Overdue update!

  My apologies for not updating as I promised - things have finally started to calm down.  To the point I even had a chance to clean a few rooms in my apartment!  Such a great feeling!

  I was able to take part in Banana Republic's 50% off family and friends sale as well as a few other sales over the month.  Figured I'd share some of my new purchases. : )

  If you couldn't tell already, I have an obsession with BR.  But, as I've learned from a good friend, when you spend the little extra for good clothing and take good care of it, your clothes will last a lot longer than something you pick up at Target or Old Navy.

  Anyway, on to the running!!

  We received our team shirts.  I didn't want a tank at first but after receiving it and wearing it on Thursday for our morning run, I really like it.  Here's a look at 6am...

  It's very fitting, light and breathable which is exactly what I want in a tank top when I am running long distances.  I will have to wear my white bra and sports bra underneath but that's fine.  Eryn and I felt "hard core" when we wore them for our run that day (not planned) with our matching water bottles.

  The water bottles were one of the best investments I've made since we started training!  It cost under $30 with tax and holds a good amount of water.  It took about 30 minutes to get used to and now I use it every run - not matter how long we go.  The non-id side has a pocket which I tend to carry a G2 packet and a granola bar in case I get hungry or need some extra umph during my run.  If you run and you don't have something like this - you need to invest in one!!  They also have sets where it's a bottle in a hand carrier if you prefer that more.

  

   Now on to the runs!  Last week we had an 8 mile run. Eryn kicked butt and ran 98% of it.  I ran about 95% of it but I am not going to lie - I struggled!  I had to walk a few short bits but I am proud to say I made it up and down every single hill (and believe me when I say there were many, many tough hills on this run!) so at the end of the day, that made me happy with my final turnout.  I ran 7.61 miles in 1:38:04 which blew me away.  I couldn't believe that I'd managed to make it that far - I wasn't expecting to run past 6 miles but somehow I pulled it out and did it.

  We ran our Monday and Tuesday miles in the gym.  My Tuesday run didn't record on my iPhone (still learning this app) so I was disappointed but I know that I made my 3 miles so I was good.  We decided to run Thursday early morning as neither of us would have time Thursday evening to do the run.  It was wonderful - a breezy morning in the mid-70's - couldn't ask for a better day!

  Today we had a step back long run - 6 miles.  I set my personal goal to achieve this run (without walking) and make it back under 1:15:00.  I did it!! I finished today's 6 miles in 1:05:29!!  I was so proud of myself.  There were some decent sized hills but nothing like last week so it was a nice break.  Above is what I've run since I started keeping it on my phone.  Eryn's is a little more up to where we really are - she is at almost 200 miles on her phone and since we run together almost every time, I know I'm close to her numbers.

  Best part of today - was enjoying my first bagel in forever after as well as some delicious watermelon!!  We treated ourselves for our hard work and enjoyed some delicious Panera.

  I guess when I finally leave my job I'm going to have to break down and invest in a iTouch so I can keep running and tracking it.  I don't want to switch to iPhone (don't like them very much) but want to keep using the app because I really do like it and prefer using it over iMap My Run.

  In other news, we're gearing up for some super fun races soon.  Eryn and I will be running the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure 5k on September 17th together.  After that I am hoping to run the Tulsa Zoo Run on October 1st with some of my wonderful staff members and the Tulsa Run 15k (my longest race yet!) with Eryn before we finish our training with the Route 66 Half Marathon on November 20th.

  It's kinda overwhelming to see the distances becoming greater and greater - I think the random 5k's will help.  I am also considering adding the Oktoberfest Lederhosen 5k on October 18th - haven't made my final decision on that one yet.  I'll have to talk to Eryn.  The nice thing is if I register I get free entrance to Oktoberfest which I'll definitely be going to anyway. : )  The only sad thing is I can't do the Skirt Chasers 5k again since it's the same day and time as the Race for the Cure and I promised Eryn we'd do that one instead.

  It's definitely going to be a very costly few months but I just paid off a huge credit card I've been working on  so the money I used for that each month can now go towards my races for the next few months.  Pretty excited about that.  Not to mention the fact that because of all of my running and gym time I got the 50% discount on our gym so only $75 will be pulled from my paycheck this year for my membership.  AND my awesome big boss gave me a free pass to a gym class so I used it for a $50 yoga class and only had to pay for my $45 Zumba class.  Between running/training, Zumba, Yoga and cross-training during the week I'm going to be SO fit it's gonna be unbelievable!!  I'll just have to work as hard when I am done training.  I'm hoping Yoga makes me more flexible and helps me work on my stretching as well as making me more relaxed during the week.

