that girl runs with scissors

Positives

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 14:00:00 +0000

The further I get into this running thing, the more I realize the need for celebrating the smaller events as a part of the bigger journey. Of course at the culmination of all my training I want to celebrate the completion of a half marathon and a full marathon but where's the fun in waiting until then?

So some of the smaller positives...

I'm running faster. I'm still slow but I've cut almost 3 minutes off my pace from my beginning point.
My food choices are getting better everyday. I want to eat healthy so I can run better.
I like how my body is changing... more on that in a minute. ;)
I look forward to my workouts and I'm motivated by these little things to get my workouts in no matter what.

A few of the bigger positives...

Steve has been traveling a lot this month. That's typically not the norm but it looks like it will be for the forseeable future. When he's gone I'm a little more stressed... the dogs don't behave, Chaney is more challenging, and of course there are the inevitable disasters that seem to wait for when he's not home. That's just the way it works.

So when he travels, I'm typically a little more stressed than usual and when I'm stressed, it's easy to slip into old disordered eating habits. Add in the fact that I'm alone and I face my biggest moments of temptation to binge. These are certainly shameful moments and I always regret it because it doesn't even make me feel less stressed for very long at all. I got a little anxious when he told me what his travel schedule was but I'm proud to report that I haven't binged once. I don't know for sure what's changed but the desire just isn't there. My theory is that the little things I've listed above have changed my perspective; or at least that's what I'm going to go with. :)

I've kept up with my workouts even when he's been traveling and I'm proud of that. It's not easy after a long day of work, coming home to chores, dinner, and helping with homework, violin practice, etc. I completed one of my treadmill runs after 10 PM and in case you're wondering, that's really not setting yourself up for a good night's sleep. I was WIRED.

And lastly, the changes in my body. Probably TMI but I was shaving my legs in the shower the other morning and I found a strange and hard lump on the side of my leg close to the side of my calf, above my ankle... there was even an indention below the lump because it was protruding so much. I got all panicked so I did what a "normal" person does and I compared it to my other leg. Guess what? There was an identical lump! But after more poking and prodding, I realized what these lumps were...

New muscle definition. I'm not a hypochondriac at all. ;)

Hot & Hotter

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 16:50:00 +0000

So now that it's September, I start looking forward to "cooler" temperatures. I'll even consider 80 or 85 as a high temperature as cooler at this point...

But instead we are having some of our hottest days and consecutively as well. Yay. Steve was traveling last week so it was the treadmill for me. Chaney wouldn't even entertain riding her bike with me in the evening while I ran... that means it's really hot if a kid won't ride their bike! BTW, I started watching Homeland to pass the time on the treadmill and I am now officially addicted to that show.

I had great workouts running on the treadmill during the week/Saturday which made Sunday's long run outside an even ruder awakening. I woke up early and started my 8 miles as soon as it was light out. It was one of my more miserable runs since I started running again. The humidity was awful, the sun was hot once it came up and I just felt sluggish. But in letting go of my perfectionism little by little, I wasn't going to freak about a bad run; instead I decided to focus on the other runs during the week that were good. This is progress for me. :)

When I got home I hopped in an almost cold shower so we could go see a 10am movie. I sat in the theater still sweating and told Steve that it was hot in there. Turns out that it wasn't hot, it was just me. ;) This continued the rest of the day. Everywhere we went I was hot. It was the weirdest thing... or maybe not since it was 109 on Sunday.

I got a massage on Monday and she worked on my legs {my calves in particular} and I felt tons better afterwards. It's amazing how tight my calves are and that I don't even notice anymore until someone else works the tension out of them. As I continue to increase my mileage I'm going to get massages more often. She specializes in medical and sports massage and wow, she really knows her stuff. She even understood why I don't want to get rid of my callouses despite Steve's complaints. ;)

Hey, at least I keep my toenails polished!

Improving as a runner

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 14:05:00 +0000

As a beginning runner, I think I've paid more attention to what not to do because I have wanted to avoid injury and run consistently. And while that's fine and good I fell into the trap of not improving much either... at least past being able to run consecutive minutes and miles.

One of the most common pieces of advice given to beginning runners is: if you're out breath, you're running too fast. Now I get why that makes sense, especially early on, but at some point if you don't push yourself you aren't going to see gains in fitness and performance.

I took that rule of thumb to heart and outside of some hills and the occasional strides, I've run at a "conversational pace". I know that doing this has kept me healthy but after talking to a running friend and expressing my frustration; I realized that it's OK to push myself and breathe hard in some of my workouts.

In that same conversation we were talking about breathing and how your warm up can impact your breathing throughout the workout. Now, I'm not the most patient person so I consider walking for 5 minutes before I run to be close to overkill. I know.

My friends suggestion was something similar to what she does. She's not only a great runner, but she is also a smart runner so I was happy to listen. Here's what her warmup looks like: walking, a light jog, a "break a sweat" jog and THEN beginning the running workout. She said that this keeps her from warming up too fast or not enough which can lead to labored breathing throughout her workout. Interesting.

Yesterday was my easy day so I tried this strategy. I walked 5 minutes, jogged 4 minutes, jogged a little faster for 3 minutes and then began running. Not only was my easy pace faster but my breathing was great the entire time. I didn't have that "first mile is the toughest" feeling and I finished the workout feeling great. I'm a believer!

Did it take a little longer to warm up? Yes. But did I have a better run? Yep. So I've come to realize that reasonably pushing myself after a good warm up is OK and a good thing when I have a tempo run or speedwork assigned for that day's workout.

Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest differences.

Not for the faint of heart

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 13:00:00 +0000

It all started out nice enough. Trail biking with Steve on a new trail that was supposed to be fairly easy, a beautiful morning, a good night's sleep the night before... what could possibly go wrong?

