those resolutions

Oh, bother...it's now more than half way through the year. At the beginning, I had made some resolutions. Here's where I'm at:

Number one - read three classic books.
I'm a little more than a third through the goal. I finished Wuthering Heights which was painful. I kept waiting for something to happen, but the book ended without the ending that I wanted. And the whole part in between was incredibly slow. I've started reading Anna Karenina and I'm a little past the half point. However, it's another slow book that also happens to be about 3 times as long as Wuthering Heights. At this point, I'm just hoping to finish two-thirds of this goal.

Number two - take a picture every day.
Absolutely not. I can't even pretend. But maybe wedding/honeymoon pictures will count towards this? Then I could definitely catch up.

Number three - budget and follow that budget.
I've somewhat followed through with this. Buying a house definitely makes us pay more attention to our budget, but there are some growing pains with learning how to combine incomes and spend together. More on this later. Maybe.

Number four - run a half marathon.
I signed up for the Madison Half-Marathon, but by March my attention was waning. House shopping and buying, combined with wedding planning put an easy kabosh on running. Maybe I'll get one in this fall, but no promises.

huh

i could've sworn i had posted just a week or two ago. odd...

anyways, my motivation lately has been zero. despite the fact that i'm getting married in 36 days and going for my first dress fitting this afternoon, working out hasn't seemed that interesting. i can feel myself slowly moving towards being ready to workout again soon, but i'm pretty sure i have shin splints. awesome.

also, i clearly struggle with a blog. i'm going to try putting a reminder on my calendar to check in here once a week. that's not a huge time commitment.

so here's what's happened this week:

• i gained 0.2 pounds over the long weekend. i was pretty surprised that it wasn't more since i drank a lot more than usual, but i really didn't snack at all and i won't discount sweating out the calories on a hot day.
• i managed to workout twice this week. the past month or so, i've made it one day, so there's improvement. i hit up the gym right away on tuesday morning for my quick 1 miler and strength training. kept the momentum going with a 1.5 mile run in my neighborhood on wednesday night. then i fell off the wagon.

to get myself motivated again, i've joined a challenge on mapmyrun.com to run 40 miles in 30 days. very doable really, since that comes out to 1.33 miles per day and i'm pretty sure i've got it in me to do at least 2 miles. my current workout plan should get me to the goal. i'll be starting it up next monday and it looks like this:

	Monday		Tuesday		Wednesday		Thursday		Friday
7.11.11	2	R	1	R	1.5	R	1	R	2.5	R
7.11.11			Weights		Pilates/yoga		Weights
7.18.11	2.5	R	1	R	1.5	R	1	R	3	R
7.18.11			Weights		Pilates/yoga		Weights
7.25.11	3	R	1	R	2	R	1	R	3.5	R
7.25.11			Weights		Pilates/yoga		Weights
8.1.11	3.5	R	1	R	2	R	1	R	4	R
8.1.11			Weights		Pilates/yoga		Weights

if i keep to this schedule, i'll end up a mile short, so i'll have to squeeze that in somehow. and this should definitely get me feeling good for the wedding.

What happened to February?

So, it's clearly been awhile. Work gets busy this time of the year, but there are only two more days to go! I can't wait for a return to my normal working schedule.

It's funny how my body has become so adjusted to waking up at 5:30 every morning that it seems to happen automatically. Last night I ended up taking some work home, and didn't get to bed until 11, which is getting a little late for me. I still set my alarm for 5:30, but knew that I would probably snooze it until 7 (it's a terrible habit!). This morning, I woke up at 5:28. What?! It's like my body wanted to workout, even though I'm still congested from my cold and haven't been getting a lot of sleep. I decided to go back to sleep until 7, but during the day I kept thinking about how much better I would feel if I had gone to the gym. My plan for today was some strength training that could easily be modified so that I'm not hacking and then I would've kept up with my schedule of going to the gym. And, that "sleep" that I got for the next hour and a half wasn't very good - with an alarm going off every 9 minutes, it's hard to really sleep.

Lesson learned - if I wake up, I might as well just get up. Realistically, I'm not gaining much by constantly waking up every 9 minutes. I should just haul myself out of bed and go to the gym.


An exciting thing also happened this weekend - J and I went to a few open houses that we had found online. We liked two of them, but one was a little out of our price range. The other one I L.O.V.E - it's a super cute old house from the 1940s that has been kept up really well. The only thing that would need some immediate attention is the kitchen - pale pink countertops and bright yellow walls. Yikes. Luckily, I found an inexpensive way to redo countertops (over at home improvement site Charles and Hudson) that Rust-Oleum makes. Basically for about $400, you could have a new surface on countertops and cabinets by simply painting it on. How easy is that? It may not be a permanent fix, but for new homebuyers (like us!) who also have a wedding coming up, this is perfect.

VIP member, baby!

With the money Uncle Sam gave back to me, I decided to treat myself a little. With a wedding coming up and home purchase in the future, I had to be selective and a little budget-conscious.

I have seen Road Runner Sports before. I'm not sure how I originally found it, but I have stalked the site since, looking at the new clothes they have, throwing new shorts and shirts in the shopping cart that I couldn't buy. After nearly a year of window shopping, I decided to take some of my money there. They have great prices on the clothing, and a ton of different brands are available, which I loved. I find it hard to find running clothes at a decent price online, and at an online retailer that I trust. Yes, I trust the name brands like Nike, but I'm not such a fan of their prices. Road Runner Sports has a bunch of the name brands, plus their own brand, all combined in one place.

But my favorite feature is the ability to filter something, like shorts, by the type of fit - do you want form fitted, semi-fitted, loose? Sort by it. Fantastic. And judging from the reviews previous buyers have left, the filter seems accurate.

