I Am A Running Wimp!

I must officially apologize to all my more northern friends who complained this summer about running in 75 degree heat.
I admit it.
I laughed at you!
But today,
when it was time to head out for my afternoon run - and the thermometer read 34 degrees -
I 
could
not
do
it!

Now, I know that for many of you, 34 degrees is a heat wave this time of year.  But for this born and raised Florida Girl, it feels like hell - if hell were a frozen tundra and not a fiery inferno!

So, I skipped my Tuesday run - but I did get in a 11.5 mile run this weekend in preparation for the Celebration Half Marathon in
(insert freak-out voice)
less than 3 weeks!
I feel so unprepared, because by this time prior to my last (and only) half marathon, I had already completed a 14 mile run.  Of course, I also spent the 3 weeks prior to that half marathon, loopy on drugs, lying on the sofa with my broken hand in a splint.  So.... maybe I'm not so unprepared after all!

Meanwhile, I had a birthday!   I turned 47 on the 2nd, and my daughter, Gracie, hit the big SEVEN on the 6th!  So, we had a shared birthday party on the 4th!

I received this little baby just in time for the unseasonable cold weather.

*adorable grandson not included!

After all my raving about a Keurig during our stay at the Hotel Indigo, now I have one of my very own!

On her actual Birthday, I took my Gracie to Build-a-Bear.  We've been doing that since her first birthday.

Age 1 

Age 2

Age 3

Age 4

Age 5

Age 6

Age 7!

It is kind of sad to see my baby getting so big!

Oh, and we got to meet my son, Caleb's girlfriend:

This is his first serious gf - and we are pretty sure she's a keeper!  I really liked her... plus, she used to run in college, so WIN!

Question: Are you running in these freezing temps?

Week 7 Ramblings

It's Fall Cleaning Week!!!
I completely missed Spring Cleaning this year due to my hand being all broken and such, so the house is in dire need.  In fact, I think I've been hearing it calling to me in the middle of the night... "Please clean me..... Please clean me!"

Since my husband and older daughter are on a mission trip in Mexico this week building a house for this family:

Yes, that  is the "house" they are currently living in!

and since I'm in taper mode for my upcoming Evergreen Pumpkin 10 Mile Run, this seems like the perfect opportunity to do all the things I've been procrastinating for the past 10 months!!
So far I've cleaned the Laundry Room on Saturday and the Living Room on Sunday.
Yes, it is taking me ALL DAY to do one room.
Today, though, I am tackling Gracie's room and the School Room.
It's gonna be a looong day!

Anywho... Let's wrap up Week 7:

Days running: 4
Total miles: 23
Long run: 8
Group runs: 1
Days strength training: 1 (I just can't seem to make myself do that 2nd day!)

This week was the exact opposite of last week.  My runs all seemed off kilter.  I couldn't quite make the distance or speeds that I needed.  I think that was due to the fact that the TAPUUR run last Sunday exhausted me!  It was much more like a race than a training run.

However, I ended this week with my first group training run ever!  Sunday, I woke up dark and early (5am!) and traveled 45 minutes to Jacksonville for a group long run at 1st Place Sports.  There were 30 or 40 people there, and a wonderful lady named Sarah graciously let me tag along until my half way point.

Pros of a group run

• I ended up running much faster than usual (because I was trying to keep up with Sarah!) 
• I got to talk non-stop during the first 4 miles (haha!)
• I felt very much a part of the running community.
• There were water stops every 4 miles, so no need to carry water if I didn't want to.

Cons of a group run:

• Well, there's the whole getting up at 5 am and traveling 40 miles thing.
• I wasn't at all familiar with the area, so without staying with a person or group it would be easy to get lost.
• I couldn't run my own pace (see above con)
• Unless you run with someone, it's really just like any other run.  In other words, I would need to go with a friend or make a friend (which I did!)

 
 I'm not sure I would travel that far for a group run again.  But that is probably because I rarely run alone, anyway.  I did it this week because my husband was out of town and my oldest daughter let my kids sleep over at her house.  I am glad that I gave it a try!