If you're grossed out by road rash, scraped up legs and a little blood... look away. The trail we rode was not easy but rather it was super technical. I'm a decent bike rider but nothing to write home about. I tend to think I do better on two feet than I do on two wheels.

This confirms my theory. Not gonna lie, it hurt. But pouring hydrogen peroxide on my legs hurt even worse. I didn't cry but I came very close. I spent the rest of Saturday nursing my wounds and eating sushi.

Sunday was long run day with 8 miles on the schedule. I was definitely sore but I did fine. I got home, showered and Steve decided I needed to get back on the bike after wiping out so bad the day before.

We went to a different trail that was confirmed by a real person to be beginner friendly and thankfully that's exactly what it was! It was still a blast too. I'm glad he convinced me to give it another go.

My totals for the day:
8 mile long run
7.35 mile trail ride
Approx 1300 calories burned

We celebrated by making chicken stuffed hatch chiles wrapped in bacon. Amazing and totally worth the calories burned earlier in the day.

Monday was a rest day and while I usually dislike rest days, this one was quite welcome. :)

All in all, it was a good experience. I still love trail riding mostly because I get to spend quality time with Steve but also for the challenge. The key is just to stay upright so you don't have to explain your road rash a million times. ;)

I Won!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Before the test and slightly nervous...

No, not a race. But I did "win" my stress test. I'm super competitive so even though you can't technically win a stress test, I'm telling myself that I did. Because I can. :)

I arrived in my running shoes and clothes. They took my vitals and my resting heart rate got an audible sigh from the nurse. It was 45. I couldn't believe it! I was not in good shape when I started running last November and while I'm not anywhere near fast, I'm healthier and that makes me happy.

The technician's response: I'm glad you wore running shoes because you are going to have to run.

For my age my max HR is 180. 45 to 180? That could be a problem. After 25 minutes running on an increasing incline the tech settled for 80% of my max. I'm glad he made me run though because he explained that they used to let athletes slide knowing their HR wasn't going to max out but that also missed identifying heart conditions in otherwise healthy athletes.

They also did a resting EKG, an ultrasound and something else that showed the blood flow. Pretty cool! They repeated the same tests right after the stress test to see what things looked like when my heart was working hard.

After and much more relaxed...

The good news: my heart murmur behaves exactly the same at rest as it does when my heart is taxed. There were no blood flow issues, leaky valves, etc. My cardiologist (who I love, BTW) told me I was free to run all the marathons I wanted to although I might want to get my head checked for wanting to run that far for fun. Funny guy!

My chest pain was anxiety related so his "prescription": watch my caffeine intake, limit my stress, and manage my anxiety. He doesn't realize that those three things fuel my work days so thank goodness for running!

So I'm definitely out of my running funk and back to running without anxiety. I also went trail biking with Steve this past weekend and have the war wounds to prove it... more on that later.

Funky

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 16:21:00 +0000

I've been in a little bit of a running funk lately. I've gotten some miles in here and there but we've had other things going on... like painting and redecorating Chaney's entire room. We have also been trying to squeeze the best out of that last little bit of summer left before school starts. So not only am I in a running funk but I'm also a little sad that summer is nearly over.

Yes, I love the routine of the school year but along with that comes endless to-do lists, school drama to talk through after school, violin lessons and everything else that comes with being a 4th grader. All of this also means that I have to really structure my mornings to fit my workouts and runs in.

The last little bit of my funk has to do with my anxiety attack/ER trip several weeks back. I followed up with a cardiologist last week and he found a heart murmur. Weird. I'm new to all this terminology but hopefully I'll learn a lot more today when I go for my stress test.

Goal #1 today: win the test. Competitive much?? ;)

But really, my biggest priority is getting some peace of mind and some assurance that I'm healthy. Because honestly that has put a bit of a damper on my running enthusiasm lately. I certainly don't feel unhealthy but I don't like words like "hear murmur"... "irregular rhythm"... "missing EKG peaks" either.

So that's where I'll be this afternoon. Thankfully the cardiologist reviews the results with me today so there is no more waiting. From there I hope to proceed directly out of my funk.

Training Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 15:22:00 +0000

I've had a hard time settling on a training plan. So many of them are similar but at the same time many of them are very one-size-fits-all. The 10K Runner app that I started with was great because it had no focus on miles or pace; just time spent running vs. walking.

But ever since I completed that program, I've been following a mash-up of plans which was beginning to drive me crazy. I read Run Less, Run Faster and I really like the philosophy behind the training plan. It even went as far as to tell you pace/time/miles to train at based on your last race.

That part I liked... what I didn't like was how cumbersome managing the actual plan was. I was constantly looking up my next workout, then forgetting it, looking it up again at 5 am. And then as my times improved, I had to find the new corresponding workouts based on my improvements. I know... first world runner problems.

Did I mention that I signed up for the Cowtown Marathon for this coming February? I did and I'm so excited! When I paid I was offered a customized training plan through Run Coach for a flat $20 which is a steal.

All I did was log in, create a profile, enter my recent race times and it put together a plan specifically for me. The cool part... as I record my times and miles and they improve, the rest of the training plan automatically adjusts to my new training levels. I get a weekly email and then I get an email the night before my next running workout telling me exactly what I'm supposed to do. Worst case, I can just look on my phone while I'm out if I forget how many 400's, etc to run.

This all might seem a little lazy but oh well. I'm busy and it's one less hurdle I have to jump to get out the door and actually run. It also syncs with Nike+ which is the watch I use.

Training up for the week:
Monday - long run of 6 miles {I missed it on Sunday}
Tuesday - rest
Wednesday - tempo run {.50 warm up, 7 drills, 3 strides, 5:00 at tempo pace then jog 3:00 x 3, .50 cool down.
Thursday - cross train
Friday - tempo run {same warm up & drills, 1:00 hard/1:00 jog x 6, .50 cool down}
Saturday - cross train

I missed my long run on Sunday and the schedule automatically updated, dropped a cross training day in favor of keeping the long run which is more important. Pretty cool. :)

Pain

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sun, 04 Aug 2013 20:06:00 +0000

I took this picture while hiking around Multnomah Falls when we were in OR for the RNR half.

