Chug-along-chica!

2 miles on the treadmill.  I tried playing with the incline a little bit.  I always run at an incline of 1, but today I ran with an incline of 2 for about 3/4 of a mile.  It really made me feel my legs, for a change.  Well, the good news is that I'm being consistent.  The bad news is that it makes for boring blogs.

Piano: just a little just for fun, plus my lesson later tonight with my teacher, who is a piano maniac.

I took it easy today. I just ran with the kids around the neighborhood.  It's so nice having the Garmin so we can just run wherever we want! 

Am I the only beginning runner on this blog?  i.e. I've been running less than 1 year.  (2 months, actually, feels longer).  So far almost all the blogs I read are by people who place in the single digits when they race.

1.5 this morning on the treadmill.  .5 with my sons tonight. 

So I am fascinated with something....I keep reading blogs about how much some of you LOVE running.  I am curious (baffled really).  What is it that you love about running?  Is it the recognition/awards that you get because you are so good at it, the thrill of winning etc....or is there something intrinsic about running that is wonderful to you? 

I think what really gets me about running is the idea of progression.  I'm hooked on feeling that I am still growing as an individual.  I could do without the pounding and labored breathing if it were possible (ha ha).

2 miles by myself outside, for a change.  Average pace: 5.3 mph.  I was a little hesistant to get out tonight because I put it off until it was dark.  Then, of course, I was afraid of being piano teacher-napped by some wierdo.   I was determined to go outside, though, to see if it was more enjoyable than the ol' treadmill.  I think it was.  The temperature was perfect and there was a slight breeze.  I ran around the small man-made lakes in my neighborhood.  There were ducks and even some ducklings, which was sweet. 

I tried to follow the ROOLS.  So I sped up a teeny tiny bit into the wind and up the hills.  AND I even tried singing BINGO in my head (see Sasha!).  He he he... all this wisdom by you experienced runners have is going to good use.  The data is conclusive:  according to the Garmin I did, in fact, run slightly faster when I was singing BINGO than not (!) even though I did not notice it at the time.  As a control, I tried singing "What a Wonderful World" in my head, but it was a little frustrating because I kept forgetting the words.  

Nice little run tonight at dusk.  Tonight I met my goal of 10 miles per week for the 3rd week in a row.  I guess I'm ready to bump up the mileage.  For the next 3 weeks I'll aim for 15 miles per week.  Do you think that's too much of a jump?  I've read about the 10% rule, but I've also read that it doesn't really come into effect until after 20 miles per week.   15 miles is just 3 miles one day, 2 miles the next, with one rest day in the week.  Seems possible.   Will I still get all the benefits if I break up the 3 mile runs into 2 parts?  i.e. 1 mile in the morning, 2 miles at night?  I'm hoping I can minimize fatigue that way.

Wow.  I saw a cool thing on my run--a big ol' great blue heron (tall water bird--like a stork).  It just stood really still and I ran within 15 feet of it!  From that distance, I really wondered who was taller.  He was huge, for a bird, whereas I am quite shrimpy for a human.   Not bad for a little fake lake in the middle of the suburbs.  I really love animals, so this was a real treat for me.  

First 3 miles in a row since April 7th.  On treadmill, 5.3 mph most of the time.  Surprisingly, I felt fine.  I actually feel a little bit better now than I did before I ran.  I've felt blah all day because I couldn't drag my sorry self to bed until WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too late last night.  

According to my fancy-schmancy bathroom scale, my bone density has increased since I started running.  Cool!

One item of concern: the bottoms of my feet have been a little tender or sore or something first thing in the morning.  Is this a precursor to an injury?  Any tips?

One mile this morning . . . and it was like trudging through molasses.  I was a little bit sore when I started.  It was less than 8 hours from last night's run.

Then a perky little mile this evening.  5.3-8 mph.  It was so much easier tonight.  Why are all the races in the morning?  This is discrimination against night owls!  How can I protest--I know, I'll boycott the next olympics...that'll teach 'em. 

3 miles on treadmill.

I lost 2 lbs. this week.  This is faster than normal, but I'm sure that it will average out to about 1/2 to 1 lb. a week over the next couple of months.  First week I think I just loose some water and such.  I've gone to WW after having each of my boys.  It always works, it just takes a little time.

I can't sleep!  James has been in Boston this week for business.  THANK GOODNESS he comes home tomorrow.

Yea!  James finally came home!!!  Unfortunately he is sicker than 2 pigs. 

