Higher Miles

Does Anyone Work Anymore?

2012-02-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

Friday afternoon I left work a little early to tackle a bunch of errands. About half way through, I wondered where in the world all these people came from - shouldn't they be at work? I guess I miss a lot in all the hours during the week when I sit in front of a computer for work. I thought grocery stores would be empty and it would be a breeze to get through town and tackle errands - I was wrong. Even the dog grooming place where I buy the dog food was hopping.

In the end though, dog food was purchased, new running shoes were purchased, the car was washed and I went to three different grocery/specialty stores to get food for the week.

I planned on doing a 20 miler Saturday and wanted to get all my errands out of the way on Friday so my weekend was completely free. My plans changed a bit though. My husband's plans changed last minute and he wasn't going to be gone all day like we originally thought so we decided to hang out together and go look at property for sale.

I'm pretty sure I found another reason why I like running. Instead of exploring back roads in a car, I can do so on foot. If you are on foot, you do not get car sick. The final two hours of our adventure were rather miserable. I was hot and then cold, had a headache and on the verge of puking with every curve we drove around. West Viriginia roads are like that. Luckily, it quickly went away after we were back on the interstate.

So, no 20 miler on Saturday. Instead, I just hit the treadmill for some miles in the evening because I was antsy for not running and being cooped up in a car.

I woke up Sunday morning with the plans to get in the 20 miles. I'm pretty sure between the new shoes and the Brooks Nightlife jacket I wore (which I won last year on a blog contest and still love), I looked like a complete tool. No one should wear that much fluorescent clothing. Most people would probably break in new shoes as well but I figure there was no better way to break them in with 20 miles. I figured they were going to work and felt safe doing so. I'm believe I was right! First 20 miler of the year complete, despite it being fairly cold and windy.

An ironic thing from my Friday errands. I spent an insane amount of money on the new shoes yet when I went to wash the car, I made sure to go to the car wash where the hand bays are $1.75 instead of $2.00. And, I certainly wouldn't go through the expensive automatic one or the one where someone else actually washes it for you - far too expensive!

Friday Food - Chicken Pesto Shells

2012-02-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

I admit that I have a lazy side to me at times. Of course, it depends on what it is if I'm lazy or not but with cooking, I can definitely be a little lazy. I tend to avoid anything that just seems like too much of a hassle and one pot meals are my favorite. I found this recipe on Pinterest awhile back. My husband was looking over my shoulder and said they looked good. Stuffing the shells seemed like unnecessary work but I figured I'd give it a whirl...stuffing those shells...didn't take as long as I thought it would. Since I'm on the whole freezer cooking kick, they were made in advance, frozen and then baked on a weeknight. They are not very healthy but they're good!

Chicken Pesto Stuffed Shells

recipe adapted from What's Cookin, Chicago?

1 box jumbo pasta shells

8 oz. light cream cheese, softened

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan plus 1/4 cup for topping

7 Tbsp. prepared pesto (I used a whole jar but it was a very small jar so this is a guess!)

4 cups finely diced/shredded cooked chicken

3 cloves garlic, minced

Cook pasta shells according to the package directions for al dente. While cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drain shells, cool slightly until you can handle them. Stuff shells and divide between two 8x8" pans. Top with reserved 1/4 cup cheese. Cover and freeze for later use. To bake, thaw. Bake, covered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve with a separate sauce if desired (I liked them plain but my husband needed sauce since they are a little dry plain).

Changing Seasons

2012-02-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

Today, I ran on my lunch break and was completely comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt. I was also perfectly comfortable in the backyard in shorts and a t-shirt during a vigorous game of fetch. But, snow is in the forecast for tomorrow. Last week, I ran in shorts as well, no problem. However, when I met up with a group of running buddies to run trails this past Sunday, I was bundled up and we made our way through trails with snow covered trees. I don't mind the confused seasons since it just equals a fairly mild winter. I'm just hoping it's not snowing come April!

photo stolen from friend off FB of our beautiful Sunday run

Last Saturday I managed to squeeze out a long, slow 16 miles. I felt fine during it but admit I was getting a little bored in the last couple of miles and not overly peppy. I was thrown off my normal early morning run routine and being a creature of habit, that is hard. I started late morning after going out to breakfast. For those looking for advice, this is not a good order to do things. I knew not to eat a large breakfast but still found myself burping during the first half. Nice. By the time I was nearing the end, I was just thinking about what else I needed to complete errand and chore-wise for the day. I'll be sticking to my early morning runs as much as possible.

With that 16 miles, I ended the week at 50 miles which I believe is my highest mileage week ever. After Saturday's 16, I met up with the group for 10 miles on the trails and that was all after doing P90X Plyometrics on Friday which has been leaving my calves a bit sore, but I love the feeling sore in different muscles feeling! I feel like I'm accomplishing something and hopefully cranking out those miles and picking that up will help me actually be able to finish the races I have coming up in the next few months and if I'm lucky, maybe not even come in last!

With all the talk about Google Friend Connect going away, I set up a Facebook page for this blog...not that I really have any plans on doing anything with it...but feel free to add it -- there's a little box on the right of the page if you follow things that way.

Friday Food

2012-02-03T04:35:00.000-08:00

The UPS man dropped off a big box yesterday. A big box...must be something really exciting. Probably expensive or fun...right?

Inside the big box...a bunch of Gladware! Sorry to disappoint. I couldn't find the OvenWare at any stores (OK, I only looked at two but I hate shopping) and figured it was just cheaper to order online anyway. I only have a few and can't remember where I got them from in the first place. They kind of come in large quantities when you order this way...

You may notice there's a new button on the right side of the blog. I'm sure the 10 people who read this blog look over frequently. If you don't want to click off your reader to load the page, I'll just tell you what it is...

The new button goes to the Once a Month Mom website. At the top, it says contributor. I raved about this site awhile back. It's freezer cooking and once a month cooking organization on crack. I pretty much love it. Love it so much that when the were taking applicants for new contributors, I applied. Loved it so much that my over the top application landed me a spot. I'm not a Mom and I'm not on a diet but starting with the April menu, and posts beginning in March, I'm the new contributor for the Diet (basically healthy/lower calorie/fat, not diet in a bad way) menu at Once a Month Mom. There's an insane amount of planning that goes into it so even though I won't be visible for awhile, I'm already working away.

Running updates are rather boring these days unless a race is involved. My life isn't really very interesting either but I might be experimenting a bit more in the kitchen while keeping my freezer fully stocked for stress-free, easy and healthy (sometimes) weeknight meals...so, it seems like a good plan to attempt a Friday Food post. I found a few from the past to post. Now that I'm stocked up on my favorite containers that stack well in the freezer, are reusable and can go in the oven, I'm ready to go.

I'm already getting back into the swing of things with regards to taking pictures of food. My husband will have to sit through me stealing his dinner plate to take a picture before he starts eating again (his always looks better than mine for some reason). He had to put up with it for a year when I did a cookbook for the family so he is used to it. I promise there won't be posts on here every single day showing the oatmeal and apple that I ate though.

January Miles

2012-01-31T15:24:00.000-08:00

How is it possible that January is already over? If someone can also explain why I was able to go for a run in 60 degree weather in shorts and a t-shirt on the last day of January in south central PA, that would also be helpful.

January Numbers:
Total Miles Ran: 171
Number of those miles that involved me holding a dog and a leash: 38
Number of those miles on trails: 37

On today's run I came to the conclusion that one of the latest pairs of shoes I bought (August or September??) officially need retired. They must go where my running shoes go to die - dog walking or lawn mowing shoes. The part that is really hard about this - they aren't old...at all. They probably only have 75 miles on them, if that, I have no idea, that's not something I keep track of. They just aren't working for me and I think they may aggravate my left foot which sometimes gives me issues.

When I bought them, while I liked them at the store, they never felt right from the first run. I was hoping they would be my next 'long run' shoes. With trail races and Ragnar approaching last fall, I put them aside, and ordered a super cheap pair of the original Brooks Launch online for my fall road shoes.

My first pair of the Launch treated me pretty well so I knew they were a safe choice. Except, the super cheap pair were actually a half size smaller than what I normally wear...it's all that was in stock. But, the original pair I had were small too. The sales person thought the smaller size was better when I bought the first pair. I went with it and after some breaking in, they seemed to feel OK, but I kind of always thought I still needed my normal size.

Then, November came and I had foot issues. The new Brooks Defyance seemed to aggravate it so I put those aside again. The 2nd pair of the Brooks Launch was OK but I was convinced this pair seemed smaller and still wasn't in love. The dog also ate part of the heel on one of the shoes, although that doesn't really impact their use! So, I broke out an old pair of Newtons and along with my trail shoes, this has been my rotation. Of course, after I took this picture, I realized I actually have another pair in the rotation. This pair of Kinvara's are over a year old and they have been my treadmill shoes (don't run on it that much!) and they stay inside and nice and clean.

In January, miles were either on the Kinvara on the treadmill in the super early mornings, the very old pair of Newtons or the fairly old pair of Inov-8 trail shoes and sometimes the half-eaten, too small Brooks Launch. I wore the Newtons on all the longer runs and by far, they have been feeling the best.

I tried again today on the Brooks because I thought with my foot feeling perfectly fine, maybe they would work and I'd like to get some use out of them but it was definitely a no-go, after 4 miles, I wanted them off. Now that they are out, I'm considering buying a new pair to add into the mix soon...I was really hoping it wasn't going to be the Newtons - too expensive! Of course, if I'm running on a pair that I bought in 2010, I guess the longevity should counter-balance it!

Four pairs of shoes in rotation - how about you?

PureFit Bars (Product Review)/Friday Food

2012-01-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

I think I am going to attempt to get back into a Friday Food mode. It may not last since I'm not exactly consistent with anything on this blog, but I'm going to make the effort to do at least one food post a week which includes a meal from the week. Why? Well, there's a few reasons but there is one specific reason which I'll be sharing soon relating to a new side gig! Of course, I don't have anything for this week related to food, but I can share my thoughts on some nutrition bars.

Like many other running bloggers, a couple of weeks ago, I received samples of PureFit bars to try. I was up for doing this product review since I'm always on the look out for good, nutritious products that work with my stomach! They were advertised as gluten free, vegan, high protein bars that were nutritious and great testing.

I received the samples which included each flavor of PureFit bars: Almond Crunch, Berry Almond Crunch, Chocolate Brownie, Granola Crunch and Peanut Butter Crunch.

Right off the bat the company earned a plus one in my book. A message about adopting from a shelter? Works for me. Marketing companies love me!

The first bar I tried was Almond Crunch. Honestly, I didn't care for the flavor, it wasn't terrible but cannot see myself eating one again. It did keep me full with no issues when I ate it in the morning when I needed to eat something but could not handle anything heavy since I was planning a run in about an hour. The next one I tried was Granola Crunch. This flavor worked for me. I enjoyed it and had part of it before a long trail run and the other half after. All of the bars take some chewing a good amount of water to get down so I wouldn't be incorporating these while I run (hence the reason I ate part before and then the rest after). The chocolate brownie flavor worked for me as well but I wasn't crazy about the other flavors. Overall, a good bar but I can only see myself purchasing two of the flavors.

*PureFit sent me the bars free of charge in exchange for reviewing them.

I Don't Play By the Rules

2012-01-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning brought the first real winter precipitation of the year. I looked at it out the window while I ran on the treadmill and listened to my husband shoveling. Often, I get the snow shoveling duties but was happy to skip out on this and and also wuss out on an outdoor run.

On Sunday morning, though, I couldn't look at the treadmill after the 8 miles on Saturday (I think the most I've ever been able to stand is 10 on the treadmill). I wanted to run longer so I headed out without a real plan on where I was going to go. The only thing in my mind was to run 14 miles. After having my closest encounter of getting hit by a car (and I admit it was totally my fault) as I was trying to avoid some ice, I decided to just run loops in my neighborhood. The loop is only a little over 2 miles. I'm pretty sure I've solidified my spot in my neighbors' minds of being on the verge of crazy after running repeatedly by all of their houses for 2 hours. I thought the loops would actually drive me insane but it was actually kind of nice to just completely zone out.

Sometimes it's nice to break the rules a bit.

I was recently tagged by Marlene for the latest tag going around the blog-world:

1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
~~4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer~~   I actually really enjoy reading these things on other people's blogs but I'm not going to tag anyone so I'm not going to post questions either!
~~5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them~~ I never tag people, it just feels weird for me to do so!
~~6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!~~   Sorry, sometimes I break the rules.

The Random Facts (the 'I Don't Play by the Rules' version).
1. I usually have one diet soda a day. I've thought I should probably cut that in the past but really have no real desire to change it.
2. I rarely floss.
3. I didn't attend my high school graduation. It was partly to prove a point.
4. My musical tastes are quite varied. The most explicit rap song may be played followed by a country ballad and then some obscure indie folk group.
5. If there is some sort of required form/license/etc., that I think is stupid or pointless, I won't do it. When/if they catch up with me (rare), I'll handle it!
6. When the dogs poop in someone's yard, I'll clean it up...unless it's one of the few neighbors that I don't really care for.
7. I'm a terrible picture taker (see below and why in the world do I have a blog then?). Pretty much every major life event could pass and I won't have any photos of it. I'll have plenty of random food and dogs though. Luckily, my husband likes to take photos.
8. Standard meals mean nothing to me. Breakfast foods for dinner are fine and dinner foods for breakfast are fine. Is it weird to think there is nothing wrong with eating a huge portion of eggplant parmesan at 8 AM?
9. Dessert after breakfast is also perfectly fine.
10. If there is something I don't feel like dealing with at work on a particular day, I'll leave it for the end of the day to send an e-mail. Then, if I get a follow up call about it, I can avoid dealing with it until the next day. Pretty sure we all do this!
11. My husband thinks I hide food from him in the house. I don't hide anything. I just strategically place certain items in the pantry and refrigerator.

Marlene's Questions
1. What is your favourite pair of non-running shoes? Birkenstocks.
2. What are you wearing right now? Jeans and a sweatshirt...that's dressed up!
3. What is the first thing you would do if you won the lottery? Quit my job and devote more time to animal rescue.
4. Are you named after anyone/anything? Nope, my Mom just liked the name.
5. What is worse – being too cold, or being too hot? Too cold, definitely.
6. What is hanging on your walls at home? Lots of black and white photos.
7. What is the last thing that you took a picture of? Probably the Pure Fit bars that I need to do a quick review for!
8. Who is the last person you spoke to on the phone? Some client or someone from work. I avoid the phone outside of work.
9. Where did you go on vacation as a child? Outer Banks
10. What is your favourite TV show? Don't really have one right now.
11. How many pieces of jewelry do you wear regularly? 2, wedding ring and engagement ring...but have the time I don't even have those on. Definitely not a jewelry person.

Recipe: Korean Food, Tony Horton, Cold, Wind

2012-01-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

I have a pretty set routine and like it that way. Run Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Some sort of cross-training Monday and Friday and usually and extra one thrown in on Wednesday if I have time. Sometimes Friday is a complete rest day. This structure started when I first started 'training' for that first marathon and I've stuck with it since then.

I also have a pretty big love for workout DVDs. It started long before I got into this running thing. Back years ago, when I decided I was ready to lose weight for real, I decided to try the Firm DVDs. I kind of loved them in all their cheesy glory. And, well, they worked for me. I lost over 50 pounds with those suckers.

Eventually, I got tired of them and I discovered Exercise TV on Demand. That's when I found 30 Day Shred...like so many others. I actually had no idea who Jillian Michaels was when I started that one. I'd never watched The Biggest Loser and seem to often be out of the loop on popular culture. I tried several other non-Jillian workouts and in most cases, they sucked. They weren't really workouts or had some sort of complicated choreography that I couldn't keep up with. But, not so with the Jillian workouts.

I've pretty much stuck with all DVDs Jillian since then. But, then, Pam was offering up her P90X DVDs a few weeks ago and I hopped on them. Friday, I was in the mood for something a little different, so I decided to do the Legs & Back workout. I don't have a pull up bar so it was really only Legs and then I threw on Ab Ripper at the end. During it, I wasn't in love. The moves felt a little tough but I seemed to be able to keep up. I like the whole combo of adding in cardio so I get a sweat going. At the end, I wasn't sweating so I didn't really feel like I did anything. I wasn't sure these were going to be for me either.

Then, Saturday morning came. The muscles in my ass were super sore for the previous day. Nothing in my legs but the ass muscles were definitely feeling the pain. It was another cold, windy day and after walking all of the dogs, I wussed out and hit the treadmill instead of taking my usual Saturday morning run. So, I ended up with six easy miles on the treadmill due to sore ass muscles and the cold chill outside.

Sunday morning, the ass muscles were still sore but getting better. I had planned on meeting up with a group to run about 16 miles on trails in the afternoon. I had also properly fueled for the trail run by eating massive amounts of Korean food Saturday night and following that up with some cinnamon rolls for dessert.

By the time we started running, I wasn't feeling 100% but figured I'd still be pretty good to go. It was super cold again but by the time we climbed the first hill, I shed my first layer. Unfortunately, half our group of 4 decided to cut this one super short due to one person having some knee pain. I continued on with another friend who was looking to get in 9 miles after already doing 7 in the morning. Honestly, I was quite relieved. That 9.30 miles felt long and wore me out. I was relived when we were back at our vehicles. I'm not sure I was up for 16 miles on the trails this day!

It wasn't a great run, but I kinda like that part of it. I've been stepping it up over the last few weeks and have been feeling pretty strong. Sometimes it's nice to have one of these days to remember what it's like to work on something you should really be able to complete with little problem. It helps me appreciate all the good days as well. Plus, gives me something to work against and realize that maybe I should think about what I'm eating and all that good stuff again. I think I'll stick with the P90X as well, pretty nice to unearth some unused muscles.

Consistently Inconsistent

2012-01-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

The other day, my husband poured himself a bowl of cereal. He went to the fridge to locate whatever milk or milk type product I had in there. On this day, he found a glass bottle with regular cow's milk. A few weeks ago, it would have been almond milk. Before that, it would've been the same local milk he found this day. A few weeks before that, there was nothing and he would've had dry cereal. He asked when we went back to regular milk. To which I replied that I have no idea what I am doing either when it comes to the milk.

Which products I buy and don't buy when it comes to food, at least any food item that either comes from an animal or is an animal is one of the things I'm probably the most inconsistent with. I just can't seem to figure out where I am.

Ages 0-16 - I ate the very typical middle class American diet. My mom cooked the meals. Eating out was considered a treat. A dinner was the typical protein of some kind, a starch and a vegetable. I ate eggs and cheese and meat. Meat was a bit rare because I just never really liked it but I still ate it a little.

Ages 16-21 - Vegetarian years. I still ate eggs and dairy. My diet was absolutely terrible and unhealthy. I ended up at my highest weight ever.

Ages 21-current. The consistently inconsistent era. I know what I feel and believe from a moral and ethical standpoint but that doesn't always mean I follow through with it.

What I believe: I do not have an issue with eating a product from an animal or an actual animal if I know the animal was raised and lived in a humane way and was slaughtered humanely.

It took me a long time to figure this out and even now I feel a little funny putting it out there. That line alone can open a huge can of worms. I'm sure many people believe there is no actual humane way to slaughter an animal and that any cow we use for milk cannot live in a humane way. I grew up in the country and know plenty of people who farm. It's not the product I have a problem with, it's the methods.

For years, I thought I needed to have the vegetarian label. Eventually, I figured out I wasn't doing it in a healthy way. I dropped the label. It worked, I got healthy.

I'll never be the type of person that goes to a restaurant and orders a huge steak. I just don't like meat enough to have a huge hunk of it. A large chunk of my meals end up being vegetarian because that's what I prefer, but not all. I do enjoy a sandwich that may have chicken on it and eating a bowl of soup made with chicken stock isn't so bad either.

But, I end up feeling guilty again. I follow a trailer with a cow and stare into the cow's eyes driving down the highway. And, I start to avoid beef. I take a back road and pass the turkey farm. I see turkeys packed in a building looking out the one small window they have. And, I stop eating turkey. Pretty soon, I'm resorting back to my old eating ways where I just eat crackers all day and realize that isn't healthy. Any time I eliminate animal products completely, I eat really, really unhealthy.

So, I try to change the cycle again. I go back to what I believe. I buy milk and butter locally knowing what farm it came from and feel OK about it. I buy organically pastured chicken, organically pastured beef and eggs from a local farm and I feel OK about it. They don't stare at me like a crazy person when I show up to the farm and ask where the animals are slaughtered. Guess they are used to that sort of thing.

But, then, there's other items. Maybe yogurt. I like yogurt. I found some locally but it just wasn't for me so am I a hypocrite for buying the regular yogurt at the regular grocery store? I prefer it over of the others. Maybe I need to stop eating that. Cheese - tried that locally as well but honestly preferred the stuff at the regular store.

Then, some days I may want to make something for dinner and I don't want to have to deal with the whole frozen chicken that I bought at the local farm. It would be easier to go pick up some chicken breasts at the store. Or, I get lazy and want to go to one store, not five different places for the weekly food. So, I cave. Or, I go back to the almond milk...and the crackers...

And, I get confused again.

Anyone with me?

Old Dog, New Tricks

2012-01-05T12:51:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in one of my 2012 goals, I want to be more consistent with running with the dogs this year. There are several reasons for this but one of the biggest is time. I am a firm believer in the whole 'if you want to do something, you can find the time to make it happen' concept. One of the things I make time to do every single day is make sure the dogs get a walk...a decent walk. When I just had one dog, it was easy. When I had two dogs, it was also fairly easy. When I got up to three dogs, it started getting a little more complicated.

One has dog aggression issues and a hatred for all types of delivery trucks, one is hyper and crazy-active, one starts barking like crazy if the other two get worked up. Mix all this with some idiot neighbors who sometimes let their dogs run loose. Walking all three together ended in pure chaos at least 50% of the time. Next, mix in one dog with an ACL injury who needs severely restricted and controlled exercise and I ended up finding myself taking three dogs on three separate walks each day plus trying to squeeze in a run on many of those days as well. It only made sense to try to consolidate some things together a few days during the week.

First up, my in-house inventory of potential running partners:

Who wants to run?

Potential Running Partner #1 - Lab Mix, estimated age 8-9 yrs. but no one really knows. Known as Jackson, J, JJ, Big Boy, Old Boy and Gramps. Adopted six years ago. The biggest fan of the daily walk. Prefers routines and schedules. Will try to kill other dogs, particularly golden retrievers, if not introduced in a very structured way. Will attack whatever is closest to him if the UPS truck drives by. Has many other quirks and seems to be growing more and more into the old man who is just a bit lost in his own little world.

Potential Running Partner #2 - Beagle, estimated age 7-8 yrs but no one really knows. Known as Kasey, Kase, White Boots, Booty and Maria. The second adopted, about five years ago. Not a fan of exercise, prefers sleeping and eating.

Potential Running Partner #3 - Lab/Pit/Dobie Mix? Who knows. Estimated Age - 3 years, most of which was spent in an animal shelter. Known as Hannah, Nanner, Banana and Morgan. Adopted seven months ago. Can be a terror.

