7 Days Until The Marathon

Wow! The Baltimore Marathon is only 7 days away! I am constantly thinking about it, and rightfully so, as I have been training for this for 3 months. I am nervous, scared, and excited....but, mostly excited! 


Even though I ran this marathon last year, there are still some nerves there, mostly because I know and remember how difficult the second half was, but I am certain that the nervousness will go away as soon as I start running and the adrenaline kicks in. 
I am also a little scared, mainly because I am running this marathon by "myself," and I put myself in quotation marks because you are hardly ever completely by yourself during a marathon. You are probably asking yourself, "What does she mean she is running this by herself? I thought Rob was running it too?!" Well, that was the plan, and as we all know, plans change. Unfortunately, Rob had to defer his race entry until 2012, due to an injury. He hurt his hip/leg and it sidelined him from training and is not completely healed yet. He isn't even sure exactly what is wrong yet and is still trying to get that figured out. So, until it is completely healed...no running, hence, no marathon! Despite the injury, he has been my number one supporter and even went with me for my long runs. He would sit in the car and wait for me! Even though he wasn't running with me, it was nice to know that he was still there with me and would be there with me when I finished those long runs. So, a little scared, but I know he will be there along the route and at the finish line cheering me on! That is going to be the best part about him not running with me! I will actually know someone that is out there cheering for me! Regardless, the Baltimore cheering crowd is AMAZING! 


Excited, truly does not even begin to explain how I really feel about the upcoming marathon! The more I think about it, the more excited I get. I know I have been training hard this year and am in much better shape for this marathon than I was for last years marathon. I am have my sights set on a new PR (personal record), but I also don't want to be disappointed. I truly feel that I am ready for this marathon, including those hills this year!  I believe I can pace myself better, know what I am capable of doing, and know how to listen to my body. 


We are going to the Expo on Thursday night, so I can pick up my race bib and marathon shirt. I am excited for the Expo this year as well, as it is bigger and better than ever. I have never seen so much running stuff in my life. I am going to sign up for a pace group (just like I did with the Half-Marathon in May), but right now, my biggest dilemma is which pace group to sign up with. I am torn between the 4:45 and 4:30 pace groups. I have been averaging around a 10 minute mile pace or better for my long runs 16 and 17 miles. I just know how hard of a course this is the second half and I don't want to go out too fast too soon. Ahhh...the life of a runner! Rob seems to think I am setting myself short if I only shoot for a 4:45 marathon, and the more I think about, the more I think he might be right. Regardless, how I feel that day will truly determine how good of a marathon I have, and I always want to make sure that I finish the 26.2 miles! 


The week before the marathon is probably the hardest part for me because I have a million things running through my head, and with it being taper time, I have lots of time to think about them all! Still trying to decide what shorts and shirt I want to wear for the marathon as well! Should have that figured out tomorrow! 


I can't wait for the marathon! I will post all my information and how you can track me while I run, if you want to do so, as soon as that information is made available to me! So stay tuned! 


Thank you all for your continued support! I truly appreciate it!  7 days and counting....

Larriland Farm

Today Rob and I decided to go to Larriland Farm in Woodbine, MD (near Lisbon) to pick some of our own fresh fruits and vegetables. It is a little bit of a drive for us, about 45-50 minutes, but definitely worth the trip. We are already planning another trip back in a few weeks when other fruits and vegetables are ready for picking.

It was a lot of fun picking our own food. Today we picked some...

tomatoes---minus one that Rob had to eat as soon as we got home. Some...

peaches --- minus one we shared in the car on our way home, and...

some blackberries. (Not a great picture, but forgot to get one before I put them away.) Yummy!

I am planning on making some of my own peach and blackberry jam with these goodies!

We also treated ourselves to...

some Old Fashioned Soda. Can you guess which one was mine? And to some fruit rolls, which we ate before I could get any pictures, as I didn't take my camera with me. I will definitely be taking my camera for future pickings and events.

