Where's the Beach?

This morning Jason and I got up around 5 am for a run. The plan was for him to run the first 2 miles with me then I was meeting up with "A" to run the remaining 5. It's his birthday, so this was a birthday run for him. He was planning on 7 as well, but didn't want to run with the Chatty Cathy Crew ;-) It's funny how at 65 degrees, running, I'm hot. I was still in a tummy revealing sports bra and shorts and sweating like crazy. But, when it's 65 and I'm not running (even 75 to be honest) I'm going to have on long pants and a 3/4 sleeved top at the very least, likely a light long-sleeve.  The humidity was still high with the tail end of a front passing through - supposed to dip into the 50's tonight. So I was sweating like it was 95 out. It was fairly windy though, and that really did help out quite a bit. Of course, it also made for a little bit of a resistance run at times. With the sun not even starting to rise until 6:30, we'v...

800's and Weights This morning I got myself up and out of bed for my speed work day with my running buddy. I was kind of dragging butt. In fact, I almost used deodorant in lieu of my bodyglide on my inner thighs. Yup, perhaps that was a sign to get more sleep. But, I had made plans to meet "A" at 6 am and I'm a girl who sticks to her plans. Even if half asleep. I got in 1.5 miles by the time I caught up with "A." Then it was time to tackle 800's. We decided on a slightly different route - one that was straight a mostly flat. The only problem is that it is still so incredibly dark at 6am. If a section of the street has a light out, it's completely dark. Makes things a little interesting. I may need to learn how to properly fall. Anyway, it was a pretty good speed session. I'm thankful for the cooler temps that's for sure. The humidity still seemed to be rather high though as we were both dripping with sweat. At least it was 63-ish and not...

Cool Weather = Increased Speed It was so tough dragging myself out of bed this morning for my run. I didn't sleep very well for starters. And it's just flat out dark at 5 am. I did end up resetting the alarm to give me an extra 10 minutes in bed, just laying there, but still. Jason set out with me for the first 2 miles, then I met my running buddy for the remaining 5.5 miles. It felt fairly chilly out - 60 degrees. Of course, I was sweating like usual by mile 2. The weather felt great though. Not too windy, but just enough of a breeze to keep you cooled off.  My legs were much peppier than I expected too. In fact, my slowest mile was the first one at 9:10. That one is usually the "wake-up" mile for us. It does make a difference when you don't feel like you're breathing under water - in jacuzzi temp water nonetheless.  "A" and I kept up a really good pace. I fought my initial urge to slow down and just went with it. I knew she'd slow...

Raise your hand if you're happy that it's Friday? I have both hands up in the air. It's Friday and it's a rest day for me. I actually slept until 5:40 this morning too. It's the little things right? Speaking of little things, and big things too really, lets talk about hills. A few weeks ago I was emailing with my friend Jolene about running, running routes, and hills. The next run, all I could do was think about our email chat and about hills. It's hard to avoid hills entirely unless you go to a track. So, as a runner, you have to learn to contend with them somehow. You either dread them and try to avoid them. Or you suck it up and stare them down and challenge them. Or you just try not to think about it. Like if you don't think too much, it won't be so bad. But all hills are not created equal. And they affect you so much differently depending on where you're at with your run. The first hill might not seem so bad. Silly me for being nervo...

Morning Run This morning the alarm seemed to go off far far too early. The seasons are changing and it's dark until about 6:15-6:20 when the light is just starting to show itself. You know, that period when the sun isn't exactly up, but the stars aren't out. The streetlights are just starting to shut off. So, that means that I didn't see light until about mile 5 of my 6 mile run. That's a lot of running in the dark. Thankfully, my streets are mostly well lit. I love my blinking light. Kind of wish I had 2. And of course there's the mace. So, armed and ready to go, I "picked up" my running buddy around mile 2 and we took off to get in a few miles together. The air was simply oppressive. That's really all you can say. It was so warm and humid that we actually weren't sweating buckets. I mean, we were soaked, don't get me wrong. But it wasn't streaming down our faces. Too hot to sweat? Perhaps. I enjoyed the run, mostly because I ha...

Nightmare Run Well, today one of my bigger running fears happened. I didn't just hit a wall (or 2), but I did it with my new running buddy. It's honestly one of the reasons I've shied away from running with others. It's one thing for me to have a running temper tantrum with Jason or alone, but with someone else... The deck was really stacked against me, and I knew it too. My legs and feet had already traveled 13.5 miles over a 2-day period. Thursday is typically a rest day so that I can be fresh (mentally and physically) for my long run on Fridays.  However, Hurricane Isaac is about to cause us some headaches with regards to the weather. So, unless I wanted to swim my long run on Friday, I needed to try to go for it today. So, tired legs (and feet), 26 mph gusting winds (coming from the swirling remnants of the hurricane), and 77 degrees with high humidity all add up to potential disaster. And it didn't help that my first 5 miles were entirely too fast....

