Am I On the Edge?

Back.  Sadly back.  I spent two weeks in my favorite place in the world (Maine!); one week of vacation, one week of remote work.  I got to spend some good time with my family but I also stuck with my training schedule about 80% of the time. 

I got up mornings to run between 8-17 miles.  I stuck with my eat then run routine but my body is so adapted to a certain cycle that it actually was 1.) eat bagel + drink diet mt. dew ,  2.) sit in bathroom for an hour and a half waiting for my body to get all it's pee needs met so that I don't have to beg bathroom usage along the route, 3.) go outside and stretch, and 4.) run.  The reason for hiding in the bathroom is that while I was getting up at 5-6, everyone else was not.  I needed to avoid annoying everyone and since I didn't hear any complaints I considered it a success.

The routes I ran were pretty fun.  If I ran to the right I would go about two miles out and run into a beautiful view of the sea.  If I went to the left I go to run a mile and get to the pier and see the carnival rides!  I've been going on vacation to the same town for 32 years and I still got to see new things by being on my feet vs in the car.

Breakfast was supplied at the main house for our group but I missed it most of the time because of my timing.  I did get to eat the favorite meal of french toast twice, but I did miss out on some conversations by missing out on breakfast. 

I got to spend a lot of time resting on the beach.  That was definitely a good thing.  The bad thing was that even with that rest I still felt exhausted a lot of the time which lead to missing out on some of games in the late evenings.  That exhaustion got worse the second week when I was running/working/playing at night. 

I look back at the vacation and don't regret the time spent training.  I expect next year to be on a less rigorous schedule and be more relaxed about when I would run.  I also got to do some runs with my cousins which was really fun.  I just wish I wasn't so different in my schedule than the others were. 

With the above said I am becoming increasingly concerned with overtraining.  I don't think I'm there - yet.  My main problem is the exhaustion.  I also am concerned that I might not be eating enough for how much I am training.  I find myself fighting against my body on long run days when I get really hungry. I get hunger pains and sometimes resist eating which makes no sense.  I got so hungry yesterday that nothing appealed and I didn't eat.  Bad. 

I feel good about how well I am doing with my training after 7 weeks.  As I enter week 8 I'll be back to the strength training that I missed while I was away, will look at scheduling another massage, and will be rotating in new running shoes.  As always I will be watching myself to not overdo it but at the same time challenge myself. Balance!

Tap Those Toes!

Week 4 of marathon training was completed on Sunday.

Highlights:

* Back on my feet fully and back on track after back ouches.

* Getting a really awesome feeling when I complete a week with 9, 10, and 11 mile runs - and none of them are my long runs

* Lowlight is that I skipped personal training but I think it was the right choice; I probably would have thrown myself back in too far with that

Right now I am feeling vaguely stiff and achey in the mornings.  I had a massage on Monday that was good and also interesting in that now I don't have the pain in the back but more around my tailbone?  It's not bad but it is interesting.

I ended the week by going and getting new new shoes.  The new there twice is not an accident; I had bought a pair of Mizuno Inspire + another pair of Ravenna 2s (on sale!) at Dick's but in size 6.  Vanity kept me from buying a half size up, which is a mistake I believe. I need more room right now.  The black toenails are pretty much an obvious sign.  So I returned both pairs and went to my LRS and got Brooks Adrenaline 12.  They are a bit more supportive than the Ravennas and I do wonder if they might be too supportive.  I made the mistake of going in to be fitted the afternoon after 9 miles so I think there was some stiffness that might have made my walking a little off?  I'm going to give them a chance, though.  I wore them this morning for a 6 miler and they felt good!

I still want to get another pair of shoes so I can rotate but that's going to the backburner.  I leave this Friday for VACATION!  So happy.  It's my absolute favorite time of the year and I can't believe it's ALMOST HERE.  My mom drives up tomorrow afternoon so I am WFH and I CANNOT WAIT.

I do plan on following my schedule while I am on vacation but at least I will be able to sleep on the beach instead of having to go to work after those runs.  YAY BEACH!

Oh, and the title of this post?  I've fallen madly in love (in a female crush way) with Sutton Foster.  So fierce.

Feed me, Seymour

Second week of marathon training.

* 14 mile run in heat = taking more breaks than I wanted, but FINISHED.  Then got in a car and drove for 4 1/2 hours to Mom's house, no break for lunch.  Me  =/= smart at that point.

