156 Days Left

 

 

Man, it was work today.   I woke up excited and ready to go after my 5 miles on Sunday.  I took yesterday off and was looking forward to running today.

 

The stars were not aligned for me this morning.  My good running clothes were in the dirty hamper.  I normally have some tightness in my left hamstring that I can usually run out during the first interval or two.  That tightness decided to stick around today....for the entire run.  Every time my watch beeped to start running again, I felt like I was out of step to get going again.  To top it off, there was traffic that I had to wait for at every single road crossing. 

 

But, I kept at it.  The tightness in my leg did let up a little bit during the last 5 minutes of my run or so.  A kind and sympathetic driver slowed down so I could cross the street at the last crossing.  I came home and did laundry so I can have my favorite clothes for Thursday.  I never fixed the feeling that my timing was off. 

 

My children are crazy today too.  Maybe something in our world is just out of whack.  Thursday will be better.  I will feel better and I will go further and faster.

 

And....if anyone has some good stretches for the muscle that I affectionately refer to as my move your butt muscle, I am open to anything that will loosen it up!

 

Today's stats:

2.8 miles in 37.14 minutes (13.1 minute miles)



181 Days Left

So, I'm getting slower.  I am supposed to be getting faster.  It's making me cranky.  It's making me want to stay in bed when the alarm goes off.  I don't know why I am getting slower.  Maybe it's the new shoes.  I read that new shoes can be like running in sand for a little while.  They can slow you down until they become one with your foot.  Maybe it's the fact that it was so humid that I couldn't even sweat. You know how I feel about running in the humidity.   Maybe it's the fact that I got home late last night and didn't really sleep well.    It was Book Club night and I slept in the house all alone.  Maybe I am just slow.  All I know is that I'm getting frustrated about it.

Naturally, when something is frustrating, it should go on Facebook.  So, I posted my times for the other princesses and I whined about  mentioned my slower times.  My princess friend (and just all around friend), Jen, reminded me that I still got out there.  I did my run.  She reminded me that it was still 2.58 miles.   That helped......a little.

Today's Stats:
2.58 miles (in 1000% humidity) in 34.50  (13.3 minute mile)

This weekend I am going to have to find a new place to run.  I have been going around (and around and around) my neighborhood, which is an awful lot like running on a track.....just longer.  I'll play around with maps and see what I can find.

 

204 Days Left

This race is stressing me out......get out of bed 5 times during the night after thinking about it all day stressing me out.  I have read just about every blog ever written about this race.  I have been watching videos on YouTube of people running the race.  I have read 3 books about running and training and I have poured over the training plan.  I even went as far as to make a calendar and plug the runs in so I can print it out and put it on my fridge.....in the new house.

Did I mention that we are moving?  Next week?  That could be causing some stress too, but the anxiety is manifesting itself in the race.  Running is supposed to be a source of stress relief, but right not, running is just another thing to the list of things that I have to worry about.

So, this morning, I did what anyone else would do.  I got up and ran.  My eyeballs opened at 5:25am.  I was up and out before my husband's alarm even went off.  (Good thing because he forgot to set it.)  I went outside to find that the humidity was back.  Not super thick, can't breathe humidity.  Just sticky gross humidity.  I went anyway.   There wasn't a lot of whining on the inside today.  I just went.  I was slower than last time.  I could tell from the beginning.  The running intervals were slower and the walking intervals were slower.  I kept going.  I didn't curse at the watch to beep so I could walk.  I kept going.  When I got back home, I was glad to be done, but I felt like I could have kept going.  (Why didn't I, you ask?  Because my husband has to go to work.  If I want a shower in relative peace, I have to stop when I get home....or I have to get up earlier.  I stopped today.) 

Running is still hard.  The Jeff Galloway method says that you shouldn't be huffing and puffing at any point during the run.  That is a funny joke.  If I am running, I am huffing and puffing.  It's getting better, but there is no way that I could carry on any sort of conversation during my runs.  I'm okay with that.  I guess I will get there.  I'm just not there yet.  But, in the 30 minutes or so that I am running, nobody is crying or whining.  Nobody needs anything.  There is nothing that needs to get  organized for the packers.  There are no phone calls to make.  No plans to check or double check.  I don't love it....far from it.  Thinking about running will consume my thoughts during the day and keep me restless at night.  But during those 30 minutes, it's just me and my music.  It's peaceful.  It's the only time of my day that is peaceful.  I need that time, no matter how slow I go.

