18 Miles

My training schedule called for a 12 mile run today, but I decided to run the 18 miller because of scheduling conflicts next weekend.

Last Saturday I ran a relatively good 16 miller . (as good as 16 miles can be) :) I expected today’s run to be a "repeat performance". What’s an extra two miles? I thought it would be no big deal. Unfortunately I was wrong. The run was difficult, but I survived. So as they say, "What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger" right? :)

I met Dianna and our friend Charlie at 7:00. Dianna had a 20 miller on her schedule, so she ran two miles with Charlie before I arrived. The first 6 miles felt really good. We were in high spirits, chatting away, and enjoying the beauty of a cool, sunny morning run. When I heard Dianna’s watch beeping at us because we were running too fast, I wasn’t concerned. When we reached the ten mile marker, we quickly stopped to refuel. I was feeling a little weird and I didn’t want to end up with stomach problems, so I opted against trying my first power gel and ate my staple "refuel" food - fruit.

Things quickly went downhill after the stop. My calves were tense, my knees were sore and I was just plain tired. At one point Dianna reminded me about Chi Running and I thought--I don’t even have the energy to worry about my form. I'm just trying to get my feet to move one step in front of the other.

As we continued running I told Dianna and Charlie I would try to run with them until the turnaround point and then slow down. The sun started beating down and the slightly rolling hills felt like I was running up Mt. Everest (Okay, so that is a huge exaggeration, but there were hills!) :) Soon enough I had significantly fallen behind, but I was happy for Dianna. She was running strong and I did not want to hold her back. (She can totally qualify for Boston. Have some faith girl!)

After we separated, Charlie (who I think may be part Super Man) was awesome. He would drop back to run with me and then sprint ahead to run with Dianna. Even though I could hardly talk, he was full of encouragement and stories.

At mile 15-ish I was exhausted. I started thinking:
~ Why am I doing this?
~ This isn’t fun anymore!
~ I’m not a "real runner" like Dianna and Charlie.
~ Why does everything hurt?

At this point Charlie asked me, "Do you want me to carry your water bottle?" I’m not sure he was quite prepared for my response. I suddenly burst into tears. I had reached a breaking point, but seeing how it was near impossible to run and cry at the same time, I quickly tried to gain my composure and we kept running. In the end, I finished several minutes behind my running partners, but at least it was over. We survived!!!

Mile 1: 8:54
Mile 2: 8:52
Mile 3: 9:03
Mile 4: 8:53
Mile 5: 8:51
Mile 6: 8:56
Mile 7: 8:39
Mile 8: 8:48
Mile 9: 9:00
Mile 10: 9:08
Mile 11: 9:06
Mile 12: 9:10
Mile 13: 8:52
Mile 14: 9:00
Mile 15: (9:30?)
Mile 16: (9:30?)
Mile 17: (9:30?)
Mile 18: (9:30?)

It's a new day!

I hit a new low tonight. I know I don’t eat healthy, but normally don’t eat pure junk. For dinner I ate a slice of cake, chips, and bread with peanut butter. What was I thinking? I didn’t even like the chips, but they happened to be there. I wanted something easy and quick for dinner and that’s what I found.

Afterwards I felt disgusted and after reading Jeff’s post I felt worse. I started answering some of his questions…
Am I avoiding heavily processed foods? No
Am I getting my mineral and vitamins naturally? No
Am I eating to help with my body’s recovery? No

I realized that my habits have to change and they need to change now, especially with a marathon lurking in the near future. I don’t believe in fad diets, but I do believe in a healthy, balanced lifestyle of eating. I know it’s a process and I won’t turn into a “health nut” overnight but I can start with little steps, right?

I’m throwing the chips away and I am going to the market tomorrow. It’s going to be a new day! As Jeff said it’s “time to get serious about what you fuel your body with.”

Today was my last day of work at the town hall. It was bitter sweet because I love my job, but I am also looking forward to a new opportunity. The "work" itself was fine, but what really made me smile as I drove to work each day, was the people. I know it's corny but in some ways I felt like we were a family. It wasn't like other jobs where everyone was "out for themselves". And...one of the best parts was that I laughed all day because everyone had a great sense of humor. How was your day?

*an uneventful, slow 40 minute run in the woods tonight

100 Things About Me

Following the footsteps of Mark, Jon, and few other people…here’s a list of 100 random things about me.

