Oh yes. The Wall.
I hit it in a major way during my track workout yesterday. Coming down from my glory that was last week's track workout, I definitely did not have a repeat performance. *Sigh* I wasn't going to highlight all of my times here, because it's a little embarrassing - you can just see the Wall going up. You should have been there in my head. I was freaking out. Some thoughts:
"You did this last week, you can do this now"
"This doesn't feel anything like it did last week, what's wrong with you?"
"You're running too fast, you need to calm down"
"You're running too slow, you need to speed up. WHY AREN'T YOU MOVING FASTER?"
"OOOUUUUCCCHHHH!!!!!! GAAAAAHHHHH! !@#$%%^&*(*^&%!!!!"
Anyway, then I was thinking about it while I was lying around in bed les miserables today (I stayed home sick from work all pukey and unpleasant) and it's not fair to post only my good days. I have to throw up the bad ones too. So here you go (complete with more inner Ashleigh mind musings):
Note: This is my typical 6x800 track workout. I'm thinking about mixing it up next week and doing a ladder or something instead. 800s are soul-crushing)
1 - 3:27 Hmmmm...This doesn't feel quite right...
2 - 3:28 Okay, I'm hanging in there, only what 4 MORE TO GO?! GAH!!! :(
3 - 3:30 This is all very, very wrong...
*Stop to go dry heave in the bushes, thus, taking longer than my normal 2 minute recovery time*
4 - 3:35 Helllloooooo Wall! I actually stopped and walked a few paces.
5 - 3:36
6 - 3:49 All hope is lost. I vow to never run again.
So there you go. I guess the important lesson to learn from this is that even when you hit the wall, it's important to keep running and complete your workout. Feeling like crap isn't the same thing as being injured, and running through it will only help you in the long run (ha! literally!). From what I've read, the Wall comes for most marathoners around mile 18-23 (MuM, is this correct?) It's to be expected and it's a normal part of training, and running in general.
I wish I had some brilliant parting advice for you on how to overcome said Wall, but sadly, I don't. It's there, you'll hit it, it will really, REALLY suck, and there's nothing to do about it but to keep putting one foot in front of the other. The end is of the race is like Friday: even when it seems like it never will, it always comes.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Weekly Weigh-In
Let The Healing Begin!
No lie, I am soooo tired of feeling gimpy from the ankles down! I just want to go out and be able to run for however long I'm supposed to on any given day, and be able to suck up whatever inevitable hurt comes with the miles. This past week has sucked for running in my world! Ok, that's a lie. At first it was great - I had a great 8-miler last Sunday, and my best ever Tuesday Track Day. But I did 6 on Wednesday and from then until now, it's been all downhill:
I barely ran 2 miles on Thursday, I took Friday and Saturday off (Sat. is supposed to be an easy 3 miler with the dogs, and then a 2-3 mile tempo run) and then today, I cut my 10 miler down to 7. And all because of my stupid blistered feet.
Don't Let This Happen To You!
I did, however, learn some things. First, I learned that it's ok to listen to my body. I mean, really, what would another 3 miles do for me in the long run? I still have 6 months until this Marathon goes down and it's better that I didn't kill myself today - it could only hurt me for the rest of the week. Secondly, if I thought I needed new shoes two weeks ago, why on earth did I wait? Yesterday, I went and bought 2 new pairs of Asics (they have proven to work the best for me over the yeras) so that I can alternate between them. As I mentioned the other day, this not only is good for you feet, but you get more out of the life of your shoes. Thirdly, I learned how to properly take care of my feet the next time this happens (hopefully it won't!) Please, learn from me:
The tools necessary
The end result
Not only did I buy new shoes yesterday, I bought Neosporin, NewSkin, that medical/athletic tape, band-aids (just to replace all the ones that I've stolen out of our first aid kit because that's what I've been using on my feet in my work shoes. Side note: band-aids on the bottom of your feet are futile), gauze, and superglue. Yes, superglue. The blister on the bottom of my right foot broke open (you guys saw that - are you tired of nasty pictures of my feet yet?) and the best thing to do is glue that sucker back up. Did you know that super glue was actually invented for the guys in the trenches in Vietnam? True story. Way less cumbersome than bandages, no? Anyway, to achieve the end result, this is what you have to do:
1) Clean the heck outta your wounds. I used wet-naps that profess to kill 99.9% of germs. Soap & water would work just fine too.
2) Glue your blister shut. Let it dry.
3) Spray NewSkin all over it (this is probably redundant, but I did NOT want that bad boy breaking open on me today). Let it dry.
4) Neosporin all over the place in question. Liberally. And often.
5) Place gauze over the blisters and keep it there with the tape.
6) Wrap the whole thing up. I used Johnson & Johnson FirstAid Hurt-Free Wrap. That stuff is amazing. Tape the wrap.
Voila! You're ready to go running. There's just one problem - that's a whole lotta padding in your shoes. I ran my first 3 miles with the dogs and then dropped them off at the house. I was glad I had an excuse, because my toes were HURTING! Maybe some of you have experienced numb toes while running before. It has to do with the circulation getting cut off to your little tootsies. Being that I had wrapped up my feet, then put on socks, then laced up my shoes too tight, I was really hurting. For those that have never experienced this phenomenon, it goes like this: first, you notice that your toes feel a little funny - numb, even. Then, not too much longer later, they burn and hurt. Then, they practically scream up at you, "What on earth are you doing?! We need some blood down here!" So anyway, I stopped for the dogs, and then loosened up my laces considerably. It helped a lot, but I still tapped out after 7.
Enough of that. But I would like to point out, that the reason I called it quits was NOT because of my blisters, it was because I had to wrap my stupid feet up so much, that it caused it's own problems. Whatever. Tomorrow is a cross-training day, so it won't be a problem for me tomorrow.
The Weigh-In
In waaaaay happier news, the scale smiled up at me this morning. I seriously get nervous before stepping on that damn thing. It's the same feeling I get before I do my track workout. What if I suck? What if I haven't lost anything? Doubt & Anxiety are two constant companions of mine, but I really wish they would loosen up a bit. I live on the beach...in Hawaii for crying out loud! Ease up, eh?
Well, much like my track run earlier this week, the scale was a pleasant surprise:
140.2. I'm going to go ahead and round that down to 140.0 and say that I've lost 5 lbs since this whole shenanigans has started. 5 lbs in a month-ish? I'll take it! Now, that raises the question of how much do I want to lose. And to be honest, I haven't really thought about it. I'll have to reflect on that and get back to you.
The Recap
I had a great feeling about this week until I hit Wednesday. I took a look at the plan and figured I'm about at week 4. The miles are distributed differenlty, but I ran about 20 miles this week + one XTraining day, and week 4 of the plan calls for 17-22 miles. So, that's fine. As I may have mentioned before, the plan is 16 weeks long, and I have considerably more time than that, so for the time being, flexibility is very much ok. Miles are important, not much else is right now.
A Handy Little Tip
I've had some people ask me about this Nike+iPod situation. I still very much question it's accuracy. But apart from that, I've been asked, "Don't you have to have Nike shoes for that to work?" Well, yes. You're supposed to. But Nike's don't work for me. I only ran in them in high school, but that's because labels mattered to me back then and Nike was "cool". I've heard people RAVE about their Nike running shoes, and I've had people tell me that they refuse to run in them. I'm not totally opposed, but I just find that Asics work the best for me. So, where do I put that little sensor?
I guess you can buy some neoprene pouch that you can lace on with your shoelaces, but why go through all that trouble? A simple little incision and you're good to go!
Whew! This has been a bit long-winded, eh? And I feel like I could go on! But, I digress...I'm going to finish this glass o' wine and make me a salad and dance around the house with the dogs.
As always, thank you for reading!
No lie, I am soooo tired of feeling gimpy from the ankles down! I just want to go out and be able to run for however long I'm supposed to on any given day, and be able to suck up whatever inevitable hurt comes with the miles. This past week has sucked for running in my world! Ok, that's a lie. At first it was great - I had a great 8-miler last Sunday, and my best ever Tuesday Track Day. But I did 6 on Wednesday and from then until now, it's been all downhill:
I barely ran 2 miles on Thursday, I took Friday and Saturday off (Sat. is supposed to be an easy 3 miler with the dogs, and then a 2-3 mile tempo run) and then today, I cut my 10 miler down to 7. And all because of my stupid blistered feet.
Don't Let This Happen To You!
I did, however, learn some things. First, I learned that it's ok to listen to my body. I mean, really, what would another 3 miles do for me in the long run? I still have 6 months until this Marathon goes down and it's better that I didn't kill myself today - it could only hurt me for the rest of the week. Secondly, if I thought I needed new shoes two weeks ago, why on earth did I wait? Yesterday, I went and bought 2 new pairs of Asics (they have proven to work the best for me over the yeras) so that I can alternate between them. As I mentioned the other day, this not only is good for you feet, but you get more out of the life of your shoes. Thirdly, I learned how to properly take care of my feet the next time this happens (hopefully it won't!) Please, learn from me:
The tools necessary
The end result
Not only did I buy new shoes yesterday, I bought Neosporin, NewSkin, that medical/athletic tape, band-aids (just to replace all the ones that I've stolen out of our first aid kit because that's what I've been using on my feet in my work shoes. Side note: band-aids on the bottom of your feet are futile), gauze, and superglue. Yes, superglue. The blister on the bottom of my right foot broke open (you guys saw that - are you tired of nasty pictures of my feet yet?) and the best thing to do is glue that sucker back up. Did you know that super glue was actually invented for the guys in the trenches in Vietnam? True story. Way less cumbersome than bandages, no? Anyway, to achieve the end result, this is what you have to do:
1) Clean the heck outta your wounds. I used wet-naps that profess to kill 99.9% of germs. Soap & water would work just fine too.
2) Glue your blister shut. Let it dry.
3) Spray NewSkin all over it (this is probably redundant, but I did NOT want that bad boy breaking open on me today). Let it dry.
4) Neosporin all over the place in question. Liberally. And often.
