This Weekend

I know, creative title.

So, Saturday, the sum total of my physical exertion was playing catcher for B, his friend and Dave in the afternoon, then tossing the football with B and his friend for awhile later in the day. That was pretty much it. I also went for a massage, thanks to Cheryl of Peak Performance Massage Therapy. She's awesome, and it felt great. She's in Glenview, so if you're interested, let me know, I'll pass on her info.

Sunday was 5 miles in 53 min, 52 seconds. This is good because my Shamrock Shuffle 5 miler was something like 59 minutes and some odd seconds, so at least there's been improvement, right??

Also, for the virtual 5K mentioned the other day, my 5k time was 31.19.

The long run next weekend is 9 miles, which should be interesting considering 5.26 is the longest I've done so far this year. The good news is that as of yesterday, the weather forcast calls for temps in the high 70's, which means morning temps will be very pleasant. Let's hope it stays that way.

Oh, and....

I didn't run today, but I did ride the bike for 45 min. this morning. Dave got the trainer thing to put my mountain bike on, and it lives in our family room. Its actually quite nice.

It wasn't a killer, dripping with sweat workout, but it was better than hitting snooze & falling back asleep. After that, I did weights for my arms. So, overall, not bad.

I am looking forward to the cooler weather this weekend....ah.....

Virtual Run Club

So, learned about the Virtual Run Club on Jenn's blog. It's a blog where us runners can track mileage. So, I joined too. Since its a running club, there is a virtual 5K this weekend, which is kinda cool. A 5K is 3.1 miles, and I plan to do 5+ this weekend, so I'll be participating in that too. Kizzy, the blogger, had a few questions for the participants, so here goes:

1. When did you start running?
Summer of '05, when my sister, Julee was training for the Chicago Marathon. I figured if she could train for that, I could certainly drag my butt up and do something.

2. Did you follow a plan (C25K etc.) to get you started running? If so, what plan did you use? If not, how did you go about getting started?Not really, just bought good shoes and off I went.

3. Why did you start running?
See #1, but also for the fitness benefits.

4. Now that you are running regularly, what do you find to be the biggest benefits?
Stress relief, me time, weight loss and the ability to eat (almost) anything!

5. What are your future plans for running? Short-term and Long-range.
Short term to actually cross the finish line the right way at the Chicago marathon this year. Long term...I'd love to say Boston someday, so maybe that.

6. What are your personal goals for the Virtual 5K?To finish in 33 min, which is about an 11 min pace, which I think is totally doable.

7. Do you have a music “theme song” that you will use for this race?My current power song is "Settlin'" by Sugarland. While training for Chicago last year, I had an awesome 10 miler, and during the last mile, that song came on and it was so very cool!

So, there it is...Be sure to check back this weekend for the results!!

5.26

Yep, 5.26 miles on Sunday. I think the key for me is running at dusk. I seem to have my best run at dusk, around 65 degrees. Think I can pull that off all summer? Not likely, but it sure would be nice. I think its because I've been moving around all day, and everything is loosened up. Maybe we can move the marathon to a 6 pm start. I know, also unlikely.

Anyway, a successful 5.26 miles in 59:52. Not the 10 min pace I'd like, but that's okay, I have time for that. I felt good and only walked a grand total of 4 min that entire time. Ya-freakin-who.

My new gameplan is to run every other day. The bod seems much happier when I do that. If necessary, I'll drop the shorter weekday run. Throw in some biking, on our new, groovy trainer, and I should be good.

Here's the bad part about running at dusk...mosquitos. They really, really like sweaty people. Maybe that's why I kept going and didn't walk much. But hey, whatever works. If the silly mosquitos keep me moving, then so be it!!

Love/Hate

Nope, not the bar owned by Ami James & Chris Nunez from Miami Ink (the tattoo show on TLC). I wish, but that's not what this is about.

It's about my relationship with running. On one hand, I love how I feel afterwards - exhilarated, energized, happy to be done. I also love that it's a great workout.

On the other hand, I hate being uncomfortably hot, that I'm not faster, that I took almost a month off and lost a bunch of fitness and have to walk periodically during the runs. The other thing I hate is that I have to force myself to slow down. Trying to slow down while running is like riding the motorcycle in first gear when you should be in third. It's not easy. But for now, it's necessary. It's true, when I slow down - even a little - I'm more successful and less ticked off at myself for the calf injury and said month off.