Kasey automatically gets knocked out of the picture. She won't run. I tried a long time ago. It just doesn't work with a beagle...or at least this beagle. Plus, she has a bum leg. So, she's the cool-down girl. She gets her short, modified walk after the other two get their exercise. Luckily, her cuteness can make up for her lack of interest in exercise. She used to be a nightmare to control as well, the cuteness got her over those hurdles too.

Sleeping is how she spends most of the day

Trying to obtain food fills the other half.

I hate you people, stop laughing at me.

Next up, Hannah. The natural. I've run with her since we brought her home from the shelter. She needs it, desperately. She either needs a run with me or a long session of fetch each day to make her manageable. Somedays though, it is frustrating to run with her and I'd rather just have a calm, relaxing run by myself. She's tripped me, on more than one occasion. The first minute or so is usually bad until she gets into a rhythm. If I take her, I have limited routes because I don't want to take her where there is any traffic. But, it's good for her and um...those problems aren't really problems. I'll stop whining.

Bowling over little dogs is a popular game

Fetch...it releases the demons

Sleepy dogs = Happy People

Jackson, the old boy. My surprise case. I tried running with him the past but I was always trying to tow Kasey too and it never worked. I never tried running with just him, he seemed fine with a nice walk. Over the past month or two, I decided to try to see if he'd run since I was already walking each one separately. He's getting up there in years but the girls in the house must keep him somewhat young. I certainly don't push him (unlike Hannah, who I push to wear her out) but he seems to be enjoying it! He seems to start getting a little tired at 2 miles so that's his distance.

At our wedding

Even older picture, even less gray on the face!

My system is warm-up with Jackson for up to 1-2 miles, swap out, anything up to 6 miles with Hannah (she could definitely do more, I just can't stand making my immediate neighborhood loops any longer than that), swap out, and a quick cool-down with Kasey.

Workout complete - dog walks complete. It's a win win!

2012 plan (First Half) and Goals

2012-01-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

Running Related Goals for 2012:

-Run at least 1500 miles. This should be easy to achieve as long as I don't have any injuries throughout the year. I ended 2011 at 1460 miles.
-PR in all distances. Might sound aggressive, but I should be able to do it.
-Become more comfortable and experienced running on trails. See plan, I've pretty much gotta do it!
-Run an ultra longer than a 50K. Got one scheduled, see the plan.
-Run with the dog(s) a minimum of 2x/week. This should be very easy. Sometimes I slack in it and just walk the dogs. They get a walk every single day. Sometimes running with them can be a bit of hassle and I just venture out on my own but I'm going to work on this -- for 2 of the 3!
-Strength/Cross-train at least 2x/week. Self-explanatory so hopefully I don't destroy myself in attempting the above.

I'm going to spend the first half of 2012 trying to figure out if ultras are for me and then figure out what to do with the rest of the year. But, the first half of 2012 is already jam packed and I'm committed to the following.

The plan:

3/10/2012 - Chambersbug Half - This is a given, have to do it. It's five minutes from my house and the scene of my first half in 2010 and in 2011, I ran it and was the first time running a half under 2 hours.

3/24/2012 - HAT Run 50K. Signed up for way back in September, before I'd tried any of these crazy trail ultras. It sells out very quickly. Luckily, I decided I still wanted more after those...even if it's partly for revenge and to prove I can do it better than what happened this past year!

4/29/2012 - Gettysburg Marathon. It would be nice to say I signed up for this because I liked the whole concept or was looking forward to running in a location with historical significance...but, that would all be lies. This fits in well with the schedule, gives me a chance to get in another long run and is an quick, easy 30 minute drive to the start line from my house. The one reason I considered NOT signing up was it's a 'No Headphone' race. I like music on long runs on roads but can certainly live without it. A race is more fun than just another long run around my normal routes.

5/19/2012 - Capon Valley 50K. Another chance to get in some quality trail time and I've heard this is a good one.

6/16/2012 - Highlands Sky 40 Miler. This is pretty much what all the above is leading up to if it isn't obvious. I've had my eye on this one for quite some time (if I'm being truly honest, I have many that I have my eye on and may or may not have some possible tentative schedules for the next few years). I wanted to do it in 2011 but knew I needed more time to truly prepare for it so I've pretty much been planning on signing up for this for a long time. It's not going to be easy but as the site says, the course will try you and equally reward you when finished.

2011 Year End Review

2011-12-19T13:38:00.000-08:00

The obligatory year end recap.

My 2011 goals:

under 2 hour half - check

a 'faster than first marathon' marathon - check

complete an ultra - check

run at least 1500 miles - damn you left foot and job stress, close but not quite

lots of ab work - um...yeah, not so much.

The accomplishments:

January - Officially started a new job. Let the stress begin. On the running front, went full circle and repeated the 5 mile race that pretty much prompted the whole dedication to running thing in 2010. Off to a good start...

February - Attempted to start training for my 2nd marathon and was de-railed by the whole month in China for work thing.

I will pose awkwardly in front on this tree while dude on the left will totally pose for this picture.

March - Came back home and after quite possibly the longest, worst travel experience ever (all of the trouble happened after I had landed back in the US), I somehow managed to complete goal number 1, running the Chambersburg Half under 2 hours, just a day after I got home.

Side note: That recap post is by far the one search engines hit the most, I doubt too many people find my tips for a sub-two half very helpful.

Wait...is that the finish line? And what does that clock say? Must be why I look like I'm about to die.

April - Turned a point to point 15K into a 30K and had the first bout of 'funky left foot' issue. Pretty much gave up on marathon training because I just wasn't into it with everything else going on around me.

The waist pack is so attractive, plus the cropped pants on a short person, not sure a great combo.

May - Turned 30, ran the Pittsburgh marathon (completing goal #2 by running faster than my first -even if I wasn't fully prepared) and got the third dog the day after the marathon.

June - Totally not into running post-marathon. Vacationed, wallowed and watched sunsets to escape the madness of work.

July - Ran a 5K, got a new PR which seemed to get me moving again and excited for the fall.

August - Ran a 5 miler, got a new PR, hitting my goal of under 40 minutes. More excitement and motivation.

September - Ran a 30K at an 'easy' pace. Felt good about it and my potential - excitement and motivation continues to build.

The next week, ran a 5K with the dog.

October - And the next week...slipped, slided and crawled my way up, over and around this mountain in the rain, mud and the cold. Ended up having many memories, like Spiderman lady and 'tap, tap, tap, tap, tap' hiking pole man. The day was totally worth the craziness and hours of fun.

Those rocks look different when you stare up them.

I will not fall on the rocks...I hate these rocks...I will not fall on these rocks...

Rested a few days and then hit the road with the ultra Ragnar girls to run Ragnar PA, having another highly memorable weekend full of lots of fun - even if I officially injured my foot.

Note to self, do not race four weekends in a row, especially when they are all weird, random events.

November - After a one week delay due to snow, it was time to tackle a 50K, which I barely, barely completed in time. Bad foot, bad day, but of course, I want to go back and tackle more ultras for revenge. That was pretty much the extent of November due to my forced time off.

Maybe it would've gone better if I wasn't sleeping while running...

December - Not a whole lot going on but with a pretty much healed foot and an exciting new year coming, it's time to get motivated...as soon as I get rid of the plague that hit me last week. Husband blames running outside in the cold (and continuing to run in cold while sick). I blame going to a dance recital and sitting in an auditorium full of people and children. Children = germs, right?

Goals for 2012 - Pretty simple - bigger, badder ultras, and new PRs in every distance along the way. Yep, that's it...bring it on third year of running! Coming soon, the plan for doing this.

What's Your C.O.R?

2011-12-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by Kara's post about the amount of $$$ dropped on race fees. So, let's talk money and running. I had my numbers easily accessible and it's rather interesting to see the how much this little love costs.

I didn't spend a penny on any sort of running clothes or gear this year. However, I did run 12 events, stayed one night in a hotel for two of them and bought several pairs of shoes. The total for the year 2011, $1489.30.

The only thing not factored in would be gas to drive to events. Also, I should note this was the total for anything paid for in 2011. This means two races that I'm already registered for in 2012 are included but two races I paid for in 2010 but ran in 2011 aren't. It also included double fees for two 5Ks since both my husband and I ran. Running Ragnar was the by far the biggest $$ suck (not surprising since those dollars are going to a for-profit company).

Admittedly, I am good with money. Growing up in a family of accountants does that to you. I like to stretch a dollar (you may disagree seeing that number above). I got my first credit card right after getting my first 'real' job as a sixteen year old. I knew how to use it responsibly even in those days. I've never paid a penny in interest or unnecessary fees outside of a mortgage or a car loan (all of which will be paid off long before term). My first investments happened before I was out of high school and things like savings accounts, 401Ks and other retirement accounts are important to me.  I'm not poor but I'm certainly not raking in the dough either.

I keep a monthly budget because I like to see where my money goes. I like to see the breakdown of fixed costs versus variable costs. I like to see the difference between wants and needs and where adjustments can be made if I wanted/needed to. My budget spreadsheet has a row just for running/races.

Racing is expensive so I definitely consider cost in what I pick and plan for. Most of the stuff I run is small, local and not that expensive but when you start stringing them together and add in other costs, it can grow out of control.

Apparently, a large chunk of the US population seemed to miss the common sense rules and like to live beyond their means with no regard for tomorrow. I probably wonder to myself every single day how a particular person affords xxx. Whether it is someone on a TV show (think HGTV House Hunters shows), seeing someone in my neighborhood/community or reading someone's blog. Particularly when it comes to racing...I wonder how people truly afford all the high dollar, big name races and the amount of travel costs that goes with them.

I'm pretty sure a lot of people don't want to add it up but then again, why wouldn't you? So, what is your Cost of Running (COR)?

Side note: My spreadsheet has a line for all dog related expenses (food, vet bills, supplements, toys, beds)...it was higher than the racing/running costs. Apparently I like things that cost a lot even if none of them involve stepping inside a mall (couldn't tell you the last time I was in one!) or accumulating 'stuff'. And, if you want a real shock - keep track of how much money you spend at the grocery store in a year.

Results

2011-12-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

Feeling like you are 'back' is a wonderful thing. The past weekend was jam-packed and I loved it, except for the fact that I could barely get out of bed Monday morning from being tired.

Saturday started a bit late due to my Mom spending the night with us Friday night as she was en route to my sisters place. After spending the morning grocery shopping, walking the dogs and squeezing in a six mile run, it was time to hit the road for a family holiday get together. When we got home around 10 PM, I had to get started on my tasks for the big cooking day on Sunday. I didn't have it in me to do a bunch of chopping so I mixed together the bread dough and called it a night.

Sunday morning started with a 13 mile run. This has been my longest run in well over a month and it was absolutely wonderful. I wanted to do around 13 but wasn't completely sure about the old left foot and figured I'd start out with 8 and see how it felt. In my normal fashion, about 8 miles in is when I started feeling really good and in the groove. I arrived home on a complete runner's high and ready to tackle a bunch of cooking. It also had me feeling like I'm back. The past few weeks as I've eased back into running I have been slow, really, really slow. I finally feel like I'm getting back to where I was.

The once a month cooking thing is no joke. I started at 10 AM and went non-stop until 6 PM. I even skipped one recipe (bacon mac 'n cheese) because I was just plain exhausted by the end but completed almost the full November whole foods menu. I had mixers, blenders and pretty much every pot in the house in full rotation all day long. There was stuff going in slow cookers, the oven, multiple burners on the stove top, every chopping board and knife I could find. It was crazy...but I think worth it.

Here's what a freezer looks like after you do this kind of thing. I can't cram one more single thing in there (sorry for the terrible picture - our kitchen island makes it difficult to get a freezer picture).

The results:
-3 loaves artisan bread (very good - already tried it)
-2 blueberry breakfast bakes (very good - one already gone)
-2 containers butternut squash soup (good - tested it for seasoning)
-2 containers chicken parmesan (having for dinner tonight)
-2 containers tahoe bake (basically a strata)
-2 containers burlattas (basically burritos - filling very good, I had extra and ate for lunch yesterday. I wussed out and used store bought tortillas, didn't have it in me to make my own).
-2 containers pumpkin risotto (not real great but edible)
-2 containers beef bourguignan (don't know, didn't taste)
-1 large recipe worth of french dip sandwiches mixture that I just need to dump in the slow cooker one day
-2 packs of lemon poppyseed pancakes (husband approved - indicated they were very good).
-1 large pan of cranberry chicken and sweet potatoes (don't know yet - frozen in raw form)
-2 very large tomato basil paninis (fresh was good, one is gone already - I really don't think this is going to freeze well, but will see).

Faceplant Friday

2011-12-09T11:10:00.001-08:00

Some randomness for Friday.

Yesterday, I was finishing up a 5 mile run and had my running partner with me. She decided to trip me about 50 yards from the house. It resulted in a full out splat on the pavement. Luckily, since it was cold out, I was fairly bundled up so just have bruised up knees as a result. But, pavement hurts in case you didn't know.

The WTF? look on the dog's face as I tried to get my self upright again was priceless. Like she was trying to say "You're the one that makes me run so damn close to your side, not my fault if you trip over me."

Earlier in the week, I made some veggie burgers for dinner. I thought they were decent but other household members disagreed. Said granola burgers are not to make any more appearances. Not sure why I suck so bad at healthy, vegetarian meals. Most of my eggplant dishes have also been banned. Hopefully I'll get some winners out of this weekend's cooking batch!

Planning and a New Love

2011-12-06T14:12:00.001-08:00

My injured foot seems to be back to 95%. I survived a 10 mile run on Saturday and 6 on Sunday with no sharp pain. There is still a very slight twinge feels like a bruise. At least I now feel I'm not crazy to continue planning for next year. So, I recently spent some time coming up with the plan for the first half of 2012 and a schedule to go with it (which will be revealed soon). I am excited about it but also very excited for the planning part of it.

I love picking out schedules, mapping out a plan and putting together all of my to-do lists. I am this way with everything. If I have a schedule and realistic goals, I typically stick to it, as best I can. If I have no schedule, I flounder aimlessly. This goes for pretty much everything in my life. Work, running, normal chores, goals in life. If it's not planned, I revert back to my college days where I am 'so busy' only to discover that in reality, I just got sucked into some 'Real World' marathon (do they still have that show?) or a countdown on VH1. Of course, today, what typically happens is I get sucked into the neverending vortex of the internet and can suddenly realize I just spent 3 hours looking at tax returns for non-profits online (don't ask, I'm weird).

I always make to-do lists for the weekends for all the normal household chores and shit that I need to do.  Lately, I've been trying to do more of those chores throughout the week. Seems like if I schedule it out, it's easy to do which just leaves more free time on the weekend.  Another thing I do is plan out meals for the week. I have had very little motivation in the kitchen these days. I keep skipping over lots of posts on all the food blogs I follow. I'm the type of person who loves to do a big, huge gigantic meal where I spend 2 full days in the kitchen.  Normal stuff for the week? Not so much, at least recently. Lately, it's been a lot of pulling out the container of salad mix and placing it on the counter and then making a PB&J sandwich. Dinner is served.

I need a change and I thought back to earlier this year. When I found out I had to be out of the country for a month, one of the first things my husband questioned was what he was going to eat while I was away.  Where was the concern for the fact that I was travelling, completely alone, to a foreign country?  How on earth could he feed himself for an entire month! Before I left, I spent one day making tons of food and freezing it. Typical guy friendly stuff - lasagna, chili, meatballs, burritos, cheesy potatoes, pepperoni rolls. I can't even remember what all I made but it was a lot and I planned it all out and efficientally knocked it out in a day. The planner in me totally loved packaging up all the individual portions and labelling them with reheating instructions. As I was in the midst of the cooking storm, I proclaimed we would probably be eating this way more in the future.  It was so satisfying to see that freezer packed full of food ready to go. I loved it. Then, I never really did it again.

See where this is going? Yes, once a month cooking. I decided to do a little more research the other day because I was ready to take a day to cook a bunch of food and throw it in the freezer. I happened upon the Once a Month Mom website since it's pretty much the first one that comes up and fell in love. Meal plans (including vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.), grocery lists, labels to print and instructions on how to cook all items for that month in the most efficient way. Be still my heart, I am in love. If all goes well, I should be making the November whole foods menu this weekend. If not this weekend, next (depends on some family and holiday obligations).

Now, if I get all this cooking out of the way, I should have some extra time to waste. ~~So, would anyone out there be so kind and share a~~ ~~Pinterest~~ ~~invite with me?~~   Updated: Got one, thank you!

21 Things

2011-12-01T11:34:00.001-08:00

Amy at Ready.Set.Run! tagged me for the 21 Things post. I'll play along, thanks!

1. I absolutely love research. I research things to death. Case in point, after getting our first dog, I researched dog food and created spreadsheets to compare ingredient lists and average cost/pound. After narrowing down my top 5, I contacted the companies for samples and made the dog do a taste test so I could figure out his preference. I still feed the same food, Canidae.

2. I rarely drink. The only reason being that I don't really like the taste of anything. Sangria can be nice during the summer and if an event warrants drinking just to feel normal, I'll sip on a glass of wine.

3. I despise icicle lights at Christmas.

4. I have a weird paranoia about ear wax and tend to feel the need to clean my ears frequently. It happened after getting an odd comment from a doctor at an urgent care place.

5. I'm not the least bit religious.

6. I've always been really interested in women's rights/gay rights/civil rights, etc. After college, I interviewed for a job with the civil rights division of the department of justice (I was considering law school). I was offered the job but did not take it. I will admit to feeling like part of the reason I got the offer was because I was white.

7. Partly due to #5 and #6, I had pretty specific things I did and did not want included in our marriage ceremony so I wrote it. We got married on the beach so I wanted only 'nature' type references and no religious references and no references that made it seem like I was becoming property of a man...that might sound psycho.

8. I have a great love for cheese breadsticks from Pizza Hut. If my husband is out of town, I usually get them for dinner. After a race (like FOTM), I might call him on the way home to order some to have ready for me (he despises Pizza Hut).

9. I never wear makeup. I think the only time in my life I did was in middle school...I'm sure it looked wonderful.

10. For obvious reasons, I don't go into details about my job on the blog but I work in the financial research and software industry and have for the last 9 (yikes!) years (though I've had several different positions).

11. When I was in China in February and March for work, I had to learn, very quickly, how to eat with chopsticks. The thought never crossed my mind until I was there. Luckily, I picked it up and my co-workers said I was pretty good.

12. Speaking of eating in China, I also tried to be as adventurous as possible. So, I tried chicken feet, pigs feet, all kinds of seafood, so much delicious fruit and many, many things that I couldn't even tell you what they were. Nothing made me sick and I ate at quite a few restaurants and street vendors that probably wouldn't pass too many health inspections. This fruit was one of my favorites and lotus root was my favorite vegetable.

13. I have no desire to have kids. There was about a six month period sometime in 2008-2009ish where I was ready to jump on the baby train but I changed my mind and do not see myself changing again.

14. I hope to never buy a house in a sub-division again. Life without neighbors, just property, would be nice.

15. I'd really just like to move to Utah. I mention this to my husband probably once every 2 weeks. I fell in love with it out there when I went on vacation last year (don't think it'll happen!).

16. Cooler weather makes me want to bust out the knitting needles and get the Ravelry account active again. I'm itching to do some sort of project because I haven't done anything in quite awhile. This was my last successful sweater.

17. They don't always go so well though...I started this one in 2006. I have the back, front and one sleeve finished. Every year I think I'll start on it again after successfully completing something. Then, I start, get frustrated with this overly complicated, tedious project and stop again for another year or more.

18. My dogs names are Jackson, Kasey and Hannah. Jackson was first. Then, Kasey. We tried to call her Jaycie but the 'J' sound was too confusing for them so it morphed into Kasey. When we got Hannah this year, I really thought I needed her name to start with an 'L' (J,K,L) but none of the 'L' names seemed to fit her. So, I went with Hannah. Maybe I need an 'I' to complete?

19. Speaking of the dogs. I like the rejects. Of course they all come from animal shelters but we seem to be on a streak of true rejects. Kasey was originally a stray, adopted out once but returned. Then, we took her...and spent 3 years making her into a normal dog. Hannah was surrendered by someone, spent 6 months in the shelter and then adopted out. Those people then returned her as well. She spent a few more months in the shelter, got really sick and spent a lot of that time under quarantine. I haven't volunteered as much as I would've liked this year but I went back in May and she was still there after I'd taken her to a PetSmart adoption day the previous November. Couldn't get her out of my mind, so she came home and back to being healthy!

20. Pumpkin ice cream is a love. A local place, Trickling Springs, has the best and I've tried many to make sure I'm right.

21. It would be really nice if I could just run, cook, be crafty and volunteer at animal shelters and rescues. I could fill up my days, no problem. Until someone drops off a huge pile cash, I'll just squeeze in as much as I can of all the above!

Always feel weird tagging others so it'll probably stop here.

November and Real Life Lessons

2011-11-30T10:03:00.001-08:00

Today marks the end of November. I updated my little spreadsheet where I track miles ran and saw a number with two digits staring back at me in the monthly total column - 87. To be honest, it made me sad. November is the first month of the year where I did not log 100+ miles. My foot is still a little iffy but it's definitely starting to get better. I'm still icing it every day but I've been able to run short distances and it's no longer in terrible pain, just a bit of weird twinge. I'm calling it 80-85% healed. Over the weekend, I was counting miles and trying figuring out how many I should run because getting to that 100 number was feasible, just not necessarily smart.  Then, I finally realized I was just being stupid. Why risk anything when it's finally getting better just so I can look at a number on a spreadsheet and feel happy.

On a completely unrelated note, yesterday I had to make a call to our mortgage company regarding handling of funds from a insurance claim. After the call, I found myself feeling like a complete idiot and wondered how I function in day to day life.

When we bought our house six years ago, I didn't have any clue about many of the details in buying a house. After the closing, I'm still not sure I understand half of the details involved in buying a house. After refinancing a mortgage to a shorter term and lower rate, there were still several things in that process that no one could explain very well. Either I can't understand or no one at any of these companies understand things well enough to explain either.

Anyway, after that whole process, it left me wondering why I didn't have the opportunity to learn more practical real life stuff in all those years of school and college. Calculus from high school doesn't really come in handy too often. All those deep, meaningful group discussions during literature classes in college aren't too helpful either. Why didn't I learn more practical stuff about mortgages, taxes, retirement plans and other normal daily life topics? Seems all that stuff I learned from my parents or on my own along the way.

In Lieu of a Turkey Trot

2011-11-25T18:59:00.001-08:00

I had to miss the local turkey trots, but I didn't mind. I still managed to run (for the first time in a week again) here:

It was glorious.

I went for the run after spending the morning doing this:

Then, I ate way too much food with the family and spent the afternoon doing this:

Not a bad way to spend a holiday.

My parents moving to a place that is 1/2 mile away from the beach - pretty sweet. Having to drive 8+ hours to get there, with three dogs in tow...not so much...but, guess it's worth it!

The Good News...and the Bad

2011-11-22T14:21:00.001-08:00

On Friday, I went to the podiatrist. At first, I feared it was going to turn into yet another one of those doctor visits I hate and the reason I tend to shun them off completely. Like a good patient, I filled out all the paperwork in advance. Once in the room though, the assistant girl started asking me all the same questions verbatim. About half way through, I was tempted to say, "Can't you just type this stuff from other those papers sitting in front of you?" I held my tongue though.

