New Year - New Plan!

My medal from Chicago

Since my last post, many months ago, I ran in the Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Mini Marathon and also completed the Detroit Free Press/Talmar Bank International Half Marathon.  I wasn't feeling particularly good about any of it.  I enjoyed Chicago in July, but it was really hot - and they served lousy beer after the finish.  I was glad that I did it, and I enjoyed it, but didn't feel that it was much of an accomplishment, and really, it was only about a 5K.

Picking up my race number in Detroit

In October I did the half marathon... Didn't run all of it - maybe only 1/3.  I started to notice chafing at mile 5 and blisters at mile 10.  I walked the last 3 miles with a young woman whom I met along the way.  She had signed up for the full marathon, but found herself unable to do it so she completed the half marathon route, instead, knowing that she would not be counted as a finisher because she wasn't completing what she signed up for.  I thought that was pretty strong - not sure I would put the effort in if I wouldn't even be considered a finisher for the race that I was doing.  But she, like me, had blisters on top of blisters and she didn't have anyone there to cheer her on or celebrate her finish.  Together, we finished up the final 5K and ran (well, maybe trotted) the last 50 yards, and dashed - as much as we could - across the finish line.  I'm glad I did it, but I was disappointed with my "performance" and didn't feel like it was much of a personal accomplishment, either.

Finished with my first half marathon

I am quite pleased to say that I raised $2175 for the American Cancer Society through the DetermiNation team that I ran with last year.  It has changed to become a destination event program  now, so I'm glad I had the opportunity to participate in that when I could do something close to home.

Since then, I've done virtually no running.  I didn't do the Mackinaw Bridge Run that I was planning on because I wasn't up to the required pace.  I've given my running shoes a good long rest and I think that all of my deep blisters have finally shown themselves on the bottoms of my feet and are history.  I've been reading about some different running programs and am ready to get going again, starting almost back at square one. This year, I'm going to RUN that half marathon and it's going to be something that I will be proud of!  I'm going to do that Mackinaw Bridge Run and be faster than the minimum speed and it will be glorious!  I'm even going to throw a scenic bike tour in where I'll be able to choose from a 25, 50, 75 or 100 mile route in September.  I will probably do the 50 mile tour, but we'll see what happens.  I can always change my distance.

Close up of my very cool medal

New technology is always a good motivater and John got me a Garmin Forerunner 10 GPS watch (in pink, naturally) for Christmas.  That will be a fun new way for me to keep track of my progress.  And since it's been cold - only 5 degrees 2 days ago and very windy today - I am planning to get an Under Armour balaclava and maybe some cold weather running pants so that I can get outside and start my program.  I'm also planning to hit the treadmill at the gym when it's too icy or blistering cold to go out for very long.

So... If you've wondered about my blog, my running or my fundraising efforts for my 5th cancerversary, now you are up to speed!  I want to get a few things in order before I start running again, but it won't be more than a week or so.  You can check back here or subscribe to my blog, or even Google+ my page.  Since I am not doing DetermiNation this year, I will be concentrating those efforts on Relay For Life, and am moving my team back to Marshall, MI.  Everyone really seemed to miss that last year, and so did I.  As 2013 begins, I am looking forward to a new year filled with challenges and achievements and lots of fun.  My mantra for this year is originally from Mae West - "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."  Now I have to figure out how I can plan skydiving into this year!

Heat relief... FINALLY!

I've been a bad runner!  But to my defense, it has been brutally hot here in the lower mitten!  Record breaking temperatures nearing (or over) 100 degrees.  Overnight it would cool down to the mid 80s. I was supposed to run twice in the last 4 days, and set the alarm, but when the time came, it was just too damned hot out. I did get out and walk on Thursday, and went along at an okay pace, but didn't put it in my running log, and (obviously) didn't write about it here (until just now).

This morning it was 70 degrees when I went out and 73 when I got back home, an hour later.  Not too bad!  My pace was slower than I would have liked, but not bad.  I've certainly been a whole lot slower!  We had a lovely thunderstorm in the night (I love thunderstorms, especially at night) that ended just 2 hours before I got up to run, so it was quite humid out, making my breathing a little harder than normal.  I ran all over our neighborhood, covering few places twice, and hitting every street, but one.  First time I've done that route.  Decided not to hit the gravel roads after the rain... I don't want my running shoes to get all dirty!

