Sunday, March 30, 2008

I'm Quite Proud of Myself!

Today I went out and ran 10 miles by myself! I can't tell you the last time I went out for a run alone - unfortunately it will probably be the only run this week because of my husband being away on a business trip.

I took a page out of my friend Lori's book and connected my Ipod up to a small speaker and put it in my pocket. What a difference it made!!! I've never been able to run with headphones on because I tended to run to the beat of the music and would get all out of sync because the music would get too fast and I would cramp etc. However, having the music just out there and not right in my ears really helps - you get the benefit of the distraction but not to the point where you have no idea about your surroundings. Much safer!!

My pace was also quite good (about 9:45m/m) and I completed 10.01 miles. I could start to feel it at the end - legs were getting a bit tired and my lungs were struggling but the good part was that I didn't feel like I was going to cough up my lungs at the end. This makes me feel a touch more comfortable in my ability to finish the trail marathon. The good part about this race is that there aren't any other goals other than to finish it. I fully intend on walking parts and my finish time is not something I'm concerned about. It is a tough course and I just want to say that I completed it!

Off to take my wonderful hubby to the airport - I'm going to miss him!!

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Saturday 3/29/08

This is going to be a tough week for me for a number of reasons. My husband will be away until Thursday afternoon so for the next week I'll be a single parent. In addition, because he will be gone, I won't be able to do any running (although I am hoping to work something out with a friend of mine so that we can get some miles in during the evening hours) - no one to watch the kids.

It is going to be really strange not being able to run but I'm going to try and do some combo workouts. I find it very boring to just sit on the bike for an hour but I thought I could combine some jumping rope and the bike as well as some lifting and the bike. I'm hoping that the changing up of the type of exercise will really give my body a boost because I really am getting nervous about the trail marathon. I put a countdown timer down at the bottom of the page (although I may try and move it around) and there really isn't a lot of time to get ready for this race and with my cold etc it is just really freaking me out!

My nutrition plan has been going really well. I made a weight loss goal on LL and I've been doing a good job at not only following my plan but also logging everything. I'm also being rewarded on the scale - I've dropped 3 pounds over the past few days (yes I realize that a lot is water weight). The way I've been feeling the past few days (minus the cold) just really hits home just how much of an affect a good nutrition plan can have - I just feel better!!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Getting Better

I'm glad to say that although I'm not back to "normal" I am getting better. I've been able to do 3 days of running this week and would love to get out tomorrow but I think the weather will not be cooperating. I had less trouble with the actual running than I thought - the worst part was stopping! Pretty much as soon as I stopped running, the coughing fits started and I thought I was going to be sick a number of times!

It wasn't great but it was a step in the right direction!!!

Friday, March 21, 2008

It's Official....

...I'm sick and I've got it bad!

I've been fighting the chills and the sweats all day and a good portion of yesterday. I knew it was bound to happen - there are just too many people around me that have been sick. That's happen when you work with kids!

Here's to getting well and getting back to running!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

I NEED to get my act together!

I've been doing a little bit better with my nutrition but not well enough! I'm up higher than I've been in a long time and I really need to just get my act together. I haven't been writing down my plans or making my food a head of time and those are 2 things that just sabotage my efforts BIG TIME!

So, starting today, I am going to start writing down my plans again. I hope it will enable me to get a handle on this aspect of my life. Other things are coming together and I'm feeling good about that. However, without having my physical/nutritional life in balance the rest just doesn't feel "right"!

I didn't run today because of some heavy rain this morning. I'm hoping to get in about 5.5 miles (on a hilly route) tomorrow and then 20 on the trails on Saturday. Off to write down my plans!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Awesome Run!


We had a great run this morning! We met at the trail entrance, bright and early (4:30 am) and got out head lamps on. Yes, it was still pitch black out! However, the rain had stopped and the temps were great - about 45 degrees or so. There were 4 of us that set out on out planned 4 hour run. It was hard going because of the dark and I was a casualty of that darkness. There was a nasty little tree root that jumped out of the darkness and grabbed my foot - actually I just plain kicked it and went for a tumble. My toes/feet are always a BIG concern for me because of the big bunions I have on both feet so I knew I was in trouble as soon as I hit that root. I managed to roll a bit on the way down but I still hit my left knee pretty hard. So there I am, feeling quite embarrassed, with a sore right toe and a sore left knee. The good part was that I didn't rip my pants (they're my favorite pair)!
After the fall we did pretty well. We were all feeling pretty good and making good time - slower than a normal run but good because of the darkness and the hills (the trail we run is REALLY hilly). Two of us had pretty good lights but the other two were struggling with their lights so we did a bit of rearranging in our running order which helped a lot. However, soon after that, one of our runners starting having a lot of trouble with her cold. She was struggling to breathe any time we pushed up a hill and we started doing a lot of walking. As soon as it was light enough to see, the other 2 runners decided that they could make it back on their own and wanted to go at a slower pace. I think we were at about mile 10 at this point and feeling pretty good so Lori and I kept going at our own pace. As the next couple of miles went by, we could slowly feel the trail taking its toll (and my knee and toe were starting to stiffen up too) but we kept pushing until about mile 14 and then we walked for a bit. Walking NEVER FELT SO GOOD!! I'm not really sure how far/long we walked but the body was definitely starting to give out. I was to the point where ever step was really starting to hurt but I wanted to keep going - our goal was 4 hours and our hope was 18 miles (didn't think we'd make that). We ended up stopping at about 3 hours and 48 minutes and ran 17.5 miles. We probably could have gone the extra 1/2 miles but we were both ready to STOP!
My legs, no make that my body, was pretty sore all day. I made sure to ice my knee and foot many times throughout the day to help get rid of the pain. It has worked a bit but I think tomorrow it is still going to be a bit sore and stiff. I can't meet the group to run tomorrow and I don't know if I'll try to run on my own or ride the bike. That will probably depend on how my knee feels.
Off to do a bit of reading and then to bed - I'm really looking forward to the bed part! Keep on runnin'!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Another new exercise session!


