2 Hours & Counting!

Until my first ever full body massage. C reminded me to shave my legs before I leave :) Yesterday’s run really helped my recovery and I’m back to normal. I mean I’m still using the laundry shoot versus walking up and down the stairs, but who cares.

I spent the early part of the my morning doing my usually devotional and then I opened up my training folder to see these! C printed a training calendar for me once I committed to the half-marathon and each week, I’d Sharpie through my progress on these. It was neat to see how far I’d come and to think about how nervous I was the morning I did my 4 mile long run.

My plan this morning was to review my past so that I could plan my future. That involved looking at my progress with strength training, which was my main priority before my training mileage got to be enough on my schedule and my body. I created these logs for each week to track my sets, reps and weight for each exercise which helped me to stay motivated. I was able to stay consistent for about 9 weeks until the running took over. My muscles definitely have some make-up work to do.

So lastly before I started working for the day, I wrote down a few fitness goals for the winter and began reviewing the class schedule at my gym.

 

I’ve already gotten a text from my friend J (Reese’s mom) about an early morning cycling class!

Ok, that’s all you will hear from me today as I am hoping my WHOLE BODY will be numb for the rest of the evening!

2 More Things

I told you I had two other exciting things to share with you and I couldn’t wait any longer.

1. I Met My Inspiration!

At the Akron Half-Marathon event, I was lucky to meet the man who encouraged my to start running in the first place. After I got married, I moved to Ohio and in to an apartment that Kevin and I rented until I could learn more about the area. Bob was, and I believe still is, the maintenance man at the apartment complex. I remember seeing him around the neighborhood moving appliances, doing repairs and all sorts of other stuff and Kevin and I would always comment to one another that he was in great shape. One day Kevin and I were hiking a local trail when Bob came whizzing by us like a gazelle on the running path. I was like WOW…hey I think that’s our maintenance man. I was so impressed with his strength and speed, I couldn’t help but bring it up the next time I saw him. Sure enough, my next conversation with Bob moved quickly from the routine changing of a filter to the 100 mile race he was training for and how he runs year around! I was so amazed and from that day on he always asked me how my running was going and was such an encouragement to me. Minutes after I finished the 13.1 mile race on Saturday and met up with my family in the stadium, I saw Bob!

As soon as I saw him working at the finish line, I ran over to him! I spewed a whole bunch of emotional gooey stuff I can’t remember and he told me he was suffering from an Achilles injury and was volunteering instead of running the marathon :( He asked me about my stats and paces and how my body was feeling and I could’ve talked to him forever! The race was great, but seeing Bob made my day. He has no idea how often I thought about him when I was pushing through the last few miles of a long run or doubting whether I was ready for the race or not.

2. I received a gift that took my breath away!

Yesterday before the Cleveland Brown got their butts kicked, my mother- in law presented Kevin and I with two scrapbooks documenting our wedding 3 years ago!

I sat in my in-law’s living room, turning each page and enjoying my wedding day all over again. When Kevin and I got engaged, my mother-in-law blessed us with two beautiful scrapbooks telling the entire story of our meeting and dating long distance and even documented the trip Kevin took to pick out my engagement ring! These two new books are all about our wedding day and honeymoon.

One of my favorite pages featured my bridal shower where she had taken some napkins from the party and used them as the background of the scrapbook page! These books are amazing and I’ll treasure them forever.

Ok, I feel like I’ve been in dream land the last few days. Completing a race I’ve been looking forward to and then on top of that, receiving such a lovely gift has put this weekend in my top 5 ever!

I can’t leave without talking about running :) At noon today, I took Mina out for a 20 minute EZ run and my hips feel great now. The fall season is in full effect now and the wind and leaves and new smells of fall make it such a nice change to summer running. Take some time and get out and enjoy a new season!

Hurts So Good

So I get to do my first ever race recap! I’m psyched that I get to relive yesterday while I type this post. Before I get into long-winded descriptions and photo captions, here’s the breakdown. I finished the 13.1 mile road race with a chip time of 2 hours and 40 minutes, which I’m very happy with. I was sore last night and couldn’t walk straight this morning until I applied some heat, sat with some ice bags and took the dog for a walk. I feel much better now, but I can by no means run up and down the stairs yet :)

Let’s get onto the fun stuff. I woke at 5:15am on Saturday to get dressed and start ‘fluating’ (C’s word for hydrating) before making a peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole grain bread. I wrapped that up to take with me because I didn’t want too eat to early. C and her hubby came to pick Kevin and I up at about 5:45 so that we could get dropped off as close to the starting line as possible, before the road closures began.

