Sometimes I feel like life moves full speed, almost doing laps around me. Somehow it has been almost a month since I've blogged on here. I've been busy, for sure. Some days are so busy I don't have 10 minutes to sit down and grab lunch. And yet somehow I've managed to continue with my running. I am happy to report that I'm am currently in week six of my training and running further and faster than I thought possible.
I had a minor training set back at the end of week four/beginning of week five. I took the kids to Orlando (still managing to drag myself to the gym after our long days of amusement parks) but by the end of the week my feet had actually cracked open in 8(!) places, making walking excruciating, so running was out of the picture. So I took a day off. Then I got hit with the worst cold I've had in over a year. I took off the rest of the next week. It had been almost 10 full days without any running and I had my longest run yet planned - six miles. I was feeling slightly winded just walking up the stairs, so I was terrified of what I would be able to do (or not do), but I was even more scared of what would happen if I didn't drag myself outside to do it. And somehow, running was easy for the first time. I had no need to stop or slow down. I kept up an eleven minute mile pace and ran almost seven miles. I was so proud of myself. Now, there were some unfortunate consequences of running while trying to get over a cold, with the lack of tissues being a big issue. I really had no choice but to attempt my first "snot rocket". It also went better than I could have imagined and I felt like a bad ass 12 year old boy. However, after I had reached my halfway point and was running back in the other direction, I did not take the wind into consideration and suffice it to say, the second "rocket" did NOT go so well.
As for this week, I am happy to report that I have finally gotten over this horrible cold and have another long run planned this weekend. My training schedule dictates a 5k race (to get in race experience) but I never signed up for one since Mike is out of town. My goal is to run just over seven miles and actually hit 12k if I can. I have to say that my biggest source of enjoyment when it comes to running is to actually run further than I'm supposed to. I can't explain why exactly this is my favorite part of running, but I'm sure it directly linked to some sort of character flaw, like inflated pride or having unrealistic expectations. Either way, it keeps me going.
As for fundraising I have raised $1,820 for the children of St. Jude. I'm close to my goal of $2,000 and ultimately I would love to blow that goal out of the water and raise even more! Here is the link to my fundraising page http://www.mystjudeheroes.org/LeahsHope Thank you to everyone who has generously donated to this noble cause!
Weeks until half-marathon: 6.5!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Mental hurdles
I am ten days or so into my official training and I'm doing alright. Nothing to exciting to report on just yet - just going out and getting in my basic runs. Last week I was scheduled to run 10 miles and finished at 10.85. This week I'm also supposed to run 10 again and seem to be on track. My mileage will increase somewhat next week.
I haven't had to deal with any real running issues yet like chaffing or blisters or the dreaded "I REALLY need to find a bathroom ASAP" kind of moments. Granted my longest run so far has only been 4.5 miles. Mostly my issues have been a lack of motivation to run and a lack of motivation to keep up a good pace. It is ironic since I thought my body would hold me back more than my mind - I thought I could do anything if I put my mind to it, but yet it is my mind that really isn't in the mood. I think about Leah a lot during my runs. I think about the hell she felt when she was going through chemo and how the burning in my legs could never compare; I think about the kids who can't run due to a weakened heart from treatment or amputations or even lung cancers. I think about how my running is raising money so families can have hope. I think about how blessed I truly am to have my beautiful babies alive and in my arms every day and such a strong body to be able to do this training. Then I realize that all the mental motivation stuff has only pushed me for the past half-mile and I still have several more left to go in my run. My mind wanders and I find myself coming up with excuses to stop. I end up feeling disappointed with myself even if I finish my run. I'm not really sure what the answer is. I wonder how other (more successful) runners feel - would they too would rather just be out for a walk?
I've started keeping a running journal where I log specifics of my run like time, temperature, what I ate, how far I ran, etc. and also trying to note something that I'm proud of during my run (like, conquered a hill that I walked before). I'm hoping this will help.