In October they have Halloween events, pumpkin and apple picking, and hayrides. Can't wait! If you are in the area and want to check them out here is a link to their website: www.pickyourown.com.

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi was on the dinner menu for tonight. This is one of my favorite meals. It tastes great, is simple to make (takes around 30 minutes), low calorie, and low fat. We haven't had this meal in a long time, which probably made it taste even better than usual. It was delicious!

Here are the ingredients that you will need. There are 10 ingredients, but you should have most of them on hand already.

I got this recipe from the Eating for Life cookbook, which I highly recommend, as it is a great cookbook with a ton of wonderful recipes. It includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack recipes.

I have tweaked this recipe a little bit to make it just a little bit healthier. I cut out the olive oil (1 Tbsp) and used the Pam Cooking Spray instead. This was the first time I did it this way and it still came out great, as you only use the olive oil to saute the garlic in.

Here's a list of the ingredients:

~4 oz uncooked whole-wheat penne pasta

~Pam Cooking Spray (enough to lightly coat a large skillet)

~3 cloves of garlic, minced

~8 oz of shrimp

~3 Tbsp of Butter Buds or Molly McButter Sprinkles (divided)

~3 Tbsp of chicken broth (reduced sodium and 99% fat free)

~1/4 tsp black pepper

~Lemon Juice

~3 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese, grated (reduced fat)

~Parsley Flakes (sprinkle)

Directions:

1. Boil penne pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and put in a large bowl and cover.

2. While the penne is cooking, boil water for the shrimp. Since the shrimp I use is already cooked, you just need to heat it through. I bring it to a boil, drain it, and let it cool.

3. Get large skillet (or use the pan from the shrimp) spray it with Pam and add the garlic. Set aside while you take the tails off the shrimp (unless you buy with tails-off). Add shrimp to pan and saute for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add 1 Tbsp of Butter Buds and chicken broth (you can use white cooking wine instead) to shrimp mixture and saute 1-2 minutes.

5. Add remaining 2 Tbsp of Butter Buds and black pepper to cooked penne; mix gently.

6. Add shrimp mixture to pasta and mix it all together.

7. Divide into 2 portions and spoon onto plates. Top with a little bit of lemon juice, add Parmesan Cheese (personally, 1-1/2 Tbsp per plate was too much for me, so I will probably cut it to 1 Tbsp or 2 tsp next time I make it.), and sprinkle with parsley flakes.

8. Enjoy!

And this is what the finished product looks like:

Nutritional Information (per serving):

Servings: 2

Calories: 383

Fat: 5 grams

Carbs: 56 grams

Protein: 34 grams

Fiber: 6 grams

**As long as you use exactly what is posted on here. **

You get a decent amount of food for the calories:

But, if this isn't enough, you could always add a side salad or some fruit. Hope you like it!

What's For Dinner?

On Sunday, I found my calendar dry erase board and decided that I would use it to plan out our monthly dinners. The further we get into our training, the more time we spend running, so I wanted to at least know what we were going to be having for dinner. I don't want to get back from a run at 6 or 7 pm and have to figure out what to have for dinner. Along with planning it all out, I do my shopping for the week on Sunday or Monday, depending on what we are having on that particular Monday. By shopping for everything ahead of time, I can make up some of the meals earlier in the week or earlier in the day, so it will be ready to heat up and eat as soon as we get home and shower. It definitely makes the nights go so much smoother, and decreases the tendency to grab not so healthy food.

Here is what the month of August looks like:

I am hoping to post some of these healthy recipes throughout the month with pictures! I think I have posted a couple of the recipes on the menu in previous posts, so you can check them out, if you would like. I also put the page number, if it came from my cookout, so I would know exactly where to find that specific recipe.

Eating healthy doesn't have to take a lot of time, trust me! I don't like spending all of my time cooking. I would much rather be outside running! :) So, I try to make it as easy as possible, and so far this method seems to be working.

