Where I've Been and Where I'm Going

Since it's New Year's Eve, I feel obligated to write about what I've done and what I am looking forward to. First of all, I have to thank my husband for his persistence. If it weren't for the random day in August when he came home from working out of town and asked me why I wasn't working out, I might not be writing this right now. I didn't really have a good reason, as I had already done couch to 5K. I just didn't get any further than that, and kind of gave up all together. So, the next morning while he was getting ready for a run, I asked him to wait for me. And I went out and ran 3 miles. I haven't stopped since then. In the past 3 1/2 months, I've managed to run 157 miles. That's not really a lot, but for a non-runner-turned-runner, I feel pretty good about that. I've done six 5Ks and two 8Ks. I have consistently gotten faster with each 5K race. 3 miles is no longer a chore for me- it's actually pretty easy now. And this is only since August.I have been adding mileage so that I am running longer distances. Today I ran 5 1/2 miles without stopping- I never did that before. I've lost 16 lbs, and gained muscle and strength. I love shopping again and love the way my clothes look. Running is of course only partially responsible for this- a good diet is a big part as well.

So where am I going? I have a few more races on tap for the coming winter months. Just trying to beat myself each time. I don't care about the other people around me, other than that there needs to be someone slower than me. I want to run a sub 30 minute 5K. Not going to be easy, as I would need to run under a ten minute mile, and I have only done that once, for one mile. I am also getting ready to start seriously training for a half marathon. All of these training run have been getting me closer to that point. My plan is to run my first one in Rochester on May 1st. My goal: just finish, however long that may take me. If it goes decently well, I will plan to run the Buffalo half later that month, and eventually I want to finish under 2:30. Not speedy by any means, but again, for a non-runner turned runner, not an easy task. I want to stick with it. I've invested a lot of time and money into running, and I have no plans to stop any time soon. I'm happy with how far I have come and intend to take this as far as I can.

Confidence Builder

After last Sunday, I was in desperate need of some confidence. I ended up taking three days off to rest after that, since it was a busy week and I just felt like I needed it. I went to my office Christmas party during the day and we got out nice and early. I had planned on running my 3 miles outside, but it was pretty cold and windy and so we decided to hit the treadmill instead. I did the 3 miles, but it was pretty tough. Granted, it was after a full day and lots of food that I wouldn't normally eat, so I guess I am just glad I got through it. Friday morning we planned to head outside for a long run- however, when I got to the bike path I saw it was still not plowed. So, instead I headed to the gym to use the indoor track. I had a GREAT 5.25 mile run. I ran about 30 seconds per mile faster than my goal. I just felt good and strong throughout the run. It was a much needed confidence booster. I had another 3 miler planned for this week, but Christmas and food got the best of me, so here I sit on the couch blogging about running instead of doing it. I plan to add it to my three runs next week, since I am off most of it and will have plenty of time to get in an extra run.

What Am I Thinking??

What kind of person thinks that training for a half marathon in Buffalo in winter is a good idea?? I thought it was, but now I'm not so sure. I set out to do 6 miles today. It was cold (24) & windy (feels like 13). On top of that, I went all out on that 5k yesterday afternoon, and I felt like I had nothing to give today. It was by far my worst run since I started this whole thing. I cut it short to 4 miles and ended up walking big chunks. My legs were still a bit sore from yesterday and I think it was probably a bit ambitious to try to do a long run the day after a race. I just don't think I'm there yet. Add to that the cold and wind, and it's a recipe for disaster. I still plan to keep going, but I may have to re-evaluate my strategy.

