Rough

I had a really hard time convincing myself to get out of bed this morning. In the end, I told myself that I'd feel better and have more energy if I got up and ran. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for all that good stuff to kick in... 6 hours later. Today has just been a crappy day but I guess the fact that I can keep "didn't go running" off the list of crappiness is encouraging. Since I rolled out of bed late, my intention was to only run for 30 minutes. However, I squeezed in an extra 7 minutes despite the bitter cold. Maybe if I go to bed by 9 tonight I won't be as sluggish tomorrow.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I managed to run almost every day (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday) but I also managed to eat too much food every day! I figure it's OK because Thanksgiving only comes once a year :) Yesterday I broke in my new running shoes. I bought another pair of Nikes and so far, so good. There are no words to describe how much better it feels to run in a good pair of new shoes vs. a worn and abused pair! They were further broken in this morning as I ran through the falling snow. None of it stuck but it snowed for a few hours this morning - it was kind of cool since today is December 1st and, in my head, December signifies the beginning of winter.

This year I'm thankful for a lot of things. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about sickness and disease (life of the party, I know). I'm so thankful that I have my health and the ability to move around on my own. Being able bodied is something so many people take for granted. I've been trying to appreciate simple things more - like having the physical ability to get up every morning and go running. I'm not excited when my legs are sore but I do realize that some people can't feel their legs and would be happy to have any sensation at all - even one of pain.

I took a picture of my old shoes - they are sad looking. Hopefully I'll have time to load it up on here tonight.

Lazy Lazy Lazy

I skipped my run this morning. I didn't go to bed until 10.30 last night (which is very late for me) but when my alarm went off at 5.30, I wasn't too tired to run. I was, however, far too lazy to run. The bed was just so comfortable - I didn't want to get up at all. Not at 5.30... not at 6.30... I finally dragged my butt out from under the covers at 6.50! YIKES! Now I have to go home and run and then rush back for dinner, shower, and head out the door for an appointment at 7.30. BOO-URNZ. This week I've already run 15 miles, which is good. I guess I can cut myself a little slack!

Just Another Manic Monday...

Last week we had some warm weather here in Indiana, however, that is all a distant memory. It is cold cold cold and the weather conditions this weekend were blah, at best. However, that did not stop my from running 7.5 miles yesterday. It is the longest distance I've run in a while and only 1.5 miles shorter than the longest I've ever ran which was a few months ago. I felt pretty hardcore after... my legs hurt but it was worth it! I skipped my run this morning for fear that my body didn't have enough time to recover but I'm going tonight after work. Like an idiot, I wore heels to work today, hopefully my calves won't be suffering by the time I get home!

New Power Song

Call me a 13 year old girl, but my new power song on my running mix is "So What" by Pink. When I first heard the song, I thought it was catchy but didn't pay much attention to it. Then I went to my parents' house for a weekend and heard it over and over again via pop radio and my 13 year old sister. After driving to the mall with my sister and her BFF in the back seat shouting it at the top of their lungs, I knew they were on to something. I had to run after work yesterday... which I hate. Although it was going fairly well, when that song came on, I could not stop myself from running faster! The same thing happened this morning. I was just going along, doing my thing and all the sudden I had a burst of energy. Admittedly, it's not for everyone but if you're looking for an energy boost, I recommend it. In other news... I passed 20 miles this week. Whoot!

Day Off

I took today off. Since I was up until 12:30 watching Barack Obama deliver his speech after capturing the presidency, I didn't really think getting up at 5.30 was in my best interests!

I really gotta get some pictures on here... Not that anyone reads this blog but it will feel more authentic with pictures. I think.

Run by Voting

My morning run had a few more obstacles than usual... voters! The polls opened at 6am here in B-Town and folks were lined up outside, waiting to get in and cast their vote. It was pretty great to see all the committed citizens standing outside despite the chill in the air and lack of any natural light. Anyhoo, they all probably thought I was crazy for running but I'm taking tomorrow off so I can stay up late tonight! Not much to report with the run - 40 minutes; just over 4.5 miles.

I will say a little something about the election. Presidential elections are the key to American democracy. The leaders of this nation may not always make decisions we agree with, but the fact that we have a choice in the matter is pretty amazing. This election is, by far, the most important of my life time. Regardless of race and gender, the next president will go down in history for the decisions made in his time at the White House - a time in which Americans need leadership, hope, and inspiration. It is thrilling to be part of it all.

New Playlist!!!

