Masters Week!

We're going to the Masters!

But you need some background info here...since we have known each other, Chad and I have not been in town on Easter weekend. It's not like we travel any more than the next family (though we do go lots of places). We will just happen to miss Easter for the fourth year in a row.

In 2006, we were in Boston at a Red Sox game on Easter Sunday before Marathon Monday. This is the game where I got hit by a foul ball in the hip.

In 2007, we were in NYC visiting Tara and Wade. Here we are in Harlem on Easter Sunday.

Last year we were on our honeymoon in Paris. We ate pastries at the plaza at the Louvre, took a boat tour on the Seine, found the statue of liberty, ate crepes, and took it easy.

Boston, New York, Paris, Augusta...Chad would argue that the cities are getting better each year. I'll take Paris every year, but I'm excited to go to The Masters, too. :).

Test Drive #1

The last time I ran before this morning was Wednesday, a short 3 miler with Tara where I knew something was officially wrong with my hip. I've done zero miles since then, gotten my massage, done my stretching and the pain had significantly decreased.

I ran 3 miles this morning super easy and so far everything feels okay. During the run there was no pain, but I could feel my hip ready to talk to me at any moment. There were a couple of times where other joints tried to start hurting, but I think that is just the three days of rest working themselves out.

So far so good. If there is no pain the rest of the day, I might shake it out another mile or so tonight to keep the muscles loosening up. I don't plan to push hard at all this week. I'll go to office hours to talk to coach, but other than that, I just hope to get back to 40-50 miles this week. It should be doable, even breaking the miles up into small chunks to get it done. All of it depending on no pain in the hip. I feel much better knowing that I ran 3 miles :).

Voskos Greek Yogurt

Yeah, I'll admit to being lax on veganism. It is something that I ideally strive for, but there are some things in life that I'm just going to choose to eat. I've had some suspected trouble with wheat these days, so my diet was soon to become way too restrictive and I've been loosening the reins to revert back to 'vegetarian'. (BTW, I'm going to be celebrating 10 years of vegetarianism at the end of May...woohoo!)

I've been eating selected dairy products that I deem 'worthy' of eating. If I see a product that offers a low calorie, high protein, low sugar snack, I'm interested in trying it. I'm a believer in no rBST/rBGH-free so you won't catch me buying just any dairy products.

Greek yogurt is one of the dairy products I have been choosing to eat. These days, there are many more offerings of greek yogurt in the grocery store, but the brand I tried today is far and away the best tasting greek yogurt that I've had. I didn't have to add any sweetener and the 'tanginess factor' is not too harsh.

Voskos Greek Yogurt - I tried the Fig flavor. YUM!!! Think sweet fig newton meets tangy cheesecake. It was 160 calories, 11 grams protein, no fat, and is completely fruit juice sweetened, so there is no added sugar. I bought it at Whole Foods on Lamar, but I can't remember how much I paid for it.

If you're used to Yoplait or Dannon (fake and nasty sweet), this yogurt may be a shock. You will have to adjust your tastes. The ingredients are pure and simple - Grade A Pasteurized Skim Milk, Fruit Juice Concentrate (Pineapple, Peach, Apple, Pear), Fig, Tapioca Starch, Citric Acid and Live and Active Cultures.

Pain in the ass

Pain in the ass, literally. When I went for my massage today, Lisa said that I might have blown out my glute muscles on my right side. Those may not have been her exact words, and no, those aren't technical terms, but basically we're talking about some possible strained glute muscles. If it is not that, then it is likely that my hip is a little out of place due to the inflammation and muscle tightness on my right side and it is probably compressing a nerve to cause the pain. Either way, I was a champ during the massage and took the pain like a pro.

The solution for now? No running at all for three days (suggested by Lisa and agreed on by me and then by coach). Fine by me :). I'm perfectly fine not waking up at 5:30am on Saturday morning to run 25 miles. Do I think I'm missing out on the most crucial workout of the season? Nah. I've already put a ton of work in so far this season. Three days of no running will help any potential muscle strain calm down, so that hopefully I'm running again next week.

I'm going to ice bath each day, followed by heat. I'm also going to do a few suggested stretches to help the area relax. Yeah...I get to sleep in on Saturday!!!

Scrrd

I'm scrrd. The newest ache and pain feels different. It came on suddenly Tuesday night (not during running). It's in my right hip (where I had SI issues in 2007). It doesn't feel like muscle pain and I can feel it when I run, walk, or even stand on one leg and bounce up and down without leaving the floor. Not good.

I hope rest and Lisa's massage techniques work, otherwise I'm going to need to borrow the magic band-aid.

:(

Bring on the vacations...

I love to travel. As much as I am a homebody here in Austin, I love a good trip. There's something about arranging the details and going somewhere else. Including this weekend, we're only in town three of the next seven weeks! That's my kind of schedule.

Here's what we have in store...

• This week - 2 1/2 more days of work, long run Sat, then begin to taper (peak phase!). My mantra? Make it to noon Saturday, make it to noon Saturday, make it to noon Saturday...
• April 6-12 - 4 day work week, fly on Friday to Augusta...we're going to the Masters on Saturday!!! Look for us on TV. If we wear a weird color shirt or an easily identifiable hat, we'll let you know, but there aren't any cameras or phones allowed on the course, so there won't be any live blogging.
• April 13-19 - 5 day work week, 10 mile run on Saturday, easy peasy. Enjoy weekend in Austin, hoping for beautiful weather.
• April 20-26 - 4 day work week - leave for Nashville Thursday afternoon, Marathon on Saturday, don't return until Monday night. Yay Nashville! We've got tickets to the late show at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night, a Nashville must. After the marathon Saturday morning, we've got the rest of Saturday, all day Sunday, and most of the day Monday to be tourists.
• April 27-May 3 - 4 day work week, sleep in every day! So freaking excited to sleep!!Weekend after marathon - enjoy weekend at home!
• May 4-10 - 5 day work week, sleep in every day! Leave for Maui on Saturday!
• May 11-17 - Maui vacation! Sleep, sun, books, walks on the beach! Yay, yay, yay!

We're very lucky to get to do all of this. Not bragging, just really excited that all of the vacations are so close together this beautiful time of year.

Big PR! Dang that hurt!

I raced the Cap10k this morning. Thankfully I woke up with minimal aches and pains from the 23.4 miles from yesterday. My ultimate goal for this race was 44:51 (7:15 pace), but I gave myself an acceptable range from 44:51-47:00.

With tired legs, the hilly Cap10k course was brutal on my legs. I'm not a friends with uphills and there were many, so I didn't really worry all that much about being slow. My legs felt like bricks at mile one. I sucked it up and ran with all the effort I could give. I squashed some negative thoughts during the race and finished well.

Chip Time - 45:38.8 (a big PR of almost 2 minutes)
Overall place - 570 out of 18,000+ if you count the untimed people.
Age Group - 13th (really 14th because the overall ladies winner was in my age group)

I'm super proud of my time. I'm also proud of Chad, who broke 40:00 for the first time ever. Congrats to all of my Team Rogue teammates who ran today, even after running 20+ miles yesterday. Awesome!

24 with a close

A short update on the first of this weekend's runs...

24 this morning - First 10 with Dionn (who gave me a shout out in her blog, thanks!) on the Eastside loop. We ran pretty conservatively to be sure to have energy to finish. Next, we added the St.Eds loop. I did the 13.4 mile version to make my total 23.4 for the day. I have to admit that I was jealous of Dionn doing 20 when she turned off to head back to the cars, but not jealous about the super long bike ride she has to do tomorrow for her ironman training. Good Luck!!! I finished the run today with a faster close...miles 19-22 were 7:40 or faster.

The numbers...

10 miles, 1:30:54 (9:05 pace)
13.4 miles 1:55:27 (8:37 pace)
Total 23.4 miles 3:26:21 (8:49 pace)

3 bag ice bath - 5 minutes sitting in the tub while it filled with cold water, 20 minutes with 3 ice bags, 5 minutes letting the water drain. BRRRR!!!!

Tomorrow...racing the Capitol 10k. I've got a goal. Hopefully my exhausted legs will cooperate with my mind.

Non-running updates

Sorry for all of the long boring posts! Here are some non-running updates.

