Attempt Dos

I don't make resolutions, really. I'm constantly making both long and short term goals but I don't really do the New Years Resolution thing. I think the start of the new year is a great time to reflect on your year past and evaluate your progress in order to make some specific changes, but I also think that EVERY DAY is a good day for that.

One of my goals last year, however, was to run my first half marathon. That one ended up in the crapper. Sometimes you just have to pick yourself up by the boot straps and keep going. Onward and upward, no other choice.

I've been nursing my wounded ITBand for a while now, taking all the necessary steps, seeing the necessary doctors, including rest, etc. etc. I think I'm getting better. I ran a bit while away in MO for a week, that seemed to go okay. I ran a bit this past week, hills even, that seemed to go okay.

Here's my lame dilemma. I've been wanting to devote a good 10-12 months to heavy lifting and putting on mass in the gym. However, that type of training PLUS distance running do not support each other. I've been spending some time lifting again these past couple of weeks and it feels good but I want to run. I want to complete my half marathon so badly.

So here is what I decided. (sort of had decided in the past when I thought I was better before I was actually better.)

I'm going to train smart for the next 8 weeks and run the half in the Bay Area while I'm visiting California in the last two weeks of February. I'm not going to include a taper in my training. I'm going to have to run sometimes in crap cold winter weather. But I want it very badly. It's my first half marathon. I don't need to have a time goal, I don't need to win the darn thing. I just want it, I want the experience, I want to be successful, and I want to put this goal behind me.

I hope and pray that my ITBand issues are gone but if they come back, I will just deal with it as it arrives...

Took advantage of our 50 degree January thaw and put in a whopping 3.5miles yesterday.

Let's do this.

Holy Hiatus, Batman!

First:
Finals are done. All A's, 4.0, the works. What a load off!

Second:
I went to Springfield, MO to stay with Goose while he finished his video work before driving home together.

While there, I sort of 'unplugged' which was realllll nice; hence my online disappearance.
But I also;

*Spent two days at the gym. It felt good to get my lift on after a stressful week.

*Spent 5 out of the 6 days I was there doing yoga/ab work.

*Spent two days running outside; one day of trail running and one day on the road with my Goose.

*Spent two nights on the Nordic Track hiking up the side of a serious mountain- SO FUN!

*Slept in past 10am every. single. day.

*Enjoyed a decadent piece of sugar free raspberry cheesecake with chocolate sauce.

*Found out that I got invited to the final four hour interview round for the PhD program in School Psych at UHouston. Fingers crossed, saying prayers.


Tomorrow will be our first day being home all day and I intend to play some serious catch up, get my nap on, and enjoy being back with my puppy dogs.

Merry Christmas Week!

Two Serious Shout-Outs!!!

First: Do you follow Shut Up & Run?
Yes? Good, boy.
No? Shame on you!

She's hysterical, she's raw, and she's super knowledgeable and experienced in all things running. And she's having a sick giveaway. In fact it's the Ultimate giveaway.

In the words of Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder,


You know you want the goodies!!

So go, enter.

Next, Patrick over at The Road has created this oober-cool internet place for like-minded fitness folks to get their chat on. It's like if all of the athletes in the blogosphere had daily scrabble sessions, or in our case, maybe hot yoga sessions but online...

Oh boy, am I giving your site bad press, Patrick?

Anyways- it's fun. I've already joined and I dig it. You can leave comments, post events, ask for advice, talk about training stuff, and make locker-room type comments, too.

Here's the address:

http://www.enduranceathleteproject.com/


Get it, girl.














I'm still very busy with all things college for the next two days. Then, I get to fly down to springfield, MO for a week. ...I'm not sure Springfield is very exciting but I bet it's not 7 degrees, either. Just a thought.

Foresight and some deep thoughts...

No, not by Jack Handy.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed. I'm 22 but I've always been the girl who was 12 going on 32. Note: I don't know what happens when I reach 32, will I start going backwards?

My boyfriend whom I love and adore and hope to marry when I'm done with school is a bit older than me and some days I get caught up in comparing my life to the lives of others. So many of my friends from High School are getting married, getting jobs, moving into houses, and having babies. Some days I just want to be moving on to the real life stuff. I know, it's a little lame.

But, I have 3-6 years left before I have my PhD and really get settled into a job and a geographical location.

So, what, then I think about marriage at 28 or so? Then I consider kids at 33?

...Okay, when I type that out, that actually doesn't look so terrible.

But, sometimes I'm in such a hurry. I just want to be there and I can get frustrated in the process.

Then I stop and breathe.

