Half Ironman

About six months ago - Jen suggested that we do the racing for recovery half iron man in early June.  So of course without really thinking about it too much I agreed.  The way I saw it, the half iron man would give me a reason to keep getting up early in the morning to swim and since i was training for a marathon the run wouldn't be a problem - I'd put in some time once a week on the bike on the trainer and I would be able to get through it.  I didn't realize how how hard it would be to follow a marathon training program that was more aggressive than anything I'd done in the past - plus get the bike and swim in.  I quickly found I could only do so many two a days - and since I didn't want to drown the bike got put to the back burner.  Jen was really worried about me getting through the bike - i was more worried about drowning.

Flash forward to race morning - i have never gone from complete panic to complete calm so quickly and so many times.  When i was calm it was because i really didn't know what to expect and I didn't really have any expectations.  Sure - i had done the math - i was hoping to be sub 45 on the swim, around 3:15 on the bike and around 2 hours on the run - but i knew that would be on a good day and that it didn't matter because my goal was to finish.  I kept myself in control until we got into the water before the race - the cold water hit my chest and I pretty much had a panic attack.  I started crying and told Jen i couldn't and didn't want to do this - i felt like my wet suit was choking me and i could not get my breathing or my heart beat under control.  I looked pretty bad because Jen told me there was no shame in not doing it.  I knew if i didn't try I would always regret it and probably would never start another triathlon again.  So I went for it.

Part I - The swim

Ever wonder how long it takes to swim 1.2 miles while breast stroking at least half of it and hyperventilating?  Well for me it was approximately 48 minutes.  The course was an out and back into the lake and then another out and back along the shore.  When i got to the part along the shore i knew i was close to being able to touch the ground which helped - and I also realized that if I kept up with my hyperventilating breast stroke I was going to be too exhausted to finish the rest of the race - so i actually did get into a pretty good rhythm - resorting to breast stroking for spotting.  The whole thing was pretty ugly - my swimming has really improved over the last  year - and what i did in that lake did not reflect that at all.  But I was so proud of myself - i was deathly afraid of that swim - i had never swam that far with out stopping, i had only swam in a wet suit maybe one other time and had only swam in the lake a handful of times last summer.   That was a huge accomplishment.  I could have stopped there and been happy with the day.  I figured I would get on the bike and see what i could do.

Part II - the ugly ugly  bike

I hopped on my bike and quickly realized that I wasn't going to be able to hold 18mph like i had hopped - i was toast from the swim.  I unhappily settled into around 15-16mph and tried to see how far I could get before Jen came blasting by me.  It took about 10 miles til Jen came blowing past me I think I  yelled "that was the hardest thing I've ever done" and she yelled "I'm never swimming in lake Erie again."  The bike route was a mess - potholes and rough roads and it made it really hard to get into a rhythm and by mile 20 I was ready to be done with the bike.  My goal was to make it around the 3 loops with out getting lapped by Jen and her friend Paula.  I figured if they didn't lap me then at least i wasn't dropping the pace too much.  I think the first water stop was around mile 22 - i stopped and poured some water over my head and saw Steve and Matt and the babies cheering for us under a tree.  I yelled something about this not being fun and headed out for the second loop - i just kept telling myself to get through this loop.  The second time through the aid station - i skipped the aid station but stopped to talk to Steve and Addy.  This was around mile 34 - i was feeling pretty bad and it was getting pretty lonely out on the course.  I told Steve i was going to head out for the final loop - but i didn't know if i would finish this race today.  Somewhere on the third loop i decided i was going to stop after the bike.  I had to get through the bike to prove that I could - but it was so hot and i was burning so badly I decided it wasn't worth the sun exposure and that i would call it a day when i got back to transition.  Well then it got worse.  With 8 miles to go I stopped on the side of the road, sat down and I called my husband crying and asked him to come pick me up.  So logical Steve said "where are you" and i said "i don't know - on a very hot road somewhere - and I hate biking and triathlons are stupid and I'm not finishing this"  to which Steve replied.  "i have no doubt that you can finish this bike and the whole race if you want to - if you don't want to that is OK - and if you want me to come get you I will, but you need to at least give me a street name"  So I decided I would make it back.  And i did.  3 hours and 40 minutes later.  3 hours and 40 minutes!!!  I was one of the last people to finish the bike - the people on the run course were cheering for me - but you know they were thinking that no matter how bad they were feeling - at least they weren't that poor girl just finishing the bike up!

Part III - the run

When i got into transition i asked the race official if their was a cutoff time - I was so slow I didn't want to start the run if I wasn't going to be able to finish in time.  He said - there is but you are not there yet - you are fine.  Now Paula's husband was waiting for me by the transition.  He told me how far ahead of me Paula and Jen were which did nothing for my morale.  But he did say - come on this is the run - this is your thing - go do your thing.  So I slathered some more sunblock on (not enough) and headed out.  The run was two loops around a "shaded" lagoon.  It was so hot and sunny that I made myself a deal - if I threw up I could stop.  So I started running and then I would walk and I stopped at every water stop to throw several cups of water over my head and then I would continue on.  Well I started to notice that no one was passing me (that would be because there was no one left on the bike course - but even the faster people who were on their second loop weren't passing me)  - and  i was passing people - not just people who were on their second loop and nearing the end but people that i recognized passing me on the bike.  (Especially this one woman who passed me with about 10 miles left and then decided to weave back and forth to block me - seriously?  There are two of us left out here and you are worried that i might pass you!  ugh - i crushed her on the run btw)   So my attitude changed - i thought well if i can at least get around this loop once - I'll walk the second loop if i have to - but at this point I'm not going to have come this far without finishing.  So I started the second loop - running and walking and throwing water over my head.  Around mile 10 I saw Jen going the opposite way - it was nice to see a friendly face.  I also knew that I was going to finish - so i continued cheering other people on and continued to pass people - and i actually had fun.  I finished the run in 2:07 - not too shabby for wanting to  quit with 8 miles left on the bike, extreme heat and sunburn.   I was also really happy with that time considering how many times i stopped for water, to go to the bathroom, etc... it means that when i was running it was at a decent pace. 

The result: 

I finished in 6:43 - i was hoping for around 6 hours - but considering how close I was to quitting I'll take it!  I wasn't last in my age group so that's good too.  And I learned a valuable lesson - you can fake your way through a sprint triathlon - but a half iron man will find your weaknesses and make you pay for your lack of training.  In hindsight i probably should have dropped to the sprint given my lack of bike time and open water swim practice.... but I'm glad i didn't.  I always talk about how i don't have enough confidence in myself or my abilities and how weak i am mentally.  Well I tell you what: panic attack and crying cell phone call to my husband aside - that was the toughest thing I have mentally ever done.  When you are toast less than 2 hours into a race and you know you are in over your head - to mentally get yourself through 4 hours and 43 minutes more in the heat and sun - that to me is some mental toughness - and that is something  I will always take with me.  I told myself i had to finish because i was never going to do this again...

that was Sunday - today is Tuesday and I'm already wondering... what if i actually trained properly... or at least rode my bike further than 20 miles.... I'm not sure what mental illness I have but i'm pretty sure endurance events are the symptom...

i need to find a race

i would like to find a marathon in September or October that is drivable and not in Ohio, Michigan, new york, or Pennsylvania.  I like small low key off the wall races... but so far i'm not having any luck in finding a good match!  I would appreciate any suggestions!