This post has nothing to do with running and everything to do with running.

Stick with me.

Pain is no stranger to those of us who run up and down hills, on concrete, rocky trails, in the sticky heat and in the freezing cold. I'm pretty sure that if you finish a hard run and nothing hurts then you're doing it wrong.

But what happens when you avoid pain? Not a lot. You aren't pushing yourself. You're not growing. You're not getting stronger for sure. But it is demanding and it won't go away no matter how deep you bury it; it just doesn't work that way. This applies in life just as well as it applies to running.

I think I'm pretty safe in saying that for the last 10 years I've avoided as much pain as possible. Sure, it's bubbled up to the surface here and there but I've buried it more than I've embraced it or even slowed down or stopped to feel it. What happens when I do this? Scar tissue piles on top of scars that lay on top of pain.

When I tore my shoulder up and had to have surgery I spent 3 months with my shoulder immobilized to let the extensive repairs heal. When I came out of the sling I had zero range of motion. My physical therapists and orthopedic surgeon had never seen so much scar tissue develop so fast. I had a scar tissue problem that eventually required a second surgery to manipulate my shoulder to break up the scar tissue and then clean it all out. Very aggressive physical therapy followed to keep scar tissue from developing again and it was extremely painful. It was miserable but I pushed through it and found a new normal for my shoulder. Not perfect, not painless but still in a good and functional place.

I'm not going to say that I haven't grown at all as a person over the past 10 years because I have but I've danced around the pain part as much as possible. I had been hurt over and over and I was tired of the pain. I found a respite in the joy of having my daughter that was followed by meeting my now husband which has been a wonderful 7 years and counting. But despite my happiness I still had areas in my life full of scar tissue on top of buried pain where I remained stuck.

And then I started running again. Running sucks sometimes; especially when you are starting all over. It's painful. Your toenails turn colors and sometimes fall off. There are blisters, sore muscles, and of course chafing.

But I still put on my shoes time after time and here's where life and running intersect; old hurts have begun to emerge and for the first time I'm feeling the pain. I'm not burying it, I'm not ignoring it; rather I'm feeling it, learning from it and pushing through it. I learned how to do this by running. Running woke me up to my old friend pain and the fact that pain can be a good and even powerful catalyst for change.

It's true, running changes a person.

Just when...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 21:49:00 +0000

... you think things are going great there always seems to be something that pops up. This was my view Friday afternoon and yes, those are my cute shoes on a hospital bed.

I felt "off" from the get go that day but I just chalked it up to fatigue. But then I was sitting in a client meeting that afternoon and it started to feel like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I had chest pain and soon it was spreading to my shoulders and neck.

I finished the meeting and got some water. I sat back down at my desk, drank my water and Googled chest pain spreading to shoulders and neck. I didn't even have to open a single link; every preview on Google told me to go straight to the ER. So off I went with a co-worker who gladly drove me and stayed with me. I work with some pretty awesome people. :)

It's amazing how short your wait is when you walk into an ER and tell them you are having chest pain; it was either than or my new haircut that I got for the occasion. I had exactly enough time to write my name and birthday. By then they were taking me back to start an EKG. Fortunately my EKG looked great.

The pain was not subsiding so next was a blood draw, a chest x-ray, morphine, and a CT scan to check for a blood clot. Nothing showed up thankfully.

Diagnosis: atypical chest pain/severe anxiety.

I have a follow up with a cardiologist next week for a stress test and I can't help but wonder if you can win a stress test since you're running? That's my goal... win the stress test!

The ER doctor told me to take it easy and I did that for exactly one day. I ran a few miles on Sunday and was back to riding my bike on trails with Steve on Monday evening. Not doing something physical is no longer an option for me... especially since it's one of the things that helps to minimize my anxiety.

So while this event scared me and even made me wonder how I could be possibly have a heart issue given all my running, I felt more confident knowing I would be OK because I have been taking good care of myself. That's a good feeling because 6 months ago I would have felt very different and would have second guessed my health the entire time while waiting for the test results in the ER.

Run Faster...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 07:30:00 +0000

I'm convinced the right nail polish color makes you faster...

... Run Farther. This is the book I'm following to build a good base leading up to my half marathon training. I'll be using the same book for that training as well.

I'm slow. There's no way around that. And while I'm OK with that, I'm not OK with that long term. So this week I picked up with week 8 of the novice 5k plan in the book:

Walk 10 minutes
Run 1 mile
Walk 5 minutes
Run 6 minutes, walk 1 minute X 3
Walk 10 minutes

This has been a pride check for sure because I can run 8 slooowwww miles with no issues. But they are slow miles if you didn't catch that previously. ;)

My theory is that if I run the running segments at a faster pace than I'm used to, with walking mixed in, it shouldn't be too much of a shock to my body. Plus, I'm the type that fears running out of gas on a run but if I know I have a walk break here and there, I won't be as afraid to push it. Am I correct in my thinking? I think so but I don't know for sure. But that's what I'm hoping.

I'm not crazy about watching my weekly mileage drop but I feel that this approach will yield better results long term.

I'll complete the novice 5k plan just in time to start the novice half marathon training plan and the two plans seem to be a continuation of the other.

I'm also mixing in hill repeats once a week because they suck. That makes perfect sense...

Overall, I'm feeling great. I don't have those nagging pains I had when I started running. My legs feel strong and my confidence is increasing. I still have moments of self doubt where that little voice starts saying, I can't do this. Six months ago I would have agreed with that voice but today my response is, I'm not just running... I'm training. For whatever reason, repeating that when I start to doubt helps me push through.

