Week 15, Days 2 & 3 - Going Postal

Since last Saturday's post fulfilled my kvetching quota for a while, today's post will be used primarily to pay homage to my awesomeness. I know I should start with yesterday's run, but I'm particularly proud of today's run.... so there.

Since 1912, the inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York city has read:
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.^"

However.... today, I one upped the USPS b/c today there was snow AND rain AND cold and it did NOT stay this runner from the swift completion of my appointed runs.  Today I ran 4 miles in 36 degree rain snow (or maybe snowy rain?) - Boo......Yaa.....  

In stark contrast to last Saturday's run where I was not dressed appropriately (and therefore mostly cold, miserable and wet for 7 miles), today was probably the most appropriately I've EVER been dressed for a run.  I'm starting to realize that my rain/running coat is more awesome than I thought when the weather is particularly bad.....i.e. when it's 36 F-ing degrees outside and I'm very thankful for all the heat it keeps in!  So, I wore my rain coat with a short sleeve polyester T (another key to the rain coat comfort is wearing a short sleeve shirt), capris, a fleece hat (rather than my Ani baseball style cap) and some gloves.  I spent the first mile or so with my hood over my hatted head, but when the wet snowy wind let up a bit, I found myself comfortable enough to take my hood off.  (On a side note, one positive aspect of wearing a real hat rather than a baseball cap is that it keeps your earbuds in!)  Then around mile 2, I even took my gloves off.  Despite the cold wet windy rainy snow, I was perfectly temperate for my entire run :)

On a funny note, around mile 2.5, I was zoning out thinking about G-d knows what rather than watching the sidewalk in front of me and I ended up submerging my entire left foot in a gigantic puddle. For the final 1.5 miles, I just felt my feet going "Squish, clop, squish, clop, squish, clop, squish."  After about 1/4 mile, most of the wetness was finally squished out and it was surprisingly not terrible for the rest of my run.  In truth, my feet were starting to fall asleep a little and it woke them up pretty nice :)

I felt like I was running really strong, zoning out and thinking some thoughts:

1) Showing off: I have to admit there is a piece of me that wants to show off for all the drivers that pass me by when the weather is bad.  It's almost as if I WANT people to think I'm a lunatic for running in that kind of weather!!  And in my head, the more people who drive by thinking, "Wow... that lady is nuts for running in this!", the more I try to look each driver in the eye and put a maniacally look on my face which says, "HELLS BELLS MOTHER-FU**ER!!!!  I AM A BAD ASS RUNNER WHO CANNOT BE DETERRED BY COLD OR WETNESS!!! I HOPE YOU'RE SITTING IN YOUR WARM CAR FEELING LAAAAAAAAAZY!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!"  I want to show them up by running with my chin up, my belly in, a nice stride and a big smile on my face. I guess when I go out in that kind of weather, I get so damned proud of myself I want to show off..... which is why whenever the weather is particularly bad I post it on Facebook within moments of being finished :) Give me mah props bitches!

2) Running with people: I've mentioned several times today that I have some inadequacy issues about running with other people.  I always feel like I need to keep up and if I fall behind then I'm crap, but today I realized I have it all backwards!   First off, there's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition!  I have confidence in the friendships I have with my running buddies and a little bruised ego (usually on my part) doesn't matter.  Second, when I run by myself I do feel really good running in my little world, but running with other people gets me out of my comfort zone to push myself in a way which I just wouldn't do if I was by myself.  I look at my friends who love running up hills and despite thinking they're a little nuts, I find myself trying to love running up hills too! It hasn't worked yet, but I know one day it will!!  They challenge me in gentle non-judgmental ways which makes me want to push harder!  I'm pretty sure that all my best running times have been when I was running with other people..... so lovely lady running buddies.... Thank you :)

3) Shoes: Shoes are supposed to last about 300 miles or 6 months.  I'm pretty sure right now I've run less than 200 miles in my current shoes, but I'm fairly certain they're already going.  Maybe it's due to running exclusively outdoors and generally in rain (Helloooooo Oregon)?  I've started feeling a little bit of knee and hip pain and my shoes just don't seem to have the bounce they once did.... poor shoes :( I always feel so sad putting a pair in the trash. This weekend I'll be running the Ft. Vancouver 10K and will hopefully get a nice fat running store coupon which will be used next week to buy 2 pairs of shoes.  I think that rather than buy 1 pair now only to need another pair by the time the marathon comes around, I'll buy 2 pairs and keep one at work for my Tues/Thurs runs.  This way, by the time the marathon comes around, I'll have a lot less mileage on my work shoes, so they'll be better for the marathon.

