I think I'm Ready

This weekend is Mercer Island Half Marathon. I think I am ready. I hope I am ready since I have a full marathon in 37 days. 37 DAYS!!! I am kind of slowly slipping into Marathon Freak Out Mode. I desperately need a long(er) run. This weekend should be 18 miles but I am doing 13.1. Next weekend no ifs, ands, or buts...I MUST run at least 18 miles. I have 5 weeks! My plan is all kinds of messed up. My next three long runs should be: 18, 14,20. But I am going to be flipping them to be 13.1, 18, 20. What are the repercussions of two very long runs in a row, 18 then 20? I have noticed that I should be jumping up in mileage then stepping back.

I am coming to terms with the fact that my first marathon goal will be: 1)survive and 2) finish. Maybe not in that order. I don't know.

As for my birthday Half Marathon on Sunday a sub 2 would be awesome but I also just want to go out and enjoy the run (despite the rain that is called for). The hills are brutal and I have not been hill training. So I guess I am scared that I wont be able to. We will see. I am excited and feel a good run coming on!

Call off your hounds!!

I am alive and Well!!!!

Last week was restful so I don't have a lot of running to tell you about. Last Friday was the one week mark for my rest so I knew I needed to get a good run in. I got to run with another local blogging mommy! Always a treat! I talked with Jill on the phone Thursday to make a plan for running Friday. I wasn't sure if it would happen since my Little Buddy was down with strep throat. Ugh, poor kiddo! At least we were both down and out at the same time so I didn't miss more training than I had too. But I made the plan to meet Jill and run 10 miles Friday morning.

Of course it was raining and an all around Pacific Northwest morning. But I had told Jill I would run with her, she was counting on me. So we texted a few times and pushed our time to 10 AM so we could get our little people to preschool. I won Worst Mom of the Year Award when I dropped my Little Buddy off at preschool. As soon as I walked him in I was told he needed a sack lunch and 6 bucks for a field trip. Thanks for the heads up people! He missed school half day of Wed and all day Thursday so I didn't get the memo... Great. With 10 minutes until my Meet Jill time I was in between a rock and a hard place. Thankfully his teacher said she had an extra lunch for him and I could just pay the $6 later. I felt kinda bad saying, "I have a running date in 10 min, I can't go make his lunch and hit the ATM." Ugh, mommy guilt. So I have the award sitting on my....er...heart. I am sure it will pass soon enough. On a brighter note he went bowling and scored a 62! Awesome! THAT is my Little Buddy!

Anywho, back to running! I met Jill and we had the perfect 10 mile route!

G. Money gave me all sorts of fits from the get-go. Can you see the problem with this below?

During my last run, before the week of rest, the pin came out of the little thingy, you know what I mean, and I fixed it. See how good I did? I didn't have the time or tools to fix it before Jill and I set out so I carried it in my hand, which worked out, except for the part where I must have hit a button and turned it off. OOps. I reset it and we kept going. So our stats are taken from Jill's Garmin.

Stats:

Miles: 10.01
Pace: 10:00
Time: 1:40:12

Mile 1: 9:08
Mile 2: 9:31
Mile 3: 9:48
Mile 4: 9:55
Mile 5: 10:06
Mile 6: 10:17
Mile 7: 10:29
Mile 8: 10:15
Mile 9: 10:12
Mile 10: 10:26


This was a perfect run and perfect pace for my first run post rest! We had a great time and the conversation flowed. Not only that but the rain held off and we didn't get a single drop the whole 10 miles! I see a few more runs in our future! My hip hurt a little bit beginning at around mile 5. To my surprise it felt fine a few hours later and I am feeling pretty good today. I only ran 2 miles on the treadmill, fail. I was bored and having a blah kind of day. Oh well.

This weekend is the Mercer Island Half Marathon. I am supposed to do 18 miles for my long run.

Hmmm....18-13.1=4.9.

This course is a doozie and depending on how I feel I may turn around at the finish and run 2.45 back and then come back to the finish for my 18. But I am not making any promises for a few reasons: 1) it's my life and my choice, so there 2) it's my birthday that day, so there 3) well, it's my birthday and I have people (not just people but bloggy people!) who want to have a post run lunch with me, so there and 4) I may be just too tired, so there.

And now I will leave you with this gem.....

Not only do we run but Red and I are training for a triathlon. I think she needs to graduate to a two wheel bike though. And I plan to loose the training wheels!