The other great little feature is that you can join the VIP club. It costs just $1.99 (for the year!) and I saved almost $10 on this first order with the VIP savings - free shipping and discounted prices on the new shirt, shorts and sports bra that I bought. Of course, this does go up to $24.99 after the first year, so I'll have to evaluate how much I actually buy from them to see if it's worth continuing the VIP membership.

Now if $10 wasn't already enough, ebates saved me another $10, and I'll get 5% of my purchase price back. Seriously, if you haven't tried ebates yet and you shop online, you are missing out on FREE money. Yes, it could be a little creepy that they track every site you go to from their site and know what you purchase, but let's be honest, there are a lot of things shared on the internet that could be creepy. If they want to target me for certain purchases, I'm open to receiving coupons and free things.

My new running gear is supposed to arrive tomorrow! Hopefully UPS won't be lame and will leave the package for me without signing for it. I trust my neighborhood.

Back on the running wagon

This past Monday I headed right back to the gym. I decided to skip over last week's scheduled runs and pretend like I was on track. You could argue that that wasn't a good idea, that after taking a week off I should take it easy and not increase my training by more than 10%. But the run was 2.25 miles. Since I'm not terribly out of shape, I figured it wouldn't be terrible. And you know, it wasn't. It actually felt great.

My legs were rested up. While I've loved the strength training I've been doing and that it keeps me active throughout the week, it also tires my legs making the legs more and more worn down as the week goes on.

I bought some new running shoes. Beginning this year, I had a new insurance company (GHC). I'm loving them. And through them, I got a 10% discount on the shoes and get a $25 refund from GHC for the shoes. I love the shoes. I switched from Mizunos to New Balances, which are a lot lighter. Also, the guy I worked with at Fleet Feet (Zeus!) suggested that I could move from a stability shoe to a lesser stability/almost neutral shoe. Who would've thought that a shoe would not only make a run easier, but also change the way you run? Either way, I felt great running in them.

I'd gotten a mental break from feeling that I needed to work out 5 days a week. While I might (and plan, for right now) to keep that up, it can really be a lot sometimes.

I wasn't able to run today since we got a BLIZZARD here, but tomorrow I'll be headed back for round two of strength training. Gotta keep those arms looking good for my wedding!

A week long vacation!

Just kidding. Unless a vacation is getting up every day at 6:30 to go into work for 10-12 hours.

This past week has been a vacation from running, though. I seem to need these breaks every couple months when I'm being serious about working out. This time around, I started to see the results I wanted - I was definitely getting stronger (bench pressing 15 lb dumbbells!) and could see the muscle curves (not nasty ape muscles, but cute girl muscles). But then I woke up on Monday morning and still had a dull headache, probably caused by drinking a little over the weekend, and just couldn't get myself to go. Tuesday was a recovery day from headache, and by Wednesday, I thought maybe I'd just take the week off.

Things do turn around, though. By yesterday, I really wanted to run, but decided to sleep in after a 12 hour day at work. I packed a gym bag with full intentions of going to the gym because work was supposed to be back to normal. Unfortunately, it was another long day, but while driving home, I started to think of how nice it would be to wake up extra early (5am!) to go for a run and also get into work early to finish things up for the week. I didn't get up early, BUT I considered it a small success and a sign that I wasn't totally dropping my workouts - I just needed to take a break.

So, tonight I'm going to fully enjoy going out for dinner and maybe even get a snack at the movie theater. And on Monday, I'll be back at the gym, rested and ready to go.

A little self-control

I work really well on rewards. I've written before about how I used to make a regular bag of M&M's last for days because I'd reward myself with one M&M for every accounting problem that I did. And now, I've found my reward for running each week.

My credit card gives me points. Usually I redeem them for a giftcard to Target since I seem to go there multiple times a week and walk out with way more than I meant to buy. Last week, though, I decided to redeem some of my points for an iTunes gift card. I figure I'll let myself buy one song for every week that I keep to my running schedule. There is nothing like a new song to motivate me and I've been making note of songs on the radio that have made me sing along and dance in my car. A few of them are:

• "I Like It", Enrique and Pitbull
• "Firework", Katy Perry
• "Higher", Taio Cruz
• "What's My Name?", Rihanna

Also, I'd really love to have an Australian or Irish accent.

Hopefully these songs will keep me moving this week. Just two more runs--and I've already planned an interval set for my two mile run tomorrow. Since it's the first time that I've run this far (and it's not even that far...), an interval run with some recovery will probably be the best way to go.

This gluten thing...

As I mentioned in my catch-up entry, I found out last summer that my body has some sort of issue with gluten. I haven't actually seen a doctor yet, so I don't know for sure what it is.

I first noticed that there was a problem when I went for a normal three mile run. I was almost near the end of the run when my palms and feet started getting really itchy. Then I started feeling nauseous and the itchiness spread. I made it home just in time--there was some major rumbling going on--to make it to the bathroom. And then I called my mom to find out what was going on. The itchiness so bad that I almost wanted to cry, there was nothing I could do to make it stop. She told me that I might have what my dad and aunt (his sister) have--an exercise-induced wheat allergy. I had had two sandwiches that day for lunch, so I decided that from now on, I'd make sure to avoid eating wheat for a few hours before a run.

Unfortunately, the symptoms accelerated and I started having problems earlier in my runs and even when I wasn't running. I started doing some research and found that the symptoms of celiac sounded familiar. While it's comforting to think that a lot of "issues" that I have could go away by avoiding certain foods, I'm trying hard to not self-diagnose. I went completely gluten-free from Thanksgiving to Christmas, mainly so that I'd actually feel good for the holidays.

