110 (One Hundred and Ten)

…no, I do not have a fever and 110 not my temperature.

No, I did not get a speeding ticket going 110 mph in a 70.

No, I have not lost ?? pounds and do not now weigh 110 pounds.

No, I cannot bench press 110 pounds.

No I did not find 110 dollars on the ground, although that would have been awesome!

It is not 110 degrees outside, try 56 F. Ugh.

No, it did not take me 110 licks to get to the center of a tootsie pop today…

No, LB’s kindergarten class does not have 110 five and six year olds in it, although they move quickly and for a minute I thought there might be.

No, I cannot do 110 lunges in a row without crying.

Maybe I have stepped on 110 Lego's but that is not what I am talking about…

Any guesses as to what this 110 is referring too?

Go ahead….

I’ll wait…..

still waiting……

la la la la…..

Do--nnnnn’t stop…..beeelieving…..

Give up yet?

Dun

Dun

Dunnnnnnn!

110 miles ran in the month of August!!!!

I can’t believe it really. When I added up my numbers Sunday I was at 106.77. So today’s run, despite feeling like crud and wanting to quit at mile 1 I HAD to go 3.33 miles so I could get to 110 miles!! Let’s see how September unfolds! This is my highest monthly mileage yet!! Maybe that is why I am so tired?

Ya think!?

True Confessions…

…of a running pedestrian who also happens to drive a car.

This is going to be hard. And I mean, like, really REALLY hard. Harder than getting busted trying to sneak out in high school…

Harder than calculus.

Harder than running 20 miles…

         Harder than concrete…

Ok, here it goes…

I almost plowed over a pedestrian today.

Oh, I’m sorry.  Can’t really read that? Let me make it clearer for you:

I ALMOST PLOWED

OVER A PEDESTRIAN

TODAY!!!!

Are you happy now? I am not a super human driver. I guess I do make mistakes.  I know, it busted my bubble too…you’ll be O.K.  BUT, your honor, in my defense the dude was wearing ACU’s (Army Combat Uniform) designed to blend in with urban settings.  Um, yes…they succeeded in their design.  The guy was crossing the street in a shady area wearing freaking camouflage designed to make him disappear into the pavement. For crying out LOUD.  And he was in the middle of the intersection when the light went from green to yellow then quickly to red.  I was trying to beat the yellow light and I would have had I not had to stop abruptly.  Unlike me though, this guy did not make eye contact and inflict a huge amount of guilt upon me. Nope. He stopped, turned around and went right back to the side of the street he came from.  What in the world?  He was way past the the middle of the street.  It was closer to the other side.  Oh well.  He did not get smashed today, at least by me. So if you wear ACU’s here is my advice, unsolicited I know, but still…When crossing the street while wearing camouflaged designed to HIDE you in pavement wave your hands real big above your head like a banshee back and forth so that everyone can see you.

Well, prior to my near mishap I was on post today with RED to sign up for the JBLM Half Marathon on Sep 18. This happens to be the weekend of my upcoming 20 miler.  Oh the 20 miler of Marathon Training!!  We decided that we would register for the half and show up a bit early to run 7 miles before the race then line up at the start for 13.1 more.  Great idea huh?!  I think so!  It will be a good way to have a supported 20 mile run.  Now I don’t want to go out and race it but it would be nice to test myself a little bit and see how I feel at that point of the training.  Anyone else think this is a good idea? Terrible idea?  Crazy idea?  Don’t worry, I’ll still do it! =)

And lastly, I need some new music for my iPod….what are some of your favorites that make you run fast and keep your mind occupied?

I hate being sick.

*Ahem* Cough* Cough*

I am sick.

The dreaded Mid-Marathon Training Illness. 

My throat is on FIRE. My head may explode.  My ears are so stuffy it seems they may burst.  My head is congested and I can’t breath…My throat burns! I think I could breath fire.  I might actually be a dragon!?

The Hubs brought back some sort of Ebola cold from Alaska and thought he got it from LB. I figured I would not get it. I could not have been more WRONG. Thursday I began to feel a bit scratchy in the throat. I decided to skip my 5 miler that day to try to ward off any bug that may be attacking me. That did not help.  Then in the middle of the night (or Friday morning) I realized I may have swallowed a porcupine. I had no voice…my head was pounding. So Friday I took drugs and vitamins and hoped I would fight off the super bug.  Friday night came and I had my voice back, my body was good, no aches. It was all above the shoulders.  I decided my plan to run with Mel Tall-Mom was still a go.  Yipee! 

Saturday morning I woke up and felt satisfactory (remember when you would get an S for satisfactory in elementary school?  Not O for outstanding but an S). I haven’t run with Mel in forever! I can’t remember our last running date! It was so great to run with Mel again! Here we are bright and early:

We set out for our 12 miles on the streets of T-Town.  Mel was only a little bit nervous about her safety on these streets. I am happy to say our run went off without a hitch. There were no near death experiences and the driver’s behaved themselves nicely.  The most exciting thing to happen actually took place about 12 seconds after Mel arrived at my house and got out of her car.  Some dude was rocking out walking down the side walk and he threw his fist in the air and yelled “Put your hands in the AIR…” or something along those lines.  It was awesome…The second thing to note was the little old lady packing heat in the park-that is IF you consider a CROW BAR heat!  Maybe “heat” is only a gun? That lady meant business and when Mel asked her “Who are you going to take down?”  she replied that it was “for her protection”. Well Duh!  I wouldn’t try to take her down, but I have to wonder if she could really use it. Like when I told Hubs I wanted to carry a knife for protection he flipped out and said “NO! That’s a good way to get killed.”  I have to say I agree.  So hopefully that little old lady would not be overpowered and beat with her own crow bar. Talk about a bad day.

As we neared the waterfront we saw some crazy lady waving her arms on the sidewalk in front of us. A few steps closer and Mel began waving like a crazy woman too!  Then I recognized Jill from Running to Sanity! It is so fun running into people I know. I can’t really explain the feeling but being a military family it is really really special to see people I know when I am out and about. It makes me feel like I am a part of a community.  We stopped for a few minutes and snapped a couple of pics:

Here is Mel, Me, Jill and Andrea (sorry about cutting off half your face Andrea!).

Jill, Mel and me

I asked Jill which hill I should take Mel up, The Spawn of Satan (steady incline for nearly a mile) or The Hill of Death (a no lie straight up hill that is about 3/4 of a mile).  Jill said she should see what The Spawn of Satan is like so that is what we did…Seriously, check out that elevation! Rough.

