Gorgeous!

Seriously? It's January 30 and I walked out of school today and the temperature was 69, yes that's right SIXTY-NINE degrees! I was totally amazed. I saw the number, felt the air, but still can't believe it. I put shorts on and a tank to run. At the last minute it just didn't seem right so I went back into my room and put on a long sleeve shirt. It was just wrong to run like that. I at least needed long something. :) Yep, I was overdressed, but it was great.

I really didn't want to run today, but couldn't resist the opportunity. Given the pain I had in my leg/hip last Friday I was very leery to run today. I wanted to give it a little more rest. I took it slow (~10 min pace) and 3 miles was about the right amount of distance. Rachael went with me so she kept me going, too.

My goal for January was 75 miles and I don't think I will make that, but I at least want to get into the 70s so I just might have to run one more time tomorrow. It's supposed to be in the upper 40s.

weekly mileage: 3 miles
monthly mileage: 70 miles
annual mileage: 70 miles

When to Say When

Situation: I need a long run this weekend, like 10-12 miles.

Problem: I'm in Minnesota, 3 hours from home, in a hotel, Friday through Sunday.

Dilema: My goal is 75 miles the first month and I'm 18 miles and 4 days from that. If I do 12 on a dreaded treadmill, I will only have 6 left to do until the end of the month. That is definitely doable.

So, I check out the fitness center at the hotel and see I have my choice of 3 treadmills with a ¿TV? screen on them. No outlet for a charger. There does appear to be a notch that can hold my laptop so I can watch a movie as I run. I did bring 4 movies, not knowing what mood I might be in tonight. OK so this might work.

I'm on a runner's high from that great run the other night, but know those kind of runs are usually followed by not so good runs for a week after! :/ They had a free Happy Hour about 3 hours before I started running. ok, maybe one glass of wine - who can turn down free wine?! It was a really tough, no REALLY tough run. It was all I could do to get through it. My hamstring was screaming at me and knee was knocking. I walked a bit to try to slow my heart rate and hopefully give my legs a breaks. It was all too reminiscent of Quad Cities last 6 miles. I started running again and my groin started hurting. ok I think it's time to listen to the body.

WHEN! Can I have my foam roller please?

weekly mileage: 14 miles

annual mileage: 67 miles

monthly mileage: 67 miles

The legs are loving the sun!

Got home tonight and wanted to get a run in quick before leaving for church. I told Rachael if she wanted to go, she should change her clothes. We got a little later start than I wanted, which could have been the impetus to the run itself.

Wow, it was the first time out of the basement in over a week I think. I had on a light layer of clothes and it was b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l outside today. We started off quite fast. Fast, like <8:50 pace fast! I told Rachael we needed to slow down. We did. We slowed to an 8:56 pace! Yep, we just couldn't slow ourselves tonight. Our slowest mile was 9:11. By the time we were done, we averaged 9:01/mile. Oh that felt wonderful. I really needed that. Hopefully my shins don't regret it this week.

On a side note, I have been doing some strength and core training as well. It must be working because my shoulders were achy when I started tonight. It was a good achy though.

weekly mileage: 5 miles

monthly mileage: 58 miles

annual mileage: 58 miles

Outrunning a Dreadmill

OK, so it's still terribly cold and icy outside so back to basement for a 10-mile dreadmill run. I found a movie to watch, got some Gatorade, and started running. It was a great run, I was getting tired by the end, but felt really good all the way through. I watched the final 1.5 miles go by, which I thought was pretty good. Matt even came and watched the last half of the movie with me. :) That was nice to have him there on my run. I don't usually get to run with my son. lol

Yep, saw the last 1/10 mile coming up. BAM, 10 miles, What?! my treadmill quit! What's going on here? Matt didn't touch it. I didn't touch it. My #$%^&* treadmill just quit. I have officially outrun my treadmill! How crazy is that?! I guess my limits are higher than a machine.

weekly mileage: 18 miles

monthly mileage: 53 miles

annual mileage: 53 miles

Extreme Makeover

Nothing like a couple of episodes of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition to make the miles pass more quickly on the dreadmill. Yep, that's right eight miles inside going nowhere. It was the first time I ran this week. Yeah, pretty pathetic I know. I was full of excuses so while watching the first episode, the host, Chris Powell, said something to his client that really clicked with me. "For every excuse you give me, I'll make you give me 5 more reps!" While I may not run another 5 miles for every excuse I come up with for not running, it really made me think of why I'm out here. It was a good reflection time yet again.

I really wanted to stop or slow down many times. My motivation level has been so low, but I keep pushing through the resistance. I looked at the morbidly obese people on the show and thought, ok really, if they can do it, I can certainly finish this puny little run.

Yep, I did. It feels great! 1330+ calories and 170ish fat calories. Yeah, that's great. I stepped on the scale yesterday and was at my lowest weight in about 3 months, too! Yes I Can!

I've also been trying to do some cross training as well to increase strength, flexibility, and improve the core. I did a 25 min glute work a couple nights ago and shoveled the driveway today.

weekly mileage: 8 miles

monthly mileage: 43 miles

annual mileage: 43 miles

Cross training

The girls' 4-H group had a Winter Activity going to the roller skating rink. I thought, ok this might be good cross training for me! wowzer, I didn't realize how much work it would be trying to help the babies learn how to skate. That was great work for the upper arms! I was only swept off my feet a couple of times, and only once was it unexpected. It was a fast couple of hours, but good for me. I have been doing minor cross training with lunges, stretches, glute work, but this was great for the arms.

