the way its supposed to be done, your runs aren't so hard. Who'da thought?! :p This gives me so much confidence and makes me feel very excited! Granted there are like 25 more weeks to go (or something like that), but if they can all be this good, I have no doubt that I'll be crossing the finish line with a smile on my face.

Here is this week's plan...I'm scaling back the "extra-cirricular activites":

Sunday: 5 mile run - DONE!
Monday: 20 min Pilates video
Tuesday: 35 min run
Wednesday: 40 min run
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 35 min run
Saturday: Upperbody Lifting & Abs
Sunday: 6 mile run

We got GOT!

2008-04-11T08:44:00.002-05:00

The "Pink Mafia", as we've been dubbed, has been resposible for Pinking everyone's office space over the past 2 weeks as a fundraiser for our Y-ME team this year. There was Pink Protection you could buy, but we assumed since we were the Masterminds behind the whole thing that it wasn't necessary...

We were wrong :) The Pink Mafia got Pink'd!

Looking back

2008-04-10T21:02:00.002-05:00

I did a crazy thing this evening...I went back and read the blogs I wrote at this time last year. And I was truly surprised by what I read! The thing that struck me the most was that my attitude was so different than the way I write right now. I was upbeat, funny, hopeful...even when things weren't going my way. Now, when I write, I seem very technical...I did this many minutes, blah blah blah...my run felt good, blah blah blah. Where did the fun go?! Where is the enthusiasm I once held for this feat?!

Because, the honest truth is that I am totally excited for this! And I feel better and stronger and more mentally prepared for this than last year! So, my goal is to make that come through again in this blog. I'll have to start talking about how I almost yelled out the Wheel of Fortune answer while on the treadmill at the gym. Or the crazy guy that like to run and yell and wave his arms and look so crazy out of the corner of my eye that I almost fall off the treadmill when I have to run next to him. Yep, those are the things I'm going to have to talk about :)

And of course, that I ran 35 minutes today, my legs felt like lead, I hated about 2/3 of it, but I finished :)

The first bump in the road

2008-04-09T20:04:00.002-05:00

It's by no means anything major, but I skipped my first run today. I will make it up this week, but I just couldn't get it in. I've been going into work early and/or staying late each night for various fund raiser activities for our Y-ME team and I'm absolutely exhausted!

I went in this morning an hour early to prep for our "student" fund raiser and I basically ended up spending a good part of my day running all over to help with things. BUT, we did raise over $850! Then, when I was finally "off" at 6pm, I had to do another employee's office for our Pink'd fund raiser. I finally got done at 7:30 and just decided the gym was not in my future tonight. I want to be home at a decent hour one night and relax! I feel my back pain acting up from the stress already!

At least the major fund raising projects are almost over...that is until our Vegas Night in May! Woo Hoo!

Let's see...I also had my first "bad" run of the season last night. You know that one that feels so hard? And you think it's just because you aren't warmed up yet, but as the minutes tick by, it never gets any easier or more comfortable? Yeah, that was it! I'm assuming its cuz I'm tired and worn out. Which is why I don't feel all that guilty for skipping today. I know when my body is trying to tell me something!

So, I'll make it up tomorrow and do a little switching around and it'll be all good. Except the part where I have to do my Sunday 5 miler on the treadmill cuz of the weather. Yuck!

My 4 miles

2008-04-08T11:41:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning to blog about how my 4 miles turned out this weekend, but I've been sidetracked a lot with the Y-ME stuff! I swear I'm living at this office trying to get all the employees "Pink'd" for our fundraiser!

Anywho, I have one questions. When are they gonna finish fixing the path on the lake??!! Not only are they messing with my mileage signs, but they are blocking the water fountains! I was not prepared for that. But, the good news is that I got out there and I ran the whole 4 miles! The wind sucked. I was cold. I was breathing harder than any treadmill run. But I got it done! Only for a VERY brief moment did I question if I'd finish. My body felt fine, but the breathing was getting on my nerves! I had to do a little off-roading when I got to the "constuction" point because the whole reason to run on the lake is to relieve my poor ol' knees from the pounding of the sidewalk. So, through the grass I went...hoping there was no doggie doo.

I got passed by a lot of runners. But you know what? I didn't even care! I'm just proud that I'm out there doing my thing again! And it also brought back a lot of memories from last year, good and bad. For one, can I just say something? To all you walkers out there on the path...can you please stay off the gravel? Your knees don't need that gravel the way my knees do and I don't see why I have to dart in and out of you guys just to run on it. Thanks. There! I've been wanting to get that off my chest for a long time! :)

I think I may need to re-evaluate my game plan. I wish I could lift and cross-train and run, but I'm starting to think that is a bit much for the shape I'm in. Maybe I'd been running all this time and wasn't starting at square one, I could do all that. But, my body definitely feels tired right now. While the mileage is short, its workable, but I know as it gets longer, its going to be a problem! Here's what I think my adjusted week will look like:

Sunday - 4 mile run (done)
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - S/T upper body & core, 30 min run
Wednesday - 35 min run
Thursday - Rest
Friday - S/T upper body & core, 20 min light x-training
Saturday - 25 min run
Sunday - 5 miles

Based on the weather outlook, I believe most of these runs will be taking place on the treadmill. Maybe next week I can start trying to get them done in the morning around my neighborhood. That'll be the day! :)

Success feels so good!

2008-04-06T10:19:00.002-05:00

It was a small one, but it feels great! I did every workout on my schedule last week and did it when it was supposed to be done. If that meant that I didn't get home until 10pm, that was fine. If it meant that I had to catch a cab to save me a little commute time, I did. If I was tired and hungry and it was the last thing in the world I wanted to do (as was the case yesterday), I did it anyway. I do not ever recall having this much resolve. It feels amazing!

Today is my 4 mile run. I haven't run this distance since the day of the marathon. I'm definitely nervous. And being that it is such an amazingly gorgeous day outside, I'm going to take advantage and try to run on the lake. That makes me nervous too since I've only been running on the treadmill. But, I know that when I done, I'm going to feel great!

The only barrier right now is that I went to a fundraiser last night that was put together by one of my coworkers for our Y-ME team this year. It was at a bar and even though I stuck to just 2 Coronas, I haven't drank in awhile and it still hit me. I'm feeling a little sluggish today already. I'm hoping it wears off by mid-afternoon and doesn't become an issue with my run. Fingers crossed!

Speaking of Y-ME, this is the 4th year my company has had a team. I'm the captain and put together lots of different fundraisers leading up to the walk. You should really check it out! Great cause...did you know that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer? That is a huge number! My grandmother died of breast cancer in 1998 so this one really hits home for me. Here is the Y-ME site: www.y-me.org. They are different in that they do not deal with research the way most of the breast cancer charity organizations do. Y-ME is for information and support of those that have breast cancer right now, those that don't have time for the research to pave the way.

My coworker raised over $1000 last night at her fundraiser! I am so incredibly proud of her! She is the reason I continue to be the captain of this team every year, even when my schedule gets crazy and I feel like I won't be able to pull it off. If you want to visit our site to check out our progress, make a donation, or just see our fundraising ideas, the site is: http://race.y-me.org/harrington.

