Vacation Run #1

Saturday morning I hit the streets of Berkeley for an easy 5 mile run. After about 3.5 miles I came across this gem of a dirt track:

I knocked out a mile on the track and made it the half a mile home. Man, let me tell you Berkeley is pretty hilly too! I just can't seem to escape these hills!

Here I am post run, with my little Pirate in the background! My Moeban arm sleeves were perfect, I fit right in with all the liberal hippies (no offense!)! And the best part? My iPhone fits in the sweet little pocket on the upper arm so I was able to run with my phone! SCORE!

Sadly my allergies began acting up in a serious way (or I have a cold) and I spent the hole day fighting a horrible sore throat! I started taking some allergy medication and hopefully I will feel up to hitting the road tomorrow for 8-10 miles in Monterey, my old stomping grounds! Plus I have a dress to fit in this coming weekend for a wedding in VEGAS! I can't completely slack off!

Today I am grateful for:
Vacation with my fam!
fun times on Halloween!
SUN sun and MORE sun in California!
The beach!
Watching a beautiful sunset at the beach where my husband proposed! :)

A Little Too Ambitious

UP

DOWN

Up/Down

3:46/4:35

2:59/4:03

3:06/4:07

3:17/4:39

3:48/3:21

2:37/3:08

So, my plan of running my 1/4 mile hills repeats under 2:10 was a little too ambitious. This hill was a monster! I feel good about doing 6 instead of 8. Ehh, what 'cha gonna do.

Today I am grateful for:

VACATION tomorrow!

Rest Day=NO HILLS

Yes, Tuesday I talked a big talk. I had every intention of running my 8 hill intervals this morning. It just didn't pan out. I woke up this morning exhausted. I tossed and turned all night and was staring at my ceiling at 2:30 AM. I knew it would be a rough day. Not to mention my calves were screaming at me from my hilly 4.5 miles run yesterday. So I decided it would be best to take a rest day and hit the hills tomorrow. I think that the quality of a workout really matters. If I would have hit the hills this morning I would not have worked to my potential, thus wasting a perfectly good (and terrible at the same time) workout. So tomorrow morning it is: 8x400 hill repeats at 1:55 to 2:10 pace.



Today I am grateful for:
A wonderful lunch with my friend and her new baby! Can you say baby fix!? :)
A family dinner and game of scrabble to celebrate The Hubs birthday a few days early.
Things picking up at work.
Size 8 pants!!! That is down from 12 then 10!!! Wooo Whoooo!


And if you need some running gear ideas Mel at Tall Mom on the Run is having a sweet giveaway! She is giving away this:










How sweet is that!! Brooks created the Brooks For Her (BFH) collection to help support the fight against breast cancer. For each BFH piece purchased from March through December 2009, Brooks will donate 6.25% of the suggested retail price to three organizations that research and support those affected by breast cancer: The Young Survival Coalition, Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, earmarked for breast cancer research. Your vote, between March 1, and December 31, 2009, determines how much of the total donation each group gets. No purchase necessary to vote. Learn more about the three selected charities Learn more about how BFH works See the Brooks For Her collection

Definitely worth checking out!

Happy Running!

Is it Just ME?

Is it just me or is it hard to breathe when it is cold outside? Now I know 45 degrees isn’t THAT cold but I could not catch my breath today. I hit 5 Mile Drive with AN the RB for a nice 4.5 mile run and we could see our breath. I was winded the entire way.

Could. Not. Catch. My. Breath.

I guess it could be all those days off I have had…either way it was an ok run, which I will take over no run any day!

Tomorrow calls for a tempo run, which I loathe. SO I have decided to hit the hills for some more interval training. I found a pretty good (as in terrible and totally sucky) hill that will be great for tomorrow. The plan is 8x400 at 5k pace so since it will be a steep incline I am going to shoot for my fast ones to be between 1:55 and 2:105. That would be about 9 min/miles. We will see how it goes! I am just happy to be back in the saddle again!

Today I am grateful for:
A run on 5 Mile Drive with minimal raccoon sightings.
A new car battery! Yay for not being stranded!
Awesome Halloween drawings and art work from my Little Buddy.
A short but sweet mid afternoon nap!

Run Happy Peeps!!

AN the RB saves Lazy Runner

I have been in a slump.
I have wanted to run.
I have been thinking about running.
I have felt guilty for not running.
I have 15 excuses as to why I have not been running.
I have been beating myself up for not running.
I have been thinking about how hard it is to get into the habit of, but how EASY it is to fall out of the habit.
I have been teetering on the edge of no longer being a runner.
GASP!
I know, those are like bad words! Straight from the running devil!
I know!
I know!

Thank goodness for AN the RB! She met me this morning and we went for a nice 5 mile run. It had been pouring rain earlier this morning but it died down for 51 minutes. Not a single drop fell from the sky to land on us. Although there were plenty of puddles that we jumped over in unison and wet branches and bushes that soaked my arms. But in all it was a perfect running weather morning! Thank goodness! I have a sick feeling that if I had not run this morning I very well may have gone another week without a run. Ugh. So. Not. Good.