C and I bid farewell with hugs, kisses and well wishes while the husbands headed home to eat breakfast and make our sign! As we walked up the side street and turned the corner to see the starting line, I was psyched. It was dark and the yellow starting line was lit up and runners were EVERYWHERE!

I passed the time by eating my sandwich, drinking water, stretching, talking with familiar faces and timing trips to the bathroom. I REALLY didn’t want to stop during the race so I stood in long lines for the porta-potties talking with C until we felt like we needed to go.

Our last trip to the potty was seconds before the race started. The motivational music began blaring, and the 10,000 other runners started moving down the street.

I tore off the long sleeve t-shirt I brought to stay warm and threw it in the nearest trash can along with a cheap water bottle and C and I began walking/jogging to the start line. We were packed like sardines but it felt great to see thousands of runners filling the street in front of us.

 

I started to cry once I crossed the start line and pushed through a long channel of screaming spectators as they cheered us on. It was the culmination of lots of training and so many mixed feelings that made me emotional.

Once the race started, C and I found ourselves with a slower pace group because we were in the back so we spent the first 2 miles pushing through folks before we found a good comfortable open space to stay for a while.

My first supporters, my in-laws, were right around the 3 mile marker and I ran right by them as they shouted at me and cheered C and I on.

The next few miles included some great hills and wonderful city views. We learned quickly to steer clear of the relay exchange zones and to wait until the end of the fluid stations if we wanted PowerAde. We ran by a few high school marching bands, a gospel choir, and old lady banging on pots and pans in her front yard and a whole slew of other runners’ family and friends who came out to offer support!

I turned my iPod on around mile 8 to take advantage of the high I was feeling from the Berry LifeSaver I ate. I could have sped up, but I really wanted to run with C and she was starting to feel some pain in her knee which slowed her down.

Right after mile 10, I saw K2 and C’s husband and our friends Michael and Annie at the bottom of a hill cheering for us!

I ran right up to K2 and gave him a big kiss as he slapped me on the butt! That was all I needed. Seeing my family and friends out there really helped me. I was smart to store some of those happy feelings for later because I really needed them right before the mile 12 marker. The downhill stretches of road were really starting to hurt my hips and there was an incline where everyone around us was power walking, so there wasn’t much motivation to run. I walked with C for a bit then we started to run again. We had one last hill before we saw the enormous crowds of people forming our last turn into the stadium for our Olympic-style finish.

The finish was awesome. C and I were spaced enough between other runners that we got to enter the stadium on our own and ran to the finish together. Here are some shots of the finish. Those two little dots in the distance…that’s us :)

 

The event staff greeted us and draped us with our finisher’s medals! We were quickly shuttled to the food tent and sat down to stretch and eat our bananas before meeting our family.

Here are some shots in the stadium.

It was great to have so much support and to feel the excitement in the stadium. The rain didn’t start until after we’d finished the run, but it didn’t make us want to hang out in the stadium very long. We walked/shuffled back to the car and headed home.

I arrived home to a lovely bouquet of red roses given to me by the girls in the small group that I lead. I cried again at that point, before K2 started snapping pictures.

 

Ok…really long post.. I know. I’ve got a great story for tomorrow and I’ll tell you about a gift I received today that took my breath away! I think the rest of the evening will include the heating pad, a fruit smoothie and menu planning for the week.

Chow!!!!!

I Did It!

That’s right folks! I completed the Akron Half-Marathon! I’ve got tons of pictures and maybe some video I will share with you soon. I’m sore and I’ve already taken 1 nap this afternoon. I have a feeling that since I’m typing this post in bed, I’ll be snoozing again shortly.

All I can say for now is WOW! The race was awesome. The support and encouragement from you all and my friends and family at the race was wonderful. If this medal wasn’t so heavy, I would still be wearing it…maybe sleeping in bed with it :)

I Just Had To!

Hi everyone! I’m off to bed because 5:15am is going to come awful quickly! However, I couldn’t help but post and tell you about my day before the big race.

I didn’t ever go back to sleep after waking up so early this morning. C and I met at her house and did our last 20 minute light run together. We talked about being nervous, doubting ourselves and yes, as always..poop :) It felt great to get the run out of the way in the morning.