2 Miles on the treadmill.  I watched my 2 favorite parts of High School Musical the whole time.   It's these two songs:  "The Start of Something New" and "Breaking Free".  Both of them are so appropriate for how I feel about running right now.  You should all watch High School Musical.  The first time you see it you think "Hmmm.  That was cute. Very clean.  Good Choreography."  The second time you see it, you think "Wow.  This makes me want to sing."  The third time you watch it you think "I'VE GOT TO GET THE SOUNDTRACK!!!!  I NEED THE KARAOKE VERSION SO I CAN SHOUT THE SONGS AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS!"  The only bad thing about it is that it is so popular.  I hate things that EVERYBODY likes, in general.

Don't bother leaving a comment that High School Musical is corny because you are WRONG!  If you think that, it's only because you haven't watched it enough times yet.  Either that or you are tone-deaf.  It happens.

3 miles outside.  I was hoping to just go out and not look at the Garmin and see what my pace naturally was, but I did peek a little.  I was really hoping for even split.

1st mile 10:51

2nd mile 10:41

3rd mile 10:55

I am overjoyed to see that I finally taught the 11:00 mile girl who was the boss, albeit she is quite a wimp, and is actually on crutches, I hear.  I tried to focus on my arms this run.  I have a tendency to leave my arms in place and twist my body to balance my gait, which probably constricts the lungs.  So tonight I tried really hard to only let them travel parallel to each other--i.e. not cross my body at all.  I think that this increased my stride a little.  Overall I am really happy with this run.  I did feel a little queasy at the start of the 3rd mile.  I've identified that pizza is the worst possible food to eat right before running. 

The most notable thing that happened on my run was that a duck flew out from a foot away and crossed right in front of me--almost collided with me.  I was so alarmed that for several seconds I found it unnecessary to breathe.  Bad duck!  On my Garmin report there was a huge spike on the pace line there. 

I was sore from yesterday's run and also have a sore throat.  Please please please do not let me get whatever plague it is that has DH James in its grip.  I skipped my run and feel partly wise and partly lame.  I missed my weekly goal of 15 miles by 2.  13 miles in a week is a new PR for training, though, so that's good.

I like to end with a little sprint.  It gives a little tingle . . . a little.  Know what I'm talking about?  I went very slow today bc I feel a little under the weather.  I'm not going to get moaning-and-shivering sick like everyone else in my family has been.  I never got the fever.  Thank you thank you thank you.

Good news about my 5k next Friday--it's in the evening!!!  Yea!  Plus it is for a good cause--fighting melanoma.  It is supposedly flat and fast.  It will be sweltering hot.  It will be my first 5K post high school.

I've been thinking about goals.  For this race I want to beat Paul Petersen's time: 30:45.  The only difference is that his time was for a 10K and I'll be running 5.  This may sound like it's not very fair to Paul.  But think of it this way--he's been running far more than twice as long as I have and has more than twice the natural talent, plus he is a man . . . it is only fair that he should run twice as far as me for the same time. : )  If anyone else on the blog has a faster 10K time let me know--I'll beat it.  But for now, you're going down, Paul!  (At least, your time is anyway--BTW good luck in Ogden.)

I ran .8 with my little boys (who are just getting over being sick) at 16:00 pace.  That's right, we were running, technically.  My little heart was just melting 'cuz my sweet little 6 year-old held my hand the whole way.

I was nice and warmed up, and only wanted to do 2 miles tonight, so I decided to do the rest as a tempo run.  You'll never guess!  I averaged 9:31 pace.  Yea!  It didn't seem all that fast to me.  (Remember I usually run around 11:15 on the treadmill at incline 1). I just kept thinking "I hope I'm running around 10:00--not above 11:00.  Please!"  I trumped the 10 mile girl--who is missing several toes and whose arms are tied behind her, but still.  So the bottom line is that if I were to run that pace next week in the 5k I would meet my goal.  Yippee! 

I didn't even feel any pain or anything.  I think the thing that gave me the most pause was the sound of my breathing.  In the past whenever I have had to breathe that hard in a run, I'm in pain.  So by association (like Pavlov's dog) I kept expecting pain.  The only uncomfortable thing was a little bit of burning in my lungs deep down.  It's probably because the air here is so dry.  I'm sure it is not the lack of cardiovascular fitness after sitting on my rump for about 10 years and not doing any regular exercise.   I was comforted in the knowledge that some extremely fabulous runners reportedly make strange noises when they push themselves--not naming any names . . .

Very easy pace.  2.5 on Fred, my treadmill.

I lost 2 lbs. again this week.  The WW lady looked at me a little strangely and said to make sure I am eating enough.  (I started out in my healthy weight range to begin with--but if it's up to me, I'd rather be at the lower end of healthy than the high end, especially for running.)  I promise I am eating well, but I need to factor my exercise into my eating plan.  I haven't been bothering to figure it out.  This next week I'm just going to try for maintenance.  I don't want to stress my body and get sick.

