today ran my first 5K...34:45. hells yeah!! my pace has improved, which is so exciting b/c i haven't really been working on it.
as i put the number on my shirt i suddenly got very excited...soon we will be downtown, putting on our number for the mini. it felt real. official. closer than i thought. all the work we've been putting into this will soon be fulfilled. it will all be worth it.
some friends from work have been inspired and ran with us. i will post pictures as soon as i get them.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
necessary ingredients
i had only slept 3 hours, worked 6 hours at Logans, and, tho it was 3 in the afternoon, had only eaten a bowl of oatmeal since a few wings at Bdubs the night before.
and still, i strapped on my shoes and popped a gel to go for a 70 minute run. bad idea.
i got about 20 minutes in and began to feel like i was going to pass out. i tried to battle my thoughts, to stick it out, but eventually i had to admit that my body was depleted of everything.
there are necessary ingredients for everything...you can't expect to put sand and water in the oven and get a beautiful cake. i hadn't rested properly all week and hadn't been feeding myself right...if i'm going to do this endurance thing, i've got to put the right pieces together. develop a nutrition routine, rest enough.
tomorrow things change.
and still, i strapped on my shoes and popped a gel to go for a 70 minute run. bad idea.
i got about 20 minutes in and began to feel like i was going to pass out. i tried to battle my thoughts, to stick it out, but eventually i had to admit that my body was depleted of everything.
there are necessary ingredients for everything...you can't expect to put sand and water in the oven and get a beautiful cake. i hadn't rested properly all week and hadn't been feeding myself right...if i'm going to do this endurance thing, i've got to put the right pieces together. develop a nutrition routine, rest enough.
tomorrow things change.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
7:15 am: too early to be pulling into Eagle Creek park. it's still dark and Lauren and i are whining, wanting to go back to bed.
7:40 am: we set off on the street, surrounded by about 40 other teammates who've showed up to run the 90 minute run we've got scheduled. i put in my headphones, set the alarm and settle into the run to the music of Jamie Cullum. i've realized that i don't necessarily need fast dance and rock music to keep inspired. just need music i can sing in my head to keep the voices away. i can't do anything negative, so angsty chick music is out (no Kelly Clarkson, etc). in order to keep loving life, i have to positive energy coming in...Van Morrison, Jack Johnson, The Boy Least Likely to, etc....
8:06 am: reach for a gel and my water bottle; i'm fading. really?? have i only gone 26 minutes?? last time i made it to at least 30 minutes.... at this point i am really beginning to hate every square inch of Eagle Creek and it's damn hills, despite the different scenery.
8:20 am: feeling better. almost half-way through. my mind is processing the idea of an endurance event and how it is nearly 50% mental. this is, perhaps, the best thing i could have committed to at this point in my life. every week i have to come out and push myself to go further, break down barriers, believe that i actually can.
8:50: second gel. start of the last 5K. i set off with four other teammates i've caught up to, fully expecting they will quickly pull away from me. just the opposite. i ended up ahead of them, finishing a few minutes sooner. my alarm is set for 9:10 but i've decided to do 10 minutes more and finish at 100 minutes.
9:20: i stop to walk the remainder of the 5K, just about a 1/2 mile or so. my muscles don't like this. they are so used to running that i feel like i'm being propelled forward, similar to that feeling when you get off a people walker. then Lady GaGa comes on the headphones and i can't NOT run to that. so i pick it up and run another five minutes.
9:25: officially walking to cool down, having just ran an hour and 45 minutes. Lauren and i stretch with the team, grab some free PowerBars and head for Denny's, where we eat like ravished children who haven't seen food in days.
good run. very good run.
7:40 am: we set off on the street, surrounded by about 40 other teammates who've showed up to run the 90 minute run we've got scheduled. i put in my headphones, set the alarm and settle into the run to the music of Jamie Cullum. i've realized that i don't necessarily need fast dance and rock music to keep inspired. just need music i can sing in my head to keep the voices away. i can't do anything negative, so angsty chick music is out (no Kelly Clarkson, etc). in order to keep loving life, i have to positive energy coming in...Van Morrison, Jack Johnson, The Boy Least Likely to, etc....
8:06 am: reach for a gel and my water bottle; i'm fading. really?? have i only gone 26 minutes?? last time i made it to at least 30 minutes.... at this point i am really beginning to hate every square inch of Eagle Creek and it's damn hills, despite the different scenery.
