Week 3 Run Recap

Week 3 was another super short mileage week. Just didn’t have time to run more with everything going on with my relocating back to SF BAY AREA. Ran 3 days and longest as 5.2 miles.
I am now on the road in route to the bay area. Currently in Oxford, MS. I hope to get a run in tomorrow morning and then a good breakfast at a place called Bottletree Bakery that is suppossed to be pretty good. Then, I will be able to say I have run in Mississippi

I feel like I need to find a race to do soon. Even maybe just a 5 or 10k! Maybe I can find one wherever my travels take me to this weekend. I’m hoping to run quite a bit along this road trip.

Week 3: Approx total miles: 12

Stay strong, healthy and hungry for your dreams! ONWARD!

On Your Left

Since I have invaded her shoe space, why not her running space and blog as well?

I came to Atlanta to rally with Angie in her 40 mile mission which we kicked of at the raffle party at Carpe Diem.

It was fantastic and she raised over $900 for the My Stuff Bags Foundation. I was awestruck by the amount of love and support surrounding Angie.  However, it wasn’t until today (her weekly big run day) that I realized what a feat this truly is.

By no means am I a runner.  I am very active, but I have no concept of what constitutes a mile.  I am the type to hop in the kayak, on my mountain bike, or skates and go until I feel like stopping or find something to explore.  I just go with no real goal in mind.  Not the case with Angie.

We arrived at the trail head and she said, I will run 10 miles.  I said, Cool!  Sounds fun to me.  Off we went and within a matter of seconds I was over it!  Run?  Me? NO WAY.  I am not a runner.  I watched her as she raced on towards her goal.  A bright orange and red blur running with confidence.

I suddenly felt like I had to move.  Something in me was not about to stop.  Here was this woman who has overcome so many odds running like nothing mattered but the goal ahead of her.  So I ran, or I tried my best anyway.

Every excuse in the book came flooding into my head.  Here are a few because it was really pretty pitiful! 1. I forgot my ipod. 2. That kid just passed me.  3.  My knee will hurt. 4. Who says I have to run? 5. How far is a mile anyway?

With no music, I was tuned into my surroundings.  I kept hearing ON YOUR LEFT.  Of course that got me singing…To the left, to the left…

Just as I thought I was going to fall over and die, I saw it.  It was the sign that made all the difference.  It said 2.6 miles.

Wow, I had gone that far!  Only problem now was that I had to get back to the beginning.  I turned around with even more excitement at the thought of being able to say how far I had gone.  Suddenly, I had A GOAL!  5.2 miles!  My first running goal.  There it was.  Humbled, in pain, tired, and overwhelmed with joy I made it.

It didn’t matter that I was being passed by kids or that I had no music.  I made my own.  I found my goal.  Angie told me to find my rhythm and I had.  It went something like on your left, on your left.

ME: 5.2 miles

Angie: 10 miles

Coming to Atlanta to run with a goal: worth every mile.

spontaneous adjustments

“Each of us is faced with the same challenge; to put on our shorts and shoes and get out the door” – D.E.

Earlier in the week, a co-worker mentioned he had an extra 10k race entry if I wanted it for today, Saturday. I accepted. I got up this morning, with full intentions on running the 10k race called The Possum Trot.

Morning began with a BAD cup of coffee. Yesterday, I shopped at Dekalb Farmers Market. That is THE place for cheap, healthy, organic food. It is NOT the place to buy coffee beans. I learned the hard way.    (In 3 weeks, I will travel to LA and get some damn PEETS, THANK GOODNESS)

So, i dumped out the coffee and had a little green tea along with my Clif Bar. Then, i looked at the clock & it was 6:50am. YIKES. Race start was at 7:30am and I had at least a 20 min drive.

Well, off I went. Drove up to Roswell in search of race location. I found the area but then had to get re-routed because some roads were blocked off. By the time I found the parking lot, it was already a few minutes past 7:30am and I still couldn’t even see the starting line or anything.

So…i decided to just leave and go run somewhere else. My friend was also not running the race so I was not leaving him in the lurch or anything.

While driving back into Atlanta, I remembered that some people would be out running the traditional “Peachtree Prep Run” and so I figured I would join in somewhere along Peachtree. In case you DON’T KNOW, The PEACHTREE ROAD RACE is held annually on 4th of July in Atlanta. It is the largest 10k in the United States. 55,000 people. Running on July 4th in the Atlanta heat & humidity. The prep run is done a couple of saturdays in succession prior to race day. It’s pretty cool to go out and see so many people running along Peachtree as they gear up for the race.

