Rest Day

Today is a rest day for me, no running or cross training. Just letting my muscles recover and repair from being pushed 15 miles yesterday. I keep track of my mileage every month mostly so I'll know how many miles I've put on my shoes and when they'll need to be replaced. This month I ran 111 miles. It's a huge jump from last month for a couple of reasons. I went on vacation in July and took an entire week of rest, which I have read is perfectly fine to do on occasion. And in August I switched over to full marathon training. I was a little tentative about committing myself to training for a full marathon, knowing how tough it can be after watching my husband train for 2. But now that I've started running distances in the double digits and have been able to see my own progress from week to week I realize it's just a matter of building up my endurance by running those miles every week. I look forward to going on that long run, and love how it feels after I've achieved a new longer distance. I also look foward to the step back week when my long run is shorter than the previous one because it helps me see my progress. Suddenly the distance that kicked my butt a few weeks ago is now an easy shorter distance for me. So I'm going to continue with the Marathon training, and I think I'll be brave this week and actually sign up for one.

Ran 15 miles this morning, my longest run yet. The weather was beautiful and it made for a very pleasant 15 miles. Yesterday I added a few items to my list of running gear which made my life easier. The first was compression shorts. I wore these under my regular running shorts and am happy to report that I had 0 amount of chafing anywhere. I looked at running skirts, but most of the shorts attached are pretty short, I needed something longer that would stay in place. And I wore them under my regular shorts for the same reason I always wear a shirt and don't just run in a jog bra. I'm a pretty modest person, and I think only my husband needs to see that much of me. The other item I purchased yesterday is a headlamp. I found one that I can attach to the bill of my cap and has a few different light settings. It was super helpful in the pitch blackness at 5 am. I don't know how I've managed my early morning runs without it. I also bought a new hat since I have already worn out the one I started the summer with. It has a built in sweatband which really helps keep my eyes from stinging.
I had a pretty good pace this morning, and managed to run the second 7.5 miles about 20 minutes faster than the first 7.5. I don't bother to post my minutes per mile average here because I highly doubt it makes a big difference to my 1 reader how fast I run. I'm not training for the Olympics or trying to beat a land speed record, and I keep track of my paces for each run elsewhere to measure my progress. I'm not looking for a pat on the back or accolades based on how fast I run each day, I'm just looking for my own personal improvement.
I am really trying to focus on improving my form, which means getting my feet off the ground. I don't want to be shuffling along, just barely keeping one foot off the ground at a time. I find that when I get those feet up and work on better form I actually run faster and with more energy. Tried the Power Gel Caps today about halfway through and found these to be a better source of glycogen renewal than the gel I had last week. They tasted better, agreed with my tummy better and were overall easier to get down. Takes a little more water to wash them down afterward, but once the water was in my mouth the flavor was almost like drinking a coke. I felt much better today at the end of the run than last week after 14. I wasn't to the point of exhaustion and overall today seemed much easier. Still had a little bit of muscle cramp in my calves, but less severe this time. Going to make sure I get my 1 banana per day in to help alleviate that. Also I can really tell the Glucosamine Chrondroitin makes a difference in how my knees feel. Looking forward to another good week of training, this week is a step back week so next week's long run will be shorter again.

Swim like a fish

Went to my usual Saturday morning swim class and as always enjoyed it. My calves were a little sore, so the stretching was great this morning. Did some new exercises today. Had to hang from the deck and do several crunches, which was challenging and I know I'll be feeling tomorrow. The best new one we did was in groups of 3. Two people hold each end of a noodle, and the third person sits on it while they swing her. It was good core work, and fun.
Hubby was accross the pool at his Masters class again today, and is heading to the lake for and open water swim. It's a nice Saturday morning activity to each go to our swim class and take the whole family to the Y. The kids love to go play in the childwatch, and I like the example it sets for them that Mom and Dad are both active. My 5 year usually asks if he can run with one of us, and seems interested in working towards entering a kids triathlon. ( I think 6 is the starting age).
I am definitely feeling the benefits of eating healthier, and eating a better ratio of carbs especially before my sorta long and long runs. This afternoon will be a good time to plan out this week's menu along with training days and times with hubby. Seems like once it's planned out it all fits together rather seemlessly, and any adjustments can be made as needed.
Still having some issues with the toe and footwear. It's still a little tender where the toenail once was. Wearing close-toed shoes to work puts pressure on it, and my comfy flip flops aren't really appropriate for work. So I'm on a hunt for "comfort" shoes. What I found so far leaves me less than thrilled. Basically there are 3 categories of "comfort" shoes. Manly, Hippie, and Frumpy. None of these fits my style. I had to wear some awful awful shoes from those catergories when I was pregnant and I vowed never again. I've looked at Born, Aerosoles, Clarks etc and haven't really found much that would go with my wardrobe. I'm not giving up hope, and until then I think I'll keep my Reefs in my classroom...

