I'm a runner?

Woah...

2012-02-03T14:07:00.003-05:00

So weight is not a primary goal for me anymore, but fun to see my progress since I last reported it ...

149.8 (-31.6)

waist - 28.5 (-4.6)

hips - 39.5 (-3.0)

thigh - 23.0 (-3.0)

arm - 12.5 (-1.75)

Primary change I made? Weight training. I've been doing 3-4 days/wk of relatively heavy weights. I made no conscious changes to my diet other than increasing my protein intake (extra ~35g protein after each weight workout).

I'm relatively certain my increase in speed stems primarily from having less mass to move around...

Me Again

2012-02-03T13:53:00.004-05:00

Not that I haven't been running the last (gosh, couple years) but if you still have me on your reader and you're interested, I've got a new zest. I've gotten leaner (-30lb), fitter, faster (7:40 mile), and have some new challenges planned (sub-2 13.1, my first 26.2) ...

Let me know if you're still with me. More soon!

Still Running ... not posting

2009-10-31T20:39:00.002-04:00

So... haven't posted since May. I am still running (or more accurately, running again). I ran consistently in May and a little in June but then I sort of stopped until last week. Mid-June to mid-August consisted of finishing and defending my master's thesis, traveling from Indiana to Maryland and back, from Indiana to Wisconsin and back, to Maryland again, and then to Florida and back to Maryland (almost 5,000 miles). Oh, and starting my PhD. I am now living in a MD suburb of Washington, D.C. and it took me awhile to get comfortable with my schedule (which is insane) and running in this area (which I was very very afraid of when I got here). Amazingly, the 3-month hiatus from running had approximately zero effect on my running. I am still keeping about the same pace and actually FEEL better than I remember feeling before on runs (more energy, less wanting to walk). I put up 11 miles my first week back and with tomorrow's run it will be 15 this week. I hope to hang out in the 15-20 mpw range for awhile. I don't know how much I will be posting because I don't feel like I have anything of interest to say, but if people are still hanging around, make yourself known and I will post ... something ... for you! I love the running blog camaraderie.

As promised ... sort of.

2009-05-07T14:24:00.001-04:00

There weren't too many pics of me from the race. Zero from the course itself -- Since I had my bib number on my shorts, I think my shirt may have been covering part it at times. There are some from the finish line but I'm kinda in a clump of people. My post-race photo turned out pretty good, though.

Indy Mini Race Report

2009-05-04T11:28:00.002-04:00

I didn't take my camera, and pics aren't up yet from the race so I will post those later, but here's my (incredibly long, sorry) report:

Pre-race:
We (me, my friend B, and her boyfriend E) headed down to Indy on Friday nite after work , went to the Expo to pick up our packets, and checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Candlewood Suites, which was amazing. We had two rooms (bedroom that was about twice the size of mine at my apartment, and living area with a sofa bed), plus a kitchenette with a full-size fridge and stove, plus pans and dishes. This was great, because we made pasta and were able to make it the way we wanted without worrying about trying something new on race day. This was one of the hotels affiliated with the race, so we got a great deal ($129.00). It was about 2 miles from the start, but we decided to take a taxi downtown so we could leave a little later didn’t have to walk with all our gear.

I woke up before my alarm @ 5a. We ate breakfast (PB and honey sandwich on Wonder Bread and coffee for me) and relaxed while trying to decide what to wear. Settled on a lightweight long sleeve, but pinned my bib number on my shorts just in case. We scheduled a taxi for 6:15 and he got there a couple minutes early but didn’t mind waiting on us. He got us right into downtown close to veteran’s park. We stowed our stuff, visited the port-a-potties, and promptly decided we were overdressed. Took off the long sleeve, but forgot to bring the throwaway arm warmers I made out of socks and just had to suck it up until the start. I left B and E who were starting in corrals B & C, because they are waaaaay faster than me and trekked down to my corral – R. It took forever to work through the crowds to get down to my corral, so by the time I got down there, they were taking down the gates between the corrals. I barely noticed the start, since I was pretttty far away from the start line. It ended up taking me 22 minutes to shuffle to the start line after the gun, but since we were chip-timed, this was no big deal. Although there were a lot of people, I had plenty of room to run, and only had to do a bit of weaving early on.