Also discouraging, and in case any of you were wondering, I haven't seen the number on the scale move much. I didn't take up this challenge to lose weight by any means, but I'm a little surprised that getting in an extra 10 miles of running every week hasn't led to at least a one or two pound loss, especially since I'm not eating that many extra calories.
Anyway, just wanted to check in.
Weeks until marathon: 10.5
I haven't had to deal with any real running issues yet like chaffing or blisters or the dreaded "I REALLY need to find a bathroom ASAP" kind of moments. Granted my longest run so far has only been 4.5 miles. Mostly my issues have been a lack of motivation to run and a lack of motivation to keep up a good pace. It is ironic since I thought my body would hold me back more than my mind - I thought I could do anything if I put my mind to it, but yet it is my mind that really isn't in the mood. I think about Leah a lot during my runs. I think about the hell she felt when she was going through chemo and how the burning in my legs could never compare; I think about the kids who can't run due to a weakened heart from treatment or amputations or even lung cancers. I think about how my running is raising money so families can have hope. I think about how blessed I truly am to have my beautiful babies alive and in my arms every day and such a strong body to be able to do this training. Then I realize that all the mental motivation stuff has only pushed me for the past half-mile and I still have several more left to go in my run. My mind wanders and I find myself coming up with excuses to stop. I end up feeling disappointed with myself even if I finish my run. I'm not really sure what the answer is. I wonder how other (more successful) runners feel - would they too would rather just be out for a walk?
I've started keeping a running journal where I log specifics of my run like time, temperature, what I ate, how far I ran, etc. and also trying to note something that I'm proud of during my run (like, conquered a hill that I walked before). I'm hoping this will help.
Also discouraging, and in case any of you were wondering, I haven't seen the number on the scale move much. I didn't take up this challenge to lose weight by any means, but I'm a little surprised that getting in an extra 10 miles of running every week hasn't led to at least a one or two pound loss, especially since I'm not eating that many extra calories.
Anyway, just wanted to check in.
Weeks until marathon: 10.5
Monday, September 12, 2011
On your mark... get set....
Today starts my official training for the half-marathon!
It is nice to have an actual plan to follow, rather than running several times a week with no real purpose or distance. Although I am proud to say that last Monday we did run further than I ever had before in my life - 4.51 miles (yes, that .01 is necessary and needs to be counted). I have changed my original training plan based on what I feel will work best for me (and our schedule) and will be using Hal Higdon's novice training schedule instead of the one I picked out before I even started running. Here is the link to my training: http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm . I hope to follow it very closely, but will be changing the long run days to Saturday instead of Sunday.
I'm still doing great on the fundraising front with $1360 raised. Thank you!! If you would like to donate to St. Jude in Leah's honor here is my link: http://www.mystjudeheroes.org/LeahsHope
Not a whole lot of other progress to report on - I've been making the training pretty easy on myself by sticking with flat terrain, but that might change this weekend as I've got a trip to Blacksburg planned to visit Lauren. My plan for today: 3 miles. Total goal for the week: 10 miles. Hello, Monday!
Weeks until marathon: 12!
It is nice to have an actual plan to follow, rather than running several times a week with no real purpose or distance. Although I am proud to say that last Monday we did run further than I ever had before in my life - 4.51 miles (yes, that .01 is necessary and needs to be counted). I have changed my original training plan based on what I feel will work best for me (and our schedule) and will be using Hal Higdon's novice training schedule instead of the one I picked out before I even started running. Here is the link to my training: http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm . I hope to follow it very closely, but will be changing the long run days to Saturday instead of Sunday.
I'm still doing great on the fundraising front with $1360 raised. Thank you!! If you would like to donate to St. Jude in Leah's honor here is my link: http://www.mystjudeheroes.org/LeahsHope
Not a whole lot of other progress to report on - I've been making the training pretty easy on myself by sticking with flat terrain, but that might change this weekend as I've got a trip to Blacksburg planned to visit Lauren. My plan for today: 3 miles. Total goal for the week: 10 miles. Hello, Monday!