The Summer of Whatever

Steve and I decided to run the eagle 5 mile run on Saturday.  The original plan was for me to pace steve to a p.r. - problem was we worked out with the trainer on Friday - so our legs were pretty sore and steve hadn't been running much in the past few weeks so he didn't think a p.r. was in the cards for this race.  So I decided to just run it and see what happened.  The plan was that if we hit a mile and Steve was right with me - we would run together.  So I ran with out a care - kept it comfortable - hit mile one at 7:15 - thought to myself - well i guess i'll just try to keep the others under 8 minute pace - got to mile two around a 7:30 - mile 3 around 7:30 again - mile 4 7:26 or something like that.   I thought to myself - 5 miles is a lot shorter than a marathon - this is fun - and went into the 5th mile.  The race finished in the minor league baseball stadium in Avon. As I rounded the warning track and crossed the finish line on the first base side - I ended up finishing in 37:01 - which was my 2nd best time ever and I got 3rd in my age group ...AND... I had fun. .. AND i wasn't running all out  - I definately had a lot left in the tank... AND Afterwards my legs felt better than they had all week.  So a week after I ran a marathon and a week before i'm doing a half ironman that i'm not properly trained for I ran and race and I did pretty ok.   This made me think - I'm not a professional athlete - and it's ok if i do things that don't quite make sense.  (no serious or professional athlete would run a marthon, race a 5 mile run and follow it up with a half ironman)  This summer my goal is to run races and have fun and collect some age group hardware in the process.  I think I'll find a fall marathon to do - just to keep me honest - but it might be a trail run and I might not tell anyone i'm doing it - i'll do it just to do it - and enjoy the run and lay off the time goals for awhile.  After all this is suppose to be fun - and I think that I will in fact have fun during my "Summer of Whatever"  ... stay tuned.. oh and keep your fingers crossed on this half ironman-  i think if I can complete the swim I'll able to finish... but we shall see!

post marathon - pre half ironman limbo

There comes a time in a lot of races when you’ve reached to low point – when you question why you do this and tell yourself that you are not going to do this anymore. It takes a few days, the pain fades and the accomplishment – even if it wasn’t quite what you wanted remains – and you go for that first recovery run and you remember why you do this.


I am currently caught in a recovery/taper sandwich right now that I have no plan for. So how have I dealt with it? I swam yesterday and had some potato chips and beer almost every other night this week. Result: I’m crabby and I feel like a million pound slug! The truth is I think I’m addicted to a running schedule. I’m not right without it. I don’t know how to just get some miles in anymore. I need a plan to tell me what to do! How nuts is that? I like to have a goal and to check off the things that get me to that next goal. I don’t know how to go with the flow. Maybe if I did – I wouldn’t get so worked up about things and would actually become a better runner.

So what should I shoot for? A fall marathon? A trail marathon in the fall – that would take the pressure off – no p.r. goals there… or maybe I should train to run a really great half marathon. Maybe I won’t drown at this triathlon on the 5th and I’ll decide to do more… decisions, decisions I need a plan. I’m lost without a plan. I’ve asked some of you – but what are your goal races coming up?

What went wrong?

I promised myself I wouldn’t over analyze this race. I would take it for what it was and move on. But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t analyze it just a bit. So here I go – I’ll say my peace and hopefully move on. I must warn you it will be long as I am on a 2.5 hour flight from Denver to Cleveland – so I’ll probably type until my battery on my laptop dies!


Phoenix –January 2011 – the worst marathon experience I have ever had. Was it my worst time ever? Hardly – I have walked / run several marathons that were at the 5 hour mark – because I ran them for fun – I ran them for the experience, companionship and to reach one of my goals of crossing off the 50 states. So the fact that Phoenix was a 4:19 – wasn’t the issue. It was how I felt during the race. I felt like I hadn’t trained at all. I knew I was in trouble as early as mile 8 – and I didn’t go out all that fast. I crashed and burned and didn’t deal with it well. I cried when I finished. I decided then and there I was either never going to run another marathon – or I was going to step it up. I knew I was capable of more and I was pretty sure most of my issues were in my head.

So I found a new training program recommend by someone who had great success with it – I found a marathon that was 16 weeks out and in other state (hence Fargo) and I went to work. It was a more aggressive training program than I had done in the past – but I quickly found that I could do it – that I could hit the paces and I could do the mileage. I started getting p.r.’s every time I ran a different distance race from 5ks to 30ks to marathons. Amie and I would do our long runs and I would have to slow us down when we crept too close to an 8 minute pace. I know it’s not smart to do your long runs too fast – but the pace felt comfortable – we talked the whole way and I was recovering well after each run. At the same time I was and am training for my first half ironman – swimming two mornings a week and spinning once a week. I was seeing great improvement in the water as well. In March we started working out with a personal trainer one day a week – and I was hoping this would be the missing piece that I needed. Strengthen my core etc – and making me stronger over all.

March 20th – I went to visit my friend cris in Atlanta , which coincided with the Atlanta marathon which coincided with a 20 miler on my training plan. The week before my knee went wonky – so I took a week off – and almost didn’t run the race. It was hot which I knew I wasn’t ready for and it was a hilly course – which I definitely was not ready for. I decided I may as well give a go – take it easy enjoy myself and check off another state. I have never enjoyed a race like I enjoyed that one. I went out at an easy pace – talked with people along the way – and told myself I could walk it in after mile 20. Funny thing is - when I got to mile 20 I felt awesome – so I said I’ll just hold this pace til I see cris at mile 23. At that point I realized that unless I fell down and didn’t get back up I was going to have a huge p.r. – so I kept running. At the end of the race I could have kept going – I felt that good. Final time 3:48 – an 11.5 minute p.r. from Wineglass in October (which incidentally was 6 months after I had addy and the first time I had broken four hours)



Coming off of a high like that in Atlanta I knew I was on my way to big things. If I could run a 3:48 taking it easy – what could I do if I pushed it? Maybe I really could get closer to 3:30. After Atlanta I got sick a couple of times which veered my training off track a bit – but I still had 2 twenty milers to do – and because of my schedule – they both ended up being solo 20 milers. 1st one – 8:40 pace – mostly in the pouring rain. I couldn’t go any faster. I chalked it up to running in terrible conditions – doubled up with the huge mental obstacle of covering 20 miles on the towpath with nothing but my crazy thoughts to entertain me. Then I got sick again - ran a couple of 5ks and found I couldn’t get back to the p.r. I had hit in February. I thought maybe it was because I was working out with the trainer on Fridays – how can you expect great performances on sore ,sore legs and muscles. So here we go to the last 20 miler 2 weeks out from the race. By mile 8 – I was toast. I was so tired and my back and shoulders hurt so bad from the trainer –that I didn’t think I was going to finish. Actually it was supposed to be 23 miles – I cut it short. Somewhere during that run I was able to snap out of it for a bit and pick up my pace- but by the end of things I was lucky if I could keep it at a 9:30-10:00 pace. Overall pace was still under 9 – but it wasn’t good. I got in the car and almost cried because my arms were so sore from the trainer I could hardly turn the steering wheel.