I parked about 1.5 miles into the race route and started running. It was 80 degrees & 80 percent humidity by this time, 8:00am. Still, I was happy to find some people out there even if I said no words to anyone. I do most runs solo, by choice, but it’s always good to mix it up a bit. I ran along the course for 2.5 miles, incorporating the biggest hill leading up to Piedmont Hospital & then turned around and went back…this way, i would get the longer hill back to where my car was parked. I ended up only running 4.5 miles but since it was this particular route, i was fine with the outcome. It was brutal out there, but i still managed less than 10 min mile pace even with the hills. I added another mile walking around a neighborhood I had never encountered before.

One of the coolest things about the Peachtree Road Race that I was reminded of today is that ANYONE & EVERYONE participates; elite runners, casual runners, people who are overweight or obese are out there walking/running, military folks dressed in all their gear & boots, wheelchair racers, children, people who have never run before, people who run everyday…it’s a race for everyone…running does not discriminate.

Whoever you are, I support you to get your sneaks on and get those feet movin’. Get that blood pumpin’. This is life, baby! THIS IS LIFE!!

hills, nutrition, shoes, etc..

Mid week I did some more speed and hill work. Here’s a couple of photos of the 2 hills I have been running my hill sprint repeats. These workouts are not lengthy, but they are strenuous and I feel damn satisfied afterwards.

The first Hill (pic #1) is longer. The 2nd hill (pic #2) is shorter, steeper. I’ve been running sprint repeats of both.

Saturday I ran a short, hilly, 3 miler. Sunday, I ran a flat 4.5 miles. The heat & humidity are creeping higher. You would think after living in Atlanta for 10 years it would be a non-factor, but it is very much still a factor. Mixed in with the small amount of miles has time at the gym. Just trying to get stronger & faster.

In honor of my beloved San Francisco Giants, I wore these KSWISS shoes today that i picked up on my trip in March for LA MARATHON.

I have 3 pairs of KSWISS shoes; the ones above which are KSWISS Tubes and 2 pairs of KSWISS K-Onas – one blue pair & one red pair. I love them all. The K-Onas are very light, but still have great support. The Tubes are heavier with more cushion. I wore ASICS for years, but over the last year, I have found a new love with these shoes.

One of the things I have written about in the past is nutrition. Often times, i will decide, for different reasons, to cut certain foods from my diet. Sometimes it has been sugar, meat, alcohol, etc…Well…as it has happened over the last month, I have just been “organically” (no pun intended) reading more about nutrition and understanding more about how different foods affect my body. So, in a nutshell, I have been eating almost entirely a fresh food/vegetarian diet. I picked up this awesome book called THRIVE by Brendan Brazier, a Vegan Triathlete. Its been a very informative & compelling read. I’m enjoying learning more about what I put into my body. One of the best things about the book is that it contains a lot of very SIMPLE recipes. (if you have followed me…you know i need SIMPLE!!) My goal is not to adhere to a Vegan diet — there are certain items i am just not willing to give up…like 1/2 & 1/2 in my coffee. The main thing for me is to understand what I am eating and why and make choices that are healthy for me. I’ve been enjoying putting together the new recipes and shopping for different items. One of the most glaring things i have noticed since modifying my nutrition is the “lightness” i feel. It’s amazing how eating certain foods just make one feel ridiculously heavy! I look forward to more reading, more learning and healthy eating.

I working on a new dream…a new plan. Will announce soon.

Stay strong. Train hard. Train smart. Love and Live BIG.

hey little butterfly

Did some short, high intensity workouts during the week on Wednesday & Thursday. Wednesday was treadmill + weights. Thursday was sprint hill repeats outside. The Hill sprints were also on a day when it was about 88 degrees, so i am especially pleased with that workout. I want to be faster. Bottom Line. Faster on flats, faster on hills.

Saturday – ran 3 miles at 8:43 pace. flat and some small up/down areas

Sunday – went back to Kennesaw and ran same 5 mile route I ran last weekend with Jeff. I pushed the entire way. Didn’t stop at all. (last week, i stopped about 2-3 times). My time was a full 3 minutes faster than last week. THRILLED. There was low humidity yesterday so that definitely helped! Those 5 miles are no joke.

I felt happy and free and had fun. I wasn’t smiling or nothin’, but i was happy inside. A runners happiness. You know what I’m talkin about…

I’m glad to see some of my different workouts paying off.