* Mid-week runs - two around Mom's neighborhood, relatively hilly.  Still hot, still adjusting.

* Third mid-week run - on a nice very shaded path.  Meant to be 12 but started late enough that I didn't want to deal, swapped with 6 mile run.

* Yesterday's 12 mile run, same path mentioned above.  New experience - #1 and #2 trailside.  And I do mean trailside; about a foot before dropoff.  Luckily no one saw me.  Other new experience - running only in sports bra.  It was HOT.  I wanted to give up at 6 miles but didn't.  But - walking at some points.   Don't feel too bad about it, actually; I feel like I gave my all.

* Today = day off.  Yay!  First since Memorial Day, as I was finishing out the RW summer streak.

Notes from this week:

* I WAS STARVING.  Really, seriously, hunger hunger.  It's harder/awkward feeling this way in someone else's house.  My choices aren't here and it was one of those strange hungers that was hard to satisfy.
- Mitigation plan - Good snack planning when I get home because this is going to continue while in training.

* It was hot.  Hot hot hot.
Mitigation - Need to consciously ignore the Garmin and SLOW DOWN even more.  Consistent running > some walking > not finishing.  Let's get more in the first group, but second is still okay.  Time on feet.

Next week:
* Books on yoga for running on their way to the library - yay!

Overall still excited/happy with my training.  My butt belongs outside!  Running tan FTW!

(Tan, not burn - sun tan lotion also mandatory)

(Still starving)

I can fly!

I spent $30 bucks on this image - it's going everywhere.  That's me (duh) at the race this past Sunday.  Pros - both feet off the ground, which is good to see.  Not too much waist fat showing.  Pretty cool angle on the legs.  Arms look muscle-y.  Cons - I think I'm held up by the combo high arms/clenched fist action.  Need to work on that.

I started marathon training this past Monday. The first day was six miles - and it was hard.  What - I can't PR and then bounce right back?  Inconceivable!  After that first run, however, I have to say all the rest were super great.  The one that I had the most nervousness about was on Tuesday - 5 miles easy + 5 miles moderate = 10 miles total.  I've done 10+ miles multiple times but for some reason this was overblown in my mind.  Happily I really got into it and ended up with a great run - followed by a series of great runs all the way through this morning.  I'm feeling extremely confident about this training schedule - but talk to me in 19 weeks when I'm approaching the race!

I also am going to be finishing a running streak on July 4 - the Runner's World streak.  I am totally looking forward to it - I think I need a rest!  

Today's run was 4 miles - breaking in  new shoes!  Well, relatively new; they were a pair of orange Ravenna 2s that I got several months ago when I saw they were releasing a new model.  Wearing them really made me realize how beat down my three pairs I run in (Asics 2160, 2150, and Ravenna 2s) are.  They are all in the 250-300 mile range.

I want to get another new pair of running shoes, and right now I am drooling over the Mizuno Wave Elixir since I saw someone wearing them at the 10K.  I'm also thinking of the Inspires as a more day to day shoe.  I might get both.  I'm worth it!  Plus saving my knees is worth it.

Excitement

It's a rainy day out.  I'm enjoying it because it gives me the excuse to be lazy.  Of course I need no excuse to be lazy...

The BAA 10K is tomorrow.  Temp at start predicted as 69.  I'll see what I can do with that.

I mentioned my goals in the prior post.  I also want add enjoying the run as a goal.  I definitely think I will because strangely enough my 6 mile runs in training are usually my favorites.  We'll see how well that translates.

Racing prep today - laying out my outfit (most likely in purple because that's my thing).  Polish nails.  That's about it!

I'm definitely looking forward to this race. It's not a race I specifically trained for but it's one where I will enjoy seeing how far I've progressed in the 7 months since I last ran one.

I do feel like I've grown in my running comfort massively in the last few months.  The training program I did twice for my last two halfs has really brought me to a great point.  


Can't wait to race!

Don't Have Much To Say

So I'm sick of having my "pee-5K" as my top post.  It's been a few weeks and I've been able to move on from that.  I will say that in telling my brother about the race he didn't stop laughing for literally 10 minutes.  He also suggested I talk to his 3 year old, as she is learning to potty train and could give me some suggestions.  Ha ha.