Today I am grateful for:
My friends who stand beside me thick and thin, who laugh with me and cry with me. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for you. Thanks!

More Cowbell Winner

Congrats to the More Cowbell winner!!!

Drum roll Please!

Jill at Running To Sanity!

Jill said: I have so many people that I want to ring that cow bell...mostly though it would be my son Max. I want him to be proud and inspired by his MOM!

I think we all can relate to this! There is something magical about that moment we see our little wild ones running through the house pretending to be running a race or wearing our medals around their necks. We are setting our children up to live happy, healthy and active lives! I wish I had a cow bell for all of you! Jill, I am sure it will be so awesome to hear Max ringing that bell for you!

I am still resting my hip. I haven't run (or would it be haven't ran? Surely there is some sort of English teacher out there dying to correct me...Red?) since Friday. I did go to the YMCA yesterday and got 36 minutes on the elliptical and about 45 min of weights followed by my hip exercises. Today I taught water aerobics so I haven't been completely sedentary. I hope to start back in tomorrow but my Little Buddy is sick so it may not happen. At the very least I will hit the treadmill Saturday. A little over a week until the Mercer Island Half! I would like to get a long run in this weekend but I am thinking it will be Monday. My schedule is so whacked! I can't think about it or I will start to get anxious and nervous and panicky and freak out! I have barely over a month to my marathon and my longest run has been One Million Inches or 15.68 miles, a far cry from 26.2!!! Oh jeez! here comes the panic!

Today I am grateful for:

Tulips!

A birthday present sent from lands afar from The Hubs! Details when I actually get it in the mail!

Kids who see their parents active and healthy!

Anti inflammatories.

Rest rest rest...and maybe rest

Doctor's orders.

Ah, but if you will look closely I wrote "rest" three times and then a "maybe rest". Monday I headed to the doctor for a check up, or follow up, to make sure I am still healthy, wealthy and wise after my problems in Dec/Jan. The good news: I am healthy. The bad news? I am not wealthy and the wise is debatable. =) But once the doc assured me I was certainly healthy and cleared and there was no need for any more follow ups (hooray!) I said, "While I am here, I have one other concern. *stall* I am training for my first marathon and my hip really hurts." I explained the pain and the history of the pain. I experienced a similar pain two years ago. She had me do some standing and balancing and kicks and had my lie down and she moved my leg here and there, pushed here, felt there...without hesitation she said she was putting me in for x-rays. Needless to say I was shocked. This does not usually happen. I was certain I would hear, "take a few weeks off, start up slow and come back if it still hurts." But I did not hear that!!! This doc took me to her office and I sat there while she went and made copies of a book chapter about the hips. She returned and handed it to me with the instructions to "read it." She told me she has run four marathons! How did i get so lucky? She talked to me about the importance of shoes, having more than one pair and rotating them (something I am not currently doing), about surfaces we run on and that treadmills are better than cement but still not good (uh, I thought they were nice and squishy?). She asked me if I was increasing my mileage too fast and asked if I could consider a later marathon. Not really an option, I am registered. I'll do OKC but maybe I will register for another one that will give me more time to train. In all it worked out great and I am glad I brought it up. She understood me and she understood running. When she said the dreaded word REST my heart stopped for a second then she said "for three or four days..." Thank God! I know she saw the smile flash across my face.

So I got the x-rays and she said she would call me if she saw anything of concern. Cross your fingers that I don't hear back.

After leaving the doctor's office with my high power anti inflammatory I considered meeting Mel for my 16 miler...I could always do my long run and begin my resting tomorrow! Right? I had also made plans to do my long run with Red on Tuesday so I could even begin my resting on Wed! But the truth of the matter is that my hip hurt and I knew in the pit of my stomach I needed this rest. I need to recover so I can continue to train and get stronger, faster, and more stamina and endurance. And my Little Buddy sealed the resting deal by getting sick last night so he stayed home with me today and we rested together. So I will rest tomorrow and maybe, just maybe run on Thursday.

Now here is the problem, where do I pick back up? I don't have the time to push this weeks training to next week. So do I pick up where I left off or or with my 16 miler? Or do I check those missed days off and jump ahead as if I did run this week? What do I do?

Oh yeah, and don't forget my More Cowbell giveaway! It ends tomorrow night at 10 PM PST! go HERE and enter!!!