We finished our run with a spring in our step!

12.11 miles-1:54.48/ 9:28 pace.

It was a great run but where are my sub 9 miles?  Holy cow…depressing. I just don’t have it in me anymore.  I love running with Mel and hopefully we will have a chance for a few more runs before…before I move away.

After a couple of hours rest the Hubs and I got gussied up for our all-day date to Pain in the Grass, a huge rock concert featuring Drowning Pool, Seven Dust, Black Label Society, Godsmack, the two I really was pumped to see Puddle of Mudd and Shindown!!!  Here are a few pictures (there are more and better ones on AN the RB’s camera, but she is back to NYC today and I’ll get them from her later):

 

Riding the motorcycle to the concert…gets you in and out of ridiculous traffic with NO problems!

 

 

 

 

 

ME rocking out to Seven Dust!!  Woooo whooo!

 

 

 

AN the RB (don’t worry, she had VIP and back stage passes, she’s kind of a big deal….)

The Hubs and I were in the pit and she was in the seating section behind us. It was so funny to look back and see her standing up rocking out amongst all the stiffs just sitting there! She belonged in the pit with ME!

 

 

 

 

Yep, that would be me getting licked in the pit…that’s how we roll!

 

 

 

So Saturday was a long and tiresome day and now I’m recovering.  I don’t have time to be sick!  Next weekend is 18 miles!!!

Maybe POM will put a WOW in my step…

Something needs to.

Today was an OK day for running.  I was supposed to do 9 miles for my mid-week mid-distance run.  I had a really REALLY hard time getting out the door.  My planned meet-up to run with RED was a no go due to some strange red bumps ALL over LB’s body last night and the fact that he slept in late, again.  So by the time he woke up and I got him off to preschool it was too late to meet up.  I had only two choices: Run alone or don’t run.  I was trying to not run…I was dressed and ready, had been since 6:15 AM.  But finally at 10 AM I walked out the door for what I knew would NOT be 9 miles. 

I decided to just jog and enjoy the run.  I wanted to turn back at the 1 mile mark but then I remembered that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to run my favorite routes for much longer.  So I kept going to 36th street where I turned to run DOWN (not UP) to the waterfront.  Here are a couple of pictures that I got on my run today:

It really doesn’t get much more beautiful than this.

Running down 36th

Running UP 30th

I have to try not to take for granted the ease in which I can run around here as well as the beautiful scenery.  NC is going to be very different and I don’t want to be kicking myself for not taking full advantage of the time I have left  here.

So today I made it 7.5 miles in 1:10/9:21 pace.

On another note, Ryan from POM  Wonderful contacted me and asked if I would interested in trying out some of their 100% pure pomegranate juice.  I had seen it in stores before but never bought any.  So why not give it a try?  Plus he mentioned using it in a smoothie (HERE) . Um… SOLD! Smoothie #2 uses protein powder so it is pretty good for after a run or workout to refuel the muscles.

So as soon as I got these sweet bottles of deliciousness in the mail I headed to the store to get some stuff to make a smoothie.  I thought it turned out great. LB on the other hand…not so impressed. He doesn’t like blueberries (one of the ingredients in the smoothie).  So we decided to go pick some blackberries to use in his smoothie instead.  I think this will go over much better.

I certainly see POM 100% pomegranate juice  making it to my regular shopping list!

I feel the need….

The need for SPEED! Yes, Top Gun was my favorite movie once upon a time.

I decided today would be a good day for speed work. My rationale? It’s only 4 miles.

I picked up the men in my life late last night.  LB was exhausted from 4 days of being in the wilderness: hiking, fishing, hunting, not taking showers, not washing hands, and not sleeping. He got into bed after 11 PM.  I knew I had to keep him home today so my only hope for a run was dreadmill or track.  Track it was. AN the RB texted me bright and early wanting a running date…YES!  Misery loves company!  I would not be alone on the track!

LB was excited to head to the track.  We haven’t gone as much this season as we have in the past. We got there about 3 min before AN the RB and LB was antsy so we ran a warm up lap. She arrived before we even made it all the way around.  She decided to do mile repeats.  WHAT?!  She did a warm up mile, fast mile, slow mile, fast mile, slow mile.  Bless her heart….that is rough but a good workout.  My work out choice was 4x400’s, 4x200’s, 5x100 to end with 4.5 miles.   I didn’t have G. Money set to record 1/4 mile laps. Fail.  So my mile splits were:

Mile 1_______9:30

Mile 2_______7:55

Mile 3_______8:14

Mile 4_______9:15

1/2 Mile_____4:32

My sprinting did not feel fast.  I felt slow and heavy.  I became aggravated when I recalled a workout I did often in High School: Jog, Stride, Sprint lap after lap after lap.  Today I realized that I have only two speeds: jog and jog a little bit faster. I guess this is something I need to work on.

AN the RB and I finished up our workouts (including lunges!!!!) and I asked LB to take our picture.  This is what he came up with:

I know. He IS talented. He may be convinced to take your photo too, for a small sitting fee.

Tomorrow is 9 miles with RED!!!

Way to go, Mom.

Not! 

Ok, not MY mom! My mom is awesome, great (love you momma!!)! I’m talking about the mom who almost plowed me and RED over this morning.  So Not-My-Mom, if your you’re reading this please refer to Here in America Part I and Part II…

RED and I set out for 15 miles this morning!  You all should be so proud, on my bachelorette morning I got up at 6:15 to go for a run at 7! After we started going we got to discussing next weekends run.  It will be a crazy busy weekend for both of us so we decided to do 16 today instead of the planned 15 so we can drop our mileage down next weekend to a more manageable All-By-Ourself-With-No-Partner-Run. So we quickly recalibrated our thoughts to prepare for 16 miles. 

Here we are before the run! 

 

And off we go…..