So I took two weeks off from the trainer – and took 2 really easy taper weeks. Fast forward to Fargo marathon. The morning of the race I told Amie – I am so tired- the thought of running 26 miles today is killing me – it’s not that I’m nervous about the pace so much as that’s a really long way to go and I really would rather go back to bed. I tried to shake off negative thoughts – I freaked out a bit – but not as bad as normal. As Amie had said to me - I had already had a great year – and a huge p.r. who cared if this didn’t go as well as I hoped? She was pretty confident that it would go well. (Can I just take a minute to say Amie rocks – who runs a 2:02 ½ marathon pregnant?)

I started off at an 8:15 pace because it felt good and it felt easy and I thought to myself ”maybe today IS my day.” I Stayed at 8:15 – 8:25 pace pretty easily for the first 8 miles – and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was exhausted. My back and hamstrings were extremely tight and aching. It wasn’t a feeling of “oh I went out to fast – I can’t keep up this pace” – it was more like I don’t know how I can keep moving and not lay down on the ground… i.e. had I not flown half way across the country to do this race – I would have quit. I tried to keep my head in check – I said get to mile 13 strong – drop the pace down – do some damage control but stay strong – don’t get all crazy and doomsdayish and start walking. Well I stopped to walk for the first time at mile 10. The 3:50 pace team got me at the half – and I told myself that I could still salvage this race- it wasn’t going to be a 3:38 – it wasn’t going to be p.r. – but stick it out and maybe break 4 for the third time. Well my back had other ideas. Oh I kept moving – I stopped a lot to stretch my back to try to alleviate some of the pain – but I kept moving – I didn’t get all crazy and keep walking like I did at phoenix – but I was lucky if I could get my pace per mile down to a 9:30 – it was like I hadn’t trained at all. At one point I was running so slowly my Garmin shut off. I didn’t cry I just kept going.

I was hoping that if I could keep it together and get in around a 4:10 that I would be really proud of myself – and I am. But this was marathon #10 – this was going to be my best one yet. What happened? Did I subconsciously psych myself out when the 3:40 pace group passed me? I really feel like I mentally kept myself in check. Did I just do too much? Are flat and fast marathons just not for me? Do I need to separate my two goals – if I’m running in another state – just do it for fun – not time – and if I want to go for a time goal pick a hometown race? Am I burned out? Do I have unrealistic expectations? Did I just go crazy and try to cram in too much too soon after having Addy? Knowing that I am going to have a second child sooner than later – did I put too much pressure on myself to try to reach all sorts of crazy goals in between babies? And what do I do next? Do I take a break from marathons? Do I work towards a fall marathon and cut out all the other crazy tri stuff? Do I follow a 5k training program and spend the summer working on my speed? Do I only do marathons as training runs and don’t actually do the race I’m training for? Do I stay the heck away from flat courses?

So I’ve analyzed and basically written a book here and I still don’t know:

What went wrong?

Where do I go from here?

Blogging Again

I stopped blogging after I realized that i was talking more about being pregnant than i was about my running/swimming/biking.  I probably should have kept blogging - even if know one else wanted to read it - because I think getting your thoughts out there sometimes helps keep things sane.

So what's new?  Well since i've had Addy - i have completed 3 marathons and my first sprint triathlon.  2 marathons were p.r.s and one was -well we won't go there.  I am a few days away from completing my 10th marathon - my 9th state - i really wish i hadn't done two in ohio - so i could be on my 10th state right now!  and two weeks after that i'll be attempting my first 1/2 ironman distance.

i've been debating in my head what my plan will be for Fargo.  For awhile there I was easily running long runs at an 8:15 pace.  I plug my recent 5k and 10 mile runs in to various extrapalators and they tell me i can do a 3:35.... but my training towards to end went a little off - my last two longs runs were solo runs were rather than distracting myself with chit chat I worried myself into rough runs that were more of an 8:40 to 8:50 pace.  And i know myself - had I taken off the garmin and thought postively those runs would have been better.  You would think that by the time a person was about to line up on a marathon start line for the 10th time they would have a plan in place.  I ran Atlanta marathon as a training run on March 20th.   The weather was hot - and I came to the conclusion that if i am going to run all 50 states sometimes I'm going to have to just run and enjoy the people and the sceneray - i'm not going to be able to race all 50 states at top performance (i'm not sure why this was such a big revelation -b/c i've completed several states where i ran really slowly just to check off the state)  Well for whatever reason that was a huge revelation and it took the pressure off.  I ran one of the most even paced races ever - and when I got to mile 25 i picked it up - i felt great the whole race - i didn't really look at my watch - because it didn't matter - i was running to finish.  I ended up running over an  11 minute p.r.  finishing in 3:48.  it was hot and it was one of the hilliest courses i've ever run - and i've been training for a flat marathon - yet it was almost effortless (as effortless as running 26.2 miles can be)
This brings me back to Fargo - I hesitate to put a goal out there - qualifying for boston.. getting a p.r. etc because when i put expectations on myself I crack under pressure.  If i put it out there that i want to run a 3:40 - the minute the 3:40 pace group paces me i will be defeated.  I will think of all my friends and family who will be tracking me and watching me slip off pace and how they'll be disappointed for me - proud of me still - but disappointed.  And that's when i lose it - that's when a 3:40 days that should have turned into a 3:43 day turns into a 4:19 day.  So my plan was to try and approach fargo like atlanta - pushing the pace a little more - but backing off if it's not my day.  I've blown up by mile 10 in a race and i don't ever want to do that again.  But then i read trisaratops blog today - and I think maybe i need to put it out there - maybe i need to stop playing it safe.  maybe i need to trust that my training - although it wasn't 100% exactly what the training program said - trust that it is sufficient - that i can run between an 8:10 and an 8:20 pace... and trust that i will be strong enough mentally to not crack when things get tough. 
As sara was saying in her blog - i often have to remind myself that i choose to do this.  Not only do i choose to do this - but i GET to do this.  I have a body that may not be that of an elite athlete - but it does allow me to do some pretty tough things.  I have a wonderfully supportive husband that not only helps make sure i get my runs in - but sometimes forces me to get them in.  I think that whatever pace i decide - i need to remember that Fargo is going to be a celebration - my 10th marathon.  I never thought I would run one - let alone 10.  I also need to celebrate the fact that I have a daughter that is 1 year and 1 month old - and this is my 4th marathon since she was born - that is an amazing feat that I sometimes lose perspective of when I look at what all of my speedy companions keep accomplishing.
We'll get to that half ironman later - let's just say that lake looks mighty cold out my window!