  Cross training has been a slow process - being out of the gym for 3 weeks has been hard and I'm feeling the pain today.  I did some machines yesterday as well as free weights for my arms and some free weights with crunches on the balance board and I can feel it in my abs when I move.  But, no pain no gain so I'm just gonna keep on moving because I know what I want my end result to be.  And it will be worth it!!

More training x 2

  We are not almost a week into RA training and I'm making it!

  It hit me this morning that my students are moving in within 2 days and although I know we are prepared for the most part (minus the copier being broken this week - yeah SA people, you read that right!!) and we'll be great for opening.

  The start of the week and getting used to late night runs along with long training days really wiped me out but I think my body is finally getting back on schedule.

  Last night Eryn and I had an epic run - one I had to blog about just because I'm so proud of myself (and Eryn) and were else can I promote myself but here? : )

  We are not doing morning runs this week 1) because I'd die with training starting at 8am most days and 2) because it's been raining all day all week so by nighttime it is cooler and not raining.  Last night I asked that we meet up at 8.15pm because I figured we'd be doing 4 miles and that usually lasts about an hour with stretching beforehand.  We ran a little late (due to me) and started our run around 8.35pm or so.

  We decided to run our latest route backwards just to get a change of pace, try new hills and trick our body/mind.  It worked!  The weather was amazing - a cool 76 degrees with a slight breeze.  After running in 104 degrees lately, this was heaven on earth for us!!

  Before we knew it, we were up to 3 miles.  My goal for the night was 3.5 straight.  We hit just over 3 and agreed to keep pushing since we were near a local mall.  While Eryn stopped in Starbucks I did an extra lap and get a few more steps in.

  After we met up again we continued running and kept going and going.  Before we knew it, we were up to 6 miles before walking!  I was blown away - I still can't believe we made it that far!  We added time as we went, which was fine, but it was such a great feeling starting with a 9'50 mile and ending on just a little over an 11' mile.

  The funniest part was we were honked numerous times, screamed at a few times and almost caused an accident on Utica when the guy almost hit the curb on the corner because he was checking us out.  I laughed really hard over that one.

  Since we made 1 mile short of our Sat run I feel more comfortable taking that morning off so I'm ready for training and making up my mileage that evening so I can get a good nights sleep before my freshmen move in on Sunday.  I'm also very lucky to have such a supportive staff who have been able to keep up with their work while I've been doing my mileage this week.

  Finally, exciting news - we picked our October run - Tulsa Run 2011!!  Eryn has talked me into a 15k as a practice run before our half marathon in November.  Nervous, but now knowing I can do 6 miles somewhat easily, I am feeling more ok with an almost 10 mile run by then.  Wish me luck!! 

7 Miles and then some

  So this past week Eryn and I have run the most we have together ever.  I ran 16.11 miles this week.  I'm still amazed when I see that number... I never thought I'd get past 10 miles a week but the number keeps growing, which is both scary and exciting.

  Yesterday we went to a speaker to hear about eating better while training.  Thankfully I already knew a lot of what she shared with us and am practicing it.  She did encourage us to drink more Gatorade so I went out last night and bought a few bottles for quick gulps after the longer runs.  She also reminded us that even though we are running longer distances we shouldn't up the junk food intake.  That's always hard for me - especially during opening because it's just so easy to reach for that candy bar for some quick sugar rather than a piece of fruit.

  She gave us some helpful information to prevent "digestive issues" during and after a race.  Pretty sure most runners have had those problems.  Definitely will use that advice in the future.  I'm really glad we went to her.  And most importantly she said to follow my life rule "if you crave it, have it."  No reason to deny yourself as long as you aren't going too crazy with the junk food.

  The seven mile run wasn't as bad as I expected and it's allowed me to set a goal for this weekend.  I paused my Nike app each time I walked so I could get a real read of what I was actually running.  I did better than I expected - I ran 5.9 out of 7 miles.  My goal for this week will be at least 6 out of 7 miles.  What's going to be even harder is as soon as we finish I have to rush home, shower and be ready for training!  Whew!

  The run was also fun because it took us all through downtown.  I never knew just how small our downtown really was - when I can run all over it in about 5 miles - pretty crazy!  But nice to see new things I've never seen before and new ways of getting to places.

