Year Running in Review

In the Bag...Lest I speak to soon!

Friday and I am at 986.5

Long run in the morning....

And I think I will be at or over 1000 miles!

Now I have to figure out how to celebrate...and rest! I am tired of running every day!!

Mission 1000 miles

Tuesday and I am at 973.2

ALMOST there!

YEAH!

A Book, Mileage, and AGAIN WAY TOO MANY CARBS!

*I am reading a great book...it has just enough romance, adventure, and it's an easy read that I don't get lost in because honestly I only read about 10-15 minutes a night. It has a time travelling twist in it too....a really good read if you have time.

I really want to read "The Hunger Games".  Has anyone read the series?  I have heard it's good.  And I like series because it gives me more than a couple of books to read.

*I am still eating more and more sugar and cookies and other carb loaded crap.
My mom sent me a care package from Trader Joe's (OH HOW MUCH I MISS TRADER JOES!!!) there are cookies, and cookie butter, and more cookies, and chocolate...let's just say I am feeling the effects of my recent gluttony!  Thank goodness I am running almost every day!
(Maybe I will have to rethink doing another cleanse)


*

I am SO close to reaching my 1000 mile goal for 2010! I have been running almost every day and really trying to stretch and baby my back so I can get this done...only 10 more days left to do it! I have a long run planned for Friday, and will have to get another one in, perhaps two? 

*I am feeling stressed about Christmas...it's not my favorite holiday to be honest. I am cooking a turkey this year also, so wish me luck! I am going to try this recipe where you slow roast it overnight. It's supposed to turn out very juicy. Let's hope this doesn't happen to my house in the middle of the night

*I have a full 11 days off of work...I don't know what I am going to do with myself!  Sean is taking the kids to Dallas for 2 days so I will have 2 full days alone....lay on the couch all day?  Read?  Paint my toenails?  Write thank you notes for Christmas presents?  Ha!  I just know myself....my week will be cleaning house, doing laundry, running errands, running, etc...the time always go by SO fast!


Hope you all have a Happy Holiday!!!  And I wish you the best for 2011!

Thank you Secret Cyber Santa!!

Thanks to this....

I got a great Secret Santa gift today in the mail!

Thank you secret santa, I love it!!

Jingle Bell Hell 5K (The race I didn't even knew I ran!)

Unbeknownest to me. I ran a 5K this weekend.
Aptly named Jinglebell Hell 5K.
And I would like to blame this lady...

It started out nicely enough...a nice holiday run with my runtex group. I even had company for a mile of it....and then before I knew it...I was tired...running on the roads alone!

There were no hills, but there were loops...and loops are the things I hate most. There is nothing worse than running past the same house twice...running down the same road twice...the same barking dogs, the same parked cars....crazy making I tell you!

I ran, and ran, looking at my Garmin every 5 seconds or so to see how far I was from the finish...My legs were weights....and of course it figured every intersection I came to I had to stop to yield to cars, and then start running again...slower than when I stopped of course!

At one point I spotted my friends running towards me from another road...I almost ran towards them to get back in to some running company to take my mind off my last miles...but I knew they were faster...and I would run with them for a few seconds and then I would have to be watching them run away from me.

So I kept right on going....

And before I knew it I had hit 3.1 miles and I had finished....

whew!! I had just completed Jinglebell hell 5k...though I didn't realize it until this afternoon.

I would give you my splits, but we don't want to revel and dwell on how slow those 3.1 miles were...let's just say....it was between REALLY slow, and kinda fast.

So, in closing, I will blame her for that 3.1 miles of looping and leaden legs.

Thanks,

(The previous 6.9 warm up miles for this race were great by the way!)

Georgetown Run Tex Holiday 10 Miler

Great run with great friends today! This year I am so thankful for all the really nice people I have met through running!!

Cake, Ice Cream, Cookies, Bread, Candy, Sugar, Sugar, and more Sugar....OH Ya and Some Carbs

What is it about this time of year!?
I hardly ever eat sugar.....but lately I have been such a pig!
Candy, cookies, cake, ice cream....
I don't see an end in sight!
Holidays...please end quickly!!!

Decker Challenge 1/2 Marathon Photos

 Bitter Beer Face

 Glad to be done and obviously obsessed with my Garmin

Geez I don't know what to say about this one...the only semi-cool thing about this one is my feet......

At least my face is relaxed and I look focused

Geez.....race pictures suck!

Decker Challenge 1/2 Marathon Recap

Jessica and I met up and drove together to the Expo center where the race started.  I was a little worried because when we got there it started sprinkling and it was about 40 degrees and I just couldn't imagine being went the whole race, but lucky for us it stopped right before we started.  The weather was actually perfect, not much wind and a steady temperature of about 45 degrees.

I went in to this race recovering from a sore back.  So I had planned on running the miles at about 9-9.30 pace depending on how I felt.  I don't have my Garmin with me to give you the exact splits but the first 8 miles were around a 8.56 pace.  The course was up and down rolling hills and really not as bad as I thought.  Definitely not flat, but nothing I couldn't handle.