During the actual exam of my foot, I ended up confusing myself. As she was pressing and pulling on all different areas and asking me if it hurt, I kept saying no. At one point though, it was started to hurt but I wasn't sure if it was just if she was pressing really hard or if it truly felt different. In the end, I ended up being sent for X-rays to check for a stress fracture and a follow-up appointment today with instructions to stop running, ice it and use Bio-Freeze on it until the results came back.

I stuck to the rules. On Saturday, I spent 12 hours away from home acting as spectator and support crew for the JFK 50. It was a blast. At one point, our 'crew' outnumbered our number of runners but everyone knew quite a few people actually running so it was fun to try to catch as many as we could while still staying with our three actual runners whose stuff we had.

During the start of the race, one friend noticed a guy starting to run and carrying his bag of stuff. She offered to take it for him. All we had was his bib number and we were going to look for him along the course and if we couldn't find him, just take the stuff to the finish line. Turns out, the people he was with must have just taken off without him.

At the first stop where family/friends are allowed, we found all our runners and shortly after ended up finding runner 1076, mysterious green bag guy. I can't believe we actually found him but we ended up being able to catch him at each station as he was just a few minutes behind everyone else we were helping. This means he was able to change shoes when he needed, get whatever candy, food, etc. he needed out of his bag. He was quite grateful. The memory card on his camera was also full so we played photographer as well saying we'd try to find him at the end and exchange info.

I honestly had no desire to run JFK previously. It has become insanely expensive over the past few years and the thought of 26 miles on that towpath sounded terrible. We were on it for about 14 miles during Freedom's Run marathon and I was dying to get off it by the end of just 14 miles. It's flat and monotonous. I ran the Appalachian Trail section several times over the summer and enjoy it, although cussing at the rocks is inevitable. Therefore, I really didn't have it on 'my list'. Of course, that all changed after spending the whole day there Saturday. I'll probably have to do it.

Somehow we missed our group of people actually finish, ending up at the finish about a minute late. We were there to catch number 1076 though. After getting a photo, I attempted to scribble my number and e-mail on a piece of tape for him. Luckily, it worked, he was able to read the e-mail address and now has the few pictures we were able to take. Turns out his friends finished almost 2 hours ahead of him and I guess just ditched him at the start.

Over the weekend, my foot continued to feel bad. Just taking the dogs for a walk and it would start to feel funny again. I was fearing the worst. Then, today, I had absolutely no pain. Although, due to the rain, I actually haven't done anything, not even a walk. I went for my follow up appointment today and luckily there is no evidence of a stress fracture. She was going to give me an injection but I really didn't want it (although she did explain it to me and it wasn't what I thought it was going to be so it sounded better than my initial reaction of 'no way') but agreed that I didn't need it if I already felt it was getting better. Therefore, the good news is I'm probably just fine. The bad news is I probably should have just given it more time on my own. Lesson learned...again! What did I say in the last post about rushing off too soon? It had been over a month though...guess it just didn't really help that I continued to try to run on it for that long (and do a 50K).

What will she say?

2011-11-17T06:45:00.001-08:00

After Fire on the Mountain, I took an entire week off running to hopefully completely heal whatever is going on with my foot. A week, as in 7 days, not 3 or 4 which is typically how I've defined 'a week off' in the past. By Wednesday, I'll admit I was itching to run but continued to hold off. This week rolled around and I pretty much knew there was still something going on with the foot, but decided to try a short run again. It's certainly not any worse but I can't say it's a whole heck of a lot better either.

I tend to be fairly anti-doctor all the way around. I tend to think most people go rushing off to the doctor way too prematurely. And, in my experience, even if I go to the doctor, I likely won't do whatever they tell me, won't take whatever medicine they prescribe and won't end up at whatever next appointment they suggest. I end up wasting a bunch of time and come out frustrated.

However, since I've been dealing with the whole foot problem for more than a month, I'm starting to accept the fact that there might be something else going on. The pain I have is in the ball of my left foot. I've actually had this once before. Same foot, exact same pain. It happened during a race I was doing as a way to get a long run in when I was getting ready for the Pittsburgh Marathon. That time, it went completely away in a few days and I got through the marathon plus an entire summer of running with absolutely no problems.

This time around, it started right after Megatransect. I thought the week off (4 days) took care of it, but I was in pretty bad pain by the end of Ragnar. I tried the whole rest and take it easy for the rest of the month just to get me through Fire on the Mountain.

This week, I decided to accept the fact there is something wrong and actually break my no doctor policy. First, I reviewed my insurance to see how it works. I'm not kidding when I say I don't really go to the doctor. I go once a year for the whole routine physical/womanly check stuff thing but that's it.   After confirming that I can go to whatever doctor or specialist I want, I decided to make an appointment to see a podiatrist. My decision for which office to go to was easy. Pick the one that sponsors local races since you know the people there run.

So, I'll see what they have to say tomorrow and go from there. That's why it's a little quiet around here again!

On a positive note, I'm really looking forward to hanging out at the JFK 50 Miler this weekend, playing spectator and support crew. Good luck to all those running!

Fire on the Mountain 50K

2011-11-08T05:42:00.000-08:00

I had a few fears going into Fire on the Mountain. I feared my left foot wouldn't hold out for 32 miles. Turns out, I should have been more worried about my mind giving out. I feared I wouldn't be able to make the 9-hour cut-off time. When I mentioned this to a few other people, I don't think anyone believed me. Turns out, it wasn't that crazy of a worry. I made it, but barely! I feared I would be dead last. I had to face this one as well. However, it still feels better to be dead last than to give up.

Due to the ice and snow last week, the race was postponed a week. This gave me an extra week to deal with the whole foot thing. However, it gave me a whole another week to deal with the whole left foot thing. I ran, a little, but not much during the week, just enough to stay sane and keep me feeling like I had it in me to do a 50K. Sunday morning finally came around and I woke up at 3:45 AM, 15 minutes before my alarm was scheduled. Of course, due to the time change, this was actually a fairly normal wake up time which was nice. I ate a Clif bar, fed the dogs, drank some water and was just antsy to get in the car and leave.

I made the drive to Flintstone and found base camp fairly easily. Got my number and headed back to the car to wait since I was there pretty early. My sister called and was a little lost, fearing she wasn't going to make it in time. The busses weren't even there yet, so I told her she had plenty of time and went to get her number. Pretty soon, the sun was up and we were loading onto the busses to make our way to the start line. I have absolutely no idea where we were. I had only been to Green Ridge State Forest once before and hiked some trail but I don't think it was anywhere near the places we went for Fire on the Mountain. During the ride, I understood why this had to be postponed due to the snow/ice. These weren't really roads you'd want to be on in a school bus under icy conditions. Pretty soon, we were all assembled and we were off to make our way for a mile or so on the dirt/logging road before hitting the first trail.

We hit the first trail and started going down. It was a little rocky, a little technical but not bad. It was here where we started the first of many, many stream crossings. When I read on the website there could be up to three dozen stream crossings in the first half, I don't think I really believed it. Up to 36, really? Could that be possible? The first few we passed through were just tiny, easy to jump across, even for my short legs. By the third or fourth one, it wasn't even worth trying to jump over them, time to just start trudging through them. Soon, we started a pretty decent climb, followed by a pretty steep descent that I just shuffled and slid down.

We made it to the first aid station, about 5.5 miles into the day. I should mention that I didn't even wear a watch to this. I left the Garmin at home and couldn't find a regular watch so I just decided to just go without. The Garmin sometimes frustrates me in the woods so I thought I'd prefer not having it to distract me. Luckily, my sister at least wore a regular watch. It was kind of necessary in understanding that whole 9 hour cut-off thing that I was trying to avoid thinking about. Passed through the first aid station and at this point, still feeling fine.

The next section had a bunch more stream crossings. They kept getting deeper, and colder. A few went almost up to my knees. My feet started getting numb in this section and while I figured running was the best option to try and dry them out, I just started tripping from not being able to feel my feet very well. They were so cold. So, I walked a bit off and on through this part. Just when I thought I was starting to feel my feet again, through the water we went again. Pretty soon, we were at the next aid station. I was getting hungry and feeling my energy dropping so we stopped here and ate some pretzels and little bit of PB&J.

Next up, the green trail. During this section, I had a pretty big breakdown. I felt like I had no energy and I didn't really want to be there. I wasn't having much fun and I was fairly frustrated at myself. These trails were exactly what I expected for an ultra. They had a few sections you had to walk, but it was definitely runnable for the most part, nothing like what we had in Megatransect. I should have been prepared for this and should have been feeling better than I was. Everything hurt.

I broke out in tears, told my sister I didn't know if I could finish this and kept having an internal battle with myself because I really felt like I wanted to just quit. I was ready to get back to my cozy car, drive home and curl up on the couch and watch some bad reality TV. I had a Clif bar in my pack so I ate that. Kept moving, slowly, one foot in front of the other. At one point in this section, we also lost the trail. We didn't venture that far off it, we just could not see where to go next. It was probably a good five minutes just staring off into the woods, looking for the next marker. Eventually, we found it (it was obvious, we just went past it and the trail went to the left). Some other people caught up to us at this point (I thought we might be last already) and this combination seemed to give me a little energy boost.

Now, we were at the half way point aid station. I spent some time here eating and drinking. I do not think I was eating enough throughout the day. They had soda at this aid station so in addition to the normal PB&J square and some M&Ms, I drank some Mountain Dew. I have no idea when the last time in my life I've had Mountain Dew but at this moment it tasted good. We were only half-way through but the view here was worth doing this whole thing. So, I kept on moving. We were told we were finished with the stream crossings and the second half would be easier since a lot would be on logging roads and wouldn't be technical trails.

We attempted to run on the logging roads but everything on me just hurt so I walked more of this than I really should have. The roads were really hard so my bad left foot felt every sharp jab through my Inov-8 shoes. Walk a little, jog a little and repeat. This section was probably 8 or so miles total. A couple caught up to us along this point. The woman's watch was messed up and they feared they would miss the cut-off time as well. After some clarifications on what time it was and how long we'd be going and where we were, we all came to the conclusion that we should all be able to finish if we kept moving. I was really happy when we finally saw the sign for the turn back onto the trail. The jog a little, walk a little continued but it was a little easier to run since it wasn't as hard of a surface. Of course, we were also back on trail which meant it was just slower in general.

On the trail, we caught up with a guy who was really struggling. We weren't exactly sure where we were. We'd past a self-serve aid station a little while ago so we guess were were probably 24-25 miles in. I knew the next aid station was at 27 miles. He started walking and we continued on, agreeing we'd tell the volunteers at the next aid station about this guy. Looking back, I wonder if one of us should have stayed with him while the other went to the aid station but once we got to the aid station, we told them and a couple of the guys started walking back to find him.

After eating some more sugar and a few more salt pills, time to keep moving. The trail continued down but it started to get a little rocky and uneven, making it more difficult to run. Eventually, we seemed to be in a clearing again and could run. If you can even call it that, I was moving in some sort of odd shuffle type jog. The miles continue to tick by but they seemed to go so slowly. I just kept looking and looking for a field with cars, thinking we had to be there soon. We got to get our feet wet a couple more times with stream crossings too. Eventually though, we made it out into the field and jogged around the perimeter to get into the finish line. Crossed the line with a time around 8:48 and according the results, we were dead last but we made it! At this point, I was just done with the whole day, I grabbed a handful of pretzels, talked a bit with the few people remaining there, got a smoothie from the Sheetz truck, got in my car, took off my wet shoes and socks and drove home barefoot.

The day had me wondering if I'm cut out for ultras but I'm still planning on trying a couple more in the first half of next year. It was a bad day overall, but I worked through the mental battle to still finish it. I tried to cram a lot into this fall. Also, I've had no plan whatsoever. This whole year, I've been using the 'run when I want, how far I want' plan and it had actually been working but it may have finally caught up with me. In other races, I've certainly had the feeling where it would be easier to quit, it would be nice to be finished, but I've never had the feelings like I had this day where I just wasn't sure if I could actually finish.

Photo credits: Tri-State Runnur and Jason Griffith (thanks!)

Hold that Thought

2011-10-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

The 50K I was supposed to run today? Didn't happen...will happen next week!

Due to the freak snow storm, it created icy road conditions that were going to prevent us from getting into the state forest. Also, the buses to get us to the actual start line weren't going to make it so the race was postponed until next weekend.

I'm sure this messes with some people's schedules, but it works for me. One more week to get my foot back to normal!

When I woke up Saturday morning and saw the snow, I just stood in amazement. Despite seeing the forecasts, I honestly didn't believe them. Most of the time those things are just plain wrong, especially for this town. I grew up with tons of snow but we really don't get much here. I totally planned on still going to the race but checked e-mail the afternoon and found the announcement.

So I ended up with another rest day and then today, I ran 11 miles, a third of what I'll run next weekend. Afterwards, I went out for a huge lunch, equivalent to what I should have been eating if I had actually completed 50K.

And, I've totally failed at staying out of the Halloween candy. Thank goodness I'll unload the rest of that stuff tomorrow night!

Countdown to 50K

2011-10-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

I'm planning on continuing my 'rest' this week. These guys seem to have the rest thing figured out. They trash the house, crash and then let me clean up whatever they moved/messed up/broke. Wonder if I can get away with it?

Hopefully as I take it easy this week I will be able to stay away from the Halloween candy I bought for trick-or-treat next week. I spent $65 on candy this year, seriously? Isn't that a bit pricey?

One week out from the 50K. The forecast so far looks wonderful and my foot is still a bit tender but am hopeful that it will survive. I continued to take it easy this weekend, only running 6 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday. Both days it felt a little funny for the first mile or two and then went away but I did not want to put in long mileage.

I knew October was going to be interesting with everything I was trying to pack in it, just one more week and we'll see. For awhile, I was secretly thinking about an early November marathon depending on how I felt after the 50K but I'm pretty sure that is going to be out of the question now!

Obsessed?

2011-10-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last night, while my husband and I were eating dinner he said there was a segment on the latest episode of HBO Real Sports that I needed to watch. It was about people who were obsessed with running. I grabbed the remote, flipped on the OnDemand and tried to find it...it wasn't there. I checked the channel guide to find the next airing, nothing coming up soon. At that point, he said I wasn't supposed to want to watch it to admire these people but to make me realize what I'm becoming. Umm...huh?

Still wanting to see it, I tried to find it online but could not. So, today, I found the next scheduled airing and set the DVR. While it was recording, I went for a run (not kidding). When I got back, I turned it on and fast-forwarded it to the running segment. The segment features 3 runners. Raven, who runs the exact same 8-mile route each day and has every day since 1975. Catra Corbett, an ultra-marathoner who does many 100-milers and is an ex-addict and Marshall Ulrich, who has also run many ultras and has also run across the country in 52 days.

The jist was basically these people relied heavily on the running, used it as a coping mechanism or a way to 'run' from other issues. They are extreme cases but everyone has their own ways of dealing with issues in life.  I got the point they were making about Ulrich basically disregarding his family and ended up with several failed marriages due to his lifestyle. I guess I didn't find any of them overly nutty. Also, considering after watching it I looked up Catra Corbett because I found her interesting probably means I didn't get the point my husband was trying to make.

I'm pretty sure my husband thought this running thing was going to be a phase, just like anything else. I'd get bored with it and move onto something else.  Instead, I just seem to want to do more and more and I keep dreaming - bigger and better. I look up to people who do bigger and greater things. It keeps me motivated but I'm happy with my own successes and am not trying to be like anyone else. I'll be the first to admit that I have a somewhat obsessive, addictive personality. I get really into things and I'll also admit that at times I am quite nutty. At least I can laugh about it.

However, I do not think I'm obsessed with or addicted to running...at least not in a bad, compulsive way. I do not think I take it to extremes and think I keep it in moderation and don't really see myself taking it to an extreme in the future. I do not run crazy mileage - I just keep a base of around 30 miles per week and do not see this changing drastically anytime soon. I try to keep races to no more than one per month. I keep the amount I run with others in check (it always takes a lot longer with others meaning I'm away longer). I try to keep it in balance with work and everything else in life.

Over the past month or so, the amount of time I've been away or out of the house due to running has been higher than usual. I ran races 4 weeks in a row, the last two of which required me to be away for the entire weekend and also take 2 days off of work. That is not normal and not something I do all of the time, nor do I have any desire to. On top of that, I have been running with others a lot more, mostly due to wanting to run on trails and not going to do that alone. Due to others schedules and plans, it may take up more time to do this.

If anything, I would say the time I was the most obsessed was while I was training for that first marathon. Since then, I think I've figured out how to balance it all better. I attempted to follow a training plan perfectly last year. After it, I got a little more settled...and even burnt out for awhile. The burn out faded and I've been ready to go lately but I do not think it controls my life.

Then again, maybe I am just completely delusional.

Anyone else see the segment?  Anyone think they are an obsessive runner?

I ran!!

2011-10-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

Today, I ran! Four whole miles and it felt wonderful!

Despite being uber-motivated to run in my mind and heart, my foot basically decided otherwise over the past week and a half.

I took it very easy last week and kept trying to deny the fact that my foot was f'ed up.

On Saturday, I ran 14 miles on trails and it actually went pretty well. I thought my foot miracuously healed...or maybe I was still in denial. I desperately wanted to get one more good run in on some technical trails before the 50K to practice the art of not falling...even if I stumble a bit...and move faster than a snail's pace!

On Sunday, I biked for 2 hours with my husband...although I'm pretty much terrified of biking. I won't be switching sports anytime soon. A bad accident when I was a kid made me uneasy and my bike is my mountain bike from when I was in the 5th grade (literally), so I'm not really sure it was even considered real exercise.

Determined to get in real exercise after the bike ride, I tried to run but the foot was having none of it and I hobbled my way home just a few minutes after heading out the door.

Since then, I decided to do the smart thing and actually rest for a few days. Meaning, do nothing kind of rest. This doesn't really make me happy and I've been a little on edge...there's that little 50K in a little over a week looming over my head. I'm really nervous I won't be able to make cut-off times due to my lack of trail experience (and the amount of time it took me at Megatransect).

But, my spirits are a bit renewed. My foot was still feeling a little iffy but thought I was OK to try again today. I set out and felt great. I only went four miles, still trying to play it really easy but I so wanted to go longer. Hopefully, by continuing to take it easy I'll be ready to go next weekend!

Ragnar Relay Pennsylvania

2011-10-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

October 7-8, 2011 marked the first Ragnar Relay Pennsylvania. Several months ago, I got an e-mail from our lovely team captain asking if I wanted to be part of an all women's ultra Ragnar team. My initial reaction was 'No', because I thought I might be a little banged up from Megatransect the week before. However, after reading about the relay, I got sucked in and thought it sounded like a great time. Always making smart choices (haha!), I decided if I took the week off after Megatransect, I should be good to go by Friday.

Our team changed a bit over the months leading into the race. It took a little time to find a sixth member and one of original members had to sit out due to injury, but she become one hell of a support team member/driver/navigator! By race day though, we had a full team, we were all ready to go and excited to have a great time together over two days stuck in a van with each other.

Festivities began Thursday evening while we decorated the van. Due to connections from our last minute runner, we ended up with an awesome set of legs to attach to the top of the van, perfect for our "She's Got Legs and Knows How to Use Them" team. Legs firmly (hopefully) attached to the top of the van, pictures in fishnets and high heels, including our "Sharp Dressed Man" and we were ready to run.

Friday began with a 1 AM wake up call. I was lucky to at least got a few hours of sleep, a few people on our team didn't even bother going to bed at all. Van fully packed, the six girls settled in while our awesome driver and co-captain hit the road at 2 AM taking commands from the Mr. T GPS leading us Lancaster for our 5 AM start.

Arriving in Lancaster shortly before 4 AM, we got our necessary gear from the start line, which was just getting set up since we were part of the first group of runners. Our first runner, Anna, got all of her night gear on and headed over to the start line. It seemed like just seconds later and she was off! The start was a bit of a blur and I remember thinking "Now what?". It seemed a little anti-climatic! We all piled back into the van and leap-frogged our runner through the first two exchanges. Since we were an ultra-team, each of us ran two back-to-back legs. I'm pretty sure I was in and out of full consciousness during these legs (sorry Anna!).

By the time our little firecracker of a runner hit exchange 2, the sun had risen for our last minute runner, Angie, to start. It seems the van got a little turned around during the next two exchanges. Pretty soon we were at exchange 4, although we didn't realize it for quite some time. Wondering where our runner was, since she is a really good, fast, runner, we finally figured out that we somehow skipped exchange 3 completely. Angie probably wondered what the hell happened to her team. She said she didn't want us sticking close to her but completely abandoning her until exchange 4 probably wasn't in the plan either.

On schedule, she arrived ready for our third runner, Charlene, to take off. This was the shortest section of a very long race and pretty soon it was time for runner 4, Nikki to take off. This was at a major exchange point, where normal teams would switch out vans. We were a bit ahead of pace so they held us back a few minutes. Also by this time, we were running/driving through gorgeous farmland in Lancaster county. Having grown up in the country, I thought I knew what farms looked like pretty well, but they are still very different in Amish country. I thought this part of the course was great.

While Nikki was running her heart out in Amish country, we were busy stopping and taking pictures while going through Intercourse, PA. How could you not!?! Somehow we got a little turned around making our way to Exchange 8. Turns out our runner did as well, adding an extra mile and half to her run...she only had the most miles anyway at over 40 during the course of the weekend, what is a little more!

After we were back on course and also located our missing runner, we enjoyed some yummy ice cream at the next exchange where Brenda, our captain, was ready to take off. By this time, I was fully awake and getting antsy to run. It had been a long time. Through more country roads Brenda ran before stopping at exchange 10 for me to take over. By this time, it was the afternoon.

I started, about 2 PM, along a somewhat busy road and in front of a strip mall but quickly turned into quiet, country roads. I had about 13.5 miles to run total on these two legs. The first leg was great as it rolled along a gravel road, passing through a covered bridge and I continued passing farms with horses plowing the fields and tobacco (I guess?) hanging in barns to dry. It was quite picturesque.

Before my run started, I was a bit distraught since I could not find my mp3 player. I looked for it frantically but to no avail. I was going solo on this and frankly not happy about it! One of the most fun things during this relay was to witness the nervous energy that each of us runners displays before we run. Checking and double-checking gear multiple times, reviewing the route over and over again and doing our normal pre-run rituals, questioning everything. By the time I was a few miles into this, I realized I didn't need the music, I just needed to enjoy the run. We were doing this solely for fun and taking the time we needed on each leg. As I continued onto leg 12, I was passed by a horse and buggy. That was a little odd. What do I do? Do I attempt to jump out of the way? Stop? I kind of just slowed down and hopped into the grass on the side of the road.