My handy husband tuned up the lawnmower and got it working on the first pull this past weekend. While he mowed the front lawn, I reorganized the garage to make it possible for him to park his truck inside now.

We got the weedeater/edger working only to have it die after a couple of minutes. No biggie...we went to Lowes and got a sweet super-powerful electric edger that I can use much easier than our old gas model. Yup, I edged the front yard and flower beds. I'm handy, too.

Chad also opened our new leaf blower and made good use of it clearing our decks of the multitude of live oak leaves and cleaning up our driveway after I edged.

I cooked a yummy dinner on Wednesday night that was supposed to be for my dad and Rose. As it turned out, the hailstorm kept them from making the drive to our house, so we were able to share it with Chad's mom (who lives in the neighborhood). I got all of the recipes except one from epicurious.com (which Karen introduced me to), and I think they were a hit. I would make any of them again. The recipes are great when followed exactly. Sorry no pics...we ate it all too quickly.

Mixed Greens with Tangerine and Fennel
Salmon with Sesame and Orange-Ginger Relish
Lemon-Scented Quinoa
Ginger Ice Cream

Sleep, glorious sleep

Background - After my meltdown a couple of weeks ago at the Soulbuster workout, I have made an effort to try to figure out why my body was so damn uncooperative. I was swollen (over 5 lbs heavy), fatigued, muscles ached, and just all around grouchy. I suspected it might have been my thyroid levels, but that turned out to be wrong. At the suggestion of my endocrinologist, I went to Dr Hutchens to see if there could be another explanation for the swelling. I blogged about suspected food allergies (food intolerances, actually), and Dr Hutchens suggested this as well at my appointment. I didn't even mention it to him beforehand. So here's what I've been doing...

• I write down everything I eat (dr hutchens order).
• I log my weight every day. (dr hutchens order).
• I take my basal body temp every day (dr bledsoe order)
• I take my resting heart rate every so often (sisson order)
• I've been limiting the amount of wheat that I'm consuming. (voluntarily)
• I've been vigilant about taking my prenatal vitamins (lots of b vitamins and iron).

For those of you who watch The Biggest Loser, a lightbulb went off for me a week or so ago. Tara had seen little to no weight loss for two weeks in a row, despite working out like a monster. At the weigh in, her trainer Jillian told her she had been overtraining. LIGHTBULB!!! I might be overtraining. So, I've implemented a few more steps to start feeling better.

• I have been really trying to get more sleep - at least 7-8 hours a night.
• I take naps when I need to.
• I've lowered my mileage to 67-72 mpw on the hard weeks and 45-50 on the easy weeks. I don't feel pressure to squeeze in miles if my legs are too achy and I'm exhausted.

The result? Over the past couple of weeks I've been feeling much better. Day by day my weight is coming down (5 pounds since soulbuster). I feel rested. My poop is back to normal. My temps and heart rate are normal. I'm not as grumpy. My muscles are feeling better, too. I'm also able to hit my times better at workout.

Sure, two weeks is not enough time to say I'm 'cured' from all of the medical things. I will, however, keep doing what I'm doing to keep feeling better and better. Ahhh sleep, glorious sleep, you are my friend.

Hailstorm

...and this one is not the largest one in our yard. It's just the one that I could get to without risking getting my head hit by incoming hail.

Warhurst revisited

It is now three weeks since the last time we did the Warhurst workout. Last time we ran it, we started from Barton Springs, warmed up 1.25 miles, and ran in very cold temperatures (I wore tights). I did 5 repeats and all five of my 'mile sections' were slow. I was bummed that my efforts did not yield a faster mile split.

Today it was a balmy 70 degrees and humid when we started, so I was wearing shorts and a tank top. We also warmed up 2.5 miles. I think it is obvious that I am not only stronger today than I was before, but that I run better when I don't have to wear tights and when I get a slightly longer warmup.

Oh...and I had a total dingbat moment today. I missed the part about the mile section being at tempo pace (or HMGP). I thought it was MGP, and kept freaking out that Michael was running so fast (and dragging me with him) when his goal time is a little slower than mine. He couldn't figure out why I kept talking about MGP.

Here is the lowdown -

Mile sections
Previously, Today
7:57, 7:26
8:08, 7:26
7:53, 7:31
7:50, 7:38 (I wasn't dying. I was just mistakenly trying to calm down and get to MGP.)
8:00

Today, I didn't do a 5th repeat to be sure that my hip does not flare. It was feeling pretty tweaky going around the track. Overall, my hip is actually feeling better.

1200 Track sections
Previously, Today
5:29, 5:29
5:28, 5:27
5:28, 5:27
5:26, 5:25
5:28

So, I think it went pretty well. I'm jazzed about maintaining my effort through all four repeats, especially because the mile sections were much faster than last time. I know I gave it a good effort going up the hill on Veterans Dr. I wish I wasn't such a dingbat and knew that it should have been tempo pace instead of MGP. I wouldn't have slowed down on purpose.

Now I'm working, drinking my water, wearing my compression socks, and trying to stretch the rest of the day.

Much respect for the Warhurst. Good work everyone!

Running Faster

Ask me how my run went this morning. C'mon, I know you want to know. Well, it went really well, thank you very much. I have to admit, I was a bit scared at this little progressive pace run on the schedule. I think my goal MGP (7:38) is tough. The 10k pace that goes along with a 7:38 MGP is something that I've never even thought about doing in a real 10k. I was shooting for a 7:15-7:20 10k pace today, which is a faster pace than my standing 5k pr (7:29 pace). Really, I have struggled with speed in the past.

Here's how it was supposed to go. The first column is the 'ideal pace structure' as set up by coach. The second column is what I thought I could do. (I wanted to give myself slower early miles to warm up better.) The third column is what I did.

Ideal I'd be lucky Actual
to hit these
mile 1 8:35 9:00 8:58
mile 2 8:25 8:45 8:00
mile 3 8:15 8:30 8:00 (split 15:59 for miles 2-3)
mile 4 8:05 8:15 7:55
mile 5 7:55 8:00 7:50 (split 15:44 for miles 4-5)
mile 6 7:45 7:45 7:48 (there was a little uphill)
mile 7 7:35 7:35 7:24
mile 8 7:25 7:30 7:21
mile 9 7:15 7:20 7:16
mile 10 fast! who knows? 7:07!!

I'm so excited that I felt strong enough to hit times close to the 'ideal workout'. Even with the fast early miles, I was able to hold on.

Woohoo! I got the biggest runners high from this run. I'm confident that my ultimate goal is a good goal for me. Even if I don't actually run 3:20 in Nashville, I'm confident that I can at least train for it and get faster overall as a result.

Other big news -

• I set a new PR for my 5k today between miles 6 and 10. Pick any 3.1 mile stretch between those mile markers and I smashed my old PR. I estimate my last 5k of the run was 22:28 (:54 faster than my PR)
• I also PRed my 10k. My average pace for my old PR was 7:40.7 per mile. Pick any 6.2 mile stretch after mile marker 3 of this morning's run and I set a new PR. I estimate my last 10k of the run was 46:21 (1:23 faster than my PR).

Looking Forward

I'm still counting down...

• 12 more days until the Capitol 10,000
• 37 days until we leave for Nashville, 39 days until I race.
• 53 days until we're on the beach in Maui!

Aside from the countdown, I'm really looking forward to April 25th after the marathon. Do you know what happens then?? I get to sleep in every single morning if I want to!!!! No more waking up early to go run!!! This early morning running business does not agree with me one bit. I don't like waking up before 6am, much less before 5am. It's just wrong.

La Vie en Rose

La Vie en Rose is the song that I walked down the aisle to (a string quartet played it). I picked it because of both the lyrics and because Chad and I would be going to France for our honeymoon. Every time we heard this in France, I would well up...it was incredibly romantic to get to relive the emotion of walking down the aisle throughout our honeymoon. The great thing about hearing this song in France is that it is so stereotypically 'French' that it has been remade so many times with so many different instrumental versions. I picked it out several times as 'elevator music' or from local street performers during the trip.

The version playing is the Edith Piaf version.

French Lyrics
Des yeux qui font baisser les miens,
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche,
Voilà le portrait sans retouche
De l'homme auquel j'appartiens

Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas,
Je vois la vie en rose.

Il me dit des mots d'amour,
Des mots de tous les jours,
Et ça me fait quelque chose.

