Mid-Week Long Run

Today was my mid-week long run of 7 miles. I guess I should have done it yesterday but I put it off. So now I have 4 miles tomorrow and this week's long run of 10 miles on Friday. I am heading up to the Olympics Friday afternoon and Saturday so my other option is 10 miles on the treadmill Sunday afternoon (which will be a challenge considering the Y no longer has Sunday afternoon childcare so my Little Buddy will be hanging around and restless). So my only real option is Friday mid morning.

Today I headed out with no route or plan for my run, just 7 miles on my Garmin (poor guy still needs a name, click HERE). I know better than to set out without a route in mind because it makes it too easy to find myself heading home at 4 miles. So I set out and quickly came up with a plan. I headed to the local University half a mile away and ran a mile on the track. After that I hit up my usual 4 mile route and ended with another mile on the track and a half a mile home. It was perfect and running on the track gave me legs a nice change of surface to run on.

I felt really good throughout the run until about 5 miles in. My hip started to nag, just a little bit. So while waiting at a cross walk I gracefully executed my straight leg kick and heard a loud POP even over the sound of my blasting iPod. I took off again and was relieved to feel that the small nag has subsided. Now I just have to figure out how to keep that ball in it's socket. Ugh. I think as long as I stay in tune with my body and my aches and pains I can ward off serious injury. I have to remember to not only run hard but to run smart.

Today's stats:
Mile 1 8:55
Mile 2 8:30
Mile 3 8:45
Mile 4 8:58
Mile 5 8:37
Mile 6 8:30
Mile 7 8:24

Total Time: 1:00:51
840 Calories Burned

Would you look at that!
Not one single mile over 9 min/mile!!
This is exciting! I am not even focusing on speed these days, just logging the miles! I figured for my first marathon I just want to make sure I can go the distance. For my next one (listen to me, as if I wont die during my first marathon AND as if I will want to do another one!) I will focus more increasing speed. I got to wondering about what pace I would need to maintain to qualify for Boston. This is what I found:

"The slowest you can run and still qualify for the Boston Marathon is 3:40:59. This is a 8:25 per mile pace. If you train at 30 miles per week, you need to run a 5 K in 21:37 which is 6:57 per mile pace."

Hm, not impossible but not my goal...this time.

Today I am grateful for:
Sunshine!!
An excellent run!
A business proposal and plan in the works! I may become my own boss and business owner!!
A couple of awesome giveaways! Check out Mel-Tall Mom on the Run for your chance to win some GU, a handheld water bottle (if you dare try after my own review! But hey, some people love them), and a RoadID! Also over at Endurance Isn't Only Physical you can enter to win a running skirt! Kerrie over at Mom vs. Marathon did a great Nuun review and is giving away some tubes of Nuun, a water bottle, and socks!!! Check out these awesome blogs!

**And don't forget to enter my Give My Garmin a Name contest! He needs a name more than ever!! HERE I have had a bunch of fun suggestions and a couple that tickle my fancy, but keep the ideas coming!

Lessons Learned on a Long Run

Long runs are good for more than physical conditioning. It is a good opportunity to try out new gear and learn how your body responds to different types of fuel.

Lesson #1: I need my hands free.
I got a new Nathan water bottle a few weeks ago and used it for the first time during the Million Inch run. To be honest, I am NOT a fan. I had a lot of issues with it and almost chucked it into the ditch. I am a very handsy person. I like to have my hands free to wipe sweat, get hair out of my eyes, adjust my pants, change my iPod, scratch an itch, mess with my poor nameless Garmin (interested in helping me name him? click HERE) and adjusting my heart rate monitor. I found it quite annoying to have one hand occupied at all times. Since I have lost about 10 pounds since Dec 1. (yep, I am bragging) I am having issues with my heart rate monitor, as in it wont stay up. I have tightened it to the max and it still slips down. I have to tuck it up under my bra and let me tell you, if it slips I cannot fix it with one hand. I had to shove the water bottle under my armpit so that I could mess with the monitor. Then, my iPod shuffle came unclipped from my pants and dangled behind me. I had to put the bottle in my teeth so that I could get the iPod back in to place. When I got hot wearing my cute new gloves (courtesy of Tall Mom thanks!!) I had to once again put the bottle between my teeth. The last straw was when I was shutting the valve and pinched my tongue. Not cool. So I will be putting the Nathan water bottle in my workout gear basket and maybe, just maybe give it a try in the spring.