When I go running I usually listen to a playlist I created for running or I take my chances and let the iPod decide on shuffle. Both options are getting old so last night I created a new playlist that I aptly titled: "Running 2." I swear I'm a creative person!

It sounds lame but the idea of running to my new playlist was total motivation this morning! I need to make a few changes but I think that it's a winner. The hour of motivation is as follows

1. Touch of Love - Allen Toussaint
2. Get Over It - OK GO
3. American Boy - Estelle
4. Shoop - Salt-N-Pepa
5. Punkrocker - Teddybears featuring Iggy Pop
6. One Night Stand - The Pipettes
7. If I Should Fall From Grace With God - The Pogues
8. Hell Yeah - Montgomery Gentry
9. Breakin' Up - Rilo Kiley
10. Rated X - Neko Case
11. So What - Pink
12. You Might Think - The Cars
13. Place Your Hands - Reef
14. Boom! - The Roots
15. Fill Me In - Craig David
16. Hump De Bump - Red Hot Chili Peppers
17. Hey Ya! - Andre 3000
18. Roses - Andre 3000

Over 100 miles!

Last week I ran a total of 23 miles. I averaged just over four miles a day Monday-Thursday and 6 miles on Friday! Over the weekend I was supposed to take it "easy" while visiting my parents. However, they talked me into going on a 32 mile bike ride on Saturday. I thought I'd be fine since I ride my bike to work frequently but it was rough. I guess I only ride about 15 miles / week in total which is why by mile 10 I was ready to turn around and head to the closest bar! I got through it but on Sunday my legs were tight and my back was sore. I took the day off despite the fact that my diet consisted of BBQ, pizza, nachos, and pancakes up until that point. Yesterday when I went for a quick jog my legs felt like led but this morning I was feeling much better.

I also passed the 100-mile mark this morning! My Nike-Plus chip keeps track of my total mileage and today I succeeded in running over 100 miles since I began using it. It's pretty cool, plus it will be helpful in terms of knowing how much longer I can go before getting new shoes. I'm going out to dinner tonight at 8 so hopefully I'll get home early enough so I can get out of bed tomorrow!

Run a Half Marathon...that'll be fun!

Last year my BFF, Jess, decided to run her very first half marathon. Up until that point, Jess and I were what you might call, "Wannabe Runners." We both worked out at the gym and would participate in the occasionall 5K but I don't think either of us considered ourselves "Runners." Even after my declaration 2 years ago that I was going to become a "runner", it never really manifested into anything more than putting in 10-15 miles a week. However, when Jess signed up for her half marathon, she catapulted into a whole new category. She asked me if I wanted to train with her but I just couldn't see being able to fit in the training at that time. Thus, I found myself cheering her on along the sidelines in her first half marathon in Connecticut. As she finished, it was final, she was a runner and I was a wannabe.

Shortly after, I decided that before I turned 30, one of my goals was to run a half marathon. I wasn't doing it because I needed to match Jess' triumph (as a good BFF, I was nothing but pround and a wee bit envious of her), I wanted to do it because it was a challenge. The goal has been on the back burner for several months until last week. I was on the treadmill at the gym and rather than getting off after 3 miles, I kept going. When I finally called it quits, I had logged in 5 1/2 miles. I felt tired but good and thought, I can do this half marathon thing. Yes, that's right. After one decent jog on the treadmill, I was convinced of my ability to complete a 13 mile race. I went to runnersworld.com to get tips and a training schedule and started my official training this past Monday. The first run was an "easy run" and it really was easy. I just had to go 2 miles averaging 11 minutes/mile. Not bad. Tuesday was cross training so I did about 30 minutes on the eliptical and lifting. Wednesday was my tempo run in which I had to do a 1 mile warm-up, then 3 miles at 9.27 and a 1 mile cool down. Since life is sometimes cruel, it was clear within the warmup that I was not going to have a stellar run. By mile 3, I was dying. Defeated, and sweating buckets, I stopped at 4.5 miles and had to go collect myself in the locker room.

I knew that there were going to be days when my body was just not going to cooperate. I'm just hoping that the training will offset some of that. Each day will bring a new lesson. Yesterday brought three.

Lesson #1: Don't wear pants if it's warmer than 40 degrees outside or if running indoors. Just not necessary.
Lesson #2: Don't weight train the day before a challenging run. Your legs will hate you.
Lesson #3: No coffee or dairy within 3 hours of running. Courtesy flushing in the locker room can only go so far.