Treadmills

2008-04-04T15:05:00.002-05:00

This is my week at work where I have Friday off and go in for six hours on Saturday. As it turns out, my friend who works ALL THE TIME had the day off too! So, we decided to meet up at his gym to get our runs.

Now, I already knew there was something weird about the treadmills at our office gym. I talked to some people and they agreed that they feel harder than a normal treadmill. You know how you usually have to increase the incline to 2% just to replicate ground running? Well, these ones feel like you are running slightly uphill when they are on zero. You feel like you are running against some kind of resistance or something...very odd. But, those are the dreadmills I have access to, so that's what I'm using!

I get to my friend's gym and they have the old school LifeStart ones. After having to dumb myself down on how to start it with only a few buttons instead of 20, I get going. The first thing I realized is that at 0% inclines, I felt like I was running downhill! So, I immediately increase the incline. I only had a 25 minute run scheduled so I did 20 at 5.2mph and for the last five minutes went up to 5.5 & 6.0. It felt great! That treadmill was so much easier to run on!

I'm supposing maybe its a good thing that I'm mostly running on the "hard" treadmill since maybe its better preparing me for running outside. I hope so! And speaking of running outside...that could really happen any day now! The weather is finally looking up! I have 4 miles on Sunday so maybe that will be my test!

Just like I thought

2008-04-02T21:59:00.002-05:00

My run today felt MUCH better than yesterday. I was a lot less winded and I felt strong...although that didn't keep me from wanting to stop sometimes. But I didn't! So far, I've hit all my workout this week! 2 more and I successfully have this week in my pocket! That is so amazing for me!

So, my dearest Jon is doing the Wildflower Triathlon in May...and since he came all the way out to Chicago to see my miserable marathon failure, I could not miss seeing him in this awesome event. Here's the thing...I got the email from his boy today detailing our venture and I'm not sure I'm really ready for what I seemed to have signed up for! We fly into San Fran. Easy enough. Then we drive 3 hours south to I don't even know where. Once there, we CAMP for 3 days. I'm told there are showers, so at least we won't be musty. Because a bunch of musty tri-athletes just sounds gross!

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret...I have not camped since I was about 9 years old. Any while I used to really, really love taking showers from a water pouch attached to a tree branch and fishing for crawdads with a stick and some hot dogs...I'm just not sure I'm ready for this!

But you know what? I'll just have to make due cuz I wouldn't miss this for the world!

Tough Day

2008-04-01T19:53:00.002-05:00

Whew! This lifting then running thing isn't as easy as I thought it would be! I only had to run 25 minutes today, but I did my lifting circuit beforehand...this made my run so much harder! I mean, 25 minutes. Come on! But after only 10, I was breathing hard and having to talk myself out of quitting...or slowing down the speed. Because I did not want to give in and do either.

I had waves of strength where I would feel like I was past the hump...but then a few minutes later I'd feel like my legs were lead again. This is not fun :) Tomorrow is 30 minutes of running and that's it. I expect this will be much easier than today's 25! Thank goodness...

New Shoes!

2008-03-30T13:19:00.001-05:00

I forgot the most important thing! I got new shoes yesterday...bad day to tackle Fleet Feet since the Shamrock Shuffle was today, but we survived! Here they are, including my new chiropractor prescribed insoles!

It has officially begun!

2008-03-30T13:02:00.002-05:00

The training...I am officially in training. I know, its still only March, but the Portland group that I trained with way back in the day actually began their training this weekend! So, I downloaded their training schedule for the next 4 weeks. It's on!

I did tweek it a little to incorporate some of the hefty, slightly insane, goals I have for myself this year. Here is what this week will look like if all goes well:

Sunday: Run 3 miles - DONE :)
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Run 25 minutes & lifting circuit
Wednesday: Run 30 minutes
Thursday: Off
Friday: Run 25 minutes
Saturday: Lifting circuit & 20 min crosstraining activity
Sunday: Run 4 miles

It may take a little talking into somedays, but its definitely doable! Especially right now. I'm feeling very positive and very energized because its easy to see progress at this level. I was talking to my friend last night about how to keep this energy going when I hit a wall. Or when progression begins to slow down. Because it will happen. This I already know. He didn't really know, but he said we'd get each other through it. There was no other choice :0) I wish I had his confidence!

I knew I shouldn't have done it...

2008-03-28T20:15:00.002-05:00

Gotten on the scale this morning! I've been working out, eating well...and this morning I was heavier than I've seen on the scale in 10 years!!! How does that happen? I'm seriously upset. I try not to make weight an issue on this blog, but this really upset me this morning so I had to vent.

I should also mention that I'm developing a weird crush on the host of Destination Truth. No idea why. I used to find him the most annoying person ever...but somehow he's growing on me. Hmmm.

I'm on a roll, baby!

2008-03-27T20:56:00.002-05:00

Today wasn't as easy, but I got it done! I did my same 3 round circuit and then another 30 minutes of running that varied anywhere from 5.0 - 5.2 mph. The lifting went pretty well. Did pretty much the same as Saturday's workout. I struggled a little with the shoulder press...must have weak shoulders today! I also upped the weight on the leg press because I remembered that it felt kind of easy before. This may have been a bad idea because I noticed I struggled a little more on the run.

I started the run at 5.1 and quickly tried to move to 5.2...that didn't feel good. I noticed I was getting out of breath much quicker than my last run. I took it back to 5.0 for a bit until I was feeling good again and then back to 5.1. Near the end of the run, I went back to 5.2 and then into a cool down. There did come a point where I wanted to stop, but I didn't let myself. That was big for me. These are small victories, but I'll take them!

I really want to plan out my week ahead. But at the same time...when (if) I miss a run, I get all down on myself for messing up the plan. So, I suppose the answer to that is to not miss a run... :) I think maybe I'll do a little cross-training tomorrow and I'll plan my week out after that!

And another one...

2008-03-26T09:11:00.002-05:00

Another great 30 minute run last night. And...wait for it...wait for it...I bumped the speed up to 5.1 mph! I know...I'm insane!!! :P Hee hee...for real though, I figure if I just bump it up by a tenth of a mile each time and can handle it, I'll be back at 6.0 mph in no time!

Tonight I think I'll go for the lifting circuit again and then the run. I have to try to get my mind wrapped around this being a daily thing. Like this is what I do EVERY day...and the exception is having a day off. Right now, I always phrase it as, "I have to run today". When really, that should be a given and on an off day I should think, "I get to rest today". I hope that makes sense.

I feel incredibly lucky to have two friends training with me this year. Last year I found it very difficult to do it all on my own. One is training for the Chicago Marathon, but since that and the Portland Marathon are only a week apart, we'll be at virtually the same training place and hopefully we can do some runs together. If anything, he tells me when he's done a run and I feel like I have to go do one just to keep up with him. Nothing like a little competition to get me moving! The other doesn't live here, but is training to run the Portland with me. So, we probably won't have much running together, but I'll be lucky to have him waiting for me at the finish line...right now he's running under an 8 min/mile pace and there is no way I'd ever keep up!

I think this is the year I actually cross the finish line!

Oh Yeah, Baby!

2008-03-22T17:33:00.002-05:00

Do you ever have one of those workouts that just goes ten times beyond the expectations you set out for yourself? Yeah? Well, that was me today!