Weeks until marathon: 12!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Running regularly, blogging sporadically
Running the past two weeks has gone really well. I'm running a minimum of three times a week and have begun holding a 5.0-5.2 mph pace during my 3 mile runs, including my walking breaks. My "official" training program starts in one week. I've noticed that running is much easier than it was just a few weeks ago. My shoes, ipod & distance watch are helping tremendously. Just last weekend I ran 3.5 miles without a real route planned - just letting my feet take me wherever they wanted and my watch keeping track of the distance.
We spent the past week at Ocean City and I am proud to say that I ran 3 times, despite some unhealthy eating and drinking. Running along the boardwalk was nice and I felt proud of myself knowing that this was the first vacation I've ever taken where I continued a solid exercise program. Not to mention I've started fooling other runners into thinking I'm one of them as we politely wave to each other in passing. I feel like I've infiltrated their secret club.
This week I have continued 3-4 mile runs planned, hoping to get in at least three runs, as I wrap up my last week of unofficial training. We'll be keeping busy at the Duggan house, as Andrew goes back to school on Tuesday and Leah & I head back to Memphis for another checkup. Autumn is officially underway as the leaves have started to fall in our front yard, football is on all weekend long, the kids are fascinated with all the Halloween costume catalogues coming in the mail, and I will soon be back to spending my mornings only chasing after one child instead of two.
On the fundraising front, I am making lots of progress and have reached $1360. So thank you to my generous friends and family. Your support of our family, this amazing cause, and my run have blown me away.
Mike & I have also started speaking at local St. Jude events. It is going well, but I have a hard time telling our story without tears. Somedays I just can't believe this happened to our baby. I know our story moves people and I'm sure the tears are understood. As hard as it is for us, we have agreed to help the hospital in any way we can, as we will forever be in debt to them. On that note, in addition to the half-marathon we are running in Memphis we will also be doing a 5k walk (yes, walk.. that means you can join us, no training needed!) at Potomac Mills Mall in November. We are hoping to have as many Team Leah members there. While we won't be fundraising as hard for that event, we would still love to have as many participants with us.
So here is some information on Team Leah for our 5k:
https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?programId=601&userId=647963&eventId=176284
This link will take you to our page where you can click a blue button that says "join our team"
And here is Mike's half-marathon fundraising page:
https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?userId=649887&programId=401&eventId=166948
He is only $9 towards his goal of $750. While I like to be pretty competitive, even (or especially) with my husband, I know it is important for him to raise money in Leah's name as well. If you are thinking about donating, please consider his page. It is all going to the same wonderful cause.
On one last note, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. In order to further awareness, I want to pass along some information:
Pediatric cancer is a non-discriminating, life-threatening disease that affects millions of children and their families on a daily basis. In an age where medical breakthroughs occur with great frequency, very few advancements have been made in the fight against pediatric cancer over the last 30 years. Since 1990, only one new drug has been approved to combat pediatric cancer, a period that has seen 50 medications approved to fight adult cancer. As a society, we are capable of addressing this destructive disease that affects the world's most precious assets… our children. Despite this ability, research for a cure has been limited by a lack of funding.
When I took a tour of St. Jude they put it much more simply: there is no money in the drug business for children's cancers. Drug companies are not motiviated to spend millions in research knowing that it won't bring them their big pay day. Thankfully, we have St. Jude. St Jude's big pay day comes when they can say that no child will die in the dawn of their life.
We spent the past week at Ocean City and I am proud to say that I ran 3 times, despite some unhealthy eating and drinking. Running along the boardwalk was nice and I felt proud of myself knowing that this was the first vacation I've ever taken where I continued a solid exercise program. Not to mention I've started fooling other runners into thinking I'm one of them as we politely wave to each other in passing. I feel like I've infiltrated their secret club.