After a fairly long, gradual hill, I was back into a small town and ready to hand off to runner 1. By this time it was a little after 4 PM (I think) and finally, we had all run. It was now time to start all over again. We were able to fill up on some food before quickly trying to find our runner. We missed her during the first exchange but apparently she was quite the Energizer Bunny flying up the hills and encouraging others as well. As we tried to look for her, a guy from another team told us Anna helped get him through those hills...gotta love that! We made it to the next exchange in a park where our next runner was able to take off. By this point, I was getting tired so I resorted back to my semi-conscious state. I only truly fell asleep a few short times but was semi-conscious during several legs.

Angie made her way through Reading along some killer hills and some lovely sketchy, ghetto-land. Some more massive hills and eventually we were at the top of Skyline drive ready for Charlene take off on the first night run. Darkness seemed to settle in quickly and Charlene had about 14 miles to cover. The van, with our still amazing endless energy driver at the wheel, tried to stick close with her, leap-frogging as much as we could. We had been warned in advance that signs might be messed with and LEDs from the signs removed. We didn't want her getting lost out there in the dark. However, the runners got led off onto a path of some sort and we ended up getting a little turned around due to an unmarked road that we needed to follow. Eventually, though, we found her and she made her way to the next major exchange.

Exchange 17 was a bit of a cluster. There were people and cars everywhere. The exchange was on one side of the road and we wanted to get to the other where they had bathrooms (real ones!) and food. After parking, I made my way to the food stand with my mouth watering for some warm soup. By this point, I had basically eaten a banana and a bunch of PB&J and a few Shot-Bloks. I'd had a cold all week and was still not feeling 100%. My heart sank a little when the soup option was Beef Vegetable. I am not a fan so I settled for a turkey sandwich. It still tasted good and the hot chocolate was a treat. After everyone refueled a bit, we needed to get back on the road to get Nikki through the night legs. These roads had a bit of traffic and some of the drivers were driving a bit crazy.

After some long miles, it was Brenda's turn to tackle about 10 miles, including one bitch of a hill. She powered up that thing as the van leap-frogged her cheering her on. From the van we could see her headlamp, light and blue reflector on her shirt just chugging away. By this point, it was after midnight and I was getting a second wind. I was getting excited since it was soon going to be my turn to run again. Brenda brought it into the next exchange and I was off around 1 AM. I had a little over 9 miles to cover and for the night running, this was probably the easiest. I went through one little town so there were streetlights that helped, although the uneven, cracked sidewalk was a little tricky to maneuver.

Leg 24 started with a bit of a climb along a very dark road. It was the type with woods (I'm guessing!) off to the side and I got a little jumpy a couple of times through this section. The road was marked off with cones which we were to run inside of but sometimes that was difficult since they were so close to the edge of the road. Eventually, I made my way through another small downtown and into the next exchange, handing it over to Anna for her last run. We were actually getting there. Poor Anna had the most dark, nighttime running with two of her legs happening in the dark.

By this time, the legs on the top of the roof now had a name. Liza! Liza took out a tree limb and had to be adjusted during one of the earlier nighttime runs. She also took out some flags at exchange 25. Of course, this was minor compared to what was to come.

Around this time, our driver and wonderful cheerleader finally got tired...over 24 hours straight! He was remarkable! Our lovely co-captain took over the driving as we pressed on. During this leg Anna's foot became victim to a hole that wasn't illuminated very well by the headlamp, but she pressed on with her finish line in sight. With that, she was finished, just had to wait hours and hours for the rest of us!

Next up, Angie took over her last legs, most of which happened in the dark. At this point I was in my semi-conscious state again and cannot remark on too much that occurred. I think I actually fell asleep when we were at Exchange 26 but it must not have been long because when I woke up we were still there. I felt like I had slept for hours though. This stop had real bathrooms and I took advantage of being able to do a complete change and wipe down. By this point, I was feeling a bit disgusting. I ate the remnants of someone's egg sandwich and went back into my semi-conscious state.

Angie finished up her legs and was picked up by her boyfriend at the exchange point. Unfortunately, she had something else to do that day (can you imagine?) and wouldn't be able to make the rest of the journey with us to cross the finish line.

Charlene headed out on some tough mountains and probably thought we abandoned her since we stayed at the last exchange a bit for Angie to meet up with her ride. We left her without water but tried to make up for it when we caught up with her! She powered through the miles and finished her journey at one of the next major exchanges. This exchange was at a high school where we had more real bathrooms plus food. The sight of that cafeteria pizza put me in an excited state and it tasted delicious! Three runners finished and three runners to go, we were getting there!

Nikki took off for 16 very tough miles. Through the legs these girls we doing, we started to earn some major respect from other teams. Many were commenting on us being an ultra team and having our runners tackle these tough miles and double the miles. We passed through a quaint downtown, Jim Thorpe, on our way to the next exchange. At this exchange, Brenda was able to tackle a reporter who interviewed us for a story. We're so famous! By this point in the day, it was getting hot and the sun was beating down. Brenda took off for her final two legs, an extremely tough 17 miles. Leg 34 was going to be killer. Our wonderful support team did everything they could to keep her hydrated and motivated as she powered her way up the hill.

At the next exchange, as I was waiting for Brenda, I decided I was going to use her as my motivation to get through the final two legs. My foot was bothering me and I was not sure how it was going to hold out. I switched shoes to a brand new pair. The ball of my foot hurt after Megatransect and continued to hurt all week, just a mild, dull pain. It felt pretty good through the first two legs but I was thinking the ~34 miles I was putting on them over these two days might be pushing it.

As Brenda made her way into the exchange, I was ready to get through the next two legs. I was tired, going on virtually no sleep and my foot hurt. At a mile and a half into the ~11 final miles, I wasn't really sure how it was going to go. It felt hard yet what I was running was cake compared to what all the other girls just tackled. I just tried to ignore the pain and keep going. I knew I could get there, it was just a lot slower than I had hoped. I had really hoped I was going to have something left at the end to give, but I didn't. I just had to keep going one foot in front of the other.

My team filled up my water at the exchange point and I kept moving for the final ~6 miles. I was hot, tired and just ready to be finished. The road was a little difficult to run on because it was fairly busy and again there was no shoulder, only cones lined up on the road, but they were so close to the edge that it was hard to run inside of them. With four miles to go, it was time to just suck it up and get through it. In my head, I just kept repeating..."You are just walking the dogs, this is your normal, easy, daily 4 mile loop". Slowly the miles were ticking by. At one point I had to run along a freeway which was a little odd before taking the exit that led me into Pocono Manor.

Eventually, I could see people and knew it was almost over. My teammates were all waiting for me and we jogged it into the finish line. There was no kick at the end! Just like the start, the end was a bit anti-climatic, but we were finished and it felt so good! The end was a little disappointing. I was tired and none of the food appealed to me but the chocolate milk tasted good. We didn't hang around long. We were all tired and wanted to get home to a bed and shower, but still had a 3 hour drive. Our wonderful driver broke out a bottle of wine for us to enjoy. Surprisingly, as tired as we were, none of us really slept on the ride back. Guess we were all a little amped up. We did all of calculations to figure out time and pace and despite us all agreeing it was only for fun, I guess we all have a bit of that competitiveness in us. I certainly thought I could've done better but overall, it was still a great accomplishment. 202.1 miles, 6 girls, 1 van, 2 drivers and 35+ hours.

Those girls seem to have brought back my running mojo a bit though. I think I'm ready to get back on a real plan, with real goals. I have big things coming up but have been in more of 'do it for fun and just to finish' mode. I haven't been pushing myself for the last few months. I've kept my fitness level fairly level for the past few months.

So, thank you to all the Ragnar girls for an unforgettable weekend, good times and motivating me than you realize. You were all awesome. None of killed each other by the end of the weekend, we all got along and hope everyone else had a great time as well. Our only real casulty was Liza who fell off the roof on the way home. I'll always be the 'quiet' one but I enjoyed every minute of this!

Megatransect 2011

2011-10-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend turned out to be quite the adventure trekking through the woods completing the Megatransect, a ~26 mile ultra hike/run up and down Bald Eagle Mountain in Lock Haven, PA. I signed up for this on January 1st. It has become very popular (like many ultras these days) and sells out quickly - in 48 hours this year. It was hard to believe it was actually here.

Friday afternoon, I met up with my sister and we made our way to Lock Haven. After quickly checking into our hotel room and grabbing some dinner, we attempted to find the start/finish area to pick up our packets. We didn't have an actual address and the GPS proved to be ineffective so we were relying on our navigation skills and a few crude maps. Eventually, after a few stops for directions and more illegal driving maneuvers than I can count, we made it there, picked up our packets and made the drive back to the hotel. After a night of little sleep (thank you hotel neighbors who were up talking and laughing very late), we left the hotel around 5:30 AM and made our way to the start.

By this time, the rain had started but it was a light drizzle. I dressed in capris, a tank top and a long sleeve shirt overtop. The capris were a last minute choice, I was planning on shorts but the forecast changed looking like it was going to be cold and rainy. I had never worn these capris to run but I thought they'd work well. They did, except for the fact that the waist was way too big and I was tugging on them all day long. Stupid choice! Also, after overhearing others say the forecast now looked like heavy rain, we both decided to shove our jackets into our packs. This turned out to be such a good decision later in the race.

At 7 AM, we were off, making our way 3 miles on the road before heading into the woods. As the gravel road ended, we made a left turn, across our first stream of the day. This would be the last time for dry feet for the day. This would also turn out to be pretty much the last time I 'ran' for quite a long time!

Up, up, up we climbed the Link Trail and we went down before hitting the boulder field. This is probably the most 'famous' part of this race. The race changes every year, both in the trails used and the total distance. Due to the rain, the rocks would be slippery. I started up them, basically crawling up them and felt OK. I seemed to be able to figure out where to put my foot next and was feeling just fine. They could be slick but overall weren't bad. I thought I saw what I thought was a ridgeline and was feeling good. Then, someone said, about 1/3 of the way there! What!?! I thought it was almost over. After the first third, I slowed way down and tons of people were moving up faster than me. I kept finding myself moving over towards the right (not where I ultimately needed to go) and seemed to keep getting stuck with no good next rock to step on. But, I just kept going, very, very slowly and eventually hit the top. I think it took me almost an hour to get up them, the section is probably only 3/4 of a mile. I was so out of it by the time I got to the top that I didn't even see that my sister was standing right in front of me waiting for me. After a quick picture, we proceeded onward....

...to more rocks. Next up was Rattlesnake Ridge and down a trail called Winchester and I was very uneasy on the whole thing and moving slow. These rocks were much more slippery than the boulder field and I continue to move very, very slowly to avoid crashing hard on them. Eventually, we got to a level section and I attempted a slow jog into the 1st aid station.

Oh, the first aid station! I will never in my life forget the scene at my first ultra aid station. I have never seen more ravenous beasts shoveling food into their faces at such a frantic rate...and under such sanitary conditions! After a PB&J, some M&Ms and energy drink, it was time to keep moving along. At this point, we were only ~8-9 miles in and already at 3 hours!

I don't remember a whole lot of details about the entire next section. I know this is where it started getting really slippery and muddy and going down any incline, you just slid or fell and I went down half of them by sliding down. Every time we thought about running, it seemed like by the time the decision was made, we were back into another area that was not run-able (at least for me, the fast people had to fly through the whole thing!). It didn't seem like it was that long before we were at the 2nd aid station - about 11.5 or so miles into the race. After some more food, it was time to head out again.

Next, it was the Goat Path. An uphill, steep trail that seemed to be never-ending. My hands were swollen at this point so I figured I wasn't drinking enough and took a salt pill about half-way up. It kicked in quickly and I soon felt like I could close my hands again. After the uphill, we got to a short section that we could run on, followed by a some more water crossings and a crazy section called Giant Steps. A few people we were with at this point commented that half of this didn't seem like trails at all, just flags and ribbon hung randomly in the woods for us to navigate through. This definitely seemed true. The course is marked so well though, there is never a point where you question which way to go. Up and down more rocky, slippery sections we went, very, very slowly!

Somewhere during the later miles of this section, things started to get a little rough. It was getting cold, really cold and the number of times we were crossing streams seemed to keep increasing and each one got deeper. My sister and I were both very hungry and could not wait to get to the final aid station, at mile 21. Eventually, we were there. We spent a few minutes longer at this one filling up some food. We also both broke out our jackets at this point. We were shivering, hands swollen again, more salt tablets taken, more food eaten. The thing that stuck out to me the most at this aid station were the people passing through here that needed help opening the packs of peanut butter crackers. I kept hearing multiple people...'I can't open my crackers, can you open my crackers for me?' The volunteers were all wonderful, I wonder how many packs of crackers they had to open?

Soon, the food and salt kicked in and we were off, only a few more miles in the woods before we got back to the road. However, the final few miles were tough. Up we went on a steep trail called the Raw Trail. I have never in my life seen my sister appear the least bit tired or worn out in any of the races we've done together. She's much more experienced than me and goes my pace, not hers. She was actually feeling it at this point and kept commenting that she couldn't really feel her feet very well. At the top of this section, we hit another section like the Boulder Field - more rocks to navigate. After the rocks, down we went, slowly across more rocks and mud, rocks and mud.

Soon enough, I could hear rushing water, we were getting close to the original stream crossing. We crossed it, hit the road and started running. My shoes and legs were once again clean...but not for long!

Running actually felt really, really good. I am not experienced on trails so this was pretty new to me, other than times when I just go hiking at a very slow, leisurely pace and never across trails like this! Figuring we were just back-tracking to the original start line, it was a little disappointing when we saw we weren't going back on the road, we were going through a field. A very muddy field that many, many people in front of us went through. It had been rainy/drizzly all day. We ran most of it but I started walking in some of the sections that were super muddy. Soon, it ended and we were back on the road and hit the finish line. Hit the finish line in 10 hours, 14 minutes and 37 seconds. That is not a typo. I had no idea what to expect but kind of thought we'd be more in the 8-9 (probably 9) hour range! There were still many people to come in behind us. It was a hard, rough, long day for everyone but rewarding at the end and overall, very fun! It wasn't rough until I got really, really cold and I was also tired of being soaking wet!

Made our way back to the car, grabbed our stuff and headed to the showers. The shower was just enough to get the major mud off and enough to be able to put on clean, warm clothes. Bundled up in a hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants, it was time to eat! After filling up, it was time to head home. It was a three hour drive home, a long, slow drive in the dark, rain and windy PA state roads. Back at home, I got a real shower and then curled up on the couch..

Today, I'm sore, but nothing worse than the first marathon. Would I do it again? Absolutely! I don't think I will probably do this one again simply because I've done it and there are many others to try but I'm definitely up for more ultras - good thing since I'm already signed up for two 50Ks, one of which is in 4 weeks! They should have more trails to actually run...at least I think!

I now have 4 days to rest before Ragnar PA! Let's see how this goes!

Peace 4 Paws 5K

2011-09-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, I woke up and was excited to head to the Peace 4 Paws 5K to benefit Better Days Animal League. I spent the morning taking the other two dogs for walks since I felt guilty they were not going. Unfortunately, the other two don't really do well in public settings like this - Kasey, our beagle, will not run (I've tried) and our lab mix, Jackson, will run but acts like a complete idiot around other dogs so it was not an option. After tiring those two out, I leashed up Hannah and took her for a quick walk to drain a little excess energy and soon my husband and I were making the quick drive to Shippensburg for the race. He surprised me by deciding to run this one as well.

We got to the local rail trail and waited around for start time. I tried to warm up a bit with Hannah to see if she could just run without being distracted by the other dogs and people. I switched from her Gentle Leader Easy Walk harnass to a regular harnass thinking the clip in the back might help avoid her tendancy to grab the leash and tug...I think this ended up being a mistake!

We lined up to run and I realized that there were very few people running. Looks like most people showed up for the walk, which is understandable, but I expected more runners! I think the race did a little disservice to itself because registration was pretty much unavailable for a long time and well, I guess real runners probably didn't want to show up to dodge people, dogs and leashes. Oh, well.

We situated ourselves in the middle of the group and pretty soon we were off...and that's when things started to get exciting. As soon as 'Go' was yelled and people started running, Hannah pretty much felt like she needed to catch everyone in front of her, especially other dogs. I was braking and pulling her back big time to avoid tumbling down on the trail and this is where the other harnass would have helped. My matching bandana lasted about 30 seconds before it fell off my head.

After the first mile, it started getting a little better. We passed 2 people and a pit bull and that seemed to calm her a bit to get away from the group. Soon, we caught up to a beagle/jack russell mix and a border collie mix. I wanted to get around them, more just to get Hannah running right beside me to stop pulling.

Next, we had another distraction. Since it was an out-and-back course, the leaders started heading back. The fit guy and the boxer were first among the runners with the dogs a girl with a hound mix was second. That was it other than the two who were still in front of me (at least of the runners with dogs). After the turn and the cluster of people still going to the turn around, I made my way past the beagle mix and the collie mix and finally started to get a little relief. Hannah started to run normal since we didn't have anyone directly around us. Pretty soon, we were back through the finish! 5K, too short!

I really wanted to catch some of the other people on the run, but I just didn't have enough time once Hannah started to get in her running groove. I ended up 3rd in my age group and pretty sure we were third runner/dog team overall with a time of 26:41, which is pretty much the slowest 5K ever other than the first one I ran!

It was a good day, fun, for a good cause and my husband finished the 5K with his best time ever! And, the guy with the little beagle/jack russell mix? Turns out, he adopted her from the shelter where I sometimes volunteer. And, I had actually taken her to the PetSmart adoption days back in November - with Hannah! It was great to see she got a really good home and she's a fit little thing, doing 5 miles with her owner 4 times a week!

I hope they continue the event and it can grow and I'll be working on my running partner and how she deals with the distractions!! My right arm was super sore on Sunday and is still sore today!

Gut Check 30K

2011-09-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

How long has it been since I posted? A month, maybe more? Yeah, probably. Training for a crazy October is still in full swing. A few weeks ago I set out on a mission to complete a long run and ended up with a successful 20 miler. Then, I ran 10 miles the next day? Smart? Probably not, but luckily it all worked out OK.

This past weekend, I headed to over to Waynesboro to run the Gut Check 30K, figuring it was a great way to get in another long run. I planned to take it slow, enjoy the day and a different route. Luckily, I succeded on all fronts. I met up with the girls who I'll be running Ragnar with in a few days and we stuck together for several miles.

About 6 or so miles in, I just couldn't take it any more, we were bunched in with another group of people, and I couldn't stand feeling so close to everyone. Since we were running on roads not closed to traffic, we had to stay in single file. Both groups slowed up a bit at a water stop and I made my way away from the group with a little room to breathe. Much better! I continued closed with the group until about 13 miles when a few people passed me and started to speed up and a few started to slow down. I found myself in a comfortable position and zoned out with some music and enjoyed all the ups and downs over the rolling hills.

After getting stopped at a stoplight due to very backed up traffic (I'm sure everyone driving was so happy we were out running and blocking the roads up Saturday morning!), I made my way past the schools and knew we were back in town and knew the finish would be coming up within a few miles. As we rounded the last corner, I passed one lady and one guy passed me. I picked it up big time when the guy passed me and he commented that I still had a lot left. I had been taking it fairly easy yet still moving at a 'little faster than normal long run pace' but didn't want to get passed at the end! Crossed the finish line at 2:50:20 which I was happy with for a nice, long run.

I quickly found the food table and continued to make my way back there more than once for some post race 'fuel' before packing up and heading back home. No pictures...my husband showed up a few minutes too late since I told him it would probably be about 3 hours! Oh well!

Next up: a 5K this weekend that I'm running with one of the dogs. Can't wait! I don't really care for 5Ks but I've been looking forward to this one for quite awhile. I even have an outfit picked out - for both me and Hannah! As long as I can get her through the first 30 seconds to 1 minute of the run, I think she'll do great. She tends to bite at the leash and pull for about 30 seconds or so until I can get her to realize we're not playing. After that, she runs right with me...hopefully around a bunch of people and other dogs she will do the same. After taking her to the animal shelter open house where I volunteered last week, I think she will be fine, she was great with the people and other dogs there!

5-Miler Recap

2011-08-16T04:57:00.000-07:00

In July, I found my running mojo again...the blogging mojo is still missing. I am still reading though! July ended up being my highest mileage month in quite awhile at 140 miles. A good 5K and reconnecting with the local running group seemed to spark my interest again. I'm ramping up for a exciting fall.

I've been hitting the trails more often because I desperately need to get ready for both Megatransect and Fire on the Mountain 50K. Luckily, I've found a great group to run with and am also piggy-backing on some of their JFK 50 training. Hit the Appalachain Trail section of the JFK course a few weeks ago and plan to return a few more times. Rocky, rocky, rocky...trail running definitely takes a lot more concentration! But, I was very happy with the fact that I didn't fall once during the 13 miles on that trail which is pretty impressive for me and trails!

This past Saturday, I was signed up for a local 5-miler. It's a flat course and I had two goals - faster than last year (41:52) and also try for under 40 minutes. I wasn't sure about the under 40 minutes part yet I thought I had it in me. Luckily, the morning turned out to be cooler than it has been and I was ready to try it. I actually wore my Garmin to this race, which I usually never do in races. I've found I'm much better with just an actual watch in races. The first mile was a little fast, around 7:30 and for the next couple of miles I settled into a pace right around 8:00 minutes. I tried to watch the Garmin and keep my pace consistent. I was definitely getting tired towards the end, I was pushing myself but knew I could do this. I neared the finish line and saw the clock getting really close to 40 minutes and tried to pick it up and made my goal, clock time of 39:56 and chip time of 39:46. I'm happy.

Next up, get in some long runs and keep hitting the trails. I've got a 30K and 5K in September. Then, in October, it's the big month, Megatransect, Ragnar PA (part of an ultra team) plus Fire on the Mountain 50K. If I hold up through all that and not completely burnt out, I'm pondering a November marathon but I might be quite ready for a break after October!

Mid-Year Check-In

2011-07-06T05:11:00.000-07:00

How time flies...I've still been reading blogs but haven't had much of interest to say here.

It just seems that work, regular household/life stuff and wrangling this crew is taking up my time and priorities these days. Try to get three dogs to sit together for a nice picture...it's not easy! :-)

Running took a bit of a backseat in June. But, during the last week in the month, I found my spark again. Still keeping track of mileage in a spreadsheet, I noticed I was probably going to come in at just under 100 miles for the month. Having not been under 100 miles a month yet this year, I didn't want to start with June, so I found the time to squeeze in a few extra miles in the last few days to hit 100 exactly for June. I expect those numbers to start going up again this month. I seem to have found my motivation again. I mapped out a schedule for the rest of the year, something I haven't had in quite awhile and it's amazing what that does for motivation. Suddenly, it's easier to get out of bed in the morning to make sure I get those miles in first thing in the morning.

A race always helps too...

July 4th my husband and I were signed up for a 5K and I decided I wanted to be under 25 minutes. I didn't know how realistic this was. I certainly haven't been doing anything to try to get faster at all, but still thought I was capable. But, that morning, I was feeling pretty good and went for it and happily got a new 5K PR of 24:13...now, I need to come in under 24!

My motivation is back. I'll be creeping up my mileage over the summer to get ready for the fall races I'm signed up for.

Looking back on my beginning of the year goals, I'm well on track. I hit a sub-2 half, ran a faster marathon, am somewhat on track for 1500 miles for the year (a little low right now, but still very feasible), and am already signed up for 2 ultras in October.