Lesson #2: Ziploc bags are brilliant!
Duh! Thanks to Kerrie T. I was able to carry my iPhone on this run, and thank goooooodness! We were all hanging around the start when I noticed that Kerrie and Zoe had their phones in Ziploc bags to keep the rain out. Brilliant I tell you, these girls are thinkers! I asked Kerrie if she had an extra baggy not really expecting her to and she did! She had one bag tucked in her fuel belt holding a Nuun tablet. She gave me the baggy and took a chance with the Nuun getting wet. I forgot to ask her if it disintegrated in her belt. I put my phone in the baggy and shoved it in the small pocket on the back of my pants...which leads me to....

Lesson #3: Do not put your cell phone in the small pocket in the back of your pants (especially if you are using a handheld Nathan water bottle).
At the time I thought it was brilliant. I put my phone in the back pocket. It was the perfect size and fit right in. I zipped it up and off we went. I wasn't 2 minutes in when my tights started sagging lower, and lower, and lower. I mean I was feeling a draft down my crack. Not good. Well if it weren't for that dad-gummed water bottle I would have just taken the phone right out and put in my jacket pocket. BUT...BUT I had that stupid water bottle. This is the first time I had to tuck it under my arm pit, slip of at least one glove, unzip the small pocket and shimmy the phone out of the snug pocket (Oh man! I forgot to apologize to the pack of dudes behind me who undoubtedly saw my crack during the ordeal). I put the phone in my jacket pocket which was pretty annoying for the remainder of the run (I should have thought to bring the awesome tested and approved arm band for my phone).

Lesson #4: Pig tails and hats are good.
When the weather is wet my hair has serious issues. I have finished runs where I couldn't get a comb through my hair without loading it up with conditioner. This time I put the hair in pig tail braids and threw a hat on top. This left my hair untangled at the end of the run! Score!

Lesson #5: When my battery is low on my iPod it will last at least 12 more miles at around a 9:13/mile pace.
During my 12 miler in Oklahoma I started out my run and turned on my shuffle just to hear "Battery low." But much to my surprise and relief it did not die and lasted the entire run! Good to know!

Lesson #6: I don't mind running by myself.
While running with friends is awesome I don't have a problem running by myself. The 15.78 miles seemed to fly by. Point to point races are a good way to ensure I don't quit. It's not like I can quit and just head back to my car. You have to get from point A to point B. When my hip was hurting I knew I had to just finish. But there are times like when I was doing the 12Ks of Christmas. I was looking for a shortcut. I wanted to sneak through a neighborhood or something just to finish sooner. I wanted to take out my iPhone and get directions and find the shortest route to the end BUT I had no idea what address to put in for the start. Bummer. I digress....I did not mind running alone this time. It would have been nice to have a buddy but it is also nice to get lost in my own head and just zone out. No pressure, no distractions. Just me, myself, and I. I kind like running with me. I am learning a lot about myself lately and I like what I am learning. I am strong, both mentally and physically. I will run with me any day.

***Don't forget to enter my Name My Garmin Contest! The winner will get an awesome surprise!! It will be worth it! I promise!! Click HERE!

Today I am grateful for:

Barnes and Noble and a gift card from my sister!

The Olympics. I love how the world seems to come together during the games.

My new nephew! He is a doll!!

Friends who watch my Little Buddy so I can run (ahem....Carrie! Thanks a million!).

Hip-o-fun and Giveaway!

Sunday I rested. I was thrilled to wake up and feel that I was not sore from my Million Inch run, per se. My calves, shoulders, neck, ankles, feet, everything that generally hurts all felt fine. This is how I know I could have done better. It was my dad-gummed hip that was still giving me the most trouble. So Sunday I took the day off and did not run.

I love having a smart sister. =) She is an OT and discussed some possible causes to my hip pain. When I was training for the Seattle Half in 2008 I had some hip issues that resulted in a snowball affect causing IT Band issues. My hip had slightly came out of socket, however that is possible. A nice chiropractor dude helped me out and gave me some exercises to do to strengthen the muscles and ligaments that hold that socket in place. I got to feeling better and forgot about those exercises, literally. I couldn't tell you one today. Anywho...back to my smart sister. She told me to kick my hurt hip leg up and listen for pop. I did so and and heard nothing. She told me to kick it up and out to the side....I did so and POP! Ahch! And whala! I am back in place! I think! SO now I just need to work on those strengthening exercises to keep that ball in it's socket! For crying out loud! I think I am just dealing with residual soreness now from the bone rubbing on muscles and ligaments where it should not have. I think I will try to schedule an appointment with a sports chiropractor early next week. I don't want to do any long term damage. The hip is kind of important.