Check back often for updates and recipes!

Can't Get Enough!

It seems like I just can't get enough information or inspiration for running. Every time I step into a bookstore, I am drawn to the sports section and immediately to the books on running. I could literally stand there for hours looking through all of the books, trying to decide which one I just can't leave the store without! I recently went to Borders, since they are going out of business (which makes me very sad, as they were one of my favorite bookstores), and ended up leaving with two new inspirational running books. One of which I am currently reading, and have a hard time putting down at night, so I can get some sleep.

So far this is a great book, and I am only 35 pages into it! The stories of the women in the book are truly inspirational. Whether you are seasoned runner, a new runner, or thinking about becoming a runner, there is sure to be a story that will touch and inspire you to either continue running or to start running. The power of running is definitely amazing! I am not sure how I ever lived without making running a part of my life. It has forever changed mine!

We Have We Been Up To?

Wow! Where has this year gone? Can you believe that it is already August? I sure can't! Time has been going by so fast, and so fast that it seems like I haven't had time to sit down and blog about everything that we have been doing the last couple of months.

June was a pretty busy month for me between working and running. I did a lot of substitute teaching at the end of the school year, definitely more than I was expecting, but it was nice. I really love teaching and working with the students. It is so much fun! Even with all the hours I was putting in at the end of the school year, which went until June 22 because of the snow days, I still ran a total of 100 miles! An increase of 23 miles from the month of May! I also ended up with 60 walking miles! My average running pace was a 10:21 minute mile. My average walking pace was 17:14, and I burned a total of 11,882 calories! June ended up being a really good month.

On June 27th we started our training for marathon number 2! Yes, we are running the same marathon as last year. The same marathon we swore while we were running and as soon as we were done, that we would never run again! The Baltimore Marathon!

July started out very busy as well. My sister came to visit for the 4th of July weekend. She left on Sunday the 3rd. My mom also came to visit. She was July 3rd through the 10th. It was so nice having both my sister and my mom down here to visit. We had a great time. My sister and I went shopping...that is a workout in itself. :) My mom was here a little longer, so we got to do a few different things. We went to a Bowie Baysox game and watched their 4th of July fireworks display afterwards. A couple of days later, we went and walked around downtown Annapolis, as my mom had never been there. Luckily, she got here before we had the 115 degree weather!

Despite the busy start to July and the horrible heat wave we encountered throughout the month, we managed to complete the first 5 weeks of our marathon training. There were some early morning runs, and some very hot and humid runs, but that is what summer marathon training is all about! Plus, it makes the temperature in October feel amazing! July running and walking numbers are a little lower, due to training, but are rapidly increasing and August's numbers will definitely show that! We logged 79 running miles and 47 walking miles for the month of July. The average run pace was 9:32. Our average walk pace was 25:31, this includes miles walking the doggies. They tend to slow you down a little bit! :) I burned 10,582 calories in the month of July.

This puts my total running miles at 1,215 since July 12 of 2010 and my walking miles at 360. My walking miles are lower due to the fact that I didn't really start including the miles I spent walking until December of 2010.

Oh, and I am starting to include some biking on my non-running days. Only ended up with 10 miles for the month of July, but hoping to increase that number for the month of August. Biking is a great cross-training workout for runners. I am hoping it will make my legs a little stronger and ready for the Baltimore hills!

Thanks for reading!

Running Anniversary

One year ago today, I started training for my first marathon and had no idea what I was getting myself into. After a few weeks of running I was HOOKED! I never enjoyed running as a child or in high school. I would always try to find a way to not run. I never thought I would one day call myself a runner, but I am so proud to call myself a runner today and for life! I wish I would have realized what running could do for me --- emotionally, mentally, and physically!

I started running one year ago today, haven't stopped, and don't plan on stopping ever! I want to be running until I am 100 years old! In one year, I have gone from running 12 and 13 minute miles to 8 and 9 minute miles for most of my runs. I can't believe how much I have improved in just one year!