A First, A Second and a Third

2011-05-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks, I've run my first trail race, completed my second marathon and added a third dog to the family - on top of working my normal full time job, working out of town for part of a week and turning 30. Lots of fun and excitement.

First up was the trail run from a few weeks ago. I need to start running trails to get ready for what I have upcoming in the fall. I'd been signed up for this race for several months, 10 mile trail run, location in between my sister and me, $25 entry fee that included a running skirt? Sure, sounded great to me. What I quickly learned on this run was that you certainly use different muscles on trail. I was more sore after that race than the marathon this past weekend. Of course, maybe I was sore from falling flat on the ground twice during the race. I learned I must not pick up my feet very much when I start to get tired! :0)

It was a fun, small race and despite a slow time, I won my age group...only because I was the only one it...haha! It was also the last race of my 20s. I'm officially 30 now!

Next up was the Pittsburgh marathon. I had to pack for this on Tuesday of the week leading up to it. It is not easy to try to remember what you want to pack and get in marathon mindset this early. I had to work out of town but it was just easier to pack for the whole week and leave from the other office. Luckily, I didn't forget anything major. Unlike my brother-in-law who forgot to pack his running shoes. He picked some up at the expo though!

My sister, brother-in-law and I drove up to Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon after a great lunch. After checking into our hotel, we picked up our packets and then made our way over to Trader Joe's. Had to stock up since we were in a city with a Trader Joe's. After that, we hit up the Spaghetti Warehouse. We just waited for a regular table and the staff certainly weren't to thrilled about all the runners in the dining room or the special pasta dinner. It made for a good laugh - our waitress was very rude. After dinner, we tried to sleep until the next morning.

I've never run a race this large. This was definitely a change. After we made our way across the start line, my brother-in-law took off. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep up, but it was also good in some ways. I was much more aggressive in passing people and getting through the crowds with him in the lead. Eventually, we decided we'd try to stay in between the 4:10 and 4:20 pacers. That was probably too fast for me, but I was just out to enjoy the day. I purposely didn't pack the Garmin so I'd just go out, enjoy the race and have fun. We stayed in that range until all of had to start making various port-o-potty stops. Luckily, we were always able to catch back up with each other. We were also walking through every water stop too and eventually were back behind the 4:20 pacer.

Around mile 16, I just started feeling tired. Not, like 'I can't run anymore', more like, 'Wow, I'm tired, I'd really just like to take a nap right now'. Around mile 18 or 19 though, I'd turned on the mp3 player and a great song came on ('Don't Stop' - Glee cast version). It gave me some energy and I felt really good through mile 22 although I did walk a small hill at 20.

My sister and brother-in-law pulled in front of me a little bit and I told them to just keep going, I was fine. My sister was trying to get her husband to the finish line. He's tried a few marathons in the past but has problems dehydrating and hasn't been able to finish. This was his last final try.

The last few miles, I did a little bit of walk/run to get through them but when I hit mile 25, I turned off the music and let the energy around me carry me into the finish line - I get why big city marathons are fun! I picked up the pace big time with all the excitement around the course. I crossed the finish line just about a minute after my sister and brother-in-law and we went through picking up our medals and some food. We started walking back to the hotel and realized we had no idea where we were. I also felt pretty bad. I hadn't really been able to choke down much of the food, so we stopped for a few minutes, I sat down, ate a cookie that tasted really good and we slowly retraced the last bit of the course to find our way back to the hotel. Soon, we had the car and were on our way back home.

I was surprisingly not very sore the next day. I ended up doing what every normal person does the day after a marathon - head over to the animal shelter to do dog introductions with dog number three. We had no intentions of adding a third dog but it just kind of seemed to have a strange series of events. This dog, who we are calling Hannah, I had taken over to PetSmart adoption days back in November. I'd spent the whole day with her, she's a great dog, young and one of those ones that I just thought would have been adopted quickly.

With the crazy work schedule, China and everything else, I haven't been over to the shelter much. 2 weeks ago, my husband and I both had part of the day off work and somehow we ended up at the shelter - no idea why or how, but it happened. I walked in and there she was. I was shocked. We went home, thought about it, decided it seemed to be too much of a coincidence and went back to fill out the adoption papers. She's spent the better part of her life in a shelter and has been sick for several of those months. I couldn't take her last week with being out of town, so we set up this week to do introductions with our 2.

Our lab mix is somewhat dog aggressive but he can be perfectly fine with some dogs - he just needs introduced in a specific way and it has to be the right dog. An hour and a half later, everyone seemed to be OK, so we took her home. Technically, we are just fostering her until we make sure everyone is going to get along but we have every intention of keeping her. To say it's been busy lately is an understatement. The next month or so will be crazy getting everyone adjusted and trying to teach some manners! This is my new 'Chocolate Lab Mix' as she is identified by the shelter. Yep, she chocolate but don't think there's too much other lab in her, but we'll go with that since it sounds good! Doesn't this look like fun to deal with?

Marathon #2 on the books

2011-05-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

Less than stellar training, having to work out of town the Wed.-Friday before race weekend, I wasn't planning on much for the Pittsburgh marathon. I went in to completely enjoy the day...and I did...and am quite happy with the results as well...more to come...sometime...a little behind on everything on the blog.

One No Race, One Brilliant Idea and One Bad Race

2011-04-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

Two weekend's ago, I was supposed to do a race but the federal government shutdown stopped that from occurring. No big deal for me but judging by how completely nice and aplogetic the race staff and volunteers were, there must have been some upset runners - which seems ridiculous. Wasn't their fault! I took the opportunity to have find a new running route and go out for breakfast. But that also means, that while I'd planned on a 7.7 mile trail race and a 16 mile long run, none of that actually happened over the weekend. In reality, I ran a short two miles on the C&O Towpath with my husband and a short 3 miles on Sunday. My motivation is seriously lacking lately.

I seemed to get myself back on track this week getting in all scheduled runs during the week, a short 4 miler on Saturday and a planned 15K race on Sunday. The 15K was a point-to-point race. You picked up your registration stuff at the finish so I had the brilliant idea to make this a 18.6 long run by running to the start and then doing the race back since I didn't do much last weekend.

I should back up and talk about the 20 miler from 2 weeks ago. My Garmin was nonresponsive that day so I headed out (after a lot of procrastinating) with just a regular watch and no plan. The first 5-ish miles were on a normal route and I was not into it but I decided maybe all I needed was a change of venue so I started down some new roads that I'd only covered once last summer during marathon training. It seemed to help. I tackled some major hills and felt like I was covering a ton of ground. Eventually, I found myself about a mile from home, I wasn't sure how far I'd actually gone but my watch just hit 3 hours exactly and I just stopped and started walking. I hit the 'OK, I'm done' mindset. I pulled out my cell phone, called hubby, asked what he was doing and asked him to come pick me up. I found the whole thing kind of humorous - this giving up mindset is a little different for me. I came home, felt perfectly fine, wasn't tired or anything but was just not in the mood to run anymore - still not sure how far I went, I'm sure it was somewhere between 18-20, but highly doubt it was 20!

So, back to this weekend's race, surely, this change of venue, an easy rail-trail would be the perfect mix for a long run. I headed out and tried to judge the correct amount of time to get to the start of the race. Those first 9.3 miles - perfect, although a little bit faster than I wanted. I started feeling some bad pain in the ball of my foot that I'd never had before around 8.5 miles. I was really hoping it was just a cramp or something. I hit the area for the start of the race, hit the bathrooms, found some sliced oranges, re-filled my water bottle and was getting ready for the start of the race. My foot seemed to feel perfectly fine by this time so I was ready to start back to the finish line. Soon, we were off and the first 3-ish miles were fine, although very windy, but I felt fresh. By about 4.5 miles, I was starting to have that 'OK, I'm done' feeling again. My foot had started hurting again. The rest of the race, I walked for a bit, then ran and repeated the process to the finish, finishing in a time much slower than it took me to get to the start of the race!

At the finish line, I got my ticket for my free lunch and feasted on my free BBQ chicken dinner. All filled up, I made my way home (after a stop at Wendy's for a Frosty) and then realized my foot and my hip are pretty messed up. After a nap and some Ibruprofen, things are starting to feel better but I'm just seriously lacking in my motivation for the Pittsburgh marathon which is less than a month way. I seem to be rocking all runs in the 13-ish mile range but everything over that in this training round has been awful. I'm trying to make sure I'm going slow but not sure what is going on, perhaps just a case of burnout. Everything over 13 just takes a long time (literally) and time is short these days with a super packed work schedule. I'm pretty much already planning on taking a pretty nice break after Pittsburgh. One more week to get a final long run but we'll see how it goes with this foot/hip issue. Then, it'll be taper time and I'll see how bad I struggle through the miles of the marathon.

I usually wear the ring in the picture but haven't been lately, because I've been doing a fair amount of giving up. I think it's time to suck it up, get myself focused for Pittsburgh, enjoy it and then take a break. I want to run because I enjoy it, but it's actually felt like work lately, which isn't any fun! Hopefully all the motivation around me will help and I'll get pumped for Pittsburgh...it's been great to see/hear all about Boston and it looks like the locals I know running did really well...guess that should be some motivation!

Oh...that's right...I have a blog

2011-04-01T11:39:00.001-07:00

To all the people on the Distance Dreamers list - you are not forgotten. I promise...neglected, yes, but not forgotten. I hope to get back to it in the near future. For now, it is on hiatus, even that isn't already obvious. Life has been a little chaotic around here. Just home from China for less two weeks and I was whisked away again for another business trip...at least it was quick one. Although I got stuck in an airport again, luckily for only about 5 hours that time. Reading blogs has been sporadic and writing this one even more sporadic. My days are pretty much working, eating, sleeping and a little bit of running...not a whole lot else. Marathon training is...still in progress, although still pretty much on the 'wing it' schedule still. I'm running when and how long I feel like it while still trying for a long run on the weekends. Last week I got in a 16-miler and will attempt a 20 this weekend.

How to Run your first Sub 2 Hour Half.

2011-03-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

I'm back in the US and behind on blogs but am slowly getting back to my normal routine. But, I ran a half marathon this weekend and seem to have figured out the secrets to improving your running. I'm sure if you follow my steps, you'll have great success.

1. Pick an appropriate half marathon plan and follow it accordingly.
2. Find out you'll be in China for the month before the race. Abandon plan.
3. Still try to run in foreign country but do most runs on a really crappy hotel treadmill. Slowly start to lose interest with each passing day.
4. Run outside a total of two times in the month. Hate it. Can't find an appropriate route, too many people and really hate being stared at like a carnival attraction, all kinds of stomach/side pains.
5. Eat more food than you ever thought possible, most of it completely unknown (I tried absolutely everything others ordered for me), yet still manage to lose 7 pounds.
6. Also discover the best candy bar in the world (German, not Chinese but really good) and eat one daily.
7. Stop running all together one week prior to the half marathon...except for one attempt at 5K on a treadmill where I felt like I was going to die.
8. Travel home: 1 hour bus ride, 15.5 hour plane ride, 5 hour layover, 5 more hours of flight delays, 1 hour final flight, 1.5 hour drive home.
9. Arrive home a full 27 hours prior to half marathon.
10. Start sleeping.
11. If not sleeping, eat.
12. Realize at 8 PM you are registered for a half marathon the next morning, check weather.
13. Sleep some more.
14. Leave house for race, discover Garmin doesn't work. Head back in house. Find regular watch.
15. Arrive at race, see familiar faces.
16. Start running. Don't think, just keep running. Have no idea what pace you are going, just zone out.
17. Cross finish line. Official time: 1:56:07
18. Eat banana, drink water.
19. Drive back home, finish cleaning house and enjoy welcome home party your husband planned.
20. Realize running a half marathon that morning was probably a stupid idea, start sleeping and eating cycle again.

Greetings from China

2011-02-14T15:45:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Southeast China! After two delayed flights, a van ride across the border, transition to a local taxi, I eventually arrived at my destination - exhausted and confused. It was an interesting adventure and think it's just going to keep getting more interesting as the days go by.

The longest flight I'd ever been on was about 5 hours so the idea of the 16 hour flight (after a short 1 hour connecting flight) sounded awful. I went in thinking the worst and while it certainly wasn't pleasant, it wasn't quite as bad as I had pictured. I ate every morsel of airplane food placed in front of me (to help pass the time), watched 4 movies, read a magazine, read half a book and took 2 naps.

It was late at night when I arrived into the destination city and communication proved to be a little more challenging than I thought. I had plenty of reference material that included the places I needed to go in Chinese characters and the cell phone number of one person. After finally being able to get someone to call the number, I was dropped off at what looked like a large bank building. The middle of the night, in a foreign city and I think I'm completely stranded - wonderful. I eventually find an open door and there's a guy at a desk who must understand the panic in my eyes and leads me to the elevator and the correct floor. I was actually in the correct location but I saw no signs indicating there was a hotel in the building.

I spent my first day adjusting to the time difference and since it was rainy all day and I still was clueless about where I was, I decided to just stay at the hotel and not even try to figure out my surroundings. I'm a few days into the trip now and thanks to co-workers am starting to figure out the nearby area.

Running has only taken place on the lone, tiny treadmill at the hotel, but I'm hoping that will change on the weekends - we will see what I can figure out.

I've consumed more unknown food in the last three days than I have in the last three years. I thought eating would be fairly easy - give me some vegetables & rice or vegetables & noodles and I'd be fine. I'm quite surprised by the amount of meat the people eat. Given that I just have to let others order for me or just point to things, I've had some unknown items. Unknown sea creatures floating in a bowl of soup, parts of chicken that I didn't think should go in a chicken dish. I never even thought about the fact that utensils might be hard to come by, but am slowly getting the hang of becoming a chopsticks master. I'm trying to be open to things (within reason) but I was desperate for some American food tonight and ended up with an order of cheese fries, a soda and a box of cookies - I feel better and was glad I was able to find something like that! I ditched the co-workers tonight so I could go on the quest.

Distance Dreamer Update

2011-02-08T12:17:00.001-08:00

Things are a bit crazy so I might be completely missing some things to point out but I definitely wanted to at least get some sort of post out there to mention a few things...no idea when I'll get to another one!

Kate ran her first marathon and had an amazing day!

Tanya ran a 5-mile race, Darlene a 4-mile race, and Amanda ran her first 5K ever.

Good luck to Jessica this weekend at her first marathon.

Curveball

2011-02-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

Week 1 of marathon training went off without a hitch. All workouts completed and things were looking good. My hip pain has disappeared after spending many evenings making out with a foam roller. I'm running on the treadmill on cold, icy mornings without pain (the foam-rolling and increasing the incline a little more seemed to do the trick).

Week 2 should probably go OK as well. Beyond that, I'm throwing the plan for the next month and a half out the window and winging it. Why? I was thrown a curveball last week.

I'm going on a business trip... (you may be thinking no big deal)...

For one month... (you may be thinking that complicates things but isn't the end of the world)...

to China.

Needless to say, I've been a little busy and frantically figuring things out.

Distance Dreamer Wednesday

2011-01-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Race Recaps:

Darlene - Naples Half Marathon.
Caroline - Carlsbad Half Marathon.

Other Updates:

Tanya is training for her second half marathon and Elizabeth continues her training for her first half marathon. Kim is also in training for a half marathon. Genevieve ran a 10K. Sarah received the OK to ease back into running after an injury. Bobbie is three weeks into her marathon training (don't worry we all have bad weeks!).

Marathon Training Officially Underway

2011-01-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

Sixteen weeks out from Pittsburgh so marathon training is underway and I can start crossing off workouts from the plan. I love having something big to work for again.

After a really terrible week last week, this weekend proved to be exactly what I needed. I started a new position at my job at the beginning of the year. While I'd basically been transitioning into it for some time, it wasn't official until January 1. With it, comes new responsibilities and challenges and it ended up being a little overwhelming last week. Being a creature of habit, all the changes felt like a lot. On top of that, I'm still having issues trying to run on the treadmill even though I really want it to work for my weekday runs. With everything going on, I didn't quite feel like myself and was in the state where I felt like I was walking around in a fog. I've also got a typical case of the winter blues.

Saturday morning, while I didn't want to get out of bed, I forced myself up and out the door for a four mile run. It wasn't fun because I just wasn't in the mood. Of course, it was also 7 degrees out, but I don't think the cold temperature actually had much to do with it. All I felt like doing was laying around on the couch. I was scheduled to take some dogs from the animal shelter to PetSmart for the whole afternoon and so didn't want to go. But, luckily, all changed as soon as I got there. I picked up one of the dogs and drove over to the store. We had a beagle (of course I had a fondness for her) and a beautiful husky. Both dogs were awesome and did great at the store! I anticipate both will be adopted soon. After taking the dogs back, I headed back to the store to take care of the cats. The people at the store were like, "You're back again?". Yep, back again. I was so glad I got out of my funk! I finally felt like I was back to myself.

Sunday morning, I was up, ready to go for a 12 mile long run. It was even a balmy 20 degrees when I returned - not sure what it was when I left. The run was awesome, just the way I like them. I got lost in my thoughts and as is very typical for me, I hit my total happy place eight miles into the run. Everything seemed to go smoothly, the right songs were playing in my ears and there were no incidents to report.

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2011-01-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

Darlene completed her first half marathon this weekend and it sounds like it was wonderful. Can't wait until she posts more details.

Caroline ran her longest run yet - 10 miles and has her first half marathon this weekend. Good luck!

Jessica ran her first 20 miler this weekend. Congrats! Kate ran her last 20 miler before her marathon and is enjoying (maybe!) the taper. Genevieve is also building up her long runs for her March marathon.

Amy is building up her endurance for her first half marathon and ran a new personal distance record of 7 miles.

Janene completed a chilly 5K! Finally, Amanda has signed up for her first race ever - a 5K this weekend - good luck!

Beginnings

2011-01-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been reading a few new blogs and have been excited by the new batch of Distance Dreamers. But, as I've been reading posts, I've noticed a bit of a trend. Then, after yesterday's post, I was noticing the same thing. The great thing about running and what has made me fall in love with it is the competitiveness I have against myself. The ability to continue to push myself to improve and take on new challenges. Overcoming that mental hurdle when things get tough. Always keep that in mind - competitiveness against yourself.

Reading lots of running blogs can be a double-edged sword. On one side, there's nothing better to motivate you. Seeing the accomplishments of others is inspirational. Finding out about new events, watching others ups and downs and seeing how others train is better knowledge than any reading any training book. It is real life. Being able to make real life connections or online only has been great. You find people you connect with, you start to know people through comments/e-mail or in some cases real life. It's a wonderful support system. However, it can be easy to fall into that trap of comparing yourself too much to others. To think you aren't stacking up enough, that your accomplishments are falling short in some way. To be honest, this is partly why I deleted my DailyMile account. I wasn't enjoying keeping track of miles in that way.

I used to be a blog lurker. I read for inspiration and motivation but certainly never thought anyone would want to read about what someone as boring as me was doing on a day to day basis. I felt the blogs I read were truly interesting people with many different things going on in their lives. This blog is for 100% me but having it started to open those doors of making connections with others.

In regards to running, I remember every milestone along the way. I remember the first time running 5 miles, 8 miles, 13.1 miles, 26.2 miles. Every milestone along the way felt huge. Being able to run a 10:00 minute mile used to feel very hard. Today it feels really easy. It just happened along the way. Now, it's miles in the 8:00 minute range that feel like a challenge to me. Yet, at the same time, I can go through the blogs I read and find many who running an 8:00 minute mile would be a snail's pace for them. They would laugh (not literally) at a pace like that being difficult. For others, running that pace is completely unfathomable. It's all relative and constantly changing. The great thing about running is being able to push your own limits, not what limits anyone else tries to set for you. It's a sport in which anyone can participate. Regardless of the event, your best competitor will always be there if you choose to show up.

I certainly used to feel like I didn't belong. It was very hard to go to the first 5k. My stomach has been in knots for every 'first' along the way. I'm sure most people have had those thoughts of, what if I am last? What if I can't complete it? What will others say? What will others think? Well, the more involved one gets, the more you realize none of that matters, others will support you. Maybe there will be some bad apples along the way, but they'll be the minority, and if there are any, it's easy to ignore.

I met with the local running group yesterday for a trail run (Hi Chuck!). I am not a trail runner, but want to start. This was my first time on trails, except for a rail trail/gravel/canal towpath. It was my first time trudging up and down hills on snow covered trails. But, I went out and had a great time. It felt good, but it also felt hard. We were on the last loop I was going to do and I had to push myself. I felt like I was unearthing many unused muscles. I can go out and run 7+ miles on the road, and not be the least bit sore or tired. After yesterday's 7, I felt it that evening. But, I went out, ran what I could and am ready to tackle the next adventure. I'm never going to be the best, I won't be the worst, but I can always work on improving myself.

Snowflake Chase 5 Mile

2011-01-16T08:15:00.001-08:00

The Snowflake Chase 5 mile race was held on Saturday. I'd been signed up for it for awhile but it was going to be weather dependent if I would actually show up. It's back in my hometown which is a 2+ hour drive away and also in a winter wonderland mountain setting. Somehow the weather worked out and I was able to make the trip. I ran this last year. It was the first time I'd ever run 5 miles outside. Afterwards, I was on cloud nine - it felt like a great accomplishment. It was the first race where I actually pushed myself. It's fairly hilly and last year, it was hard towards the end. I had no intentions of trying to get a PR (my 5 mile PR is on a flat, easy course) but I did want to see how much I improved in a year.

I hadn't run since Tuesday. My hip had been bothering me and still felt a bit off on Friday when I took the dogs for a walk. By Saturday morning, it felt normal again which was such a relief! So happy to not be cranky anymore. I made the drive, arrived super early and waited around to the start.

This is a small event so we all gathered at the bottom of a hill and soon we were off. Uphill for the first half mile or so. I was feeling pretty good but wanted to try and pace myself because I couldn't really remember how bad hills were. Luckily, it's an out and back, so I could try to be a bit conservative on the way out and then try to remember what I'd just run for the way back. That didn't really work out though.

Photo credits to the race photographer - gotta love little events where you can easily save your own photos from their site.

The hill that about killed me last year still was hard this year - it starts a little before mile 4 and definitely felt easy on the way out on the downhill, very hard on the way back. Several guys in front of me were walking it but I passed them and kept running - although it felt like I was crawling. It wasn't long until we were in the last downhill to the finish line. My clock time was 43:00 exactly and the Garmin shows me at 5.05 miles in 42:57. Not a PR, but I was happy with it. Last year's time was 49:40. The funniest thing was last year I actually was 2nd in my age group. This year, next to last in my age group. Guess it really depends who decides to show up!

I used to never wear my Garmin to races. I always felt funny about looking like I was too 'into' it since I'm not that good. Since I've become more and more attached to the Old Garmin, it's been creeping into races and I've gotten over feeling awkward about it. The stats:

Mile 1: 8:38

Mile 2: 8:05

Mile 3: 8:22

Mile 4: 9:03 (hill!)

Mile 5: 8:14

.05 - :36 (forgot to stop it right at the finish).

