(Mis)Adventures in Running

Still Running and Crossfitting

2011-10-11T19:23:00.003-05:00

The crazy race schedule is going great! The Franklin Classic 10K was a very interesting race for me---after a 9:38 first mile, my Garmin died and I had to run blind for the first time in years. I had been all over the place pace-wise in the first mile, so I wasn't sure if I was going too fast or too slow at any given moment. I just tried to judge it by discomfort---moderately uncomfortable is where you want to be at any given moment in a 10K. I finished just 20 seconds off from my PR. My time was around a 9:34 mile average. I think my time was 58:42 or so. It poured rain during most of the race, too, adding to the memorableness (is that even a word?? memorability??) of the race. The best part was my bestie from high school had hosted me and the kids the night before at her house and even got up at 5:00 a.m. to drive me to the race! She was there to see me finish and everything. Her hubby stayed home with my kids and hers and cooked us all a delicious breakfast.

Then about 3 weeks later, I had my big GOAL RACE-- the Music City Half Marathon. I'd PR'd in that race 2 years ago with a 2:09:42 official time, but the course was 13.22. This time, I PR'd again by over 2 minutes with a 2:07:09! I stopped my watch at 13.1 though and I was at 2:05:52! Either way, it was a big PR! A 2:05 averaged to a 9:36 pace and a 2:07 averaged to a 9:45. I had planned to start out with 9:45 to 10 minute miles, but 9:30 just felt so darn comfortable, I wound up staying there--- most miles between 9:30 and 9:40. I did have a 9:26 and two 9:50's when I was hurting. Apparently, I was trained up for a strong 10-miler. After mile 10, I started hurting quite a bit. My lower body hurt badly in miles 11 and 12---the 9:50 miles. In mile 13, I just gritted my teeth and ran through the pain---back down to a 9:41 pace.

But you know what, a RACE is SUPPOSED to hurt. It's supposed to be uncomfortable. You are supposed to push hard and hang on when the going gets tough. This may be the first time I actually RACED a half marathon. And for the first time in 11 half marathons, I ran every single step. Didn't walk through water stops, didn't stop at the port o john. That was another PR--the furthest uninterrupted stretch I'd run before was 8 or 9 miles. It was a really good day.

Two days after the race, I started at a new Crossfit gym in town. That was a mistake. My muscles were still raw from the race and the first day's workout was a killer. I was in pain for the rest of the week and did very little running and no Crossfit. (www.crossfitsolafide.com) But I went back to Crossfit yesterday and today, and officially joined. I decided to go only two days per week to supplement my running.

Next up: The Go Commando Half Marathon with my husband on Saturday. I hope he has a better experience than last time. He has no nagging injuries, but his training has fallen off a lot the last 3 weeks. Can a guy who runs 1-2 times per week most weeks and sometimes none at all for a full week run a strong race? Guess we'll see. I'm going to stay with him throughout. I think we'll come in under 2:30. I hope we'll stay between 10:30 and 11 minute miles.

Where To From Here?

2011-09-03T18:28:00.002-05:00

After my August epiphany "Do what you enjoy," I've been doing just that.

I've been training mostly slow and easy with the Maffetone Method. My max aerobic heartrate is steadily improving. I can run at about a 10:45 pace without leaving the 145 and below aerobic zone. Supposedly this will help my body to burn body fat for fuel more efficiently and translate to faster times. We'll see..... more about that later.

I have done 2 trail runs, which I really enjoyed. Trail running is about two things: 1) Don't fall down and 2) Don't sprain anything. I love the no-pressure-to-run-fast aspect of it, I love the ever changing terrain ("I am going up hill, I am going down hill, I am dodging a tree branch, I am dodging a snake, I am going over a bridge, I am stumbling over a big rock"---keeps it interesting, to say the least!)

I have done several short runs, just a little bit of speed work once a week, and my weekly long run with the group I'm training for an upcoming half marathon. Honestly, the long runs really do feel like work (I mean besides the fact that I clock in and out for them). I think I have fallen out of love (hopefully temporarily) with running long.

Maybe it's because I find myself in a group of people but still mostly running alone.
Maybe it's because it's been just ridiculously hot.
Maybe I needed more recovery time after the June marathon before going long again.

Whatever the case, after all this training is over, I'm thinking that about 8 miles is the maximum training distance I want to do regularly---maybe once or twice per month. Beyond that is beyond fun. That way, I figure I'm always 5 weeks to half marathon ready. I could have my base of 8, then do a couple of 10-milers, a 12, a tapered 8-9, and then BAM--race. My running club president is a big believer in over-distance training. He's planning to run 14, 16, and even 18 before his upcoming half-marathon. Me? I figure if I get in some good quality short and mid-distance runs, 12 miles is plenty of distance before a half. I once had a decent half marathon on just a 9-mile longest run coming off an injury.

To try to put some of the FUN and EXCITEMENT back into running, I think I'm going to do a bunch of races in the coming months. Here's what's on my plate:

1. Sept. 5: Labor Day 10K-- Yikes! That's day after tomorrow! I'm not sure if I can run my usual 10K pace after what seems like months of slow running. Plus, the weather is supposed to be heavy rain and 18 mph winds. I'm running 6 miles in a monsoon, apparently!
2. Oct. 2: Music City Half Marathon. Tom King Course, I'm coming for you! I was prepped for a GREAT Tom King race and a half marathon PR in March, then I got sick the night before the race and during the race had stomach issues. This race is on the very same course..... REDEMPTION! It will by my 11th half marathon.
3. Oct. 15 Go Commando Half Marathon (I'm planning on wearing undies though.) My dear husband is training for his 2nd half marathon and I think I'm going to just run with and support him during this race. It will be neat to run 13.1 together. The most we've done together is 6. (We'd love to run more together. That time, we got a sitter. After all, SOMEONE has to be home watching the kids!)
4. October 22: Wild Thang 9-Mile Trail Race I'm very excited to do my 2nd trail race!! 9 miles should be a bit more doable than that tough 13.1 in May (which I hope to do again!).
5. October 29: Possibly the APSU Homecoming 5K or the Zombie Run 5K. Run at my alma mater supporting their scholarship program or be chased by zombies. Tough call.
6. November 5: Sango Scamper 10K and 5K For only $5 extra you can do both. I did both last year. It felt kinda hard core. Raced the 10K and just did the 5K for funsies.
7. November 19: Turkey Trot 5 or 10 Miler If I'm not COMPLETELY SICK of races by then...
8. December 3: Deer Trail 6 Miler I will run this with my husband. It's about 30 minute away from his parents (aka free childcare!) Hubby's first trail race.

Do What You Enjoy

2011-08-14T15:35:00.004-05:00

These words came to me on my 10-mile run yesterday. I had been struggling with what to do running-wise lately. Over the past month or so, I had decided to just use Crossfit Endurance workouts for running and Crossfit for strength training. Then I discovered after just a couple of weeks that CFE workouts are all hard, all-out suckfests. Yes, they were quick and dirty, but it took away the part of running I enjoy---just getting out there and running for an hour or even two---relaxing and letting my stress slip away, enjoying good music and the conversation of a friend. Don't get me wrong---I want to be the best runner I can be. I want to see improvements. I don't mind hard work. But when every run is tied to pace and splits, running starts to feel like a job and not a stress reliever. If I were totally crunched for time, CFE would be a great way to go. But, heck, I only work part-time and I will have all 3 kiddos in school this year after August 23. I have time! (Can't spend all that time cleaning!)

So, then I started reading The Big Book of Endurance Training by Dr. Phillip Maffetone. Within a chapter or two, I decided to adopt his method of training, which he calles the Maffetone Method. This method is advised for anyone who has really plateaued in their running. I had been seeing some improvements in short distances, but not in long distances lately. It involves building an endurance base at your maximum aerobic heartrate---ALL running during a period of time is at that heart rate. A quick click on Amazon and I had a heartrate monitor. I took the MAF (max aerobic function) test and was shocked to find out that after all that anaerobic training, I could only run at an 11:20 pace and keep my heartrate under 145. I can run a mile much faster than that, but my heart rate very easily gets up to 90-95% of my max heart rate. That shows a lack of overall aerobic fitness. He doesn't recommend any strength training (it is all anaerobic) during the base building period and no speedwork. I figured I'd better lay off the Crossfit and just focus on the running. If I had to choose between running and Crossfit, I'd choose running.

So, for two weeks, I did no CF and just ran a lot of slow, easy miles. And then I realized I missed Crossfit!

So here I am now, just trying to figure out how to keep strength training through Crossfit, which I really do enjoy, one or two times a week plus building my aerobic base with easy running. I can already see some improvement--yesterday, I was able to run a mile or two of my ten-miler at 10:50-11:10 and keep my heartrate where it needed to be.

I thought about a late fall/early winter marathon, but the only one within driving distance that fits our schedule is the Rocket City and they have a strict no-music policy. Music is one of my favorite parts of running--I love saving it until the later miles where it inspires and re-energizes me. After a lot of debate about whether to register (it usually sells out right about now) or not, those words came to me---DO WHAT YOU ENJOY. That settled it.

This whole running and exercise thing SHOULD be about doing what I enjoy. What do I enjoy?

1. Doing small, local races. (Especially if I place, which is rare, but still happens.) I'm excited about this year's state park series and hope to do a few.
2. Running at a relaxed, conversational pace. Sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend, sometimes with music.
3. Running short tempo runs and intervals, too, just not every time I run.
4. 10K's and Half marathons. The world doesn't revolve around the marathon. And as a masters runner, I'm thinking that about 1 per year is enough. 2011 is done!
5. Trail running! I just love the trails and FINALLY found a pair of trail shoes that work for me. Now I'm working on finding trail running buddies.
6. Having a running schedule, but not being married to one. KWIM?
7. Push ups, pull ups, burpees, kettlebell swings. I enjoy many aspects Crossfit. Just not killing myself with it. I don't care much for heavy lifting, but the bodyweight exercises and plyometrics are fun.
8. Treating my body like a temple. Putting good foods into it. Right now I feel lousy because of two days of bad food choices. I feel happier and healthier when I eat right.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY?

Here is a song that really inspires me on a run. I really like the line at 1:47.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifC88SSQvBU

Marathon #3: Hatfield-McCoy Race Report

2011-06-13T16:18:00.002-05:00

This is a play-by-play of how I remember the Hatfield McCoy Marathon.

4:32 a.m. I wake up after about 20 minutes of sleep. I went to bed at 10, but could not sleep. First, we had cannon fire from the re-enactors camping across the street, and then 8 trains shook the walls of the Inn right on the train tracks. All of them seemed to have their brakes on and each train was one long screech.

6:30 a.m. The four of us arrive at race: Donna England, Kathy Grayson, Christie Kettle, and me. Get in port o potty line. Then turn around and get into it again. Take pictures with the Hatfield and McCoy actors in their period costume. I’m a Hatfield today!

6:50 a.m. Pre-race prayer by race director. Very nice.

7:00 a.m. We all make our way to the start. With no warning or “on your mark,…” we start. Then the re-enactor fires his musket a few seconds after the fact.

7:01 a.m. Our group of four has already separated! Donna and I are a little ahead of them. We are never together again on the course. Donna and I stay together. She is a fellow RRCA running coach and my personal marathon running coach today! We’ve both done 2 marathons prior.

Mile 5- A gentle incline starts. Donna and I are doing a 6:1 run/walk ratio, talking and looking at the creek beside the river. We are running around a 9:48 to 10:40 pace and walking at a brisk 13:30 to 14:00 minute pace (aka a hauling butt walking pace!)

Mile 6- Since our hotel is on this road, we know what is coming--- Blackberry Mountain!

Mile 7 to 8- So steep. We drop to a 4:1 run/ walk. We make it up the mountain in good shape! As we arrive at the top, this huge wind comes through. Cups from the water stop are flying, trees are bending, it was surreal. I decide it is God saying hello and congratulating us for making it up the mountain. As suddenly as the wind comes, it abruptly stops.

Mile 8-9- A long one-mile downhill. My quads remember this quite well. It is too steep to enjoy any speed. I don’t want to walk any on the downhill, but Donna makes me follow the 4:1. She knows my knees will thank me later. I jog during the walking portions when she isn’t looking. (he he) I just hate to walk on a down hill!

Mile 11-12- It is RAINING and it is WONDERFUL. I am soaked from head to toe, but I am not hot! Donna and I make a friend, Doug, and he’s married to a Donna. Weird coincidence!

Mile 13- Half-way point. Feeling good. It is not raining, and is getting hot and humid. Have to literally run past my hotel room. I thought it would be hard, but it is not. I’m not ready to stop and excited to see what lies ahead. Kind of hungry….

Miles 14-17- We are on a very remote, narrow paved path (road?) through the woods. Beautiful views of the mountains. I take several pictures during my walk breaks. Donna and I are together a lot. I turned on my music (one ear bud only) finally. Fatigue is creeping in but my music keeps me going. My right ankle has started hurting a little.

Miles 18-20- We had a little detour onto a gravel road which became a dirt road then pretty much a trail. It was a nice change of pace. I ran mostly alone through here. It was really peaceful. It reminded me a little of the trail in Ashland City, but rougher with bigger rocks.

Mile 20 or 21- I catch back up with Donna at the golf course. We cross the SWINGING WOODEN BRIDGE together. I get the impression she doesn’t like heights when she grabs onto my arm. She doesn’t want me to run across it since it would make the bridge shake and sway. It is very high in the air and kind of rickety. We speed walk it.

Mile 21.5- Ankle is really hurting after that trail section and the bridge area. I remember I packed two extra-strength Tylenol in my bag for emergencies. Yay! This qualifies as an emergency. Donna and I part ways at a self-serve water stop. I tell her to go on ahead because I’m hurting and really slowing down, but my spirits are good. I remember that marathons are HARD.

Mile 22- I can no longer run. Right ankle is at about an 8 on the pain scale. I’m convinced I have a stress fracture or sprain. (I was leaning more toward stress fracture.) I walk a few minutes and try to run. I only make it 10 steps. Now I’m limping. This is not good. I still have 4.2 miles to go. That is a long way to limp. I call my husband to tell him what’s going on since I finally have one bar of cell service. Talking to him makes me feel better. This is the point where I say, “Never again.”

Mile 22.5-24- Now, walking hurts only slightly, so I can stop limping. I pick up the pace to about a 13:45 minute/mile power walk. Every now and then, I try to limp-run a little, but it hurts too much. I am mostly alone, but I passed a couple of guys walking slowly and two women passed me. We all chat briefly. These are the nicest people! I’m feeling pretty discouraged, but determined not to quit, even if I have to limp or crawl. I find myself talking to myself….. out loud. I try singing out loud with my music. I try to notice the beauty of the trees, mountains, and river.

Mile 25-26.2- Thank you, Tylenol! I can now jog with pain that is bearable. I try to keep my stride short and light with a quick foot turnover. I’m not thinking about anything but getting to that finish line. Around 26, it hurts again, but the finish line is in sight, so I run through the pain. It will be interesting to see the grimace on my face in the finish line pictures since I was running through the pain. I high-fived the two Hatfield-McCoy actors as I crossed.

26.2: I cross the finish line in 5 hours, 9 minutes, and 4 seconds. I have two slices of cold watermelon and make my way to the first aid tent. A sweet volunteer helps me take off my shoe and sock and puts an ice pack on the ankle. She wraps gauze around it to hold it in place. I limp around holding my shoe until I find my friends.

Later, I get my Mason jar with my plaque—123 rd finisher out of over 300. 6th out of 16 in my age group. I’m proud of that! It was faster than my Country Music, but slower than Birmingham. But it was harder than both!

Despite the pain, it was a GREAT DAY and a GOOD RACE. I experienced suffering in this race, but when you sign up for a marathon, that’s just part of it. It’s so funny how you go through highs and lows in a long race. The only low I went through was those couple of miles. I’ll take it! By the end, I’d gone from “Never again” to “maybe another one some time.”

A Minimalist (or Lazy) Approach to Marathoning

2011-06-08T17:41:00.002-05:00

This weekend I will find out if my minimalist approach to marathon training worked .... or not. I'm heading to the Hatfield-Mccoy Marathon in West Virginia. I think I maxed out at about 31 or 32 miles per week and my longest run was 17.5 instead of the traditional 20. I did two 16 milers, a few 14 and 15's, and that crazy trail half marathon. I did strength training via Crossfit once or twice a week until these last couple of weeks when I backed off. In theory, that strength training should make up for some of the lack of miles. We shall see.

It's going to be a hot one. Starting temp will be about 68 and 90% humidity according weather.com. It starts at 7:00 a.m. The high that day is supposed to be between 88 and 91 with a "real feel" of 102. I'm hoping to finish by noonish or 12:30, so maybe I'll be done before it feels like 102!

This is a hilly course, but much of it is shaded. There is a mountain at mile 7. Literally. It is called Blackberry Mountain. We run up it for a mile. The downhill is really, really steep. I talked to a runner who broke his foot on the downhill last year. He was running the trail half and we were talking in the port-o-potty line. He said the Hatfield Mccoy isn't that bad compared to trail races. That was before I'd seen the conditions of the trail half!

I'm missing Crossfit this week and last to allow some good recovery time. I've been very careful to avoid anything that might cause injury.

I am excited about the possibility of a few trail races in the fall. I'm still searching for just the right trail shoes.

Well, that is all. I'll let you know how it goes. My first marathon was 5:17 and my second was 4:45. It'll be interesting to see where this one falls. It might be 6 hours!

So Unbelievably Hard! Scenic City Trail Half Marathon Race Report

2011-05-21T18:52:00.010-05:00

Trail runners are clearly a special group of folks. The Scenic City Trail Half Marathon I ran today was by far the toughest running event in which I've participated. And that includes 26.2 on the hilly Country Music Marathon course in 80degree temps. I am PROUD of my 2:27:58 finish. I worked SO hard for it.

To say I was UNPREPARED is an understatement. My trail shoes didn't work out, so I had to run in my regular road shoes. I had run several six-milers on a very flat, mostly gravel trail. It has no tree roots, no boulders, no large, sharp rocks. And I thought that made me ready to take on 13.1 on a real trail? Apparently I'm very naive. Or just stupid.

This race was so TOUGH. I ran more hills in this race than I've run this month! (Or last month.) I told my husband the race felt like 75% was uphill, 20% was steep downhill, and maybe 5% was flat. Or 0%. (Update: I wrote this prior to posting the elevation picture.) It was so technical---I ran over roots, rocks, across boulders, in sand, over a fallen tree, through 2 streams. I tripped at least 5 times, rolled each ankle 2-3 times, and left the course bleeding from my right shoulder from a fall against a tree.

Trail running is SERIOUS business. I was completely unprepared in my road shoes. The steep downhills were so scary with no traction. There was loose dirt and leaves and rock everywhere. Traction would have been a good thing.

I was happy endurance-wise. I powered up a lot of hills when others were walking. I mean A LOT of hills. But I just didn't have the technical knowledge to know how to safely run the downhills or the experience on this type of mixed terrain. It took a laser-like focus on the ground about 2 feet in front of me. I couldn't look up, to the side or anywhere except where my foot was going to fall next.

It was all single-file, so I got used to having conversations with unknown folks behind me whom I could not see.

Breathing was tough--could be the elevation or all those darn hills. Some were so steep that everyone dropped down to a walk. Since we were single file, I had no choice at times. Other times, I'd just say, "On your left" and try to pass them without hurting myself.

I will say that I spent 90% of the race in FEAR that I was going to seriously injure myself. I am running a full marathon in 3 weeks and the whole race I was thinking that this was a really risky move. (The folks who wrote the race website downplayed the technicalness of the course in a major way. It was NOTHING like I expected.) I think with the right shoes and training I might have had fun and embraced this trail run.

It was a crazy, challenging, but strangely fullfulling day. Fun? I can't say I was smiling and having a blast, but I did talk to some really nice people along the way. Trail folks just seemed friendlier than road race folks. Almost no one had music.

At the end, the last .25 was back on pavement. Pavement never felt so good!!!

I pushed myself in the last 3 miles because I so wanted to be finished! My right ankle especially was hurting more from the downhills than the up. The first 8 miles seemed mostly uphill, but miles 9 and 10 were primarily downhill. Those two miles were brutal. Our GPS watches weren't working, so we were all kind of running blindly. I was SURPRISED and happy to see under 2:30 on the finish line clock.

Now my husband wants us to do it together next year. Hmmmm..... I think I will be up for the challenge. It is GOOD to get out of your comfort zone every once in a while.

Road-Trippin'

2011-05-19T20:09:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow, my family and I leave for Chattanooga, TN! Well, technically the kids are staying with their grandparents about an hour outside of Chattanooga. I'm excited to have a quick little getaway with my husband! The scary part is the 13.1 miles through the woods on Saturday!

I had a trail running set back this week. My trail shoes DO. NOT. WORK. This is my 2nd pair. The first, Brooks Adrenaline ASR, hurt my Achilles tendon for some odd reason. My regular Brooks Adrenalines feel great and are my marathon shoe of choice. But the trail version is cut differently. So I returned those and ordered an Asics pair of trail shoes that got great reviews on Road Runner Sports. These felt ok (looked hideous though!) at first, but on a 6-mile trail run the other day, they just felt off--heavy and my legs were achy. Then on a 5-miler this week, I noticed both knees hurting and my right foot cramped up. It seemed to be the shoes.

It looks like I'll be running the trail half marathon in road shoes. I might as well paint the word "Newbie" on my forehead! My other option is to buy a pair at the "expo" (really just packet pickup at an outdoor store), but the idea of running 15 miles (I plan to do one extra before and one after since I have a marathon in 3 weeks) in unknown territory in unknown shoes is a bit scary!

My goal is to just finish relatively unscathed--no broken bones, sprains, bear attacks, etc. I will take it slow and be careful!

I'm going into this race with 9 toenails. Wonder how many I'll come out with???

Taking One for the Team!

2011-05-14T20:04:00.005-05:00

My son (age 10) and I went to my hometown Adairville, KY, to do the tiniest 5K today--only 30 runners this year. We agreed to run separately since he hadn't trained for it at all. (He has done at least 2 other 5K's on little to no training as well.) He wanted to run/walk and I wanted to, well, RUN. I thought maybe I could beat my time on the course last year.

I warmed up and ran alone until 2.5 miles in, then something told me to stop racing and turn around and go find my son. I just had an uneasy feeling I couldn't shake. (Mommy radar or guilt for leaving him behind?) I started worrying, "What if he's feeling sick?" "What if he's too hot?" "What if he gets lost on the course?" "What if he falls down?"

I found him about a quarter-mile behind me.... in last place. He was a little upset. I ran/walked with him to the finish. In the last stretch he asked me if I'd let him go ahead so HE wouldn't be last. So, I did. Yep, I was #30 out of 30 racers. I took one for the team! On my Garmin, I was at 27:56 at the 3 mile point, so I wouldn't have PR'd anyway, but I'd have had a pretty good time for me. But I'm absolutely glad I went back. I can handle being last (it has actually happened before), but it might have made him not want to run anymore. It IS kind of traumatic! I'm just so happy he has embraced the sport I love!

He was proud he wound up with 3rd in his age group (I didn't point out this was out of 3) and got a medal. I actually got 1st in my age group by default as the only 40-44 year old female in the race. This is the 2nd time I've come in LAST in a race, but still won my age group. (Look in the archives to February of 2008 for the time that happened in my first 10K!) Funny how that keeps happening.... Does this happen to anyone else, or is it just me??

So, my 5K was not what I had planned for including the extra 1/2 mile in there-- 3.61 miles. The medal is kind of cool. I felt silly taking it though. 1st place out of....... one!

Then I ran the 1-mile fun run with my 4-year-old Julia. She had trained for this for a couple of months with a once-a week 1/2 mile training run. She even missed her last soccer game to run the race! She was so excited to finally do a race. She was a trooper. She ran HARD and never once complained. She got 3rd out of 5 runners in her 4-6 age group and she was the youngest! Those little feet were flying! She ran the first quarter-mile at an 8:45 pace until I MADE her slow down. She walked only 3 or 4 times for about 30 seconds and finished in 11:24. I was very proud of her.

Next weekend is the Scenic City Trail Half Marathon! I finally registered and got some trail shoes just last week! If I can run it slow and easy and not break my neck, I'll be happy.

A Runner Without a Race

2011-05-02T16:46:00.002-05:00

The top reason I WON'T be having a great Iron Mom Half Marathon and getting that totally cute shirt I posted a few posts back is that it is ..... CANCELLED. Just like my city, Paducah, KY, has gotten a ridiculous amount of rain in the last week. They had to cancel this weekend's race for the safety of the runners and the volunteers and frankly, they have bigger things to worry about. Well, I should say "postponed" because they rescheduled it on June 18. That would be exactly one week after my full marathon on June 11. I'm thinking that might not be the best time to attempt to race a half marathon!

So, for me, it is essentially cancelled. They are actually offering a refund if the new date doesn't work for you--highly unusual in the race world and very considerate. And I REALLY wanted that shirt. And a good half marathon "redemption" experience almost as much

I have yet to register for the Scenic City Trail Half Marathon on May 21. I'm just not sure I'm prepared for 13 miles o' trail running. And right now, our trails are all a big mud pit, so I can't even try it out. It's been a few weeks since I did a couple of 6-milers on a trail. I was leaning toward not doing it, but with this one getting cancelled, I'm swinging in the other direction. They have only 50 spots left, so I'd better decide quickly. I'm also waiting on my trail shoes that I ordered from Road Runner Sports. Got to get them broken in, too!

And THANK YOU to all the people who offered support after a hurtful comment was left on this blog. I really appreciate you!

Well, I'm off to make burgers with my entirely over-priced grass-fed ground beef from Whole Foods. It's a treat that happens rarely, but they taste so good. Mine will be bunless with green peppers and onions sauteed in coconut oil. I also plan to cut up a summer squash and saute it in coconut oil and make steamed broccoli. After all the chips and salsa I ate over the weekend, I have to eat clean this week!

The Downside to Blogging

2011-05-01T08:43:00.003-05:00

Anonymous Commentator:

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I am no exception. Neither are you. That's why what Jesus did for us is so critical. I hope you know and understand that Jesus died for your sins and mine.

In the last year, for the first time in my life, I am treating my body like a temple as commanded in scripture. I am careful what I put into it--mostly natural, whole foods as close to God created them as I can find. I have worked to make it strong. God didn't intend us to sit on the couch and eat Cheetos and Hostess cakes. We are meant to lift heavy things, to get from place to place on foot, to squat, to jump. I LOVE using my body in this way. I try to encourage others through this forum and one way to do that is to show my results from eating and exercising and truly treating my body like a temple.

It took a lot of courage for me to even post them (me, a 40-year old mother of three), and now you have shamed me into taking them down. I wasn't posting them to say, "Hey, I'm a hot momma. Look how pretty I am!". I was just trying to show how running, strength training, and eating (mostly) right can help you drop fat and build muscle.

Top Five Reasons I Should Have a Good Iron Mom Half-Marathon Next Week

2011-04-30T15:56:00.009-05:00

1. I've been in half-marathon training for almost 6 months. I originally started training for the (terrible) Tom King starting in early December. I've done TONS of double-digit runs. Before Tom King, I think I'd done 3 or 4. I'm at 9 now, including two 16-milers. When you're used to struggling through 14-16 milers, 13.1 isn't so bad.

2. I feel strong from doing Crossfit. It has added a whole new intensity to my strength training. While CF alone isn't enough to guarantee a great half marathon time (some would disagree), CF plus 25-30 miles a week should.

3. I've been hitting all the high points of training a person is "supposed" to hit: intervals, tempo runs, hill work, long runs and I've had a one-mile time trial PR recently. Hopefully, it's a snowball effect.