In one year of running I have:

~ Ran a marathon (26.2 miles) in 5:07:17 and am currently training for #2!

~ Ran a half-marathon (13.1 miles) in 1:55:31 to celebrate my 30th birthday!

~ Ran a 5K (3.1 miles) AFTER running 13.1 miles!

~ Ran a total of 1,161 miles (including today's mile).

~ Lost 28 pounds just from running and eating healthy.

Since it was my one year anniversary for running, I decided (even though today is not a normal running day) to run 1 mile to celebrate! I didn't get out as early as I would have liked to, and it was already around 86 degrees with 66 percent humidity when I headed out for my workout today.

I knew I was only going to run 1 mile today, so I gave it everything I had. I was hoping for it to be a little faster than this, but it was already pretty warm out there for this mile, so I will take an 8:16 mile! Granted it is only for 1 mile and it was a pretty flat mile, but I know I wouldn't have even been this close to an 8 minute mile 1 year ago!

Happy with this 1 mile run, and how much my love for running has grown over the last year!

Homemade Chicken and Veggie Pizza

I thought pizza sounded good, but I didn't want pizza with all the grease and fat, so I decided to pick up the ingredients to make my own homemade pizza. Yes, it might take a little bit more time, and is not as convenient as delivery or store bought pizza. But...it tastes so much better, and I can have more than 1 slice for less calories!

Here is a picture of the pizza we had for dinner tonight! Hot out of the oven!

This is what you need to make this Chicken and Veggie Pizza:

1 - Boboli 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

1/2 cup - Contadina Pizza Sauce

42 grams - Weight Watchers Natural Reduced Fat Four Cheese Italian Style Blend

4 oz - Tyson All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

2 oz - Monterey Fresh Mushrooms

1.5 oz - Green Bell Pepper

1 oz - White Onion

Makes 6 Servings

Per Serving---1 slice:

170 calories

4 grams fat

26 grams carbs

11 grams protein

5 grams fiber

Enjoy!

Current Lifetime Stats

As of today, June 1st, here are my current lifetime stats from DailyMile:

1,306 miles

290.33 total time

55 pounds burned

367 total workouts

0.05 around the world

4,018 TV's powered

68.74 gas saved

1,047 donuts burned

Those are some major totals!

May's Running Statistics

I finished out May with a bang. In the last 10 days of the month, I ran 8 of those days for a total of 41 miles! I walked 25 miles within that 10 day period as well. Here are my running and walking stats for the month of May:

Running Miles---77---a little less this month due to training and tapering for the half, and then some recovery afterwards.

Walking Miles---59---got 6 more miles walking this month than I did last month.

Average Running Pace---10:22 per mile

Average Walking Pace---17:34 per mile

Total Calories Burned---11,229

Current 2011 total running and walking miles---682 out of 2011

Frederick Half-Marathon and Nut Job Challenge

We are half and full marathoners!

And 5Ker's too!

We ran our first half-marathon on May 7th, 2011 in Frederick, MD. I know...it has been a while since we ran, and I have been wanting to post a blog about it, but it seems like every time I sat down to start writing it, I just didn't know what to write. So here goes nothing!

Unlike when we ran the marathon in Baltimore, I did not carry my camera while I ran, and for a couple of reasons. 1) We were running this half-marathon separately, and 2) I was running with a specific time goal.

I had some people asking me what my goal was before I actually ran, and I was hesitant to say what it was because I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to hit that goal. When I went and picked up our race packets I sign-up with one of the Geico Pace groups...the 1:55 pace group to be exact! When you sign-up, they give you a wrist band with the times for each mile that you can wear if you want, so I took one home with me. After looking that the wrist band, and seeing all those times and just how fast I would have to be running, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull off running a sub-2 hour half-marathon. The sub-2 hour half was my goal! So did I do it...keep reading!

