The Trusty Woodway

Due to the lovely weather, I had to run inside again yesterday. My schedule called for a 7 mile run, so I was dreading doing this on a treadmill. I had checked the health club's website frequently during the day to make sure they would still be open, unlike many other businesses. Fortunately, they were open and I was able to get there by about 5:45pm once Tony got home from work.

I typically choose to run on one of two treadmills, both being Woodways. These are a little nicer treadmills and have a feel more like running on the track. My first stint was on a the one that has the broken TV since someone had already snatched the other one. So, I spent the first 3.25 miles looking at my reflection in the TV. I gradually increased my speed finishing those miles in just over 33 minutes. Thankfully the gal next to me finished and I was able to hop over to the Woodway with the working TV. The second part of the run went even better and I was able to crank out the remaining 3.75 in 38 minutes.

I felt pretty good and it was not as horrible as I had expected it to be. It was nice to see the friendly faces of some friends who we just had over for dinner the other night. My new shoes seem to be working out nicely as well. I am considering using them for my 13 miler this weekend, but feel like it might be too soon to try them out. I'm open to opinions if you have any.

I've been quite consumed with this running stuff and spend a lot of time reading about running through other blogs (some listed here, but not all) and information I can find online. My students are giving me a hard time because it has been a couple months since I've actually read a book.

I came across this quotation that I will be keeping in mind this weekend, "As you grow older, you'll find the only things you regret are the things you didn't do." Zachary Scott

Some other food for thought is an article linked here that discusses the strain training for endurance sports can have on family.

That was somehwat unexpected

Another fartlek was scheduled for Monday and I was excited to try the workout again since I only had to run 4 miles. Unfortunately the freezing cold and rain forced me inside and waiting for after dinner when Tony was home from work.

I wasn't too worried about running after eating dinner because I used to do this all the time without problems. Well, guess there is a first for everything. The first mile and a half were great. The speed work wasn't bad, even on the dreaded treadmill. Unfortunately, by about mile 2, I felt like I was going to throw up my dinner at any second. I had to slow it down and really didn't get much of a workout in after that. I made myself complete 4 miles total, but the last 2 miles were a mix of jog and walk. I'm calling that a fartlek.

The Blizzard of '11 has left me house bound yesterday and today. I keep checking the gym website to make sure they are open today. I hope to make it to the gym tonight to crank out 7 miles on the treadmill...ugh.

On another note, after my run on Saturday I did buy new shoes. I tried to get ones that were as close to the model that I currently have. Fortunately they had my size in stock, were on sale, and gave me an "extra" discount. As a result, I decided to purchase a second pair to have after these new ones wear out and another pair of Smart Wool socks. I can't wait to try them out!

Success!

As you can guess from the title, I had a great run this morning. I am not sure what helped in this department and would make an awful scientist because I changed too many variables to know what made this happen. Here are the possible reasons:


1.) I chose to buy school lunch yesterday because it was slim pickings with everyone being sick this week. This could have been disastrous, but to my surprise, I had a delicious spaghetti with meat sauce and phenomenal bread stick. To top it off, we get two drinks so I chose a juice and a chocolate milk. I was ecstatic about the chocolate milk because this meant one less trip to the grocery store for my run. I saved the chocolate milk for a post-run drink.


2.) Because of the aforementioned "slim pickings" at our house, dinner was going to be a crap shoot. Tony suggested picking up pizza. I was open to this idea since 2 of my friends, who are very successful runners, swear by Chicago-style deep dish pizza that is loaded with sodium and heaviness the night before their races. While Little Caesars is no Chicago style pizza, I did try it anyway.


3.) I drank two cups of decaf coffee around 8:30pm in hopes that I can kickstart the digestion even possibly before going to bed. Success.


4.) Check out the temperature this morning:

5.) I altered the pre-run meal slightly. I chose less bagel and added peanut butter to it, followed by 3/4 of a banana. Success.

6.) Extra foam rolling before leaving for the run.

7.) New day and location for the run. Every other week the runs are on Saturdays with the half marathon training group. This doubled the turnout today and for the first 6 miles of my run my 11:00 minute pace group was 10. We actually maintained about a 10:20 pace, but I felt great.

We met at Body n' Sole, one or our sponsors and "the" running store in Central Illinois. This offered a warm place to meet and stretch before taking off, as well as a restroom...success.

The run consisted of a 6 mile "loop" that we did twice. This meandered through neighborhoods in Savoy, but is not part of the race route. I enjoyed the company of the pace leaders, Donna and Mike, as well as the 2 other marathon runners at my pace, Matt and Del. There were 4 girls with us from the half group, but I didn't catch their names, maybe next time. I took a quick rest after the first loop and fueled up with some remarkable Gu that tasted nearly as delicious as chocolate frosting right out of the can. Periodically in the last 4 miles, I snacked on some of the jelly beans since I was feeling light-headed and fatigued throughout much of this. I finished up with my watch reading: 2:08.37 for the 12 miles today.


I am thrilled that I finally had a long run that I can really feel proud of. That is, afterall, why I'm
running, right?!?


So, here goes nothing people, I'll be sending my change of registration Monday morning before the prices go up.

This is why I run

Okay, so I guess for those of you who know me, I eat these along with all other chocolates even if I'm not running or working out. Now, though, it is completely guilt-free. These, by the way, are the best invention ever--brownies with chocolate chips on top (see the back of a Betty Crocker brownie mix for the recipe).