4. I've been eating clean for the most part and I'm at my goal race weight. Can't hurt. :-)

5. I have no major expectations/delusions. This is KEY. I am going to go out conservatively and see what kind of day I'm having. I'll know by mile 4. At that point, I have 3 choices: slow down and just relax and enjoy the day; pick up the pace; or just maintain. I am NOT making the same mistake as last time when the McMillan Running Calculator said I should be able to run a half at a 9:40 pace. A 10-minute pace is more my ability level, at least to start.

I'm feeling strong these days, but not FAST. Strong is good though. I just want to have fun this time. If I finish strong (and not beaten down like last time), I think I'll be happy.

A New Kind of Training

2011-04-23T19:20:00.003-05:00

I have been reading recently about splitting long runs in marathon training. Since, in my opinion, the WORST part of marathoning is the 20 mile runs, I thought it sounded like a plan. My interpretation of the plan is to run 2-4 miles on Friday night, then get up on Saturday morning and run no more than 16..... a bunch of times. There was a recent article in Runner's World about the Hanson Brooks Training group and how they never go over 16 in training. They start their long 16-mile training runs on tired legs. And on the facebook page for Marathon Nation, there was an article posted about training runs over 3 hours doing more harm than good. Since my marathon pace is about an 11-minute mile, I can do exactly 16 right at 3 hours.

Last week, I ran 16 miles without a walk break. I did stop for one potty stop and to empty rocks out of my shoes (6 miles were on a trail), but I never said, "Hey, I need to walk a minute or two." My body just did it. It amazed me. The whole run averaged an 11:00/minute pace. This week, I did my 4 miles on Friday night and felt extremely tired during those miles. (That did not bode well for today's run.) But I got my 16 miles in . It was hard. I suffered. After about 12, I hit a major wall. I had not gel'd until about the 70-minute mark--far too long without carbohydrates. I never quite caught up after that. At the 13-mile point, I started walking frequently. Miles 14 and 15 were in survival mode. My legs were just done. After mile 15, I had to drive to my daughter's soccer game 15 minutes across town. I got there with about 14 minutes to spare, so I got in that last mile--mile 16. I felt good in that mile after the brief rest while driving (and the chocolate milk) and averaged a much quicker pace with only one walk break. I got in a total of 20 miles within a 15-hour time period. Theoretically, that should be the same as about an 18-miler, training wise.

So, with two 16-milers under my belt, I'm feeling OK about the marathon. Some of the excitement has worn off, in all honesty. The long runs are just plain hard. They are not fun after about 13. I always used to say anything after 14 is just not fun. Now, I think it's more like 12 or 13. They take so much out of your body. My hamstring is finally healed, and I want to be cautious about re-injuring it. And the long runs make it hurt.

I'm much more excited about these 3 upcoming races than the marathon:

May 7: Iron Mom Half Marathon in Paducah, KY
May 14: The Adairville Strawberry Festival 5K in my home town (also my 4-year old's first one mile fun run afterwards)
May 21: The Scenic City TRAIL Half Marathon in Chattanooga, TN

I just decided to do the trail one. I've been doing about 6 miles on the trail lately and LOVING it. I still don't have trail shoes though.

I am really enjoying running again, but I still love a good Crossfit workout. I do about 1.5 Crossfit workouts a week-- one whole one and a short mini-one after or just before a run. I love doing hand release push ups and pull ups and sit ups and squats and lunges and wall ball throws and burpees! I'm so glad I discovered there is more out there than running. I think there's room for both.

How I Found My Mojo

2011-04-23T19:15:00.001-05:00

After the wheels came off in my last half marathon, I went into a running funk for a few days. Then at some point that week, I got a crazy idea. If I can’t run FAST, I’ll just run FAR. I decided I wanted to have a running adventure. A friend of mine was thinking the same thing, and we found ourselves booking a room in a tiny little town in West Virginia for the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon on June 11. It is a no-pressure deal. It’s hot, extremely hilly, and partially unpaved, including running over a swinging bridge at one point--- meaning I hold no illusions of getting a PR. A race without pressure is my kind of race right now.

So, the Saturday after the Terrible Tom King, instead of taking a recovery week from the half, I ran a 10-miler and it turned out to be at a faster pace than the half! That’s when the mojo started to come back. The following week I had an ok 12—not great, but not terrible. I was hurting a little at the end because it was sort of hilly. The next week I had some good speed work including a new one-mile time trial PR at an 8:12 mile. (I still think I can hit 8 in the next few months.) I did a couple of hard Crossfit workouts, too, and ran 28 miles in all. My 14.5 miler went just fine. I didn’t break any speed records, but I finished and recovery was quick. By the next day, I felt really good. I had a drop down week with a few short runs and some great 800’s.

I love running again.

Do Over?

2011-03-17T15:52:00.009-05:00

I think I need a do over. I've been pouting about that crappy race all week. (No pun intended.) On Saturday after the half, I was just angry at my body. I felt like it really let me down. I put some really nasty food into it Saturday night as punishment. How did I used to regularly eat fried catfish, fried hush puppies, and all the trimmings? No wonder I was fluffy. On Sunday, I had the most decadent pizza I could find--from our local New York Pizza Depot. The little orange pepperonis dotting the top were shining with grease. And I didn't blot! Then..... and this is BIG.... I didn't do any sort of exercise whatsoever for three days. I was mad at running, mad at myself, and mad at exercise in general. I did finally stop eating bad though! Strangely what lifted me out of the funk was a really hard Crossfit workout on Wednesday morning. The endorphins I'm accustomed to were back and I felt whole and hopeful again---like my old self.

I think I have found a couple of "do over" options. I just want to prove to myself that I can still run 13 miles under a 10-minute per mile pace. I KNOW I can. I am still going to be running long with my Country Music Half Marathon training group, so in 3 weeks, on the 11-mile training run, I can just run a little faster than usual and get in 2 afterwards and see what kind of pace I can manage. The place we are running is very similar to the Tom King course. It would be awesome if it was 9:59 pace or better. If I can't manage it, I just can't manage it. Then, in May there is this new event in nearby Paducah, Kentucky. It is called the Iron Mom Half-marathon. I have wanted to do it since hearing the title and seeing the super-cool race shirt. (I'm totally doing it for the shirt.)

I'd love to get the sub 10-minute mile thing out of the way so I could just go into the Iron Mom with no expectations and actually have fun.

See, that's the biggest problem with last Saturday. That's what was missing. The fun. And if there's no fun in it, what's the frickin' point of running 13 miles??? I mean, isn't it possible to run a strong race and still have some fun in it?

It was totally my fault. Here's what should have happened when I ran in the conditions I was given:

Wake up race morning. Notice stomach is not feeling well. Adjust time goal by 10-15 seconds per mile, putting it at 9:50 pace per mile. Get to race start. Start running. Notice by mile two it's much hotter than expected. Adjust race pace by another 10-15 seconds per mile. That would put me at a 10:05 ish pace. Let go of PR expectations. Decide to just run and have fun. Don't beat myself up over the slower miles. Make friends. Smile at people. Thank the volunteers. Act silly for the cameras on the course.

I still would have had the stomach problems, but I wouldn't have let them throw me for such a loop.

You know what they say about hindsight.....

And that's why I call this (Mis)Adventures in Running, folks!

A Pretty Good 10K---Unfortunately It Was a Half Marathon

2011-03-12T20:09:00.004-06:00

Today did not go as expected, unfortunately. My half-marathon time was 2:15:43, a 10:22 pace--slower than my last two times on the course.

I can trace the first sign of an impending poor performance to my lunch on Friday--a Wendy's cheeseburger and baked potato. The potato tasted awful, and after eating them both, I started having stomach issues. This was a bad choice to start with, but my four-year-old was having a play date and I needed something quick and cheap to feed us! Still not feeling great, I then went to Olive Garden for dinner and overate--2.5 breadsticks, salad (what was I thinking?) and spaghetti with meat sauce.

Going to bed with little gas bubbles popping in my stomach, I was still stupidly optimistic about running a PR today. I got up this morning with no appetite and had a couple of bathroom issues that I will not go into detail about. I forced down breakfast, but it seemed to stick around instead of emptying out of my stomach. Right before the race, I choked down 1/2 of a Gu, and again, it seemed to just sit in a lump.

Miles one and two were right on pace at about 9:36 and 9:37 (goal was 9:30-9:45 pace) but it was HOT. It was about 60 degrees at the start. We had been training in 16-40 degrees. Heat is not my friend!

In mile 3, I took a swig of Gatorade at the water stop and it burned like acid in my stomach. For miles 3-5, I dealt with that burning sensation. I was also getting progressively slower by 1 or 2 seconds per mile. At mile 4, I was still roughly within my goal pace of sub 9:45, but it was a big stuggle to stay there. I gel'd on schedule at mile 5, but it was tough to get down. Finally in mile 6, I lost my running buddy. I was just feeling so nauseous and sick and my legs felt dead. I think that in reality, the gel was maybe sitting in my stomach and the carbs weren't getting to where I needed them---my leg muscles! From miles 6 on, I was WAY OFF pace, to the point that mile 7, I was at a 10:20 pace and all hopes of PRing went out the window. It was nearly 70 degrees at this point. Normally, that's ok running weather, but after training in COLD all winter, it did not help the way I was feeling. Around mile 8, I started looking for a Port o John or some bushes because the sensation in my stomach had dropped lower into my intestinal area. I was panicked. There wasn't anywhere to "go," but soon the immediate need passed for a little while.

At this point, I felt like I was running on fumes, no energy in my legs at all. It was difficult to run under a 10:30 pace. My last training run had been a 10:18 pace! I stayed away from the Gatorade, sticking with water the rest of the race. I tried another 1/2 gel around mile 10. I started taking 20 second walk breaks every half mile. They helped a little.

Finally, after 2 hours and 15 minutes of misery, I finished. I don't think I want to do that race again! The last time I ran this race, it poured rain and was only about 40 degrees, and THAT was better than today. I am so, so disappointed. Besides the heat and the stomach problems, I think I simply didn't do enough 5-6-7 mile mid-week runs. As much as I enjoy those speedy 2 to 3 milers, they aren't all that helpful for races over 10K. I need to be doing speedy 6 and 7 milers!

There is a half-marathon in a neat city about 2.5 hours away in 3 weeks---Lynchburg, TN, home of the Jack Daniels Whisky Distillery. I'm thinking about running that one to just try to have a better experience. It is hilly--- mile 4 to 5 is completely up hill, but maybe if I go into it with no expectations, just to enjoy the day, I will feel better.

Be Conservative or Just Go For It??

2011-03-05T20:29:00.003-06:00

When you are racing, do you carefully formulate a race plan---knowing what pace you should be at for each mile, making sure you don't go out too hard and have plenty of energy to finish or do you just GO FOR IT and run hard, leaving nothing in the tank by the end?

I tend to err on the side of being conservative. Or maybe I don't "err" at all, I just know what I'm capable of and do it. After one ugly half marathon a couple of years ago when I went out way too fast and died a slow death in miles 8 to 13 as well as one last year, where just miles one and two were too fast and ruined the rest of the race, I tend to be a little on the careful side. And I'm a type-A planner.

I have a half marathon in one week! I suppose I'm ready. I did a 10-miler, an 11-miler and a 13.1 miler in training. My mid-week runs weren't long, but often included a speed element, so maybe quality over quantity will work for me. I think I maxed out at 20 miles per week. I'm really curious to how this low-key approach to training will work.

I *think* I can PR in this race if all goes well. It might be a small PR or it could be a big PR. It depends on how much I run the pace I know I can maintain and how much I just GO. FOR. IT. If I have a bad day and don't PR, I think I'm going to be really disappointed.

I think by mile 4 in a half marathon, you know what kind of day it is going to be---a good day or a bad day. If you run crazy in miles 1-4, you might think it is a good day, but by mile 8, you think differently.

More than anything, I'm curious and excited to how this race (my 9th half marathon in 3 years!) will go. Can I break 2:08? Can I break 2:06? Or will it be more like my average half-marathons around 2:14-2:15?

I'm struggling with a bit of a tight IT Band and lateral hamstring, but I'm seeing a chiropractor for that. This is week 3 of treatment, and I think I'm only going for 4 weeks total. I know what it really needs is rest, but I'm employed coaching a group of runners for the next 6 weeks for the Country Music Half Marathon. I guess I'll rest after our last training run on April 23! I'm not planning on actually running the race on April 30. I've never liked the course. But I say that every year and wind up running it anyway! It's tough to not be a part of such a large race only 45 minutes from my house.

But, more immediately, I think I'll enjoy the flat Tom King Classic with only about 1500 runners instead of 30,000! But I'm not running it for fun. I'm a woman on a mission! I want a half-marathon PR! Sure, I could have fun while doing it, but we all know going for a PR is fairly serious business. It is a mindset that colors the day. In some races, you are just there to be a part of the festivities or to see a new city or a beautiful park. And some races you are there to see what you are made of, to push your body to the limit, and to ask yourself, "Do I have it today?"

5K Race Report and a Healthy Banana Split Recipe

2011-02-26T15:33:00.006-06:00

This post is a week late-- thank you Reluctant Runner, for the reminder. I ran the ReLove Haiti 5K last Saturday, and I got a PR! I haven't have a 5K PR since a race in August of 2009, when I ran 28:01 in the middle of marathon training. This time I ran an even 27:00, an 8:45 pace. Granted.... the course was a tiny bit short. Garmin showed 3.08, so even if I add in 10 seconds it is still a significant PR. I could have held on to that 8:45 overall pace for another 10 seconds, I'm pretty sure!

It was cold and windy, but very flat. My husband and I did the race together---our first together! We stayed together for almost a half mile, then he backed off a little. He finished in just over 29 minutes, but he runs about 6 miles a month total, so that was AWESOME. He PR'd by about 2 minutes.

I had hoped to PR in the 5K. However, things weren't looking great when I struggled through a 5-mile run on Tuesday and then came down with a stomach virus Tuesday night and Wednesday. On Thursday, I was feeling a little better, but I'd say I wasn't quite 100% on race day. During my warm up, my legs felt very energy-less. But when the gun shot went off, I was flooded with adrenaline and willed myself to run sub-9 minute miles. My first mile was exactly an 8:45 pace. In the 2nd mile, I fell off pace a little and had my slowest mile, but mile 3 was my fastest at 8:42. I flew through the .08 trying to pass another runner (unsuccessfully), but was so happy. Yes, being one second away from anything in the 26-range is a little annoying, but I think I will get it in the next flat 5K. (Note to self: look for another flat 5K race. It's hilly here in Tennessee, so they are few and far between.)

So....... I have had a 1-mile PR in the last month. And a 5K PR in the last month. In two weeks, I will have a half-marathon....... PR???

Today, I ran my last long run, 13.1 at an easy pace of 10:33 overall on a moderately hilly course. It was actually faster than my last half-marathon in September, when I was coming off an injury on an extremely hilly course. I was feeling good up until about 9.5, then it got sort of hard today. I think I ate too little breakfast (a bowl of Special K Proten Plus with a few raisins and coffee). The half-marathon PR time to beat is 2:09:44, a 9:55 pace (though Garmin had me at 9:49 pace that day).

In October, I ran a 10K at a 9:33 overall pace and in November, I ran a 5-miler at a 9:02 pace (big PR there!). Can I run 13.1 at faster than a 9:55 pace?

The race pace calculator at http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/ says I can based on both my recent 5K and 5-miler. It says I should shoot for 9:36 per mile and finish about 2:05:54. Yikes. That sounds hard. That would be a minute faster than every mile today. The good news is that it is another FLAT course. What do you think? Can I do it?

On to my other two favorite topics: Crossfit and Clean Eating!

I have found a new Crossfit group! There is a group of women who meet on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays to do Crossfit. It's $10 per class. I joined them last Tuesday for a very difficult workout and was so glad to not come in last! We did walking lunges for 100 meters carrying between 16 lbs. and 40 lbs. and then sets of 21 burpees for FIVE ROUNDS. Ouch. I estimated I did between 100-150 lunges and counted 105 burpees. I couldn't sit on the toilet comfortably for 3 days. Walking and running were painful. But that's just Crossfit! I also did the warm up with 30 pull ups (unassisted), 30 sit ups, and 30 push ups. My upper body was a little sore, but nothing like my lower body. I had forgotten what a hard Crossfit workout does to me! But I really liked the coach---a fellow preschool mom like me (that's where we met) and already knew 3 of the women in the class. I loved having an all-women group. I don't think I like working out with men. I would have gone back on Thursday, but I teach my YMCA class Strength and Conditioning for Runners at that time. We ran 3 miles and did a mini-crossfit workout that day. This could have impacted my run today, I guess. Maybe that was part of why miles 9.5 to 13 were a struggle.

Speaking of struggles, I have been struggling to stay on the clean eating bandwagon lately. I find myself justifying cheat after cheat. I'm only running about 20 miles per week, so I can't really justify eating extra calories, especially from junk. I have found that PMS wreaks havoc on clean eating. (TMI?) But at other times, I crave the good stuff.

Here is a recipe I LOVED from this month's Clean Eating Magazine:

Healthy Banana Split

1. Cut banana in half lengthwise (of course).
2. Top with Horizon Organic 1% cottage cheese. *It has less sodium than other brands and has less of the typical sour cottage cheese taste.
3. Add one tablespoon of Polander All-Fruit Strawberry Preserves (this brand is sweetened with fruit juice, not sugar. I got the one that is fruit and fiber.)
4. Top with a teaspoon full of chopped macadamia nuts. I got the chopped, no salt ones in the baking section.
*I did sprinkle a tiny bit, maybe a half teaspoon, of vanilla Beverly International Protein Powder on it because it makes everything better.

YUM!

The Minimalist Approach

2011-02-09T13:02:00.002-06:00

I'm taking a very minimalist approach to training lately. No, I don't mean barefoot running, though I do run an occasional 1/4 or 1/2 mile barefooted. I mean minimal miles. I haven't had a week over 20 miles in a while and I'm only a month out from my next half-marathon, where I *hope* to PR.

The last time I had a half-marathon PR, I was running very high mileage, five days a week, but all at a slow pace. This time, I'm running low mileage, only 3 days per week, try to emphasize "quality" on my two short runs during the week, but keep it easy on the long runs on Saturdays. I'm also including strength training for the first time, specifically lower body work with squats and lunges and the like. I'm not lifting heavy, mostly I'm using my own body weight for resistance, with the occasional dumbbell or kettlebell thrown in.

I wonder which approach is better? I suppose I'll find out in a month. Luckily, it is the same course as the last PR race, so I won't be comparing apples to oranges, just high mileage vs. low mileage.

Yesterday, I only had time for two miles, and I set a new one-mile PR. I ran the 2nd mile in 8:17 on the treadmill. Yes, I FINALLY broke 8:30!! I think I could have gone faster, but for the first 1/2 of the mile, I had the treadmill set on 8:27 pace, so I made up a lot of time in the second 1/2, finishing at about a 7:53 pace, which was HARD. I think I might have an 8:00 minute mile in me sometime in the next year. I plan to do a one-mile time trial once a month to find out. Today, I ran a 5 miler with 3 miles at a tempo pace. I ran the last mile at goal half-marathon pace--around 9:48. My previous half-marathon PR was 9:49 pace, so I'd like to beat that by one second, if possible. For the first time in a while, I completed 5 miles on the treadmill without stopping. Usually, I take little breaks to alleviate the monotony, but today, I just ran straight through. It's nice to know I can run 5 miles non-stop on a given day without much sleep (daughter has stomach bug) and with a sinus infection. I think 8 may be my record. I never actually took a walk break on Saturday's 10-miler, but I did stop to tie my shoe and to say hello to people once or twice, so I guess that doesn't count as nonstop.

I'm starting to get a little excitement back about running. The last phase before a race is called the "sharpening" phase. I'm definitely there. I hope to have some good quality miles over the next 3 weeks, going into taper for the race. I'm running a 5K next Saturday, Feb. 19, and I'd love to see a PR there. Hopefully, it will all sort of snowball--- a one-mile PR sets the stage for a 5K PR, which sets the stage for a strong half-marathon.

My injury is showing improvement for the first time in a while. It still aches if I sit for a long time, but it is bothering me less and less during and after runs. Hallelujah! If all it takes is less sitting, that is no problem!

I have taken the marathon off my TO DO list for this spring. There is no way I can be ready for a marathon in 8 weeks with only a 10-mile long run and running less than 20 miles per week. Last Saturday, I felt a lot of fatigue in those last 2 or 3 miles, so I know my body is just not adapted right now for really long distances. My mid-week miles have literally been only 2-4 miles at a time, and for a marathon, you need some pretty long week day runs, too. It is actually with relief that I let it go.

Self-Treating My Injury on a Budget (a.k.a. You Tube is my physical therapist)

2011-02-01T11:36:00.007-06:00

I had a blue Monday yesterday-- the kind of day where you just want to sleep and eat. I felt sad, blah, and had no energy. I don't know when my body started requiring TWO rest days after a semi-longish run on Saturday (7 miles, 5 at tempo pace of 9:58), but it seems I'm there. (It's 40, I tell you!) My left leg hurt on both Sunday and Monday after Saturday's run and I was devoid of energy. I'm eating more carbs than I was---some whole grain bread, oatmeal or oat bran, rice crackers, occasional white potatoes--but still would classify myself as low to moderate carb compared to the SAD (standard American diet). The Paleo folks would say I'm struggling to recover from my longer runs because of the grains in my diet most likely. I would respond that I tried no grains and for me it equalled no energy.

I think I have finally figured out why my left leg hurts. On the Crossfit Mobility Workout of the Day video the other day, the coach mentioned having a high hamstring strain and then went on to describe it and show an exercise to stretch the hamstring pre-workout to prevent said injury.
It sounded exactly like my injury. After consulting several Internet docs, I have concluded it is not my piriformis at all, but my hamstring. I have either a hamstring strain or a neural hamstring. It spasms and aches often: during runs, after runs, when I'm sitting in my car, when I'm sitting at the computer working. So what's a runner on a budget to do? Get on You Tube for some physical therapy advice, of course!

Running is my therapy, and now You Tube is my physical therapist! I'm cheap that way.

I actually searched "hamstring strain stretches" or something like that. This very nice lady who appears to be a physical therapist (or pseudo-physical therapist?) posted two stretches for the hamstring. I liked how she told me to, "Stretch into the pain, then out of the pain." They were somewhat ballistic stretches---not really bouncing, but just held for a second or two and released, then repeated. I've been doing them plus the Crossfit guy's stretch for about 3 days now. I have also tried massage (my husband does this for free, but he's not really a masseuse) and a product like Icy Hot. I have used my big pink foam roller. (I have The Stick, but I haven't tried it yet.) So far...... I can't really see a difference. That's what I get for self-treating an injury on a budget!

Sunday was the one-month mark of the injury. Maybe that is why I was blue on Monday. And no, I haven't actually gone to a real doctor. I hesitate to go to a doc and then they order an MRI and 4 weeks of physical therapy..... I wind up paying a bunch out of pocket because I have crappy insurance. So, I'm going to stick to self-treating and You Tube physical therapy. I mean, it's only running. Well, and sitting.

One thing I learned at various websites is that running through this is ok as long as it's not too painful. It helps scar tissue not to build up and decrease the range of motion permanently. Stretching is good except when it's really hurting--then stretching just makes it mad. Even some squats and light straight-leg deadlifts are good for strengthening it. I miss Crossfit, but it's so hard core, I can't go back to the box (the nifty slang name for a Crossfit gym) just yet.

I wonder if I should just take like a month off from running and exercising? Nah. I think this is just one of those minor injuries you run through. Plus, I'm committed to long runs each Saturday as I train 9 folks for the Country Music Half Marathon and Tom King Classic Half Marathon who have already paid the YMCA a bunch of money for me to be their coach. And there's the little matter of the Thursday morning class Strength and Conditioning for Runners that I teach at the Y, too. Rest really isn't an option.

BONUS MATERIAL:
Thanks for continuing to read! Here is a recipe for HOMEMADE PROTEIN BARS that was inspired by a local nutrition trainer in my town named Nicole Spitzack. I've modified a few things from her original recipe, but I do owe her lots of credit.

1 jar almond butter (I used Emerald brand and mixed half crunchy and half creamy)
1 cup chocolate protein powder (good with Muscle Milk chocolate)
1 cup quick oats (Just plain Quaker oats)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs. almonds (sliced works better than slivers)
1 tsp ground flax seed (optional)
1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil

Mix all that together. Smoosh (the technical term) into a small casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to one week. They are what my husband calls "healthy good." Don't expect brownies or anything!

Recovery Days Make Me Stronger

2011-01-26T19:42:00.005-06:00

On my high after the good 8-miler on Saturday, I decided to do a slow, easy three-or-four-miles on Sunday. Being 40 and a half, I usually take a day off after a long run. But I was feeling so happy and hopeful, I thought I'd knock out a few more miles. My left leg was feeling good....until that Sunday run. After two incredibly slow miles, I realized my leg was bothering me. And I was out of energy! I tried adopting a run/walk ratio of 4:1, but I never made it the four. My muscles were just exhausted. I also happened to be a mile from home. It was a chilly walk back! Going from running to walking allows your body temperature to drop fairly dramatically. It was about 38-40 degrees, but it felt colder in my sweaty sports bra and base layer. I also noticed I was starving. The whole walk back, I was thinking about cottage cheese topped with blueberries and sprinkled with Beverly International vanilla protein powder, my favorite.

How to tell you are not fully recovered from a long run by the next day:
1. You have zero energy. Your legs feel dead, or at the very least asleep.
2. You are starving. Plus, if you are craving protein, it's your muscles yelling, "Feed me!!"
3. You try to run, and you are overcome with several aches and pains.
4. You are over 40. :-) Seriously, folks, from what I can see, it's all downhill after 40. I've spent most of my 40th year either injured or recovering from an injury. But, hey, that's just me.

I had some food and then did about 40 minutes of yoga to try to stretch out that sore piriformis/hamstring area. Note to self: Yoga only makes an inflamed, painful piriformis angrier. I got a clue and took Monday as a rest day from running. I did do a mini-Crossfit workout on Monday evening involving some sumo deadlift highpulls, push ups, and cleans. I have found that for me, a mini-Crossfit (meaning lighter weights, fewer reps) workout works better than going to the Crossfit gym and making myself so sore I can't walk for four days. Not that I wasn't sore! My quads and inner thighs were definitely feeling the highpulls yesterday and today. But it wasn't debilitating soreness, which is a good thing!

Tuesday was a crosstraining day---a whopping 15 minutes of rowing after a 5-minute warm up on the arc trainer. I did a few upper body strength exercises including pull ups. No running though. I finally ran today and it actually went ok! I managed 3 sub-10 minute miles. Again, it's a start. Still hurt afterward, but felt ok during.

I ran my miles at 9:46, 9:29, and 9:24 with some walking in between. Best case scenario: my half-marathon in 43 days would have miles at this pace! It felt good to practice that pace.

Next week, I won't be messing with my recovery day!

Hope Springs....at 16 Degrees

2011-01-22T20:06:00.004-06:00

Today I had the first good run in a month. I ate bread this week! I had rice! I had spaghetti! I ate like a normal runner!

I ate clean for the most part, but not Paleo/Primal and it made a HUGE DIFFERENCE. The bread was Ezekiel sprouted bread--the English muffins are excellent, the sandwich bread.... not so much. The rice was inside sushi, so it wasn't whole grain and not technically "clean eating," but overall fairly healthy (well, as far as fried shrimp and full-fat cream cheese are healthy---the seaweed makes up for it, right?). The best part was the spicy crab on top--Yum! I had plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (kale, anyone? I have a superb recipe for sauteed kale with red pepper flakes and garlic---I call it Krispy Kale and even my 4-year old loves it), a few whole grains, lowfat dairy, healthy fat via avocado and nuts, and lean meat. I would call it moderate carb rather than high carb, but it worked.