Today I am grateful for:
All my new awesome followers! You all are amazing and I love to see all of us out there getting healthy and living life! Don't give up!!! Keep running and working hard!
My new yummy smelling perfume, I love smelling good! Who doesn't?
My awesome support system here, my family away from family, you all know who you are and I thank you. You may never know just how special and important you are to me.
No news which is good news about the X-rays! Let's hope there is nothing of concern there!

Training is Hard

Tonight's post is going to be short. Today's plan called for 8 miles. I thought I could do it. I thought I had enough time to get my Little Buddy to preschool and get back home in time to to head out for 8 miles and still get to work on time, and I did. I had just enough time if I kept my pace around 9:15/mile or under. I set out and could tell I was tired and it took a bit of time to warm up. I quickly began talking myself out of 8 miles and into 4 miles, tomorrow's distance. I must be so weak minded. Or I guess I could turn it to a positive and say I am so persuasive, I should have been a lawyer...4 miles it was. My hip was hurting from the first quarter mile on and it was pretty bad, so bad I have decided to see a doctor.

I am not sure if I will be able to get my 8 miles in tomorrow, treadmill style of course since it is the weekend. I will give it a try and see how the hip holds up.

Marathon training is hard, in case any of you were wondering. I sometimes sit on the floor to work with clients and getting up I feel like I am 70 years old. My body is stiff and sore and often creaks and cracks. When I up out of chairs or hobble down stairs my friends and co-workers give me a hard, joking time, "And you are going to run a Marathon!" I am sure they question whether or not I can actually even make it to my car much less run 26.2 miles. On top of the wear and tear on the body marathon training is time consuming. I think it is like a full-time job, now if only I could turn those miles into $$$$.

Today's Stats:
Mile 1 8:33
Mile 2 8:45
Mile 3 8:48
Mile 4 8:46
Total time: 34:59
Calories: 477
Half mile walk home: I have no idea how long it took.

Don't forget to enter my More Cowbell Giveaway!!! HERE!

Today I am grateful for:
Hope.
Love.
Smiles.
Dreams.

And We Run

I love facebook. I try to be smart about my FB usage. I have a rule of thumb that if I don't know the person, actually know them in person I generally don't befriend them. I understand that it is possible for people who are not my friends to see certain posts and whatnot but I have tried to take all the necessary precautions and privacy measures to keep me and my family safe. With that said, I sometimes post about running by myself, although I try to only post it AFTER the fact.
After Monday's long run I updated my status to say:
Amanda thinks running 15 miles by yourself is hard so I only did 14. Oh well.

This isn't exactly putting me at risk, I don't' think...do you? It does say Hey, this nut job runs long distances by herself...so maybe it makes me a target. Where there is a creep-o with a will there is a way. AND this is also after I met the creepster at the track. So when my good friend's mom (who is like a Mom #2 to me) posted this on my wall I took it to heart, she is right:

Friends Mom: OK...the mother in me comes out, my THIRD daughter :).... Do NOT run BY YOURSELF! Please!!! And don't post it on FB.... I have had strangers comment on my wall before. FB isn't STRANGER Proof. I have read PEOPLES FB Wall's that aren't my accepted friends. With the horrible tragic Natl. news today of the found body of the girl jogger in a park... it isn't safe for women to EVER, EVER be alone! AMANDA'S friends, STEP UP and someone ride their bike with her or chase her in your car...Run your dog with her... SOMEONE stick to her like glue... or I will have to (and it won't be pretty to see her dragging me on her jog! :) I want to see some names of who will join Amanda and promise me that she wont jog alone, for Amanda's sake. Love (your 2nd Mom).

Now, it will be hard to NEVER run alone but I think it is important that we are aware of the dangers and not begin to feel invincible, you know that old feeling we had in high school: It wont happen to me. Because unfortunately, it could. The more my distances increase and the longer I am out there running the more aware I am of being vulnerable. Thank goodness my friend RED stepped up to the challenge and volunteered to run with me! She came through today and met me for my 4 miler! Moral of this post is to tell you all to be smart and safe out there. Just because I don't think like a bad guy doesn't mean bad guys don't think...what? I just got confused. You all know what I am trying to say, be aware of your surroundings, carry a whistle or something to make a loud noise, don't run in secluded areas, make sure someone knows where you are, don't post it for the world to see on FB or dailymile, and be safe!

Here is me and Red before heading out...

We took an after shot too but well, my face was fit for radio in that one. I love how my hat bill is all crooked. Grrr....

We had a great run and got to catch up on the latest news and going's on with each other. Oh yea and she will be joining the Seattle Rock n Roll clan!!! Wooo Whooo!! Can't wait!!!