  I was supposed to start morning runs with Eryn this morning but I think my body and mind weren't cooperating with my plans.  I didn't fall asleep until after 12.30am last night and apparently 1) set my alarm incorrectly and 2) left my phone "on" so it was lit all night so the battery died before I had to get up.  I've been sleeping with my work phone on silent since the school year hasn't started yet and forgot it in the living room so even that wasn't going to wake me up.  I sat up at 7.30am and realized what happened and was so disappointed in myself.  I'll have to figure out a way to make those 3 miles up - maybe tomorrow night if it cools down.

  I'm also keeping the weight off, which is nice.  I'm down to 142.0 which I'm pretty proud of.  My wii however felt the need to tell me that my "ideal weight" would be 126.0 and I should work towards that goal.  Seriously... way to be supportive wii.  I can't and should never get down that far - I would look terrible and sickly.  Just more reason to hate the unreasonable and irresponsible BMI chart.  I don't believe that I would be "at my healthiest" at that weight, as my wii says I would be.  I already take in less than 1500 calories on a non-workout day - I can't even imagine taking in less to hit my "ideal weight" - no desire to go down that path again!

  Hopefully I'll be able to keep everything together this week between training and RA training.  I'm going to do my best as both my job and my training are the most important things to me right now.  I'll do my best to update and keep you in the loop to how I'm managing! : )

First purchase of furniture!!

  So this isn't really running related but exciting for me in a dorky way.

  I bought my first ever piece of real furniture today!  Found it at a random thrift store my staff took me to last night.  I took a friend back with me today and had her test it out and she agreed it was good and just needed a little work.

  So, my first new addition to my future house/apartment... a rocking chair that looks like one my grams kept in her house.

  Please ignore the explosion on the futon behind the chair.  I am cleaning it in my office and then plan on moving it into my apartment once it's completely clean.  : )

  This is my happy purchase for the weekend.

Running like a crazy woman!

  After a wonderful conference and an even better weekend with great friends, I'm trying desperately to catch up on everything I've put off (or forgotten) before I lose my life to training/move-in/opening.  Welcome to the life of a college professional!!

  One thing I haven't lost this week - my will and desire to run!  Now that my running buddy is back I am in full gear and ready to run!  I pulled out and dusted off my running log and have been keeping better record of my mileage.  I haven't been so good tracking it on the iPhone as my arm band sucks and is now ripping so I'm waiting for a new one from ebay to arrive soon.

  This week we are completely on target for our runs but I'm still scared out of my mind for this weekend.  We started Monday with a goal of 4 miles.  We did end up breaking it down (for a pee break) but did 2 straight 2 mile sets in 42 minutes.

  Our next run was a bit harder run since Monday was in the nice air-conditioned gym and Tuesday was outside.  Eryn works later on Tuesday nights so it plays with our schedule since the gym's summer hours end at 7pm.  We ventured out at 9pm in hopes of a less hot night - it was 114 degrees earlier in the day.  Yes, you read that correctly.

  We made our mileage but I honestly feel I pushed myself a little too hard.  We ran three very hard and somewhat hilly miles and ended up walking about another mile so I could literally uncurl my body from the running position.  After that run we decided that until the gym is open for academic hours we are doing morning runs when it's cooler.

  So today we ran at 6am.  Let me tell you, it's amazing to run in 80 degree weather when you are used to running in the 100's all summer.  Total and complete bliss!!  It was so amazing we ran 3.21 miles before we even considered walking!  Then we knew we wanted to go further so we walked an additional 2 miles before heading home to start our day!  The whole 5+ mile loop only took us an hour - 37 minutes of running and the rest walking.  I felt so energized and relaxed when we finished and we kept saying "remember when we had to stop here last time we did this loop?" as we kept running further and further.

  The interesting part is that for once I'm focusing on my distance rather than my pace.  I think I'm finally to a point where I know I can run a 5k in under 28 if I really push it.  Now I just want to keep gaining distance and not worry about speed.  I know a year ago I would have been so disappointed about running a 5k in over 40 minutes but now for me it's about conquering the hills, keeping my pace steady and not pushing so hard I want to die before I finish.  It's been a mind game most of the time - trying to not let the mental blocks stop me but I'm slowly getting there.
 
  I have to admit I'm very proud of us for keeping up with our weekly goals so far.  It's been tough with both of us taking vacations (and slacking on them at times!) but we're back on track and doing great. At the same time, a 7 mile course this weekend is so daunting!  I know I can do 4 to 5 miles if I push myself - I'm just not sure about adding another 3 miles on top of that.  Eryn can run up to 6 miles when she pushes herself.  I told her my goal for this weekend is running a total of at least 5 miles - even if it's broken up.  I just want to run as much as I can and walk as little as I have to.  We'll see how it goes!!