This week I will be pausing the training as I taper for the Pumpkin Run on Sunday.  I am so excited about it because this is really the first time I have repeated a race.  I'd say that of all my races last year, this was my favorite.  I'm working on a pre-race post, so stay tuned!


Do you do group runs?  Why or Why not???

Now, back to the insanity!

The Best Run Ever! Week 6 Wrap-Up

I just ran the best run of my life!
No kidding!!
In fact, despite an ankle that keeps acting up and a diet that was out of control, I had the best week of training ever!

• Days running: 4
• Long run: 11 miles
• Total miles: 24
• # of totally awesome, pump-u-up runs: 2
• Days strength training: 1 (at least I'm getting 1!)

The first TAPUUR (totally awesome, pump-u-up run) happened on Tuesday when I ran 3 X 1 mile repeats at a 9 minute pace.  What made this so exciting for me, was that I actually jogged during my rest intervals instead of walked!  I've never done that before.

The second TAPUUR happened last night.  I decided to run my Steady State 5 miles without looking at my Garmin.  Now - this is HUGE for me.  I'm a frequent Garmin peeker (FGP) and NEVER run without...well... frequently peeking!  However, somewhere in the first 1/4 mile of this run I wondered how fast I could go if I just ran by feel.  So, for the first 2.65 miles, I didn't even glance at the Garmin.

Here's the kicker... I had NO IDEA how fast I was going.  At times, I thought I might be keeping around a 10 minute pace, and at others I was afraid I was nearer 11 minute pace.  When I glanced down at the 2.65 mile mark and saw 9:20, I thought I was seeing things.  There is no way I can run that fast in a training run.  Right??

I managed to avoid FGP for the rest of the run, and as I entered my driveway and hit the stop button, the sweat was burning my eyes so bad that I could hardly read my final average:

9:23

Let's put that in perspective, shall we?
I ran my most recent 5K race at a 9:27 pace.

And my 5K PR (last Nov.) at a 9:06 pace!

But I just ran 5 whole miles at a 9:23 pace!!!

Yes, I am pumped! 

My next race is in 2 weeks.  It is a 10-miler that I am hoping to do in 1 hr 40 min or less (10 minute mile).

Two weeks ago I thought that goal might be a bit ambitious.  Now, I think I might just make it!

Have you had any TAPUURs lately?

Training Wrap-Up Week Five

Whew!  This past week was exhausting in my typically slow-paced life.
Every year, during the first week in October, we attend a conference in Atlanta (Catalyst).  This year everything changed at the last minute when the Government shut down.  Thank goodness my husband was not furloughed - but as an "essential" employee, he was prohibited from taking leave of any kind.  So, it ended up that I went and he stayed.... I hated that!  Also, one of my daughters was celebrating her 19th birthday so that party had to be planned (something I had not anticipated being a part of, but got drawn into!)
By the time I left Wednesday morning, I was already tired... then there were the 3 days of non-stop conference stuff and eating.  Yes, eating!  I realized that the only time I ever actually eat 3 full meals a day is during vacations.
I'm not sure how I survive the other 50 weeks a year!!

So, let's recap shall we?

• Days running: 3
• Long run: 9 miles
• Total miles: 19
• Runs while on vacation: 0 
• Days strength training: 1
• Best running-related discovery: denture cleaner!

The low point this week was my long run on Saturday evening.  After 3 days of "3 squares" I was tired, bloated and miserable!  The whole run was slow and laborious.  However, by Sunday evening I was feeling more myself and had my best run of this training season... 5 miles at a 10 minute steady pace!  That was a full 35 seconds per mile faster than I ran the same run last week!  

JOY!

My daughter's birthday party was a success!  It was a murder mystery party, where each guest came in character and one was revealed to be the murderer.  Here is the murder scene (in our guest bathroom):

Pretty awesome!!

I enjoyed the conference very much!  We had a special guest star: Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty.  I'm not really a fan of the show, but It was still neat seeing him in person (PS... he sounds exactly the same as on the show!)