After Christmas, I decided to go back to gluten. It wasn't that I was having these crazy cravings for it...by then, those cravings had gone. But I want to go to a doctor and get tested for celiac. And to do that, I need to be eating gluten. It certainly doesn't make me feel good, but I have reasons for wanting to get tested--1) I want to know whether having a beer every now and then will just upset my stomach, or damage my body, and 2) I want my family to know their true family history. My family isn't very good about talking about health issues, which has made it difficult in the past to talk to doctors about my digestive problems. If anyone in my family starts having these same symptoms, I want them to be able to say, "well, someone in my family has been diagnosed with this". I plan on seeing a doctor sometime next month and going from there...

2011 Resolutions

For 2011, I made a few resolutions. I feel like I've done pretty well on them so far, but I'm going to try to check in once a month and report on the status.

1. Read at least 3 classic books. I chose Wuthering Heights, Atlas Shrugged and Anna Karenina. I've started reading Wuthering Heights and I have all three downloaded on my nook.
2. Take a picture every day. They could be random, or taken on my phone, but I'll take a picture. Today was Day 2 - I took a picture of my dinner.
3. Make budgeting (and following that budget) more of a priority. I'm an accountant, so this should be easy, right?
4. Run a half-marathon. I've already signed up for it and made a plan, now I just have to run!

Where has the time gone?!

Haha...it's been almost nine months since I last posted. Wow. So, since then, I...

• GOT ENGAGED!!
• Ran the Madison half-marathon that I had been training for. It was okay.
• Realized I have either a gluten allergy/intolerance or celiac. Major bummer.
• Injured my thumb two weeks before the Madison Mini and didn't run.
• Completely fell off the running wagon.
• Moved. Not major, I can almost see my old place from my new apartment.
• Started getting serious about running again and signed up for the 2011 Madison Half-Marathon

Okay, all caught up now. That was easy. I had actually come on here to close this blog, but when I started reading my old posts, it kind of motivated me. I've been running consistently again for about a month and a half, and I've even gotten serious about strength training with the help of a trainer at my new gym. So, I think I'll keep this blog going.

Crazylegs Race Recap

A funny story first--they posted the times for Crazylegs yesterday and my boyfriend, J (I'm tired of calling him "boyfriend") and I got the exact same time! We weren't running together at all--in fact, he started probably about 15 minutes or so after me.

Here's the race shirt from this year:

Better than it's been in previous years.

The race ended up being a lot of fun. I didn't get to run with my friend from work--it was a little cold and I wanted to get going as soon as possible. My parents, sister and her boyfriend came up for the run as well...it's kinda become a family thing. My parents were walking it and my sister and boyfriend were running it in the same wave as me. I wore my new booty shorts with my new long-sleeve running shirt and a t-shirt. It was pretty exciting to have some new clothes to wear!

The race started at the Capitol square, just a few blocks from my apartment. You'd think that being so close we'd have definitely been on time, but by the time we got there, they were already sending out wave G. The thing, though, is that wave G was barely the beginning--the waves went all the way to KK! They set a new record for participation--almost 20,000 people! It never rained, but it was a little cold and windy. I wanted to jump in to an earlier wave, but I didn't want to disqualified and lose my opportunity for some free beer at the end. We patiently waited until wave Y came around and then went through the gates to join our group. As we headed towards the starting line, they had some of the Badger football players giving high-fives to the people as they walked through. They were huge! These guys were all at least 6'5" and I'm pretty sure at least one of the guy's hands was bigger than my head. It definitely helped pump me up going into the starting line.
 
We lined up at the starting line and waited for our turn to start. They had to space out the waves since they hadn't completely shut down the first road we ran across. Finally, though, we were off! My sister ran cross country in high school and, despite her claims of not running a lot recently, she's got a pretty good pace. She's always told me that I can probably run faster than I think, so I was anxious to see if I could keep up with her. I also got a few tips about my running--loosening up my form and "letting go" on the downhills. The first mile included running down Frat (and sorority) Row and the guys definitely came out in full force. At one of the frats, the guys were standing outside in their boxers and one guy wore a Speedo! It was great to see everyone in Madison out to cheer on the runners! We eventually came to the first mile marker way before I expected. I looked at my watch and it said 8:30! That's definitely the fastest mile I've ran since my one year of track.
 
The end of that mile, though, meant the crazy awful monster that is Observatory. I tried to keep up with my sister, but I'm not quite used to those speeds (8:30!). The first part of the hill wasn't too bad, just a long gradual incline. The next half, though, is where legs are killed. It's so much steeper and it curves around so that you can't see the end. I walked up that part of the hill--if I had run, I'm not sure my legs would've lasted the whole race. Fortunately, there was a nice downhill after that hill--which immediately led to another big (but short) uphill and then another big downhill. This is the hardest part of the race and it's nice to just get it done at the beginning.
 
So, then came the out and back near the UW Hospital. Even though I've done the race before, I once again got sucked in to thinking that the turn around was earlier than it really was. As I was coming back in from the out and back I looked at my watch and started to wonder where the hell mile 3 was. I had already been running for over 30 minutes and started to wonder if I had slowed waaay down. I tried thinking back through the out and back to figure out if I had just missed it, but I couldn't remember seeing one at all. I focused on finding people ahead of me that looked like they were running about my pace or slower and worked on passing them. I didn't push it too hard, but I needed a goal to make sure that I kept moving. I also kinda wanted to walk, but I kept telling myself that I'd walk after I passed "blue headband girl", "old man", or "talkative sorority girls". They had one water station during the run, so I took advantage of it and tried out my water station skills. It went pretty well--I almost missed grabbing the cup, but once I got it, I pinched it in half to make it easier to get the water in and took a sip. And then immediately threw it. I didn't want to push my luck and get water all over.
 