Unfortunately at around mile 8 Jessica had to slow down because her knee was giving her issues.  So from then on I was running by myself.  I picked up the pace the last 5 miles to 7.50-8 minute miles and I felt GREAT!  Even when I came to the dreaded hill at mile 10 I just cruised up it, not looking up of course, but still really strong not slowing down much.  After the hill I was passing all kinds of people and had negative splits all the way in to the finish line.

My goal was under 2 hours so I am really happy with my time!

First 1/2 Marathon FINISHED!

Luckily my back is feeling 90% better and didn't hurt me at all during the race.  Today my body is a little sore, but I think by tomorrow I will be up for a few miles recovery.

Thanks to Jessica for running with me and Erin for letting Jessica run in her place!

It was a great day!



Decker 1/2 Marathon: Goals & Understandings

Tomorrow is the Decker 1/2 Marathon.
My back has been feeling better so I have decided to run it. (Not that I really decided to not run it, I was just kind of waiting to see how my back would feel)
I am planning on going slow. By slow I mean 9 minute miles. I will be watching my Garmin keeping myself in check.
Am I disappointed?
A little.
I really wanted to race this...and before my back issue I know I could have. But I need to understand where I am at right now. And not kill myself because of some stupid race.
I am nervous....
And my confidence is low.
BUT
I will go slow...and I will be watching my Garmin....
I will not race it
I will not race it
I will not race it

What I Forgot When I Was Packing Up My Running Clothes This Morning

(Yes that's duct tape, and yes it actually worked! You have to do what you have to do when you need to fit your run in!)

Calculating B*

Total miles I need to run if I want to have run 1000 miles in 2011=
148.1

Yep, I am calculating again. (as If I am not calculating constantly, paces, miles, race times...on and on and on and on, and it's sad really because my math skills SUCK!)

I plan on running 15 more miles this week

a 1/2 marathon on sunday 13.1

So by monday next week I will be at=
880 miles

120 miles left to run in 20 days

Even if I ran 30 miles a week...I will only be at 90 miles.

(I am calculating that I will do a long run on Saturday of 10 miles for the rest of the year)

I could sneak in 2-3 miles somewhere on a weekend afternoon, I mean it's not about speed right, just getting the miles in. That could add in 5 or so extra miles a week?

MY HEAD WILL EXPLODE, if I try to calculate this further...plus I will just bore you all....

My whole point is that I am going to try to do this...

My back is feeling better! I have been stretching A LOT! And doing some strengthening exercise, and runing slow. So far, so good!

My weekend was pretty uneventful...

Friday night work Xmas party. Drank too much beer but all in all a good time

Saturday just running around doing errands

Sunday housework

It's back to COLD weather here this week. I need to get back in to my cold running state of mind. Which needs to include a good pair of running tights this year. Last year I wore real tights under my running pants and always was sopping wet because there was no moisture wicking. This year I am runing longer distances and need to splurge on some tights.

My Xmas wish list this year is:

• New Pair of running shoes


• Pair of running tights


• and...last but not least!!! Entrance fee for the Austin marathon! (I had contemplated doing some other marathons in some nearby cities, but with kids, and work...I just need to do a local one so it doesn't cost much extra for gas, hotel, food, etc...

That's about all I have for today.

Hope you all have a great week!

The Running Gods Hate Me, Facts & Conjecture

Fact#1

The last 1/2 Marathon I entered got cancelled because of a horrible rain storm (In a state that has had the longest drought in history this past year)

Fact#2
I was just thinking to myself about 2 weeks ago that though I have had some random ankle pain, and some weird IT twinges, my back hasn't been hurting me at all!
(I think the lesson I learned here is you don't look a gift horse in the mouth, or however that saying goes)

Fact#3
I felt I was really ready to "bring it"** at this 1/2 marathon next weekend. I was even thinking of maybe a total time of 1:45-1:50. I was feeling strong, feeling fast, feeling like a bad ass
(I think the lesson learned here is that I am not a bad ass)
**I have been doing p90x and I am getting in to the lingo he uses, hence the "bring it"

Fact#4
I just blogged about completing 1000 miles in 2011. So, I would have had to run about 31 miles a week...and I could easily do that...but now I have to run like 40-50 miles a week...ummmm...maybe not
(Lesson learned here, don't make big goals, just go with the flow, don't say anything and when you hit 1000 you are just happy you did it, no need to brag)

And finally....my conjecture

The running gods, which I guess look like this

Well they hate me, they don't want me to run, they want me to be unhappy, they want me to go postal on my co-workers, they want me to feel bloated and gross, and most of all, they are really tickin' me off!

Or maybe???????

I pushed too hard on my 20 mile run, I didn't stretch enough as I knew I should....and maybe just maybe when I first felt that back pain (because I did feel a little the last few times I ran) I should have done yoga right away because it always helps....and maybe I should have been doing some back strength exercises every day.

I ran 3 miles last night....4 miles this morning...and it's feeling so so.  No major pain, but it's sore.  I just need to take it easy.  And I need to get it in my head that I don't NEED to race the 1/2 coming up.  I just need to be thankful that I can run, even if it's slow, even if I don't come in under 2 hours.

Grrr.....I am trying to be accepting and appreciative of where I am.  It's not easy