4) Races: When I started this odyssey, I only planned to run two races: The Vancouver Marathon, and the Ft. Vancouver 10K b/c it was free with registration to the Vancouver Marathon :)  However, 3 months later, I'm now signed up for 4 races.... which was not anticipated!!!!  This Sunday is the Ft. Vancouver run which will be my first timed run en route to the Marathon.  Then in 2 weeks I'll run the Shamrock run which I look forward to mostly for the dressing up (I was raised with too many Irish not to love St. Patty's Day!) and the beer upon crossing the finish line.  Just this morning, my friend Alycia convinced me via text to sign up for the Portland Rock N Roll Half Marathon on May 20.  Then, finally the Marathon on June 17.  Oddly enough, the first three races fit into my training schedule for the marathon or I wouldn't have signed up.  In my whole life, I've run in TWO races.... now I'm running in 4 races inside of 3 months....It really does amaze me how this marathon training has changed my whole life :)

5) Costs: One of the reasons I took up running was because I thought, "The only costs associated with running are for shoes!".... YEAH RIGHT!!!  I CANNOT believe the small fortune I've spent on running.  My expenses have been as follows: $300 on entrance fees, $60 on shoes, $110 on sports bras, $50 running jacket which only really works in extremely cold temperatures, $20 on an iphone strap for my arm, $10 energy gel packs, $30 hydration belt, not to mention paying parking meters gas (or $230 on a double jogging stroller and $100 for a single jogging stroller). AND.... I'll be spending at least another $300 over before the marathon because I'll need 2 more pairs of Over-Pronator shoes, more capris (One of them developed thunder thigh holes), and I'll probably suck it up and buy a bonafide running jacket which will work better than the one I have. I'm amazed that this so-called "cheap sport" has cost me around $1000 over 6 months...... It's a damned good thing I finally got a job.

So now that I've gone through all the stuff going on in my head during today's run, I no longer have the umph to write about yesterday's run...... it was fine and I ran 3 miles in a nice 9:44 mile pace :)

GOOD NIGHT!

Week 14, Day 6 - I've been a naughty blogger :(

I know, I know... it's been nearly 2 weeks since I've blogged :(  Don't worry... I've been doing nearly all of my runs :) Now here I am at the end of week 14 - which means I'm nearly 1/2 way through my training program and to tell the truth there's been so much going on in my little land, I wasn't quite sure I've wanted to write it all down just yet. 

First we'll talk about today's 7 mile run in Portland which started at the Marina, down the waterfront to Burnside to Broadway, then up Broadway to Terwilliger to Barbur.  7 miles was a new distance for me since I've started running again and a new long distance for my running buddy Marie.  Once again, we ran the route of the Shamrock run which is a really tough ginormous hill.  However, today's source of difficulty was actually weather.  It was 38 degrees and raining hard, but it was the type of rain which you could tell would be snow if only it was a few degrees colder.  The rain came down in big gloppy puddles to splash on us and the wind chilled all our wet spots as we ran into it.  I've come to realize the jacket I purchased a few weeks ago isn't very good for running despite the tag saying so.  It certainly keeps the rain out, but there's virtually no ventilation so it gets really hot inside and I can hardly wear it for more than the first mile of a run.  So today, I was in a cotton long sleeve T.  I kept thinking of my backpacking class "Professor" saying, "Cotton Kills!!!" because it keeps cold and wet for a long time increasing your susceptibility to hypothermia (yes, my University allowed us to take a Backpacking "class" for credit as a sport).  By the end of the 7 miles I was freezing and very thankful for my foresight to have left a dry shirt in my car to change into. 

I was a little worried about running with Marie today, because as I've noted on several entries, the woman is fast like lightning - especially on hills.  On last week's 6 mile ran she was so fast that I actually lost sight of her around mid run!  Thankfully, due to her inner Californian being developmentally unused to the snow, she got cold enough that she had a hard time running and I was actually able to keep her within sight for most of the run and was even able to pass her... it was only for a hot second, but it did wonders for my confidence level :)  (is that wrong of me to think like that?  You know I love you Marie!)   I couldn't help myself from thinking of the old fable of the tortoise and the hare.

