No running yet, but...

I got my new Under Armour Coldgear, which is exciting, and I also have a list of races that I plan to participate in this year, so there are goals to work toward throughout 2013.  Here are my plans:

• April 21 - I'm signed up for one but don't know that I'll be ready for it.  We'll see... that's just over 3 months fro now.
• May 12 - For Women Only 5K, Ann Arbor - this is also Mother's Day so it will take some planning
• May 19 - Race for the Cure, Kalamazoo - benefitting the Susan G. Komen Foundation
• June 29 - Dirty Girl Mud Run, Detroit, benefitting the National Breast Cancer Foundation
• Aug 18 - Run Some Mora, Ann Arbor - benefitting the La Mora Health Clinic  in El Salvador
• Sept 14 - Big Mac Shoreline Scenic Bike Tour (I know it's not a run but it's 25, 50, 75 or 100 miles, then a ride over the Mackinaw Bridge the next day)
• Sept 20 - Chasing the Cure, Sturgis,  benefitting the Gynecologic Oncology Group in finding a cure for ovarian and uterine cancers
• Oct 12 - Fall Color Mackinaw Bridge Race, St. Ignace to Mackinaw City
• Oct 20 - Detroit Free Press/Talmar Bank International Half Marathon, Detroit and Windsor
• Nov 9 - Ann Arbor Turkey Trot, Ann Arbor (maybe)

Actual running will resume shortly.  I'm still working out a couple of things to be sure that I am ready to go.  I realize that I don't have any races planned in July, but have some really busy weekends and think I may be better off just doing my solo runs, rather than planning a structured race.  Of course, if something interesting presents itself, I may change my mind on that. 

That's about all that's going on here.  More news to come in a few days!

What is all this outside?

Wow!  I went out just after 9:00 am and I am definitely NOT used to running at that time of day. First of all, it's bright out!  Pretty overcast, but still kind of a stark bright, that I'm just not accustomed to.  It was windy, too!  Also, our neighborhood is having a community-wide yard sale this weekend.  We aren't participating, so I forgot about it completely.  There were cars everywhere. I never have maneuver around that much traffic!  Not to mention that everyone could SEE me!  In my bright yellow shirt!  Ugh!  Actually, one guy drove by - probably around 18 years old - and smiled and waved at me as if he approved of my efforts, so that made me feel a little better.  Why?  Still trying to figure out why I feel so uncomfortable when people see me run.  I'm doing something good for me and it has nothing to do with the other people out there.  I persevered and finished my run, and was proud of myself.  This afternoon I'm going to reward myself with a bike ride at the Metro Park.

I did have a bit of pain in the arch of my foot, so I slowed down a little for the last mile.  I finished up with a sprint and that was fine - or at least not any worse.  I'm thinking that it may have had something to do with the ankle sleeve or the way I had my shoe tied over it because it went away when I removed the shoe and sleeve.  I'll have to pay closer attention to how I put that on, tomorrow.

Running again tomorrow morning, before I go watch a bunch of other people run at the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run.  That will be inspiring for me.  I love seeing people finish their races, and hope to inspire others in the same way.  I think I'll do my blog from there tomorrow and post a few race pics. Til then...

Trash day always makes for an interesting run...

I learn so much about my neighbors!  More on that in a moment, first I'll tell you about my run.  It was actually more of a walk, because I had stomach cramps.  That was the reason I cut it short the other day, too.  Today I was determined to finish the whole distance, even if it took longer because I had to walk!  It added 10 minutes to my time.  All in all, I'm glad that I completed it, but I either need to not eat so late or change what I'm eating the night before or something.  I believe some investigation is in order.

Remember the flamingo picture that I posted last week?  Sadly, the beautiful Charger that was parked at that house wasn't there this morning.  I suppose they may have left already for work, but it wasn't even 6am yet.  Hope it wasn't a visitor...  But I digress (not unusual) because I was talking about the flamingos.  I had another flamingo sighting this morning but they were clearly U of M flamingos (or would that be fanmingos?)  Anyway I took a picture because they were cool and I certainly haven't seen any Michigan State ones around! Sorry Liz.  (No I'm not!)

