The Heat Cometh

The weather is beautiful here but the heat...the heat is not beautiful. Yesterday I couldn't believe how pretty it was and how great I felt for the first 10 minutes of my run after work. I went through a different neighborhood this time, trying to avoid hills (conclusion: this is impossible in my town) After those first fun 10 minutes, the heat and blazing sun started to get to me. I was planning on a nice 4 mile run but ONE mile in I started to get worried. Digestive issues decided they wanted to join the party as usual so that was not far from my mind. Then I realized my new Amphipod bottle was not sufficient enough as far as water capacity. I am a runner who is thirsty throughout the entire run--anything over 2 miles. I drink water all day and I still need it when I run. I bought a 12-oz bottle because it is small and convenient but it wasn't enough. I was so hot and tired that I actually had to stop and walk up some of the hills. I am not a fan of stopping, only because it makes it harder to get going again, PLUS it means I will not reach my destination any faster. As I walked I desperately looked around at houses for a hose in order to steal some much-needed water. But I didn't see any that were easily accessible. And I couldn't believe no one had their sprinklers on!!! I hate when I get so hot that I feel a little nervous about heat stroke and stomach issues and feeling faint. It's only May!! I know I should run in the morning but I just love running in the evening.

So, around mile 3 I was on the last stretch towards home and it was, of course, uphill and facing the sun. Wait, what is that I see up ahead? Alas, it is a sprinkler!! I literally sprinted up the hill. I uncapped my Amphipod and filled it up, not caring if the homeowners saw me or not. Surely they would understand that a red-faced, sweaty chick is justified in taking some of their water. Then I stood in the sprinkler's path and I cannot tell you how refreshing that water felt on my body. I started off again to finish the run, happy and feeling a little cooled off. But this only lasted for about 3 minutes...the damn sun is just too bright!! I managed 3.75 but it felt like so much more than that. This heat just makes running no fun and that is disappointing to me. I love running outside and not in the dark! But as summer heads our way I am going to have to change up my schedule. Boo.

I &hearts The Stick

Forget Anne Bancroft...The Stick is a miracle worker. Who knew that a 17-inch piece of segmented, space-age plastic could solve all the world's problems??!! :)

This week my calves have been tighter than Tyra's weave. Seriously, it's been hard to walk and it's causing my hammies to tighten as well! I may or may not have gone a little crazy with my calf raises on Monday during my strength training workout. Whatever the cause, no amount of stretching has eased the pain.

Then I became an expert at using this:

Lo and behold it loosened my calves, quads, and hammies for some much needed relief. I'm carrying it with me everywhere now--I used it 3 times in my office today (and of course had to explain to my boss and a coworker what the heck I was doing). :)

I am bound and determined not to let ANYTHING interfere with my training!

A trip to the Mojo Store

Lately I've been feeling a little down about my running progress...I've been getting really nervous about the 1/2 marathon. Running has been tougher the last few weeks, maybe from the cold weather and the damn hills in this town. I realized last week that I was running too fast...this 1/2 marathon training is more about slowly increasing my distance and NOT improving my pace just yet (good advice from one of my online running buddies, Jason). I've also been feeling more aches and pains than usual. My stride has begun to feel awkward and I know my form is in need of improvement. All of these things have affected me mentally. I started feeling defeated, worn out, and a little lost.

Last night I hit the trail for a 4-miler. I tried out a new area and ran through some pretty neighborhoods. The weather was in the 40's and clear. I was wearing my new running tights and they are awesome! The run went really well and seemed to fly by...I'm guessing because I was paying attention to my route and not how tired I was. I did notice a pain in my right leg, between my shin bone and my calf muscle. I have also noticed lately that I seem to be curling my toes inside my running shoes. So after my run I decided to stop by a specialty running store in my neighborhood. It's called Elite Feet and they are THE BEST. I can remember not wanting to go inside when I needed new shoes a year ago...I was overweight and felt so embarrassed. Ridiculous, I know. But I finally went in last night just to ask if perhaps I needed a smaller size shoe (since I've lost a lot of weight I figured my feet may have gotten smaller). Well, I ended up getting a full foot analysis! It was really cool--they know what they are doing. The gal messed around with my feet/toes, assessed my old shoes and the tread wear patterns, and she watched me walk. Turns out my shoes totally sucked!! She put on a few different pairs of shoes and had me run outside of the store to see how they felt. It was so nice to have someone wait on me like that, using a shoe horn and everything! :) And the shoes were so comfortable. I ended up buying a pair that I would have never picked out for myself!! You may remember when I boasted of some new running shoes not long ago...well, those will now be walking/everyday shoes. But these babies will be on my feet every time I run...Mizuno Wave Creation.