I had to work the 9-3pm shift at work. In one way its great because there are limited classes, students and staff in the building on Saturday so you get a lot done. On the other hand, once your projects are done, there isn't a whole lot more to do. So, about 1:30 I got to that point. I didn't really have anything to do. This made me start getting lazy. Thoughts of how it would be so nice to just head home at 3pm instead of going upstairs to the gym started to creep into my head. I even went and snagged a Dark Chocolate Mounds from the vending machine...yeah, I've had my eye on that puppy all week! After swearing to only eat one of the little bars, I even finished it off!

Just as 3pm was almost here, I saw a picture of this athletic toned woman that totally inspired me. Here I was, 7 floors away from the gym, with nothing else planned for the day, and I was gonna skip it? That was ridiculous! So, up I went.

Upon arrival, the gym was empty, lights off and all. I got the place up and jumping and then looked at the treadmill. Not fun. With all the machines empty and readily available for my lifting pleasure, I decided to go that route first. It ended up being an awesome 3 round circuit session that covered legs, biceps, abs, triceps, back and shoulders. Lovely! When that was over, I was feeling a little more sure of myself.

To the treadmill I went. My outdoor runs so far have been intervals of walking and running and they haven't felt all that pleasant. That being said, I decided to start at 5mph and see how it went. That is a bit slower than I usually run at, but then again, I'm not at my usual running ability. I planned to run 3 minutes, walk 2...since that was working on the outdoor runs. At 3 minutes, I felt like I hadn't done anything. So, I decided to go for 5. At 5, I still felt great so I went crazy and decided to just go until I felt I HAD to stop. Halfway through, I knew I would be running the entire 30 minutes. I felt strong. It felt fairly easy. I was out of breath, but not in a bad way. Just enough to remind me that my body was working. For a second, I even considered adding more time, but figured I better not push my luck!

I finished the workout with a 5 minute walk and some stretching. I cannot express how great I feel. I don't feel tired, fatigued, sore (although I'm sure that will come) or anything negative at all. I feel very proud and strong! Now I can't wait to get out there and do it again!!

Bombed!!

2008-03-14T13:48:00.002-05:00

I bit off WAY more than I could chew today. I forgot I have to get back in this thing gradually :) Yes, it was a less than stellar running performance, but I got out there and got yet another run under my belt. And that is what I'm going to take away from it!

I've got a really ambitious workout schedule in mind for when I finally get myself to where I need to be. I really want to work on strengthening my muscles, through lifting at the gym a couple of times a week, doing my Windsor pilates a couple times (yes, I bought it off the TV and it rocks!) and then making sure I spend one day a week doing some cross training exercies. No burn out this year and no falling off the wagon!

Let's also pray this weather sticks around and the winter is DONE!!!

A beautiful day

2008-03-03T10:13:00.002-06:00

Of course, I'm referring to yesterday and our wonderful near 50 degree temps! I sat in my livingroom, seeing the sun peeking in through the windows all day and finally, about 4pm I kicked myself in the butt and said get out there are run! I am not allowed to use the weather as an excuse if I'm not taking advantage of the good days!

Being that I've run probably 3 whole times in the last 4 months, I decided to do run/walk intervals. It started with run 2, walk 3...cuz I didn't want to over do it and end up walking the whole thing. Once I got a few of those in and was warmed up, I switched to 2.5 run, 2.5 walk. This felt good. There were a few little inclines in there that I thought might kill me, but I doing it! I finished my 3 mile loop with 3 sets of run 3, walk 2. It took 37 minutes. I think that is an outstanding time! I was probably keeping a faster pace while running due to the walk intervals. I felt very tired when it was over, but great at the same time! Although, I had to dodge more than a few ice patches that we still hanging around and I felt like I tweeked my knee a little with my turns and leaps :S

After I was home and settled, it occured to me that I had to meet with the trainer this morning at 7:30am...what had I done?! I ran at 4pm on Sunday afternoon and had to endure 30 minutes of hell 15 hours later? This was not good! Lucky for me, she went a little easy on my this morning. And by easy, I mean I still was absolutely exhausted by the end, but comparing to some of the other workouts she has put me through, it could have been a lot worse! I have another appt with her on Thursday so at least I know I'll have gotten 3 workouts in this week. That is a great week for me these days!

At this point, I'm pretty positive I won't be able to get up out of my chair by the end of the day...but I needed this!

Blob-o-rama

2008-02-28T15:33:00.002-06:00

Yeah, that is me right now! I had Chipotle for lunch and it made me bloated as heck! I feel like I'm breakin' out of my britches over here! On the upside, nothing is more motivating to get to the gym than having the waistline of your pants gouging into your stomach all afternoon. Yeah, that's right...blob-o-rama!

I think I might actually make it...

2008-02-19T09:07:00.002-06:00

to the gym on my lunch break! I keep telling myself I'm going to go up there on lunch and get a little weight training session in, but somehow I never end up getting out of here. My lunch is generally spent at my desk shoving a bite in my face every few minutes. But today? Today I am going to make it a point to get my butt up from this desk and go get half a workout in! And that will leave less to face after work :)

Also...I think I can say I'm officially decaffienated! I've still been getting a coffee or hot chocolate in the mornings, but its always decaf. Except Sunday morning because I went to my little neighborhood coffee spot and the guy knows me and just started making my usual. I didn't have the heart to stop him! Now, if I can just kick the morning expensive drink altogether and drink water, I'll save myself about $100 a month! Oh yeah! And I also FINALLY stopped driving to work...which costs $16 a day for parking! That was a truly bad habit! This bad weather was too much for me to endure in the morning. But following along the same lines as the new running philosophy, I can choose to drive or I can choose to suck it up and freeze!!! I choose to FREEZE!! And frozen I am :)

Inspiration

2008-02-18T09:45:00.002-06:00

I'm forever looking for inspiration. I'm weak. It is hard to find it within myself to accomplish some of my "life" things and I'm just always forcing people to give me words of wisdom :)

It was Valentine's Day. My friend and I happened to end up going out to dinner that night and being that we are a man and a woman, having dinner together, on a holiday for couples, well...it seemed to be assumed by the waitstaff that we were in need of a little romatic push. So, when we ordered our usual huge bowl drink, it came much more alcohol infused than usual! And, of course, we both proceeded to drink more than we ate :) Ah...I love Valentine's Day!

Anywho, this little buzz-fest led to a really, truly inspiring conversation after dinner. My problem with this whole running thing is multi-tiered. First, there is the getting up in the morning to run. I am forever trying to figure out how to be a morning person. Why is this so important? Because when the weather gets hot, I'm also not one to force myself into suffering through a night run. Therefore, if there is no run in the morning...and temps make me call it that night = NO RUN. Next is the whole laziness factor. I admit it! I am lazy! Marathon + Lazy = Failure. It goes without saying that that missing one run during the week makes progression hard enough...but missing multiple runs? That is recipe for disaster...and for some reason, I guess I liked living on the edge :)

So, the conversation. He just put it all so simple. I am in charge of my actions. I can do whatever I CHOOSE to do. Choices. I have to make them. For the right reasons. And another thing he put so simply...don't you want to be able to face the day and everyone in it and think about how much you already accomplished before 9am, that they didn't? YES! Yes, I do! I want to walk into the office and look at everyone and scream, "I ran 8 miles this morning! What did you do?!"

