Obstacle Course

Tuesday
Time - 39.13
The "chicks run in the woods" (Dianna, Michelle, and I) nearly turned into "chicks swim in the woods". As we began our run, it was only sprinkling. Around mile two, the gentle rain turned into a steady down pour. Within minutes we were completely soaked. Yet, we finished the trail in the woods and even had fun, as the rain continued to pour. The trail felt like an obstacle course, as we attempted to jump over puddles, and zig-zag our way around wet tree roots. Dianna said it best when she said, " I felt like I was mountain biking, but without the bike." :)

Wednesday
Miles - ? (a few roads around campus)
Time - 53.28
Results - no pains/no problems/good pace/great run

Thursday
Miles - ? (trails)
Time - 40.20 min.
Results - feeling really slow and sluggish

Race Pic.

September, 2004

The RBF at the New Haven 20k race. Michelle, April-Anne, Dianna, Annalisa, and Jenny
(Michelle, thanks for the pic.)

Hills on the ‘Mill

Okay, so technically it wasn’t on a treadmill, but I couldn’t think of anything to rhyme with “elliptical fitness cross trainer”. :) I set the time for 30 minutes, and covered a total of 3.7 miles, with two little "hills". ~ I hope everyone has a good week of training!

It's a Beautiful Morning

Sunday
Due to my crazy schedule, my alarm went off at 7 this morning, and I quickly hit the roads. I ran the Woodstock 10K race course twice-a decent run and quit uneventful. After the first loop, I stopped at my car to change cds, grab my sun glasses and water bottle. The second loop was a bit slower. (A cute scene along the way: three little children attempting to catch falling leaves from a tree in their front yard.)
Miles: 12.4
Time: 1:54 (rapid runner is not as speedy as running chick) :)

Saturday – nothing :(

If you are only interest in running, you don’t have to read any further, but I want to add something else that isn’t necessarily training related.
Yesterday I skipped my run for no particular reason. I wasn't sick or tired, I simply did not feel like running for some strange reason. One of the many reasons why I run, is because it allows me to relax and clear my head. Maybe it sounds crazy, but I think that skipping my run really effected the way I felt the rest of the night. Later in the evening, I started feeling; guilty about not running, completely overwhelmed with all my work, and really missing my sister. I started having a "pity party" for myself, with out even realizing it. Consequently, I must apologize to my family and instant messenger friends for being extremely selfish. I completely forgot about giving thanks for some the most amazing blessings in my life, like having a sister who traveled half way around the world, because she was called to work in an orphanage and having the opportunity to further my education...regardless of how much work that requires. I am sure I could go on forever----so no more "pity parties" for me!

Trails

September 23
I met Dianna and Michelle at Mansfield Hollow. It was great to be in the woods again, and I can't wait until fall foliage fully arrives. Although I do have some advice.....be careful when running on wet leaves! (Needless to say, I had a few "mishaps" last fall, although I can't completely blame the wet leaves. One time I attempted to run and study at the same time (carrying my notes cards with me). I thought it would be a perfect multi-tasking opportunity, but I was very wrong!) :) :)

Miles: 4.? (I can't remember what Michelle said.) Time: 38.54
(Michelle received a really cool new Nike "toy" for her birthday which interrupts your music to give you audio pace/time/distance results, and there is more......it also stores your data, which can be uploaded onto your online training log. Michelle, your husband is the best. Does he have a twin? Just Kidding!) :)

September 24
I met Amy for a run on the air line rail trail.
Miles - 5.5 (but it felt like a lot more, at times i could hardly keep up our conversation)
Time - 49.12

**Sneaker update: I'm going shopping tomorrow! :)

Where is Mile 3?