Today's Stats:
4 miles
Mile 1 8:31
Mile 2 8:39
Mile 3 8:41
Mile 4 8:50
Total time: 34.43
Average Pace: 8:40
Calories burned: 473

Today I am grateful for:
A beautiful day of sun shine!
A good run, shopping and lunch with Red!
The Office!!!! My favorite show!!

Wednesday's Wonders Giveaway!

Well I had had enough. My running clothes frankly STINK. It didn't matter what I used I just never could seem to get that icky sweat smell out. So I decided to try out Win High Performance Sport Detergent ! And boy let me tell you, it works! Not only do my workout clothes smell good out of the wash, they smell good when I put them on and start running, which I noticed before as I started running or working out and heating up my clothes would start stinking before I even started to sweat! Gross.

What Win says:
Most liquid detergents do not target embedded odors and even after gym clothes are washed, these odors stay entrenched in the fibers. After a few workouts, even the best high tech fabrics typically develop a musty odor. This is caused by bacteria attracted to sweat soaked fabric.
Using a unique technology, Win Detergent's scientifically designed super oxygenated system directly targets offensive odors and stains. This powerful oxy cleaning technology eliminates the embedded sweat molecules and odors that overwhelm the fabric. Simultaneously, these same ingredients also react with soil and organic materials causing them to either decolorize or disintegrate. Once in a soluble form after oxidization, dirt and odors easily wash away.

Win Detergent is safe for use on all colors and fabrics.
Win Detergent works equally well in all temperatures.
Win Detergent can be used in high efficiency machines and for hand washing.
The super oxygenated formula in Win Detergent is biodegradable based on OECD standards.

My only gripe is the size of the bottle....No, I do not have a giant hand, I have a tiny bottle of detergent.



And now, the giveaway part of the post, you know this is what you were waiting for! What you will win: One bottle of Win detergent, and I promised you Olympics swag and I will deliver! Below you will see in my hand an awesome cowbell! Now we all have heard "More Cowbell" and I am sure that you, my awesome bloggy runner friends, have races coming up and you want your awesome supportive loved ones, spouse, friends, or dog to ring this not-at-all annoying cowbell for you as you speed by them in a race!! And it is brought to you straight from Vancouver, BC. It has the cool little Vancouver Olympics logo on it!

And here are some sweet Earbags. That's right, earbags. So for those of you who are still braving the cold these could come in handy! I tried mine out and they fit right over the ears (and stay put!) and keep them warm! You can even wear your earbud and certain other headphones under them! And well, they too have the Vancouver Olympic logo on them.

So how do you enter? Leave a separate comment for each:
Become a 5 miles 2 Empty follower and leave me a comment, or let me know you already are!
Tell me who you would want to ring that cow bell for you and in which race!

Remind me that you entered my name my Garmin Contest (yay for an extra giveaway entry!)

Link up this giveaway anyway you can/want, facebook, blog, dailymile, twitter. Leave a comment to let me know for each.

Contest ends Wed 3/10 at 10 PM PST and the winner will be announced 3/11

Good luck!

Today I am grateful....It's a great day to be alive. Live life.

Playing Catch Up!

First of all, sorry ya'll! I kind of went MIA for almost a week! Where did the time go? Where did I go? Sometimes I just find myself in a cave. I have to step back and take a break. Not to mention sometimes I just don't feel positive and I don't want to infect you all, my awesome bloggy buddies, with my negative vibes. But thankfully those negative vibes are making their way out a here as we speak. AND just because I wasn't posting didn't mean I wasn't running! Last Wednesday I hit 7 miles with Mel my Tall Momma friend. I had minimal hip pain and felt good. Thursday I hit my 4 mile run on the treadmill with a time of 36:28 (9.07/mile pace). I opted to skip my short 3 miler Friday because my hip hurt just walking, standing, and breathing. I wanted to rest up too for Saturday's 15 miler. Saturday came and I got out of bed and slowly got motivated to drive to my friends house, lets call her Red. She has two smaller red heads that my Little Buddy plays well with and she has graciously volunteered to help me with my long runs. The sun was shining at 8:30 A.M. but not so lucky by the time I pulled into her driveway around 9. The clouds opened up, the rain fell, the wind blew. I hobbled out of my car and realized that I wanted to run 15 miles about as much as I wanted to smash my own foot with a sledge hammer. I walked in and first mistake I set my stuff down and meandered into the living room. I lallygagged around. I must have looked completely unmotivated and Red picked up on it. We had a play date instead to include lunch out. =) My 15 miler was a no-go and I was completely OK with that. My hip was sore and I was not in the mood to run. I was in the mood to be around another adult, another person who's hubby is deployed, not in the mood to spend 15 miles alone. So it was a combination of pain and the long, stressful, and emotionally draining few days prior that led me to not run Saturday. Sunday runs are pretty much never going to happen, at least until I start doing speed work on the track where I can keep my Little Buddy corralled. So I mentally prepared myself to do my long run on Monday. Monday I had 2 and a half hours to complete my 15 miles. I wasn't sure I would be able to do it but I set out nonetheless. I had a route in mind and hit the pavement heading towards the waterfront. It was great running weather, 48 degrees. Here is my view for 4 miles of the long run...I can live with this.