I met up with about 12 other people, including 3 whom I am training for a half-marathon at 8:00 a.m. this morning. IT WAS 16 DEGREES!!! That may not sound like much to some of you, but I live in the South, people, and it's just not supposed to be that cold! We got snow on Thursday and missed our 5th snow day (already) on Friday, but the roads were scraped enough for us to run outside this morning. I had 8 miles on the training plan, and I ended up with 8.3 from doubling back occasionally to check on runners. The overall average pace was 10:31, much better from last week where I died a slow death in miles 6-9.

Have you heard the expression, "There's no bad running weather, just poor clothing choices" or something similar? Well, today, I put that into action. I wore 13 items of clothing on this run including double socks, double gloves, fleece tights with pants on top, 2 shirts and a fleece, plus the usual undies, scarf, ear warmer. Overkill, you say? I say JUST RIGHT. I could not feel my feet for the first two miles, then the feeling returned (thank goodness). It was windy and even in mile 8, I was still slightly chilled, especially my face. It was a balmy 24 degrees at the end. Thank goodness for the sunshine. That helped more than anything.

But, most importantly, nutrition and weather aside, I felt like a runner again---even (dare I say it??) a "healthy" runner. My piriformis didn't hurt during the run, even when I was pushing the pace at sub-10 minute miles for a few miles. I fully went out planning an easy 11-minute pace, then a neighbor showed up who had just completed his first full marathon, and I found myself falling into step with him, even though he was going faster than I wanted to. The five miles I ran with him were at my tempo pace, and the 3 I did alone were more my normal pace. The minute I stopped running and sat down in my car, however, my piriformis reared it's ugly head with a spasm down my left leg. But, (here's the hopeful part) it only hurt AFTER the run instead of both during AND after the run. I'm calling that PROGRESS. :-)

An Experiment of One (or "Oh, My Aching Butt")

2011-01-16T16:27:00.004-06:00

My running buddies are always ragging on me for trying new things: clean eating, paleo diet, primal diet, crossfit, and the list goes on......

I do read and research a lot and when something makes sense, I try it on myself before passing it on to the athletes I coach. (I am a RRCA running coach currently coaching 6 individuals for their first half marathon through my local YMCA.)

But lately, nothing seems to be working all that well for me. About February or March, I started Tosca Reno's Clean Eating plan. The biggest rules are no white sugar, no white flour, and foods as close as possible to their natural form. If you read the ingredient list and cannot pronounce it, don't eat it. That actually went fine for me. I maintained a steady weight. I still allowed myself "cheats"---it was more of a lifestyle change where I ate healthy about 70% of the time. I did have a great marathon in February, but that was before I embraced clean eating.

The next several months were tainted by a calf injury and a couple of physical therapists telling me various lower body parts were weak, despite my running 30 miles per week. So, I added some body-weight strength training to my workouts (lunges, squats, etc.) My next experiment was to do Crossfit for a month to continue to get stronger. I was sooooo sore that it disrupted my quality of life at times, but I had my fastest race time in a while in week 3. I ran 5 miles at a 9:02 pace fairly comfortably, which I'd never done before. So, maybe it works.

However, in a crossfit activity done by myself about two weeks ago involving 80 thrusters with 40lbs of weights, I think I injured myself. My piriformis/hamstring/sciatic nerve have not been the same since. Running now hurts and I'm scared to do much in the way of lower body strength training. Basically, my butt muscle cramps up terribly when I run long distances or sit in a chair and the pain runs down the back of my left leg through my hamstring. Awesome.

Before Christmas, I committed to eating even cleaner--- in paleo/primal way. I did well with it. The hardest thing is eliminating grains of all kinds---including whole grains. That means no bread, no wraps, no brown rice. Since I've been low carbing it for about 5 weeks, my runs have gone even further downhill. Now I have the combination of no energy and heavy legs to go with my aching butt.

My last two long runs have just plain sucked. The butt cramping started around mile five. Then, after about mile 6, I just felt like I hit a wall. My legs felt like they 200 lbs. Each. I felt worse yesterday in miles 7-9 than I did in miles 20-26 last February.

I think with the right stretching, rest, and maybe a few sports massages or physical therapy visits, I can get the pain under control.

But this lack of energy on long runs? It HAS to be my body telling me I need more carbohydrates. I've eaten so much fruit, tons of veggies, and I just can't figure out how to get that energy in my muscles back. I've read there is a "breaking in" period for low carb and that it gets better in about a month, but it's been about a month and I have a half-marathon in 3 weeks. Do I continue with this EXPERIMENT OF ONE eating Primal/Paleo with no bread or rice or oatmeal (ok, I admit I cheat with oatmeal sometimes) or go back to a regular "clean" diet that includes those foods in moderation????

Pool Running 101

2011-01-11T09:02:00.005-06:00

I had my first pool run or "aqua jog" on Sunday. It was kind of fun and different. I like different!

Steps to pool running:

1. Decide that your (insert injured part here) is too sore for normal running, but you are too anal about following your training plan to miss a run.

2. Apply at least one coat of self tanner to take the glare off your glow-in-the-dark pale legs. No need to subject the pool community to that.

3. Don a conservative mom-style swimsuit. Mine was a skirted tankini. This is no time for a bikini!

4. Since not drowning is a priority, put on a flotation belt and hop in the deep end. First-timers shouldn't try to run without one. More experienced pool runners can actually float and run and not drown at the same time.

5. Imagine you are running and start churning those legs and swinging those arms. Stay upright. Resist the urge to start dog paddling or treading water (and you will have these urges). You may travel from side to side of the pool or stay in place, depending on your form. I was going back and forth across the pool---unintentionally.

6. The first 3 minutes take FOR-E-VER. After that, time only passes at about a 60% slower rate than usual.

7. After a good warmup of 10-20 minutes and when you are bored with watching the pool folk and lifeguards do their things, try some INTERVALS. Luckily there was a clock with a second hand in view. I started counting the steps of my right foot (because I'm right-legged, of course!). I knew that around 180 steps per minute is considered "ideal" in regular running counting both feet, so 90 steps should be ideal for just one foot. I counted my steps for one minute..... 66. Perhaps I was actually aqua-walking??

8. Pick up the pace for 30 seconds. It took me 3 tries, but I finally got to 45 steps in a 30-second "sprint," thus at the "ideal" pace. It was tough--it really felt like a 90% -95% sprint effort. I recovered for one minute at about a 75-76 steps-per-minute pace between these 30 second sprints. Suddenly, time was FLYING.

9. Using your usual easy, long-run pace, estimate how many "miles" you traveled. My marathon pace is around an 11-minute mile, so I aqua jogged for 33 minutes. I'm counting it as 3 miles on my training log.

Next time, I think I'll take a friend!

Ouch..... Re-evaluating the marathon?

2011-01-10T09:44:00.005-06:00

This is totally one of those "thinking-out-loud" posts where I'm trying to work through some stuff. Bear with me.

So, I'm in marathon #3 training week 6 (I think) and things are not going exactly as planned. My 11-miler scheduled for Saturday turned into a ....... 5-miler.

My left leg is not cooperating. The pain starts in my butt (piriformis) and travels down the back of my leg, behind my knee and occasionally into my calf. I think my sciatic nerve runs from buttock to heel, so it may be involved. (You got to love an arm-chair doc like myself!) I haven't gone to the doc..... yet.

Note: That's not really my butt. :-)

I'll have to look back at my training log on Daily Mile, but I think it started when I did a Crossfit workout a week or two ago. I did around 80 thrusters (or squats with push press at the top... not sure which since they are so similar) holding 40 lbs of weight. It was a Tabata interval, so it was quick and dirty. A couple of days later, I noticed my behind and hamstring hurting when sitting at the computer. Then that Saturday on my 10-miler, it really bugged me. It hurt after about 4 miles, but I refused to stop and stretch because my goal was to run 8 miles nonstop (which I did--- in pain).

I took a few days easy, stretched, foam-rolled and felt better. Then I did a fairly hard circuit workout last Thursday of a 6.5 mile run with about 30 kettlebell swings and 45 walking lunges holding the 20# kettlebell. Again, after about mile 4 or 5 of 6.5, it felt off. I rested on Friday, and then Saturday had a windchill of 11, so I moved my long run indoors. I only made it 5 miles on the treadmill (including stopping and stretching and running incredibly slow) before calling it quits.

I spent the rest of the day depressed and comforting myself with bad food. That night hubby and I had a date night at the movies, and I ate my weight in popcorn (for dinner) and started to feel a little better. We saw The Fighter. It was gritty, raw, and perfect for the way I was feeling. Somehow, it was cathartic seeing the struggles that athlete went through before triumphing over adversity. I love me a good "triumph-over-adversity" movie, especially based on a true story.

I have finally gotten to the point where I don't base my identity on how well or poorly my runs are going. I got there last summer when I was injured and realized, "I'm MORE than a runner." It's strange how running can be so all-encompassing those first few years. Now, I consider myself an athletic person in general. I really enjoy weight training (even though it apparently does NOT agree with me) and cross training. Rowing is awesome, and I'm saving for a road bike for next summer. I like getting stronger---"real" push ups and pull ups are so empowering. Last week I did some decline push ups and felt like a rock star (my feet were up on a bench--not that much harder, honestly) and my pull ups are coming along as well--I can do more good form ones than I could two months ago.

Despite my identity being firmer, it's just DEPRESSING when you are training for a marathon and you miss several short runs plus a long run and your leg hurts for 2 weeks. It makes the marathon feel out of reach-- like you'll never get caught up. I am missing miles of training that I really need to have a good performance during the race. And what if the injury gets better but flares up dring the race? Yikes---26.2 in pain does not sound pleasant. The marathon is in 12 weeks and I'm only at a max of 20 miles per week (last week and those last ones really hurt!). That's really not where I need to be.

It may be time to re-evaluate.

Old Year, New Year

2011-01-01T15:52:00.005-06:00

2010 in a Nutshell
798.95 miles run
1 four-month calf-strain that would not go away (June-September)--aka My First Running Injury
1 full marathon at a 10:55 pace in February (very happy with that!)
2 half-marathons (both disappointments---one in April when not fully recovered from the full and one coming off the injury in September on only a 9-mile long run--ran them nearly at marathon pace--10:45 and 10:47 per mile)
2 10K's-- almost the same pace on each--9:35, 9:33. One was right after the full and one coming off the injury
3 5K's--- May, October, and October -- the best one was immediately pre-injury at a 9:05 pace
One great 8K in November to end the year. I was so happy to run 5 miles at a 9:02 pace! It was my fastest run of the year.

Goals for 2011
I want to get some 8's in those stats! Like an 8:55 or faster paced 5K. Maybe an 8:00 minute mile time trial. A 2:08 or less half-marathon.
I'd like to improve my full marathon time to under 4:45. Even 4:44:59 will do. Note: It is HARD to focus on improving both my shortest distance and my longest distance at the same time. My full is in April. After a good recovery, I hope to concentrate on my 5K goal. In the meantime, maybe in can squeeze in a good 2:08 half marathon or two.

Marathon #3, Week 1

2010-12-19T17:13:00.002-06:00

Somehow I find myself training for a marathon. How did that happen???? I've been doing little running over the past few months, just concentrating on building back up the speed I lost when I was injured. This week I started focusing more on mileage than speed. I logged 18 slow miles. I also did 3 Crossfit-style short strength workouts on my own. I even crosstrained a bit. Plus, I'm living la vida low carb. It's no wonder my bottom was dragging on my 9-miler yesterday!

I have yet to figure out the BALANCE with all of this. I'm trying to run 3-4 days a week. One of those days will be my speed day and contain a few sprints or intervals. I don't want to lose what speed I've gained back. One or two will just be easy miles. Then I'll do my long run of the week. Mixed into all that will be a couple or three strength workouts--- functional, full body movements like burpees or push ups/pull ups. I also don't want to lose what strength I've gained over the past 6 weeks with Crossfit. I really enjoy those types of workouts---not so much the Olympic lifts like cleans, deadlifts, etc., but the high intensity interval activities. And for the most part, I can do them in my home gym or my garage.

All of this on no or very little bread! I discovered that I had become a carb-addict. Like many runners, I was just living on tons of carbohydrates. I was starting to carry a bit of weight in my stomach (carbs will do that!) and was always hungry. I'd have terrible mood swings when I was hungry. I had difficulty building muscle. For a month or so, I have been following a Paleo-style diet with carbs coming from fruits and vegetables. I eat plenty of eggs and meat and seafood. I eat almost no processed foods and little sugar. Other than my morning oatmeal, my days are pretty much grain-free, including pasta. I do have a "cheat" meal or two per week---especially Mexican! However, I've also given up beans and rice. The beans never really, ahm, agreed with me anyway.

I have read about 6 books on this type of diet: Good Calories, Bad Calories, The Primal Blueprint, The No-Grain Diet, Paleo for Athletes and it all makes sense. I've also spent numerous hours on blogs and websites reading up. If you want to look into it, read Mark Sisson's blog at www.marksdailyapple.com or Robb Wolf's blog. There's also a Pa Nu blog (Google it), which is a slightly different take on the Paleo/Primal diet with the allowance of dairy. Crossfit advocates tend to follow this type of diet. I find myself searching for what will work best for me---somewhat of a cross between Paleo Lite, Primal, and clean eating.

Is it working? I dunno. I sure didn't have much energy on my run yesterday. However, I didn't drink any Gatorade or take a gel---it was water-only for 9 miles. I didn't carb load with bananas or apples like I could have the day before. It's just really tricky. I am seeing my abs for the first time (who knew they were under there?), so I think I've maybe reduced a little body fat. (You know you can be "skinny fat?" You might wear a size 4 or 6, but your body fat can be at an unhealthy level. And a lot of runners are skinny fat.)

I keep reading that 80% of body composition is diet and only 20% is exercise. However, I'm pretty sure completing a marathon in four months is 80% training and 20% diet! :-)

Running Amok

2010-12-01T16:41:00.003-06:00

Tired. Very, very tired. Yesterday, I completed my 30 days of Crossfit. (I should post a before and after picture, ha ha.) I didn't think to weigh myself on day one or anything, so I have little to compare. Oh well. At this point, I'm backing off Crossfit a bit and dropping down to only 1 visit per week because my running is about to ramp up again. Luckily, they offer 5 visits for $49, and with the holiday coming up, I'm pretty sure about once a week is enough.

I have, however, joined in on a Crossfit challenge to row 100,000 meters by Christmas. My real goal is get as far as I can toward 100,000 meters.... maybe 75,000. I would have to row 3700 meters every single day between now and Christmas to make it. Let's be real here, people! I do enjoy rowing, but I've rowed 14,000 meters over the last three days. I think I have rowers elbow!

I like challenges though! Honestly, 3700 meters is only 20-21 minutes worth of rowing at an easy pace. But, my new half marathon group is starting soon, and I've got to get my mileage back up a bit. I still plan to do CF twice a week, run 3 days per week, and hopefully have 2 rest days. Not sure where rowing 3700 meters per day fits in there!

Five folks came to my Tom King Classic Half Marathon team meeting on Monday night. They are all five new to half-marathoning. The race is pancake flat---the only flat race around---so it's perfect for beginners. I'm excited for them to begin their training. There are two more weeks of sign ups, but I'm happy with 5 runners if the YMCA is happy with that few. I do LOVE MY JOB coaching. It's amazing to see someone build up from a 4 or 5 mile long run to double digits, then finally to accomplish 13.1 miles. I think the day we do 10 for the first time is my favorite, next to race day. Ten miles seems so insurmountable (even if you just ran 9 miles the week before). But it's not. I just want to get them (and myself) to the starting line healthy! I'd love to get a personal best in that race or the one a month before, but that means a little more running than the 10-11 miles per week I've been doing!

I ran 3.3 today. That's something. I'm planning 3-5 tomorrow and a whopping 7 on Saturday. Very soon, I'll be doing those double digit runs again. I think I've missed them. I haven't done double digits since 13.1 on September 25. It's good to be healthy and excited about running again!

Crossfit = Faster Running! Who Knew? Turkey Trot 8K report

2010-11-20T11:50:00.002-06:00

Ok, I have been crossfitting for about 20 days. I do it about 2 or 3 days per week for strength training. I have only been running 3 days per week, and only about a total of 10 miles per week. This morning I ran the Turkey Trot 8K in my hometown.

My A goal was to run it under 47 minutes. That was a best case scenario. I finished in 45:10! That's a 9:02 pace. Crazy! My last 5K two months ago was a 9:30 pace (very hilly). I ran a 10K at a 9:33 pace just a month ago. Running 5 miles at a 9:02 pace is a HUGE gain for me. My BEST 5K pace ever is a 9:01 at the peak of my fitness in the middle of marathon training. I was logging 25-30 miles a week back then.

I have been running a few all-out sprints per week. I've been doing 2-mile tempo runs, too. Today, a 9 minute pace felt oddly comfortable. That is highly unusual! Granted, it was a totally flat course. You gotta love flat!

If I can avoid injury and keep up these workouts, I hope to PR a half marathon in February. I'd love to run a flat 5K to see what I could do there as well. It's nice to be moving in this direction for a change. :-)

I Survived One Week of Crossfit!

2010-11-06T19:48:00.002-05:00

So, after I wrote the last post, the DOMS set in--delayed onset muscle soreness. It got progressively worse the next day, but I went back for workout #2. It was BRU-TAL! I had to do 2 rounds of the following warm up (which is a whole workout in itself):
10 pull ups
10 push ups
10 sit ups
10 sqauats
10 tricep dips
10 good mornings (a hamstring stretch)
Row 250 meters

Since my whole body was sore in new and unusual places, I was unsure how this workout was going to go. I made it through the warmup before getting my assigment of sprinting 200 meters and 15 burpees X 4. I took off at a decent little sprint and dropped right there on the pavement (as instructed) for my burpees. Google "burpees" if you don't know what they are. They are not as easy as they look! After about 10 burpees, my arms were on fire. I squeaked out my 10 and headed off for my "sprint." It's in quotes because the sprinting with the legs that had just finished burpees was kind of more of a limp/shuffle. So, after 200 meters of limp/shuffling, I had to do 15 more burpees. Before that, it seemed kind of impossible, but suddenly I realized I was half way done. Thank goodness I have a running background, because I was able to do that part on autopilot and almost recover a little between the burpee sets. I finally finished. The fun part is it was timed, and it took me just over 11 minutes. That would be 11 minutes of pure hell! Whew! My hands were all scraped and raw from the pavement. My heart rate was most certainly elevated for those 11 minutes. That's the point of Crossfit---get strong, go HARD, finish quickly. With the warm up and everything, I was out of there in 25 minutes. That was good since I was paying a sitter!

I was so sore the next day, I almost decided to quit this Crossfit thing. I felt like it was affecting my quality of life. There was no way I felt like running the next day, much less cooking, cleaning, laundry, or loving on my husband! I took a day of total rest and had recovered enough to teach my class on Thursday at the Y. After the soreness got better and I had a good 4-mile run on Thursday, I decided to head back to Crossfit on Friday.

This time, I did 3 rounds of the warm up and the WOD (workout of the day) was 10 walking lunges carrying a 20 lb. dumbbell and 15 overhead swings with that same 20 lb. dumbbell. Again, it was timed, but this time the workout was done in 5:45. Wow, that is a quick workout! Yes, I was breathing hard the entire time, my legs were shaky and weak by the end, but in just over 20 minutes, I was DONE. I felt good afterward. That is, until my friend DOMS came to visit about mid-day today. Yikes. My booty and legs are really sore along with my right shoulder.

I eeked out a 3 miler this afternoon. It's hard to run on sore muscles.

I don't know where this experiment in crossfitting is going to take me. I'm just along for the ride!

Clean Eating and Cross Fit

2010-11-01T18:35:00.003-05:00

Do you ever feel like you need more in your fitness life than running? For three years, running was The Bomb. Over time, I ran farther and faster and it was (mostly) all good. I was proud of my accomplishments and proud of my newfound athleticism after a lifetime of uncoordinated couch potato-ness. Thirty miles a week? No problem. Eat whatever I want? Of course---I just ran 30 miles this week!

But somewhere a long the way it became less about just seeing where running would take me and more about being well-rounded, healthy, fit and STRONG. An ATHLETE, not a runner only. I decided to start with eating like an athlete. So, I read Tosca Reno's book on clean eating and a few websites. I picked up a Clean Eating Magazine. I tried to concentrate on putting good things into my body--mostly natural, whole foods. I'm not perfect at it, but I'm making progress!

Now, I'm a little obsessed with building MUSCLE. I want to get stronger. I had the goal a while back of doing a pull up--just one (I set my goals LOW apparently). I worked hard and did it. Today I did 12! I've added squats and lunges to my regular routine as well. Allegedly, the building of muscle will actually help my running. Win-win.

But I've been floundering a little with the strength training. I can't seem to get into a regular routine. I fit it in maybe once a week. I don't know good form from bad form on lots of weight-training exercises. Those big bars and plates intimidate me! (So I use dumbbells instead--less scary!) I knew I was in need of a little guidance. I started thinking about Cross Fit. I have seen the website and several of the videos. I didn't feel strong enough to even try it for the longest time. These past 3 or 4 months, I have actually started integrating some Cross Fit moves into my routine on occasion so I wouldn't have to start at zero.

Today I walked in the Cross Fit gym near my house and signed up for one month! After that, I may continue to go to that gym or I may just do it on my own at the YMCA once I've learned proper form. Let me just say it was the most INTENSE workout I've ever had. I gave 100% or close to it today. I've had a few races this intense, but never a total body workout like this.

They gave me my initial test today. I had to run 400 meters as fast as I could and row 500 meters as fast as I could. I had to do the following for 5 minutes or up to 100 reps (whichever came first): sit ups, pull ups, squats, push ups. I was happy with how I did overall:

Run 400 m. 1:46 (7:08 pace)
Row 500 m. 2:09 My form is awful. My trainer kept correcting me. I felt so awkward. I know this will get better when I get my form down. Rowing. Is. Hard. And I did it last. Whew!
Push Ups 54 Didn't make it to 100. I did 20 nonstop and then did 3 or 4 between rest breaks. Total muscle failure! My shoulders quit functioning. A year ago I did the 100 Push Up Challenge and did 107 in under 5 minutes. Not today!
Sit Ups 100 in 4:44
Squats 100 in 3:17 LOW squats --much lower and harder than I normally do. My quads and glutes will be SCREAMING at me tomorrow.
Pull Ups 12! Yes, it took me 5 minutes to do 12 good form pull ups. I really only did 11 good ones, but she gave me that last sucky one. My normal pull ups are apparently "cheat" pull ups--I was not straightening my arms all the way on the down. Today, she had me get off the bar completely for each one. So, I had to jump up to a bar about a foot above my fingertips to start each one.

I'm going back tomorrow for more---if my arms and legs are still functional!

HERE'S THE GET-FITTER PLAN:

Cross fit 3 days per week (it includes short bursts of running 400 meters many days)
Running 2 days per week---a short 3-4 miles and a longer run of 6-10 depending on what I'm training for
Rest two days per week. I am 40 now, you know!

10K + 5K = 15K! Race Report

2010-10-23T10:17:00.003-05:00

If you do a 10K and 30 minutes later do a 5K, does that still count as a 15K?

I finished the 10K in about 59:36 (a 9:33 average pace on my Garmin), but I think my official time may be closer to 59:45 because I started my watch a little late. 6.24 miles The last .24 was a 7:49 pace---almost exactly like my 400 meter intervals on Thurs! I rarely do intervals and on Thursday did 3 X 400 meters, and the first two were a surprising 7:49 pace, but the last one was more like an 8:15. I'm glad that 7:49 pace practice came in handy for the last 1/4 mile! I guess it's true that intervals "wake up" your fast twitch muscles. Mine have been kind of hibernating. :-) I enjoyed a Gu Roctane Pineapple during the race---1/2 right before and then 1/2 at mile 3. That is a yummy flavor, by the way. I got it at Dick's Sporting Goods for FREE with a $10 coupon they'd sent me for having a rewards card.

Then I had a little 30 minute break and 1/2 an orange. Got out there for the 5K and ran fairly easy, walked 3 or 4 times. I ran the first 1.5 solid, but that 10K was catching up to me. I started letting myself take 30 second breaks about every 5 minutes in that last 1.5. It was just a cool down anyway---no pressure. I was hoping to finish under 33 minutes, and I did! I finished in 31:57, a 10:15 pace. Beautiful course, beautiful day!

*It's interesting that my 5K pace two weeks ago was 9:30 and felt really hard, but today my average was 9:33 in the 10K and it felt ok. The main difference was all the hills in that other race. Today was mostly flat. Maybe 2 or 3 hills in the 10K and 1 in the 5K. It may also help that I have been trying to do some slightly faster tempo-type running.

Today's ADVENTURE in running was a good one! It was not my fastest 5K or 10K, but it was a great day! There is nothing like feeling good and happy throughout a run!

Vacation Miles (and Miles of Seafood)

2010-10-16T21:25:00.006-05:00

I have been at the beach this past week for fall break. It has been a wonderful time with my kiddos (when they were not fighting and were semi-cooperating) and my husband.

I tried to counteract all the food I've eaten and my pina coloda a day by exercising my butt off!

On the trip down, I did squats and lunges during bathroom breaks. I ran 7 miles one day, 5 miles another, and 4.5 today. I have walked and walked and walked on the beach. (At least 6 miles walking.) I rode the exercise bike in the home gym 8 miles. I did some weights and pull ups. And I'm still up about 5 pounds! But let me tell you what all I ate!

It was UGLY. I basically had a TOUR O' THE SEA--South Alabama style (read deep fried with french fries and coleslaw on the side). I started the first day with a fried grouper sandwich. Throughout the week, I added fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, crab cakes (fried), fried shrimp again, gumbo, fried oysters, blackened mahi mahi (twice), and crab in a Gorgonzola cheese sauce. Then there was the pizza (veggie at least), pasta, tirimisu, and some brownie/ice cream thing with a Kahlua sauce. It's making me sick (and a little sad) just thinking about it.

But at least when I ran, I ran hard for at least a few of the miles. I ran a few under 10-minute miles and some at 10-10:05. That's hard for me these days.

I'm REALLY going to work on the nutrition side of things IMMEDIATELY. I'm reading a book called The Paleo Diet in the car on the way home tomorrow (penance?). It's about eating whole foods---meat, fresh veggies---rather than processed foods including grains, dairy, and basic junk. I want to have a body that is healthy and strong (it is NOT about being skinny) and yet I put crap into it. I want to build more lean muscle and run faster. I know theoretically what to do in terms of strengthening my posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, calves) to not die on hills anymore and get faster, but I really have been RUNNING TO EAT. Are you like that? I feel like I can eat anything I want as long as I run 15-20 miles a week. But I'm 40 now. That's not going to work for long as my metabolism slows down. I think muscle and the right nutrition will be key.

Anyway, the best part of running this vacay was the run I least felt like doing---today, on our last day. I woke up tired, irritable, and with tired and irritable kids. My husband drove us all over to Gulf State Park (about 2 miles away) and let me out. He proceeded to entertain the kids for the next 50 minutes at a playground while I explored on foot. I ran down unfamiliar roads and trails amongst strangers and wildlife.

I felt better within minutes. There was just one problem:

Seriously, what kind of idiot needs to be TOLD this???? It was a great run.

I'm dreading the 10+ hour drive home (with all our stops) tomorrow. But we really enjoyed this fall break.

