So over rain

I'm so done with rain preventing me from doing my long runs. Since it's nasty out on the days i have the time to run for two hours, and nice out on the days I don't, I have been doing my 3.55 mile run and working on getting faster. I have managed to drop about 15 more seconds off my pace. Yes I am still going slow, but I am not longer over heating and getting ill about a mile in which means I am finally adjusting to running in warm weather. Yay! Now if I could just get my long run in this weekend as sort of a mental exercise to prove I can go the full 10 miles, I will be set.

Im Bad!

I haven't been updating properly. My blisters are finally getting smaller, but talk about a lesson learned! Always make sure your shoes fit properly and don't wear ones that don't even for just one run! I did a 2 mile run Monday and a 3.5 mile run Wednesday where I tried to pick up the speed a little bit. I have a long run this weekend and I think if I may finally be able to do the 10 under a 14 minute mile. My speed is still slow but it's not "walkers move faster than I do after mile 5" slow anymore.

Boo!

Blogspot ate my post! Long story short - 7 miles on Sunday/1 hour 35 minutes. Still too slow. Can defin. run for 2 hours 20 minutes cardio wise, it's the legs and pace that are the problem. Hip is hurt, no run til Wednesday to let it rest.

3 mile monday

Well I tried to run this weekend after eating out - bad idea. Very bad idea. Today though I had a three mile run. I ran for 43 minutes and according to google pedometers it was 3.3 miles, meaning I'm running about a 13 minute mile. Thats not good but it's under the 14 minute mile I'm required to make for the 10 miler.

I need to start logging more miles though, my legs are still not as strong as I would like.

Oh injuries

So the sprinting thing I did last blog? Not the best idea. I strained my right quad and it decided it didn't want to support a lot of weight. I tried on Sunday and failed and wound up doing machines at the gym.

Well, I finally ran last night after resting said leg for a few days. Only a short 1.25 miles but I worked on speeding it up at the end and tried to keep a decent pace. Hopefully I will make it through a long run this weekend.

BaH

Well, I know better than to try to run on an empty stomach. At least I sort of knew I didn't have the energy to run but it was so nice out today I had to sneak out. I did a super short run of about a mile and worked on keeping a decent pace. I did a pretty quick jog/run and followed the advice of my Dad which is to pick a spot a short ways ahead and sprint there. Supposedly this is going to help with my little problem of shuffle-jogging the whole run and increase my speed over time.

Looks like I'll be running again tomorrow...

Way behind on posts

Oopsies! last post Feb 10... My bad!
But I'm super busy again today, so a quick summary!
Last thurs: 1 mile at lunch
Monday: 1 mile in snow, fail
Tonight: 60 minutes, which is prob about 4.5-4.75 miles

Icicle Run 2010

Just kidding, I didn't actually freeze, although I can't feel my butt. Wind chill = evil! As you have probably guessed, I did my run outside tonight. It was actually nice, because even though I didn't get out until 5:30 or so, it was actually twilight and I COULD SEE! Since I had some visibility I got to run to the park and did a nice loop as the darkness came upon me (bwahaha, tres goffick I know).

My legs are super tight from all the slopes from the happy little hills, but I ran for 40 minutes and about 3 miles. My pace is slow still when things aren't perfectly flat, but I felt stronger and less tired on the aerobic front. I think that counts as progress!

Another Run, Another Snow

Seriously I am done with snow and slush. Do you hear me eradic weather patterns caused by global warming?! D-O-N-E DONE!

2 miles, 23 minutes. On the treadmill. Then it was a rush back out to ensure I could get down the steep hill from the gym without spinning out. I think the mustang two cars in front of us slid the whole way there.

I am never going to catch up at this rate!

Way overdue, slow restart

Wow I haven't been able to run in a while. First we got snowed in, then I got sick, then I was feeling better and we had a freak toilet explosion at work which flooded half the floor and made everyone sick. The water wasn't a big deal but the shopvacs came in and don't have filters and half the workforce left early with sinus attacks, migraines, and dizziness. Thanks, exploding toilet!

I just did a quick short run tonight to ease back into things, although I was scheduled for four miles (ouch!) I did a 12 min mile outside, and tomorrow I get to go the distance! My guess is it will be done in intervals and not a big long run but hopefully I will catch up in a week or two.

Tuesday 25 mins

Whoa is it cold out. I forced myself to run today. My pace was sporadic so I'm not sure the distance, but it was somewhere between 1.75 and 2 miles. The total time was 25 minutes of jogging, and I was outside behind my house again so there were small hills involved again.

No overheating problems thanks to the cold. My knees hurt something awful but they aren't swelling. They probably just don't like getting used without a nice week long break in between, ha!