Sorry about the lousy quality of the photos, but there were over 13,000 people there and all I had was a cell phone!

And now for my favorite new product!

A few months ago, I received some Bottle Bright cleaning tablets in this StrideBox.  I thought they worked great at cleaning our hydration belt water bottles, but when I looked them up to purchase more I found the cost way too high.  $10 for 10 tablets!!!!

So, I looked for an alternative, and thanks to helpful reviewers I discovered that denture cleaner works great on those hard to clean bottles!!

Best of all, 90 tablets cost me about $2!

First I fill the bottle about 3/4 full with warm water.  Then plop in a denture tablet:

It fizzes and starts cleaning right away!  I then put the top on and do a little dance and shake it all around (no reason I can't have fun, right?)  My next step is to open up the spout and squirt some of the liquid out so that the solution gets in all the crevices of my spout:

Been using this Amphipod bottle for about a year, so it's a little beat up!

If the bottle is really nasty, I leave it propped upside down somewhere for a while, then give it another shake and empty it out.  The denture cleaner is easy to rinse and - if anything- leaves a fresh minty smell behind.  I've never noticed any aftertaste.

So there you have it - an easy, low-cost option for cleaning your water bottles!

Any new products you have fallen in love with recently?

Training Wrap-Up Week Four

This was a scale back week for me.  My total miles did not change much, but my intensity surely did.  It was a much needed break!

• Days running: 5
• Long run: 7 miles
• Total Miles: 26
• Races: One 5K (Race recap upcoming!)
• Days strength training: 1 (50% success!  I'm a "glass half full" kind of girl!)

Most of my runs this week were slow, slow, slow as I attempted to recharge my legs.

I also ran a 5K on Saturday with my best friend which was a blast!  It was her first 5K, and probably the first time I have enjoyed every second of a race! I'm waiting on pictures to complete that race report.

But the best thing about this week was that we finally saw a change in the weather!  From highs in the 90s to highs barely in the 80s!  In fact, I was able to run in temps stating with a "6" for the first time since June!!  I have never appreciated our barely perceptible seasonal changes so much in my life!

Here's a local joke for you:

South Georgia Seasons:

1. Almost Summer
2. Summer
3. Still Summer
4. Christmas

Then, on Sunday night I had my best run in weeks.

I have been slowly working on my 5 mile "Steady State Run" (a run without walking breaks) since I shocked myself by completing one back in August.  That fist time my pace was very slow - around 11:26 avg.  I have been working each week on increasing my speed, while still keeping my breathing under control, and last night I ran at a 10:33 pace!

That's almost a minute per mile faster than last month!

Don't you just love those runs where you surprise yourself?

Of course part of that increased speed might be because of the "attack" dog!  I was running along a main road when I suddenly heard a viciously barking dog charging from behind.  For a moment I was terrified.  I really love dogs... but NOT when I am running.  What is it about runners that brings out the worst in dogs?  Anyway, after a brief moment of panic I realized that 

a) the dog sounded pretty small and 

b) if I stopped I would just be making it easier for him to get me.

So I never even turned around.  Just kept running until Fido gave up (ha!)

Have you ever had a dog encounter while running? 

Training Wrap-Up Week Three

This week my legs discovered that they had a voice, and they decided to use that voice to complain.
loudly.
I guess it is to be expected.  That is why most training plans call for a rest or recovery week during training every 3-4 weeks.

Here is a pretty good article about incorporating recovery weeks within the training cycle.

Excerpt:

With each week that you increase your overall mileage, stretch out your long run, or add more challenging workouts, you provide yourself with new or additional stimuli for improvement. You also become progressively more tired from the increased training load, and if you ignore this accumulation of fatigue, your performance will eventually start to stagnate or suffer. The likelihood of illness or injury also rises if you continue to add to your training load without periodically scaling back volume or intensity. In my experience, most runners tend to get stale, sick, or hurt after they’ve strung together too many weeks in a row—usually more than three—without reducing their overall training volume by 20–30 percent for at least seven days.