This week I have continued 3-4 mile runs planned, hoping to get in at least three runs, as I wrap up my last week of unofficial training. We'll be keeping busy at the Duggan house, as Andrew goes back to school on Tuesday and Leah & I head back to Memphis for another checkup. Autumn is officially underway as the leaves have started to fall in our front yard, football is on all weekend long, the kids are fascinated with all the Halloween costume catalogues coming in the mail, and I will soon be back to spending my mornings only chasing after one child instead of two.
On the fundraising front, I am making lots of progress and have reached $1360. So thank you to my generous friends and family. Your support of our family, this amazing cause, and my run have blown me away.
Mike & I have also started speaking at local St. Jude events. It is going well, but I have a hard time telling our story without tears. Somedays I just can't believe this happened to our baby. I know our story moves people and I'm sure the tears are understood. As hard as it is for us, we have agreed to help the hospital in any way we can, as we will forever be in debt to them. On that note, in addition to the half-marathon we are running in Memphis we will also be doing a 5k walk (yes, walk.. that means you can join us, no training needed!) at Potomac Mills Mall in November. We are hoping to have as many Team Leah members there. While we won't be fundraising as hard for that event, we would still love to have as many participants with us.
So here is some information on Team Leah for our 5k:
https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?programId=601&userId=647963&eventId=176284
This link will take you to our page where you can click a blue button that says "join our team"
And here is Mike's half-marathon fundraising page:
https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?userId=649887&programId=401&eventId=166948
He is only $9 towards his goal of $750. While I like to be pretty competitive, even (or especially) with my husband, I know it is important for him to raise money in Leah's name as well. If you are thinking about donating, please consider his page. It is all going to the same wonderful cause.
On one last note, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. In order to further awareness, I want to pass along some information:
Pediatric cancer is a non-discriminating, life-threatening disease that affects millions of children and their families on a daily basis. In an age where medical breakthroughs occur with great frequency, very few advancements have been made in the fight against pediatric cancer over the last 30 years. Since 1990, only one new drug has been approved to combat pediatric cancer, a period that has seen 50 medications approved to fight adult cancer. As a society, we are capable of addressing this destructive disease that affects the world's most precious assets… our children. Despite this ability, research for a cure has been limited by a lack of funding.
When I took a tour of St. Jude they put it much more simply: there is no money in the drug business for children's cancers. Drug companies are not motiviated to spend millions in research knowing that it won't bring them their big pay day. Thankfully, we have St. Jude. St Jude's big pay day comes when they can say that no child will die in the dawn of their life.
Friday, August 19, 2011
With a good pair of shoes, you can conquer the world. Or at least 2 miles of it.
Sorry about the two week hiatus. But my lack of posts does not translate into a lack of running (-ish).
I did go out of town that first weekend in August to visit my runner friend and I joked about not being able to keep up with her on her run so I would just accompany her on her warm-up. She let me (gently) know that she does 9 minute mile warm-ups. There was some uncomfortable laughter, because, yeah, that was not going to happen for me. However, when she went out for her run, I did use her treadmill to do a run of my own at a slower pace. I was proud of myself for actually running on my "birthday vacation". Little victories, people. I could have been drinking wine (which I pretty much did every other minute of that weekend).
The following week is blurry (probably all that wine), but I think I only did the elliptical. We went out of town again last weekend to visit another friend, who happens to be training for her own half-marathon. She ran at a great pace for me, but her distance was something I couldn't match. It didn't help that halfway through our run my legs & toes had cramped up pretty bad and I just couldn't recover from it. We slowed down to a walk/jog combo and gossipped, which also happens to be great for your heart. Look it up.
