Helloween weekend...

  Yeah, the title pretty much sums up my weekend.  It was hell.  But, I learned the lesson that every runner must learn to fully understand... don't change your diet before a race!

  As I mentioned many times, the Tulsa Run (our local 9.3 mile race) was this past Saturday.  I was beyond psyched to run it and set my first PR for a 15k race!  But, that didn't happen as planned.

  I have been told (and read) many, many times to always stay with what you know the night before a race.  Don't change your diet, don't change your routine.  It causes stress on your body and may result in not favorable outcomes.  Well, I didn't listen.  On Friday campus only had cold food at the caf so we trekked across campus to the Union Center to get lunch.  I hadn't had Subway in a while so I went there to get what I would have gotten in the caf - tuna on wheat with a ton of veggies.  Ate it with staff and walked back to my office.

  Left work and Eryn and I headed off to the Expo to pick up our race packets and look at what everyone was selling.  I made some super awesome purchases - totaling under $30 in all!  These shirts and some stinger supplies...

  Needless to say, I was on cloud nine when I left and feeling great.  Sadly, that didn't last long.

  We were both starving so we decided to go to a local pizza joint in town.  Put in our order (exactly the same thing) and sat down to eat.  The food was amazing but about half way through I started having stomach pain.  I thought that was odd but figured it would pass.

  Got home that night and watched some tv to relax before going to bed.  Stomach started really hurting - like something was just sitting in there and not happy.  Figured I'd do what I usually do - go to bed early and then when I wake up it will be gone.  No worries.

  Went to bed at 9pm, fell asleep right away and woke up around 7.30am and the pain was worse.  I felt nauseous and didn't really want to even walk but I told myself "you are going to do this! You paid $40 and you promised Eryn you'd be there."  So I got up, dressed and went out the door to meet her so we could meet everyone for the race.

  Eryn wanted to warm up for the race by jogging the five blocks to the site from where we parked.  As soon as I started I thought I was going to throw up.  Not a good sign before a race.  I kept it together and let her know that we'd be running the race separately so I didn't keep her from a good time.

  We started out and I began with a 10 minute mile pace.  Made it just past 1 mile and a bit and couldn't do it -  which depressed me even more because it was the same course we did the previous weekend and I rocked that!  I ended up running maybe 3 miles total and walked the rest as fast as I could.  Sadly, I spent most of the "race" doing my best to not throw up and keep moving.  I just wanted to cross the finish line and not feel like a complete failure.

  I finished around the 2 hour mark.  I still haven't looked up my official time - too embarrassing.  After the race we went to the massage booth and I asked them to look at my legs.  They said my calves were extremely tight and were surprised by that.

  I went straight home and ended up sleeping for about 14 hours on and off for the rest of the weekend.  By Sunday I realized I was for sure sick - food poisoning we suspect (from Subway since Eryn never got sick).  I am just now starting to feel human again.  Last night was my first attempt at eating more than cereal for a meal.

  Of course people have yelled at me for being so "stupid" for attempting the race but when you put your mind to something like that, the last thing you want to do is give up before you even try.  Yes, me attempting was probably not the smartest thing in the world and it more than likely made me even more sick, but at the end of the day, I did it.  I crossed the finish line and finished the race.  Just not at a time I am happy with.

  All I can do at this point is learn from my weekend (and missing Halloween sadly) and go back to what works for races.  This weekend will hopefully get me back on track.  We have a "mock marathon" for training - we pay $5 and they give us a sneak peak at what we'll be running in 3 weeks on race day.  Hopefully by then I'll be back to normal and can achieve a decent PR for my first marathon.

  Wish me luck!

Back to the Grind!

  I haven't blogged in a while because I've been slacking on my running routine due to work and didn't want to actually see it in print.
  I'm supposed to be running 19-22 miles a week and with my current schedule and working the last 2 weekends straight I've been averaging about 5-8 miles a week.  Not good.  This past week I managed to somehow only get 2.5 miles in before my long run.
   I'm happy to say that even with all that time off, I was proud of myself.  I managed to get 7.05 miles in staying close and under 10 minutes the entire time.  I ended up losing the running group on Riverside and cut my run a little under a mile short while I later learned that Eryn ended up running 2 extra miles because she also got lost.
 