I'm over halfway to my 2012 goal of 1500 miles; at 790 as of today due to a lovely 11 mile run before work.  It's become a habit to swap my long runs from Sunday to Monday.  Way I figure is I have to get up on Monday anyway, so why not have two lounge-in-bed days on the weekend?  Of course since I'm a respectable working person, my inner clock has my "lounge-in-bed" time up to 8 AM.  Weak.  I have a cousin who will literally sleep from midnight to noon if you let her.  Have to get tips from her.

My next race is this coming Sunday - the BAA 10K (race two of three for the distance medley).  Not sure how I'm feeling about this race.  I've hit two of my three race distance/time goals (see right sidebar).  I haven't run a 10K in over a year so I expect to PR, but deep down I'm not sure this race will be the one where I break 60 minutes. I think I have it in me to do so, based on current race times and training runs. Partially I'm remembering the crowd at the 5K and wondering if it will be the same (although this race is only on its second year and is not as popular a distance as the 5K).  Maybe I'm still overthinking how I raced the Run to Remember.  Although my 5K is more recent (and successful) a 10K is not a grab on and hold race, there's some strategy involved.

At the end of the day all I can do is get out there and race.  I have goals of PRing (pretty much a definite), sub-60 (maybe...), and negative splitting.  The last is a goal that I think is fairly important as I want to learn how to hold back at the beginning but also have the mental fortitude to pick it up at the end.  I love that I've done several long runs (10-14) where I had to pick it up in the last 1-2 miles; it really does let me know that I have it in me to pick it up when needed.

I am looking forward to this race, but also looking beyond it - as the next day is my first day of marathon training!

No, that's not sweat...(Tory Row 5K RR)

I PR'd today in the 5K.  I hit my goal of 27:xx (at least by my Garmin) with a 27:38.  I also peed myself.

The race was at Harvard Square starting at 9 am.  I was very glad today was cooler than it was a week or two ago, as that's a little late to start a summer race.  It was also gray and drizzly at the start so I was chilly in my tank and shorts.

I tried something new for this race - running a mile to warmup before the start.  I wish I could say that it had a positive impact on my performance but I don't think it did. I don't think it had a negative impact, just neutral.  A full mile might be a little much for me on the mental side - getting myself too hyped up before the actual race.

I got to the race which had a good amount of people - probably 2-300.  My garmin was ready, my iPod was not.  I was trying to get to a playlist for my prior 5K but everything was so wet that the circle thing wasn't working.  Finally got it set just as we were about to start.

The start was the standard - air horn goes off, people start walking as everybody gets jammed crossing the start.  I kick myself out and go all out - Mile 1: 8:44.  Things seem to be going okay, course is relatively flat.

Then the hills come.  There were three hills to climb in the course and I swear to God that even though we were on a loop course it never felt like we got to go down any hills - not fair!  I pushed myself up those hills best I could although I definitely admit I felt my motivation lagging a bit when I faced the third hill.

Ran past the water stop, and shortly after that I started to feel like I needed to pee.  Still about a mile and a half to go, I thought I could maybe make it.  Nope.  Immediately after I started feeling it and even thought about stopping to borrow a bathroom (we were in a residential area), the pee started.  And this wasn't a trickle - it was a flow.  I have no idea how the people around me reacted.  I just kept going.

Mile 2: 9:05.  A little tough mentally (especially in the second half with thoroughly wet shorts).

I could see that I was on track for a PR.  I wanted it, wanted to prove to myself I could do it.  I didn't have the drive to really pick it up but I did think I could hold on for the next 1.1 miles.  There was a tall guy next to me that I tried to hold on to and pass but didn't, but it was definitely a good motivating factor.

Mile 3: 8:47.   Just a little more, if I could hold on, I would PR.  I picked it up just a little, and that last .1 was 8:13.  Not a full sprint, but pretty nice.

I crossed the finish line and unlaced the chip on my shoe.  I had made the mistake of lacing it too high on my shoe and the edge cut into the top of my ankle.  I didn't hang around for my banana or free beer and just started walking back to where my car was. Thank goodness I had parked at my gym; I borrowed a towel to put underneath me when I got home.

How do I feel with this PR?  Good...I guess?  I don't know, maybe the focus on the pee part has got me a little out of it.  I will say that I pushed myself hard on this.  I crossed the finish line with very little left in the tank.  This one felt almost miraculous to pull out, which makes me think too hard about what my next 5K will be.  Will I succeed as well?  Given the conditions for this one, I think I will.

