Giddy Up

...Trying to find the horse so I can re mount that sucker.

Must get back on track.

Don't want to venture out into the 90 degree heat and sweltering humidity.

Going to go try to survive a few miles.

Just Do It.

Yesterday was a chaotic mess. I felt like I was going a million miles all day with hardly any day to just sit and be. I kept saying, "I can do my run later at this time" or "I'll just get it in at the gym between this chore and that chore". Then I just did it.

I didn't have a lot of time before I had to leave the house, but I just went out and ran a quick 2.5 miles. (I wanted to get in 3.5.) I'll consider it speed work because my pace was 8:37 (fast for me). Quick run; done.

I ran out the door, took two of our dogs to the groomers, returned shoes at Target, bought more stuff for the wedding, met Goose quick, picked dogs up, got in an upper body workout and then worked for a few hours. Phew.

That night we were dog sitting my Mom's dog, the little guy, who is best friends with our big guy.



Anyways, the point of the story is the little guy LOVES to run. I put on all of my reflective gear and went out and did a quick 1.5 with the dog. It might have been broken up, but I ended up getting in 4miles. I was happy with that. Sometimes if you just get off your can and do it, things work out.

Today: Yoga, bike ride

This week I'm doing my long run on Saturday because the wedding is on Sunday. As long as it gets done, I'm happy.

Pictures to come, of course.

Save the Drama for Your Momma

Okay, this is going to be a mostly non-running rant.
I'm sarcastic to the max. I love busting on my friends and yes, I can also take it. I have fun.

Being able to take a joke (and make one) is sort of a prerequisite to being my friend. You know, the whole life is wayyy to short to take yourself seriously thing.

A couple of days ago we went out riding on the boat with our neighbor and his sometimes, sort of girlie friend. Needless to say, he's currently 'keeping his options open' and dating a few girls. Good for him by the way. He makes a wise crack about "I think I'm into trailer trash now a days" Goose proceeds to say "Yeah, we know." Our neighbor laughs, we laugh. The next morning the girl texts me saying "I was humiliated and hurt that you made such a mockery out of me all day long. We used to be friends and I enjoyed you guys but now I just don't know."

Note: This woman is 38. Get over yourself!

Moral of the story;

I like to have a good time and my friends have to be able to hang. If you can't hang, move along. Simple as that. Think Commodores "Easy Like Sunday Morning..."

If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun. -Katharine Hepburn




We will resume running chatter tomorrow.

Night folks.

Pushing through with a Smile

"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary" - Vidal Sassoon

I've always loved that quote. It reminds me that nothing is free. If we want it, we have to work for it. After all, that's part of the joy in the end. Accomplishing easy tasks is not as rewarding as accomplishing seemingly impossible tasks [i.e. half marathon! haha].

Quick recap.
Tuesday: 3.5mile run, check.
The run went okay. I've been having a hard time getting back into my place of zen. Everything feels like an effort lately. Maybe I'm just burnt out and overrun right now. I'm hoping things settle down a bit after the wedding is over ...who am I kidding?
Legs at the gym, check.
I didn't go as heavy as I did last week because my legs were feeling that workout for a long time. I just did a few sets of squats [3x55], walking lunges [3x25lb dbs], and kickbacks [3x20lb db].
No eating like a fool, check.
In fact, I even made homemade sauce last night. My Grandma gave us a billion tomatoes from her garden, so I tried it! I'm a serious noob in the kitchen, but I figure you have to start somewhere. Last night with the sauce, I made a mini corn tortilla chicken pizza. It was good, I'm not going to lie to you.


On today's agenda:
40mins of Yoga
Short 6m bike ride
Stretching
Going with bride to be to get our nails done and have a hair consult.
Oh yeah, and don't eat like a fool.


Tomorrow is back to the running game. I'm going to update my ipod, maybe that will help us out a bit.


OH, and here is a picture Goose took of me running (I actually don't really have ANY running pictures). No, I don't normally run like a turtle, that's just how I always smile at him, with my head all down in my chest. haha

Sometimes we take a few steps backward

Sunday didn't go as planned. It went sooo not as planned that I didn't even want to post in here last night.