 

 

Here is where Not-My-Mom enters Scene 4 Take 1.  We were probably about 4 miles or so in when we came to a pretty ridiculous intersection.  How ridiculous?  Well, take a look below:

  Three streets here have a stop sign. The yellow street does not. RED and I were plugging along, minding our own business on the yellow street.  Some crazy lady, with her TEENAGED daughter in the front seat of her Minirunner smasher…Minivan came flying to the intersection on a street WITH A STOP SIGN.  RED and I both slowed considerably but as you may recall I love to see the shocked look on the faces of drivers when they realized they almost killed me.  Priceless.  We slowed enough to not get smashed on the street but I could have reached out and touched her van. I believe her daughter noticed us first then the mom glanced to her left and BOTH hands went up to her face as she hit the breaks.  Simultaneously I had a devilish grin on my face and was pointing at the stop sign a good 15 ft (seriously a car and a half length) behind her. RED had both hands up with a very exaggerated shoulder shrug.  I am certain we ruined this woman's trip to the salon….or shopping, or whatever it was that was so important.  I mean really? Was she going to plow through that intersection?  What a moron! Oh and AWESOME example to set for your teen daughter.  A new generation of awesome, considerate drivers.  Sweet.

Well, we survived that and I believe it was our only near death experience during our 16 miles (aside from running up a horrible killer hill, all the prickly bushes, tree branches growing over the sidewalk that almost took both our heads off and eyes out,  blackberry bushes with human flesh eating thorns, and the gas station that poisoned us with lemonade instead of sweet water). Pretty good I must say. About a mile and a half later we were nearing Ruston Way to hit up a few miles of flatness along the waterfront when I heard my name!  I turned to see Jill and her friend Andrea!!! They were out for a nice 10 miler! We chit-chatted for a minute (or two) then ran a little bit when I remembered I  had my iPhone so we snapped a quick pick:

 

It was great to see her again! I hadn’t seen Jill since Rock n Roll!  (Man I’m going to miss running into my friends when we move.)

We wished each other well on the long runs and set off again.

 

 

By this time RED and I realized that G. Money was way off on his mileage.  It would only get worse.  I did a quick MapMyRun this AM to get an idea of where to go so I had a clue about how far we had gone and my Garmin was off by about .8 when we were a good 8 miles in.  WHAT IN THE WORLD? And more importantly, HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON!?  He is measuring short.  We were at 7.7 or so and he was registering only 6.9. No bueno.  I wonder how many EXTRA miles I have run without knowing it.  We finished the run going off of RED’s Nike Plus.  I know hers was accurate because we did about two miles on the track and it was right on.  Mine was 1.1 miles off by the end of our run. Crud.

Stats from RED’s Nike Plus:

16 miles/9:33 pace/2:33

RED and I are excellent running buddies.  We haven't’ always been.  When we first started running together she was way faster than me and her running-while- jogging-singing- and dancing irritated the heck out of me.  But now I know it was only because she was trying her darndest to hold it back to run with me…I get it now.  I also find it mildly entertaining these days when she busts a move on a street corner!  Now we are pretty evenly matched. It only took me losing 15 pounds, gaining a good amount of cardiovascular endurance and her having stress fractures (and other leg issues) that laid her out for a year to get us to an even playing field.  It is hard to find good running partners and I have been SO lucky to have a few!  I am going to miss each and every single one of you come October.  I am trying not to think about it just yet. I’m not ready to deal with the move from West to East…

So, today was a great run! 16 miles checked off the schedule and my first 30+ mile week during this training cycle! During my training for OKC I hadn’t had a 30+ mile week yet. It wasn’t until the Marathon Month that I hit that mark.  So I am so happy to be right on track for an amazing marathon!  I think I will shoot for sub 4.  That seems to be my goal.

Here we are after the run:

Thanks for the great run this AM RED!! As always it was a pleasure sharing 16 miles with you!!  I cherish every single mile we have together!  Ok, I’m going to eat a tub of ice cream and cry now…

Happy Long Run Saturday!!!

All by myself…..

….and it’s weird.

I am home alone this whole weekend. It is so weird since I have not been home for any length of time without my LB in just over 5 years. Not since he was born, well actually since he was conceived!  I don’t know what to do when I am not fighting dinner routine, dodging imaginary asteroids, having light saber fights, running bath water, picking up underoos, laughing at a naked little bottom as it streaks through my living room (and the occasional naked BIG bottom), reading bedtime books, and tucking my LB into bed.  I really have NO clue what I did with myself before LB.  But now I sit here, all alone except for Lazy Dog who really is just a lazy heap of hair on my floor, he is not good company right now.  See below.

Anywho, the Hubs and LB headed up to Alaska for 4 days for some man time.  I think it will be great for both of them.  I wanted to go but I must admit IT WAS ONLY SO i COULD GO FOR A RUN AND RECORD THE ROUTE VIA MY GARMIN GPS AND LOOK AT IT ON MY GARMIN SITE.  So here I am, a bachelorette with nothing to do.  My friend Mic recommended going for a run! A run? An evening run? Outside? Not at the YMCA on a treadmill with LB in childcare? What IS that?  I can’t believe I did not think of that this morning as I was pounding out 4 miles on the dreadmill! If I’d had half a brain I would have saved that run for tonight! Oh how an evening run with no hassle would have been heavenly!  Running out the door without a big ordeal! Without dinner and bath and bed issues!  Great idea Mic! Only prob is I already ran today, 4 miles….and tomorrow is a rest day then 15 on Sat.  I could go for an easy 2 miler since yesterday’s 8 was cut short to 6 miles due to work scheduling.  But my weekly mileage will still be 32 after Sat.  So I guess an evening run is not really necessary.  BUT…I could get Lazy Dog up for a stroll around the neighborhood! 

Stats for yesterday’s run and today’s workout:

Wed     6 miles with RED/9:12 pace

Today  4 miles/8:21 pace  1 hour water aerobics/ lunges with 10 lb dumbbells

Well, tomorrow is sleep-in-until-8 AM-day and a rest day for running.  Saturday is 15 miles with RED!  Woot woot! Then maybe a hair cut? What else should I do with my time this weekend?  All suggestions welcomed! =)

How are you all doing with the Legs Love Lunges Challenge? Feeling the burn yet?  If you get to the point where you aren't getting sore add more to the mix or weights.  If you don’t have access to weights soup cans work well or if you have an LB of your own mine likes to ride piggy back while I do lunges.  It may not be safe as far as damage to the knees…I am definitely no expert so if it hurts don't do it!

Happy Thursday! And happy lunging!!!

A little bit of this….

…and a lot of that.

Today was an easy run day. I decided to run on the dreadmill because it was warming up outside and I didn’t feel like dealing with the great outdoors and traffic and everything else that comes with running on the streets. I also wanted to do some weights and lunges. So I headed to the air conditioned YMCA.

