Last Run

7 miles / 1:02:35

We are leaving today and the car ride is about 4 hours. Alan thought it would be best (for his own sanity) if I got up and took Sirius on a run so that the two of us were tired and got our energy out for the day. I think he is trying to tell me that Sirius and I are sometimes too much. How rude.

To be the nice wife that I am, I got up early, got ready and we hit the trail, err the bike path. It was a pretty slow start and the miles seemed to take forever. I felt like I was going at a snails pace. Definitely not breaking any records with my run today. However, I got 7 miles in, and Sirius is passed out on the floor so I guess I did my job!

Now I need to shower and load up the car. I hope it doesn't rain the whole ride up because I really want to stop at the Dog Chapel and walk around a bit with SWP. We shall see though!

Have a great week and a great holiday weekend next weekend!

Bon Voyage

I am heading off to Maine in the morning. I will be gone until the 6th. Have no fear, I will be running while I am away, however I will not be blogging while I am away. I hope I remember all my miles that I run!

Have a great 4th of July!!!!!!!!!!

OATS

I went to Costco after work to pick up some supplies for my Oatravaganza! I bought dried fruit, some almond butter and other essentials. After Costco I headed over to Shaws to pick up non bulk items like sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, Tahini etc.

Here is all my loot

My set up for baking

First up, Muffins.

They came out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Next would be the oat and Craisin bread

Alan got home in the midst of my baking and snapped a few photos

I clearly had no idea that he was taking photos otherwise I would have posed!

Oatmeal craisin, cherry cookies

Utilizing both shelves

Please don't judge me by how dirty my oven is. I know it needs to be cleaned!!!! Oops!

I had a very busy day baking up all the oats and we still probably have 4.5lbs left! No joke! I am going to make a cereal bar tomorrow after work and then We'll probably bring the oats up to Maine with us so we can make oatmeal and maybe I'll try making some granola to go with fresh fruit and yogurt for breakfast. Yum!

What do you guys do with Oats? I need some more recipes!!!!

Ok enough about Oats. Go check out HRG's amazing blog. She is giving away some workout clothes! Go check it out and enter, Or not so that my chances of winning wont be hurt. OR enter and if you win give me your gear. Deal? Ok great, thanks!

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 T maple syrup
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

This was the salad dressing that I mixed up this morning. I just had it with my salad today and boy was it delicious! I hate store bought salad dressing and try to make my own. Except for Ranch, I love ranch - Hidden Valley only!

Anyways, this dressing was super simple to make, was really light, refreshing and packed a punch of flavor. I highly recommend it!!!!

CSA first pick up

Yesterday was our first pick up of our summer CSA. I was so excited to see what the first week would include. Here is what I can remember from what we got:

6 potatoes
1 head of red leaf lettuce
1 head of mustard greens
1 bag of mesculan salad mix
1 bag of spinach
1 bunch of sage
1 bag (12) foagies (focasia bread rolls)
1 container of goat cheese
1 dozen eggs
1 bunch of garlic scapes (the shoots that grow off the garlic bulb)
1 bag of frozen red peppers

I think that is it....I think I remembered it all.

Oh wait, I forgot the biggest thing. 5lb bag of oats! Yes 5lbs of oats. Needless to say I have been googling recipes to use these oats in besides making the obvious Oatmeal rasin cookies!

As you can see, we got a lot! Last night we wanted to make a healthy, local dinner with our bounty. I wasn't feeling great so Alan made a delicious breakfast dinner.

He cut up the foagies to make little squares and halved them so they weren't so thick. He coated with oil and put the garlic scapes on top to make garlic toast and baked. We fried up eggs. And he also made potatoes by adding some onion, red peppers and garlic scapes. Everything was so amazing!

I am so glad that we finally joined a CSA. everything was so fresh, the produce was amazing looking and even better tasting. The CSA that we joined is Pete's Greens and I coudln't have been happier so far. Not only do they give you a heads up with what you are getting via email a day or two before pick up, but they also give you some recipe ideas to make for that weeks harvest. So helpful. There was a recipe for a salad dressing that I made this morning and will be using it on todays lunch salad. I will post the recipe and let you all know how it was after lunch.