And while I'm out there plodding along (3.10 miles today), I wonder how 26.2 is going to feel. Cuz at the moment, it seems impossible.

But, I'll keep going and logging the miles however necessary. As Dean Karnazes so eloquently put it "Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must. Just never give up."

Yahoo...

Another successful 3 miler. Well, I'm calling it 3 miles. My Garmin is calling it 2.73. That is because I forgot to turn the stupid thing back on after I stopped at a stoplight. But I ran a good distance before I realized that, so let's call it 3 miles.

For all you runners out there, do you ever wonder how you look when you run? Remember that "Friends" episode where Rachel goes out to run, and Phoebe goes with her and and runs all crazy? That's how I felt today. Some days, I can get into a good rhythm, and others...well, not so much. I envision cars driving by and people chuckling. Trust me, I don't care what they think, but sometimes I just wonder how it looks.

Back to the Garmin - and this is a shout out to Heather, who is one of the featured runners on the Chicago Marathon website under Runner Diaries, and a self-proclaimed gadget freak. I can't run without the Garmin. I have to know how far, pace, etc. I've tried to run without it, just for the shear pleasure, but it cannot be done. I'm way too much of a control freak, but at least I can admit it.

My last thought for today comes from the Portillo's drive-thru guy. We were there tonite, and he had tattoos on his forearms that said:
"Every sinner has a future, Every saint has a past"
Profound, isn't it?? I thought so.......

Success

I ran on Saturday. Well, I ran and walked on Saturday, but still managed to finish 3.01 miles so that was good. The calf feels good. I'm stretching alot, and alls well. Whew.

One thing the doc suggested was "endurance biking". I don't know where I'd "endurance bike" around here, and don't really have the time (or desire, for that matter) to haul my bike all over to ride. So, my wonderful husband is going to pick up one of those bike trainers - you know, the one you put the rear wheel of the bike in and can ride in the comfort of your own home.

So, my plan is to dump one of the weekly runs for now and bike instead, then maybe throw in some biking on Sunday too. Tomorrow is another 3 miler, which should be doable after work.

We have summer hours now at work, which is great once Friday rolls around. However, trying to get up, get ready, get B up and to camp then get to work by 8, doesn't really leave much time for anything else. Then factor in baseball games at night and football that begins mid-July. Should be an interesting summer.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Mmmhmmm..riiiiiiiight!

Shouts

A few shouts for this week -

Brian, who is now officially a second grader. When asked how that felt, he said "It's really different." When asked why, he told me "I really feel older". Then today, proceeded to tell me how OLD 40 was. Out of the mouths of babes....

Mari, my fab friend who has recently quit smoking. She was commenting last night how she's gained weight. I reminded her of 2 things - 1, a little weight in the beginning is better than smoking and 2, it is very hard to quit smoking and lose weight in the first year. I told her to give herself a break, to concentrate on not smoking. Yahoo, Mar, you can do it!

Juju, my groovy sistter who has finished her second semester of nursing school. All A's so far! She starts summer school next week. Not much of a summer break, so more power to her!

Doc Day

I saw the sports medicine doc today. He really didn't tell me anything I didn't know - or, anything Julee hadn't already told me. He did say he could not palpate a space (or did he call it a divet? I can't remember) in the muscle, my calves are symmetric and I didn't have any range of motion issues. The exam was essentially negative. I should stay with a neutral shoe because of the orthotics (I didn't know that), he suggested some bicycle riding mixed in to keep up the cardio, but take stress of the calf. Otherwise, he wasn't too concerned. Good.

I did get new shoes. They're a little roomier than the old ones, so if nothing else, they will be more comfortable and hopefully, I won't end up with that lovely black toenail this year. Buying shoes always feels like a shot in the dark to me - depends where you go, which salesperson you talk to. I like to think they all have the same general knowledge, but I guess you never know. I ended up with Saucony today. They're roomy in the toe box, snug around the mid-foot and fit well in the heel. Tomorrow I'll be taking them out for a run. Let's hope for the best!