September 19th
Miles - 10.1 Time - 1:31.23
What a perfect day for a run! After church, I had a big lunch, took a long nap and when I woke up....I was ready for my long run. The weather was beautiful, sunny, slightly breezy, mid 60's (F). I decided upon running the 10K race course in town, adding a few extra miles at the end. When I reached mile two, I looked at my watch and I was satisfied with my pace. I stayed at the same pace, watching carefully for the third mile marker, but after 12 minutes when I still didn't see it, I started to worry. Had I really slowed down that much?? I picked up the pace, intensely scanning for the third mile marker. Two more stressful minutes passed, and then it hit me...I had turned onto a new road after mile two, which was recently re-paved (obviously covering the mile markers). What a relief--I hadn't turned into a turtle afterall. :)

I surprisingly did not get bored, I had so much to think about (classes/work/family/and as Dianna would say, "solving the problems of the world"). :) Also, during my last mile I ran past a couple getting married on the town common, which was a pleasant distraction.

September 20th
Miles - ? (trails) Time - 30.15

September 21st
Miles - 5.5 miles Time - 52.02

September 22nd
Miles - ? (trails) Time - 31.49

** Thank you for all the comments from my last post. I had been denying myself an inevitable fact.....I need new sneakers. So now...the search is on! :)

Question

Saturday - I planned on meeting Dianna early in the morning for the first loop of her 20 mile run, but the torrential down-pour got in our way (Shucks!). I settled for a four mile run in the late afternoon, by myself, with only a few drops of rain here and there.

Friday - another day of rest

And now for my question.....How many miles do you put on your sneakers before buying a new pair? As of now, my sneakers (New Balance, All Terrain, 602) feel completely fine, but they look a little beat up and the tracking is nearly gone, so I am wondering how much longer they will last. Ideally, I would like to keep my sneakers until December, because I really like them and I must admit, I'm just cheap (living on a student budget stinks some times).

Listed below are the running miles I have put on my sneakers (which excludes the times that I have worn them; to get the mail, shopping at the market, baby sitting, etc...)
January - 13
February - 7
March - 16
April - 31
May - 93
June - 60 (I'm estimating, because I can't find my June schedule anywhere.)
July - 94
August - 115
September - 79 (as of today)
TOTAL - 508

Number 18

This afternoon I bumped into my old cross country coach from high school (Mr. Lunt) which triggered a recollection of many wonderful cross country memories. Mr. Lunt was the one who inspired me, encouraged me, and taught me what it meant to be a runner. He changed my view of running forever. (I started cross country with the belief that running was only an extracurricular activity to add to my college application when senior year rolled around, but in the end, he taught me what it meant to be a life-time runner.)

After seeing Mr. Lunt, I went home and found my high school running journal (collecting a little dust in the attic). After my last race I wrote, "I'm glad I ran cross country all four years. It taught me a lot about myself, about time management, about pushing through hard times, about not giving up and giving it all you've got. Maybe I won't ever be on a team again, but I hope I'll continue to run."

I am not sure if I expected to one day be putting in 30-ish miles a week, but that doesn't matter now. I think that being a life-long runner is a process, which evolves unexpectedly. One day you realize, "Wow, I never knew my body could run that fast.....or that long." And, one day you might have to say, "Gosh, my times keep increasing, no matter how hard I train" But do you know what?...That's okay with me.....because it's all about evolving as a runner, understanding what you are capable of doing, and staying true to yourself and your values.

All that being said, I think I have to add another item on my "list of things to do in life".
#18 coach or assistant coach a cross country team
What a wonderful opportunity it would be to share my passion of running with a group of kids, and to teach them what running is really all about (not just an extra-curricular school activity)!

Miles - 2.5 Time - 19.55 Weather - 73 F, 81% humidity

Extra Hills

Wednesday - 45 min. (4.5 miles-ish)
Due to my crazy schedule, I had to venture out for a night run. At 8:00 I dropped off my books, grabbed my mace (just in case), and started running. It's strange how everything appears to "change" after the sun goes down. I was hoping to find another runner along the way, but I didn't, which might be attributed to the rain. What kind of person really runs in the rain.......Besides us, in the RBF? :)

Tuesday - 50 min. (5.5 miles)
I met Dianna for another trail run. This time we took a new trail which had a spectacular view of the lake, but a few extra hills. Was the view worth the extra effort? Absolutely! I love going on new trails and with Dianna chatting away, the extra hills felt like nothing. (Well, maybe that is a little bit of an exaggeration.) :) :)

Monday - Rest!

