Wild Running Turnips

new blog site

2006-04-24T15:14:00.000-04:00

http://www.breakingthetape.com/turnips/

2006-04-24T10:50:00.000-04:00

For the first time in a couple weeks every mile I had planned to run was accomplished! After an easy 5 miler on Wedensday I rounded out the week by a 5 mile hill workout on Friday and a 14 mile TRAIL run on Sunday. I wanted to go on Saturday but between nasty thunderstorms that morning and an afternoon wedding I just couldn't fit it in, so Sunday it was.
A funny thing happened after my 14 miler though. With the exception of a mild cramp in my left hamstring, it felt great. I was able to pick up the pace a little too with out a problem (not too much though, don't worry!) at least on the flat stretches and down hill. However, shortly after I finished I felt TERRIBLE! I had to pull over on the way home to blow chunks (ew, gatorade puke!) and then I kept throwing up anything I got down until 10pm last night. I felt fine after that and fine today so I am not sure what happened. How can I feel great during the run and then so terrible afterwards?
Nonetheless I feel much better today and this is my last hard week of running before I begin the taper for the half on May 20th.

Off today
Tuesday - 4 mile easy
Wedensday - 6 mile TEMPO (with 1 mile warm up and cool down, 8 miles total)
Thursday - 5 mile easy
Friday - REST
Saturday - 5 mile hill workout
Sunday - 14 or 15 miles (shooting for 15, we will see how I feel this time)

After that it is lower mileage, maybe one more TEMPO only only mildly long runs (say 8 or 9 tops) until the half. I am excited!

No news about the car yet. The insurance thinks it may be fixable but is waiting to hear back from the mechanic who may tell them differently. I am keeping my fingers crossed on that one. In the mean time, I got the rental for another week and can just play it by ear after that once we figure out what is going to happen. Either way, its just a hunk of metal to get me around, no big deal.
In the mean time I HAVE to get my garden back in order! I didn't think it would grow this fast but I have a lot of transplanting and moving around to do to make sure everything has plenty of room to grow healthy. I have never had this many seeds actually survive (though now that I said that I will probably go home and find them all dead) Off to the garden store after work!
In case you are interested, here is what I have...

Tomatos
Summer Squash (the yellow kind)
Cucumber
Mustard Greens
Bell Pepper
Sugar Snap Peas
Green Beans
Radishes
Basil
Cilantro
Dill
Rosemary (although the dill and rosemary aren't doing so hot)
Hot peppers (not planted yet but coming soon!)

A Fabulous Running Week!

2006-04-21T10:47:00.000-04:00

My running this week has been GREAT!
I am so happy. Although I am still suffering a little fatigue and lack of mojo as this week and next week I will be peaking in mileage (and thus sore and tired) but nonetheless, my running has not slacked.

Monday - 4 miles, felt tired and yucky (day after wrecked Jeep)
Tuesday - 6 mile TEMPO - held pace at 8:40 and felt strong! (8 miles total)
Wedensday - 5 mile recovery, nice and easy, a beautiful day!
Thursday - REST (and needed, my quads were screaming at me)
Today - 5 mile Hill workout - felt great!

All that is left is a big mamma jamma (for me anyway) 14 miler this weekend.
The only problem is that I have a wedding on Saturday afternoon and have to drive up to Norfolk on Sunday afternoon.
I am really hoping to squeeze it in tomorrow as it is easier to arrange my training schedule around that (rest on sunday, run on monday), but if we don't have time, I guess I could do it after Mass on Sunday before I drive up to Virginia (luckily the hubby will be driving and I can sleep!)
What also might throw a glitch in the mix is that there is a HUGE music festival here this weekend (wish i could go but have that wedding) which is going to make traffic a nightmare! It even messed up my run this morning as so many roads were blocked off with fencing and security, so getting out to the trails tomorrow may prove a little hairy...
Nonetheless, I am determined to fit it in one way or another. Hope everybody has a great weekend!

trails trails trails yay!

2006-04-19T13:43:00.000-04:00

Not much to report. No word on my Jeep yet but I at least am fully recovered (emotionally) from the accident.
I did however find new trails near my house! Here in Columbia, SC they have the 3 Rivers Greenway which is a series of River Walks in various locations. They aren't quite done constructing all of them but I found one that has some actual TRAILS not pavement! It is tucked away in a small neighborhood, and probably only a couple of miles, but I still got to have fun on some dirty, rocky, root-filled (and possibly poison ivy!) trails which I much prefer to pavement. I will definitely be hitting up that location again.
I also got to bang out 8 miles yesterday. Did a six mile TEMPO (cancelled the seven, I wanted to go faster for six rather than slower) at 8:40/ mile pace (~10K race pace) with a 1 mile warm up and 1 mile cooldown. I felt good and strong the whole way. Its also a good thing I did it yesterday as it was a perfectly reasonable 75 degrees as opposed to the 90 degree temps we have had lately (I don't care if you northerners complain - it gets old after awhile especially for runners!)
Anyway, so far my runs are going as scheduled and have no problems to report. Am planning another long run (14 miles) this weekend too (trails)!
I also want to say a big CONGRATS too all fellow bloggers who ran Boston this weekend! Yay!

Life, not running...

2006-04-16T21:31:00.000-04:00

First off, I want to wish everybody a joyous and happy Easter! I was confirmed in the Catholic Church this Easter and it was a beautiful and amazing experience for me, and I look foward to continuing in this faith. However, it did mean I was at church for 4 out of 5 nights this week so a whole lot of running did not get done. Nonetheless I look forward to banging out an easy 4 miler tomorow and then (gulp) 7 mile TEMPO run (9 miles total) on tuesday.
However, this post is more about life and life litterally, slammed me in the face today -- in the form of my driver side airbag. I am OK and no injuries at all (so no worries, the Turnip is intact without a scratch!) but it was my first accident and very scary. No other cars involved, I just mis-judged a turn and ran my beloved Jeep Cherokee into in embankment.
So after the initial shock, some tears, and my in-laws and husband running like heck to my side to console me, I calmed down and thanked God that I wasn't hurt and I didn't hurt anybody else.
Nonetheless, my poor Jeep might be totalled. The front wheel really took a hit on that embankment and mashed into the wheel well and suspension which in turn whacked the transfer case and brake lines. We have full insurance of course but it is still going to take awhile to fix unless our insurance decides to total it (sniff sniff, I LOVE my old Jeep) Either way, the important thing is I am OK, it happened down the street from my in-laws who were totally there for me and took care of me and are going to help out with the car situation as the hubby is going on a month(s) long deployment next week!
Lesson learned - if you and your family are OK, everything else will take care of itself , including the scheuled long run that DIDN't happen this weekend. I will be going out for my 4 miler tomorrow though...and it will be great too.

anti-histamines SUCK!!!!

2006-04-12T09:47:00.000-04:00

Due to allergies and a mild skin condition I am temporarily on anti-histamines. THEY SUCK. They make me so tired. I have not been able to get up early to run in a week, luckily daylight is long enough now that I can go in the afternoon but I actually enjoyed being up early! The anti-histamines are helping the allergies and what-not but I am not sure what's worse - itching and sneezing all the time or being sleepy all the time?
I had a 6mile TEMPO scheduled this morning but I couldn't get up again. It will have to wait until this afternoon which throws a kink in my other plans for the day. Nonetheless, I am determined to run. AND talk to the doctor about putting me on something else perhaps?
In other news - Whitie Ford (my less than bright kitty) got into such a mess the other night that I had to take pictures...as soon as I find my computer cord to the camera I will upload them so you can see for yourselves!

2006-04-10T13:46:00.000-04:00

14 miles - yay!
After a week of taking good care of myself with rest, diet and not too much beer :) I was able to complete my 14 miler at Harbison State Forest successfully! (and I must say that I am addicted to trail running now!)
It was a beautiful morning, 55 degrees with bright sunshine - just perfect! I felt great after the first 10 miles and then some soreness started setting in. The last two miles I could really tell this is the farthest my legs have taken me but I was able to finish strong and felt good.
I must say however I was VERY sore last night, especially in the knees but a little ice and Advil helped me feel just fine today.
All in all, I am constantly pushing my limits and am always thrilled when I accomplish something I never have before! I hope that as I push my limits further I can continue increasing my distance and eventually hit the marathon distance (and possibly a 50 miler sometime in the future?) I am realizing though how much more I have to take care of myself though! I have always eaten healthy but I am now paying much closer attention to what I put into my body and making sure I get plenty of rest. (Yay for an all natural fods diet!)
This week is going to be BUSY. It is Holy Week (the week before Easter) and I am being confirmed into full communion with the Catholic Church! It has been a long process with a lot of spiritual growth and I can't believe it is finally drawing (at least this chapter anyway) to a close. (Although being catholic is a lifelong conversion process) Nonetheless I have busy doings at the church Thursday through Sunday (basically all day Saturday!) and in addition, the hubby is coming down from Norfolk for a long weekend and to support me in my spiritual endeavors. Suffice to say that a long run will probably NOT happen this weekend, but I plan to do all other runs as scheduled:

4 miles easy tonight
6 mile TEMPO (w/ 1 mile warm up and cool down = 8 miles total)
5 miles easy
REST
5 mile Hill workout.
REST
????miles we will just have to see what we have time for.

Anyways, hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend and Happy Running!

Ahhh...back to normal

2006-04-06T09:57:00.000-04:00

Things seem to finally be back to normal. It has been a pretty quiet week at work as we all recover and regroup from the conference, wrap up some papers, and try to re-direct our efforts in response to what we learned in Atlanta. Nonetheless, I am back on schedule with both work and running which makes me feel a LOT better.

So far this week:
4 miles easy on Monday
5 mile TEMPO at 8:45/mile pace with 1 mile warm up and cool down (7 miles total!)
5 miles easy Yesterday

Today is a REST day, followed by 5 miles with hills on Friday and the big whopping 14 miler (my first) on Saturday. Unfortunately it looks like T-storms on Saturday so we will have to keep an eye out for weather and re-schedule as necessary.
In other exciting news - one of my college friends had her baby! She gave birth to a healthy baby girl at about 6 lbs. I really don't feel old enough to have a friend of the same age with a new baby! It feels pretty crazy being old enough to be a parent!
Hope all is well with everyone else, Happy Running!

I officially dislike conferences!