I was hurting yesterday; had a giant blister on my achilles, super tight hammies, a sore booty, AND I hate a giant cheesey pasta dish about three hours before running. I was a mess.

I still set out to do 5 miles (my official training plan just started and called for a 4mile run, I want to give myself a cushion so I decided I'd step back from last week's 6.5 to 5 this week).

I start chugging along and my ears are just burning. There were some serious wind gusts, which would have been a welcome cooling off if it wasn't stinging my ears so badly.

Next, I had some serious gut rot from the pasta. I knew this would be the case. I got pretty discouraged out of the gate, but then realized that's what long runs are for. That's how we learn and prepare.

So lesson for me: I can do carbs in the form of breads for fuel but I don't do good with large pasta portions. I get nauseous pretty quickly and feel it everywhere.

Needless to say I only got in 4.5miles and had to walk for a chunk of it. My pace was an average of 12min which is pretty darn good for how much I walked.

Tomorrow is another day.

Today I got over myself, did a LOT of stretching to try to help out with my tightness and got in a pretty great upperbody workout at the gym.

I NEED to get to the running shoe store FLEET FEET and score some new kicks. I've been so busy with this wedding (coming up on Sunday) that I've been struggling to find the time. Things will slow down.

Tomorrow is 3.5mile run.

And, probably legs in the gym.

Sweet Blissful Day of Rest

Let us recap:

Yesterday was n o n s t o p . I got up early and raced to Wal-Mart for some last minute essentials; apples, bananas, almonds, granola bars, and rice cakes to accompany our day of wine and merriment.


Raced home. Packed up the cooler, her presents, and all of the goodies.
Headed out on the road, by foot that is. I was determined to still get my run in before the day got away from me. I only managed a quick 2.5miles (I only wanted to do 3.5 so it's not the end of the world) but I felt good for the rest of the day. My legs, more specifically my booty and hammies, were feeling the hills. I had done a heavy leg workout on Thursday; deep squats and walking lunges were still with me. But, I got through my run.


After a quick shower I left to enjoy the rest of the day.


It was beautiful. The weather was absolutely perfect (high 70s, light breeze, sunny skies) and everyone had a great time. Here are a couple of pictures.




We brought the night to an early close around 9pm. Hey! When you start getting down at 11am, you're exhausted 10 hours later! Cut me some slack! :]

But, afterward Goose and I went to a coffee house to hear and take pictures of a friend's band. Needless to say, we got back home around 1am.


But today....


Was restful.

I woke up around 8:30, enjoyed a nice breakfast out with Goose, lounged around and caught up on some reading, went for a relaxing boat ride, took a nap... Ahhhh.


Back to the grind tomorrow.

7mile run. Bring it, bitch.

Cross

On my training schedule for my half I have made Wed/Thur cross training days.

Wednesday was yoga, bike ride, yoga.
Thursday was yoga, heavy legs day at the gym, short bout on the arc trainer.

I like cross training days. I like feeling challenged and pushed, remaining active and occasionally forcing myself into new areas of fitness. [considering taking a spin class; eek!]

What I like most about cross training is that I come back to my running strong. I don't feel like a boob that just sat around for X days nor do I have my running muscles screaming at me for over use. It's a great feeling.


Tomorrow is the long awaited bachelorette party for the bride to be. (Note: I am the Maid of Honor in said wedding and thus the organizer of said event.) Alas, I will still be getting up early (oh, in my world early means prior to 10am) to do my 3.5m run prior to the festivities.

And, the festivities will include: an afternoon wine tour, a nice classy dinner at the lake restaurant, and some drinks at another bar on the lake. The best part?

Goose is the driver. I'm psyched; he's really great to have around at events like this, the perfect fit.

Luckily for me Saturday is my day off so I don't have to worry about a curfew...

Feeling strong, feeling motivated, trying to keep things in perspective, watch triggers, learn along the way....


Just keep on keepin' on.

And the Beat Goes On...

3.5miles... Check.