AN the RB snapped a few post run pictures for me. I wanted to show off my awesome running sleeves in action! They were AWESOME!

Today I am grateful:
that I got my act together and went for a run!
for a fun evening with some other wives from my hubby's work, including a runner!
for vacation on Friday!!!!
2nd and 3rd chances.

Run Happy friends!

What is it all for?

This past week has been somewhat of a struggle. I ran. Not much, and not too happily but I did run. I have not lost sight of my goal, that sub 2 hour Seattle Half. But there comes a time, I think, when every runner asks themselves, “What is it all for, anyway?” At the end of the day what does running mean to me? Sometimes it is a pain in my a@$, sometimes it is the only thing I can think about, sometimes I can’t think straight until I have a good run behind me, sometimes it makes me feel down on myself, not good enough, or fast enough (thankfully those days are rare). But really, running is for me. It is mine. It is what I do to be me. To be not only me but the best me I can be.

I miss the empty dirt roads by the home I grew up in. You could run for miles north, south, east or west on nothing but a red dirt road. It was so quiet and lonesome (in a good way). When I first started running here in Tacoma I was so unfulfilled by it. There were cars everywhere, stoplights every 5 blocks, college kids heckling me from their cars, dips in the sidewalk, crosswalks! I couldn’t get into a running grove to save my life. I couldn’t get any meditation going or thoughts flowing. I could not work through my day without a honk or a whistle. It took me a while to realize that I am a farm girl stuck in a city, surrounded by people.

I am not embarrassed to say that I went to therapy for a while. Partly it was required for my schooling but partly because I needed it and I believe we all can benefit from personal exploration. Anyways, in one particular session I remember talking about how busy life was around me, all the time. As a kid one of my favorite things to do was to sit on the train trestle and look out for miles. And just sit quietly. I can’t find that here. I can’t go for a run and be completely alone and surrounded by wide open spaces.

Here are some pictures of "my" trestle and train tracks...

Life is a balance, my life is a balance. And every so often I feel so off balance that I have to step back and remember what it is all for. Last week was my step back.


Today I am grateful for:
Friends who are always willing to help me out!
ACT mouthwash.
Rain boots.
My followers!!!

Run Happy Peeps!

It’s starting to be that time of year…

Sorry I have been MIA from Bloggy Land the last couple of days. It seems it is that time of year when things start to get crazy. I have taken on a couple of new responsibilities that have me stretched a little thin, but not to worry I chose to run over blog when I have to. Plus I have been reading the book that Lynda Drews sent me, Run at Destruction. I am usually a slow reader and with races to train for, a four year old running around crazy, and a husband in the Army my reading time is limited. BUT I have been hooked simply because it is about people like me, runners, normal people who lace up their shoes and log the miles. So I will finish the book and give my report.

Yesterday I did an easy four mile run. Stats are:
Mile 1: 9:10
Mile 2: 8:54
Mile 3: 8:47
Mile 4: 8:56

Not a bad run! And today is a tempo run, my least favorite.

Today I am grateful:
that I have running to keep me grounded.

for hugs from my little buddy.

Run Happy Peeps!

8 Miles of Jib.Er.JAB.Er.

My how time and miles fly when you are having fun! This morning was the anticipated running date with Mel Tall Mom on the Run! And let me tell you she is ON THE RUN! I don't think she got winded OR sweaty during our 8 miles. :) Not only did we run well together but we chit chatted the miles away. i loved hearing her story and about her! It is just so much fun to get to know new people, especially people who share the same interests (i.e. running, kiddos, husbands our own of course, and blogging). I did look at my Garmin each time I heard it beep but on our out and back I was surprised when we had gone 4 miles and it was time to turn around. I even scored a taste test of her GU Chomps! It was delicious and I think I may be hooked. The Gu Chomp is not all that I scored….. check out my new Moeben Arm Sleeves! She wasn't kidding when she said she bribed me with gifts! :) They are super soft and awesome! I didn't wear them this morning because I was wearing a long sleeved shirt but I absolutely can not wait to give them a try!

I had to share these pictures to show you how cute the sleeves are AND how silly my little buddy is!

Stats for today's run. It will be fun to see how these compare with Mel's. I think I started my watch before we actually began to run, hence the slower first mile.
mile 1-9:31
mile 2-9:06
mile 3-9:11
mile 4-8:55
mile 5-10:27 (I didn't stop my timer when we stopped for a chomp and water, oh well)
mile 6-9:04
mile 7-8:58
mile 8-8:58

I am happy to have gotten some sub 9 min miles in there! This is the fastest longer run I have done thus far! And I felt pretty good! It is amazing what a running partner will do for you! I am also pretty impressed by the pace, look at mile 7 and 8! And we were just chatting away, not really paying any attention to our high-tech watches for pace and speed!

At the end of my 8 miles we snapped a quick picture, parted ways and Mel continued on to finish her 14 miles! WAY TO GO!!! And thanks for the great run!

Today I am grateful for:
a new friend and running buddy!
my Uggs.
clean laundry!
lazy Saturdays...AFTER a good run!

Run Happy Peeps!!!