Il est entré dans mon cœur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause.

C'est lui pour moi. Moi pour lui
Dans la vie,
Il me l'a dit, l'a juré pour la vie.

Et dès que je l'aperçois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon cœur qui bat

Des nuits d'amour a ne plus en finir
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place
Des enuis des chagrins, des phases
Heureux, heureux a en mourir.

Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas,
Je vois la vie en rose.

Il me dit des mots d'amour,
Des mots de tous les jours,
Et ça me fait quelque chose.

Il est entré dans mon cœur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause.

C'est toi pour moi. Moi pour toi
Dans la vie,
Il me l'a dit, l'a juré pour la vie.

Et dès que je l'aperçois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon cœur qui bat

English Translation - (In some parts it is a literal translation. In other parts it captures the meaning of what the French lyrics were intending. There is an english version of the song, but it is not even close to the same in my opinion.)

Eyes that make me lower mine,
a laugh that dissipates on his lips,
this is the unretouched portrait
of the man to whom I belong.

When he takes me in his arms,
he speaks to me softly
and life seems perfect. (I see life in rosy hues.)

He utters words of love to me,
everyday words,
And it touches me inside.

He has brought into my heart
A happiness of which I know the cause.
It's him for me, me for him, all our lives.
He told me so, swore it, for all our lives.

And the moment I laid eyes on him,
right then I felt inside me
my beating heart.

Nights of love that never end,
a great joy takes hold.
Annoyances and sorrows disappear.
Happy, so happy I could die.

No Thyroid for me...

As an update to Friday's post...I did not get my thyroid medication upped. I saw my TSH level, and agree that it is within the 'normal' range. As long as it is below 2.0, my doctor is not going to adjust my Synthroid dosage. I don't go back for 6 months, so it could be a while before it is adjusted again. Hmmm....

She suggested that I follow up with my primary care to look for vitamin deficiencies (B vitamins, iron), so I have made an appointment with Dr. Hutchens this Friday. I will go fasted so they can run bloodwork if they need to. I really doubt I have a vitamin deficiency. I take a prenatal vitamin with iron at least 3 times a week (because I'm too lazy to take one every day).

I'm also going to ask about a referral to an allergy doctor. After this year's cedar season and suspicion that there is a food allergy that is affecting my 'swelling', I'd like to talk to a specialist about it and possibly do some testing. In the meantime, I'm going to start cutting back my intake of coffee, dairy, wheat and soy, as they are known food allergens or foods that I have started to regularly incorporate into my diet since I've started gaining weight and feeling swollen.

Soulbuster II

If you witnessed my run on the track today, you know it wasn't pretty. It finally took a breakdown followed by more running followed by Steve telling me 'You're sick' for it all to register. Here's the short (but thorough) recap.

• I didn't sleep all that well. I woke up heavier than I have all season and very swollen.
• I did my normal routine this morning...eat, drink, poop, pee. Nothing out of the ordinary.
• When my bladder ached 5 minutes out of Gateway, I knew it would be a long day.
• I had 6 pit stops total during the run today, four of which included #2. I pooped in the restroom at Russell's Bakery, Burger King, Mozarts, and the Austin High Tennis courts. (sorry for the TMI, but I was definitely feeling sick)
• The 20 pre-track miles were fine otherwise. My left hip is still sore. The hills were a little much for my legs today.
• On the track, I nailed MGP for my first two miles. After a lap of trying to go faster, I had a breakdown because I felt horrible in my guts.
• Steve told me to run 800 really easy and give him one more mile at MGP. He wanted me to get out of the 'emotional' part of my breakdown.
• I nailed my MGP mile after the breakdown, went straight to the port-o-potty, had nothing left in my intestines or bladder but felt like I had to go so bad. Instead I just sat there and sobbed.
• Steve had good words for me and made me realize I really was actually sick and probably very dehydrated. It was okay to stop running at that point.
• I have taken a three-bag ice bath. It was so cold that I still had big ice cubes left in the water after 20 minutes.
• I lost over five pounds during the run in 40-50 degree temps. Five pounds after drinking water throughout the run, eating 3 GUs, and post-run half of our anniversary almond croissant.

Thanks to those who were out there and cheered for me. I will run strong again on another day.

One Year Ago

Our official anniversary is tomorrow, March 15, but I thought I would share some of my favorite Saturday memories. Below are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend. (Credit for the pictures goes to Amelia Tarbet. We have compressed the images to hopefully be on the safe side for reprinting/copyright issues.)

This one is of the ladies going for our pre-wedding pics.


Chad and I walking out of the chapel as husband and wife.

Whew, the party can start!

Posing in front of the 'groom's house' that we used as the bar for the evening. The building is the old Bee Cave store or post office or something like that.

Cross your fingers for me...

Gosh I'm blogging a bunch these days. Please cross your fingers for me. I have an endocrinologist appointment in 30 minutes and I'm really hoping that my bloodwork shows that I need my thyroid dosage upped. That or perhaps the Dr will have some other explanation of why I'm sluggish and gaining weight (8 pounds) despite running 70 miles a week and eating a balanced/restricted diet. Please please please let this appointment go well.

Anniversary Weekend - Rehearsal Memories

On Sunday, Chad and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary. It is crazy how fast time passes, but it also seems like forever since we said 'I will'. (The answer to the question wasn't 'I do' :)). One year ago today (Friday) we were setting up for the rehearsal dinner and hoping for good weather. It was 80+ degrees and breezy as I remember it.

The set-up went well. Thankfully, we had friends and family come out for some hard manual labor to set up tables and chairs early in the day. The rehearsal and dinner could not have gone better.

Here are some pics from the rehearsal and dinner that night. Our dinner was delicious - salad, main course, and dessert paired with family wine at each course. It was such a treat. It is awesome to go back and look at the pictures to remember how much fun it was with our closest friends and family.

Tea Weather

Yesterday during my massage, Lisa said that this is 'tea weather'. I totally agree. Even though I've been downing a cup of coffee for 5:30am runs, I'm finding that tea really hits the spot throughout the day. Do you drink tea? What brands/flavors?

Here's what I've been drinking -

• Tazo - Wild Sweet Orange - This is a perfect cider replacement tea. If you don't want the sugary sweet taste of hot apple cider, but you still want a warm fruity taste, this is the ideal tea. I love this tea with a spoonful of sugar...I could drink it all day.

• Tazo - Passion - similar to the Wild Sweet Orange in terms of satisfaction and drinkability, but with some hibiscus/passionfruit notes.




• Two Leaves and a Bud - Mountain High Chai - My absolute favorite chai blend. I don't need milk in this one because it is so smooth on its own.




• Tazo - Organic Tazo Chai - not as good as the Two Leaves and a Bud, but still a satisfying, spicy blend. I'm drinking a cup of this right now.





• Yorkshire Teas - Red Breakfast Tea - Yummy strong black tea.

I'm a little stuck on the Tazo brand, only because I like their variety packs and their consistent flavors. In the past, I have been known to branch out and try new brands and flavors.

As a wedding gift, we got a tea kettle that I LOVE! It works well for tea or oatmeal (which I eat regularly). I also got some tea diffusers and tea balls for loose leaf tea, so I'm excited to try bulk teas.

It is certainly tea weather.

To Hell with the Trifecta

My Facebook status this morning read 'Sadie Jones has decided that a 4:30 wake-up, 40 degree temps and rain are the perfect trifecta for her to stay in bed...but she is gonna run anyways.'

I meant it. I really wanted to stay in bed. I am not a morning person. I hate running in temps below 45. I really hate running in the rain when it is cold. If it wasn't for horrible peer pressure and my complex to try to be one of the 'hard core' members of the team, I would have loved to cuddle up under the covers for another three hours. Damn, now that I re-think it, three hours under warm covers would have been so nice.

Thanks to Mike for posting this radar image on his blog. I'm stealing it. This is right about the time we started our warmup. Seriously, when I found out we were going to the Eastside track instead of Austin High, I almost had a meltdown. Mentally, I had prepared to run west, and it was all I could do to grin and bear it through a rolling hilly warm-up in a part of town we used to visit on the tour of our student neighborhoods when I was a teacher.

