Day 37: First 4.5 miler (sort of)

So the plan today was 4.5 miles. My new sneaky trick is to run to my car after work on weekday runs. I have to park at a local church and take a shuttle, so I just take my running clothes with me and plan a route from work back to the shuttle parking lot. If I stay at work until 6 when the last shuttle leaves, I have no choice but to run, or I can't get my car back. Very motivational.

Anyway, I'm not sure what's up with Google Maps lately, but the routes I've planned have been much farther than I was intending. Sunday's 8 mile route ended up being a few tenths of a mile long, so Chris and I just took a long cool down. Today, I was way over. I finished my 4.5 miles in just over 53 minutes, and debated just walking the rest of the way to my car. But I had been feeling incredibly guilty about my salt & vinegar chip binge last night, and since it had been partly to mostly cloudy all day and a thunderstorm was about to roll through, the temperature was much nicer than usual. So I decided to run the rest of the way. It ended up being just over a half mile back to my car, so my total for today is 5 miles! Probably beneficial with the Peachtree days away anyway. At least I know I've got a solid 5 mile base for conquering the 6.2!

Day 36: Sometimes all you need is some exercise

Do you ever have those days where you wish you could just press rewind, wake up, and start all over again? Yeah. Today was one of those days. You know. One of those where at the end, eating, showering, even sleeping just really seem like too much work.

Needless to say, I was in no mood for a workout. I actually seriously considered leaving work and going home and getting straight into bed. At 5:00. However, my car was apparently on autopilot and I drove to the gym out of habit. After 15 minutes on the bike and a few ab exercises, I felt ready to tackle yoga. And after yoga, I felt almost back to my usual self. A little adrenaline and self-centering provided just the pick-me-up I needed. Definitely glad I didn't skip my workout. Although I wouldn't have minded sleeping for 13 hours...

Day 35: 8 miles

8 miles today! It felt much better than our 7 mile run. I think I finally got this diet/hydration/stretching thing figured out. Our overall time was 1:38:00. Which is funny because that's about what our time was for 7 miles, so clearly I had a much better run today. Still kind of slow, but we're working against the heat and hills, so it's ok. We decided to stop every 2.5 miles for a 6 oz drink instead of one stop half way through for 12. It worked out MUCH better... I stayed more hydrated throughout, and Chris noted that our legs didn't go into "Oh we're done" mode since we were stopped for a much shorter time, so it was easier to get started again. I'm pretty sore tonight, but I feel good about the run overall.

One week until Peachtree Road Race!!!

Days 33 & 34: Water-logged

Friday was a rest day, which I took full advantage of by not exercising and consuming 3 pieces of pizza and like 5 beers at the pool party I hosted after work. Fail.

Because I just couldn't get enough of the sun and chlorine, my cross training today was swimming laps at the pool at the rec center. I swam 1.25 miles... that's 40 laps! That's also the farthest I've ever swam. By the end I thought my arms might fall off. But I rewarded myself with some sunbathing (and paper reading... yuck). I've definitely produced sufficient vitamin D for the weekend. You think that's helpful for long runs? Guess we'll find out... 8 miles tomorrow...

Day 32: Last 4 miler

OH. MY. GOSH. Holy running orthotics, Batman! People with high arches everywhere: rejoice! And then get yourself some Superfeet. Brilliant idea. I can't even tell you how much better my feet feel after running today. Wait. Yes I can. They don't hurt at all! Why did I wait so long to get those inserts? I actually want to wear them all the time... in all my shoes... even my flipflops. The funny part is that while my feet feel great, my ankles and the muscles along the side of my legs are sore (in the good way, not the my-legs-might-fall-off-any-second-which-might-actually-be-preferable kind of pain) from using the correct muscles for running. It's like learning to run all over again.

And... I took 27 seconds off my previous 4 mile time! 46:06. Not as good as the first time, oddly (you'd think I'd be improving)... but that's ok. It was a tough, hot, run but it felt great, and I'm happy with it. I'm not one of you Quickie McFasterson's. I'm more like a tank... built for endurance, not speed.

The combination of fixing my arch pain, beating my most recent time, and having a good run has me totally excited. I'm amped. Days like these make the sucky days worthwhile. Bring it, marathon! It's so on!

Day 31

Cross training and atonement for lazy week part II: Did 25 minutes on the bike before yoga. I'm starting to like the bike... it's different. It'll be good cross-training during the winter when it's cold outside. And during the summer when it's so hot and humid it rains without clouds in the sky. Either way.

We had a substitute instructor for yoga tonight. Definitely different than usual, but in a good way. More flowing and strengthening rather than stretching, although we did a lot of hip opening, so my hips and ITB (the only thing I worry about more than my arches) feel great! Hopefully it will help out on my run tomorrow.

Day 30: One month in!