The Trouble with 5K's

2010-10-09T15:06:00.005-05:00

In my brief three years of running experience, I've run races of several different distances--- 3.1 miles, 5 miles, 6.22 miles, 13.1 miles, and 26.2 miles. Different amounts of HURT go along with each one. You'd think 26.2 and 13.1 would be the hurtiest (yes, I made that word up), but they are not.

No distance hurts quite as much as a 5K.

In a marathon, you get to run at your COMFORTABLE PACE for about 5 hours (if you are me). As long as you are in motion, you are pretty much on pace. You can take occasional walk breaks, walk through water stops, walk up the hills, have a snack, and you are STILL on pace. If you have an aggressive time goal, you can push it just a little, but not too much. (I suppose if you were trying to qualify for Boston, you would push it A LOT, but that's not even something I let myself dream about.)

In a half-marathon, you run at your SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE pace for 2 + hours (again, if you are me). There are times that you even grow kind of comfortable with that slightly uncomfortable pace. I think these are perhaps still my favorite distance to race. You feel like you REALLY accomplished something at the end, but training doesn't take over your life and recovery doesn't take 4-6 weeks (or longer) like a marathon. You can walk during the water stops for 15-20 seconds and still feel like you are racing a half-marathon.

Then there are 10K's. This is, for me, where the "pain zone" starts. A 10K is pretty much uncomfortable for nearly an hour. I'd call that my DEFINITELY UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT MANAGEABLE pace. In a 10K, my goal is usually not to walk, while my body is screaming, "Can't we walk.... just a little bit.... for a few seconds??" But I try to trudge on. The middle miles are the worst. In miles 3 and 4, if I let my mind wander, it wanders me right off pace! After 4 miles, a 10K is no longer fun (if it ever was), and those last two miles are brutal. I think the KEY with a 10K is to run smart, run even splits, and to hang on for dear life in those last two miles!

Finally, there is the 5K. I think 5K's are supposed to be fun. (Aren't they all?) But you are basically asking your body to run at your VERY UNCOMFORTABLE pace for 3 miles. For me, I never quite catch my breath in a 5K. I probably sound like I'm hyperventilating to the other runners around me. I don't let myself walk (or mentally beat myself up if I do). My body sends danger signals to my brain, and all this negative self talk starts up, "I can't maintain this pace for two more miles. I'm going to flame out. I am a terrible runner." I don't know why the negative self-talk rears its ugly head in 5K races, but it does. The only good thing about a 5K is that it's over relatively quickly. I love getting past that 1.55 mark on my watch and knowing I'm more than half-way there.

I ran a very hilly 5K this morning. It was in the top 2 or 3 most difficult courses I've run. It was the APSU Homecoming 5K--my alma mater. I ran it as a fitness test to see how much speed I've lost with all the time off this summer. My base line was a 5K in May two weeks before my calf strain. I ran that one in 28:10, and it was a moderately hilly course. I ran it two weeks after finishing a half marathon in almost the exact time as the one I did two weeks ago. I thought there were enough similarities to give me a good test of where I am now.

I really gave this 5K my all, and I finished in 29:30. Yes, the hills might have been a factor, but I've basically lost almost a minute and a half! If I were a numbers person, I would figure out the percentage of speed lost, but I'm not quite that ambitious.

But it could have been SO MUCH WORSE. I could have lost 3 or 4 or 5 minutes. I'm not at all disappointed.

In fact, I'm proud of two things:

1. I didn't walk at all, even with the hills. That's the first time I've run 3 miles nonstop in MONTHS. A goal starting this race was to finish strong.

2. I finished strong. I trailed these 3 ladies for the entire race and on the finishing stretch (UPHILL!), I passed all three of them. I really didn't think the fastest one was within my sights. She kept getting further and further away in mile 2, but I reeled her in a bit in mile 3 and just powered up the hill past her to the finish line. Even after I passed the first two, I thought, "There's no way I can catch her right here at the end.... is there? Well, maybe I'll try."

I did run that last part so fast that when they stopped me in the finishing chute, I got really dizzy and thought I was going to pass out. I was also about to throw up. That's how I know I really left it all out there!

Oh, I managed to get 3rd place out of 8 ladies in my age group! I was really happy about that!

Afterwards, I ran 2 more miles for good measure. (Or should I say shuffled/walked? They were very slow because I was done!)

Coming back after a 3-4 month injury is going to be hard and will take time. I've just got to be patient. In two weeks, I'm going to do a 10K. (Can't say I'm looking forward to it---see above!)

Life after Half-Marathon

2010-10-05T14:18:00.002-05:00

From July 3 to September 25, I had two focuses:
1. Get my 20 people ready for the half-marathon and through the race AND
2. Get myself well after the calf injury.

Now, I'm just kinda wandering around aimlessly! I'm experiencing that (oh so common) post-race lack of motivation. I ran just 6 miles last week and really felt tired from the half (so I know I gave it my best shot on race day). On Saturday, I had planned to run another 6, but when my alarm went off at 6:00 a.m., I said, "Nah," and rolled back over. This lasted exactly 30 minutes before 2 of 3 children appeared outside my door and eventually squirmed into the bed between Hubby and me. Don't they know it's Saturday??? My nine year old was actually dressed for school!

This week, I've done a couple of 3 milers on the treadmill despite the GORGEOUS, perfect running weather we are having. I just had no motivation to go outside, but watching DVR'd episodes of The Biggest Loser was fairly motivating.

This Saturday, I'm taking a fitness test. I signed up for a 5K! I have done no fast running since May, so we'll see how it goes. If nothing else, I can gauge where I am now and then figure out where I want to be! I'll post a little report after the race.

Women's Half Marathon Race Report

2010-09-26T08:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I think out of the 8 half-marathons I have now completed, it was my FAVORITE. It was also my slowest time. Funny how those two go hand in hand.

My overall time was 2:21:32, which averages out to a 10:47 pace. My longest training run was 9 miles at an 11:18 pace, which just goes to show that race-day adrenaline really works. You can (and should!) train at a much slower, easier pace than you will run on race day. Going up to 13 miles in training is not always necessary. Good to know! (Of course, if you are going for a PR, training up to 13 or 14 miles and doing some mid-week speed work is helpful!)

My day started at 3:56 a.m., whenI awoke four minutes prior to my 4:00 a.m. alarm. I got up and got ready and was on the road to meet friends at 4:45 a.m. We were on the road to Nashville by 4:55. We easily found parking and walked to meet our YMCA training group. Only 17 of our 21 made it to our 6:15 a.m. pre-race picture and prayer due to parking issues, but those of us who did shared hugs and well wishes. We got into a big circle, joined hands, and our RESTORE ministry leader led us in a prayer. It was a really, really neat way to start a race. We found our corrals and it was time to go! Jo Dee Messina sang the National Anthem beautifully, and we found ourselves tearing up. I was glad I was not the only one.

I started in corral 2 with several people I know from my training group, my running club, and my church. Overall, I probably knew at least 50 women on the course. THAT is what made the day special. I ran the first 2 miles with 3 running buddies, but I lost them shortly after. I knew I needed to take it easy and stick to my race plan---baby the calf and walk the hills. When I chose to walk a portion of the hill in mile 2, they went ahead. That was fine with me. I really like to run my own race. I often saw women I knew and chatted with them a bit, but then went my own way. My favorite portion of the race was an out-and-back portion where you could see people ahead of you before the turnaround and people behind you after you passed the turnaround. I am very nearsighted without my glasses and slightly oblivious when I run, so people from my running club and Y group kept yelling "Donna!" from the other side of the road as they passed. I'd see them just in time to yell, "Hey! You look great!" or something similar. They encouraged me and I encouraged them. It made my race to just see so many familiar, friendly faces.

The course was TOUGH. The whole first half was hill after hill. And not little hills, long drawn out ones. I walked a portion of the each of the worst ones, and I tried to make up time a little on the downhills. I had saved my MP-3 player for the 2nd half, but it only played one song and then died, despite being fully charged. (That thing ALWAYS gives me trouble.) At the 9.25 point, I had reached my longest training distance and was feeling it. Then I saw a familiar face running toward me--which was unusual--you rarely see people running in the wrong direction on a race course! It was my running club President. He was there to support his wife and all the running club members. He fell into step with me and before I knew it, I was running at a 9:30 pace. (His normal pace is like a 7:30 mile or something!) After about a 1/4 mile, I said, "You're killing me!" and he went on to find our next club member on the course.

I knew I had wanted to run the last 5K of the race hard. I did fairly well on the downhills. I have been taught how to run them without "putting on the brakes" with every step. (Forward lean, quick foot turnover, relax and pretend you are a little kid running down a hill again.)

Then there was the final long uphill over the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge. I didn't have a hill left in me at that point, so I walked for 2 light posts, then ran for 2 light posts all the way to the top. After that, the finish was all downhill. I didn't plan to sprint for fear the calf would lock up, but about the last .1, I kicked into high gear.

I teared up a little at the end because this race brought me JOY. It was hard, but it reminded me why I love running and racing. I got to see several of my training group finish, and that was so inspiring as well. Unfortunately, I saw a woman collapse just steps from the finish. She didn't just faint, her heart stopped. I watched as paramedics fought for her life performing CPR. After 20 minutes, she still had not revived. I cried and prayed for her as she was cared for. I've been scouring the news for updates on her. I believe that she lived since it has not been in the news. I will continue to pray for her recovery.

I'm reminded of how blessed I am to be able to participate in this sport and to be healthy.

A Fun Race!

2010-09-25T16:21:00.003-05:00

Wow, running with 6,000 women is really fun! I was surprised to finish the Women's Half Marathon in somewhere around 2:21! I was happy. It was a very hilly course. I'll post a full race report soon. Half-Marathon #8: done!

Ready-ish for the Women's Half Marathon

2010-09-24T14:08:00.003-05:00

I just returned from the Women's Running Magazine Women's Half Marathon expo. It was a great female-centric expo with tons of cute shirts, shoes, bracelets, hats, etc. The pink runneth over in the Nashville Convention Center. Other than vendors, I think I saw one man. Maybe two.

The hilarious thing is that I got my bib number and corral number. I'm in corral 1. (Insert laughter here.) Even on my best of days in my best of races, I'm pretty sure I'm not corral 1 material! I'm wondering what on earth I put as my potential finish time?? I'm positive I didn't put less than 2 hours. My best one last October was 2:09-something. Back when I registered, the focus of the summer was going to be speed, speed, speed, not recovery-reinjury-recovery-reinjury.

I'm hoping to have fun, enjoy the race, and finish with a smile. (Preferably without re-injuring my calf.) My legs are feeling pretty good these days, but my breathing and my endurance are still in recovery mode. In terms of a long run, I went ALL the way up to 9 miles twice. I walked 9 miles about 2 weeks ago. Last weekend, I ran/walked it. What about weekly mileage? I think I got up to 18 miles one week, but then my leg started hurting. This was not a typical training cycle to say the least....

Though this race-preparation experience has not been what I expected, a lot of good has still come from it. I have made at least 15 new friends in my training group (I already knew the other 6). I have had a goal to keep striving for this summer when I felt like my leg was NEVER going to get better. I have a cute new hot pink race shirt. And I get to run a no-performance pressure race tomorrow with 6,000 other women. Worth the $50 I spent, I think!

The goal is to run some, walk a little, run some, walk a little. Or vice versa.

13.1 miles. Bring it.

(Mis)Adventures in Running

2010-09-21T10:42:00.006-05:00

I had quite the misadventure on my 4-miler this morning. Correction: 4 miler that wound up being 5.36 miles.

My run started with an encounter with an aggressive dog...... OWNER. I was semi-happily jogging along at my new 11 to 12-minute pace when a medium-sized dog comes barrelling out from behind a house barking at me in what appeared to be an aggressive manner. My immediate reaction was to say "Go Home!" in a firm voice. Ok, I kind of yelled it (twice), but I was slightly panicked. He was about 2 feet away from me before he stopped. I slowed to a walk and kept going, but kept him in my peripheral vision. I was already a house away when I hear, "Ma-am! Ma-am!" I turned around and saw a woman emerging from behind the house of the dog.
"Yes?"
"He's wearing a shock collar. He won't hurt you."
"Oh, ok, thank you! He just scared me for a minute. Thanks for letting me know!" and I begin to move on thinking, "Wow, the people are SO NICE here!"
"Yes, I heard you YELLING at him." This time her voice had changed a bit.
"Well, whenever a dog comes at me, I always say 'Go home' and it works every time."
(in a really snotty voice) She replied, "He WAS HOME!" Ouch.

I'm thinking: Oh, so this is how you want to play it. I have offended you and your lovely animal. How dare I run on this public street and how dare I yell at your precious mongrel who was running at approximately 100 mph toward me while greeting me with loud, vicious barking!

So I said, "I'm sorry if I inconvenienced you in any way" in a rather snotty, sarcastic tone (I'm not proud of it---not my best moment!) forever coloring her judgement of runners everywhere. (Sorry, guys!)

She said, "I KNOW," in an equally snotty tone.

Good stuff. I could have just apologized for offending her doggy, I guess, with ACTUAL SINCERITY. But, I don't feel totally in the wrong. If she had been out front, I wouldn't have spoken so sharply to the dog.

I spent the next several miles thinking about her. Maybe God was working on my heart because I felt bad. Where did I get off being rude to her, even if she started it? "Turn the other cheek," hel--lo?? She was probably feeling like I accosted her "baby." I suppose if my children were in my own front yard and someone yelled at them to "Go home," I might take it badly, too. Of course people generally wouldn't feel threatened by my children playing in the yard. (Well, maybe the 9-year old. Especially if he had a big stick....) So I prayed for her. (I probably should have prayed for me, too, to know when to keep my BIG mouth shut!)

Then I got lost. I have run in this neighborhood behind my daughter's preschool for the past 3 years. I guess I was so deep in thought that I lost my bearings. I finished my 4 miles and thought I was near the car. Then I looked up at street signs with unfamiliar names. Hmmmm.... I was out of water and needed to hurry home to start on some chores, but I had only a vague idea where I was. This is a neighborhood with no less than 20 side streets. I kept dead-ending or running into a busy road with no potential for running on. I kind of knew where I was and where I needed to be, just not how to combine the two. So I called my friend Amy. No answer. Left her a fun message: "Hey, Amy. I'm freaking lost. Talk to you later!" Then I called my husband. No answer: "Hi, Honey. I'm out on a run and I'm lost and out of water. Bye." (A little more dramatic.) Finally, after a mile of wandering around, I finally recognized where I was. My four-mile run had a nice little 1.36 mile cool down. It's all good.

P.S. I'm renaming my blog with this entry's title. I never write about my kiddos on here anyway! For my running right now, "(Mis)Adventures" fits!

117 Days of Recovery

2010-09-18T19:29:00.002-05:00

I just got out the old calendar recently and counted up the days since my calf strain injury. At the time, it was 112 days. Wow. That number astounded me. It doesn't seem like it has been that long. At that moment, I decided it should be well by now. It wasn't a tear. The MRI was clean. In my mind, I tried to "will" it well.

The Women's Half Marathon is this coming Saturday. I had decided to run/walk it. Then about 3 weeks ago, I ran/walked 9 miles and my leg hurt for days afterward. So I decided to walk it. Then I walked 9 miles and saw how THAT felt. (Shin splints and hip pain--different muscles used when walking!) Then I decided to go with a run/walk combination or just hang it up altogether and become a middle-distance runner (5K's and 10K's) for a while. I even e-mailed my 3rd and final physical therapist and asked him if I should do the race at all. I was certain he'd tell me to sit this one out. Then, yesterday, I got his response: Go for it! Just go easy and run/walk 4:1 or 5:1. Good luck!

So, one week before the race, I tried it out this morning. I ran/walked 4:1 for 9 miles. It was actually great. The walk breaks broke it up, so what I'm lacking in endurance was less noticeable. There was enough walking to alleviate fatigue and stress on the calf, but not so much that I had hip or shin pain afterward. Now, I still have to see how I feel tomorrow and Monday, but I think I'm really close to recovery..... if not "close," I'm at least heading in the right direction.

What does 117 days of injury do to a runner? I have to say IT CHANGES YOU.

It makes you run slower. What used to be my comfortable marathon pace takes a bit of effort.
It makes you re-evaluate your priorities. When something extremely consuming of your time and energy goes away, you have a chance to regain the balance that was missing.
It makes you appreciate running... at all. Slow, short, fast for about 10 seconds---any kind of runninig that doesn't cause pain is a good thing.
It makes you lower your usual race-day expectations. If I can finish under 2:45 or 3 hours on Saturday, I will be pretty darn happy. I have never tried a half-marathon on just two 9-milers!

To Bicycle or Not to Bicycle

2010-09-04T17:25:00.003-05:00

The past month, I've been flirting with cycling. Not a full immersion into cycling culture, more like just a toe in the water. I have been enjoying spinning on the indoor bikes at the Y. I've taken my mountain bike and a friend's road bike out for a few miles. I bought padded shorts. I read lots of things on cycling forums I don't understand about Shimano gear packages (Tiagra is better than Sora, but 105 is the best--I think) and derailleurs, whatever they are. I've been maintaining mileage in the 25-30 miles per week range, but most of that has been cycling, not running.

I wish cycling were as simple as running. Got shoes? GO! But buying a road bike also means buying clip-in pedals, clip in shoes, a bike computer, an under-the-seat pack, a tire repair kit, a pump, gloves, MORE padded shorts, psychedelic jerseys, and probably even more. For an entry level bike of $599 to 699, you wind up spending closer to $1000. It's INSANE. I had no idea. And honestly, those smug little cyclists with their tight little shorts and color-coordinating jerseys with brand names splashed all over them riding their $5000 bikes in their $200 shoes make me a little sick. And they won't wave or say "Good morning." What's up with that? I guess they are too fancy to say hello to a lowly runner. But I digress....

I have test driven more bikes in the past week than I test drove before my last car purchase. I found a close out '09 model at an ok price ($650), but I just can't seem to pull the trigger. I thought about going with cage pedals and just my regular shoes, but all the stores said you've got to have clip in pedals. I thought my current helmet would be ok, but at the speeds at which I will be riding these road bikes, I apparently need to upgrade to a safer (read more expensive) helmet, too. Riding them on roads with cars was a bit terrifying. I would definitely need a small mirror so I could see cars about to mow me down.

My mountain bike is a piece of junk. I've had it for 13 years, and I bought it used out of the paper, so who knows how old it is. I see how awful it rides after riding better bikes. But last night, I had an idea. I hopped on my husband's Trek mountain bike (a very respectable brand) and it rode 10 times better than mine. I took it out on a paved, but rough trail (bumpy wooden bridge crossings, broken pavement in places) and had a ball! That trail might be a bit rough for those skinny little road bike tires. The mountain bike felt sturdy and fun, though not fast. Maybe I don't need a new bike at all.... I can just steal my husband's! On the other hand, I would not be able to keep up with my friends on their road bikes on a mountain bike....

Right now, while I'm injured, cycling is very appealing. I ran 2 miles today, then mountain biked 5. The bike portion was way more fun, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to immerse myself in a new hobby.

It's new and shiny and exciting now, but will I REALLY ride on the road? With actual cars? Running is one thing, but riding with traffic is much scarier. If the shiny does, indeed, wear off, I'll be left with a $1000 mistake. (I work approximately 4-5 hours a week at the YMCA, and that means about $200 per month in take-home pay. It would take 5 months of my salary to pay for a bike!)

I rested my calf most of the week. The two miles today didn't hurt. I'm starting back at square one with a few 2-mile runs. In a week or so, I'll try 3. And so on. AGAIN. It's nice to be excited about something again (and I don't mean running). Maybe that alone is worth the money.

A Step in the Wrong Direction....

2010-08-31T18:37:00.002-05:00

Dang it! My calf is on fire when I run again. I tried the gentle approach, but I guess it wasn't gentle enough. Walking doesn't bother my calf. I was fine with jogging 4-miles the other day with lots of walk breaks mixed in and then a 4-mile walk afterward, so I tried 4.5 miles with a little less walking on Saturday. I ran/walked at a 9:1 ratio for 4.5 miles, then walked 4.5 more (9-mile training run with my half-marathon group). I did jog just a little in the last two miles since I was feeling so good, and I guess that's what put me over the edge.

I felt great during the run, but Sunday and Monday, I could tell my formerly pain-free calf was achy again when I put all my weight on one foot, like going up and down steps. I crosstrained lightly to get the blood flowing on Sunday and Monday (18 minutes on the Arc Trainer one day, walking 1.5 miles slowly the next), then tried running today. The first 1/2 mile was very painful. I walked a bit, stretched, and eeked out a couple more miles at a 1:1 run/walk ratio. That was better, but it hurts now afterward.

I'm feeling a bit back to square one. I wish my doctor had more seriously considered posterior compartment syndrome. The more I read, the more I think it's not a muscle strain at all.

I will be coaching my half-marathon group for 3 more weeks. After that, I can let go of all the long distances for a while and get stronger on just 2 and 3 milers with a 1:1 run/walk and then less and less walking. But for now, I feel like I need to be out there with them, putting in the miles in some form or fashion. This weekend, however, I think I'll most likely be just walking the 9 miles. On race day in 3 weeks, I'm pretty sure I'll be primarily, if not totally walking. I've never actually walked more than 4 miles. Walking 9, 10, then 13.1 miles is going to be interesting.

I've also started teaching a Running 101 class at the YMCA on Thursday mornings, but it's mostly beginners, Thank God. I can run/walk the 2-3 miles (or just walk!) during my recovery. This is WEEK 14 in Injuryville, I think.

The Road to Recovery

2010-08-23T20:35:00.004-05:00

Ever hear the saying, "The road to recovery is paved with good intentions?" No, wait, maybe that's the road to hell....

This time, I'm going to do this recovery-thing RIGHT. No more skipping from point A to point K (my newest physical therapist's words), I'm going to go from A to B to C to...... you get the picture.

Last week, I was allowed to run 2 miles nonstop. Whoo-hoo. This week, I can run 3 miles nonstop. Next week, I'll work my way up to 4 miles. Even though my calf feels AWESOME at this point, I cannot let myself build up faster than that. I'm going with the conservative approach this time.

The only problem is my next 13.1 race is in 4 weeks. If all goes well, I'll be up to 7 miles by then. Looks like someone isn't going to PR and will be run/walking the race! I'm actually hoping to maintain a 9:1 or an 8:2 run/walk ratio in the race. The great thing is there will be absolutely NO PRESSURE in this race other than to have fun and finish without re-injuring myself. I'll be babying this calf and stopping to walk, stretch... sit a minute--- WHATEVER it takes on race day. I really didn't enjoy my last half-marathon, so maybe I'll have fun with this one.

My Women's Half Marathon training group is going so strong. They are putting in the time, logging the miles, and really getting excited about race day. They have avoided injury so far. We are taking a fairly conservative approach to training, and it's paying off. (Note to self....)

The walkers are totally hard core. They walk at a 15-minute or faster pace. I'd rather run a slow and easy 12 or 13-minute mile pace than walk thirteen 15-minute miles! I've been running part of the workouts with the runners and walking the rest with the walkers. It's been good to spend some time with both halves of the training group. I have grown to be good friends with several of these ladies, and, as with my other groups, I'll be sad to see it end.

Honestly, for me, I have little passion for running right now. There, I said it-- right here on my very own running blog. I enjoy my coaching job, but when I've faced disappointment after disappointment and aches and pains all summer, my own running is a bit.... tarnished.

I'm really excited about cycling though. Isn't she pretty? It's an entry-level women's road bike. It comes in baby blue, too!

I've been cycling a lot at the YMCA during this injury, and I've been wanting a road bike for a while. My 40th birthday is in about 3 weeks, so I can ask for a fairly big present. It's not every day one turns the big 4-0.

I was excited about turning forty, actually. I thought maybe I'd be slightly more competitive as the youngest in the 40-44 age group instead of the oldest in the 35-39 age group. But then I got injured and have to start back at square 1.

It looks like there is a 5K in a couple of weeks. I'm thinking about doing it. I need something to get my excitement back for running. Even though I won't run it fast, at least I'll feel like I'm back in the game, you know?

Quick Update: Do I Run Like Phoebe?

2010-08-19T12:33:00.003-05:00

The MRI was clean, so there is not a tear or herniated muscle. The doctor said it's a grade 2 or grade 3 calf strain. That is good and won't require surgery---just PATIENCE and physical therapy.

I was referred to a physical therapist within the orthopedic doctor's office. I had a nearly two-hour evaluation this morning. He watched me run, tested my muscle strength with several muscle groups, my balance, and took down my life story.... and then some. It was the most thorough evaluation I've ever had!

I'm a little thin-skinned and his criticism (I mean "critique") of my running form (or lack thereof) was a little hard to take. Yes, I know I need better posture. Yes, I know I am a heel striker with a short stride. No, I didn't know that my left foot curves out when I'm moving it forward mid-stride. No, I didn't know I spend more time on one foot than the other during my gait. (Do I have a "lazy leg"?) For the record, when I was running on the treadmill, it even felt SLOPPY to me. I think I'm out of practice. I've run only 1 mile about 3 days per week for the last two weeks. Apparently I look like this:

As for muscle groups, my quads are STRONG. He couldn't "break me" when trying to press my leg down while I was pushing up. But my glutes and lower abdominals are weak. My ankle and calves and left hip are week. My ITB is tight, but my calf range of motion is good. I need Pilates.

I don't have a return-to-running plan yet, but I will by next week. He wants to consult a physical therapist runner friend of his. For now, it's just run 1 or 2 miles at a time and cross train. I can handle that.

A Little Peace and Quiet (in the MRI Machine)

2010-08-14T18:35:00.003-05:00

I FINALLY went to the doctor about my calf injury--only took me 10 weeks! I saw an orthopedic doc who came highly recommended on Thursday. He took my history and had me do two things-- squat down and then lift up on my toes while he watched my calves. Then he placed his thumb right in the sore spot. Ouch. He said I possibly have a tear or a hernia in the gastroc muscle of my calf and I needed an MRI to be sure.

I had the MRI appointment on Friday morning. It was my first MRI. The big kids were at school and my mom kept my 4-year old since I was pretty sure I couldn't take her with me. It was nice to have a little time to myself--despite the circumstances!

The lower half of my body was all that was in the machine. The tough thing about an MRI is you have to remain completely still-- especially the parts inside the machine, but really ALL your parts. The minute you hear the clanging noise, you know it's taking films. Just before the machine starts, the technician buzzes in and tells you how long each portion will take. At first it was 30 seconds, then one minute, then all the way up to 6 minutes. The funny part is that the moment a long one starts, something inevitably ITCHES. For me, it was my left knee--itching like crazy. But I didn't dare move. I had to pay $350 for my portion before insurance! So for 6 minutes, I tried to think about anything BUT the itch. It's really hard to will yourself not to scratch! I just tried to get my body deeply relaxed-- at one point about 50 minutes in, I almost fell asleep. It kind of felt like that end part of a yoga class (I don't remember what it's called) when you breathe and are just still.

The peace and quiet (other than the clanging) was kind of nice.

I get my results on Tuesday.....

In the meantime, I Googled "calf hernia." I don't think this is what the doctor meant:

Poor little fella!

Top 10 Ways NOT to Recovery from A Calf Injury

2010-08-08T08:09:00.005-05:00

1. When the physical therapist's advice is to only run short distances slowly, take on a new personal training client who needs speed work exclusively and wants to pay you to pace her. Run with her at least once per week, running faster than you are supposed to.

2. Continue running with your half-marathon training group over long distances and hills. Feel like a slacker when you take walk breaks and they don't. Don't take the opportunity to do the miles on a bike or walking.