2006-04-03T10:37:00.000-04:00

Ok, I guess that is a bit harsh, but i am EXHAUSTED. It was so busy that I wasn't able to run at all from Sunday to Wedensday which of course drove me crazy! Not to mention that spending that much time with co-workers day in and day out was DEFINITELY getting on my nerves. I am one of those people that needs some alone time and some of my co-workers, well - are NOT. Long story short, although all of my presentations went very well and I learned a lot from the other speakers, I am exhausted, irritated and very glad its over.
That said, running did not go all that well last week. I ran six miles as soon as I got back on thursday, 5 miles on friday and 10 on sunday. The 10 miler was beautiful but I felt like crap. I had planned 14 but was just too exhuasted. I went home after 10. At least I got one long run in this week. I was able to rest for the other part of the weekend though so I am hoping that I can recover and that this week will go better. The set-up

Today - 4 miles easy (may have to do it indoors from the looks of the weather - Tstorms!)
Tomorrow - 5 mile TEMPO plus 1 mile warm up and cool down (total = 7 miles)
Wedensday - 5 mile easy
Thursday - REST
Friday - 5 miles w/ hills
Saturday - 14 miles on trails

I plan to eat right and behave myself this week so that the 14 miler actually happens this time. I am slowly (and stubborningly) realizing that I am really pushing into new territory and this requires as much rest and good healthy food as possible, so that's my plan! (Oh will I ever make it to a marathon and perhaps...beyond?)

STRESS = Low running motivation :(

2006-03-24T15:12:00.000-05:00

I have a national conference coming up that I attend almost every year and it has TOTALLY been stressing me out.
I have to give a poster AND a talk- this being my first oral talk at a conference like this. That said I have been scurrying like crazy to get all the data together, tweaking my presentations again, and again, and again (and AGAIN) to my boss's liking, and not to mention all of the other crap that goes with traveling such as taking care of the house, the crazy cats, expenses, shopping for dress clothes (unlike Susan I DESPISE shopping) and this isn't counting all the paperwork involved in getting re-imbursed, approved, ect. ect.
This of course has lead to not sleeping well which is making getting up early to run VERY hard. I have trudged out everyday but it has been a little bit harder and a little bit later everyday. In addition it is going to make it very hard to get my long run in as I have to leave tomorrow at around 2 or 3 but have something at church from 10-12.
I know once I get there everyone will have a good time (chemists drink like fish) but it is really stressful and I just want it to be over so I can get back to my running and the rest of my life!
So far I have completed all my runs this week, but I am really hoping that I can find time/places to run in Atlanta (any suggestions?) while I am there. Sigh....

2006-03-21T09:28:00.000-05:00

St Patty's Day was a BLAST. There were no mishaps, arrests or anything of the sort. We all had a GREAT time, were safe and definitely needed a full day of recovery for the sake of our hepatic health! We saw everything green - green wigs, green boas, green tights, shoes, bras, tiaras, sunglasses, wands, wings, you name it- someone was wearing it in green! The bands were awesome, the food vendors were phenomenal, and of course the beer was overpriced (4$ for aBudLight??!!) but we expected that, and of course did not care!
After a long lazy day of recovery on Sunday, I was back at it to training with an easy 4 miler yesterday and a 4 mile tempo run today (6 miles total including 1 mile warm-up and cool down)
I must say that the weekend off from running has made me feel a little bit fresher this week. Good thing since it is 14 miles this weekend! Here is the breakdown for the week including what I have done so far this week.

Monday - 4 miles
Tuesday - 6 miles (1 mile warm-up and cooldown, 4 mile tempo at 9:00/mile)
Wedensday - 5 miles (easy)
Thursday - 5 miles (hills)
Friday - REST
Saturday - 14 miles

TOTAL : 34 miles

I don't know why but I had a terrible time getting up this morning. I went to bed early, slept well, but I was totally unmotivated - maybe because it was cold and rainy? I am of course glad I got out there and did it, but even my pace seemed slowed possibly due to my lack of motivation to get up...Probably, hopefully my motivation will improve throughout the week.

2006-03-17T11:27:00.000-05:00

HAPPY SAINT PATTY'S DAY!!!!!!
I have decided to forgo the long run this weekend. Although I am feeling good, a little break might help and prevent any injuries that might be brewing that I don't know about. In addition, I would like to spend the time with my husband before he is off to sea again!
The party starts TONIGHT! At the American Legion (husband is a member) we are having a good old fashioned Chicken Bog (a southern thing) in the bar with lots of beer of course! My friend and I are sneaking out of work ASAP and going directly their. Then tomorrow is the HUGE festival in downtown where there will be beer, beer, and more beer but also lots of great bands, a parade and even a Strongman contest (those people who can pull trains, lift cars, ect.) for those qualifying for the national competition. Should be a wild and great time!
If I am not back blogging by Monday, someone please bail me and my friends out of jail! (But hopefully we won't get THAT stupid...)

2006-03-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

My tempo run this morning went great!
I did a 1 mile warm up
4 mile tempo run at 8:45/mile (fast for me!)
1 mile cool down.

All in all it was 6 miles total, and the tempo run felt great although my knee is a bit achy right now (on the front, inside, just beside the kneecap) but nothing major.

Not sure if i am going to do my long run this weekend. I have plenty of time before my race to skip one if I want/need too but I would rather not. HOWEVER, this weekend is the great
ST PATTY's DAY FESTIVAL here in Columbia SC and it is going to be a blast! The hubby is coming down to visit for it, all our friends are going, and we have the cab company on speed dial because of course there will be lots and lots (and lots) of beer involved. I could fit it in before the festival pretty easily, however I am not sure if I am willing to get up that early, especially with the husband in town.
Nonetheless, I will try to plan on it and if I really don't feel up to the full 13 scheduled miles, I will just do 6 or 7 to get something in (and to get a head start on burning all those beer calories!)
But I am SO looking forward to this weekend I cannot wait! I am going to plan on at least being completely useless on Sunday, (maybe monday too). But no fear, the Turnip will do her best to NOT get arrested for one reason or another...we hope!

Beach Run!

2006-03-11T18:05:00.000-05:00

I had a beautiful (and unexpected) beach run today! I was scheduled for a 12 mile run and was going to do trails however at this particular park most of them were closed. However, since my wonderfully supportive husband drove me an hour to this park I wasn't about to ask him to turn around and take me back home. The beach however was open and gorgeous with helpful signs showing mileage! So I did my 12 miles along the ocean on the beach. Talk about beautiful! A bit of an adventure as it was a wildlife refuge with lots of animals and beautiful dunes and few people. It was very peaceful (if you can call a 12 mile run that) Oh I wish I had had my camera....

My new camelback also worked great! Good thing since its not like there are water fountains around either. I will have to adjust it however as there was a tad bit of chafing around the hip. All in all it worked fabulously!

And cheers for my ever supportive husband who maybe doesn't run but patiently drove me out to the park and did his own thing so I could complete my run! Yay!

new toy! new toy!

2006-03-11T10:22:00.000-05:00

I am very very excited! (can you tell from the title?)
I am here in Norfolk visiting the hubby where one of our little routines is that on Saturday morning we go to Barnes and Noble for coffee and our favorite magazines (Runners World and Trail Runner for me and various car/truck magazines for him)
Of course we are next door to a sporting goods store and of course I can't resist to go inside and check out their running gear.
And what do I find - A CAMELBACK! It is a hip-pack type model which is perfect for the SC summer heat (having something glommed to my sweaty back after mile 6 ot 8 is not what I want) and it holds 1.4L - wahoo! Its great because on my 12 mile run last week my dinky 12 oz water bottle didn't cut it plus I had to juggle that, my keys, and my cell phone (just in case my ever-so-graceful self falls on her ass and hurts herself) This little guy has everything. I will be testing it out on a 12 mile run today at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I can't wait!! A full report pending....
Ooh, I almost forgot - they had UnderArmour too! And no, I couldn'g resist...

Fluffy Alarm Clocks Make Running Easy

2006-03-07T16:02:00.000-05:00

Thanks to two fluffy alarm clocks who decided that 5:30am was the PERFECT time to bound up and down the stairs and around the bedroom knocking things over and climbing up the blinds, getting up for my 6:15am run was easy!
I ran 5 miles:
1 warm up
3 mile tempo run @ 9:00 min/mile
1 cool down.

The trick will be getting up REALLY early when these weekday tempo runs get longer and I still have to be at work at 9am. I guess I will have to continue to train the fuzzy alarm clocks.

Back to work with me - nobody cleaned the glassware last time they did THEIR purification which means I have to clean up somebody else's mess before I can even get to my experiments. I see a sarcastic/nasty email to rest of my lab group brewing......Once I start doing more sensitive molecular bio work (for the first time - I have to teach myself -->ACK!) all that crap has got to stop! Grrrr...(thinking of a tropical beach and margaritas, thinking of a tropical beach and margaritas, thing of a tropical....) ok, now I don't have to strangle anybody.

Nice weather! yay! ....for a 12 mile run!

2006-03-06T12:42:00.000-05:00

Finally we had a Saturday when it wasn't yucky and raining! I don't mind doing my trail runs in the rain (its actually kind of fun), but it was nice to run in the sunshine for a change! It made for a very beautiful 12 mile trail run.
65 degrees, sunny, a light cool breeze and not a cloud in the sky (I understand some northerners are probably drooling)
It was a good run as for once I behaved myself on Friday night and was well rested. I felt pretty strong the whole run too although my legs were very clear about the fact that the last 2 miles was 2 miles further than they had run before. I was only averaging about 10:40-10:50/mile but I got lots of time to speed up for the race.
I also discovered a runner's best friend - EPSOM SALTS! After my long run I took a nice soak in an Epsom salt bath and it was sooooo soothing and made me not sore for once on Sunday. I highly reccommend it!

2006-03-03T11:38:00.000-05:00

In response to Running Jayhawk....

1. What time of day do you run?
Between 6 and 6:30am......not so fun after a night of beer drinking!

2. Where do you usually run?
The surrounding neighborhoods around my house, or at Harbison State Forest.

3. What is your favorite song to run to?
The Killers or Metallica! anything by these two.

4. When I was marathon training I actually gained 15 pounds. I am NOT happy about this. Any advice for dropping pounds while running? It's not like I'm consuming an insane amount of calories or fat...no more than I was before, and I have a very difficult time believing that I gained 15 lbs of muscle. I wish!
No advice really except to be careful what you eat and consume lots of fruits and veggies. As long as your waist size goes down (and core excersizes really help with this) or doesn't grow at least you should be fine...

5. When did you start running?
I ran X-country in high school but didn't really start back up again until May of last year to lose weight. I am now a running addict!

6. What's your post-race/post-run ritual?
Post - race = NAP and of course Gatorade and Bananas, possibly a bagel with cream cheese. and a NAP
Post- run = stretch, gatorade, banana and granola bar and off to work! (with a shower of course)

7. What do you eat before you run?
Not much since I get up early, just a granola bar and gatorade. Before my long weekend runs though I try to eat a really good breakfast like waffles or bagels with fruit.

8. What's your favorite running movie? (psst...I love Saint Ralph!)
I don't have one, but I do like Forrest Gump and their is running in that movie...

9. What's your motivation for running? (or when you first started running)
Initially, it was to lose weight, but now I just love the feeling that I can go out and run 10 miles. I love the feeling of being a strong fit woman!