  The weather was perfect - I'm hoping it's that nice next week when we run the Tulsa Run.  The only downside was that since I arrived 40 minutes earlier than Eryn to the finish line, I was freezing while waiting for her.  Sweat and cold weather don't go very well together.
  I've been needing to get new sneakers for a while now.  I've had my old pair since the summer started and they are finally starting to die on me.  That, and along with the fact that the arch isn't very high and they cause shooting pains in my arch when I run more than 8 miles or run more than two days straight.
  I had originally planned to just swing by Fleet Feet and talk to them about my arch and try on some shoes. Instead I ended up buying a pair on sight and getting better arch support.
  The shoes only cost $100 (better deal than Foot Locker) and although they didn't have more than one color, I couldn't say no.

 

  The arch was sized for my shoe - and I can take it out and change it in the others if needed.  It cost $45 and is supposed to help my running.  She said to wear it 2-4-6 hours in the first week.  I'm excited to break them in on a few long runs before the Half Marathon.

  I'll let you know how it feels.  Probably not going to use them during the Tulsa Run just because I don't want to have any issues on a race, but I will definitely try them out the week after on our 12 mile run.

  Very excited to start getting back into training mode, working out regularly outside of my classes, adding more miles and bringing weights back into my workouts.  I have tended to not push myself on Tues and Thursday but I need to work on it.  I need to stop slacking - not good!!

  So last week was not good for running - at all!  I can't lie - I was no where near where I should have been or wanted to be for training for our half.

  Part of it is my schedule this semester - it's insane, and part of it was I was being lazy and just couldn't do it.  My nights have become lost to meetings.  I try to get 2-3 miles in before Zumba at 5.30pm and then run home an hour later for a quick dinner before running to my 9pm meeting which ends around 10.30pm and then bed.  Tuesdays and Thursdays are the attempt after work to run and do weights (Eryn and I have cancelled on one another every time for the past 3 weeks due to meetings and things) and yoga from 8-9.15pm, then home and bed shortly after.  Wednesday is pretty much my only weeknight off right now so I try to spend it relaxing and working on early Christmas presents.  Thursdays this semester we have our weekly events so depending on when they start, I can't do the gym or I have to skip yoga so my Thursdays are all over the place right now.  And I can't go out Friday nights due to early training on Saturdays.

  Needless to say, life is crazy.  This week was my final "on-duty" week until 2012!  So exciting!  That means no more carrying my phone to yoga class or Zumba class and no more worrying about getting coverage for my Saturday runs!  That makes my life a little more mine, which is always nice.

  I didn't do the long run this past Saturday because they were going to the next town over and I didn't remember to ask someone to cover for me so I set my alarm for 6am and figured I'd run 8-9 miles around town by myself and do what I could.  That... didn't happen.  Got a 3am duty call and when I woke up to my alarm 2 hours later... I couldn't do it.

  Thankfully Eryn wanted to run after she got home from NYC so we hit the gym before my meetings tonight.  I was so happy to be back in there - and did a very nice, strong 3 mile run around 28 minutes.  We also realized Eryn's Nike+ is way off.  We ran 3 miles (she ran possibly less since she ended up behind me) and her gps said she did 3.44 and mine said 3.01 so I felt better that all the miles she'd been hitting may not have been right (I was feeling like a failure lately ha ha).  We're going to calibrate it to the track tomorrow so we're more in sync.

  I am hoping life calms down this month although I'm not expecting it.  I leave for a conference in AR this weekend with some of my staff and the weekend after I will be in Philly for a wedding of a dear friend from my undergrad.  Not sure how much running I will be able to get in being out of town two weekends in a row but I'm hoping to do as much as I can before I go.  Hopefully Sarah will be willing to run with me at least 3 miles on Sat before the wedding (hint! hint!). ; )

Seven mile "short run"

  So Saturday didn't quite go as planned but it ended up better than expected which is always nice!

  I have training runs with my running group every Saturday morning at 6am.  I knew my running partner would not be there this week - against my advice she ran 15 miles in less than 2 days and messed up her knees this week and then had to drive over 10 hours in 2 days and it took more out of her than she expected.  So I was going to brave it alone.