One good thing about this morning...I was so distracted with the weather conditions and my preparations to avoid the discomforts of the cold rain that I forgot to wear my watch. Oh well! I wasn't able to take my splits for the track workout. It was probably a good thing. My clothes were soaked and I was running in lanes 3 and 4 because of the huge puddles on the inside of the track. I can guarantee you my times would have been slow because of all of the extenuating circumstances, not because I wasn't putting forth the effort.

My Facebook status now reads "Sadie agrees that 'there is a fine line between hard core and stupid.' She will only admit to the hard core bit." The quote comes directly from Glenda when she walked in after her workout. I laughed a little when she said it. Then it hit me....

I drove safely. I wore proper rain gear to minimize the suffering through the cold rain. I ran the workout to the best of my ability. None of those things are stupid. Ever. Though I would not call people 'stupid', those who stayed in bed this morning (without a valid excuse like being sick) missed some of the mental toughness that I gained this morning. And yes, I could have slept in and run the workout on my own at lunchtime to avoid some rain...not an excuse on a group coached workout day.

Rock on...10.9 miles in the cold, cold rain and wind. Tough as nails. Hard core. However you want to put it...

Countdown

The weather change today got me thinking about a particular upcoming vacation. I'm ready to shove my toes in the sand at the barefoot bar at the Hula Grill, to drive down the coast with the top down and smell the ocean water, to admire an afternoon rainbow above the hills over Kaanapali Beach.

I've started some countdowns...

4 days from now Chad and I will celebrate our first anniversary!

18 days from now I'm racing the Capitol 10,000 the day after a really long run. Should be 'fun'.

29 days from now I'm taking off on a road trip with my darling to check off an item on his 'bucket list'. More on that in a later post.

43 days from now we fly off to Nashville to run fast. That sounds closer and closer, especially since some of those days will be recovery weeks or tapering. yay!

59 days from now we'll be on a plane to Maui to vacation for a week. Yay, yay, triple yay!

Headwind

Tara and I almost missed the rain today. We made it over halfway into a muggy, hot run before we heard the cold front about to hit us. We could see the trees shaking and heard the steam train sound of the leading edge of the front. Ten steps later, it was twenty degrees cooler.

The leading edge of the front was awesome. I know exactly where we were when the first cold breeze hit. The winds howled and knocked brown leaves off of all of the Live Oak trees in the Pemberton area. It was a shower of leaves for five minutes before the actual rain started to fall. Mist became sprinkles, became rain, became a near downpour before we made it back to the house.

We ran through a complete change in weather forecast this morning...awesome!!! So glad we got six miles in, because I'm not so sure I'm going to do any more later today. We're gonna need to bundle up tomorrow morning!

Music Change - Right Round

One of the songs on my running mix right now is 'Right Round' by FloRida. It samples 'You Spin Me Round' by Dead or Alive (which should be playing as you read this). If you want, feel free to scroll to the bottom and play 'Right Round' to hear the difference. That, or enjoy the oldie but goodie and let the more contemporary version play automatically afterwards.

Either song is fun to run to.

Yikes - Sucky Running Weather ahead!

The forecast looks like it is going to suck starting tomorrow. Yes, running in the rain can be fun, but running in thunderstorms does not work for me at all.

The plan is to get in all of my Wednesday miles in the morning and suck it up to do the team workout on Thursday as long as it is not too awful. Thank goodness I get a rest day on Friday and have the luxury of running when I want on Saturday (when I'll likely only need 6-8 miles to fill in weekly mileage). Soulbuster looks to have decent weather so far.

Easy Tuesday

We ran easy this morning instead of doing a quality workout. I ran with Amy and Stephanie because it seemed like most of our normal peeps didn't show this morning. The company was fun, the route was good, and I managed to get slimed twice by Sisson's sweaty arm (the first time on accident, the second time on purpose). Amy and Steph were running about 10 (we did 10.4 if anyone googlemapped it) and I tacked on a few extra with my iPod to get to 13.25. I felt like I could have run all day my legs felt so good. My left hip/glute is still giving me a touch of pain now and then, but it appears to be recovering okay so far.

Have a great day everyone!

Low Blood Sugar

I experienced low blood sugar this morning while trying to finish my 9-10 miles for the week. In the past, I have passed out in the middle of a run (and in the middle of the road) due to low blood sugar, so I know what it feels like to crater. I'm only blogging about this in case it helps someone else to read about what it feels like to have low blood sugar on a run to the point that you must have food. I don't need any warnings from anyone, nor do I need anyone to be concerned about me. I messed up and I have now taken the steps to replenish my body.

After yesterday's 23 miler I did not fuel up enough. I see now that I needed to eat more during the day (and different kinds of foods) but I just couldn't stomach eating certain things yesterday and tried to do my best.

Here's what I ate -
Before run - coffee w/sugar, Clif Bar (approx. 300 cal)
During 23 mile run - 1 GU, 16 oz Cytomax
Breakfast after run - (approx 660 cal) Odwalla Super Protein Smoothie, small container pineapple chunks, 1 small banana, 16 oz non-fat latte - Food did not seem appetizing at all.
Food at party - (approx 750 cal) veggie burger with mustard, relish, and tomato, cupcake, separate small slice of birthday cake, lemonade, water
Dinner - (approx 450 cal) large bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with milk - Still didn't want to eat the 'good for me' food in the house.

I definitely did not replenish my fuel stores throughout the day since I only consumed around 2200 calories (and those are generous estimates). I likely burned all 2200 of that and more during the run yesterday morning, not to mention during the following 22 hours awake and asleep before my attempt at running this morning.

This morning I had my normal apple cinnamon oatmeal (300 cal) and a cup of coffee with sugar before heading out to go run again. I went downtown around 9am and ran 5 miles on the trail, stopping for water and such. After five miles, I didn't feeling like running any more down there on the trail. Sure, I definitely felt tired and a little drained, but I thought it was just general fatigue. I chugged 16 oz of Cytomax in the car.

When I got home, I mapped out a 2 mile route from the house and planned to do a couple of laps to get myself to 9 miles for the day. It was already a warm 80 degrees and I had been sweating like crazy, so I figured that breaking up my route into 2 mile chunks would allow me to drink more water and stretch if I needed to before heading out again. After my first mile on the road, I started to feel lightheaded and felt instantly like my blood sugar was low. I then started to get little spots in my eyes and felt dizzy a few blocks away from the house. If you have ever experienced low blood sugar, you know how this feels...exhausted, but 'shaky' and jittery, and with a bit of a drunk 'buzz'. You get a little 'confused' if it becomes severe enough.

I realized it was very late in the morning, that I had probably not fueled enough from yesterday, and that the seven miles now under my belt were way beyond what the oatmeal and coffee would have provided energy for at my level of glucose depletion.

Immediately upon arriving home, I rushed into the kitchen and quickly made myself a PB&J. My hands were shaking. I needed the quick sugar of the jelly, the complex carbs of the bread, and the fat/protein from the peanut butter to help my system balance as fast as possible. I also made some more Cytomax to get some instant relief. Thankfully, I felt better almost immediately and was able to digest the sandwich and finish another 2 miles without any problems, though I did wait about 15 minutes before heading out again. My last 2 miles felt pretty darn good in fact. I ate a good lunch and feel much better now.

Don't bother leaving me comments saying 'be careful' or 'watch out'. I've been through it before and know how to handle my body. Please be careful yourself about eating enough after a big run before you go out and try to run the next day.

4-5-5-5-4

Keeping this as short as possible while still sharing what I want to share -

4 mile warmup - 37:38

Loop 1 - 5 miles (not MGP, but 'faster than easy pace and see how my legs feel')
8:01
7:40
7:36
7:50
8:12
average - 7:52 (I'm very happy with this pace being 'faster than easy pace'.)

Loop 2 - 5 miles (supposed to be easy pace, really I tried to slow down)
8:13
8:08
8:09
8:23
8:41
average - 8:17 (I'm very happy with this pace being my 'easy pace'.)

Loop 3 - 5 miles (MGP - see what I have left, ultimate Nashville MGP is 7:38)
7:54
7:13 - can you tell I love downhill? What was I thinking? And this was into a brutal headwind!
7:40 - consciously backed off here because the previous mile split scared me.
7:55
8:20 - can you tell how much I hate uphills?
average - 7:48.4 (I wish this average was faster, but I'll take it for now. I've got some work to do to meet my goals.)

