Army Ten Miler

All things considered, this was a successful race for me!! I hadn't trained as well as I would have liked (so what else is new!) and had a pretty crazy day before the race, meeting up with relatives in town and taking extensive Metro rides with my two kids in a stroller with a bum wheel. Thank goodness I brought a balloon with me in the morning, which helped Jami find me. I had literally just told Jenny, who was planning to do a walk/run with several of my other usual companions, "I HAVE to find Jami; I can't do this race without her!" when there she was, saying how glad she was to find me and how she couldn't do this race without me. We had a great time together (at least I did!) and stuck together the whole way. Having Tara jump in with us at mile 7.5 or so was a HUGE blessing -- she kept us going the rest of the way. I don't recall if I ever apologized for Jami for completely shutting down on the last hill, but I knew I needed to just push as hard as I could if I was going to make it. And I knew Tara was with Jami, so I just concentrated on getting myself through that last hill and across the finish line. As always, I say that I'm happy with anything around 1:40 for a ten-mile race; my finish of 1:40:47 was just fine with me.

My last post was WHEN??

Good grief -- I can't believe I haven't posted since April. How lame am I?!?!?

Now, in my own defense, during that time I :

• was sick for several weeks (actually, all of May, I think)
• had a 4th birthday party for my son
• potty trained 2 kids
• took a short trip to the beach
• hosted my Dad (twice!) and sister for visits
• enrolled my son in preschool

and (drum roll, please....)

• found out I can do 100 push ups (REAL ones, not on my knees!!) in one series of push ups / stair climbs!!

Yup, pretty damn proud of that last one!! During Boot Camp, my Tues/Thurs class at the gym, the instructor had us split into 2 groups and head into an interior stairwell. One group ran the stairs for 30 seconds while the other group did push ups at the bottom of the stairwell. On the insanely hard tile floor. Doing "modified" knee push ups was not an option because the floor was just too hard, so I did "real" ones. After 30 seconds, the groups would switch. After several sets of those he extended the time to 45 seconds per set. I have this often-annoying habit of counting without even realizing I'm doing it, so of course I counted each set of push ups. Actually, in that kind of situation I don't find the counting habit too annoying; it's a good way to see if I'm maintaining the same intensity or starting to slack. Anyway, I started to add up my sets and quickly realized that if I reallyreally pushed it on the last set, I would do 100 push ups!! It took every bit of strength I have, a whole lot of ugly grunting, and a few seconds longer than the allotted 45 (during which I was ribbed endlessly by my classmates for showing off!), but I DID IT!!

That's what I love about that class -- would I ever have tried to do that on my own? No way! And even if I had, I would have quit much sooner. Somehow that extra "accountability" or whatever you want to call it really kicks in and keeps me going.

Kinda like those Saturdays I plan to run to Moore and back and find myself going to Yates Ford or beyond.....

You've been warned...

Fair warning: this has nothing to do with running and everything to do with my underwear. It may well be TMI, so consider yourself warned! That said, it was too funny not to share!!

Yesterday as I was getting dressed, putting on some “low-rise” jeans, my 2 1/2 year old daughter (who never misses a thing!!) walked in the room. I had a thong on so that it wouldn’t show over the top of my jeans. I had my back to the door as she walked in and she said, “Mama, how come you don’t have on any underpants?” I turned around and said, “I do have on underpants, sweetie – see?” and I held up a bit of the fabric from the front. She said, “But you don’t have any underpants on your bum, Mama.” Guess she had me there....

I ♥ VA Runner!