I bought new shoes!  They are Brookes Adrenaline GTS7.   They are supposed to arrive tomorrow.  Yay!  When I had my gait analysis done, I took the opportunity to get 2 really great running outfits.  They felt and looked perfect at the store, but I have to admit, I got home and looked at the cranberry colored one and thought holy pink!    I'm going to look like a flamingo running down the street.  Good thing I usually run when it is dark.  Hopefully it will fade a little with hard use!

.5 with my little tiny guys.  3 miles on the treadmill nice and easy.  I definitely feel I could run farther.  I'm just trying to be gradual about my mileage so I stay strong.

Good luck all you bloggers who have big races this weekend!  I am so excited you would think I was running.  Thought for the day: the fear of failure is worse than failure itself, because the fear of failure can keep you from trying at all!  You will overcome!

On treadmill, slow.  I ran in my new shoes today for the first time.   It felt a little weird.

1 mile with my little boys nice & slow.  Then a tempo mile in 8:50.  That's a new record for me since starting up again.  I guess the 9 minute mile girl knows who I am now.  She's relatively healthy, but usually only runs on her way to the donut shop.  Ug, I'm kinda tired now.  One strange thing is that I don't think my lungs were what kept me from going faster.  My legs keep sending me question marks.  (What the heck are we doing here?  You can't be serious etc.)  Also my arms got sluggish.  How to fix . . .

Next week I'm planning 4-5 slow miles on Mon., 2 on Tues.  3, 3, 1 and then my 5K on Sat.  Sound okay? 

Tonight I exceeded my weekly mileage goal of 15 miles by 1.  So that's a new record for weekly training so far!  

Wasn't it exciting reading all those race reports today?  It is so wonderful to see the race from all these exceptional runners' points of view.  Next time I need to focus I'm gonna pretend I'm finishing the Odgen Marathon 2 minutes ahead of everyone else--just about to set a course record. ; )  Or maybe I can get the focus off myself a bit and think about helping someone else have a great last 1/2 mile.  Sasha, that was so inspiring!

Warning:  Completely Non-Running Stuff

I had a sweet little thing happen today.  I took my kids swimming at a neighborhood pool.  I was sitting there at the side of the pool and a teeny little dog toting a retractable leash ran through the fence past a bunch of other people and jumped right into my lap.  It was soooo cute!  It looked like a German Shepherd, but was the size of a tea cup poodle.  I held onto it for a little while, waiting for a worried owner to appear and collect it.  Nobody showed up so I took my kids for a little walk and carried this exhausted little pooch towards some nearby houses.  The first door that opened when I knocked had a little girl sobbing over a lost dog.  The family asked me how on earth did I know which house to go to and said that I was an angel!  Little did they know I just walked up to one randomly (or not).  It was just sweet.  The dog turned out to be a short-haired Pomeranian puppy--just purchased a week ago.  Cute!

I did it!  I woke up early and ran easy for an hour to get my longish run in.  This is by the far the longest run I've had so far.  Happily, I am less tired after this run than I used to be after running just 2 miles.  I'm so glad I made it past those first few weeks when I was just tired all the time!

I'm making everyone on this blog a promise.  Every night this week I will get my darn self in bed by 10:30.  On penalty of sniffing my husband's socks after a run.  EW!!!  (Sorry James.)

Later that night (by 5 pm really). . .  "I am exhausted . . .  All non-essential systems shutting down . . . I can hardly move . . . all energy focused to type  fdasjkajfd;k. . .things are getting blurry. . . z z z ."

I ran sub-6:00!  I ran sub-6:00!

You doubt?  It's true.  I was out the door at 5:50 am and ran 2 miles (at about 10:00 pace).  He he.  If I ever really do break 6 minutes for a mile, it would be the equivalent of a medal at the Olympics for me. 

I'm really happy with this run.   First of all it was a recovery run, so I really didn't push it.  I just ran normally.  PLUS I negative split it.  First mile in 10:02, second in 9:50.  Without too much effort.  Yea!  I think I just tend to run faster when I run outside than I do on Fred.  Fred is boring.   It was such a nice morning, too!  I can't believe it was so cool.  Nice.

BTW I got to bed on time last night.

Easy 5K  this evening outside.  30:53.  Average pace 9:58.  Felt pretty comfortable--other than that my headphones kept popping out of my ears!  I had to keep wrangling with the wires.  Evidently they were made for more manly ears like my hubby's.  I'll try a different set of ear phones tomorrow.  I am debating whether or not to use music in my race on Sat.   I had been planning on it, but I've been reading a lot of posts about ipods not enhancing races.  I don't know.  Any thoughts?