TGIF

Well, I made it through the first week back at school and so far the training schedule has worked pretty well. Had to shift some runs to different days due to illness and hubby's work travel, but I was able to fit them in and enjoy them. This morning I ran 7 miles on my usual route, which meant I left the house at 4:45. I felt very energetic, despite the early hour. My pace was 5 seconds faster than my 9 miler a few weeks back, which gives me a fairly good goal to keep in mind for the half marathon, which is only 4 weeks away. I was comparing my training now to where I was last year at this time, and wow have I come a long way. I remember my husband asking me to run the Turkey trot with him and being pretty nervous when he informed me it was an 8 mile race. Now I'm to a point in my training where 8 miles seems an easy distance. I'm much more motivated this season. Somewhere along the way I lost my fear of endurance running, and it turned into a challenge I look forward to meeting. It just seems easier for me, and I know it's all those hours I put in just running. Last spring if you had asked me if I wanted to run a half marathon I would have said definitely not. Now I've run past that distance and am considering a full marathon. And thinking I might like it.
This morning I ran my usual 7 mile route. I find great comfort in running an old tried and true route in the dark. I've run it enough times to remember where the dips and cracks in the pavement are, which sprinklers are likely to be on, and who's yippy dog is likely to bark. And it helps me picture in my mind where I'll be at certain mile marks. I did add a little extra lap onto the front end so I would have a small cool down walk back to the house after the 7 were completed. I think this will help prevent some of the muscle cramping that happened last week.

As for gear: I found the perfect sports bra at Kohls. A miraculous wonder in that I only have to wear one of these at a time. It keeps everything in place and no chafing anywhere. The downside is that it was on sale and I only found one in my size. I'm also on the hunt for the perfect race bottom. I'm thinking perhaps I'll give the running skirt another try. But I'm going to look long and hard to find one with long shorts underneath that stay put. The last one I had sucked. Hoping to hit REI this weekend to get a headlamp, and thinking I may find a long skirt there too.

Cold Front

So the weatherman has been promising a cold front all week. For me that meant an afternoon high of 89 degrees and an afternoon run I could look forward to. Hubby was out of town on business overnight, so I couldn't run before work, and I was actually dreading having to run indoors on the treadmill. It's boring, tedious and repetitive. But having been sick earlier in the week, my rest days had already been used. Then the clouds rolled in and the temperature cooled to just under 90 degrees and I decided I would chance it and run outside. And I'm so glad I did. It's nice to occasionally get to run when it's bright and sunny ( instead of running with the vampires in the wee early hours before daylight) and to be able to see where exactly I'm going. I used the daylight as an opportunity to explore a new route, one with lots of shade and relatively flat since I wanted to save my legs for the hills on my 7 mile run in the morning. Today's pace was much quicker than yesterday which I'll attribute to a few things.
A. I spent the entire run upright and not lying on the ground or falling towards said ground.
B. It was still fairly warm out and I was ready to be in the haven of the air conditioning soon.
C. I was enjoying myself.
Letter C I think is the key to every run. I read an article today that said 30% of runners let a run affect their day if it's a bad run. Which I found surprising. I've had plenty of challenging runs in all types of temperatures, and I've only ever abandoned 1 run. It was early on in my running career (please note that I am using the word career very sarcastically here) and I had just been hospitalized. Needless to say I wasn't in tip top physical shape yet. But even then I wouldn't say that run or any other run has affected my mood in a negative way. Each time I hit a snafu, or it doesn't go as planned ( i.e. falling on my face at 5 am) I take it as a lesson learned and find a way to use it to improve my training. I still figure I'm ahead of all those other people who didn't get out of bed for a run, or couldn't. The fact that I can and do is something I am always thankful for.