I blogged recently about my new shoes, and the great experience I had buying them. Unfortunately, while wearing them in the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler I knew by about mile 7 that I was well on the way to developing The Mother of All Blisters. Sure enough, I had a lovely little cluster of them, on the instep of my right foot. Left foot: fine. Right foot: not so much. The store has a 14-day return ploicy on shoes that they have recommended, so right there on day 14 my shoes and I went back. Jeff and other guy helped me, taking their time to listen, look at my feet, look at my shoes, and render an opinion. It seems the insole caused a problem, which may or may not have been exacerbated by the cold wet weather the day of the race. Their advice was to let my foot heal completely, wearing my old shoes until the blisters are completely gone. Then start wearing the new ones again, keeping an eye on things. If the blisters come back, I'llhead back in and they can tweak some things for me. Bottom line: regardless of if it takes several weeks more, they want me to be happy with my purchase and happy with their store. And I am!! Honestly, if you need shoes or gear, I can't recommend them highly enough!!

Hey Katy, look what I did, I blogged! This is a picture of SMR "Try Running" group after the Army 10 miler in October 2007. "Running Strong" is a subset of this group, and consists of the 4 members on the right (top 2, bottom 2). Last Sunday 3 Running Strong team members ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in Washington D.C.

We blossomed!!

Sunday was chilly and rainy, but that did not stop 3 of the 4 members of this team (and two members and one hopefully-soon-to-be-member of our Saturday running group) from trekking into downtown DC for the annual Cherry Blossom 10-Miler. We met the night before for our traditional pasta dinner, then met up in the wee early morning hours at the Metro station. We arrived downtown without a hitch, in plenty of time to don trash bags and wait around, hitting the porta-potties twice before the start of the race. I even sported a new fashion this year -- my jacket was keeping me reasonably warm and dry on top, so I used my trash bag as a skirt (with a lovely drawstring waist -- look for it on the Paris runways soon!) to keep my nekkid legs warm.

There was a new course this year, which I thought was really awesome. It was much more scenic than the previous route, and would have been really great for viewing the cherry blossoms if I hadn't been looking at the ground to watch for puddles!

Four of us from our Saturday group stayed together for the first mile and change, then one team member (that would be speedy Kim!) took off. The remaining three of us stayed together for a while, until pregnant Sarah's bladder got the better of her and she had to wait for a porta-potty. Heidi, the other team member, and I stayed together until somewhere around mile 8. It's always good to run with friends, and the best friends to run with are the ones with whom you are equally comfortable either talking or silent. Such is the case with Heidi, without a doubt! We quietly kept each other truly running strong and I am, as always, both proud of and humbled by her friendship.

I met my finishing goal with a few seconds to spare, and somehow managed not to vomit as I crossed the finish line (although I was quite sure I would!). We all regrouped afterwards in the now steady rain, which suddenly felt so much colder when we weren't running! Slogging back to Metro (and longing to be warm and dry!) I offered up a silent prayer of thanks -- for friends, strength, and faith in myself and one another.

Woohoo -- new shoes!!

I finally managed to get my act together today and go buy new shoes. No small feat, this (no pun intended!). I had to first drop the kids off with Andrea so that I could shop in peace, and make sure I had good socks on and was in the right mindset to take the time to find the right shoes. The new location of Va Runner did not disappoint -- Jeff was awesome and very appreciative of my business, which is always nice. I can't wait to run in my new shoes tomorrow, even if they truly are no small feet. How can I be only 5' 31/2 and wear size 9 1/2 D shoes?!?!

Going for the Gold!

In school, I was never much of an athlete. I played soccer on a club team in 3rd - 8th grade, made All Stars several times, but really was never much of an athlete. And I was never any good at the whole stupid Presidential Physical Fitness thing. Being small, I could do the flexed arm hang like nobodies business. And don't even get me started on how many sit-ups I could do in a minute. But that running stuff? No way!! But all that has changed now. And would you believe, I just signed up for the Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge?? Check it out at www.presidentschallenge.org. Join me -- c'mon, you know you want to!!