When we got home I still had to do my long run for the week. I was fortunate to have such nice weather today (33 degrees) and 20mph winds, straight out of the south. I thought about running to Ellsworth and back, but we didn't get started until about 5:00 so I knew I'd be running in the dark on a busy highway. No thanks. I am also fortunate to have multiple routes to run so we did a "puppy loop" and then some laps in town. While I wanted to stop early, I kept forging through and completed my run. I felt great about completing and it was good to see a beautiful large red sunset around mile 2. What a beautiful night for a run.

weekly mileage: 17 miles

monthly mileage: 35 miles

annual mileage: 35 miles

Flashback and Epiphany

Ok so I walk out of school today and it's 30+ degrees colder than yesterday and 48+ mph winds! Hmmm, so thankful I have a treadmill in my basement. I thought I'd run 4 miles or until Bill got home, whichever was longer. I set up the "movie theater" and started the treadmill.

As I was running, I realized I was on Memory Lane. I felt the strong urge to hold on to the handles and sides of the treadmill. I saw every tenth of a mile tick away on the odometer. I constantly monitored my calories burned, fat calories burned, the minutes add up, and the heart rate. What were the differences? I ran 1mph faster than I did when I first started running 3 years ago and kept that pace the entire time. The pace calculator indicated a 9:15 pace. That's pretty good for an old lady. lol That is about the pace I want for the marathon; it would put me at a 4:02 finish. So, this is the flashback.

Now for the epiphany. I run very differently on the treadmill than on the road. OK, I know this is nothing earth-shattering, but I have been having IT Band issues again and can't seem to lose weight or inches. First the IT Band. I think I've been landing on the outside of my foot and rolling inward. When I consciously think about my foot, I land more on the inner ball of my foot. It doesn't seem to bother me as much that way. I just need to think about this while I'm running outside. Maybe I need to go back to Runner's Flat and get my run recorded again. I guess I could do that myself, but I don't. OK the weight lose and inches thing: I have a confession. I'm addicted to dairy, chocolate, and wine. :) I know those are vices and I really shouldn't but if I crave anything lately, those are what I eat. I caught a glimpse or two of my reflection today and thought YIKES! This was the impetus to run tonight. It makes me want to run more, harder, longer. I am about 14 lbs heavier than 3 months ago and not liking it! I will conquer this too! I can!

weekly mileage: 8 miles

monthly mileage: 26 miles

annual mileage: 26 miles

Rollercoaster

Came home to 50+ degrees temps. What a beautiful day for a run; I better get out there while it's nice! After listening to the babies read and looking at their papers, Bill got home. I had been referring to my marathon book briefly, I realized I was maybe running too much, or not enough depending on how you look at it. :) So, with an 8-mile "long" run on Saturday I thought it would be ok to not run so far during the week. I am really pushing toward my goal however!

Bill, Rachael and I went out for a 4-miler. We started off running and it seemed a bit fast. I looked at my watch. 7:54 pace! YIKES! Slow down everyone. It felt wonderful to be able to go that fast. By the time we finished we ranged 7:54-10:16 pace, all within 4 miles. Now that was a roller coaster ride!

weekly mileage: 4 miles

monthly mileage: 22 miles

annual mileage: 22 miles

Oh poopy!

What a beautiful week again in Iowa for running. We have had temps in the 50s this year, rather atypical for here, but perfect for running.

Bill and I did a 5 mile run to work out some stress of daily issues. That is a great side effect of distance running - lots of time to spend with your running partners! Today is my birthday and I ran 8 miles with Rachael. She doesn't seem to be as chatty as last season, but we also solve some "world" problems on our runs and have some great bonding time.

this week: 18 miles

this month: 18 miles

this year: 18 miles

Welcome to 2012

This year commenced with a 5-mile Ethanol run with Rachael and Bill. We had a relatively fast pace of about 9:30. There was one slower mile to "rest" but ended with a 8:10 pace! wow. I'm not sure where that came from, but it was a great feeling.

An acquaintance I met at my first marathon in 2010 completed his 50 states status last month. It was fun to see him do that and inspire other runners to keep going, even if only for a few blocks at a time. Did I mention he is 66 years old? He plans to complete 70 marathons by the age of 70 and wants to get into ultramarathons of 30-40 miles. You go Massoud!

Tonight's run was a beautiful sunset run with a hazy view of the moon and Jupiter. Running helps me to slow down and smell the roses in life.

5 mile start

Introduction

Last year was a great year filled with numerous successes and family bonding. I was very excited about some of the things I was able to achieve, but still hunger for more. Running continues to be a method of stress relief, strength training for the mind and body, as well as quality time spent with my family.

This year I want to focus on more physical strength to increase time and remaining positive in my life. I also have a mileage goal set for the year and hope that I can achieve this. The races I have planned are Drake Half-Marathon, Dam to Dam, a June marathon, the Jewell 5K Run, and perhaps even a fall half or full marathon.

Come with me as I positively journey to make better changes to my life.

Señora