Eventually I was heading towards the stadium and I saw a mile marker coming up. I couldn't tell whether it was 3 or 4, and when I looked at my watch it said 38 minutes. My mind quickly went to work trying to calculate what pace I must be running if it was only mile 3. Eventually the mile marker came into view and, thank God, it was mile 4. Just 0.97 miles to go. As I got closer to the stadium, there was a guy out on the street who was playing the Rocky theme song. Apparently, he's been doing this since 1989 and comes every year to cheer on the runners. Finally I got to Breese Terrace, the street that runs along Camp Randall. It has a slight incline at first, but as soon as I got to the top of it, I kicked it into high gear and started going full out. I passed a bunch of people and flew down the chute into the Camp Randall. The finish line is right at the 50-yard line. Almost right when I passed the line, I ran into my sister and we started looking for the rest of our family.
 
As for my goals--I'd say I did pretty well. Except for the first mile, I really didn't push that hard. In fact, even the first mile wasn't horrible. I felt really proud of how I finished, even though I walked, because I came in at 48:03! It was under 10:00/mile which has been my "goal" pace during my practice runs. I didn't run the whole thing (monster Observatory took care of that), but I made sure to keep running even when I wanted to walk. I feel really confident about the half-marathon now--I was able to pace myself pretty well so that I finished tired, but strong.
 
~eca.

Crazylegs Goals

This is the first time I've ever really put some thought into goals for a race. Usually I just go out and run it--occasionally, I dread it and wonder why I ever thought to sign up (kinda like buyer's remorse--racer's remorse?). Anyways, Crazylegs is upon me. It's an 8K (4.97) run through downtown Madison, mostly the UW-Madison campus, that benefits the UW-Madison Athletics Department. I last ran it two years ago and was not ready. I had maybe run 3 miles a few times before the run and I actually thought I could drink (a lot) the night before and run. No, I felt like shit. And I had to pretend I was just "tired" because how do you explain to your 10 year old cousin that you have a hangover and would love to be in a dark, quiet room to sleep?


I'll be honest, the route isn't my favorite. It starts with a decent hill right off the bat, and within a mile, you run up one of the steepest, longest, curviest hills in Madison. The beast that is Observatory Hill. Because of all the curving, you can never quite tell when you'll be done. Then you run down the backside of the hill and straight up another and down that one. The view is great since the path is right along Lake Mendota, but the hills blow. Then, near the end of the race (around mile 3.5) is the awful out and back. I hate out and backs. I want to feel like I'm going somewhere!


The great thing, though, is that you finish by crossing into Camp Randall (the UW-Madison Badgers football stadium). They have a band playing, free beer (it is Wisconsin after all), and food. As long as the rain stays away tomorrow, it could be a good time to relax and hang out before lunch. Otherwise, it'll be a mad dash back to my apartment.


Back to the goals for this run, though.

• First, I want to enjoy it and have fun. I'm not really going to push it, especially since my left shin has been hurting. I'm mainly using this as just another training run that I get to do with thousands of other people.
• I will end feeling good and knowing that I ran decently.
• I want to run the entire thing (should be easy now that I've been actually training).

I'll probably end up running about a 10:30/mile pace. Faster if the rain does come. I'm also running with a friend from work, so I'm looking forward to just chatting while running. Maybe this will help me figure out if I really could be a social runner...


~eca.

It's official!

Today I signed up for my second half-marathon--the Madison Mini-Marathon. I still can't believe that I'm now going to do two half-marathons during this summer--and just last year running 13.1 miles wouldn't have only sounded ridiculous, it would've seemed impossible.

Of course, I haven't actually encountered the full 13.1 mile distance--but I've learned to love running again and I've really enjoyed the training. Having time set aside (most) nights of the week for myself has really helped my mood and has made me feel proud. Not that I really have any sort of obligations at night. I think it's just knowing that I can put myself first, that I'm doing something that makes me feel good, and that I'm making sure I stay healthy.

I'm looking forward to seeing whether (and how much) I'll be able to improve from the Madison Marathon to the Mini. We'll see how it goes!

~eca.

Since when does 10 = 3?

I had another longest run ever this past weekend--10 miles. After the horror of my 9 mile run a couple weeks ago, I'd be lying if I said I was excited about this run. I was looking forward to it, but the memories of how painful my knees and hips were afterwards, not to mention the three-hour nausea, were there in the back of my mind asking, "are you really sure you want to do this to yourself AGAIN?"

And yes, I did. I had read a few articles during the last week about proper hydration and how important it is to not only replace the fluid lost through sweating, but also the electrolytes. I had always thought that I was covering the electrolytes by eating some Sharkies along the way, but I probably only ever ate 3 or 4 at most during the 9 miler--not quite enough to replace over an hour and a half worth of running. So, I did some shopping last Friday to stock up on my run day fuel. I have a hard time finding good sports drinks, though, because my stomach isn't such a fan of artificial sweeteners--drinking one will send me to the floor with crazy stomach cramps, which isn't something I wanted during the run. If a bottle listed "low calorie", "sugar free", or "diet" that's my immediate sign that they're not for me. I also ended up going through the ingredient lists (which I hate, I'm not that concerned with what's in my food usually) of every sports drink at Target to check that there wasn't anything ending with "-ame" or "-lose"--usually indicative of an artificial sweetner. Luckily I found one from Powerade--the ION4 (they seem really into the ION4...I couldn't get past it to their main website). Took a sip when I got home to test it out and the fruit punch was delicious!

The Madison Marathon is still about 5 weeks out, but I only have two more long runs to go (after this one), so I wanted to use Sunday's 10-mile run as a practice for the real thing, at least as far as sleep and food went. I had big plans to be responsible on Saturday when we went out for the Badger's Spring Football game and be home in time to make a good pasta dinner, relax and go to bed early. My plan completely failed when I tried to get a friend of mine drunk, even though he's got about 70 pounds on me. At least I was home early like I planned.

