Chatter brain hits the track

August 19, 2010 by 3 Comments

Training plan called for speedwork this morning so off to the track I went….and chatter brain was there waiting for me.

  • My abs can still feel the effects of last night’s pilates class – love my pilates instructor but I think she was trying to kill us!
  • Hmm… maybe the post-class glass of wine wasn’t the best idea.
  • Hey look a family of bunny rabbits…aren’t they cute.
  • Shoot…what lap am I on?!? OK enough warm-up time to bite the bullet and go.
  • How many of these 800’s am I suppose to do!?!?
  • I’m not going to make it….yes you can….No really I can’t!
  • If this doesn’t kill me it will make me faster (I think I repeated this to myself for at least a solid lap!)
  • I really hope there’s some coffee in my house.
  • Left knee is NOT happy!!
  • OK, last 800…and the perfect tune (“4 minutes” my fave tune of the moment happened to come up in the random shuffle on my iPod)
  • I really, really hope there’s coffee at my house!
Anyone else suffering from chatter brain?!

    signature
    Filed Under: general musings, track work, training

    Today I asked my body to go

    August 15, 2010 by 4 Comments

    When I woke up this morning, my first thought was that I’m now moving into new territory for me as a runner. The long run on my plan today called for 6 miles. 6 miles? Really? While I may have run five on occasion waaay back in college, I can say without a doubt that I have never asked my body to go for 6 straight miles….but today I asked.

    Today I asked my body to go, even though by the first half mile my angry left leg let it be known that it was not happy – not unhappy enough to stop, but definitely unhappy!

    Today I asked my body to go, even though this was not going to be a “run for the ages.” No, this was to be what I call a “survival run” – read get the distance and to heck with the time.

    Today I asked my body to go, further than it’s ever gone before, and I learned that it will respond, it will push on even when part of my brain is screaming “Ok that’s far enough!”

    Today I asked my body to go, and it carried me 6.1 miles….a step closer to my 10K race and into uncharted running territory.

    signature
    Filed Under: injuries, milestones, training

    Friday Shout Outs!

    August 13, 2010 by 3 Comments

    Ready to dive into what looks like a great weekend and wanted to send along some Friday Shout Outs!

    • to Beth at Shut Up and Run for not only being featured in her local paper, but also for the great interview she got to do with Dean Karnazes! Check it out HERE.
    • to TMB at Racing with Babes for adding some hardware to the collection in her first 4 miler!
    • to Jamie at Running Diva Mama for hitting the 1,000 mile mark in August!!
    • to all the runners taking on a new race this weekend – Good Luck!
    • and a Happy Birthday to Amanda at Run to the Finish!

    Looking forward to taking on my first 6-miler this weekend!

    Have a great one!!

    signature
    Filed Under: Shout-outs

    5 miles of Frogger

    August 13, 2010 by 2 Comments

    My pilates class Wednesday night was a killer (my abs are still sore) and when this morning rolled around I knew there was no way I could muster the energy for my first scheduled tempo run. Well I knew I wasn’t heading for the gym for another session with the ‘mill, so I decided it was time to try an evening run.

    While Mother Nature cooperated and provided a relatively cooler evening, the real challenge came in dodging the weary commuters heading home and the carloads of less-than-attentive teens. All I kept thinking was that I was in a giant-sized game of Frogger!

    Despite the bobbing and weaving, I managed to cut more than two minutes off my time from Sunday. I still have to work on the “tempo” part, though I did run the middle three miles at a faster pace. I just keep telling myself that the speed…the consistent speed… will come.

    For now I’m happy to have won my Frogger game and put another 5-mile run under my belt!

    signature
    Filed Under: tempo runs, training

    Hello Monday!

    August 9, 2010 by 2 Comments
    Patience and perseverance have a magical effect
    before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
                                                         — John Quincy Adams
    Well after this busy past week filled with birthday celebrations for each of my kiddos and myself, I’m looking forward to a relatively quiet week! Despite the celebrating, I did get most of my workouts in…but I will admit watching what I ate (and drank) went right out the window! But I will get that back under control this week. 
    I did cross another milestone of sorts, completing my first five mile run. Seriously I haven’t run that far since Friday practices for Rugby when I was in college….we’re talkin’ a long time ago! Can’t wait to see what this week brings!
    Happy Monday!

    signature
    Filed Under: milestones, Monday Motivation, Quotes, training

    First encounter with the dreaded ‘Mill

    August 7, 2010 by 2 Comments

    I’ve gotten a glimpse into what my winter training will look like and I gotta say…I’m afraid! Let me explain…I did my first run on the treadmill. (cue the cheesy horror movie shrieks!)

    Yesterday morning for the first time since starting my early-morning-beat-the-heat runs, I slept through my alarm. By the time I woke up and realized the music I was hearing was not a dream but my alarm, it was too late to go for my scheduled run and get my kiddos ready and off to camp. Once I dropped the kids off, it was soupy humid out…a run outside was out of the question! So I was faced with a dilemma, put off the run and try to squeeze it in this morning before a family outing or head to the gym now and face the treadmill. I know there are many people who can log many a mile on the ‘mill…..let me be clear when I say that I am not one of them! But I decided to head to the gym…better to have the run done I reasoned, and besides, once winter comes I’m going to have to embrace the indoor run, right?