And so what if I can't pig out on pizza everyday? I've got years and years and YEARS beyond this marathon to eat pizza. Can I really not handle passing it up right now? I think I've just been looking at this all wrong. I am in charge of me, my time and my abilities. Not my job. Not the weather. Not my heart rate monitor that rubbed me raw...I am! And I will do what I need to do, to do this right! And everytime I begin to falter, I will think of that buzzed conversation that made it all sound so easy. Just like he made the marathon look.

Decaf: Day 2

2008-02-12T09:20:00.000-06:00

That means that yesterday was Decaf: Day 1. And it sucked. I just went to 7-Eleven and grabbed a cup of decaf, threw in some splenda and lots of yummy flavored cramers and was off. It tasted less than appealing, but it was something to satisfiy the hand-to-mouth habit I have in the morning. I thought things were fine. Until 2pm struck. Out of nowhere came the worst headached I've had in I don't know how long! Right in the front of my forehead and in my temples. I don't like medication and I tried to fight through it. I had to go see my chiropractor so I thought maybe a distraction would get rid of it. NO. Instead, walking around in the non-human temperatures there and back seemed to make it worse.

The day wore on and the headache persisted. Finally, at 6:15, when I was ready to leave work, I spotted a little bottle of Advil at the bottom of my bag. I gave in and took 2, thinking of how by the time I got home, my little (huge) headache should be gone. WRONG. It was still going strong when I got home. I made dinner, ate dinner then finally just laid down on the couch. I'd guess somewhere around 8pm it finally ceased. A 6 hour headache! Augh!

So, today is day 2. I gave in and got a decaf Starbucks...that 7-Eleven decaf stunk! I will assume that the torture yesterday will not again occur. At least it better not! Now, my next step is figuring out how to make my tastebuds like tea :)

Morning cough Coffee

2008-02-09T12:45:00.000-06:00

This morning I went and met my friend for coffee...well, he had tea because he's already knee deep in his training mentality, but I told him I wasn't giving up coffee until Monday :)

We started talking about our training differences and he made some valid points. He wanted to clarify that the reason he wanted to wait until August to train with me was because he wants to make sure that I'm doing it for me. He said that if he is my crutch the whole and and something should happen that he can't continue, he doesn't want me to fall off because I was using him as my motivator. And you know, that is a very valid point. He basically wants me to make sure that I'm doing it for me and that nothing will get in my way.

Then, of course, he addressed my morning issue. You all know how many times I've tried to conquer the early morning thing, but it just doesn't seem possible! I love to sleep! Again, he made another valid point here. We both felt sort of cheated out of our summers in the years that we trained because running had to come first and forced us to miss out on various events and whatnot. But, he says if we can make sure that we run in the mornings, that will leave our weekends and evenings free to take advantage of the good weather and still enjoy ourselves while also getting all our training in. Hmmmm...this guy is kinda smart!

Lastly, he talked to me about my overall dedication and how far I'm willing to go. I never played organized sports past junior high and he thinks that is why the thought of pushing myself beyond my physical comfort level is so awful to me. I've just never had to. My take on it is to find a way to do this in the least disruptive way possible, while his take is to attack it head on and adjust anything and everything in the way.

Now I'm not sure what to do. I guess my way didn't work so well, afterall...I supposed I could try to push myself harder. But that is scary. I supposed now is the time to test the waters, before the real training starts. Yikes!

Training style

2008-02-08T08:20:00.000-06:00

My friend who ran the marathon back in 2006 and inspired me to try for 2007 decided to run it again in 2008. I will be running Portland this year, but they are only a week apart so we would be able to train together.

Last night we got to talking about getting started again and where we need to work ourselves up to in order to be ready when the real training begins in the spring. When he ran it in 2006, he made a complete lifestyle change. He was an athlete, but never really a distance runner and yet in his first attempt, in his mid-30s, he finished in 4:20 without struggling at all. But, like I said, he made a complete lifestyle change. He stopped drinking caffeine, cut his caloric intake by more than I truly deemed healthy :), stopped drinking alcohol and going out (which made for quite the boring summer for me!) and just basically completely devoted those months to the marathon. I was amazed and in awe. He made it look so effortless.

As we were talking, I could tell that he wants me to put forth that same effort he will be in this year's training. I want to. I probably really, really need to. BUT...YIKES! I don't want to give up my coffee! I don't want to run 23 miles TWICE before the marathon. I want to enjoy my summer because I feel like I missed the last one. Does that mean I'm not devoted to this? I just don't know what I should do. Do I give his plan a shot and hope I can hang on? Do I learn from my weaknesses last year and change my approach based on that?

I think I already pissed him off and made him not want to train with me :) He said, and I quote, maybe we should just wait until mid-August to train together. Hahaha! MID-AUGUST! By then I'll know if I'm marathon ready or not and won't need as much help! Oh, decisions, decisions!

Small Steps

2008-02-03T09:50:00.000-06:00

So, with my promotion come working on alternating Saturdays. Sucks, right? No! Actually, I loved having Friday off and then going in on Saturday where basically no one is there and I can actually get some real work accomplished!! PLUS...since its a short day (9-3pm) its a lot easier to fit in my trip to the gym! Most days, I'm so drained when I get off that I just want to go home and be a lump!

Yesterday, I totally planned to hit the gym after work. But, as the day wore on and the thought of getting home started to creep into my head, the seemed to become less and less enticing. Right when I had almost made up my mind to forget the gym, it was 3pm and time to head out. I'm not sure how or why, but I found myself grabbing my gym bag and heading upstairs!
I got to the gym and it was deserted. Saturdays in a Loop office building are a little quiet :) The lights weren't even on! But the music was still pumpin' through the speakers and the TVs on the machines were going strong. So, with the gym all to myself, I finally attacked a little cardio. I spent some time on the elliptical trainer and then walked some serious hills on the treadmill. And that there, folks, wore me out! I wanted to get some weights in, but I was too tired!

As disappointed as I am at how bad I've let my cardiovascular stamina get, I still feel a little better with every workout. I know its not possible, but I swear I already feel stronger! When I put my hands on my thighs when standing up from the couch, I swear I feel my little quad muscles coming alive! My butt feels just a little bit tighter. And its great to feel some soreness in my abs since that is a muscle group I have always neglected...no matter how good of shape I've been in! I'm taking small steps, but this is the start of something good! I can feel it!

Oh, me booty sore!

2008-02-01T11:38:00.000-06:00

Well, my new job has kept me at the office obscene hours this week so I haven't even made it to the gym except for my scheduled appointments with the trainer :( I don't have have time to eat lunch! I finally get away to grab something between 2pm and 3pm and then slowly eat it at my desk over the course of the next 2 hours or so. I kid you not, I usually finish my "lunch" close to 5pm! Its absolutely crazy!

But, that was not what this post was supposed to be about :) Met with the trainer yesterday morning for another circuit training session. I don't know if its been my crazy schedule this week or what, but this time it all felt a ton harder than last time! We started on the squat machine...I can't remember what its called...the one where you put the weights on the bar and squat with it...Smith machine? Can't remember! Anywho, easy enough. Did free weight for upper back and shoulder presses again. Still not too bad. Then I had to do walking side squats down the length of the gym and back holding a weight. Uh...one time down felt okay, but on the way back, I started to get REALLY tired! I mean, didn't I already do squats today?! I finish and we go straight into abs. I'm not sure its possible, but I could swear my abs were still sore from last week!