Tri-athalons and other stuff

So I finally did it - i finally got over myself and my fears enough to do my first tri. It was a sprint - and the swim ended up being a super super sprint because of the storm - but i still did it. and... i had fun.
Race re-cap:
I was nervous the night before - only because i was nervous about getting up so early and getting myself and my husband out the door with everything that we needed and getting Addy out the door before 6 a.m. I am not a morning person - oh i try - and for awhile there I thought that jen might be able to convert me - I'm better - preferring to do my workouts in the morning now - but by morning i mean 8 o clock ish... not 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. But i digress - I was worried Addy wouldn't sleep - and of course after weeks of sleeping at least 8 hours straight - she didn't have the best night. But we got out of the door on time - picked up my mother in law on the way and headed out to fairport harbor. In my haste to pack the family up for this race I never checked the weather report - i was assuming it was going to be like the rest of the weekend - hotter than hell. So it was a blessing and a curse that it was an overcast almost cool day when we got to fairport. They delayed the start of the race for awhile and talked of canceling the swim because of the waves - I really think the waves the boats made while we were practicing there the last few weekends were worse - but I understand they need to be cautious about lightening and people dying in the lake and all that.
Finally they decide we are going to go ahead and race - but that we will only be swimming out - not out and back... which was disappointing but at least my first tri wasn't going to turn into a duathlon. When my wave was waiting to start the storm really kicked in - Amie looked at me and said "i don't like this" I stayed calm though - when normally I would have freaked out thinking - well if amie said that - then it must be bad... but I was fine - I thought they might pull us out of the water - but then someone yelled "they said go" so we all took off. My first couple of strokes were beautiful - just like in the pool - and then i started getting kicked and hit - i know i know nature of the beast but i panicked a bit - and ended up kind of letting people go by so that i could have my own patch of water. Next time i'm going to head out to the outside of the swim lane - i may swim farther but then i wouldn't be pinned between a rope and a bunch of morons that want to punch me in the head.
As I got out of the water I waved at my dad and my mother in law and said quite enthusiastically "i didn't drown" I headed to transition where i may as well as layed down had a snack, watched a movie, and read a book for the time it took me to get in and out. The lense in my glasses was broken and kept falling out... i couldn't get my gloves on because they were soaked etc... it was ridiculous - but finally I got on the bike - got up the short steep hill with no problem - even passed a few girls on it. I haven't ridden my bike outside in over a year - and have just recently been riding on the trainer once a week for about 12 miles so i was hoping just to finish and hold around 16 mph. Well I just started riding and I looked down and I was fluctuating between 18-20 mph and I was passing people like crazy. I decided to not get all crazy and see if i could just hold around 18 - having never done this before i didn't want to kill myself on the way out and then not be able to maintain it on the way back. So i just started passing people - it was so much fun - i realized that the reason i was passing so many people was because my swim and transition were that bad! I think everyone in my wave must have been out of the water way ahead of me! I decided not to dwell on that and just focus on the fact that despite the ran i was having a great time.
After I hit the turn around point on the bike I saw Jen coming. I have to say - if i didn't know her she would have made me nervous - she looks so tough on that bike! I knew she was going to get me - despite the 5 minute lead I had on her - so I spent awhile trying to figure out how fast she must have been moving to make up 5 minutes in that short of a bike ride. Anyway I finished the bike ride without incident - didn't fall or break my neck or anything. Second transition went much better - b/c I wore my cages on my bike i didn't need to change shoes. I ran up the hill out of transition and was amazed at the amount of water sloshing around in my shoes. I was certain that I would be moving at around a 10 minutes pace - i figured that was about all i had in me.... but then as i was passing guys who started 10 minutes before me I decided to check my garmin and realized i was running and 8:20 something - which I know isn't lightening fast - but for someone who not exactly back into their fighting shape/weight and has never done one of these things I was excited! I finished the run strong - getting my pace down closer to 8.
I have no idea what my final time was - I don't know how i placed. I could have been dead last in my age group and I would have no idea.... but I don't care (ok i care a little) I'm just glad jen finally convinced me to do this - and I'm looking forward to my next race. I think I'll stick with sprints this summer - i know the distance is manageable and so next time i'll go harder on the bike and run - knowing that I can do this! Oh and congrats to jen on finishing 3rd in her age group - that is so cool!

week 3

total miles running: 26
swimming: 0
weight loss: plus .5 pounds

i am typing this with one hand while holding a baby who just had her shots..so i apologize if it has some major typos...

This week Addy and I went with steve to baltimore for work... it was a bit of a challenge but we did well and i was able to get in a couple of runs on a local running path.

Mon: 4 miles w/stroller 10:05 pace
Tues: rest
Wed: 5 miles w/out stroller 9:11 overall pace - each mile faster than the last
Thurs: drive home from baltimore
Fri: 4 miles - w/stroller just under 10:00
Sat: 5 mile race 10:30ish with stroller
Sun: 8 miles - towpath 10:00 even

Jen, Will, Addy and I ran the eagle run in avon this week. I really like this race - it's a low entry fee they give you a long sleeve tech shirt, a tech hat and two water bottles and it's a flat course. Jen and I ran with the strollers and I think we were pretty much the hit of the race. "look there's babies" or "way to go mom's" was yelled at us multiple times. The guy at registration even gave Addy her own hat. It was a hot day - and I think jen and I did awesome - especially for 8 weeks post partum and pushing big old strollers! I'm so glad we were able to do this! I do think jen had another mile in her since she spent some time post race doing the cha cha slide while eating a piece of pizza! (don't worry I took video of this!)

My marathon training officially starts this week. Hopefully that will help get rid of some of this excess baby weight... I'm very encouraged by my running and by the fact that while i'm slow i am improving...however the fact that I gained another half a pound this week does not make me happy...

Let the running begin!