3. Bounce around from physical therapist to physical therapist, but don't see an actual orthopedic doctor. Be sure to spend all $500 in your physical therapy deductable without having an definite diagnosis because you are too impatient to wait to see a doctor and want results NOW.

4. Don't have tests such as an MRI to determine if it is indeed a calf tear (because that would require a visit to a doctor and you don't want to wait the requisite 1 to 2 weeks it takes to get in).

5. Continue running 12-18 miles per week and keep running long runs, such as 8-milers, as long as you walk some of it. But don't run too slowly, so you don't look bad.

6. Squats with the kettle bell can't possibly make your calf hurt more. Do them often.

7. Make sure you spend even more money on things like the foam roller, The Stick, and orthotics ($20-$50 each) for a "quick fix."

8. Be as impatient and as frustrated as possible. When it feels better, immediately go out and do TOO MUCH. Then when it hurts even to walk, back off again and feel depressed. Seek new/different advice.

9. Read everything on the Internet on calf strains, calf tears, and even a "calf heart attack" and how they can linger for years. Feel even worse.

10. Repeat the above FOR TEN WEEKS.

Oops, I Did It Again

2010-07-24T19:45:00.002-05:00

Hmmmm.... first week back to running: 18 miles including 8 all at once. On Sunday, my calf was SINGING. And not a happy tune. I hoped it would feel better on Monday. It. Did. Not.

On Monday, I met my new personal training client and we ran a few miles togehter. My calf was killing me, but it was my JOB and she was paying me for running with her. I managed to finish the miles and by Tuesday, my calf hurt even when walking. It just so happened that Tuesday night at the monthly Clarksville Running Club meeting, the guest speaker was a physical therapist. She is the only game in town that has this new treatment called ASTYM. It's a SCRAPING treatment for muscles that have been injured and have healed all jumbled up--like cooked spaghetti. Basically, she scrapes this plastic thing down the muscles (it only hurts a little) and it causes inflammation (not unlike deep tissue massage) and the muscles realign correctly. Or something like that. It left me with 7 small bruises, but I have hope that it will work and I can put this injury behind me! The thing about calf injuries is they tend to linger. And linger.....

I have two more treatments scheduled for this week. In the meantime, I can run only short distances, no hills, no speedwork. I tried to figure out if 4 miles was a "short distance." My long run was this morning, so I ran in 1/2 mile increments and then walked 1/4 mile increments through 6 miles. Technically, only about 4 of them were running. I felt pretty darn good afterwards. We'll see how I feel tomorrow!

I think the run/walk thing is going to be KEY to coming back from this injury. The Women's Half Marathon is in 8 weeks. I have to take it easy, but still cover some fairly long miles with my training group. (Again, I'm getting PAID for the job, pretty much need to be there!)

At the beginning of last week, it felt completely better. I had rested, used my foam roller, massaged it, and done all the right things. Then I overzealously jumped into that 8-miler and it flared up again. Oh well, at least now I know what NOT to do.

This Week in Running

2010-07-18T10:58:00.004-05:00

I had a nice week o' running. I did 3 miles on Monday with a neighbor in my neighborhood, 4 miles on Tuesday with my running club, and 3 miles on Thursday in the running class I teach. Tuesday's run was on the track at the local college with my running club. It was supposed to be speed intervals, but I'm really working on endurance right now, not speed. I did one 400 meter lap at an 8:20 pace, and after that, I just focused on maintaining a consistent pace. That was harder to do than normal because I didn't have my Garmin. It started to sprinkle, then briefly to rain hard, but I LOVED it! I didn't have a hat, and rain was pelting me in the face, but it was still awesome. I just felt so thankful to be out there at all. This song, Glory to God, came on my mp-3 at just the right moment when the rain started. "Take my life and let it be all for You and for Your Glory, take my life and let it be Yours...." Then the rain stopped and a big ole rainbow came out right behind the stadium. (Told ya it was a neat run!) I remember running on that track with big fat snow falling just a few months ago and thinking how beautiful it was. I love how images like that get frozen in your memory.

Yesterday, I did my first eight-miler since my injury! I started about 30-40 seconds too fast in the first couple of miles. That, of course, made miles 6-8 a little harder than they had to be. I finished strong though. It reminds me of when I was first adding mileage and that extra one mile seemed so hard each week. I think I'm going to stay at 8 for my long run for the next few weeks and just focus on running 8 better before moving on to 9 and 10. The half-marathon is still about 8 weeks away, so there is plenty of time.

I'm enjoying several new running buddies. Our running club membership has soared to over 100 members in the last few months, and I have 19 ladies in my YMCA half-marathon training group. I love meeting new people and sharing my passion for running and fitness with them! I might never have crossed paths with some of these folks were it not for running!

I also have my first individual personal running coach client who found me on the RRCA website. We meet today for the first time. She needs help with passing the running portion of a physical fitness test for her job. (Must be military or law enforcement. I'm pretty sure most employers don't care if you can run 1.5 miles, but perhaps they should?) :-)

Slow and Steady Recovery in Progress!

2010-07-12T20:12:00.003-05:00

I am running pain-free again! What a relief! The calf is as 95% good as new. Occasionally, the shin splint still hurts, but I ran fine all last week. I did two 3-milers, a 2.5 miler, and a 5.5 miler. All of the short ones were indoors on the treadmill. The 5.5 miler was outside.

Um.... guess what? Recovery is hard! And slow! I think I've gotten too used to the comfort of my home treadmill-- lots of tv stations and DVR'd shows to choose from, SIRIUS music channels, air conditioning, no humidity, no hills. Add in all the days when I couldn't run at all and just walked on the treadmill, and you get a runner with seriously decreased endurance! At the 2.5 mile point on Saturday's hot, hilly, humid run (the 3 H's are a vicious combo!), I was struggling. My legs were heavy and I couldn't breathe. I was running a 10:30 pace by the way. Just 5 months ago, I ran 26.2 miles at a 10:55 pace and now I'm struggling at TWO??? I know I've de-acclimated (is that a word?) to the heat by exercising indoors so much and frankly, I've lost a LOT of my fitness. I think I read somewhere that it takes 2 weeks for every month missed or something. It'll come.

I'm not discouraged or anything. (Well, not much.) I have 10 or so weeks until my next half-marathon. I doubt it'll be a PR, but that's ok.

I'm just so glad to be running again. I have a renewed appreciation for it. I can't wait to build up enough endurance for a nice 8 or 10-miler. There is no sign of burnout anywhere, I'm truly "on fire" for the sport again.

Honestly, this little foray into injury territory will help me as a running coach. I'll be more understanding of what my injured runners are going through. And a little time off made me more on fire for running than I have been since before my marathon! It's all good.

A Runner Again?

2010-07-05T10:00:00.002-05:00

I ran 3 miles without any pain this morning. So excited!!!! My speed is gone, as is my endurance, but so was the pain. That is a great thing! Speed and endurance will come back. Just hope the pain doesn't!

To Run at All.....

2010-07-02T08:08:00.000-05:00

Hello, Perspective! I was so obsessed with being faster and stronger on hills that I injured myself. Now I'd just like to be able to run AT ALL. Even as a "slow runner," I was running 15, 20, 30 miles a week. I really miss that!

A little perspective is good for the soul.

Injury Update: Patience Needed, but Lacking!

2010-06-28T18:41:00.001-05:00

I didn't run the 5K on Saturday for fear of further aggravating my calf strain. It was only $15 out the window. Maybe the shirt wasn't that cute anyway!

I ran 2 minutes/walked 2 minutes for 5 miles instead. I stretched a couple of times during it and the calf felt fine. I rested on Sunday. When I got up this morning for a short, slow 2-miler, I realized it hurt again. Actually, my whole right leg hurt as I ran the first mile. It was better on the 2nd one.

I saw a different physical therapist at my appointment a couple hours after running today. She said I must have compensated somehow to take weight/strain off that calf, resulting in the whole leg not feeling right. She doesn't want me to run again until I can run pain free.

It's all just so FRUSTRATING. I am craving a good run, and I just want this injury to be OVER. For something that brings such stress relief and happiness to be taken away is taking its toll on me not just physically, but emotionally. After the appointment where I was told not to run (indefinitely), I just felt depressed. I wanted to do two things: go to sleep and eat.

I'm going to go for a swim tomorrow or maybe get on the elliptical if that doesn't hurt. I need to burn some calories and some stress! I know running makes me a more positive, more patient mom, and not being able to do it is really, really hard. :-(

Nothing Like a Little Break....

2010-06-25T07:13:00.002-05:00

I have had a much-needed physical-therapist ordered rest due to a calf strain (level 1--not too bad). It was caused by too much speed work and hill training. I took 4 days off from running completely, then have been allowed to run gently 1-2 miles or less for the last 5 days. That's basically a 9-day break. After such a break, I feel reenergized with a spring in my step. I feel all this energy bouncing around inside of me. I've had good sweat or two during the break from an extended session of power walking, weights, and cycling (and even endorphins!), but I haven't felt that GOOD TIRED from a long or fast run. And I miss it.

Thus, I have a dilemma. My PT said last week that I should be ready for a 5K this weekend that I'd preregistered for. I'm just concerned that a hard 3.1 miles will set me back. My goal for this summer was to focus on short races and get faster. This is the last 5K I'll be able to do. My Saturday morning job prohibits any others. I've never had such a long break--I might actually PR this one! (If the 9-days off didn't detract from all that speed work.) Or, I may re-injure the calf. The "safe" thing to do would be to run the 3.1 miles not at full effort. What self control that would take! And kind of a waste of time, really. (I have to drive almost an hour to the race.)

I could just do a long, slow run very gently tomorrow--just 6 or 8 miles to get back into the distance game. My running group is going to my favorite trail.

What to do, what to do???

A God Thing

2010-06-11T17:43:00.003-05:00

For the past three years, running has brought such joy to my life. This month is my 3rd runniversary. I don't know the exact day I started, but I remember it was mid-June on a treadmill at the Y, and I only made it 1/4 of a mile. My 3rd child had just turned one, and I was in a funk. I felt a little lost and purposeless. I loved being a stay-at-home mom, but I craved adventure, excitement, and something just for me. Running fit the bill.

Early on, I almost felt guilty about the passion I had for running. Did I have that same passion for God? For serving others?

For two years, I talked to anyone and everyone about running, read everything I could get my hands on, and gave advice both solicited and unsolicited. A year ago in July, I took the step of gaining my Road Runner's Clubs of America coaching certification and immediately started a job at the YMCA training a half-marathon group of beginners.

For me, it was life-changing. I felt like I mattered to someone outside these four walls. I put my teaching past to good use. But the most important thing for me is that running became like a little ministry for me. I was coach/encourager. I remember thinking, "I wonder if God can use my running in some way?" Because if running is going to be THIS BIG a part of my life, I want God to be in it, too. I started leading the group in a short prayer before runs (for protection, for health, giving thanks). Several of us openly talked about our church, and a few of the runners even visited a few times.

Recently, my running club started a training group for an upcoming half-marathon (Women's Half on Sept. 25). We quickly had 35 people sign up to train together. I'm supposed to be assistant coach and the president of the club is head coach. I've helped get it off the ground, but now another opportunity has presented itself. I think this one might be a God thing.

The YMCA has a program called RESTORE, a Christ-centered ministry for people who are broken, and it physically, mentally, and spiritually rebuilds them with a combination of Bible study, group therapy, and exercise. Our local Y, my employer, just got the program. It's for any person, regardless of ability to pay, who is struggling with any issue---food addiction, depression, drug abuse, lack of direction-- whatever. It's a great cause.

The God-part is that I've been asked to lead a charity team of walkers and runners to train for that very same half-marathon. Each person is asked to raise at least $250 for the RESTORE ministry, kind of like Team in Training, only on a much smaller scale. Could the God/running connection be any clearer than this? We have to recruit at least 10 for the team or it won't happen. (We have one so far!) I think it will be neat to work with runners and walkers who want to both change their lives/health by running or walking a half-marathon and help others at the same time.

I'm so scared of overcommitting myself, but I think I can make all of this work. I'm hoping the two training groups can meet at the same time in the same location. There is safety in numbers!I can't see any reason why the fund-raising group can't share the road (and the coach) with the running club. And besides, it's my job to work with the YMCA group.

Maybe after the race on Sept. 25, I'll take a little break from coaching. Whew! I'm trying not to get overwhelmed, but I have been praying for God to use my running in some way. I guess He is.

The only part I'm sad about is the possibility of missing the first two soccer games for my girls. I'm hoping the schedule will work out that they have afternoon games in early September!

Anatomy of an Injury

2010-06-11T07:29:00.004-05:00

I have been struggling with this calf/shin/Achilles/IT Band thing. I don't even know what to call it. Maybe the "entire-right-side-of-my-body" thing. My right leg is .... unhappy. Some days my calf hurts. Some days my shin hurts. Some days my Achilles is tight. Some days what I think might be my IT band is tight.

I was reading in one of my running books about injuries. The first question is --- Have you been doing anything different? Well, yeah, pretty much EVERYTHING. (Therein lies the mistake, I'm guessing.)

1. I changed shoes. I've been running in lighter weight Nikes instead of the old Asics Kayanos.
2. I changed the way I train in a BIG way. I started doing strides at faster than 1-mile pace (just for about 45 seconds at a time). I added tempo runs. I added short hill sprints and hill repeats. (Not all at once, of course, but speed work one or two times a week.)
3. I started lower body strength training 1 to 2 times a week. Lots of squats and lunges will hopefully give me more strength on the abovementioned hills.

All of this together probably caused the issues. I should have eased into the shoes--alternating with the older, more supportive ones. I should have added in a speed session every other week instead of every week and sometimes twice a week to allow my body to adapt.

What I have been doing right is only running about 3 days per week--down from 4 or 5 during marathon/half-marathon training. I've been cross training once a week. And finally, I've been LISTENING TO MY BODY. I met my running group last Saturday morning and walked 5K while everyone else ran. I realized on Friday my shin hurt to run, but walking was ok. I will say it is SCARY for a runner to not be able to run 3 steps. That has only happened once before when I had an inflamed tendon on the top of my foot.

This was week one of the 16-week training for the Women's Running Magazine Half in Nashville. I didn't get in all my miles or speed work from my Runners World training plan, but I am feeling better, and that's the most important thing!

It's funny, as a running coach, I am my own GUINEA PIG! I test what works and what doesn't so I don't inflict it on others! :-)

Dear Bloggy World,

2010-05-27T08:40:00.003-05:00

I have not forgotten about you. The busyness of life the past couple of weeks has finally settled down. The kids are all out of school, and I'm trying to figure out how to fit in runs and workouts while wrangling a 9-, 7-, and 4-year old--- all of whom complain when I say, "Hey, let's go to the Y!"

This is day 3 of summer vacation. So far, we've had 1 or 2 big fights per day, but it could be worse I suppose. They tend to get it out of their system first thing in the morning and do pretty well the rest of the day. Oh, the joys of parenting! The key is having at least one activity that gets us out of the house every day.

I've run a whopping 4 miles this week-- all treadmill miles. The past 3 weeks have been sorta awesome on the running front. I've got a 10K coming up in 3 weeks. I have only been running 3 days per week and have averaged 15-19 miles per week. This is a down-time for me regarding long-distance racing, so I'm focusing on building strength and speed. Three days per week feels like a vacation.

I've been doing strength training exercises, hill sprints, intervals, tempo runs, and even a few easy runs (and cross training once per week). Perhaps the runs have been going TOO well, encouraging me to do too much. I find myself with a sore right calf. It had been bugging me just a little for a few months (maybe since the marathon?). I admit I am TERRIBLE about stretching, and I think it had been getting tighter and tighter. You know what happens when you get a tight calf muscle? Shin splints. (A physical therapist explained the connection to me.) On Monday, I was doing some pretty intense intervals with a few hill sprints thrown in and I had a shooting pain in my right shin. Twice. After the second time, I had sense enough to stop!

Since then, I stretched a ton and ran a slow, easy 2 miles. It felt ok. I swam for 10-15 minutes at the Y. (Wow, that's hard! I swam the length of the pool 10 times and thought I was going to die!) I took a 55-minute yoga class and walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill. Today, I'm going to try to run 4 easy miles. On Saturday, I have a big run planned---an 8-miler with 6 miles at tempo pace---10K pace+ 10 or 15 seconds. The tempo portion is on the actual 10K course I'll be running in 3 weeks. If my calf is hurting, I'll definitely back off and run slower and shorter though. We'll see how it goes!

Next week, I start a new running class at the YMCA. It is a regular group exercise class called Intermediate Running. I'll be doing form drills, speed work, hill training, and a 2-4 mile run with whomever shows up each week on Thursdays at 8:30 a.m.. That's my summer job---one hour a week! I think I can handle that! This class has never been offered before. It's hot. There are lots of classes at 8:30. But what if NO ONE shows up???

Good Runnin'

2010-05-13T08:57:00.002-05:00

It's a little LATE, but my running has been going really well these last three weeks since the half-marathon. On Monday, I ran 8 miles, 6.5 in a cool rain and 50-degree temperatures. It was one of those great, effortless runs. I felt like I could run many more miles at the end. I didn't gel, didn't drink sports drink, hardly had any water. I just enjoyed the refreshing cool rain-- that is, until the end! About 2 seconds after I stopped, I tried to text my husband and I realized my hands were chilled and stiff and every stitch of my clothing was wet. It took me about an hour, one change of clothes, and one Starbucks latte to finally warm up. But it was a GREAT run.

I took Tuesday off, then yesterday I went to the track at a local college to run a "Magic Mile" time trial (that's what Jeff Galloway calls them). I had not run a mile time trial (that I can remember) since June of last year on this same track. I remember running the mile in about 8:38 (I'll have to check in the archives). Then about a week later, I ran a 5K race and clocked the first downhill mile at 8:36, my fastest mile yet at the time. (Not the best plan in a 5K--to run mile 1 at faster than one-mile pace! I subsequently slowed WAAAAY DOWN and had to walk. A lot.)

Yesterday, I really wanted to beat that time from last summer. I don't know why. Maybe those thirty-second 7:30 strides I've been doing at the beginning and end of some workouts gave me confidence. Or just maybe I wanted to see where I am speed-wise. Anyway, I ran a mile in 8:33--a new one-mile PR! To most, if not all of you, that probably sounds like a slow mile time, but I'm working on it. I'm primarily an endurance runner, not a sprinter. I would actually RATHER run 10 slow miles than 2 or 3 fast ones!

My hope is that before the end of the summer, I can finally get a sub-28-minute 5K. That would require an 8:59 pace or better overall. If I can run one mile in 8:33, maybe I can run 3.1 miles at an 8:55 or so pace? Consistent speed work will be the key over these next few months.

I'm supposed to cross train and do abs and arms today. Then, Saturday I'm doing a 10K tempo run. I'm really enjoying this informal schedule I've built for myself!

5K Fun and My Kid is Fast!

2010-05-08T15:45:00.004-05:00

I ran the Adairville Strawberry Festival 5K this morning in the town where I spent the first 18 years of my life and where my parents and many aunts and uncles still reside. The three kids and I made it an overnight trip. They camped out in Nanny and Papaw's living room in sleeping bags while my four year old and I took the guest room. My four year old is a very restless sleeper and very pointy, apparently, so little sleep was gotten with knees, elbows, and little feet in my back most of the night. It was so hot (they won't turn on the AC before June), but she had to sleep as close as humanly possible.

This morning a cool front came through and it was PERFECT RUNNING WEATHER. It was 50 degrees around 7 a.m. with a breeze and sunshine. I could not have asked for a more perfect running day. I tried not to put too much pressure on myself to beat the PR I had in August. After a month of not-so-great runs and races, I figured it was pretty much impossible. I just said to myself, "I'll do the best I can in this race on this day." And I did.

I goofed up my Garmin at the start and must have missed the start button because about 20 seconds in, I looked down and it was still on 00:00. Hmmm. I actually smiled at that, knowing it would help me NOT to stress as much about my time since I would only know my approximate time and mileage. My first mile was around an 8:57 pace. I was careful to hold back a little in this mile and not mess up and go out way too fast. It was only a little too fast. My goal was 9 to 9:05 pace, but I was running blindly, as I just said....

In mile 2, my mind wandered a bit and I got off pace. There were also a couple of hills and a water stop. 9:18 pace. I wanted to DEFINITELY keep things under a 9:30 pace, preferably under 9:15, but whatev. When my split popped up on the screen, I missed it, so I didn't know I had done mile 2 quite so slowly. Mile 3 was a fairly strong one. We had the last hill in the first .25, then the rest was flat. (Cute sign on the course: NO MORE HILLS!). I was giving it most of what I had (can't say I gave it ALL I had, but close). I tried to really pick up the pace the last 1/2 mile. Pace 9:05 for mile 3. Pace for .11 7:36. It all averaged out to a 9:05 pace overall. 28:10 finish time-- 10 seconds from a PR. But that's ONLY 10 SECONDS FROM A PR. I'm happy.

Then my two older kids did the 1-mile fun run for children ages 4 to 12. I coached them not to go out too fast. My son took off crazy fast, I couldn't catch up to him. After about 1/10 of a mile I caught up to my daughter. I ran the rest with her. She only walked about 4 times for just 8 or 10 seconds each. She finished in 10:18. She got first place in the 7-9 year old age group and was the youngest in the group! One 9-year-old was right on our tails at the finish, but we held her off! I was so proud of her and she was so proud of herself.

My son also had a great race. He placed 4th OVERALL, and ran an 8:05 pace! No wonder I couldn't catch him! I can't run an 8:05 pace for a mile that I know of (but I'm sure going to try. We have a little mother/son race coming up soon). He got 1st easily in his age group, males 7 to 9. I thought he was going out too fast, but it turns out it was just fast enough. He ran his little 9-year-old heart out. At the finish line, he just lay down on the grass and said he felt sick. I knew he'd left it ALL out there. **He's already faster than me. How much longer until he's TALLER than me, too??**

It was a GOOD DAY. I wound up with 3rd in the 35-39 age group, the kids both won door prizes (toys), and we got to hang out where I grew up.

I wore my new Zensah compression socks and many people asked me about them. I was hoping they'd make me run faster as promised in this month's Runner's World. Maybe they did! Who knows what the results would have been without them?

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I enjoyed taking mine out to dinner last night and seeing her at the finish line today!

Shake It Up, Baby!

2010-05-07T07:57:00.003-05:00

So far, I'm enjoying my summer shake up in terms of training/working out! I think I was just bored with the same ol' same ol'. CHANGE IS GOOD!

I've recently started reading Running Times magazine in addition to Runners' World. Both are good, but Running Times is much more technical and focuses more on elite high school, college, and even masters runners. If you wade through all the technical/elite stuff, you can still glean some great information for the recreational runner, however.

I discovered a great set of general strength exercises by reading this month's issue of Running Times. They were mentioned in an article, then I had to look them up on their website. It was an article about running faster--something I'm a little obsessed with at the moment, as I seem to be traveling in the OPPOSITE direction. It was refreshing to read the story of an elite masters runner who said something like, "Speed doesn't come naturally to me. I have to overcome that with training."

I came to the conclusion that my weak spot is leg strength. I have been doing much too little lower body strength training. These exercises include plyometrics, squats, and lunges. My goal is to do them twice per week. (A little discovery about doing plyometrics after the non-cesarean birth of 3 large babies--wear a diaper! Jumping up and down is not my friend.) I also found a group of form exercises--bounding, skipping, etc. to do once a week before or after a run. They look rather ridiculous, but I can do them in the front yard while my 4 year old plays.

Running Times has made several things clear about building speed that were unclear before. I have a much better understanding of strides and have been running 20-second ones at about a 7:30 pace at the end of some runs. I don't think I had ventured up to 8 mph on my treadmill before this. I didn't know I could run that fast for 20 or 30 seconds. The goal is to recruit/activate fast-twitch muscle fibers and to do that, you have to run faster than 5K or even 1 mile race pace in short bursts. Good to know.

Next on my agenda: hill repeats. The article said to build some strength with the strength exercises mentioned above for a few weeks BEFORE starting some regular hill training.

In terms of training phases, this is my strength-building phase. The emphasis is getting stronger on hills and in general, not mileage. I'm probably going to average only 15 miles per week with 3 days of running and one day of crosstraining on the arc trainer or bike. I will run a tempo run, intervals, and a long run each week and that's it. I can't remember the last time I only ran 3 days per week!

Around July 1, I will start with a mileage build up by increasing distance and maybe adding in a 4th day of running. I'll begin adding serious distance in August and September, culminating with half marathons on Sept. 25 and October 16 on the road to a November or December MARATHON!

Well, I guess the rest of my year is planned out.

Tomorrow is my first 5K race since August of last year--the one in my hometown. Last August's race was a PR day--28:01. I'm tempted to go for a PR again, but after my performances this past month in the 10K and half-marathon (going out at an aggressive pace, then falling apart), I'm thinking MODERATION is key. I plan to go easy-ish on the first mile (not so easy that I put myself totally out of PR range if I'm having a good day, but not fast enough to cause pain later in the race), then gain speed throughout. My main goal is just to beat the time I ran this course in one year ago. That's doable for sure, as last year I was only 2 weeks post-first marathon and my bruised toenails hurt throughout the race! My legs were still smoked for sure. It's even going to be much cooler tomorrow, which works in my favor. I can handle the low 60's!

Sadly, my mom backed out of the race. She worked up to walking 2 miles at a time, but never made it to three and was afraid to attempt to walk 3 miles for the first time in the race. :-( But, she will be sitting on the front porch cheering me on as I pass right in front of her house during the race, and she'll probably bring my kiddos across the street to the finish to see me cross. I'll get to run past my parents' home, the home where my grandparents lived, my elementary school, the church I attended as a child and where I was baptised---it'll be a fun hometown race.
The kids and I are traveling to spend a couple of days there later this afternoon.

On a side note, my community has been devastated in the Tennessee flooding this week. So many businesses and families lost everything. My children have been out of school the past 5 days as many, many road and bridge closures prohibited the running of school buses. Please keep the flood victims in your prayers. Two older women about my mom's age lost their lives when their vehicles were overcome by water. As this Mother's Day approaches, I'm really thankful to have my mom.

Lessons Learned from CMHM

2010-04-27T07:41:00.005-05:00

"The five S's of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit." - Ken Doherty.

I'm so glad I'm not mad at running after my sub-par performance in the half on Saturday. I'm mad at myself because I KNOW BETTER than to start out too fast like that and I know how my body responds to heat and humidity--it slows down! Plus, did the two or three weeks of bad runs prior to the race not give me a clue that I was going to have to take it slower than I'd like to?

Some lessons I've learned from this experience (because if you don't learn from your mistakes, what's the point??)

1. Run one race at a time. Don't focus on past experiences--- you have to run the course you're on, in the conditions you are dealt, at your level of fitness that day.

2. Listen to your body. At mile 6.8, I got lightheaded and a little dizzy. That is when I really let go of expectations and dialed it back. Last year someone died on the course on a hot day. I didn't want to take any chances. Before that point in the race, I was pushing along even though I wasn't feeling it. I was checking every split on my watch and berating myself when the mile 4 and 5 splits were too slow. After mile 5, I never looked at another split. I did, however, see at least 6 people on stretchers or receiving medical help.

3. You can still be excited about running even after a bad race. YAY! Especially when you just got new shoes. I'm looking forward to a 5K in a week and my next half-marathon!

4. Everyone has bad days. I saw an interview with elite Deena Kastor on www.Runnersworld.com from this Sunday's London Marathon and she had a terrible day, too. It said,

"Kastor's 18th place 2:36:20 at the Virgin London Marathon was the slowest 26.2-miler she'd ever completed.... "I did not have it today and I have no idea why." I feel ya, Deena! And yes, that makes me feel better. (Even thought her MARATHON time is only 15-16 minutes off my half-marathon time!)