 I can definitely feel (in my own legs) the truth behind this article!!  So this next week will be a scale back week.  We'll see if my legs use their newfound voice to thank me!

Week 3 highlights:

• Days running: 5
• Long run: 10 miles
• Total miles: 27
• Days strength training: 2 (yay for me!)
• Recovery tights purchased: 1

I have to say that I was so proud of my long run this week.  After my 1 mile warm up, I ran the remaining 9 miles without any walk breaks!  Remember a few weeks back when I was so shocked that I could run 5 miles without walk breaks?  And the amazing part was that it wasn't even difficult!  I know Galloway says that you get the same endurance benefits during a long run with walk breaks as you do running continuously, but I don't think I really believed it until Saturday!

This week, I also purchased these tights to be used during recovery:

Women's AMP PRO2 Tight

"Saucony AMP PRO2 Performance wear is made with revolutionary Celliant® fabric that increases oxygen in the body to give you more energy."

Hmmm.  I purchased these tights based mostly on this blogger's review, and the fact that Amazon had them marked down ridiculously low.  Here are my thoughts so far:

Pros:

• Very comfortable - I slept in them all night!  And I am pretty easily annoyed by clothing at night.  
• Lightweight - I was able to wear them under my jeans all day without overheating.

Con:

• They are not nearly as compressive as my CW-X. That I expected.  My CW-X tights would be too tight to wear comfortably to sleep in or under clothes in my opinion.  However, these tights were not even as tight as my Under Armour or my Nike Pro compression tights!

So, the big question was "did they work?"

And the answer is... "maybe"

I did feel like I got some benefit from wearing them, but my legs were in such bad shape last week that wearing anything that added a little warmth to my tired muscles would have probably helped.  I'll continue testing them over the next couple of months and let you know what conclusion I eventually reach.

Q:  Do you have any special clothing you wear for recovery?

Training Wrap-Up Week One

I did it!  My first week of half-marathon training!

Days running: 6  

Long run: 9 miles

Total miles: 28

Days strength training: 1 (oops, missed the second day)

Number of new running outfits: 2 (Amazon has been having a big sale!)

Two of my runs this week were with a friend (Julie) that I am helping train for her first 5k!  I am really loving these runs - because it reminds me of the excitement I felt last year when training for my first 5k!  Running with Julie has actually helped improve my attitude with my own runs, because I am finally learning to appreciate all that the injuries/failures/frustrations of running have taught me!  We like to think when we start some new activity that we will somehow be able to learn without any of the struggles that others face - but the truth is that adversity brings about growth.  And what a year of growth it has been!  

This is the first time ever that I have run 6 days in a row - and with runs planned for Monday and Tuesday I will end up with 8 continuous days of running.  Of course, the runs with Julie are easy runs - but I am still amazed that my body can, in fact, handle more running than I thought!  Why am I always shocked when I see actual progress?

In other news, my husband just bought a pair of these shoes:

Hoka One One Stinson B Evo

Hoka One One Stinson - they look like marshmallow shoes, but feel heavenly!  I tried on a pair a couple of months ago and loved them, so when my husband started complaining about his feet hurting during our long runs, I told him he should give these a try. 

 Saturday, we visited the local running store and he tried on a whole bunch of recommended shoes.   I think he was leaning toward the Newtons, but still unsure when he asked to to try "those Hoka shoes".  After a 10 second run around the inside of the store I could tell he was sold!  These shoes really do feel like walking on clouds!  Tonight he wore them for the first time on our 5 mile run and thought they were great, but he said the real test will come on a 10+ mile run.  I'm watching closely because these might be my next shoes as well!

And finally, head on over to Amazon if you are wanting to pick up some high quality running clothes for cheap!  They are having a big sale on their summer items and since it is pretty much summer here for 9 months of the year, I have been buying quite a few items for my husband and myself.  Aren't these adorable?

Less than $25 per outfit!!!  I bought a few more shirts and tanks and plan on getting one more skirt/top before the deals are gone.  Nothing makes my day quite like a bargain!

Have you found any running deals lately?