I will also post some of the Oat recipes that I found and pictures from my baking adventures today and tomorrow. I figured since we are going away for a week and a half we would want some quick, easy on the go things like apricot walnut cereal bars, and energy bars etc. Something to get geeked up about shortyly! I am by no means a baker but I like to bake when I have a mission. This is definitely a mission!

O. M. G.

Because I like to torture myself and wreck more havoc on my self I went to the Mad Marathon website to look at the course map and see if they might have an elevation level chart. Boy do they.

Basically the first mile will be nice - going from 700 to 500 feet. After that the real hell sets in. Climbing from 500 to 1,000 in 1.5 miles. After that we drop back down again on a nice downhill section only to climb for a total of 5 miles!!!! Luckily after that hellish climb we will go downhill for the rest of the race except for a baby incline at the end.

I am feeling even more unsure of myself after looking at the elevation to mile ratio. I am so thankful that I had the wits about me to not sign up for the full. Thank God! I am so nervous. I feel like this next week I should really amp up my training do an extra long run (15 miles to help compensate for the hills) I just looked at some of my hillier routes that I had recently and those hillier routes do not compare. I think I will be lucky if I finish the race. That's right, lucky if I finish the race period. I know I will finish it, but my time, not even going to worry about it. I will obviously wear my Garmin during the race but I think I might just not look at it at all. Look at only the miles to see how much longer this hellish tourture will continue but that will be it.

You know the race is goign to be so bad when people you look up to as runners laugh and say that there was no way they were going to sign up for that race with all those hills. Ouch. At least it will be a great learning experience and something I can say I did. I guess.

Funk

3 miles with Alan

I am definitely in a funk today. As the day goes on my funk has gotten funkier. Things that I am funking about:

1. giving blood tomorrow - some people I work with take blood drives VERY seriously. Like pressuring others to give blood and guilting you into signing up. You sign up to get them away from you and to stop talking and hoping that from then to when the blood drive is you develop an illness, or you lose enough weight to not qualify to give blood. I know it saves up to 3 lives when you donate blood, however, when you are training for races and that is important to you it is hard to stop mid training to donate blood. However, if you address this issue with the "vampires" they make you feel like a jerk for putting your fitness above the life of another. I did some googling and everything I have read it says to not donate during training for a race especially a race that is longer in distance. GRRR.

2. I am feeling really defeated for the race on the 10th. I am nervous that going away on vacation so close to my race will interfere with my training and that I will totally bomb. It is going to be an incredibly tough race with lots of hills and I am nervous if I am ready for it or not. It is a good thing that the race is giving out finisher medals otherwise I would be definitely reconsidering this race. Good thing also that R4J signed up at the VCM expo otherwise I don't know if I would have sent in my packet....

3. I am so excited to go on vacation. More importantly I am excited to not have to work for a week and a half. Not so excited to be in the middle of no where. However, there will be lots of time for me to run and to train for the 1/2 marathon when I get back I guess.

4. I hate going away on a vacation though because I feel like there is so much to do before we leave. Laundry, cleaning and packing. Ay ay ay.

So those are my issues right now. Laying on the couch, in the dark and watching 16 and pregnant where are they now is making me feel much better.

Run like a Hungry Runner

I emailed the speedy Hungry Runner Girl what she does (did pre-injury) for a track workout to boost her speed. I wanted to start doing track workouts myself (have done one that kicked my bum like no other). I know doing tempo workouts will boost my overall speed and the things that are the hardest are sometimes the things we need to do the most but seriously, tempo / speed / track workouts are HARD. Like really hard. I don't think I was really even doing it right the one time I did them either. Here is a glimpse of what speedy Janae does for a track workout:

800 at 3:05 (5k pace)
One recovery 400
Repeat 10 times...I KNOW A LOT but do less if you need because I think it forced me to over do it.

1600 @ 6:20 (10K pace)
recover 1-2 laps
Repeat 6 times....once again I think 4 is plenty for this workout!!

Ummmm for realz? Insanely hard. However, what doesn't kill us, I guess, makes us stronger. SO speed workouts are on tap for me.

I know with absolute certainty that I cannot run an 800 at 3:05 if I have intentions of running more than one. I also know that I cannot run 1600 (4 laps on the track and 1 mile) at a 6:20 pace. However, these are amazing goals to shoot for and eventually I know I will hit them. I am going to attempt to do a speed / track workout in the near future and we'll see where I am at with my times. I think if I do these once a week and keep diligent notes I am sure to see results and will see my time getting faster and faster - at least I hope so!