I set my alarm for 7am on Sunday and actually woke up feeling alright. I made a bagel with peanut butter and had some orange juice for breakfast while I plotted my route. It took me three attempts, but I finally came up with a route that met all of my requirements for the day: a) I had to be familiar with the majority of the route, b) it had to include parts of the Crazylegs race (except the awful out and back by the hospital and the Observatory Hill--no one needs to run that hill more than once a year) I'm doing on Saturday, and c) I had to finish .25 - .5 miles away from my apartment so that I would have a decent length cooldown. I was all set to leave with my Powerade in my Fuel Belt and my food--Gu and Sports Beans, both new to me. And then, I realized that Polly was dead. I needed to leave by 9:30 in order to meet a friend for a late lunch, so I charged her up for about 20 minutes and hoped that would be enough for 1.5-2 hours of running. And, I was off...

I don't remember much of the actual run, except that I really felt good the whole time. Things weren't getting too tight, so the urge to constantly check in and find out how far I had gone (and then how much was left) didn't really come until the end of the run when I wanted to find out what my pace was. I found some beautiful new areas to run through that go along yet another lake in Madison--Wingra Lake. And I did get a little lost near the end--one of my new areas had construction going on, but I feel pretty confident that I still did the full 10 miles. I kinda want to map it out just to check, so if I have time this week (ha!) maybe I'll do that.

The Sports Beans were pretty good. The after taste was a little strange, but nothing that wouldn't make me want them again. I was also trying Gu because they'll be handing it out at some of the water stops during the Madison Marathon and I figured that it'd be better to try them out before the real deal. I've had Gu once before--they handed it out with the goodie bags after a 5K that I did a few years ago. My friends and I tried it after the race and found it completely disgusting (not to mention unnecessary). But, the second try was much better. The consistency is kind of like slightly warmed canned frosting (think, like, Funfetti frosting) and the taste (I had the lemon-lime flavor) isn't terrible, but it's definitely an energy food. I did really like that I didn't need to chew it--my chewing is usually suspect under normal circumstances (I don't follow the Danny Tanner 25-chew rule) and while running, it's even more questionable. Since I could just swallow the Gu, I didn't need to worry about feeling sick because my food wasn't chewed.

By the time I got near the end of my run, I couldn't believe it. I felt like I had only run 3 miles. I had at least another mile in me, probably two or more. Sure, I was sore, but I wasn't curled up in a ball and shivering while forcing myself to eat some food (again, see here). I went home and had my usual post-workout drink, ate a Luna bar, and was so hungry for lunch (the huevos rancheros at Daisy's Cafe are awesome! and it's super cute there--if you're in Madison, I would definitely recommend it!).

I'm not sure how long the run took (major fail). I turned Polly on right away when I started my warmup, and forgot to stop her timer until 5 minutes after I got home. But, I could make a guess-timate. Door to door (plus the 5 minutes), it took me 2:04. So, subtract those 5 minutes and about 25 minutes for the warmup and cooldown, and (wait...what?) it comes out to 1:34, or an average 9:24/mile pace. That doesn't seem right. I know that near the end of my run, I was at a 9:40/mile pace (according to Polly). Maybe I really didn't run 10 miles...I'll have to check if my route change ended up shortening my run.

I made quite a few changes from my 9 mile run, so here are a few things that I think helped and made a HUGE improvement in how I felt at the end:

• My last meal before the run was much closer to when I ran
• Powerade (slightly watered down) instead of just water. More electrolytes and nutrition.
• More breaks. During my 9 mile run, I stopped just twice for 45-60 seconds. This time, I stopped each time I ate a Sport Bean or had the Gu. These stops were 15-30 seconds and there were maybe two or three stops that were a minute. But even during short breaks, my legs got to recover and I actually ended up going faster and finishing stronger!
• Drinking and eating earlier and often. In my past long runs, I've waited until after mile 3 to start drinking because I could do a 3 mile run without drinking--the difference is, during the 3 mile runs, once I hit 3 miles, I'm done and can let my body recover. This time I started drinking once I got to a half mile. To make sure I kept drinking regularly, I would take a few sips every other song. I also started eating before mile 5 (old way) since by then, my body might not have time to digest and send out the fuel.
• More food. Okay, so I still only had maybe 5 sports beans, but I also had the Gu. I think in my other runs I was eating 2-3 Sharkies throughout the whole run. And I really could feel a difference in my body and energy level after the Gu.

Today is the THREE YEAR anniversary for my boyfriend and me. I can't believe it's already been that long. So, no run today, but a night out on the town with this wonderful guy.

~eca.

The Farmer's Market Returns!

The Dane County Farmer's Market is starting it's outdoor season this weekend and I couldn't be more excited! The market is set up around the State Capitol building, which I think is one of the most beautiful spots in Madison.

Imagine walking around this building for an hour or two. And eating at the same time.

This farmer's market is the COUNTRY's largest producer-only farmer's market. That means that only items produced in Dane County can be sold at the market and the actual producer has to be there selling the products. It's amazing because then when I have a question about how to keep my newly-purchased herbs from dying in a week, the farmer is right there to explain it to me.

Granted, since it is still mid-April and I'm in Wisconsin, there won't be a ton of produce yet (that'll get going in a couple months), but there are usually a lot of vegetables and lettuce, flowers, fresh meat and eggs, and lots of bakery. My main focus for this weekend's trip will be some goat cheese. I don't know what really got me started on this kick, but I had a salad in Miami with goat cheese and I want more. Last summer I stopped at one booth to sample some and it was creamy deliciousness. Hopefully she'll be back for this first week.

Have a great weekend!

~eca.

Let's Do Another!

I don't quite have my first half marathon under my belt, but I'm going to sign up for another one! I've been looking around for other races, but somehow, even though it's only mid-April, my summer weekends have become wildly packed with just a few spare weekends. Out of the two possible weekends I could do another run during the summer I found one! And it's in Madison!