I worked all day and focused mostly on eating every 2-3 hours and drinking a ton of H2O! At 4 pm, C pulled in the driveway and we headed to the Akron Marathon Event Expo to pick up our bibs and a few free goodies before heading home. The Expo was fun and it was great to see other runners and get most of our questions answered. I’m still nervous about the road closures, but I’m praying everything goes smoothly :)

C and her hubby made DEJA VU DINNER. I’m calling it that because it’s almost an exact replica of what we ate before our 11 mile run, which I consider to be one of our best runs thus far. We had grilled chicken, salad, strawberries, water and peanut butter cookies!

After dinner, the husbands went off to a guy’s night and C and I chilled out to watch some TV. That time was just what I needed before coming home to get my stuff prepped for tomorrow. Mina was no help, as usual :)

 

It’s all ready to go! I’ve got my wicky-hat, sports bra, tech shirt with bib, socks, camera to pass off to hubby, Lifesavers candy, chap stick, iPod, Nike armband, running shorts being stretched over my bench…cuz they get tight after washing, and my lovely shoes!

One more thing! The big orange square is a card that C gave me as I was leaving her house. I just read it and it was so thoughtful.

C – I wouldn’t have done this without you. I know tomorrow I’ll be calling you names and you’ll be telling me you hate me, but it’s all love girl!!

OK..alarm set…check…dog asleep…check…water bottle on kitchen counter…check….husband who I will see acting crazy at mile 10-ish…check…ok nighty night!!!

Can't Sleep

So it is 4:45 in the morning and I can't sleep. I carb-loaded at Olive Garden and then went to bed around 9pm, which is early for me. I woke up around 2am because the hubby is kind of sick and he was restless. After that, I tried to go back to sleep but a million questions about THE RACE are running through my mind!

How do I navigate through all the road closures? Should we get dropped off or should we drive on our own in the morning? Will I be able to see Kevin at the mile markers? Can I do this? Are the hills going to be as bad as they say? Have I trained hard enough? Should I bring a gear bag for transport or just have Kevin bring stuff for me afterwards?

AHHHHH...and that's probably just what I was asking between 2am and 3:30! I know it's just nervous energy like the first day of school, but it almost makes me think I just want it to be over!

The other thing that has been on my mind..................................WHAT'S NEXT? I've seen some folks write out a fitness 'bucket-list' and others sign up for another race right away. I've read how some take it easy and just Gym-it-up for the winter, but then there are others that become die-hard snow bunnies, running in everything but an ice storm! I've got a ton of ideas swirling in my head and can't wait until after the race to take some time and think!!!

What's next in the more immediate post-race future? I know that much!

A 1 hour Full Body Massage at Massage Envy! I can't wait :)

Nice & Easy

I am just getting back from the gym where I completed the scheduled 2 miles for today. I started at a slow pace then sped up a bit at the end. I was watching The Biggest Loser which kept me distracted from looking down at my stats the whole time. The run felt great and so did my body.

While this tapering week has given me a bit of anxiety and heightened my nerves about the race, it also brings with it some time to reflect. I’m sure I’ll be doing a lot more of this after the race but I wanted to share one thought I had during my treadmill time tonight. Before I started the half-marathon training, I’d argue against my motivation to go to the gym by adding all this preparation time to my workout and them tack on time to clean up and blah, blah, blah…until a quick workout was more like a half day at the gym that I didn’t ‘have time’ for. I’ve learned that was just a mental trap for me and if I simply packed a bag, or opened up my door and ran a few miles then took a quick shower after…there was NO reason why I couldn’t find time to workout.

Nighty, Night!

Race Week!

Yes, that's right folks! My first half-marathon is 5 days away and I'm experiencing every emotion possible. More than anything, I'm excited! A close second place is taken by a nervous feeling that is derived from tapering. Last night I was reading through my latest edition of Oxygen Magazine and this quote was stamped in a small box on one page:

"Bite off more than you can chew...then chew it!"

I love it! The quote speaks right to my heart. Yesterday C and I ran to the gym then hung out in the pool before we headed over to the sauna for bit. Today is rest day and I'm in the midst of a full work day that I feel is going to speed by! Tonight is one of the few nights we aren't busy and I'm looking forward to actually 'resting'.