8:20 am: feeling better. almost half-way through. my mind is processing the idea of an endurance event and how it is nearly 50% mental. this is, perhaps, the best thing i could have committed to at this point in my life. every week i have to come out and push myself to go further, break down barriers, believe that i actually can.
8:50: second gel. start of the last 5K. i set off with four other teammates i've caught up to, fully expecting they will quickly pull away from me. just the opposite. i ended up ahead of them, finishing a few minutes sooner. my alarm is set for 9:10 but i've decided to do 10 minutes more and finish at 100 minutes.
9:20: i stop to walk the remainder of the 5K, just about a 1/2 mile or so. my muscles don't like this. they are so used to running that i feel like i'm being propelled forward, similar to that feeling when you get off a people walker. then Lady GaGa comes on the headphones and i can't NOT run to that. so i pick it up and run another five minutes.
9:25: officially walking to cool down, having just ran an hour and 45 minutes. Lauren and i stretch with the team, grab some free PowerBars and head for Denny's, where we eat like ravished children who haven't seen food in days.
good run. very good run.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
i'm heading home
we started out the morning in the dark and bitter cold. goal: 80 min. run south on the Monon from 146th St. in Carmel. i packed my new gels in my sweatshirt pocket, grabbed a water bottle should there be no stops along the way and cranked up the music. perfect morning for a run.
eventually the day woke up, the sky got lighter and it warmed ever so slightly. the path was relatively boring, taking us through wooded residential areas and small bits of the Carmel arts district, but it was good to see new scenery.
our friend, Laura, joined us as a recently new outdoor runner. it was fun to have her along and she ran the whole time! good job, Laura!!
i realized with this run, more so than ones before, that this is just as much a mental game as anything else. i was my biggest fan on that track. strange as it may sound, i talked myself out of stopping or throwing up my gel pack (it didn't sit well initially with my stomach).
at one point i passed team members who had turned back for the second half of their run.
"i'm heading home," one lady said, and that lit a fire in me. we had finished our first half and, in doing so, had already accomplished a lot. we were heading home, toward the finish line, we could do it.
i finished at about 82 minutes because it actually felt better to keep running than it did to walk. my muscles seized up and the joints felt stiff when i began to walk. i felt incredibly pleased and am ready to go again.
this running thing is addictive.
eventually the day woke up, the sky got lighter and it warmed ever so slightly. the path was relatively boring, taking us through wooded residential areas and small bits of the Carmel arts district, but it was good to see new scenery.
our friend, Laura, joined us as a recently new outdoor runner. it was fun to have her along and she ran the whole time! good job, Laura!!
i realized with this run, more so than ones before, that this is just as much a mental game as anything else. i was my biggest fan on that track. strange as it may sound, i talked myself out of stopping or throwing up my gel pack (it didn't sit well initially with my stomach).
at one point i passed team members who had turned back for the second half of their run.
"i'm heading home," one lady said, and that lit a fire in me. we had finished our first half and, in doing so, had already accomplished a lot. we were heading home, toward the finish line, we could do it.
i finished at about 82 minutes because it actually felt better to keep running than it did to walk. my muscles seized up and the joints felt stiff when i began to walk. i felt incredibly pleased and am ready to go again.
this running thing is addictive.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
took a friend running on the Monon yesterday. she's just started running and has never really done it anywhere but the treadmill. it was fun to introduce her to the "great outdoors!" ha.
had an easy run, made easier thanks to my beautiful new shoes. i was exhausted today, but i wanted to run just for the sake of wearing them again. good shoes really are a gift from God.
signing up for a 5K at the end of the month and i've invited my 11 year old cousin to join. she is very excited! we will have a good time....
next run: Thursday, group track training.
had an easy run, made easier thanks to my beautiful new shoes. i was exhausted today, but i wanted to run just for the sake of wearing them again. good shoes really are a gift from God.
signing up for a 5K at the end of the month and i've invited my 11 year old cousin to join. she is very excited! we will have a good time....
next run: Thursday, group track training.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
ran 70 minutes this morning. a glorious run down the monon at 7:30 am. it was beautiful and the weather was fantastic. and most of all...I DID IT!