DOUBLE DIP

4.5 / 40:53 hilly

3. 5 / 1.0 / 30 min

60 min body pump

I got up this morning at 5am and headed out the door. I went a new route through some neighborhoods which had some great hills. Note to self: no need to waste gas driving to Mt. Philo, just run up CLIFF STREET! Yowzers! It was great prep work for my upcoming half marathon that R4J graciously reminded me with a text message that the race is less than 3 weeks away! EEK.

After my run, I showered and got ready for work. After work I got to the gym and hopped on the treadmill. I was feeling pretty sluggish and didn't really want to do a run. I forced myself to do 3.5 so that I would close out the day on an even 8 miles. Sounded good to me!

Sometimes I think doing a double dip workout (running more than once in one day) is way more of a mental break through than a physical one. I was sluggish on my second run, but it wasn't unmanageable. I was able to do 3.5 miles and only stopped as I had run out of time. Mentally though I kept saying to myself; why are you running again? 4.5 was good enough for today, you could stop now if you wanted to. I think running twice helps me to build up my mental endurance so that towards the end of a race when I am drained I can push through the road blocks and finish strong. At least that is what I am hoping for. I'll let you all know how that works out for me!

Happy Fathers day and a 10 miler

10 miles / 1:28:26

I had absolutely no motivation for a long run today. I knew I needed to do a long one, just didn't have it in me to motivate myself. I texted R4J early to see if she would be doing a long run and if we could do it together. No answer. hmm. Ok, I need to motivate myself. Just as I was giving myself a pep talk about how great of a runner I am and how I will only get better with more practice of long runs I got a text. It wasn't from R4J but it was from another friend whom I have been doing some runs with. She wanted to do a long run. Score! We headed out at 9am and did a 10 miler. We did a hillier route similar to the one I did last week but the wind was making it that much more difficult. I think we did exceptionally well considering the hills, the wind and the lack of motivation on both of our parts.

I am getting more and more nervous for my half on July 10th. KBCM really defeated me and I need to get my head back into the game. I need to stop dwelling on my past injury and the fear that is holding me back from really pushing myself. I need to look at my training that I did prior to my injury and get some of my speed back. I need to know that I did all that I could and trust my training for this one. I feel like I am doing more long runs than I did prior to KBCM and am hoping that these will boost my confidence. I figure if I keep a 9 min/mile pace then I will be happy with my time. However, the course is going to be a killer with tons of hills so maybe a 9 isn't possible. I just want to know I did all that I could and did the best that I could. Isn't that all we can ever ask for from ourselves?

I am glad that I got my long run in early because now it is on to celebrate Father's day. Alan and I are heading over to my parents for a bbq and the weather couldn't be better. Cannot wait! I love hamburgers and hot dogs and salad and all the fun seasonal stuff. So pumped!

What did you guys get your dads?

I got mine a Dicks Sporting Goods gift card - a little bird told me that someone needs new sneakers and my dad is notorious for buying uber cheap sneakers. Like 14.99 from Wal-Mart cheap! yeah, I know. Who is he?

What summer foods are your fave?

I love berries that are so fresh and ripe this time of year. Also love some corn on the cob and salads. However, I do love hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta and potato salad too. Not the healthiest but a little bit wont kill you!

What are your father's day plans?

Heading over to the parents house to relax and celebrate my dad!

11 Miles

This week was really hectic. However, I can't believe that I only did 11 miles this past week. Really? I did 10 Last saturday alone and only did 11 Sunday through today. WOW. That is some serious low mileage.

I know that I should probably lace up my sneakers right now and really push it to the max and close out the week at a higher mileage than 11. I just am feeling lazy. I only did a 3.5 miles yesterday but those trails kicked my bum. My ankles, knees and hips are a little sore from the tight turns and the trying not to fall the whole time.

I don't know how I feel about trail running right now. I used to think that I liked it. Honestly though, I was just pretty nervous and unsure of every step the whole time. I tripped a few times and almost fell but thankfully I have the grace of a ballerina and was able to catch myself every time.