After the race, I gorged myself on some free deep dish pizza certainly negating any calories burned during the race - but it tasted good. Yum!

Tag: Stylish Blogger Award

2011-01-14T05:06:00.001-08:00

I was recently tagged by both Kate and Danielle for the Stylish Blogger Award. Thanks! Which means, you all get to learn 7 more random things about me. Here goes:

1. I like to avoid confrontation - this often means even if I have a strongly differing opinion, I won't say anything. There are a few exceptions.

2. I've mentioned them often, but my dogs are my children. I spend more time with them than anyone else, including my husband (not necessarily by choice).

3. Those two facts lead me to this. One of the few things I feel strongly about is adopting animals from animal shelters and rescues. I've mentioned this several times before, I know. One of the main points I try to get across to anyone is that animal shelters are not sad places. They are sad if no one goes to them and no one adopts. They might look sad, but it's not. Spend 15 minutes walking a dog and that's the best 15 minutes for that dog. The only time I ever felt sad was the first time I volunteered at a PetSmart adoption event. Stand at the entrance of a PetSmart for 4 hours holding a dog from a shelter. Watch the number of purebred dogs and puppies that walk through the door. There are plenty of purebreds in shelters and rescues, I know, but I doubt most of those dogs came from them. As hard as it is for me to believe, lots of people still think to get a dog, you go "buy a puppy" and don't realize there are shelters, often nearby, with extremely high euthanasia rates.

4. I'm not a germ-o-phob, at all, but I hate staying at hotels and turn into one when travelling. For this reason, I prefer day trips that don't require overnight stays.

5. I don't like nice upscale restaurants. I'll take a little casual cafe anyday. I'm always extremely awkward at a nice restaurant. I'll drop silverware, spill drinks, not want anything on the menu (I don't like actual large meals, I'm more of a snacker/grazer or sandwich kind of person). This might make more more equivalent to a 5-year old.

6. This one is kind of gross, fair warning. One time, I had to go to a doctor at an urgent care place because I was in a new town and didn't have a primary care physician. The guy made some weird comment about ear wax and I've been very paranoid about it every sense. I won't go beyond that.

7. I turn 30 this year and never thought I'd think it was a big deal. But for some reason, I've been thinking about it for the last year and feeling like I should be doing more with my life, etc. The typical stuff people think about...I didn't think it would happen to me.

This award has made its rounds pretty well, so I'm not going to tag anyone else. Thanks!

Making Friends With My New Enemy

2011-01-13T04:56:00.000-08:00

I was so excited when I ordered a new treadmill in November. With my motivation dwindling in the cold, dark winter mornings, I was sure this was my new answer for those weekday runs. It had been almost a year since I'd been on a treadmill. I used to crank out a few miles on the treadmill all the time. I remember making that transition from treadmill to outside. Wow, outside was so hard compared to the treadmill.

Yes, I was actually excited at the idea of a treadmill. The idea that I could get back to watching TV on a few mid-week runs, I could sing along to my music, make funny arm motions to dance along to the music and not have anyone (other than my dogs) looking at me like I was a crazy person. I didn't have to worry if we just got a ton of snow and the roads were covered in ice. My husband would be happy because I wouldn't be running outside at 5 AM in the dark anymore. I'd get in some easy runs during the week to keep myself sane and I'd still have my weekends to run outside - sounded like the perfect balance.

The first run on the treadmill felt hard. Why was a run on a treadmill at a 10:00 minute pace and 1% incline feeling difficult? That feels really easy to me outside these days. I totally expected the treadmill to feel easier than outside - it used to. Also, I'm pretty sure that little flashing track thing is broken. There's no way that thing moves that slow, maybe the clock is broken too. I didn't know seconds and minutes moved by so slowly.

After those first couple of treadmill runs, I figured I just needed to get used to it again. Maybe my form was different. Maybe that's why it felt difficult. Maybe it was the shoes I was wearing. I kept switching the different ones I have in my rotation. Maybe I was starting too fast. Maybe I start slower outside than I realized and need a longer warm up. Tried that. Why does stuff just seem to hurt when I'm on the treadmill? I never have pain outside.

Maybe it was just because it felt so boring. OK, new plan. I'll use the treadmill for speed workouts and just tough out those couple of other easy runs that feel boring. Perhaps that will help - I don't really care that much about speed, but hey, if it makes these treadmill runs more exciting and I get a little faster in the process, that can't be a bad thing. I printed out a handy little treadmill pace converter because doing the math in my head wasn't really working out very well. I had a new plan and once/week I'd try some speed workouts.

It made the runs more exciting. I actually felt good during the run, it was no longer boring and I felt like I was actually accomplishing something. I went about it the correct way - 1 mile warm up, some intervals with recovery and then a cool down. Looking back, I may have been doing the half mile intervals a little too fast.

But, the treadmill and I still aren't friends. I've only run once this week. Something I'm doing when running on the treadmill is causing my hip to hurt. I stopped doing the speed stuff, that had to be it, but it still hurts after I finish the run. When I run outside, I have no pain and no pain in the days following. It is only the treadmill. Hoping to not make this an actual issue, I decided to take it easy this week and hope it goes away. I really want to make this relationship work - hopefully a short break will make us grow fonder.

Until then, I'll just keep being a royal bitch because I'm stressed out at work, I can't run, and I'll whine about it all on a public blog.

**I've been tagged by two people - that post coming soon...I have a couple others half written too. I just felt like complaining today.

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2011-01-12T04:40:00.000-08:00

2011 is off to a great start. A few items of note:

Tanya already completed her first marathon on the first of the year. Her recap can be found of the Hangover Half. Congratulations!

Caroline has her first half marathon coming up in a few weeks. She recently completed her longest run yet!

Kate, whose first marathon had to be put on hold last year, is getting very close to the Surf City Marathon in early February. Jessica is also training for a February marathon.

Genevieve and Fran are our two international members this time around. Genevieve is training for the LA Marathon and Fran is training for her first half marathon. As more people get deeper into the training, more updates will be posted. For now, check out all the people who are training for their first half or full at the Distance Dreamer page here!

What to do with the fat girl jeans...

2011-01-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

I'm still going strong on my urge to make 2011 a big year - in terms of running/fitness as well as simplifying and de-cluttering. One thing that I've always been good about is getting rid of old clothes. Years ago I heard it mentioned somewhere that if you haven't worn it in the last year - get rid of it. So, at least once a year, I go through my closet and drawers to get rid of clothes.

There are, however, two exceptions. Jeans and T-shirts. Why? Because I'm a crafty girl and think I can create useful items out of them! I have in the past, but honestly, haven't done anything with either in several years. Still, I save them, put them in containers for the day when I'll have the inspiration to create stuff.

As I was going through yet another closet, I found the jeans and T-shirts bins. I moved them into the center of the room and decided they will remain there until I do something with them. Having to look at them everyday will keep me motivated to use up the materials.

Since I was already motivated, I also decided to sort through them. I divided up the T-shirts and have already started cutting them to make a T-shirt quilt - but not a typical one. I don't care for the look of most T-shirt quilts so I'm going with a different approach - we'll see if it turns out.

Then, the jeans...Wow, um, they kind of brought back some memories. I had no idea I still had any of the clothes (besides the T-shirts) from my, um, larger days. I'd been getting rid of that stuff all along the way and don't have much to remember from a few years back. I hardly have any pictures because I hated having my picture taken (there's one in my About Me section, but it was hard to find any). I pulled out those jeans and was pretty shocked by the size. I certainly have no intentions of reverting back to my old ways, but if I ever needed an extra motivator - those clothes would be it. To remember, I took the picture above and will soon be cutting up the jeans to make a quilt. I guess the only advantage is the bigger the jeans - the more fabric I have!

My husband didn't understand the concept of a quilt made out of old jeans so I went upstairs, grabbed the one I'd made several years ago and showed it to him. He asked, "Have I ever seen this before?". I think he had, but maybe not. Then, he said, "That's actually kind of nice, why don't we have that out?". So, it's now out where it can be seen and used. He likes the back, not the front but since he likes it, I can make one a little bit more to our current tastes. The last one took a really long time to make, so I don't anticipate it being a quick project, but if I can at least get started with it, that will help with the de-cluttering and it's a perfect way to use up the fat girl jeans!

Oh, and my number 5 goal, I decided to take a 'before' picture (it won't be posted here). Seeing those jeans was a great reminder. Tracking my progress sounds like a good idea.

Call for Distance Dreamers!!

2011-01-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

With all the new year resolutions, goals, whatever you want to call it going on out there, I wanted to put out another call for Distance Dreamers.

If you are running your first half or full marathon this year and have it picked out/planned/training for it and would like to be included in a weekly post here with other fellow first timers, please contact me. Please see the Distance Dreamers page for more info...and to check out the current list - I separated out the 2010 group from the 2011. Thanks!

Simplify - Online

2011-01-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

Next up on the the plan to simplify - online.

1. First, limiting/removing some social media items, mostly ones I never logged into. The only one I actually used was DailyMile but I deleted it today. I like my spreadsheets and hard copies - I'll stick with those, no more redundancy. The only ones I'm keeping are:

Facebook, which I hardly log into anyway
Athlinks, not that I use the social aspect, but there's no better way to look up people's past race times...don't act like you've never done it!

Ravelry - all things knitting!

2. Google Reader - I've started unsubscribing to blogs I no longer care to read. My list is still huge but it's nice to get rid of a few that I don't ever really read that I always skip over anyway. The ones I enjoy will still be read daily.

3. E-mail Subscriptions - As they are coming through, I'm taking the time to unsubscribe instead of just continuing to hit delete. Just because I ordered some random Cubs T-shirt two years ago does not mean I am going to again - no need to keep getting their e-mails.

Simplify

2011-01-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

My running related goals for 2011 have already been shared. But, of course, I have some non-running related goals for the year as well. The major one - to simplify. There's actually a few meanings to this, but for now, we'll concentrate on 'stuff' and I'll share the other ways I'm planning to simplify in time. The 'stuff' is how it all started...

Several weeks back, as I was attempting to clean out the dreaded 'back room' in preparation for the new treadmill, I had one of those moments where I just felt the urge to throw away everything. Stuff from years past, stuff that no longer matters, stuff from a time when I was a different person and in a different stage of my life. Stuff I attempted to sell at a yard sale that made its way back into the house and not to the dump, Goodwill or some other place like it was intended. It's a little ironic that all I want to do is get rid of stuff when I was doing it simply because I was getting new stuff, but it happens to all of us.

I was actually sitting in that room, surrounded by stuff and I yelled downstairs for my husband to come up stairs. I said..."This is just depressing. I don't want any of this. All I want is a big dumpster to make it all go away and forget about this stuff from the past". I was being a little dramatic, but it's honestly the way I felt. Half of it is from a time when I was a completely different person.

I used to be a pack-rat. I saved everything. I went away to college and left my parents house full of my stuff while I was in an itty-bitty dorm room. Then, when I finished college and got my first place, I took it all. Everything last little bit. The problem was I moved into a huge place - I was renting half of a house and I pretty much had it filled with all of my crap. Then, the day came when I moved in with hubby. He was in an itty-bitty apartment and some of my crap went back to my parents house for storage - big stuff, like a stove, a refrigerator, all my bedroom furniture, etc. At that point, I did a major purge of all the little crap I'd been saving up for years, things like old VHS movies, cassette tapes, stuffed animals, etc. It was two pick up loads. It felt so good.

Eventually, we moved out of that apartment and bought our first house and I finally got the rest of the stuff out of my parents house once again. They were ecstatic! At first, our house was bare with random mis-matched furniture and then doubles of other things, like blenders, vaccuums, etc. Then, we got married (we did things a little backwards) and had a super small DIY wedding. I still have all the crap from that too. It's all in the back room. Most of it is stuff that someone else could use but I would still have to take the time to organize it, haul it, Free-cycle it, etc. And, of course, it's just easier to put it in the back room and close the door.

Instead of doing much with it that day, the stuff basically moved from scattered throughout the room to being piled up in a bigger pile in the side of the room. There's other closets in this house that need the same treatment. So, that's one of my goals for the year - the very, very typical resolution to get rid of stuff. I'm looking to simplify. Will I go the course of so many others and abandon my resolution by the time February hits? We'll see...but at least it's public knowledge now, hopefully that will help my motivation. I actually have plans for some of it....more to come in the next few weeks. I know without an actual plan, it'll just stay right where it is.

For now, half of the room looks like the above, the other half like this (still in progress as well) . Hopefully, the whole room will look better at some point.

2011 Goals and Plan

2011-01-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about my plan for 2011 in terms of running and fitness for quite some time. First, I needed to figure out where to focus and determined there were three possible general areas I could try to focus on:

1. Try to get faster in particular distances
2. Try to go longer
3. Try something completely different

I'm not that overly concerned about speed. Sure, I want to get better, but nothing too crazy. I could try to go longer, but obviously need to be realistic about what I'd be capable of at this point. I'm quite happy with running so I don't want to switch - maybe just branch out a bit. Therefore, I decide to combine all three and make goals to accomplish all of the above - all while remaining injury free and enjoying every bit of it, of course!

With that, my goals for 2011:

1. Run 1500 miles
2. Run a half marathon under 2 hours
3. Run a marathon faster than my first (under 4:42)
4. Complete an ultra
5. Superficial goal: Get to a point where I'm comfortable enough with my body to run in just a sports bra & shorts.

The plan so far:

January - Snowflake Chase 5 mile. Repeat and already registered.

February - ??

March - Chambersburg Half Marathon. Repeat, registered and will go for 2 hours.

April -

Race for the Birds - 7.7 mile trail run and CVRT 15K

Both new to me. April was supposed to include another marathon - Mountain Maryland - but it was cancelled just a couple of weeks ago. Yes, I was going to be crazy and attempt two marathons close together, but it wasn't in the cards...guess I'll play it smart this way.

May - Pittsburgh Marathon. Registered - goal to have better time than my first marathon.

June - some sort of 5K/10K?

July - some sort of 5K/10K?

August - Ausherman 5 mile, repeat

September - some sort of half marathon or equivalent.

October - Bald Eagle Megatransect - registered! I was waiting for registration to open on this before listing my goals. This is a 25+ ultra-hike. Considered an ultra-hike due to many areas that are basically impossible to even try to run.

Fire on the Mountain 50K - hopefully.

November - ?

December - ?

Randomness

2010-12-27T10:16:00.000-08:00

I'm still in sugar overload from the weekend so this post will be all over the place and completely random. I hope everyone is enjoying the post-Christmas festivities and preparing for the New Year.

First, our Christmas tree actually made it into the house and in upright position prior to us leaving on Christmas Eve. It even has lights on it...but no ornaments happened before Christmas. For those who asked the very obvious question on why we even get a tree. Well, the process of locating and purchasing the best tree as a group is tradition on my husband's side of the family. What happens after that point doesn't matter as much.

On Christmas Eve, I slept in later than I have in over a year. Then, I laced up my shoes and headed outside for a 5-mile run. That energized me enough to hit the kitchen for one final round of baking. After that, all the final cookie and treat trays were assembled. The car was packed up and we hit the road again, for Christmas weekend get-together #2.

After making it back home mid-day on Christmas day, it was time to do absolutely nothing. I put on a pair of flannel pajamas and hit the couch and read The Lost Dogs from start to finish. It was a book that I wanted to read and it made it my way as a Christmas gift. I'd read the Sports Illustrated article that Jim Gorant wrote about the Michael Vick dogs a couple of years ago and when I saw he wrote a book, I knew I had to read it. Certainly recommended for anyone interested in reading about what happened to the dogs after they were rescued. I had no intentions of reading the entire book in one sitting, but that's what happened!

Sunday morning, I was back to my normal routine and went for a 10 mile run and it was cold...and windy! My hands were so cold, even through the gloves I was wearing. I'm finally starting to get back into a normal groove with running again and that feels good. Tallying up my mileage, I see that mileage is starting to creep back up after being somewhat low for November. I've signed up for a 5-miler in January which will start the races for the year and am very excited about the group Sherry and Lesley started: Run for the Bling of It. I'm going to have a full post right around the first of the year with my 2011 plans.

Finally, here's the PEZ since there appeared to be some interest. Don't mind the mess on the open shelf. They get knocked around a bit by dog tails!

Wardrobe Fail + Tag

2010-12-21T09:25:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, I was back in my hometown to celebrate the holidays with my family. We don't really do traditional things so this basically meant getting together and going out to eat a bunch. My dogs also got some fun time to play in the woods and the snow and were quite tuckered out by the time we headed home on Sunday.

My hometown is itty-bitty, in the mountains, where's it's cold and snows a lot. Saturday morning I was scheduled to run from the lake into town. Obviously that doesn't mean anything to anyone unfamiliar with the area but that was the plan. It was an informal holiday tradition to 'run' checks into town where they were hosting a food drive for a local food bank.

Since this is a festive, holiday thing, Santa hats were to be worn. I can't really say I have any festive holiday wear for running so I tried my best with black pants and a plain white long-sleeve shirt, thinking that was the best I could do and pair it with a Santa hat. Well...I mentioned it snows a lot...and we were running on a main road. By the end of that 8+ miles, my white shirt was no longer white. Between all of the slushy, dirty grit on roads and getting splattered by every truck that drove by, I was very dirty at the end. Then, of course, it was about 18 degrees outside so while what I was wearing was appropriate while running, I was freezing until we drove back to where we started and was able to get my coat. All in all a great time though. My sister and I finalized our 2011 running schedule during that run and I was very excited...only to find out that one of the major events we were planning has now been cancelled. :-( Oh, well, just means I need to research some more...

Part II: Tag
Christine recently tagged me for a random 7 things post. Thanks Christine!
Here is some randomness:

-Throughout high school/early college, my summer job was at a state park. It's rather ironic that I pretty much hated all things outdoorsy at that age yet still worked there. How times have changed.

-I have a somewhat insanely huge collection of PEZ dispensers. I should take a picture.

-I have a favorite sandwich and while back at home this weekend, I got to enjoy it. It's the best roasted portabello & mozzarella sandwich I've ever had. Even after several years, it was as good as I remembered.

-Other than running shoes, I pretty much only have two other pairs of shoes - a pair of Birkenstock sandals and a pair of Birkenstock clogs. No one will ever call me fashionable!

-I have a slight fear of birds. I've also had really bad luck at disturbing a few bird nests unintentionally and ended up very concerned over the birds. It's all related. :-)

-I've never broken a bone but have had plenty of stitches.

-Until last year, I had a very part-time second job at a yarn store. This reminds me, I need to start a winter knitting project!

I'm feeling a little lazy about tagging 7 other people for this - maybe I'll come back and add this later!! I love reading these though, so anyone reading, feel free to post away!

Three Things Thursday - Holiday Edition

2010-12-16T11:13:00.000-08:00

1. I ate about 3/4 of a bag of Cherry Cordial M&M's yesterday. They weren't even that good - it was just one of those days. I wouldn't recommend them. I still have a bag of Mint Chocolate in the pantry to try - I hope they are better and last longer than 2 days.

2. I've seen many bloggers sharing pictures of all their lovely holiday decorations and Christmas trees. It's only fitting to share ours. It's impressive. I'm warning you before scrolling. If anyone would like to hire me to decorate their home next year, feel free to contact me. My rates are cheap.

Yep, the treadmill box was promptly removed out of the garage last week. We lugged it upstairs (OK, my husband lugged it up the stairs - I acted like my pushing and holding was actually doing something) and has been in use since. The Christmas tree? Been sitting there ever since - I don't anticipate it moving in the near future either. I'm a bit of a Scrooge around the holidays and don't see much point in taking the time to decorate if we aren't hosting anyone.

3. I tend to hate all of the unnecessary gifts and such this time of year. However, I do like baking and am responsible for providing cookies for others to enjoy. I have started the process and need to start cranking out more - I usually have many more varieties made by now.

Tag

2010-12-14T11:24:00.000-08:00

Rene at the The Amherst Shuffle tagged me with a set of questions. So, here goes:

1. What was your toughest race? Hoover Dam Half Marathon, hands down. Had to walk more in that than in the marathon. It felt like a major effort 2 miles in, I was already extremely thirsty, hot and had an unhappy stomach.

2. What are your goals for 2011? I'll be repeating a few events and then branching out into some new ones. The Pittsburgh Marathon is the only thing I've officially registered for so that's the big goal right now, although I plan on registering for some other events in the next couple of weeks.

3. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? I don't think I've visited enough places in my life to answer this. On one hand, I'd say somewhere with a mild climate year round but I think that could be boring. I like changing seasons despite complaining about that. I'm probably right where I'm supposed to be for now and wherever I end up in the future is where I should be!

4. What is my guilty pleasure TV show? Currently, the DVR is set up to record Glee, The Sing-Off and the Ellen DeGeneres Show (although it's hard to keep up with those since it's a daily show). Most of the time, the TV is on in the house and I might be sitting in front of it, but I don't really watch it all that often - hubby controls the TV.

5. How do I keep my sense of balance? Running certainly helps! I live my life by schedules and lists. If I don't, I feel lazy and unmotivated and end up in a terrible mood.

I tag...Caroline, Elizabeth and Fran.

Long Run

2010-12-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I set out for a 'long' run which ended up being 12 miles - certainly not the length of some of the runs that happened over the summer but it was enough to remind me why I so enjoy trying to go longer rather than faster! After being out wandering on foot for two hours, I came back feeling refreshed, energized and in the best mood ever!

The first six or so miles were normal as usual - feeling good and enjoying the day yet still focusing on the things around me...

-Is that ice? No, just snow...good.
-I'm in love with Adele's latest single - "Rolling in the Deep"
-That was ice - glad I didn't fall.
-Shot Bloks are hard to chew when frozen (I never eat beforehand)
-Do people really think these Christmas decorations look good?
-Is that ice?
-The people in this neighborhood are so much friendlier than mine. They don't look at me like I'm a freak when I smile and say hello.
-Is that ice?
- I'd love to understand Pennsylvania's criteria taking care of snowy roads - guess I'm too used to Maryland roads in the winter time.
-So many people in this neighborhood walk their dogs and they all look like mutts, that makes me happy...the people in my neighborhood should take cue from this one.

...but then something happened. By now, I'm completely warmed up, in the zone and lost in my thoughts...and I don't remember a single thing from those last 6 miles. Somehow, I just covered 12 miles and it felt like nothing. I hit my front door energized, happy and completely out of the winter blues I'd been feeling.

With that, I'm ready to start training for something. And, yes, I might have plans other than Pittsburgh - to be revealed soon...

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2010-12-07T13:17:00.001-08:00

Race Reports
12/9 - Edited to add part one of Julie's recap!!

Pam - Las Vegas Marathon
Julie - Las Vegas Marathon, Part I recap
Sherry - White Rock Marathon
Becka - Las Vegas Half Marathon
Caroline - Universal Studios 5K
Jill - Boulevard Bolt 5 Mile

Other Updates

I don't have anything this week! This week finished up everyone's races for the year! There may be a brief hiatus in these posts but they will be won't be gone for good. Maybe I can finally come up with something else to do with these!!

Is it too early to wish winter away?