at the half-way point i tried a gel, which you're supposed to drink with water and i understood why...it's very full and sticks to your mouth. but it did the job. i was able to finish with energy.
afterward, we went to breakfast, and one of the honored heroes (people who have or are struggling with cancer that we run for) stopped by with his fam. Luke is a smart, funny little 5 year old who's been fighting cancer for a couple years. he brought a spiderman halloween bucket full of suckers to share with us. just being around him, hearing his mom share the daily struggles he has--puking in the morning, taking power steroid doses, etc--made me want to cry.
it reminded me of our own family's time with cancer, watching our young cousin, brother, son--KC--slowly deteriorate under the weight of cancer and eventually die. there will always be, perhaps, a place that will not completely heal from that loss...
at the half-way point i tried a gel, which you're supposed to drink with water and i understood why...it's very full and sticks to your mouth. but it did the job. i was able to finish with energy.
afterward, we went to breakfast, and one of the honored heroes (people who have or are struggling with cancer that we run for) stopped by with his fam. Luke is a smart, funny little 5 year old who's been fighting cancer for a couple years. he brought a spiderman halloween bucket full of suckers to share with us. just being around him, hearing his mom share the daily struggles he has--puking in the morning, taking power steroid doses, etc--made me want to cry.
it reminded me of our own family's time with cancer, watching our young cousin, brother, son--KC--slowly deteriorate under the weight of cancer and eventually die. there will always be, perhaps, a place that will not completely heal from that loss...
Friday, March 6, 2009
we went to The Running Company last night...fantastic place! I recommend it to any runner. They put us on a treadmill and videotaped to show how our feet respond to the pressures of running. Then they pick out shoes that will best support your feet. You can try them on, run on the treadmill with them...whatever you need to do to make your decision.
I found a great little pair of Brooks, which I've never heard of. But I can't wait to get them (put them on hold til the money comes in)!
Tomorrow morning we have a 65 minute run at 7:30 am. Good times. I actually enjoy running that early...something about being awake when the day is fresh and new and no one else is stirring. Love it.
I found a great little pair of Brooks, which I've never heard of. But I can't wait to get them (put them on hold til the money comes in)!
Tomorrow morning we have a 65 minute run at 7:30 am. Good times. I actually enjoy running that early...something about being awake when the day is fresh and new and no one else is stirring. Love it.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
live your life
listening to this song by Rihanna and T.I...good running music.
had a fantastic run tonight! had to check my schedule at Starbucks so i just made that my destination (nearly 4 miles). i wasn't sure if i would make it, especially before the sun went down. it was only 25 degrees and ended up taking me about 30 minutes.
when i got there, i felt amazing! i don't know when i've ever run that much before, and i can see now, where the endorphins take over and you just feel like you can go and go. my Starbucks friends fed me pumpkin loaf and a fruit cup and i felt terrific. except for the setting sun that i knew would soon put me running down a busy road in the dark. not safe.
as i was talking about leaving, one of our regulars offered to give me a ride half way. such a chance encounter, and we had good conversation on our short ride. she is middle-aged and so fun, kept telling me how nice i always was to her. i told her about my training and she told me how awesome it was that i was enjoying my life.
i finished the run on fumes and took a shower to warm my limbs. i'm still elated by the potential in running, where you can go, what experiences you can have.
next training run: Thursday, group track run in B-ripple.
had a fantastic run tonight! had to check my schedule at Starbucks so i just made that my destination (nearly 4 miles). i wasn't sure if i would make it, especially before the sun went down. it was only 25 degrees and ended up taking me about 30 minutes.
when i got there, i felt amazing! i don't know when i've ever run that much before, and i can see now, where the endorphins take over and you just feel like you can go and go. my Starbucks friends fed me pumpkin loaf and a fruit cup and i felt terrific. except for the setting sun that i knew would soon put me running down a busy road in the dark. not safe.
as i was talking about leaving, one of our regulars offered to give me a ride half way. such a chance encounter, and we had good conversation on our short ride. she is middle-aged and so fun, kept telling me how nice i always was to her. i told her about my training and she told me how awesome it was that i was enjoying my life.
i finished the run on fumes and took a shower to warm my limbs. i'm still elated by the potential in running, where you can go, what experiences you can have.
next training run: Thursday, group track run in B-ripple.
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