Sunday - 1:30.01 (I'm hoping it was 9 miles-ish)

Next Time...Triple Knot the Laces

9/11
Today was the Goshen Congregational Church 5K race. If you closed your eyes and tried to image a "typical" small, country church fair... I'm sure this one was even smaller than you could have imagined. It was filled with old-fashioned charm. (I was just hoping they would bring out home-made ice cream.) :)

I met Dianna just before the race and we made our way to the starting line (on a dirt road). At 10:00 the church bells rang, and we were off. There were two significant hills along the way, one being at the very end of the course. ~ Overall, I was pleased with my run, even though at the end of the course, I had to quickly stop to tie my right shoe lace. Why hadn't I double knotted my laces? Sigh...

Time: 23.56 min. (1st in my division---not bad, considering I was the only girl in my division) haha

9/10
Miles: ? (maybe 8, but i have no idea)
Time: 1:14
Results: I normally don't get cramps when I run, but during this run, I had a weird cramp on my left side, which only lasted for a short time (luckily). I attributed the cramp to the two large, greasy peanut butter cookies that I ate just before I started running. What was I thinking? :)

9/9
Miles: 3.6
Time: 32.35

9/8
I met Dianna at Mansfield Hollow for a four mile trail run. Along the way, we decided to turn off our stop-watches. Our main goal was to enjoy a relaxing post-race run.

New Haven 20K Race Report

I woke up before sunrise and drove into town to meet Michelle and Jason. As fate would have it, Michelle thought it would be best to meet at a donut shop. A Boston crème donut was calling my name, but I had to resist, especially on race day (although I did go for a blueberry muffin). :) When we arrived in New Haven, we quickly found Dianna and Annalisa, pinned on our numbers, made a quick bathroom stop and headed to the starting line. I was filled with excitement, and I was really nervous too. I had never run more than 9 miles, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to conquer 12.4, but I survived.

The race was awesome and I don’t know if there is anything else to say! Dianna and I ran together and along the way, we met her race day friend from last year. We were all able to chat, while keeping a good pace. Don’s enthusiasm and Dianna’s encouraging words (and singing too) :) helped me make it to the finish line.

Around mile 7-ish I my legs started to feel sluggish, but after a quick water stop I regained my energy and was able to keep trucking along. The course was great because it was primarily flat, and there were bands (and even a bagpiper) on the side of the route. I felt like I was surrounded by positive energy from start to finish. I didn’t have a huge kick at the end, but I tried my best and that’s all that matters. It was a fantastic race and I can’t wait until next year to do it all over again!

(I don’t know my official chip time, but unofficially it was about 1:45.30 )

Ready for the Race

I only had 5 hours of sleep on Friday night and Saturday night (completely by choice, so I can't complain) but I realize that my body may need a little more sleep in order to run a 20K race tomorrow morning. My plan is to be in bed and asleep by 9:30 (something I haven't done in years).
As for the training, I ran for 38 minutes on Friday, took Saturday off, and slowly "ran" for 49 minutes today. The best part about today's run was being able to wear a long sleeve shirt because of the cool weather. The summer heat has passed and autumn is on its way!

I Love this Weekend!

9/3/04
~ I got in a quick 38 minute run today. I was planning on taking a shorter route, but the weather was so nice, I had to go a little longer.
~ This weekend is going to be crazy and fun. The fair is in town, my house is packed with company, my cousins baby is being dedicated on Sunday and my first big race is on Monday. I am so excited, I can't hardly wait!!! :) :)
~ Happy Labor Day Weekend Everyone! (Enjoy the weather and go for a long/relaxing run on Monday!) :)

9/2/04
2.5 mile track work out on a most beautiful day.
Time - 19.46

9/1/04
A fun trail run with Dianna and Michelle.
Time: 49.30 Miles: 5ish

8/30/04
My night course was dismissed early which allowed me the time to complete one last long run before Mondays race. I did a little trail running and I ventured out to discover new roads surrounding the campus. The first hour was fine, but after that I started getting really bored. Like Dianna and other bloggers have shared, I'm starting to think that audio books just might be a good idea!
Time: 1:30.11
Miles: ? (maybe 9)
Results: Still feeling good. No Pains-No Problems!