I had been thinking of going out to Bay Area to run Double Dipsea on June 26th…but flights are over $400. yikes. I might just take the $ and buy a new SUUNTO watch I have my eye on…

Lastly, I saw a very beautiful blue and black butterfly while I was on the trail. At one point, it was right on front of me, weaving right and left…as if it were my guide…

Cheers —

Friday

“We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves…The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, ‘You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.’ The human spirit is indomitable.” -Sir Roger Bannister, first runner to run a sub-4 minute mile

“I believe life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment, and life’s greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret.” – Unknown

walk, run, hike

Greetings! I deliberately did not run last week Mon-Thurs. Just wanted to see how my body would feel, react, etc..
It was an interesting experience. I definitely do not like to sit around. In terms of movement or exercise, I spent some time at the gym with weights, crunches, pushups, etc.. I normally do these anyway, but this past week was without the running. I WALKED 1 mile on treadmill with a steady incline. BORING!!! REALLY BORING!!
Friday, I laced up the shoes and ran for 30 minute around my hilly neighborhood. Did almost the same exact run both Saturday & Sunday. 30 min exactly. I’m sorta trying to tweak the running a bit…more later on this.

I also went on a 2 hour walk/hike early this morning with these fine folks. We went to Sweetwater Creek State Park. Approx 25 min drive from my house. I’ve been there for trail running before so was happy to be back there again.

getting settled in

momma & son

I can do it!

he's a charmer!!

ahhhhh

A great way to start the day; in nature with friends on a gorgeous Sunday.

I found out, I did NOT get into the regular Dipsea race. (i am not surprised) So, now I gotta decide if I am 100% gonna run Double Dipsea on June 26th.

I am also making plans for a new goal. A new dream. Stay tuned.

Treat your body well. Love it. Nourish it. Rest it.

happy trails

Ever since the http://www.lamarathon.com on 3/21, I have been suffering from a tremendous amount of NOISE inside my head. The noise is mostly about whether or not to take time off from running and if so, how much. The battle in my head is freaking fierce. UGGH! Not pleasant. Some people might think this points to a running addiction. I don’t think that’s it at all. It’s more of a “i want to be out and active” addiction. I have to move my body. I need to move it. I need to feel it work and sweat. I need to feel my heartbeat go faster and my breathing get a little heavy. …running just happens to be my thing, so….

Well, since the marathon, I have not done much, but I have hardly just sat on my ass either. I’ve been trying to give my legs a rest from the pounding. I’ve been trying….The first week post marathon, I did VERY little. The next week, I have done more..but I have also been mixing it up. I’ve been getting on this spin type bike at the gym which has been awesome and challenging. This past weekend, I went for a trail run at http://www.gastateparks.org/FDR . The park is approximately 1.5 hour drive southwest of Atlanta. I’ve really been itching for some time in nature, in quiet, and so on Saturday, I made the trek down there. A beautiful place. I ended up running/hiking 7.1 miles of mostly single track with some good hills mixed in. I wore my Adidas Trail shoes for first time and they proved to be great! I wore my Nathan pack and had no iPOD. It was so refreshing to be in the quiet, big space…to hear my own breathing, the scampering of birds on the leaves, and my own footsteps on the pine ladden trails.

Afterwards, I had breakfast nearby at Eddie Mae’s in Pine Mountain, GA. An old, simple, southern place. breakfast served all day. That’s my kind of joint. I love having breakfast post exercise. Scambled Eggs, hash browns, bacon & a biscuit. Yum!

Roll Tide, Baby

Such a pleasure driving my new wheels to Birmingham! wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee

“Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine” -John Trautman

Oh, uh..ok..this is a RACE REPORT!! Here I go…

I made the 2 hour-ish drive to b’ham Saturday afternoon. Had zero trouble on the roads after the serious snow we had in atlanta on Friday. The remnants made the drive all the more pretty. Upon arrival, went straight to the expo and got my race stuff; BIB# 2432, race tag/chip thing, a free race cap and picked up a couple more gels. I drove around a bit afterwards and checked out some of the course…was same course as last year. Checked into my hotel and then went to the local Starbucks for some writing/reading time. Had a very strange evening trying to find dinner but won’t even go into that story.

Race morning. Finally. I felt like my body really needed to run. I was so glad the day was finally here and I could go face the challenge. Temps were about 35 degrees, which is same as atlanta has been. I had on pants and a fleece top so i thought i might get warm, but i never did. My warm-up was hurrying to starting line. I made it with about 3 minutes to spare so i did a little stretching and we were off. I was in such a rush to leave hotel room that i forgot my iPod. Oh well. Might be nice to not have it, I thought. So, no iPOD and no water bottle; man, i felt NAKED. and FREE.