Based on the neighborhood trash that I passed this morning, someone has a new microwave, there are a couple of new lawn mowers, a kids 4-wheeler and 4 big new flat screen TVs!  The trash in front of MY house was just that... trash!  Plus some yard waste.  There was also a LOT of yard waste on the curbs!  Tons!  A couple of houses had at least 10 bags of yard waste each out and I'm still trying to figure out just how anyone with a small yard, like ours, could possibly have that much to dispose of.  Tis the season, and I don't think it's going away again until November, this time.

Well, no running tomorrow (although I may do a really short one since I have the day off from work and don't have to be anywhere until noon) then I have a short one Saturday (plus a bike ride) and a longer run on Sunday.  It's gonna be a great weekend!

Not quite up to standards...

Actually, not at all up to standards!  I had some difficulty and had to bag my run halfway through.  I went into my house and called a re-do, which will be re-done tonight.  I deleted this morning's outing from iSmoothRun on my iPhone and did not export it to Training Peaks, so it's like it never happened.

Well, I got up early and went for my run this morning and, if I thought it was chilly out on Tuesday, it didn't really compare with today!  It was 45 degrees on Tuesday, but today the temp was 30 with a wind chill of 22!  I was prepared for the weather and wore my new cushy running sock which were AWESOME!  They kept me feet warm and dry and now I want a pair for every day that I run!  I also wore gloves and a hat, and a new running jacket (having a pocket is very convenient for my iPhone and house key).  My running tights left my legs a little cold, but otherwise I was comfortably toasty.


While I was out I saw all the usual suspects, except for the guy who was warming up his car for half an hour on Tuesday.  His truck was there, although it wasn't running.  It probably ran out of gas!  The air was really clear and there were loads of stars visible when I started out.  By the time I finished the eastern horizon had begun to lighten and was turning a wonderful royal blue.  I was pretty sure that I could have seen my breath when I exhaled, but it was too dark to actually see.  I'm guessing that you could, though, because about a second after I would breathe out, I would hear my frozen breath crash to the pavement and shatter into a million pieces.

I had great music to run to today! Everything from Def Leppard to Katie Perry and Adam Ant to Pink.  My tunes all had a great tempo to run to, but I was just a hair slower than Tuesday.  I did W4D2 of Couch to 10K and it was a little shorter than the last time.  The one I do this weekend will be 5 minutes longer and then longer, yet, when I move on to Week 5.  So today, I am proudly wearing my Runner Girl necklace (see left), and am happily going to skip the bagels that I'm taking to work today to celebrate an office birthday.  I have no intention of undoing the good I've done by eating as many calories as I just burned in simple carbs. 


Well, I'll be  back on the weekend for more of the same!

I did it again! (But better, this time!)

Yep! Ran my 5K Jingle Bell Run today and improved my time over the Detroit 5K a month ago by a good 5 minutes. When you're as slow as I am, that's less of a big deal than it is to someone who is actually speedy, but still... I was very happy for the improvement! Especially since it was really windy!  22 MPH!  I've included a picture taken about 5 minutes before the race started.


I ran a good portion of the route and met up with Karrie, Rachel and Mary at the finish line. I started out feeling a bit intimidated by the whole thing because I know that I am slow and have to remember that I am only competing with myself. My mantra was one of my favorite Penguin quotes today: "The only person I have to outrun is the person that I used to be." And that's true. And I did!


I don't know how many people were in this race, but I certainly didn't finish last. I have no idea how I ranked in my age group and am hoping that I wasn't last, but if I was, I was. I went to the starting line and I finished along with lots of other people. I passed some people and got passed by others. Sometimes I passed them, then they passed me back and then I passed them again!  All in all, it was a very good experience and I'm really glad that I did it.


Here is Karrie, Rachel and me at the finish. Piper and Digby ran, too! They are great runners! We all had a really good time (and Karrie is an awesome cheerleader - thanks for running that last bit with me)!

Sunny November Run... Beautiful!

Well, last Sunday I was wondering how many more chances I was going to have to run on a beautiful, sunny, fall day.  I'm not sure what the answer is, but I had at least ONE more.  Today!


I did a combo of walking and running (Week 3 Day 3 of Couch to 10K) and covered nearly 4 miles.  Not great speed, but an improvement over last time.  It was 55 degrees with wind hitting me at 17MPH.  The last two running segments that I did were facing the wind and the last one was up a hill, so I was okay with my pace.