I’ll break the running part of the race down into three 4-mile categories …

Part 1 (Miles 1-4) - What a Feeling 11:09 average pace
If you know anything about me, you know I don’t regularly run 11:00 miles. And if you know that, you probably are thinking I shouldn’t be running 4 miles at just over 11:00/mile at the beginning of a 13.1-mile race. If you’re thinking this, you’re right. But that’s what I did. I had no idea I was going that fast until I got to the first mile marker. At this point, I tried to slow down, but I was feeling good. So I apparently kept it up through the first 4 miles. I even PR’ed my 5K by about a minute, which is no good in a half-marathon. I remember virtually nothing about this part of the race, it (literally) flew past.

Part 2 (Miles 5-9) - The Track 11:53 average pace
Shortly after the Mile 4 marker, I bit it on some railroad tracks. I was going at a pretty good clip and fell hard. I am bruised today (knee, shoulder, hand, and face – nice job, Lisa) but it didn’t phase me – I got right back up and going. About 50 people came by and asked if I was okay – Nice, but embarrassing, ugh. After that, it was a quick trip to Mile 6 and the track. Entering the speedway was the coolest part of this race for me. I was feeling a little GI-rumbling, so I made a pit stop pretty soon after entering the track. There was no line, but I had to wait for an open one, and then when I got in there, I didn’t have to go. So I wasted probably 2 minutes on nothing – stupid. I also lost a little bit of my drive, but the track excitement kept me going at about the same pace (minus the time spent on the pit stop).

Part 3 –Kill Me Now --12:47 average pace
As I was exciting the track, I got a giant sense of doom. There were a lot more miles ahead of me and I was running out of gas fast. I was also experiencing an EPIC BodyGlide fail, blood included. I found a medic tent halfway through mile 10 and had to wait about 2 minutes for her to find the Vaseline, but it was SO worth it. I walked a couple times during mile 11, which I am really disappointed about now, but I don’t even remember why I decided to walk or how long I did it, but 10 (Vaseline wait) and 11 (walking breaks) miles were both just AWFUL.

The Finish (12:41) – 11:30 pace
Seeing the mile 12 sign lifted a HUGE weight off of me. This is when I got really upset about breaking down and walking during mile 11. I knew I could make it to the finish so I grabbed one more water and went for it. I was able to get my pace back to a reasonable place and finish strong. I passed a BUNCH of people in the last ¼ mile. At the finish, I ended up 19573rd out of 30156 total finishers, which is fine – I wasn’t trying to do anything compared to anyone else. I also ended up averaging a sub-12:00/mile for the whole thing, which doesn’t reflect my speed for most of the race, but I’m glad miles 10 & 11 didn’t completely kill me. My original goal was to be under 2:45:00, so I was really happy with my time despite the bad miles and the ~4 minutes I spent not moving forward at all. After the race, I collected my food, got my picture taken, and went to find B & E. They BOTH PR’ed (1:40 for E and 1:46 for B – told you they were fast) AND E asked B to marry him! AND she said yes!! We celebrated the 3 for 3 PR’s and the engagement with burgers and beer. All in all a great day.

As for my review of the race itself, I’m glad I did it. I’ll probably do it again because I am Indiana born and bred, so I think it’s a neat one to come back to. However, the roads are not great and I found the track difficult to run on due to the banking. I’m also fairly certain most of the 100+ entertainment groups weren’t there. However, other than at the start, I only felt the course was overcrowded once, and that was a weird, narrow sharp turn coming off the track. There were tons of water/Gatorade “pit stop” stations, with TONS of AMAZING volunteers. The post-finish volunteers were amazing, too. I had no trouble getting my medal, snacks, and picture in a timely manner so I could get back to my friends and sit down. Crowd support was alright, I guess. There were people out on the whole course, but no one seemed to be particularly excited. This was my first big race, so I have nothing to compare it to. The spectators may have had more energy for the front- and middle-of-the-pack runners. Again, all-in-all a good day, FANTASTIC weather and a good time that I am hoping to SMASH in my next half (to be determined).