Before I run I usually have a class of water and about 8 oz. of coffee to give me my initial boost.  Sometimes, I also have a Fiber One bar for a little bit of carb energy.  Today we didn't have any bars in the pantry, so I had an oatmeal, chocolate chip, walnut cookie instead.  Probably not the best pre-run snack, but it tasted good!  Sometimes, when I'm doing a race and don't have any coffee, I'll drink a 5 Hour Energy, but don't like them very well.  I don't really like any of the pseudo-carbonated soda-pop-like energy drinks, especially not before running. I have a neighbor who loves him some Monster!  Enough to put ELEVEN stickers on his car that I can see from one side!  Seriously... there are 11 of them!  If you don't believe me, you can count them yourself!  Now, I'm all for showing support for the brands that you're loyal to, but I think this is just a little extreme.


Close to the end of my run I got to see Charlie and he loudly encouraged me to go, go, go!  He's quite the cheerleader and I did, indeed, speed up a little when he said that I should.  I barely had a chance to say hello to his person!

Next run is Tuesday morning. I think it's supposed to stay a little cooler this week (cooler being upper 80s?) so I'm hoping for comfortable mornings for running.  Rock 'n' Roll Chicago is 2 weeks from today and I want to do well there but my Mackinaw Bridge Run is in less than 3 months and I'm not at the pace I need to be for that.  I may need to be more aggressive with my training (meaning not be such a wimp about the heat and get my butt out there, anyway!)  The half marathon is just 2 weeks later, so the clock is ticking!

Good run! That is all!

Didn't run yesterday because I chose to sleep in, instead.  Ah... the dangers of taking a day off from work!  I ran today and will be adjusting my schedule a bit this weekend to accommodate being at Relay for 24 hours.  I really don't see how I'm going to be able to take the time to run for nearly an hour and then drive home to shower and get back there, so I'm going to do that run on Monday morning, before work.  Getting up that early sounds nearly as challenging, but it's only once (right now).

Today's run was awesome!  One of my best yet and it felt great!  Same pace as last time...  improvement would have been nice, but I'll certainly take staying the same.  Absolutely nothing interesting or exciting happened on my run.  The gravel road is, once again, packed and I saw more cars there than I ever have.  I was out at 7:05 so that must be when people are going to work.  I felt a little sorry for them - having to go to work, and all, when I'm taking today off.  Well, except for the ones flew by me, kicking up gravel, and I didn't feel bad for them at all.

It was much cooler this morning.  A balmy 64 degrees! Well, maybe BALMY is pushing it a little.  It was very humid, but still nicer than it has been.  I when I woke up yesterday it was 83 out, which is why I didn't just go later. My run in Chicago - the Rock 'n' Roll mini marathon is one month from today!  Woo hoo.  Looking forward to that, whatever the weather is!

Hey! Where have YOU been?

Oh, wait, I guess you should be asking ME that question!  I've been a bad runner!  I was super busy at work with a big event that we put on last Saturday and just didn't drag my @$$ out of bed in the morning to run.  I'm embarrassed to say it, but I was tired and it was hot and I didn't make myself do it.  That kind of behavior is not acceptable and I know it! I have just over 18 weeks to get ready for this half marathon!  I know I don't like to run in the evening, when it's hot outside, and all I really want to do is relax for the evening so I HAVE to get myself out there in the morning those 4 days a week that I am supposed to run.  No matter what!  No more excuses!  Yoda was right: I must "Do, or do not!! There is no try!"