5) Place gauze over the blisters and keep it there with the tape.
6) Wrap the whole thing up. I used Johnson & Johnson FirstAid Hurt-Free Wrap. That stuff is amazing. Tape the wrap.
Voila! You're ready to go running. There's just one problem - that's a whole lotta padding in your shoes. I ran my first 3 miles with the dogs and then dropped them off at the house. I was glad I had an excuse, because my toes were HURTING! Maybe some of you have experienced numb toes while running before. It has to do with the circulation getting cut off to your little tootsies. Being that I had wrapped up my feet, then put on socks, then laced up my shoes too tight, I was really hurting. For those that have never experienced this phenomenon, it goes like this: first, you notice that your toes feel a little funny - numb, even. Then, not too much longer later, they burn and hurt. Then, they practically scream up at you, "What on earth are you doing?! We need some blood down here!" So anyway, I stopped for the dogs, and then loosened up my laces considerably. It helped a lot, but I still tapped out after 7.
Enough of that. But I would like to point out, that the reason I called it quits was NOT because of my blisters, it was because I had to wrap my stupid feet up so much, that it caused it's own problems. Whatever. Tomorrow is a cross-training day, so it won't be a problem for me tomorrow.
The Weigh-In
In waaaaay happier news, the scale smiled up at me this morning. I seriously get nervous before stepping on that damn thing. It's the same feeling I get before I do my track workout. What if I suck? What if I haven't lost anything? Doubt & Anxiety are two constant companions of mine, but I really wish they would loosen up a bit. I live on the beach...in Hawaii for crying out loud! Ease up, eh?
Well, much like my track run earlier this week, the scale was a pleasant surprise:
140.2. I'm going to go ahead and round that down to 140.0 and say that I've lost 5 lbs since this whole shenanigans has started. 5 lbs in a month-ish? I'll take it! Now, that raises the question of how much do I want to lose. And to be honest, I haven't really thought about it. I'll have to reflect on that and get back to you.
The Recap
I had a great feeling about this week until I hit Wednesday. I took a look at the plan and figured I'm about at week 4. The miles are distributed differenlty, but I ran about 20 miles this week + one XTraining day, and week 4 of the plan calls for 17-22 miles. So, that's fine. As I may have mentioned before, the plan is 16 weeks long, and I have considerably more time than that, so for the time being, flexibility is very much ok. Miles are important, not much else is right now.
A Handy Little Tip
I've had some people ask me about this Nike+iPod situation. I still very much question it's accuracy. But apart from that, I've been asked, "Don't you have to have Nike shoes for that to work?" Well, yes. You're supposed to. But Nike's don't work for me. I only ran in them in high school, but that's because labels mattered to me back then and Nike was "cool". I've heard people RAVE about their Nike running shoes, and I've had people tell me that they refuse to run in them. I'm not totally opposed, but I just find that Asics work the best for me. So, where do I put that little sensor?
I guess you can buy some neoprene pouch that you can lace on with your shoelaces, but why go through all that trouble? A simple little incision and you're good to go!
Whew! This has been a bit long-winded, eh? And I feel like I could go on! But, I digress...I'm going to finish this glass o' wine and make me a salad and dance around the house with the dogs.
As always, thank you for reading!
Friday, June 25, 2010
[Let's Get Some] Shoes!
Happy Friday!
Let me begin with this slightly bizarre, incredibly funny, viral video. I'm guessing most of my readership as seen this before, but if you haven't seen it, or haven't seen it in awhile, then you're in for a TREAT!
(caution: if you have kids, you might want to ask them to leave the room. there's some language and it gets a little weird at the end)
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Hilarious, and remarkably appropriate. I have 2 shoe stories to share with you today, so here we go. They're both very, very sad stories. But, at least one has a happy ending!
First, we have what happens when you know you need to buy new running shoes, but you put it off for a week:
Those blisters that got started on my 8-miler on Sunday? Yeah, they definitely got worse on my 6-miler on Wednesday. They were so bad that I was not able to even come close to finishing my hill workout yesterday. It was horrible. And they still hurt so bad! They're all bandaged up right now, and I'm sure glad that today is my day off from running, but I still need to go get some new shoes.
And all the ladies said, "YAY!!!!! Shoooooooooe Shopping!!!!" If I get out of work at a decent hour today, I'll stop by my our favorite local running store to grab a new pair (or, most likely two pairs! you can never have too many shoes and you get more life out of both pairs if you alternate between them). If I can't pick them up this afternoon, I'll just go to the NEX tomorrow before I go running.
So, that's the first sad shoe story of the week. Here's the next one:
Doesn't it just break your heart?! These shoes were such a great find! I picked them up at TJ Maxx in Riverdale, UT and wore them for the Groom's Dinner before Little Brother's wedding, as well as in the family photos taken by the talented Julie Parker. See?:
They were so wonderful. Who would want to destroy such a wonderful pair of shoes?
Behold! The perp:
THE LITTLE BEAST!!! I was sooo upset! This is what happened last Sunday. I came out of the shower and there he was, with my beautiful new shoes looking up at me like he was innocent, when in fact he was caught RED handed! I immediately called Teresa and lamented my sad tale to her. When I screamed "THE DAMN DOG ATE MY NEW SHOES!!!" the silly lady said "Which dog?" As IF my dear little Gwen would ever eat my shoes! She's a lady...she understands. Only a stinky boy dog would ever devour such a pretty pair of pink shoes :(
A Happy Ending To a Sad Story
When I came home from work yesterday, I had a box from FedEx on my doorstep. What an unexpected surprise! My dear MuM, while travelling for work in Boise, Idaho this week went to TJ Maxx up there and found a replacement pair! They are the exact same, and were still only $24.99 (LOVE a good buy!) and I was so thrilled that I promptly put them on a high shelf in my closet, away from sharp claws and gnashing teeth. See, a happy ending to a potentially very sade shoe tale.
Also in the amazing box of surprise love was this bit of utter fabulousness:
Oh yes, the '80s are back - epitomized by my new, beautiful, everything-old-is-new-again, white Ray-Bay Wayfarers! I mostly hate everything 80s that seem to be back en vogue again these days, but I have always loved the look of Wayfarers. Something about them is just so chic and summer and fun. And even though you can now get the classic shades in every single color imaginable, and are even customizable, I believe, I told my MuM that I wanted the white ones, just so they really embody that retro feel. I've even been listening to an 80s station on Pandora at work all day, just to go with my new glasses. Yeah, I'm lame like that.
So, the morals of today's stories are these: 1)don't wait too long to get new running shoes! 2)you can never have too many shoes (running shoes or otherwise!) and 3)my dear MuM is SUPER amazing. Thanks for the shoes and the glaases, mom!!!
Let me begin with this slightly bizarre, incredibly funny, viral video. I'm guessing most of my readership as seen this before, but if you haven't seen it, or haven't seen it in awhile, then you're in for a TREAT!
(caution: if you have kids, you might want to ask them to leave the room. there's some language and it gets a little weird at the end)
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Hilarious, and remarkably appropriate. I have 2 shoe stories to share with you today, so here we go. They're both very, very sad stories. But, at least one has a happy ending!
First, we have what happens when you know you need to buy new running shoes, but you put it off for a week:
Those blisters that got started on my 8-miler on Sunday? Yeah, they definitely got worse on my 6-miler on Wednesday. They were so bad that I was not able to even come close to finishing my hill workout yesterday. It was horrible. And they still hurt so bad! They're all bandaged up right now, and I'm sure glad that today is my day off from running, but I still need to go get some new shoes.
And all the ladies said, "YAY!!!!! Shoooooooooe Shopping!!!!" If I get out of work at a decent hour today, I'll stop by my our favorite local running store to grab a new pair (or, most likely two pairs! you can never have too many shoes and you get more life out of both pairs if you alternate between them). If I can't pick them up this afternoon, I'll just go to the NEX tomorrow before I go running.
So, that's the first sad shoe story of the week. Here's the next one:
Doesn't it just break your heart?! These shoes were such a great find! I picked them up at TJ Maxx in Riverdale, UT and wore them for the Groom's Dinner before Little Brother's wedding, as well as in the family photos taken by the talented Julie Parker. See?:
They were so wonderful. Who would want to destroy such a wonderful pair of shoes?
Behold! The perp:
THE LITTLE BEAST!!! I was sooo upset! This is what happened last Sunday. I came out of the shower and there he was, with my beautiful new shoes looking up at me like he was innocent, when in fact he was caught RED handed! I immediately called Teresa and lamented my sad tale to her. When I screamed "THE DAMN DOG ATE MY NEW SHOES!!!" the silly lady said "Which dog?" As IF my dear little Gwen would ever eat my shoes! She's a lady...she understands. Only a stinky boy dog would ever devour such a pretty pair of pink shoes :(
A Happy Ending To a Sad Story
When I came home from work yesterday, I had a box from FedEx on my doorstep. What an unexpected surprise! My dear MuM, while travelling for work in Boise, Idaho this week went to TJ Maxx up there and found a replacement pair! They are the exact same, and were still only $24.99 (LOVE a good buy!) and I was so thrilled that I promptly put them on a high shelf in my closet, away from sharp claws and gnashing teeth. See, a happy ending to a potentially very sade shoe tale.
Also in the amazing box of surprise love was this bit of utter fabulousness:
Oh yes, the '80s are back - epitomized by my new, beautiful, everything-old-is-new-again, white Ray-Bay Wayfarers! I mostly hate everything 80s that seem to be back en vogue again these days, but I have always loved the look of Wayfarers. Something about them is just so chic and summer and fun. And even though you can now get the classic shades in every single color imaginable, and are even customizable, I believe, I told my MuM that I wanted the white ones, just so they really embody that retro feel. I've even been listening to an 80s station on Pandora at work all day, just to go with my new glasses. Yeah, I'm lame like that.