Here's the week running plan before the race:

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - 2 miles

Wednesday - 20 minutes..i think this is running but not sure..digging to find out

Thursday - Rest

Friday - 20 minutes

Saturday - 13.1 MILES SUCKA!!!!!!!!!

A Full Day!

I don’t mind being busy most of the time, but lately I feel like my weekends are speeding by. This morning I got to share in hosting a baby shower for a dear friend and then enjoy some shopping with C. After I dropped C off, I took an  hour nap before picking her up for our last long run before RACE DAY! Today was a 5 miler at the Towpath. We have not been there since the leaves have started to change color and it was beautiful. We’re still shocked at how we are so tired after 5 miles but know our bodies can run more that twice that!

We had a bonfire last night and enjoyed some time with friends. I love bonfires because it means…SMORES! Here’s my SMORES KIT:

I pack:

-  both Cinnamon and regular Honey Graham Crackers

- Marshmallows

- Hershey bars

- Nutella

- Chocolate Dreams, Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate mixed :)

K2 and I having cuddle time

 

Mina and C hangin’ by the fire.

I’m A Terrible Taper-er

So even though I’m sick, I met C at the gym last night and finished 2 miles on the treadmill and my third on the track. My shins felt fine, but it was so hard to get a deep breath because I’m so ‘NASAL-y’. I really wanted to sit in the sauna and see if I could sweat out the cold, but I think I’ll do that today instead.

C and I talked a bit before going home and we both agreed we’re kind of confused about tapering. Tapering is where you reduce your running activity leading up to your race. Tapering is supposed to help my body rest and my mind prepare before I knock out 13.1 miles at the Akron Half-Marathon. I’m nodding my head in the ‘no’ direction while typing these very words.

I’m a terrible taper-er

I just read this list of the how’s and why’s of tapering before a race and this was the last step:

Step 7

Stay calm. Tapering, while necessary, often creates nervous energy and anxiety.

Both C and I are new to running and this will be the first race for each of us. We trust our training program and we know we should taper, but it’s hard not to think about losing momentum, speed, strength or our sanity. I personally think I’ve gained all three as a result of training, so it feels odd and uncomfortable to rest this much.

Maybe I’ll find clarity and peace in the sauna later :)

I’ll Take a Wedgie over a Runny Nose Any Day!

Today I get to run! C and I are meeting later this evening for a 3 miler that is part of our tapering schedule before the race. I am really looking forward to getting out there and sweating. I'm hoping all this rest and ice and massage has healed my shins and I can run without worry. A new obstacle has come up and I'm trying my best to prevent it from getting worse. Everyone is getting a cold around here, even the pharmacist said so last night as she recommended Claritin along with a vitamin/pill the size of a shoebox! I medicated last night before bed and I felt good while I slept and when I woke up. I downed another shoebox-sized vitamin this morning so let’s hope I feel great soon. We left the windows open in my office last night so I’ve moved my ‘desk’ into the living room where it’s warmer. I have my trusty water bottle, MY CUP of coffee and every notebook and piece of paper I need to get to work!

Business is good and I’ve got a lot of work to do. I don’t have plans tonight so I’m thinking of spending time on a new promotional project I’m working on and possibly start down another new avenue I’ve been thinking about as well. Mina, on the other hand, was taken to the dog park last night and will probably be sleeping in her ‘office’ all day :)

Chow!

Asian Medley Anyone?

Today was quite productive on every front, but fitness. That may be an overstatement…I did try. This morning I met with my friend K to talk about a business venture that I’ve been throwing around for a while. The rest of the day was non-stop with work until 4 pm when I went to the gym. I’ve gone two days without any shin pain doing normal things around the house. I decided that meant I could try to run again.

I did two miles on a stationary bike and felt really good so I started around the track. I enjoyed the run but only finished a mile so that I could see what my leg was feeling like. I stretched out a bit afterwards but started to feel a little pain in my shin. It’s not piercing pain, yet it’s still annoying. I thought about what my friend J said last night and slapped some StreamFresh Asian Medley frozen veggies on my leg. I currently have my leg elevated and I can’t feel a thing while I type.

Tomorrow is a Rest Day so I’ll plan to do just that. I really hope by Thursday I can run again.

Rest Sucks

My shin feels a bit better, but I know I have to follow everyone’s advice and continue to rest. I plan to do some more ice/heat/massage later tonight after small group. Everyone is coming over to our house and even though we saw them last night, I can’t wait. Level 2 rocks!