Yeah, I'll remember that one (Run to Remember RR)

So, I ran the Run to Remember. The short version is - I definitely did not hit my goal.  I basically blew up - went too fast at the start, ended up with last mile as the slowest mile, and although it might have looked  like I was okay when I crossed the finish line, inside my mind I wasn't.  But - I think that I have some good lessons that came out of this race.

First lesson - Run like I trained.  I started out with a slower mile than my goal, which I expected - 10:24.  Next mile - 9:15.  Danger, danger!  What was happening in my mind was I saw that first mile and my brain went stupid and said "Ohmigod - that's too slow.  SPEED UP SPEED UP".  What I really should have reminded myself of was those training runs where I naturally started out slowly and then GRADUALLY sped up.  I also had multiple 10-14 mile runs where I practiced pushing those last 1-2 miles, so I know that I can pick up a lot at the end.  All that flew out of my brain in the midst of this frantic need to be FAST FAST FAST way too early in the race.

Second lesson - Adjust to race conditions.  I mentioned in my last post that the summer heat was starting to come on.  I had been running in those conditions for the past couple days.  I wasn't fully adjusted, I believe.  It's a few days later and I feel more comfortable to push the pace, but that day?  Wasn't there.  It especially ties in with the above - I need to remember that even though I'm not feeling the heat yet, it will heat up as I get further into the race.  Slow it down now so that I'm not as uncomfortable later in the race.  Plus - take the water.  I took more than I'm used to and was okay, but I think that skipping the first couple water stops was a bad idea.  I've also pretty good now at running through the stops and doing the top squeeze, drink, toss, so no time loss.

Third lesson - Plan for the race, not just the goal.  For shorter races like 5Ks it's easier to grab a pace and just try to hold on.  Not effective for 10 miles, half marathons, marathon. Those longer races I need to get my mind to a place where I have different comfort levels at different points in the race; easier at the beginning to get adjusted, pick up the pace mid-race, all out (as much as possible) at the end.   I need to learn this lesson now, before I crash and burn in my first marathon.

I will say that even though I'm not happy with my result (2:20:42), I still enjoyed the race.  It was a good size race - ~8,000 people - but I didn't feel exceedingly crowded, although there was never a time where I was alone on the course.  I did like the course because it really made me realize how close areas in Boston are to each other.  The course ran from World Trade Center down by Seaport all the way up to  Harvard square.  Along the way it ran past Government center area and a nice bit along the Charles river.  The finisher medal was fun, the t-shirt although not a tech shirt is fairly nice if a bit boring.  Overall I came out of the experience wanting to run it again next year.

What's interesting about the whole experience is it really did make me see that I'm at a point where just crossing the line isn't a miracle and that every time I put effort in I will PR.  I have to race smart, and I really hope with my next half marathon (BAA in October) I will be ready to get the PR I am looking for.  I just have to pull this page back up the day before and remind myself what this race taught me.

Let's DO this thing

I'm running the Run to Remember tomorrow. I'm very excited because 1.) I feel my training went well and 2.) my bum hamstring has been feeling much better recently.  The second seemed to improve after enforced rest after a nasty cold; hey - that's a silver lining on that knock-me out cold.

I have a goal.  I did 2:12 with a bad leg; one training cycle and healed leg later, I believe I can do 2:07.  The only thing holding me back now is the weather.

Not optimal, but I think I can work with it.  I've been training through the heat/humidity only in the last week, so there's definitely some adjustment that's started but I might not be 100% there.  What will bring me through is the mental game.  That's really what I feel got stronger in the last two training cycles, the reminder that "Yeah, this sucks.  It's not supposed to be easy, otherwise it wouldn't be a race!".  When I'm 4 miles in and want to just stop - I won't.  That's kind of obvious because duh - where would I go?  But just that mental reminder that I'm in this place to push myself to my limits and not to give up will give me that boost I need.

I had someone ask on one of my prior posts how I took so much time off my half.  There are a lot of factors (including that I had so much time to take off!) that I will go into in a longer post, but one definitely is the mind game.  I feel like this training cycle and the one before have made me much stronger overall - body and spirit.

Run to Remember - I'm coming for ya!

Extra bonus - Just as I was writing this post the doorbell rang.  New clothes from Lululemon!  Yay!  They of course will not be broken in until next week - NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY - but it was a pretty awesome pick-me-up when I started to get a little mentally down.

Well, that was...okay (Half of Quincy RR)

Half of Quincy is in the books.  And although I did PR, and hit exactly halfway between my B and C goals, it doesn't feel very good.