Something that I suddenly realized was that I am the girl that I talk about when I see someone running, and turn to my husband and say "Woa!  She needs a better sports bra!"  I definitely need to get a new one.  I guess the ones that I was wearing at the beginning of the year - weighing almost 50 pounds more - just don't do the job any more.  


I felt really good about today's run.  I wore my brand new go-fasters!  Got them yesterday and they feel like there were made just for my feet.  They are Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10s and they feel great!  Much better than the shoes I've been wearing since I started running in the spring, that have now lost the grippy nubs on the soles and loosened up so that they were rubbing the balls of my feet.  I am sure that the new shoes did, indeed, help me to go faster, although I made every effort to keep it under 10 MPH, since that's the speed limit on the trails in the Metro Park.


I am doing a 5K tomorrow in Kalamazoo.  well, Portage, actually.  It's a Jingle Bell Run for the Arthritis Foundation and I'll be hanging with my pals Karrie and Rachel.  Also my old friend, Mary, will be there, so I hope to catch up with her, too.


I'll report in tomorrow to tell you about my race.  If you happen to be at the Jingle Bell Run tomorrow, I'll be the one with the reindeer antlers!

Awesome run on a chilly morning!

So, on Tuesday I started with Week 2, Day 1 of Couch to 10K and then decided to bump up a little and today did Week 3, Day 2, which increased my run to walk ratio.  It felt great and I really enjoyed it!  It was 39 degrees and pretty windy - the weather report said 8 MPH, but the gusts were a lot stronger than that!  Either way, it was chilly and breezy but it felt really good to be out there getting a morning run in.


I have realized that I truly need to refresh my playlist that I use for running because it's getting quite stale.  There are a handful of songs that I am still excited about when they pop up but, for the most part, I feel pretty indifferent to the music on my iPhone.  I plan to remedy that this week!  Some of my favorite tunes for running are "I Hate Myself for Loving You" (Joan Jett), "Because I'm Awesome" (Dollyrots), "Unskinny Bop" (Poison), "I Wanna be Sedated" (Ramones) and "Baby Got Back" (Sir Mixalot).  I know, I know... That last one got into that mix and I don't know how, but it's really fun to run to.

I only saw two people out and about at 5:35am.  One guy was getting into his car as I was trotting by and actually said "good morning" to me.  The other person was driving away, presumably to work.  Other than that, not another person, dog, cat or skunk to be seen.  Well, I did see something run across the road a ways ahead of me, but I couldn't tell what it was, so I'm just going to assume it was a cat!  That seems pretty safe.  I took this picture at the end of my run and it is representative of the whole time I was out.  The neighborhood was dark and deserted, as far as I could tell.  I'll be interested to see what it's like when we start getting a little snow!  Well, I know what the neighborhood is like when it snows, but I haven't run in it before, so that will be a whole new experience! 


I decided that, as an incentive to do my runs on my scheduled mornings, I am going to reward myself by wearing my new favorite necklace.  I got a runner girl necklace when I did the 5K in Detroit last month and I just love wearing it.  If I run in the morning, I get to wear it that day.  If I don't, I have to pick a different necklace.  I have several necklaces that are special, but that one has a little different meaning right now.  Wearing it reminds me of my accomplishment, so it seemed like a fitting way to reward myself for sticking to my schedule.  I'm proudly wearing it today, and will get to again on Saturday (Sunday, too, because I'm participating in a Jingle Bell Run).  


If you are reading, I'd love it if you would leave a comment.  I can see stats on how many people ready my blog (more than I would expect), but it would be great to hear from you, and learn how you came across my blog and where you are.  On that note, I'll sign off for today, but will be back the day after tomorrow.

It's official! I run slow!

Yep!  I always figured that I walk faster than I run, but now I have concrete proof of that!  Well, maybe not faster, but I do have confirmation that my running pace isn't far ahead of my walking pace.  I'm using an APP on my iPhone called iSmoothRun and it gives me a ton of information about my run, including: Where I ran; Running time; Total time (running time + time that I was stopped to take pictures, tie my shoes and things like that); Total distance; How I felt (I have to input that - it doesn't automagically know); Average pace; Average speed; Total calories burned; Ascend; Descend; Weight (again, I have to input that); Weather and something called Track points (no clue what that is!).