Tomorrow, Saturday, is the official 18 week start of marathon training season. So, watch out for those runners out there. They're on a mission, and they're quite serious about it. Cut 'em a break, when you see one, they could be at the end of their long run!

Another quote

I lifted this one from a Runners World article. It's from the column written by John Bingham, "No Need for Speed". At the end of his column from the July issue it says,

"I resolved to approach life with a new perspective and to accept the challenges that come my way not as obstacles or failures, but as opportunities to grow both as a runner and as a person."

Another very interesting thought to ponder.....

Ahhhhhh!

I went for a massage yesterday. The human body is such an amazing machine for so many reason, but to think that muscle knots can be relieved with simple pressure amazes me (okay, maybe not so simple pressure. At times, it was painful, but the pain didn't last long). The massage therapist must have worked out a zillion knots in my neck, shoulders and calves. So much better! My calves were so tight it was crazy.

I often read about how massage can help runners (well, everyone really) but never followed that advice. I think I will going forward. Still haven't gotten new running shoes, but I will after I see the doc on Friday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that between the doc's advice, new shoes & massages, this training thing will go smoother this year.

Marathon training officially starts next Saturday with a 6 mile run. I won't be putting in 6 miles, but I will try to put in something. I'm not the only one slacking. My blogger friend, Jenn (see http://mysecondfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/), is too. Jenn is also a Chicago Marathon '07 reroutee and American Cancer Society runner. It's nice to know I'm not the only one easing into this training!! Send your good vibes her way, too!

Random Thoughts...

So, a few things I'm pondering lately..

What's up with the damn price of gas? Seriously, $53 for a HALF tank in my car? And why is a gallon of gas here $4.19, in Germany it's $8.00 and in some other country, it's .30? I realize the local economy differs in these areas, but shouldn't there be SOME regulation? Something has to change.

The Jenny Craig Queen Latifah commercial where she's on the treadmill "really moving"? Come on, you're barely walking, Queenie, and you know it. And no, the goofy chick 2 treadmills down doesn't deserve the "way to work it out" comment. Not only is she not even sweating, she's so annoying I can't stand it. No one cares about your 5K, or how your consultant taught you how to cheat on your stupid diet. Queen Latifah is not that dorky. Who writes those stupid commercials?

Today was Joke Day for Brian's class....here's one we thought was HYSTERICAL -
How do you get a Kleenex to dance?


Put a little boogie in it - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....come on, he's a 7 yr old boy, its hilarious!

Thought for the day...

I stole this quote from my friend Mari's Facebook page (yes, she knows I've hijacked it)..but I think it says alot:

"Life is too short to wake up with regrets. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy. They just promised it would be worth it. "

Nothing new on the running front, except that I'm not. My calf isn't really sore, but I can feel something. No doctor's appointment this week, I couldn't get in, so I'll wait until the 13th. I'm wondering if its my shoes. I've been running in them since the end of March, with no major changes in pace or distance, they're the only thing that has changed. My plan is to see the doc, and try new shoes. I think I'm also going for a massage this week, which should help work out any knots (thank you, Juj, for the idea).

I miss running, but better to err on the side of caution!!

She Did It!

My friend, Michele qualified for Boston!! Her finish time, per the San Diego Marathon website... 3 hrs, 40 min and 13 seconds! She had to finish in 3 hrs, 50 min or better, and she sure did!

I am so freakin' excited for her!

Sorta Back in the Game

Hi folks..what a great weekend!

Went for a run today, the first one outside. The calf was okay, then around 2.70 miles it started to feel sore. So, I stopped running & walked the rest of the way home. I wasn't limping, and wasn't in pain but could definitely feel something. Boo. I wasn't running at a crazy pace, the average for the run was 10:23, which was comfortable.

The good news is there was no bruise like last time & I can walk on it. I have an appointment with a sports medicine doc on June 13th, however, I'll be calling tomorrow to get in this week. I may need to take a few weeks off, but that's okay. Last year, I didn't even start marathon training until the end of June, after developing plantar fasciitis, and all worked out just fine.

In the meantime, we'll do some bicycle riding, I'll get more weight training in and get back on the Weight Watchers core plan a bit more diligently. I'll see what the doc says and go from there!!

Enjoy the weekend...finally!