Adventures in Heat Rash

So today I tried the treadmill again thanks to the rain. However, unlike previous attempts, this time I came prepared! The fans were on but I don't think they actually blow any air anywhere. I busted out shorts from high school that were way too short and very unflattering and a wife beater. Also, this afternoon I ventured to Walgreens and purchased myself a spray bottle. Apparently I need one of those spray bottles with a fan attached.

So yes, I spent the run spraying myself down with water. Brad would come by between his sets and spray down the back of my legs. I didn't do the 3 miles I wanted straight through but I did finish the distance this time. I ran 2 miles first in 25 minutes before I turned purple and had to quit. I managed to use up almost the whole spray bottle and drank 20 ounces of water trying to keep my head from exploding. So I doused myself in more water and drank another 20 ounces and walked for 2-3 minutes, and then ran .5 miles, took a 1 minute break, and ran the last .5 miles, making my total 3 miles. I really wanted to push through the whole thing together and I think if I was on a flat surface outside I could have done it.

On a side note, somewhere along the way I got heat rash all over my legs. I don't know if it happened before, because this is my first time running in shorts, but ya I broke out in red spots all over my legs. You wouldn't be able to tell if my arms or face did this since both were variations of red and purple. I don't even normally get heat rash so I don't know what is up with my poor body. I am going to make a deliberate effort to try to lower some of my sodium intake and see if that helps.

1.5 miles friday january 22

Ya, no surprise here, didn't stick to the schedule again. Fighting in my Weds and Thurs runs are going to be the bane of my running existence. Did about 1.5miles today (18 minutes 30 seconds) outside in small hill land. My legs are doing much better although since my run on Monday my knees have hurt. It's odd, because I don't have any swelling or fluid on them, they are just SORE. Maybe a sign of old age? I would have trekked out a bit longer but I only had 20 minutes total due to a social engagement this evening. It's probably best, since I am scheduled to attempt a 3 mile run tomorrow. I am not sure yet if I will go to the gym or not. I am actually considering going to a park or a track, so that I can run on a flat surface but still outside. I think I've put this in the blog before, but the street that runs behind my place is hilly so its a little more difficult to run.

Really though, running jacketless in 45 degree weather is AWESOME! No sarcasm here either, it is the best thing ever to keep me from overheating and feeling like I am going to die. Tonight, I am a little clammy, but still no good sweat. Such an odd thing to be bummed about...

Sunday and Monday - Positive Fail

It was a very social weekend, and once again my running schedule got jacked! I moved the Sat 2.5 miles to Sunday and had the same over heating problems again. I was dumping water on my head but still felt like I was about to get heatstroke at the gym after I hit the mile marker. I made it a little farther than last time but it's still lame I'm overheating on the treadmill. I wish the fans were on or something since I get so warm I'm not even sure running naked would resolve the problem. When I had to stop at the mile mark, the boyfriend and I even hulk hogan'd my shirt and ripped the sleeves off and tore it down both sides so it became a giant loose tunic. I made it another .25 but it seems once I overheat there is no coming down from it for an hour or so. I moved to the rowing machine though since it works different muscles and the machine has a fan on the wheel so it does cool you a little bit.

I'm off the 8-5 job today though, so I went out to do my run outside since its 39 degrees and is a super nice day. Everyone looked at me funny because I was running in a tank top but I didn't overheat! Also I did sweat - I can feel it on my back and also on the back of my head. Based on my elite internet research, people who have small pores and the capillaries are close to the skin (probably me since my head turns red) don't cool off as well because the moisture evaporates before it pools into sweat. Also, fat is highly insulating as everyone knows, so I think the reason this is a problem now when it wasn't back when I was younger is probably related to the 30 extra pounds of fat I currently carry. At least that is something that will slowly improve as I run.

I made it 20 minutes which was probably 1.5-1.75 miles which is shorter than the 2 miles I wanted but better than Sunday. Also, this time I had to stop because of a nasty cramp in my arch which when I tried to compensate for also became a calf cramp in the opposite leg. I think if my run had been flat I would have made it the two miles no problem, but I have to run in the street because the sidewalk isn't smooth. This means I'm not running on a completely flat surface as the road angles pretty sharply for water run off. Also, while it is fairly flat there it is still a hill and my calves were on fire in the first minute since the first part of the run is uphill. This is definitely one of the negative side effects of spending the first two weeks running indoors on the treadmills. I am going to make a point to do my Wednesday and Thursday runs outside, even if I don't have speed and distance control on lock down. I need to build up the muscles for "real world" running if I ever want to survive the 10 miles in DC.

Thursday = Fail

Tonight was fail. I'm super busy but decided to try to sneak my mile run in anyways since I missed Wednesday for the same reason. The temps were above freezing today, which has resulted in a horrible headache, but since it was technically warmer I decided to try to run outside. What a fail.