It's the second annual Madison Mini-Marathon. The course (well, last year's course) looks like a great route. The race starts and ends at the Union, which is THE place to be during a summer in Madison--right on Lake Mendota with a huge terrace to sit outside and enjoy a pint (or pitcher) of beer. The course then goes through downtown Madison and along different Madison highlights--the state capital building, Camp Randall, the Arboretum, and, of course, Lake Mendota. They're going to have bands that play along the route (love that!) and you get a free beer at the end. Hopefully by then I'll be willing to eat and drink after a long run.

Another great highlight--I might become a social runner! Fleet Feet in Madison is organizing a training program (that includes the Madison Mini race fee). They'll send weekly e-mails with training details and then there'll be a group long run every Sunday. This seems like a great way for me to meet some other runners in Madison and maybe it'll even get me moving a little faster. Time isn't really one of my major goals for the Madison half-marathon, but I have a feeling I could probably go faster. I've never ended a run feeling out of breath or having my muscles hurt...just the joints. So, some fellow runners might have some tips for me to get rid of the knee/hip pains and help me speed up my run! Win-win in my book.

Oh, and one more great thing about this race--they also have a 5K. Perfect for people who want to run in the race, but are looking for a shorter distance. Which means, the boyfriend might join in too!

~eca.

That Magical Runner's High

Since Miami, my runs have seemed to easier. Maybe the heat and humidity loosened things up...maybe only running twice (3 miles each) in a week gave my knees/hips a much needed break.

Yesterday I had a 3 mile run and it was one of those magical, straight from heaven runs. The uphills felt like it was flat and level, the flat areas seemed like downhills, and I flew down the hills. I'm not even sure when I reached the one mile mark, but I certainly wasn't feeling bored. My pace felt good the entire time (I didn't have a watch or Polly's Nike+ attachment) and my knees held their own. I finished and felt like I could do the whole run again. It was only at the very end that my left shoulder started to burn--not sure where that came from, but once I moved my arm around it went away. I was probably just keeping my arms too stiff.


I have another 3 mile run tomorrow and I'm really excited to see how it goes. Unfortunately the weather doesn't look like it's going to cooperate, so I'll probably have to go to the gym...


Also! I got some new running clothes today. Using some of the tips from Chic Runner, I went in search of booty shorts. I have been wanting a pair of great shorts since I started running again--most of my shorts are a bit boyish. You know the style--sort of long, baggy, low crotch. Not attractive. I doubt I'll try them out at the gym. It's a lot easier to possibly look foolish if I know that the people will likely see me for a maximum of a minute.

~eca.

Hitting the wall--and a longer run

I've been dreading the run that I eventually hit the wall. And now it's happened twice this week. This ended up being really long.

The first one I'm kinda embarrassed about--the run should have been pretty easy overall. The plan was to run the first mile as hard as I could. In Jeff Galloway's language, this was a "magic mile" run--the time it took me to run this mile would then be plugged into a formula to calculate how long I could run a half-marathon on my best day. After running consistently for the past 4 months, I really expected this to be a no-brainer. Before the run, I was playing with the formula and plugging in all sorts of numbers--I was giddy with the idea that I could run a mile in under 9 minutes. Ideally, I was planning on 8:30 minutes. After all, if I could run 8 miles a few weeks ago at a 10:40/minute pace, I could definitely cut off two minutes and push it harder for just one little mile--right? Oh, how wrong I was.

It started off with a little self-sabotage. I had planned on eating some breakfast Sunday morning, wait an hour or so for it to digest and then head out. The day was looking warm and sunny from inside, but wunderground.com was telling me that with the windchill it was only 34 degrees when I ate breakfast. I decided that I'd wait out the weather until it was at least 40 degrees with the windchill. That wait meant I waited an extra 2 hours before running and during that time I started to get hungry. Sadly, I don't have many snacks at home to limit my snacking, but I had recently bought some chocolate covered pretzels. I remembered during track (my one season in it) that pretzels were supposed to be a good snack to eat before a run--in fact some girls used to swear you could eat as many pretzels as you want before a run and not throw up. A little chocolate on top of those pretzels wouldn't do anything. And it was dark chocolate, the healthy kind. So, so wrong. Again.

The weather finally warmed up to an acceptable temperature and I geared up. I've been struggling during my outdoor runs to figure out how warmly I need to dress. I've got the bottoms figured out, but I've been gradually removing layers on top to find out what I need. Sunday was pretty good--some running tights (not insulated) and shorts with a long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirt. Probably didn't need both shirts, but it was nice during the warm-up walk to have the extra layer.

So, I walk to my starting point for the first mile. I had mapped out a mile that was flat and, although I had to cross some roads, none of them were busy and I knew I'd be able to keep running through. I hit the start button on my watch and took off. At a sprint. I slowed it down a bit, but before I even reached a quarter mile I knew I was in trouble. I could feel my stomach tightening up around those ridiculous chocolate pretzels, but I tried to just keep pushing it. "Just keep moving" became my mantra. Then a little after a half mile, I could feel that I was going to vomit soon if I didn't stop. I walked for a few minutes and then ran the last 0.2 mile. Very slowly. I finished that mile in 10:45. It sucked. I wanted to just walk back home and forget the other two miles I was supposed to run. I had had such high expectations for this run, I was going to prove to myself how far I had come in training and I blew it over some pretzels and lack of pacing. I did jog/run the last two miles (once I stopped feeling nauseous) and those went just fine. Lesson learned--start off slower than you think, no matter the distance.

__________________________________________________________________________________


Then the big run happened yesterday. A 9 mile run--which actually ended up being closer to 9.5 miles, thanks to Polly's inability to accurately measure distance after about 7 or 8 miles.