The race starts in downtown birmingham and the first 6 miles takes you on a course thru those streets. By mile 2 I could feel my body settle in and I had a feeling i might have a good day. I kept checking my Garmin watch for my mile splits and at mile 6, i was at 54:00 = 9:00/min/mile pace. I was psyched and I knew If i could keep it up i could have a good finish time. All I really wanted to do was be better than my results here in the past, which were 2:04, and 2:03. First 6 miles are nearly all completely flat. The next 7.1 have hills, so i wasn’t sure. I had to be careful not to run too fast and conk out, but also not be too conservative. I just kept focusing on one mile at a time and watching my splits. By mile 10, I was at 1:32 and I knew I was gonna finish well. only 3.1 more miles to go. I had one more hill and then it was flat home free. I was pushing, for sure. My right groin was starting to hurt & the left IT band area too. But, I just had to focus. I was so close. I’m not sure if it was because I had no music in my ears or what, but I was super focused. Felt awesome. I took my last swig of water at the last water stop/mile 12 and headed home. They called out my name as I came in and I crossed the finish line. THRILLED.

2:01:55

Best finish in a half-marathon distance since my very FIRST one in 1999. Who says you don’t get better with age? I missed a PR by 12 seconds. Crazy. So thrilled. On my way to breaking the 2 hour beast!

This has been one of my favorite races to do. 4 times now I have run. For the first time, however, the race t-shirt is not very good. oh well. a small concession, huh?! Another cool medal and another BIB # to add to the pile. What is a girl to do with all these BIB #’s? NOT THROWING THEM AWAY!

It’s always worth repeating; so thankful for my body. so appreciative. feeling strong and capable!

Thank you to the readers who give me so much support. Truly appreciate it.

What’s next?

you gotta be startin’ somethin’…

A couple of weeks ago, my work/office decided to do a version of The Biggest Loser. While I don’t need to lose weight, I decided I would participate anyway…just for fun and also for a way to be supportive to others in the office. I was happy to see this kind of “event” take place in our office because, as you know, I am an advocate of fitness and health.

I have worked in my office for 6 years and during that time, i have tried to get others to run local road races with me. Sometimes successful, sometimes not. By successful, I mean that 1 or 2 other folks would join in. I was happy about that but always wished for more participation. sigh….  Obviously, over the years, many people have come to know me as a runner. They may not know anything else about me on a personal level, but they know I run. Often times, while in the breakroom or elevator, someone will ask me, “so, when is your next race?” That always feels good, ya know.

Well, the time has come and we might just be on to something here…Once the Biggest Loser contest was announced 2 weeks ago, I decided I would organize/lead a running group after work one day a week. I had no idea if anyone would be interested but I wanted to put the offer out there nonetheless. I decided I would run alone on those days if no one came. I got word out to the office about the run, mentioning that it would be a run/walk 3-4 miles on Tuesdays at 5:15pm. I put run/walk to encourage people even if they didn’t or couldn’t run the entire way.

Our first run was last week and it turned out to be myself and one guy. I was shocked when he said he was running with me. The main reason was because I have not had any real rapport with him or anything in the past. I thought if anyone were to come along, it would be people who I have talked to a lot of are pals with in the office. Me and this guy have barely exchanged 3 sentences over the past 4-5 years. I was shocked, but pleasantly so.

So, he and I headed out and we went slow. He admitted he is out of shape and trying to lose weight for his upcoming wedding. We chatted a little but not much. He needed to stop at 2 different points to walk a bit and I stopped with him. I truly felt so happy to be out there with him. I could tell he was struggling, but wanting to push through…and when it was too much, he had to stop. There was something about it that was vulnerable and humbling. Does that make sense?

We ran from our office building and back. When finished, he thanked me and i congratulated him. I then went on to run 1 more mile at a faster pace.

I really got a lot out of it and I feel like he did too. For me, it was nice to run with someone else and go directly from work. And then the big plus was feeling like I helped someone else just by being there. He seemed very appreciative afterwards and I was happy for him because I know he wants to lose weight and be healthier. Win, Win!

When people in the office heard about our run the next day, we got a few more people interested. Well, Tuesday rolled around and it was about 40 degrees (colder w/ wind chill) and drizzly. I figured those that had been interested would cop out. Well, I was wrong. 2 gals joined us so us 4 ran the same route as the week prior. 3.67 miles. All together. This time, the fella who ran with me the first time did not stop. Not once. Happy for him. Kudos to them all for being willing to go. It would have been sooo easy to let it slip away and take refuge inside on a treadmill or not exercise at all.

Today, people were asking about our run and more seem interested to join in next Tuesday. I could not be more thrilled.

Like I said…we just might be on to something here….