While I do have some cleaning to do, I’ve been trying not to be on my feet too much and I hate it. I love to wake up early and get stuff done around the house before work and then take the dog out for a walk in the afternoon and I still look forward to running, BUT I can’t do any of that :(

C suggested I skip yesterday’s scheduled EZ run so I did. My friends E, K and J, all runners, suggested that I might want to replace Tuesday’s 4 miler with some biking at the gym or just skip it altogether. I don’t want to lose momentum but more importantly, I want to feel great on Race day!

Done Already?

That’s what C’s hubby asked when we called him this morning to pick us up. We’d barely gotten past the 2mile marker so he had reason to questions us. C was not feeling well, but she may have continued if it wasn’t for me. I think I may have some sort of shin splint in my left shin. In addition to that piercing pain, my quads felt like they’d already run 10 miles. We decided, without much debate, to go home and heal so that we weren’t putting ourselves at risk for not being at the top of our game for race day. I cam home and attempted the ice bath for my leg that C recommended, but I chickened out. After two attempts at soaking my leg in a bucket of icey water and almost crying both times, I resorted to an icey-water-rag wrapped around my leg. That was followed by a hot bath, then a massage from K2 before he tucked me in to bed and handed me the computer to right you this sob story.

Ok I think I’m going to sleep for a while. I’m a little upset that I didn’t have a great 12 mile run like I’ve been planning all week, but I think healing will get me farther than pushing through in this case.

Doesn’t Feel Like an Off Day

I had a great mentor meeting this morning and indulged in my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season, but I’ve been rushing around ever since. After the meeting, I started work where I’ve been extremely productive and still have not put a sizable dent in my to-do list. The list is growing as we speak. I’ve been throwing around some new business ideas and I need to clear my schedule for some time to think and plan, but I have a feeling that’s not going to happen for a few weeks :(

While today is an off day in my half-marathon training schedule, my quads are hurting from the hill work and lunges I did this week. I’m hoping I can make some time this evening to stretch a bit. Kevin and I have a wedding dinner to attend this evening but I can’t stay late because I need to rest. This is really the first weekend that I’ve felt my training really impacting other areas of my life. No worries, I’m looking forward to a great run tomorrow, a long nap and a fun wedding where I think I may pull out my purple heels!

Happy Friday!

Aynsley, I Hate You

That’s what C said this morning right after our first uphill sprint. Tonight is Pasta Night for us so we decided to do our training run this morning. I woke up at 5:30am and ended up at C’s house at 6:10. I turned the corner and she was already power-walking to warm up. I suggested that instead of our scheduled 3 mile run, we spend the 30 minutes doing some hill work. We’ve talked about doing this before but this morning was the first time. Our long run has a number of hills so we do feel like we’re prepared, but I thought it would be nice to mix it up a bit.

So we wandered in the dark and found a hill that wasn’t steep but did have a nice long incline. C suggested we sprint uphill then walk down and catch our breath before sprinting back up. So that was our workout this morning. C definitely knocked the hill work out of the park! She was amazing and so strong up those hills. I felt good but didn’t feel the effects until later this morning. I came home and fell asleep for a while and really felt it after waking up.

FYI – There’s a great article about training on hills in Runner’s World

Yesterday was a day off from our running schedule, but we met at the gym for some strength work. Boy do I miss the weights! I did 15 minutes on the bike, 10 lunges with 8lb weights, 10 squats with 8lb weights and finished with some stretching and sweating in the sauna. It felt really good.

Can’t wait to eat my share of PASTA tonight. C and I plan to treat ourselves and go out for dinner while the husband enjoy the first NFL game of the season.

Just 4 Miles

As planned, C met at my house around 4 pm for our 4miler, just in time for me to come to a stopping point on a project I was working on. There’s a really convenient route we found that starts right at the end of my street and continues along the main vein through our town. We simply turned around just before the 2 mile beep on my phone and ran towards C’s house. I dropped her off there and then continued to my house to finish. It wasn’t a fast pace at all but I completed it and took more time than usual to stretch afterwards. My left shin has begun to bother me more as a walk around, but I’m hoping to ice it a bit later and enjoy this day off in our running schedule.