4 mile cooldown - 39:43 - very painful, but Michael and I ran back the whole way and did not need to walk (not that there is anything wrong with walking).

Total running time - 3:17:23 (average 8:35 - HOLY COW that is fast for me if it includes 8 miles of really easy running)

Notes of interest -

• It's funny to me to see how consistently variable my splits are on each loop based on the terrain. You can definitely tell where the hills were. I think most people had a spread of paces similar to mine, especially with the slower miles 4 and 5.
• I did this run with only one GU at mile 9 and 16 ounces of Cytomax throughout the run.
• I've been battling water weight for the past week and started this run 6 pounds heavier than I started the run last weekend. I weighed 148 at the start today. After the run, I was down to 143.2, even after eating breakfast and drinking lots of fluids. I hope it stays low...hopefully I've sweated out all of the excess sodium that I've been hanging on to.
• My hip did start to flare during lap 3 and during the cooldown, but it is feeling better now.
• Breakfast with the team was awesome. Kamran got a Snuggie from the black short fasties (which was hilarious to watch) and he also drove me to my car at RunTex. Thanks Kamran!

Song Change - Feeling Good

After my last post about reframing the rest of the season, I thought I'd change the music from the brooding, somewhat angry Bjork song that was playing all week. Here you go...

Feeling Good
lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
performed by Nina Simone (probably the best arrangement and performance of this song, IMO)

Birds flying high, you know how I feel.
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel.
Breeze driftin' on by, you know how I feel.

It's a new dawn. It's a new day.
It's a new life for me, and I'm feeling good.

Fish in the sea, you know how I feel
River running free, you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree, you know how I feel

It's a new dawn. It's a new day.
It's a new life for me, and I'm feeling good.

Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean, don't you know?
Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean.
Sleep in peace when day is done, that's what I mean.
And this old world is a new world and a bold world for me.

Stars when you shine, you know how I feel.
Scent of the pine, you know how I feel.
Oh freedom is mine! And I know how I feel.

It's a new dawn. It's a new day.
It's a new life for me, and I'm feeling good.

Uncle and a Reframe

I cried 'uncle' today. Not because the roller workout was too hard. My efforts were better than I expected them to be. 'Uncle' because I have reconfirmed that I am not a multi-day quality workout runner. My past running history has shown that I am more successful when I run only one quality workout per week and at the most some kind of short tempo/MGP run on another day. Both of my marathon PRs have been at the end of training seasons with one quality a week, regardless of overall weekly miles. Every single time that I have been in a group that does Tuesday/Thursday quality workouts I get an injury...and I can count at least 3 seasons where that has occurred. Again, that is regardless of overall weekly miles.

I'm not injured in case you are wondering. My left hip/glute has flared up a little (no big surprise) and right now it is very early. I was still able to run 13.3 'rollers' this morning, but I opted to not run the steady state back to Randalls once I figured out that the fast hill work was bothering my hip.

Steve and I both agreed that it was a great decision to change up the T/TH/S plan and run only the Tuesday quality workouts hard, then run a MLR on Thursday and approach any kind of pace work on Saturday with caution. I get to still keep up all of the rest of my mileage assuming my body can handle it. He was great about the decision being made, and reconfirmed that we had talked about all of this at the beginning of the season. Before I even started the high miles, we knew that at some point my body may not want to run two quality days. I'm glad that he thinks we're making a good decision.

Some people's bodies thrive on 2-3 hard workouts a week. Some people need no quality at all. Some people need fewer miles. Some people need more miles. I'm just thankful that I have a coach that understands that everyone has different needs and that I might actually perform better with a plan that is slightly different than the majority of the group.

March

Some thoughts about March -

• In general, March weather is unpredictable. The weather can be downright nasty with wind and rain, or it can be gorgeous. Most of the time, I have found March to be cloudier than expected and colder than expected. Seems like when we get budding trees, I expect warm weather (like in the 90s).
• Speaking of budding trees...I love this time of year for the color and smells of the trees. My favorite trees with the white buds have their traditional grape juice smells. The redbuds and mountain laurel trees are all showy and purple. From my window in the office, some of the trees that were very recently brown and twiggy are now showing a bright green burst of leaves. Hooray!
• Our anniversary is March 15. We're not planning on making a big deal about it because we've already got a couple of vacations planned where we can celebrate. Maybe we'll go to a nice dinner here in Austin, but unfortunately there is a 'Soulbuster' long run scheduled for Sunday the 15th. That pretty much ensures that I'll want to keep it low key on Saturday night (and eat right), and by Sunday evening I'll likely be a zombie. Happy anniversary honey, you're going to have one tired wife.
• I don't participate in many of the activities that keep Austin busy during March. I don't do SXSW, I don't have anything to do with the basketball tournament, I don't usually go to the rodeo unless there is a good concert that I want to go to, and I pretty much try to avoid the big crowds where they are.
• Running in March can be difficult. If you are training for Boston or some other spring marathon, this is peak training time. Thirty one days of tough running typically makes the training log look awesome, but makes me completely exhausted. That, and it is usually capped off by running or racing the Capitol 10,000, which is not an easy 1ok. I'm looking forward to putting in the hard work now that it is March. I have my calendar set before me and I know what I've got to accomplish. There is a light at the end of the tunnel (way out there) and I'm looking forward to how it might feel to really be in shape.

Warhurst

The Warhurst must be respected. It is a tough workout.

We had to do 5 repeats today, which means that after our warmup we did sets of 1M at 'tempo to MGP' pace followed by a 400m easy jog to the track and 1200m at 10k pace followed by water if we needed it, followed by 400m easy jog...repeat 5 times. Each repeat (including the easy jogs) was just over 2 miles, so running five of them is no small feat.

Coach told us to first focus on the 1200m on the track. He wanted those fast and consistent. Then, our next priority was to focus on the mile time. Our final focus was to do all 5 sets. My ultimate goal for the workout was to do the mile sections at 7:38 pace and the 1200m at 7:20 pace (meaning that my time for the 1200 should have been 5:30). I was determined to get the track pace right, regardless of where I was on the mile.

Here's how it went, then the excuses.

round 1 - 7:57 - 5:28.89
round 2 - 8:08 - 5:27.89
round 3 - 7:53 - 5:28.24
round 4 - 7:50 - 5:26.06
round 5 - 8:00 - 5:27.70

My 1200s were good. No excuses for my performance there. I'm more than pleased that I didn't slow down. I'm also glad to see that my first one was my slowest and my last two were my fastest two.

My mile sections were slower than I hoped. I really thought the first one was going to be 7:45 or faster and I panicked when I saw 7:57 for the effort that I was giving it. I don't know if it was the cold air, running in tights, or what, but I didn't feel warmed up and my legs didn't feel so hot the first couple of repeats. The 8:08 was my reaction to feeling a little sluggish. I tried to stay within myself going up the Veterans hill and just settled into too slow of a pace.

After round 2, I started to warm up and felt pretty good. I know why my last repeat was slower...I was so focused on being finished that I just let myself ease up. I wasn't chasing the ladies in front of me as closely as during the other laps, so I became lax in my pacing.

I've got a bunch of lame excuses as to why I was slow on the mile sections...hills slow me down, I don't like running in tights, it was really cold, it was really dark at first, Steve said it was okay to be a little conservative on the miles and I let that be an excuse for me to go slower, it was cold, I didn't feel like I was in a groove, I weigh 5 pounds more than I did on Saturday because of things not in my control, I didn't get a good night's sleep, it was cold, I wished I was wearing shorts, I had menstrual cramps after repeat #3, hills slow me down, I lost focus, it was cold...wah wah wah...

Excuses aside, I'm pleased that I completed the repeats and didn't bonk. I did the track work correctly and am not too disappointed that my average mile section pace was 7:57.6. That is faster than my 'B' goal MGP and on a flatter mile I would have come closer to meeting my 'ultimate' workout goal.

Much respect for the Warhurst. I look forward to repeating the workout in 3 weeks.

Yesterday vs Today

Yesterday was a rotten day all around. I hope a minimal night's sleep and a good hard workout take care of the rest of the bad juju. Seems like today feels better already, but I've got all my fingers and toes crossed that it will last.

Negative Energy

I've gotta get some of this out...