So, the morals of today's stories are these: 1)don't wait too long to get new running shoes! 2)you can never have too many shoes (running shoes or otherwise!) and 3)my dear MuM is SUPER amazing. Thanks for the shoes and the glaases, mom!!!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Non-Entry
Ok, ok, ok...I started writing this little blog about interval runs, but I really just am feeling lazy. I promise I'll put something together, but it will probably be this weekend when I have more time and don't feel like crap.
Ok, ok, ok...I don't really feel like crap, I just don't feel like writing. However, it's been a couple of days and I wanted to get caught up on my documentation of how everything is going. It will be brief:
Tuesday
I had one of the best track workouts ever. It was amazing, and I felt so self righteous when I was done. I'll share the details with you, just because it was so epic. I ran 6x800 with a 2:00 min. recovery time (and a 1 mile warm-up and cool-down). I was really nervous going into this workout, since I haven't been on the track in 2 weeks but, as it turned out, I guess the break was good for me. Here's my times:
1 - 3:24
2 - 3:28
3 - 3:28
4 - 3:29
5 - 3:25
6 - 3:26
When I compare that to my first track workout, where I only did 4x800 and wasn't able to run the last 2 at my target pace, it makes me feel like I'm actually getting somewhere with my training. Don't get me wrong - speed workouts suck and they hurt. I actually get nervous before I hit the track every week. I can feel my heart rate go up when I start thinking "I'm running too fast!" or "I'm running too slow!" it's crazy! Literally, I have to tell myself to calm down and take deep breaths. Then, after I have a great track day like I did this week, the next voice in my head says "pffft...3 miles at a 7:00 min. pace with a 2 minute break in between each 800? You used to run sub-21 5Ks all the time. You suck!" and then I have to call my MuM for a pep talk. Stupid track.
Wednesday
6 easy miles at about a 8:30 pace. I forgot to mention in the paragraph above that during my one mile warm-up on Tuesday, I recalibrated my Nike+iPod so hopefully it will start being a little more reliable. While my run yesterday was easy, there were some hilly parts and even though I had moleskin taped to my blisters with athletic tape, they still managed to run off and tear open. Ouch! The feet definitely hurt. I'll be buying new shoes this weekend. The thing with blisters is that they seem like such a little thing, but they can mess you up in all sorts of ways if they go untreated and you start favoring one foot over the other while you're running. Allignment gets all messed up and you put more strain on your joints and can do some real damage. Moral: take care of your feet! Have I mentioned that enough yet?
Thursday
Well, that's today and I haven't done any running yet. I plan on getting a good warm up in, running up a nasty hill 6-8 times, and then cooling down. I'm definitely looking forward to taking a day off tomorrow!
That's really all I have. Sorry this was so lame. I do have a picture here of Billy and I from last Halloween, which I think is pretty darn funny, so I'll post it, just so this blog isn't a complete waste of your time ;)
Ok, ok, ok...I don't really feel like crap, I just don't feel like writing. However, it's been a couple of days and I wanted to get caught up on my documentation of how everything is going. It will be brief:
Tuesday
I had one of the best track workouts ever. It was amazing, and I felt so self righteous when I was done. I'll share the details with you, just because it was so epic. I ran 6x800 with a 2:00 min. recovery time (and a 1 mile warm-up and cool-down). I was really nervous going into this workout, since I haven't been on the track in 2 weeks but, as it turned out, I guess the break was good for me. Here's my times:
1 - 3:24
2 - 3:28
3 - 3:28
4 - 3:29
5 - 3:25
6 - 3:26
When I compare that to my first track workout, where I only did 4x800 and wasn't able to run the last 2 at my target pace, it makes me feel like I'm actually getting somewhere with my training. Don't get me wrong - speed workouts suck and they hurt. I actually get nervous before I hit the track every week. I can feel my heart rate go up when I start thinking "I'm running too fast!" or "I'm running too slow!" it's crazy! Literally, I have to tell myself to calm down and take deep breaths. Then, after I have a great track day like I did this week, the next voice in my head says "pffft...3 miles at a 7:00 min. pace with a 2 minute break in between each 800? You used to run sub-21 5Ks all the time. You suck!" and then I have to call my MuM for a pep talk. Stupid track.
Wednesday
6 easy miles at about a 8:30 pace. I forgot to mention in the paragraph above that during my one mile warm-up on Tuesday, I recalibrated my Nike+iPod so hopefully it will start being a little more reliable. While my run yesterday was easy, there were some hilly parts and even though I had moleskin taped to my blisters with athletic tape, they still managed to run off and tear open. Ouch! The feet definitely hurt. I'll be buying new shoes this weekend. The thing with blisters is that they seem like such a little thing, but they can mess you up in all sorts of ways if they go untreated and you start favoring one foot over the other while you're running. Allignment gets all messed up and you put more strain on your joints and can do some real damage. Moral: take care of your feet! Have I mentioned that enough yet?
Thursday
Well, that's today and I haven't done any running yet. I plan on getting a good warm up in, running up a nasty hill 6-8 times, and then cooling down. I'm definitely looking forward to taking a day off tomorrow!
That's really all I have. Sorry this was so lame. I do have a picture here of Billy and I from last Halloween, which I think is pretty darn funny, so I'll post it, just so this blog isn't a complete waste of your time ;)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Hard Core
Oh, Gwen. Is there anything you can't do? Gwen Stefani abs is one of my goals during this whole training/diet adventure. Just take a look:
*Sigh* One day...one day.
Like many good things in life, a solid mid-section does not just magically appear one morning because you will it to be so. It takes a lot of work and discipline to achieve rock-hard ab status. Incidently, having a strong core (your core includes the muscles in your abdominals, lower back, and glutes) also greatly improves your ability to run quickly and efficiently.
I've been meaning for the past month to start incorporating a cross-training day into my workout regime. I'm supposed to be doing this anyway, as per the plan, but it just hasn't been happening. I'm determined, however, and from heretoforth, Monday will be my X-Training day. It's the ideal day for me to do something besides run, because it's right after my LSD Sunday and Tuesday Track Day (arguably the two most grueling workouts of the week). So yesterday, I gave it a whirl...
How It Went
First of all, I spent 30 minutes on some crazy eliptical/stairstepper contraption. I thought it was a normal eliptical machine when I hopped on, but then noticed that I had the option to not only increase the resistance, but the incline as well. I cranked both up and man, were my butt and calves feeling the burn! The great thing about those types of machines is that you can flip through a crappy edition of Shape magazine (one of the most pointless publications ever, in this girl's opinion) and it tells you at the end how many calories you burned. 360 for me yesterday in one half hour. Really? How does the machine know that? Does it know my height? My weight? My metabolic rate? Whatever. I did and then I moved on to...
...the Core Workout. I found this online (runnersworld.com of course. Where else do I go? You know me by now. You could actually probably stop reading this and just start trolling around at RW.com and get more, better information. But please don't!) It talks about how ridiculously important it is to have a strong core as a run as it increases your stability, power, and endurance. It then goes on to give you run-down of a 15-minute core exercise plan that should be integrated into your workout regime 3 times a week. You can see it here.
This is supposedly the core workout done by Olympic Hurdler Lolo Jones. Meet Lolo:
Another set of amazing abs and a rock solid core. But I tell you what, after doing that stupid core workout yesterday, I feel not even one iota closer to either Gwen or Lolo status. I know it was only one day, but I barely felt the burn while I was going through the routine. So, this week I'm going to spend some time doing some research to come up with some better core exercises that will not only be a perfect addition to my running workouts but will bring my closer to my dreams of Gwen Stefani abs.
Help a Girl Out
Please - if anyone out there has any brilliant core workouts, let me know. I hear yoga is good for that, but I've never even tried it and am a little bit skeptical for reasons I can't quite explain. I've also been told that P90X and Insanity and those types of workouts are great for your core, but I have yet to experiment with any of those. Comments? Suggestions? I only have 5 months so I need to get on it!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The Weekly Weigh-In & Other Goodness
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!
I know what all you ladies out there are thinking. You're thinking, "Who's the stud?!" Well, simmer down ladies - that's my dad! Like I've mentioned before, I come from good stock. Dad was the man back in his glory days, and nothing has changed. He was just so fast! And even if he's not as fast as he once was, it doesn't matter because he is still just so amazing in so many ways. Dad has always been one of my biggest fans (probably THE biggest fan, tied for first with MuM) - I can't think of a race or meet that one of my parents wasn't at. I know I'm blessed to have parents that care. I love you, DadE!
The Weigh-In
Right, sooo...after a month of running, "dieting", and obsessing, this girl has lost...1 lb. *sigh* 144 said the scale this a.m. I blame the trip to Utah!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. This next month will be better. I don't have anything going on until the end of July. It will be fine. I'm not going to get too hung up on it because...
LSD Sunday
After yesterday's erroneous reading on the Nike+, it came through for me today! I ran an 8-miler (I stepped it down due to my debauchery last week, but will kick it back up next weekend and most of the subsequent weekends) and I averaged 8:08. I was super excited, and I even Google Mapped my route, so I knew that Nike+ wasn't just flattering me and trying to apologize for yesterday. My total time was 1:05:10 and I felt great the whole time. According to Nike+, my last 4 miles were faster than my first 4. All of these things are wonderful and made me feel good about running and my ability again. But, all the sunshine and rainbows came with a price:
I don't know how well you can see that, but those are my feet with HUGE blisters on both my left and right arches. OH! The agony of da feet! (bahahahahaha! I love a good pun!) They hurt like a son of a gun and make me unhappy. So, as mentioned earlier, I took care of my feet:
I gave them an exfoliating sand scrub:
Then, a soothing salt water soak:
All from the comfort of my backyard:
It's true. Where I live is nothing less than B.A. When are you coming to visit?
In Conclusion...
This past week I've spent just trying to get myself back to where I was before I took a week off to drink too much champagne, so I deviated quite a bit from the plan, but I feel like I'm back to where I can pick it back up again. I'll continue to share my progess with you as the week progresses.It seems like I had so much more to chat about today, but I think I've covered just about everything, so I'll leave it at that.
