MIA

I had good intentions this week...good intentions that never materialized. My calves were still pretty sore Sunday night, so I decided not to run on Monday. Really, the nights before I would typically be running were either late or rough, which means that I haven't run at all. I'm not sure I'll be able to get a run in tomorrow, but I did smell the morning air this morning & sure wanted to get out. I'll be back next week.

Speedy Spaniard Pics

Tiff and I post 10k

Like how I have water slobbered on my shirt? Typical me.

Due to camera operator malfunctions, these are the best shots of me running. I'm in the pink shirt/black pants & Tiff's in front of me in the white shirt/blue shorts.

You wanted a rear shot of me, right? You can see Tiff in the distance, too.

Tiff & I with my girlies.

A little out of order, but here's our pre 10k shot. Thanks for dropping us off so early, Randy.

10k w/ updates

For those of you dying to know, I ran the 10k in 1:04:32. I'll fill in more details later. I'm off to take a nap! ...

Okay, now that I'm rested and sore, I can tell you all about the race.

Race starts at approx. 6:30. Tiffany (my sister) and I wait until the massive crowd is past the starting line & then reset my Garmin. Her Garmin battery died before the race...but I just think it was a blessing to me, since she had to stick with me to know how she was doing!

Mile 1 & 2--I had a good start. We took a walk break at around mile 2.7 for 1 1/2 minutes. Tiff doesn't normally need walk breaks on a 10k, but she humored me.

Mile 3--I felt good & we were going at a good pace.

Mile 4--This one was hard for me. Right after we hit the 4th mile, I abruptly had some acid reflux and it kept me coughing for a bit, which stopped me from running. I was still able to walk, but I think my body needed to slow down. We walked this time for 1 minute.

Mile 5--I was doing okay, knowing that we were getting nearer. We took our last walk break right at mile 5 for about 35 seconds (are you loving my Garmin yet? I am!) Tiff was so anxious to beat her 1:06 time that she thought we walked for much longer. :)

Mile 6 to finish--The last 1/2 mile I was toast. Tiff decided to run faster. She wasn't much ahead of me, but it was hard. We passed our hubbys and kids. I slapped Sydney and my brother, Alan's, hands as I jogged by. Nice to have a little cheering squad. :) Once I got past the last corner, the finish line didn't seem so far away. I ended up running faster to get to it. Since we kept track of our time on the Garmin, we didn't pay much attention to the race clock. Tiffany finished 21 seconds faster than me at 1:04:11. We averaged a 10:33 minute mile--really good for me!

After we got past the finish, they immediately turned us around and said to "get in line." Being my first race, I had no idea what they meant & there were huge crowds...I couldn't see a line anywhere. They handed me water and I met up with my family, who had missed me crossing the finish line because of the crowds. Turns out the "line" was so that they could record our finish times. Oh, well!

Now on to training for a half-marathon...although I'm glad to have a few days to rest before my next run. The thought of it is quite overwhelming right now. I'll post some pictures when I get them emailed to me from Randy's phone and from Tiff.

Wednesday the 22nd

This is my 200th post on this blog. Crazy?!

I did 2.03 miles in 21:38 today. 10:41 minute mile. Not too shabby, eh? 2.63 miles total in 30:53. (That includes my warm-up and cool-down walking, in case you ever wondered...)

Thoughts today:

• I had to run solo this morning, so I headed for the high school track, knowing that I didn't have a long run & thinking it would be safer to run alone there than where I normally run.
• The HS football team was just beginning practice when I got there. When I was a lap and a half from being done, the cheer team entered the track and started running. In their really short shorts. The football team was doing sit-ups at the time. I'm sure they were loving the view. After a while, the football team let out a chant. And some of the cheer team squealed with delight. Oh, high school. I thought it was pretty funny.
• I had a hard time not running too fast today. It felt like I was running so slow, even though it was faster than normal. I wore my heartrate monitor for the first time today, too. It says I overdid it.
• I have a few minor blisters on my toes, but they don't really bother me. I'm hoping they callous (You know I had to look that up in the old fashioned dictionary to see how to spell it, right?).
• Pretty excited & a little nervous about Friday's 10k. Tiff just might kick my butt...Or the 6.2 miles, at least.

Monday the 20th

2.95 miles in 36:49. 12:30 avg mile.

I'm beginning to think that Monday mornings are harder...I feel so sluggish and tired, but I love when I break past that. So, so grateful that I've got Jana and Janell to run with, even though Janell's off having fun right now. Thanks, ladies!

I'm also starting my healthy living challenge again. I need to do it to motivate me to make good choices, and I need the good habits to stick! I was at 142 this morning, and I know I can do so much better than that. I've promised myself a new bra if I do well. Sad that I motivate myself with a necessity, but whatever works...gotta justify spending $70 on a good bra somehow!

Friday the 17th

5.83 in 1:19:08. 13:35 min mile avg.

Today's run was the hardest yet. Jana and I did really well for the first 2 1/2 miles. And then came the hill. It didn't seem so bad until we were nearly to the top & we both were about to die. The hill really did us in. After that, we did plenty of walking. Our only goal was to finish. I just hope the 10k next week isn't so hard on me so I don't embarass you, Tiff! Of course, you could always leave me in the dust!

Wednesday the 16th

Jogged 2.02 miles in 24:45, making it 12:15 min/mi. Total was 2.56 miles in 34:09. We ran the whole 2 miles at a nice, easy pace & it felt good. I'm still not 100%, but at least I was able to run today. Gearing up for 5.5 on Friday...

Monday the 14th

I was supposed to run 3 miles yesterday. After running the first 1/4 mile, I knew that my sick lungs weren't going to have it. Janell was kind enough to let me turn our run into a walk. From my house, I did 2 miles in 32 minutes. Not the fastest, but at least I woke up to do it!

My weight was at 143.0 when we returned from CA. I'm not surprised. Food was my solace during the trip. However, this morning I was at 141.0, so that's good news. I need to keep it going down now!

Past week

Friday the 3rd--approx. 4.75 miles in approx 56 minutes. I ran on a treadmill in Las Vegas. Staring at a wall & a too-close-TV. And I accidentally pulled the emergency stop partway through my run, that's why I don't know the exact time or mileage. Nothing makes a run seem longer!

Monday the 6th--3 miles in 35:43

Wednesday the 8th--2 miles in 22:38 (2.41 total in 30 minutes)

Friday the 10th--5 miles in 58:09. My run felt great. We'll see how tomorrow goes. My sleeping's messed up and I'm pretty sick. Hopefully I can make it out of bed.

Wednesday the 1st

2.55 miles in 34:48. Avg pace was 13:40. Everything felt good today--shins & back. I plan to pick up speed the next few times that I run, since I will be able to control it on a treadmill.