• stop emailing me
• stop calling me, especially when you think it is okay to screen my calls
• the sound of your voice makes me cringe
• you make me want to hide
• you completely jack up my plans and I resent you for that
• when you dump stuff on me, my first impulse is to curse and put my foot down
• thank you doesn't cut it anymore

Don't think you know who I'm talking about...Putting this out in space should help me (and a few other people who have gotten an earful lately) get some relief. There is some serious negative energy floating around, and these days I seem to be a thirsty sponge for it.

Cheers!

We're at the winery today!

NW cupcakes!

I decided to scope out the little run down strip mall that is near my
'hood at Spicewood Springs and 183. Rumor had it that there was a
little coffee place that was supposed to be pretty decent. Turns out
that the coffee place is also a 'cupcakery' called cupprimo. Here's a
shot of my red velvet treat. It made a lovely midmorning snack and is
bigger and tastier than most other cupcakes that I have had in
Austin. Yum. Coffee was just okay, but I'm sure to go back for
cupcakes or a frappé and support a local business.

The most comforting sound in the world...

My mom sent me this link about the sheriff in South Carolina who was involved in the Michael Phelps marijuana charges. She went to high school with him. The article and speech speak for themselves...I happen to agree that Michael Phelps should be treated the same as everyone else and that if you are going to smoke pot, you should be prepared for whatever legal and personal ramifications come your way.

Not everyone smokes it, even in college. It is not a rite of passage and it kills me that people think it is a cool drug to be involved with or that it shouldn't really count as an illegal drug because it is 'just pot'. (I'm not talking about the legalization of marijuana, I'm simply talking about how officials enforce the existing laws.)

Anyhow...back to the reason of the post. If you watch the video and listen to the accent...that is what you would be surrounded with if you were to visit my family in South Carolina. It is the specific drawl that I have been hearing my whole life when I talk to my family out there. It comforts me like you wouldn't imagine to hear it in somebody's voice. I love picking up some of the little inflections when I am around my family.

Please enjoy.

Popcorn and IZZE

This is really TMI, but I would like to share this snippet of my day. I had intended to meet Tara this morning at 5:15 to run together. We haven't run together in so long. However, my night's sleep wasn't so good and I bailed on the run (lame, I know, but I have a good excuse). After texting at 4:30 am to tell Tara I wasn't going to make it, I felt like I needed to send her an email to better explain why I missed. This is my excuse and explanation for a poor night's sleep...

I’m sorry that I bailed this morning. I hope you enjoy my reason for missing…If the email monitors at your company read this they’re sure to snicker about it.

I tried to go to bed at 9:30, got into a hard sleep, and then was woken up by Chad at 11:00 when he came to bed. As soon as I tried to go back to sleep, I farted really loud and (as part of my compulsive nature) yelled out ‘I farted!’, and Chad replied immediately ‘Oh, really?’ which sent us into uncontrollable laughter. Well, at that point I was really wide awake and realized I had gas, so I tried to calmly go back to bed. I just can’t stand to fart in front of anyone and I knew that every time I would start to relax, it would result in a really loud fart (which would wake me up, not Chad). No luck…I farted again at 11:20 and had to get out of bed.

To break the fart cycle, I went to sleep on the couch and half-slept until 2am. The couch cushion was digging into my hip and the blanket/pillow combination wasn’t working for me. At least I had stopped farting, though, so I went back to the bedroom to go to sleep at 2:00. I woke up at 3:30 and had to pee really badly, so that’s another trip up on my feet to fully wake me up. Then, I was up at 4, then 4:10, then 4:20, which is close to the time when I texted you.

Once I got back into bed I was able to sleep until 7:15, so I’m glad that I decided to bail. I still need I might need a nap today, though.

Don’t ever eat popcorn as an afternoon snack then wash it down with a carbonated beverage. You might not get the best night of sleep. Lesson learned.

TMI? I think so, but please learn from my mistake...no popcorn/IZZE combination snack unless you don't care about tooting in front of your partner.

Music Change - I'm Yours

I love this low key Jason Mraz. The version on the radio is good, but this one sends island vibes a la IZ (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole). Perfect for a recovery week. Enjoy.

Running by myself

I really love the group atmosphere at Rogue. Sometimes, however, I have to run by myself on a training run so that I can only focus on myself...my breath, my cadence, my form, my pace, without getting distracted by conversation or by following someone else's pace for the day.

Today I chose to start by myself and pick up my 'normal easy pace' to see where it left me in the group. It took a while to figure out my cadence and breathing, but after a pit stop near the baseball fields, I found my groove. I haven't plugged in the numbers, yet, but I think I averaged 8:30-8:40 min/mile for the 14 miles this morning.

My form was also pretty good, despite chafing. I hate this weather for chafing...

Men are sexy when...

they make their own honey-do lists. I saw this in Chad's truck today
and I had no part in its creation. That's hot!

Soulbuster I

This morning we did what is called a 'Soulbuster' workout, though most of the people who read this blog already know what that is and were there running with me this morning. For those uninitiated, it is essentially a long run with some 'added challenges' meant to test your soul and your fitness. Today's challenge involved 8 miles of 'downhill' followed by 8 miles of 'uphill' followed by 4 miles on the track at MGP (marathon goal pace). Well, there were some nice stretches of downhill throughout the early miles, but there were also some rollers. During the uphill section, there were some unnecessarily steep hills (both up and down) but overall was a good stressor for the legs.

When I say unnecessarily steep, I mean that the angle of the hill bordered on ridiculously steep to get the benefit of the training without injury. I'm not complaining because I'm wussy, I just question how beneficial some of the grades were to the overall training picture. Whatever...I walked up the worst sections so as not to aggravate my calves and pelvis.

On the track, my goal was to run my 'Nashville 'A' goal MGP'. I really think that I need to be training as close to 3:20 pace right now if I want to give myself a good chance to radically improve my fitness. Will I be able to run 3:20 at Nashville? Who knows? I've gotta give myself a chance, though, right? 3:20 marathon pace is 7:38 per mile, which was what 'tempo pace' was for me on Thursday. I was also unable to run a single mile under 7:45 at the marathon on Sunday, so I definitely have my work cut out for me this season.

Here's how it went...I took splits every 800, shooting for 3:49 every two laps.

mile 1 - 3:49.13+3:38.15
7:27.28 (3:15:28 marathon)

mile 2 - 3:45.60+3:47.22
7:32.82 (3:17:52 marathon)

mile 3 - 3:48.61+3:52.46
7:41.07 (3:21:27 marathon)

mile 4 - 3:54.35+3:50.15
7:44.50 (3:22:59 marathon)

The start was right on pace, but then quickly became too fast. I have no business going out at 7:27 or 7:32 pace when I intend to try 7:38. I'm not supposed to be placing limits on myself, right? Still, I was nervous about how that would feel later.

I got a little confused during miles 2 and 3 because I thought Steve was telling me to relax my pace. The 3:52, 3:54, and 3:50 800s at the end were due to my mind telling me to relax and due to the early pace that was too fast. What coach was really telling me was to push myself to the limit, and if I needed to relax a minute to come back and run fast, then that was what I should do (I think that's what he said at the end). I still pounded out some pretty good splits, and I'm stoked that the overall times were under 3:23:00 pace. By the way, the automatic entry time for the NYC marathon for women my age is 3:23:00, so hot damn I'm excited to have a workout that fast.

From Sunday to Saturday, I've only netted 80 miles (intended 90-100), but I'm glad to have some speed under my belt with fatigue in my legs.

5 miles, blogger friends, loose legs

This morning I had the pleasure of running with my Ft. Worth blogger friend Kevin, who is in town covering the TX legislature for the Ft. Worth Star Telegram. Kevin runs on Town Lake when he is here, and had some recent frustrations with trail directions (after all, it is very dark at 6am when you aren't in your home city). I offered to meet up with him this morning and show him the way and help him orient himself with the different bridges and mile markers.

We started at the rock (yes, I explained the multiple names that people call that meet-up place) and ran counter clockwise. I talked about how the trail goes to Barton Springs/Barton Creek Greenbelt if you don't cross the footbridge over Barton Creek. I pointed out where the 3 mile/Pfluger bridge was, Auditorium Shores, Stevie Ray, The Long Center and the Palmer Events center, the 1/4 mile and the zero mile markers and explained the direction of the trail. We saw the main trail map near the zero and got water at the coolers at Auditorium Shores. I explained the 4 mile loop and the 5 mile loop (and their correct distances), pointed out where to look for the bats in the summer, and just enjoyed showing off our trail to someone new. We also looked closely at the trail map near the rock and talked about where we had just run and where Kevin had run in the past.