I went out at 5:40 this morning and did Week 2, Day 1 of Couch to 10K.  I probably could have started a little further along,  but wasn't sure, so I stuck to the program today.  I may bump up a little more in a week or so.  When I headed out it was drizzling and not particularly nice out.  The drops stopped coming down about  halfway through, but it was still misty and foggy.  When I was done, my hair and clothes were wet from it.  On the up side... when I was done I looked like I had worked really hard!


If I were to attach a picture from this morning's run, it would just look like a black square on the screen.  It was really dark!  I hope that I didn't step on any (or at least very many) worms, of which there were many, squiggling along on the sidewalks and streets.  I could see them, and did look out for them, when I was near a street lamp, but in the areas where there was no light... I have no idea how many worms were around.  My co-workers all laugh at me because they found out that I pick the ones in the driveway up and toss them into the lawn so I don't drive over them on wet mornings, but I don't think that's really so odd.  Certainly, the worms have done nothing to deserve to be squashed into the oblivion, but I also don't want to see them later, or have them stuck onto my tires - or the bottoms of my running shoes.


So that's about it for today.  Tomorrow I have Zumba after work, but will hit the streets again on Thursday for my next running adventure.  This morning's run was just over 3 miles.  Will try to spped things up a bit.

Still plagued, but better...

I haven't done much of anything since my last good walk because I've still been sick and just not feeling well, and really tired with no energy.  After an ear infection (both ears), a 10-day round of antibiotics and a bit of rest, I think I'm ready to go again.  Yesterday was World Run Day and I was supposed to be doing an individual run for that in the Metro Park.  I did a walk, instead, that was just shy of 4 miles.  It felt good and I enjoyed it.  More about that in a minute.


I downloaded an app for the Couch to 10K program, which I am going to start using tomorrow.  Although I'm not really down at the "couch" level, I thought that would be a good program to work with, since I haven't been as active for some time, and I want to work some strength training into the program.  That should put me at the 10K level by the end of January and I'll maintain that, while improving my speed, until I start the Half-Marathon program in the Spring/Summer.  My goal is to do my Half in 2:30 or less.  I have no idea whether that is realistic or not.  I chose it because it was smack-dab in the middle of my age group for the 2011 Half.  I may adjust it later if I learn that it's not an appropriate goal to aim for.

While I was walking yesterday it was beautiful out!  Almost 65 degrees and sunny.  Quite breezy and late in the day, so I watched the sun (nearly) set as I was finishing up.  As the sun began to sink to the horizon, the temperature certainly did begin to dip.  Daylight Savings Time has caused it to get dark by 5:45, so I knew my time was limited when I got to the park, but really wanted to walk for an hour.  I took a new route and looped back to the car a little early, so I ended up starting the loop again, but only going for about 10 minutes before I turned back to the parking area, so I could finish just before it got dark out.  While I was winding through the trails, in the woods, I didn't really see any wildlife, other than geese gathering to leave on their winter break.  I suppose it's just as well that I didn't, given that there are coyotes and other gnarly critters out there.


There were a handful of other people on the trails.  I crossed paths with another woman twice and was relieved to see her the 2nd time, since it help me to verify that I wasn't lost on this new trail.  Only saw a couple of cyclers and 2 other runners.  There was a couple walking in front of me but they were clearly there for leisure purposes... I could tell by their slow, meandering, gate, and because they kept stopping to make out.  Not to mention that they were wearing jeans and coats!  I had on running capris and a t-shirt.


I will report in tomorrow after my first day of Couch to 10K.  I'm doing a Jingle Bell Run 5K this weekend, and will likely walk most of it... we'll see how things go.

To Do: Run first 5K... Check!

Well, I finished my 5K today and it was awesome!  It was in the low 50s, which is perfect for me, and it was spitting rain, off-and-on, which isn't so perfect, but wasn't that bad.  I wasn't fast - I knew I wouldn't be.  I ran some and walked some, but running with 1993 other people is vastly different than running by myself in my neighborhood or in the MetroPark!


Out of 1994 people, I came in at 1507, so certainly not in the very back of the pack.  Out of 134 women in my division, I was 101st, so, again, not at the very back. I did the race in just under 49 minutes (the first-place woman was 22 years old and did it in 16:58!!!)