According to the 2000 census only 6% of the population get Masters degrees and only 1% eventually obtain a doctorate.

In 1998, the average individual receiving his or her doctoral degree was 34 years old.

Sometimes it's hard to look into the future and confidently declare "What I'm doing may not be paying off at this very moment, but it will be in the future." I think my generation has a hard time taking a long, hard look at the future and being able to reason through how their current choices will impact them.

I generally have good foresight.

Two things in my life help with that:

1. My health and fitness lifestyle.

I'm 22, let's face it, if I drink too much Friday night, I'm going to wake up looking okay on Saturday. If I overindulge on the Whoppers, it just sort of goes away.

But will that be the case in 10 or 20 years? Probably not. The habits that I make now WILL carry with me into the future and boy, will I notice it then.

2. Jesus Christ.

Another let's face it, being a Christian isn't always easy or fun. There can be persecution, turmoil, sins, days of questioning, and feelings of hopelessness. But, there is no question in my mind that in the end, it pays off. [Although I LOVE being a Christian and am eternally grateful for having my life saved and breathe easier knowing God is on my side and I can call on him in times of need] The reward from Christ does not present itself immediately. Sometimes things are beyond our comprehension, but salvation has been given to me because of the choices I've made now.




End textbook.

Woof

Yep, woof. That's all I heard last night.

Okay, so rewind.<<<<<<<<<<

Yesterday a.m. my boyfriend left for Springfield for a week. He's doing some video for a trade show and had to sit down with the guy to edit, etc. Whatever, let's get back to me- I'm alone and I hate it. So that means that while my Goose is gone I have to take myself to my race. Not a huge deal, really, but boy it sure is sooo much nicer when he is there to hold my stuff, take pictures, cheer me on, and give me a big finisher's hug. Last night I went to bed around 11:30.

12:03- Samantha starts barking to go out. [Samantha is my older baby, 14. Normally I let her out the back door, she does her business and comes back in. However, when I'm in the house alone I sleep upstairs because I HATE sleeping downstairs in that big, giant bed alone. So, when I let Samantha out the front door, the one that opens up to a busy lake road, I have to go out with her to make sure she doesn't wander off. She's gotten belligerent in her old age.] No big deal, go out with her, bring her back in. Rub my eyes, go back to sleep.


12:43- Woof. Woof, woof. Repeat above.

1:28- Woof. Woof, woof, woof. Repeat above.

Okay, you get the idea. Samantha had to go outside 11 times between midnight and 7am when my alarm went off. Really?!

I try not to get upset with her because she's old and I gave her deer meat that must not have agreed with her.


Needless to say my first night alone as H.O.H. was terrible.

So for race morning I was not all piss and vinegar. Just pissED.

I have no pictures of my race.
I didn't dress up in the outfit I wanted to.
I forgot my iPod.
I got there late and had to rush.
The list could go on.


Needless to say, after all the grump in the world, [What, any Christmas run should still have the Grinch present!] I was able to run 3.12 miles on the road free of IT pain. That's reason enough to forget everything else.

Conditions were predictable for a winter run in Upstate NY. It was 26 degrees, light flurries, mild wind. There was a decent turn out but I admit to not hanging around for the festivities as much as I would have if I didn't need a serious nap! I finished in 27flat. The operative word there; finished.



This run was symbolic for me. It meant I was on the road to recovery and there was an end in sight.

Will I be more diligent about icing, stretching my ITBand? Hells to the yes.

I've signed up for the BayBreeze Half in February for my Cali trip. I'm super stoked on it because I get to run with my brother, his fiance, and my boyfriends brother. It should be a good trip.

Now, back to some very very careful training.


On the road again...road to my [second, but really first because the other one was pulled out from under me] first half.

Playing catch up

It's finals week. I don't have many exams, mostly papers. I haven't found much time to be on here. So, today I plan to fully catch up. I'm camped out on the couch watching Grey's from last night, sipping some mint tea under the blanket and reading blogs. Ahhh to have a day off.

I also wanted to add that I ran on Tuesday. Only on the treadmill, but I ran never the less. I ran 1.1 miles. I was pain free, no ITBand irritation, so I stopped. I followed that run with some heavy squats, walking lunges, and kickbacks. Success.

Wednesday I spent an hour on the arc trainer and did some upperbody stuff at home.

Thursday I ran 1.7miles pain free.

Lord, please continue to heal me.

Saturday morning is the Jingle Bell 5K. I don't even care about a PR, I just want to be able to finish pain free.


It felt sooo good to run. I was happy and I felt such a rush. I miss that feeling and I'll be stoked to have it back.

So long for now.