  I went to bed at my usual time - 10pm with the plans of unwinding and being asleep by 11 and waking up at 5 to get dressed and head out the door.

  Instead of the usual Friday night, my body decided to not go to sleep until 1am and when that alarm hit at 5am I just couldn't do it.  As a runner we are constantly told to "listen to our bodies" rather than listening to our minds and pushing too hard.  My body told me that if I did the run that morning it was not going to be good.  So I listened to it and went back to bed.  Sadly, my body also didn't want to go back to sleep so I laid in bed for another hour cursing myself for not running but also knowing that I needed the break - especially after being so sick.

  It wasn't too disappointing though - to be honest. I enjoy running with the group each Saturday but we're not half way into our runs and not one person knows who I am or really talks to me.  They talk to my running buddy all the time and when she refers to me by name she always gets "who's that?" as a response which annoys her a lot.  It bothered me at first because I really joined the group to meet new people and make friends but I've come to the realization that I'll be leaving (hopefully) in less than a year so there's really no point in getting too invested at this point.  Just waiting until I make my next move and settle somewhere new and start fresh.

  Anyway, about the run!  I ended up texting Eryn and we made plans to run our old route by the river around 11am to get our 7 miles in.  We parked where we park in the mornings for our group run and ran to the river, up and down the path and back to the car.  All in all we finished in 1 hour and 24 minutes.  Eryn had a few cramps along the way and had to walk but I pushed super hard and only ended up walking less than a half mile at one point (around mile 5.5) to stretch my legs. 

  It amazes me every time we have a long run - I look at my iPhone and smile because I remember the days I couldn't imagine running a total of 3 miles or over 20 minutes.  Now I'm running 6-8 miles pretty easily and running well over an hour every weekend.  Blows my mind.

  I'm still extremely nervous about the Half Marathon but also excited to have the experience.  I feel like once it's done I'll know what it's like and can then decide if I want to try it again.  My goal is to do at least 3 - I'd like to do the Route 66, the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon and possibly one in my hometown of Philly.  I'm not sure if I will have the time to do the Half Marathon in OKC this spring.  We'll see how my job search is going at that point and how busy I am as the semester comes to a close!

  First, I apologize for not updating in what seems like forever.  I was hit with horrible allergies 2 weeks ago and it took me out for most of the past 2 weeks - to the point I wasn't even working out because I couldn't breathe or sleep.  I thought it was the flu but thankfully I was wrong.

  So to play catch up, things have been super busy with work on top of everything else!  Never ends in my field but that's why I love it. : )

  Keeping up with my miles was very difficult while I was sick and I can't lie - I did fail at times.  I had to skip a zumba class and 2 yoga classes due to work and illness.  Depressing but I'm sure my body appreciated the time off.

  To try to work with both of our busy schedules, my running partner and I have been doing the occasional morning run.  I have to admit, I'm not a morning person.  I hate waking up before 8am but nothing is more magical than seeing this when you hit the top of a hard hill (ours is 3 to 6 miles in depending on what route we run).

  As I'm sure you can imagine, it's even more beautiful in person.  My iPhone did not do the sunrise justice!  To me, there is nothing more beautiful than coming to the end of your run and seeing such a wonderful sight - it always makes me want to push just a little bit harder and that's usually needed at the end of a run.

  I was nervous during my sick time because we had a very important upcoming race on Saturday - the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and I was actually running for someone!  The race was something my running partner had worked on the advertisements for so she really wanted to run it as our first race of the "new year."  I am lucky in the sense that no one close to me has ever had to fight any type of cancer (with the exception of a non-blood uncle) so I wanted to be able to run for someone during the race.

  As it turned out, my co-worker's mother had been diagnosed before which is why she is so passionate about the cause.  She asked if I'd run for her mother and I was honored.  My co-worker is a huge scrapbooker so she took a wonderful photo of us with the creation she made of my bib.

  Can you see the HUGE rings under my eyes... that was a few days before the race when I still felt like crap and hadn't been on meds yet.  Now I feel and look much, much better thanfully!