Tonight I had a cold, windy, snowy, and ice-in-the-face kind of run. Ellie joined me for the first 4 miles and contributed to a quick twist of my ankle since she doesn't seem to understand that you really need to stay away from cars. In trying to pull her around to safe ground, I stepped on some uneven spots and got a little twist, but nothing serious.

I pumped out 6 miles to Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Tom Petty predominantly and am finally getting a feel for the MP3 player. My route was a bit unconventional as I was trying to stay on fairly cleared roads (which as mentioned in a previous post is hard to come by in Champaign). I was surprised to see a few houses with Xmas lights still on, but who am I to judge considering we still have ours hanging from our house. Besides, I am the runner girl who waves around her hand because he "should have put a ring on it."

Besides my burning and very cold cheeks, I feel good right now. I am trying to stay upbeat about the upcoming long run. This time it will be on Saturday and the marathon group will be running with the half-marathon group so there should be a pretty large group out there.

Well, I'm off to enjoy my brownie-chocolate chip cookie thing...oh wait...I already ate it!

At least it was 32 degrees

I've had a rough last couple of days due to a household of sickies. I was not able to make it to yoga yesterday and instead spent at least 3 hours back and forth to the doctor and hospital for the little one's horrible croup cough and a blood test. Thankfully the test results came back clear and for the most part he handled it like a trooper, but boy was he miserable today.

To make a long story short, today consisted of me staying with TJ, while M&M went to daycare, and Tony ended up coming home from work because his illness is still lingering (he even slept through the Bears game on Sunday).

One positive of this set-up was that I was able to get out for a run in the afternoon AND it was even 32 degrees! It did take me at least 20 minutes to get ready because pretty much everything I needed was nowhere to be found--leash for dog, headphones, etc. I spilled my water all over my jacket and down the inside sleeve, not once, but twice. Once I finally got settled, I had a great 4 mile run. The roads are still a bit snowy/slushy, but my traction was decent and the temperature seemed amazing in comparison to what it has been.

I continue to LOVE my SmartWool socks and wish I had more pairs. A friend of mine even sent me a link yesterday for discounted socks from Sierra Trading Post, but with TJ's croup fiasco, I wasn't able to order any more in time.

My spirits are better after this weekends not-so-hot long run. I am going to assume that my body just needs time to adjust to this new endeavor.

Attraversiamo

As a result of the aftermath of my long run, I really am struggling with the concept of actually doing this race. I am enjoying the running and the running itself is going okay. I just can't deal with how my body is after the fact. It is horrendous. For whatever reason, my system just doesn't handle the jostling and what not that my body takes over the course of running for extended periods of time.

I am hopeful that over time my body will just suck it up and get used to this. It better.

In the mean time, I look to words of encouragement as I encounter them throughout my day. I also think about the obstacles so many people have overcome in their lives, and the inspirational stories that come from the people I know and even those whom I don't know that I'm becoming quite obsessive about.

My inspiration for the coming week is from the movie last night, attraversiamo...let's cross over. I'm hoping to cross over this journey into the unknown that I have dreamed about since I was a young girl who saw her dad run every week, but I'm just a little scared.

End of Week 3

On Friday I squeezed in my 3 mile run on the treadmill right away after work. I was a bit pressed for time so I tried to run as fast as I could. I saw my competitive side come through when a guy came on the treadmill next to me and I made sure I maintained a quicker pace than him. I was delighted to find my friend, Jen, at the gym, but unfortunately she was doing strength that day so I decided to give her random thumbs ups and big smiles periodically. I think I confused a few of the other people working out because they thought I was giving them the thumbs up.

Yesterday was a rest day, which consisted of just that. I did make it to the grocery store and picked up Eat, Pray, Love, which turned out to be a cute little number. I think even Tony would say that it wasn't too bad. I made myself some pasta and a salad in an attempt to make my stomach tolerable during the run for today.

Once again, I had another cold morning...

but I am starting to get the hang of dressing for the weather and don't seem to mind the bitter cold as much.

Breakfast today was a blueberry bagel with butter and some watered down Gatorade. That, of course, was enjoyed during a quick check on Facebook.

Here is a not so stealth picture I took in the parking lot to show you where I met the group for the run this morning. I was a little worried when I didn't see Del or Sue Ellyn, but did meet up with Mike, Donna, and Matt who maintained a 10:30-11 minute pace.

We did the same route as the other week, but were to add on as needed to make our mark. The run was pretty good, although around mile 8ish I got a little light-headed and dizzy so I made sure I refueled with some of the energy jelly beans I had in my pocket. My water bottle did end up freezing again at the top, but fortunately that happened a bit further along in the run.

There seemed to be more people running today, which was quite surprising considering how cold it was. The new people I met made the time go by and I truly felt pretty good...until mile 10 when I realized I really was not going to make it much further without using the bathroom.

Our pace must have been a little quicker than the 10:30-11 I was hoping for because my watch read 1:55 including two water stops, a jelly bean stop, as well as a stop at McDonald's. I made it home in time to use the bathroom, but felt pretty horrible for the following 4 hours. My muscles feel okay, but these long runs just aren't agreeing with my stomach. I am trying to do as much research about this as I can, but I am not having much luck. No matter what I seem to try, no change. Maybe I'll have to try the afternoon run again. We shall see.

This week I plan to head back to yoga on Monday and run on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.