I knocked out my 4 miler in 35:40 (8:39 pace). I decided to crank up the speed when I was at about 3.5 miles and I had it up to 9 mph, or a 6:40 (ish) pace. I held it at that speed until I was at 3.94 miles then I slowed it back down. I was remembering my old cross country days and how I ran a 5k in about 20 to 21 min on a bad day. That is 7 min/miles or better. Where did those days go? How do I get back to that? I would love to be able to run a 5k in 21 min. When I was a senior I ran a 21:14 5k at the state cross country meet. That was an awful time (I had mono at the time). I felt bad like I had let the team down.

I guess ever since Stephen Paske sent me his book to review, Breaking Stride, I have been reminiscing my high school running days. I didn’t know about road races when I was in high school. Did they even exist? I’m sure they did…If you have a junior high or school aged kid who likes to run I would highly recommend this book to them. It was even a good read for me. I wish I’d had a little bit more of a competitive edge when it came to running back then but my focus was on basketball at the time. I only ran so that I would be in shape to sprint up and down the basketball court.

From his book:

“I have a choice. I can run timid, ensure my health and have a happy productive but unspectacular career. I can be ordinary. Or, I can push the envelope. I can run three times a day, at a blistering pace, in sweltering heat or mind numbing cold. I can defy those who tell me I’ll get hurt or burn out and increase the intensity of my training. I can choose to take the risk, that my sacrifice will be in vain. And in taking that risk, I can become a running god.”

It is hard to imagine running with that sort of intensity. This book kind of made me realize that I truly am a recreational runner. I run for my health. I’m not really into pushing the envelope. I’m not going to the Olympic trials, although that would be bad A dude! I think the most crazy I will get is to shoot for a BQ…eventually. Another quote in the book that made me smile was this one, “When you’re suffering, you simply long to curl up amidst the waving grasses along the trailside. Beckoned by primitive recollections of the womb, your one desire is to return to where there is no pain.” Been there. Done that.

So if your looking for a quick and entertaining read check out Stephen’s website HERE. You can purchase the book or even download it for free. He just says that donations are appreciated.

Tomorrow I have 8 miles on queue with RED! Yay!! This is going to be a high mileage week with a potential for 34 miles (if I don’t slack off)! Like I said before, meat and potatoes of marathon training! Bring it on!! Although with the arrival of this marathon comes mixed emotions. That will be my last weekend here in the PNW. More on that later…

Today after my run I did upper body weights and lunges with 10lb hand weights. I’m getting crazy up in here! =) Now, off to do Day 2 of Jamoosh’s Hard Core Challenge…Ouch.

And I leave you with this photo from June’s Rock n Roll half:

I never buy any of these pictures taken during a race. Why are they so DAD-GUMMED expensive? Seriously! It is $30 for this one photo. What ever…

Happy Tuesday!

I Tri(ed) Recap

…this is a long one.

So I decided to do the tri. Once I had decided I felt really good about my choice even though it really consumed most of my weekend. I will spare you the packet pick-up details and start with race day.

For triathlons you have a swim cap that corresponds with your wave. I had a light blue cap and was wave 21 with a start time of 8:09 A.M. The race started at 6:45 AM. All racers must get to the race prior to the race start time regardless of your wave time. This is so you can set up your bike and transition area because once the race starts the transition area is supposed to be closed. I got there around 6:30 AM and set up my stuff. Here is a picture of my transition (or my pile of stuff):

I did straighten it up a bit before I headed down to the water.

Here I am looking confused. Maybe I was trying to figure out the best way to set up my transition.

Once I got the transition the way I wanted it, it was time to head down to the lake.

Me and LB before the swim portion:

I’m pretty sure swim caps are not flattering on my noggin.

I opted out of a wet suit or shorty. They are too hard to get off after the swim plus I’m tough and don’t need a stinkn’ wet suit! =)

I had to wait a good hour for my turn to swim. I stretched a little bit and did some people watching. With about 20 minutes until my wave I went down to the water where they had an area set up to warm up (in other words where you could get in the water and get used to it and swim a little bit). I slowly inched into the cold water up to my waist. That was enough for the time being. Then it was time and I went over to the start and disappeared into the wad of other blue caps. Finally it was our turn. We stepped on the timer pads and waded into the water. I quickly submerged in the water to ensure my goggles were in place and wouldn’t leak (in my first tri my goggle’s strap snapped right at the start and I had to swim 1/2 mile with my head out of the water because I wear contacts). They were perfect.

They began the countdown from 10 and finally said GO! I was off. Mistake #1: I was in the middle of the wad. Oops. I got kicked and elbowed and punched and jabbed and kicked again. I usually try to be on the outside of the wad of people so that I am not surrounded on all sides. Oh well… I just kept swimming and it wasn’t long until I was out of the pack and swimming comfortably. I have never been afraid of the open water. In fact I love water. So I just swam. Around 1/4 mile I lost my form completely. I have no idea why. I was swallowing a lot of water with every few breaths because it was so wavy. But I got it together and focused on my form: stroke, stroke, stroke, breath…and repeat. Finally I made it to the end 17 min and 24 seconds after I started. As I ran to my bike I heard Jess yell at me! Yay!! I turned to wave at her and kept running.

My bike was in the LAST row of the transition area. Lucky me. NOT. This means that coming out of the water I had to run the farthest to get to my bike. Then I had to run with my bike back to the other side where I exited the area for the bike ride. Transition 1 took me 5 min. TERRIBLE. It is hard to get bike shorts and socks on when you are soaking wet. I did my best but still had a terrible T1 time. I bet at least 2 min of that is because it was all the way in the back.

Once I was all dressed I ran to the mounting area and I was off and riding! The whole time I was swimming I was thinking, “I can’t wait to be on the bike.” That was weird because the bike is my weakness. But not this day. I rode like the wind. I peddled and passed people right and left! I was flying! I was changing gears like a pro! Mistake #2: I didn’t get a drink of water after the swim because I told myself “I drank enough lake water.” Gross but true. I also cannot drink water and ride my bike at the same time. So I figured I would be fine. WRONG. I was so thirsty by the half way point I considered stopping to grab one of the poor dropped water bottles along the course. But I didn’t. I kept riding. I was so proud of my bike ride! There is of course room for improvement but this was my best time to date: 12 miles 43:13. Even though I had a great bike ride the whole time I was thinking, “I can’t wait to be running!” When I came to the dismount area for the bike I jumped off the bike and began to run to my rack (in the VERY BACK). My legs were all kinds of crampy and dead feeling! I almost fell down because they wouldn’t work when I tried to run…luckily I am a ninja and caught myself from falling.