After running the waterfront the only way to make my way back toward home (even though I had about 8 miles to go before I could actually go home) was to take The Hill of Death. Ugh. This hill is no joke, straight up killer.

Man, these pictures do not do the hill justice. I ran up at a slow pace and you will see just how slow when I post the stats (hint, mile 7). After coming to the top I could have turned left and and headed home and finished up with about 8.5 miles...BUT I went straight. I wanted to be done mostly because I was bored and alone but I could not quit just yet. I knocked off a few more miles and ran by my friend Jessica's house, I knew she was at work but it was worth a try. I was thirsty. Her car was not there so with about 5 miles of my 15 left I headed toward the local university track. This is a good way for me to finish longer runs without getting too far from home, especially when I am on a time schedule. I arrived at the track and began to run circles.

B.O.R.E.D.

Someone. Please. Shoot. Me.

I knocked off one mile, then two, then three and I could not stand another minute. I headed to the gate and grabbed my water belt that I had removed and slung over the fence. That is when it happened. I knew it was going to. A tall, lanky, strange guy had been walking the straightaway, back and forth, the entire time I was running circles. He mouthed something to me. Ugh. Seriously, can't you see I am wearing headphones and sweating profusely. Can't you tell I am not yet done with my 15 miles? I am too nice. I took one headphone out. He started some small talk and I could not get away. The whole time I was thinking about how I just had to finish my run and my tock was clicking, or my clock was ticking...whatever. I had to finish 2 more miles in like 12 minutes. Yeah right. He had marathon advice, told me I looked like his daughter, told me I was too young to have hip pain then immediately asked me how old I was and then he quickly replied, "You are a young 31! I thought you were a university student" Hm, I wasn't sure if this was creepy or a compliment. I wasn't exactly getting that friendly runner feeling. He even asked me if my husband runs with me...uh RED FLAG. I told him, "Oh he does run with me, just not today." As a single-married military wife you learn real quick that it is not exactly safe to announce to the world that your spouse is away for periods of time (kind of like I am doing now....hm...ok creepers, stay away. I have a baseball bat and lots of weapons in my house and I know how to use them. Ok, got that out there). Finally I had had enough and I told him I needed to finish my run and get going and excused myself. Whew, the whole experience left me feeling weird. I am usually a good character judge and this guy just had me baffled. Anyway, I knew I would only have time for one mile and I headed home.

So, stats for Monday's solo long run are:

14 Miles

Mile 1 8:40 Mile 2 8:46 Mile 3 8:45 Mile 4 9:00 mile 5 9:04 mile 6 9:08 Mile 7 11:07 The Hill of Death...I survived. Mile 8 9:48 recuperating mile 9 9:09 That's more like it.... Mile 10 9:16 Mile 11 8:50 Mile 12 8:54 Mile 13 8:59 Mile 14 9:09 After a 15 minute conversation with a guy who had lots to say about running, marathons, training, and pain.

Total time: 2:09

What?!?!? So maybe I have a sub 2 hour half in me after all!? We will see on 3/21! But no pressure people...no pressure. I am in full marathon training after all!

Wow, I had a lot to catch you all up on! This post is pretty long but I figure you didn't have anything to read (at least here on my blog) since last Wednesday! AND to top it off I still have a giveaway to unveil! This is post 105 after all! But, I need a bit more time to get it together so I am going to have it up on later Wednesday afternoon. Hope you all don't mind! Today I am grateful for: Inspiratonal books that help me fall asleep at night. My birth month! It's a month-long party! Awesome friends and family, I am blessed for sure!