10. What are your running shoes?
Mizuno Wave Creation 7

2006-03-01T11:51:00.000-05:00

It is one of those days at work - it is GORGEOUS outside and nobody feels much like working. Since I was here late last night that leaves less for me to do today so I get to slack off a little.
So far the running week is going well, although I feel a bit slow this week. I guess I am still not fully recovered from my race. I am taking it easy, just one tempo run this week and the rest is just slow mileage.
I must say that I think I am beginning to get a touch of bursitis. This is inflammation around the outer hip joint. It doesn't hurt too bad but I have been using ice and will keep a close eye on it. I looked it up and it isn't too big a deal (I don't have to stop running- yay!) but ice and anti-inflammatories are definitely in order!
Nonetheless, here is the breakdown of my training plan for March:

Monday - always an easy 4 miler
Tuesday - A tempo run increasing by 1 mile every two weeks with a 1 mile cooldown and1 mile warm up.(i.e.- tempo run this week was 3 miles, 2 weeks from now its 4 miles, ect.- will peak at 9 miles)
Wedensday - always an easy 5 miler
Thursday - 5 miler on a hillier course
Friday - REST
Saturday - Trail run increasing by 1 mile every two weeks (11 miles this week, 12 in two weeks, ect., peaking at 16)
Sunday - REST
Two or two and a half weeks prior to the race I will taper with very little running in the last week before the race.

The basic plan will continue as follows until two weeks before the half after which I will taper of course. I will peak at 40 mpw including a 9 mile TEMPO and 15 or 16 mile trail run. As April nears I will post the details of that.
Motivation is definitely at a high as everyone has been telling me how much weight I have lossed which is a great feeling. Hopefully when I get to that 40 mile week I can keep going!
Also, I welcome any suggestions concerning this training plan, I can always use some input, I am however, trying to avoid pounding it on the track to save my hip undue wear and tear...
Happy running to all and happy Ash Wedensday! Going to an early mass this morning of course has caused everyone to think I got beat up on the forhead today ensuing a short explanation consisting of - "It's a Catholic thing" -
Now to get some more tylenol....

Race report - PR in 10K!

2006-02-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

Its so nice when you just start racing because PR's happen alot as you are just starting to get in shape! On that note my PR time for a 10K is now...

53:12 !!!

Here are the stats:

Average Pace : 8:33/mile
Place : 151 out of 316
Age Group : placed 8th out of 24
Gender : placed 24th out of 107 women

So it looks like I am at least placing in the top half of my age group and overall which makes me pretty happy. They also did CHIP timing so we will see how that turned out. I do know that I ran the first mile too slow, they were calling out 9 minutes as I passed mile 1. I am really curious to see how fast those other miles were to get the time I did!
All in all it was a good course. Mile 1 was pretty flat, with some mild up and downs through mile 2 and some harder hills mile 3 and 4, and the last mile flattened out for a strong fast finished.
All in all Ielt great and think I probably could have pushed it a little faster. Although I was on the verge of some side stitches most of the way they held off and I ran very strong.
When I woke up on Sunday however - ouch! Very sore quads and hamstrings and my knee is a bit sore as I really pounded down the hills to gain some time. I am still a bit sore but it is getting better and I went out for an easy 4 miler this morning.
The rest of the week will be a higher mileage week as i start training for the half marathon! I think my next immediate adventure will be a 5K sometime in March as I am curious how fast I can go at this distance since I am feeling good for 6.2 at 8:33/mile...
In the meantime I am going to formulate a training program for the half and will keep you all updated with that I soon as I figure that out. Happy running!

If I hear this from one more person.....

2006-02-24T10:47:00.000-05:00

Walking to my car with a co-worker last night, we somehow got into a conversation about someone who works on our floor. He is a really nice guy but extremely overweight. He is barely 22 years old and we kind of worry because between his diet (lives off of chicken and pizza and Dr. Pepper) and his complete lack of activities (video game addict) he is probably headed for trouble. He was an active guy too - ran XCountry in high school, martial arts although now he mainly golfs. (not sure if I count that but oh well) Anyway, this person knows I run and I make a comment that to stay lean and healthy is one of the reasons I run up to 30 miles per week.
His response? - "That's excessive though..."
He then proceeded to tell me that people who do that get shin splints, knee problems ect. ect.
And then (this REALLY pissed me off) he said that "You don't run competitively so there is no reason to do that to yourself".
Firstly, I will be the first to admit that I am slow but honestly, you can still be competitive by striving for longer distances and PR's even if it doesn't involve a Deena Kastor 2:21 marathon time.
Secondly, I have never been healthier since I started . I work up to this mileage very slowly, replace my shoes regularly with the proper fit, take days off, stretch, and always watch out if there is more pain then usual.
Thirdly, look at the RBF...tons and tons of people who do this just as I do. Yeah we have our share of injuries, but in any sport you will get injured sooner or later. This guy acts like I am doing something completely unusual when in reality, people do it everyday!
Anywho, I didn't say anything except "what doesn't kill me makes me stronger, and if it kills me, oh well." I didn't get mad at him or anything right then, he can think what he wants but I am so damn sick of everyone telling me that running is bad for me, there's no point in doing that, why would you do that to yourself, blah blah blah. GRRRR!!!! On that note, I have decided I will train for a marathon to run sometime in late 2006 early 2007. So stay tuned!!!

Mizuna Wave Creation 7

2006-02-22T10:52:00.000-05:00

I am now the proud owner of the a pair of Mizuno Wave Creation 7's! On Monday afternoon I finally broke down and went to the running store to shell out over 100$ on a new pair of running shoes. It was more than I had planned on spending but I tried on several pairs, talked to the people at Strictly Running (one of the best running stores ever!) and after talking about my mileage and upcoming training for the half-marathon I decided to go with a more durable (and expensive) shoe. And I love them! My first run in these was yesterday morning. They did have that "New Shoe Stiffness" to them but they still felt a lot better than my first run in my old Saucony Grid Trigons. And today they felt even better, and my knee is already feeling better. It turns out that despite my high arches I do overpronate a tad and these shoes seem to take care of that but are also fairly neutral and cushioned.
Taking it easy this week for the 10K on Saturday, an easy 4 miler yesterday and 4 miles today containing a 2 mile tempo run. Hopefully I have tapered enough to be fresh and speedy (relatively speaking - I'm hoping for an 8:45/mile pace) for the 10K.
On another note, Whitie Ford (one of my cats who also happens to be mentally challenged!) has proven his "genius" once again. I have no idea how on earth he managed to do this. He was playing with a banana peel (don't ask me why but both my cats LOVE bananas) and he somehow got a claw from one paw stuck in the other paw. He wasn't hurt at all but he couldn't figure out what to do so Mommy (that's me) had to save him as usual. He also got stuck in a curtain (I'm not kidding) earlier this week that I had to save him from. His sister Brownie also locked him in a cabinet earlier this week on purpose. She watched him walk the cabinet and then she walked over and shut the door. And of course my little Einstein couldn't get out until Mommy came and got him...sigh. At least these strange and mental kittens keep my life interesting!

BONK! beer...bad

2006-02-20T09:16:00.000-05:00

Long story short, the Saturday trail run got moved to Sunday due to an all nighter on Friday night. NEVER AGAIN. Slept all day Saturday and still didn't feel all that great for my run on Sunday. I don't know if you can bonk short of ten miles but it sure felt like it. At mile 9 my lungs shriveled up to raisins and my midsection just cramped up. Even though I totally behaved myself Saturday it wasn't enough, so NO MORE of these wild nights until AFTER the half-marathon. I still did finish the 10 miler though to hit my 28 mile week on target.
However, I finally registered for my Half Marathon!

May 20th, 2006
Fort Mill Ramble, @ Fort Mill SC.

No running today, not only do I need to rest the day after my long runs, it works out because I am running a 10K on Saturday and need to taper a bit and take it easy. This means a lower mileage running week, only racking up about 19 miles for the week.

Tuesday - 4 miles easy
Wedensday - 4 miles with 2 mile tempo run
Thursday - 5 miles easy
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 6.2 mile race

After this however, I will be back on schedule for half marathon training and will eventually get to 30+ miles a week meaninng I have to behave myself but it will be so worth it!

Its finally time....good-bye sweet and faithful Saucony's

2006-02-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

Its finally time. My Saucony Grid Trigons which have been good and faithful shoes are headed for retirement. They have logged over 500 miles and are now starting to make my knee hurt, the heels are worn out, the tread is gone, the cushioning obviously spent.
I am not going to get the same shoes again. I liked them alot and they were good shoes but since I am logging more and more miles with longer and longer runs, I may go for more cushioning and stability. I am going to the specialty running store hear and have them take a look at my pronation I am nearly positive I have a neutral gait but with my knee I was reading I may be slightly overpronating and I can't possibly tell by myself. I will see what they say. One shoe I am looking at is the Brooks Glycerin 4 (has lots of cushioning and gotten great reviews). Of course everytime I think I know what I want I try it on and go for something else. We will see! Either way, I will be kissing a good 100$ good bye this weekend!

Thank goodness for Zicam and the hill that nearly killed me!

2006-02-16T09:49:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately it seems as I may be coming down with a cold but still not sure. Nonetheless it has not effected my running schedule and I got some Zicam nose spray just in case.
This week was the week I added the extra easy four miler at the beginning of the week. I have successfully completed all my planned runs including a 5 mile run this morning .
This 5 miler is a different route than normal and I included it because it has some sizeable hills. Most of my runs are pretty flat (most of SC is flat!) so I wanted to get some more hill work in besides the trail runs on the weekends. First hill is a long but not very steep incline, the next a little short but very steep. The third one? WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING!! I swear it was at a 89 degree incline (ok, maybe I am exaggerating a bit) and pretty long. I had only seen this hill before and for some reason I thought it was a bright idea to RUN up the damn thing. My quads turned to goo and my lungs revolted against me by the time I was at the top.
Did I make it? yes! Will I do it again? yes!....Is it this kind of obbsessive-compulsive-pyschotic-masochistic behavior that also makes me run 10 miles in rain and mud and actually enjoy it? and unites all us runners to keep running longer distances than most people drive everyday? Whatever the reason is, I am glad I am doing it and getting healthier and stronger.
I have also been keeping up with my strength excersizes about 3 times a week. I actually have a hint of definition on my arms now! Hopefully I will start seeing a difference in the abs too.

10 mile mud run and adding one more day...