Solar reminded me that i am actually running again, so i have stuff to write about. Right now I'm just really focusing on getting in some miles...enjoying my runs both with addy and with out. Although when you run with a baby you always look tougher. This week some woman told me that she was "so impressed!" There's a boost for your ego! Alright - so I am into my third week of being allowed to exercise again. So let's recap

Week 1: 17 miles running 3200 meters swimming
Week 2: 21 miles running 2600 meters swimming

Week 1: ran for the first time - (straight running - not the run for five minutes walk for 5 minutes cheating i did before i got the all clear from the doc.) Ran on the towpath - steve kept informing me that we were running at a 10:30 pace - i told him i was going to revoke his garmin privledges as i was simply trying to run a few miles straight - not qualify for boston! We ended up getting in 4.25 - and the last mile was down into the 9:30's which hurt me a bit so we slowed it back down. Met with jen to run with the babies a couple of times - ran 4 miles - didn't really pay attention to pace b/c i was just enjoying the company and hoping that neither of the babies had a melt down. Besides - who tracks pace when you are pushing a giant stroller right? :)
One night i went to run a 4 mile loop by my house - went out at what felt good - ignoring the pace - first mile: 8:49 - woo hoo - second mile 11:30... too soon for the 8:49 - the rest of the run absolutely kicked my butt! steve was amused by it though. Swimming is going really well for me. I'm swimming about a mile each time i go - which i never did before....and i even swam 1000 meters without stopping which is unheard of in my world!

week 2: met with sara and jen and the babies to run twice - went 4 miles each time - had a blast and even went to mommy and me yoga before the one run!! Had a bit of a break thru on Thursday night. my parents wanted to see addy so i had them watch her while i went for a run... basically ran the same path that had kicked my butt with the 11:30 mile the week before ... ended up running 5 miles at a 9:27 pace with each mile faster than the first... my final mile was an 9:05 i believe. So that was definate improvement! On saturday steve and i wanted to make it out to mentor headlands for the ctc greater cleveland practice at 8...well we got there by 11. Close i know - anyway - my goal was to run 6 miles - my longest yet - with a super secret goal of 7. Steve and i took turns pushing the stroller - well.. mostly he pushed - we took it easy and i got the 7 in. I think overall was a 10:15 pace ...slower than i would have liked - but heck 7 miles in my second week!!! not too shabby. I also swam twice this week - even got to meet jen for a swim as csu... which is back to the 50 meter length - which definately kicks your butt!

This week - ran 4 on monday with the stroller: 10:05 average. Drank beer on tuesday...don't know why my pants still don't fit! and today it is 91 degrees... so i'm waiting for the sun to go down a bit before i do my run. I'm hoping for 5 tonight and this weekend's long run needs to be 8. Then my official marathon training starts on June 1st. eek! I'm going to follow a bit more of a first timers marathon plan - just to slowly build up the mileage. I'll focus on getting faster for marathon in the spring. Jen and I are doing a 5 mile race with the babies on Saturday- i'm excited it will be fun. Steve's really hoping to get a new 5 mile pr this weekend too.

Addison Hope

So my baby girl got her first piece of mail the other day - her social security card and a bill for about $2,400 worth of hospital services. Can't wait to see what the total bill was for the delivery! Anyway it was really weird staring at the name "Addison Hope Smith" in bold black type on an envelope that contained her social security card. I realize that she has been her for 19 days already - but she's official - the government even knows about her...
I'm doing pretty good - especially for the emotional head case I can be about life in general. I've been getting out for walks and starting today I am reducing the number of cookies, cakes, chocolates etc that I have been using pregnancy as an excuse to eat.
Steve had to kick me out of the house to go for a walk the other day - because i was getting a little unstable. I walked one of my old 3 mile running loops around my house. It was funny becuase I've run down the streets hundreds of times and during my walk I noticed things I had never noticed before. I've heard people say that running is the best way to explore a new area - b/c you see things you never would in a car... well when you are walking slowly you see things that you would never see when you are running by or looking down to check your pace on your garmin. For instance the people on the street behind me must have all hired the same builder who was on crack to put additions on their homes. Teeny tiny little brick bungaloos with huge additions on the front, off to the side, off the back, over the garage. And of course you have to do one addition with vinyl siding and another one with stone - why would you want to even try to match the brick? Any way I digress...
On 3 weeks from this coming wednesday i should be able to start running again... and of course i've been obsessing over that first run - I have dreams where i am running as fast as I can and it is wonderful! I also spend time worrying about how out of shape i will be and will I ever be able to qualify for boston? Will i be able to juggle baby and running and everything else in my life? What all do i want to juggle in my life now that I have a baby? I worry because I lost 24 pounds in the first week and a half and now the scale isn't budging... will even my fat pants ever fit again? And how frustrating is it that i can't exercise for 23 more days?
I guess what i realized on my walk is that yes life will be different - but it will be wonderful in ways it never was before - and running will be different - and if i'm in the slow lane for awhile - that's ok - I just have to make sure I take the time to really look at and enjoy the things I've been running past... and you know what is awesome? This afternoon I put on a jack johnson cd and laid on the couch while my baby girl slept on my chest... it doesn't get much cooler than that.

I'm going to be a mom

Well Baby Smith has decided not to make her apperance. So tomorrow at 41 weeks and 1 day pregnant we're making her come out. My induction is scheduled for 4 a.m. - so it's basically tonight - well for someone who is awake most of the night it is anyway. Jen drove out my way today for one last prego swim, panera and some grocery shopping. It was just what i needed today. I've been getting crabbier -and a workout with jen always seems to get me back into a good place. It didn't really hit me that this baby is coming tomorrow (hopefully - hopefully it won't take til Thursday) until I took off my terrible giant purple/pink plaid bathing suit for what i realized would be the last time. It's very exciting - yet very scary. I am so excited to meet my daughter and to shed this incapacitaded body... but i am very nervous about labor. I think of people i know that are the biggest wimps who have survived... but i'm still so nervous. Obviously the human race has survived and i'm not exactly the world's biggest wimp... but still...
Wish me luck and a non-terrible -non-horror story delivery and hopefully before i know it i'll be posting pictures of our little girl and be blogging about being a mom on the run - literally.

so close i can taste it

It is less than one week until my little girl is due. I feel like I am stuck waiting for a delayed airplane - and that i have no idea when the plane will arrive. I know that even if i have to be induced - she will be here by easter - and that she could be here any day now...but I'm ready to be done. I'm ready to meet this little thing that has been kicking the crap out of ribs for how many months now. I'm nervous... nervous to actually go through labor - nervous to actually have my own child. I'm excited though - excited for the next chapter of my life to begin. I'm excited to have my body back. i'm nervous about what kind of condition my body is going to be in after this is all said and done.
I can't fathom how much I am going to love this little girl - I think about my nieces and what they mean to me and how much joy they have brought to my life - and I can only imagine what it will be like to have my own child. I worry that I will have to ground her for the entire month of march 2031 - b/c she will most likely turn 21 on her spring break. Can you imagine how much trouble one could get into celebrating their 21st birthday on spring break? I worry about the fact that I will now worry for the rest of my life about her...
Back to running though - this weather has me soooo excited. I know i have to wait 6 weeks til after i have her to start running again - but after 39 weeks of pregnancy - 6 weeks doesn't seem all that bad. I ordered new running shoes last weekend when fleet feet was having a sale. My current running shoes turned into everyday "dress shoes" and are in pretty bad shape these days. I've also started considering options for a fall marathon. I'm looking at something out of state so that i can check another state off my list - but i'm also looking for something not too far away - since I don't want to make too many grand plans with baby smith on the way.