Later that day we started talking about shoes and she took me to a running store she liked. I was in desperate need for running shoes anyway, as the soles of mine were literally peeling away from the shoe. I have to admit it was a little more than awkward to meet Mr. Super-fit Runner Man and have to run around the store for him so he could see how I run and what kind of shoes I would need. Thankfully he was non-judgemental, he knew what he was talking about, and he got me a great pair of shoes. It also turns out that my current shoes were a size too small. Apparently running shoes should be bigger because your toes need a little extra room and while my old ones fit, they weren't doing my new running feet any favors.
This past week I did the elliptical on Tuesday due to weather but tested out my new shoes yesterday. They made all of the difference. I did an easy 2.25 miles and actually felt that I could go further. I avoided all toe/leg cramps and didn't have the tiniest bit of soreness today. Plus, thanks to my awesome husband, I had some tunes to run with (new birthday ipod nano). This probably helped in my running as I no longer have to listen to my labored breathing. Trust me, hearing yourself sound like you are gasping for your last breaths constantly does not make you feel good about yourself as a runner.
I also conquered another fear yesterday - I ran along major roads. I have always been hesitant to do this, anxious of honking and screams of "spandex is not a good look for you!". I am happy to report that none of that occurred. Drivers seemed to keep their opinions to themselves and my run was -gasp- enjoyable! I took extra satisfaction from running past the McDonalds and looking down at all the people in the drive-thru while I did something healthy. I only say looking down in the literal sense, as the McDonalds is at the bottom of the hill next to the road that I ran along.
I've got another run planned for this weekend. I've been using a modified training plan that incorporates walking into your run. I have a book by Jeff Galloway who promotes injury-free running by incorporating short walk breaks into your route. The idea behind it is that if you give your running muscles a break before they get too exhausted they recover immediately. So I ran a full mile, walked .2 miles and then ran the rest. I'm not sure if it was the breaks, or the new shoes, but it really worked. I'll hopefully add a little more distance to my run and keep everyone posted on this new method. After all, I'm not running this half-marathon to break any records, I'm running to raise money and to cross that finish line.
Speaking of raising money, I had an excellent fundraising week - I surpassed my initial goal! I have now raised over $1000 for the kids of St. Jude. Much thanks to my brother, Leah's generous Uncle Charlie.
If you are interested in donating to the hospital, in honor of Leah, here is my page:
http://www.mystjudeheroes.org/LeahsHope
I can promise you that your money saves children's lives - my daughter is living proof.
Weeks until marathon: 15
I did go out of town that first weekend in August to visit my runner friend and I joked about not being able to keep up with her on her run so I would just accompany her on her warm-up. She let me (gently) know that she does 9 minute mile warm-ups. There was some uncomfortable laughter, because, yeah, that was not going to happen for me. However, when she went out for her run, I did use her treadmill to do a run of my own at a slower pace. I was proud of myself for actually running on my "birthday vacation". Little victories, people. I could have been drinking wine (which I pretty much did every other minute of that weekend).
The following week is blurry (probably all that wine), but I think I only did the elliptical. We went out of town again last weekend to visit another friend, who happens to be training for her own half-marathon. She ran at a great pace for me, but her distance was something I couldn't match. It didn't help that halfway through our run my legs & toes had cramped up pretty bad and I just couldn't recover from it. We slowed down to a walk/jog combo and gossipped, which also happens to be great for your heart. Look it up.
Later that day we started talking about shoes and she took me to a running store she liked. I was in desperate need for running shoes anyway, as the soles of mine were literally peeling away from the shoe. I have to admit it was a little more than awkward to meet Mr. Super-fit Runner Man and have to run around the store for him so he could see how I run and what kind of shoes I would need. Thankfully he was non-judgemental, he knew what he was talking about, and he got me a great pair of shoes. It also turns out that my current shoes were a size too small. Apparently running shoes should be bigger because your toes need a little extra room and while my old ones fit, they weren't doing my new running feet any favors.