2006-02-13T10:50:00.000-05:00

Of course the day I am scheduled for my 10 mile trail run at the state forest - it POURS all night and most of the day. At 2pm it finally lets up a little (a steady light rain instead of steady heavy rain), and I head out. I got to the trail I was planning to run and of course it says - CLOSED - WET CONDITONS (no freaking kidding). But being that every trail is wet, I would have to reconfigure my entire course, and the fact that I tend not to listen, I ducked under the tape and ran it anyway.
SO MUCH FUN. I had never run this particular trail and it was up and down, twists and turns, dips, bridges, ect. It was awesome! Also perfectly fine for foot traffic except for one part where it seemed the stream and the trail were the same thing! Nonetheless It was a great time and I returned home cold, wet, and happily muddy!
This week is also the week that I start working towards a 30 mile week. I have been holding steady around 25 miles a week so far and this week I am finally adding one more day of running. Today I went for an easy, flat 4 mile run and the rest of the week is...

Tuesday: 4.5 mile including Fartlek
Wedensday: 5 miles
Thursday : 5 miles with a little hill work
Friday: REST
Saturday: 10 miles (can I have a sunny one?)

Total: 28.5 miles (including todays run) - Wahoo!

Exhaustion = No running today

2006-02-10T11:52:00.000-05:00

After a long week with long hours at work and waking up extremely early all week I was just too exhausted to run today. I was really draggin all day yesterday and decided to sleep in a little and rest before the big 10 mile run tomorrow. I might run a little on Sunday to make up for not running today but we'll see how I feel after tomorrow. At least I got a LOT done at work this week though I hope next week is a little less hectic!

Oh when will the sun come out again?!

2006-02-07T15:11:00.000-05:00

I am so sick of winter. It doesn't get very cold here but it still gets dark early and light late!
I had to get to work extra early today so I headed out for my easy 4 mile run at 6:25 am. It was dark until I hit mile 3!!! And a small part of the River Walk had no lights on and that was kind of freaky, although beautiful. The birds were waking up but crickets and frogs were still chirping and I even heard owls! I still hope its a little lighter tomorrow though. The schedule for the week?

Fartleks tomorrow
easy 5 miles Thursday
easy 3 miles Friday (trying to slowly increase mileage to 30 per week)
10 mile trail run on Sunday.

Lets hope both the weather and I hold up for it!

10 - wahoo! - GO STEELERS!!!

2006-02-04T13:40:00.000-05:00

Ran another 10 miles today at a decent pace (for me) of 10:30 / mile. I felt good the whole time. A slight twinge in the knee at mile 8 and some tight quads on mile 9 but otherwise I felt pretty strong.
I am at the in-laws today for a family thing so I ran here making for a very flat course. I was also worried about my food habits. I have been doing really well trying to substitute more fruits and veggies for more calorie/fat loaded foods to trim the waistline a bit and of course those foods are great fuel for training and recovery. My in-laws are VERY southern and cook just like it ... fried this, sugared that, bacon wrapped what-ever with few veggies in sight. A nice surprise as when I came home from my run my mother in-law was making a wonderful salad - dark greens, carrots, tomato, almonds - yum! I had that and a sandwhich so I am doing pretty good still!
Tomorrow however its all out the window for the Superbowl! My lab is throwing a party and we are having a big turkey dinner with all the traditional sides, and beer. LOTS of beer .Oh well, it only comes once a year and GO STEELERS!!!!!

Easy 5, another 10 tomorrow

2006-02-03T22:11:00.000-05:00

An easy 5 miler this morning in beautiful weather! It was sunny, a light breeze and about 55 degrees which is just great. No problems with knees or joints so I am good to go for 10 miles tomorrow!!
I also have several possibilities for a half marathon this week. I am choosing trail runs because I love to run in the woods and get dirty. My options are:

May 20th - Fort Mills Ramble - Fort Mills, SC
May 20th - Twisted Ankle Marathon and Half Mar.- Summerville GA
April 29th - Owl Ramble - Greensboro, NC

I am going to get some more info, visit the websites and probably email the coordinators too to make sure I can get into one of these. Suggestions appreciated!

Easy run, Fartlek...ouch...

2006-02-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

My knee feels just fine after a couple days rest so I started my running week on Wedensday with an easy 4 mile run.
I also did 4.5 miles this morning including a 20 minute fartlek (1 min hard, 1 min jog).
Those fartleks are hard and I am SORE at work today but the knee is just fine; just some tight quads. Tomorrow is an easy 5 miler followed by 10 miles on Saturday again! Wahoo!
I am also still looking for a Half-Marathon here in the Southeast in the Spring. March is out since I have a conference to go too and will be VERY busy preparing for that (I have to give a talk in front of people (25 or more) we collaborate with and compete with in our research at a National conference- yikes!) so I am thinking April or May is the best time to be prepared for it and have the time to do it. We will see!
Now if they would just fix the HEAT in our lab so I fingers don't go numb that would be great!
We also have a new food the kittens will eat, make that FIGHT over - baby corn in chinese vegetables...WTF?

The Turnip Hits 10 !!!!

2006-01-30T12:27:00.000-05:00

I finally did it! I ran 10 miles yesterday!
The hubby and I went out to First Landing State Park and one trail was a 3 mile loop. Since I had been running 8 I decided to do this 3 times for 9 miles. However, I was feeling OK at mile 9 so I decided to go for the double digits and go for 10! Which I did and it felt pretty good. When I stopped running however I could tell this was the farthest I had run! (a tad wheezy?) But I walked it off, stretched out real good with lots of water and some fruit, yogurt and granola to recover. Today I am a bit achy of course but I am so happy I finally broke into the double digits! The only thing I am a kind of worried about is my right knee. It has had a dull ache in it that I can't exactly pinpoint the location after my long runs. As a precaution I have been icing it down and it only hurts the day after the long run and then subsides. Nonetheless I will be keeping a close eye on it and icing it accordingly. Other than that it is 10 mile runs for the next couple of weeks (as long as the joints hold up) and will be looking for a HALF MARATHONG to train for, possibly in the spring!

Size 12?!?!?!?

2006-01-29T13:06:00.000-05:00

I really do feel pretty "honored" that one of my best friends from college has asked me to be the Matron of Honor at her wedding! This is exciting and I even like the dress she picked out. However, this means I had to go get my measurements taken this past week and order the dress over the phone.

36" Bust
32" Waist
40" Hips (I have a butt...is that such a crime?)

Now I really have no clue how measurements translate to size and I was into a wierd sort of shock? I am a size 4 bust, (huh?), a size 6 hips (does this make any sense?) and *gulp* SIZE 12 WAIST!!!
Now before the running about 6 or 7 months ago I was a size 10 (albeit a tight one!) and now those pants are quite loose and I will be moving on to a size 8 soon (I hope).
So how does this translate to a size 12 in a dress?! I look better and feel great which is all that really matters and I do know that belly/waistline fat is usually the last to go but I was still pretty surprised.
So I guess I will be taking my mini-ab workout I have been doing a little more seriously...from 3 times a week to 4 and maybe adding another component to it. And low and behold the new issue of Runner's World has a big article on abs!! They have some good suggestions too which I will be trying out. I already tried one today! Substituting more veggie and fruit type carbs for refined ones. Today my husband and I had Ramen for lunch (the boy does not do grocery shopping!) but I added frozen veggies to it and we were able to split the package between us and be satisfied rather than each of us wolfing down a whole package with no healthy veggies and still beinng hungry. We will see how it goes!
No off to an 7-8 mile trail run here in Norfolk!

getting back to normal...

2006-01-28T00:53:00.000-05:00

Things are getting back to normal, but slowly. I have just been so out of whack since the holidays which seems strange to me. This whole month has just been one thing after another; money's tight, work is bad with both co-workers and equipment, friends going off the deep end (but getting better thank God), I cannot wait until February! I do still have a lot to be thankful for though, despite it sucking right now I do love my work, I have good friends, a wonderful husband and great health. I just hope that this month will hurry up and be over and things can settle down in all aspects....I don't know if some wierd karma, plain randomness or what that is making this such a tumultous time in my life.
A good thing at work did happen today though. Since it has been so crazy I have been thinking if I even want to do this; (the PhD causing me to be away from my husband, emotionally difficult wouldn't it be easier if....) even though both the hubby and I know its the right thing and this has just been a difficult few weeks, nothing really that bad. But then I gave a presentation on my recent work to my other group members today. Not to toot my own horn but I my project is pretty cool with alot of interesting applications and I know what I am doing when it comes to chemistry. And I got compliments ALL DAY from all my group members! Not only did they think my presentation skills were good, they seemed genuinely impressed with my work. It was nice to have some reminders that this isn't all for naught , I am making a difference and yes, it is worth it...I also had a good week of running as scheduled:

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 4 miles
Wedensday - 3.5 Fartlek, 1 min. speed, 1 min. recovery for 20 minutes. The first time I have tried one of these and it was tiring but I enjoyed it more than intervals!
Thursday - 4.5 miles
Friday - Rest

I hope to find a new trail run tomorrow and then a short road run on Sunday and that will make for a great week at least for running! I have even kept up with my crunches and small weights too...

Life and Racing don't always mix....No 8K this weekend :(

2006-01-23T10:34:00.000-05:00

Life gets in the way of racing. I was not able to do my 8K race on Saturday as planned due to a situation with a friend. I can't go into details but she gave us quite a scare and I had to spend most of Friday night and half of Saturday dealing with this problem. As much as I wanted to race on Saturday, some things are just more important and this definitely was one of them.
So I spent most of Saturday and half of Sunday pretty depressed about the situation. I was able to get a 4 mile run in late on Saturday which helped me to regroup and recenter myself, one of the reasons I love to run.
On Sunday I felt emotionally worn out and fragile. This incident made me realize a couple of things, one being my skin is a lot thinner than I thought and I am emotionally more fragile than I thought. This made me even more depressed until I realized that I have still come a long way from who I used to be. The only thing that really made me feel better was a 7 mile trail run at a nearby state forest.
I hadn't been trail running in ages but I needed to get away and I was sick of the same old routes I have been running. Powering up hills, across streams, through mud, muck, rain, bounding over rocks and logs was just what I needed. Maybe I have a lot of things I need to work on about myself, but running has only helped me do this. I may not be tough as nails yet, but blazing through the woods in the rain by myself for 7 miles helps me get there and makes me realize that I at least have the potential to be one tough cookie. Its not always about race times. It is really about finding yourself and seeing just how far you can go. If this doesn't build confidence and strength (and not just physically), I don't know what does.

ugh...treadmill

2006-01-19T17:21:00.000-05:00

Since I stayed up WAY too late last night to wake up early this morning (I cooked chili and labmates brought beer - a good team effort!), I decided to do my 5 mile run this afternoon at the gym. I had an experiment running for 90 minutes anyway, so it was easy for me to walk down the street to the gym and do my workout and shower there. I did 4 miles on the treadmill at 10:00/mile pace and then switched to the indoor track for the last mile to mix it up a little as I was BORED. Even with a TV attached the the thing I was still going crazy! And is it normal to feel disoriented when you get off one of those things? I thought I was going to run into the wall on the indoor track! Nonetheless I got a 5 mile run in and will do some crunches and arm weights tonight at home while I watch the Simpsons. Now its time to decide if I want mac and cheese or tofu for dinnner...this is actually a hard choice for me the tofu lover!