T-minus THREE?! days!!!!

2009-04-29T09:48:00.006-04:00

I apologize, like always, for never posting here. I'm fairly certain I only have two readers (Aaron, Dani) but I like you guys and want to keep you updated and get your input. If you've been checking in, I have been running and logging my runs on Running Ahead, as you can see on my tracker. I've also been logging and more active on dailymile, which you should totally check out and friend me on. I love it because I can put in little snippets (mini-blogging) onto my workout reports without feeling like I am boring the blogosphere with the mundane details of each run.

In current news, I am running the OneAmerican 500 Festival Mini-Marathon (aka Indy Mini) this weekend, as I've been building up to since February-ish.

woah.

My "goal" is to finish under 2:45:00, but my primary focus is to complete the distance (not a problem, I did 12 two weeks ago), run the whole thing (except water stops, since I have not yet perfected running+drinking without inhaling water), and have a good time!! I am already embarassed by my slowness, but am trying to think on the positive side about what a small percent of the population will even run this distance, and at least I am doing that!!!!

Also, because I've been "tapering" this week, I have a lot of ... something (anxiety/frustration/etc) today that I would like to run out, and knowing that I'm "not allowed to" makes it worse. So I mapped out my next cycle to start next week! This next cycle isn't gearing up to anything specific, because I'm not sure when I'm moving and thus, what to register for. The goal is to stay in the 20 miles/week range (not quite up to your committment, Aaron!!) and also to add some mild, but more structured strength and speedwork. This means 5-6 days per week of running, so I hope to see some improvements. If anyone wants to virtually train with me using this "program," let me know!!

T-minus ... 4 weeks?? Eek!

2009-04-06T14:05:00.002-04:00

I have been MIA (again). I got sick sick SICK a few days after my last post (GI horror) and wasn't able to keep down any food or much liquid for 4-5 days. I ended up taking SEVEN days off running, including a long run. The first 3-mi run back was pure torture, but I did 8 miles (about 13:00 pace) Saturday and 5 (12:15 pace) this morning. I am feeling a little un-fit, but closer to normal.

I (STILL) have several things I want to post about but time is short -- just wanted to check in.

p.s. If you check out my run log in the sidebar (powered by RunningAhead.com), it's probably up to date. Even when I am super pressed for time, I log my runs almost immediately after I finish them. If it says zero, I most likely need a kick in the butt. If it doesn't say zero and you haven't heard from me, grad school has consumed me and I'll return when I find a fragment of free time.

T-minus 6 weeks!!

2009-03-23T14:09:00.000-04:00

Once again, I haven’t gotten around to posting mid-week. Maybe it’s a welcome change from the mundane posts I used to do after EVERY RUN. However, I’ve got a couple things planned to write about so I really need to bust out a post or two besides the weekly wrap-up.

I did 10 Saturday! That’s right. Double digits. 12:56 average pace. Since I did this run on a marked trail, I marked my splits every mile

Mile 1 - 12:24
Mile 2 - 13:22 (ran into a friend on the trail and walked and talked for about a minute, forgot to stop watch)
Mile 3 - 12:44
Mile 4 - 13:07
Mile 5 - 12:59
Mile 6 - 13:16
Mile 7 - 12:57
Mile 8 - 13:05
Mile 9 - 13:07
Mile 10 - 12:36

I’m fairly happy with the splits, since I kept a fairly consistent pace. I was hoping to stay under 12:30 pace, but I was also careful not to go too hard (conversational). I think had this been a race, I could have pushed the pace up to 12:30 maybe 12:15, but it would have been hard a few points along the way.

This run felt pretty good. I took 4 shot bloks with me and had 2 at mile 4 and 2 at mile 7. I felt them, but I’m not sure I took enough. 3 and 3 may have been a little better. My legs were seriously threatening to give up the last mile. I had enough left to push (just a little!) the last mile and finished feeling strong, if in pain.