1. I blush easily—especially when I am embarrassed.
2. I have been bitten by a dog twice (once while I was running and once as a kid).
3. I have a passport
4. … it has one stamp in it
5. While I was in Sweden I wanted a change, so I decided to get my hair cut short
6. I didn’t have a mirror in front of me while my hair was being cut
7…when I looked in the mirror I burst into tears—it was SO short.
8. My parents have been married for 32 years.
9. I have been to the opera once.
10. I tend to over pack when I go on vacation.
11. All the clothes in my closet are organized by season and then by color.
12. Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year.
13. I love it when I can smell cologne on guys.
14. I am extremely allergic to poison ivy.
15. I love anything with chocolate and peanut butter together.
16. I want to go sky diving someday
17 …and I want to see the Grand Canyon.
18. I haven’t remembered one of my dreams for a long time.
19. My favorite color is red.
20. I have seen three shooting stars.
21. I have had: 1 speeding ticket, 2 parking tickets, and one “failure to stop at a stop sign” ticket.
22. I plead innocent to all of the tickets and I got out of two of them
23. … and I am still waiting to hear back about the most recent one.
24. The only class I ever failed was Spanish I in high school.
25. I took Spanish I again in college and received an A—how did that happen?
26. For Christmas I want a pair of snow shoes.
27. I love wearing my summer sandal high heels.
28. Senior class superlative – best personality…I have no idea why because I’m generally on the shy side.
29. I love roller coasters.
30. I have been in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
31. Growing up, if I said “Oh my God” I would get a spanking
32. I quickly learned not to say it
33. …and I still don’t say it.
34. I have been a bridesmaid twice and maid of honor once.
35. My faith is very important to me.
36. Once my sister and I tried running on the same treadmill, at the same time
37…we both fell down and ended up with bruises.
38. I believed in Santa Clause until I was in kindergarten, then I asked mom if he was real and she told me the truth.
39. I hope I have children some day.
40…because I already have my first daughter’s name picked out. :)
41. I still exchange Christmas letters with my 2nd grade teacher every year.
42. I haven’t had a cavity since I was 13 years old.
43. Favorite Movie – You’ve Got Mail
44. I don’t like talking on the phone for “fun”.
45. I’m bad with directions.
46. I once spent 2 hours looking for a race that was only 45 minutes away.
47. I never write in cursive because I was forced to write in cursive every day in 4th grade.
48. I need to marry a chef because I hate cooking and I have no idea what to do in the kitchen.
49. I love the game Monopoly.
50. I can be very competitive at times.
51. I wear contacts.
52. I haven’t had a doughnut since July 1, 2004.
53. When I was a kid, I ate a doughnut every Sunday morning before heading to Sunday School.
54. I spent a summer working a children’s camp/horse ranch in New York.
55. Favorite college class – Adventure Running
56. Least favorite college class – Microeconomics
57. Longest time I have ever slept – 16 hours straight (from midnight to 4:00 the next day)
58. I don’t drink coffee, but I love the smell.
59. I have never broken a bone.
60. I’ve had to hitch hike once.
61. I have two older siblings. (Neil and Dawn)
62. My sister is my best friend.
63. I spent my first year of college at a private, Christian school in Pennsylvania.
64. I hated almost every minute I was there.
65. I never learned to whistle.
66. I am a member of Kappa Delta Pi.
67. I heart the Running Blog Family
68. … and running partners
69. I once returned a compass because I thought it was broken.
70. I later found out I had just been using it wrong.
71. Did I mention I have no sense of direction? :)
72. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was kindergarten.
73. I have a huge crush on Lance Armstrong.
74. The first time I went snorkeling I saw a fish the size of a goldfish, freaked out and ran out of the water.
75. I was a ballerina when I was in 2nd grade.
76. I wish I could dance, but I have no rhythm.
77. Currently I’m reading the book Voices from the Front Lines of Teach for America by Molly Ness
78. This past spring I totaled my parent’s car while they were away on vacation.
79. I really was born in the month of April.
80. my nick names at work – little girl and kid (can you tell everyone else is at least 15 years older than me?) :)
81. Favorite patriotic song – I’m Proud to be an American
82. All time favorite running song – It’s a Beautiful Life
83. I’m a pack rat—but an organized one.
84. I have at least 20 boxes in storage filled with meaningful “junk” and future teacher supplies. But of course it is all organized and labeled.
85. I once tried to “impress” a boy at school by wearing a lot of perfume
86 …unfortunately he was allergic to the smell and immediately had to leave the room.
87 When I was little my siblings and I would play “Cops and Robbers”
88 ….and I was usually the "bad guy" they would tie to the banister with string
89. I once went 3 days and 2 nights with only 4 hours of sleep-I never want to do that again
90. Grossest thing I’ve had to clean up – vomit from my drunken roommate
91. Favorite Sneaker - New Balance, All Terrain, 602's
92. Biggest regret – not going to my old best friend’s father’s funeral
93. I love using Instant Messenger.
94. Someday I just might be a missionary.
95. The only reason why I wanted to do this list is because I wanted a fun way to say…
96. I’m going to run a MARATHON!!! (my very first one)
97. It will be in Hartford, Connecticut on October 8th
98. I have been training for the past 11 weeks, using Hal Higdon’s novice program
99. I can’t wait for the race!! (I e-mailed a few of you awhile ago but I didn’t want to let everyone know because I was worried I might back-out or get injured. At this point, there is No Way either of those two things will happen!)
100. I made up everything on this list! Just Kidding! :) :) I can’t think of one more thing. :)