perspective

So i found out this morning that a kid I ran cross country with in high school died last night. He was 30 years old and collapsed while chasing a suspect. He was a police officer for Cleveland Heights. I haven't seen Tom in years. I remember mostly his goofball anticts - heck we were in high school - but he was a good guy. How is a 30 year old dead from chasing someone? I guess it just makes you think. Life is short. Too short to worry about the petty things. Enjoy each and every moment that we've got.
I was thinking this morning how much I can't wait for this baby to be born. I'm uncomfortable, I'm tired, and I don't want to go back to work this week. I am convinced my daughter is on a mission to break my ribs in two. How lucky am I that I am about to be a mother to a thriving daughter who is fiesty enough and strong enough to be beating on ribs so badly? How lucky am I to have a job that pays the bills? and how lucky am I to be tired and crabby because there is a new little life in me? I am beyond lucky - I have a wonderful life, a wonderful husband and family and I need to remember that each and every day - and stop taking moments for granted.
My thoughts and prayers are with tom and his family.

hello

So I've just found out that my blog is still up and running and that i for once actually remembered my password. Looks like i haven't blogged since around the time i found out i was pregnant. I'm not sure why that was - maybe because this is a trianing blog and I didn't feel I would have any training to blog about. I wasn't feeling really very well for most of the first trimester - and I guess I didn't want my blog to get even whinier that it probably already is. But now that I am 20 days away from my due date I wish i would have blogged - wish I could have gone back and read what i was thinking and feeling during all these times. I had no idea that I would become friends with jen and sara and that because of them I would learn to actually enjoy swimming, that i would consider 3 miles with a friend a very satisfying workout, that I would start doing yoga and that I would discover that apple cinnamon french toast is one of the best things ever!
I'm so anxious right now - I keep telling Steve that I will probably never go into labor - yet at the same time i'm very nervous about the whole ordeal. Let's face it - this whole process is going to hurt... a lot. Work continues to stress me out - but thanks to good friends that take me to yoga and swimming I'm surviving. And I have to give special thanks for having one of the best husbands on the planet. At times I have been downright evil over trivial things like cleaning the stove top or scrubbing the toilets. Add to this his stressful job, training for a marathon and oh adding 3 bedrooms and a bathroom on to our house that needs to be finished before this little one arrives - and it's a wonder he has any sanity left. I hope he knows how much I appreciate him - and that I apologize in advance for the evil things I will say and do while in labor.
Jen and I are signed up to run the 5k "to catch a leprechaun" race this weekend. I had a dream that i had the baby and couldn't do the race. It got me thinking what races and stuff i accomplished during this pregnancy...

charlevoix marathon: 95% chance that the baby was on board for this race.... since i'll never be sure - i'm going to go ahead and say she was. Steve had been injured and was just given the go ahead to run/walk - so we did exactly that. It was beautiful there in upper michigan (not the peninsula) It took us a long time to finish the race - but it was a good time. Steve was tired/goofy enough that he started singing around mile 20. He was also loopy enough that he agreed to re-run through areas so I could get a better picture of him.

Muddy Paws 10 miler : Was feeling a little off this day - didn't know i was prego yet - ran a p.r. though

Put-n-bay 5k: My brother-in-law and family were in town from China. Ran the race with Steve and Lance. I thought we were all just running together - steve decided to go into a dead sprint at the end and kick my butt.... i'll pay him back for that one - i promise! Afterwards we ran another 7 miles to get a good ten miles in.

Marine Corp Marathon: someone by the name of steve decided that at around 20 weeks prego I should not participate in the marine corp marathon. grr. Deciding it was probably for the best - I put on my spectator hat and decided to run steve in from mile 20. I started my garmin when the race started so that I would be able to have a better idea of when steve would be at certain mile points. I was also curious how many miles I would cover that day - especially since i think that we probably walked over a mile to get to the start. Long story short - by the time we got back to the hotel - my garmin had registered 17 miles - add the mile before i started it - i'm 18.... I so could have finished that race. Turns out that according the results - i did in fact complete the entire marathon... steve wore my race number and chip accidently... which would explain why i wasn't getting any text alerts as to where he was. I told him - this means i'll have to run a marathon in virginia under his name - so he can get credit for that state in our goal to run in all 50.

Turkey Trot: Ran with Steve, Jen, Matt, and Matt's sister. This was a fun run - I must say I didn't like the way they changed the course this year - it wasn't real pretty and I was really counting on a port o pot stop by the muni lot. It's amazing how being prego makes you need to pee just about every mile and a half.

Jingle Bell Run: this was a ton of fun - there were 10 ladies who ran this and went out for pancakes afterwards - 5 of the 10 were expecting! We even wore signs that said "running for two and running for pancakes" or something along those lines.

Tri-Club Swim Challenge: As I've mentioned before - i am not a very good swimmer - nor do i enjoy swimming - but since running has gotten more and more uncomfortable i've gotten to the point where I swim 3 days a week. At first I would try for 800 yards - sad i know and slowly it has increased... never quite got to a mile. I've only swam a mile once or twice - and that was several years ago now. However - swimming with jen I seem to be improving - she says i'm the only pregnant person that gets better as I get further along in this pregnancy. So one day jen sends me an email asking if I want to do the 25 x 100's challenge. Since breakfast afterwards was involved - i was in. We took it in small chunks and we did it. That's the furthest i've ever swam!

So what's in store for after Baby Smith's arrival? Well - the jogging stroller is ready and waiting to get out on the roads. Since i'm much better at swimming than i use to be - i think at least a sprint triathlon is in my future this summer... and I want to get in at least 2 marathons before I start baking baby smith #2. I still want to qualify for boston. so i'm hoping to do a fall marathon just to get back into training mode - check off another state and just finish in whatever time. Then in the spring I want to qualify for boston....

i think perhaps i'll start blogging again - it's going to be quite a journey i'm sure!

yes i'm alive. not much to report. alive and kicking. yup. exciting stuff. I'll try and think of something exciting to write about soon. If i can't think of something maybe i'll type out portions of the dictionary for you all to read. How would that be?