I’m feeling generally confident about completing the 13.1 without walking. I have to admit I’m discouraged at the lack of improvement in pace, though. I won’t be alone during the race by any means (35,000 participants) but I’m afraid of an “embarrassing” finish time.

T minus 7 weeks

2009-03-16T09:07:00.002-04:00

I've done only 3 runs since I last posted, but 2 were long runs, for a total of 18 miles. This may have been a stupid idea, but so far I'm doing okay.

I did a 7.25 mi long run last Saturday in 1:35 (13:08 pace). The run felt okay. I didn't feel like I pushed myself at all (which I guess is how you're supposed to do a long run if I understand it). It was kind of choppy because I got an important phone call mid-run that I had to take, which took almost 10 minutes. As a result, I completely lost my flow. I got some minor hip soreness on my left side and lots of foot soreness again. The weather was amazing though, cloudy (no sunburns!), 51 degrees, ever so slight breeze.

Immediately after the run I drove 2 hours to the airport, flew 2 hours to Florida, then drove 2 more hours to my grandparents. I can understand why it's not fun to fly home post-marathon and I only did 7 miles!!! I was sore until Monday night, and due to weird sleeping and eating patterns, heat, and general business, didn't run again until Wednesday, and then only 2 miles (but at a sub-11:30 pace).

I flew back home Thursday, and worked Friday, so didn't run either of those days either. Then Saturday I went out to do 8, but misjudged a bit and did almost 9 (8.7) in 1:49 (12:33 pace). Again, my feet hurt, a lot. But nothing else hurt one bit! AND I didn't walk! (Okay I walked a few times, for maybe 15 seconds, because I am physically incapable of running while drinking and not breathing water). I feel confident about the pace because there was no stopping and waiting for lights or anything, so I didn't get any "artificial" rest built it to my times, all the drink break walking was while my watch ran.

I think this is how long runs are SUPPOSED to be!! I didn't think about anything most of the time, I just ran. And I had a GOOD time! Ahh...

I am feeling slow, but I am feeling good about this race.

T-8 weeks.

2009-03-06T12:24:00.003-05:00

3.9 miles in 43:30 (11:10 pace -- what?!) This marks several runs in a row that (while not "great" runs) have felt pretty normalish :)

I've got 7 miles planned for my long run tomorrow on a nice, long, straight bike path where cars will not bother me :) Forecast calls for mid-50's and rain in the morning - a recipe for a perfect run for me!!

Hooray!

2009-03-04T15:10:00.002-05:00

So today I finally felt more like I did back in November before I fell off the wagon in a big way! I did 3 miles - 1 out to the track, 400m to recalibrate the Nike+, 1200 to check the calibration (pretty good, read .78) and 1 more back to work. I made it to the track in 11:37, did each of my 400's in 2:40, and got back in about 11:00! It works out to about 11:20 pace I think, which is fast for me and hopefully not a fluke.

The temperature changed from about 34 when I left to 44 when I got back so I ended up getting pretty warm in tights, shorts, and a long sleeve tee. But I made it :)

I think I'm going to try to get out to the track at least every other week to run some 400's to check my progress and do some really mild speedwork. I know I haven't been running long enough for "speedwork" to be allowed but I don't think pushing the pace a little for a mile around the track will hurt me.

Long Run

2009-03-02T12:14:00.002-05:00

I did 5 miles yesterday in some BRUTAL wind. It was supposed to be 6 but ...

26 degrees + 24 MPH wind = really freaking cold.

I headed out against the wind so I wouldn't have to fight with it on the way back. Apparently Google maps and whoever is in charge of putting up road signs in my county disagree because I missed my road due to it being labeled as something other than what Google led me to believe. Long story short, I turned around at 30 minutes because I got to a T in the road and didn't know where I was going at that point. I knew I had cut off some mileage somewhere because I got back to my apartment too early, so I did a couple of loops around nearby neighborhoods. I still stopped early because I was freezing and in tons of pain.

It's hard to explain this pain. It wasn't in one place, it was everywhere. The worst was my feet but my hips, thighs, back all HURT. What's really weird is that everything feels fine today. I had a similar painful experience last time I went out in the super-cold for a long-ish run. I sort of feel like the combination of tights and pants for that long is too restrictive, and that might be part of the hip/thigh problem, but I don't really know.