This past week I did the elliptical on Tuesday due to weather but tested out my new shoes yesterday. They made all of the difference. I did an easy 2.25 miles and actually felt that I could go further. I avoided all toe/leg cramps and didn't have the tiniest bit of soreness today. Plus, thanks to my awesome husband, I had some tunes to run with (new birthday ipod nano). This probably helped in my running as I no longer have to listen to my labored breathing. Trust me, hearing yourself sound like you are gasping for your last breaths constantly does not make you feel good about yourself as a runner.
I also conquered another fear yesterday - I ran along major roads. I have always been hesitant to do this, anxious of honking and screams of "spandex is not a good look for you!". I am happy to report that none of that occurred. Drivers seemed to keep their opinions to themselves and my run was -gasp- enjoyable! I took extra satisfaction from running past the McDonalds and looking down at all the people in the drive-thru while I did something healthy. I only say looking down in the literal sense, as the McDonalds is at the bottom of the hill next to the road that I ran along.
I've got another run planned for this weekend. I've been using a modified training plan that incorporates walking into your run. I have a book by Jeff Galloway who promotes injury-free running by incorporating short walk breaks into your route. The idea behind it is that if you give your running muscles a break before they get too exhausted they recover immediately. So I ran a full mile, walked .2 miles and then ran the rest. I'm not sure if it was the breaks, or the new shoes, but it really worked. I'll hopefully add a little more distance to my run and keep everyone posted on this new method. After all, I'm not running this half-marathon to break any records, I'm running to raise money and to cross that finish line.
Speaking of raising money, I had an excellent fundraising week - I surpassed my initial goal! I have now raised over $1000 for the kids of St. Jude. Much thanks to my brother, Leah's generous Uncle Charlie.
If you are interested in donating to the hospital, in honor of Leah, here is my page:
http://www.mystjudeheroes.org/LeahsHope
I can promise you that your money saves children's lives - my daughter is living proof.
Weeks until marathon: 15
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Leah news.. and other victories
Well, the little miracle baby that I'm running this marathon in honor of is doing great. We got home from Memphis last night after another stellar checkup. All of her labs are good and she was given a good prognosis! We've never lost hope throughout this journey, but today feel like we are practically swimming in it.
Note: The above paragraph, while wonderful, is acting as a distraction so I don't have to report on my running progress.
Oh right, this is a running blog, not her caringbridge site. Crap.
Okay, so the running has been going alright. I finished up last week on the elliptical because it really was just too damn hot. Since the marathon isn't until December I don't bother trying to rationalize running in the heat - I just avoid it. Saturday's run was all set (we were even out of town - go me!) but imagine my (fake) dismay when I realized I packed everything but my running shoes. This was very much NOT intentional, just a happy coincidence. Instead, I made a huge pitcher of sangria and gave us all a pretty decent hangover for Sunday.
This week got off to a better start on Monday with a decent run of about 1.5 miles. I did not let my very long list of errands or the pending thunderstorms stop me (this resulted in only 3 1/2 hours of sleep before our trip and being rained on - but at least I did it). Both of my younger sisters "joined" me in my run. We were about 500 feet into the run when they both took off, leaving me behind and music-less. I thought we would chat during the run, so I agreed to leave my mp3 player behind. Instead, I got left behind. Those two are close in age and pretty competitive, so they started racing each other; and let's be honest - neither one of them wanted to finish after their much older and much more out of shape sister.
Towards the end of the run, after they were VERY FAR out of sight I managed to hop a fence and cut one of them off. She didn't know how I beat her, which made my victory even sweeter! My shortcut resulted in me running about a quarter mile less and skipping that nasty hill, so I definitely think it was a major victory on my part. I probably can't get away with that in the marathon, and I'm sure I'm just "cheating myself" (silly phrase invented by tattle-tales and teachers? I think so!), but on Monday I still counted it as a win. If the marathon is both a mental and physical challenge I'm gonna count Monday as an exercise in both.