I do think that trail running, at least the trail I did yesterday, pushed me. I might have gone much slower than I would have if I were on a regular road, but I felt I was working much harder and using muscles I don't use a ton. Which is good. Maybe incorporating a weekly trail run will help my overall running and I might learn to enjoy the toughness that it is. I mean, running through trails is unbelievably beautiful and peaceful compared to running on pavement along a highway or whatever. However, my crazy mind that I have any noise from a chipmunk scurrying to seek shelter or a crack of a branch or ruffle of a leaf sent my heart racing fearing that someone was chasing me. Clearly I have issues and I should most certainly seek counseling!

Ok. I am going to read some of my trail runner, runners world or running times that came in the mail the other day to find inspiration and motivation for a good run today. Wish me luck!

ps. Thanks Gourmet Runner for noticing on my last post that I wrote 30ish miles and not minutes! You are right that would be crazy and I most certainly am not up to that YET haha. Teach me to write a blog late (10pm) at night!

Trail Running

3.5 miles / 30 ish mins

I went to this place called The Catamount Family Fun Center. It basically is acres of trails that go through the woods and what not. They have several pre-marked trails for 5ks and 15ks. I opted to do a 5k trail as I am not really a trail runner per se. The trail kicked my trash and I got lost which is why I ran 3.5 and not 3.1. Yeah. I get lost basically anywhere I go. I also think Unicorns and wizards are real but that is a whole other story.

I had a great tim trail running but wasn't so pumped with the slowness of my time. I thought I was getting faster! The only thing that is keeping me happy about my time is knowing that I am not great at trail running, that I am a newbie and there were quite a few hills! That's my story and I am sticking to it!

I am hoping to get in some high mileage this weekend. Mentally I need it and physically, we just wont even go there! Happy weekend!!!!

6:59

1 mile / 6:59
1 mile walk

Alan called to tell me he was on his way home. Cause I am the good wife that I am I told him I would run down and meet him. Since I knew I would be meeting him I knew my run would be less than a mile and a half and figured it would be close to a mile. I thought it would be good if I pushed myself and ran hard for that one mile. I thought I did pretty well. After I met him we walked home. What a great run. My first run all week too!

I have been working longer hours than usual. I am in training that goes from 8-4 and I normally get out at 3:30 so my boss told me that I could work some comp time. I figured 1.5 hours of comp time was semi stupid so figured I would come in 30 min early and get a total of 3 hours of comp time for the three days of training. Well, since I am at work by 6:30 I haven't been running in the morning and by the time I get out of work, home etc. it is pretty hot and later than usual so I have been slacking in the afternoon workout dept. as well. SO my plan for tomorrow morning is to wake up even earlier. Like 4:30 early and head out for a run. Wish me luck!

I've been Slacking

60 min body pump

I didn't run today, again. The past couple of days I just haven't felt well and then today I was planning on running and doing my normal routine at the gym however the class for work that I signed up for didn't end until 4 and Body Pump starts at 4:30 so not enough time to run. Oh well. Tomorrow I want / need/ dreaming/ can't stop thinking about running! I cannot wait. I had a great, high mileage weekend and wanted to keep the ball rolling. Oh well. It will be starting up soon!

Today was a good day regardless of the lack of miles that were run. The training I am in for work is about Leadership for non supervisors. I am learning a lot about how to lead people to do the things I want them to do on my timeline! Just kidding. Sort of. I think I am missing the point of this training. Good thing I have the training for two more days so I can fully understand what the objective of the class is!

Tonight Alan and I did our typical Wednesday date night. We went to the Spot, which is a local restaurant less than a mile away from our house that specializes in "california / hawaiian surf food". I love their fish tacos, their seafood curry, salads and everything else they have on the menu. They are open for breakfast and lunch and in the summer open for dinner. It is one of my and Alan's favorite places to go since it is so close, the food is amazing and we can walk there with Sirius and eat outside. SCORE! I got the beef fajitas tonight and Alan got a salad (who is he?) we shared it all and because Alan was so good by getting a salad he ordered a brownie sundae. I love that man! It was amazing. I didn't feel TOO guilty since we walked there and home to burn off soem of the calories. Perfect night. So happy the weather is cooperating and is being summer and not late fall! Yay Vermont for getting with the program! Hope all had a great Wednesday!