The good news is that 5 miles was sub-12!! (barely, 11:54) So I feel good about my running coming back to where it was before. I have 7 planned for next week (when I plan to try out my first gel!!) and 9 the week after. Technically this violates the 10% rule but I think the 10% rule is stupid when single digits are involved.

Pluggin' Along

2009-02-25T11:11:00.002-05:00

Not much to update on ... I had a slight hiccup in my training plan last week due to a nasty flare up of my sinus infection (that will hopefully be a thing of the past now that I am finally finishing up my antibiotics!)

I missed a long run but it was only 5 miles so I feel confident that I will be able to do 6 this weekend. I had a terrible run yesterday, however and am not sure why. I'm sure this happens to everyone now and then but my legs just would NOT move for anything.

I'm not sure who is still reading this if anyone -- if you are, what do you do about no-reason-for-it terrible, horrible runs??

Wednesday

2009-02-11T12:42:00.002-05:00

Just a short run today (2.7) but it's what was on the schedule and it went really well, all things considered. Only a mild headache during and after the run and I felt pretty fit. Managed about a 12:15 pace despite rain and 30mph winds so I'll take that for today! Another 3 planned for tomorrow and then "long" (but technically only 4) on Saturday.

i'm back ... ish.

2009-02-10T10:11:00.002-05:00

So it's been over 3 months since you've heard from me.

The first month I was running.

The second month I was slacking.

The third+month I've been suffering.

I was keeping up with the winter plan for awhile. And then it became dark at 5p and also the holiday season and I don't know what happened.

In mid-December, I got a sinus infection.

I still have a sinus infection. (Yes, I've been to the doctor, 3 doctors to be precise. We're working on this)

I've tried to run intermittently during this time, but it has been vastly unsuccessful. I've only logged the runs where I finished more than a mile. A combination of an inability to breathe and splitting headaches has made the progress very difficult. This is combined with the discovery that Sudafed (that I was told to use as long as I wanted by one of the doctors) has caused a serious increase in my resting blood pressure. I've stopped taking it (thus making the headaches and pressure worse) but I have to take it super easy if I run at all until the effects go away.

But for anyone who was reading this blog last fall, I have my first half-mary coming up in May! My training plan was slated to start last week but I only got one quality (slowwww) run in. I am going to do my best to get the miles while being smart about my health. My last doctor assures me this infection will be a thing of the past by March so hopefully I will have 8 weeks of full-quality training.

The race will be my first race (and run) of this length. My max milage is around 7 right now, but I plan to train up to 12 two weeks prior to the race. My long run plan:

RACE

The rest of my runs (3 others per week) are scheduled, but not all that specific -- (easy to medium intensity 2-5 miles with mini-speedwork if I feel like it) As always, advice is welcomed!!!

Next Phase

2008-10-28T12:55:00.002-04:00

There's not really another conveniently located 10K anytime soon. Also, I'm going to be working a good proportion of the upcoming (aka until April) Saturday mornings due to the nature of pediatric research (kids have to go to school on weekday mornings, unfortunately for me).

So instead of lamenting about my decision to skip the race, I'm moving into the next phase of my running life - winter training. I'm following Hal Higdon's plan for the next 13 weeks. It's not exactly winter yet but I'm ready for running to run and not for any super-specific purpose. I'm following the plan to keep me honest because if I don't have a run *scheduled* sometimes I just "don't get to it" and when that happens several days in a row ... well, you know what happens.

My overall goals for this "training" phase is to:

1. stay comfortable with my runs

2. increase my "comfortable" pace - this means tempo runs on Thursdays and/or other mild speedwork. I don't have any expectations for where this new pace should be, but it's something I'm going to work on.

3. keep running and keep ENJOYING running.

and 4. use the short easy days on Monday and Wednesday to "train" my roommate into continuous running using the couch-to-5k plan. This will (1) keep me from getting bored with the short runs (2) be good for roomie's health and fitness & (3) get me a running partner for Mini training!