In the mean time my Official Race Crew consisting of Jessica, Katie and LB were about to experience an Epic Fail. They did not see me come in on the bike. They would remain at the Bike Dismount area for the remainder of the race. Waiting for me. Epic. Fail.

I racked my bike, hung my helmet, grabbed my hat and hand-held Nathan water bottle stocked with Gu chomps. Sweet Gu Chomps. Life in a small package. I ran, ate chomps and drank water. I ran and ran. I felt tight and tired and hot. The sun was beating down on me. I didn’t really know how fast I was going but it felt like warp slow (is there such a thing? There is now). I felt like I could walk faster than I was running. Some chick asked me “Any idea how far we have gone?” I looked at my watch (not G. Money, he’s grounded) and used my best running experience judgment and said “Maybe almost a mile?” just as we ran up on the 1 mile sign. She said, “Wow, your good! How did you know that?” I didn’t have the energy to have a conversation with her. I just smiled and ran on. Finally some guy yelled, “Almost there! Just over this hill, two blocks then turn right to the finish!” Two blocks. “I can do that.” All I could think is, “I can’t wait to be done.” I came to the top of the hill, ran two blocks and STILL HAD ABOUT HALF A MILE TO GO. Meanie. Oh well. By this time I was actually beginning to loosen up. I picked up my pace a little bit and turned to the head to the finish!

I was running pretty fast when I saw a lady to my right wearing a stupid Tu Tu giving out high-fives about 6 feet from the finish line. And to my left was a lady finishing who was DETERMINED to give that Tu Tu-ed lady on my right a FIVE. What the heck!? I really hope they got a picture of me being clothes-lined at the finish by these two jerks. It was the stupidest, dumbest experience at a finish line I have ever had…who does that? But I was finished. My run time was 27:27 (8:51 pace). They retrieved my chip and gave me my medal. I got two bottles of water and started to make my way to the transition area.

I was almost to the transition area when I saw a little Mohawk run by…it was LB and Katie. They were surprised to see me and this is when I found out they were still watching for me to finish the bike! Oops! Like i said, epic fail. Oh well, they felt bad but I didn’t care. I was finished and for that I was glad! They will always be my Official Race Crew!

Here are a couple of pics I stole from the site (and they didn’t get me getting clothes lined, I’m actually a little bummed about that. I thought it would have made for a hilarious photo).

Here are some pics from Jess:

I’m glad I decided to do the Tri! The hubs was jealous and now we are looking for another one to do together in the next few weeks! I think I can improve my time by 10 min at least! And the top female finisher had a time of 1:11.38. I wonder what would happen if I actually trained for a tri?

Well, for those of you who read through the entire recap THANK YOU and you are now privy to the fact that I will be hosting a giveaway very soon!! Stay tuned!!!

And thanks for all the encouragement regarding the Bikini Lunges…not quite sure what got into me and caused me to post that…i don’t think it will happen again. Awe shoot, I just lost half my male followers…

Happy Monday!

Bikini Lunges

…if you are brave enough.

We have some new Legs Love Lunges Challengers!

Megan ( if you were actually undecided your locked in now! He he!!!) =)

Mama Twitch

Tortuga_Runner

Elizabeth

Angie

Ok, if I have missed anyone please let me know! I am not very organized. Ok I am NOT organized at all! I don’t want to leave anyone out!! So how has everyone done so far? I actually did lunges 3 times last week. I had to do a set last night, after my Tri. I knew I didn’t need to but a challenge is a challenge and I well, as the President and CEO of this challenge I need to follow my own rules!

AN the RB came over for some back yard sitting for one last time before she heads East. **Tear**. But we had a good time and here she is doing her 3rd set of lunges:

Don’t worry, bikini lunges are NOT required.

Ok, last but not least, my Tri race recap! I have not forgotten I am just super busy! I will get it up prob this evening!

Happy Lunging!!!

My Tri!

I don’t want to do a complete blog post, there is backyard sun-sitting to be done but I wanted to post my results for today’s tri! I am happy with my effort and will try to get a full report up soon!!

P.S. Transition 1 time is not something to brag about…

Here is the stats from my last tri in 2009:

I Decided…

…to tri.

Why not?  Well there were a billion reasons not too, including it is a pain in my backside. Yeah, rivals LUNGES! 

I ran this morning with Katie (dang it, run #2 and no picture. FAIL).  We set out for 11.5 and G. Money decided to stop on me. AGAIN.  This is really starting to chap my hide. It stopped at ONE mile so by the time I noticed it we had probably gone a good 2.5 or maybe three miles.  I quickly restarted it with 11.5.  So I was doing math this morning while running. Poor Katie kept asking “How much further?” “Where are we at?” “How far?” And I could only guesstimate. So by my guestimation we totaled at LEAST 12 miles.  We held a nice and easy pace.  Katie was having a rough run because she did her lunges the night before a long run.  Some people can do this.  I cannot.  So for those of you participating in the challenge: DON’T DO YOUR LUNGES THE NIGHT BEFORE A LONG RUN. Learn from Katie's painful mistake!

Anywho, I was still undecided about the tri until I got home. The Hubs and LB had gone on to a fun day at the local Renaissance Fair.  I had asked him to get my bike off the hooks in the garage.  I wasn’t sure if he remembered.  He did.  In fact he had it out and set neatly beside the house with my helmet.  Drat.  That was my deciding factor….I decided to do it. From that moment I flipped into Tri mode.  I got the directions to the packet pick up and the park for bike set up and headed to Seattle.

The whole thing from home to packet pick-up to bike drop off took me about 4 hours.  FOUR hours of my life.  Oh well…I dropped my bike off and headed to the Renaissance Fair where I was greeted with some sort of tasty popsicle. It has been a busy and long day.  I have all my stuff laid out in a neat (for me) pile (that is for you RED). I am dreading the early morning wake up but looking forward to a fun Tri with my Official Race Crew supporting me as usual!  I am also most looking forward to a delicious, greasy breakfast afterwards (tradition after Tri’s for us)!!