Let's start with the day before.  I was feeling good that day, very excited to be running.  I had a lovely lunch of a leftover half meatball sub and was feeling good.  At night I had a lighter meal - english muffins, one with PB, one with butter, green beans, and a yogurt.  Then I had a serving of chocolate.  Then another.  Only two servings, but that second serving was out of mental desire not true hunger.  It happens, but this time it happened when I was already feeling a bit overfull. 

So - off to bed feeling vaguely queasy.  Slept well, which is good, but it also helped that I had slept well the night before.  Woke up - still feeling a little off from the sugar overdose.  Got up, toasted my bagel, PB'd it, and was out the door on time.  I will pause here to say that on the days that I don't want to do my long runs it's really the bagel that gets me out the door.  Not so much the fueling (which it does), but the mental thing - "ate the bagel - let's go run!".

Drove down to Quincy to a gorgeous, sunny morning.  It was in the forties but I knew it was going to warm up so I was in a long sleeve tech shirt and shorts.  The shirt was from the Tufts Women's 10K from last year, and it was really funny how many other women I saw wearing the same shirt! 

Lined up for the bathroom (of course), and as I was waiting a woman wearing a jacket that said Security came over to the line and tapped the woman in front of me, me(!), and the two women behind me.  She said "Come with me.".   I was mentally like - "What did I do?".  She walked us over to the other side of the hall (we were in a high school), and unlocked another bathroom!  She said since it was only four stalls she wanted to manage the number of people going in....

Did some more stretches, lined up for the bathroom again, got in just in time, and lined up outside.  It was interesting because this was the first year that this half also was doing a 5K.  They both started at the same time and lined up at the same place, but the 5K people were splitting off to the left while we went straight.  I do wonder how well it went in terms of traffic management. I didn't see any issues, but I might do a check to find out what people's experiences were.

Started out feeling...ehn.  Not fast like the 10 mile race, more like just running was an effort.  I fought from the start and it didn't get any better.

And as a note - never believe a race director when they say the course is "mostly flat".  Mostly flat.  Like I'm mostly Nicole Kidman.

The run itself was mostly uneventful.  I did have a mini cheering section in my cousin and her boyfriend.  They were at mile 4.  What's awesome is that I had started out wearing gloves because of the chill, but by mile 4 I was so hot that even though I had taken them off and tucked them into the front of my shorts I even felt hot with them being there.  Just as I was thinking that I saw my cousin ahead of me; she was cheering, I veered over towards her, and tossed my gloves.  She caught them.  Good thing - wouldn't want to lost 67 cent gloves that I had multiple pairs of at home!

As alluded to above there were definitely some hills on this course.  I mentally wasn't feeling them and had to fight to not walk.

I've gotten this far into the race report and haven't mentioned the major problem yet.  My right hamstring/piriformis?   Killing me the entire race.  Literally the entire race.  Luckily it's not the kind of pain that throws off my stride, but it was not fun. 

So even with the oversugaring, painful glutes, overheating (yes - even though it was a light tech shirt I was still hot), I still feel that I gave all that I had that day. 

 My old PR for the half was 2:29:45; this new one is 2:12:00.  So - good.  But just not mentally good.

Holy...! (Black Cat 10 Miler RR)

Quick update - I did not make it streaking through February as planned.  That's okay - I think that the effort got me more comfortable with my legs which is enough for me.

I also got exceeding lazy about posting my goals for my first race of 2012, which was this morning.  So call this a goals and post mortem at the same time.

First of all the race was the Black Cat 20 and 10 miler.  I did the 10 miler; this was my second 10 miler ever. It doesn't seem to be that common a race distance so I don't know how many I'll end up doing.  Randomly I saw someone posting about doing an 8K, and I couldn't even believe that was a distance.  Makes no sense to me.

Anyway, goals.  I was having a hard time getting A/B/C (absolute/probable/stretch goals) because one that I was considering seemed like good practice more than a goal.  What I did have were:

A - PR.  Considering my PR from my prior 10 miler was slower than my current slow run pace, I figured unless I slammed face first into the pavement (sneak peak - I didn't) that I was safe with this.

B - 1:40.  It's a nice round number, exactly 10 minute miles.

C - This is where I ran into trouble.  I was torn between setting a goal of hitting McMillan prediction (1:39:47, based on my last race) and trying to negative split.  I don't think I ended up on a decision, so I really went in with A and B goals only.