Trails & Life

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 18:43:00 +0000

It's been a busy few weeks around here! I'm still running lots and I've added another weapon to my fitness arsenal: a bike.

Steve took up cycling and I started thinking that I could do that too. I've been reading "Run Less, Run Faster" and one of the things they emphasize is cross training via bike, swimming, or rowing.

My bad shoulder is not very agreeable to swimming, we don't have a rowing machine, so the bike it is!

Plus it gives Chaney and me a chance to ride bikes together.

And witness this awesomeness...

Here's how my week looks:

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - Bike/weights {upper body & core}
Wednesday - Run

Thursday - Bike/weights {lower body & core}

Friday - Run
Saturday - Bike on trails
Sunday - Long run

Saturday is actually optional but I went trail riding with Steve a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved it! It was a nice break from the monotony I can feel while running. On the trails, you have to pay attention, think, and anticipate.

A few thoughts about trail riding... it's not easy, you can get hurt {my knee/leg are proof}, there is nature to contend with {snakes!} and you have to have a lot of trust in the person in front of you if they are leading.

And trust is a big one for me. Because of things in the past, I'm not the most trusting person in the world. But as I rode and followed Steve, I began to get more comfortable. He didn't take me on trails that were too hard for me to make himself look better. He looked out for me and helped me along the way. He never got frustrated if I fell or slowed down. Pretty much the exact opposite of what would have happened in my previous marriage. As I realized these things, my nervousness about the experience began to melt away and that is a wonderful feeling. Being with someone who wants to keep me safe makes trusting a whole lot easier.

So after my first trail experinence I knew I wanted to run on trails as well. I found some Saucony Kinvara TR shoes at a great price and bought them. I got to try them out while we were on vacation since the resort had a beautiful running trail. It was a wonderful way to start each day!

Back to the shoes... they are great shoes! They fit well and I don't feel every rock I step on. I'm also going to wear them when I bike as I have no desire to clip in. That just seems dangerous. ;)

As far as my regular running goes, I'm working on building a good base while adding some speed and hills into the mix. My half marathon training officially starts on August 26th and I want to be ready to tackle that training plan. Hopefully it will be slightly cooler by then too...

Lately & Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 19:02:00 +0000

... I've been running on the treadmill.

It's hot here in Texas.

...and the treadmill is also kinder to my feet as I work out my achilles issues.

I've also been a tad obsessed with Mason jars.

I really like the idea of taking salad for lunch all in one air-tight container without it turning into a soggy mess.

And then there's the overnight oats which is really just a fancy name for cold oatmeal which I'm loving this summer since I usually work out in the morning and the last thing I want after taking a shower and putting on a suit is something hot to eat on my way to work.

I'm not much of a recipe person but here are the "recipes" (more like instructions) for the oatmeal and salad:

Overnight Oats:

1/2 cup of oats (not the instant kind)
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
1/2 cup of almond milk, soy milk, or regular milk
Small spoonful of a nut butter if you want - I used Justin's Maple Almond Butter
Any kind of fruit - I used blackberries

Mix the ingredients in the jar, put the lid on and refrigerate overnight. In the morning you have breakfast ready and waiting.

Meatless Taco Salad:

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn
Salsa
1 red pepper (diced)
1 yellow pepper (diced)
Mixed greens
Avocado (chopped)
1 tsp of shredded cheese if you like
2 tortilla chips

Mix your black beans, corn, diced peppers and 1/3 cup of salsa together*. This will be the dressing for your salad. Put this mixture in the very bottom of the jar. I did this step the night before, put the lid on the jar, and refrigerated it.

The next morning: layer your avocado on top of your black bean mixture. Follow with your mixed greens (this was by far the largest serving in the jar). Add your shredded cheese and crumble your tortilla chips on top. Close your jar and refrigerate until lunch. When you are ready to eat just shake the jar and your lunch is ready.

*The black bean mixture made enough for 3 lunches plus some extra that we ate as salsa with dinner the next night.

Enjoy!

Enabling

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:56:00 +0000

It's ridiculous how fast you can develop an obsession with running clothes, shoes, and gear when you run!

I stumbled across Ellie several month ago when I read about them on another blog. Instantly, I really love their concept. You join for free and you get two pieces {tights, top, shorts, skirt, tank, etc...} each month for $50 + free shipping. You can mix and match any way that you would like. Most pieces retail for more than $50 per item so I love getting such a great deal.

This month I got this awesome skirt and top.

Everything is high quality and the designs are very unique. The skirt is typically $54.95 and the tank is typically $44.95. So $99.90 worth of clothes for $50.00. Score!

I not crazy about paying full price for something I'm going to sweat in even if I know I'm getting good quality so this is concept is perfect for me. I've picked up a lot of staples for my running wardrobe through Ellie so I just had to share. I figure it's my duty to enable other runners and their shopping habits... ;)

So go take a look! As you can see, they also have a pretty cool loyalty program which is another awesome perk!

Enabling over. ;)

An ounce of prevention

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:10:00 +0000

summary of last Sunday's run

A few weeks ago I started having a familiar pain in the ball of my right foot (my good foot). Familiar because it was around my sesamoid bones and one of those bones in my left foot is what caused my nightmare foot injury and surgery several years ago.

I read online and did some self diagnosis and decided that my high arches were to blame. I visited my local running store and left with insoles which I had been considering anyways. And these are really cool, BTW... you can put them in the oven so they mold to your feet in an almost custom way.

Despite my expert self diagnosis, new insoles, resting, and icing, last week it was hurting more and more even when I wasn't running or walking. Considering that I just registered with a friend for the Vegas RNR half in November, I was sick even thinking that I might have injured the same bone(s) in the opposite foot.

But instead of ignoring the pain like I did last time I did the responsible thing and made an appointment to see a foot & ankle doctor. I went yesterday and the great news after x-rays was that nothing was broken. :) The doctor's bigger concern was why I would be having these kinds of foot problems at my age so he started moving my feet and ankles around.