Hurray! One month mark! I can't believe it's been that long... but then I look at my training schedule hanging ominously on my wall at work and there's still so far to go...

I did my run this morning, which means, sadly, that it was without Chris. The conversation was definitely not as exciting, but every once in awhile a solo run is good to clear the head and worry about nothing except your own running. Getting up at 6 a.m. during the summer actually isn't too bad since it's already starting to get light outside (going to bed on time helps too, of course). It's definitely cooler in the mornings without the sun, but I think it's actually more humid. I don't even know if that's possible, but the air literally felt wet. I had a really good run though, for me... 4 miles, 46:33. Again, I really wish I was more of a morning person because I seem to do much better when I run before I'm exhausted from my day.

I got to go to the Big Peach Running Co. today! It's the store I use for my running gear... got two pairs of shoes and my Garmin there. The people are great and very patient and really know their stuff. Sadly, though, my reason for going was not exciting... I needed inserts for my shoes because my arches are so high that it's hard to find shoes with sufficient support, and I'm staring to feel pain in my arches, which can lead to bad things (big words that they threatened me with, no idea how to spell them or what they mean besides me not being able to run). I think the pain in my feet has been making me run weird, leading to the soreness and pain in the rest of my legs. So I got the inserts; we'll see how it goes. Better to spend a couple bucks on inserts now than lots on medical bills later, right? Can't wait to try them out on Thursday!

Day 29: Stretch, strengthen, and atone!

Atonement for lazy week part one: I got to the gym a little early today and did 20 minutes on the bike. It was good overall... got my heart going, my muscles warmed up, took out the stress of the day so I could have a clear head for yoga. I clearly don't bike much though... I was kind of pathetic as far as how much resistance I could handle. Gotta work on that if I ever want to finish that triathalon we're going to do after this marathon! (Yes, I too think that I am actually crazy. It's good to have goals though, right?)

Yoga provided excellent stretching for my sore legs, and some good ab work. I need to try to run in the morning tomorrow, so I got one more round of stretching in tonight, along with a carb-tastic dinner and a ton of water, so hopefully I'm good to go for 4 miles in the morning! And hopefully it will be less than 90 degress...

Day 28: 7 miles!

Long run today: 7 miles. It was pretty terrible, actually... probably because it was 90 degrees. I think we either need to start running earlier or later, because running in that kind of heat just isn't working. Especially around here. Hills are one thing. Heat is another. But together... watch out. I even think I started out pretty well hydrated and made sure to eat lots of whole grains and fruits throughout the day for healthy carbs, but we only planned one drink stop half way through, and by that point I was already dehydrated. I think if we're going to end up running when it's this hot, we'll have to plan more frequent, but probably shorter, stops so we can hydrate without losing too much time. Maybe every 2 - 3 miles... that's more like a race situation anyway.

I was talking to my mom earlier and we noted that during this training, Chris and I will run when it's 90 degrees and run when it's 19 degrees. Orlando should be neither of those, so we should definitely be prepared with respect to temperature. Also, I'm fairly certain Orlando is flatter than here, so we should be well prepared as far as elevation as well. Basically, we will hopefully be over-prepared. So hopefully struggling through all these terrible training runs means we will be set to run an awesome marathon! At least we can hope...

Day 27: Cross training fail :-(

So, I can't even make up that I kind of sort of did something remotely resembling exercise today. There was just too much that had to happen... errands, work, pool party, etc etc etc. It's not like I spent the day just sitting around, but still... I feel extra guilty, don't worry. I did stretch pretty much every free minute I had today though, so at least my legs are starting to feel a little better. My feet still hurt, but my calves and ankles feel great. So not a totally wasted day. But, yes, I feel atonement will happen this week to make up for laziness and pool party fare.

7 miles tomorrow... got my Garmin recharged so it should be good to go. Now I just have to plan a route...

Days 25 &26: Too early to be so sore!

Thursday my legs still hurt, so I decided to rest and wait one more day before running again, although I did walk a mile to work to help atone for my failure Monday. I forgot to mention Tuesday that I walked to campus and back, which is about a mile each way, so I feel walking 3 extra miles this week helps makes up for Monday.

We were supposed to run 4 miles today, but I had an unanticipated crazy day at work so failed to plan a route. Then, my Garmin died less than one mile into our run. So we're really not sure how far we ran... from adding together maps of the park and the main roads we ran on, it probably ended up being only about 3.5. But it was HOT, so I'm kind of glad it was a little short. I'm pretty sure I've never sweat that much in my life, and I was definitely dehydrated afterwards. We're going to have to start hiding bottles of Gatorade along our route as our distance increases or we'll never survive the heat and humidity. So two goals during this marathon training: conquer hill running, and learn to run in the heat.