An odd speedworkout...

2006-01-18T14:17:00.000-05:00

I had planned on doing some half mile repeats on the riverwalk this morning as a speed workout (8:30/mile pace), however high winds and rain last night closed 75% of the riverwalk! In my first repeat I was cut short by a fence with PARK TEMPORARILY CLOSED!
At this point I was 3:40 into my first repeat but who knows how far I had gone. At this point since I had actually gotten up really early to do this I decided to make do. Whatever this distance was I repeated it 6 times at that 3:40 time (which felt fairly strenuous) with short recovery jogs in between.
Total time = 22:00 of running really freaking hard. Good enough, and finished off with a 1 mile cool down.
I HATE not knowing exactly how far I ran but I am guessing ~2.5 miles speed and 1 mile cool down. But thats a guess. Anyway it was a good hard workout and will hopefully improve my speed some.
One more light easy run tomorrow and then the 8K race on Saturday!
In other news, I have a very jealous kitty! One of my roomates brougt her little dog over and as soon as I started playing with it Whitie Ford was NOT happy. Brownie was annoyed but otherwise indifferent. Nonetheless ever since then he has been following me around the house, sitting when I sit, moving when I move like he is protecting me or something. It is pretty silly but cute!

Woohoo 25 miles! and now to taper a bit...

2006-01-16T10:35:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful 8 mile run this weekend although it was VERY windy which did slow my pace a little at times. I also ran 4 miles the next day to stretch things out. That is when I realized how TIRING those long runs can be. I was really really sluggish but I guess that is to be expected. My next race will be the Snowman 8K which of course I will have to register for onsite because I went broke before I got paid last week. Oh well, shouldn't be a problem (I just hope I can still get a T-shirt).
This weeks plan is :
Rest today
A light 4 or 5 mile run tomorrow
A short pace workout Wedensday
A light 4 miler on Thursday
REST on Friday.
We'll see how it goes! And the cats actually RAN OFF with my banana this weekend....

2006-01-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

A busy week back at work but luckily my running has not suffered. I have actually been able to get out of bed early and put in 13 miles so far this week (4, 4, and 5 miles) including a speed workout consisting of 3 x 1 mile repeats at 8:30 pace followed by a 1 mile cooldown.
Although I am not exactly a morning person and my coffee consumption has doubled it has been really nice getting up early and knowing that before most people are at work I have already run 4 or 5 miles. I even got to see a Great Blue Heron on the river walk and watch a beautiful sunrise!
I have decided to forgo this weekends 5K as I don't feel like spending the money and that I have my big 8K next week which I want to make sure I am rested for.
So now just a light 3 or 4 miles and my big long 8 mile run left for the weekend making for 24 or 25 miles this week. Hooray!!
We can also add bananas and collard greens to things my cats LOVE. Whitie Ford even tried to steal a banana out of my hand this morning! Wierd...

25 mile week!

2006-01-09T14:54:00.000-05:00

My 4 mile recovery run on Friday turned out to be a 5.5 mile getting lost exercise but I eventually found my way home. Took the day off on Saturday as I had to drive back to sunny USC but did 8 miles on Sunday. Although it was fun doing a run in the snow, 60+ degrees and sunny was also really nice! Tried out a slightly new route to extend the mileage to 8 and found it was pretty hilly but still felt pretty good. I can really tell when I hit that last mile though! Hopefully in a few weeks 8 miles will be fine and I can step it up to 9!
Back to work (unfortunately) to the same old stuff as when I left meaning half the stuff on my lab bench is gone(although clearly labeled HANNAH's), no one has bothered to get their crap out of the sink, and there is a bunch of stuff that needs ordered that no one bothered to do. Sigh.....

Great lyrics....and a pace/speed workout.

2006-01-06T14:13:00.000-05:00

I must share this quote from a song. The band is called "The Old 97's" and one of my husband's favorites...

"My name is Stephen Miller
A Professional Lady Killer
She said "I'm already dead."
That's exactly what she said..."

I need to remember this the next time some jack-ass hits on me a married woman!

Also did a great pace workout yesterday. For any beginning runners out there looking for a good lung-sucking workout try 1200m (0.75 mile) repeats at my goal 5K pace
(8:30 / mile which is ~ 6:20 per 1200m)
with short recovery jogs in between. It burned and was hard but felt great and will hopefully give me a little "oomph" of speed for the next race. This kind of interval training is really helping me get a feel for my goal pace so I hope I will be able to find it (and sustain it) for race day.
Finished with strength stuff (crunches and 10lb. weights for arm workout) so hopefully I can actually keep this up for once.
This morning I did an easy 5 miler and since I am driving back to SC tomorrow it will be a rest day. Then 8 miles on Sunday!

The Abominable Snow Runner

2006-01-03T14:43:00.000-05:00

Being bored and cooped up and wanting to escape my family (did I say that out loud?) I said "screw it" and had a pretty fun 4.5 mile run in the snow. It was snowing pretty hard but the main roads were OK. Once I got on the back roads however I only got so far as they had clearly not plowed in awhile and was forced to turn around, but I still got good distance and DEFINITELY a good workout trudging through that stuff. It was actually a lot of fun. It was peaceful, still, and very beautiful and not something I get to experience very often.
I have also kept up with strength training for one week now.

Last Monday - Crunches, leg lifts, and push-ups
Last Tuesday -Cruches, side-crunches and reps with 10 lb. weights
Last Saturday - Skiing (TRUST me, I worked out arms, back and the whole body!)
Today - Crunches, side crunches and reps with 10 lb. weights.

Lets hope I can keep this up! Happy Snow-Running!

6 inches and counting

2006-01-03T10:54:00.000-05:00

No run today, ice started last night here in NY and turned to snow and we already have 6 inches with no signs of stopping until later tonight. As much as I like snow I wish it would be more respectful of my running schedule! I wouldn't mind running in the wnow but it is so slippery and icy on the roads it is probably not that safe.
Back to the southeast tomorrow provided this lets up in time and then back to running!

I didn't die skiing!

2006-01-01T10:36:00.000-05:00

I didn't die skiing! We went to Catamount MA and had a blast. I actually was able to stay on my feet most of the time and didn't get stuck on the lift. I was still not brave enough to do any Black Diamond (Difficult - Expert trails...HELL no!) but did some moderately difficult trails and didn't run anybody over or into a tree. I did however run into a bush and the bush claimed victory but that was the worst of it! Rest my aching (and bruised) body today and a light trail run tomorrow.
The family also set off fireworks last night without burning the house down despite much tequila and beer.
Happy New Year!

8 miles!

2005-12-30T16:43:00.000-05:00

Today I fulfilled my workout week!

Mon - 4 mile
Tue - 5 mile
Wed - 3 mile speed workout on track (6 x 800m)
Fri - 8 miles

Today was the first time I ran this far. I have been able to do 7 miles with ease so I finally pushed it to EIGHT. It felt great. Keep in mind I am back home in NY and was on a VERY hilly course but I still felt great. Miles 6.5 to 8 I could tell I was pushing my limits but I still felt great! This makes a total of 21 miles for the week, one more from last week. Wahoo!
Tomorrow is skiing which should be fun, let us pray that Ms. Graceful (who I am NOT) does not break something. Let's just say that last time I went skiing I got stuck in the chair lift which they had to stop for 5 minutes just for me (ha ha) and the time before that I ended up slidingon my back down the hill head first with only one ski with 3 ski patrol guys chasing after me....this should end up to be a pretty good story so stay tuned!

Speed Intervals (if you want to call it that with my slow butt)

2005-12-28T16:59:00.000-05:00

Did my first speed workout in awhile today in preparation for the 8K and 5K. I did 0.5 to 0.8 mile warm up (not sure, on trails behind the track) and then settled in on the track for 6 x 800m. I am supposed to run these for my goal 5K race pace which is an 8:30 mile (4:15 800m) as I am trying to get faster than my current PR of 8:52 per mile. My splits were as follows (jogging 200m in between for recovery):

3:57 (too fast, I know I can't currently keep this sub 8:00/mile pace for the entire 5K or 8K)
4:10 (made adjustment and am settling in)
4:11
4:11
4:15
4:14

At first it would seem a good thing to run the intervals faster but I am really trying to train my body as to what my race pace should feel like and need it to be something I can sustain for the entire race. Maybe eventually I will break an 8:00 mile in a race but not yet. But overall I felt really good. I was tired afterwards but not trashed and was able to sustain this pace the entire workout even with a some strain at the end which is exactly what its supposed to feel like. Tomorrow is a REST day. Normally Friday is a rest day but we are traveling to NY tomorrow and then going skiing on Friday so that will be my crosstraining this week. Hopefully I won't break anything as I am VERY accident prone and can barely stay on my own two feet running let alone on skis so this should be interesting!

Another edition of "You Know You Are a Runner When"

2005-12-28T13:11:00.000-05:00

1. A sale on gatorade is the most exciting part of your week.
2. You budget for running magazines (Runners World, Running Times and now Trail Runner)
3. You monitor the color of your pee as part of your daily routine.

Finally, a PLAN

2005-12-26T12:57:00.000-05:00

I have finally settled on my next race. I will be running my first 8K race on Janurary 21rst. I am new to this distance and am not sure what to expect except that it will be a bit faster pace then the 10K's I have been running lately. Nonetheless I went to Hal Higdon's website and got an 8K training plan. Since I am already up to running 7 milers without a problem and that I only have 4 weeks to train I had to modify it a bit. The best part about this plan is that Hal includes strength training as part of the plan which is something I have been wanting to do anyway as my back is starting to hurt the longer I run - obviously I need to get stronger. So here is my plan for the next 4 weeks. Suggestions are welcome!

Week 1
Monday - 4 miles + strength
Tuesday - 5 miles easy
Wedesnday - 4 x 800m intervals at 5K pace (shooting for 8:30 / mile here)
Thursday - 4 miles + strength
Friday - REST
Saturday - Strength and/or X-training
Sunday - 8 mile easy

Week 2
Monday - 4 miles + strength
Tuesday - 5 miles easy
Wedensday - 4 x 1200m
Thursday - 5 miles + strength
Friday - REST
Saturday - strength and/or X-training
Sunday - 8 mile easy

Week 3
Monday - 4 miles + strength
Tuesday - 5 miles easy
Wedensday - 4 x 1200m
Thursday - 60min xtraining
Friday - REST
Saturday - 5K race (just to see where I am, not taking it too seriously)
Sunday - 8 mile easy

Week 4
Monday - 4 miles + strength
Tuesday - 5 miles easy
Wedensday - 35 min tempo (10 min. warmp-up, 15 min. tempo, 10 min. cool-down)
Thursday - 60min Xtraining (light and easy)
Friday - REST
Saturday - 8K race

HEY EVERYONE - A NEW BLOGGER!