Why do you like (love) to run

In HRG's most recent post she talked about the marathon that she got to run 3 miles in post dual femoral stress fractures and how glorious those 3 miles were and how excited she is to be getting back to running. She ended the post with a question: Why do you like (love) to run. This was my response:

It is the one thing that I do for me. It's the time that I carve out for myself and nothing can interrupt it. It's my "selfish" time. The time that I can think, say, listen to anything that I want. It's all about me during my run. How I feel, my pace, my mileage. It's my own therapy where I am the patient and the therapist. It's the time that I feel the strongest and the weakest. The bravest and the most scared. It's because of all these emotions, and feelings that I love running so much. It's all the pain and the glory that keeps me going.

Semi sappy but it's all these reasons why I love it, and why I do it, and sometimes why I hate it. Running isn't just about one foot in front of the other over and over. It's about the feelings that running elicits. The feelings in response to the action of one foot in front of the other. How brave, as runners, we sometimes have to be when running. How strong we feel after we have been running. It is the sweat, the tears, the perspiration, the work, the drive, the stiffness and soreness that drives me, that inspires me to work harder than I ever felt I could work. To go faster than I thought I could. To push myself to the limits over and over again. It is all of this and all of the reasons I have yet to discover that I love to run.

This is awkward

10 miles / 1:24:43

I was planning on a long run this morning. I mentally needed it. I had a great day yesterday but then I got into a funk at night. The only thing that gets me out of a funk is a good run. I was planning on doing 8 MAYBE 9 miles and was going to wake up whenever I woke up. No alarm today! I got up around my normal saturday time and putz around. I made some coffee read some Runners World and a chapter in Mile Markers - great book so far - figured around 8:30 it was time to start on my journey.

I rarely go on runs without Sirius. The only times are when it is too hot or on a Wednesday because he was at daycare all day and is too tired. Today, though, I knew I would be running solo. I wanted to push myself with pace and also mileage. I didn't want to be limited with where I could go because of traffic or anything. I just wanted to turn my mind off, not have to worry about anything else around me except for me and to keep moving. I guess I just needed to be selfish and have some alone time.

It was such a great run. About 6 ish miles into my run it started to rain. I didn't have a hat, or a coat on so I got a little chilly and rain in my eyes, but it was just want I needed. I really enjoy running in the rain and it was a nice cool off too. It didn't rain too hard, just sprinkled which was perfect. However, I wear the Jergens Natural Glow lotion that gradually gets darker and makes my albino skin look like I have a great tan. I was also wearing white shorts. So needless to say my legs were streaking orange and my shorts were see-through. Oh well. You win some and you lose some! In all honesty, it lightened my mood up that much more. I was able to laugh at myself which made me feel back to my old self.

I am feeling great now. Not in a funk, and ready for anything!

Here are my splits. I am pretty happy with my time seeing as how it was a hillier route then I normally take, it was raining and I ran 8 miles yesterday. I really was surprised when I saw my splits because I really didn't feel like I was pushing myself and certainly I wasn't looking at my Garmin that much at all. So I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.

Do you like running in the rain?

I love it, as long as it isn't like a torrential downpour and you can't see or a really cold rain where you are just frozen solid. A nice relaxing rain is nice especially in the summer where it semi cools you off during a hard/long run.

What do you do to get out of a funk?

Working out definitely improves my mood. Sometimes if I am being blah, Alan will tell me to go for a run. He knows me so well.

What are your weekend plans?

I just showered and am relaxing right now. However, my stomach is growling so I see a meal in my very near future!

Do you take Gu or anything on long runs?

I normally do but today I didn't. I had a cup of coffee before I left so I felt good. Plus I didn't want to carry any gu or anything since my pocket was already full with my rape whistle and my mace. Yes, I am neurotic!

Afternoon Delight

4 miles with R4J /39 min

I had a great day today. All day I felt really productive and just in a great mood. Even at the end of the day when I was being mentally challenged and then realized that I could have done something 109345098 times faster and easier I just started laughing. Like deliriously laughing so hard. Everyone thought I was crazy but that was just the mood I was in. Like nothing was going to get me down! I think part of it was waking up early and going for a run, part of it was the amazing weather we had today and part of it was because I knew today was Friday, the weekend was ahead and I knew I was running with R4J after work.