One thing I learned is that it's difficult to drink from a paper cup while you are running!  Now I know why I see runners squeeze the cup so it creates a spout.  When I do my next 5K, in 2 weeks, I hope to come in a little faster.  The weather is difficult to predict at the end of October, so I don't know what I'll be in for, there.  I'll pretty much be happy if it's not raining.  Or really windy.  Or sleeting.  Or... It's Michigan so I know that if there's anything I can count on, it's NOT the weather!


All in all, I was happy with my performance.  I got a hug (and a kiss) from Paws after the race, which was pretty cool.  I got a hug and a kiss from John, too, which always makes me happy.  In other sports news:  Paws is, unfortunately, now on winter break, since the Tigers lost last night's playoff game.  That's a bummer.   And our Lions lost their first game of the season this afternoon, just block away from where I finished my run.  Not the best weekend in professional Michigan sports.  Also, U of M lost to MSU in the big college football battle.  I'm happy to cheer for MSU when they're playing someone else, but when they're up agains UM...  Oh well.  Go Blue. Go Honolulu Blue and Silver - and go Me!

I can do this!

Seen on my run today

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. Which one sounds better? Today's run didn't go all that well, so I'm not quite sure where my "can do" attitude is coming from just now, but we'll go along with it. Today I did a combination of walking and running and went a little over 2.6 miles at a slightly faster pace than last week. It was kind of hot out - upper 70s. Very sunny for about half of my run, and lots of bugs.  Small bugs that kept getting in my mouth and in my eyes.  The ones that get in my mouth I can spit out, but the little ones that get in my eyes are a little harder to deal with.  


I suppose the "can do"  may come from the fact that everything I see about the Detroit Marathon, Relay, Half Marathon and 5K says in big letters YOU CAN DO THIS! If you see it enough you start to believe it?  Actually, I know that I can do it, but I'm concerned about the beginning of the race.  I'm worried that I'm going to start out with 2,499 other 5Kers and my brain will start telling me that I'm not very good, and I'm going to fail and that I really can't do this - at least not without doing so poorly that I will be defeated and humiliated.  I have been working hard to squash those feelings up to this point, but I also know that I haven't worked as hard as I could have and I question whether I'm prepared.  


Now, if I had signed up for the marathon, or the half-marathon... well, I could NOT do that, but the 5K?  I've done that before in my training, I can slow down to a walk if I need to, and it's a nice, fairly flat route.  No reason for me to be worried that I can't do it.  Plus, it starts at 7 25 am, so it will be nice and cool out, and I'll line up toward the back of the group and try NOT to compare myself to other runners.  Oh, and I got my race bib number yesterday!  I am runner 25259!  That's pretty exciting!  


I'll be out and running again tomorrow and will report in then.  I'll want to get 3 runs in next week, but will walk on Saturday so I'm rested and ready to go Sunday morning.  

What an awesome morning!

I wish I could have gotten a picture of what the sky was like when I went out to run this morning at 5:55!  it was chilly out and wonderfully clear. I think I could see every star in the sky.  It was gorgeous and, despite my somewhat icy fingers, it was a fantastic temperature.


The run, itself, felt really good.  I sped things up from Sunday's run, which was great.  I didn't go as far, because I had to get ready for work.  My legs are sore from Sunday, but running made them feel better and then I had a good stretch afterward. I only ran 2 miles this morning, and took a quick - 3 minute - walk break in the middle.  I could tell that I was moving along at a faster clip than usual, while I was running and, oddly, I never quite got to that "Crap! What am I doing out here? What makes me think I'm ever really going to be a runner?" feeling that I sometimes get.  Starting out with sore legs, on my second run, after 3 weeks of inactivity seems like the perfect time for those feelings to crop up, so I think I'm making progress, despite that.  Looking forward to my Detroit Free Press and Talmer Bank 5K in 12 days!  Then the Run of the Dead, two weeks later.


When I first went out, I was walking for a few minutes to warm up my muscles, and was only about 6 houses away from my own, and this little white dog ran up to me barking feverishly!  Yes, it was a small dog, but it really startled me with it's sudden yappiness, dashing toward me in the dark.  There were no lights on in, or around, the house, but I finally did see that there was a woman attached to the other end of the leash - it's a good thing that I didn't trip over her dog.  She looked kind of grumpy!