Just one circuit had me sweating and out of breath! I was so embarrassed! I really think it was the walking squats that were killing me. After the 3rd circuit, I wanted to die! I went into the locker room and I swear I couldn't stop breathing hard! And my legs muscles were so tired, I didn't even want to expend the effort it took to stand up! How pathetic!

This really is freaking me out about running. If lifting is there hard, imagine trying to do some serious cardio! Oh my goodness! I have to work Saturday so going to be sure to stop into the gym after that and give cardio a go. Maybe do a little lifting on my own too. At least she is stregthening my legs! That is bound to help when it comes time to get serious about training. But for now, my booty is sore like never before and my hammies and inner thighs aren't feeling so great either! Oh yeah, and abs...hurts to laugh :) But its still that good pain...pain that reminds you that you got the job done!

Hello, Soreness!

2008-01-26T11:30:00.000-06:00

I had my first session with the trainer and boy am I feeling it now. It was yesterday at 7:30am. It's a miracle I even made it out of bed :) She had me do a weight training circuit that lasted only 30 minutes, but what a 30 minutes it turned out to be! I now realize a 5 minute warm-up might have been a little smart, but I will make sure I get there a little early to work it in.

We started on the leg press...one of my favorites. It was easy, gave me the false impression that I was going to fly through this workout. Then on to tricep extentions...still fairly easy. Next was the wall squats w/ the ball, then a wall sit. I almost died. Lower back on the Bosu ball, shoulder press with free weights and abs came next. All became steadily harder to do. By the 3rd set, I could barely finish...which is how it should be, but rarely the level I push myself to!

I woke up this morning and it basically hurts to move everything! Oh my poor muscles! But, at the same time, it feels great because I haven't hurt like this in a very long time. It's incredibly motivating. My goal is to do another weight training stint on my own and get 3 cardio workouts in. With my new job, time seems to be a little hard to come by so I'll be elated if I actually pull it off!

Off topic...the moment that made my morning today? As I was driving down North Ave from the Whole Foods, I saw The Average Joggler joggling down the street! Talk about making me feel lazy! :p

The crickets are a chirpin'!

2008-01-16T09:30:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I've been a little quiet around here. Okay, A LOT quiet around here. I'm not even sure the date of the last entry! I will be completely honest here, I was on major burnout. Still am. I've run ONE time since the marathon. And no, that is not an exhaggeration...although you don't know how much I wish it was!

I went up to the gym in my office building, mounted the treadmill and knocked out a whole 5 minutes before I was sucking wind and had to walk. It was down right embarrassing. I then alternated with 2 1/2 minutes of running with 2 1/2 minutes (*cough* sometimes 5 *cough*) of walking. It was an ugly day in the land of decline.

But, there is hope yet! The gym sent out an email offer for 1 personal training session per week for 8 weeks, 5 workout cards per week, nutritionist advice, and prizes at the end for those who put forth the most effort...for only $49!!! I mean, how could I not sign up? The kicker here? The time slot I had to schedule for the training session was 7am on Fridays! That is going to suck! Yet, I need to find some sort of discipline with this so maybe being able to show up for 8 weeks in the worst time slot ever will conquer all! Or in the very least, make me sleep through all the friday nights of fun!

Portland Marathon is official

2007-12-04T12:12:00.000-06:00

I know, I know...where have I been? The holidays and some changes at work have already got me stressed out and busy! I had my mom in town for Turkey Day and that limited my free time. Then right after the holiday I asked to be considered for a management position here at the office and...I got it! So, now I've been ridiculously busy trying to keep up with my accounting responisbilities while picking up the slack for the manager who walked out on us last month. Yes, the official transfer won't be until 1/1/08, but somehow I'm already responsible for duties over there. So, its been hectic!

But, the real news is that I just (like seriously JUST) official signed up for the 2008 Portland Marathon. It is no longer just a thought or good idea. It is real. I cannot wait!!!!! Just 10 months to go... :p

The Fam

2007-11-20T12:57:00.000-06:00

My mom is in town so it's been busy. Rushing from work to her hotel, dinner, to my place, back to the hotel, back to my place, you get the picture. Tomorrow she and her boyfriend check out of the hotel and spend the rest of the trip at my place, which will make it easier. We have our Chicago Ghost Tour tonight and I'm totally psyched! I've wanted to go on this forever, but couldn't ever find anyone that would go with me! I think we are hitting up the The Art Institute of Chicago tomorrow...yeah, I got the day off...which is another thing I've been meaning to do for the past 5 years! Then it will be off to the grocery store to stock up for the Thanksgiving Day Feast!

Received a funny phone call from mom this morning. It seems they went to the Corner Bakery across from their hotel and lo and behold, there was Jerry Springer getting his morning dose of caffeination! Thank goodness I wasn't with them because I would have been absolutely mortified by what happened next...my mom's boyfriend went up to him and asked for his autograph! You can tell he doesn't travel much... :) So, they are excited to have had a Chicago "celebrity" sighting and I'm sure nothing I do from here on out can beat out that moment! Damn that Jerry Springer!!!

Plan B

2007-11-15T10:25:00.000-06:00

No, not the emergency contraception... Went over the x-rays with the Doc and things are pretty not good. My lower spine is curving left, probably from that heavy bag I tote around with me all the time on my right shoulder. To make up for it, my body has curved my spine to the right up by my neck...nature's crazy version of "balance", if you will. So yeah, my spine is an "S". Great. Then there is my neck. This should be curved. Nice smooth curve from the top of my spine to my skull...but no. Mine is straight as an arrow. I kid you not. Why me?!!!

Treatment: I had electric stimulation (like a tingle that makes the muscle spasm) treatment and then an adjustment...which was the most unnerving experience EVER, let me tell you! Nothing like thinking someone is about to snap your head off and hearing 10 popping bones all at once! I have to have adjustments 3 times a week for the next 4-6 weeks, then we'll do a re-evaluation and see if things are straightening out...HA! Get it? Straightening out? Okay, yeah.

Running is not exactly on my chiropractor's top list of things to help my back :) Shocking, I know. So, I'm walking. A lot. It's pretty much getting boring, but it's the best option I've got at the moment. My mom will be arriving on Saturday so at least I'll have a walking buddy for a week. I'm trying to convince her to walk the Turkey Trot with me, but with the temps dropping, she is not ready to give in.

I may try to work on just strengthening my lower body as best I can in the weight department. I'll keep walking and maybe even try to jog some intervals. Mostly, I just don't want to reaggrevate this muscle...or nerve...or whatever the Doc said it was. Just when I'm ready to give it another go, something always comes up! I need to find a routine before the holidays come and I get totally sidetracked!

Oh yeah...

2007-11-12T21:04:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention I went to the chiropractor today about my back...he told me lots of interesting things, including that one of my ribs is out of place! We took x-rays and I go back tomorrow to get the final verdict and if treatment will help...I'll keep ya posted!

Pictures

2007-11-12T20:54:00.000-06:00

Well, the kitchen table it together and ready for Turkey Day!