Will Run for Coach

No, not a running coach... I mean a pink and purple plaid Coach bag. My husband told me he would buy me the bag I have been eyeing if I could beat my previous 5K time today at the Caroler 5K. I had a really bad run on Wednesday night and a really good run on Thursday night so I knew this could go either way. I was feeling decent and on top of that I was running with a friend who got into running about the same time I did. She is a bit faster than I am, but since she has been under the weather, she wasn't trying to beat her best time and decided to run with me. I was worried about this race because it was the first year they have done it and I am always worried about being last. But I decided that if my friend was with me then neither of us would be last! So we started out wayyyyy faster than I am used to. We came in at the 1 mile mark under 10 minutes, which I have never been able to do for even a quarter of a mile, let alone a whole one. The 2nd mile was tough- there was a big uphill portion. People in front of us were slowing down and even stopping, and it took all I had to zoom past them- if I didn't keep going, I wasn't going to make it! Anyway I also kept myself going with the thought that "what goes up must come down", so I knew I could make up time later on. We finished mile 2 huffing and puffing, an 11 minute per mile pace. This was 20 seconds slower than I was hoping for and I saw the bag slipping through my fingers. But, like I said, "what goes up must come down" and sure enough, it was time to make up for lost time. We flew down that hill at mile 3 and continued on pretty flat the rest of the way. I was feeling way better now and was able to pick up the pace. We finished the 3rd mile just over a 10 minute per mile pace, for an average pace of 10:28 and a total time of 31:44. Not only is this my fastest race, but it was faster by a minute and 46 seconds! I realize in comparison to the rest of humanity, I am still slow. But, since August, I have taken over 3 min per mile off of my pace and finished about 12 minutes faster than the first one I did this summer. I no longer feel embarrassed about my times and I think I can stop worrying about coming in last. I feel pretty decent, and certainly my new purse is helping  with that! I am feeling pretty good about my half marathon training at this point, and with a 6 mile run planned for tomorrow, positive thoughts and feelings are important! Thanks to my husband for offering great incentive to keep going, and thanks to Tina for not letting me stop. And thanks to Pat because he was there too, and he won a medal in his age group.

Sometimes Life Gets In The Way

So my husband has been great about making a training schedule for me, to help get me ready for a half-marathon. It's still early, as March is out due to previous travel plans (Viva Las Vegas baby!!), and there really isn't anything close by until May. I'm really just trying to build mileage and speed before I am officially in "training mode". But, I am having a hard time getting all of my runs and cross-training in. I typically have 3-4 runs scheduled each week, and then try to throw in another day or two of cross training (elliptical and/or bike) and weights. Last week I ended up bailing on on of my runs due to time issues. I did run twice this weekend, for a total of ten miles. Monday was a planned day off, and yesterday I had every intention of getting up at 5am to do the elliptical. However, it was my birthday, and I decided that I deserved to sleep in. I had a busy day at work and then lots of birthday fun planned at night with my husband, so I ended up having another day off. I have a 5k planned for Saturday afternoon, and my long (6 mile) run on Sunday. That rules out a run on Friday, as three days in a row is a bit much for me. Tonight I am going to see my friends and their new baby at the hospital, but I am really going to make an effort to get to the gym afterwards. Provided that I have no major traffic issues and get out of work in a timely fashion, it should work out ok. Not sure where dinner fits in but I will have to make it work. I have another bday dinner planned tomorrow night, which will make running difficult then as well. I only need to get in 1.75 miles tomorrow, so I am thinking maybe I can get up early enough to squeeze it in before work. I guess the good thing is that I am determined to do my best to get these workouts in, but I also have to accept that sometimes life gets in the way!

I May Be a Slacking Blogger... But I'm Still Running!