R4J and I had a great run. We did a 4 mile loop in her 'hood which was a blast from my past since it was a loop I used to do when I lived in the neighborhood a few years back. Ah, memories! I know I have said it before, and I will continue saying it; I really enjoy running with R4J. The miles seem so effortless and go by so quickly. It is a great way to catch up with someone who you respect, admire and really enjoy their company! We talked a lot about running and our feelings about the KBCM and our training plans for the up comming July 10th 1/2 we are both doing. We both agreed that it was nice to come out of a race knowing that you have another one in a few weeks so the let down isn't too hard. It's like you put so much time, effort and feelings into something for so long and then it's done. Definitely good to set another goal so you don't get too depressed after a race!

And just because I am sure you want to know our splits. Here are the deets!

And just because I didn't get to post them this morning, here are the deets from my morning run with Mr. Annoying Pants, also known as SWP! He was quite the bothersome child this morning. Not wanting to get out of bed and needing to be bribed with a treat, then wanting to chase squirrels and birds and whatever else just not run in a straight line with me. Oh well. I think he is going through his terrible two's a little early.

For some reason my Garmin lap thing was messed up so it has a weird .14 lap in there but oh well. I fixed it after my run and all is right in the world again!

5am 4 miles

4 miles / 34ish min

I got up at 4:55 and looked outside. It was dark and gloomy and I convinced myself that it was about to rain. I got back in bed and laid there for a few minutes. I then realized that it was dark because it was 5am and NOT because it is about to rain. I got back out of bed and changed and got ready to go. I am glad I realized that it is dark at night and light in the day and not all darkness equals rain but even if it does rain its ok, I am not going to melt.

Sirius was not in the mood to run, hence my slowish time. He was dragging the whole time. I wanted to go further than 4 miles but I knew in the state Sirius was in it would be selfish to push him that much. An easy 4 miles it was. It was such a nice run too. I go along a busy road and then it goes up a hill into "the hill section" of the town I live in and it goes along the college campus. I feel really safe running there at off times because of all the blue emergency lights that are planted along the way as well as being on semi busy street with houses and businesses all along the way. I still carry my Mace and my whistle, because you can never be too careful. Plus I have the killer attack dog with me too!

I am in such a great mood today because of my morning workout. I love a good morning sweat. The plus side, it was the perfect temperature outside this morning. 63 and a slight breeze. Absolutely perfect. If my next race could be those conditions I think I could definitely PR!

I am really looking forward to my afternoon delight with R4J. We scheduled a run earlier in the week for today and I am so happy we did. Today is going to be a great day. Sunny and low 70's. I can hardly wait! I wish I could get out of work right now and just run all day. Totally in one of those moods. You know, when you fall a little more in love with running, and with everything else as well. Today, is definitely going to be a good day!

Of course it would rain

Alan takes Sirius out at night for his last bathroom break. He gets Sirius all leashed up and they head out. I am sitting inside and all of a sudden I see a bolt of lightning and hear it start pouring the rain. I am evil and mean and laughing hysterically cause I know Alan is soaked right now.

Planning for an afternoon delight!

Get your mind out of the gutter!

I checked the hourly weather for tomorrow and imagine my delight....

Well, hello there my old friend, Mr. 70 degrees! Don't mind if I do!

It has been so hot, humid, muggy, stifling, rainy, thunderstorm and lightning all up in here recently. Which is so not Vermont in June. Usually, June in Vermont is 70 and sunny. Not 90 and humid. I am so excited that the weather finally realized that this is Vermont and NOT Georgia and got with the program.

I plan on getting up early in the morning and doing a morning run. Heading off to work (maybe on my bike if I don't get too crazy on my morning run) and then, to take full advantage of the weather, go for an afternoon run, or better known as an afternoon delight in my book!

I love when my mind and the weather cooperate. I was really hoping that I could get in some good runs this weekend. After May 29ths race I have been somewhat defeated. I just felt like after my knee injury I sort of stopped working hard. I still ran, but not to the ability that I know that I can. Also running in the heat and having the issues I had at KBCM I just felt mentally not where I should be nor physically where one should be when "training" for a 1/2. I am really hoping to get back on track and get to where I was pre-injury. I was running a lot more and at a faster pace. I want to get back there. I want to be able to hit my 1:45 target. If not for the Mad Marathon then definitely for the ones coming up in the fall -leaf peepers (oct 3rd) or the Green Mountain Marathon (Oct 16th). I know physically I can do it, I have done it on the treadmill. I think mentally I will hold myself back. SO, knowing that, I need to push myself to the limits for the next few months so that mentally I know I am strong and can handle pain, endurance, speed and ultimately satisfaction for reaching my goals!