Another victory this week: my first donation! Thanks Jeff. Jeff ran across America earlier this year. Seriously, the whole country. I think he racked up over 3,700 miles. I'm embarrassed he reads this. I'm sure he wouldn't fence jump. Thanks for the donation though, I promise it is a very worthy cause - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a place of miracles. And I will keep working towards a more respectable running distance.
So Thursdays are my usual running days, but I'm skipping it tonight in order to celebrate my birthday. Seems pretty justified, but I do have plans to get up early to get a run in tomorrow. Then I'm spending the weekend out of town with a real marathon runner. She seems excited that I'm taking on this challenge and wants to run this weekend. I think I'm gonna have to find some more fences to jump, er, um.. wait. What? Oh right, no more of that.. hopefully, she'll have mercy on me and just take me along for her warm-up.
Weeks until the marathon: 17.5
Miles run: um, I think I'll start counting this next week
.
Note: The above paragraph, while wonderful, is acting as a distraction so I don't have to report on my running progress.
Oh right, this is a running blog, not her caringbridge site. Crap.
Okay, so the running has been going alright. I finished up last week on the elliptical because it really was just too damn hot. Since the marathon isn't until December I don't bother trying to rationalize running in the heat - I just avoid it. Saturday's run was all set (we were even out of town - go me!) but imagine my (fake) dismay when I realized I packed everything but my running shoes. This was very much NOT intentional, just a happy coincidence. Instead, I made a huge pitcher of sangria and gave us all a pretty decent hangover for Sunday.
This week got off to a better start on Monday with a decent run of about 1.5 miles. I did not let my very long list of errands or the pending thunderstorms stop me (this resulted in only 3 1/2 hours of sleep before our trip and being rained on - but at least I did it). Both of my younger sisters "joined" me in my run. We were about 500 feet into the run when they both took off, leaving me behind and music-less. I thought we would chat during the run, so I agreed to leave my mp3 player behind. Instead, I got left behind. Those two are close in age and pretty competitive, so they started racing each other; and let's be honest - neither one of them wanted to finish after their much older and much more out of shape sister.
Towards the end of the run, after they were VERY FAR out of sight I managed to hop a fence and cut one of them off. She didn't know how I beat her, which made my victory even sweeter! My shortcut resulted in me running about a quarter mile less and skipping that nasty hill, so I definitely think it was a major victory on my part. I probably can't get away with that in the marathon, and I'm sure I'm just "cheating myself" (silly phrase invented by tattle-tales and teachers? I think so!), but on Monday I still counted it as a win. If the marathon is both a mental and physical challenge I'm gonna count Monday as an exercise in both.
Another victory this week: my first donation! Thanks Jeff. Jeff ran across America earlier this year. Seriously, the whole country. I think he racked up over 3,700 miles. I'm embarrassed he reads this. I'm sure he wouldn't fence jump. Thanks for the donation though, I promise it is a very worthy cause - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a place of miracles. And I will keep working towards a more respectable running distance.
So Thursdays are my usual running days, but I'm skipping it tonight in order to celebrate my birthday. Seems pretty justified, but I do have plans to get up early to get a run in tomorrow. Then I'm spending the weekend out of town with a real marathon runner. She seems excited that I'm taking on this challenge and wants to run this weekend. I think I'm gonna have to find some more fences to jump, er, um.. wait. What? Oh right, no more of that.. hopefully, she'll have mercy on me and just take me along for her warm-up.
Weeks until the marathon: 17.5
Miles run: um, I think I'll start counting this next week
.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
First Run!
So I've been "running" a few miles on the elliptical for the past week due to the horrendous heat that has settled over the DC area but today the heat dropped down to a cool 90 degrees and I figured it would be the day I would move the running outside.