So here is all my stuff for tomorrow:

 

Don’t mind the Hubs. He jumped in last minute.  I wont be dragging him to the transition!

 

 

Here is a close up of my stuff, in case any of you care.

 

 

 

They marked up my arm.  Since this is an all women’s tri (boring, no Speedo clad men?! ) there was no age marked on our calf…which suits me fine.

 

 

 

 

Well, off to eat some dinner and get the logistics planned for tomorrow!!  Stay tuned for the race report! 

I’ll be checking in on the Legs Love Lunges Challengers tomorrow!  We have a few new peeps!!  I’ll update that tomorrow too!!

Power skipping up a hill…

…yeah, I can cross THAT off my bucket list. 

Oh wait! It WAS’T ON MY BUCKET LIST.

This morning I thought I had the flu.  Or maybe a Mac Truck had plowed me over in my sleep…but no. No. I was sore. My whole body was wishing for death. Let me start from the beginning.

Thursday's are always hard days for me workout wise.  But yesterday was exceptionally hard.  I decided to ride my bike to the Y in the morning instead of drive the Hub’s car.   I rode the 1.5 mile hilly road to the Y. I got there early  so I jumped on the dreadmill, but I was not early enough to get my full 3 miler in.  I ran 1.5 miles then ran to the pool to teach my water aerobics class (for one hour).  I then jumped back on the treadmill to finish the last 1.5 miles.  But I wasn’t done yet.  Oh yeah, I had to ride my bike home. 

Still. Not. Done.

AN the RB, as I mentioned is moving away, leaving me behind.  Her last request was simple, or so I thought. “Come with me to Boot Camp Thursday night.” I knew this would be rough because water x + running is hard enough, throw in there a short-but- hilly bike ride and Boot Camp and I will be inviting the Angel of Death to visit. I agreed.  How hard could it be anyway?  Let me tell you…it was rough.  Have you ever power skipped up a hill? No? Well now I have…5 times! We had to do these stations  and while your partner was doing lunges (got my 2nd set of lunges for the week done), squats, dead lifts, power clings, you name it…you had to run outside to either power skip or sprint up a stupid hill. We did line sprints and other running things and abs.  I was sweating.  By the end I was so glad to be done! What a way to send my friend off to a new adventure, drenched in sweat!

So that is why I did  not post a blog last night, I was exhausted. Tired. Sore. Hanging on to life by a thread. Resisting the white light. But now I am feeling better….a little.

We have new BRAVE SOULS participating in the Legs Love Lunges Challenge!!!  Yay!! Welcome!!

Andrew Opala (I love furry animals!!)

T S

Breaking Pace (Yay!!!  My partner in Vegas Rock n Roll!)

Zaneta

I can’t believe all the peeps joining in! This is so fun!!  I’ll check in Sunday or so to see how everyone is feeling!  Sore?  Probably!

And now tomorrow, 11.5 miles with Katie! I am stepping back this weekend because of the possibility of doing the triathlon on Sunday.  I know, I still haven't’ decided. I am so last minute. Tall Mom hates this about me! (He he!!).  I am just indecisive.  There are a lot of things I want to do this weekend and the tri is seriously monopolizing much of the time.  So here is the deal, you get to vote. I love letting the people vote.  The kicker is though that I need to decide by the end of my long run tomorrow so that I can go to Seattle and get my packet and check in my bike tomorrow morning.  Cast your votes by 9 AM PST!

Should I do the Tri?

Yes  or No

Happy Friday friends!!!! 

Goodness Gracious!

…Great Legs on FIRE!!!

What the heck!? Who’s idea was it to do lunges yesterday, anyway?

Oh yeah. Mine.

My thighs, inner thighs, and hammies are screaming today! I hobbled out of bed this morning and if anyone (other than the Hubs and LB) would have seen me they would have thought I was like 96 years old! I often wonder how the heck I am able to actually run 100 yards, much less a mile, 10k, half marathon or MARATHON when I can barely walk!

Either way I got in my 7 mile run this AM. It was not pretty but I enjoyed the run. I felt tired but the soreness worked it’s way out during the run. Don’t you worry though, it returned within minutes of finishing.

Today’s stats:

7 miles/ 9:04 pace

G. Money has been acting up lately. I’m not sure what his deal is. Maybe he is mad at me? For the second time he has suddenly, unexpectedly and unexplainably shut off in the middle of a run. I don’t know what I will do if he doesn’t snap out of this attitude. How can I train for a marathon without him? How did runners do it pre-GPS/Garmin days? I know I can use an ap on my iPhone or a Nike plus, or a regular watch and train by time. GASP! Oh the HORROR! But I am spoiled. I am a creature of habit. I HATE change (when it comes to my Garmin and running anyway)! So hopefully he will pull it together and stop being such a jerk.

I am excited to add a couple more suckers…er BRAVE souls to the list for the Legs Love Lunges Challenge!! It’s never too late! Join in if you want!!

Joining the fun are:

Adorable wife (he he peer pressure is EVIL!)

Rae

Meredith

Alanna

Canyon Cairns

Kimert

Well, tomorrow is an easy 3 miler after my water aerobics class. I have a busy day to include driving the Hubs’ car to get a window replaced and tinted. You may wonder what the big deal is. Well it is an standard. A stick if you will. I don’t drive sticks. I can, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t. T-Town if full of hills and I don’t want to be the one to roll into someone or the jerk peeling out up a hill. So this is causing some anxiety…In the past 7 months while the Hubs was away I put maybe 3 miles on his car. I would start it up and roll it around the neighborhood every couple of months. I like my JEEP, my JEEP with my 26.2 and 13.1 and I DO 26.2 flair on it…not a boring ‘ole Audi. Ok, so it’s not boring, it’s just not my JEEP. It’s not ME. Oh well, it’s just one day…

****in talking with the Hubs just now he has admitted that his car is especially hard to drive because it is Turbo charged with increased compression. So whatever that means…all it means to me is that it is a hard stick to drive. So there.

Hope you all had great runs/workouts/lunges today!!!

And for your viewing enjoyment:

MAKE NO LITTLE PLANS!

Off With a BANG!

My legs are screaming!

Today was Day 1 of the the Legs Love Lunges Challenge! I am super excited that a good number of you have accepted the challenge! If you missed it you can check it out HERE! It’s not too late to join the fun! Let me know if you want in!