5. It's all relative. I still finished in the top half of Country Music Half-Marathon finishers and the top 1/3 of women. (Lots of walkers, apparently!) My half-marathon times now range from 2:09:41 to 2:20:56. That's not a huge range. I was only about 10 minutes off my game on the most difficult half-marathon course I've ever run on a very humid day. (When I ran it 2 years ago as my first half, it was easier. They changed it to make it more scenic, adding about 3 more hills at the beginning.)

6. Running in the middle of the pack doesn't make me less of a coach. I think coaching is more about being an encourager, a teacher, and knowledgeable on how to take a runner from point A. to point B. It's not about being the fastest runner. I teach beginners who need the structure of a training group and a training schedule, not an elite racing team. That would require a different kind of coach!

Ok, I'm done wallowing and with all the self-analysis! Is it just me, or is this how everyone works through a bad race??? :-)

Outrunning the Storm: Race Report

2010-04-24T14:11:00.003-05:00

Today's Country Music Marathon and Half-Marathon was fraught with weather drama! All week we'd been warned about possible thunderstorms, hail, and tornadoes on race day. Yesterday, they decided to limit the marathon to a 4:30 finish because the storms were supposed to move in during the early afternoon. Glad I wasn't doing the full!

I awoke to pouring rain and lightning at 4:00 a.m. My husband and I got in the car at 4:45 a.m. and left my mom and our 3 kids sleeping at home. About 5:15 a.m., a loud clap of lightning woke up the kids and sent them scurrying to find Grandma, and then high winds picked up and it began to hail! (My mom took all 3 into the basement.) Somehow, my husband and I missed all that while on the road to Nashville.

During the 45 minute trip, we made a quick pit stop at a service station and there was so much lightning that I thought, "Am I really going to do this?" It was pouring big, fat, hard drops of rain.

This year, despite road closures for the 32,000 runners, my husband somehow dropped us off directly at the start. Last year before running 26.2, I had to walk a mile to the start. Surprisingly, at the start, it wasn't raining at all and the sun actually came out! I was the first of the training group to arrive, and pretty soon we had about 9 of our people there. We had a group prayer and all went off toward our corrals. Unbeknownst to us, they had decided to start the race 15 minutes early-- at 6:45, so we jumped into our corral just in time.

Two of the gals from the group and I started strong--too strong for me! I ran a 9:50 first mile. That is about what I did in my PR race in October, so I thought it might be ok. (However--big difference--that was a flat course and it was in the 40's!) We got separated at a water stop early on and mile 2 came out at a 9:29 pace for me---way faster than it should have been. It was the fastest mile of the day. I had one more fast mile in the 9:30's and then the hills and too-fast start caught up to me. On an extremely hilly course and with high humidity and upper 60's temps, it just wasn't my day to be running fast.

The rest of the race I struggled. My heart wasn't in it. I really wished I had someone to talk to. I got slower and slower! I let go of any finish expecations and decided to just get. it. done. Preferably, ahead of the tornado!

I finished and it was my 7th slowest half-marathon. Out of seven--aka personal worst by a minute and a half. Nary a drop of rain fell on my head the entire race, other than the 3 water cups I poured on there to cool off. It wasn't as hot as last year, but it was still too hot for my taste.

I hung out for a while and tried to watch for some of my training group at the mile 13 mile marker. I saw only one. Then the rain and lightning I was trying to out run came and hubby and I headed to the car. I felt so bad for the marathoners today. The race was cancelled early. My friend made it to mile 21 and had to stop. Soooo close. But the area was under a tornado watch and there was severe lightning on the course, it was the safest decision.

I am ready for my DISTANCE BREAK. My body is talking to me and telling me I need it! I'll rest up and race smarter on September 25! I think I left it all out on the course in the Birmingham Marathon on Feb. 14, only 9 weeks ago. Perhaps I should go back there and get it?

P.S. I actually ran the first 13.1 miles of the Birmingham Marathon faster than I did the 13.1 today! And still held on for 13.1 more!

Getting Ready for Country Music Half!

2010-04-20T21:11:00.003-05:00

I finally registered for the Country Music Half Marathon a day before pre-registration closed! I had a pretty good 12-miler on Saturday. Now, I'm just trying to train a little and rest a lot before Saturday's HILLY half. It's not a PR course, but hopefully I can beat my previous time on this course from two years ago.

I'm so glad I decided to run! It means a lot to be there to share that day with my YMCA training group and my running club. Plus, I always say the half-marathon is my favorite distance! This will be my first 1/2 of 2010 and my 7th in all. Maybe I have found my distance.

I'm still hoping to have the SUMMER OF SPEED in which I focus on faster, not longer. I will do a 5K a couple of weeks after the half and a 10K in June. Then another end-of-summer 5K to see if there's any progress. I'm also trying to organize a BIKE AND HIKE biathlon (or is it duathlon?) for my running club for July. It's an 8-mile bike ride, then a 6 mile trail run--sounds fun, no?

I'm off to spend a little quality time with Jon Bon Jovi tomorrow night. Oh, and my husband. We are having a major date night---dinner in Nashville, concert, hotel stay. Hopefully, it won't be too late of a night just 3 nights pre-race. It's nice that we can walk to the hotel from the concert. Since I'm in Nashville anyway, I'll visit the Country Music expo on Thursday morning to get my race packet.

Then this Sunday is a BIG DAY in our family's life. My older daughter is getting baptized! We have lots of friends and family coming to share this event with us.

Overall, I believe it's going to be a good week!

I'll be back with a race report hopefully Saturday!

Surprising Oneself....

2010-04-16T16:57:00.002-05:00

I always like it when I surprise myself! Two surprises came up in the last 24 hours.

Number 1: I enjoy cycling! I've had a bike for about 13 years. It's actually a decent Scott hybrid I got for $25 out of an ad in the paper. I road it approximately 3 times before having children (my oldest is 9 and a half) and have ridden it approximately 3 times since then. :-)

Today was the first time that cycling was AWESOME! My husband actually stayed home from work to hang out with me. We only had three kid-free hours while the little one was at preschool. We decided to load up our bikes and drive down to a 4-mile paved bike trail in the woods, the same trail where I'm doing my 12-mile run in the morning. When we got there, I convinced him to go on the OTHER side of the trail--the 3-mile dirt and gravel side. It was such an adventure zooming down this gravel trail on my bike. I was pedaling sort of aggressively and it was just so DIFFERENT from running. It was exhilarating!

I'm apparently not exactly good at it yet though. I nearly went over the handle bars on a surprise steep downhill with a sharp turn at the bottom in loose gravel. I was using the front brakes. (Note to self--don't do that!) I hit a large rock and my top and bottom teeth clanked together. I didn't see a low hanging branch because I was watching for rocks and roots, and it hit me in the head. But it was all in fun!

We didn't know where the trail ended, so we just rode. I wasn't wearing a Garmin and have no idea how fast I bike so we didn't know where we were in three miles. It was just freedom. At one point the gravel trail turned into a narrow dirt path with tall grass on each side. Finally, it ran out at a campground by the river. We parked the bikes and sat on a bench overlooking the sparkling water before the 3 mile return trip. I learned today that there is other fun to be had besides running (or spinning in a dark room, going no where, listening to too-loud music while an instructor yells at you). Next time I go off road on a bike though..... I'll wear bike shorts!

Number 2: I think I've talked myself into doing the Country Music Half Marathon next weekend. I was going to take a little break from distance running, but I suppose I can postpone that for one more week! Reasons: I made enough in trainer fees these last two weeks to pay the way-too-steep $105 race fee. Weather forecast is looking about 20 degrees cooler than last year. I've put in all the training including a 10-miler, a couple of 11's, and a 12 (well, I will tomorrow). It's the single biggest running event in my area. I want to be there at the end to see how all the runners I've trained do (if I can find them among the 30,000 other people). My buddy I met during last year's marathon (and ran the last 12 miles with) wants to meet up and run with me again (we have kept in touch via Facebook). Lots of GOOD REASONS.

Yes, it will be hilly. No, I won't PR. No, I didn't do as much speedwork as I could have, but I did do lots of hills. Yes, the price stinks, but at least the shirt will be technical and the medals are typically good.

Letting go of expectations and just running it for fun will be a good learning experience for me. The Country Music Half Marathon two years ago was my introduction into distance running, something I've come to LOVE and that is a huge part of who I am.

I'd hate to miss out.

Change Is in the Air and Girl Issues

2010-04-14T07:54:00.007-05:00

I'm excited about some upcoming changes in my running schedule. After Saturday, I'll be able to leave behind the long runs for a while. (Saturday is my training group's longest run and last run--a 12-miler.) Throughout the summer, I plan to run an 8-miler twice a month, but otherwise, I hope to do short and fast runs. My body is so used to the long and slow runs, it probably won't know what hit it! I know it's important to not get in a rut and do the same thing month after month. My long runs started in August of last year and have continued for-e-ver it feels like, so I'm very much looking forward to relatively low mileage and short runs for all of May and June. I'm thinking 15-20 miles per week-- just 3 runs per week. I want to cross train for at least an hour at least one more day per week and continue with strength training. I want to take some classes like Pilates, zumba, yoga, and spin to mix things up. I've been in the all-running, all-the-time mode for too long!

In the spirit of change, I'm giving new shoes a try. I found a "performance stability" category on http://www.roadrunnersports.com/ and ordered some Nike Lunar Elites. No one I know runs in these, but they got rave reviews from several runners. They are lightweight and I'm looking for a less "clunky" feel than I'm getting from my Asics Kayanos. Just for comparison, I ordered the Brooks Launch, another performance shoe comparable to the Nike Free. They are really flexible and the heel isn't built up a mile high like the Kayanos. This type of shoe isn't going to necessarily be for marathon-training length runs next fall (I'm thinking about the Rocket City Marathon in December!), but it is more of a tempo run/racing flat kind of shoe.

I'm looking for a new "spring in my step." I think the technical term is ENERGY RETURN. I want shoes that do that. These are also a part of the movement toward less shoe, stronger feet, fewer injuries. (Not that I'm plagued with injuries.) Lately, the bottoms of my feet hurt. I think it might be time for new shoes anyway. The great thing about Road Runner Sports is I can run in them for 60 days and then return them if they don't work out. NO ONE else I know of does that!

On to the GIRL ISSUES: (stop reading if you are not a girl)

I have two other new products that have me excited about summer running. New bras! I have been running in C9 from Target sports bras. A problem with Target sports bras and very thin, lightweight running shirts is the headlights issue. It's just embarassing. You are sweaty, the wind blows, you get a chill.... and you know where the story goes from here. So, I finally broke down and bought two much pricier bras with built-in boobs, I mean cups. What a difference.

That's actually me. (Just kidding.) I bought the Moving Comfort Vixen in white from our local running store and a Champion one in black at Kohls. Small problem with the black one...

I wore it yesterday without washing it. I had on a cute orange Nike Fit Dry tank over it. I went on a hot 4-mile run from the Y and came back soaked in sweat. People kept looking at me funny as I went over to the weights area to do a few pull ups and triceps dips. When I looked in the mirror---gasp! The black bra had gotten sweaty and black dye had come through the orange shirt and I had two large black boob stains on the front of my shirt. Nice.

Maybe headlights aren't so bad.

Race Report--Dairy Dash 10K

2010-04-10T15:47:00.004-05:00

Dairy Dash 10K Race Report: 59:57, 9:35/pace average on Garmin

I went out too fast. Mile 1 was 9:16 pace. Should have run closer to 9:25 or 9:30 for that. Mile 2 was 9:30, Mile 3 was 9:26, Mile 4 was 9:43, Mile 5 was 10:01 (???), Mile 6 was 9:37, .25 (race was a little long from ziz-zagging around walkers) was 9:15--- not much of a surge in that last .25!

It was not a fun race for me. It was a hard effort to run in the 9:30 range with the mid-60's temps. I had hoped to average under 9:30. Course was mostly flat except for one hill and there was a 1/2 mile segment off road in loose gravel.

My last 10K was a 9:23 pace with a few rolling hills for a 58:23 finish a year and a half ago. I was a minute and a half slower today. I guess 7 weeks post-marathon, I'm not totally recovered. OR all these 10-minute miles I'm running don't translate well into the race times I want! My legs never really felt energetic and springy today.

I didn't know at the time that I was going out too fast. I thought 9:16 might be a good 10K goal pace, but I do know to EASE into race pace. I just didn't! If I had gone out 10-15 seconds easier in mile one, I think I could have avoided the dreaded 10-minute mile in mile 5 when the accumulation of lactic acid caught up with me!

Oh well, sometimes it's your day and sometimes it isn't! On to my next race.... a 5K on May 8! And I will be running some 9 minute miles these next three weeks!

The COOLEST THING about the May 8 race is my mom is going to walk it. She's about to turn 62 and she's doing her very first 5K. She's training and everything! She walked 2 miles a day every day this week. I can't wait to see her cross the finish line!

Let the Games Begin!

2010-04-09T20:37:00.002-05:00

Spring race season is upon us! Tomorrow I'm running the first of several races for the spring/summer season. It's the Purity Moosic City Dairy Dash 10K in Nashville. I had planned to kind of run it for fun, no stress, maybe even... (gasp!) no Garmin, but I think I owe it to myself to see what I can do.

I'm still waffling on the Country Music Half Marathon in two weeks. I am struggling with the $105 price tag! Plus, I've already done the half and the full, so going back to the half this year seems.... somehow anticlimactic. After that, there are a couple of 5K's and a 10K before the season comes to an end.

I found out this week that Women's Running magazine is putting on a women's half marathon in Nashville on September 25, just a week after my 40th birthday. As one of the first 250 women registered, I got the special price of $50. That was pretty awesome. I've never competed in an all women's event. I'm looking forward to the women's fitted shirts and the medal on a hot pink ribbon with a removable charm, but mostly the comraderie of like-minded gals!

I plan to make a shirt that says 40 is fabulous or some other cute slogan. (I'm open to suggestions!) I may even run in a birthday girl tiara. Doesn't that sound fun?

I'll post a race report after tomorrow's 10K. I'm strangely nervous!

My Kung Fu Is Weak

2010-04-06T07:16:00.002-05:00

Running just hasn't been going well for me the past seven days, so to borrow a phrase from my bloggy/real-life friend Joel, my kung fu has been weak.

It started with allergies and antihistimines and decongestants. I forgot how difficult those medicines make running! Then the heat wave hit. We've had upper 70's and 80's (89 yesterday!) for about a week. It is like running through sludge. Breathing is labored, and it takes intense effort to get below a 10-minute mile. Now that I mentioned it, I don't think I have actually run a mile under a 10-minute pace in the last week!

I know I will adapt to warm weather running again. Last night in my running class, we just ran slow and easy on a not-too-hilly course. No Monday night hillwork, no speed work, just a slow, enjoyable run. It was 86 when we started, but there was a nice breeze. Apparently if you run above an 11-minute pace, the heat isn't so bad!

Yuck--I feel like I was just making progress at running sub-10-minute miles as my "regular," comfortable pace.

Last Saturday I made a big mistake with my training group, and I hope they will forgive me. We are training for a hilly race, and I planned a hilly 11-miler. Actually, I didn't think the run would be THAT hilly. We were running a 2.6 mile greenway with 2 huge hills coming and going. Well, by the time we did that twice, that is 8 huge hills! I advised them to walk up the hills, but I probably should have asked them to walk down, too. I think it was the downhills that got our toenails. Three of us (at least) now have one or more bruised toenails. Running steep downhills makes your foot slide forward and pound into the toe of your shoe, even when they are plenty big! I didn't have any sore nails in 26.2 a couple of months ago, but that darn 11-miler left me with two!

So, just in time for summer, I'll lose the 2nd toenails AGAIN. (I think you are more prone to that if your 2nd toe is longer than your big one.) Last summer, I sported only 6 nails, having lost the big ones AND the second ones in the April full marathon. It doesn't make for pretty feet, but WHO AM I KIDDING? They weren't that pretty before, either!

My toenails hurt when I walk, wear socks, or the covers touch them in bed--that's how sore they are. It almost feels like the toes are broken! I hope the soreness goes away soon because IT'S GO TIME!

I have a RACE this Saturday. I used to be a race-once-a-month kind of gal, but now I pick and choose. I have chosen a 10K since I haven't run one since October of 2008. At that time, I was being paced by a fast friend and didn't have sore feet, so I pulled out an unexpected 9:23 pace for 6 miles. How did I do that? Two marathons and four half-marathons later, I'm just not sure I've got a 9:23 in me. Maybe I can blame the toenails. :-)

Bandwagon Jumping

2010-04-01T20:19:00.002-05:00

I'm apparently a sucker for a hard sell. A week ago, I went to a running seminar put on by a representative from Newton shoes. If you don't know about Newtons, they are "the next big thing" in running. Allegedly. They are part of the movement toward less shoe, more natural barefoot-style running. The rep talked about Born to Run and Chi Running. He made us take our shoes and socks off and experience the floor in our bare feet. He explained that mid-foot striking is the WAY TO GO in terms of running. He even called them "PR Shoes." So what did I do? I bought a pair, of course. It wasn't that I needed new shoes. I think my Asics Kayanos have only 150-200 miles on them. It wasn't that I am plagued by nagging injuries and needed a CHANGE. Nope, I just fell victim to the sell. I jumped onto the Newton "natural running" bandwagon.

I had regrets right after pushing "place my order" on Road Runner Sports. What was I doing spending $150 for shoes I didn't even need? In this economy? When I only work a very part-time 6-8 hours per week?? Looking back, it was probably the PR thing that got me. He basically promised that these shoes would make me a better runner, a faster runner. If I could just change my form from heel striking to forefoot striking (which these shoes FORCE your feet to do with a built up forefoot plate), I'd finally be the runner I want to be.

For just a few minutes, I was a believer that these were magic shoes (cue Forrest Gump...). I was looking for a short cut, in reality. I wanted to become a faster runner overnight without all that pesky speedwork. I typically dislike tempo runs. Intervals aren't much fun, either. But give me a slow, easy pace and I can run ALL DAY.

Sometimes I wish I were less driven in this running thing. I keep setting more and more goals. I want to run a 10K in under 58 minutes, a 5K in under 28 minutes, a half in 2:05. I want a 4:30 marathon! But that's going to take hard work and perseverance. Not magic shoes.

I'm sending the Newtons back. They arrived today and I ran about a mile in them. They did alter my form, that's for sure. But I think I've decided that if something's not broken, why try to fix it? I've run 2 marathons and 6 half-marathons injury-free in the past 24 months. I may struggle with speed (or lack thereof), but a quick fix isn't the answer.

Running Like a Mother

2010-03-23T08:47:00.004-05:00

I have just finished reading Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving-- and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity. Loved it! You know how every now and then you read a book to which you totally relate? This is one of those books. The authors totally nailed the voice of the mother-runner.

Run Like a Mother feels like one of those conversations you have with a friend on a long run. It's a book that all female athletes can relate to, regardless of motherhood status or running experience. However, for those of us who both run and mother small children, it's an especially relatable book. At times it's part memoir--telling of Sarah's and Dimity's journeys as runners and marathoners (including a few race reports!), and other times it's more like a helpful training manual--giving advice on running gear, nutrition, and staging a post-pregnancy comeback. You won't find a 16-week marathon training plan in here, but you'll emerge from this book knowing what worked and didn't work for Sarah and Dimity as they trained. As a running coach, I liked the technical talk about running 8 X 400 meters and other training-specific tidbits. But as a mother and a fellow female athlete, I think I most enjoyed the deeply personal revelations about body image, weight, marriage, and mothering. I loved the personal essay format. By the end of the book, you'll feel like you have two new friends: Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell.

I also posted this review on Amazon.com. I wish Sarah and Dimity much success with this book! I appreciated the advance copy!

HUBBY UPDATE: My husband was feeling so much better with both his knee and ankle that he cancelled his appointment with his orthopedic doctor. (Grrr....) He wants another shot at the half-marathon, hopefully in October. Until then, he plans to make running a regular part of his week (at least two or three times per week --Yay!). Training will officially start in late July or early August.

Other training tidbits: My half-marathon training group ran their first double-digit run this past Saturday and everyone finished! Some had doubts going in. (Ten is such an intimidating number.) AND they did the last two miles on a gravel/dirt trail! I'm so happy to be able to expose them to different aspects of running--- speed work, hill training, trails, looonnnng distances--- that runners often won't try on their own. It's a fun job.

Lessons from a Bad Half-Marathon

2010-03-15T16:01:00.002-05:00

My husband ran his first half-marathon on Satuday, and he ended up in the ER.

I didn't put any pressure on him to join me in the running world, I promise! It was his decision. One day in December, he randomly decided to train for a half-marathon.

As for the race, it could have gone better. I didn't coach him like I should have. I seemed to forget he's a newbie runner. I just gave him a training schedule and let him go....

He had ankle pain for the past 5 weeks of his training, since his first 9-miler. Up until then, I had him running 1 mile, walking 1 minute, and he avoided injury up through the 8-mile distance. He ran fast, at goal race pace, that day instead of at the recommended slow, easy, conversational pace. He continued to run on a sore ankle and did another 9-miler and a 10-miler, again pretty fast. Each time, his ankle was killing him by the end of the run, usually after 7 or 8 miles. His longest run was 10 miles. He reduced his week day mileage, but never actually took time off from running. He went into the race on a sore ankle (against my advice!). He didn’t want his training to go to waste, which I absolutely understand.

The ankle was ok until 6.8 miles when he felt a pop and it started to hurt. I’m sure he altered his form to compensate for the sore right ankle. That put more pressure on the joints of his LEFT leg. At 11 miles, he felt a shooting pain in his left knee. He could barely put any weight on it. Adrenaline was going at that point, so he managed to finish. He still made his time goal, which was 2:30, with a 2:29:19 finish. When the adrenaline left, he realized how bad his knee was and hobbled to the car. Six runners offered him help—it was clear he could barely walk. (Runners are good people!) By the time he completed the 45-minute drive home, he couldn’t extend his knee out straight or bend it. He called me from the driveway because he couldn’t walk into the house, and I immediately drove him to the hospital.

I had to go into the ER and get a wheelchair because he couldn’t put any weight on that knee or hop on the other foot because of ankle pain. It’s a sad thing to have to wheel your husband into the ER in a wheelchair. After 4.5 hours and one set of x-rays, he was discharged in a full-leg brace and on crutches. They diagnosed a torn or strained ligament or tendon in the knee. Because of that sore ankle, he must have altered his stride so much that it affected the knee on the opposite leg. He didn’t fall or wrench it in any way, it was just from running with a different stride than usual. By the next morning, inflammation had subsided and he could walk, just painfully. It was a little better today and he can go up and down steps. He’s seeing an ortho on Thursday.

Lessons I'm taking away from this experience and will be sharing with runners I coach:

1. Don’t go into a race with pain. There is annoying discomfort/soreness that goes away as you run and there is PAIN that gets worse as you run. They are different. If something hurts, especially when you are just walking, you need to take 5-7 days off from running and see a doctor! There will be other races. At the very least, run/walk (mostly walk) if you feel like you must do the race. Adjust your finish time expectations accordingly.

2. Don’t’ start half-marathon training without a 2-3 month base of running 3 X per week. The joints, bones, tendons, and ligaments are the bodily system that take the longest to adapt to running. Every run, even short ones, serves to strengthen your skeletal system. My husband was a once-a-week runner when he started training. Having a good base of mileage might have prevented this. He could knock out a 3-miler, then not run for 2 weeks or a month, then knock out another one with no problem. But, I should have KNOWN he needed more of a base.

3. Take at least 5-7 days off when you are injured and ease back into running with a run/walk, even if you have to miss a long run (or two). When you can walk pain-free, start adding back minutes of running. You’ll catch back up.

4. Try to stick to your training plan (when healthy). Those weekday runs are important. You can’t just be a weekend warrior and knock out the long runs. You need the weekday runs to strengthen your body. My husband often missed 1 or more of the weekday runs due to 60-hour work weeks, which made his base of mileage lower than it should have been. Missing 1 occasionally is ok, but don’t make a habit of it. Winter training is just hard anyway--it's cold and dark when you leave for work and it's cold and dark when you come home. I should have encouraged him to train for a different race.

5. The long runs should be at a slow, easy pace at least ONE-TWO MINUTES slower than you are able to run that distance. That was the number 1 thing I learned in my coaching class.

I feel like I let him down! I knew all this, but I didn't want to nag, nag, nag him about it, so I let him do his own thing. I'm not sure being a wife-coach works out too well!

Trail Running -- As Scary as It Sounds

2010-03-10T16:10:00.005-06:00

I'm all for trying new things. I am. Since I've been running, I've wondered what it would be like to stop pounding the pavement and to give trail running a try. It just seemed so dirty and dangerous and .... mysterious. But since trail running comes with certain risks--- broken bones, sprained ankles, strained ligaments--- and I'm always in training for SOMETHING, I was never brave enough to give it a try. Until today.

After making plans earlier in the week to meet three friends today at 10:30, I found myself hoping it would rain. All this clean eating has left me feeling sluggish and irritable. (I think it's just a stage and will get better. I miss white flour and sugar!!!) Alas, the sun came out despite the 40% chance of rain. Sigh. I was stuck.

The first section was a gravel road. I thought, "Hey, this isn't so bad." But that wasn't actually the trail. We turned off onto the trail and suddenly it was all dirt and rocks and roots. I trudged up a hill that went on forever. Or maybe 3/4 of a mile. On the return trip down, I got a little cocky, over-confident, and speedy. See, downhills are my thing. I was chatting with my friend and suddenly lost my footing on a rock or something and rolled my left ankle. Unfortunately my left ankle is (was?) my good ankle. It's the stable ankle while the right ankle is all willy-nilly. Righty will just go weak and fall over for no apparent reason after I rolled it for the first time last March. I ran both marathons this past year wearing an ankle brace on my right ankle. Now, I suppose I'll need a matched set.

Really, it wasn't that bad. I rolled it 1.25 miles into the run, but was able to continue and finish 4 miles. It hurt for a minute, and it's vaguely ached ever since then, but it will be fine. I hope.

So, I figured the downhills were what you had to watch out for. About 20 minutes later, my friend was going uphill and her shoe got stuck under a tree root and she went DOWN. Like, all the way, dirt-on-the-forehead down. It was her first trail run, too.

I will admit, I liked the CHALLENGE of trail running. I think I would like it more on a nice wood-chip covered path.... or maybe a grassy path. Trail running is sort of dangerous! But I think I'll do it again. Maybe some trail shoes would help..... (any excuse to shop!).

Also, check out the blog 52 Beginnings. This woman is attempting to run 52 marathons in 52 weeks to raise money to help AIDS orphans in Africa. She's only been running about 3 years, which is amazing. She writes about how her 4 or 5 hours of suffering is nothing compared to what these children endure. It's very inspiring. She's coming my way for the Country Music Marathon in April. She finished last weekend's trail marathon in Maryland in just over 4 hours. Wow.

Ready to Rock and Roll

2010-03-07T17:30:00.003-06:00

I just added up my mileage for last week: 17 miles. And the week before was only 16.75. After months of logging 25-38 miles per week (except for that pesky week at Disney), it has felt strange to run so LITTLE.

I've actually had time to do other stuff.

I've been reading up on clean eating and spent no less than 2 hours at Kroger last week in the organic/natural food section reading labels and trying to clean up my family's diet.

I attended a PTO meeting and am co-chairing the Spring Fitness Fling at my kids' elementary school (and it wasn't even my idea!).