So - race.  The race was in Salem, MA, which apparently I only visit to race?  It's not that far away and it's full of historic interest - get on the ball, chick!  Anyway - I was 90% prepared when I got to the race.  The missing %?  My stupid brain which forgot blister band aids that I've been living on recently (new shoes are needed desperately) and my sunglasses.  Luckily I ended up not really needing either.

I got to the race location half an hour early with the expectation that I would do an actual warmup mile or two before the race, instead of taking the first couple miles in the race at a slower pace.  That decision went out the window when I saw that I could wait on line for bathrooms inside instead of using port-a-potties.  Once I was done peeing I did some stretching and went out to the start.

It was a bit chilly but not that bad.  I really didn't hear the start announcement and only knew what was going on when people ahead of me started moving.  I also was very lucky that I kept my eyes on the road, because giant pothole right at the start!

Not much going on during the actual race.  ~mile 2 the voice in my head piped up, right on schedule - "Do you really think you can do this?  Maybe you should slow down.  Walking sounds good.  You're breathing pretty hard...".  Ignored.

Also around mile 2 there was a woman with disturbingly tight shorts ahead of me.  Serious wedgie.  She had incredibly awesome legs but those shorts... I really was glad when I passed her because they were seriously creeping me out.

The description of the course said  - "The only big hill is entering into Marblehead, there are a few other hills on the course but nothing major."  I don't know when they imported Mt Everest to MA, but it must have been right before this race.  It was a big hill alright but I felt good powering up it.  I was also happy that the course was a loop so I got to run down it on the way back.

This was the first race where I didn't walk through the two water stops that I ended up using.  I splashed myself pretty good on the first, did the squeeze sides of cup on the second which worked well.

Mile 8 the voice came back - "You still have two miles to go - maybe you should slow down?  You're going to trip yourself".  Stupid voice!  I don't listen to you!


I wanted to kick it up in the last mile.  I didn't kick it up as much as I have before, but I think that's a good thing?  I didn't leave much on the course?

My result - 1:35:40.  Almost 4 minutes faster than I was going for.  Wow.  Where did that come from?  So goals A and B definitively met, as well as beating McMillan.  Did negative split - first 5 miles were 48:28.

All this makes me excited for my half in two weeks.  I'm gonna bring it!

It's been a long time...

I shouldn't have left you, without a dope beat to step to....

In other words, hi!  I'm not dead!  Hope you all are good as well.

In running news I kicked off a running streak January 4 that continues through today (February 4th).  I ran at least one mile every day.  A whole month!  Of course when I looked up running streaks I found this page - United States Running Streak Association, Inc .  43 1/2 years of running every day?  Now that's hard core.  Still, I'll keep my streak going for a bit longer.  It gives me something to do every day to clear my head.  I also believe that it's been giving me more confidence in my endurance and power.

On the racing front it's four weeks until my next race.

Image cropped from http://www.blackcatroadrace.com/

I haven't raced since early December so of course I am excited.  I am doing the 10 mile race.  It's actually going to be a warmup/time trial for my half marathon two weeks later.  With that in mind I am going to do my best to go in with a race strategy and execute on it.  It's totally different from my usual "hold on and pray I finish" strategy.  I've run and raced this distance before so there is no excuse for not getting out there and pushing (wisely).  I'm working out my A/B/C goals and will post them soon.  Promise! 

Other than that stuff has been stuff.  I visited my mom a couple weeks ago to help with her first cataract surgery (she came through great), and will probably be visiting her again in the next couple weeks to help with her second.  On the job front I'll be getting a bonus payout in a couple weeks.  I will be banking most of it but am considering splurging on a new purse with some.  We'll see.

I've got some other things to say but am too damn lazy today to say them.  Oh - except for if you want to follow me on Daily Mile, please go ahead and do.  Hi!

More later.

Use it or lose it

Hello!  Been a bit since my last post.  Not as long as a lot of the gaps in this blog in the past, but more than I wanted to have given my recent posting history. 

It's long enough since Christmas that I can't believe I ever went away.  It's always a funny feeling to get off a plane and be home after being away.

I think I'm past the post-holiday doldrums; advent calendar is away.  That's about it for my Christmas decorations this year.  I can get exceedingly lazy when I am decorating just for myself.  If I had folks visiting I would do it up a bit more.