Well, tomorrow I have a Zumba class, so I won't be running again until Thursday.  Check back then to see how it goes (and I might even tell you a little about Zumba).  Laters!

Wake me up when September ends...

Oh, wait!  It ended already. So much for that Green Day song, huh!  I'm not sure what happened, but I was sick a couple of times and my schedule was out of whack for a week, but I didn't run for THREE!  This does NOT bode well for the 5K that I'm doing in just 2 weeks, does it?

I went to the MetroPark today and went 3.33 miles. I was slow.  Very slow!  I ran the first mile and then walked for a while, ran another half mile and then walked some more.  All in all, I did run about half of it, which isn't too bad, given my lack of running in September.  I wasn't thrilled with my performance, but wasn't totally disgusted by it, either.  I'll really be cracking this week and next, planning to run 4 times each week.  

I was at the park much later than usual, since it's now much cooler out.  It was 60 degrees, which was wonderful.  It was pretty windy, which did add a bit of challenge to the running AND the walking portions.  There are a LOT of people at the park at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday!  Lots of people walking their dogs, walking their kids, riding their bikes... One guy had a radio attached to his bike so he didn't have to miss the Lions vs. Cowboys game, AND shared it with everyone he rode past.  The Lions won, by the way.  Pretty awesome game.  In fact it was a great weekend in Michigan sports.  Michigan, MIchigan State, the Lions and the Tigers all won their games this weekend.  Yay!

But, I digress...  Many people were out enjoying the park today and it was a beautiful day for it!  I was on a route with just a few hills, about the same amount of shade as not, and the weather and temperature were lovely.  I couldn't have asked for a better day to jump back into my running routine.  Now, I'm trying to decide what I'll do the rest of this week.  Follow some part of C25K?  Run 3 miles each day, alternating running and walking?  Run up to 3 miles each day, running as much as I can, but walking when I have to?  I just don't know!  I'll do a little research tonight to find out what is recommended, and I'll let you know what I settled on when I check in tomorrow or Tuesday.  Until then... stay hydrated, my friends!

Where have you been? It's been over a week!

Did you forget about me?  Oh wait!  It's me that hasn't been here, isn't it?  Well, it's not totally because I haven't been doing any running.  It MOSTLY is, but not totally!  Went for a quick run on September 2, which was a Friday and then we had a busy holiday weekend with a variety of family things  happening.  Friday's run was okay - not great, but I was happy enough to get at least some running in.  With our busy weekend I, sadly, neglected my blog.

Monday (Sept. 5) was Labor Day and I went to the MetroPark to run there, but had difficulty mustering up enough energy to run for more than about 5 minutes, so I ended up walking and totaled 50 minutes.  By Monday night, I was sick!  In retrospect I should have seen that coming, based on my lack of energy that morning, but it kind of took me by surprise and I spent that night and the next 24 hours with a fever of 102!  Needless to say, I was doing a lot of sleeping this week and didn't get out again until this morning - although I returned to work yesterday.

This morning I got up and around and hit the road for a walk/run combo.  I only did 2 miles, but over half of it was running with a couple of short walk breaks.  It felt great, and I wished that I had more time, but this weekend I'll head out for a longer run.  I wasn't sure how I was going to do today, given that I still have sinus issues from my cold and, despite the nice cool temperature of 63 degrees, it was extremely humid (96%) making the air heavy and difficult to breathe.  It did make a difference, but I was fine for the short distance that I ran. 

Now that it's September, it's really dark out at 6:00 am!  A corner in my neighborhood seems to have one less streetlight than normal and it's really, really dark!  I went around there this morning (twice) and I noticed for the first time, just how different it is at 6 am now, than when I started running in June.  Of course the temperature is my biggest complaint in the summer, so I'm grateful for the cool mornings we are having these days.

I will be back in a few days with tales from the MetroPark.  Not sure which day, as we are supposed to have rain on and off all weekend, but it will happen! Just 37 days until the 5K in Detroit, so I better get crackin'!

Oh! The distractions!

 
Wow! Talk about a difficult run... I knew I was in trouble when we pulled into the Metropark and I saw the sign indicating that there was a Classic Car show in the park today. I joked with my husband about the pancake breakfast that they were also having, but it was the steady flow of awesome cars cruising into the park that was going to get me! 