1.2 REALLY  slow miles with my 2, 4, and 6 year old (the 2 year old does about .2 of that).

1.8 Slow miles on the treadmill.

1.6 pounds lost this week.  5.6 total.  So now I am finally lower than pre-running weight.  (For some reason I gained 4-5 lbs. the first month after I started running.)

I'm getting to bed slightly late, but not enough to actually follow through with the heinous consequences I set up for myself.  : )

1 easy mile tomorrow and then my 5 K on Sat.  (1st one in 12 years!)

I just have to say that I am sooo proud of my star piano student.  He just passed off his level 6 requirements for the DVMTA Achievement Day and got a huge trophy.  Good job Runner's High James!

Just a quick shoe check.  I've been having some arch pain and some hip pain these last few runs.  I was wondering if it was my new shoes.  So I ran 1/2 a mile on the treadmill first in my new shoes, then another 1/2 in my old.  No question, my new shoes are more cushioned, but my arches feel a lot better in my old shoes.  I guess I'll be using my old shoes tomorrow.  Luckily I can send back these shoes for full credit through Road Runner Sports.  I'll get a new pair of Asics like my old ones.

I also went to the chiropractor today about my hip.  He did some gentle adjustments with the activator and chastened me for not doing any weight training.  He said I was a candidate for osteoporosis someday if I don't. (Jeez!  How'd he know?)  So I've gotta figure that out.  He recommended I cut back on the mileage for next week to about 10, and no running on the road or sidewalk.  Just grass, track, or treadmill. 

Ouch.  I feel awful!  So that's good I guess.  I put it all out there.  Here's how the race went down:

I felt super hot and even dry-mouthed before we even started.  It was about 95 F.  No breeze at all.

I ran the first mile WAY too fast.  I didn't realize how fast I took it out, but I started seeing spots around the 1/2 mile and slowed down.   They had big timers going at the mile marks so you could see your splits--that was awesome & it saved me.  As I was closing on the first mile, I saw 7 something and freaked out a little.  My goal was 9:00 for the 1st mile.   1st mile in 8:00.  I had lost the ability to swallow by this point.   One amazing thing that happened in this mile--I saw the most astounding shooting star of my life.  More like a flaming blue meteor, really.  I've always taken shooting starts as a good omen. 

The second mile I consciously slowed down to try not to die.   There was a prominent hill in this mile. We were to run up it and back down.  As I just started going up I saw James flying down.  He looked awesome!   I did not feel good at all this whole mile. Thank goodness for the water stations.  I really think I may not have finished the race if I hadn't grabbed 2 cups at each one.  One to take a sip from and throw in my face, and the other to soak my shirt with.  At the end of the second mile, I think my time was 17:00, so that would put me at 9:00 for that mile. 

The third mile my music carried me in.   This was the mile I had to keep brushing away the pesky little question "Why the heck did I have to take up running?!  I could be learning to cross stitch right now!"  My favorite song came on at the crucial point--"Breaking Free"  I know I picked it up when it came on, although I was fading.  I tried to come in hard.  James said I looked strong coming in.  3rd mile probably in about 9:37, .1 in 1 min. or so.  Final time 27:37.   Sasha, your ability to predict my time is AMAZING!  Within what, 10 seconds!

Recovery was pretty slow.  It took me a good 5-10 minutes to stop breathing REALLY fast, and 10-15 more, probably, to start breathing normally.  My throat still burns terribly and I have lost my voice almost completely.  Other than that, my quads and calves are a little bit sore.  HEY! But good news:  absolutely NO hip pain or arch pain.  I credit the chiropractor for the hip & some arch supports in my new shoes for the comfy feet. 

I didn't even come close to feeling okay until I took off my shoes and soaked my feet in a very cold decorative fountain and poured water bottles all over myself.  Actually, I got in trouble!  A policeman came and told me to get out of the fountain, and I was thinking "Don't you have anything better to do than tell over-heated piano teachers to stop dangling their feet in a little water?  Go keep someone from getting mugged in the parking lot, for goodness sakes."  But of course, all I said was "Yes sir.  I'm sorry."

I didn't see very many girls in front of me, and sure enough, I came in 13th out of 93 female runners.  5th in my age division.  Isn't that an improvement from my last race!?  Thank goodness for slow runners!

My pace per mile this race was 8:56.  Less than 2 months ago, my pace was 11:30 for a 4.2 mile race.  I feel really good about that.