My next "big" race will be the Indy 500 Festival Mini Marathon - but that's not until May. I want to increase my weekly mileage slightly (aiming for 15-20 miles a week instead of 12) but will probably not be exceeding 7 or 8 mile long runs until training for that race officially starts in February.

Race Report(s)

2008-10-26T11:42:00.003-04:00

I mentioned I was going to do two races this weekend.

I sorta did one.

I'm starting to dread this blog a little because it more often than not makes me feel bad about myself. Here's the "report(s)":

Yesterday was my university's annual 5K - "Chase Charlie" (Charlie is our mascot). Since I was planning to do two races this weekend, I decided to treat the 5K as more of an easy run than a race - mostly I just wanted the experience of this campus tradition before leaving BSU. So I talked my roommate into doing it with me, promising her I'd stay with her even if she had to walk. She did, which was fine, but we ended up walking probably 1/3 of the race. It was a good time, though with several of my coworkers, professors, and friends also running. The final sprint is also through the stadium, into the end zone which is fun. We finished in just under 39 minutes. Again, this was fine because I had another race today, my 10K that I've been training for for months.

However, when we checked the weather this morning, they are warning of constant winds @ 25mph with gusts up to/exceeding 50mph. Also it is 40 degrees. And raining. Now that I'm writing it all out it sounds like more of an excuse than it did when we were deciding whether or not to go. But I guess I wanted this to be a good experience and I think the wind would make it anything but.

More honestly, I was afraid I would fail. 6 miles is still hard for me, and trying to do 6 miles fast, into a strong wind, I thought I might not even finish. So there's my confession in essence. I'm looking for a replacement race today while trying not feel terrible about my decision. I enjoy training, especially when I have specific tasks to accomplish for a day. (I'm thinking about trying the FIRST training plan because there are such detailed goals for the day and I love numbers). However, races just initimidate me. I hate being dead last or close to it (which I so often am) and I spend more time worrying about what people will think of my performance to enjoy it. So if anyone has any advice pertaining to that feeling, send it this way.

5mi, <1 hr

2008-10-24T08:17:00.003-04:00

I actually had a good run yesterday. The rest of my world is somewhat crashing down, but, psh.

Slightly over 5 miles, slightly under 1 hour (58:30). Works out to just under 11:40 pace - that's (I'm pretty certain) my best long-run pace ever. Last time I did 6 it took 1:16+. I think yesterday I could have done a sixth mile in less than 18 minutes haha.

Splits (look out, they're *mostly* negative!)

11:55

11:39

11:55 (made a water pit stop so a couple stops restarts of the watch could have added a little time)

11:49 (felt SLOW)

11:10 (felt amazing!)

I was breathing pretty hard the last 1/4 mile or so but it felt so good. This run makes me feel a little better about Saturday. Now I know it (probably) won't take me like an hour and a half. 1:10 would be amazing but I know can't keep that 11:10 stuff up for 6.2 miles yet...

Eek. Just checked the weather for Sunday and it looks like 28mph winds and rain. Grreat.

un-Tagged!

2008-10-15T14:19:00.002-04:00

So I wasn't tagged, but I needed a topic, so I stole this from Chris's Blog -- here goes:

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.

10 Years Ago (1998):
1. I was in 8th grade
2. My marching band (nerd alert) was preparing for state finals
3. I was basically failing algebra even though for the next 4 years I was a relative math whiz
4. I was a competitive swimmer
5. ... come on I was 12 years old I didn't have much of a life.

5 Things on Today's "To Do" List:
1. Molecular Biology Lab
2. Exercise Physiology Exam
3. Run
4. Run a trial for one of our studies in the lab
5. Buy something cute and appropriate to wear for my prospective PhD visit to UMD

5 Things that I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Still get my PhD
2. Buy a house
3. Get a Garmin 405!
4. Frequent spas often
5. Pay off all my friends' student loans (yeah, I'm a good person)

5 Places I have lived:
1. Bunker Hill, Indiana
2. Muncie, Indiana
3. ... that about rounds out the list unless I get more specific. I've lived in 4 places in BHill and 5 in Muncie
4.
5.