I was still stiff and sore from my 6.5 on Sunday and didn't stretch quite as much as I should have the past day or so, but I got it done. 3.5 seemed easy by comparison and I enjoyed a nice, relaxing out and back jaunt.

It was cooler tonight (the past week or so has been brutally muggy!) and there was a nice breeze. I enjoyed feeling refreshed as I trudged on. My pace was all over the place, but overall I ran in 34minutes and felt great about that. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself so I'm going to extend my 'base building' phase and right now just worry about putting in miles. I predict in about mid-late September I'll do one day of serious speed workouts at the track, hoping to improve my time a bit by race day.

Still struggling with eating. I've got to get this under control. Today (at the gym of all places) I enjoyed a delicious giant chocolate chip cookie from the bakery next door and washed it down with an entire bag of Halloween chocolates. Yep, I'm a slob.

Tomorrow I'm going to make out a list of foods that I can take, grab, and go. My problem is usually refrigeration/making food. I mostly need to bring things that don't require ice and are ready to eat. I can conquer this.

You Learn As You Go...

The title is actually in reference to blogging today, and not running.
Fact: I'm new at this.

I totally didn't know/get until just now that there are people who follow or comment. I NEVER saw any comments until a few minutes ago. I LOVE being social, so I will do better at that. Who knew? Blogging is foreign territory to me, so feel free to shout pointers at me along the way. Some things, you just jump in and then learn as you go.


In running news:

I ran my 6.5. Not only did I run my 6.5 I ran it in less time than I ran my 5.5 last week. I don't usually congratulate myself enough but I was pretty stoked on that. I even walked through my water stations (yep, I make my own) and once at the top of a beastly hill, and I STILL had a better time.

For my long runs, I've been running straight out instead of having to do out/back. I do better with changing scenery and not having to loop back, it's totally mental. So I start from the house and run straight down the road. Depending on the distance, I run to a friends or Goose comes and picks me up. Conveniently I have a friend just 4.5 miles down the road and a friend 6.5miles down. It works great!

My legs felt my hiking from yesterday and it was a bit more of an effort but I just kept going. My breathing was good, pace was good (stayed at 10min/mile the majority of the run). I hydrated at just past mile 3 and at 4.75. Those two were enough.

You know what I thought when I was done?!

...Half way mark, baby!

I'm encouraged that half way into the 13.1 distance I still feel limber, mobile, upright, hydrated, and motivated. With three months left until the half, I'm confident that I can kick this thing's butt. And by kick it, I mean merely finish it!

Today: Yoga, upper body @ the gym, stretching
Tuesday: 3.5mile run

One Can't Help but Wonder...

How a 6.5mile run will go after a day of



Serious Hiking (Here)




Serious Sunbathing




and Serious Mudslide Drinking.

...To be Continued.

We Each Have Our Own Demons

In the grand scheme of things getting up and being active, whether it be my training runs, cross training, the gym, etc. just isn't really a huge struggle for me. When push comes to shove, I get it done. The majority of days, I enjoy getting it done.

But, in my mind health and well being is multi dimensional. You know, mind, body, spirit and stuff. I'm blessed to say that my mind and spirit are soaring high. I'm an eternal optimist, I deal with all of my emotions, I have a phenomenal support system in my life. So, you're wondering, where the heck are those demons you were talking about?!

My eating.

No, I don't struggle with an eating disorder (Thank God) and I don't emotional eat. I just don't care. I believe that I'm an ectomorph (http://www.bodybuildingpro.com/bodytypeinformation.html) meaning I lose weight pretty easily and am naturally lean. But there is a big difference to me between weight loss and health. I am very much at a health weight but am I healthy? Eating a disgusting amount of sugars and avoiding most of the food pyramid can't be a good thing.

I've been trying to make food choices around running. You know, thinking of it as fuel for my body. Since I'm not seeing any physical consequences (ie weight gain) I'm having a really hard time kicking my habits. I know there must be things happening INSIDE my body that aren't showing on the outside.

It's a constant struggle. Mostly it's a struggle because the scale hasn't tipped to the point where I care yet. ...We shall see.