Speed Work I sure wish I could brag about some awesome speed work this morning. I guess I can brag that I actually did 5 x 800's and didn't die. That's brag-worthy right ;-) The temperatures were probably 10+ degrees warmer than last Wednesday and the air was just strange. It was humid, but not extreme. But still dampish or restricting feeling. Not sure how to even describe it. There was a fairly heavy, or maybe I should say steady, wind as well. And it was odd, because I'm a major sweater (and so is "A"), but neither of us was sweating like it seemed we should. Maybe that wind dried us off faster than we realized. Anyway, things just felt off. "A" even said she wasn't exactly feeling it. I was definitely a lot slower than last week. It felt so much harder - kind of like yesterday did. But my splits were at least very consistent even up to the 5th one. I managed to maintain somewhere between a 3:48-3:50 pace for each 1/2 mile interval (r...

Speed Work Apparently Wednesdays are now becoming speed work days for me. This is only because my new running pal "A" somehow talked me into it. Of course, I do need to add in speed work and it's easier to do when you have a partner in crime to hold you accountable. So, this morning I did a one-mile warmup run over to "A's" house where she has a set route for 800's (1/2 mile intervals). The plan was to do 4 intervals with roughly a 1/4 mile jog/recovery. The first interval kind of sucked. It was still completely dark so that made it a little treacherous. Plus, that first interval is a major shock to the system. Oh, and this time the first interval included the uphill rather than downhill direction. I have no idea what my split was on the first one. Once again I goofed up trying to set the half mile splits. But I finally got it right for the other splits. And I'm pretty sure I will remember for the next speed workout (fingers crossed). My 2nd...

Long Run Yesterday was one of those days when you just need it to go away. I ditched my planned workout. I was simply exhausted both mentally and physically. I needed to rest plain and simple. I didn't blog because I didn't figure anyone really needed to hear me whine about being stressed, worn out, too tired to workout, or that it has felt like the longest week ever. So, no blogging. In fact, I turned off the computer at 7 pm. I had only been on it a few times after work anyway and was just done with it. It was really nice to turn that baby off too. I went to bed around 7:45 and read until 9, then it was lights out. I woke up, startled by the alarm, just before 5 am. I definitely felt better having rested. Smart decision before a planned 10 mile run honestly. Jason is doing a triathlon on Sunday, so the plan was for him to only run half the run with me. We planned out (roughly) a route that would put us back near the house around 5 miles in for me so that he could stop,...

Run Dates This morning Jason and I rolled out of bed and got ourselves ready for a run. The plan was to do 2 miles with Jason, then I was meeting a new running partner for another 5 miles for a total of 7 miles. I won't lie, I was pretty nervous about running with someone new. And "A" is definitely a fast runner, and a seasoned marathoner. But that can be good for me right? It's sort of a long story, but she used to teach some weight circuit classes at my gym that closed. So we'd seen each other here and there at the gym in passing. Another instructor had mentioned that "A" lived downtown. And I already knew that she ran (overheard a conversation), and I'd see her occasionally running, but we never really talked. Anyway, Saturday I ended making a stop by her house so we could visit, and we planned the run date for today. She usually just runs the neighborhood solo, so she was excited to have someone to run with, and I think Jason likes the ide...

Running, Relaxing, Relishing This weekend as another fairly low-key one for us. Saturday I got up for my 6 mile run. The temps were just under 70 degrees. The humidity was still in play, but man at least it wasn't 80+ degrees. Made such a difference. It ended up being a really good run. I tried to just run by feel rather than paying attention to my pace. I only checked the speed at each lap/mile. Overall average ended up being 9:04. After scrubbing the master bath, I spent some time on the patio reading before we went to a late lunch. We were actually able to sit outside on the patio and enjoy outdoor dining for the first time in months! The temperatures were hovering around 90, but there was a nice breeze. And face it, 90 feels like 70 when it's been 110. We had just finished our lunch when I got a message from our friends. They wanted to meet us exactly where we already were. I told her we were there and done with lunch but would gladly stick around and wait on them. S...

This morning the alarm went off way too early for my liking. I had a very restless night, something I've noticed happening the night before my long runs. So when the alarm went off, I was already awake, but just didn't want to get up. But I did. I rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom to get ready. It does help that I set out all of my running gear the night before so there's not thinking involved. I went downstairs and had half of a banana and a serving (12) EnergyBits . Source I was fortunate enough to receive a sample of EnergyBits to try and review. They are made from algae ( spirulina  and chlorella ) and are full of minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. According to their website, "Spirulina is nature's equivalent to an energy drink."  Some benefits of spirulina are: Helps stop fatigue Helps improve athletic performance Provides physical energy Provides mental wake up And you know what, I believe it. Especially the men...

Spaaaaaaa Today was a rest day for me. I definitely was ready for one too. And how do you top off a rest day? How about with a facial? I'm kind of a cheap girlie girl (cheap as in frugal thankyouverymuch). I love fashion, love having my nails painted, makeup, jewelry, all that jazz. But I won't pay for manicures, pedicures or even massages...let alone a facial. Jason, however, surprised me for Valentine's Day with a gift certificate for a facial. So today I put it to use. And the timing couldn't have been better. I've not been sleeping well this week and have had a headache for three days. Just not a happy camper basically. So it was perfect timing for me. It was so indulgent and relaxing. I just wanted to melt into the table. I had a bad crick in my back and she massaged that out as well. So, hopefully tonight I'll sleep more soundly. Carb Loading Tomorrow we're planning on another long run if we can handle the heat. Our lows aren't exactly low ...