2005-12-23T22:02:00.000-05:00

Everyone check out and welcome Liv to Run , the link to her new blog is under my links list. She has been blogging a couple weeks now so be sure to welcome her!

Also - eggnog will be the death of me this season!

Getting Lost and Core Strength

2005-12-23T13:29:00.000-05:00

As much as I love gmaps-pedometer, sometimes it LIES. Not often, but the innacuracies can sometimes get you LOST. Lets just say my 5 mile run turned more towards a 6 mile run by the time I finally found my way home. A slow run for me but it does bring my weekly mileage up to 20. Today I will probably just do a short 3 mile and then take the weekend off to rest during Christmas.
I have also finally broken down and resolved to do more crosstraining to improve my core strength. After long runs my back aches so I will have to suck it up and do some core excersizes. I LOATHE sit-ups and push-ups but Runners World magazine has some articles on different core excersizes so maybe I will try that. I can always go to the gym too but I always seem to give up on that in favor of running. I know that its a mistake to do that so I am really going to try this time to run 4 times a week and do strength training 2 times a week. I am continuing to lose weight so hopefully that will encourage and motivate me....After the holidays of course!

yay! Christmas VACATION!!!!

2005-12-22T12:23:00.000-05:00

Christmas vacation is FINALLY here. I took off yesterday morning and arrived safely in Norfolk yesterday afternoon to a very happy Hubby who is DETERMINED to figure out what each Christmas present is before he opens them. I have been beating him away from the presents with a stick to keep him from shaking, poking, prodding and peaking at them incessantly!
He does have to work today but that gives me a chance to catch up on all the blogs, go for a 5 mile run and maybe stop at the bookstore to pick up a new running magazine to further feed my obsession.
I also have to shop for our Christmas dinner which I would actually enjoy if I knew how many people were coming! My husband would like to invite some of the guys on his ship over for dinner who can't make it home for the holidays. I think its a great idea but I think he fails to realize how much planning, cooking, and preparation it takes to do this and that I need to know AHEAD of time how many people we will be having. Right now it could be anywhere from just the two of us to EIGHT people some of who he hasn't even gotten around to inviting yet! Anyways, he better let me know by today so I can get going on the shopping and cooking! If not it will be frozen dinners! Off to my 5 miler for a now though...

what NOT to eat before you run

2005-12-20T14:12:00.000-05:00

I have made a new discovery as to something that does NOT suit me before a four mile run.
Having some extra time this morning as I was taking a half day, I decided to eat breakfast and lounge around for awhile before my run. I decided to make too fried eggs and toast with orange juice. Now I have had toast and I have had orange juice before running but I don't remember ever eating eggs before a run - AND NEVER WILL AGAIN -
I will spare the gory details but lets just say that it is a good thing the Cayce Riverwalk has bathrooms along the way or it was going to be VERY ugly.
I did complete the 4 miles though making 15 so far since Sunday. Tomorrow I am off to Norfolk to have Christmas with the hubby and then we are driving up to see my parents for New Years. Now all I have to do is keep the boy from opening the presents before Christmas which he is notorious for doing!

11 miles already this week and being TAGGED!

2005-12-19T17:40:00.000-05:00

Dang it Kurt! Was going to write about my seven mile run yesterday and 4 mile run this morning but oh well...here it goes.

5 random things about me

1. My real name is Hannah

2. I have turnips in the Blog name because I work with Turnip Yellow Mosaic Virus for my PhD. and we actually grow the turnips in the lab. I won't bother to explain what this has to do with nanotechnology as it would take a whole other blog!

3. My friends and I hang out all the time at the American Legion. Although it is a private "old fart bar" my husband used to bartend there and we made a lot of good friends who helped us through hard times. This is how we manage to drink beer like crazy without going broke! This is where most of the drunken stories on this blog originate!

4. I am in the process of converting to Catholicism after a very long heartfelt search.

5. Although I normally try to eat vegetarian, my all time favorite food is my Mom's Halupki's, a Hungarian favorite from an old family recipe. Its not vegetarian but it is well worth the cow! (Sorry for offending any vegans in the audience!)

I FINALLY get a digital camera!

2005-12-16T10:57:00.000-05:00

Happy B-day to me! The big 25. And I finally got a digital camera which means you might finally see some pictures on this blog. My next race isn't until Janurary 14th (a 5K) but there will be pictures of that and in the meantime look foward to kittens, myself, and probably more kittens!
No running this morning as I decided to be lazy on my birthday but hopefully will run tomorrow and Sunday if I am not to partied out after today!

cold rain

2005-12-15T11:36:00.000-05:00

Finally recovered and feeling a million percent better I was ready to run this morning.

Murphy's Law of Running #2
When you finally feel well enough after injury/sickness to run, the weather is downright crappy.

33 degrees Farenheit, and raining HARD. Still did 4 miles today trying to reach my 20 mile goal this week. Wore running tights with shorts over them to keep my butt and hips a little warmer, then an Underarmor singlet, long sleeve breathable lycra, polar fleece and of course a rainjacket with hood, gloves, and ear warmers. Ran OK though and felt pretty good. At least tomorrow will be sunny for my 5 mile run!

In other news, my hubby is like a little kid! He is stationed in Norfolk right now (he's in the Navy) and wanted me to hold his Christmas presents up to the phone and shake them so he could tell what they were!

well this just SUCKS!

2005-12-13T15:28:00.000-05:00

My cold has now turned into a sinus infection and the beginnings of an ear infection. How can I feel so much better yesterday and now feel worse? I did go to the doctor though and got some antibiotics and anticongestants to assisst my recovery. Doc says I should be back to normal in a couple of days which hopefully means I can still squeeze in my goal mileage by Monday at least. Of course my husband thinks I am NUTS but I promise I will rest and guzzle orange juice and cuddle with kitties and THEN get back to running. CURSE the winter!!!

2005-12-12T10:56:00.000-05:00

After spending most of Sunday sound asleep in order to get rid of this cold once in for all, I got up bright and early this morning and ran SIX miles. It actually felt really good. I wanted to run 6 today since due to this nagging cough (OK, and hanging out at a country bar until 2am during which I did indeed ride the mechanical bull!) I was unable to do my long run this weekend. So I am off to a good start this week and can hopefully keep this cold at bay once and for all!

Monday - 6 miles
Wedensday - 5 miles
Friday - 4 miles
Saturday - 7 miles

total: 22 miles.

4, 4, 5, and 7....

2005-12-09T13:28:00.000-05:00

I finally feel like I am getting back on track this week. I fit in two 4 mile runs this week, one of which included a 2 mile tempo run. I also fit in a 5 miler this morning so as long as I get my but out the door tomorrow I should reach my 20 mile/wk goal.
In other news, my friend and I somehow turned poetry night at the local pub into a Up Until 3:30am Drinking night. Why is it the harder we try to behave ourselves the more trouble we end up getting into? I guess that's what happens when you live down the street (5 minute walk!) from 2 of your favorite bars! At least I didn't have a beer box on my head this time...
in the meantime I am just getting ready for the holidays, shopping, decorating and at least being SORT of well behaved and going to Mass celebrating the Advent Season - yesterday was the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and it was a beautiful service. Now to guzzle some Gatorade in prepartion for tomorrows 7 miler! And to tend to my experiments...

Yay I got to run!

2005-12-05T10:07:00.000-05:00

Finally felt well enough for a 4 mile run this morning. I was still a bit tired on the run but other than that no hacking and coughing along the way or afterword. The plan this week is to take it easy tomorrow and then:

Wed: 5 miles
Thurs: 4 miles
Fri: Rest or swim
Saturday: 7 miles

Whitie Ford (kitten) is also feeling much better, certainly well enough to knock the ornaments off the tree, irritate his sister Brownie, and try to get into my macaroni and cheese!
I am SO glad to be back to running, between Thanksgiving and the way I have been eating lately I was getting worried that I would start putting the pounds that I lost right back on, but now it is back to normal and hopefully I can lose a couple more before X-mas. Now its back to work with me, and the electron microscope better be working today!

and the battle of the cold rages on!

2005-11-30T09:40:00.000-05:00

sigh,
still no running so far this week as I am still working off this cold. all that is left is this NAGGING cough that is driving me crazy, but hopefully it will be gone by the weekend so I can at least get a little bit of running in this week!
And my poor kitty also is sick! I took Whitie Ford to the vet yesterday and got him some antibiotics (apparently cats like bubblegum flavor). He is feeling better but still pretty miserable. AND DRIVING ME CRAZY! Vet says he should be OK by the weekend, I hope his mommy is too!

New Look and Links

2005-11-26T11:27:00.000-05:00

Taking advantage of the holiday weekend I have revamped the site and added some links and a new template. I am still working on the color scheme so some previous posts may be hard to read and I apologize for that. Hopefully you will find the links interesting and as soon as I get a digital camera (hopefully for my upcoming birthday!) I can start posting photos as well!

ACK! I'm sick!

2005-11-25T22:05:00.000-05:00

Murphy's Law of Running:

As soon as your running gets on track - you get sick!

Now battling a cold which means no running till Monday at the earliest. GRRR!!!

A 20 mile week, I HATE CLEMSON, and a very naughty kitty

2005-11-21T13:48:00.000-05:00

First off, I HATE CLEMSON, I HATE TIGERS, I DESPISE THAT WHOLE AREA OF THE STATE! In case you haven't guessed, once again my beloved Gamecocks have lost to the Tigers again and it made me want to vomit! GRRR!!! For all of you Clemson fans out there - SCREW YOU AND THE SUV OR BUS YOU RODE IN ON!
Maybe next year....
Now that I have that out of my system, I ran a total of 20 miles last week

Monday - 4
Wedensday - 5
Friday - 4 (quick too!)
Saturday - 7

And my seven miler felt really good and comfortable for the first time! I figure I will keep doing a 7 miler until mid-December to get my legs used to it and then push it up to 8 miles on Saturdays.

In addition - BAD KITTY! I get a call at about 12:30am on Saturday night from one of my neighbors asking if I own a white cat. Apparently, Whitie Ford had ran into her house when she opened the door to let HER cat in and made himself at home....that is until the idiot realized that this isn't where he lived and hid in a corner and refused to leave! So I had to get up and go get the little freak out of her house in the middle of the night. At least she was very nice and patient about it. On another note my other cat Brownie decided to follow us to the bar the other night (its just down the street a 3 minute walk (sober anyway)), waited for us outside, and then followed us back home? On top of the fact that she drinks out of the toilet, is she convinced she is a dog and not a cat?! Sigh....wierdos.

running pet peeves!