"Impressive" was his response when he was testing my Achilles strength. But just when I was getting all proud of myself he shot me down with, "do you know how extremely tight your Achilles are?".

I didn't... I have never even had a thought about Achilles tightness when I have been running. He equated the extreme tightness to running in high heels which suddenly made the ball of the foot pain make lots of sense.

Thankfully I haven't developed any sort of tendonitis in either Achilles so he simply wrote me a referral to a physical therapist who will be able to show me how to stretch so I can stop running in high heels. It will only take me 3-5 visits to get the stretching down and from there he said I should notice a major difference in my running as well as a disappearance of my foot pain and some of the other "little" pains I have while running.

I don't think I've ever been to PT prior to having an injury so this will be something new for me. But this is definitely a welcome change and this preventative mindset just might be something I stick with... ;)

Chi Running and other random thoughts...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:24:00 +0000

I started reading Chi Running by Danny Dreyer about a week ago. I'd seen references made to the book and I was curious. It turns out that it's a very interesting and helpful book. Especially for those of us who are not naturally gifted runners.

The short story is that the running form and technique is very similar to some of the Kenyan and Ethiopian runners who win almost all the big races. They run very efficiently and a book that teaches that piqued my interest... especially the part about reducing running injuries.

In the 6-7 months since I've started running again I've remained virtually injury free other than the odd pains, cramps, and soreness. I'm pretty sure some of that can be attributed to starting off with a run/walk program. So now that I'm running my miles, I feel like I need all the help I can get to stay injury free. My next half isn't until November so I figure this gives me a decent amount of time to continue to build my base mileage, speed, and work on my form.

So far, I don't have a ton to say about Chi running other than the fact that I like it and it makes sense to me. Time will tell how it works for me as I practice it more.

I tried a pair of Saucony Kinvaras with a negative heel drop and initially they seemed great but now they aren't agreeing with me. So I've stocked up on my favorites... Mizuno Wave Rider 15's and these three pairs should last me awhile. I'll still think about rotating the Kinvaras in to see if I can get used to them but only in short distances after 6 miles this past Sunday left me with ridiculously sore calves.

On running... it's nice not training for anything specific. It seems to take the pressure off of wanting to have every run go perfectly because they aren't all going to be perfect: case in point, my HM in May.

And I'll be honest, that half really hit my self confidence. I pretended that I was OK with the outcome but it still really bothered me to have worked so hard only to have leg cramps hinder me. But that's the thing about running; nothing is ever perfect and for those of us who are perfectionists, that can be difficult.

Perfectionism is something I think about all the time. I want to do everything perfectly. I don't like that about myself and it's a constant struggle for me. So maybe running is a good idea for me because nothing comes easy when you are starting from scratch and nothing is perfect. I don't like that I'm still a slow runner... that's certainly not perfect. But instead of hating that about my athletic self, I'm working on embracing it and using it as a challenge and a way to measure improvements from my hard work.

I'm not good at doing this all the time but it is something I am more mindful of...

Portland RNR Half Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:13:00 +0000

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I ran my first half. I'm glad this trip was a vacation for us because we came back to lots of end-of-school activities and projects and just an overall busy time of year.

We had a wonderful time in Portland! We went with friends; my friend and I ran while our husbands cheered us on. My last run was Friday morning before we left and it was a balmy 73 degrees with 97% humidity. Yuck.

Portland is absolutely beautiful. Now I love Texas but I will freely admit that there are prettier places on earth and the PNW is definitely one of those places.

After we went to the expo on Saturday, we decided to rent a car and head up to the falls. I've never seen anything like this. The pictures don't come close to doing the scenery justice. We hiked some and ate lunch and then headed back to Portland.

We found an Italian restraunt and had pasta for dinner and then headed back to the hotel where my type-A OCD took over.

The weather the next morning was perfect for running. Cool, a little overcast, and no rain. I ate a banana and warmed up a little. After standing in the port-o-potty line it was time to line up in my corral and we were off!

My target finish time was 3:05. Yes, that's slow but I was good with that because I knew where I had come from in just 6 months before and I was/am proud of my progress. :)

Miles 1-6 were great. I was even ahead of my 5 mile goal and I felt great. Mile 7 started the hills. Unfortunately, I cramped up in the middle of mile 7 and it was bad. I've never had muscle cramps during an athletic event and I may have even secretly rolled my eyes at those guys who collapse dramatically on the basketball court with cramps.

I get it now. Leg cramps suck.

I stopped and stretched and got the cramp somewhat under control. I started to run again, still uphill and the cramp came back. I stopped again, stretched and decided to walk for 2 minutes. This kind of cycle repeated itself through mile 11 where the hills finally leveled off. But then the downhills started and those weren't much better.

At mile 12, there was one last giant hill and by that point I had to walk up it. I had my phone and texted Steve and told him what had happened but I was making it through OK. I put my phone away and started running down the hill and didn't stop again. I hurt, I was frustrated, and it was killing my competitive self to know that I was not having the race I wanted to but I kept going.

I crossed the line at 3:10:38. NOT what I wanted to see on my watch but I tried to focus on the positives like the face that I didn't quit even when I really wanted to. I also enjoyed the first 6 miles, the race atmosphere, and the organization of the race. Looking back at my splits pre-cramp, I was on pace for 2:55 so that makes me feel a little better knowing that I was doing really well before my meltdown.

I've found that it's all about looking for the positives when you are on a journey to get healthier so that is what I do my best to focus on. :)

After the race, we went back to the hotel, showered, ate, and took a nap. Once we woke up we headed to the coast which once again didn't disappoint in the scenery department.

Steve loves the beach. He also found a little piece of heaven in a salt water taffy store. We ate dinner and headed back to the city.