Today's stats:
2.2 miles in 29.19 minutes (13.3 minute mile)

206 Days Left

Spring weather made an appearance on this Rhode Island summer day!!  I woke up (at 5:40ish), got dressed in my cute skirt and my butter yellow shirt, grabbed my new hand-held water bottle, and headed outside to get my shoes on.  (A few notes - first, YES, this is the same running skirt that caused me some wardrobe issues last week.  Never fear, I bought some BodyGlide this weekend to help with my wardrobe malfunctions.  Second, I bought one of those handheld water bottles...more on that later.)

So, I shook of the chill and got a little excited that it would be a good running day.  I didn't let myself down.  With my legs gliding smoothly with each step instead of sticking and rubbing (thanks Body Glide), I was off on my 2 mile run.  Because of the cool temperatures, I wasn't willing my watch to beep for the entire run.  It wasn't easy just yet, but it wasn't painful.  I could feel that I wasn't slowing down at the end of the run. 

BUT, let's talk about this water bottle.  It seemed like a great idea.  You just slip it onto your hand and off you go....water whenever you need it.  Nobody told me that the water sloshes when you are running.  Nobody told me that the water in the bottle gets hot from the heat in your hand at the end of the run.  Nobody mentioned that the stupid bottle is kind of heavy.  Today, I don't like my bottle so much.  I will try it again on Wednesday.  Maybe I will like it when it is warm again and I really want a sip of water on my long run.

This evening, I went to the top of the hill to walk a mile with another princess.  She is at the beginning of her journey to the castle.  I am honored that she let me take the first steps with her.  She did great and we are doing it again tomorrow! 

My new focus (nope, not the distance, not the speed, not the training) is my playlist.  I need about 4 hours of music......30 - 45 minutes of pre-race music and 3 1/2 hours of running music.  I am going to throw in some Disney favorites for the race because that's fun.  I am open to suggestions for songs to go between the Disney ditties.  What's your favorite running song?


Today's Stats:
2.2 miles in 27.40 minutes (12.5 minute mile)

208 Days Left

I really wanted to stay in bed this morning.  I woke up at 5:30.am.in.the.morning before the alarm even went off.  I looked at the clock and asked myself if I REALLY wanted to get up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning on a day when we have a pretty full schedule.  So, I closed my eyes again and considered going back to sleep.  I really tried to go back to sleep.  And then, I got up, got dressed, and got going.  I didn't even wear a cute outfit today.  I wore cotton capris and a race t-shirt.  I put on my shoes and went on my way. 

Today was long run day.  Keep in mind that I am not even on the training schedule yet, so my "long" run was 3.2 miles.  This is the longest distance that I have ever run.  In my life.  I tried to psyche myself into the long run.  I tried this run a few days ago, but I upped my intervals that day and, quite honestly, petered out coming down the hill on the way home and didn't have the juice to go up another hill, so I cut it short and patted myself on the back for upping the interval.  No excuses today.  I had to do it.  So, to convince myself that once I started down the hill, I was in the home stretch, I did the "hard" stuff first.  I went around my neighborhood and up the hill I usually walk.  Then I went out into the "real world" and went into the other neighborhoods on the way UP so when I got to the stoplight at the top of the big hill, I could just turn around and skedaddle on home.  This tactic seemed to work unless I was actually attacking one of the aforementioned hills.  Then I hated it and wanted to go back home and get in bed.  I mean, who wakes up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning to run for no good reason?

When I wasn't whining to myself on my little jaunt, I noticed some things.  It was quiet and peaceful this morning.  The sun was just coming up.  There weren't many cars going by and there weren't any people out and about.  I came across bunnies and birds.  I had my music in my ears, but it was calming.  I spent my cool down walking my poor, neglected dog.  I have missed quiet walks since we usually walk with the husband and three kids.  It was a beautiful morning and I am glad (yep, that says glad) that I got up and went.  Now it's done and I can sleep in tomorrow.  Plus, if I had slept in, I would have missed seeing the SUV pulling a trailer with a cannon on the back.  How often will I see something that that???

Today's Stats:
3.2 miles in 41.02 (12.8 minute mile)
*NOTE:  See that number up there????  It is below a 13 minute mile.  I have NEVER run faster than a 13 minute mile.  Today's run was the furthest I have ever gone and the fastest that I have ever run.  Today, I feel like a rock star!