Last night I enjoyed a girl’s night that was supposed to be at a nearby vineyard but we moved to a local Mexican joint instead because the vineyard was closed. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a Margarita, but it was lovely! While the gals asked me and C how our training was, I said “Today was good, just four miles”, and our other friend, A’s Mom C, cracked up. She had a great point. Not too long ago, I would’ve been nervous about 4 miles, maybe even intimidated. Now I’m acting like it’s a day off :)

I started today with some reading and then prepared a nice clean breakfast of coffee, half a peach and oatmeal with ground flax, maple syrup and peanut butter.

I also took some time to start brainstorming my post-race fitness routine by reviewing my gym’s new fall class schedule. I have come to learn that the circuit is not for me. While the circuit area at the gym is great to get a quick workout in, it doesn’t keep my interest and I rarely look forward to it like I did when I was doing a focused body part routine. I’m also throwing around thoughts of Tennis lessons, Snow-shoeing and yes, running in the snow.

It’s been…too long..since my last confession

Let’s just get it out now…I didn’t run yesterday. Our training schedule had us skip our usual 3 mile EZ run on Sunday and had it moved to yesterday. I still didn’t do it. I spent my Labor Day sleeping in, reading, eating lunch with C and her hubby, going to the see Julie and Julia and finally chowing on Chinese food with Kevin until bedtime. I did feel a bit guilty, only because it’s so late in the training program and I hadn’t missed any scheduled runs until yesterday. I’m over it now though. I’m going to take the dog for a jog/walk later when the rain stops and I hope to be loosened up enough for our 4 miler at 4pm with C.

My hubby and I do what some folks think is really weird, but we love it. We go to see different movies, at the same time. For example, Kevin went to see Transformers for the second time, while I got a ticket to see Julie and Julia. Don’t judge us…we DO see a lot of movies together. However, occasionally we like to split up and see whatever we want, then afterwards we have all kinds of stuff to talk about, usually over a meal of some sort. Julie and Julia was good…not great…but good. It did for me exactly what I expected it to do. Watching the movie motivated me to cook more. It' is kind of funny that we didn’t leave the theater, go the store and then cook a beautiful feast that night :) Instead, we got take-out and enjoyed hearing each other’s movie reviews.

Alright, here is my plan for the week:

Today: prep for 4 miler with Mina then run the 4 miler with C

Wednesday: Strength work, for real this time

Thursday: 3 miles or hill work…past night

Friday: rest

Saturday: 12 miles! Our last long training run before the race!!!

Sunday: 3 mile EZ run

To Infinity & Beyond!

11 Miles! Yesterday’s long run was great and I actually ran the whole thing. We chose to run the same route we did for our 9 mile a couple weeks ago but had to add a loop on the back end so that we’d still end up at Robeks for smoothies.

I woke up at 6am yesterday so that I could drink some water, eat my usual slice of toast with natural nut butter and drink some water. I also did some focused stretching and a short devotion before deciding to go back to sleep for a bit. We met over at C’s house which is right across from our starting point. Luckily, there’s a donut shop there because I always have to pee just as I leave the house.

Overall, I think C and I would both say the run was great. We were pleasantly surprised that some of the same parts of the route were easier than they seemed before. Even though we see each other all the time now, we still managed to conjure up some conversation for the first 4 miles. I didn’t turn my iPod on until around mile 7 and C and I ran shoulder to shoulder until mile 8 where she decided to turn around and do another loop. I was experiencing my first ‘Runner’s High’ and decided to continue up the road until 8.5 and then turned around.

Yes…runner’s high…I said! At mile 8 I was singing out loud and practically dancing/running to my music. I felt great and it wasn’t until mile 10 that I actually started to feel sluggish.

So we finished our run and went straight to Robeks as we waited for my hubby to pick us up and shuttle us home. 

Here’s a shot showcasing C’s new shoes. These pink New Balance running shoes are adorable.

I meant to post yesterday but I took a nap and was then quickly whisked away to two cookouts. My hip flexors were really aching but after some yoga this morning, I feel much better.

Movie Night…Motivation Night

Last night after C and I had our pasta and she left to do some work, the husbands watched the football game and I finally got around to watching two movies I’d wanted to view for a while…two VERY DIFFERENT MOVIES.

If you haven’t used HULU yet, you should. It’s a great site to view TV shows and movies from your computer and the commercials are only 30 seconds :)

Anyway…the first movie was Spirit of The Marathon. This was just what I needed to watch before my long run tomorrow. It was a great source of motivation to run and got my competitive juices flowing. The movie documented 6 folks training for a full marathon and spanned every type of runner from a first timer to the world record holder. It was a great use of my time and was definitely motivating.