2005-11-16T10:12:00.000-05:00

1. Your city doesn't replace missing street signs and you miss your turn and get lost on your morning run!
2. Cars parked on the sidewalk when there is plenty of room in their driveway - forcing you to run into the street.
3. Little yappy dogs that nibble at your shoes.
4. Cat-calls from passing drivers - like they have never seen a girl in a tank top and shorts before?
5. People not cleaning up after their dogs and leaving their shit on the sidewalk!
6. Out of shape people telling me they don't run because "its bad for you" and act all self-righteous about it.

Feel free to add to this list!

Race Report! 55:02 - 10K!!!

2005-11-13T20:45:00.000-05:00

55:02 = 8:52 / mile

wahoo! First in my age group...however I may have been the only one in my age group running that race! Oh well , I am happy with how I did and look foward too improving my times even more. I am starting to notice a trend in my pre-race prep though!

1. Out too late with friends.
2. Can't sleep the night before : up every hour.
3. Get so nervous I almost turn around and wimp out.

Oh well, haven't wimped out yet and imagine what I could do if I came home early and actually slept!!! :)

5 mile Fog run

2005-11-08T14:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning (way too tired to run on Sunday) I went for a morning 5 mile run, just a slow trot to recover from Saturday. It was actually quite beautiful because it was very very foggy (we live right near the Congaree River), the sun was just peaking out, definitely things most people who don't run get to really appreciate. I did the River Walk (to the end and back) and a 1 mile loop in town to complete the 5 mile run and I actually had to be careful because I couldn't see traffic until it was within 50 ft of me because the visibility was so bad! Nonetheless I really enjoyed it and it was one of those days I was glad to be a runner appreciating natural beauty when most people don't get the chance too.

Race Day - November 12th

2005-11-05T13:41:00.000-05:00

Due to the wedding we are at this weekend I had to forgo the bridge run and will be running a 10K in Camden next weekend instead. That's fine with me as it will give me a little more time to prepare.
Also switched the 7 miler to today. I was well hydrated, well rested and well fueled so I decided to capitalize on that.
Using the uber-helpful gmaps-pedometer I mapped out a 7 mile route and ran that this morning. Whoo! could I tell when I hit that last mile (only the second time I have run this distance), but I was able to run strong the whole time. I am sure I will feel it as the day goes on as far as aches and pains are concerned but overall it was a good quality training run. Now to prepare to go to this wedding (ick...a long story but not everyone is thrilled about this one) after the game of course. GO GAMECOCKS! BOO RAZORBACKS!

the week...

2005-11-04T23:03:00.000-05:00

This week!

5 miles w/ 2 mile tempo (felt like crap but did it anyway)
3 mile recovery
30 minute swim
5 mile run tomorrow (Saturday)
7 mile run Sunday

Whoo! I have also lost some weight too! But I did eat some french fries this weekend though :)

And curses! My mass spec at work is down again! GRRR!

7 mile run - it finally happened!

2005-10-31T12:30:00.000-05:00

My seven miler that I was planning finally happened on Sunday. I actually felt really good (taking it slow) although the last mile was pretty tough as that was when I was pushing my body into new territiory. However I ran every inch of that 7 mile route and also got to explore the neighborhood! Its amazing how much more you get to see and hear when you are running on foot rather than driving in a car. I think I still need to revise the route just to make it a bit more scenic as the last part was mostly highway which kind of sucked. Nonetheless I plan to do it again until I get comfortable with it and then push to an 8 miler. I must say i am achy today, but luckily that adductor is not it. Just those basic aches and pains you get when you make your body do something new!
The plan this week is now two 5 mile runs, possibly including a tempo run into one of them and of course my once a week swim.

back on track - 4 mile w/ 2mile tempo and a 5.2 miler!

2005-10-28T15:09:00.000-04:00

Per request I am changing the font size as it was pretty small and hard to read...anyway

I am finally back on track and did a 4 mile run which contained a 2 mile tempo slightly below 10-k race pace. I also did a nice 5.2 mile trot yesterday which was really nice. This weekend I PROMISE i will do that 7-miler. I already have it mapped out and everything :)
The 4 mile tempo felt really good, that is the longest I have been able to keep that pace to date (~8:00 to 8:30 mile) but of course 2 mile was the limit of that and the last two miles were a nice slow recovery jog. The 5.2 mile was a nice trot but I think I need to change the route as it wasn't very scenic and I like to look at something when I run! Hopefully I will get some hill runs going in November as well. Maybe with a beer box on my head :) ?

Ship of Drunk-Ass fools....why my 7 miler did NOT happen this weekend!

2005-10-25T12:26:00.000-04:00

My seven mile run did NOT happen this weekend, although the following story will explain why. This following story may also cause you to laugh your ass off, cry, and think that I am a complete fool!

Picture this: Me (Lush Puppy) and 3 friends (who shall not be called by their real names for their sake!) proceed to get utterly trashed on Saturday night at our friend's lake house.

The Characters

Me – (Lushpuppy - my nickname among friends)

Roomate – (Common Drunk)

Roomate's Sister – (Bozo the Clown)

Roomate's Sister's Boyfriend (Buffoon)

We are at buffoon's lake house drinking beer and are pretty far gone as it is. Buffoon than gets the bright idea to take his boat out on the lake. At this lake you can actually go bar-hopping via boat which is pretty fun...or pretty redneck, I haven't decided yet. First we go to Charlie's – pretty much a hick bar but fun and Buffoon gets Lushpuppy, Common Drunk and Bozo the Clown wasted even further by getting us more beer and 2 shots of Goldshlager and Baileys (actually pretty tasty). Hence we are still more drunk. Buffoon and Common Drunk start singing (slurred and very very badly) and we get the "look" from the bartenders meaning – "Please leave before we have to throw you out"

Happily we climb back into the boat and go to Roy's. Oh let me tell you about Roy's.

Roy's is as redneck as you can possibly get. People bring there kids, there dogs, (among other pets), the bartender has only a few of her teeth and shirts and shoes are optional. This is a good thing considering that we have to dock the boat to a very rickety , not tied down at all dock and have to somehow climb (with no ladder steps or anything ese) onto another dock 4 ft up go get onto shore and somehow into this bar. I proceed to lose my shoe in the water but that is not going to stop Bozo the Clown who throws me her shoe because "she canget by jjuust faine" (at least that is what I think she said) So we walk into this hill billy bar. Bozo the Clown has one shoe, Lushpuppy has 2 different shoes AND is hic-cuping uncontrollably, Buffoon can't even speak at this point and just grunts at people and I think Common Drunk is pretending she doesn't know who the hell these retards are. Again, we get the "look" from the bartenders as when she tries to talk to Buffoon and he just makes wierd noises. So we leave and this is where it gets REALLY funny.

Remember that we had to climb UP 4ft to get on the dock and this time we have to go down – still more drunk than before. Buffoon decides he doesn't want to waste his time with trying to do this somewhat carefully and decides to jump onto the lower dock....right into the water. Bozo the Clown, concerned about her boyfriend, decides to rush after him and try to help him out of the water....and also falls right in. Of course Common Drunk and Lushpuppy are laughing our asses off at these two flailing like crazy. Keep in mind this is 2 feet of water. All Buffoon and Bozo the Clown have to do is stand up. Of course we decide to eventually help these panicking drunks out of the water how somehow come up with their wallet, purse, and shoes (well only one shoe in Bozo the Clown's case). We decide we better get the two shivering wet cold drunks and the two dry yet very drunk drunks home and Bozo the Clown proceeds to push us off from the dock so Buffoon can start the engine. Unfortunately, Bozo the Clown decides to hop in the boat about 3 seconds too late and falls into the lake....AGAIN. Oh and the fun doesn't end here.

Finally, Lushpuppy, Common Drunk, Bozo the Clown and Buffoon are safely (sort of) in the boat on our way back to the lakehouse. There is however, one problem. I, Lushpuppy, have to pee. I mean I REALLY have to pee. This cannot wait. Solution – go off the side of Buffoon's boat! Being that Buffoon himself suggested this I thought that maybe, just maybe, we would STOP the boat. I was wrong. So picture Lushpuppy hanging off of a boat going roughly 20 mph, completely hammered with her ass hanging out for all to see - peeing. Somehow by the grace of God I didn't let go or fall in the lake and we all safely made it back to the lakehouse. But does the fun end HERE?

Recall that I, Lushpuppy, had the hiccups – BAD. Buffoon and Bozo the Clown go off to shower while Common Drunk and I sit on the porch trying to figure out how to get rid of the hic-cups. Of course the breathe into a bag thing comes to mind but me, being hammered, grabs a PLASTIC bag. Luckily Common Drunk stops me and suggests paper. The only thing paper we have however is the empty case of beer. Common drunk persuades me to put the empty beer box on my head like that might actually cure the hic-cups. And I, being hammered, believes her. Of course it doesn't work so Common Drunk suggests if I run around the yard and force myself to breathe regularly that might cure them. And I, being hammered, believes her. So now picture THIS – Lushpuppy running around the yard with box of beer on her head and also proceeds to fall on her face just in time for Bozo the Clown and Buffoon to get out of the shower and see me. I am not sure if it was the running or the fall that cured the hic-cups but they were finally gone! On this up note, Buffoon, Bozo the Clown, Common Drunk, and Lushpuppy decide that it might be best to not push our luck and all go to bed.

Somehow we didn't all DIE and when we woke up, the boat, our cars, the house and ourselves were all intact and with all our clothes on. Only by the Grace of God and the Patron Saint of Drunk Fools did this happen. Nonetheless, we would probably all do it again if we got that drunk again...which is bound to happen sooner or later. This is Lushpuppy signing off, and thankful to be alive! And with some freakin' hilarious friends.

ok, i admit it! I'v been a baaaaaaad running girl!

2005-10-20T12:23:00.000-04:00

Alright I will fess up! Last week, in the midst of the move, I was a very bad running girl!
I only ran once, didn't swim at all. The only excersize I got was lifting heavy boxes and cleaning. On top of that, one late night, after my roomate and I were exhausted from moving and cleaning all day long, we actually ate....McDonalds! I HATE fast food but we hadn't eaten all day and were starving and exhausted and it was on the way home. ugh....our tummies got back at us later that night.
This week though I have been trying to redeem myself. Due to my work schedule I have been running in the morning and have but in a 4 and a 5 mile run so far. I mapped out my new routes (thanks for the input people - gmaps-pedometer is awesome!) and am going to try a 7 miler on Saturday. Luckily our new place is right near the Congaree River so my morning runs are beautiful and good for the soul :)
Since we are finally settled in I have been eating like I should - tofu, asparagus, beans and whole wheat pasta. Cooking in my new kitchen with oodles of counterspace is so much easier!
Next race? - Another 10K (since I enjoyed the last one so much) - Double Bridge run on November 5th. Wish me luck!