Confessions and Updates

I have a confession. I have been cheating on my blog with facebook. I know I know - facebook is the lazy man's blog - a quick one line message - no real thought - but it's just so easy - and I've been so busy... I haven't even had time to read any one else's blog. Ok enough of that - what's the update in my world...
Well I ran pittsburgh back on may 3rd - didn't train very well for it - but going into it decided i just want to have a fun race - i wanted to run a relaxed - evenly paced run - where for once i didn't go out too hard and die. So the morning of pittsburgh - i started off towards the back of the pack and just kept saying to myself "run comfortable" started off around 9 minute miles - got some 8:30s in there - did a good job of running nice and even. I came through the half way mark and the announcer said "these runners are on pace to come in under 4 hrs." Well going into it I thought - i'd just like to beat my pr - it was a 4:25 - I know - not very fast - but hey it was my best! I had a secret hope of getting near 4hrs - but my primary goal was to run a comfortable smart race... so i pushed that out of my head as best as I could... I did well until I hit the mile 22 marker and my legs felt soooo heavy... I tried to keep thinking positive - i had run so well so far - but i have to admit I walked for a bit on this mile - i think the pace was 10:45 or something for that mile. Fortunately when I hit mile marker 23 the course took a sharp down hill - so whether i liked it or not my legs started really moving again and I got back down to a decent pace. From there it was pretty much down hill and then flat to the finish. Around mile 25 someone yelled "come on finish under 4 hours" and I started to panic... I saw some guy laying on the ground with parametics - and I started to panic some more... I stopped worrying about the under 4 hrs - since it wasn't even my goal to start - and just concentrated on running with a nice smooth stride. Final time... 4:01:01. I was so happy - no i didn't break 4 hrs - but it was a 24 minute pr with half assed training preparation - and it wasn't an all out effort. The only down side of the day was that steve ruptured the interface between his achilles tendon and the muscle at mile 5. But the good news is he back up to a walk run - so hopefully we'll get him going again soon.
In a few weeks were heading up to michigan to check state number 5 off my list - there is a small town marathon - I'm thinking i'm just going to walk run it with steve. If im going to complete a marathon in each state I can't race them all. I think it will be a lot of fun - I think we'll start early with the walkers - take our time - take pictures and just have a nice get away... either that or i'll be typical me and actual try and race it... I'll let you know what happens.
Next on the list is marine corp. My original plan was to aim for a 3:50 there and then aim for my bq 3:40 at my next marathon.... we'll see how this summer goes though - solar is aiming for a 3:30 this fall and if I have any desire to continue running any runs with her at all - i'll need to kick it into high gear.... so who knows maybe i'll set my goals a little higher. My training has been sparatic since pittsburgh. I've gained some weight - had some weeks where i have done nothing... and i mean nothing. I'm going to start my 16 week training program for marine corp the week after 4th of july - til then I'm trying to get back in the swing of some decent work outs - and actually running 4-5 days a week. Sad I know - but that's what i've been reduced to. So far this week:

Monday a.m. - yes i said a.m. - i actually got up and ran - it was suppose to be an easy run - pace was about 8:45 - so I was ok with that

Tuesday - took night off to hang dry wall - actually strained my stomach dragging drywall around

Wednesday: 6 mile trail run with fleet feet group and solar - garmin was dead - but we were both breathing pretty hard and not talking nearly as much as normal - so i have to qualify that as a pretty good effort

Thursday: actually did my track workout by myself - go me! 3 x (3x600) with 400 recovery between sets. Well the workout said to do 4:00 between the first 3 600's then 3:30 between the send 3 600's then 3:00 between the last three. Well dummy me ran the first 600 - then waited for 2 minutes... and 3 minutes and I was like this is just way too long of a recovery - what is the point of this? so i started my second 600 - i then realized what a moron i was - that by 4:00 minutes it meant start your 600 ... finish your 600 - keep the watch running and on 4 minutes go again. duh. For me this was about a 1:30 between then a 1:00 min between and finally 30 seconds between. I have to admit that my last 600 was more of a 40 second break - my goal was to keep all of the 600s under a 7:00 minute/mile pace. And i achieved that.

So - so far it's been a decent start at getting back on track this week. however it is 9:30 a.m. and I am eating potato chips as i write this.... oh well baby steps. ( i brought a few chips with me as a treat for lunch... just couldn't wait til then to get into them!) that's all for now!

Race Report

This past weekend I flew down to meet steve in D.C. to run the Suntrust National half marathon. I ran this race in 2007 I think - and it was alright - not the most scenic run thru the ghettos of D.C. However, I thought it might be fun now that it had been a few years to give it another shot. Going into this weekend - i didn't run Thursday or Friday - b/c my legs still hurt from the 20miler the previous Sunday. I was a little worried about how bad the half would be - so i thought better to rest than to over do it. As usual I wasn't sure what to expect. My goal was to just run a nice comfortable training run instead of racing. My training has been less than consistant - so I didn't want to worry about pace. I just figured I would try and run a sub nine pace the whole time and just enjoy a race for once.
Well Friday night was a rough night - apparently our hotel was party central - so we didn't get much sleep thanks to our neighbors. When we got on the elevator at 5:55 that morning 2 guys were getting off the elevator - who had obviously just returned from a night out. there was a third guy passed out on the handrail in the elevator. Steve was like "dude" you going with them? So the two guys had to come back and wake him up - he had puke all down the front of his shirt too. Ew. Well my stomach was already upset - I was really getting nervous for some reason - (more nervous than usual that is) It took everything in me to not throw up before that race started. I was also freaking out b/c I didn't know how to dress. The forcase was between 36 and 38 degrees. I do not know how to dress for that. Too cold for shorts - too hot for pants - just bought some capri's but wasn't going to wear them with out trying them on a shorter run. I eventually ended up with a tank top, a short sleeve shirt, gloves and pants. Wish I would have had some arm warmers. It was a beautiful sunny day - but just one of those in between temperature swings. Then when they played the national anthem I started crying. I have no idea what my problem was.
The race started - and I just kept saying to myself "run comfortable" by that i meant - don't worry about your pace - don't push so much that you feel like hell - just run and enjoy. So in the first mile I had to stop and tie my shoe for the first time -
mile 1 : 8:56 - ok - not too bad with the shoe tying in there
mile 2 : 8:26 - felt really comfortable still - getting hot though
mile 3: 8:29 - still felt nice and comfortable - slowed down to take off long sleeve shirt
mile 4: 8:31
mile 5: 8:59 - i think there was a bit of a hill in there - and I realized both shoes were untied - picked it up a bit after that -- but still nice and easy
mile 6: 8:19
mile 7: needed gu - and both shoes untied - hands were cold so had trouble with tying shoes and getting gu open. By the time i started running - my lap pace for that mile was at 10:40 - tried not to panic - and just picked it up again... mile ended up at 9:41 - ugh. I need to get something to stop these shoes from untying!
mile 8: 8:10 - still felt good
mile 9: 8:30
mile 10: 7:49 - I felt awesome at this point - so i decided to just go with it
mile 11: 7:55
mile 12: 8:37 - stopped at a water stop and checked port o pot line - told myself to suck it up and get going - i could hold it for another mile
mile 13 : 7:52 -


Total time 1:52. Now - that is not the best race I've ever run timewise - but it was the best race i've ever run. I had such a good time, the race flew by, I wasn't worried about my time or anything else - and for the first time i ran negative splits! I'm always the type that goes out too hard and then is dragging my butt over the last few miles. When i got done with this race I felt great and that was the best feeling!