I hope you all have had a lovely weekend and great Father's Day. Here's a parting shot of my running buddies to make you smile and wrap up the week:
I know what all you ladies out there are thinking. You're thinking, "Who's the stud?!" Well, simmer down ladies - that's my dad! Like I've mentioned before, I come from good stock. Dad was the man back in his glory days, and nothing has changed. He was just so fast! And even if he's not as fast as he once was, it doesn't matter because he is still just so amazing in so many ways. Dad has always been one of my biggest fans (probably THE biggest fan, tied for first with MuM) - I can't think of a race or meet that one of my parents wasn't at. I know I'm blessed to have parents that care. I love you, DadE!
The Weigh-In
Right, sooo...after a month of running, "dieting", and obsessing, this girl has lost...1 lb. *sigh* 144 said the scale this a.m. I blame the trip to Utah!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. This next month will be better. I don't have anything going on until the end of July. It will be fine. I'm not going to get too hung up on it because...
LSD Sunday
After yesterday's erroneous reading on the Nike+, it came through for me today! I ran an 8-miler (I stepped it down due to my debauchery last week, but will kick it back up next weekend and most of the subsequent weekends) and I averaged 8:08. I was super excited, and I even Google Mapped my route, so I knew that Nike+ wasn't just flattering me and trying to apologize for yesterday. My total time was 1:05:10 and I felt great the whole time. According to Nike+, my last 4 miles were faster than my first 4. All of these things are wonderful and made me feel good about running and my ability again. But, all the sunshine and rainbows came with a price:
I don't know how well you can see that, but those are my feet with HUGE blisters on both my left and right arches. OH! The agony of da feet! (bahahahahaha! I love a good pun!) They hurt like a son of a gun and make me unhappy. So, as mentioned earlier, I took care of my feet:
I gave them an exfoliating sand scrub:
Then, a soothing salt water soak:
All from the comfort of my backyard:
It's true. Where I live is nothing less than B.A. When are you coming to visit?
In Conclusion...
This past week I've spent just trying to get myself back to where I was before I took a week off to drink too much champagne, so I deviated quite a bit from the plan, but I feel like I'm back to where I can pick it back up again. I'll continue to share my progess with you as the week progresses.It seems like I had so much more to chat about today, but I think I've covered just about everything, so I'll leave it at that.
I hope you all have had a lovely weekend and great Father's Day. Here's a parting shot of my running buddies to make you smile and wrap up the week:
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Erroneous!
Happy Weekend to you all! I slept for ages last night and it felt glorious! When I finally did roll out of bed and get a cuppa coffee in me, I decided to re-create on of my favorite runs from a couple of weeks ago. I start out by taking the dogs with me on a lovely 3.3 mile loop that brings us back to the house. Once I'm there, I tie up the dogs and make sure they have water, and then run 2 more miles (as per my precious) at a faster, dog-free pace.
Well, I don't know what happened today, but it was not good. The last time I did this, my last 2 miles were at a 7:41 pace. Today, it was more like a 9:01 pace. Now, usually I can accept when I'm having a bad day, but I didn't feel like I was running that slow! Especially since I was running at about a 8:30 pace when I was with the dogs, and stopping for them to do their business, and untangling them, and pulling them around.
To better illustrate my plight, I took screen shots of my workouts from the Nike+ website where I uploaded them to.
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Ok, ok...now apart from my really, really poor ability to keep a steady pace, I just don't think that I ran slower during the 2nd run. GAHHHH!! The really, really depressing thing is that I have no reason to believe my precious is wrong. :(
What an upsetting thing! I will recalibrate the Nike+ sensor this week just to be sure, but I'm afraid I'm just still paying the price for all my fun last week. Serves me right! (But I still don't think I was running that slow! And I'm sticking to that!)
Well, I don't know what happened today, but it was not good. The last time I did this, my last 2 miles were at a 7:41 pace. Today, it was more like a 9:01 pace. Now, usually I can accept when I'm having a bad day, but I didn't feel like I was running that slow! Especially since I was running at about a 8:30 pace when I was with the dogs, and stopping for them to do their business, and untangling them, and pulling them around.
To better illustrate my plight, I took screen shots of my workouts from the Nike+ website where I uploaded them to.
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Ok, ok...now apart from my really, really poor ability to keep a steady pace, I just don't think that I ran slower during the 2nd run. GAHHHH!! The really, really depressing thing is that I have no reason to believe my precious is wrong. :(
What an upsetting thing! I will recalibrate the Nike+ sensor this week just to be sure, but I'm afraid I'm just still paying the price for all my fun last week. Serves me right! (But I still don't think I was running that slow! And I'm sticking to that!)
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A Few of My (Least) Favorite Things
I'm going to keep this short, sweet, and to the point. Because I'm grouchy today, here are some things that I hate:
1) Stretching. I generally just don't do it. I think during the first week of this little experiment I stretched but, now that I've more or less found my stride again, I'm back to not stretching. Stretching sucks because it hurts, and that's all there is to it. It's not even the kind of hurt that helps you in the long run - like track workouts or hills. Oh, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "But it prevents injuries, Ash!" Phooey. I've never really stretched, and aside from my janky ankles, I've never had a real running injury. So there.
2) How long it takes to recover from a week of too much fun. Alright, alright...I know it was my fault for all the champagne I drank and deliciousness I consumed while I was away, but really? Come on, body o' mine...you have been training for this thing for a month, there has to be some residual fitness in there somewhere. Nope, according to my failed attempt at 5 miles yesterday, there is not. It takes soooo long to get your body to be able to perform at a certain lever, but it takes no time at all to fall right back to square one. Stupid body.
3) Vacuuming. It's loud, you have to move everything around, the edges of the rugs always get sucked up, the dogs freak out...there is nothing good about vacuuming except making your floors clean. Billy was the vacuumer in the house, because I refused. Now I have the horrible job. One more reason to dislike deployment.
4) The way my tummy feels right now because I ate pizza for lunch and am trying to convince myself to go for a lengthy run. Again, body fail. And resolve fail. It's a dark day for Operation: Sexy Bitch.
5) Flossing. I hate flossing for all the same reasons I hate stretching. I've had dentists thank me for flossing so regularly, when I never, ever, ever do. So that tells me it's pointless to floss. Besides, flossing hurts (because, like stretching, I never do it) so I see no reason to inflict more pain upon myself. I do that enough with this training.
6) The fact that it's not Friday yet.
That's all I can think of right now. I'm sure there's more to whine about, but I'm starting to hate the fact that I'm being such a whiner! Makses sense, right? Anyway, if any of you out there have something you'd like to go ahead and bitch about, feel free to do so here. It just seems like it's one of those days all the way around.
***I promise that tomorrow I'll start talking about running again!***
1) Stretching. I generally just don't do it. I think during the first week of this little experiment I stretched but, now that I've more or less found my stride again, I'm back to not stretching. Stretching sucks because it hurts, and that's all there is to it. It's not even the kind of hurt that helps you in the long run - like track workouts or hills. Oh, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "But it prevents injuries, Ash!" Phooey. I've never really stretched, and aside from my janky ankles, I've never had a real running injury. So there.
2) How long it takes to recover from a week of too much fun. Alright, alright...I know it was my fault for all the champagne I drank and deliciousness I consumed while I was away, but really? Come on, body o' mine...you have been training for this thing for a month, there has to be some residual fitness in there somewhere. Nope, according to my failed attempt at 5 miles yesterday, there is not. It takes soooo long to get your body to be able to perform at a certain lever, but it takes no time at all to fall right back to square one. Stupid body.
3) Vacuuming. It's loud, you have to move everything around, the edges of the rugs always get sucked up, the dogs freak out...there is nothing good about vacuuming except making your floors clean. Billy was the vacuumer in the house, because I refused. Now I have the horrible job. One more reason to dislike deployment.
4) The way my tummy feels right now because I ate pizza for lunch and am trying to convince myself to go for a lengthy run. Again, body fail. And resolve fail. It's a dark day for Operation: Sexy Bitch.
5) Flossing. I hate flossing for all the same reasons I hate stretching. I've had dentists thank me for flossing so regularly, when I never, ever, ever do. So that tells me it's pointless to floss. Besides, flossing hurts (because, like stretching, I never do it) so I see no reason to inflict more pain upon myself. I do that enough with this training.
6) The fact that it's not Friday yet.
That's all I can think of right now. I'm sure there's more to whine about, but I'm starting to hate the fact that I'm being such a whiner! Makses sense, right? Anyway, if any of you out there have something you'd like to go ahead and bitch about, feel free to do so here. It just seems like it's one of those days all the way around.
***I promise that tomorrow I'll start talking about running again!***
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
You Can't Run Without Feet
So take care of them! So, so many runners' injuries come from the ankle down: plantar fascitis, sesamoiditis, blisters, calluses, turf toe, lost toenails...the list goes on and on.
{those grievances listed with links are to pages that have tips for preventing/relieving those particular ailments}
For the past weekish, I've taken a little hiatus from the marathon training. Detrimental though my little break my have been (I'm dreading weighing in at the end of this week, and I certainly couldn't bear to go to my Tuesday Track workout yesterday), it was good for my soul. I spent Wednesday night through Monday afternoon surrounded by family, friends, love, bubbly, good food, great wine, smiles, and not much else! Sometimes it's good to work out your heart in other ways besides just cardiovascularly :)
One thing I did get accomplished while in the Blessed State, however, is a time-honored tradition that my MuM and I have been engaging in since I was in high school: the mani-pedi!
Before the Beautiful Suzy hitched her wagon to my dear Little Brother, all of us gals went to go get our toes pampered (and hands too, for some of us). This is Suzy and Grandma Jane during their turns in the magic seat:
Now, of course pedicures make you feel pretty, which we all know by now can be a very important part of running, but the reasons for runners (female and male) to get pedicures go beyond the purely cosmetic. A good pedicurist will keep your toe nails trim (tre important for runners), take care of calluses that can cause discomfort, moisturize dry, craked tootsies, and give you the essential foot massage (I say essential because they do wonders for your feet; and runners definitely need to pamper their feet after all the pounding we put on them.