I have not been a good blogger lately.... a combination of being busy and not being sure that anyone is reading other than my husband. So anyway... a couple of weekends ago we trekked to Philadelphia so my husband could run the marathon. He randomly asked me the week before if I would want to run the 8k the day before, and I thought, why not? I had a 5 mile training run on my schedule anyway that I wasn't sure when it would fit in, so that worked out perfectly. Plus it gave me another shot at meeting my goal for 5 miles, which was to finish in under an hour. It was really a perfect day for a run, chilly but not cold, and sunny. We woke up super early, since the race was at 7:30am, in a strange city with difficult parking. I didn't really get to eat as good a breakfast as normal, since the hotel wasn't serving that early and apparently couldn't get me a banana. I wasn't prepared for that, but we ended up finding a Starbucks where I had half of a bagel. Good enough. Anyway I actually felt pretty decent during the run- they started off with the Rocky theme, and who isn't motivated by that? My foot was a little bit sore but I rested the entire week before and it was far better. I felt decent until about mile 4, when I started feeling a little bit pukey. I blame that on my early start, crummy breakfast and inhaling of orange Chomps. The Chomps usually work well for me, but I think it was too early in the morning. Must find a better morning energy supplement. Anyway, I finished the race, on my feet and I ran the entire way. I finished in 56:03, almost 4 minutes better than I had hoped. My pace was 11:14, which is still sllooooow, but for me, it was pretty good. I was very pleased with myself. It certainly helped to have my Dad, Karen and husband there to cheer me on. My sister and kiddies were there in spirit, still sleeping at the hotel, Can't blame them one bit!

Moving on to the Turkey Trot... I took the days off in between the races off, mostly out of lack of time and resting to get my foot feeling better. Thursday's weather was less than spectacular, chilly and rainy. Not pouring, but enough to be annoying. I was actually overdressed- I still haven't entirely figured out my winter running clothing and what I need to wear. I had my jacket and gloves off by mile 2 because I was overheated. I think my jackets are warm enough that I can still wear tank tops underneath. Anyway the wheels just kind of came off about that time. I started out running with a friend, under 11 min/mile, but I knew I couldn't maintain that. My feet felt decent, but my right calf was sore for some reason, despite my compression socks. Anyway I let her go ahead and I slowed down to a more comfortable pace, which ended up being around 12-12:30 pace for miles 2 and 3. Looking at my watch, I started fearing I wouldn't finish in under an hour. Originally, I thought I could beat my previous 8K time but now I was fighting to finish under the original goal. I ended up eating some Chomps around the halfway point out of desperation, and all of a sudden after the 3rd mile, I felt like I could speed up. Mile 4 I was able to get back to around 11 min/mile and for mile 5, I was right around 10:30. I ended up finishing in 56:55, 11:21 pace. I was happy I was able to pick it back up and finish under and hour, and also disappointed that I wasn't faster than the weekend before. The weather surely didn't help, and the 12,500 people around me probably didn't either.

Soooo what's next? I told my husband that if I could finish the Trot under an hour, that I would seriously consider training for a half marathon. Well, the day of the Trot, I said absolutely not. But, the next day I decided to go for it. There really isn't one I can fit in until April or May, so for now until mid January, I am just building base mileage and increasing speed as much as I can. I have speed goals now, so that should help. Thanks to my husband for making up a training calendar for me!! Yesterday was Day 1 of half marathon training- 5 miles. Funny how 5 miles has become the new routine for me. I have some new challenges ahead- I have never run more than 5 miles at a time, and I will be increasing my long runs to 6, 7 and eventually 8 miles. Longer runs will come up after January as well, but first I need to tackle these distances.

Lindsay's Legacy 5K

I went into this race feeling a bit apprehensive. I have had a little foot pain, and wasn't sure what I was going to be able to do. I shortened a run on Thursday- had 3 mile speed work scheduled and ended up running an "easy" 2.25 miles, stopping when I decided my foot hurt enough to make it a bad idea to keep going. Walking to the race, I had a little soreness, but nothing that I felt would be a big problem. I decided to just do what I could and not push too hard. I actually started out pretty fast, much faster than I should- about a 9:30 mile, which is just simply not maintainable for me yet. But I was feeling pretty good and just kept pushing on. As I was running, I felt some soreness in my foot, but nothing too bad. I was irritated when on a hill I got passed by someone who looked and sounded like he wasn't going to make it. I hate when that happens. Anyway I had a great race, finishing in 33:30, over 2 minutes faster than my previous best. I averaged a 10:50 mile. Oh, and I saw the guy who passed me earlier at the end, and my husband, who was nice enough to meet me for the last quarter, asked me if I was going to let him beat me... the answer was NO! I zoomed in for last tenth of a mile at an 8:20 pace. I didn't know I could move that fast, but when pride is at stake, I guess everything changes. My foot was pretty painful afterwards, and I suppose shopping all day didn't help. But I am icing it and will take a few rest days this week. Next up: 8K race this Saturday, as well as the 8K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving!