We had a few things to cross off our list before leaving and Voodoo Doughnuts was on the list. The line was out the door... no matter what time of day. We gladly waited and walked away with a box of doughnuts that included maple bacon, butterfinger, oreo, captain crunch, and other crazy toppings. We had a few drinks and ended up back at the hotel with the guys downing doughnuts in the parking garage. You probably had to be there but it was pretty darn funny... ;)

Race details:

- Portland Rock 'n Roll Half marathon

- Very organized

- Wave starts that actually worked

- Great course support - water, gatorade, gu, and of course bands at nearly every mile

Will I run another half with the RNR series?

Um... yeah! My friend and I "talked" each other into this one and our husbands are thrilled to tag along to cheer us on in Vegas.

So for now I'm back to focusing on the same things I've been focusing on: eating healthy, exercising, and taking care of myself. I still want to get faster and I'll have plenty of time to do that among other things between now and November.

I've been reading Chi Running and I'll share my thoughts on that in an upcoming post...

Last long run...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:37:00 +0000

yes, I really do have tiny feet!

Next Sunday is my half marathon in Portland! I had 10 miles to do and I was determined to get them done at some point this weekend.

Friday night looked like this with an interesting grocery cart assortment. I was just excited that the grocery store has Cliff Shots!

I woke up Saturday morning and my right knee {my better bad knee} was aching badly. I learned my lesson running with Motrin in my stomach a few weeks ago so rather than subject my knee to 10 miles, I opted for the elliptical which was still a good workout.

So that left Sunday, Mother's Day, to get my 10 miles done. It was a little tough getting up early on a weekend day but it was nice to be back home before Chaney even woke up and of course the feeling of accomplishment so early in the day was nice too. :) I took some Motrin the night before, drank a lot of water and set my alarm. I was out the door by 6:40 am. I didn't eat; I just had Cliff Shot and a glass of water before I left. I'm really starting to think I run best on a pretty much empty stomach.

I've mentioned before that we live in a great neighborhood for running. I headed to the trail first because it's my favorite. A .25 mile from where the trail ends are the hills. Big hills. I decided that I would tackle the hills and then make a loop back to the trail as my reward for making it through the hills. That loop is almost 5 miles which works out perfectly for 10 miles.

I'm always tempted to run on the cart paths but I always resist...

I carried my Nathan water bottle {which I love, BTW} and one more Cliff Shot. It's only a 10 oz bottle but one of the bonuses for running around a golf course are the ice cold coolers at each hole. I'm sure the golfers didn't mind me re-filling once.

The other bonus... the bathrooms on the golf course. :)

I didn't see many people out running which was a little unusual. I did see a few people walking their dogs who had no intention of poop scooping until the saw me coming. Not. Cool.

And a first, I got nipped at by a dog. A lady was walking two small dogs on long retractable leashes. I moved into the grass because she wasn't reeling them in. As I ran by one of them lunged and had I not picked up my heel high and to the side, it would have gotten me. I love dogs and I'm not scared of them. But if there are any that I'm leery of, it's small dogs because I'm pretty sure I've read that they are the most likely to bite.

This was one of my best runs yet which leaves me feeling pretty good about the half next weekend. I'm still nervous and even dreamed about it all night but I guess that's pretty normal.

And because it was Mother's Day, I came home to an omelet bar, fresh fruit, hashbrowns and mimosas. We had my husband's family over for brunch and it was wonderful. Steve is a great cook... I would run 10 miles every Sunday to come home to that but he already told me not to get spoiled!

I hope all you moms had a wonderful Mother's Day! I know I did. :)

Good Distractions

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:39:00 +0000

So yesterday I left work a little early with the plan to let Steve pick Chaney up while I went home to change quick and go for a run. Confession: I felt completely selfish doing this.

I was supposed to run intervals yesterday and I do that at the jr. high track. It's a little over a mile away so I get my mile warm up running there and then I'm ready to go with the intervals. The mile back home... not as much fun.

But then I got distracted with this beautiful trail. I love where we live; this trail runs throughout our neighborhood. However, I rarely run on it because there is no way in hell I'm running this in the dark. Have you watched the Walking Dead? There might be walkers in those trees... ;)

I'm so glad I was a little spontaneous. I felt great when I got home and with all the structured training I've been following for my upcoming half, it was a nice break.

And besides, don't my feet look happy??

Today it was back to reality x-training on the elliptical and then tomorrow I have 10 miles; my last long run before the half!

To all you moms, have a wonderful Mother's Day this weekend!

It's been awhile!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:11:00 +0000

New shoes to break in after Portland!

Have I stopped running?!? No way. :)

I got a job promotion so between traveling and training for that, just about all I've had time to do is hang out with my family, work, and train for my half marathon.

I know the health benefits for running are vast but the stress relief alone has made running completely worth it to me these past several months!

Curiosity finally got the best of me and I stepped on a scale. I'm down 30 lbs since I started running. :) It's still just a number to me but it's measurable and it does make me smile. I knew I had lost weight when I had to replace my work wardrobe but I honestly didn't think it would have been that much.

Good night/morning, moon...

I've gotten over my fear of running in the dark so I'm running in the mornings now and I absolutely love it. Running under the stars with no music while watching the sun come up is pretty much the best way to start my day. Plus my workout is done and I feel like I can accomplish anything that comes my way the rest of the day.

After my Cowtown 10k debacle... the race I ran with what turned out to be walking pneumonia... I decided I needed a do-over at the 10k distance before my half. I can be a bit of a headcase and so much of running is mental so a do-over was in order. :) I beat my previous time by almost 25 minutes so that gave me a lot of confidence going into my last few weeks of training for Portland.

My hair really isn't that red. But Steve's is.... ;)

I'm still a slow runner but I keep reminding myself that I've barely been back to running 6 months and 3 months of that was working (walking/running) up to running a solid 60 minutes straight. So when I look at it in those terms, I've come a long way... especially for someone who had reconstructive foot surgery and was told that running might never be possible again.