Today for my easy run I felt pretty good. I ran on the treadmill since preschool was closed in honor of President's Day.

Today's stats:
3 Miles
26:20
8:46/mile pace

Thanks to a certain blog reader (not naming any names here Jamoosh) I had the brilliant idea of a contest to name my Garmin. I have been calling him Coach Garmin since day one and that fit for a while but not now. So to help you all get a feel for my Garmin and to assist you in coming up with the perfect name here are some key personality traits and things that make him special to me:

He is green.
He is fickle.
I can't stand it when he beeps so he doesn't beep.
He is set in his ways and does not like change.
He is loyal yet opinionated.
He is honest, brutally honest and does not sugar coat my pace.
I like him a lot and would say I am completely ATTACHED.

So you have until Feb. 21 at 10 PM PST to suggest names for my Garmin. So first off please become a 5 Miles 2 Empty follower if you aren't already and you can give as many suggestions as you want but please leave them in separate comments. If the same name is suggested twice then the comment I am looking at when I decide I like it will be the winner (hey...I'm telling you this is completely up to me and biased!). The winner will be picked solely by me and my liking of the name. It is completely up to me...and will be completely biased. I will choose whatever the heck I want, it's my Garmin after all! =) The winner will win a cool goodie bag of stuff that will be specially selected based on the winner and my research of that winner's blog. Good luck and may the best name win!!!!

Today I am grateful for:

Sunshine!!!!

A fun day with my Little Buddy!

All my new followers!! Welcome to the madness friends!

SKYPE! I totally forgot in all the excitement of my run Saturday that I got to Skype with The Hubs Saturday morning before I left for the race! That was the first time I had seen him, even if via web cam, since Jan. 2!

Stay tuned tomorrow for lessons learned during 15.78 miles of running!


Good luck naming my Garmin! I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

1 Million Inches =15.78 Miles

And not a bit further!

Yesterday was the long anticipated FREE 1 Million Inch Run. A point to point run along the Interurban trail. My marathon training plan had me doing 13 miles but what's another 2.78 miles? I knew I could handle it, maybe not gracefully but I could do it!

Friday night I wanted to stay up and watch all the Olympic excitement going on but I went to bed instead. Friday it had been pouring buckets and I emailed the others who were crazy enough to participate in this run, Mel-Tall Mom, Zoe, and Kerrie..."are we REALLY going to run in this?" the reply from Zoe: "Embrace the Northwest." So SHE was going to run in this! =)

Thankfully Saturday morning there was not a deluge of water falling from the sky and it proved to be a good day to run.

Here we are, all smiles, before the race began: Zoe, Kerrie T., Mel, Me and some silly dude in the back.

ONE MILLION INCHES...

Well after we were done acting goofy and taking pictures it was time to head to the start. The organizer was talking about something, I wasn't listening. Typical. I was ready to run after a week off due to traveling back to the PNW and dealing with a sick Little Buddy. I was like a bull in the pen, ready to be released. Finally we mosied to the start point and I decided, at the last possible moment, that I should use the Porto potty. Apparently while I was gone the organizer announced that the Million Inch run was actually NOT one million inches rather it was more like 16.4 miles. Upon returning from the Porto potty there was NO mention of this to me. Thanks guys. They thought it best to keep my in the dark. They may have been right. =)

So the guy said go and we ran. I followed Mel and Zoe for a while. They were planning to do about 8:20/mi for the first 8 miles. That was a little faster than I should go so I lagged behind but kept them within eye shot for about 5 miles. My plan was to look at Coach Garmin (who needs a better name) about every mile or so. When I felt like I had gone a mile I was surprised it had actually been 2.83 miles! Whoa! The miles were flying by! My pace was fast but felt really comfortable. I kept going and was in my own little world. I do this, I check out and become oblivious to what is happening around me, I mean I see it, I recognize it but I don't THINK about it. It is like an out of body experience, very strange. The next time I looked at my watch I was approaching 4 miles and the first water station.

There were some streets to cross and I had to wait for what felt like forever at one street. It was shortly after that intersection that I started feeling a pain and I couldn't exactly locate the source. Was it my booty? A muscle? My hip? My IT Band? A cramp? My bone...it felt like a bone in my hip was grinding on a muscle. I kept going and tried to push the pain out of my mind but around mile 6 I felt like I might die. But I kept on going. I had to finish. It was point to point after all.