The best spot on the trail has bloomed as well. Between the 2.75 and the 3.25 mile markers there is a little footbridge surrounded by blooming trees. It smells like grape soda when the flowers are in full bloom. I'm happy to report that the trees smell beautiful now, so if you have a chance to run by there, stop and smell the perfume :).

The legs felt loose this morning, which is a nice surprise after yesterday's tempo run and 200s. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Soulbuster workout.

Kevin, it was nice running with you. Hope you enjoy the trail more now that you've had the tour! Oh, and good luck at Cowtown next week. Run smart and get your time!

Tempo Time

Today's workout - Warmup - 4 mi Tempo (Enfield 4 course) - 4 x 200 @ 5k pace w/200 easy jog between - Cooldown

Tempo miles -
7:47 (warming up to pace and Veterans hill)
7:26
7:58 (hilly)
7:23
I took the hills conservatively so that I'd be able to do the whole workout. Besides, when we started running tempo, my legs felt like bricks until the last mile. I thought mile 2 was going to be so much slower than it was. Actually, looking at the times again, I'm pretty satisfied with them.

4 x 200
51, 53, 51, 50 (51 is a 6:48 mile or a 21:07 5K, which is definitely faster than my PR)

I don't really believe in the McMillan Pace Calculator to predict my performances because time and time again I have proven it wrong. If I put in 21:07 for 5k, it predicts 3:25:00 marathon. Well, I've only proved that I can hold 5k pace for a 200...whoopee.

I averaged only 7:38s for my 'tempo' section. If I'm trying to get down close to 3:20, that should be marathon pace. Looks like I have a way to go, but considering I'm 4-5 days off of a full marathon with a decent time, I'll take those paces and predictions for now. There is still a lot of training left in the season.

I'm not looking forward to the hills on Saturday's Soul Buster. Hills really put a hurt on my pelvis. Every time we run hills that are too steep, I have trouble recovering and tend to get injured. I'm gonna have to be very conservative until we hit the track on Saturday.

The part I hate...

I've got to refocus on my nutrition. Part of my 'experiment' of running on Team Rogue is to be the best I can be fitness-wise. It is not going to help me train if I have an extra 10 pounds on my body. The best 2 races of my life have been where my weight was at 137. I'm at 143-145 right now. That is not going to cut it, even though I know that I look and feel leaner than I did two months ago.

I've got my nutrition journal started this morning and it has already helped me with a couple of food decisions. I'll try to report back in a week or so about how it is all going. I'm afraid of bonking...the last time I lost weight, I was not diligent about fueling up before an 18 miler and I bonked really hard.

No worries about me doing this the 'right way'. I know what foods are good for me and are good for runners. It's just a matter of choosing them over foods that I like better and that are 'easy' foods.

Steve also requested that I start keeping track of my resting heart rate each morning. It tracks overall fitness and recovery...I should be able to tell when my body is fit and when I might be getting sick or having trouble recovering. I have always had a low resting heart rate, so it has not surprised me that the last 2 mornings have been 47 and 43 respectively. Hell, even right now sitting at the computer it is 48 and I have had a large cup of coffee this morning and ran 4.5 miles less than an hour ago.

The Aftermath

9 weeks 4 days until Nashville...that includes peak training weeks and any taper that we're gonna do. It is going to go by fast. So far, I've put in some decent work. I've proved to myself that I can set myself up for success and follow up with the results. I'm not chasing Boston. I'm chasing myself.

Coach told me something I didn't want to hear last night, then we talked around each other to get to a good place. I'm not out to prove anything to him, though after what he told me last night, I'm determined to run really well and make him think about me differently as a runner. For me it is about being 'worthy'. I want to be a good athlete...coachable, determined, a good listener, humble, confident. I'm here to run my ass off. I really don't think I'm in the same 'place' as my team members in terms of why I'm part of the team. I don't care about a specific time at Nashville as long as I run as well as I possibly can. This is all a big experiment for me right now.

I was the caboose today by myself for the whole first half or with Stephanie (who also ran the full marathon on Sunday). It didn't bother me to be at the back, though I do wonder when I'll get my legs back. My quads are still sore in spots, but much better than yesterday.

The aftermath...anxious, excited, confident, surely unsure, awkward.

The Veronicas

So, the song that helped me bump it up to the 7:45 pace at mile 17 in the marathon is playing. I know what you're thinking...cheezy, stupid, HS pop song. Whatever.

It was awesome to run to, and if you had seen me during that mile like a few people I knew did, you would say it did the trick. I felt like a rock star.

Enjoy.

Specifics - edited

Yesterday, when I posted this, I was really tired. I made a couple of errors that I felt like I needed to report, so I refreshed the picture with the correct data.

You can click on the image if you want to see the details. Here are the highlights - I negative split by 4:02 instead of 9 minutes like I first reported (first time ever). I was ahead of pace from the beginning, but I really did try to go slow. I walked through a few water stops, one of which was supposed to be during my 'steady state' time. I was choking. The hills at the end were brutal as expected, so I'm glad that I accidentally went faster at the beginning.

My mantras the last few miles were - 'They're all suffering way more than me'...'Just keep running'...'Run as fast as you can, even if it is slow'...'Look like you are feeling fresh to the crowd...just pretend if you have to'...'Don't worry about your time cushion until the last mile...keep running fast'. All of them kept me entertained.

3:39:33 (unofficial)

Umm...I had a good day. My workout plan worked out (so to speak) and I requalified for Boston today. Monkey off of my back for the next year. I can kill Nashville in April without fear of bonking hard. Hell yeah. Specific race details to follow...I'm hungry.

Music Change

Muse covers Radiohead first, then the original plays second. Sorry if it's a downer for you...this takes me right back to HS. If you can't stand the Muse version (it gets kind of raw and scary in the middle with the acoustic guitar), the controls are at the bottom of my blog and you can stop the music or advance to the regular Radiohead version.

Radiohead (as covered by Muse) - Creep

When you were here before, couldn't look you in the eye. You're just like an angel. Your skin makes me cry. You float like a feather in a beautiful world. I wish I was special. You're so very special, but I'm a creep. I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doin' here? I don't belong here.

I don't care if it hurts, I wanna have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul. I want you to notice when I'm not around. You're so very special. I wish I was special, but I'm a creep. I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doin' here? I don't belong here, ohhhh, ohhhh

She's running out the door. She's running out. She run run run run...run... run...

Whatever makes you happy, whatever you want. You're so very special. I wish I was special, but I'm a creep. I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doin' here? I don't belong here. I don't belong here...

Pre-race goodness

Tagliarini Picchi Pacchiu from Carrabba's

More Felicia Cuteness

She fell asleep in the sunlight on the carpet. Love that furry belly!

iPhone fun on the toilet

This is all going to be TMI, but the picture is worth explaining.

So, Chad came home for lunch today and decided to use the restroom in the little half bath in the hallway. I went upstairs to work on the computer. To be silly, I call his iPhone to see if he will pick up while on the toilet. Yes, he was willing to talk to me on the phone while on the pot. Good to know.

To continue the iPhone toilet fun...Some of the doors in our house don't latch very well, so Felicia has figured out that she can get in to see Chad when he is on the toilet simply by pushing on the door to get it to unlatch. The sound of the fan in the bathroom is her cue to come to the door and push it open. I'm upstairs on the computer when the picture below comes through my email from Chad's iPhone in the bathroom.

Love it! Felicia' expression is priceless!

Ahhh! What have I gotten myself into!!

Marathon Plan

I'm running the Austin Marathon this weekend as a training run. I have a race plan that if all goes perfectly with no room for error, I should finish in 3:40:48. My plan is to start just in front of the 3:40 pace group so that I can let them pass me at the start, but also so that I see them the last mile of the race to have a rabbit to chase to the finish line.

I've plotted my projected paces and total cumulative time against what the pace groups should be doing, and here's what I should expect. (Note - The pace groups should be running perfectly even splits throughout the entire race if they are any good at what they are doing. After all, I have been an Austin marathon pacer twice before and am one of the reigning pacer queens from 2008 :) ) -

Start - Ahead of the 3:40 pace group, but I'm running a bit slower than them at the beginning. The 3:45 and 3:50 groups might also catch me in the first few miles, depending on how crowded the start actually is.