Now I'm not gonna lie, being slow still frustrates me so to combat that, I've come up with a plan. I'm a planner by nature so it's no surprise that I am finding encouragement in having a training plan that will lead to more improvements and finishing more races. Here goes...

San Antonio Rock & Roll half - November 17, 2013

and....

The Cowtown Marathon - February 23rd, 2014

Yes, a full marathon. After my last one 10 years ago I was pretty sure I'd never do another one but after training injury-free for the Portland half, I've come to realize that I can listen to my body, not over-train, and actually succeed in preparing for a race.

So that's what I've been up to... I'll try to be better about updating things around here now that my life seems to have slowed down a little bit. :)

What I Didn't Do

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 18:08:00 +0000

You know the times when you are the most stressed and you don't want to do anything, let alone run, but that's also probably the time you need to run the most?

Yeah, that's where I'm at. I hate depression but it's a part of my life. Sometimes it's a gradual slipping and a slow crawl towards that dark hole. Other times, it hits me like a ton of bricks and leaves me wondering what I did wrong to end up in that hole.

Stress is most often what causes the type of depression that crushes me overnight. It's probably the most confusing not only to me but also to those around me. I can look fine, go to bed fine, and wake up the next morning wondering what the point is to waking up.

I wrote a little about my lack of self esteem earlier this week and I'm at one of those lows right now. I know it's never a good idea to count on others to build my self esteem but at the same time, it would be a lot more helpful to hear a few more positives and a few less negative opinions about how I do things.

I know I'm not perfect... never have been and I never will be. But it's tough when the things I do wrong are quickly pointed out while other things that I bust my ass to do rarely mentioned.

It's never anything major but the little things seem to add up to the general feeling that I just suck...

You left some lights on in the house this morning... yeah, I was trying to make it out the door, get Chaney to school on time and on my 7:40am conference call right on time.
You didn't load and unload the dishwasher??... yeah, I made dinner and then I had to argue (help) with Chaney about her homework, have her argue with me about taking a shower, and listen to her grumble and make excuses about practicing her violin.
You forgot to do _______... yes, I did. Between inhaling my lunch and running errands for our family, I forgot or ran out of time to do one thing.
You didn't run today?... no, not yet. If I can get everyone to leave me alone that might be a possibility.
You don't take care of yourself... Because I'm taking care of everything else that I didn't do.
You never take time for yourself... see above.

I know that I'm probably coming across as whiny but I've got to say all this somewhere. It's hard finding a balance where everyone is relatively happy. Problem is, when I finally strike that balance I find that I'm absolutely miserable.

And then I find more things that I didn't do and it makes me wonder why I try so hard in the first place. I know it's a common thing with women but I feel like I'm losing myself. My identity is the daily grind of home, work, and life. Anything above and beyond that and I either feel selfish or inadequate.

And I'm exhausted.

Maybe I'll find the time to run today. I sure hope so because I need it.

Time vs. Distance

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 19:39:00 +0000

I have loved my 10K Runner plan. It was smart, balanced and I'm convinced it helped to keep me injury free.

But...

Now that I'm moving on to training for my half marathon, running for time isn't doing it for me. I'm finding that I run faster when I have a training distance I need to accomplish versus running for a certain number of minutes. Mentally it's hard for me to run hard for 60 minutes because I'm afraid I'll run out of gas. It also gives me a bit of permission to slack off because 60 minutes is 60 minutes no matter how fast or hard you push.

But running for miles... for whatever reason it's easier for me to tell how much farther I have to go and I can pace myself accordingly. And pace is becoming more and more important as I am training for a race that doesn't give you a medal for running for 120 minutes. It gives you a medal for crossing the finish line after 13.1 miles.

And really, if I'm feeling good after completing my alloted mileage, I can always run another few miles. I know this is a completely mental game but hey, whatever works because, like I learned during my 10K, running is just as much mental as it is physical.

Confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:00:00 +0000

As I was running my 10K the other day, I realized that I had some things to work on. It wasn't a good race for me and I knew it was going to be tough after two down weeks of being sick. But reflecting on it, my biggest area for improvement is in the emotional/mental aspect of my running.

I've never been known for having a great self esteem. Those who know me well enough probably think that I'm pretty secure in myself but those who really know me know that my self esteem is crap. So as I was running... fighting through the race... I started paying attention to how I talk to myself and it's pretty sad.

I would never talk to Chaney, Steve, or really anyone the way that I was talking to myself that day. Ouch.

But there I was being all kinds of negative towards myself and that, I'm not so sure how to fix. Where is that confidence supposed to come from? Because more often than not I find myself being negative and holding back... just in case.

And then I get mad at myself for holding back and then the really negative stuff starts running through my head. It's a tough thing to conquer; this self confidence thing. I keep searching for the smallest of things that could give me a stepping stone towards confidence and even when I find it, I almost always end up holding back.

As I ran this morning I started thinking about the last time I fully embraced running. That was 10 years ago when I trained for my marathon. And while I'm in a completely different place in life now, I still have scars from that experience. Less than a month after completing a destination marathon combined with a wonderful vacation my then husband began having an affair.

Do I fear that happening now? No, not at all. But I'm being stretched and old scars hurt as they are stretched. With each pop of the scar tissue those nagging, hurtful words from my past are released. I didn't have good support the last time I ran and I actually had quite the opposite. But I kept going, finished my marathon, and had lots of little successes along the way.

Problem was that those small victories, my growing self confidence, even my healthy life changes were not celebrated but instead thrown in my face as a reason, an excuse for my ex-husbands affairs. That's a tough pill to swallow after coming as far as I had because somehow it was my fault.

So even after 10 years of healing, there's still that lingering scar tissue that at times makes me feel defeated and scared. The key, I suppose, is finding away to turn those scars and the fear into fuel and motivation.