So a few notes on this race - they redid the course - MUCH MUCH better - ran us thru much prettier neighborhoods. Not much fan support - no music or bands - but it was a beautiful course and a beautiful day. The thing is - it doesn't matter what side of politics you are on... when you are running down a road next to the washington monument - it's a really cool feeling. Also I was listening to people's conversations as I passed them - that's the other great part about starting off slow - all you do is pass people the entire race - which is so much more fun than being passed!!! anyway I heard this lady talking about fundraising she was doing and her friend said he would give her a nickle a mile for a half ironmant. I said "well that's not very supportive" so I asked what she was raising money for and if she had a fundraising website. I told her if i could remember her name by the end of the race I would make a donation. By the end of the race i had her last name all wrong - but with a little research i was able to find what i thought was the correct lady's web page and I made a donation. I got an email back from her and she is sooo excited! It was pretty cool... b/c you know she thought - yeah right she won't remember...

At the end of the race the "bag drop" or pile of bags from hell as I would have called it was ridiculous. Basically they took all the bags from the half marathon and threw them in a pile. It took me about 5 minutes to find my bag - which wasn't too bad - but there was this poor man standing there who had dropped out of the full marathon and could not find his bag. It took me what seemed like forever to find his bag. I said what does it look like and he said "it's black" that didn't really narrow it down - so it took awhile. I figured I would change in the car real quick and then come back to see steve finish. His pr was a 2:17 - so i figured I had a few minutes - i changed real quick got out of the car and looked up and steve was standing there. He had finished in 2:05!!!! I was so excited for him that i punched him! I couldn't believe how awesome he did! I told him - no more sand bagging on his races - i expect him to keep doing that well!!

It took us about 2hrs to get home from the race b/c we couldn't get out of the neighborhoods were the race was being run. The cops were not coordinated so the streets were gridlocked! When we finally got back I realized why I was so nervous. I haven't really "raced" since the towpath fiasco. With my training being so wacky i wasn't sure what kind of shape i was in - and i was nervous about racing again. So i have to say - i am very happy.... I didn't break any records - but it was a great race- and it definately lets me know i am in better shape than i thought - and that I am ready to step it up again!

two week update

oops - i'm behind again!

ok week 1 back

I don't remember what i did - i did get 30 miles in.... let me see

Mon - 4 miles 1 mile warm up 4 800's and 1 mile cool down on treadmill
Tuesday - 4 miles with amie - decent effort
Wednesday - 4 miles easy
Thursday - 6.25 - moderate effort - should have been a tempo run - but decided for first week back to just run at a good pace. Pace was slow for a tempo run - but it was rainy and WINDY - and i was holding between 8:30 and 8:45 pretty easily - which as of late has NOT been happening let alone EASY! - Twisted my ankle pretty bad on the sidwalk - but all in all a good run.
Sunday - 8 miles on pine lane with amie brian and steve. Tricked amie into doing 4 more on the towpath. Ankles are still mad about the frozen mud on pine lane!

Total running - 30 miles - no lifting - no swimming no biking. well it was a start

Week 2

I was out of town Thursday - sunday - so i knew it was going to be a rough week.

Monday - rest day
Tuesday - 1 mile warm up 1.5 mile cool down 10 400's on treadmill. was doing what i think was about a 1:40 pace for the repeats. Felt good. Skipped 11 and 12 b/c my shins were hurting on treadmill.
Wednesday - ran 8000 errands before packing and heading to my sister's to spend the night since we were leaving at the crack of down for the airport. Around 9:30 p.m. finally headed out for a run. Had no interest in doing this - turned out to be an awesome run- it was a clear night - the stars were out and for once it was not windy at all! Ran 5 miles
Thursday - Landed in Boston at 9:45 - spent the entire day driving to portland maine (this is only a two hour drive) we made so many detours at these little towns that we didn't get to portland until after 6! We had a blast. I was able to add two more running store shirts to my collection. (I like to find specialty running shops when i travel and get a shirt with the store name on it) I got one from "The Maine Running Company" and another from "The Boston Running Company" the boston one is huge - he had very little inventory because his store had just been robbed the previous week! Once he told me that - i figured he could use the sale so I bought it anyway.
Friday - set out to do 12-15 miles along side route 1 in freeport maine. I was exactly 4.25 miles from our hotel door to the LL Bean outlet. I decided to run 5 miles out - just in case something went poorly - i didn't want to be too far out frorm the hotel. So I turned around. With 3.5 miles left my siter called and said she had come back to the hotel from her practice to eat lunch with me. So I decided to just settle with 10 for my long run. It was a really great run. Held about an 8:40 pretty easily on a pretty hilly route - with awful wind and rain for the last 3.5 miles.
Saturday - drove back to boston and walked all day. I walked past the "marathon Sports" Store in Boston. It was closed - but they had a clock counting down to the boston marathon start. I took a picture and sent it to elizabeth and amie - just to make them a little nervous! ha! Someday I'll get there for it! Anyway -
Sunday - Got home around dinner time - had no desire to run in the rain.

so weekly mileage - only 20!! no weights or swimming or biking. ugh - on to week 3
i'll post the plan! oh and i'll post some pictures from my trip. It was beautiful in Maine!!

Day 1 report

Ok - day 1 - not perfectly to plan - but not too bad. Went home ate a little food and headed up to the gym. The gym was packed... so it took forever and a day for us to renew our membership. At this point it was getting pretty late. So i hopped on a treadmill... to do my warmup. Put the incline at 1.0 - it is amazing to me how tough i find it to run on the treadmill. So i ran my mile at just under 10 minute pace according to the treadmill...even though it did not feel that slow...then i upped the speed to an 8.5 pace for my 800s which i figured would get me to around a 3:33 800. I did 4 of those with a 1:30 recovery inbetween the first ones - the last one I was so hot and dizzy that i hopped of said treadmill til the pukey feeling went away - i did the 4th 800 and a cool down and called it a day. The plan was to do 3 miles of speedwork not 2 - but seeing as how i've never done speedwork on a treadmill - and the fact that i didn't want to show my dinner to everyone - i cut my losses. Well at this point i went to start lifting at 8:10 - the pool closes at 8:30 and the gym at 9:00... it was sooooo crowded that we decided to push the lifting off to another day and opted for a quick dip in the hot tub before the pool closed! so - i didn't do everything on my list - but it was a good start. Fortunately I'm meeting solar tonight - so no bailing on my run tonight!

enough is enough

I have been a miserable slacker. Enough is enough already. No more excuses - no more being lazy. I'm going to start posting my weekly workouts as a way to make myself accountable. I'm also going to plan runs with running buddies - since I seem to keep bailing when it's just me. I am so done with the snow. After a winter of running in the cold and snow - i've reached my limit - and just can't seem to make myself get out the door. Once i'm out there it's fine - but it's those first few steps down the driveway that are the hardest part! Wish me luck and give me hell if I don't stick to what i'm suppose to do. 10 weeks til pittsburgh and if I have any hopes of enjoying that race I need to get to work now!