For What It's Worth

I read somewhere once that a crappy run is better than no run.

Today I had a crappy run. It was my own fault really; I hate a big Chinese lunch, I laid around, I lifted heavy and hard on my legs yesterday, etc. So by the time I got up and around to run it was just...mediocre. I only ran 2.5miles and called it quits. I wanted to walk the instant I started, so I figured 2.5 was something. I suppose I feel triumphant in that I ran at all. Hey, you've got to celebrate the small successes also!

Today was busy:
grocery shoping
Chinese lunch with Pammalove
bachelorette party shopping
lots of dog walking/bathing
night out with great girlfriend
some cleaning around the house
and of course, running and stretching

I'd like to take some time and enjoy tomorrow a bit more, spend some time laying out on the water, doing some yoga sessions.

Goose comes home Sunday- hallelujah.

Goodnight mis amigos.

And the beat goes on...

Inform training continues. In case I didn't mention it my actual race training doesn't commence until the 17th of this month, but I'm still plugging away.

Today was a quick afternoon skate session followed almost immediately by a 3mile recovery run at a moderate pace. Let me just say, it FELT like a recovery run. My legs were sore but it felt good to stretch them out on the road. It was a good kind of ouch.

My pace was decent for a recovery run; 10:22/mile. It was hot, around 85 and very muggy. To be honest, my ears are insanely sensitive so I prefer to run in some mug rather than cold weather, so I'm not complaining a lot about the heat. It just makes breathing a bit more difficult sometimes.

It's 11pm (Goose is out of town) and I'm setting up my yoga mat, so that will conclude my day. I enjoy starting/finishing my day in that manner. It's refreshing and it makes me feel strong.

Tomorrow is:Afternoon Yoga
Bike Ride
Legs @ the Gym
Possibly the Arc Trainer if the joint is slow

For being the week before my period, my spirits are high, my energy is high enough, and my eating isn't super out of control, just a little bit.

How about some pictures for a change?!
...This past weekend my brother came to town from California with his new girlfriend. It was a fun couple of days and I really really enjoyed seeing him. It's been a while since the three of us have been together (my two brother and I) so here is a picture to commemorate it.

I hope the day finds you well.

I did it.

I run pretty much all of my 'longer' runs in the evening. Anything over 3miles, I reserve for after 7pm. We've been having an east coast heat wave all summer (I'm NOT complaining) so the middle of the day has been brutal, and I am not a morning girl, I'm just not.

Yesterday, I had to do my 5.5 in the mid-day heat, around 12:30 to be exact. It was hot and very muggy. The temperature read 87 but it felt far more brutal than that.

I wanted to quit, several times. I thought about stopping, or sitting down, a lot.

I was dripping in sweat and felt all gritty and light-headed.


But, I did it.

I thought, if I wasn't struggling and didn't think about quitting, then it would be easy. The fact that I wanted so badly to stop, but didn't, well that's overcoming and that is what this journey is all about; removing myself from my comfort zone and finding myself successful, above all.

I don't carry a hydration belt (I might in my future). So I just dump unopened water bottles off along my route, pick them up, drink them, toss them, and move on. Of course I pick them back up after my run is over, I don't liter silly!

My first (and only) water wasn't until around mile 4. That was a mistake on my part. Given the humidity, I should have put at least two, starting at mile 2.

The run took me an hour and four minutes (11:28pace). Did I ever mention that I'm okay with being slow? I am. I figure, running is not my life. There is always going to be someone (or in my case a LOT of someones) faster. But, there's also always someone slower. I'm a middle of the road kind of girl, and that's alright with me. If I'm able to run the whole half, I'll be thrilled. Pace, not as much of a concern.


Schedule for the remainder of the week:

Today: (Wakeskated in the AM), Yoga, Upper Body at the Gym
Wed: wakeskate, 3mile run
Thursday: Yoga, bike ride, legs at the gym
Friday: Speedwork at the track; 3.5miles
Saturday: Yoga
Sunday: 6mile long run



Keep pushing through.