Word Verification

It had to be done---a word verification setting in order to leave a comment.
I'm sorry if it is a pain.

?

I think I did something wrong because now no one can comment.
What to do now? Sigh.....
I'll work on it the morning.
Good Night Blogger Problems!!

When will it stop?

I have been attacked by more spam comments–6 more just today! What the heck is going on? Thanks to Kiran’s suggestions I am only going to allow registered users to comment. I hope that helps–my fingers are crossed.

A small "thinking of you" package from my sister arrived today. Inside the package was a cool new water bottle, hair elastics so I can I put my hair in a ponytail while I run, and lotion. I love the fact that my sister saw running related things and thought me of. Aww...do I have the best sister in the world or what?

Scanning

I know I went a little crazy with the scanning, but it was fun so I thought I would give you a glimpse of everything that was on my roll of film.
*Yes, it's true-I still live in the Stone Age without a digital camera! :) :) :)

My friends Patti and Andrew who recently got married  

Larry and April Anne
(my student teaching supervisor)
 

Maggie and Michelle 

Deary Post Race Pic.  

a vitamin is a vitamin, right?

I’m curious, does anyone else have a problem with spam comments on their blog? I have had my blog over a year and I have never had any problems--until yesterday. I had 4 spam comments in one day. I have no idea how that happened or what I can do about it. Any suggestions?


As far as my summer resolutions go, I haven’t been as successful as last year, but I am making a little progress. My daily vitamin goal only lasted a few days, but I going to start over. Normally I buy the cheapest generic multi-vitamins I can find. I always thought "A vitamin is a vitamin, right?" According to Neil–apparently I was wrong. Last night he persuaded me to buy a new brand of multi-vitamins, which he thinks will improve my running and be better for my body in general. Last night we headed over to Vitamin World I spent a little over $20 on one little bottle of multi-vitamins. I hope it’s worth it!

Deary 5 Mile Race Report

This is what I know….
~ I have been training longer and harder this year.
~ I resisted junk food and ate a "real" meal the night before the race.
~ I hydrated well the day before the race.
~ I felt prepared, a little nervous of course, but I felt good—ready to accomplish a PR

This is what I learned…
~ The weather can turn everything upside down.

When I woke up on Saturday morning it was close to 90 degrees and humid. As I headed to the race, the hazy clouds parted and the sun started beating down. I met Michelle at the starting line and before we knew it, we were off running. Considering the heat I felt like I was running okay until I hit mile one and saw the clock. The time revealed that I was running a lot slower than I expected. As the sun continued to beat down I tried to remember some of the Chi-running techniques but my calves were tense and my "lean" felt awkward. The thought of picking up the pace seemed impossible. Around mile three I passed the guy from work that I occasionally go running with, who is normally very fast. It was obvious that the heat was effecting all of us, especially because there was virtually no shade on the course, although a few gracious people were nice enough to spray us with their garden hoses. At the last half mile marker I looked at my watch and realized my hopeful PR would have to be saved for next year. I normally try to sprint to the finish line, but that was not going to happen this time. I had already missed my PR and the guy I was running next to didn’t pick up his pace either. I fished the course exhausted and disappointed, but happy to be at the race. I love the spirit of race day and it was nice to see Michelle and her family.