Do you guys ever get mental road blocks that keep you from reaching your goals?

I do all the time. I have caught myself looking at my watch pre-Garmin during a race and slowing down because it made me nervous how fast I was going! WHAT? I know, I know.

What do you do to prepare yourself physically and mentally for a race?

I train and train some more. However, I need to re-vamp my training and look toward the professionals to get some advice on how to increase speed etc so that I get the results that I want. I know I can finish 13 miles, but what I don't know is if I can finish in a certain time frame.

What are some of your goals for this summer? Running related or not.

I want to get as many half marathons in this season so that next year I know I will be ready for a full. I also want to hit my goal of getting 1:45:00 as well. Non running related I just want to enjoy the summer and some vacation days I have planned - going up to Maine, relaxing by the lake and reading my running books I got in the mail yesterday!

I've been bad lately

Yesterday:
4.0 /1.0 incl/ 31 ish min
60 min body pump

Tuesday
3.0 miles doing hill repeats OUCH

I have been really busy lately and have been neglecting my blogging buddies! SORRY!

I have been feeling really run down and tired lately and the heat isn't helping. I feel like it just zaps all my energy out of me. SUCKS. I am taking today off from running (i think the weather is supposed to be rainy, thunderstorm and lightning - so that makes my decisions for me!) If it isn't that bad I might run to Alan's office but a rest day does sound awfully appealing!

Yesterday I got home from the gym and picking SWP up from day care (yes, our dog goes to day care once a week - don't judge!) and was anxiously awaiting the UPS guys arrival. He delivered yesterday my order from Amazon which included several books (mile markers, running on empty, once a runner and the Runners World compilation of running stories from the magazine throughout the years) It also had some dog treats thrown into the box as well. He also delivered a very exciting gift for Alan from Nike.

Since Alan has been starting to run and has been running more and more and further and further with me we wanted to get hime some good running shoes. The ones that he had I think were messing up with his natural running gait and it started to give him achy hips. So we designed a pair of the 3.0 frees from Nike. It was soooo much fun to design them. Alan made them black, grey and white with lots of green accents! We also personalized the tongue on the shoe and we put Left and Right. TOO FUNNY right? ANYWAYS, Alan is wearing them today to try to get used to them. He isn't used to running shoes and is complaining they are too tight. Well they aren't supposed to be a loosey goose! Your meant to feel the sides of the shoes so they don't slip off your feet! Hopefully he likes them and we can go running this weekend together! I am definitely holding out hope that next year when I run the KBCM full marathon that he will maybe be on a relay team and I will be able to run part of the distance with him. Yes, sappy, I know! A girls gotta have dreams!

I'm not good at taking it easy

4 miles / 1.0 incline / 31 min

60 min Body Pump

I iced my foot all day, and tried to stay off it as much as possible. Well, except for those two 15 minute walks I did. But besides that I tried to stay off of it as much as possible. I felt pretty good and decided to TRY to run a little before my body pump class. I wore my regular New Balance Trail runners and I felt pain the whole first mile and a half. However, after that, I felt great. I am starting to think that maybe, just maybe, the waffle tread on my New Balance minimalist shoes might be causing my issue. I will have to do some more testing before I will say with absolute certainty but I am leaning that way. That isn't to say I don't LOVE my minis. I do. I will still wear them. However, I think I will use them for shorter runs, start wearing my 5 fingers (my real first love) and then use my NB trail runners for long distances.

I am planning on getting up early and doing a run in the morning with my trail runners and then maybe after work tomorrow I will wear my mini's and see how it goes.

Overuse

I didn't run the race today. After taking a quick run around the block and being in pain from the run I figured I should sit this one out. I iced, elevated, and rested my foot all day long. I feel like a lazy bum but am hoping this is what I needed. I am HOPING I will be able to get in a quick run tomorrow before pump...we'll see. I don't want to push it too much and be sidelined for weeks, especially since I have a race in 5 weeks! BUT I hate not running too! I will listen to my body and do what needs to be done.