My next race is a the Black Cat 10 Miler, but my next goal race is the Quincy Half Marathon.  As I said before I am aiming for a 2:15:xx in the half which I believe is a non-stretch goal.  This is my third time through a half marathon training program but I decided to choose a more challenging one.  My first two I went with the Hal Higdon Beginner program; this round I went with an 18 week schedule from Brad Hudson's Run Faster.  Definitely more challenging, as my attempt at a ladder workout today will attest.  It's higher volume and includes more speedwork.  I am pretty sure that I will use his plan when I start my marathon training in a few months.

Other than running nothing major going on.  My PM work is getting more smooth (as far as I can tell) but I'm still working which is always good.  My company hit 2 out of 3 of our bonus goals (unofficially) so I will get a bonus, just not the full one we would have gotten if we hit 3 out of 3.  But hey - a bonus is  a bonus!

So with that catchup I'll say what the post title means.  I'm someone who buys stuff - in this case food - because I love it in concept but then get it home and don't eat it that fast.  It mostly comes from years of limiting myself when I was losing.  I don't have anything but good things to say about my experiences losing/maintaining with Weight Watchers, but there is no question in my mind that it gave me a lot of reluctance to eat outside of the bounds of "the list" of healthy foods.  Now that I'm eating more in tune with my body and mood I actually allow myself once in a while to buy non-wholesome snacks!  Wow!    So I buy them and now I have a full shelf of snackiness just for me.  With that said my goal is to buy less of the stuff while I do some more eating from what I have. Not a big goal, but meaningful to me.  I have such wonders hiding in my kitchen too, so I'll probably be sharing what I've found.  Look forward to it!

Zooooooooooooooooooooooo

I seriously cannot remember what it feels like to work.  I have off until January 3rd and am enjoying every moment of peace.

I've been getting in my runs for my half; so nice to run on bike paths.  I will have to use the one near me when I get back home.  It's also been nice for winter in Wisconsin, which is a great benefit.

It's also been fun to spend more time with my family.  Not concentrated time - we usually do our own thing most of the day - but we are doing some fun stuff together as well.

Like - cookie baking!

And the zooooooooooooo!

*roar*

The rare purple-hatted polar bear

An entire lion family!

How wide are your arms compared to an ape's?

Mama and baby chick!

It was pretty much perfect.  It was a relatively warm day but there was hardly anyone there.  And as you can see, the animals were all out!  

After the zoo we hit the Original Pancake House, where I proceeded to clean my plate.  Which was alright as I was fueling for the 8 mile run  a couple hours later.  Do not ask what I am fueling for with the cookies/licorice I ate tonight

With all that excitement there is always exhaustion, as modeled by sweet Luna below.

I'm exhausted and happy, and have 2+ more days to enjoy this feeling!

Mo' pittures!

Christmas is over, time to relax.  I'm especially lucky that I'm able to relax this week.  I was expecting to have to work the week between Christmas and New Year's, but last week our CEO sent an email to the company giving us this week off!  Yay!

The extra time has been spent in very relaxing ways.  Yesterday we didn't do much, just going to the park and out to lunch with my niece.

Hazel and Grammie

Push, Daddy, push!

Start of lunch

Mom and me

Dessert!

End of lunch. =)

I also managed to squeeze in a run that afternoon - back on track for training after my cold!  It was kind of awkward to run; I ate more than usual at lunch, and I could feel it!  Very successful runs the past few days - Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, day after Christmas = total of close to 20 miles!  Back on the horse!

Last night my brother, his wife, my mom and I played a new game.  It's called Forbidden Island and it is challenging, not only to play, but also to even understand the instructions.  It was a co-operative game so we all had to work together, but there were still arguments over how to play.  In the end we won, but barely.  I think we might play it again sometime this week and will be better at it.

Today was a rest day, and boy did I need it.  Actually most days have been rest days; I've been napping post-lunch.  I'm not alone in that.  My niece takes a nap right after her lunch, and it seems that all of us want to join in.

Mom and Luna reading on the bed

But not all was laziness today.  There was minor adventure - a trip to Old Navy!

Best dressed of us all

Clothing and jewelry were bought at ridiculous prices, then it was home for stir-fry. 

Tonight there was some work to be done so no games, but there are still plenty of days of fun to come.  Tomorrow's plan - cookie baking.  Can't wait!