I like to read daily devotionals online. Today, this was the verse of the day:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 (New King James Version)

I was feeling a bit bogged down and discouraged because I'm doing my long run today (Monday) instead of Sunday this week. That really reminded me that He will carry me through.

I can tackle this.

I will be successful.


Off to run 5.5miles.


Hope the week finds you well, lovelies.

A Friday Free for All for Me

Note: I am not a regular blogger/updater. I just don't have the time and patience to be as dedicated to blogs as some people. I really admire women who are able to devote a great deal of time and energy to this online community. I just don't have it in me at this point in the game, so I'll be around to update when I see fit.

Today was a free for all. I got up earlier than I would have liked and it took me a while to get in the swing of things. I made Goose an amazing veggie and ground turkey omelet this morning though.

I did some serious Yoga and my legs were burning from it. Probably because yesterday was a heavy leg day in the gym
[Squats: 3x8, 70lbs Walking Lunges: 3x15, 25lb dbs
Split Leg Good Mornings: 3x8, 55lbs Kickbacks: 2x10eachleg, 20lb db]

Needless to say, it didn't take much for my legs to burn.

Here comes the fail part and the serious free for all: I didn't do my speedwork today. I just didn't make it out there. My LAME excuses are as follows; it was raining, my legs were hella sore, I did other things.

The point is, I didn't get to it. I'm not super stressed about it and I'm not beating myself up. However, I am thinking about how to avoid this in the future.

So, my new and very scary plan of attack...maybe, possibly....



I'm going to attempt morning runs.



Now, by morning we're talking 9 or 10. Lets face it, I am NOT a morning person. I work from 3-7, my grad school classes are at night. I just, get up later and stay up later than the average jane. But, I'm also very busy and my day quickly gets away from me.

Sunday will be our first morning run. My sites are all dialed in on my 5.5route beginning at 9am. Please wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed. I might love it, who knows?!

We have a saying in the Goose household though; "You don't know unless you go"

Make the Most of What you Have

I didn't sleep well last night. Both of my dogs were restless and wanted to go out constantly. I cherish my sleep. When I got up today, coming off of half hour sleep intervals, I was cranky to say the least. I was ready to throw in the towel and put on my 'Grumpy the Dwarf' shirt.

But, each day is a new opportunity. Every single day we are blessed with the chance to start anew. Not everyone is granted that chance...

So, I am, at this moment, swallowing my self-pity and declaring this day beautiful (aside from the grey skies outside and the rain pouring down).

Therefore, an itinerary:

Present: Breakfast, oatmeal with fruit and OJ
10:15: Yoga it out
10:45: Get Ready
11:30: Meet owner of new Spin Studio, considering signing up for classes

....Up in the air

3:00: Leg Workout in the Gym
4:00: Work
..........................................................................

Last night we went to a free Kansas show.


It was fun and I love being outdoors, amongst friends.

Lots of good things coming up...




I hope that you recognize how glorious today is.

Fact:

Rest is important, all the way around.

...for my body tells me so.


First, quick recap. My five mile run on Sunday went great. I paced 11/mile but finished strong, didn't feel weak, etc. I'm going to run 5 again on Sunday.


Okay, back to my much needed R&R.

I've been running 3xweek.
Cross training with biking or swimming at least 2xweek.
Doing yoga 3-4xweek.Getting up at the buttcrack of dawn to ride wakeskate 4-5xweek.
Lifting weights 2-3xweek.
Walking the dogs twice a day, every day.

I'm burnt and I'm not getting enough sleep. I need to rest up, prioritize, and remember that right now my main goal is the half. Some things (ie lifting sessions) will take a back seat and that is okay. I need to remember, I am NOT super woman and I can NOT do it all. If I want to be successful, I need to give the half my energy, my focus, and my mind.


I'm young, so I'm scrapping by but I'm starting to feel exhausted and things are only going to pick up once my schedule gets crazy this month. (I'm in two weddings, planning the bachelorette parties for both and school starts the 28th).


Moderation.

Rest&Recovery.

Listen to your mind and your body.




I went for a 35min recovery jog today. I was thirsty (duly noted!).

Now, kids...


This baby is going to sleep.