10 Years Younger

My sister and I were recently discussing some of the makeover shows on TLC. We both agree we love What Not to Wear (will someone please nominate me for that show already?? We all know I desperately need it!!!). We both also agree that we hate the show 10 Years Younger. Neither of us could really articulate exactly why, except that we both hate the focus on cosmetic surgery. It hit me the other day what my real issue is: one show helps you bring out your own beauty, the other shows you what is wrong with you and how some professional can "fix" you so that ordinary society will finally view you in a better light. As much of a fashion beeyatch as I think Stacy London can be, I have never heard her tell anyone on that show that she needs to change anything but her mindset and her wardrobe. We all have inner beauty that we may need some help to showcase, but the idea that we all need botox and microdermabrasion makes me cringe. And we all know that cringing will undoubtedly lead to wrinkles....

Have I Mentioned How Much I Hate the Indoor Track??

Knowing it would be cold and I would use the kids and my impending trip out of town later in the day, I chose to get up early last Friday and run on the indoor track at my gym. Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely track -- well-maintained, clean, nicely lit. But it is a 1/14 mile circuit. Yuck. Going around and around and around and feeling like you're not getting anywhere is one thing. But doing it knowing how MANY times you actually have to go around for it to "count" for anything? Brutal! And don't even get me started on the fact ath I can't spit when I run indoors.... But I am pleased to say that I managed to stick with it for 4 miles. Yup -- 56 stinkin' laps! And I kept a decent pace, too!

And then went back for more today! Since I must admit that yesterday's outdoor run was rather half-assed, I forced myself out of bed at 5 a.m. today and arrived at the gym at 5:30, opening time. (Imagine my surprise to find that people actually line up in a very orderly way before the building opens! But that may be a blog for another day...)

I only got in 2 miles (28 laps, for those of you who are counting!) before my Boot Camp class. And again, it was a much better pace than I keep outdoors. All the better to get the miles in but finish up sooner, right?

Have I mentioned how much I hate the indoor track?

I Needed That!

I knew I needed a break, but I don't think I knew just how badly I needed it until I was laughing my butt off last night. Some members of the Wed/Fri Burke Lake group got together last night at Jami's house and we had a great time eating (Jami makes amazing food!), drinking, talking, and laughing. And laughing. And laughing. I am thoroughly exhausted today -- I can't believe it was 11:30 by the time I got to bed!! -- but it was very well worth it. Thanks, girlies -- I needed that!

Numbuns

Note to self: when running in frigid temperatures, it is NOT necessary to fill your water bottles with nice cold water from the fridge. Room temperature water would be just fine. Especially when you are going to put the aforementioned nice cold water bottles (did I mention they were cold?) into your #&%@ Fuel Belt and therefore have freezing cold things bouncing around on your butt being even more annoying than usual!!

On the up side, though, due to the combination of the freezing cold air and the freezing cold water bottles, my butt was soon almost totally numb. And numbuns don't mind the #&%@ Fuel Belt as much.

It's all a numbers game

Last weekend I turned 39. For the first and only time. I won't be one of those "39-and-holding" types. When I was younger, I thought I might be one of those -- after all, I did turn twenty-eleven instead of 31. Now that I'm here, though, I'm proud to say I'm 39. I am in the best shape I've ever been in. I have two beautiful children and a loving husband. I have two marathons* under my belt and, God willing, another on the horizon. I have been blessed with the ability (and the sense!) to surround myself with amazing, strong, supportive women -- something I wasn't smart enough to do in my younger years, hence the desire to be twenty-eleven! So I'm all for 39! And then 40! Life is good -- and I'm just getting
started!

* I have to confess to a little Freudian typo -- I actually typed "marathongs" and nearly spit Coke out my nose when I re-read this before posting!!

It ate my blog....

I sat down last night and sent my fingers flying across the keyboard, blogging about how it was somehow colder than it felt yesterday morning. I don't know what happened but I lost the blog, so here's the recap...

It didn't feel terribly cold, but one of the doors of my car was actually frozen shut. It didn't feel terribly cold, but there were so many icy patches that I felt like I was taking 8 steps for every foot of pavement I covered -- and I was actually faster (and safer) walking sometimes rather than running. It didn't feel terribly cold, but the condensation inside the "bubble" of my double jogger actually looked like it was frosting over (the kids were happy, though -- always a bonus!). But I didn't let any of that keep me from getting out or staying out.