Miles 4-5 - I should catch back up to the 3:50 pace group and pass them.

Miles 10-12 - The 3:50 group will gain some ground on me, but should not catch me.

Miles 17-20 - I will catch the 3:45 pace group and pass them. I will be going 50 seconds per mile faster than the pace they are running, so I might get some strange looks.

Miles 25-26 - I should start to see the 3:40 pace group signs and use them as my motivation to catch them at the finish.

My finish time should be between 3:40:00 and 3:40:59 if all goes perfectly. I will not be disappointed in myself if I don't achieve this goal. The main focus of Sunday is to learn how to run different paces, to learn how to negative split and run fast at the end, and to stick to a plan as best I can. It will be a challenging day for me, so I hope I'm up for it. My main concern is having to pee or poop after 3-7 miles like I have been experiencing on almost every run in the past few months. I might have to wake up extra early and drink some tea/coffee just to be sure. And, no, I will not be taking Immodium like some of you guys do...it's just not for me.

Things I'm doing to get out of the funk...

• I took a 'bereavement day' today to help get my head on straight. My company allows five days, but I think I'll just start with one.
• Admitting to grieving and what exactly I'm grieving about since I wasn't close to my grandma...I've talked with a few people about my grief, and it is easier now that I have put it into words. If you are one of the people that I have told, thank you for opening your ears and heart to me.
• Spending time today getting de-cluttered...doing laundry, cleaning house, went to dry cleaners, got haircut, bought my special face cleanser, etc. Every task that gets completed is making me feel better.
• I took a hot bath this morning after workout. I forgot how much I love a good soak.
• This afternoon, I'm going to continue the above activities and possibly finish my book. I have about 20 pages left of Three Cups of Tea. It has been great.

In a funk

I don't think the funk that I am in is grieving. Many of the symptoms of my funk started a while back and I'm finding it hard to get in the swing of things. I feel like I need rescuing (granted these are all minor) -

• I am a slob. The house is a disaster. Apparently the only thing I'm capable of doing is the laundry, and even that has been iffy these days. I need help putting things in the right place.
• I am slacking on personal hygiene. Please remind me to brush my teeth and take a shower on the mornings I don't run. It is now 3pm and I have not done either of those items today.
• I haven't cooked real food for our family in a while. I don't want to. It creates dishes that need to be cleaned and takes too long.
• I am exhausted and need lots of sleep, but I feel guilty for sleeping when there is so much to do.
• I don't drink enough liquid during the day. Seriously, I probably only consume 24 ounces of water a day in liquid form.

I think it is running. It is making me tired and lazy. I love running, but I need a swift kick in the butt to continue living life as if I weren't running as much as I am.

Thunderstorm line

This is the craziest one I've ever seen.

Timing...

This weekend turned out to be a well-timed trip. I was able to see and visit with my paternal grandmother about 36 hours before she passed. She was coherent and recognized everyone in the room during our visit. Rather than expressing myself on this blog about her passing, I encourage you to call a family member you haven't seen in a while and tell them you are thinking about them.

Greeneway

There were several tunnels under roads. The sunlight was so pretty on Sunday morning.

Bailey the Boston

My little lucky charm was out with her owner both times that I ran. You know my superstition about seeing a Boston Terrier during a run.

Running Path

Gotta love those Carolina pines. Most of the path looked like this.

N. Augusta Greeneway

Pisgah Entrance

Running in North Augusta

I've spent the weekend in North Augusta, SC visiting my family on both my dad and mom's side. I emailed the local running club to see if there was a group doing a long run this weekend that I could join. I lucked out getting to join the Augusta Striders at the North Augusta Greeneway on Saturday morning. There were about 15 folks there, and I had company for 6 of my 14 miles. I went back to the Greeneway on Sunday to get in my 10 miles and took some pics. Please enjoy the next few posts.

iPod vending machine

In case you forget yours while traveling. As seen in the DFW airport.

AUS>DFW>ATL

Flying the friendly skies.

Fun with Juxtaposer app!

Beans goes to the Apple store.

Test #6

Chillin' on the couch, learning how to use my iPhone. (please let this
be the time that finally works!)

Back to the Motherland...(well sort of)

I'm leaving town on Friday to go back east to South Carolina. I was born there and many of my extended family live in SC, GA, or NC. My Dad and Rose are making the trip with Miss Lily by car on Thursday and Friday, but I have opted to fly to Atlanta and rent a car to get to North Augusta. I'll be back Monday night.

The reason for the trip is that my grandmother is in failing health, and it is important for me to make the visit to see her. Since my Dad is going this weekend, I thought it best to go the same weekend as him. The bonus is that I'll get to see some of my extended family that I have not seen in about 10 years (or even longer in some cases).

I will be getting in my runs while I am there. There are apparently some nice running paths and trails in Augusta, and I've already been in contact about a group that runs on Saturday mornings for long runs. I'll try to take some pictures of it all.

bloody shower

If you shave your legs, you likely have experienced what I experienced this morning. Chad had never seen the aftermath before. You know, you nick your leg in one tiny place (the knee, on the shin, behind your ankle) and blood comes pouring out of your skin, mixing with the shower water, looking redder and more abundant than it really is.

Well, this morning, I nicked two doozies about 3 mm away from each other on the back of my ankle. Actually, one of the marks was so deep, I felt the razor make the nick and instantly cringed and recoiled my hand. Oh man...the river of blood pouring from my leg was one of the ugliest looking wounds I've ever had. I called for Chad's help at the end of my shower because there was no way I would be able to exit the shower without getting blood all over the floor and/or our new towels.

There was a ton of blood...it poured down my ankle down through my heel in a band of blood about an inch and a half wide. It was dark red flowing blood. Yikes! We tried applying pressure with a tissue and applying a band-aid. No luck. I bled through the bandage before I had a chance to notice that I was already dripping blood onto the bathmat and onto our tile. With Chad's help running to our medicine cabinet, we have contained the blood with a thick gauze, doubled, and secured completely with medical tape to seal the gauze to my leg.

Within a minute or so, I could see that the blood soaked through part of the gauze, but I'm not taking off the bandage until I'm sure it has completely stopped bleeding underneath.

I think it somewhat startled Chad to see the aftermath of a leg nick. I figure that it doesn't help me to have good arteries and veins feeding down through my legs as a result of running. It also didn't help that I was showering right after a run and already had the blood flowing.

Gush, gush, gush....

flip-in' out!

We are proud new owners of a Flip Ultra video recorder. It was the Woot product of the day last Thursday...$80 or so (regularly $120-150). I've seen people with them and was curious about them due to their small size (about the size of a pack of slim cigarettes) and ease of use (plugs in directly to the usb port on the front of my computer.)

I received my package at 12:35, got my first videos recorded by 12:42, plugged the Flip in the computer, upgraded the software, edited my videos, created two movies, downloaded them directly to You Tube, and am now able to post about it. Very fast and easy. Good thing it is my self-imposed lunch hour. (YouTube was currently processing these at the time I posted them. If they aren't loaded up, yet, give it a few seconds.)

**note - on my computer, the videos look much better in terms of picture and sound quality. I think YouTube must somehow influence how you see the video.

Our F-ing Scale

That's how I feel about it. It is the worst scale known to man. It is electronic and supposed to measure your body mass and such. We've had it since last May or so.

The f-ing scale has been giving erratic measurements...so much so that I've scared myself with the amount of weight gained/lost during runs. I've been blogging about the 'swelling' that has been going on in my body. Well, some of the swelling is not in my head, but it is likely not as much as I think it is because of our f-ing scale.

Case in point - Last Monday morning my weight was 143. Last night my weight was 150. Thirty minutes ago my weight was 141. I call bullshit on our f-ing scale. We're going to get one with an actual needle. Grrr....

February Goals

Running Related Goals

• Continue high mileage plan
• Listen to my body as we start picking up the pace on runs
• Incorporate more ab work
• Revisit nutrition plan and moderate salt intake
• Sleep more

Personal Goals

• Keep the house cleaner
• Cook at home more often
• Work on unpacking the 'box room'
• Read more