Change of Scenery

Now that it's pretty much dark when I am not at work, running outside is done, except for the weekends. I got pretty used to being outside, and since the cold weather doesn't scare me, I know I can still get in at least one (if not two) runs outside on the weekends. During the week, I now have two new options. I am swapping my gym membership for one that has an indoor track. Bally's, while old, has everything one could want, including the indoor track and a pool! I ran 5 miles on it yesterday, which in case anyone was curious, was 40 times around (it's a 1/8 mile, so I did the math for you). Booooorrrring but not as boring as the treadmill in my opinion. Bally's has plenty of treadmills, but we were lucky enough to have friends with an old but usable treadmill. It's loud, but it works, and in a pinch when I need to get in a shorter run, it will be perfect. Our little home gym now has a treadmill, elliptical, bike on a trainer and a bowflex (as well as a cat that won't leave the room and her litter box, but what can you do?). So these are some good options for my winter runs. I was very pleased with yesterday's 5 mile run- I actually completed it faster than my Turkey Trot goal, so it looks like it is definitely time to re-evaluate my goal. I am running a 5K this weekend, so how that goes will determine how agressive my new goal will be.

Getting Faster!

Each time I run, I get a little bit faster, and I feel better and better. I haven't run on the treadmill in almost a month, as the weather has been pretty decent. Today I decided to break the streak and stay out of the elements. It was a little chilly and windy, and since I did my 3 miles in the cold and wind on friday, I decided to give myself a break. Plus today was speedwork day, and the treadmill is much easier for that. I did 4.5 miles today, slowly working my way up to routinely running 8K. My goal for the Trot is really starting to look reachable, as I am only 15-30 sec per mile slower than where I need to be, and of course race pace is always better. I ordered a new pair of Newtons (all-weather trainer) so that I am ready for snowy Buffalo winters. I can't spend the entire winter on the treadmill- I think I might go crazy. So instead, I am slowly building up the winter gear I need to run outside.

Just Made It!

Running has been going very well this past week. I had a great short run on Sunday, averaging close to my last 5K pace. Today was another long run, 4.25 miles. It was 79 degrees, in Buffalo, in October, and I had to take advantage. I checked the weather forecast several times today and the crazy wind/downpours weren't supposed to start until after 6. It looked ugly out there, but I was determined. I thought about cutting the run short, but I ended up running far enough past my car to force myself to finish the whole run. I had my best long run yet. I am still not where I want to be on race day but I am inching closer, and I know I wll be faster that day anyway. I finished my run just in the nick of time- it started pouring as soon as I got in my car!  My legs feel good, although I am tired. But a couple of months ago, the thought of running for almost an hour would have either made me cry or made me laugh hysterically, so I am making progress.

My "Long" Run

My three weekly runs consist of one "easy" run, one "long" run and one "speed work" run. I can do them in any order I choose, and it usually depends on my schedule. Today I decided to do my long run, which was scheduled to be 4.25 miles. I decided on this because Tuesday is the day I get out of work the earliest and it was about 55 and sunny, which means I was able to do my run outside. I suspect I will be stuck inside the remainder of the week because of rain and limited daylight, so I thought I should take advantage. This was my longest run ever, with the exception of the one Turkey Trot 8K when I ran the whole way in 2008. So this was pretty exciting to me, especially since I felt pretty decent the whole way. I could have run more, but I was happy to be done too. It was pretty windy today, so the half I ran into the wind was tough, but the second half was far better. I have to attribute some of of my newfound interest in running in my new sneakers. I invested in a pair of Newton sneakers, which I have to say, was worth the $150. Check them out here: http://www.newtonrunning.com/ My legs actually feel decent and I don't have any more calf soreness, which was one of my big issues in the beginning of this whole running thing. We'll see how I feel tomorrow, but for right now, I am feeling pretty excited that I ran as far as I did.