YES! WOW! I DID IT! I didn't know if I was going to be able to push through and hit my goal! A huge thanks goes out to the 1:55 Geico Pacers and Ray J. (A fellow DailyMiler) who came up behind me around the 11 mile mark, I was able to get my sub-2 hour half-marathon. The support and encouragement really helped to push me through the hill at the end and push it to the finish line. Thank you, Ray J. for sticking with me to help me hit my goal. :)

My head started to get in the way around mile 4, as I wasn't sure if I could keep pace for the next 9.1 miles. Then, I stopped thinking about that and just ran. The crowd was pretty good and supportive as well. It was at this point that I realized I was also ahead of the Geico pacers, I has actually gotten ahead of them around the mile 3 water stop. I wasn't too worried about being a head of them because according to my Garmin and the wristband, I was right on pace. I knew I would probably slow down a little later in the race and wanted to just keep going while I was feeling pretty good.

Me running the half. Not sure where this was taken, but I am guessing around mile 7 or so. It seemed like I was always running into the sun and couldn't see. I didn't even see the photographer! Can you tell?! :)

I felt pretty good until about mile 10 and that was where I started to slow down a little bit. The hill around there really got to me and the sun was very hot at this point in the race! Thankfully, there was a nice breeze every now and then, and it always seemed to come right when I needed it.

When I hit the 11 mile mark my legs were hurting, but I knew I just needed to keep going. I couldn't stop now! I was SO close! I was really glad to see the Geico Pacers and Ray J., as I don't think I would have been able to do it without them. They gave me just that little bit extra that I needed to finish. If it wasn't for them, I know I wouldn't have hit my sub-2 hour goal! Ray J. kept telling me, "You got this!" Although, I wasn't as sure about it as he was! :) I finished pretty strong, of course, not as strong as I would have liked. I remember turning the corner and seeing the last hill before the race to the finish line. I wasn't sure if this hill was going to be the end of my goal, or, if I would be able to push through it and finish what I set out to do. At one point, I do remember telling Ray J. "I don't know how much I have left." I guess it was enough because I pushed through that final hill, gave a little boy a high 5 on my way up it, (which I later found out was another fellow DailyMiler's little boy! How cool is that?!), that put a huge smile on my face, and knew that this race was mine! I WAS going to get that sub-2 hour half! And I did! Not only was it a sub-2 hour, but I cleared that 2 hour mark by 5 whole minutes! 1:55:31 was my official chip time!

Me crossing the finish line! I love this photo! And Ray J. is on the far right side in blue!

I am super proud of myself and so thankful to my husband, Rob, who let me run this race, so I could try for my goal. I have to admit though, it was really weird not running with him, and thought about him while I was running as well.

Rob running the half! He obviously saw the photographers!

It was so crowded at the end that I didn't even get to see him finish! :( But, he did! He ran a great race as well! 2:16:16! So proud of you, baby!

Rob crossing the finish line!

Before the race started, we met up with some fellow DailyMilers (luckily some of them had a camera)--- Heather R., Achillex aka Ernie, Michael C., and Patty E. It was so nice to finally meet some DM'ers. Thank you all so much for the support! It is greatly appreciated!

From left to right: Rob, Me, Patty, Michael, Heather, and Ernie.

Oh, and my back was not a problem at all during the half-marathon! But, my legs were sure giving me what for afterwards :) A little back pain after the half-marathon and before the 5K, but not too bad! All that rest definitely was the right thing, even though it was very difficult!

Now, that is a GREAT way to start your 30's!

Here are my official stats for the half-marathon:

Clock time: 1:56:05
Chip time: 1:55:31
Overall: 1009/3864
Female Place: 302/2076
Division Place: 60/322
8 Mile Rank:1022
8 Mile Time: 1:09:32
Total Pace: 8:49

Here are some pictures from after the half-marathon!

Ray J. and I with our medals!