I stuck with it and did all 6 miles that were on our training plan for this Saturday's run. Because when it comes down to it, I just keep repeating to myself "The only way to run far is to run far." Except when I'm repeating, "The only way to run fast is to run fast." It just depends on the type of workout. But what always matters is that I feel better when I run. Always.

I hate the cold!

I'm trying not to wimp out this winter, but MAN I hate the cold!! It's especially hard (or perhaps the problem is that wimping out is even easier) when the kids are involved. I truly do believe that I am setting a good example of fitness for my kids each and every time I drag them along for a run. But when there are runny noses, sore throats, cranky toddlers, and freezing temperatures it becomes a whole 'nother ball game. Not to mention the fact that I don't happen to have a lot of coordination, so avoiding icy patches or slushy puddles on my own can be tough. Doing that while pushing a double jogger? No way! I'm making sure I work a little harder in my Boot Camp class and I'm trying to push myself to get out alone when I can. But I sure will be glad when things warm up a bit!! How is everyone else doing in these chilly times??

Pushing Each Other

I love that we push each other, in sometimes subtle and sometimes more overt ways. And I love that we support each other in the same fashion. Today we discussed our distance plans before we started, but a few of us were somewhat noncommittal. We run an out-and-back route and as we approached the point that would make a total distance of about 4.5 miles, Sarah decided she was going to turn back rather than go the full 6 we had discussed. I said I would turn back with her, leaving the other two to continue a bit further. But then MaryLu said she would turn back, too, which would have left Heidi alone. Not that Heidi can't handle running alone. But if we're out for a group run there ought to be group, right? So I stayed with her and, as always, I'm glad I did. I'm a better runner for the friends with whom I'm blessed to run. They sometimes make me run further or faster than I had planned, but never push me past where I truly feel I can't go or make me feel like less for having limits. I could have sat down right now to add 4.5 miles to my log, but I would have been a bit disappointed in myself for not going farther. Now I can log my six miles, as planned, and feel good about it. Thanks, Heidi -- I owe you one!

I don't want to beat myself up.

Really I don't. It's only January 5. But I hate how this year is starting for me, fitness-wise. I have yet to really run. Or do much of anything else. I did a half-assed run/walk on New Year's Day, but there were so many other factors involved in that I won't even get started. I hadn't pushed the double stroller in a while and was seriously upset/sad/pissed off about personal stuff that running with the stroller in the cold on a muddy trail was not very smart. I must have been running with my shoulders hunched up tight, because I've been sporting an incredibly sore neck/upper back since. That kept me from my usual boot camp class on Thursday. That, along with my sore throat and the freezing cold temps kept me from running Wednesday and Friday. So I really was planning to run today. Really. But my husband works weekends, so Saturday runs are no different than those during the week: wake the kids, feed them, dress them, bundle them into coats to get to the car to bundle them further into the stroller. All of this after getting myself up and dressed and fed. Today I just don't have it in me. So we're staying in, where it's warm. Maybe the kids will even sleep in a bit (hey, I can dream!). And I'll try again tomorrow. After all, it's only January 5 -- I don't want to beat myself up.

Happy New Year!!

As we start 2008, I have decided to set a very ambitious goal for myself. I don't generally like to refer to things as new year's resolutions -- I prefer to think of goals I am setting for the new year. Although I ended 2007 with a paltry-sounding 416 miles run, I was able to accomplish 750 miles in 2006. So my goal for 2008? 1,000 miles! I am planning to run a 10-mile race in April, a half marathon in June, a full marathon and probably a 10-mile race in October. Keeping on a decent training schedule for each of those will certainly go a long way toward maintaining the steady mileage I will need for a total of 1,000 miles. We'll see! Anyone else want to share any running-related goals for 2008? Or, feel free to chime in and tell me how crazy I am! :o)