But that's the hard part. The easier part is taking what I have been able to learn and that is that the words we say matter. They stick with people long after we have said them and think that they have been forgotten.

Our words are powerful, including the ones we speak to ourselves.

Cowtown 10K

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:49:00 +0000

I finished! To more advanced runners that might not be super impressive but I'm happy with it... this time anyways.

I'm super competitive so it was tough to go into the race knowing that I wasn't physically 100%. But I made the best of it and tried to find the positives.

It was supposed to be warmer but a cold front came thru on Friday so at 7am on Saturday it was in the mid 30's. My lungs were not great after back to back upper respiratory/sinus infections and the cold air did not make things better. By mile two I couldn't get a decent breath and I started coughing. I tried to breathe through my nose by my sinuses were still super congested. Ugh.

By mile 2.5 I was having to walk/run. I hated doing this but when I coughed I ended up with a metallic taste in my mouth and I knew better than to push it. I don't need to add pneumonia to the list of illnesses.

The last 3.2 miles were basically an exercise in distracting myself with random observations to avoid crying out of sheer frustration. My legs felt great but my lungs were just not cooperating!

A few observations...

Port-o-potties on the course should have a warning sign on them: BAD THINGS HAVE HAPPENED IN HERE. I ran past one and the door happened to be open... people pee before a race. If you are stopping during the race then you probably have other issues going on. Like I said, warning sign needed.
Headband/ear warmers are not a good look if you have short hair like I do. I discovered this in the mirror at home before we left. You look like a running mushroom. Or worse.
Picking a person ahead of you and working on trying to pass them really does work. I felt kinda bad about doing this until I realized someone was doing it to me too. Game on ;)
Big races are a lot of fun. If you're middle of the pack like me, you don't run alone.
A big hill to start the race and {what felt like} an even bigger one to finish is hard. And elevation charts lie... things seem much easier when you're just looking at a squiggly line on paper.
Texting, Instagramming, Facebooking, etc while running... really?? I left my phone in the car and it felt good not being tethered to the thing. But that's just me, well until you stop right in front of me to take a picture, then I'm kinda annoyed. I can see carrying a phone on a longer race but not for a 5K or 10K.

All in all I had fun. Like I said, my legs felt great and that's encouraging. The race was well organized, especially for there being 11,000 people there between the 10K, 5K, and kid's 5K. I'll definitely run this event again.

After I finished we raced back to pick up Chaney. She had a birthday party at 10:30 and another one at 4:30. I crashed on the couch between the two parties with Gus a.k.a Quiltdog.

Steve had also bought Dallas Stars tickets about a month ago so we had that to go to Saturday night. I wasn't super thrilled about walking around downtown Dallas and up and down arena steps but it was a great game and a fun date night which made it totally worth it!

Friends and family also helped make Saturday less stressful and more enjoyable by helping out with Chaney. I'm super thankful for them because it would have been tough waking her up at 4:30am and then worrying about her standing around in the cold while I ran. And of course there's Steve. He never complained about the early start or the cold. He really is my biggest fan and it's wonderful having him with me at these races. Love that guy!

and then just as soon...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:08:00 +0000

... as I post about posting about not being sick and missing workouts; I get a horrible sinus infection that likes to alternate between my sinuses and my chest making it stupid to breathe and run at the same time.

So yeah, I got an upper respiratory infection and just as soon as I got over that I got a sinus infection. Yay for winter and working in a bank! Money is absolutely filthy and then you get these little tellers who touch that money and then touch everything else in the branch which makes everyone sick. I wholly blame the tellers.

I have my 10K race this Saturday and I am super stressed about it. Obviously I'm not as ready as I should be which makes me really frustrated because it's not like I skipped runs just because I wanted to. I'm still going to run because I'm stubborn like that and I'll just gut my way through the last few miles that I know are going to be tough. Oh well.

In other news, I have to go buy new running tights and shorts because when I run they are now falling down. Not a good look... hence the absence of a picture in this post. You're welcome. But that's also exciting because that means that I'm losing weight!

I'm still sticking with my no-weighing myself rule and it's working really well for me. I'm not obsessed with food, counting calories or balancing calories burned with calories taken in. I'm just doing my best to be healthy and it's paying off. :)

Just as soon...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:00:00 +0000

fancy new hair!

... as I post about not missing any workouts, I get sick. I should have known better!

Last week I came down with an upper respiratory infection; probably from allergies that went south. Thankfully it wasn't flu, strep or any of the other illnesses that are floating around work right now.

I knew better than to run while I was wheezing so other than some yoga, I didn't do anything until this past Saturday. That was a rough workout! I ran two miles and I was done.

Sunday I tried again and finished my 10K Runner workout and felt much better. I was doing my best not to freak out about missing workouts and then I remembered that I had an extra week between 10K Runner ending and my first 10K. Thank goodness for that extra week!

It's interesting though, even just missing a week's worth of activity, I started to feel that familiar cloud creeping into the corner of my eyes. If you've ever struggled with depression then you probably know that cloud that I'm talking about. If you haven't... well, I promise that I'm not crazy. ;)

So I was more than relieved to get back to my normal routine and for more than just the reason of not wanting to completely suck at my upcoming 10K. I've always been a believer in exercise but seeing what it has done for my emotional health makes it that much more important to me... and probably to everyone around me as well.

I'm on the "downhill" slope of my 10K Runner plan. My longest runs {time-wise} are done and now I'm doing intervals and then the final stretch of working towards running a solid 65 minutes straight. I'm actually excited about that because I am beginning to hate stopping to walk when the program says to.

On a completely and mostly unrelated note, I got my hair cut yesterday. I went with a pixie cut that is working surprisingly well with my thick curls. I don't even have to blow dry it which makes me very happy!

Less time drying and styling = more time running and quilting. :)