I'll admit, I was nervous about this run. Sure, I had run 8 miles two weeks ago, but the Sunday vomit run didn't help my confidence. Plus, since that 8 mile run, my right knee and shins have been a bit more of a problem than usual. A few runs last week were cut short due to the shin pain (I'm not ready to call them shin splints). I wasn't sure how my legs and knees would handle such a long run.

As I drove home from work, I noticed that the bike path around Lake Monona had also been closed off due to the construction going on. Part of my planned run had involved this path, so I had to map a new run when I got home. My goal was to be out running before 5:30 so that I could be done by 7ish, before the sun set. I quickly got changed and packed up my runner fanny pack with some full bottles of water, Sharkies, and my written map. Leaving my building, I was feeling good. I had finally dressed appropriately for the weather (an amazing 65 degrees! in March!) with just shorts and a t-shirt.

The first mile was rough, but I've learned to expect that. I need a mile or two to settle in and find my stride. I was feeling good, but I knew were the third mile was and it seemed to be taking forever to get there. My music is partially to blame...I've gotten used to the order. However, when I checked in with Polly, I was at my normal pace.

Miles 3-4 were awesome. The slight tweak in my shin was gone, I was feeling good. I took a short walking break right before the end of mile 3. I figured one walking break every third of the run was a good plan.

I was still feeling good through about mile 6. I had been sailing along and even though my knee was starting to bother me a little, it wasn't enough to make me worried. I stopped again for another quick walk break right after mile 7. I needed it. I drank some water and ate a couple Sharkies, but once I started running I knew I was going to be done soon. I could almost feel each step vibrate up my knees along my IT band to my hips. My knees and hips didn't really hurt, they were sore and tender. I knew the area I was running in and that I helped a lot. I would tell myself to just keep running until I reached the next street to turn on and then push again until the next street. Soon the end seemed in sight.

I forgot about the hill.

When mapping my run, I thought the last road I had chosen was flat. It was near the Capital (a hilly area), but I really thought it was flat. Well, driving and running give two different impressions. There was a huge uphill and I wasn't sure how I'd make it up without stopping, but I was so close to the end, I wanted to just keep running.

Suddenly, this "angel boy" comes running by me. I expected to be passed since I was going so slowly, but as soon as he was about 6 feet or so in front of me he seemed to slow down and run at my pace. It was like he was running along to motivate me up that hill--the natural competiveness as a runner came out and I wanted to keep up with him. Near the top of the hill, though, I kept moving more and more slowly, I just couldn't keep up and I expected him to fade away. But he stopped--and started walking! Now I was able to keep running, telling myself to try to catch up or maybe even pass him before he started running. And soon I ran right by him. Perfect. Now I had just a few more blocks until the end of my run. I thought.

Polly (I've named my iPod nano, not a second personality) wasn't ready, though. When I got to the end of my nine miles, according to mapmyrun.com (and Google), it claimed I was only at 8.55 miles. I have read that the Nike+ system tends to fail at accurately measuring distances beyond 6 or 7 miles, but I wanted to hear that I had run 9 miles. So, I kept going. I pushed the button every 30-45 seconds to find out how much further. My hips felt so tight it was tough to keep moving my legs forward. But I kept going--might've cut off a few cars in the process and given them angry stares, but I was on a mission to finish this run and I wasn't about to let some old lady cut me off and ruin my pace.

Finally, I pushed the button and heard that I had run 9.01 miles. It had taken me 1:39, but since that was really 9.2 miles, my pace ended up being 10:45/mile. I'll take it.

I felt vomity at various points during the walk home, but held it together. I quickly made my juice/sparkling water/salt drink and kept walking around my apartment. I wasn't hungry at all and still felt sick, but I made myself eat some dry Rice Krispies. I was starting to feel sleepy and cold--probably not good signs--so once I had finished the juice, it was time for the ice bath. This actually helped a lot. I'm not sure if the freezing cold water shocked me back, or just getting up and moving around a little was all I needed, but I wasn't tired anymore and started to crave french fries and all sorts of food. I decided that I needed to eat some good "real" food first before I could have fries--fortunately, I had some leftovers to eat. Jason came over to check-in on me and drove me to McDonald's for some fries. I inhaled them (while watching "The Biggest Loser"...I felt a little guilty and then remembered how awesome my fries tasted) and pounded some more water.

Today I've felt pretty good. At times I've had the feeling of "am I hungry or sick?". My knees are a little stiff when I get up after sitting for awhile, but my legs don't hurt at all. Yay, ice baths! And now I have two and a half weeks before my next long run.

And less than 24 hours til I'm in Miami!!

~eca.

Gearing up for 9 miles

I'm going to Miami...bienvenido a Miami...

Yes, I'm headed to Miami for a spring break with my family in just two days! I'm so excited to finally feel a warm sun and not feel a chill off of the lakes that just recently melted. We're going for 6 days of beach fun--well, probably more pool fun. I'm not a big fan of getting sand all over, but with enough persuasion I can eventually spend all day in the ocean. It's just that sand in between the pool and ocean that are the problem.

This trip challenged me, though, to rethink my training schedule. If I follow it strictly, I'd have a 9 mile run on Easter Sunday. And that's not going to happen. First, hello, it's Easter; I plan on eating good food and candy all day. Second, it's supposed to be in the high 70's down there and my body hasn't adjusted to warm weather running yet. And third, um, did I mention that I'm on vacation? Although running and I have definitely formed a closer relationship in the past few months, I don't want to spend over an hour and a half with it.

So, I looked at my schedule for this week and decided I'd just move the 9 mile run up to today. Probably start running in a little over an hour from now. After getting the 8 miler done a couple weeks ago, 9 doesn't seem as scary. It's only one more mile than last time and although I was hurting a bit at the end of the run, I feel like I had another mile in me (or have I just forgotten the pain after 2 weeks? maybe running is like childbirth.). In any case, I'll find out soon. I bought a big bag of ice during my grocery shopping yesterday and I'm not going to be a pansy again--there's going to be some freezing water in that tub and at least 3 pounds of ice.