5 Jobs I have had:
1. Hardware/Farm store inventory-taker
2. Emergency Room Tech
3. Bagger at a grocery store
4. Deli girl at a grocery store
5. Grad Assistant/Lab Rat ;)

Annnd I won't tag anyone since no one tagged me.

2008-10-15T07:21:00.002-04:00

I have had my hiatus. Thanks for the prodding, Aaron. Since I haven't updated lately, I'm back on the running horse with a week and a half to go for the 10K. I haven't done a quality long run in a while due to obligations on the week and this darned darkness that comes with winter. So instead of backing down for the weekend before the race, I'm aiming for 6 this weekend to make sure I can still do it I guess.

I'm also doing a 5K race the day before the 10K. Not because I think its a good idea (I don't) but because this 10K has been on my radar and I have been training for it for-ev-er. And the 5K is a classic race @ my university and I refuse to miss it on the last year I will attend here.

I don't really have any goals for either race. Obviously I would like to shave some time off my 5K, but my last one was pretty fast (for me). For the 10K I would like to keep all my splits below 12:00 ... we'll see. That puts me under 1:15 which is a lofty goal, but that's what I'm gonna go with. I need to get back into blogging but lately I haven't had anything to talk about. That's what I'll focus on during my run tonite.

Hiatus

2008-09-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

I'm taking a bit of hiatus from running (don't worry, very brief!). I've been annoyed by some tightness in my right hip for a couple weeks now, especially on long runs, and this weekend that annoyance turned into outright pain. Right now walking makes it sore. So I'm taking a full week off from running, and pretty much exercise in general (even though its against my very nature). I'll be in Colorado anyway so I'll be busy and dealing with altitude so it's probably for the best all around. Stretching, strengthening, ice, and nsaids will be my exercise routine until next Saturday (my tentative back on the horse date).

Oops - forgot something!

2008-09-12T09:36:00.002-04:00

I also had a question for all of you -- I'm planning a trip to Colorado next week. (It's for a conference so I don't know how much time I'll have to get running in, but I'm planning to go for at least 2 runs during the 5 days I'm there). Anyway I was wondering if any of you had any tips or advice for a first time altituder like myself. The city I'm staying in has an elevation of 6780 feet. I've been to Colorado before, but have never attempted running there.

Thursday ... check-ish??

2008-09-12T09:25:00.002-04:00

haha. Excuse the title of my post, I haven't had my coffee yet today.

I HATE how life gets in the way of running. I missed yesterday's run due to class all morning, crazy work all afternoon getting a grant together, and subject trials until after 9pm. I considered the treadmill ... briefly. But then I realized I hadn't had anything to eat since lunch and ... well ... it's a treadmill. I'll probably be spending enough time with him this winter.

Anyway I got up and came to work early today to get my run (just 2 miles, I did 2.2) in before work. I felt pretty good, except for that nagging hip thing, but I was shocked by the lack of speed when I calculated my pace. I was abotu 12:30, which is about where my pace was Saturday ... when I did SIX miles.

I'm trying not to worry too much and just enjoy running, but the complete lack of improvement in pace is really starting to grind on me.

Tuesday ... check

2008-09-10T07:15:00.001-04:00

You may have noticed there was no report Monday. That's because I skipped my run. I had absolutely zero reason for doing so aside from the fact that I forgot a sports bra to work. Why I didn't run when I got home I have no idea. That means a run today AND Thursday.

Saturday. check

2008-09-06T11:53:00.002-04:00

6.1 miles today in 1:16. Equates out to about 12:30 pace, which is better than I've been seeing on long runs, so I'm satisfied. A few short walk breaks (maybe four, 0:20 each), but nothing to get down about.

One thing -- my feet hurt pretty much the whole time. I'm pretty sure I haven't put enough miles on my shoes for them to be worn out, but maybe they are anyway? I'm pretty heavy by female runner standards so that probably speeds up the process ... I'm not sure if there's any way to tell by looking at them. The tread's only mildy worn in a few places, but I think what breaks down is the cushioning. Thoughts??