Falling Down

After yesterday's sick day, I was really looking forward to my 4 mile run. I still felt a litte dehydrated and definitely had less than my usual amount of energy this morning. I could feel myself slowly losing steam as I reached the top of my second hill just a little before mile 2. As soon as I was over the hill it happened. I caught the tip of my shoe in an unven part of the sidewalk, and fell flat on my face. It seemed like it happened in slow motion, because I thought I was bringing myself upright was going to balance myself. However my momentum was going in a downward motion towards the curb. Scraped my knee, shoulder, hand and now have a swollen pinky. All minor, and I'm so thankful I didn't crash down any harder on my knee. Mostly it rattled me, and I was embarassed. I didn't trip in the dark either, I was under the brightest streetlight in the whole neighborhood, right at the entrance where all lights are blazing. Once I was able to recover and put my Garmin back together I was back on track. The last two miles were run at a bit of a slower pace, and my overall time was slower than usual, (though part of that time was spent lying prone on the sidewalk assesing my minor injuries.) Goes to show that running tired, or below my 100% health can be dangerous.

I am considering getting a headlamp to wear on these early morning jaunts. Even with streetlights at every corner, there are some big stretches of dark in my nieghborhood. Fuel Belt makes one that sells for a little over $20.00 and I think it would be a worthwhile accessory to add to my gear. Plus I am thinking the Mr. could wear it when he goes on an early morning bike ride as well. The trick will be finding out who sells one. If not I can always order it online. Just don't want to have to wait for it.

Sick Day

I was all set for my morning run when the unthinkable happened. I was suddenly struck down with a stomach bug. And even then, for a brief moment, I was contemplating giving a run a try anyway. Perhaps I could sweat it out, perhaps I could just be in denial that I am sick and think away feeling bad. But as I was putting on my shoes I came to the conclusion that the pain in my tummy was indeed here to stay at least for awhile and I had to put on my jammies and crawl back in bed. I'm still setting my alarm for a nice early time in the am, hoping that I will be miraculously cured by then.
An interesting thing happened yesterday, after I finished writing about how following a training plan closely is important I got a message from a friend of mine. He had injured his calf muscle on a run 5 mile run. What makes the injury significant is that his training program called for a 4 mile run, and the injury happened at mile 4.5. He simply misread how far he was supposed to run. He's training for a half Marathon in November, and is worried that being sidelined from injury will cause him not to be able to complete the training and he'll miss his race. He's been running for awhile, (this is his second attempt at a half marathon)and is using the same Higdon Novice program I used to train for the half. It's a good example of what can happen when the body gets pushed just a litle farther than it's ready for. I hope for him that his injury heals soon and he's still able to run his race. For me it's a good reminder that even though I've been running off and on for a few years, and consistenly for the past year, that I'm still at novice level because I have yet to complete a half or a full marathon. Which is why I'm steering clear of speedwork, and just sticking to completing my base miles each week.

Weekend Roundup

81 miles run so far in August. Got rained out on Friday, and I just couldn't bear the idea of a treadmill run, so I took a much needed extra day of rest. However, I don't want to make a habit of skipping out on or modifying my workouts. There is a reason that training programs are set up the way they are. Higdon is an expert runner with years and years of marathon experience, and he's set up a program that is geared to offer success if it's followed correctly. I want to avoid injury, and be able to meet the goal I've set. I read carefully the guidelines for choosing and executing my training program and plan to stick to those guidelines as much as possible.

Saturday was a cross train day, and I chose my usual swim class which is always enjoyable. I was still a little sore from Thursday's long run and the stretching we did helped a great deal. Hubby had a triathlon on Sunday, and I feel almost like I got a little extra cross training in while toting the kids from spot to spot to be able to watch him in all the events. Today was the first day of school for me and my kindergartener, and so I chose to make Monday my first rest day of the week. I realized that I'm going to need a calendar and to sit down every week with the spouse to plan out training schedules, kids activities, social and church activities and menus. I definitely like to be organized, and planning things out weekly seems to make the most sense for us. Also, I'm really trying to get refocused on healthy eating habits this week as I start establishing routines for the family and myself with the new school year. If I could lean up a little by eating healthier I would probably run more efficiently. And for me it's much easier to incorporate the healthy eating as part of my daily routine.