*Check back on Wednesday for the race day pics.

The stats:
2003 = 44.41
2004 = 39.17
2005 = 41.32 (2.15 minutes slower this year)
Overall Place = 108 out of 259
Division Place (female, age 18-29) = 4 out of 17

I'm not sure what happened to my posting this past week--or lack there of. Catching up a little...I had a wonderful vacation weekend. How could you not have fun visiting a place with hershey kiss shaped street lamps and the smell of chocolate in the air? In between the shopping, eating, boating, and visiting I was able to go for one long run which went very well, even with a few little hills. Who knew–Pennsylvania actually has hills! :)

Tomorrow I am running in the Deary Memorial Five Mile Race. I am very excited and a little nervous. This will be my third time running the race so it will be a good test to judge my fitness level this year. Last year Dianna and I ran together or maybe I should say "sprinted like crazy runners until we were tired and finally found a steady running grove". :) This year it looks like Dianna won’t be able to make it because of her bronchitis (Booo–Get well soon Di!).
Here’s to out running this crazy humidity!

Have a fun weekend everyone!

Quick Note

I am heading to Pennsylvania today for a long weekend trip. I can't wait. I still have to pack, so I am thinking-one bag for all my normal clothes and accessories and one bag for my running gear. I am going to try my best to run twice while I am away, but if I only have time for one long run I will be satisfied. I cannot forget to bring my audio book. I'm dying to know what is going to happen in the next chapter.

Run Strong this weekend and good luck to any racers!!

"Reading" on the Run

I had a great run today. I went to the library after work and borrowed a book on cd. I listened to the first three chapters of the book which took an hour, but it felt like mere minutes. I was listening so intently that I stopped paying attention to the trail I was on and I tripped on a tree root, falling straight to the ground (thankfully no one was in sight to witness my misfortune.) :)
I can't wait to hear the next few chapters tomorrow. I don't remember whose idea it was to listen to a book on cd while running, but whoever suggested it--Thank You!

*In other non-running related news, I went shopping this morning at one of my favorite stores and found a pair of Calvin Klein jeans for $11. What a deal!!

Tagged

I was just tagged by Jank with this running survey.

Q: What are you training for now?
A: This is racing season, so I am training for several races. Here’s the list:
* August - 5 miler
* September - 20K in New Haven ( I hope to see you there!)
* two races in October
* I’ll finish up in November with a 5K–hopeful PR

Q: If you are raising money for a cause, what is it and why is that cause important to you?
A: I’m not raising money and now I feel guilty. Hmm....maybe I will look into it.

Q: What is the furthest distance you’ve run in your training and what is the furthest distance you will run before your event?
A. The furthest distance I ever ran was last October, 18 miles. I ran a half marathon, took an hour break and then joined Dianna for 5 miles of her marathon.

Q: What is your favorite flavor of gu? (or other sports gel)
A: I have never tried gu or any type of gels.

Q: How many days a week do you run?
A: 4 to 5

Q: Are you injured in any way right now? If so, what are you doing about it?
A: Nope, knock wood.

Q: What is one item of running clothing/gear (shoes don’t count) you can’t run without?
A: How can I only pick one item? I have to have an elastic to put my hair in a ponytail. I love my new power sox, I wear them every time I go running. I also need my stopwatch, bug spray if I'm going in the woods, pepper spray or the emergency alarm beeper if I'm running on my own and my sport sun glasses on bright days....but, I'm really not high-maintenance. :)

Q: Do you have a talisman you are planning on taking to your event? If so, tell us!
A: How pathetic is this–I had to look up the word "talisman". (An object marked with magic signs and believed to confer on its bearer supernatural powers or protection.) Seeing that I don’t believe in magic, my answer is no.

Q: Share one thing about yourself we don’t know.
A: I have had a credit card for several years, but I have only used it a few times-maybe 10 times at the most. I prefer using cash or checks.

Now, it’s your turn. I’ll tag: Dianna, Brent, and Ben