I managed a half mile before I had to quit. I am not sure if it was because of the pounding headache, the fact I had not ate anything since 2:30pm, or because the cold hurt. If the issue was food or headache it can be resolved. Hopefully the issue wasn't the cold, because I will not be able to run in doors all the time and I need to get used to running off the treadmill, and I don't really have time to retrain my body to not ache in the cold.

At least I ran, right? This could be a very long four months...

1.5 miles, Monday January 11

Well it's still ridiculously cold but its Monday so it's gym day with the boyfriend anyways so who cares. The snow and ice are pretty much gone though so hopefully I can try to do some runs outside this week.

Tonight I did 1.5 miles. The run was more rough than I would like and I don't think it's feeling any easier yet. Since I was at the gym I tried to work on "speed" a little bit. Speed is a very relative term here since nothing I am doing is even remotely close to "speed" but I still tried to go faster than I was going before. I varied my speed from 5.0 to 5.7 mph, and averaged 11:30 a mile. Not too horrible, but not great either. My right ankle tried to lock on me when I first started, so my left side is sore from over compensating but otherwise I feel fine.

I did notice while running I am not breathing in or out of my nose. This is probably a bi-product of bad sinuses but I seem to recall exhaling through it somewhat back when I was in high school and college. Hopefully this isn't a sign of bad blockage, seeing how my sister has 98% obstruction but the insurance company still won't pay to fix it. Oh, I love insurance companies they are my favorite special friends!

Friday and Saturday - Ouch!

So this week got totally jacked up (thanks, nameless insurance company that refuses to make reasonable offers). The running schedule got a little out of whack and had to be readjusted. Oops? I guess I have to be flexible though with the whole being a professional thing.

Anyways, I ran the full 2 miles on Friday and it hurt but wasn't too awful. However, my body seems to have forgotten how to sweat more than usual and I turned purple and couldn't cool off. Awful! Today was way worse though, I was supposed to run two miles again but I've been having bad sinus drainage problems. You don't want to know what happens when you run with an upset stomach. Very very bad. I managed to do half a mile before I had to stop to prevent physical illness and then did two more 1/4 miles. I had to stop at a mile because it was too awful. I did however, move to the bike and ride at level 9 fairly hard for 13 minutes. My heart rate was 170 but I did finally start sweating a little bit which is way good!

My next run is Monday 1.5 miles. I am going to work for more speed since I managed to do the two miles. I just hope that Saturday's problem won't hold me back for the 2.5 miles I have to hit next Saturday.

1 mile, 01/04/2010

Today was my first "official" run. Did I get to run outside with my cool new reflective running jacket? No. Of course not. We have record breaking cold weather. Who would have thunkit? Yes, I know that thunkit is not a word but that's fine considering the driving force behind my first mile run was a response to a demand letter that had so many typographical and grammatical errors I am seriously wondering if insurance companies have started outsourcing their legal departments to a country where English is not their agents' first language.

So yes, I wimped out and went to the gym to use the treadmill. However, it allowed me to make sure I ran the full mile and find out my pace. I started with 4.5 mph but bumped it to 5.0 after the first quarter mile. The 5.0 actually felt easier to run than the 4.5 oddly enough. Also, running on a treadmill hurts my knees more than running on the street. I am not sure WHY, but as my knees feel sore I am recording this information as an observation for future generations of wambulance chasers.

P.S. Jay Z "On to the Next One" is my official running song of the month. Thank you New Years Eve video premiers.

Purpose

Starting tomorrow, January 4th, 2010, I run again. I was very athletic in high school and continued working out in college. However, in 2004 I took the brilliant step of attending law school and the whole athletic thing slowly dwindled away to my current couch sitting, blog reading, cubicle dwelling, fast food eating, boozing, computer gaming existence.

A close friend from law school started running last year. She completed a marathon (craziness!) and suggested we run the Cherry Blossum 10 miler in April (http://www.cherryblossom.org/). I have agreed, and as an attempt to keep myself on schedule and trick myself into thinking there is some sort of accountability involved in my training am starting this blog. Also, hopefully if I am able to whine and complain here and not to everyone I know, I will still have a few friends left once I finish.

I was working out maybe once a week since August of 2009, but then had to stop for a bit after a surgery I had in November. Basically, I am starting for scratch and this is going to be an incredibly painful process. My goal for the race is to run the entire 10 miles and to not get removed from the track for going slower than 14 mins a mile. Ideally I will run a 12 minute mile. In terms of this blog, my goal is to comment on my progress and any brilliant insights I may have along the way. At the very least I am practicing my writing.

Cheers.