As the miles rolled by it became clear that I was not going to hit 13.1 miles in less than 2 hours. Bummer. I hit it around 2.03.78. Not too shabby for having 2.68 miles to go. I know I could have done better if only my hip wasn't broken. Also I didn't stop my watch at street crossings or when I stopped at the 11 mile water station. But I figure all together that may have been a minute or two.

After the 11 mile water stop it all went down hill. The trail became less clear and I kept my eye out for the bright orange painted arrows pointing me to the finish...oh the finish. I ran through a fun soccer complex where our local pro soccer team practices, then curved around to follow the Green River. This made me think of the Green River Serial killer. Creepy. Then it happened. I came to an intersection where I could go left, right or straight. There was not a bright orange arrow. There were no clues. It was like a game, which way to go. I looked straight. It lead to a straight-up hill and what seemed to be a neighborhood. Nah...not going there, right or wrong I didn't feel like tackling that hill. Left...that would have lead me back toward the starting point, it was about 14 miles away but still...not going back towards the start. That seemed wrong. Right... hmm....I waited for the light to cycle through 3 times! THREE TIMES! I am sure the people in the cars thought I was totally loony, lost, or worse. Finally through all of my deductive reasoning I chose to run right. Although I was thinking in my head, "right or wrong I am stopping at 15.78 miles. If I am lost and way off then oh well. They can come get me. Or I take a taxi to the start. What is the worst thing that can happen?" I was not really worried, just annoyed that I could be wrong. Then there was another intersection...what in the world! Two men on bikes came rolling by and I must have had this look of "what the heck now!?" because they told me to turn right (again)and mumbled something about matching socks. Ah...Mel and Zoe were wearing Valentine's Day tube socks like me! YAY!!! The men on bikes speak the truth! So I went right.

Thank goodness a group of men that had been behind me (about 4 miles ago) were now long in front of me and long gone because I had some sounds (due to the pain in my hip) coming out of my mouth that were inhumane. It scared me. Embarrassing. That lasted for about half am mile. I looked at my Garmin and was pretty pumped because I had never ran farther than 13.1 miles! With every step I hitting a new distance record! Cool! I couldn't stop. I had to keep going, I really didn't have a choice either way. So at the 15 mile mark I decided to totally ignore the pain. That didn't really work. I jogged backwards for a bit, just to see how that would feel. It worked a little bit. I thought about getting into the Guinness Book of World Records by running a marathon backwards. THAT would be fun. I thought about running into people and hitting pot holes. I decided to turn around. Finally my Garmin beeped: 15.78 miles. I stopped. There was not a soul in sight. Great (remember I had no idea it was actually 16.4). Oh well. I took out my cell and texted Mel something like, "15.78 done. No one in sight. I'm probably lost. Typical." That is when I found out it was further..."Keep going" she told me. I walked. My hip would not jog again. So I walked until I saw Mel and Zoe walking towards me. A welcomed sight!

Zoe snapped this picture of me as I was approaching them. too bad you cant see my tongue hanging out and the look of death on my face.

Me and Mel...she put a smile back on my face!

We got some water and began to walk back to meet Kerrie. She wasn't far behind!

In all it was a great time and I would do it again! I am hoping my hip feels better soon and I only need some recovery time. We will see what the next few days has in store.

Stats for the run:
15.78 Miles
2.35:49
9:52/mile pace
1899 Calories burned

I am pretty happy with that. I know I could have done better but I would rather my leg not fall off. Plus this was a training run. There will be many more.

Today I am grateful for:
Flowers from the Hubs! Awesome surprise to come home to after my long run! Not too shabby coming from the other side of the world either! Thanks babe!

A fun run with friends yesterday!
Ibuprofen.
I am officially released from the doctors care! YaY!! No more weekly trips to the hospital! I am officially healthy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

12 Miles: Done.

Today, after I woke up at 10:15 AM, I sent my Little Buddy off with Grandpa to feed the cows! This gave me the time I needed to get in my 12 mile run.

Mile 1 8:44.96
Mile 2 8:55.75
Mile 3 8:39.31
Mile 4 9:03.08
Mile 5 9:08.71
Mile 6 9:14.91
Mile 7 8:58.00
Mile 8 8:53.03
Mile 9 8:51.82
Mile 10 9:12.15
Mile 11 9:17.74
Mile 12 9:24.33

Total time: 1:48.23

At this pace I could have my sub 2 hour half marathon! Wow!!!! I'm not even training for a sub 2 right now! I guess I am just getting faster without even trying. My focus is endurance and mileage! We will see what happens at my next Half Marathon in March!