Here are some great articles I have found on the care the runner's foot and injury prevention:
Care For Your Feet
Surface Tension
Too Much Good Stuff
No Air up There!
I did go for one mountain run with my beatiful MuM on Monday before I had to head back to this rock. As predicted, she totally kicked my butt and I was sucking air - except there wasn't any at 5,000 feet! It's no big deal, though. I was happy to get taught a thing or two by one of my biggest running role models. To wrap it up, here's a picture of me and my beauftiful MuM at the pedicure place. Isn't she great?
{those grievances listed with links are to pages that have tips for preventing/relieving those particular ailments}
For the past weekish, I've taken a little hiatus from the marathon training. Detrimental though my little break my have been (I'm dreading weighing in at the end of this week, and I certainly couldn't bear to go to my Tuesday Track workout yesterday), it was good for my soul. I spent Wednesday night through Monday afternoon surrounded by family, friends, love, bubbly, good food, great wine, smiles, and not much else! Sometimes it's good to work out your heart in other ways besides just cardiovascularly :)
One thing I did get accomplished while in the Blessed State, however, is a time-honored tradition that my MuM and I have been engaging in since I was in high school: the mani-pedi!
Before the Beautiful Suzy hitched her wagon to my dear Little Brother, all of us gals went to go get our toes pampered (and hands too, for some of us). This is Suzy and Grandma Jane during their turns in the magic seat:
Now, of course pedicures make you feel pretty, which we all know by now can be a very important part of running, but the reasons for runners (female and male) to get pedicures go beyond the purely cosmetic. A good pedicurist will keep your toe nails trim (tre important for runners), take care of calluses that can cause discomfort, moisturize dry, craked tootsies, and give you the essential foot massage (I say essential because they do wonders for your feet; and runners definitely need to pamper their feet after all the pounding we put on them.
Here are some great articles I have found on the care the runner's foot and injury prevention:
Care For Your Feet
Surface Tension
Too Much Good Stuff
No Air up There!
I did go for one mountain run with my beatiful MuM on Monday before I had to head back to this rock. As predicted, she totally kicked my butt and I was sucking air - except there wasn't any at 5,000 feet! It's no big deal, though. I was happy to get taught a thing or two by one of my biggest running role models. To wrap it up, here's a picture of me and my beauftiful MuM at the pedicure place. Isn't she great?
Sunday, June 13, 2010
David Michael Eppens Train: A Runner's Inspiration
Little Brother, Being Amazing
One of the most powerful factors in any runner's performance is inspiration. I firmly believe that any athlete - and runners especially (because I am one) - need to feel inspired to do their very best at any given race/meet/jog/workout. It's what makes you achieve more. It's what makes good runners great. It's what forces us to dig deep into ourselves and find that which we didn't think we had in order to achieve what we thought was impossible. Inspiration is essential.
However, inspiration does not just manifest itself out of thin air. You need to feel inspiration, to experience it - you can't just make it happen. Sometimes it comes from reading a book (or, dare I say it, a blog?), or from watching a sporting event on TV, or from your favorite running song, or watching your favorite athlete, or fear, or...from knowing someone who embodies everything that you wish you could be. And that's why this small little blog post, with it's small (but loyal!!!) following, in it's own small little way is dedicated to one of my biggest running inspirations and one of my biggest fans: David Michael Eppens, little brother, my best friend.
{Whoa guys - be forewarned before you keep going, I've been in varying degrees of bubbly intoxication since Wednesday and I'm already getting a little weepy - this may be a long one...}
The Beginning
When David was just a wee lad, he was not what anyone would call ahtletic. Our parents are both phenomenal runners. MumE has run 5 marathons and DadE's personal record (PR) for a 10K (6.2 miles) is 30:30. It definitely helps (but is not essential) to come from good stock! However, for the first 14 years of his life, David was content to play Star Fox and Mario Kart on his Nintendo 64 and to eat frozen, microwavable corn dogs like it was his mission in life.
I like to think that I had some small hand in the creation of "David: The Runner". When I came home for the summer after my freshman year of college, I found myself bored and restless and disgruntled. I ran every day just to waste some time, and more often than not I could thump Little Brother on the back of the head and convince him that he wanted to bike along side me. I'd also go to the gym to workout when the mood came upon me, and he was always willing to join me.
That summer came and went, but Eppens legend goes that after Ashleigh ventured back to SoCal for her Sophomore year at Concordia, David said to MuM one day, "Mom, will you buy me a pair of running shoes?" Of course, she was thrilled that her slightly chubby son was showing some degree of interest in any type of physical activity, and she bought him some shoes.
And So It Goes...
The rest, as they say, is history. There are too many countless motivational, inspiraction David running stories to share, but I'm going to try to anyway:
He ran his first 5K race in 26:something, and his next in 21:something and only got faster from there. He's been known to collapse on the track from running his heart out mere yards away from the finish line and, while one by one his competitors pass him by, get up and finish the race. He's single-handedly established a track and cross-country program at a small Christian high school in Ogden, Utah (with some help and support from some very inspirational people in their own right.) He joined the Navy to become a Rescue Swimmer, and while in training was dubbed the "Rescue Runner" by his instructors, who made him have a handicap during grueling track workouts because there was no one who even came close to being as fast as my Little Brother.
True Story
One of the primary motivations for me running this stupid marathon is because Little Brother has not. Nothing wrong with a little sibling rivalry, eh? He's ran every distance I ever have faster than I ever could. There is nothing for me to outdo him in except to run farther than he has (although, undoubtedly, sooner or later he will run a marathon and make my time seem embarrassing!) Little Brother - David, to those of you that don't really know him - is a HUGE inspiration in my life. He makes me want to run faster and be better, not just at running, but in everything.
Yesterday, Little Brother married the stunning Suzy. She's a gal so extraordinary that if you don't know her, you should wish that you did. I cannot imagine anyone more suited to spend the rest of her life with my dear Little Brother. I wish them nothing but happiness and blessings and sunshine and good waves and great powder.
I'm sorry I didn't sign your guest book. I love you both more than I could ever say and I'm so proud and happy for the both of you.
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Amen.
PS - David, you may be a faster runner, but I'm a waaaaaay better dancer. What are we gonna do with you anyway?
Thursday, June 10, 2010
It Was Sublime
Greetings from Zion! I made it into Salt Lake City safe and sound last night and am now happily hiding out on a couch, about to take (another) nap and working to get past this nasty hangover! Ugh...I'm not as young as I once was. After my mini "welcome home" party, I am definitely feeling worse for the wear.
But, I have some happiness to share with you all today! My last workout before I left Hawaii was the dreaded Tuesday Track Day. You all know that Tuesdays are by far my least favorite workout of the week. This past Tuesday, however, something was a little different. I added another 800 to my workout* and I was nervous because I had yet to be consistent even when I was only doing 4x800 and I didn't know how well I was going to do. And how did I do?
1 - 3:34
2 - 3:36
3 - 3:35
4 - 3:37
5 - 3:36
I was so proud of myself! Not only did my times get faster from last week, but I was able to stay consistent! I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I think some of the contributing factors were that 1) I took pressure off myself to hit the 3:30 mark. I just told myself to run hard and stay consistent and that that was more important than my time. Funny how when I changed my frame of mind, the time stayed where I wanted it to anyway! 2) I was very, very well hydrated which I think I hadn't been the last few times I was on the track. 3) I put Sublime on shuffle on the sexy yellow iPod instead of my usual highly motivational tunes. Maybe hearing Bradley sing about 40s and weed kept me calmer? Who knows! But it was amazing to feel like I was showing improvement. Getting a sense of accomplishment is very motivating.
I was travelling all day yesterday so wasn't able to run, and I'm definitely in no shape today, but tomorrow I completely intend to get a good, hilly run in up here in the thin air. I've got MuM and lots of cousins around so I should be able to find a running partner to huff and puff with me. I'll let you know how it goes!
*My track days usually go something like this: 10 minute warm up, 5x800 meters with a two minute recovery time between each 800, and a 10 minute cool down.
But, I have some happiness to share with you all today! My last workout before I left Hawaii was the dreaded Tuesday Track Day. You all know that Tuesdays are by far my least favorite workout of the week. This past Tuesday, however, something was a little different. I added another 800 to my workout* and I was nervous because I had yet to be consistent even when I was only doing 4x800 and I didn't know how well I was going to do. And how did I do?
1 - 3:34
2 - 3:36
3 - 3:35
4 - 3:37
5 - 3:36
I was so proud of myself! Not only did my times get faster from last week, but I was able to stay consistent! I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I think some of the contributing factors were that 1) I took pressure off myself to hit the 3:30 mark. I just told myself to run hard and stay consistent and that that was more important than my time. Funny how when I changed my frame of mind, the time stayed where I wanted it to anyway! 2) I was very, very well hydrated which I think I hadn't been the last few times I was on the track. 3) I put Sublime on shuffle on the sexy yellow iPod instead of my usual highly motivational tunes. Maybe hearing Bradley sing about 40s and weed kept me calmer? Who knows! But it was amazing to feel like I was showing improvement. Getting a sense of accomplishment is very motivating.
I was travelling all day yesterday so wasn't able to run, and I'm definitely in no shape today, but tomorrow I completely intend to get a good, hilly run in up here in the thin air. I've got MuM and lots of cousins around so I should be able to find a running partner to huff and puff with me. I'll let you know how it goes!
*My track days usually go something like this: 10 minute warm up, 5x800 meters with a two minute recovery time between each 800, and a 10 minute cool down.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Skirt Chasing
Oh yes, here it is. Since the beginning when I knew I was going to start a blog, I knew I was going to write about this. So I'm all abuzz with anticipation (or maybe that's the caffeine...?)
Today's topic is: the running skirt! Brilliant! Here's a crappy photo of me in The Skirt right before it's first trial:
Now, it's a funny thing about skirts. Women have been trying for centuries to not to have to wear skirts. 100 years ago or so, women were shocking the world by wearing pants - and if I'm not mistaken, in many countries and even cultures within the United States, women are still required to wear dresses or skirts.