Despite the cold rain, tough hills and length of the run, we finished with a strong 10:46 min/mile pace which I'm really proud of.  Also, we had gotten stuck at a few traffic lights, so I don't feel too bad about shaving off 10 of those seconds to say our pace was closer to 10:36 min/mile.  Yay us :) 

Next week Marie, Michelle and myself will be running the Ft. Vancouver 10K.  I'm excited for my first real chipped race in preparation for the Marathon.  AAAAnnnd.....Registration is still open if anyone feels like joining us:
http://energyevents.com/fortvancouverrun


So what's going on in my head?  a lot:
1) work -
I really love my new job.  I enjoy the work itself, my new co-workers, the schedule and especially the nice weekly paycheck :)  However, I'm flippin exhausted. I now have2 days to do all the things that I used to have 5 days for AND I have both kids in tow for everything.  I haven't yet had a single morning or afternoon to lay low and even vaguely relax.  So, even though I've been doing most of my running, by the end of the day I just don't seem to have the energy to sit down and blog.  Hell... I've barely check my e-mail in 5 weeks!  I'm going to try to do a better job about blogging.  I've had 4 people chastise me about it within 24 hours and it made me realize how irresponsible I've been by disappointing my 'fans' :)

2) sleep
Lilah is back to keeping us up all night again.  She had a cold for several weeks and ended up back in our bed due to our own anxieties :(  Lately, she comes into bed around 2am, then tosses and turns until it's time to wake up at 7am.  Last night I decided to dig in my heals and start sleep training again.  She woke at 3am and I let her cry it out for nearly 90 minutes, but she won the battle and ended up back in our bed. I'm hoping that by the time she goes to college, she won't want to sleep with us anymore.

3) diet
I was trying to continue doing South Beach Diet and when that failed, I was trying to just cut out carbs... but the truth is I was feeling pretty run down most of the time.  I even started taking Multi-Vitamins again to try to get some more energy.  However, I guess my body needs fried chicken and wine to function reasonably.  Somewhere between working again, not getting sleep and running a lot, I need to eat DAMMIT!!!  I've seriously been feeling like Chris Farley in this old SNL skit:

So, I guess the diet is on hold for now.

4) Runner's Lull
I have no idea if this is a real thing, but I do know it's a Nomi thing.  I feel as though I'm always getting excited about something and I start into some process, then I get bored and bail on the whole thing.  I don't know if it's true, but it's one of those things I feel about myself, i.e. the Diastasis training, dieting, being a Doula.  Yet, I always seem to find a reasonable excuse for why I can't continue on, i.e.  I can't diet and run at the same time!?!?!?.....so I quit.  Lately, I just haven't really felt like running, then I'll forget my shoes at home one day, or get busy with a project on another day, and before I know it I haven't run on a single Thursday in 6 weeks.  Maybe it really is because I'm so busy at work, or still not sleeping, or just having a hard time motivating myself, but this is the part where I wonder if this is the beginning of the end for yet another commitment I've made.  Am I going to start coming up with more and more reasonable excuses for not running?   I don't want to quit, but lately it's becoming more of a struggle to actually get my shoes on my feet.   AND.... of course the kicker is that I generally feel so awesome at the end of my run that I get mad at myself for knowing I almost didn't go.  
5) Confidence -
Last week I ran with two amazing friends and they totally smoked me.  It's embarrassing to admit how embarrassed I actually was to be unable to keep up with them.  Logically I'm well aware everyone runs at different speeds, we all have off days, that my goal in this whole process is simply to cross the finish line uninjured and WHO CARES how long it takes me?!?!?  However, after my run last week I questioned whether I really had the proverbial cajones to run a marathon.  I was able to keep up for nearly the first 3 miles, but then they pulled away and a few minutes later were completely out of sight.  Running so slowly and so far behind my friends made me think the most terrible thoughts about myself... that I'm fat and dumpy and if I can't keep up with my friends, then I obviously have no reason to think I could possible fulfil the massive undertaking of running a marathon.  It made me feel like a fool to think I could and a fraud for telling people I was going to even try (let alone blog about it).  My sister says this is the very reason why she doesn't want to run with anyone.... because when she runs alone she feels on top of the world, but running with someone else simply reminds her of her own self perceived inadequacies.  But, what do you do when you fall off a horse?  You get back on!!  Although I wouldn't really know due to my fear of horses, you get the jist.  And I went out again with 'Marie the Nimble' and actually managed to hold my own :)

Wow... this was actually harder to write down than I thought it would be.  And please don't worry for me....somewhere between all the things going on in my life and my head, I'm not going to give up.  I'm going to keep running and moving towards my goal and I'm going to kick the Marathon's ass even if I come in last place. 