Me with my medal!

Rob with his medal!

Us with our medals!

Rob with his medal as soon as he finished!

Me showing off my medal as soon as I finished!

I think I was a little dizzy and shaky, hence how I am standing!

5K/Nut Job Challenge

As I said before...we also ran a 5K the same day and only a couple of hours apart!

What was I thinking?! Ha, ha! Definitely NOT my best 5K time, but I just didn't have a lot left after running my best (and first) half-marathon ever! I was not feeling very good about 15 minutes before the start either, and Rob wasn't going to let me run it. But, I promised a run/walk just so we could finish it. We were standing in the sun waiting to line up and the heat really got to me. I got very dizzy, eye sight was blurry, and my ears were ringing. I went to the shade, sat down, and drank some water for about 10 minutes until we were ready to start. I felt fine by the start of the race, except for my legs, but it was definitely very scary!

Me running the 5k! Saw this photographer! Notice the water bottle!

It was the hardest and longest 3.1 miles of my life. My legs hurt and were cramping, which made it very difficult to run. I don't think the 2-1/2 hours in between the half and the 5K helped either.

But, Rob and I finished it...he would have totally kicked my butt in the 5K today, but he was so sweet to stay with me and finish it out. I believe we probably walked close to half the race and only ended up about 10-1/2 minutes slower than I would have liked. Not too bad considering the circumstances!

Us crossing the 5K finish line!

As soon as we crossed the finish line! I was so happy to be finished!

5K finishers photo!

I will definitely take my half-marathon time, over trying for a 5K PR today! I have more opportunities to do the 5K in under 30 minutes and I don't have to run 13.1 miles first! :)

Official 5K stats:

Clock Time: 42:04
Chip Time : 40:32
Overall Place: 774 / 985
Gender Place: 436 / 601
Division Place: 72 / 95
Total Pace: 13:05

Here are my totals for both the Half and 5K:

Finished 28th (even with that horrible 5K time) for the female finishers! I guess I will take it!

Series Total: 2:36:03.80

Other race photos:

Our race swag!

The Medal!

Me after getting home and cleaned up with my Nut Job t-shirt and medal on!

I was trying to not look exhausted, but I was!

Thank you all for your continued support!

Nature Walk

As I promised, I only walked today, so my back can heal up before the half-marathon on Saturday. My back is feeling better today, not 100 percent, but definitely feeling much better than it was yesterday and a few days ago. The pain is subsiding, and walking and sitting are not as painful.

Since I was only walking today, I decided to hit the trail about a 1/2 mile from my house, and use it as an opportunity to take some pictures. I never take my camera with me on my run because I don't like carrying it while I am running. I used today's walk as a nature walk. It was a gorgeous day---in the 70's---and I really enjoyed being outside and taking in the sites!

Below are some pictures I took while on my walk today! Enjoy!

Had to stop for a quick photo! Tree stumps make great tripods!

At the beginning of the trail...

The wooded trail area really makes me think of and miss home!

One of the two bridges!

I just love the view and peacefulness of the trail. Sure beats the noisy streets!

The beautiful sun peaking through the trees!

Mushrooms?

Same bridge as above...just from the other direction.

The other bridge on the other part of the trail.

Still reminds me of home.

Love how green everything is in these two pictures. Beautiful!

The end or beginning...depending on how you look at it!

I ended up walking about 2-1/2 miles of my 4.17 mile walk on this trail today! It was a nice, easy, peaceful walk!

Wow! This Is Inspiring!

As most of you know, I absolutely love DailyMile! The support is wonderful! Everyday the site has a daily mission, and you can choose to answer the daily mission question or not. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, it depends on what the topic is. Well, I thought today's daily mission was a good one.

Here is today's daily mission question:

Should kids be allowed to run marathons? If so, what should be the minimum age?