But, now that most of us with two X chromosomes are free to wear whatever we want from the waist down, we have before us a marvelous opportunity! Thanks to all those brave, bold women who went before us making it so we don't have to wear skirts, we now get to wear skirts! Hooray for choices! Hooray for options! Hooray for being proud to be a girl and being able to wear skirts! I can run in anything I want from my husband's undershirts to my sassy skirt, and to me that is just fabulous.
I purchased my running skirt from Target. It's basic black, is made by Champion, and can be purchased here if you are so inclined. It hits just above the knee and has shorts underneath, a drawstring waist, and a neat little place to stash your house key.
The biggest problem I thought I would encounter is chub rub (for you skinny people out there, this is the chaffing that occurs on your upper thighs when they rub together too much on long runs) but I found that this was not a problem at all and, apart from looking way cuter, the skirt performed just like my go-to black Nike running shorts.
For those of you who have been following this blog for the last couple of weeks, you know that I readily embrace all that is feminine in the stinky, sweaty world of sports. I honestly can't figure out why it's taken me this long to purchase a skirt and sport it. I also did a little research, and found this great article from Runner's World where else, right?) and I really think it's worth reading.
It's written by this gal Kristin Armstrong and she gives a great overview of how the running skirt got started and what it's doing for women who run. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the article, so if you're in a rush and can't read it, you can still get the gist:
"Her motivation has never been just to look pretty, but to look pretty while kicking butt"
"I believe that a woman is even more powerful when she feels pretty"
"But after years of running, I figured I had earned the right, at least by miles alone, to show some leg"
And here is my favorite, which was the perfect conclusion to a great article and thus a great conclusion to this post as well:
"One of the best things about being a woman today is that we have so many options. Whether we are in the boardroom, on the home front, or on the starting line, we can bring it on like a man, but it doesn't mean we have to look like one."
Amen, sister.
Today's topic is: the running skirt! Brilliant! Here's a crappy photo of me in The Skirt right before it's first trial:
Now, it's a funny thing about skirts. Women have been trying for centuries to not to have to wear skirts. 100 years ago or so, women were shocking the world by wearing pants - and if I'm not mistaken, in many countries and even cultures within the United States, women are still required to wear dresses or skirts.
But, now that most of us with two X chromosomes are free to wear whatever we want from the waist down, we have before us a marvelous opportunity! Thanks to all those brave, bold women who went before us making it so we don't have to wear skirts, we now get to wear skirts! Hooray for choices! Hooray for options! Hooray for being proud to be a girl and being able to wear skirts! I can run in anything I want from my husband's undershirts to my sassy skirt, and to me that is just fabulous.
I purchased my running skirt from Target. It's basic black, is made by Champion, and can be purchased here if you are so inclined. It hits just above the knee and has shorts underneath, a drawstring waist, and a neat little place to stash your house key.
The biggest problem I thought I would encounter is chub rub (for you skinny people out there, this is the chaffing that occurs on your upper thighs when they rub together too much on long runs) but I found that this was not a problem at all and, apart from looking way cuter, the skirt performed just like my go-to black Nike running shorts.
For those of you who have been following this blog for the last couple of weeks, you know that I readily embrace all that is feminine in the stinky, sweaty world of sports. I honestly can't figure out why it's taken me this long to purchase a skirt and sport it. I also did a little research, and found this great article from Runner's World where else, right?) and I really think it's worth reading.
It's written by this gal Kristin Armstrong and she gives a great overview of how the running skirt got started and what it's doing for women who run. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the article, so if you're in a rush and can't read it, you can still get the gist:
"Her motivation has never been just to look pretty, but to look pretty while kicking butt"
"I believe that a woman is even more powerful when she feels pretty"
"But after years of running, I figured I had earned the right, at least by miles alone, to show some leg"
And here is my favorite, which was the perfect conclusion to a great article and thus a great conclusion to this post as well:
"One of the best things about being a woman today is that we have so many options. Whether we are in the boardroom, on the home front, or on the starting line, we can bring it on like a man, but it doesn't mean we have to look like one."
Amen, sister.
Monday, June 7, 2010
A Note on LSD and the Weekly Weigh-In (a day late)
Greetings! I know, I know. I slacked again. I'm sorry! There were just too many things to do this weekend: sleep! run! movie buffet! sleep! church! beach! So I apologize for not updating as diligently as I should. The upside of that is that I have all sorts of blog fodder for you to chew on, so let's get to it, shall we?
LSD
No, I'm not talking about some psychedelic drug. If you want to read about that, go here. I'm talking about Long, Slow Distance - and it's a necessary component of any running regime, no matter if you're training for a marathon or a 5K.
Sundays are my designated LSD days because church doesn't start until 10:15 a.m. and that means I can sleep in until 7 (yes, that's right. Sleep in until 7. If you're a runner and you also have a life to accomplish during the day, prepare to make some sleep sacrifices.) This Sunday I decided I would leave the dogs behind and run out towards Lanikai Beach Park. I used my sweet Nike+ to guide me and turn around at the 5 mile mark (bonus: the amazing little contraption counted up to 5 and then started counting back down again when I headed toward home. Epic.) I ended my run 1 hour and 25 minutes after I started it. If you do the math (which the amazing does for you!) that's averaging an 8:30 pace. Now, full disclosure: I stopped and walked and stretched it out twice - once right after the turn-around and once when I had to show the gate guard my ID when I got to the gate. Neither time was more than a minute by my estimation. But I may be being generous, next time I just won't walk and then there won't be a problem!
More full disclosure: It hurt. Bad. I felt like jell-o for the rest of the day (albeit jell-o with a great feeling of accomplishment!) So many times while I was trudging along on my way back, all I could think was: "This hurts. My legs hurt. My feet hurt. My left hip hurts. My back hurts. What was I thinking? I am unprepared for this. I'm going to be sooo late for church! How am I only on mile 6? 7? 8? 9? This is ridiculous. I think I'm going to do this for 26? I'm insane. I can't." I think a lot of runners out there know what I'm talking about. It could be a 2 mile run or 20. iPod or not, I couldn't get out of my mind. It was a real struggle mentally. I had a coach tell me once that my body can do so much more than my mind tells me it can. I tried to keep telling myself that, but around mile 7 it wasn't all that much help. Like I've mentioned before: sometimes running just sucks.
"So" you're out there thinking to yourself, "I have indeed been in that running situation. How should I deal next time I'm in agony and feel like quitting?" Well, this is what I did: I tried to counteract the negative thoughts with positive ones. I tried to concentrate on parts of my body that didn't hurt instead of the ones that did. I thought of Billy. I tought of how B.A. I would feel when I was done. I thought of getting to that tree up there. Now that car. Now that instersection.
It still hurt, but somehow, the miles kept falling away, and I kept getting closer to home and now I'm writing this a day later and I'm getting excited just thinking about doing it again. Something in my brain blocks out the hurtful parts and just remembers the motivational parts. The mind is a funny thing.
For those of you out there who don't think LSD is for you, think again. Long, Slow Distance runs are nothing more than longer, slower runs than anything that usually do. Add 1/4 mile or 2 miles...it doesn't have to be major. I found a great article on the LSD run on Runner's World (my go-to source. Can you tell?) Read it here.
And, to wrap it up, here's a shot of my ideal post-LSD meal:
The Weekly Weigh-In
Apres my long run, I stepped on the scale. 139.6. Brilliant! No, wait....something is amiss. I weighed myself on Tuesday and it's only Sunday. NO way did I lose 5 lbs in as many days. Talking to beautful Teresa, she informed me that the best way to weigh yourself is as such:
*once a week
*first thing in the morning
*you can pee first, but NOTHING else
It's not really fair to weigh myself after I've sweated out all my water weight, I guess. "But, but, but..." I lamented, "That's when I'm the skinniest, is after my long run!" Doesn't count. Skewed reading. Boo. So on Tuesday Morning, I'm going to try again. First thing. Before a run. We'll see how my ego takes it. I'll keep you posted.
All in all, I'm feeling great about training. Taking 2 days off in a row last week felt like heaven and I'm glad my motivation is staying up. I'm looking forward to training at altitude this week when I head to Utah for my little brother's wedding! I haven't run in Utah in years, it seems. I'm sure my beautiful mother will kick my butt and show me how it's done - but I still can't wait!
See you again TOMORROW! (I'm determined!) On Saturday I ran in my new running skirt and I can't wait to talk to you about it! Maybe we can get a discussion going on feminism and athleticism in the 2000s ;) Love it!
LSD
No, I'm not talking about some psychedelic drug. If you want to read about that, go here. I'm talking about Long, Slow Distance - and it's a necessary component of any running regime, no matter if you're training for a marathon or a 5K.
Sundays are my designated LSD days because church doesn't start until 10:15 a.m. and that means I can sleep in until 7 (yes, that's right. Sleep in until 7. If you're a runner and you also have a life to accomplish during the day, prepare to make some sleep sacrifices.) This Sunday I decided I would leave the dogs behind and run out towards Lanikai Beach Park. I used my sweet Nike+ to guide me and turn around at the 5 mile mark (bonus: the amazing little contraption counted up to 5 and then started counting back down again when I headed toward home. Epic.) I ended my run 1 hour and 25 minutes after I started it. If you do the math (which the amazing does for you!) that's averaging an 8:30 pace. Now, full disclosure: I stopped and walked and stretched it out twice - once right after the turn-around and once when I had to show the gate guard my ID when I got to the gate. Neither time was more than a minute by my estimation. But I may be being generous, next time I just won't walk and then there won't be a problem!