I discovered I have not been stretching correctly either. I told her I suffer from shin splints. And she proceeded to explain things to me. The pain in my right leg is what she called a "true shin splint." Most people confuse the pain in the front part of the leg as being a shin splint. But a true shin splint causes pain on the front inside of the shin bone, which is what I've been feeling lately. So when I feel pain on the front part of my leg, it means I am simply not stretching my calf muscle enough. But the new pain between the calf and shin bone is a shin splint. She showed me how to properly tape up my right foot. As soon as I stood up I couldn't believe what a difference 2 little pieces of tape could make! Here is the lovely picture...oh, and the lack of a pedicure is just part of being a runner! And if you're curious about my peculiar pinky toe, read this.

I can't wait for a my run tonight even though it's only 2 miles. I'm excited again about running and my training. I seem to have gotten my mojo back!

Frigid 5-Miler: Race Recap

Date: 2.13.10
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Mitch Park, Edmond, OK
Temp: 36 degrees
Route: Hilly, 5-mile trail

[Warning: Race recaps may contain language that is not suitable for normal readers. I will be graphic when I want and may describe situations which will gross some of you out. But it's a runner's life...and a runner with a spastic colon no less. You've been warned.]

This race kicks off the 2010 race season. Unfortunately for me, last week was a bad one...I was in a funk and feeling blah. I didn't train at all except for one short 2.25 mile run on Wednesday. I was also not eating well nor was I drinking my usual amount of water. Hey, we all have those weeks, right? So I really wasn't prepared for the first race of the year: Edmond's Frigid Five. The most I've run in the last month has been 4 miles. The most I've EVER run in a race was a 5k. Needless to say this was a new challenge for me.

I created a new playlist on Friday night and filled it with songs that were upbeat and happy (mostly 80's and 90's stuff). I had maybe half of a banana Saturday morning and headed out to the race. I wore the long-sleeved event t-shirt and some capri dri-wick pants. I also wore gloves that I knew I would toss on the trail eventually (be prepared and wear things you won't miss if you need to toss them during the race--although technically you could backtrack after the race to pick them up). Anyway, it was chilly at first but the morning was beautiful. The sun was actually shining for the first time since we had such bad weather. I positioned myself in the middle of the pack as there were no official pace signs. This is a friendly, small-town neighborhood race. The beginning of any race is annoying crazy because a huge pack of runners/walkers is trying to get ahead and get moving. I couldn't really tell where the starting line was and just started my Garmin. It is very hard not to run very fast with all of these other runners taking off...for me, it's impossible to stay within my usual pace. Perhaps this is a good thing...it kept me moving faster than I normally would have been running. But I was worried about going so much faster...how would I last at this pace??!! Finally, around the 1/2 mile mark, I found my stride, although it was still a good minute faster than normal. I didn't mind people passing me...I knew this wasn't a real 'race' for me and was more about finishing. At the 1 mile mark I chucked my gloves because my hands were plenty warm. I would eventually see many a pair of gloves randomly tossed on the trail. Mitch Park is very hilly, and I wonder how much that affected my overall performance. I don't usually take hills lightly...I want to dig in and get to the top. Unfortunately, that makes for a higher heart rate and more exhaustion in the long run, but I did it anyway. So the music in my ear is great, I'm warmed up and feeling good, smiling at the people stationed at each mile marker calling out the times (which were always 1 minute slower than what my Garmin said, oh well). The only thing that kind of sucked was the weaving of the course...there were several spots where the slowpokes (me) had to pass the sprinters (read: normals). This only brought home just how much further I had to go. But I pretty much kept a smile on my face and tried to stay positive (despite the plethora of spit piles on the ground everywhere I looked--gross). At 25 minutes in I heard the cheers of those who ACTUALLY CROSSED THE FINISH LINE ALREADY. I couldn't believe it! Those psychos people kept a 5-min-mile pace the whole time. Oh, well, I had to remind myself again that this was fun and all about finishing. At mile 3 I grabbed a cup of water and had about 2 sips. I am not skilled at drinking and running and almost choked. Plus, it made me nauseous. But I was happy to know that I was past the half-way point. I was entering into newer territory though, as I usually average about 3-3.5 miles a run during the week. At this point I am remembering the last time I ran Mitch Park trails (maybe last summer) and just how many more hills there were towards the end. But there was a nice flat part for awhile so I just concentrated on moving. I did stop twice during this race...for about a total of 10 seconds. I realized that for me, stopping to walk actually makes it harder to get going again and sometimes even causes pain. Anyhoo, when I hit mile 4 I started to really feel it. Despite the lone half-banana earlier, things were starting to 'brew' if you know what I mean. Come to think of it, there weren't many Port-o-Potties on this trail. So despite the gurgling I knew I wasn't in any real potty danger. I had come to the last hilly part of the trail...this is where the longer, gradual hill was on the course (I HATE gradual hills...they take forever). I was pretty happy with my time at this point and was trying to keep pace with a gal ahead of me who had the same build. She was hilarious and actually stopped to pose for one of the race cameras! At around 4.5 or so we crossed the exit to the park--and people who had already finished the race AND picked up their goodies were leaving! But I smiled and kept going, knowing I was almost there. I was hurting at this point. But I kept on keeping on and could hear the cheers of onlookers as well as runners who were finished and headed back to their cars. I didn't pick up the pace a whole lot during that last stretch to the finish. I'm not sure if I was just tired or what. When I crossed the finish line and saw my time, I was pretty stoked. I had finished the race!! I grabbed a water bottle someone was handing me and walked around to cool off. I noticed just how many people were still behind me and I'll admit I was pretty happy I wasn't last! :) Then I just cooled down as I walked to my car. My nose was running like crazy and I was JUST starting to feel a little chafing going on under my arms (that's never happened to me before--but I have read about it). I was pretty proud of myself for getting up on a Saturday morning and running 5 miles.