14 Mile Thursday

Today I ran got up at 5:15 am and ran 14 miles. My pacing was about 10 seconds per mile over my goal, but since it was my first time to run longer than half a marathon I was perfectly fine with it. I find that I have to set a goal as far as pacing goes or I'll lollygag around and suddenly I'm practically walking at a 13 min pace. It gave me a good idea of what my Half Marathon race will be like in September and how to set my goal pace for it. Some people set their goals for their first endurance race as just to finish. I could finish a half or a full marathon by just walking, although it would take a while. I could say I finished a Marathon this week by logging over 30 miles in training runs. But it isn't the same experience to just finish as it is to set a goal to work towards. Maybe some people are afraid they won't finish in their goal time and they'll be let down so they just say finishing is their goal to accomplish. And it is it's own accomplishment, but what's the point of getting out and working hard during training runs if the goal is just to cross the finish line ? I'm not competing against the other racers, but I am competing against what I know I can do. In this day and age of everyone gets a pat on the back for just trying, and kids get trophies just for being on the team, I think we all may have lost sight of the idea of picking a specific goal to work towards, and to work hard to reach that goal. Not just to finish, but to finish well. Not just to participate, but to participate to the best of your ability. So I'm not out there with the idea that even if I just walk a 13 minute pace I've achieved something. I'm out there with the idea that I want to finish in a certain amount of time, and if I don't, then I'll work that much harder to do it at the next race, and I'll cross that finish line running at my goal pace.

As for today's run, it was long and I was fatigued by the end. I broke it up into "legs" this time. Did a leg around Coastal until it was light enough to head over towards Quail Run. My next milestone was at mile 7 to take a gel. I had been warned about the gel and just how gross they are. But no amount of warning could prepare me for the sugary, syrupy, gooey, slimy mess that assuaulted my taste buds with that gel. I quickly chased it down with water, but suffered what I'll call guburps the rest of the run. I didn't enjoy having to keep tasting it for the next 7 miles. My next goal was to refill my water at mile 10, and then head for home knowing mile 13.1 was my next goal to accomplish. Had a little gatorade to commemorate that event, and then I slogged the last .9 mile until I hit 14. As soon as I got in the house my calves cramped up and I was in agony until I got iced down in the tub. Had some chocolate milk and a banana to recover. It went much better than my 12 mile run, even though I'm sure to be sore and tired by the end of today. Tomorrow I'm supposed to run 4 miles, and those are going to be some slow easy 4 miles.

7 mile Tuesday.

Was a little harder to get up at 5:30 this morning, but this will be my later sleep time next week for short runs so I better get used to it. Good pace, need to work out my route a little better. I ran out of sidewalk on Lakeshore so I had to turn around sooner than I anticipated. I need to get some type shot blocks, jellybeans etc for energy replacement for Thursday's long run, and probably could use something reflective to wear when it's dark out. I'm not afraid of some scary attacker ( though wearing a red flashing light would make it easier for one to find me ), but would like to be visible to cars, even though I usually try to stay on the sidewalk. The thing I fear on the early morning run is wildlife. I've seen dead skunks, snakes and armadillos so I know they are around the greenbelts in the neighborhood. I certainly don't want to be the one that disturbs one of those creatures by sneaking up on it in the pre-dawn hours. The worst live animal I came accross was a frog that I stepped on. Apparently fairly lightly as it was able to hop away. This morning I was terrified when I heard rustling in the brush and then laughed at myself as it turned out to be a bunny both times. And no it's wasn't the scary bunny from the Monty Python movies. Speaking of laughter, I got caught not once, but twice by the same cyclist while I was playing air guitar, and air drums. He got a good laugh at me as he pedalled past both times. Now I'm the crazy lady with wild swinging arms who runs in the neighborhood. Oh well.
I enjoyed the run, kept a good pace and am looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. Thursday will be my longest run yet.