Dr. Richard Sarkin 5K Memorial Run and a Personal Best

Today was a picture perfect day for a run. Up until last weekend, I didn't have any upcoming races to run in. I am very picky about which ones I will do- there have to be a lot of people or else I won't do it, the reason being that I am afraid of being last. Yes, I know that seems ridiculous, but as I have mentioned before, I am very very slow. How slow you might ask? Well, I have been tracking my runs since August, and I have done 4 5Ks since then. My times were:

Mississippi Mudd 5K: 43:20 (13:52 per mile). This was my first race since two that I did in June, and it was hot and humid that day. I was feeling pretty much like death after this was over.

Tops 5K: 41:29 (13:18 per mile). Better, but considering the beautiful day, this was still very slow. I felt ok after this race, not as sore as the last one.

Linda Yalem 5K: 38:51 (12:23 per mile). Much much better! I felt good this day and had enough left in the tank to run an 8:58 mile for the last tenth.

And finally today, the Dr. Richard Sarkin Memorial 5K: 35:42 (11:29 per mile) with 8:02 pace for the last tenth. I know I am still slow by normal standards, but I never thought I could run under a 12 minute mile. It was very exciting. I can't come close to what my husband does (finishing the entire thing in 20 minutes... WHAT!) but I am really proud of what I did today. Hopefully my next race will be even better. I have one or two more to go before the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. My original goal for that race was to finish it in under an hour (about a 12 min/mile pace) but I may have to re-evaluate that goal in light of today's performance!

Speed Work and Runny Noses

Today was a scheduled speed work day. It was beautiful outside so the treadmill was definitely not an option. I woke up yesterday a little bit under the weather- sniffles and sneezing. Nothing major, but in the past I would have used that as the perfect excuse not to run. But, I did not, and instead I did 3.5 miles on the track. I actually felt pretty good today, despite my excessive use of tissues. Running made me feel better too- I always say I never get sick, and I don't really count this as sick- just a little sniffly. Anyway my speed work seems to be doing the trick- I am getting a little bit faster each time, and I am feeling more comfortable. It consists of .5 mi warm up and cool down, with 5 repeats of .25 mi "as fast as I can go" and .25 mi "comfortable pace". Coming up this week- an "easy" 2.5, more speedwork and a 5K on Saturday.

3.5 Miles

Today I ran 3.5 miles after working for 9.5 hours, in high heels no less (I worked in high heels! I ran in my awesome Newton sneakers). In the old days, I probably would have bailed. But it was 65 degrees and finally sunny after too many rainy days in a row, and I was looking forward to spending some time outside. I had 3.25 scheduled, but since I shortened Tuesday's run by .25, I figured it was only fair to extend today by the same. It went pretty well. I know it doesn't sounds like a lot, but for me, it is. Tomorrow is a day off, so that I can hit the gym for some cross training on Saturday and do some interval runs on Sunday.

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaackkk!

Why hello! Yes, it has been MORE THAN A YEAR since I last blogged. I'm not quite sure what happened, but here I am again. I'm not going to re-cap the last year, but maybe just the last couple of months. I actually completed the couch to 5k program this summer, and believe it or not, I can actually run now, without stopping. I have done a few 5ks and my times are getting better and better. I might even, dare I say, look forward to my runs. I am on a training schedule for the Turkey Trot (I know, I know, I said that last year). But I am very much committed to this. My lovely husband created a training schedule for me, which consists of 3 runs/week, with speed work and mileage increases as well. I am also squeezing in some elliptical and stationary bike work. I also went back to Weight Watchers about 5 weeks ago and I am down about 10 lbs, so it is easy to stay motivated when I see so much progress.