This is a hard question because I feel that everyone should have the opportunity to experience running a marathon, but maybe there should be a minimum age. I don't really know though because maybe having a minimum age requirement would turn kids away from running. I think if a child is doing it with an adult and understands what they are getting into, then why not?!

I wish I would have understood how good running can be for you, and how great it can make you feel afterwards long before I finally took an interest in running. We are always saying that children need to be active, but what kind of message are we sending them if we say no, you can't run a marathon because you are too young?

Like I said before, it is definitely a hard question to answer, and I can see the pros and cons of it. But, watch the video below and see the emotions that this little girl is feeling at the end of her ultra-marathon. Priceless!

Frederick Half-Marathon in 5 Days!

Wow! I can't believe the Frederick half-marathon in is FIVE DAYS! May 7th, 2011! I definitely have some mixed emotions about the half-marathon, which range from super excited to nervous! Let me explain!

I am super excited about this half-marathon for a few reasons:

1) It is my first half-marathon. Even though I have already ran a marathon, this is still my first half and the way you mentally prepare for a half-marathon is WAY different from the way you prepare for a full marathon. You only have half the distance to run!

2) This is my first race in a new age group! Three days before this race, I turn...30!

3) Even though Rob is running the half-marathon as well, we have decided that he is going to let me run this by myself, as part of my birthday present!

4) We are running a 5K (3.1 miles) after the half-marathon as well! This is part of a challenge that the Frederick Running Festival is putting on, and rightfully called, The Nut Job Challenge!

Now, even with all of this excitement, I am still a little nervous for this half-marathon for a couple of reasons!

1) It is only FIVE days away! The closer it gets the more you think about it and everything that is associated with it.

2) Even though I have been having some really great training runs, I hurt my back last week and it is making it very difficult to run. It is extremely painful, but I am hoping that with rest this week and no running, that it will be feeling 100% by Saturday! It is feeling better today than it was yesterday, so I am really trying not to stress about it, as I am doing everything I possibly can to make it feel better by Saturday. Rest is the key!

3) I have a goal in mind for this half-marathon, and I REALLY want to reach this goal. I truly believe that I can do it, and I am hoping my back will allow me to do so! But, believe me, my back is NOT going to keep me from trying to reach this goal.

Tuesday, May 3rd, I go and pick up our race packets! Can't wait!

Still Running

I figured today, May 1^st, 2011, would be a good day to finally write another running blog. Even though I haven’t written a running blog since January 31^st, 2011, Rob and I have been doing a lot of running and training. Wow! Since I haven’t blogged in awhile, I am not even really sure where to start. I guess I will start with a review of the past 3 months.

In February, we continued with running, but not really with any set amount of miles. I tried to run at least 5 miles a day, but, of course, I didn’t run every single day. On February 28^th, we actually started our training for the half-marathon in May. The month of February statistics are as follows: 96 total miles running, average pace 10:00, 51 total miles walking, average pace 15:11, total calories burned – 22,039!

March began a full month of training for the half-marathon in May. Due to the training the total number of miles for the month of March is a little lower, since we were following a training plan. When training for a half-marathon or a marathon, it is very important to follow a training plan. A training plan gives you a guideline for the total number of miles you should run each week, which makes it so you don’t over train. Our training runs this month went very well. When the weather would cooperate, we would do our runs outside, but there were many times when our runs had to be done inside on the treadmill. We finally broke down and bought a treadmill at the beginning of February, and I am so glad that we did. It has definitely made our training much easier during this rainy and stormy spring. March’s final statistics are as follows: 89 total miles running, average pace 9:33, 51 total miles walking, average pace 16:07, total calories burned – 18,172!

April turned out to be a pretty good training month as well. We were able to get outside a little bit more for our runs, which definitely makes the runs a lot more interesting. For some reason, I find running on the treadmill to be more difficult, even if I am running at the same pace or sometimes even slower. I really think that running on the treadmill had helped my overall running. I have seen a big increase in my pace during my outside runs, and the ease at which I am doing the runs. April’s final statistics are as follows: 112 total miles running, average 10:02 pace, 53 total miles walking, average pace 17:17, total calories burned – 20, 342!