Pre-Christmas celebrations

I'm currently in Madison, WI, shocked by how warm this winter has been.  Relatively warm at least.  I went out for a run today and although I wore a long sleeved running shirt I was also plenty warm in my running capris.  Which is a good thing because although I swear I packed three long sleeved running shirts and three sets of capri/leggings, 2/3 of those running clothes were not in my bag when I unpacked.  I'd like to think I just forgot to pack them in my suitcase but I distinctly remember zipping up one of the running jackets in prep for packing it.  Soo...somebody stole my running clothes?  I just don't know.

But that's no fun to think of.  What is fun to think of is the time I spent this past Wednesday with my cousins.  I went over after work to my cousin's house and three of us had dinner together.  After tacos (which I haven't had in forever and forgot how good they are), we played Pears to Pears.  I lost thoroughly.  Luckily it was time to break for dessert (ice cream with fudge, caramel, peanut M&Ms and a brownie chunk) and then presents!

My cousin's hat and my sweater, hat, and scarf were all presents!

Yay presents!

When given the choices of what to do next, I immediately suggested putting together a puzzle, while watching White Christmas.  Definitely a good choice - best to avoid humiliation of losing again.

I read a blog recently that said White Christmas was the best Christmas movie.  I tend to agree.  The songs and dances are so fun, and the dialogue can be really fun.  Plus - who doesn't tear up when they stand and applaud for the General?

We didn't finish the puzzle that night; my cousin wanted to go to bed around 11, something about her baby getting up early...

Party pooper

We all got some good rest and were catered to with breakfast of eggs, bacon, and croissants!  After that it was back to the puzzle; which we completed!  Well, as much as possible.  There was of course one missing piece.  

Moderately challenging puzzle

After puzzle completion it was time to hit the chocolate!  Not to eat this time, but to dip.  Pretzels and oreos to share!  Very simple and delicious.  It's the expertise of my cousin and has become a Christmas highlight.

Yum!

We hung out for a bit longer and watched a bit of Miracle on 34th Street, followed by pizza for lunch.  I was incredibly rude and had to run after that because I was supposed to actually be working!  Plus I had to get ready for an early morning flight the next day!

It's the little things

It's my last night in California and I have a silly pride.  I didn't overpack.  Well, in most people's eyes I probably did, but what I mean is that of all the clothes I packed I only ended up not using one pair of socks.  Yes - very silly, I know, but it's too often that I pack workout clothes for a certain number of days and don't end up using them.  Not this time!  That's really why I thrive on canned training; I know that I won't die on the race course if I miss a run, but I will feel really bad about it.  I have extra commitment now that I am setting some challenging goals for races in 2012!

Look - more pictures!  Hotel decorations!

 

 Pictures on my running route!

Pier 39 Christmas tree

Plaza of Christmas balls!

And of course - me!

 

Isn't my new  running skirt sweet? It really was easy to run in, although I wonder how it looked in movement.  It probably went stunningly with my beautiful sweaty face.

Not appearing here are pictures from the lovely night out I had with friends who happen to be coworkers.  We went to a new tapas bar and had a really good time laughing and talking data geekiness.  I love visiting California because of all the great relationships I've made here.  But with that said - I'm missing my home!

Travelin'

I flew out to California for a business trip this week.  My company is headquartered in San Francisco, so I've had several trips out here in the past three years.  I've made some good friends - thank goodness for Skype, as we keep in touch constantly.

No pictures of friends right now - maybe tomorrow.  I'm going out tonight with folks from my old team and I'll do my best to remember my camera.  I'll probably get slightly looped tonight; basically that means I'll have one drink.  I have no tolerance.

Even though I have no pictures of friends yet, I do have pictures of some Christmas decorations - and of my hotel room.  And me.

 

I actually got to stay in a nicer place this time.  The hotel I usually stayed at is closer to my office but the area is dead at night.  This hotel is in a more active area.  Plus - lots of window shopping in some great stores.  

I also love the decorating that I see.  In addition to the pictures below, I've also seen a plaza with giant Christmas ornaments, and a nice big tree at Fisherman's Wharf.  

Enough of this Christmas stuff - how about some pictures of me getting ready to run?

I call this one "Suck it in!"

Someday I will master the natural smile in a self-portrait.  Someday.

Yay me for getting out there and going.  It's definitely easier these days to motivate myself out of bed, but still not the easiest.   It's been really fun going out on the streets here, although I don't like how easily my Garmin loses its signal.  Oh God - what tortures I suffer. 

Once the run is done it's off to work!  I have to walk about a mile to the office but that's nothin'.  Luckily I have a good backpack for my laptop!