My goals for this race were to

1.  Run under 30:40 or whatever it is, Paul Peterson's best 10K time (used with permision.)  Goal MET!  Goal smashed!

2.  Have the courage to run fast.  Give it my all.  Run 'til I yak.  I thought it was the most admirable thing ever when Ally threw up 5-6 times after pushing herself in a meet.  I mean, here she is just a teenager, and she has the courage to push it that hard.  It takes a lot of inner strength to do that.  For me, I'm going to call this goal met.  I think I had heat exhaustion.  I haven't yakked yet, but it is still a possibility.  I'm queasy.

3.  Be positive about my effort and recognize progress--don't compare myself to anyone but me.  Goal met.  I feel proud.  But I'm not satisfied . . . 

I can't wait 'til my next race!

Once again, I REALLY didn't feel like running today, but as soon as I got started I felt fine.  Glad I did it.

2.6 miles at 5 mph on the ol' treadmill.

I'm not really that sore from Saturday's race, except in my shoulders and (weirdly) inner thighs.  Plus my throat is still sore.  The first mile of the 5K was in a big dirt parking lot (not very scenic) and I must've inhaled a pound of dust.  Blech.

.5 tonight with my kiddos plus time spent playing tag (fartleks?)

Gotta get in those 3 miles a day.  My weekly mileage for the last four weeks has been:

10.63

13.0

16.0

17.2

So if I go 3 miles all 6 days this week I'll be at 18, which is a new record! 

Like the picture of my brother, Grant?  He's a character.  I've got family on the mind bc we are going to a fam reunion this weekend.  Yay!

3 miles outside at 10:29 pace (average).  I've decided to chuck the chiropractor's advice out the window about reducing my miles this week.  My hip feels great.  It's funny.  I think I've discovered something about hip pain and knee pain.  Follow.  I have three possible shoe combinations. 

1.) Old Asics shoes--completely worn out, little cushioning, however, the arch is perfect for me.  Wearing these shoes leads to heel pain/sore feet in the morning becaue of lack of cushioning.

2.) New Brookes Shoes.  Great cushioning, but the arch is just a little tiny bit too low for my feet.  Wearing these shoes leads to hip pain after a while and sharp pain in the arch during running. 

3.) New Brookes shoes with cheapo Dr. Scholls arch support in them: fabulous cushioning, but it makes the arch TOO high for me.  I feel like I run on the outside of my feet.  This leads to knee pain for me. 

Pain is all about SHOES! Arch too high=knee pain.  Arch too low=hip pain.  Worn out shoes=heel pain.  At least that's how it's worked out for me.  I can't wait until I get my new shoes.  Until then, I'll just keep changing things around.  Probably end up on the old treadmill in the old shoes.  That's the safest thing, I guess.  *Sigh*

Has anyone else noticed trends in what aggravates/brings on pain during running?  I mean, other than the normal . . . pain . . . that you . . normally . . . ag!  You know what I mean.  We should gather some data!

I ran 2 on the treadmill this morning, so at least that's good.  I have really got to develop the habit of getting it done in the AM.  It was less than 9 hours from my run last night, so I dragged a little.  .6 with my little ones tonight. 

Today I tried a new thing with my piano lessons.  I took all the students and stuck them on one day.  Back to back piano lessons from 8 am to 6 pm--stopping only briefly to eat.  All I can say is that I have a healthy respect for anyone who works 8 hours a day (or more).  I am pretty fried!  But now, no more lessons 'til next week--unless someone forgets and comes on the wrong day.  I am filled with dread every time the doorbell rings and I am not expecting someone.  Usually there is a little piano student that I had forgot I rescheduled.   I think that actually happened while you were at my house, Sasha and Sarah. 

OH!  That reminds me.  I found the mountain lion.  There is a cat on the other side of the lake (by the park) who is HUGE and tan and has been mistaken for a mountain lion several times.  But it's just a cat.  For those of you who are not Pachevs, we had an interesting morning while they were here.  Someone (3 people) wrang the doorbell and told us there was a mountain lion on our roof.  Animal control came out and everything.  But for goodness sakes!  We live in the middle of a city!  In a subdivision!  There was much drama at the time, though.  "Where the heck are all 8 kids under 8 years of age?"  It was a bonding experience.

Feeling lazy today.  I've been on the blog a lot seeking motivation.  I had almost decided not to run today until I read a really cool comment by Ultrajim regarding what an ultra marathon is all about.  Thanks Jim.  You gave the final nudge.

On treadmill. 5-6 mph.  Last little bit at 8 mph.  I tried to work on my form--good posture and lead with my torso.   No pain and I felt great!