I'm also fairly certain my lack of blogging is simply a symptom of the larger disease of self doubt.... If no one notices my non-blogging, then no one will notice my non-marathoning - right? So, if you notice me slacking on my blog again, please feel free to yell at me :)  Much like running, sometimes it's hard to start writing, but once I start I find the process enjoyable and am always happy to have finished another entry.   

Week 13, Day 2 - Happy Valentine's Day!

Today was a pretty good 3 mile run.  I decided to repeat my run from last week running around the Xerox campus, then around the field-y park (mostly b/c I haven't discovered any other routes yet).  The run itself felt pretty good, but it was VERY windy outside.  I felt like no matter which direction I turned, I was still running against the wind which was a little frustrating.

WARNING!!!  THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH CONTAINS CROTCHETY BITCHING OVER SOMETHING STUPID...READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK:
There's a certain sense of camaraderie among runners..... I always want to give other runners the props they deserve when they're out cruising the cement.... That's nice - right?   Also, when I see people running who are clearly out of shape or overweight, I always want to shout out, "GREAT JOB!!  KEEP IT UP!!!"...also nice!  However, today, this older lady walking her dog "GREAT JOB!! KEEP IT UP!!ed" me and royally aggravated me!!  First of all, in order to hear what she said, I actually had to slow down and take my earphones out which was annoying enough, but it also made me wonder if I had looked as though I needed someone to cheer me on?  Did I look like I was struggling or overweight?  I don't think so... When I'm pushing the kids in the stroller or when I was out walking while pregnant, I enjoyed people's encouragement... I was like, "Hell's bells biznatch!  I AM doing something awesome & thanks for recognizing!"  However... today was a completely different story, I've been running for 4 months now and thought I was actually starting to look slightly fit.  I know this woman was obviously just trying to be incredibly nice by encouraging me and I'm also aware that I'm being crotchety and oversensitive, but the truth is she pissed me off something terrible.... It really made me rethink wanting to give encouragement to other runners too.  From now on, I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping my mouth shut.

In other news.  I went out yesterday to buy a hydration belt.  I purchased one which is nearly identical to Michelle's from this past Saturday.  It has 2 big bottles which fit in little compartments over the small of my back.  It also has a nice sized pouch which can hold keys and gel packs. Even though I only ran 3 miles today, I decided to take it out with me just to see how it felt running with water. I thought for sure the sloshing would drive me crazy, but I didnt' feel it at all and couldn't hear it over my music.  I'm going to have to figure out how to jimmy the belt part better b/c the excess belt strap ended up kind of flapping in the wind.  Maybe this weekend I'll run out to Joanne fabrics for some Velcro to see if I can stitch something on there.   It was actually really nice to have some water with me and was pleasantly surprised how nice it was to be able to take a big schlug ever 1/2 mile or so! 

The water must have made a good difference, because my running time was only a 9:41 pace mile!  That's actually my best pace since 1/4/2012! 

Lastly, I'd like to get some props for my commitment to my running.  Today was the first day I was invited by co-workers to go out for Thai lunch and I turned them down in order to run :(  I very much wanted to go with them, but with the Shamrock only a few weeks away and all the runs I've missed in the last few weeks, I just couldn't skip my run today.  Hopefully they'll invite me again some other time.

Week 12, Day 6 - SIX miles!

Today I got up to SIX miles!  Wahoo!  Now I'm only 3.2 miles away from the 15K Shamrock Run, which is 5 weeks away :)  Before you read too far, I'm giving warning that I'm actually pretty tired, so I apologize in advance for all the 1/2 thoughts and choppy paragraphs....

Today, I was lucky enough to run with my friend Michelle around Lacamus Lake in Vancouver, Washington.  It was a 3 mile In&Out gravel path with a gorgeous lake on one side and a lovely wooded area on the other - Marie, you would have LOVED it!!! 

I had been nervous because of 1) missing so many runs over the last few weeks, 2) drinking too much wine last night, 3) a new mileage to conquer, 4) I was running in an unfamiliar place, and 5) today I was running with a bonifide marathon finisher who runs long distances on a regular basis.  However, I have to say I was really very happy with my performance.  The beginning of the trail started with a couple of up & down dips which didn't seem much of a challenge, but Michelle warned me they would be MUCH more difficult on the way back.