2 - 5 mile runs :)

2005-10-15T16:35:00.000-04:00

Due to moving into a new house I only had a chance to run twice this week, but got too good five-milers in. I believe my speed is improving as I can do these at 9:30 - 10 minutes/mile and still consider it an easy run. So far my hip adductor is not acting up so hopefully I can keep this up. My goal next week?

Tuesday - 5 miles easy
Wedensday - Swim 35 minutes.
Thursday - 5 miles with speed pick-ups
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 7 miles easy.

Total mileage - 17 miles.

I don't even want to think about my upper body as it already aches from moving all those boxes! But now I have a new (and nicer) neighborhood to explore so I plan on getting on mapquest of Gmaps to plot out these runs so I have an idea of where to go. Unfortunately work is also going to be hell this week so we will see how this goes!

Kitten Post - Is this even remotely normal?!

2005-10-11T00:03:00.000-04:00

Just a list of some of the things my adorable but PSYCHO kittens have EATEN so far in the 3 months I have had them. Keep in mind they are not allowed to eat this but tend to break into things when I am at work or asleep or have my back turned! Also keep in mind they have 24 hour kitten chow access and Whitey is almost TEN POUNDS so they are not starving! I swear I am not exaggerating or making it up! Its all true!!

Chicken
Barbecued Ribs
Tofu
Half of a turkey sandwhich
Bananas
Strawberries
Cheerios
Captain Crunch
An ENTIRE loaf of bread (I swear I am not making this up)
Part of an onion
A cayenne pepper (that did not go over so well)
Raisin Bran
Part of an avocado
Raw pasta (after they ripped open the package)
Broccoli
Alfalfa sprouts

Is this even remotely normal? What wierd cats.
Later will be a post on all the things they have destroyed and or stolen!

10-K results!

2005-10-09T21:01:00.000-04:00

I successfully completed my first 10K in 56:00 minutes placing 29th out of 72. This comes out to 9:01 per mile which for me is a good start.
I do believe I have gotten stronger as I ran a 8:58 per mile in my last 5K and I was straining a good bit. This time I held it for twice the distance and although I was good and tired at the finish I wasn't trashed.
I decided I really like the 10K distance since I am not very fast, it gives me time to catch up to people who don't have the endurance I do. I think I may switch gears in my training to include more 10K races rather than 5Ks. I guess I must be nuts : what normal person would actually WANT to increase the distance of the race and LIKE it?

Inadvertantly signed up for a 10-K!

2005-10-07T17:56:00.000-04:00

Kittens! I finally got at least one picture of my two psycho cats on the blog. Hopefully I will get some running picutres soon.
Well the race is on for tomorrow...except it is a 10K run instead of a 5K! I found out that the 5K is only for walkers and if I want to run (which of course I do) I will have to do the 10-K. Luckily I have been running 4-6 miles regularly for the past six weeks along with a couple of tempo runs so I feel prepared at least physically, but sure not mentally! Luckily I found out at least a couple of days ago so I can at least read up a little on race strategy for this distance. I am not expecting anything spectacular but I really want to race and figure it will be a good experience to try it even if its not a PR (which I wasn't expecting anyway coming back from injury as discussed in my earlier posts). Anywho, I will be sure to let you all know how my first ever (and impromptu!) 10-K goes. Coming soon to the site will be more pictures to make things a little more interesting, along with an injury list (including the story of the concussion) and maybe a daily What My Cats Destroyed This Time thread. In the meantime, Happy Running!

out of town run...what to do when you don't know where to run?

2005-10-01T01:03:00.000-04:00

Woohoo! Was able to do 4 miles and with frequent 200 - 400m speed bursts. I was able to really pick up the pace for 2-3 miles of my 4 mile run yesterday. Just trying to freshen up my legs and get some light speedwork done before my race on Oct. 8th. So far the hip is doing fine so hopefully the race will go fine.

I need to get one more run in this week and I am out of town and don't know where to run! My only guess is to go to the state park in the area with my husband and figure out some trails there. Hopefully that will allow me to get a 6 miler in this week but we will see.

What does the rest of the running world do when they are out of town and w/o there regular route?

In the meantime, a close to vegan diet is doing well so far for my weight and my running. Still eating a bit of dairy and/or meat once a week though.

speed bursts and kittens

2005-09-28T21:57:00.000-04:00

Planning experiments in lab around running is working so far. Being that I don't usually leave before 7pm it makes it hard to get in a run this time of year (without falling into the bushes in the dark anyway). Luckily there is stuff that takes a couple of hours at a time so I can usually leave, go for a long run and then go back. Yesterday I was able to fit in a 5 miler with 6 short spurts of speed to get my lungs pumping and legs ready for the race next Saturday. Felt good but am still not expecting a PR or anything on Oct. 8th, but it will feel good to get back out there and get to racing again. Got 27:52 last time, hopefully I will make or break that slightly.
In the mean time, the kittens got spayed an neutered (Brownie is a girl, Whitey is a boy). They are cranky and tired but doing fine. Time to go home and tend to them and make sure they don't completely hate me now!

6 miles - wahoo!

2005-09-27T13:27:00.000-04:00

After my successful 5 mile night run, on saturday I did a 6 mile run. And it felt good! I took it very slow and steady and had no problems. Probably as slow as a 10-11 minute / mile pace but I really wanted to take it easy since, like the night run, this was the first time since the injury that I have run that far. I finally feel like I am ready to get back to higher mileage (gradually of course) and to start racing again! First up is October 8th, a 5K. I am not expecting to break any PR's but at least I will get out there get back into the racing seen. I would really like to start training for a 10K though. I will have to find one close by in South Carolina in the next couple months or so.
It will also be interesting to see how the cross-training I have been doing will affect my race. I have incorporated swimming 2 days a week to reduce the impact on my joints and to strengthen my secondary running muscles but I am not sure how it will affect my times. We shall see!
On another note I am trying to change my diet towards a more natural whole foods approach which so far is going OK. The only problem is that it takes a lot of time however I am sure it is worth it. I am certainly feeling good on my runs and hopefully some of those extra pounds will be shed as well. If anyone reads Runners World, I highly reccomend this months article on the 50 best foods for Runners based on the new dietary guidelines from the FDA. I found it really helpful.

You know you are a runner if...comments please!

2005-09-27T10:37:00.000-04:00

A sale on Gatorade at the supermarket is the most exciting part of your week!
(2 gallons for 5 bucks - woohoo!)

Night Run (escaping Southern Heat)

2005-09-22T14:53:00.000-04:00

Woo! Night runs are...interesting. Once again the humid nasty heat of the South forced me to run at odd times during the day. Couldn't get my Morning Motivation going (do I even have any?) and set out for my run at 7:15 last night which is when I figured out that it gets dark quick this time of year!
Nonetheless, I continued my 5 miler with determination as it is the first I have done in 6 weeks due to my hip adductor injury. And I felt great! Well, aside from almost tripping on various things I couldn't see like roots in the sidewalk, ruts, toys left out by kids, ect. Given my complete lack of grace and coordination its amazing I didn't tumble head over heels into the bushes! Nonetheless I completed my 5 mile run in 50 minutes which is great for me considering its been six weeks since the last 5 miler. Next week I am shooting for 6!
In the mean time I am going to have to figure out how I am going to fit in my runs with my work schedule and shorter daylight hours. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Despite the still brutal heat at times in the day, last night gave me hope that it will let up soon. Nights earlier this summer were still wrought with sweat, humidity and general mugginess while last night wasn't exactly crisp but I could feel the familiar cooler breeze of autumn making its way, however slowly, to the South. The next time I talk about looking foward to summer somebody knock some sense into me!

woohoo- past two weeks ran pain free

2005-09-19T21:00:00.000-04:00

Woohoo! Have been running pain free for 2 weeks! Doing 4 miles 3 days a week too. Plan to fit in a 5 or 6 mile run next week and see how that goes. What a relief to feel like a runner again. Didn't realize how much running gives me a chance to clear my head and learn about me until I couldn't do it at all for 2 weeks and very limited for another 2. Will plan to take it slow and steady though to prevent re-injury.
Nonetheless it is time to up the mileage and fit in hopefully a 6 miler next week. Once that goes well for awhile I would love to put in some intervals to boost my strength and speed for my November race. I am also interested in Fartlek training but don't know much about them. Any advice or explanations would be greatly appreciated!

On an unrelated topic, had the best beer I've had in awhile - DOGFISH HEAD ALE! Sweet!

Intro

2005-09-19T12:40:00.000-04:00

Ran H.S. cross country, never very fast but enjoyed every minute of it.. Slacked off in college with the whole excercise bit but got back into it after getting married (Newlyweds tend to get kind of "happy - fat" :) ) Wanted to lose weight (5' 3'' and 140 on a small female frame ain't the best) and fell in love with the sport all over again! Ran my first 5K in six years. Not too fast (27:52) but loved it and was happy to break 30 minutes after 7 years off.
Continued to train and of course I got injured. Had to take 2 weeks off which drove me nutty and it took a few weeks of slow and steady to really be able to get my mileage up again. Before injury I was up to 20-25 miles/wk including one hill workout and one speed workout on the track. Now I am down to 10-12 miles/wk. Very frustrating but I am slowly getting back into it. The schedule now as it stands:

5'3'' ~135lb female - hoping to get down to 125 in a few months (or sooner!)
Monday - 4 mile easy.
Tuesday - Swim hard 35 minutes
Wedensday- 4 mile easy.
Thursday- Rest
Friday - Swim hard 35 minutes
Saturday - 4 miles right now, but plan to increase this run by 1 mile/wk. Next week - 5 miles
Next Race - October 8th, a 5K
Goal Time: 27 minutes 30 sec
Average 4 mile pace for easy runs- 10 -11 min/mile (pretty sad huh? but improving)

I would love to increase the intensity and mileage but my main fear? Getting injured again! Although I am feeling stronger and faster everyday, I did before too , pushed too hard, and ended up injured (hip adductor close to the pubic bone - sharp pains - ouch!). I guess I will have to play it by ear. Why I am including swimming is to reduce the stress on my muscles and joints so hopefully that will help. Open to suggestions though! Can't wait to get back up to my mileage and then some as my goal in 6 months is to run a MARATHON! That's right, the big 26.2!

Being a runner means I am uber concerned about food. Try to eat healthy whole foods - packaged food be gone! Lots of fruits and veggies, whole grain and good healthy protein like beans, nuts, tofu, fish and chicken. My biggest problem is keeping the portion sizes to big enough to support my activity level but small enough to not gain wait (and maybe lose another 5 lbs and get back to 130 or even 125?)

Coming soon will be race photos and times, workout summaries (and complaints I am sure) and maybe some Heart Rate info once I get a hold of a decent monitor w/o breaking the bank.In the mean time - RUN RUN RUN :) oh, and read the latest issue of Runner's World or Running Times (although Runner's World is my preference)