I taught myself to do pull ups! I can do 3 unassisted. Then I have total muscle failure, but I'm pretty proud of three.

I figured out how to use the rowing machine last week and rowed 1/2 mile (ok, that's only 5 minutes, but it's a start).

I cycled 3 or 4 miles TWICE at the gym.

I joined http://www.dailymile.com/ to log my runs.

I've even blogged twice in the past 3 days. That's pretty unusual for me!

Not running as much sure leaves time for other things! I did enjoy those 17 miles though.

On Tuesday evening, I ran 2.5 miles of them while watching the Biggest Loser, which I cannot watch without exercising. I think I must feel, "There but by the grace of God go I" or something, because watching it makes me feel the need to do squats, lunges, crunches, lift weights, or run. (Thanks for putting that t.v. in the home gym, Honey!) I can really relate to the people on the show. I grew up on fried chicken and fried potatoes and green beans from a can and corn bread.... good southern comfort foods. I know the lifestyle they are leaving behind because I've lived it. I would say that MOST of my family on my mom's side struggle with their weight, and my paternal grandmother was very close to morbidly obese. I think it could be in my genes, and that scares me.

On Thursday, I just popped into the gym and ran a couple of quick miles, did some pull ups, and experimented with the rowing machine, which I loved. I'm really trying to make myself crosstrain, but I think I have crosstraining ADD because nothing quite does it for me like RUNNING! Maybe rowing will be a good option.

On Saturday, my training group met for their first 9 miler. It was new mileage territory for everyone in the group except the couple of folks who trained with me last fall. I had a 4-mile out-and-back set up for them, then a 5-mile out-and-back portion. I decided to run the first section as a tempo run, and it felt so good! I have only been doing easy running in the name of recovery, but running at a pace between half-marathon and marathon race pace felt amazing. (And that's on the slower side of the "tempo" spectrum.) I'm excited to ease into faster running once a week again.

During the 2nd part of the group run, two folks from my Couch to 5K class joined us. One runner had run 3 miles nonstop a few times before, so I focused a little more on the teenaged novice runner who had NEVER completed 3 miles before and wasn't overly confident that she could. (It's so neat--she's a visiting exchange student from a small village in Israel.) We aimed for a 7:4 run/walk, but we wound up only walking about 2 minutes between runs. She was so proud of herself at the end! She was tired, but elated.

I'm really blessed to have such a great job! And I managed to get in 10 miles in the process!

Like a Ship without an Oar...

2010-03-05T15:24:00.002-06:00

PMS, or post-marathon syndrome, has set in. I can't figure out where to go with my training from here. I'm on day 19 of marathon recovery (26 days typically--one day for every mile raced). Next Friday will be my last recovery day. I can resume speed work, start thinking about my next race, and even begin a new training plan. But what? When? Where?????? I feel sort of lost and unmotivated about the whole thing.

I'm training about 20 people to run the Country Music Half-Marathon on April 24. I could always run that since I'm doing the training anyway. Or not. It is so crowded and those 50-person deep port-o-potty lines at the start are no joke! It's also very costly---up to about $90 for the entry by now, I imagine. I doubt I'd set a half-marathon PR on that hilly course, but I'm fairly certain I could beat my time from 2 years ago when it was my first half. I've shaved about 10 minutes off my half times, but that's mostly by running flat courses! On the hilly ones, it's more like.... 5 minutes.

I don't have fond memories of that course from last April's heat wave marathon, either. I'm sure it wasn't that bad, but at the time, it seemed horrible with the unexpected heat and humidity. The sound of ambulance sirens pierced the air throughout the race, and literally hundreds of people had to go to the hospital. Not a good memory.

I've toyed with the idea of getting redemption on that FULL MARATHON course. I'd just have to hit 2 or 3 long runs between now and then... maybe a 15-miler, an 18-miler, and a 19-miler. But I don't think my heart is in that, either. I'm marathoned out after 31 weeks of training.

Coming up are a few things I think I'll add to my calendar. On April 10 or 11, there is the Purity Moosic City Dairy Dash 5K and 10K in Nashville. I haven't run a 10K in a year and a half. It's probably time. Then there is a 5K here in my current hometown on May 2 and one in my growing up hometown on May 9 or the following week. At some point in May, there is usually a duathlon (biking and running) here. That could be fun, even though I have a rickety OLD mountain bike. In June, my running club puts on a 5K/10K race that I have worked at, but never run in. This year, I hope to find a way to run it (as well as volunteer and be a good little club member).

Reading this month's Runner's World that came in the mail yesterday, I saw a 6-week 10K training plan for people coming off marathon/half-marathon training who want to get back some speed. Hmmmm...... Maybe I can just be a middle-distance runner for a while.....

Recovery #2

2010-02-24T16:03:00.003-06:00

Wow. Marathon recovery the 2nd time around is soooo much better!!! Last time, I had 4 blisters under 4 toenails, after which said toenails turned several lovely shades before vacating the premises of my feet. I had to take a round of antibiotics after one of the areas became a little, um, (how do I say this delicately?) oozy.

This time, one tiny blister was gone the next day. My feet didn't hurt, and I didn't feel overall like I'd been hit by a truck. A Prius perhaps, but not a truck. My quads, hamstrings, and calves definitely ached for two to three days. I walked 1.5 miles on Monday to speed recovery. By Wednesday my legs had somewhat forgiven me. I cycled at the gym for 3 or 4 miles that day. On Saturday, I ran 5.

So, yep, recovery is going much better this time around!

Mostly, I'm just RAVENOUS, carrying around about 6 extra pounds, and kind of sleepier than usual. I can live with that.

Marathon Pictures

2010-02-19T07:46:00.006-06:00

Brrr... 30 degrees.

Have you ever seen a happier marathoner?

Do these tights make my thighs look big???

Bling.... Mercedes hood ornament. I learned last time to lift it away from my bib so it doesnt cover my number and my picture gets lost.

Mercedes Marathon Race Report

2010-02-15T06:04:00.014-06:00

(Pre-race pic. I did wear shoes.)

This will probably be long. I'll just warn you now. My husband and I got up early on Saturday, drove an hour to my parents' house in Kentucky, and dropped off my 3 and 7 year old girls. Then we drove with my 9-year-old son 3 hours and 45 minutes to Birmingham, Alabama. We checked in to a wonderful downtown hotel--the Hampton Inn Tutewiler. The best part is it was a block from the start!

We visited the expo, had a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant, and I put my feet up for the rest of the night. I slept terribly. I watched the clock all night long--11:30, 2:00, 3:15, 4:00....it was the longest night EVER! At 4:55, I noticed my son was awake, too. He informed me he was hungry. We threw on clothes and went to hit the complimentary breakfast bar at 5:00 a.m. (Left my husband sleeping.) There were already 3 or 4 runners in there.

Then it was time to get dressed, and my husband and son walked me to the starting line. I got there about 25 minutes before the start. The start was my only complaint with the whole race. Runners were in line for port-a-johns in the street--which was still open to traffic. It was funny--the runners were not budging from their spots in line. Cars were just trying to drive through the middle of the lines. Finally a cop redirected traffic. The other problem at the start is the pace groups didn't have any bright-colored shirts, signs, or anything to help us line up by pace. We just lined up blindly. All 9,000 of us. (8,000 in half, 900 or so in full)

The start was a chilly 30 degrees at 7:03 a.m. and I crossed exactly 4 minutes later. The first mile was wall-to-wall people. There were 2 hills in the first mile, and I thought that might not bode well! My first mile was right on pace at about 10:25. I was careful not to go out too fast in mile 2, as well. After those miles, I ran with my heart! I adopted a pretty agressive pace for my slow self. My last marathon was all about being conservative. Not this one. I wanted to see what I could do. I planned to walk 10 to 20 seconds at each water stop, and that's what I did. Since this is a double loop course, I really just focused on finishing the first 13.1 mile loop between 2:16 and 2:18. I didn't really focus on having to run 26.2, just 13.1 at at time.

On the course, I noticed we'd have what felt like a little uphill, then a great, long downhill. I have recently learned to run downhills from reading and talking to a former cross country runner. I relax, lean forward a little, and just let gravity do the rest. My stride elongates and my heels come up a little higher. I imagine (really!) I'm a child running down a hill. (I had a downhill front yard as a child. I ran down it a lot!) It's FUN!

Feeling great, I stayed on pace, but at mile 8, I stopped for a port-o-john (my only stop of the day!) with a short line. I lost about a minute to a minute and a half in mile 8.

I was still feeling strong and enjoyed a wonderful long downhill (half a mile at least) in mile 9. that was my only mile under a 10-minute pace, around 9:50. At mile 12, we were separated from the half-marathoners. I noticed I was running next to a guy who was also music-free (I was saving my music for the last 13.1 miles!), and I asked him "What's your goal for today?" We started talking and wound up staying together for the rest of the race! It made such a HUGE difference---suffering that is SHARED is much easier to deal with.

We passed 13.1 and my husband and son were cheering me on. I was a little ahead of schedule. My friend Reid and I passed the time by talking about our kids and jobs and spouses and his 8 other marathons. I realized my legs were starting to get tired from all the hills and the aggressive pace around mile 14 and dialed it back a little. According to the chip results, at 24.2K (around 15 miles) my average pace overall was 10:37. I was still feeling pretty good. At 30K (18 miles), my pace was averaging 10:38/mile. This was a best-case scenario for me!

In all my training runs, I'm usually doing ok up until mile 18, then it gets hard. Yesterday was no exception. At mile 18, my buddy and I were both feeling a little rough, so Reid suggested we walk for 1 minute at the mile marker for each mile. I agreed, and that strategy helped from miles 18-26. We were careful to time it and try to start back running at a decent pace when the minute was up. We skipped the walk break in mile 21, however, because the mile marker was in the middle of a nice downhill. We were flying down that hill (it seemed to us anyway), and we had no intention of stopping. I always say downhills are a gift from God, so walking them is just wrong!

When the going gets tough, my music usually helps me. Yesterday at mile 20, I tried to turn it on for the first time. It wouldn't work. Yes, I was music-free for 26.2 miles. In the car on the way home, I figured out what was wrong--very minor, but after 4 hours of running, troubleshooting my MP-3 wasn't possible! Kind of like doing math on a long run.

Finally, we made it to mile 26. 20-26 were tough, but 24-26 were really, really tough. I just wanted to find a spot in the grass to sit a minute or better yet--lay down! But I was on a MISSION---to finish marathon #2 with the best possible time.

The .2 seemed SO LONG. My husband and son were there cheering for me at about 26.1. I tried to sprint (that .2 was at a 9:21 pace on the Garmin), and finally the longest finishing chute EVER ended, and I crossed the mat. I heard my name announced, which was nice.

Chip time: 4:45:51---better than I had a right to expect. I expected 4:49-4:59 honestly! I'm proud of the overall 10:55 average pace, but I wish I hadn't slowed quite so much in miles 18-26.

Overall--a great experience! I highly recommend this marathon if you need an Alabama marathon for your 50 states. The course really is great--maybe I trained more on hills this time, but the uphills seemed little and the downhills big and plentiful. I was so blessed to find a running buddy. Reid was really loud and gregarious and positive. He kept saying, "My legs are tired, but my spirit isn't!" We ran at what felt like a strong pace for the WHOLE marathon---in contrast to the easy running I did last time (when I wasn't walking!) in the Country Music Marathon.

Two marathons, 10 months apart, but a world of difference in them. Having 30 to 40 degree temps is SO much better than 70's and 80's. I am satisfied with my marathon time now. I don't feel like I need another shot at redemption.

My legs hurt so much today!! My left knee is really sore---definitely plan to ice it. My quads are trashed more than anything from my "fun" downhills yesterday, but my hamstrings and knees are not very happy with me, either. I only have one blister and all toenails are so far intact though, so that's good news.

The NEATEST THING (if anyone is still reading at this point....) was my February 14th daily devotional. I've been reading this devotional sporadically and the Feb. 14th was written for ME.

The first line was "Give yourself fully to the adventure of today." Then it went on to talk about not worrying about the road ahead and taking comfort that God would be with me all of my days, holding my right hand. That devotion eased my pre-race anxiety. I carried it in my pocket and thought about it often on the run. It was a really blessed day.

Whoo-hoo! 4:45:51

2010-02-14T20:33:00.003-06:00

A. goal was 4:45 or under. B. goal was under 5 hours C. goal was to do better than last April's 5:17

You can imagine I'm HAPPY!!!!!!! I'll write a full race report tomorrow, but I had a great time in the race. I ran with my heart, not my head--a little too fast in 1-13, but I was feeling awesome. I still felt pretty good from 14-17. It got tough around mile 18 and then 20-26 were BRUTAL, especially 22-26. (But when are those miles NOT brutal?) I ran music-free because my MP-3 was frozen up, but I made a friend (just like last time!) at mile 12 and we stayed together until mile 26. Average pace was 10:55, but up until mile 18, I was averaging 10:38/pace. THAT'S how much I slowed down in 18-26, but I'm proud I kept it under 11 minute miles.

Mom on a Mission: Marathon #2

2010-02-12T15:58:00.004-06:00

I'm finalizing plans to leave for Birmingham, Alabama, in the morning for the Mercedes Marathon on Sunday!

I ran an 18-miler and a 19-miler (both pretty painful) in January, and I'm going to just go for it! No time like the present!

My husband and oldest child are driving down to B-ham tomorrow. It's about 5 hours including the portion where we drop off our girls at Grandma's. We'll get there mid-afternoon, check in, get my packet, carbo load, and the race is at 7:03 on Sunday morning. I'll run the race and get right back in the car for the 5-hour drive home (yikes!).

I'm excited to give this marathon-thing one more shot. Oh, it's SNOWING in Birmingham today (of course), and it's supposed to be 30 degrees at the start on Sunday and raining from 10:00 a.m. on (when I'm still out there for a good two hours more). It's hopefully going to warm up into the low 40's, so I'm sure I'll survive. I ran a half in pouring rain this time last year. It's not as bad as it sounds. It's a double loop course. It's kind of hilly in places: (or should I say mountainous?)

I wanted to make sure illness didn't sideline me again before saying anything. That's what changed in my "About Me." It no longer says "training for marathon #2." Thank goodness!

"You Must Really Like Running!"

2010-02-09T08:20:00.005-06:00

One of my co-workers at the YMCA said this to me the other day. This was after I added another session to the three running classes I already had on the schedule. Now I'm teaching one class with 23 half-marathoners, one with 6 Couch to 5Kers, and two classes of 15 "mini-marathoners" in grades K-6. Yikes. I really MUST like running. Can I start calling it my "jobby"?

I like to look at this coaching thing as more of a calling than just a job. I am neither an expert nor a great runner, but I am a teacher at heart, an encourager, and I love to share how running has changed my life. Meeting new people and acquiring new running buddies is a bonus.

My half-marathon group ran 10K on Saturday, most for the first time. I made them a little certificate (I know, cheesey, but well-meaning). They were THRILLED and couldn't believe they had run 6.2 miles (Although they had run 5.5 the week prior, somehow 6.2 miles is special. It's really long-distance territory). They still have 9 weeks until race day, and they are well on their way.

It is so neat to see people experience "new distance" for the first time. From now on, all the long runs will be new territory for the majority of them. There's nothing quite like training for that first half or full marathon. I can't wait until our 10-miler. The first time you complete a double-digit run is pretty amazing.

I'm home with 3 kiddos enjoying yet another Middle Tennessee snow day. This time we have about 3 inches of snow atop about 2 inches of ice. It's a good thing I have a treadmill!

P.S. Something in my "About Me" is about to change in the next few days..... More on that later.

P.S.S. Two NEW running songs I'm enjoying: Switchfoot's Bullet Soul and Mess of Me

Perpetual Motion

2010-02-04T11:43:00.004-06:00

Good grief, I just realized I have been in perpetual marathon training for more than a year!!

I started training for last year's Country Music Marathon in January of last year. I ran the race in late April and took May for recovery with mostly short, easy runs. In June I started creeping up my mileage again, and in July officially started a 20-week training program for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon on December 5. I made it through 19.5 weeks of that training and then was sidelined with a sinus infection and bronchitis just days before the race. (DEVASTATING, as you might imagine.)

I recovered somewhat and decided to attempt the Jacksonville Marathon two weeks later so all that wonderful training (over-training perhaps?) wouldn't go to waste. Seven days before the race, my nine-year-old came down with a horrible stomach bug. It took out a new family member about every 36 hours, finially getting to me a mere three days before the race. For 24 hours I couldn't eat or drink--or "keep" anything for long if I did. And this was during the first day of carbo-loading. (Not quite as devastating, but very DISAPPOINTING still.)

So I found myself in the middle of December with 22 weeks of marathon training and two marathon tapers, but no marathons, behind me. What is a running addict to do???

Keep running. (Because we just went to Disney and saw the Finding Nemo show, the phrase "Just keep swimming" comes to mind.) I have been continuing to log marathon-worthy mileage--- a week of 32 miles, another week with 34, an 18-mile long run one week and a 19-miler a couple of weeks later. I'm avoiding doing another big 2-0 because they are so punishing and intimidating and somehow 18 or 19 is easier to wrap the mind around.

In other words, I'm KEEPING MY OPTIONS OPEN. Maybe I'll do a race in the near future. I can't stay in perpetual marathon training forever. Can I?

My Husband Owns Running Tights and Other Strange Occurrences....

2010-01-31T09:31:00.005-06:00

Strange Occurrence #1: My husband's new running tights came in the mail on Friday.

When running took over my life two and a half years ago, my husband was happy for me and tried to join in, but he just didn't like running. He was up to 3 miserable miles when he broke a bone in his foot in a non-running accident. That was that. I kept going and going, running 6 half-marathons and one full over the years. He dutifully drove me to start lines, waited patiently for me to finish, and offered all the love and encouragement for which I could ask.

Fast forward to November of this year and out of the blue, he decided to train for a half marathon in March. He said he wanted to understand and be a part of this thing that is such a defining force in my life. I think his exact words were, "I hate running, but I'm going to run a half marathon. For you." I told him I would "coach" him, but he had to do it for HIMSELF, not for me. Now he's up to 8 miles, has had his first blister, and is losing a toenail. Welcome to my world, Honey!

On a 17-degree run the other day wearing thin running pants, he was freezing. I told him that most of the male runners I know wear tights in the winter. He looked at me like I was crazy because he's seen these guys in tights (you know the BOLD ones who wear them with nothing over them showing off every aspect of their physique?). But I ordered them anyway. Now for the rest of his long runs, he'll at least be warm (though he still hates running). Plus nothing says "serious runner" more than training for a half-marathon while wearing tights! Now if I can just get him to like running..... (He does like the sense of accomplishment he feels after completing a long run.)

Strange Occurrence #2: Our Tennessee Blizzard

On Friday and Saturday, we got 6 inches of snow in Tennessee. We are officially snowed in! This is quite rare. We have many winters where the sleds never even make it out of the garage. Unfortunately, this was the week of the first training run for the new half-marathon training group I'm coaching!

I am leading a 12-week training group for the Country Music Half Marathon. I have 24 runners of all ages and ability levels. One has run a full marathon (something like 15 years ago), two did the training and ran the fall marathon with me, 5 are from my fall Couch to 5K group, and the rest vary in experience. With 6 inches of snow on the ground, we couldn't exactly run outside. I know for many of you, that wouldn't have been an issue, but we don't own Yak Trax or anything and frankly, we Tennesseans have NO IDEA how to drive on this stuff. Not a good combination. So, we had to do our first training run of 5.5 miles INDOORS on the treadmills and track at the local YMCA. Out of 24 people, 9 braved the icy roads and showed up, which was nice.

Strange Occurrence #3 Run Like a Mother

On a post earlier this week, Sara Bowen Shea, a contributing editor to Runner's World magazine, left a comment. Remember the issue with the running skirts reviews from August of 2008, I believe? She wrote those reviews and has contributed to several other articles since I've been an avid Runner's World reader. Her blog Marathon Moms was at one time part of the Runner's World website. Anyhoo, she has written a book called Run Like a Mother and is sending me a copy. I will read it and tell you all about it on here. For a former English teacher turned stay-at-home-mom and part-time running coach, anything that combines books, mothering, AND running is pretty awesome. Look for my review soon!

Despite the snow, I had a fantastic running week. I ran 25 miles. On Monday I did a tempo run, on Wednesday I did a long run, on Friday I did an easy run (indoors), and on Saturday I did speedwork (indoors). I don't know if I've hit all the MAJORS (tempo, long, easy, and speedwork) before in one 7-day period!

Still in the Game

2010-01-27T13:31:00.002-06:00

Though this blog has come to a near stand-still, I wanted to let you know I'm still in the game! Last week I logged 34 miles. My long run on Saturday was one of those ugly ones though. You know the kind where at mile 6, you feel like you've run about 12, and at mile 12, you feel like you've run about 18-20? One of THOSE kinds of runs. Ahhhh, well, you take the good with the bad.

On Monday, I got to run in the snowfall for the second time this winter. Running in the snow always makes me happy inside. There's just something poetic about it. I try to freeze those moments in my mind, so next July when it's 95 and 160% humid here in Tennessee, I can remember.....

Today I got in an unexpected 12-miler. Or I should say "unplanned." (Yes, kind of like my 3rd child---I knew I wanted to do it, I just didn't plan to do it so soon....) I woke up this morning and looked at the weather forecast and thought, "I can run 12 miles on Saturday when it's about 18 degrees and a predicted 2-3 inches of snow and ice all over the roads, or I can do it today with 35-degree temps." I opted for today. I didn't carb-load yesterday. I didn't hydrate extra well like I usually do. I didn't even eat anything special for breakfast. But I got in my 12-miler, albeit very slowly..... I didn't even GEL. (That's rare!) I had 1/2 banana and a Luna Bar (Nutz over Chocolate--yum!) during the run.

It's funny to wake up on a random Wednesday and run 12 miles, you know? The body really adapts to what you give it.

See ya!

Fancy Running Talk

2010-01-21T18:43:00.006-06:00

I just finished Personal Best by Dr. George Sheehan, the foremost philosopher of running. (He and John Bingham are my two favorite running writers.)

I have to share a few quotes in case you are in need of inspiration or motivation.

Sheehan discusses the reasons why he started running at the age of forty-five. He began running because "... I was locked into a routine that utilized only a small percentage of my capabilities, imprisoned in a physical and professional and social existence that no longer allowed me to express my real personality. I ran to find myself." I get that.

On racing, he says the most important thing is "not to excel against others but to excel against yourself.... The real contest is within. The real trophy is the self... becoming a person you can be proud of."

Other gems:

"As luck would have it, or the Creator intended, the sportive use of the body brings its own joys. My body has found in running all it needs to know, or do. I am not upset that it has no other skills. My life needs nothing more."

"We are here to lead a heroic life."

"For me, running has narrowed the distance between what I am and what I can be, between the actual self and the ideal, between aspiration and reality."

"The runner's high is an integral and essential part of our lives. It draws us again and again to escape our humdrum, ordinary, and commonplace real lives."

"The race for me is what the mountain is to the climber, what white water is to the canoeist. The race, where I can be a hero, is a contest where I give my word of honor to go out and do battle with myself. I do not question this impulse. I know it is basic and true. It is the attempt to be myself. I take the risk, seek the challenge, invite the pain. Peace lies beyond the finish line, on the peak of the mountain, just past the rocks, across the turbulent water."

As for the blogging community, I think this quote says it all: (not that there was a blogging community when this book was published in 1989)

"When I became a runner, I found these new friends, those whose hearts and souls and intellects and, yes, even faces and bodies somehow resembled mine. Friends who had felt what I was now feeling, known what I was coming to know, and written in words that rang with MY truth." That may be my favorite one of all!

MIA???

2010-01-18T08:54:00.002-06:00

Wow, it's been FOREVER since I blogged. Life just got in the way, lately!

This blog post is coming from sunny Orlando, Florida! We just spent the last 4 days exploring Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom. It was the a vacation of many firsts--- the first time the two youngest had flown, the first time I'd ever flown WITH children, the first time for the kids to visit Disney.

The week before our trip, I ran 32 miles knowing I wouldn't get many in on vacation. Last week, I ran a total of...... 6. We left on Wednesday, but with packing for a family of 5 and planning every last detail of the trip, I only managed two short runs on Monday and Tuesday. Of course, I walked like 100 miles over the 4 days at the parks! That should count for something! It's not super-warm in Orlando, but it's been in the 60's and 70's, which is just about perfect. A little chilly for the outdoor pool at the resort where we are staying, but the kids didn't seem to notice. They swam anyway. I made it about 5 minutes. Even though it was a heated pool, at some point you have to get out, and when it's only about 68 degrees and windy and you are in a bikini, it's tough! (I ran 7 miles in 17-degree weather and SNOW a week and a half ago, but 68 and a heated pool and I'm freezing!)

I finished my little vacation this morning with a 6-mile run. I ran 4 in the resort fitness room on the treadmill (a little speed work) and the 2 exploring the nooks and crannies of the resort. We fly home in a little while (I HATE to fly! The best part of flying is getting OFF the plane.) Tomorrow, normal resumes. We went from Christmas to snow days to Disney..... now normal can finally begin.

10 for 2010 Virtual Run Reports!

2010-01-01T13:30:00.004-06:00

Hello, Running People. How was your run today???

It's chilly here in the south. At 8:00, it was 19 with a windchill of 10. That's pretty cold for those of us in Tennessee! (I'm sure it's waaaaay colder lots of other places though!) I texted my friends who had planned to meet me at 8:45 and asked them if they were sure about this---all three of them were totally in, no matter what the weather.

We got together around 8:50 and ran 3.8 miles. Despite the wind and cold weather, it was really nice. We were surprised how pleasant it was at the beginning before we were even warmed up. I guess we dressed just right. After our 3.8 mile "warm up" run and hanging out for a bit, we drove about a 1/2 mile away to the local running store's Resolution Run at 10:00 a.m. It was an informal group run, not a race. No clock, no gun start, just a bunch of crazy folks who like to run. There was a 5K route and 10K route, and we planned to do the 10K to end at 10 miles for the day (thus the reason for 3.8 ahead of time). About 40 people showed up, but only 7 of us opted for the 10K, which was a double loop around the 5K course.

It was kind of neat--after the first loop, all these fast guys in their tights and their cross country shirts (lots of high schoolers showed up) who had blown past us on the route were relaxing and hanging out at the finish after "only" 5K. We passed them eating their bananas and oatmeal raisin cookies, and we just kept running, slow, but steady, knowing we had run further than them before the Resolution Run even started.

We picked up a new friend in the last mile of the 10K--a traveler visiting from out of town. I love talking to other runners! The lone group run organizer was waiting for us when we finished--the four of us gals who had completed 10.5 in all(the course was a little long) and our new friend. I was surprised that out of 40 people, only 7 of us did the 10K, but I guess the weather was a factor. Or maybe most people are just content with 5K. (If I could actually run FAST, I might be content to run 5K's only, but since I'm slow, I might as well go LONG!)

After we finished, I was supposed to meet my husband and kids for lunch. When I called him, the kids weren't dressed, but he estimated he'd have all 3 of them dressed and out the door in about 5 minutes. (Yeah, right. I knew that meant at least 15 minutes in real time.) So I went to our little lunch meeting place, parked, and ran another 1.5 miles until he and the kiddos got there, bringing my total to 12 for the day. I kind of enjoy those bits and pieces runs.

Hello, 2012?

Please post your virtual run report in the comments section. I'll highlight some of the funny/strange/neat parts in an upcoming post!

Happy New Year!!!