Today I went swimming, for exercise, for the first time in.....well let's just say it's been a really long time! Last summer, we joined an outdoor pool but the kids didn't really have much in the way of swimming skills so I didn't want to leave them alone. I would occasionally sneak in a couple of laps here and there but nothing worthy of note.


It was really GREAT! There weren't huge numbers of people (everyone had their own lane) and I didn't die. That last part, I feel, is really key - LOL! It also just felt great to do something different. I swam for about 40 minutes and was then able to shower and dress there so when I got home, all I had to do was worry about getting the kid's stuff ready. If the finances were there, I would join the gym tomorrow!
Tomorrow I will be back out on the roads - I'm hoping for a 6 mile run. Not sure if I'll get that in because the other people I'm meeting have all been fighting bad colds so they may not want to run those types of miles so soon. I'm hoping to be a bit more consistent this week because I realized today that our trail marathon is about 5 weeks away. That means we also need to get at least one 20 miler in here soon too. Hopefully the weather will cooperate a bit more this weekend!!
Keep on runnin'!

Saturday, March 08, 2008

I did something new today!

I signed up for a 3 day pass at out local YMCA and exercised in their gym. We were supposed to run 18 miles out on the trails but the weather wasn't cooperating. We have had torrential downpours, hail and lots of wind. So, my friend Lori suggested I get the 3 day pass and we do a workout inside. We ran for an hour on the treadmill - I can't believe I actually lasted an hour because I despise running on a treadmill. However, it is different when you are running next to friends and can talk while you run.

Then after finishing a little over 6.5 miles on the treadmill we got on the stationary bikes. These were really cool because you had a computer screen in front of you and you actually raced a course and they are linked so Lori and I were on the same course at the same time. The other really cool aspects were the fact that the resistance changed with the change in elevation (we did a snowy mountain course), there is a gear shift and you have to actually steer the bike or you go "off the mountain". Overall it was a really good experience.

I'm planning on going back on Monday and trying to swim a bit - that should be interesting! I tried swimming a bit back in the summer and it really kicked my butt! Lorie told me she does 66 laps every Monday - I'm not sure if I'll do that many or even if I can do that many!

Speaking of swimming, biking and running....as we were riding, Lori started talking about trying a 1/2 Ironman Triathlon and about me joining the Y. I would love to do both (especially after today's good experience), however, it isn't in the finances right now pus it just doesn't make sense to join now because we will be joining our other pool in the summer. I am hoping to be able to join once the fall comes around and the kids get into school. I think both kids will be in full day programs next year and it would give me a great opportunity to hit the gym in the afternoon. If that happens I would love to try and find a triathlon next spring!

First things first - I have a trail marathon to get ready for. We aren't going to be able to get out on the trails this weekend but I am hoping to get at least 13 miles in tomorrow (more if time allows and if the wind allows). Tomorrow will also be tough because we move the clocks ahead 1 hour so we lose an hour of sleep. Such as life when your a runner I guess - Happy running!!

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Saturday 3/1/08

“The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's attitudes.”
—Victor Frankl (1905-1997), Holocaust survivor, neurologist, psychologist, author

I posted this quote a few days back. It had been sent to be via email. Then about 2 days later, I found the same exact quote in a book I was reading. I figured it had to be really important if it was being made so obvious to me! BTW, the book was called "Eat That Frog" by Brian Tracy and it was a very good read - I highly recommend it!

OK, onto other things! I've been keeping my training pretty regular - running anyway. I haven't been lifting regularly. Truth is, I've been finding it quite difficult to fit in all the things I want to do in any given day. That reminds me of another quote I've heard: "You can do anything you want, but you can't do everything you want". I'm not sure who said it but I first heard it through LL and David Greenwalt. So, it pretty much comes down to the fact that I'm not making my fitness and my nutrition a top priority!

I was able to get in about 120 miles in February which I think is pretty good considering it is a short month. March has also started off well. We did just short of 14 miles on the trails this morning in about 3 hours. The trails we run are quite hard and it is GREAT preparation for our trail marathon. The group is going out again tomorrow but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to make that one. It might not be a bad thing if I have to miss tomorrow because my legs are pretty sore right now.

I found out the other day that my son has gotten into my daughters elementary school (we have a choice system). I really didn't fear that he wouldn't but now we have to decide if we are going to accept the placement. The school I teach at has a Kindergarten class but we only have 4 kids signed up for it and we need at least 5. Our program is a full day program and the other one MAY be a full day program but that hasn't been officially decided yet. I worry that he me be "lost" in a really big class. Lost in that he is such a good kid that he won't get the attention that you get in a smaller class. He isn't into school as much as my daughter is and I think the extra attention he would get in the smaller class would get him off onto a better start. The good thing is that our director knows that we all have to make our decisions (of acceptance) by the 21st of this month so she will be making her decision in the next week or so.

Have a great weekend!