Test Run

This week my training goes up in mileage, which means short runs are now 4 miles. This was also a test run to see how long it takes me to get in a run, get myself ready, help get the kids ready and get everyone out the door to make it to work and school on time. We have a later start this week since it's workweek so I can ease myself into getting up earlier. A little over 41 minutes for the run and precisely 40 minutes to shower and get everyone dressed and ready. Not bad. What I've had to sacrifice is part of the beauty regime, no more blow drying and straightening my hair on run days. I seriously doubt 5th graders will care whether my hair is frizzy and damp when I start the day, and isn't that why ponytail holders were invented ? My quest to find comfortable shoes for work has left me feeling bewildered. I know I need to baby my feet and keep them comfy during the day, epecially since I stand so much. But every shoe I try on that feels like little clouds of cushion and joy are just plain UGLY. And I mean wear them to an Indigo girls concert UGLY. I can't quite make the leap to clodhopper granola shoes just yet. I'm still convinced there is a gem of a shoe that whill be kind to my tootsies and kind to the eye. All of my flip flops have cushion and arch support ( Teva and Reef) and I'm tempted to see how long I can get away with wearing them to work. I mean how often does my principal really look at my feet ?
As for the run today, it was a little tough to get up early, but I was thankful to be running before the sun started to beat down. Still keeping concentration on my pace, and finding it works very well.

Saturday Swim Class

Cross training today, which meant swim class. I was pretty draggy this morning after last nights evening out, but I put on my Granny swimsuit and went anyway. Once I got in the pool I felt really good. I like the Saturday swim class b/c it's at the same time as the Master Swim class my husband attends for his triathlon training. So while I'm doing my workout I usually get to also watch him swim. I really enjoy watching how fast the Master swimmers can go.
Today we did lunges, stretching, crunches, squats, running and swimming. It was a nice easy workout, which is exactly what I needed after training a bit harder this week. I still like the deep water class best, but since it's only on weekday mornings it's not an option during the school year. I did find out that Mary teaches the Tues/Thurs night class, and rumor has it she's the better teacher. She's been my favorite instructor so far because she seems to work us harder than the others, hopefully I'll be able to work in one of those nights for cross training, and run long on Saturdays.
Oddly enough the running in the pool was the hardest part for me today. I noticed some tenderness in my right knee when we were doing squats and then again when we ran. This week I'll need to make sure I pay attention to how that knee feels out on the road. Maybe it's tender because I ran a little faster this week. Tomorrow is a rest day, and I plan to get plenty of it.

Three mile Friday.

Today was the last of my sweet delicious three mile runs. Next week I go up to 4 miles on the short run ( which I hope will still be sweet). I concentrated on pacing today, my goal being to keep todays pace faster yesterday's long run. It ended up being about 40 seconds per mile faster. I did sprint the last quarter mile as I usually do towards home. I love that last downhill run before I hit the house. It's a huge sidewalk that slopes nicely down to the end of my street and then I just have a slight turn and I'm home free. The flip side is every run starts with a hill, which is a challenging way to warm up. Now, I'm absolutely not doing speedwork because I want to avoid injury as much as possible. But I have found that if I really pay attention to my pacing I can run very comfortably ( and by comfortably I mean not out of breath, not flinging myself downhill at out of control breakneck speeds, and not cheating on a treadmill by cranking up the tempo as fast as I can take it without being thrown off) at a faster pace than I used to run. I give the long slow runs credit for that increase in speed, as well as just paying attention to what each pace feels like. Next week I start back to work on Monday, so I'll be getting up before dawn for my new longer morning runs. At least the weather will be cooler at that time in the morning.

Easy 9 miles

This morning's long run was 9 miles. It felt so nice and easy, especially compared to last weeks long run. I ran from the house to caruth lakes and back. Again today I tried to concentrate on keeping my pace under a certain goal. I found that if I continued to do that I could keep my pace much faster, but still comfortable. I also tried to run negative splits, which I accomplished by running the second 4.5 miles about 3 minutes faster that the first. I got up and out the door much earlier today, thanks to some inspiration ( some might call gentle prodding) from my husband. It was probably 15 degrees cooler, and that made a huge difference. I didn't feel as dehydrated, and probably took in about half as much liquid as I did last week. Perhaps I was also a little cautious about overdoing the fluids as I didn't want a repeat of last week's nausea and ralph either. I always love the point in the long run when I am three miles to the finish. For some reason that's a magic number to me, I know exactly what that distance feels like to run and how far it is to my home, and I know I can run it pretty fast even up my least favorite last hill. This is usually the point in my run when I turn on the jets becaue I know I don't have to save any more energy, I'm almost done. When I get to the last mile or so I can full out sprint because in my mind the run is over. I love the last push to speed up at the end. Not one single chafe anywhere, and I even wore a shirt with sleeves. I guess it's not so much sleeves that chafe as it is cotton sleeves that chafe. I also added a few new songs to my playlist which for some reason makes me look forward to my run just a little bit more. Wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to get up early after a summer of sleeping in, but I know next week it's going to be slow out of the gate getting up that much earlier to run before work. I'm also realizing it's going to take a little planning to coordinate workout schedules with hubby who's triathlon training. Looks like we have some early mornings in our future.