Here it is in full:

With one leaf up:

And finally, no leaf:

It's perfect for my kitchen...it can take up as much or as little room as I need!

While my friend was putting it together, I was testing some of the Christmas cookie recipes. Here is how the Oatmeal w/ White Chips & Cranberry turned out:

And just for cuteness, here are the cupcakes I made for Halloween:

Frustrating

2007-11-11T09:18:00.000-06:00

Well, due to my back issues, I haven't been able to execute my plan as I had hoped. Mostly I've just been walking because it's the only thing that doesn't make me feel like I'm doing further harm. Yesterday, I was attempting to clear out my kitchen to make room for the kitchen table I finally bought and just that minimal amount of bending and lifting made my back worse! I am so completely frustrated right now! I'm making an appointment with a chiropractor tomorrow. I guess I'll just have to make due as best I can for now!

I still have a ton more to get done before my mom arrives on Saturday. The house needs a full swiffering to remove all the dust bunnies...and they are really dust bunnies, my bunny sheds all over! Dishes need to be done. Bedding needs to be changed. Bathroom can always use a once over. Augh! And my back is not going to make any of this easier :(

Completely Off-Topic :)

2007-11-06T14:54:00.000-06:00

So, in order to save my sanity, I've been planning my annual bake-a-thon list of cookies for Christmas. I know, I know, a little early for Christmas stuff. But you learn from experience that it is never too early to plan when you are baking 50 or so dozen cookies! I need a little feedback on my line-up so far... My goal is to have a diverse group of goodies that will appeal to the masses. Honestly, of the first 7 cookies I picked out, 4 were based around chocolate. That is not diverse :) Don't get me wrong, I LOVE chocolate, but there had to be some changes. Here is where I'm at right now. Let me know what you think!

Lemon Sandwich Cookies - lemon butter cookies sandwiched with lemon filling
Rum Balls - Chocolate and liquor...what could be a better combo?! An assortment rolled in either nuts, cocoa or powdered sugar.
Oatmeal Cookies w/ Cranberries & White Chocolate Chips - This was a boring ol' oatmeal cookie until I decided it would be festive to add a little red and white!
Chocolate Mint Cookies - A chocolate cookies with a chocolate mint ganache.
Chewy Coconut Cookies - Well, I guess the title says it all. This was an attempt to find something a little different than the norm.
Peanut Butter Temptations - A peanut butter cookies with a mini Reese's cup shoved in the middle :) Mmmmmmmmmm...
Russian Tea Cakes - A nice little shortbread type cookie w/ nuts and rolled in powdered sugar.

So, that's it right now. I think it's pretty diverse at this point, but not sure they appeal to the masses. Give me your thoughts so I get in the test kitchen! Yum!

To Trot or Not To Trot?

2007-11-06T11:33:00.000-06:00

My friend came up with the glorious idea to do the Turkey Trot this year. I was all for it, but had to check with my mom first since she will be here in town on Turkey Day. She said it was okay if I ducked out for the morning and said that maybe if it wasn't too cold...we are from Oregon where anything below 50 is intolerable :) ...she would come out and walk it! I was excited! I kept on checking back with my friend to see when we were gonna register and he kept saying soon...soon...soon...until one day he said, I don't think I can do it. What?! I already checked with mom!!!! Dammit!

So, I wrote off the Turkey Trot. But now, I'm kind of thinking, why shouldn't I do it? I've done all my other races by myself...what is one more? Granted, I haven't been running and I have no cold weather gear, but so what? It couldn't hurt to burn a few calories before the Big Chow Down! Maybe I'll even just drag my mom out there and we can walk it together. I'm kind of getting pumped just writing this...I need to call mom again :)

Decisions

2007-11-05T10:12:00.000-06:00

So, I think I've finally committed to some decisions. I will run the Portland Marathon in 2008. It is one week before the Chicago marathon so I can still train with everyone here or with a sponsored group. I'm excited about it. Excited to run for the hometown crowd. My friend may even do it with me which would make it that much more fun. Now, if I can just convince some of my girls back home to do it too! Sonja, you are gonna need a good goal to lose that baby weight ;)

I've also decided that I can't soley focus on running right now. For one, it has still left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth and I can't stop dreading it! Second, I can't afford to buy gear fit to run in the harsh Chicago winter weather and clocking miles and miles on the treadmill is not tolerable! So, today I will start my weight training and do some cardio. Too bad I pulled that muscle in my neck and back again (it happens at least a couple times a year) and I'll probably have to stick to lower body work until it is better. And I probably ought to seek out a chiropractor to figure out why this keeps happening! BTW, my weight has finally stabilized. No, not gone down, but at least stopped going up! I've never seen it this stubborn in my life and it totally has me freaked! If this new regime doesn't jump start it, I don't know what I'm going to do!

Finally, I need to find a new job. It has been a long time coming, but it finally hit me that I just can't do it anymore. I don't like the direction our corporate office is taking us, there is no room to move up here, I'm underpaid and I think I'm actually hurting myself by not gaining more experience at the management level after all these years. It will be hard to leave these people, but I need to be farther along in my career than this. I should be in management or at least have full accounting close responsibilities. Don't get me wrong...I've been promised these responsibilities during my reviews for the past 2 years...but they never happen. I can't keep waiting. I'm bored and gaining nothing by staying here. Let the job search begin! Time to call the headhunters!

So, yeah, basically I'm bored and ready for change. I'm tired of the days all blurring together!

Lazy...and busy :)

2007-10-31T21:02:00.000-05:00

Why is running always on the bottom of my to do list these days? I hate it, but at the same time, it's never enough for me to squeeze it in! Dang me! Here is my current week:

Monday - Packers in Monday Night Football, had to get home in time!
Tuesday - Had to bake cupcakes for the Halloween Potluck, buy decorations for it and rent a horror flick to play during. Yeah, it's great being the Chairperson (Ahem...sole member...) of the Social Committee at work!
Wednesday - Halloween! And got had to drop a friend off home on the way back from work and I didn't make it in the door until 8pm.

As I've said a million times, tomorrow is it! I'm gonna be good! I swear!

Boo on me!

2007-10-26T09:42:00.000-05:00

I altered my workout plan last night and it totally back-fired on me! Of course, I was planning to continue my easing on in to my workouts in the gym upstairs with a little 30 minutes on the elliptical and treadmill again. But then my friend called and wanted me to meet him over on Michigan Ave. He was having dinner with his family up north when he called so I figured that gave me plenty of time until I had to meet him.

So, I decided to skip the gym and I'd walk all the way to Michigan (I work in the Loop)...go even farther north than where I had to meet him so I could pick up a few things and then circle back around to him. Figured it be at least a solid 30 minutes of walking.

Well, I headed out and within just a few blocks, I got sidetracked by a performance in Daley Plaza. Strike 1. I suck! But it was really cool...they were jump roping and flipping and doing all kinds of fun stuff! So, I stood and watched for about 10 minutes then got back on track. I realized I was starving, but I didn't want to eat anything big before dinner. Once I was across the river, I saw a Starbucks and headed on in to get a little sumthin' sumthin' in my belly. Strike 2.