Unfortunately, my legs still hurt like crazy. I am definitely going to start stretching more... a couple times a day at least. I also took a cold shower and an anti-inflammatory, but I might have to start icing as well. I'm not sure why I'm so sore this early into training and at such short distances, but I better get it together or my legs may fall off before I ever reach 26.2!

Day 24: First aches and pains :-(

Cross training day! I've been migrainey all day, but I thought maybe yoga might help me relax a little, so I forced myself to go to the gym. I got there a little early, so I did 10 minutes on the elliptical to get the blood flowing and the heart rate up, which actually only exacerbated my pounding headache at first. But once I started with yoga, I felt much better, and by the end my headache was gone. Definitely worth dragging myself through my work out.

My legs are still crazy sore though. I have pains in my calves and ankles... even my toes hurt. 4 miles doesn't seem long enough to have caused such aches; maybe it was going from sitting so much while driving all over Ohio and back to jumping back into a slightly longer, very hilly run. Hopefully the stretching today and a relaxing evening will have me feeling back to normal tomorrow.

Day 23: Let the REAL training begin!

It's amazing what a night of sleeping in your own bed and not having to think about packing can do. 4 miles today! We somehow managed to sneak it in between the thunderstorms this evening. It wasn't too bad, given I'm still recovering: 43:45. I think we can do better; we have 3 more 4 milers to prove it. I learned in my search for what runners should be eating that I should be hydrating a lot ALL day up until 2 hours before my run, and that I should eat something carb-rich 30 min - 1 hour before. A lot of people recommended peanut butter and a banana or whole wheat bread/bagel. I attempted that today, although I think I could have drank more water, since I got distracted at work and forgot all about it, and I had to settle for a banana and yogurt since my cupboards are desperately bare, as I have yet to get to the grocery store. But my stomach didn't hurt nearly as bad today, so maybe I'm on the right track.

Tomorrow I MUST go to yoga! I can tell I desperately need the stretching. Too much sitting in cars and boats and planes... my calves are paying for it. Oh well, I'm sure I have worse aches and pains to look forward to. All the more reason to get on top of it now!

Days 18 - 22: Traveling and training REALLY don't mix!

My apologies for the neglectful posting... I just returned from my whirlwind trip to Ohio. I left Thursday, and since it's a 12 hour drive from here to Cleveland, no exercising was going to happen that day, so that was my rest day. I motivated myself to get up early and run Friday morning: 3.5 miles through my mom's neighborhood. At least that's what I intended. But I'm obviously not as familiar with the area as I'd like to think, since I ended up getting lost, which resulted in a slightly longer run than anticipated. But that just means I'm even more prepared for my impending 4 milers. Totally meant to do that.

My cross training Saturday was dancing the night away at my friend's wedding! (We'll ignore the amount of food and alcohol that was consumed at the same time... weddings are like birthdays: calories don't count. And congratulations, Beth, I know you're reading!) Really, being a bridesmaid is somewhat of a workout in and of itself, so I think I'm ok. Despite the madness of that evening, I was able to get up Sunday and run before heading to Dayton. This past week was one of our "easier" weeks, so we were supposed to run a 5k race, but there was clearly not time for that, and I would have felt slightly bad running a race without my faithful running partner by my side, so I just ran a 5k around the lake by my hotel. It was a lovely course, and there were lots of interesting animals (and people) out enjoying the water.

Today was sort of half fail. I had an 8 hour drive, and then had to run into work, and it was seriously 100 degrees (not kidding, that is what my car thermometer said even while I was driving), so I was feeling lazy. So Randy and I went to the pool... I didn't really swim any serious laps, hence my mostly failed workout. But I was out and moving around in the water AND I had to carry all my luggage up the stairs when I got back, so... better than nothing I guess.

As a side note, I got an e-mail with a discount to register for the Ragnar Relay: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/tennessee/index.php?utm_source=ACT&utm_medium=EM&utm_content=ER2&utm_campaign=TN I need 11 people, so if anyone wants to do it, let me know! I REALLY want to do it; I think it would be amazing.

Well, I am finally home and done traveling for a good long while now, so that means I can get back on track with diet and exercise and hopefully rescue some of my terrible running times. Less alcohol, legitimate cross training. Promise. Which will hopefully mean good news in near future posts!

Day 17

Cross training day. Walked 2 miles to and from campus, took every available set of stairs. One day, when I have a normal schedule, cross training will be better. But I'm still sore from yesterday, so I'm cashing in my savings and adding it to today. Easy come, easy go...

Day 16: 6 (10?) mile run

Long run #2 today: 6 miles. It was definitely the worst run yet: 1:13:35. I thought I might die before the end my stomach hurt so badly. I must be eating something wrong or not eating enough of something right or not drinking enough water or something, because I've been having these stomach aches a lot. I think I'm going to try to drink 1 Nalgene bottle of water every day at least, and look up some information on good diet tips for marathon training. If you as my faithful readers have any suggestions, let me know. Otherwise, I'll let you know what I find out.