My first problem was that my elliptical running didn't exactly translate to my outdoor running. I'm sure the elliptical is great cardio and has improved my "heart health" (I think I got that term from the back of a cereal box) but that is about it. I have to admit though, I am awesome at the elliptical. If I was training for an elliptical half-marathon I would be ready in less than a month. I can keep up a steady 5mph pace for an hour with no problem and I watch old Project Runway episodes on the TV and enjoy my time alone. Plus the climate control in the basement is awesome. Somehow, I didn't count on moving my runs outside to be a big deal. I guess you could say I was in for a little bit of a surprise.
I started out around 8am with a two mile course planned. For extra laughs I decided to bring the dog with me. I figured she could use the exercise as well and I wouldn't be going very fast. Plus, we were keeping to pretty flat terrain. I switched my course a little bit, as I wanted to avoid running on the main roads. I just was not ready to run with an audience of judgmental drivers with nothing better to do than heckle my running.
As we got started I was surprised the dog, with her full winter coat still hanging around (note to self, make groomers appointment asap) and her questionable heart did as good as she did. She didn't pull on the leash, she didn't try to stop to pee on anything, and short of a goose sighting that got her excited, she kept a steady pace. Actually, I did great too. I never stopped running and did it in about 15 minutes or so. I walked in the house pretty proud of both of us. Yes, it was hard, and I worked different muscles, I was sweating like a pig, the impact was strenuous (not from bad knees, but rather from what can best be described as being "top-heavy") and dodging the hefty amounts of goose poop down by that little lake wasn't easy, but our first run was under my belt and I felt great.
I made my way upstairs to calculate my exact distance. That is when I realized I didn't stick the my original route that involved running on main roads that I had planned out the night before. It was like my confidence was an over-inflated balloon that popped as I found out that I had only run just over a mile.
Oh man. A mile? Just a mile? I'm supposed to be able to do 13x that amount in one morning? My 15 minute time was no longer impressive and my stamina seems questionable. But I guess you have to start somewhere. Thursday's forecast and my ego might require more elliptical time.. We'll see how it goes.
My first problem was that my elliptical running didn't exactly translate to my outdoor running. I'm sure the elliptical is great cardio and has improved my "heart health" (I think I got that term from the back of a cereal box) but that is about it. I have to admit though, I am awesome at the elliptical. If I was training for an elliptical half-marathon I would be ready in less than a month. I can keep up a steady 5mph pace for an hour with no problem and I watch old Project Runway episodes on the TV and enjoy my time alone. Plus the climate control in the basement is awesome. Somehow, I didn't count on moving my runs outside to be a big deal. I guess you could say I was in for a little bit of a surprise.
I started out around 8am with a two mile course planned. For extra laughs I decided to bring the dog with me. I figured she could use the exercise as well and I wouldn't be going very fast. Plus, we were keeping to pretty flat terrain. I switched my course a little bit, as I wanted to avoid running on the main roads. I just was not ready to run with an audience of judgmental drivers with nothing better to do than heckle my running.
As we got started I was surprised the dog, with her full winter coat still hanging around (note to self, make groomers appointment asap) and her questionable heart did as good as she did. She didn't pull on the leash, she didn't try to stop to pee on anything, and short of a goose sighting that got her excited, she kept a steady pace. Actually, I did great too. I never stopped running and did it in about 15 minutes or so. I walked in the house pretty proud of both of us. Yes, it was hard, and I worked different muscles, I was sweating like a pig, the impact was strenuous (not from bad knees, but rather from what can best be described as being "top-heavy") and dodging the hefty amounts of goose poop down by that little lake wasn't easy, but our first run was under my belt and I felt great.
I made my way upstairs to calculate my exact distance. That is when I realized I didn't stick the my original route that involved running on main roads that I had planned out the night before. It was like my confidence was an over-inflated balloon that popped as I found out that I had only run just over a mile.
Oh man. A mile? Just a mile? I'm supposed to be able to do 13x that amount in one morning? My 15 minute time was no longer impressive and my stamina seems questionable. But I guess you have to start somewhere. Thursday's forecast and my ego might require more elliptical time.. We'll see how it goes.
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