More full disclosure: It hurt. Bad. I felt like jell-o for the rest of the day (albeit jell-o with a great feeling of accomplishment!) So many times while I was trudging along on my way back, all I could think was: "This hurts. My legs hurt. My feet hurt. My left hip hurts. My back hurts. What was I thinking? I am unprepared for this. I'm going to be sooo late for church! How am I only on mile 6? 7? 8? 9? This is ridiculous. I think I'm going to do this for 26? I'm insane. I can't." I think a lot of runners out there know what I'm talking about. It could be a 2 mile run or 20. iPod or not, I couldn't get out of my mind. It was a real struggle mentally. I had a coach tell me once that my body can do so much more than my mind tells me it can. I tried to keep telling myself that, but around mile 7 it wasn't all that much help. Like I've mentioned before: sometimes running just sucks.
"So" you're out there thinking to yourself, "I have indeed been in that running situation. How should I deal next time I'm in agony and feel like quitting?" Well, this is what I did: I tried to counteract the negative thoughts with positive ones. I tried to concentrate on parts of my body that didn't hurt instead of the ones that did. I thought of Billy. I tought of how B.A. I would feel when I was done. I thought of getting to that tree up there. Now that car. Now that instersection.
It still hurt, but somehow, the miles kept falling away, and I kept getting closer to home and now I'm writing this a day later and I'm getting excited just thinking about doing it again. Something in my brain blocks out the hurtful parts and just remembers the motivational parts. The mind is a funny thing.
For those of you out there who don't think LSD is for you, think again. Long, Slow Distance runs are nothing more than longer, slower runs than anything that usually do. Add 1/4 mile or 2 miles...it doesn't have to be major. I found a great article on the LSD run on Runner's World (my go-to source. Can you tell?) Read it here.
And, to wrap it up, here's a shot of my ideal post-LSD meal:
The Weekly Weigh-In
Apres my long run, I stepped on the scale. 139.6. Brilliant! No, wait....something is amiss. I weighed myself on Tuesday and it's only Sunday. NO way did I lose 5 lbs in as many days. Talking to beautful Teresa, she informed me that the best way to weigh yourself is as such:
*once a week
*first thing in the morning
*you can pee first, but NOTHING else
It's not really fair to weigh myself after I've sweated out all my water weight, I guess. "But, but, but..." I lamented, "That's when I'm the skinniest, is after my long run!" Doesn't count. Skewed reading. Boo. So on Tuesday Morning, I'm going to try again. First thing. Before a run. We'll see how my ego takes it. I'll keep you posted.
All in all, I'm feeling great about training. Taking 2 days off in a row last week felt like heaven and I'm glad my motivation is staying up. I'm looking forward to training at altitude this week when I head to Utah for my little brother's wedding! I haven't run in Utah in years, it seems. I'm sure my beautiful mother will kick my butt and show me how it's done - but I still can't wait!
See you again TOMORROW! (I'm determined!) On Saturday I ran in my new running skirt and I can't wait to talk to you about it! Maybe we can get a discussion going on feminism and athleticism in the 2000s ;) Love it!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Where I Run
It's hard to write about running when you haven't run in 2 days. Kind of leaves me searching for material. I suppose I could talk about the importance of rest and giving your body a break, but instead I'm just going to show you pictures of the places I run, so that when I talk about them, you know what I'm talking about.
My dear friend Flo asked me what my favorite terrain to run on was. The answer is dirt roads. Or old gravel roads that are just the right amount of packed down. But mostly dirt roads. The are the BEST terrain to run on, because they're kinder on your joints than pavement, but offer more scenery than a track.
See what I mean? This is a road by my house that I've never encountered another human being on yet. It's also a favorite place to walk the dogs becasue I can let them off their leashes to burn off steam without worrying about them chasing after the neighbor's kids. The problem with this road is that it's not nearly long enough :( It goes for about a half mile or so and then stops. It's a bummer, but I still like to encorporate it into some of my longer runs because it's so stinkin' pretty. Some more views:
If anyone out there knows of a dirt road in Hawaii that's not ridiculously hilly and that goes on for a long, long way, please let me know. If it's anywhere close to me, I'd be there all the time.
Sometimes, however, circumstances require one to run on a track, and if you must do so, the track at Camp Smith is pretty much the best you're gonna get as far as views go:
See? Pretty not bad huh? If you look closely, you can see the Arizona Memorial down there. The track is awful, no matter what, but running here sure beats the heck out of running on a track where bleachers and the parking lot are the only landscapes to gaze upon.
And then there's this:
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This is Jay, myself and Little Brother in the middle of a run when we were all in Air Crew School in Pensacola, FL. Why did we stop to take a picture while we were running? Who knows! But it sure was fun. I'm sure many of my Navy friends remember without a great deal of fondness the Pensacola beach runs, but we were those crazy knuckleheads that actually went out and ran more just for the hell of it. I guess the point of this picture is: if you live near a large body of water, it's silly not to go out and run next to it. Beach trails are usually great, and running on hard sand is good for you, I hear. If you're really ambitious, you can run on the soft sand and that is one heckuva workout!
Anyway, so there's some snap shots of my little running world. I'll be back at it tomorrow with a run to talk about (and a new haircut to boot!) so I will see you then!
My dear friend Flo asked me what my favorite terrain to run on was. The answer is dirt roads. Or old gravel roads that are just the right amount of packed down. But mostly dirt roads. The are the BEST terrain to run on, because they're kinder on your joints than pavement, but offer more scenery than a track.
See what I mean? This is a road by my house that I've never encountered another human being on yet. It's also a favorite place to walk the dogs becasue I can let them off their leashes to burn off steam without worrying about them chasing after the neighbor's kids. The problem with this road is that it's not nearly long enough :( It goes for about a half mile or so and then stops. It's a bummer, but I still like to encorporate it into some of my longer runs because it's so stinkin' pretty. Some more views:
If anyone out there knows of a dirt road in Hawaii that's not ridiculously hilly and that goes on for a long, long way, please let me know. If it's anywhere close to me, I'd be there all the time.
Sometimes, however, circumstances require one to run on a track, and if you must do so, the track at Camp Smith is pretty much the best you're gonna get as far as views go:
See? Pretty not bad huh? If you look closely, you can see the Arizona Memorial down there. The track is awful, no matter what, but running here sure beats the heck out of running on a track where bleachers and the parking lot are the only landscapes to gaze upon.
And then there's this:
.jpg)
This is Jay, myself and Little Brother in the middle of a run when we were all in Air Crew School in Pensacola, FL. Why did we stop to take a picture while we were running? Who knows! But it sure was fun. I'm sure many of my Navy friends remember without a great deal of fondness the Pensacola beach runs, but we were those crazy knuckleheads that actually went out and ran more just for the hell of it. I guess the point of this picture is: if you live near a large body of water, it's silly not to go out and run next to it. Beach trails are usually great, and running on hard sand is good for you, I hear. If you're really ambitious, you can run on the soft sand and that is one heckuva workout!
Anyway, so there's some snap shots of my little running world. I'll be back at it tomorrow with a run to talk about (and a new haircut to boot!) so I will see you then!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
145
There. I said it. When I stepped on the scale on Tuesday, 145.0 is what it told me. Awesome. I'm 5'5" and 145 lbs. So now you all know - I'm all fully disclosed on the blog.
The stupid scale was purchased at Target this past weekend, and even though I had it on hand, it took me almost 2 days to work up the courage to step on it. How stupid is that? Very stupid. It's not all my fault, though. I wanted a pretty teak scale from Bed Bath & Beyond, but I ended up opting for cheap and convenient. I think it would have been easier if it was a prettier thing to look at. It just seems so....industrial? sad? ugly? I think I need to put stickers on it or paint it or something to make it look better so it's not just big ugly numbers staring up at me. Grrrrr...
Now the important thing will be to keep stepping on it every week. I've decided that Sunday mornings after my long runs is when I feel skinniest, so hopefully that's when I will be lightest. I'll let you know how it goes. This scale that I purchased also supposedly tells me what percent of my body is fat (24.6%) but I'm not sure I trust it as a reliable source. I suppose I will start to trust it as a reliable source as Operation: Sexy Bitch continues and the numbers and percents start heading on the decline.
Facing Reality
It's a rough thing when you come to the awful truth that what you have convinced yourself to be reality is, in fact, 26.2 miles or so away from the truth. Like when you step on a scale for the first time in months and realize you've gained 8 pounds. Or when you get a Nike+ thingy to plug into your amazing iPod to track your progress on your runs.
My MuM warned me: When I told her I was getting a Nike+ to track my mileage so I know for sure how far I've gone and how fast I've run, she said, "Don't do it! It sucks knowing that you're not running sub-8 minute miles anymore!" And it's so, so true. I used it for the first time yesterday on just a little run, and while it wasn't awful (I ran four miles averaging 8:30) it sure felt like I was moving a lot faster. It's very easy to get disheartened and want to quit when I start thinking about how fast I used to be and how much work it's going to take to get back there. It seems so much more simple to just not even try and to reflect back on the glory days rather than try to redeem them a little bit.
On the other hand, it's important for me track my miles accurately. It would a bad thing if I thought I was logging way more miles than I really was. I'd be in a sad, sore, bad way come December 12. So, the best thing is to just suck it up - I need to get over it, stop feeling sorry for heavier, slower self and just get out there and keep running, because that's the only thing that's going to make the scale or my new little personal trainer tell me what I want to hear (or see...whatever.)
On Another Note
During my run yesterday, my left foot starting cramping soooo badly. Usually I can run through just about any little ache or side stitch, but this really hurt. Like knives in my arch with every step. So I stopped and massaged it and made a note to myself to eat more bananas for potassium. Well, when I told this little story to my beautiful friend Teresa, she told me that she had heard once from a nutritionist that cucumbers actually have even more potassium than bananas. Who knew?! "So", I said to myself, "I'm going to have to start adding more cucumbers into my diet" and that got me thinking...I've been eating pretty much the same 5 meals every day since Billy left. I bet that leaves me lacking in certain nutrients, vitamins, what have you. Now I'm no pharmacist, but I figured it might be a good idea to start taking a multi-vitamin every day. So I started this morning.