Here are the peeps who have accepted the challenge thus far:

RunningGirl

Stacie

Track Coach (how about that adorable wife of yours? Huh?)

La Historiadora

EMZ

Katie

Shellyrm aka Jogging Stroller Mama

OC2Seattle

That is EIGHT (8) of you, 9 counting myself, who will have awesomely (yes, that is a word) powerful legs in one (1) month! Or so I hope!

So today I ran 4 miles and a half mile cool down with AN the RB! It was a good morning for a run! The air was cool with a slight breeze! I’m trying to stay away from the mid-day runs, I have learned my lesson. Period.

We did our 4 miles in 35:03 (8:44 pace). Then we ran an extra .25 and walked about .25 home. Once we got back to the house, you guessed it…LUNGES time. My legs were already sore from the weights yesterday, but a challenge is a challenge and my lunges days will be Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. I have also accepted The Hard Core Challenge hosted by Jamoosh. I will be doing the core workout on the same days as the lunges. That’s right folks. A-Dawg is getting crazy up in here. Yo. If you need a translation that means I am getting serious on some cross training!

So here is me and AN the RB doing our lunges:

AN the RB’s form looks great…mine on the other hand, NOT SO MUCH. See how my right leg is? It should not be angled inward. It should be straight out in front of me with my knee directly over my ankle, making a 90 degree angle. I am going to have to really work on my form.

This evening I told the Hubs about my challenge and he decided he would participate too, which of course means that LB and Lazy Dog are joining the fun…

Tomorrow is a solo 7 miler. Woe is me.

And have I mentioned lately that I am supposed to be doing a triathlon this coming weekend? Yeah, I’m registered for a Sprint Tri. I guess I’ll decide on Friday if I will do it or not. I don’t really want to do it alone. My friend RED, who shall remain nameless, is not participating anymore. Who can blame her though, really? It is a HUGE ordeal and will SWALLOW the whole entire weekend: Packet pickup Sat in Seattle, set up bike transitions after 11 AM Saturday, then to the race at 6 AM Sunday. I guess it does leave time for other stuff, kind of. But doing a race by myself is just no fun. The Hubs, AN the RB and my Official Race Crew (at least I think she offered) have all offered to come cheer me on so I will decide. Oh and did I mention I also have to do a long run Sat AM? Yeah, so the tri may just be the end of me….

Today I am grateful for:

A good run with AN the RB!

Awesome summer evenings spent outside and in the yard.

Wild blackberries that grow in our alley…yum!

PINK. It’s my favorite color.

I Challenge You…

…if you are brave enough to accept!

I took Sunday off as a complete rest day so today was a cross train day. The Hubs and I rode our bikes (the long way) to the gym.  After some weightlifting (abductors and adductors to be specific) my legs are sore! I try not to do too much weightlifting while I am marathon training, it makes my legs too tired and recovery is slow.  I bet it would be good in the long run, which brings me to my brilliant idea: Legs Love Lunges Challenge. Dun dun dunn!

Here’s the deal, if you so wish to accept your challenge:  Take a photo of your legs, those powerful running legs of yours!  Post it on your blog saying that you accepted this challenge. And for the hard part: Do lunges at least 3 times a week from tomorrow, Aug. 10 until Sept 10.  It doesn’t have to be a lot of lunges, start with like 10 lunges in your yard and turn around and do 10 back.  But see how you can build it up over the course of one month! I want to SEE if I can see a difference in my legs! I am certain I (and you if you join) will feel a difference in the strength, especially in hill running! 

So here are my leg pics:

So, lets see what lunges 3 days a week can do!  Let me know if you accept the challenge!!!

 

 

 

 

 

And totally random but do any of you know anything about stroller speakers for an iPod?  My friend Em lives in Italy (if you want a blog to read that will whisk you away to Italy check hers out HERE) and she is traveling home to the US with THREE kiddos! Talk about a MARATHON! She is wondering about the speakers for her stroller…any info is much appreciated!

Tomorrow is 4 miles with AN the RB.  Sad sad sad….she is leaving me soon.  She is packing up and moving across the country. I think she wanted to leave me before I had the chance to leave her. But soon enough we will both be on the East coast! Not close enough to be running buddies but a mere 7 hour train ride away. There are already plans in the works for the NYC Marathon!  Woot woot!  And she will be joining me (and my friend Breaking Pace and East Coast Jessica, not to be confused with Official Race Crew Jessica)  in Vegas on Dec. 5th for the Rock n Roll marathon! So it’s not really going to be good bye, but see you later. So we need to get some runs in together while we still can.  I’m going to miss these runs with her…

And for your viewing enjoyment, here is a photo of Bat Family at my son’s Batman birthday party:

Today I am grateful:

That we made it through my son’s birthweek.  I think we celebrated for 5 days straight.  What is up that THAT?

For Lazy Dog. He’s pretty much awesome.

Cool breezes coming in my window.

Elite!

…if only for a moment.

Today was the Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon.  Almost the entire race is within 3 miles of my house at all times.  Today’s training schedule had me running 13 miles.  Perfect. Only not really.  The Tacoma Narrows Half is WAY too expensive for a half marathon, $85 or $90 if you register last minute (like I nearly always do).  So I did not register.  It is painful knowing there is a race going on right outside your door…

The Tacoma Narrows was my first half marathon in 2008.  Wow! 2 years ago!  My how far I have come since then!  My time was a whopping 2:06.33.  Not too shabby but I thought I was going to DIE! I gave it everything I had!  Today’s 13.11 miles I came in at 2:02, for a training run! I feel like I have come a long way since then! 

RED came over to do the 13 with me.  We decided to bandit the race.  Now before you start hating on me hear me out…

The Hubs dropped us off at a point about 4 miles in to the race.  We ran off the course about 2 miles before coming back to the paved trail where we headed along the race course, with NO racers in sight.  We ran along at a nice clip (I don’t have the splits, G. Money was fighting some serious Garmin Gremlins so I am going off of RED’s Nike Plus) and I kept looking back, expecting to see the elites heading towards us.