Stats/Things I Learned

According to my Garmin:
Mile 1: 12:45
Mile 2: 12:49
Mile 3: 13:57
Mile 4: 13:43
Mile 5: 13:37

Official Chip Time: 1:03:27

1) If I'm going to run more than 4 miles, I'll definitely need some water and fuel. I recently bought some Gu gels but have yet to try them out. But at mile 4 I was definitely feeling weak. The problem is I tend to get nauseous and break out into a cold sweat so I am curious whether or not I'll be able to stomach the energy gels/chews.

2) I need to start using the Body Glide I bought. Chafing is not fun and if I had run any further than 5 miles I would have been hurting.

3) I am a slow runner. But that's okay! Even in middle school and high school when I was in great shape (and young) I never did more than a 9-10 minute mile. I am a distance runner at heart and, even though my pace will improve as I lose the last of my weight, I'll never be a fast runner.

4) After finishing a 5-mile race, I couldn't FATHOM running another 8 miles (aka, the Half). BUT, as a good running friend told me (Jason, aka Jbob), I can't think about the half right now. The next distance is 6 miles...then 7 miles...and so on. And as another running friend reminded me (Chris), a year ago I couldn't imagine running FIVE miles.

5) I could not believe how sore my legs were on Sunday. I did not stretch or ice like I should have (must have been the high of feeling so good). I learned my lesson!


My next race is 3/6/10 and will be a 10k (6.2 miles). I am back in training, guzzling my water, eating right, and feeling good. I WILL DO THIS!!

New Shooz!

Mama got a new pair of running shoes! Check these babies out...

Yes, they are super-mega bright pink! But that's actually the point...these are special edition Susan G. Komen New Balance shoes. They are very girly and so purty. The breast cancer ribbon is detailed all along the inside and on the tongue. And the laces are really cute, kind of a braided style.

As you can see from my lovely pile of shoes (I rotate between 2-3 pairs of shoes at a time to make them last longer), I am an Asics girl.

But these special New Balance were too cool to pass up! I ran 3 miles in them tonight and they were great!

It's freakin' cold!

Because of this:

I'm seriously considering buying this:

But I don't want to scare off the other running ninjas...

Wanna get long and lean??

It's a product review by Yours Truly! Financially, this DVD was only $6.99. But for my physical and spiritual health, it was a huge investment! I don't usually like exercise videos, but I highly recommend it. My local library allows you to check out various DVD's for 7 days. It's a great way to try out an exercise DVD before you decide to buy it! So I checked out a few and found this one to be exactly what I needed. Strength training can really help out with my running. And you can't beat a $7 DVD from Amazon!

The Trainer's Edge: Integrated Strength Training
Total time: 45 minutes (the workout itself, from warm up to cool down is 40 minutes)

Product Description Integrated Strength Training utilizes a series of exercises that work both upper body and lower body muscles simultaneously, maximizing the efficiency of the workout while burning calories and increasing lean muscle tone.

Equipment needed: 1 – 2 lb. hand weights, floor mat

What I really like about this workout is that you can increase (or decrease) your weights...after 2 weeks I'm already moving up to 5 - 8 lb. hand weights. There are no awkward moves or difficult poses. It's a simple workout that works the major muscle zones while making you sweat!

I just finished this workout...I feel faboo! Now I'm off to make this super yummy summer dish and enjoy the rest of my evening!