Also...I have a delivery coming (hopefully) today! After my 8 mile run, I could literally feel my IT band stretching with every step (and every move you make...creepy stalker song). So I ordered a foam roller, conveniently profiled in a Real Simple article I had read in their April issue. I'm looking forward to using that baby a little bit tomorrow.

Maybe I've been watching too many true life crime shows lately (they make great Sunday afternoon TV watching), but a lot of them seem to have been about runners going missing. Madison isn't an especially high crime area and I make sure to run in areas with lots of other people around, but you never know. So, today I e-mailed my route to Jason (the boyfriend) with a planned call time. Probably not a bad idea to do this more often in for future runs.

Hopefully this oatmeal will finish being digested and leave my stomach in the next 45 minutes. Otherwise, at least it was just oatmeal and strawberries...that won't taste so bad again...

~eca.

The Longest Run

Wow, it's been a looong time since I posted here. I'd like to say that life got in the way, but it didn't. I was just feeling very lazy.

But the biggest news since last time...that'll have to wait.

The other big news, though, was my EIGHT mile run last week. It's the longest I have ever run and it wasn't as scary as I thought.

Normally I do my long runs on the weekend (when there is more time--and a lot more daylight), but last week the weather made the choice for me. It was absolutely beautiful during the week--sunny, low winds and it even got into the 60s! But, of course (Murphy's law...), the forecast called for 40s, rain and possible snow during the weekend. I adjusted my schedule for the week and made my long run happen last Thursday--the last nice day of the week.

I had mapped out my run during lunch and kept it up all day to visualize the run. A little weird, but it made me feel more prepared. I was even smart about my eating and had some afternoon oatmeal to get me revved up for the run. As soon as I got home, I got into my running clothes, filled my fanny pack water bottles and grabbed some Sharkies (more to come on those...).

A lot of people in Madison think of the bike path along Lake Monona as one of the most scenic views...and it is beautiful. The lake is clear and sparkly, you can see the Capital along most of the route and the other buildings around downtown are amazing. But (there has to be a but) I get this strange competitive vibe whenever I run the path. The path is a main area for runners which could breed that natural competitiveness. Also, I don't like the path because it isn't level--it slopes downward towards the lake and with my jacked-up knees that's not the best thing.

And that is my long story for why I chose to limit my time on the bike path.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect out of this run. Like I said, I've never run this distance before. And, I wasn't expecting the best, either. I had gone for my first outdoor three mile run two days earlier and it was painful. Within the first mile, I wanted to walk so bad. I made myself power through, but it was definitely a struggle.

During the eight-miler, I started out on the same path I had followed Tuesday. When I hit the one mile mark (where I had wanted to die two days ago), I was feeling awesome and was nowhere near ready to stop and walk. It took awhile for me to get into my ideal pace--it was probably around mile 2 or 3 when I really hit my stride. Because I didn't have the Nike+ adaptor for Polly, I couldn't check in on my distance, which might've actually helped my run. I couldn't count down the miles until I was done--and I also couldn't start freaking out about how far I had gone.

Once I reached mile 4 or 5, I had a few Sharkies. In talking with other runners (or people who know runners), I had heard that miles 6 or 7 can be the hardest to run because that's when the wall usually comes up--hard. I haven't hit a wall while running since I was a sophomore in high school and racing in the 400 meters for track. It's such an awful feeling--struggling to put one foot in front of the other and all I wanted was to lay down and pass out. Since this 8-miler would possibly take me into the "wall" zone I made sure to eat a few Sharkies periodically once I passed the five mile mark.

My knees were not such a fan of the running once I got to mile 6. My right knee had been bothering me during my 3 mile run earlier in the week, so I brought a knee strap with me during this run--good move. I pushed it until somewhere around mile 7 or so and stopped to put the strap on. It helped the pain a little, but I probably should've put the band on earlier in the run. My knee just felt so sore, but I knew that I was getting close to the end. Unfortunately, I had chosen to include a huge hill right at the end of the run. It's a hill that I'm very familiar with--I had to walk up Observatory Hill every day for two years when I lived in the dorms during college. And I used to run up that hill at least once a week.

The final mile was perfect--flat and easy, and the stoplights were on my side. Even my music worked well--I have "Within a Mile of Home" by Flogging Mile on my playlist and it just happened to come on during the final mile of my run. It's the perfect song to give me a push at the very end.

I ended my run with a ginormous smile on my face. People were giving me some strange looks, probably because my face was bright red--it always gets super red when I run, as if I got a bad sunburn. I was a good half mile or so to walk home and my legs definitely needed it. I could feel that my IT bands were incredibly tight and my legs and hips were so sore. Not painful but I imagine this is how my knees will feel when I'm old. The walk home helped loosen things up and once home I did a long stretching session. I also had a half bag of ice for a post-run ice bath.

I was a bit of a pansy for my ice bath. The large chunks of solid ice scared me so I filled the tub with water that was less than freezing. Unfortunately, this meant that the ice melted pretty quickly and the water never got very cold.



Post-run day: I felt like an old lady. After sitting for more than 10 minutes, it was a struggle to stand up. I had to do a shuffle walk for the first few steps to get my hips and knees loosened up and then I could walk normally. Within two days, though, my legs felt like they were back to 90%. I could feel that I had done a good run, but it no longer felt like the longest run ever.

I'm enjoying this easy recovery week and hopefully it means that I'll have more time to write.

~eca.

UPDATE: I can't believe I forgot about my time--guess that shows that I really am more focused on just finishing than how fast. But, I still like the numbers.

My goal for 8 miles: 1:30 (or 11:15/mile)
Drum roll, please...

Actual: 1:25:23 which is 10:40/mile. Woohoo! I'm faster than I think.