2010-12-07T10:25:00.000-08:00

Things are pretty boring around here lately and I haven't had anything to say. There's been running but nothing very interesting. Although, I did go on my first run with the local running group this weekend - there'll definitely be more of those. New surroundings and new people - those 8 miles flew by!

It's getting colder each day and the motivation to get up and out the door has been a little lacking. I've still be able to make myself do it but dark, cold, windy weekday mornings aren't anything to get excited about. This morning's was the worst so far of the season and it took effort just to get through 3 miles. I have a solution though. A freight truck came and dropped this off:

That's a new treadmill. Now, I just need to figure out how to get that out of the garage, into the house and up a flight of stairs to the back bedroom. Suddenly that plan of saving the $200 for delivery + set up isn't making as much sense. That box is huge!

Hopefully once it's set up in its new home, we'll all be happy. I'm sure it'll be better than the basement (oh, lookie there I was complaining about how hot it was!) and if I'm too lazy to get out the door in the mornings, hopefully I can at least make it down the hall!

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2010-11-30T13:06:00.000-08:00

Race Recaps:

Jessica - Outback Distance Classic

Luke - Turkey Trot Half Marathon

Katie - Turkey Trot 10K

Becka - Atlanta Half Marathon

Sherry - Turkey Trot 8 Mile

Bobbi - North Shore Turkey Trot 10K

Katie - Christopher Dailey Turkey Trot
Jen - Bethleham Turkey Trot
Julie - Anoka Jingle Bell Run

Good Luck to: Pam, Julie and Sherry! Rock those marathons this weekend!

One Year.

2010-11-30T06:40:00.001-08:00

I keep debating whether or not to actually push 'Publish' on this one. It just sounds a little too over-indulgent (I guess that's part of the purpose for a blog though). But, honestly, that's not the point here. I'm not trying to fish for compliments. The point is set your mind to a goal and achieve it. Bag the excuses - all of them - and work hard. I don't care what the goal is, that is what this year has truly proven to me. Anything is possible. OK, I feel better now and suddenly a bit more motivated myself.

I mentioned in my last post that running the 5K on Thanksgiving Day marked my one-year 'Runiversary'. I use that day because it was the first time I actually committed to running. Running with actual goals and trying to go beyond the 3 easy, slow miles that I would regularly crank out on the treadmill.

Last year, I completed that 5K in 41:05 by walking/jogging it with my husband. That moment sparked some sort of internal competitiveness that I didn't know I had in me. I've never been the least bit competitive yet have always considered myself a hard-working, motivated person. I know how to work towards a goal. It happened when I lost 50+ pounds a few years ago and there have been lots of other non fitness/weight loss things as well. At that 5k though, I realized these races could be a form of competing against myself. I'm never going to be winning any races, but I can certainly compete against myself in them. I finally understood!

One year later and I completed that same course in 25:07. Funny what you can do when you have an actual goal to work towards. Ever since the weight loss, I developed a love of exercise. I loved the energy boost and craved it if I started to slack. That feeling kept me going back. However, I will say things were a bit stagnant. I was in maintenance mode. I lost all the weight I wanted to lose. With the new lifestyle of healthy eating and moderate exercise, it wasn't that difficult to simply maintain. There weren't really any more goals to work towards, it was just maintenance.

After that first 5K on Thanksgiving day, I signed up for a 5-miler in January. I had a blast at that one and the feeling was even more incredible? Why? It was a longer distance and I actually pushed myself beyond a comfortable limit. That first, slow 5K I didn't push myself at all. After the 5-miler, I was on a high I can't even describe and knew I wanted more, and more and more. Suddenly, I decided on my goal. Build up my endurance to run everything from a 5K to a marathon within one year. I quickly discovered I liked trying to go longer rather than just trying to go faster.

Over the past year, I completed four 5K's, two 5-milers, one 15K, three half-marathons and one full marathon. Never did find a 10K close by that fit in to the schedule! Hooked? Just a bit. Can't wait to start figuring out my goals for the next year!

Greencastle Turkey Trot

2010-11-26T16:13:00.000-08:00

I've been looking forward to Thanksgiving for quite some time. The local 5K Turkey Trot would be my first repeat race ever and was officially the one that got me hooked on running last year. That also means I've 'officially' been running one year now!

The forecast leading up to Thursday was calling for freezing rain and cold...lovely! After sleeping in until 7 AM on Thursday (felt wonderful), I woke up to rain tapping on the windows. And, it continued to pour down. I had my husband signed up as well and it took some major convincing (perhaps some name calling as well) to convince him to actually participate in this run!

Luckily, as we were pulling into the parking lot, it stopped raining and there was just a mist in the air. Thinking it was going to be a bit miserable, I dressed for rain with a hat, windbreaker, no mp3 player and just my normal Timex which is all I ever wear for races.

Since it stopped raining, I figured I'd do a little bit of a warm up before lining up. I tried to position myself in the middle of the group but I was thinking just before we started I was probably too far back - this is a small event of 300-ish and certainly not chip-timed. I start slow but have been getting a little better at judging where I should start because I've often found I'm way too far in the back.

Anyway, soon we were off and luckily everyone spread out fairly quickly. The course is pretty boring, just a loop through residential areas that starts and ends on the high school track but still certainly a fun way to start Thanksgiving!

I spent the first mile passing people and the guy yelling out times said something around 8:06 when I past so that sounded reasonable to me but I continued to try to pick it up a little and kept passing people. A little before 2 miles, another girl who I anticipated was close to my age caught up to me and just started running right beside me. I wasn't sure how to take this at first, did she just want to pass me or did she want to stick with me? Either way, I figured I'd just try to stick close to her but we ended up running side by side the rest of the race. We never said a word to each other and it was kind of strange yet kind of good at the same time.

As we were coming into the last half mile, we started in an area where it was sidewalks so it was harder to run with this girl. I was trying to be considerate and trying to let her go just a few steps in front of me, yet at the same time, I was wondering if I should have just pushed it to pass her? I probably could have if I really gave it absolutely everything I had but I was already giving it a pretty hard effort (for me) at the pace we were going so I just stuck at it. We were still pretty much side by side until she took a quick sprint right at the end to pass me. Either way, it was a new 5K PR of 25:07 so I'll take it...very close to the 25:00 time I had in my mind as my ultimate goal! I said something to the girl afterwards thanking her for helping me keep up my pace but that was pretty much the end of the conversation. Kind of odd.

My husband had a good race as well and it was his best 5K yet as well. He's not really one for sticking around much so we left just as soon as he finished...we had a dinner to get to anyway! A great way to start Thanksgiving!

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2010-11-24T05:45:00.000-08:00

Race Reports

Allie - Philadelphia Marathon
Meggan - Philadelphia Marathon
Amy-Philadelphia Marathon
Natalia - Philadelphia Marathon
Chris - OBX Marathon
Jill - CSCC 5K
Zaneta - United Way 5K
Bobbi - Clear Water Outdoor 10K
Linz - Gobble Wobble 5K
Aimee - Muddy Buddy Race
Becka - Brighton Turkey Trot 5K
Rene - Milford Turkey Trot

Other Updates

Pam had a successful 20-mile run...but also lost her running buddy due to injury. :(
Julie is in taper mode for Las Vegas as well. Sherry is also tapering for her fast-approaching marathon. Caroline officially kicked off her half marathon plan this week.

Good Luck to: Jessica who is running her first half marathon on Thanksgiving Day!

Connections

2010-11-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

Out of the blue on Friday, I received an e-mail from Rebecca at Running Becca saying she saw what town I lived in and was going to be staying here with some running friends. The people in this group were either running or doing course support for the JFK 50. She wanted to know if I'd like to meet up with her and this group for breakfast Sunday after JFK. Sounded like a great idea to me!

This turned out perfectly because I actually got to officially meet some local running people. I've been trying to figure out and contact different people in the area because I know there are groups that meet but I've never been successful at actually tracking anyone down before. Not sure why it took a runner from out of state to bring it all together, but thanks Rebecca!

Oh, and huge admiration for her and everyone else who completed JFK. Everyone looked and seemed to feel great on Sunday after the 50-miler. When I went out for my measly 5 mile run Saturday morning, all I could think about was everyone who was out the trails cranking through 50 miles! Maybe someday...

Three Things Thursday

2010-11-18T06:54:00.001-08:00

1. During a sponteneous 3-ish mile run a couple weeks ago while on vacation, I hit the 1,000 miles run for the year. I started tracking miles mid-January and am still pretty shocked by the number. I became more laxed in updating my spreadsheet after the marathon was over, and I didn't start DailyMile until later in the year. I was happy I took the time to get the Garmin data into my spreadsheet to see the progress!

2. I've been lacking motivation lately. I still love the get out there and run (especially on the weekends) but it's been hard to get out there early in the morning on weekdays when it's still pitch black out. If I wait until it's light out, I love it, but that is often difficult scheduling wise. Guess, I'll figure it out soon, because...

3. Marathon #2 is confirmed:

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2010-11-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

Race Reports

Chris - OBX Marathon (will link to full report when posted).
Raquel - Rock 'N Roll - San Antonio Half.
Mindy - Pensacola Half Marathon.

Other Updates

Sherry completed her 22-mile long run this week and is starting to count down the days to her marathon!

New member Jessica is training for her first marathon and has her first half coming up next week! Also, check out the following new members: Donna, Caroline, Elizabeth and Irene.

Late last week, Pam was looking for advice on how to tackle the rest of her training for the Rock 'N Roll Las Vegas Marathon given her recent injuries. I hope whatever you decide to run this weekend works out! Julie continues to train for Vegas as well!

Good Luck to: Allie, Amy, Meggan and Natalia - all running the Philadelphia Marathon this weekend! Can't wait to read the Philly recaps (I considered Philly so I'm a little partial!).

Also, good luck to Jill who will try to beat her 5K PR!

Days 7 & 8 - Final Day at Best Friends and Travel Home

2010-11-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Travel
Day 2: Hoover Dam Half Marathon
Day 3: Best Friends: tour/orientation/dogs
Day 4: Best Friends: cats
Day 5: Bryce Canyon National Park
Day 6: Zion National Park

It's crazy how quickly a vacation passes after month and months of waiting in anticipation. Before I could blink, it was already Thursday, our last full day at Best Friends. We were scheduled with dogs the whole day.

We were assigned to puppies in the morning (wasn't going to choose puppies because I figured everyone would want puppies but they didn't have anyone for that time!). After completing a puppy socialization class, we cleaned their kennels and took several on walks. So much fun. I got trapped in a kennel with an energetic set of 4 puppies:

After lunch at Angel Village and getting to listen to the Thursday meeting updates from all the areas at Best Friends, we headed back to Dog Headquarters and chose to spend the afternoon at 'Old Friends'. I love working with older dogs and shy dogs and the kind souls housed at Best Friends didn't disappoint! We spent the afternoon cleaning and feeding before it was time to load up that night's sleepover buddy. Here's Reuben, an older dog who is very sweet and laid back.

We took him to Coral Pink Sand Dunes for a quick walk, picked up some takeout for dinner and then start packing up and loading the car. Before we knew it, it was time to return Reuben to Best Friends and make the trek back to Las Vegas and fly home. I'm usually ready to head home at the end of a vacation - this is one where I wanted to stay longer!

It was an amazing week, learned a lot, had lots of inspiration and ready to find the next challenge for myself. Back to normal, running related posts now.

I have been running the past couple of weeks, but nothing of great importance or interest!

Day 6: Zion National Park

2010-11-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Travel
Day 2: Hoover Dam Half Marathon
Day 3: Best Friends: tour/orientation/dogs
Day 4: Best Friends: cats
Day 5: Bryce Canyon National Park

Next up, Zion National Park. First impressions...gorgeous (obviously) and amazing how different it looked compared to Bryce! They've been doing a lot of road construction in Zion so we got a little bit delayed heading into the park, but nothing major. The two hikes I had my eye on were Angel's Landing and The Narrows. I knew we wouldn't do much of the Narrows, but I wanted to at least do a little bit of it. Since it would involve wading in the water, we started with Angel's Landing.

Shortly into this, we knew we were going to actually get some exercise in this day! Up, up and up we continued to climb. I had every intention of the doing the full hike to Angel's Landing. It's a 2.5 mile hike to the top. At two miles in, you reach Scout's Landing. From there, you can continue to go up to the summit but it's a narrow ridge with chains bolted to the rocks to help you hold on. I have a mild fear of heights when I'm near edges of tall drop-offs, etc. Just a few steps into this section and I started wondering how in the world I was going to get back down. I thought I could get up, worried about getting down. Then, there was also the thought back to the previous day where I slipped on some rocks and fell flat on my face. If I did that here, well, I'd fall off the side of a cliff. So, I chickened out! :-(

( We hiked all the way back down and headed up to the next location. After a break for lunch, we hit Weeping Rock Trail and then decided to try Hidden Canyon Trail. After hiking up, up, up we hit more chains...damn! OK, first set of chains weren't bad, keep going. More chains...argh. Went a little ways and started to feel a little funny in the legs and I decided I was chickening out again! Back down we went. I'm not sure how much farther that trail went up but I think we were nearing the end when I chickened out.

Next up, hit the Riverside Walk to head towards the Narrows. The Narrows is a 'trail', but it's really just the river. You can hike in several miles and need a special permit to do the whole thing. I didn't plan on going very far but at least wanted to experience a little bit of it. Raring to go, I hiked up my pants, made sure my shoes were tied and started wading in the water. It was cold and the rocks were so slippery. The current of the river was a little stronger than I expected as well. We zig-zagged from side to side for a little while but I was so slow trying not to fall in between the current and the slippery rocks. It seemed like we were already knee deep and weren't very far in at all. At this point, we pretty much concluded we weren't going to go too much further because it was starting to get late in the afternoon and we weren't really equipped to go too far. The smart people apparently rent suits that protect you from the cold...oh, ok...that makes sense. One guy who passed us was waist deep in the water because he was heading straight down instead of zig-zagging from side to side like we were to avoid the really deep water.

On the way back, despite walking very very slowly on top of wet, slippery rocks, I finally took my tumble into the water. Somehow I saved the precious camera with my 1,000 pictures on it and it didn't plunge into the water like the rest of me! I should've prepared much better like packing something to protect the camera from the water! But, I didn't, I was just enjoying the moment. At least it made it memorable.

Knowing we'd get wet, we saved this little adventure for the last of the day. We eventually made it back to the car, changed out wet socks and shoes (and pants and everything else for me!) and headed back to Kanab. Exciting, tiring day. Overall conclusions - very glad we went to both Bryce and Zion. Bryce had spectacular scenary. Zion did as well, but not quite as unique, but the hiking was more exciting at Zion!

Hikes completed:
Angels Landing
Weeping Rock Trail
Hidden Canyon Trail
Riverside Walk plus a small portion of the Narrows

Next Up: Last day at Best Friends

Day 5: Bryce Canyon National Park

2010-11-11T05:55:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Travel
Day 2: Hoover Dam Half Marathon
Day 3: Best Friends: tour/orientation/dogs

Day 4: Best Friends: cats

Day 5 was scheduled for hiking. We weren't sure if we wanted to do Bryce or Zion first but we were planning on doing one day at each. Last year sometime, I started researching a possible vacation for my husband and I. I was looking at Costa Rica and ordered a bunch of adventure vacation company catalogs. I wasn't planning on using some organized group but there were great reference material as research for possible iterniaries. In many of those catalogs, there were trips to Bryce and Zion. I don't think I'd even heard of either park before that time. I was just used to hearing about the Grand Canyon as the destination for a vacation in this area. After seeing the pictures, I knew I wanted to visit both Bryce and Zion. The plan for Costa Rica was nixed (everything I wanted to do would've been super expensive), and somehow the trip morphed into a trip to Best Friends for just my sister and I and hiking in the national parks. Neither of our husband's were very interested in either.

Anyway, on Tuesday morning, after a quick morning run, we got ready and drove the hour and a half to Bryce. The entire trip we realized how remote this area was - gorgeous, with nothing around. No cell phone reception and on the way to Bryce we lost all radio stations, including the satellite radio we found on the rental car. All we could get was the ads for Sirius with the channel guide...which got quite annoying after listening to it for so long.

When we finally made it into Bryce, we parked and started at Sunrise Point. I had previously concluded the best hike option would be to combine Queen's Garde, Peekaboo Loop and Navajo Loop. This was supposed to be a 6.4 mile hike combination but we must of cut Peekaboo short because I know we didn't cover 6.4 miles. However we did it ended up being perfect though because we got a great view of the land, starting at the top, hiking down into the canyon amongst the hoodoos and then out the other side. From there, we walked back to Sunrise Point from Sunset Point.

We took a break to eat our packed lunches and then headed up to Rainbow Point which is the end of the scenic drivce through the park. From there, we completed the Bristlecone Loop hike and jumped back into the car and hit all the viewpoints going back out of the park.

From that point, we then hit a few souvenior stores before heading to the last hike of the day which was a very short one named Mossy Cave. I have a habit of being clumsy and as we were walking through a dry creek bed, I had my first fall of the trip. My leg is still all bruised up from tumble number 1, which I actually think it pretty funny.

I cannot believe the number of pictures I took on this trip. Bryce was so worth the trip and I absolutely loved seeing all the rock formations.

Trails hiked (well, walked the hiking here wasn't that strenuous):

The Figure '8' (combination of Queen's Garden, Peekaboo Loop, Navajo Loop)

Sunset to Sunrise Point (to get back to starting point)

Bristlecone Loop

Mossy Cave

Next Up: Zion National Park

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2010-11-10T05:37:00.000-08:00

Race Reports:

Ann - Marine Corps Marathon
Becka - Athens Classic Marathon
Rene - Manchester City Marathon

Other Race Reports:

Zaneta - Grace Race 5K
Katie - Squirelly Six Mile Trail Race
Jen - Squirelly Six Mile Trail Race
Jen - Stockade-athon 15K
Olivia - Marine Corps Marathon 10K
Pam - Clarksville Half Marathon
Luke - Fall Harvest 10K

Other Updates:
Natalia completed her first 20 mile long run. And...umm...that's all I have. It seems like lots of people are sick, slightly injured or wrapping up running races for the season. If I missed anything after being away for a bit, feel free to yell at me.

Additionally, if anyone is planning their first full or half marathon for early 2011, e-mail me at highermiles (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll add you to the rotation list. The list is starting to dwindle on upcoming people to feature but I'd like to keep this up! Thanks!

Good luck to: Chris, Raquel and Mindy! Have fabulous runs this weekend.

Day 4: BFAS, Catworld

2010-11-09T04:51:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Travel

Day 2: Hoover Dam Half Marathon

Day 3: Best Friends: tour/orientation/dogs

I'm recapping last week's vacation. Picking up where the last post left off:

Valentino was a great dog for a sleepover, and I hope he gets a home soon. The one thing we can feel good about though, is when we returned him in the morning and handed his leash over the caregiver, he was wagging his little nub of a tail as he was walking back into his building. Although it's great when as many animals as possible get adopted, they certainly have a great place to live at Best Friends until they find a home.

For this day at Best Friends, we were scheduled to volunteer in cats the whole day. After the cat safety video, we were assigned to Benton's Place for the morning session. This is a building with special needs cats.

In most of the buildings, the cats live together in rooms that have both indoor and outdoor sections. In addition, there are usually several cats who live in the lobby. In the lobby of Benton's place were Cagney & Lacey who were two young cats with neuorlogical issues. They were quite sweet and cute, especially Lacey who stumbled around as she walked but was a sweet, playful kitten.

After a little while with them, we were assigned to clean one of the cat's rooms, Tomato's room. Each building and each room are named for a cat from the sanctuary at some point. I'm not sure what all issues the cats in this room had but we had a good time re-arranging cat beds and perchs, cleaning all the surfaces and mopping. These cats have a great life as well. At one point, I was gathering up beds to brush off or throw into the laundry and I stumbled upon a cat under one of them. I don't think she was too happy with me disturbing her, but eventually she met up with her sister and snuggled into another bed.

Since it was Monday, we were able to eat lunch at the sanctuary where they offer a fabulous vegetarian lunch for $5. It was great and had amazing views that couldn't be beat. We were also lucky enough to overhear some other ladies talking who said something about Rocking V, which is a restaurant in town we were planning to eat at, at least once. Since we were in Utah in what is considered the off season, many places are either closed for the season or on off-season hours. It sounded like we should hit that restaurant that night since it would be closed the next two nights.

In the afternoon, we went to another cat building, the Colonel's Barracks and did another round of cleaning a room from top to bottom. The outdoor cat areas are cool because the rafters are designed so more feral cats can stay up there where they feel safe. The goal is to get everyone socialized but that takes time so up in the rafters there are plenty of cat beds, food, water and litter boxes. The caregivers wanted us to take a sleepover cat for the night, but since we were planning on hiking the next two days, it wasn't in our plans.

After finishing up volunteering for the day, we decided to take the time to visit Angel's Rest, which is where any animals who pass are buried - both from the sanctuary or anyone else who wants to bury their animals there. It's so peaceful and there are something like 5,000 wind chimes in there. It was a calm day so the sounds from the chimes were very faint.

We went to Rocking V that night and had an absolutely amazing meal. The owner of the restaurant was a hoot too! I ordered some wonderful banana bread pudding for dessert but I was so stuffed I couldn't force it all down. When I left a couple of bites, he told me I better eat it because his wife got angry if any food came back uneaten. A little while later (we visited the art gallery upstairs), as we were walking out, he said to me: "I saved your skinny asses and ate that last bite". As if I wasn't already wanting to return to the area sometime, having a meal at this restaurant could definitely be enough to make a trip worth it!

Next Up: Bryce Canyon National Park

Day 3: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

2010-11-08T05:46:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Travel

Day 2: Hoover Dam Half Marathon

After finishing the half marathon, we wandered around the Lake Mead area for awhile. Then, we drove down to the Hoover Dam to grab some pictures and back-tracked a bit to walk a few portions of the half marathon course again.

By mid-afternoon, it was time to get in the car and make the 4 hour drive to Kanab, Utah where we were staying for the rest of our trip. After a stop in St. George, Utah for dinner, we eventually arrived in Kanab around 8:30 PM. Kanab is an tiny town of 4,000 people (and the largest town in 80 miles in all directions). We were pleasantly suprised by our room at the Bob-Bon Inn. We booked it ages ago because it fit our criteria of having pet-friendly rooms and was inexpensive so we were just hoping it would be decent.

The next morning rolled around and we were on our way just north of town to Best Friends. Like many others, I first heard of Best Friends from the Dogtown show on the National Geographic channel. I watched every single episode of it from the very first episode. When it was on, the new episodes were on Friday nights at 10 PM and were before the days of our DVR. Since I'm an early to bed, early to rise kind of person, it was always hard for me to stay awake to that time but I made sure I did every week. I also cried at every single epiosde, usually out of happiness. After seeing the show, I did my general research on the charity rating sites and was happy with what I read. I became a member and love their bi-monthly magazine.

Side note here - you can find plenty of negative information for this group as well as pretty much any other non-profit out there if you dig enough. You'll probably find some shady information on every group, regardless of size, if you start questioning things. I've done all that research. I know this group brings in millions and millions of dollars. Sure, they have the money for fancy marketing and they exist to bring in money for their cause but overall all experiences I've had with them have been positive.