    Well…I get to the gym, pick out a secluded treadmill and off I go. Immediately I notice that the A/C is barely cranking…yes it’s better than being outdoors, but not by much. No matter I’m just going to keep going I tell myself. Then the “bouncing bunny” arrived….this woman comes bounding up and despite the fact that there are 8 other people in the whole gym, she picks the treadmill next to mine. Well she starts to run….or rather bounce. Now I am in no position to judge someone else’s form but honest to goodness I don’t know how she stayed on the treadmill – she was literally bouncing up and down! Then when she wanted to take a break she’d jump higher and do a split landing on the side rails straddling the moving belt. It was so distracting! But I didn’t want to be rude and move….just keep running I told myself. But that’s when I heard the woman in the row of ‘mills behind me let out the first of several “whoo hoos”. Really…is this happening? Apparently she was very into her music and must have been unaware that she was now singing along loudly! So I’ve got the hopper, the singer and little A/C on top of being on the ‘mill? I started to wonder if there were a full moon somewhere!

    I lasted my scheduled 3 miles and quickly headed for my car chuckling and wondering who I’ll encounter the next time I’m forced indoors while also vowing not to sleep through my alarm again!

     

    signature
    Filed Under: general musings, training, treadmill run

    Motivation in the dog days of summer

    August 2, 2010 by 2 Comments

    Well Hello August….you sure did make an appearance quickly!

    So it’s the beginning of a new month –  what’s on deck for August?

    I’ll be working through weeks 4 – 7 of my 10k training program. That means a minimum of 54 miles, a fair amount of cross-training, Pilates, and weights, plus the introduction of my first tempo run and speedwork! THAT should keep me busy 🙂

    But since the theme around here is usually “Motivation Monday” – I decided to add a little extra incentive and today signed on for MCM Mama’s “Mama Goes Masters” Virtual Race! MCM Mama has come up with a fun virtual race to celebrate her 40th birthday – check it out HERE I’ll be doing the 4 mile option which fits nicely into my training plan and should help push me to pick up the pace a little!

    What have you got on tap this month?

    Happy Running!

    signature
    Filed Under: Monday Motivation, race, training

    A Few Friday Shout-Outs!!

    July 30, 2010 by 6 Comments

    It’s Friday again and it’s a glorious day here in my neck of the woods. Picture perfect day with no humidity for a change! My youngest and the dog are already tugging at me to get outside…but before I do, a few Friday Shout-Outs to share:

    • to Tonia, Katye, Marcia and Jamie who are all taking on the Chicago RNR Half on Sunday! Good luck and have fun!
    • to Marcia again for her blog Running Off at the Mouth being ranked among the top 25 blogs by Treadmill Reviews! It’s well-deserved! If you haven’t checked out her blog, you really should!
    • to anyone else taking on a race or new challenge this weekend!

    Make it a Great Weekend!

      signature
      Filed Under: Shout-outs

      Just plugging along…

      July 27, 2010 by 4 Comments

      The goal this morning was simple….just get in a couple of pain-free miles. After having it out with my angry left leg last week, I gave in to a couple days of rest, stretching and ice. But this morning I was determined to get out on the road, no matter how slow and just get a short loop done.  Well let me tell you it was S-L-O-W! I didn’t stop but at times I’m not sure you could truthfully call what I was doing “running.” But no matter – there was no pain and that was a huge win! I’m learning that in running the path to bigger victories and accomplishments is paved with the much smaller ones. Today was one of those small ones and I’ll take it!

      So I continue to plug along – week 3 with Smart Coach is underway. The goal is to get in 4 days of running as long as the left side stays under control – if not, 1 day will be on the bike, plus 2 days of pilates….and LOTS of stretching (kinda goes without saying, right?!)

      Lots of Great Giveaways Going On in bloggy-land – be sure to check out my sidebar!!

      Happy Running!

      signature
      Filed Under: giveaways, injuries, Smart Coach, training

      Friday Shout Outs – Go Gals for Cal!

      July 23, 2010 by 2 Comments

      I want to dedicate this week’s Friday Shout Out to my friend Kathy and her team Gals for Cal!

      This great group of women have come together to raise awareness and funds to fight Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).  Did you know that Duchenne is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed in childhood? It’s a very progressive muscle wasting disease primarily affecting boys and right now there is no cure.

      On Sunday the Gals for Cal will compete in the SheRox Triathlon — this will be the team’s second triathlon. The group was formed in 2009 and competed in the Danskin Triathlon in honor of now 8-year old Calvin. For most this was their first Tri but it didn’t stop them from raising over $25,000! Now their hoping to reach that goal again in honor of Calvin, and three others boys Keelan, Jake and Jett. You can check out the Gals site for more information and to make a donation.

      I’m very proud of my friend Kathy, who prior to this had one 5k to her credit and now she’s about to be a two time triathlete!

      Go Gals for Cal — I hope you all rock it this weekend!

      signature
      Filed Under: DMD, Gals for Cal, Shout-outs