Sometimes A Bad Run Can Turn Into A Great Run

Okay, so this run did not start out exactly as I had planned or hoped for, however, I am SO glad that I continued with this run. Let me explain...

I decided to just go outside and run today because I didn't feel like driving to the gym to get on a treadmill for my run, plus I wanted to be able to get some good miles in, and being at the gym on a treadmill it is really hard to stay on a treadmill for that long. So, I bundled up, since it was only in the low to mid-30’s, and headed out for some fresh air a good run. I really wanted to run outside because the weather is supposed to get bad again, possibly starting late tonight and lasting through Wednesday, and I knew if we get the ice that they are calling for that I will not be running outside or at the gym. So…out the door I went.

The temperature was actually really good and I wasn’t too cold even at the start. I figured that I would just run 2 or 3 of the bigger laps around the block and call it good, as that should give me at least 7 miles or so. Well, after the first mile I knew that was not going to happen. The run started out all right, as I was running on the road, which was nice and clear (for the most part). Then right before the 1-mile mark, I usually get back on the sidewalk because it is a much busier road, and the road actually has a sidewalk. Not today! The first part of the sidewalk was clear, but then the rest was a mess. It was so bad that I had to stop running and walk to the end of the sidewalk, which luckily was only a couple hundred feet or so, but I was upset. Then I looked down at my watch to see where I was at for about the first mile and it said 11 minutes!! I couldn’t believe it. Had it really taken me 11 minutes to run 1 mile? For me, this is really slow, so I was really upset now. Why was it taking me so long today? At this point I was also walking, which wasn’t making it any better, and I honestly, thought about just stopping the run right then and there and just walking the rest of the way home!

But, I didn’t! Instead, I just turned up the next street (running on the road) and then branched off onto the next side street, which would take me back to the other road I was just on. I was like, “Okay, how can I make this run work?” Then it came to me, “Just run on the side streets!” So, that is what I did! Most of the side streets in the neighborhood don’t have sidewalks, so I didn’t have to worry about the ice and snow on them, and being side streets I feel much safer running on the road.

Now that I was just running on the side streets, I had NO idea how far I had gone, as the only mile marker I actually knew at this point was mile 1. I didn’t know how I was going to manage to get some good miles in with a limited running area. Then it hit me the second time down the original route I had planned. I would run up and down every side street that connected to that street, as well as, every side street that connected to my street. Luckily there were only side streets on one side of both of these streets! :) I figured this would not only help to get some miles in, but also make it so the run wouldn’t be so boring. I hate running the same street a bunch of times to get the miles in.

It worked! I got some major miles! Definitely more than I was planning on running today. I was going to be happy with 7 miles today, but I guess I have to be happy with 9.6 miles, since that is what I ended up running. I figured if I ran for an hour and a half, and remember, my first mile was around 11 minutes, so this is what I was going off of, should be pretty good. I didn’t figure out my miles until just a few minutes ago, when I mapped the whole run out!

I am SO happy with how this run turned out! I am happy with the miles I put in today. I felt pretty good throughout the run. And am so glad I didn’t just walk back home. I ended up with a nice pace for that distance and had a really good run. I definitely feel like I got some good hill work in as well. This route was a lot hillier than my other routes, which only have a few hills. This route was a lot of up and down, which makes me even happier with the mileage and pace for today’s run!

Average heart rate for today’s run was 155, even with all the hills! :)

Distance climbed---424 feet!

Oh, and, I had to slow down and stop a few times to wait for cars and trucks because of the crap that was still on the roads. I still can’t believe how inconsiderate people are to runners! I hope I was never that way before I was a runner!

Moral for today’s run: A bad run can end up turning into a great run, so just keep running!

Great way to zap that ZERO, start the week off, and end the month of January!