We came across the first water/Gu station and the volunteers got all excited and ready for the runner’s…as me and RED came closer the looks on their faces were priceless. I am sure they were thinking, “Wow! These girls are first? But they aren’t running very fast!” We told them were weren’t participants then we joked about being the winners. They laughed and we carried on.  It was fun to run up on the people waiting for the racers. For a moment in time I was an elite! I felt what it could be like to lead the pack! To be in first place! To be awesome! To have people on your heels and to be running from the others~! It was awesome. For only a second. Then I was back to reality at my 9:18 pace.  Tired. Bum tightening up. Thirsty.  And just average. Oh well, we had a good time kidding around with the volunteers along the course and they didn’t seem to care that we were bandits.  We were far enough ahead that it didn’t really matter.  At one point we were running straight down the middle of the street. I blame that on RED.  We decided that probably wasn’t the coolest thing to do and got back to the side of the street.

We came to a point where the course headed DOWN to to downtown. If we continued I knew we would have to run UP in order to get home so we veered off the course, telling the cop  manning the intersection, “We are taking a shortcut to the finish! Don’t tell!” I’m not sure but what he believed us…

We headed toward home with about 5 miles left.  With 4ish left we had to make an emergency pit stop at home…nature calls. What can I say?  We headed back out with our 4 miles left.  We both were feeling really good. It was a perfect day for a run; misty, sprinkling and raining at times with temps around 60.  You can’t ask for much better long-run weather!

Here we are after the run, soaking wet and smiling:

And just to ensure that RED hates me and for your viewing enjoyment, here is a picture of us before the Tacoma Narrows Half in 2008:

 

Wow!  I can see a difference! I have definitely slimmed up and shed about 20 pounds!

I hope in another 2 years I can look back and see even more of an improvement!  It really makes it all worth it!

 

Today we had a good run! I’m getting to the Meat and Potatoes of Portland Marathon training!!

Today I am grateful for:

A great running buddy and friend in RED! It was pretty cool to run 13.11 miles with her today, on our 2 year anniversary of my first half!

A nice visit with the father-in-law, who came in town for LB’s birthday!

Here in America Part II…

..bicycles have to obey all traffic laws when they are riding in the street.

With that being said, I almost died again today. This time the offender was not in a motorized vehicle but rather on a bicycle.  That’s right, a biker nearly plowed me over.  This dude was hauling buns down a hill and straight up barreling towards the intersection where the stop sign was blatantly disregarded.  He missed me by the hair on my chinny chin chin as he turned right, running the stop sign.  He NEVER ONCE LOOKED TO HIS RIGHT, where I was running from.  If I had a stick I would have jammed it in his spokes. 

I’M. SO. MEAN.

Speaking of running, my run today was awful.  From the get-go I was sucking air and my muscles were tight as could be.  It was hot and I was thirsty.  Yes, this was another mid-day run in the heat of the day with no water. Stupid.  Lessons learned today 1). I hate running mid-day when it is hot. 2) Take water on mid-day runs even if it is only 3 miles. 

Today’s stats:

3.4 miles in 29:43 (8:44 pace). 

I hope today was just a bad run day.  It happens to the best of us. Right?

Saturday is 13 with RED!  

Here in America…

…a red light means STOP.  I’m pretty sure it is the same in other countries but specifically, here in the US I know for a fact that when you see a red light and you are driving a car it means stop. It is not optional.  So, to the lady who was late for her hair appointment: Please do not try to roll up to a red light at a fast speed and make a right turn while there is a person in the middle of the cross walk.  Ok?  Thanks.

I seriously almost died.  I saw her coming and decided not to jump out of her way.  I was almost hoping she would hit me just so I could teach her a lesson, just so she would feel reeeeal bad. The look on her face when she saw me was priceless! I am not lying when I say she slammed her breaks and stopped within three inches of my side-knee.  I just gave this woman the evil eye and I know it burned into her. Maybe now she will think twice about rolling through a red light.  Maybe.  From what I have learned though  people think pedestrians are at fault, we are in THEIR way, we should not be in the cross walk, forget that her light was red.  We are inconveniencing THEM. What ev.  Since I have been running the streets more I am more cognizant of pedestrians and I try really hard to always slow down and give them the right of away. I can’t even tell you how many times I have almost died because some Ya Who wants to make a right turn (like today) and I am running from the right, they look left and NEVER EVER EVEN GLIMPSE to the right…bam. Amanda Juice…messy.

But alas, I survived to finish my 7 mile run today!  I had 3 on the schedge for today but tomorrow is going to be SO crazy that I knew I would not have time for scheduled 7 miles.  I switched days and I will hope to get three in tomorrow, but I’m not holding my breath! I have to work all over creation AND it is LB’s 5th Birthday!  Yay!  So we have dinner plans tomorrow night!

I learned a few things on today’s run.  1) I am not a good mid-day runner.  I set out at 2:45 and it was HOT. Ok, hot by my spoiled PNW standards: 75 degrees. I know, some of you would like to throw me under the bus for saying that, or better yet wishing I was Amanda Juice. But really, when you are not used to blaring sun and warmth it is hot and the pavement gets hot too. 2) It might actually be in my best interest to jump out of the way of a car and not try to teach the driver a lesson by sacrificing my legs. 3) Remember to  take water. My general rule of thumb is anything under 10 I am ok without water. I can usually make it 10 before I die. Well, not today. When it is sunny and warm and I am heading out for a mid-day run I need to take water. Otherwise this is what happens:

I will show up at my friend’s house dying of thirst.  This is Jess’s house.  I had 2 miles left in my run and I literally could not make it another minute without water.  I knew she was at work but I hoped her boyfriend would be home. Nope.

 

 

So I scoured the grounds and found this:

Oh yeah, sweet water! I was unsure if it would actually work. It was covered in spider webs and leaves. I had to dig it out then pray it would come on! It came on alright! And I felt like a cowboy on the high plains, riding for days with an empty canteen, who had just found a spring or river.  Only  I was worse off. I was the stupid cowboy who didn’t even HAVE a canteen. I would never have survived back then.

But I drank. And drank. And drank…sorry about the impending water bill Jess, just put it on my tab:

 

See the water running in the back?

 

Thank goodness for friends! Friends who live nearby with water…

 

 

So today I finished my 7 miles in 1:01.45 (not counting the time I stopped to drink).  I held an 8:58 pace.  I miss the  days of 8:30 pace but I know it will take some time to get back there. I just felt blah and heavy today. Hopefully I’ll get 3 fast miles in tomorrow and 3 Thursday, but this week is turning out to be crazy so I am doubting I’ll be able to.  All I know is I have 13 on Sat and I wont be missing that one!

Off to wrap up some super sweet birthday presents for my LB!!