I decide to call my friend to see how far out he is so that I can figure out how far off-course I can venture before I have to turn back. Turns out he drove down to Michigan Ave in rush hour traffic can was already there! Who the hell would have guessed?! So, I quickly walked to meet him and that was it. Strike 3. He gave me a ride home so I didn't even get in my usual 3/4 mile walk from the train to my house! I swear I had good intentions when I decided to skip the gym! I really, really did! Now I just feel guilty... :)

Ewwww

2007-10-25T09:44:00.000-05:00

The workout yesterday sucked! Why? Because it was hard and it shouldn't have been! Augh! I hate that! I'm easing myself back in so I already knew I was only planning on spending about 30 minutes in there. I started on the Elliptical...but it was the Precor type, with elevation control, not the regular elliptical machines you see more often now. It has been years since I did the eleveation type. And it kicked my butt! I did only 15 minutes and I was sweating and needing to seriously get off before I got completely discouraged! So, I moved to the treadmill...to run, you ask? Nope! I walked. I walked for 20 minutes and was out of there. I wasn't joking when I said I was easing in to this, huh?! But hey, I had dinner plans, okay?!

My ultimate goal for the weeks in the off-season would be something like this:

Run 3 times per week, twice during the week for 30 - 40 minutes, once on the weekend for a longer run of 5 - 8 miles. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage that through the winter months, but I'll have to get creative! Your suggestions would be gladly accepted!
On weekday running days, also do pilates DVD. Yes, I bought the Windsor Pilates a couple years ago and it kicks ass! At first you can't even make it though the 20 minute workout! Once I mastered that, I still could never make it all the way through the longer one!
Cross-train twice a week. Do anything I please (that isn't running) for at least 30 minutes. The biggest challenge I think will be making sure I'm doing different things...not just one activity over and over. But this has the potential to be fun!
On cross-train days, do a total body strength training circuit. I love lifting! If lifting burned fat the way that cardio does, I'd be 20lbs lighter! I'm going to have to make sure that I don't get carried away with this...just hit the major muscle groups twice a week. No need to gain lots of ground in the muscle department. I love watching the amount I can lift go higher and higher, but that isn't necessary right now...just have to concentrate on keeping my body strong and balanced.

That's the plan. Will it happen? Who knows! I'm going to gradually start working each piece in so that I don't burn out by next week! Right now, the focus is just getting used to doing physical activity again on a regular basis...since I've been pretty much the Queen Lazy-Ass for the past couple of months. I guess I thought I earned it or something from all that running...all I seemed to really have earned is about 6 pounds!

I'm excited...I need you all to hold me accountable though. Maybe I'll create some kind of log I can post weekly or something to show how its progressing. Hey...that is a mighty fine idea, Nicole!

I'm nervous

2007-10-24T11:44:00.001-05:00

Well...I'll be honest here...since, you know, honesty is good. I haven't run a single step since the marathon. I think I was a little mentally defeated. Everytime I think about lacing up, I just get this feeling of dread about how uncomfortable running will be...cuz, you know, the last time I ran was in awful, yucky conditions. I can't seem to shake the experience from my mind.

Yesterday, I took the first step and joined the gym that opened up in my office building...and that gave us an absolutely ridiculous rate! There was no excuse not to sign up! It's small and well, honestly, the potential that one of my co-workers may see me naked in the locker room scares the bejesus out of me! But, overall, its a great situation. I can lift weights during lunch and then get cardio in right after work. Which means I can get a full workout in without getting home at 9pm! This is very, very good!

I packed up all my workout gear this morning and then almost walked out the door without it :) That's how long its been since I went to a gym straight from work! But, I'm excited to get going again, this time with new goals in mind. And I'm nervous that its going to suck and I'm going to hate it. I guess only time will tell...

Portland 2008

2007-10-23T13:07:00.000-05:00

I admit it...I'm not quite over the fact that Pinkowsky couldn't acknowledge an iota of blame for the Chicago "Fun Run" debacle! So, I think I've figured out a way to turn my sour feelings around. I'm going to run the Portland Marathon in 2008 instead of the Chicago again. Portland is my hometown and I'd love to have all my family and friends on hand to cheer me on! The two races are only scheduled a week apart so I could still train with a Chicago group next summer without getting off track!

This idea has totally got me psyched to get my butt back in gear! Now, I just have to figure out how to keep it in gear over the winter...do I really have to have daily meetings with the dreadmill? I see no other way! At least the off-season will give me time to work on strength training and I'll be sure to cross train so I don't burn out on running like I did this summer. I want to start the next training season in 5 times a better place than I was this year! I hope I stay this excited when I have to hit the gym later... :)

Vegan Baking

2007-10-19T16:03:00.000-05:00

Sunday begins the official start of the vegan baking experiment. My friend and I have been talking for months and months (and months!) about opening a cafe/bakery specializing in vegan, organic, gluten-free, etc items and yet it's always been just talk. But not anymore! This weekend we have officially scheduled a date to get down to the nitty-gritty and see how tough this vegan baking can be! On the menu:

Carrot Cake Cupcakes w/ Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Green Tea Cupcakes w/ Green Tea Glaze & Almond Flowers
Cinnamon Scones w/ Cinnamon Icing

I've been excited all week! I don't know how I'll make it to Sunday without exploding! I love to bake and I love a challenge, so I can't wait to see what is going to happen! I'll post pics (if I remember the camera) when we get going! Now if only we could find some taste testers... :p

Post Marathon Weight Gain???

2007-10-17T16:49:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm writing about this here in hopes that someone will raise their hand and say this is completely normal! Basically, since I cut back (and eventually completely stopped) my running about 6 to 8 weeks ago, I've been gaining weight at a pretty steady (and fairly scary) rate. Now, at first I thought it was probably due to the fact that I was still "carb loading", yet not "carb burning"...aka running :) Therefore, I wasn't alarmed in the least bit when I saw the needle on the scale move up a couple notches.

About 3 weeks ago, I finally came back to reality and started eating like a normal human being. Stopped eating lunch out every day. Cut back on all the pasta I'd been loving so much. Basically, got back to the way I was eating before I started all the training. Well, since then...I've managed to gain even more weight!!! Now I'm freaked out!

Please, someone tell me this is some normal whacked out reaction of my metabolism from not running anymore! Tell me that it will regulate soon and things will return to normal! Or do I seriously have some weird hormonal/chemical imbalance I should have checked out by the Doc? And before anyone throws it out there, No, I'm not pregnant :)

Seriously though, if anyone has experienced this or has any insight whatsoever, please let me know! Before my clothes stop fitting! :)

It finally happened...

2007-10-15T14:04:00.001-05:00

I seriously pulled a muscle! Not from running, mind you. From bowling! How do you do all that running and never really get too sore and then manage to do yourself in at the bowling alley? This is ludicrous! Or however you spell that!

I wrecked all kinds of havoc on myself out there Friday night! My left hammy is sore, the bridge of my right foot hurts, my right shoulder is tired and I broke a nail! Bowling is dangerous. I think there should be warning signs posted around!

All in all, it was a great time though! I've only bowled a few times in my almost 30 years and it was so much fun! Granted, I suck...but who cares! My lone goal was to score over 100. It was not attained :) But, I did manage to increase my score each game! My highest was 93...I won't get into what the first score was! We only bowled 3 games though because, well, that was all we could afford! On a Friday night, it was $38/hour to bowl! We could have gone to the movies for cheaper and longer! When something costs more than a night at the movies, you know there is a problem!