So I DID get up this morning and did my scheduled run with no walk breaks and had the fastest time that I've had when I wasn't running in a race (I always do better in races - maybe the caffeine I drink on the way there).  I chose a new route today, so I had new things to see.  It was mostly on a gravel road not far from home and I encountered cats at two different cheering stations to encourage me on my way.  I also ran by a beautiful orange Dodge Challenger, which was nice since I was missing out on seeing the Charger on my usual route.  It had rained overnight so the road was damp, but not muddy because it was pretty well packed.  I saw very little traffic, as it was sort of in the country.  It was kind of overcast, and pretty humid, making it a little more difficult for me.  I saw that someone posted the question to my coach, Luke, asking what the best way to get used to running in hot weather is and his answer was simple.  Run in hot weather!  I suppose the same is true for running in high humidity.
My schedule is pretty much running on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday (with a longer run on Sunday).  I have 5Ks to do on June 30, July 22 (in Chicago!), August 11, then nothing scheduled until October 6 (my 5-miler over the Mackinac Bridge) then my half marathon on October 21.  I'll need to schedule something for September.  I also saw a discount on registration for the Lansing Half Marathon for April 2013 and am considering signing up for that to keep me on track early next race season.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!  I'll be back on Thursday with an even better run than today!

Well now... THAT was MUCH better!

I guess I truly am a morning runner.  I went out today at 6:00 am and did my run and it was SO much better than Saturday's run. Actually, my fastest pace yet, and the furthest distance running, without slowing to walk, since last year.  Granted, I am not, in any way, fast... but I ran just over 2 miles straight, which I am pretty proud of.  It was 41 degrees, and had rained over night, but long enough ago that the pavement was dry - and I didn't have to deal with the wind that we had last night, thankfully!  It was pretty gusty when I went to bed, and I was really hoping that would die down before morning!

I encountered a young cat watching me run.  She didn't seem especially critical, but clearly had the opinion that I am not as graceful a runner as her.  When I approached, she delicately leaped away across the street, leaving me there by myself.  The birds were also out cheering me on.  The birds are always good about rising early to be my cheering squad.  It didn't hurt that the overnight rain brought a buffet of worms out of hiding for breakfast.  They did have a little scuffle, though.  One of the birds chased another directly at me at a ridiculously speedy pace, just missing my legs.  I felt the air move, and maybe even a feather, by my shins and, if I had been just a hair faster, might have been picking beak from my bare calf.  I don't know what the disagreement was about, but it nearly ended poorly for all of us.

I have 4 runs scheduled this week, so I'll be out again on Wednesday and then Saturday and Sunday.  I felt much better about the whole thing today, after doing pretty well.  Saturday I felt pretty discouraged, but it was pointed out to me that there were a number of factors that were different from my usual runs, of late.  Maybe that really does make a difference.  All I know is that I have the American Cancer Society Feet and Friends Fighting Colon Cancer 5K in 12 days and I would really like to run the whole thing.  I'll be back on Wednesday - hopefully a little faster.

Improvement in just one run!

Okay, it wasn't great improvement, but improvement just the same.  I wasn't able to run yesterday because I had my final physical therapy appointment at 7:00 am and then we were busy doing "homeowner" stuff in the evening.  I planned to get up this morning to do it, but slept through the alarm a bit and didn't have time, so I did it tonight.  Next run is scheduled for Saturday.  That one will be right on time!

It seemed a little more difficult today, but my pace improved by 1/10 of a mile.  I didn't see anyone outside while I was running - which is why I waited until it was nearly dark out!  A couple of cars passed me, but that was it.  I looked back at my run log from last year, and I wasn't running any faster then, so I'm confident that having a running coach will help that a lot this year.

I signed up for the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Mini-Marathon in July and am very excited for that!  It's actually only about 5K, but you have some of the experience of the Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon on a shorter course.  I've booked our hotel about a mile from the start of the race so it should be very convenient!  I have also decided to to a Century bike ride in Chicago in August.  It's a ride around the perimeter of the city and I'll be doing that with John.  Guess I know what some of my cross-training will be, huh! The ride isn't actually scheduled yet, but they've been doing it 10 years so I'm hoping that it is going to continue.  I'm really looking forward to it.

Well, there isn't much else to report on today.  I'm adding a link to Hanson's Coaching Services to my side bar.  That's where my coach, Luke, works.  I'll report back on the weekend with a summary of my first week back on the road (and maybe something more entertaining, as well)!