  Here's a close-up of her creation.  Can you tell she likes pink?

  She said our male co-worker made all the spirals so I'll include his photo too as a "thanks" for the entirely too much pink I wore (not a fan of the color).

  The race itself was amazing and I'm so glad I was able to be a part of it.  There were so many people - easily the largest race I had ever been to before.  I almost felt like it was giving me a taste of what to expect at the Route 66 Half Marathon in a little over 2 months.

  My running partner and I have both decided to have fun at the half marathon - we are planning on tutu's or something along those lines so we stand out and hopefully (finally!) get photos taken while we are running.

  The race course was a good one - not too many hills and the hills we did have were not nearly as steep as what we've been doing on our training runs lately so it was pretty easy.  I shot off as soon as I heard the gun and crossed the finish line at 28:48.  That's my 3rd best time yet so I was very happy.  I did an average 5:46 km and an average 9:17 mile.  The system messed up with groups so they said they'd have those stats to us by the end of the week.  Can't wait to see where I stand with those.

  My running group ran 3 miles to the race, ran the race and then ran 4 miles back to get their 10 miles in.  I was on duty that week and received a 3:30am call that morning so I only did the race - I didn't want to push myself and then have an accident/injury.

  Before the race....

  After I got home...

  The shirts this year are super cute as well - looking forward to adding it to the collection I've been growing since I started racing in Tulsa.

  Now just looking forward to the next few races before our half - Oktoberfest Lederhosen 4 mile race, the Tulsa Run 15k and maybe a quick 5k somewhere in there as well.  I love this time of year!! : )

Soda... bye bye

I've been trying to cut down on soda until I can finally cut it out of my life forever. I tend to give it up for Lent and then pick it up again shortly after as it's quick, easy and no calories. I know it dehydrates me and the caffeine makes me sleepy so as a runner I don't need either of these but at times, I settle because it's there. I found this today and I wanted to share it. I think I may print it out and stick it on my fridge so I can remind myself that I need to stop drinking it!!


Via: Term Life Insurance

First weekend off in forever!!

  So Eryn is going out of town this weekend and I suck at long runs by myself so we decided to allow ourselves a nice, relaxing weekend and got up at 6am to do our long run today. I honestly figured I'd do 5 miles and make up the other 4 later tonight before I go out.

  Nope.  Not quite.

  We decided to run town  because I've found (at least for me) that when I run in town I run farther because I have to get home so it's not like I can just quit - I have to finish. : )  Ways I trick my mind and body...

  We decided to start on Harvard and work our way down to Utica.  As we ran we started talking about adding some extra miles.  I suggested going down Cherry Street (it has a huge hill) and then back up on 11th.  We pushed and pushed and made that goal.  Then Eryn realized we'd hit construction if we ran down to 11th so we took 14th back home - which meant we ran up the Cherry Street hill one street over.  I know Eryn wasn't happy but I felt so good making it up that hill - knowing I was at least 5 miles in by then and not stopping.  I had no issues climbing it and made it up with relative ease.  We kept pushing through and made it back to my apartment in 1 hour and 13 minutes with 6.75 miles under our belt.  We figured we might as well finish to 9 miles so we grabbed our keys, ids, etc and walked to the gym.

  We did some intense stretching and then set to work - finishing the last 2.25 miles (or in Eryn's case - over 2.5 miles).  I stopped at 8.5 miles total and walked the last 4 laps to hit my 9 miles.  My knees were getting wobbly and my left foot was starting to hurt each time I hit the ground (time for new shoes??).

  I still can't believe we did 9 miles today!  When I checked my Nike+ I found that I cut 10 minutes off my run a few weeks ago and I only ran 7.61 then!  I even set a new 10k PR on my phone.  Pretty intense.  It blows my mind to see that I ran over 1.5 hours!!  Didn't seem like it was that long at all -  maybe an hour at most.

  I am paying for it now though - don't let me fool you.  My abs are screaming in pain and I am pooped but I have to make it through the day so I can celebrate some amazing women's birthdays tonight.  Gonna definitely take a nap after work!!

  Hope your day and weekend are as eventful as mine have already been today! ; )