Sorta Long Run

6 miles this morning on my usual sorta long route. I adjusted it slightly so I wouldn't have to pass the dead skunk I noticed when I was running the kids up to school. It was definitely hot out, but a nice run. I played around with my pacing some, trying to practice concentrating on the run. I definitely notice if I pay attention to my pacing and focus on it I am quite capable of staying at a faster but still comfortable pace then if I just let my mind wander. Getting used to the new jog bras, they don't batten down the hatches like the old cotton ones, but overall feel better. No chafing of any kind today. Thursday's run will be another story.

Deadmill

Yesterday my training plan was a 3 mile run. We all slept in a little, and after a nice steak dinner and red wine the night before, I decided I would postpone my usual morning run until later in the afternoon. Which meant it would be too hot outside, and I would have to run on the (big sigh) treadmill at the Y. Really how bad could a quick 3 miles be on the treadmill ? I know lots of people that run on them often, and for some it seems to be the preferred method of training. It was AWFUL. All the treadmills are basically stacked up on top of each other which gave me a feeling of clausterphobia. I fought boredom for the entire time. No amount of playing with my pace, adjusting my stride or switching up my form, could get my mind out of the duldroms of OMG I'm running on this boring black belt going nowhere. It was stifling in there as well. When you have 20 people in on area all exercising, sweating and breathing heavily it really steams it up, and unlike the great outdoors there is no breeze, even a hot desert wind would have been welcomed. There's nothing of interest to look at. I could stare at the wall, the tv or the other people at the Y. No trees to look at, wildlife to see, skies to ponder. Just the bland surroundings of the Y cardio room. It literally sucked the lif right out of me. I was so tempted to bail, as it is pretty easy to punch the stop button at any time and be done with it, but of course I didn't want to cheat my training out of any miles, however boring they may have been. I just ran fast so I could be done with it. The only saving grace was that I got to take my kids to the Y pool as soon as I was done. I don't know who was happier when I walked in to pick them up from the kidcare area, me or them.

The Hottest Almost Half

Today's run was 12 miles, and it was a struggle to finish. I got started way too late, and the heat got the best of me today. It was 80 degrees out when I started, and at least 90 when I finished. At about mile 6 I started to feel the sun beating down on me and it wasn't pleassant. I tried to run as much in the shade as possible until I got to the water fountain by Caruth lakes, which was about mile 8. I cooled down by dousing myself with water and then reloaded my the bottles in the fuel belt. By mile 9 my shorts felt like sandpaper rubbing on my legs, and I was feeling nauseous. Mile 10 was thankfully downhill towards home, but then there was my least favorite hill, the one that goes slowly up towards Ridge Road west. I checked my pace and at that point realized I could probably speedwalk about as fast as I could slog myself up that hill. I felt a little like the guys in the old movies where the join the foreign legion and end up crawling through the desert looking for an oasis By the end of mile 11 the combination of heat and having taken in my gatorade/water combination a little too fast got the best of me. I had to boot. But then I felt better, rallied and ran the rest of the way home (VERY VERY SLOWLY, but still a jog). Then I stalked my house by running short little laps back and forth in front of it for the last quarter mile until I hit mile 12 and was done. Learned a few things today. 1). Start earlier when it's hot outside. I ran almost 1 mile per minute slower today due to the heat than I did last week's 11 miler. 2). The investment of good non cotton jog bras paid off. No chafing and lots of comfort ( if anything was comfortable about today).3.) Don't give up, fighting through it now on a training run will help me dig deep and do it later down the line when I'm at mile 20 and hit the wall. There's a reason it's called endurance running, and I'm glad I have lots of time to work on building up my endurance. I'm also very glad next week is a step back week before I build up to the next increase which will be 14 miles. I think when I run the half I'll be glad that I had today to learn from, and that I'll have some runs longer than 13 miles before the race.