The popularity of Best Friends Animal Society has surged in the past few years from the exposure of the Dogtown show, publicity from receiving a large number of the Michael Vick dogs as well as their many other programs and campaigns. They receive a huge number of visitors and volunteers each year so I kind of wondered how it would all work out and what our experience would be like --would we just feel like two more bodies in their huge sea of volunteers?

I'm somewhat involved in local animal groups in this area and really wanted to see how Best Friends operated. I made a little stir at a local shelter over the summer (the politics and differing opionions appear at all levels in the non-profit world!) so I had a few specific things I wanted to check out as well.

When we made the turn into Angel Canyon, I started to get a little teary-eyed. This trip really meant a lot to me but I was shocked I was already getting emotional. I got it together but later found out my sister felt the same way, so I guess it was normal!

We made our way into the welcome center and were greeted by an adorable little dog named Dolce. He actually belonged to our tour guide so he rode along with us on the tour as well. He'd had an injury in the past and had one bad leg which made the way he hopped around even more adorable. After watching a brief video (and crying again), we loaded up into a van to go on a tour of the entire santuary. It was even more amazing than I had anticipated. The size, the beauty of the land, the organization of it all, and the people were all wonderful.

After our tour, we had to go through our brief volunteer orientation. After that, we headed back to our hotel for a quick lunch of PB&J sandwiches and were back at Best Friends by 1:00 PM where we were scheduled to volunteer in Dogtown for the afternoon. I felt we really started to see things at this point. The tour was wonderful, I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who is close to the area, but it certainly had a bit of fluff as well. After a safety video, we were assigned to the Fairway, which consisted of the Dotty and Petey dog octagons which housed younger, energetic green-collared dogs. Green-collared dogs are all the ones who are perfectly fine with people so anyone can volunteer with them. I was amazed at these dogs. Having been around plenty of shelter dogs, they are usually full of energy after being cooped up in a kennel so it usually takes a little bit to get out their energy and see their true personality. The structure at Best Friends allow the dogs to live together in runs where they have both a large indoor and outdoor area, which is an ideal setup and the dogs seem peaceful and happy.

After some poop-scooping and some dog walking, it was already time to leave for the day. On this night, we were taking a sleepover dog with us so we had to get him checked out early. The caregiver at the Fairway asked if we'd take Valentino for the night. I had already had some fun with Valentino earlier in the day because he loved pouncing on the light reflecting off the poop-scooper and then digging himself a nice hole in the sand where he last saw the reflection.

We loaded him into the car (that poor rental car had no idea the kind of week it was in for), checked him out at headquarters and picked up his overnight bag.

Since it was still before 4:00 PM, we decided to head over to Coral Pink Sand Dunes, which is a state park nearby. We'd researched ahead of time and knew dogs were allowed and had planned on doing this at least with one of our sleepover dogs.

After a workout on the sand dunes, we headed into town to order some take-out at a Mexican restaurant called Nedra's Too. The people in the town seem quite used to people with the sleepover dogs from Best Friends so they didn't think it was the least bit odd when I was taking menus out to the car before ordering!

Next up: Day two at Best Friends.

Hoover Dam Half Marathon

2010-11-07T05:17:00.000-08:00

Short Version: Gorgeous course, wasn't my day.

Long Version:

On Friday, October 29th, my sister and I left my house for the Baltimore airport. After a long 5 hour flight, we arrived in Las Vegas. We picked up the rental car and drove down the Vegas strip. That drive concluded our time in Vegas. Neither of us had any desire for anything Vegas has to offer so we drove through to say we saw it and made our way just slightly south to Boulder City. I was pretty much prepared for our hotel this night to be a dump. It was adequate enough for one night but I'm glad it was only one night, because it certainly wasn't very nice or clean. The sign sums it up pretty well:

We grabbed our race packets, headed into the town to grab some groceries for the week and picked up a Domino's pizza for dinner. Due to the 3-hour time difference, it was an early bedtime this night.

The next morning, we headed just down the street to the Lake Mead Recreation Center and took in the gorgeous views. Pretty quickly, it was 8 AM and we were off. The first two miles of this course felt hard to me and I knew at that moment I wasn't going to have a stellar day. I was really thirsty already and know I hadn't hydrated enough the day before with the traveling. I also had a big of an upset stomach and the sun was beating down already. The first few miles were a slight, but constant uphill. Shortly after the uphill portion, we hit the trail which which was the surface for most of the race. It was a packed-gravel trail but it was looser trail than the rail trails that I'm used to around here. The scenary made the next few miles go by quickly though.

Along the trail, we also ran through a series of tunnels.

Shortly before the half-way mark was the turn-around. We had a short section of switchbacks, which were fun to run down and harder to get back up! They took us down to the top level of the Hoover Dam parking garage which gave us the view of the Hoover Dam and the new bypass bridge. The parking garage can be seen in the middle right side of this picture. All these pictures were taken after the race was over. We went back and walked several portions of the trail and did a drive-by of the Hoover Dam as well, so it is from a different angle.

Although I struggled a bit in the first half, I had finally gotten into a little bit of a groove and hit the half way mark a little over an hour. Then, I started feeling worse and worse and I walked...a bunch. It was a pretty big blow to the ego because I haven't really ever had to walk that much before, especially not in doing 13 miles. I've had to slow down before but usually I could still keep a jog going...not this day. I was really, really hot and my stomach still wasn't doing well.

My sister told me to take off my shirt. I'm not really one comfortable running in just a sports bra but after several minutes of saying no, I eventually said screw it and off went the shirt. I figured I didn't know anyone in Nevada anyway. This helped a bit but I still struggled and kept having to walk.

I believe it was around the 10 mile mark when there was an aid station with oranges instead of just water and Heed Energy drink. That orange slice was the most glorious thing in the world and I finally started to feel a little better. I thought I was going to be able to finish running the final 3 miles but I did take one more walk break with less than a mile to go.

Eventually, I crossed the finish line with the official time of 2:19:00, which is by far my worst half marathon...which really sucked considering I did two earlier in the year on very little training that went much better. But, there's always more. I was on vacation so I wasn't going to let it bother me too much!

The after part of this race was absolutely fabulous. They had the Salvation Army Emergency Response crew out cooking for us and since we finished in the breakfast-time range, we had the options of pumpkin pancakes and scrambled eggs (both made for you and served to you on a plate, no disgusting buffet lines that people had been scrounging through!). Plus there was plenty of fruit, pretzels, yogurt, granola bars and more. It was fabulous and after eating and drinking a bunch, I felt much, much better! The event had a marathon as well, and as those people were finishing, they had the options of chili, cornbread and more. It was a small event (I seem to gravitate towards these!) and I'd certainly recommend it. This day was sunnier than I thought it would be and a bit windy. Although it was rough on me, it was a great event presented by Calico Racing.

I actually really like a couple of our photos from the event as well and might actually break down and purchase them even if it wasn't stellar running day.

Coming up next: a bunch of posts non-running related about the rest of our trip which was an fantastic trip!

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2010-10-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

Race Reports

Kellie - Nike Women's Marathon
Eryn - Girlfriend's Half Marathon
Jenna Renee - Run Like Hell Half Marathon
Raquel - Mankato Half Marathon
Becka - Zombie Half Marathon
Bobbi - Full Moon 5K
Jill - Girls on the Run Practice 5K

Other Items

Sherry has been dealing with some pain during her runs but managed her 16 miler this week and her doc gave her the OK to keep running. I think Pam could probably relate to these issues! Julie was able to run her accidental 19-miles but suffered some knee pain as well. Hopefully everyone is back to 100% soon!

Rene ran her last 20 miler. Mindy ran 12 miles and is less than a month away from her first half marathon. Meggan ran 15 and is getting closer to her first marathon and Amy got in an 18-miler.

Good luck to those with races this weekend: Ruth, Kelly, Caro, Anne, Becka, Pam and Julie

Also, good luck to Rene next week.

There will be no update next week since I'll be technology free for the week. However, I'll do a big post the following week. That's all for now!

Hoover Dam Half Goals

2010-10-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

Six months ago, my goal for this weekend's upcoming half was to go under 2 hours.
Three months ago, my goal for this weekend's upcoming half was to go under 2 hours.

Today?

My goal for this weekend's upcoming half is just to enjoy it and have fun. I have no idea what to expect running on the other side of country. I have no idea how traveling for it will affect me. It falls on day one of the vacation too so there really isn't a point in trying to go all out for it. I certainly didn't 'train' for this since all I've been focused on is the marathon that happened earlier in the month. I don't really expect to be able to pull it off. Therefore, my only goal is to enjoy it. There'll be plenty of other times when I can shoot for a specific goal.

However, I will say that I finally feel 100% back to normal, re-focused and truly loving each and every single run I've been doing the last couple of weeks. My overall decreased mileage has led to speedier (well, speedy for me, definitely not truly speedy) times which is a nice change of pace. Not having some sort of plan has been a little weird though, so I may have created the following this weekend, just as a general guideline for the next several months. I have nothing officially planned but figured I'd create it based on what I'm thinking and then refine it later. I got so used to having everything planned out that I've been a little lost trying to decide which days to run, which days to do some other work out and how much to do of each.

Three Things Thursday

2010-10-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

1. Although I proclaimed here how much breaking our treadmill helped my running, they are certainly beneficial. We are in the market for a new one, hopefully by the end of the year. Any recommendations on good ones for home users? Most of my research has led me to the Sole F80.

2. A few weeks ago, I won a blog contest at Jen is Green for a Brooks Running Jacket. I picked the Nightlife jacket. It arrived this week and I have worn it on two runs already. I'm in love with this thing. I wasn't asked to do a review or anything, but I seriously just love it. I feel much better about running in the dark now! The retail price on this is $100. I never in a million years would spend that much on a lightweight running jacket but now that I have this, I love it!

3. This is what my desk looks like right now. It might not look that bad but things are crazy right now!!

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2010-10-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Race Reports:

Not everyone who raced this weekend has their reports up yet so I'll include them in the next go-around, but everyone did wonderfully! Here's the recaps posted so far:

Erika - Long Beach Marathon

Linz - Nike Women's Marathon

Aimee - Rock 'N Roll - Denver

Aneta - Toronto Marathon

Olivia - Baltimore Marathon

Bret: Des Moines Half Marathon

Other Updates:

Ann is in taper mode for Marine Corps and a bit under the weather (been there!). Kelly ran her longest run since her injury - a tough 12 miles as she tries to decide if she still wants to try the half marathon or switch to a 10 mile race. Becka was able to squeeze in a 20-mile long run and Chris ran 23. Pam is back with a successful 18 mile run after a week off. And, Meggan is getting close to the taper for her marathon.

Good luck to Raquel this weekend!

That's all I have for this week as I've been a little busy worker bee. Since many people have completed their events, if there are any more people doing their first full or half marathon either this year or during the first part of 2011 and you would like to be listed, please send me an e-mail! Thanks!

Travel Suggestions Please!

2010-10-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

At the end of the month, I'll be making my way out west to Nevada and Utah. After running the Hoover Dam Half Marathon, we'll drive to Kanab, Utah where we'll be staying for the week. We'll be spending three days volunteering at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Inter-mixed will be days hiking at Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon.

I've never been to the area (well, according to my parents I was when I was 6 months old but I don't remember much of that trip). While we have the trip pretty much planned out, I'd love any insight from others familiar with the area of anything we shouldn't miss. If it isn't obvious, I'm a fan of jam-packing vacations with as much as possible!

This trip has been in the works for a long time and it's exciting that it's almost here! I actually signed up for the Hoover Dam half before deciding on the marathon - yeah, a long time. Luckily I talked my sister out of running a full marathon the first day of our vacation but I'm pretty sure that is what planted the seed in my mind to tackle a marathon this year.

We tried to get permits to hike to The Wave but neither of our applications were chosen in the lottery. :-(

Friday Food

2010-10-15T09:34:00.001-07:00

I love fall. Like so many others, it is definitely my favorite season. Apples, pumpkins, changing leaves, the crispness in the air. You can tell the dogs love it too because ours have been little bundles of energy these past few weeks!

While waiting at the marathon, my Mom must have told my husband that once all this running was over I'd start cooking again. Totally selling me out. I actually never stopped cooking. The thing is, my husband wants to eat salads with grilled chicken every single night. Seriously, he wants that routine at dinner now. I can certainly have that in the house at all times and then make some different things as well because I'm not really on board with his plan.

Anyway, I was craving chili...my Dad's chili is the only kind I am used to and while I know his basic proportions, mine isn't as good, but still fits the bill. Especially when served my favorite way - over spaghetti.

Chili

1 pound ground turkey (can easily omit)
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans condensed tomato soup
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can EACH light red kidney beans, dark red kidney beans and chili beans
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder (generous portion), red pepper flakes and any other seasonings to taste

Brown the meat with onion, green pepper and garlic. Add sauce, soup and seasonings. Simmer for a few hours. Then, add beans and continue to simmer. If I'm pressed for time, I just add it all at once and let it simmer as long as I have. Tastes better the longer it goes!

As soon as fall starts, apples start and I start hearing the question: "When is there going to be an apple cake in this house". There's an apple orchard less than 5 miles from our house. When I was planning long runs during the marathon training, I totally thought I was going to be able to find some back roads that would lead me past the orchard. I was very disappointed when I found out that none of them would go directly by it but I came close.

I totally cannot get a good picture of a Gooey Apple Cake because it looks awful. Certainly nothing you would want to serve guests, but it is a lovely mix of deliciousness.

Gooey Apple Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, almost completely melted
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
½ cup buttermilk (I never have and just use skim milk)
2 cups chopped apples (Jonathan or McIntosh here!)
2 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:
2 – ½ cups powdered sugar
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
½ cup oats

Mix melted butter and sugar. Add eggs. Beat well. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add flour mixture alternately with milk. Mix well; fold in chopped apples. Spread in greased 13x9 pan. Mix topping ingredients and pour over cake before baking. Do not stir. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes; center should remain slightly gooey.

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2010-10-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

First Half Marathons:

Katie and Jen - Hudson Mohawk Half for both of them!

First Marathons:

Amber, Harmony, Lisa (kind of first) - Portland and Bobbi - Chicago

Other Race Reports:

Ruth posted a 5K race report from a few weeks ago, Becka had a double-header of 2 half marathons in one weekend. Rene had a 10K and Allie posted her recap of the Akron Half Marathon. Luke completed the Take Flight Triathlon and Julie had a 5K.

Other Items:

Raquel and Natalia both ran 16 miles, Ann completed a 20 mile training run, Meggan had a great 17 miler and Amy completed a 19 mile long run that included a bit of getting lost. This seems to be a recurring theme, I think we've all pretty much gotten lost once or twice!

Good luck to everyone this weekend: Olivia, Erika, Aneta, Kellie, Linz, Aimee, Bret, and Eryn!!

Last Week's Poll Results:

What do you neglect when you get busy:

Core Work - 38.8%
Cross Training - 54.8%
Long Runs - 3.2%
Stretching - 3.2%

Right vs. Wrong

2010-10-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

I've had over a week to gather my thoughts about the marathon and the journey I've been on in the past year. I'm sure many people would think what I attempted to do was completely foolish and that I was setting myself up for disaster and injury. But, I made it, and have learned a lot a long the way of completing everything from a 5K to a marathon within a year. I still certainly consider myself a new runner and am ready to tackle some more challenges. I'm tentatively considering my next full marathon - Pittsburgh in May 2011. I'll decide in the next month or so for sure.

For now, what I think I've done right and what I've done wrong along the way so far:

Right:

1. Registered for races. I've mentioned many times becoming hooked on running after completing the first 5K on Thanksgiving 2009. I quickly signed up for a 5 miler in January and after that one, signed up for two halfs and the full marathon. Obviously I'm a goal person. Knowing I was signed up for all the events kept me motivated and excited for the next challenge. Although I signed up for a lot and was overly ambitious, I tried to still keep it somewhat in check and not go completely overboard with shorter distances. Speed hasn't been a goal at all so I skipped lots of shorter distances since longer distances were my goal.

2. We broke our treadmill. This certainly wasn't intentional but in February our treadmill became completely unusable. It certainly wasn't a top of the line one to begin with but for several years I hopped on that puppy every couple of days and busted out 3-4 miles at 10:00 min. pace and 2% incline. I never changed it. It was solely to burn off calories to keep off the 50+ lbs. I lost and keep my energy level up. I could NOT run outside. It was entirely too difficult. I'm also pretty sure the treadmill wasn't calibrated correctly. After it broke, it forced me outside. With the races in mind, I started loving running outside. It took awhile, but I eventually got to the point where three miles felt easy, then 4, 5, 6 and beyond. A broken treadmill forced me to run in the cold, the scorching heat, rain, wind, hills and other unpredictable circumstances. Now, I can't stand the thought of the treadmill and can't imagine not running during the week to clear my mind.

3. I bought a Garmin. In January of this year, I didn't know there was any type of Garmin other than the one you'd find in your car (which we don't have anyway). I thought I was being pretty fancy when I went to Wal-Mart and bought a Timex that had a stopwatch on it. I never had a clue how far I ran except the couple of times I hopped in the car and re-traced the route. Wow...4.5 miles! I was so excited. As I learned more, I started stalking Amazon and when the price was right, ordered the Forerunner 305. I can't imagine life without this now. Although I'm somewhat obsessed with the data after the fact, I only look at it occasionally when I'm running. But, it's made me truly accountable for how far I've run and how long it took. I was a victim of over-estimating what I had completed before having it. Plus, I never have to plan my routes - just get out and run.

4. For several months, I had no plan. This is odd, but for the first two half marathons (March and April), I had no plan. I was so new to this, I took the laid back approach that my sister suggested which was to get to a point where I could run 5-6 miles easily and then run 9 or so miles a couple times. Somehow this worked and I really think this approach is what made me continue to love it. I almost think if I had it too planned out early with specific lengths of runs or types, it would've felt like work and wouldn't have turned into a lifestyle.

5. Then, I had a detailed plan. Once I was hooked and realized how far 26.2 miles really was, I picked a plan (Hal Higdon Int. 1) and was completely committed to working as hard as I possibly could, in a responsible way toward the marathon goal. I still chose that plan because it was simple. No complicated speed workouts, hill repeats, etc. The aim was to build the endurance to run 26.2 miles and not injure myself along the way and it was successful. I stayed almost completely on track with the plan as well.

6. I listen to my body. I've been pretty good at differentiating minor aches and pains from other potential issues. When my Achilles felt I bit sore, I backed off knowing that was a pain not to try and push too much. If I was just tired and achy, I pushed through it. I purposely chose an intermediate plan for this reason. I figured I could try it and if it was too much, my body would tell me and I could back down to a lesser plan. In then end, I had to do this and only got in one 20 miler before the marathon.

7. I completed long runs alone. This is an easy one since I'm usually a solo runner, but I certainly understand and appreciate company (was extremely helpful in the actual race). However, I do think running alone builds up a bit of mental toughness that you need to keep pushing yourself forward.

8. I figured out fuel/hydrating. I was very naive on this topic at first too but once the length of the runs was above 10 miles, I started experimenting with just about everything out there. It took a couple of times, but I eventually figured out the perfect combination for me.

Wrong:

1. I tried to add races into my schedule instead of scheduling my training around the races I wanted to run. Running a 18 mile long run after doing a 5 mile race the day before? Sounded fine on paper, didn't work in reality for this beginner.

2. I bought shoes at a running store. What? This is the wrong category. Yes, actually it is. I went to a running store early in the game and bought myself a fancy pair of shoes. They were so cushy and comfortable. Problem was I wasn't used to a built up shoe. I was used to cheap, on sale shoes. I remember starting out in that pair (Asics Nimbus) thinking they felt weird because the heel felt high but I went with it because they were 'real' running shoes. I've learned what I want and actually need in a shoe now.

3. I only got in one good 20 mile run. My 20 miler went really well. I only had time to do one since I altered my schedule but I almost wish it would've been a little tougher for me. I plan on doing one 22 miler in my next training round, just for myself mentally.

4. I picked an Intermediate plan. This is getting lumped into both the right and wrong categories. I'm still glad I chose it but I was getting a little burnt out towards the end. I fully intend on creating my own schedule next time around. It'll still be high intensity but I'll make it work my life and schedule a little better.

5. I attempted to eat way too healthy. In the spring, I vowed I was going to become super healthy during the whole training. You know, I was going to eat just like all those food blogs I follow. I would cut out every bad processed thing in my pantry and my refrigerator would be filled with a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables that I'd prepare in a new and exciting way every day. This doesn't work for me. I eat relatively healthy to begin with. I figured that out several years ago when I lost weight by simply tracking what I ate and how much of it plus adding in a little bit of exercise. Crazy concept, right? Even then I didn't completely cut anything out completely. So, if I want Taco Bell and a bag of Skittles every once in awhile, who cares!

6. I neglected cross-training/strength training. My XT day was supposed to be on Mondays. The day after my long run. I did it about 90% of the time but it was quite half-assed. Somewhere along the way I decided to do some push ups and couldn't even do 10 anymore. I've been ramping back up in this department and continue to keep it in the mix. I think before I got obsessed with the running, I was actually a little bit stronger!

Rut.

2010-10-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

I've been in a bit of a rut this week. Stressed out at work and in a bit of a post-marathon funk I believe. From what I gather, this is typical.

I'm not sure it's typical to fall completely off the wagon though. Doritos and applesauce for dinner? Sure, why not? Sleep in? Sure, there's no reason to get up early!

I have run twice and did one additional workout but I've purposely been trying to take it easy. When I do that, I seem to go completely out of control.

I like the structure of having each and every day planned out from the start at 5 AM.

But, it's Friday! I'll be making my weekend to-do list tonight and will also plan out next week. Even if I take it a bit easier than I had been, I can still plan out plenty of things to do, like tackling some of those household chores that have been neglected. Plus, I still have a goal to works towards. A vacation and half-marathon at the end of the month!

Best wishes to everyone racing this weekend!!

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2010-10-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

Race Reports (links to race reports).

Julie ran the Twin Cities Marathon!

Zaneta posted the recap of her first half marathon - Women's Running Magazine Half. Also, new member Jill ran this half as well and it was her first...visit her too!

Becka got a new PR at the Maine Half Marathon

Ann completed her first sprint triathlon.

Amy completed the Central Park Biathlon

Olivia paced her husband at the Susan G. Komen 5K.

Other Updates

Sherry ran her first 20 miler, as well as Linz! Aimee also had a great 20 miler! Meggan was able to get through her 16-miler while Pam had a great 16 miles. Kellie tackled a solo long run. Mindy ran 11 miles with her new Garmin.

New member Julie signed up for her first marathon - Rock N Roll Las Vegas. Molly has a post of her favorite and least favorite races. Rene continues to train and sign up for more races! Luke isn't exactly loving the taper for races!

Aneta had a bit of a hard week - here's hoping the rest will get that knee back in shape quickly! Kelly is back to running after taking some time off due to injuries.

Lisa, Amber, Harmony, Bobbi, Jen and Katie are all running their events this weekend. Good luck to all, have a wonderful time and can't wait to hear all the details!!

Poll (Topic Stolen from Runner's World)
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