Last Minute Decision

It's 6:40 and I need to leave by 7 if I am going to run this race or not. I am dressed in my running gear and am just sitting on the couch. I am debating, still, on doing this race. It's not that I don't want to. I do now. However, I went out yesterday for a run and was excited with how beautiful and perfect running weather it was. I made it .5 mile before the pain in my foot hurt so bad. I made it a total of 2 miles before I called it quits. I spent the rest of the afternoon massaging and rolling my foot with my foot massager. Then I went out again with Alan. Again, I made it only 2 miles before calling it quits. Everything I am reading online it sounds like its an inflammation caused by overuse. Just like every other ailment it needs RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation)

Normally I have a high pain tolerance and can run through pain. Proof, yesterday when my foot hurt so bad I had to stop after 2 miles, those 2 miles were some of the faster runs I have had in a while! However, because now it is so painful that it is hard to ignore I am wondering if I continue to push through it and have the selfish mindset of it not stopping my workouts if I am going to cause more damage. I don't want to be sidelined for my July 10th Mad 1/2! Maybe it would be better to sit this 10k out and focus on resting and then training for the Mad? I hate disappointing people and know my co-worker will be at the finish line expecting me to be there. I am disappointed too. I really wanted to go and run and see what my 10k time looks like. Plus I need a good race under my belt since last Sunday was such a shit show for me!

Right now its 50-50. I will do a race recap if I have a race to recap!

1 mile sprint

Alan called and said he was on his way home. He had walked to work today so I said I would meet him halfway and run home. I figured since I was only running at most a mile and a half and would be walking home to push it. I didn't wear my Garmin but I definitely pushed it. I would say I did a mile in under 8 and maybe even close to a 7 min mile. Gives me hope that someday soon I will break through and run a sub 1:45 1/2. Gotta run a sub 1:57 first though.

I am definitely leaning more towards running the dairy fest. I saw that last year the top three in each age category got TROPHIES and that there were only 90 people that ran it. I figure I might have a fighting chance to get a trophy....we'll see. Still trying to get R4J to run it with me though. I wonder i the lure of a trophy will win her over?

Running makes you ugly

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

and of course Exhibit D

and some photo finishes....

I always hope after a race I will get some good pictures but it wont be this race. Oh well.

I am still debating on doing a 10k race this Sunday. Any thoughts?

Pros:

it's ONLY a 10k

it's at a small town and will be country road/ small town flair

my co-worker is really excited to cheer me on and meet me at the finish line -it's really cute!

i don't have a 10k time so any race will be a pr

it will be a 10k more than i am planning on doing

i MIGHT be able to place in my age group since it's a small race

it's another shirt that i could get

its a cheap entry fee

Cons:

i do not have my speed to run a 10k and feel like I could be proud of my time - but anytime will be better than nothing

Lessons

2 miles / 16 min

When you want to start doing speed work these are some tips that I did that worked wonders:
1. You should decide spur of the moment that you want to do speed work that night at a local track
2. You should not hydrate in preparation for this because it was spur of the moment
3. You also don't fuel properly. ie you eat falafel chips with cabot salsa grande dip, and of course the gelato from the previous post
4. You decide to do the speed work during crazy winds because that obviously makes it so much easier
5. You also decide to start this new regimen 3 days after running a half marathon. Legs are usually itching for a great speed workout after big races.

As you can see I used all of my intelligence tonight for this workout.

My legs were dead. I wanted to puke the whole time due to eating crap all day. My time basically averaged out to be exactly what my normal running time is so clearly it wasn't really a "speed" workout. I tried to run 1 lap around the track at a 8.5-9mph and then the next lap around 7mph I don't think that worked out so well for me. oh well. I know I was working hard on my speedier laps but think I slacked on my slower laps. I guess that is ok since I am trying to increase my speed...I really have no idea what I am talking about and am talking out of my butt. Clearly. It's all trial and error I suppose.

Happy national running day. Hopefully everyone got in a little bit of a run today!

Gelato PSA

Hi friends! I felt like I needed to take some time out of running to give this public service announcement. I know some of you in real life, and others I don't know, however I care about all of you equally and care about your safety, well being and overall life. So that is why I am giving you all this PSA. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT. You will become addicted with just one taste of this sweet caramel deliciousness. You will not want to put it away and someone will have to pry the cold container out of your hands in order to save you from yourself.

If you don't heed my warnings and become addicted do not blame me. I did my civic duty and tried to spare you from the pain!