Short bridge run

Another short 3 mile run today. It seems like I blink and I've run my three miles without paying too much attention to it. I definitely don't want to just zone out and run the miles. So today I played around with my pacing. I ran the first mile fast, the second 1 minute slower and the third I ran at my long run training pace to keep my legs fresh for tomorrow's long run. I can actually run comfortably at a much quicker pace than I used to, which I can attribute to all the miles I've put in over the summer at whatever quick, medium or leisurely pace I've run them. I haven't done any speedwork since I started my half marathon training, and those long runs are done at a pretty slow pace. So it goes to show that I don't have to bust my butt to race hard on a training run to improve my pace. I just have to show up and run. I would like to sign up for a race or two before the end of september just to see how I could do in an actual 5K or 10K, and to give me a little something to look forward to sooner than my far off goal of September 27.

Wednesday swim

Today's cross training was deep water aquacise. Mary taught it this week, and her classes are much more challenging than the other instructors I've had. I've got 1 more wednesday class and then I go back to teaching. It's too bad the deep water class is only offered on wednesdays at 10:30 am because I've really enjoyed it this summer. I will try working in a different aquacise class on my cross training day since I really like what it does for my core and it's gentle on my joints which probably need a once a week break from the jarring they get when I run.

Love to Hate You

Ran a swift 6 miles today. I ran my second half faster than the first half and felt very energetic today, despite the fact that it was already blazing hot at 6:30 am. I ran more hills today than yesterday or Saturday. I have a love/hate relationship with running hills. I hate actually running uphill because it slows me down, and damn it's tough. There's some hills in my neighborhood that are just a bitch to run up. But I love knowing that running uphill will help increase my speed over time, and I love that it works different muscles than a flat run. But what I REALLY love about running uphill is the oh so sweet reward of running down the other side of that hill. Ahhh.

3,000 questions

Ran a short 3 miles on the bridge this morning with the jogging stroller, contents : 1 inquisitive 5 year old. Got a late start and it already felt pretty hot outside by 9 am. The challenge this morning was trying to answer 3,000 questions my son came up with while I ran. It's a bit difficult to hear him when he's not facing me and there are cars whizzing past us at 60 mph. At one point all I heard was "say OK". So I did. I have no idea what I ok'd, and I'm hoping it wasn't somthing crazy like" Hey mom will you buy me a speedboat after naptime ?". The stroller was also veering to the right the whole time, and keeping it pointed in a straight line without running into the fence on either side was a pain. Plus I can't use my arms like I do sans stroller. I think I remember now when I like to run in solitude. This was not a zen kind of run. However what made it worthwhile was watching Garrett run his heart out when he decided to pop out of the stroller. He just looks so natural, free and easy when he runs. He cranks his little hands and smiles the biggest smile. Pure joy for him. So it's worth the PITA stroller to have those moments with him.

I also have realized that I need to replace my cotton bras and shirts, as I am looking at my battle scars from Saturday's run. I have quite a bit of chafing on my arm and chest from where the edges and seams rubbed on my skin. And I need to get another travel size tube of body glide so I can put it in the fuel belt and apply as needed during a long run. Nothing is worse than knowing you still have 4 miles to cover and there is nothing you can do to alleviate the pain. Even the nice blousey shorts hem rubbed a spot on my left leg. Ouch.

Saturday Long Run

"So I started out for God knows where. I guess I'll know when I get there"- Tom Petty, Learning to Fly.

That seems like a good way to describe a long run, and my running journey in general. I started running last year, my goal being to run 8 miles at the Turkey Trot. My next goal is to run a half marathon, and after that who knows. Today I ran 11 miles. I had an idea of where I was starting, as I usually do for the longer runs, and then I just let my feet take me wherever until I've run half the distance of my goal. Then I turn around and run back. Today I meandered around some back roads, near some farmland, and looped around a couple of local parks.
What do I do for 2 plus hours of running ? I let my mind open up and go where it wants. I focus on letting go of what's holding me back, which usually leads me to spend some time in prayer. I try to concentrate on feeling God's hand on my shoulder and focus on where he's leading me in life. I count my blessings, which these days are many, and practice thankfulness. For the first time in my life I can appreciate my body for what it can do, instead of being focused on it's flaws.
When I feel like I'm dragging I play. I've been known to pump my fist in the air shouting "oi oi oi" as I listen to Dropkick Murphys, or play air fiddle to Eleven Hundred Springs. Do I look like a complete loon ? Of course. But who really cares. It's my run.