It was a fantastic morning! The temperature was a cool 64 degrees (17 C) and breezy. It was sunny, but I ran on a path that had a lot of trees so I was in and out of the sunshine. It felt wonderful and I think my speed improved a little. Still don't have my Nike+ sensor but I figured out what happened to it. It died right after I did my 5K and I think it had a heart attack! I mean, here we are consistently running a couple miles 3 or 4 times a week and then I up and run over 3 miles and also tack walking on to the front and back of the run. The sensor blew up!


I set off running and shortly after my warm up walk ran by the many classic cars displayed off to one side. But I ran BY them, not through them. So I planned the rest of my out-and-back run so that I would turn around and my cool down walk would start close to the car show and could walk through for my cool down. That worked great and I've included a few pictures of the distractions that I had to overcome. Ok... The corn dogs weren't really a distrction. Good thing I ate a hard boiled egg before I left the house!


Seriously, though, I did have an interesting realization when I ran by the car how the first time, and then again at the end of my run (I didn't plan quite as well as I thought and had to run into the area where they were displayed).  I was running with many people around. People who could obviously see me, because many of them said hello or waved at me. In the past, having that many people around would have made me terribly self-conscious - probably enough so that I would have slowed to a walk AND gone a different direction to be sure that no one saw me trying to run.  This was a huge breakthrough for me!  Whenever I have run - or done much of anything active like that - I been a closet exerciser.  I don't want people to see me exercise because I'm afraid that they are judging me and thinking that I'll never be able to finish.  That was different today.  Actually for a while now, but I just realized it today.  And it felt really great!  And maybe - just maybe - there was someone who saw me who thought "Hey, look at her.  She's a middle-aged woman and she's a new runner.  Maybe I could do that!"  Perhaps, by my having confidence in myself, I can inspire someone else!  I'll be out running again tomorrow morning. 

Well, bummer!

Got up early(ish) to head out to the MetroPark and started my run but I just didn't have it in me.  I ran a little, but ended up walking for 40 minutes, instead.  I got plenty of sleep this weekend and have been getting proper nourishment, but I've only taken one day off, in the last 7, between running and bootcamp class.  I have camp tomorrow and will run on Tuesday.  I think I may repeat my last routine (2 runs with a walk break in between) and then go into one longer run on Thursday.


At one point, I was walking along at a good clip and it started raining lightly.  It felt pretty good, but then I noticed that it was only raining when I was under this cluster of trees and the pavement was dry, otherwise.  I hoped that there wasn't a troop of monkeys in the tree causing something that wasn't really rain.  Ick!  Yes, I'm in Michigan, and I know that it's not likely, but I've been to the jungle in South America and know what a unruly troop of monkeys can do!


Things to add to my away-from-home pre-run checklist:  A hat!  A hat is pretty important when you're running in the park and I need to endeavor to remember mine.  When I was walking in the sunshine, it would have been nice to have the visor.  A hat helps keep the mosquitos out of my hair. And, it keeps people from seeing my hair, which looked pretty messy by the time I finished, between sleeping on it and then sweating while I was out.  To clarify, I slept on it over night, not during my walk.  I saw a bench that would have been pretty comfy for a nap, but I kept walking.  I did get some new running clothes though and was wearing one of my pair of capri pants made from fancy wicking fabric. Mine are Danskins Dri-More and they are really nice.  Super soft and that Dri-More technology is awesome!  I'd like to wear  clothes made from that fabric all summer long.


There weren't a lot of people out yet when I got to the park at 8:00 am.  Usually Sunday mornings are pretty busy, there.  Maybe word got out about the monkeys!  Next run, on Tuesday, will be right here in my home neighborhood, so I won't have to worry about that, but I'll check in with you then, just to keep you updated! 

When did I move to Alabama?

Seriously!  I checked the temperature before I headed out the door to "run" this morning and was certain that something had gone awry in my computer.  It's usually 64-68 degrees at 6 am, but no matter how many times I refreshed the screen, it kept saying 81 degrees.  When I stepped out the door, it was like walking face-first into a solid wall of yuck!  It really was 81 freaking degrees with 87% humidity!