It should also be noted that prior to this run, I walked about 4 miles today, so maybe that contributed to my tiredness and slowness. My car needed an oil change, so I walked to and from work to the shop, and I had a doctors appointment on campus, so I walked to and from the clinic. So that's 10 miles of leg work total... probably should have stretched more, because I am super sore. But I'm putting all this walking into my work out savings account, so when I get lazy tomorrow or Thursday, I can count this. It's not cheating, I swear. :-p

Days 11 - 15: Tropical Training!

Hello again!

Well, I've had quite the adventurous 5 days. I wish I could do the rest of my training in the Bahamas. Not necessarily because it helps me train better; mostly because... who wouldn't rather be in the Bahamas?

To assure you that I did more than party, here is the checklist of my training activities:

Thursday I failed to do anything because I have the amazing ability to turn off my alarm in my sleep. I think it started back in Organic Chemistry, when, after 6 straight days of studying without sleep and a diet consisting almost entirely of Red Bull and popcorn culminating in a 2 hour exam, my body would rebel and force me to make up for all that lost sleep by refusing to acknowledge things like alarm clocks. Given my stress level for the past month or so, I'm really not that surprised, but unfortunately my "gift" resurfaced Thursday morning and I overslept and had to get ready and leave for Jacksonville in about 45 minutes. And I was obviously too excited to think about working out once I stepped on that boat, so Thursday became my rest day. I got my 3.5 mile run in Friday though, worry not. Although it took me 38.5 laps around the tiny track on the VERY windy top deck of the ship.

My cross training for Saturday: scuba diving!!! We took a mini-course that allowed us to do a 20ft guided dive without being certified. There is only one word to describe lugging around my body weight in equipment, having my eyes suction-cupped into my head, tumbling backwards off a boat, and spending 45 minutes 20 feet under water breathing dry compressed air with my ears popping every 2 minutes and getting attacked by a school of hungry fish: AWESOME! I totally want to get certified now. If only cross training could always be so fun...

I decided to avoid the scalding sun and wind on Sunday and did my second 3.5 mile run on a treadmill in the gym on the boat. Treadmilling is infinitely less boring when you have your own built in TV and clear, blue tropical water to look at. I got to watch some boats sail by and got caught up on world events via CNN (did you know there was an oil spill? No way!).

I feel I should also mention there was an intense amount of stair climbing throughout the trip... the elevators were too slow to wait for on the ship, and when you stay on a low deck, you have to walk a lot to get everywhere: pool, dinner, sun decks, gym, mini-golf, etc etc etc. This in no way makes up for the ridiculous amount of food and alcohol that was consumed, but it at least lessens the damage, right? And remember: stairs = hill training.

We made it back today in time for me to unpack and get to yoga... I'm back at the student rec center class again. Not that that's bad... I LOVE the instructor there, and the class tends to be smaller. I also noticed that all the yoga work I did at UBS really helped my form... my teacher even noticed. Yay!

Well, two days of normalcy, then I'm takin' this show on the road again. I'm pretty sure by the end of all of this I will have no idea what day or time it is. But it takes away my excuses for skipping workouts... if I can get them in while traveling for 3 weeks straight, I should be able to get them in easily once I'm settled back here.

Day 10

Today I will admit I was a bit of a slacker; my cross training was just a 30 minute walk after work. But I made sure to take the stairs all day at work, so that helps too, right? I'm just sore after yesterday and super tired. I haven't decided whether this cruise is going to make me feel more or less tired. I'm hoping relaxing by the pool and scuba diving will lift my spirits a little and that I'll come back well-rested.

The goal is to get in my 3.5 miler tomorrow before we leave. If not, I'll try to do it tomorrow evening on the boat. Either way, I probably won't post again until Monday when I get back. But then I'll have lots of fun activities to report! Definitely gotta stay on top of the training so I feel less guilty consuming all that cruise food (and margaritas!).

Adios til Monday!

Days 8 & 9

No clever (or even not-so-clever) title... I'm too tired to be even the slightest bit creative.

I have to come clean: Monday = workout fail. To be fair, I was on airplanes and in the airport ALL DAY... I'm pretty certain every possible place I could have experienced I delay, I did.

To atone for this, I did my double yoga + running workout today. My last Ashtanga class at UBS (unless I decide I miss it terribly and shell out the cash for a real membership)... we had a sub and she was merciless! Then Chris and I met for our 5 miler... first long run of the training season! It was not excellent: 57:18. Poor Chris... he says we can do better. And we can. I just need to have a few days of a normal work/sleep/eating/non-traveling schedule. At least I hope that's all it takes.

Either way, we're through the first long run, and it can only get better, right? And perhaps I will try to further make up for my laziness on Monday with something on Friday... yoga on the cruise ship in the Bahamas? I think I could handle that...