It was pretty cool to run on the wide open roads that I used to only drive on. I even had to get out of the way of my old neighbor driving his big ole tractor down the road. I managed to snap a couple of pictures with my iPhone (thanks to my sister for giving me a cool arm band to carry the phone).

This is what I got to look at for 12 miles!

Today I am grateful for:

A good run!

Fun on the farm with the fam!

Phone service on the farm! I remember when I was in college and a trip home meant I was going to be completely out of touch with the world as long as I was there!

6 Miles Treadmill Style

Today I got my six miles in...on the treadmill at my sister's local YMCA. Thank goodness. I wasn't too thrilled to run outside today. The snow is melting but it is still cold and the wind is just plain brutal.

I have left my sister's house and the comforts of The City for the quiet laid back farm. You can read a little bit about the farm HERE. I may or may not skip my three miler tomorrow but Saturday is 12 miles. My mom, gotta love moms, is worried and is already planning to drive along side of me. Great. Can you say annoying. I live in the middle of nowhere and will pass two house, maybe (remember this will be 12 miles) depending on the direction I choose to run. I may have her drive out to my turnaround and give me water but this following me in the car is straight craziness...

Today I am grateful for:
My mom putting my Little Buddy buddy to bed., YAY for grandmas!
Technology on the farm! For the first time we have wireless out here!
The smiles on my Little Buddy's face! He loves spending time with his family.

Captain Obvious!

So apparently when it is cold outside I run faster. Imagine that!

Thanks to my sister I was able to head out for my 3 mile run this afternoon while she watched my Little Buddy, along with her own three Little Buddies. I got dressed and headed out to the snow covered streets. It was COLD. I immediately realized that I had severely underestimated the weather difference between OKC and Seattle. I had forgotten about the bone chilling wind, which does not really exist in Seattle. I spent the first mile wishing I had brought my ear warmer/head band, gloves, jacket, and worn my long tights. I spent the second mile wondering how I am going to make it through my 12 miler this weekend, on my own, and wardrobe-challenged. I spent the third mile wondering why I don't run any faster than I usually do. I know I can I just don't. I started comparing my three milers to Sunday drives. I have no idea why I approach my three milers with such a ho-hum, easy jog attitude but I decided I would run a littler faster because I knew I could, and just see what happened.

What happened shocked me! Cold and snow makes a spoiled Oklahoma born, Pacific Northwest transplant run really fast!!

Mile 1... 9:18.07
Mile 2... 8:28.83
Mile 3... 7:57.95

Total time: 25:48.98
Average pace: 8:35/mile

I like those times!!! Now if I could just continue this for 13.1 miles or even 26.2 (hey, a girl can dream right!? If you can dream it you can achieve it!). We will see what happens tomorrow when I try my six miler.

The forecast for this weekend: snow, wind, arctic blast, slick roads. Brrrrrr!

Today I am grateful for:
A fun fun time with my sister, nieces and Little Buddy at a local science museum for children.
Seeing family that I havent seeen in years! Seriously...years! I love my family.
For a good run today!
Being in Oklahoma....feels good to be home and with my fam. :)
A chance to win some totally neeeeeded Recovery Socks!!! For your chance to win check out Mel-Tall Mom's blog HERE!

Way Busy Day

Today turned out to be WAY busier than anticipated. I wasn't able to get my short run in. Oh well, I can pretend to tell myself I will do it tomorrow, AFTER waking up at 3 AM and flying to the middle of the country. Maybe. It could happen. But did I mention there is snow and ice all over the ground there in the middle of the country? Well, it could happen. I am headed to see my family this week! I finally got my Little Buddy in bed at 9:30(oops!). Now I just have to finish packing. Did I mention it is 10 PM? What have I been doing? I am such a procrastinator! I think I would rather go run my 3 miles now than finish packing. I hate packing. I hate the process of getting out of the house. I feel very negative tonight...shoulda ran. Sigh.

I am not sure yet if I am packing my computer. I will have to wait and see how heavy my carry on is. I kind of hate traveling with my laptop. But I like blogging!!!!

Today I am grateful for:
A good hair day. Seriously, it was a good one.
My friend AN the RB's bday!!!
Getting A LOT of necessary stuff done...even if I still have to pack!
Getting to see the family tomorrow! I haven't seen them since July! Except my mom came out and saw us when we went to Vegas in November. It has been tooooo long!