I've mentioned in previous posts that I prefer to run loops rather than In & Outs, today I noticed a real benefit to I&Os which I had never really anticipated! Instead of thinking of the run as a 6 mile run, the I&O almost forced my brain to think of the run as two 3 mile runs... which is much more doable and less threatening!  For some reason... the same 3 miles I struggled with last Thursday, seemed like nothing today :)

So, the run was really great.  The scenery was gorgeous, the weather was perfect, I had a great running partner... oh, and my music was fantastic.  Michelle had a little chuckle at me as I rocked out out Ben Folds.  Everything was awesome and fantastic....until the last mile.....uggghhhh....  That last  mile, all my energy went out of my and I thought I was going to die.  It was quite literally a fete of self control not to stop 1/2 mile short of my goal.  And those quaint little up & down dips from the first mile, came back to KILL me on the last mile..... but I did it.  I made it 6 full miles with only one quick break at the mid-way point to stretch and drink some Gatorade.

So... the results!  I averaged an even 10 minute mile :)  However, thanks to amazing modern technology, I got a full per-mile summary.... check it out!

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Summary	00:59:47	6.0 mi	10:00
Split	Time	Distance	Pace (avg)
1	00:09:35	1.0 mi	09:33
2	00:10:00	1.0 mi	09:58
3	00:10:05	1.0 mi	10:04
4	00:11:35	1.0 mi	11:32
5	00:10:15	1.0 mi	10:11
6	00:09:55	1.0 mi	09:52
7	00:00:15	0.0 mi	13:35

Week 12, Day 4 - Finally healthy!!!!

Last week, I ran on Wednesday, but felt SOOOO awful on Thursday that my new boss actually sent me to Target to get cough medicine for myself.  I realized that for the last several weeks I've been battling a cold and losing. The truth was I had only been letting myself get marginally healthier before I would continue training which would set the cold back to the beginning.  I would skip a run, feel better enough to do the next run, then feel worse again and miss another run.  I've basically missed 1-2 runs per week due to sickness for 4 weeks in a row which culminated to missing THREE runs in week 11.  I obviously wouldn't be able to make it to the marathon if things continued this way, so I decided the best course of action would be to take a full week off to get back to 100%! und I did....

So, here I am back to healthy! 

For my first run in a week, I did a 3 mile route through the Xerox campus and around local park. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my headphones at home, but I was able to stick my iPhone in a little pocket on the shoulder of my new rain/running jacket with the volume up loud enough to hear it as I ran.  I really love to run with music and I've always had this little fantasy about creating a vest with speakers on it that I could blast my music out to all the other runners on the trails and let them enjoy my music as much as I do.  On one hand, I know it's kind of obnoxious to think people would love my music and I know people would probably just be annoyed.  But on the other hand, my music is friggin awesome and I think if people heard it they wouldn't be able to stop themselves from running with me just to sing along.  In my little fantasy, I start off running alone, but one by one people come running up to listen to my music and by the end of the run, it's like ME in the middle of this HUGE mass of people all rockin-out/running to, like, Eagle Eye Cherry.... or something....

So...... The run started off going through the Xerox campus then across the way to a loop around a park. The road through Xerox was literally just a little road connecting the parking lots, but on the right side it was all green and foresty with a nice smell. The park is kind of funny, it's like they had this big piece of land the developers didn't know what to do with, so they make a 1.5 mile loop around the perimeter and just left the middle as a big field with some trees.... if feels more like a deserted school campus than a park, but there's some nice birds that fly around which are fun to look at. 

The weather was nice and cool...it felt like it could start raining any second, but it didn’t. Since it was my first day back, I definitely didn’t push it too hard. I felt pretty good for most of it, but the last ½ mile actually got pretty tough. The last .2 was really the most difficult. At the distance where I usually push hardest to improve my time and finish strong, today it felt hard finish at all.

When I got back to the office, I struck up a convo with a gal I sit near.  She was telling me  her boss recently decided  to run a ½ marathon and put her in charge of organizing it. So, she's drawn up a training schedule and is recruiting a butch of ladies from the office to train together. The ½ marathon will be the week after my marathon, so obviously we’ll be running different mileage on training days, but I figure I could always start my runs with them then finish my additional mileage on my own or with whoever wants to join me.  It seems like a good way to get to know some of my coworkers. I've always felt like I was kind of a loner at work and in some respects it made me sad.  I always wanted a crew of people to go for lunch with, or maybe drinks after work or even hang out with on weekends.  I had it for a short time at Schwabe, but somehow it fell apart after one particular summer.  I would like to actually have a crew of people to hang out with at work and I think this would be a good avenue to create friends and work-out buddies.  I hope it actually happens :)

I'm a little nervous about this week's 6 mile run.  I was sore after my 5.5 mile run the other week becuase I hadn't been keeping up on my mileage and I'm sure this Saturday will be really tough too.  I'm going to make a concerted effort to stretch really well before and after the run.  I