Running & Lifting  I don't know if it was the heat or what, I but I slept terribly last night. I just tossed and turned all night. And of course I wake up at 4:30 and then finally doze off fairly soundly to be rudely woken up by Jason's alarm for his morning master's swim class. My alarm was set for about 5 minutes later, because I had planned on getting up to go for a 3.5-4 mile run. I almost always wake up when he gets up anyway. This morning I came incredibly close to saying forget the run, sleep is more important. Of course, I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep for an hour. So, I was up and out the door by 5:30. Again, our "low" was something like 84 degrees with the heat index. And this morning there was not even a breeze to help out. My first mile was pretty slow. I was totally ok with that. I was still waking up and questioning my sanity anyway. Mile 2 felt a little better but my legs started feeling so heavy. I couldn't figure o...

Ditching Speed This morning the alarm went off just after 5 am and I soooo wanted to just say to heck with the run and go back to sleep. But considering that it was already 84 degrees and humid, it's not like I could put the run off until lunch or after work. So, I reluctantly rolled out of bed and got myself ready while Jason did the same. The first mile kind of sucked. Mile 1 put us at the intersection of a busy road - usually empty at 5:30 am - where this one loan mini-van couldn't decide what they were doing. In turn, we had to stand and wait....and wait. It felt like 10 minutes. All Jason said was, "It's hot." Those were is first words of the morning. We made a pit stop at the house at 2 miles into the run then off again. The brief stop actually helped me a great deal. I honestly thought I might have to take my inhaler or stop the run. I just couldn't breathe. Mile 3 was starting to get a little better. I finally hit some sort of rhythm by mile 4. ...

Another 10 Last night I did not sleep well at all. Maybe I was slightly over-hydrating because I kept having to get up, what felt like every 30 minutes to go pee. So, when the alarm went off at 5, I really wanted to just say screw it, I'm going back to sleep. But I turned on the lights and we both rolled out of bed and go ourselves ready for our long run of the week. We started off on the usual route for the first two miles then changed up the route. It was really kind of nice actually. The only downside was that we had to stick to the sidewalks which were of course wonky in some spots so you had to really pay attention. The first 5 miles went by really quickly. My legs felt good. The air felt better. We had a front move through and it cooled it down to 75 degrees. After a heat index of 108, 75 could be snowing. And the breeze was actually cooler air too. So much better than last week's disastrous run. I was able to really keep my breathing under control and also focus ...

Morning Run This morning started out painfully early. I woke up around 4:30 to potty. And my alarm was set for just after 5 so we could run. In other words, no point in falling back asleep obviously. But man that makes for a long long day. By 10 am, it felt more like 3 pm. We set out for the run just before 5:30. At least there was a slight breeze today. That definitely helped with the heat/humidity. I will say that our pace was just all over the place though. Zero consistency going on this morning. Our first mile was a slow one (though I thought we were going a bit faster) at 9:58, but then mile 2 was 8:31. Really? How'd that happen? I'll blame it on not being awake. And oddly, that might have been the best feeling mile for me. My legs started to get pretty heavy and I had to concentrate on my breathing. So I felt like my form was getting a little sloppy, which can make you less efficient of course. So, after a slow mile then a fast mile, so continued the varied pace: 9...

Hard Run This morning we woke up right at 5am to get in our long run of the week. And, as has been typical, it was already 80 degrees and thick, humid air. There was, at least, a light breeze. It was one of those runs that, from the beginning, I could tell wasn't going to play out as I'd hoped. My legs felt pretty heavy and it was not easy to breathe. Then I made a pretty big mistake by going too fast, too soon. Miles 2, 3 and 4 were all at just over a 9 min mile pace. Not exactly what I should have been doing for a long, EASY training run. By mile 5, I told Jason that I didn't want to go across the bridge by the Clinton Library. Going over is one thing, but then coming back with the steeper incline is another. And I was struggling big time. He had me check my heart rate and it was 173. Again, not exactly what you want for a long, easy run. I know that it was mostly due to the humidity and not getting in the oxygen I needed. He had me slow down and really focus on my...

Holy Humidity  As has become typical on Tuesdays, we woke up just after 5am to get in our medium distance run. The plan was for 6 miles. It was humid from the start, that kind of humid that makes it feel like someone is sitting on your chest. Normally exercise does not affect my asthma. Humidity, however, is not my friend. I had a terrible time getting my breathing under control this morning. I finally started to settle into an ok rhythm around mile 2. The first mile was just getting moving really and was at a 9:31 min mile. Mile 2 we stepped it up a bit for 8:54 pace. Jason made a stop by the house and I continued on meeting him at my mile 3, which was surprisingly an 8:44 pace. I had to stop and wait a while for 4 cars, perfectly spaced apart, just after my 3-mile point. This completely threw my rhythm out of whack. We got going again and mile 4 was 9:09 (not bad considering the extending standing and waiting time). Then my Garmin froze up on me. I didn't notice it for a w...