Run 10 for '10 Virtual Group Run

2009-12-20T07:48:00.009-06:00

Run 10 for '10
Virtual Group Run

On January 1st, 2010, we need to ring in the new year right! Run either 10K (6.2 miles) or 10 miles any time on New Years' Day and tell me about it in the comments section---who, where, when, etc. You can even divide it up--you can run 5 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon as long as you total a distance of 10 miles or 10K.

Are you in for 10?

Please pass it on!

To Be or Not to Be?

2009-12-18T14:15:00.003-06:00

My fall 2009 marathon was not to be. You guessed it, I got the stomach bug! Shortly after my last post, my stomach started rumbling and grumbling and it, um, didn't end well. This is three days later and I feel about 75% better. Of course it takes 100% of a person to run 26.2 (110%??). My little one is the only one who has been spared from the bug, but she's running a low-grade fever today. Easy decision. She only wants mommy when she's well, much less sick!

So, I'm looking at late 2010 races. I need a marathon training break. I've been in training for nearly 6 months. I'm planning a couple of spring half-marathons though!

Short term, I'm just going to run for fun--what a concept!! I'm hoping to run 10 on January 1st to ring in 2010. That seems fitting.

I will leave you with our 2009 family Christmas photo. Someone was feeling a little Grinch-y.

Merry Christmas!

Are Ya Kidding Me???

2009-12-15T20:09:00.002-06:00

In my last post, I mentioned how I had 9 days left to continue to get my energy back and recover from bronchitis, I just had to avoid more illness.

Well....... on Saturday night, Hubby and I were out at a Christmas party when I got a call from my sitter. My 9 year old son had thrown up all over his bed, carpet, room, etc. Thus began a VERY. LONG. NIGHT. He was throwing up while simultaneously having explosive diarrhea for the next 7 to 8 hours. How does a skinny-9-year old even contain that much "stuff"???? He was a trooper though. He didn't cry about it (probably had no fluids left!). Unfortunately, he was rarely able to make it to the bathroom in time, so there was much scrubbing, steam cleaning, washing, and sanitizing of pretty much everything in the house. After several hours of sleep, however, he was as good as new---though probably 10 pounds lighter.

Then on Monday afternoon, my husband called and told me he had what our son has. He, too, had a rough night, but since he's a 41-year-old man, I figured he was ok on his own, and I retreated to the guest room. It was better for everyone that way. I did take him ginger ale occasionally and check to make sure he was still breathing. He's better today, though not quite 100%. Kids bounce back faster, I guess. (Especially kids with ADHD like my son. They REALLY bounce!)

And finally, TODAY, two hours after I dropped her off, my 7-year-old daughter's school called and said she had gotten sick and needed to be picked up. Was I surprised? Not in the least. Bless her heart, she threw up while waiting in line to use the restroom. She was so close. I thought she'd be mortified that she tossed her cookies in front of her entire class, but she wasn't. Maybe mortification comes later than age 7! She spent the afternoon napping on the bathroom floor. She had the least awful case of the three of them though.

So, now what? I am supposed to run my makeup marathon on Sunday. Rotavirus or some random stomach bug is in my house. Maybe I should just check into a hotel. :-)

Seriously, I have made peace with the situation. If I don't get it---and I am being careful and washing my hands and spraying Lysol and using hand sanitizer---I'll run on Sunday. If I do get a 7-8 hour vomiting/diarrhea virus Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, I guess marathon #2 was not meant to be.

We have had a very healthy fall. I can't really complain. No one got the swine flu or seasonal flu, we've avoided strep, and my kids have each only missed like 1 day of school. It's just the timing kind of stinks!

There will be other marathons---of that I am certain! But I'm not writing this one off just yet. I was a classroom teacher for 9 years, hopefully that counts for something immunity-wise!

Taper 2.0

2009-12-11T20:04:00.003-06:00

Taper 2.0 is going fairly well! In my 3 weeks of Taper 1.0, I ran 25 miles, 21 miles, and 11 miles. My glyclogen was replenished. My muscles were rested. Then with the illness, I missed the WHOLE POINT OF SAID TAPER, the actual race, so began Taper 2.0.

On Monday, I logged 6 miles with my friend Kathy. On Tuesday, I just did 2 easy ones on the treadmill. On Wednesday, I ran 5 miles. (That was the day I finally registered for the race. I had to make sure I had some semblance of energy back and could BREATHE while running.) Today I ran 12 miles (the same mileage as the first week of taper waaay back when....)

While my runs haven't been abundantly energetic, I finished them. I only cough when I stop. The 12 today was challenging because I could really tell my energy level wasn't where it was pre-virus. I felt pretty ok for a few miles, but then I felt really slow and it was a struggle by the end. (Can one get out of shape that fast???) I have 9 days to feel better and better (and avoid more illness please, God!). Hopefully, I'll arrive in Jacksonville as good as new (almost).

One bad part of today's run was at mile 4, I rolled my right ankle. Again. I rolled it back in March while training for my first marathon by stepping in a hole on a 16-miler, then again on an 18 miler two weeks later (on a flat surface--it was just weak). Well today on the exact same flat surface, my ankle just had a moment of weakness and rolled completely to the outside. I guess I'll be wearing my ankle brace for stability in this marathon just like last time! (And I have a feeling there will be a few other ankle braces and knee braces as many marathoners are pretty beat up by the time they hit the starting line.) I am blessed that it's not sprained or broken--I was able to run 8 more miles on it with mild discomfort. I'm going to ice it a little later.

I've been thinking about my GOALS for the Jacksonville Marathon next weekend. Originally for the Memphis Marathon, my goal was going to be A. 4:45 or less, B. 5:00 or less, and C. under 5:14. (I wanted to at least beat that Biggest Loser dude Rudy who ran 5:14 after never running over 15 miles in his life.) I would have really put pressure on myself to do that. I also would have put pressure on myself to keep up with my two friends (who wound up with a 4:56). I would have been devastated if I couldn't keep up and got left behind. So, maybe it's GOOD that I got sick and couldn't run that marathon. I was way too wrapped up in time and pace and what others were running.

I'm going into Jacksonville with different kinds of goals. A. To have fun, to smile, to enjoy the experience. B. To be thankful that I'm able to participate in this sport and in, for me, the pinnacle of my sport. C. To finish in good shape. Yes, under 5:00 would still be nice or at least beating my previous 5:17 time from April. But, I think the main thing is to just go into it with the RIGHT ATTITUDE. My body is going to do what it is going to do. My mind-- I can control that!

FYI If You Live in Clarksville...

2009-12-08T14:36:00.000-06:00

If you are interested in training with a group for the Country Music Half-Marathon on April 24, 2010, I'll be offering a beginners and an intermediate training group starting on Monday, January 25. We'll have group runs on Monday night from the Y (with childcare provided) and Saturday mornings (various locations-no childcare). Either before or after our Monday runs, we'll have short information sessions on nutrition and hydration for runners, running safety, stretching, integrating weight training, speed work, race strategy, pacing, and MORE. It's a 12-week training program, and the cost is $60 to the YMCA. The training plans can be individualized by a certified running coach (me) to meet YOUR needs.

Prior to the start of this training, runners need to be at a long run of 4-5 miles, and that can be a run/walk of 4-5 miles. Class is limited to 30.

An INFORMATION MEETING has been scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, January 11. Sign ups will be January 18-24. The first class is January 25 at 5:30 p.m. Start planning NOW!

If you don't live in Clarksville and want to take a look at the plan, shoot me an e-mail.

***All "Pitt Crew" half-marathon team alumni are welcome to join in on the Saturday runs at no cost!***

I'll also be offering a CLARKSVILLE MINI MARATHONERS 10-week class on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. for children 5-13 who want to do the Country Music Kids' Marathon. It's only $20. Children will run 25.2 miles on their own and during our class and run that last marathon mile on the CMM race course on Friday, April 23.

Thank You!!

2009-12-07T20:17:00.004-06:00

Thanks to everyone for offering advice and wisdom!

I am feeling better energy-wise, still have a little lingering cough and congestion, but I no longer feel SICK. That is a good thing.

I went for a 6-mile test run this morning at about 20-seconds faster than goal marathon pace. It was tough, I'll admit (there were BIG hills). But my chest did not hurt. I did not cough during the run, just a little afterward. It really helped me decide between options A., B., and C.

And the winner is......

I think the main deciding factor between goals A. Jacksonville in 2 weeks and B. Mercedes Marathon in 11 weeks is that last night my husband said, "I don't think I can handle you in marathon training for 11 more weeks."

Me, either. Looks like I'm heading to Jacksonville. I plan to register tomorrow! I may have to adjust my race goals a bit, but I think the "pancake flat" course will help a lot.

My first marathon last April was for all those kids who picked me last in gym. (You know who you are.) This one is for ME.

My friend Casey reminded me to look at this marathon not as something I "have" to do, but something I "get" to do. In her words, "it's not a hassle...not a burden... it's a freedom." I dig that.

After the marathon, I look forward to running "free" for a while--no training plan, no upcoming races. Casey also shared this quote from What Women Want:

"She's running. It's early. It's quiet. Just the sound of her feet on the asphalt. No pressure, no stress. This is the one place she can be herself, look any way she wants, dress, think any way she wants. No game playing. No rules."

I miss that kind of running.

But I need to finish what I started. Honestly, I'm NERVOUS about this marathon coming off an illness. I'm NERVOUS about running in a new city with 500 strangers, not a familiar face in the crowd. I had planned a marathon with a bunch of friends, a couple of whom were similar to my pace. I just hope I don't have a lonely 26.2, you know? Maybe I should write PLEASE TALK TO ME on the back of my shirt!

Can I Really Just Walk Away? Need Advice, Please

2009-12-05T21:24:00.010-06:00

After running the Country Music Marathon in 5:17 during the freak heat wave last April, I wasn't one of those people who said, "Never again." I said, "I want ANOTHER SHOT at this marathon thing so I can see what I can really do." I trained harder, longer, and smarter from July through December. I shaved over 2 minutes off my half-marathon time. Then two days before the race, I got bronchitis.

It appears to me I have two options--- just walk away from 5 months of training without running a marathon OR find a new one to run.

Can I really just walk away without closure? I ran 528 miles during 5 months of training. I ran 140 miles in October alone.

If I have to have CLOSURE, I have a few options. However, if I do re-enter the training phase after 3 weeks of taper and mentally "finishing" with the training, I wonder if I can regain my marathon mojo?

Options:

A. In two weeks, I could do the Jacksonville, FL marathon. It's the closest race that still has slots open. Five weeks is a little long for taper, so this week I would run a couple of 5-milers and on Friday, I would run a 12-14 miler. This would involve airfare, hotel, and car rental.

B. On February 14, the Mercedes Marathon is in Birmingham, AL, and is less than 4 hours away--definitely drivable. Unfortunately, I'd have 11 more weeks of marathon training. After 20 weeks. That's a 31-week training period. I'd have to do another 20-miler, plus at least a 16-miler and 18-miler sometime in December and January. Since my friends just completed their marathon and need a little recovery time, I may be running solo.

C. Take a little break over the holidays. Let my body and mind recover from marathon training because the TRAINING is really the hard part. Just run some half-marathons in the spring and plan for a fall marathon in 2010. Starting from scratch.

In the midst of all this, there is another factor: a little thing called BURNOUT. I'm on the precipice, but haven't fallen off. Yet.

SOME GOOD NEWS: (because I could use some!) I have a meeting on Tuesday with the YMCA to discuss my January half-marathon and 5K training groups! They want to add in a 3rd group---a kids' running group as well for a 1-mile fun run. Looks like I'll have a job as a running coach starting in late January/early February!

I'm Out--- No Marathon

2009-12-03T12:57:00.002-06:00

I have bronchitis. It is viral, so it is not responding to antibiotics that I've been on for 5 days. Feeling worse and running a fever. Developed the cough during the night. It burns in my chest.

Running 26.2 in 30-degree weather is not advised.

My 9-year old and husband are sick, too.

This marathon just wasn't meant to be.

Marathon or Burst???

2009-12-01T15:08:00.005-06:00

Marathon countdown: 4 days. Sinus infection: 3 days and going strong.

I had self-diagnosed myself with a sinus infection (I have had them every winter for the past 30 years!) on Sunday and started on some Augmentin I found in the cabinet. I know, only the BEST medical care for me!

Monday dawned and I was a little worse. Today I got up and still had not improved after 2 days of antibiotics. So, I ran over to Doc in a Box (again, only the BEST medical care for me) and saw an actual doctor. I told her about the marathon 4 days away and how I was feeling like crud. She agreed with my assessment of a sinus infection and said I had also have fluid in my ears. She prescribed something strong and expensive: Levaquin. (I may have jacked up that spelling.) I go fill it and $166 later, I have meds. After leaving the pharmacy, I decided to actually read the enclosed literature and discovered Levaquin has one rather bad side effect: it can cause tendons to rupture, especially during strenuous activity-- most often the Achilles tendon. Hmmmm. Running 26.2 miles. Strenuous? I think SO.

I called the pharmacy and discussed it with the pharmacist --- she didn't recommend it four days before a marathon. Then she actually agreed to take it back and refund my money! That was one nice pharmacist. Then I called the doc in the box back. They actually let me talk to the doctor. She said that side effect is extremely rare, but if I'd be more comfortable with another medicine, she'd call it in. I was thinking, "Duh."

So I got one called Bioxin for only $17 and it doesn't cause spontaneous RUPTURE of any body parts. It's main side effect is diarrhea. Awesome.

Only a Little Sick...

2009-11-28T16:16:00.003-06:00

I'm still fighting with this silly cold. I'm feeling a bit drained. On my 8-miler this morning, my last "long" run, I walked 4 or 5 times, especially on the hills. I just wasn't feeling it.

My nose is runny and burning and sneezy. My throat is a little sore. I've got a headache.

And I've got SEVEN DAYS to get better before the marathon. Aren't colds usually 7-10 days? I've been feeling cruddy for at least 3 days, so I'm probably good!

Five months of my life poured into preparation for one day, for four-and-a-half to five hours of one day, technically---- cold or not, I'm running!

The Home Stretch--and Looking For a Fight

2009-11-25T16:01:00.004-06:00

I am happy to be in the home stretch for the marathon! Last weekend's 12-miler, my last double-digit run, went very well! I averaged about a 10:30 running pace. I had good company, perfect weather, and a flat road with my the sun on my face and the wind at my back. Does it get any better than that??

This week, I ran 5.6 on Monday morning at a 10:15 pace. Then I got on the dreadmill on Tuesday and Wednesday for a couple of slow, easy miles each time. Tomorrow morning, my running club is meeting for a Turkey Day 5K group run. That should be fun. Then on Saturday, I'm running 8 miles, my last significant distance before the marathon. I plan to take it slow and easy and watch for cars, dogs, holes, uneven pavement, loose gravel---anything that could wreck things one week before the race!

I'm still fighting off a cold or something---I'm headache-y and have a tiny sore throat and a little tickle--- or maybe it's allergies. I'm taking a TON of Vitamin C and my glutamine, which boosts the immune system, too. I'm refusing to drink or eat after my husband or my three kids. Yesterday, my middle child turned 7 and INSISTED we go to GERM CENTRAL---Chuck E Cheese. Yikes! I didn't touch anything or breathe while I was there. I hand sanitized about 82 times. I think I'll be ok. I *even* (don't judge me) called my church nursery director, who had scheduled me to work this coming Sunday, and told her I had a conflict. (Yes, I'm conflicted about getting sick 6 days before my race!!!) I actually kept about 20 one-year-olds last Sunday and they all had runny noses and about half of them spent the hour coughing indiscriminately. Hell--oo? Ever hear of your elbow??? (maybe not)

Another thing I've noticed these last two weeks is I feel a bit.... out of sorts.... mentally. I have been outspoken, unafraid to complain, on the verge of angry, stubborn, and giving people a hard time in general. (Feel sorry for my family right now.) Today I almost ripped a teenager's head off at the YMCA. Some kids were playing dodgeball in the gym where the preschoolers were having their nursery, and as we were leaving a dumba*# beaned my three-year-old in the head with the ball. He could SEE we had to pass through. Could he not WAIT 10 seconds to release the ball? I gave him a "I'm going to rip your arm off and beat you with it" look, while yelling, "WHAT WAS THAT???". And then, for good measure, I gave the YMCA employee the same look. If daggers could shoot out of my eyes, they would be in serious pain right now. He was very apologetic (several times over and over), but the look on my face said it all.

I saw a fellow runner a couple of minutes later, and casually asked her, "Do you ever feel like you are LOOKING FOR A FIGHT???" She, in her running wisdom, said, "Don't worry. It's just TAPER."

Thank goodness. I thought maybe I was becoming a Bad Ass.*

*See what I mean? Taper is making me curse! I never curse!

1000 MILES in 2009

2009-11-19T10:38:00.002-06:00

I just happened to add up my yearly mileage the other day, and yesterday I crossed the 1000 mile mark. I'm technically at 1001.2 for the year so far. I think I've made it in reasonably good condition. I'm not one of those runners you see at races in a knee brace or ankle brace (yet!). I ran with friends from my recent training group yesterday for the first four miles, but that 1000th mile at the end was on my own, which was kind of fitting. Running is such a personal journey.

I'm enjoying this first week of taper, but with runs 4, 3, and 6 miles, it hasn't felt like much of a break yet. Tomorrow is my 12-miler, my last double-digit run until race day. I'm ready to get that over with. I'm so sick of carbs! (Isn't that crazy?)

I'm excited about the marathon right now. The butterflies haven't started yet. It helped IMMENSELY that last week's 20-miler went well and the recovery went well. One of the worst things after the April marathon was laying in bed that night unable to sleep because I just HURT. My legs and feet were throbbing with pain. I think with this higher-mileage plan, I may have a different experience this time. One of the concepts behind the high-mileage plan is that the marathon beats you up less and you recover faster.

It will be fun to do only short, easy runs for the whole month of December after the race. By January 1, I'll be ready to start picking up a few extra miles for my next half-marathon in March (and maybe one in February).

That is because I am a training freak. I have to have a plan. I have to have a RACE ON THE CALENDAR. I can't just run randomly for very long. That 3-4 week break post-marathon will be plenty. I think this time I will follow Hal Higdon's intermediate half-marathon plan. I really like Hal. His plans are just so reasonable. Not too light on the mileage, not too heavy.

Still no definite word on whether I will be training folks in the spring for the Country Music Half-Marathon in April. Job...... hobby...... however you define it, I'll be out there running.

Should I Be Scared?

2009-11-17T13:40:00.003-06:00

1. I just sneezed 6 times in a row. My runs yesterday and today have been energy-less. Is getting sick the first week of taper a terrible thing?? I guess the last week of taper would be worse...

2. I found the elevation profile for my marathon in 3 weeks.

Ummm, is that one long hill from miles 5-10 and another one from 14-19??? At least the last 7 miles seem to be downhill except for a slight incline at mile 24. I'm not super-adept at reading these, but the numbers on the left do not increase a whole lot, so maybe these are really tiny inclines?? What do you all think?

A Fantabulous 20-Miler! Hellooooo, Taper!!!!

2009-11-13T13:20:00.002-06:00

I was not looking forward to today's 20 mile run, but it COULD NOT HAVE GONE BETTER! Thank you, God!

I met up with 3 friends at about 8:45 this morning and we started out. I had mapped out the route for us-- a mix of suburban and country roads. We kept up a constant conversation and a pretty even pace. We walked the big hills. We had an encounter with an unleashed German Shepherd (he was more curious than threatening, but one of my friends had been bitten on a run about a month ago, so we were all a little wary). Another friend joined us for a quick 5 miles in the middle, which is always nice to shake things up.

I carried my best friend Accelerade (fruit punch flavor) which just plain WORKS for me. Looking back through my running journals, my best long runs and half-marathon PR all involve Accelerade. Sure, it's kind of GROSS, but it does what it says it does! I only gel'd twice, but I did eat 3/4's of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at mile 10 a friend had dropped for us. Those sandwiches and water bottles were much appreciated!

Toward the end when I would have probably walked more, my non-walking friend kept me going. She just doesn't walk on long runs. Our little group had gotten separated, so it was just the two of us. After she was done at mile 16 (her first run over 13.1--she's training for the Disney Marathon in January), I was on my own for the last 4. Surprisingly, I felt great at 16, not bad at 17 or 18. The last two I walked for like .1 of each of the miles or less. I finished the run in about 3:44, which should put me in decent shape to break 5 hours in the marathon this time! Whoo, hoo! Aim LOW!

I believe I could have done 6.2 more at the end with some discomfort. However, I haven't tapered. I ran 37 miles last week and now 38 this week (hope to get in two recovery miles tomorrow for my first ever 40 mile week ).

Helllloooo, Taper! I've been waiting for you...... Just got to get through a long run of 10-12 next week and then an 8. St. Jude, here I come!

Half-Marathon #6 Race Report

2009-11-08T19:41:00.006-06:00

I finished my 6th half-marathon yesterday in 2:14:12. It was my 3rd fastest half-marathon. I met my goal of a 10:15 pace exactly and worked hard to do it!

The race was tough. I had run 22 miles during the week prior to the race, so I didn't exactly have fresh legs. We ran against a headwind of 10-15 mph for at least 6 or 7 of the 13 miles. And the hills, oh the hills!

I intended to take it easy and run at a comfortably hard pace. I had no intention of trying to PR after my 2:09 three weeks ago. As it turned out, running against that wind turned the comfortably hard pace into very hard pace! I really had to fight to meet my goal of under 2:15.

But it's good to set a goal (albeit a LOW one) and meet it!

The race itself was a bit of a struggle mentally. It turned out to be unseasonably warm--it was about 65 degrees at the start. I was fine and excited at the start, but at the first water stop at 1.7 miles, they had no water. I hadn't worn my fuel belt due to the promise of water stops every two miles. At only 1.7 miles, it was a bit of an annoyance, but I figured I'd live. Then at the 2nd water stop at 3.7 miles, they were also out of water! Now I was getting mad! At this point it was probably above 70 degrees and I was thirsty and needed to take a gel. (Note: I was in the MIDDLE of the field of 850 runners, not in the back. There was no reason for them to be out of water.) Finally, at mile 6, I actually got water at a water stop.

About the 6-mile mark, we turned into this vicious headwind. At 6.55 miles, the half-way point, I was at 1:05 and change, which would have put me at about a 2:10 finish or better if I ran negative splits. However, the 2nd half of this course is very hilly and the wind never let up, so my negative splits went out the window. My knees began to ache and I was feeling nauseous from taking that gel without any fluids earlier. It was kind of miserable.

I chatted with a couple of fellow runners for 5 or 10 minutes here and there, but mostly I was on my own for the whole 2nd half of the race and not having fun. I don't think I smiled the entire time! Nevertheless, I never questioned "Why do I do this to myself??" or wanted to quit running like I did in this same race last year. I just dug in and ran into the wind as best I could.

In the last 2 miles, I realized that I could not walk any and I had to run at a pretty good pace to meet my goal. In 5 of my 6 half-marathons, I've walked a little in those last couple of miles because I was just spent. (NOT in my PR race a few weeks ago though! Got to love a flat course!) It was good to be able to push at the end and I rallied with a 10:05 pace in mile 12 (perhaps a bit too soon) and mile 13 was 10:26. Oh, and the last water stop at mile 11 was also OUT OF WATER. They gave me 1/2 inch, barely a swallow, of Gatorade and a cup of ice. All the ice was stuck together in one big block. I was thinking, "What exactly am I supposed to do with this???"

I was relieved to finish the race and quickly downed a bottle of water. I was a bit dehydrated from the heat and 3 of the 6 water stops not having fluids. It was in the mid to upper 70's when we finished. In November in Tennessee! Crazy!

I waited at the finish line for several of my training group to finish and loudly cheered them in. Then Christie, one of the runners in my group, and I headed back out on the course to run in the last few folks from our group. We saw several runners who were in distress out there. It was near the three-hour mark by this time. Muscle cramps were taking down many runners who had gotten little if any fluids on the course and no electrolytes (that one swallow of Gatorade was the only sports drink available at any of the stops) on an unseasonably hot day. We were carrying water from the finish line and several people at mile 12 asked us for a drink! We gave away all our fluids and a gel I had left over. We ran in the 2nd to last runner from our running group who was suffering severe cramps in her feet, and right behind her we cheered in the last runner from our group at about 3:02. Christie had just run 13.1 for the first time, and by running in the last runners with me, ran a total of 15 miles! That was pretty amazing.

All of the runners I had trained for the half-marathon who started the race, finished the race. (One was with her sick mother and missed the race.) As a coach, it was a great day! My fastest runner ran an amazing 1:53---and he's in the 50-55 age group. In fact, four of my runners were in that age group and all had outstanding races. I applaud their courage---deciding at age 50 to run a half marathon for the first time. I hope I have the courage to seek out new challenges when I'm there in about 11 years! I had three who almost placed for age group awards---they were each in 4th place in their divisions--- 15-19 women's division, 50-55 women's division, and 50-55 men's division--representing the two ends of the spectrum of ages in the group.

My Couch to 5Kers also ran a strong race. I missed it because it was run during the half-marathon. I've got a few who clearly have caught the racing bug. They can't wait to run the next one. And several want to train with me for a half marathon in the spring! (Assuming the Y continues this program!)

So, I'm officially UNEMPLOYED for the time being. I'll start up the new training groups in late January if all goes as planned. It has seriously been the BEST. JOB. EVER.

Here is the Pitt Crew (my last name is Pittman) in our matching shirts pre-race. There were 21 from the group who ran, but several got caught in port-o-potty line during the photo op. I'm on the far left. The back of our shirt says "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1.

And we did.

Stay Focused!!

2009-11-04T21:34:00.005-06:00

I just realized a couple of days ago that I only have TWO WEEKS until taper! In "marathon speak," that means I've only got two weeks until I start reducing my mileage and letting my body recover from all I've put it through. For the last four months, the marathon has been this race far in the future, and suddenly training is almost over.

Realizing I only have two weeks until taper put this Saturday's half marathon into perspective. It's not going to be a race-race, it's going to have to be a tempo training run. This is the time to FOCUS on the big picture, i.e., the marathon. I have only done one 20-miler, and I've only had two weeks with 35+ miles. I need this week and next to be high mileage, long run weeks. So, instead of mini-tapering for the half-marathon,I've actually put in 22 miles so far this week and plan to run 13.1 + 3 on Saturday. Having a strong 16-mile run is more important than trying to beat my 2:09 PR from three weeks ago. Running 38 miles this week instead of 20 or 25 will be more beneficial in the long run.

With that said, I do have some goals for Saturday. I'd like to run a smart race with even or negative splits (2nd half faster than first half). I'd like to keep my pace between 10 or 10:05 and 10:20. I'd like to average about 10:15 for the race overall. And I'd like to beat last year's time of 2:15:41. Then I'd like for the extra 3 I do at the end not to hurt (very much).

My plan is to finish the race, then jog back out onto the course to find a spot to encourage those from my half-marathon training group who are still out there. At the end, if anyone is struggling, I'll run that last mile or two with them if they need me to. Doing that a few times should get me the extra 3 miles.

Then next week, it's another 38-40 mile week with my last 20-miler on Friday the 13th. (Also another reason not to race this weekend--it would make the 20-miler THAT MUCH HARDER. And trust me, they are hard enough!) Then it's taper and I can have my life back.

I want to wish all of my half-marathon and Couch to 5K group members good luck on Saturday! They all made so much progress in such a short time. Some of them absolutely blew me away---going from walking to running 13.1 miles in 14 weeks without injury, embracing fuel belts and Garmins and Gu's as a "normal" part of their lives, talking about their splits, and already signing up for their next races.... I feel like such a proud momma!

Here are several my "Pitt Crew" about four weeks into their journey to become lean, mean, half-marathon running machines: (I'm on bottom right in a jacket--it was chilly post race!)