The next movie I’ve wanted to watch for a long time was Super Size Me. This is the 2004 documentary that mead headlines following the director around for 30 days while he consumed ONLY McDonalds! The motivated my in a COMPELTELY DIFFERENT manner. Previously, I was not naive enough to think that fast food was good for me, BUT I was uneducated on HOW BAD for me it really is. I do love a burger or even a Southwest Salad every now and then, but watching the movie really did make an impact and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forget some of the images from that film.

Alright…I’m back to hydrating the entire day and preparing for tomorrow! 

Coffee and a little learnin’

That’s how I started my day off today. My hubby left me some coffee in the pot when he made his for work and I woke up just in time to fill my cup before the heating element turned off. I love warm coffee in the morning! Today I traveled to Napa Valley to a small diner called Gillwoods. It’s the place our group went on one of our last days visiting the wine country. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read yesterday’s post).

The next thing on my list is to always read my work email and then my personal email. There was nothing exciting in the my personal email, but i almost passed by a message from Runner’s World that had a great article in it. The article, Weighing In on TIME’s Exercise Article was written with a bit of opposition to an article in TIME magazine printed a while back about running and weight gain. The whole article is worth reading, but this really caught my eye:

THE CALORIE COST OF EXERCISE
As RW's Amby Burfoot pointed out in his own recent blog post, there are a number of health benefits associated with exercise, both mental and physical, but the calorie expenditure really is not all that much. Case in point: The calories burned during a 6-mile run may equal 1.5 (small) slices of plain pizza.

Reading this really made me stop and think. Based on Amby’s correlation between a 6 mile run and 1.5 small slices of pizza…I eat like I’m Dean Karnazas just finishing an ultra-marathon!

So my lesson today was that while I do need to consider the 2300 total calories I’ll burn this week running, and should eat a good bit of pasta tonight for dinner, that doesn’t mean I should follow Saturday’s long run with a trip to every restaurant in site!

Ok…enough learnin’ for today :)

Morning Chills....and Poop...again.

C and I have a busy day today and we decided we need to get used to waking up early to run since the race is in the morning. I woke up at 6am to the first morning chill for this year! There's something fresh about having window open when you go to be at night. The problem is that by the time you wake up, it's freezing and that much harder to get out of bed.

I pried myself away from my husband's warm body and pulled on more clothes than I really wanted to. I drank a little bit of water and stepped out into the dark to walk over to C's house.

Our run was ok. We definitely hadn't recovered that much from last night's run so we were both feeling sluggish. My pace was over 11 min :( The bright side is that we've gotten so used to longer runs, that we know 3 miles will be done soon and so we don't fret much.

C and I were close before we started training for this darned race, but the things you talk about when you run just force you to get creative and ultimately bring you closer. Sometimes I wonder if other runners and their partners talk about poop each time they run! :) Yes, we talk about other things, but bodily functions just seem to be revisited more often than not. There's also the nervous runner's pee, but that's a whole other blog post. After a hot shower and a cuddle with Mina, I threw on some comfy jeans and got my coffee on! Today I traveled to Atlantic City, NJ and took a seat at Sonsie, the neighboring restaurant to one I opened a few years ago.

Before I starting working for myself, I worked in the restaurant business. The last few years in that industry provided me with the opportunity to travel and open a few restaurants, audit others, and experience some great people and yes, taste great food. I started to buy a coffee mug for each city I'd been in and made a habit of reminiscing about that trip each morning I'd use the cup for my daily dose of Joe. It's been a habit ever since. While I wake up in Ohio each morning, there's a moment where I take myself back to Napa Valley, Charlotte, New York or some other great memory.
Cheers to a lovely start to the day!

My longest run during the week!

I had a great day today. My hubby Kevin (K2) was home for a bit today and I snagged this shot of him with Mina. They are so cute! Today's 5 mile run made me LOVE running. The weather was nice and we got to run on some busy roads but eventually veered down a side street that runs parallel to the main road that was very quiet. We could practically run down the center of the street. I just devoured a fruit smoothie made with mango yogurt! So yummy.

I hope to do some lunges and sqauts tonight with a few other strength moves. Oh how I miss strength training. These weeks where we run 5 days are very tiring, but I know the strength training helps.