I'm sure this is just the first out of many little running "injuries" that I'll face in the course of training. It seems like this is going to force me into being more conscious of what kinds of foods I'm putting in, and not just purely concerned about calories (luckily, cucumbers are a remarkably low-cal food)
The stupid scale was purchased at Target this past weekend, and even though I had it on hand, it took me almost 2 days to work up the courage to step on it. How stupid is that? Very stupid. It's not all my fault, though. I wanted a pretty teak scale from Bed Bath & Beyond, but I ended up opting for cheap and convenient. I think it would have been easier if it was a prettier thing to look at. It just seems so....industrial? sad? ugly? I think I need to put stickers on it or paint it or something to make it look better so it's not just big ugly numbers staring up at me. Grrrrr...
Now the important thing will be to keep stepping on it every week. I've decided that Sunday mornings after my long runs is when I feel skinniest, so hopefully that's when I will be lightest. I'll let you know how it goes. This scale that I purchased also supposedly tells me what percent of my body is fat (24.6%) but I'm not sure I trust it as a reliable source. I suppose I will start to trust it as a reliable source as Operation: Sexy Bitch continues and the numbers and percents start heading on the decline.
Facing Reality
It's a rough thing when you come to the awful truth that what you have convinced yourself to be reality is, in fact, 26.2 miles or so away from the truth. Like when you step on a scale for the first time in months and realize you've gained 8 pounds. Or when you get a Nike+ thingy to plug into your amazing iPod to track your progress on your runs.
My MuM warned me: When I told her I was getting a Nike+ to track my mileage so I know for sure how far I've gone and how fast I've run, she said, "Don't do it! It sucks knowing that you're not running sub-8 minute miles anymore!" And it's so, so true. I used it for the first time yesterday on just a little run, and while it wasn't awful (I ran four miles averaging 8:30) it sure felt like I was moving a lot faster. It's very easy to get disheartened and want to quit when I start thinking about how fast I used to be and how much work it's going to take to get back there. It seems so much more simple to just not even try and to reflect back on the glory days rather than try to redeem them a little bit.
On the other hand, it's important for me track my miles accurately. It would a bad thing if I thought I was logging way more miles than I really was. I'd be in a sad, sore, bad way come December 12. So, the best thing is to just suck it up - I need to get over it, stop feeling sorry for heavier, slower self and just get out there and keep running, because that's the only thing that's going to make the scale or my new little personal trainer tell me what I want to hear (or see...whatever.)
On Another Note
During my run yesterday, my left foot starting cramping soooo badly. Usually I can run through just about any little ache or side stitch, but this really hurt. Like knives in my arch with every step. So I stopped and massaged it and made a note to myself to eat more bananas for potassium. Well, when I told this little story to my beautiful friend Teresa, she told me that she had heard once from a nutritionist that cucumbers actually have even more potassium than bananas. Who knew?! "So", I said to myself, "I'm going to have to start adding more cucumbers into my diet" and that got me thinking...I've been eating pretty much the same 5 meals every day since Billy left. I bet that leaves me lacking in certain nutrients, vitamins, what have you. Now I'm no pharmacist, but I figured it might be a good idea to start taking a multi-vitamin every day. So I started this morning.
I'm sure this is just the first out of many little running "injuries" that I'll face in the course of training. It seems like this is going to force me into being more conscious of what kinds of foods I'm putting in, and not just purely concerned about calories (luckily, cucumbers are a remarkably low-cal food)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tuesday Track Day and Some Fun ;)
Alright, before we get to the fun, lemme get the business out of the way. I repeated last week's track workout, but this time I ran it on the track at Kaneohe Bay (where we live). This track is a traditional quarter-miler and is like running on a gravel road. It was kind of loose in some places, and I could feel that my traction wasn't so great, but that still doesn't excuse my poor performance. Here are my 800 splits and the accompanying music that was blastin' in my noggin:
1 - 3:28 {Holla Back Girl - Gwen Stefani}
2 - 3:33 {Sunday Morning - No Doubt}
3 - 3:40 {The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani}
4 - 3:47 {Hey Baby - No Doubt}*
I had a 2-minute rest period in between each 800 and of course, a 10 minute warm-up and cool down (that's almost exactly how long it takes me to run to the track/back home from the track
*(Notice the theme for the day? There's a reason behind that. Read on...)
Ugh. I felt so good on the first 2. I was flying. Solid 7 minute mile pace and I wasn't even hurting so bad. What happened? No idea. What's worse is that my 400 splits on my 3rd & 4th were both right on the money at 1:45. I guess it's not so bad, since I was still way faster than the goal of an 8:00 mile pace, but there's nothing worse than having a bad workout. Except of course, not working out at all, and that's what almost happened.
My Day
It was one of those crappy days. It was Tuesday after a long weekend, the dogs kept me up pretty much all night, I had a less than enjoyable dr. appt in the afternoon (ladies, you understand this), the world was not on my side. How much did I want to go run? And on a track, no less! There's hardly words to describe my lack of enthusiasm. But, I felt like I had slacked off over the weekend and needed to get this dreaded workout knocked out. So I decided I needed to make it fun. So, I thought I'd try to get a little glam:
This is me with freshly applied mascara, eye liner, and lipstick to go on my run. You know what? It worked! Somewhere in there when I was getting "dolled up" I started to get kind of excited about my run. Crazy, huh? It made it fun, and I stopped thinking about how tired I was, how not in the mood I was and how unexcited I was about my run for long enough to get me out of the door and get moving. Most of you out there know that getting out the door and moving is half the battle. Once I had momentum going, it wasn't bad at all. It was SUPER hot even at 5:30 this afternoon when I headed out my front door, so by the time I made it to the track I'm sure all of it had been licked or sweated off. But I made it there and I did my workout and even though it wasn't what I wanted it to be, I can still say that I did it. And that's what it's about. I'll have more crappy workouts, but I guess you know what they say: "A bad day running is still better than a good day doing anything else"
Ok, no one says that. A bad day running sucks. Hell, sometimes a good day running sucks. Whatever...my point is, if you can make something completely dreadful just a little bit lovely, it might help you make it through whatever said dreadful task is. Moving on:
The Need For Speed:
Don't these glasses just make me look faster? MuM sent them to me at my request that she use her sweet sunglasses hook-up to get me some super light-weight, sporty, speedy, polarized running glasses. She sent me these. They are Smith "Baseline Square" in Dark Ale. They make me happy. They are ridiculously light-weight - to the point where I forgot they were even on. If you're in the market for a new pair of athletic sunglasses, these come highly recommended by this gal. If I'm not mistaken, the lenses can even be changed out for ones of a different color, if you are so inclined. Pretty sweet.
I'll leave you with this parting glimpse at another one of my running heroines. I can't believe I didn't mention her when I was writing about glam running before. She was the original glam girl on the track. Nevermind that she was probably using all sorts of steroids (they didnt' test back in the 80s like they do now). She's still B.A. And amazing. And stunning. And fast.
Flo Jo!
If Florence Griffith Joyner wears lipstick on a track well, then, it's alright with me!
1 - 3:28 {Holla Back Girl - Gwen Stefani}
2 - 3:33 {Sunday Morning - No Doubt}
3 - 3:40 {The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani}
4 - 3:47 {Hey Baby - No Doubt}*
I had a 2-minute rest period in between each 800 and of course, a 10 minute warm-up and cool down (that's almost exactly how long it takes me to run to the track/back home from the track
*(Notice the theme for the day? There's a reason behind that. Read on...)
Ugh. I felt so good on the first 2. I was flying. Solid 7 minute mile pace and I wasn't even hurting so bad. What happened? No idea. What's worse is that my 400 splits on my 3rd & 4th were both right on the money at 1:45. I guess it's not so bad, since I was still way faster than the goal of an 8:00 mile pace, but there's nothing worse than having a bad workout. Except of course, not working out at all, and that's what almost happened.
My Day
It was one of those crappy days. It was Tuesday after a long weekend, the dogs kept me up pretty much all night, I had a less than enjoyable dr. appt in the afternoon (ladies, you understand this), the world was not on my side. How much did I want to go run? And on a track, no less! There's hardly words to describe my lack of enthusiasm. But, I felt like I had slacked off over the weekend and needed to get this dreaded workout knocked out. So I decided I needed to make it fun. So, I thought I'd try to get a little glam:
This is me with freshly applied mascara, eye liner, and lipstick to go on my run. You know what? It worked! Somewhere in there when I was getting "dolled up" I started to get kind of excited about my run. Crazy, huh? It made it fun, and I stopped thinking about how tired I was, how not in the mood I was and how unexcited I was about my run for long enough to get me out of the door and get moving. Most of you out there know that getting out the door and moving is half the battle. Once I had momentum going, it wasn't bad at all. It was SUPER hot even at 5:30 this afternoon when I headed out my front door, so by the time I made it to the track I'm sure all of it had been licked or sweated off. But I made it there and I did my workout and even though it wasn't what I wanted it to be, I can still say that I did it. And that's what it's about. I'll have more crappy workouts, but I guess you know what they say: "A bad day running is still better than a good day doing anything else"
Ok, no one says that. A bad day running sucks. Hell, sometimes a good day running sucks. Whatever...my point is, if you can make something completely dreadful just a little bit lovely, it might help you make it through whatever said dreadful task is. Moving on:
The Need For Speed:
Don't these glasses just make me look faster? MuM sent them to me at my request that she use her sweet sunglasses hook-up to get me some super light-weight, sporty, speedy, polarized running glasses. She sent me these. They are Smith "Baseline Square" in Dark Ale. They make me happy. They are ridiculously light-weight - to the point where I forgot they were even on. If you're in the market for a new pair of athletic sunglasses, these come highly recommended by this gal. If I'm not mistaken, the lenses can even be changed out for ones of a different color, if you are so inclined. Pretty sweet.
I'll leave you with this parting glimpse at another one of my running heroines. I can't believe I didn't mention her when I was writing about glam running before. She was the original glam girl on the track. Nevermind that she was probably using all sorts of steroids (they didnt' test back in the 80s like they do now). She's still B.A. And amazing. And stunning. And fast.
Flo Jo!
If Florence Griffith Joyner wears lipstick on a track well, then, it's alright with me!
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