I'll have to be sure to go back...before noon on a weekday. That's when its only $8/hour. Yeah. Right. :)

A New Kind of Running

2007-10-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

So, it's over. Weird. All that time, money, planning, worrying...and just like that, it's over.

No more "scheduled" runs. No more distances I must get to. Freedom.

YES! Now I can just run to run. Run when I feel like it. For as long, far, short, fast, slow as I want. This is going to be great! Time to get back to the basics and remember why I wanted to do this whole marathon thing anyway. I'm actually excited for my first "freedom" run. And let me tell you, I don't get excited to run very often! I'm thinking I may wait for that nice cool, crisp, sunny Saturday coming up. And just run until I stop. It's going to be great.

Wow...

2007-10-08T18:13:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize at the time that I wrote that last blog what had really happened at the marathon. Turns out my decision to stop wasn't so bad after all...they actually canceled the race about a half hour after I had called it a day. Conditions were too hot and they had run out of ambulances to help people who needed it! They straight made people turn around and walk back...I'm glad I did it when I was close to the start area instead of way out west.

The worst part is that race officials are denying that water stations were out of supplies! Can you believe that? What reason so us runners have to lie about it. And how would so many of us have the same story if it were not true? Worst of all, he is blaming the runners for taking TOO MUCH water on a day where the temps were 88 degrees while runners were still going?! Are you kidding me? This race director has absolutely no class! I realize these conditions were off the charts, but please do not lie about what really happened? Canceling the race? I understand why they had to do it. But lying about the water stations? Uncalled for!

And there are some runners saying that they didn't see any stations without water...maybe that would be because they were closer to the front of the pack? Ya think?

I still want to run a marathon, but now I'm not sure that I want to give my money back to the same marathon that is denying their role in the failure of the event. Maybe it would be best to find another city to run it in? I guess I'll get that all figured out in a few months!

Again, to everyone who completed the marathon on that brutal day, my hat goes off to you! You are amazing! And to those family, friends and spectators who brought out water and hoses and whatever else you could find to help us out, you are life savers. Literally! I hope you know how much you helped us all!

DNF

2007-10-07T13:41:00.000-05:00

Yes, its official. I Did Not Finish. And I wish I could say I was trucking along with all my might when the course decided I was not fast enough and turned me back, but no. It was me. I made the decision to quit. Ironically, I think it was right where they make the people not clocking a fast enough time turn around...but it turns out that was quite a bit after I passed that mark.

So, why did I give up? Well, first of all, it was hot as hell. And then, de ja vu, the water stations ran out of water! Seriously, you have people running a marathon in 80+ degree weather and you don't have a back up plan for water stations running out?! Ridiculous! But most of all, my feet hurt...bad. Those ugly, nasty calluses I developed during training and that I hated so much because they kept me from being able to wear all my cute summer shoes...turns out they were there for a reason. They have almost fully gone away during my lack of training here at the end and I paid the price for that today. My feet were killing me.

I got to the half way point and I said to myself, "Self, is it worth it? Is it worth the suffering you are about to endure for at least another two and a half hours to get that medal?" And the answer was no. So, I veered off course and headed back to Grant Park. Defeated.

Am I upset? Not really so much, surprisingly. Even though I really was hoping to finish today, I think I'd already written it off way back in my mind somewhere. I truly do not feel bad. I wish I had the 30th anniversary medal instead of one I'll get in the future (Because I will keep trying until I beat this thing!), but other than that, I'm really kind of happy I'm not still out there...dying. To everyone who did finish...I commend you tremendously! It was not pretty out there and you didn't even let it phase you! You are my hero!

I guess this means this blog is not over yet...on to the 2008 Chicago Marathon!

This is it

2007-10-06T21:33:00.001-05:00

Right after I write this, I'm going to go to bed. I'm going to wake up way too early and head out into the heat. I'm going to run the marathon. In 88 degree highs. I'm not even sure of my strategy at this point, but I know I will be out there. And I will do whatever I can to make sure I cross that finish line. This is it.

Big sigh...

2007-10-05T11:35:00.000-05:00

My lack of blogging is primarily due to fear. Fear of the marathon. Yes, kids, its finally here. Sunday to be exact.

At first I was scared because the most I've run any given week for the last 6 is twice. Yeah, burnout is a bitch. But, I figured I'd just go out on marathon day and have a good time. Run, jog, walk, skip, whatever. Enjoy the crowd and have fun, ya know? No big deal.

Well, there is a new fear brewing...the weather is forecasted to be 88 and sunny that day! What the hell? Did someone forget to tell them this is October? In Chicago? Yeah, we are talking we are about to break a record high. Seriously. Now, I'm thinking its not going to be fun no matter what. Being under trained and having heat stroke? That I may not be able to convince myself to suffer through?

So, now, I don't even know what to do. Great.

27th Mile Celebration!

2007-09-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

Marathoners, listen up!

Running Jayhawk is so graciously organizing a post marathon brew fest! Come out to relax and unwind from your amazing feat! Please leave a note in my comments or Jayhawk's if you want to come so she can reserve enough space for us all! Here are the details:

Who? YOU!
What? The 27th Mile Celebration...RBF Meet Up...Post-Race Celebration
When? Sunday. 10/7 at 6:30
Where? Garrett Ripley
Why? Because you just ran 26.2 miles, want to meet some RBFers, will need a drink, and can unload your tales of blisters and trots and walls to people who actually understand :)

Hope to see you there!

Marathon Fool!

Good Bye, for now...

Bunny Update

Anxiety Attack

HYC & Big Decision

HYC Check In

Half Success

Magic Number 6!

HYC Check In

Off to a Bad Start!

This Week's Goals

Tired Morning!

HYC Check In

Hello Again!

Some Serious Willpower!

A Good (Hard) Run & Some Pushups

A Lazy Evening

13 is a bad number, anyway!

Whirlwind couple of days

Oh, the humiliation!

Hee Hee

ChallengeS

Fool Proof!

Hmmm...where's the running?

Rise and Shine!

Reality Bites

4 Months

Another run & String Cheese Rocks

11 Miles: Conquered

Hot and Windy!

My first PR!

Confession

This never stops being amazing to me

Ahhhh...the morning run

Runnin' Nine & Feelin' Fine!

If every run could be like this!

What a difference 40 seconds makes

That was a doozy

The "other" streak is over!

I survived!

Finally broke the streak!

Good Food & Mojitos

Week 4...DONE!

Doesn't this sound fun?!

Guess what I saw?

10:08

Nothing to be afraid of!

Where to start?

Just a Teeny bit closer

Crabby

Off-Topic: Event Ideas

May the Wonders Never Cease!

We got GOT!

Looking back

The first bump in the road

My 4 miles

Success feels so good!

Treadmills

Just like I thought

Tough Day

New Shoes!

It has officially begun!

I knew I shouldn't have done it...

I'm on a roll, baby!

And another one...

Oh Yeah, Baby!

Bombed!!

A beautiful day

Blob-o-rama

I think I might actually make it...

Inspiration

Decaf: Day 2

Morning *cough* Coffee

Training style

Small Steps

Oh, me booty sore!

Hello, Soreness!

The crickets are a chirpin'!

Portland Marathon is official

The Fam

Morning cough Coffee