I was tempted to just walk, and skip the running segments of today's program altogether.  I mean, that seems completely reasonable when it feels like it's about 163 degrees out, right?  But... I had already entered today's exercise in my food/activity journal, so I decided to continue on, alternating walking and speed-shuffling, as prescribed.  I didn't go particularly fast, but stayed steady and worked on my breathing.  I'm happy to report that, not only did I do pretty well with the whole breathing-while-jogging thing, but I continued to breathe when I finished - and am still doing so!  I saw a couple of cars, but no people, dogs, cats, bunnies... I didn't even see any worms or ants!  They were all, sensibly, inside! 

Yesterday I was visiting with family and my oldest brother was telling me how running is bad for you and that, it will ruin my knees and ankles.  He probably said something about my legs falling off, or something.  I stopped listening, so I don't know what he thinks is going to happen to me.  He's been giving me a bit of a hard time about running, as only an older brother can do.  I would have normally given it right back to him, but it was his birthday, so I let it slide (because I'm awesome!).  He also told me that my new tattoo is ugly - because he's NOT awesome!

So, I got through today's program and feel good a bout it, even without any major advancement.  I'll be back out again on Wednesday morning, hopefully with better weather, but that's not looking very promising.  It's probably my brother's fault!

Downhill doesn't really feel any easier than up hill!

Woo hoo!  Went to the MetroPark today to start my next level of C25K and it nearly doubled the "running" time in my routine.  As you can tell, I didn't die!  I thought I might a couple of times - and wished I would at one point, just to get it over with, but I actually came away unscathed and feeling pretty good.  Plus I earned DOUBLE the Weight Watcher's Points that I usually do!


The extra"running" trimmed 1:05 off my pace, giving me a new PR.  At this rate, I'll have Paula Radcliffe chatting at me weekly!  I'm hoping to hear from her again later this week.  There were lots of people out running, riding, walking and blading this morning.  When we headed out of the house it was 68 degrees, but the sun was up and knew it would be warming up quickly - and it did!  I was heading down a small hill, during one of my faster moments, and there were 3 runners coming toward me up the hill.  They were running faster up than I was down and still head the breath to say "good morning" to me.  Show offs!  By the time I got back to the car, they had run to the end of the park and were on their way back, but I saw that they lost one of their team-mates.  With friends like that...


I find that the most difficult thing for me is breathing.  Sometimes I forget to and then try to take deep breaths but it can be really hard to do.  I need to work on some deep breathing exercises a couple if times a day, I think.  My understanding is that when they call cadence, while running in the military, it helps keep them breathing properly.  It occurs to me that I could just sing out loud, along with my iPod, while I'm out, but that may disturb the neighbors at 5:30 in the morning.  


All in all, I felt good about this morning's routine!  I'll be out again before work on Monday to see how I do in my own neighborhood, where it's just me and the road.  I wonder what the next week holds.

What do runners do when they forget something?

Jog their memory!  Okay... quit groaning!  I didn't actually forget anything this morning, but thought I'd start out with a bad joke to pull you in - and now you're reading, aren't you?

Started a little later again this morning - 6am - but there were gorgeous pink streaks of cirrus clouds in the east!  Once again, I couldn't have asked for a better morning to head outside.  I stayed pretty close to the same pace as past few days and have now fully repeated this week of my training, so I'm going to move on tomorrow.  Next week will mark a pretty significant increase in the "running" portion of my program, which will be interesting.  Well, at least "interesting" is one word for it!  I can think of a couple others, as well.

Tomorrow's plan is to go to the MetroPark and I'll go one direction, on foot, while my hubby heads the other direction on his bike, and we'll meet up later.  Then we'll go to breakfast!   I will consider tomorrow's outing a sort of preview of the week to come, then will hopefully be able to move on to the next level a week from Monday.  Since I'll be moving faster for longer periods of time, I would imagine that a couple of PRs will be in there, too.  Currently I have my warm-up and cool-down walks as part of my routine on my Nike+, so I can just imagine the improvement I'll show when I stop doing that!  Adding 10 minutes of walking to the total doesn't help my pace at all!

Well, obviously, my time out was uneventful and I don't really have anything fascinating to tell you about, so I'll sign off here.  Stay tuned, though... Next week should bring some interesting tidbits.