Last blog/run of 2010

Well hello blog, we meet again!

This year has been full of changes for me :) I started off single, still working on the research for grad school, hating running and pretty much all exercise, and of course, this blog didn't exist! I end with an amazing boyfriend, research done, and loving running, then telling about it. Okay, maybe I don't love running, but I do love the feeling before/after, the conversations it sparks, the setting of goals that only you can set and fulfill, and oh yeah, that even Fred asks "so do you want a subscription to Runner's World?" Hee hee, why yes, because I am officially a "runner."

KR came with me on our spontaneous run. I didn't think I'd get a chance to run today, pre-tonight's festivities (house party?!) and my morning shower. Yes, with this much hair, getting it dry takes for.ev.errrrrr and I hate hair dryers. I didn't even own one until I was at least 21, true story. With my hair already washed and me already cleaned, the lazy bum in me went to work and said "well, no more workouts for me?" until I asked KR what she was doing. Behold, ta-da, everything fell into place!

We did my old 3 mile route. I was going to make the "out" portion longer to make the "back" section shorter and part of a long downhill, but as I came home, I realized all the runners were on the pavement of the scary twisty road that everyone speeds down because the ice/snow/slush was THAT bad on the sidewalk. 

Evil, evil quarter mile hill

I showed KR the route, and explained that there was a 5 min walk start built in, so we started after the 2nd cross street of our 3rd road. We got on the road, and she started running. Crap, had to somewhat keep up, so it was the hill. When we got to the top of the hill, ans subsequently, the 2nd cross street, KR gave me a "wait, did you just find the hardest, steepest hill to begin the run?!" and I reminded her the route hadn't technically started. Blegh! But I kept running, KR did a lot of running down the side streets as I trekked along. We sprinted one final driveway, then walked to the halfway marker. 1.5 miles in... 15 minutes :) There was a lot more walking on the way back, ack ack ack, but I think we did the full 3 miles in 35 minutes. Not bad for tons of walking at the end :/

KR and I are January babies, 354 days apart and when I was debating what to make for my birthday cake last year, we realized that making your own birthday cake is NO FUN! Hence, I made her cake and she made mine. Don't worry, I'll show that closer to the date, because no edible baked goods should have that color. BUT! As we walked back, we started talking about what we'll make this year. I think the current winner involves cheesecake :D MORE INCENTIVE TO KEEP RUNNING!

Here's to the next year AND TV timeout :)

-Syd

Three in One

Maybe its the Illini in me, but when I hear "Three in One" I think of this:

But, to catch up, you get three posts in one :)

First... Santa (aka my Aunt) was awesome and brought me... RUNNING TIGHTS! 

So of course, I had to test them out on Christmas. Can I once again say how amazed I am that I actually was EXCITED to run, especially on Christmas?! But I went with my mom to a little trail, and by little, I mean 1/2 mile. It will eventually link up with longer trails, but I didn't check the distance before we went out. Oh well :) I did a good 1.5 miles while my mom walked with Lucy. Part of my mom/Christmas-ness was a new Droid (go Verizon!) so I have 4 apps to track runs and 5 to play radio/music.  

I also realized I really need to work on crosstraining- aka weights! I have minimal arm strength and realize that better leg muscles should help limit the injuries. The legs had gotten nice and muscly, but the post-race/injury hiatus has led to them being loose again :( Also, while losing weight is somewhat of a goal, I'd rather weigh more and go faster, stronger. Plus, at 5' 9", I can weigh over 150lbs and still be in a healthy weight range, but qualify for "Athleta" divisions at races :)

Women's Health Magazine has some great workouts online, so I've decided that non-running days will be strength days. Many of them only require your body weight or light weights, which I have. There's something wrong with me and the fact that I love lunges and squats. Plus, the burn afterward? Yes it hurts, but you know you earned it!

Last but not least... I've decided its time to start working on the 10k! I want to be faster and go further- doesn't everybody?! So for now, I'm accidentally doing sub-3 mile distances, but according to the Droid apps, at faster pace- 11 min mile pace, even! And that's outside with natural changes in elevation :) I looked around at plans online and although there was one I loved, I knew I loved it because it was doable... and I need a challenge. So the one I picked includes a) hill work b) speed work and c) tempo work- everything to help me go faster and further! Right now, I'm thinking 10 minute miles as my goal- long term. If I can do a 10k at 11 min pace, I'll be happy- for the first one, at least! 

My little 3 mile route was derailed by 2 things today. First, I forgot Mom's ultimate rule of running: go pee before! About half a mile in, singing along to the radio was the only thing distracting me from the fact that omfg, I needed to PEE! Sorry, I realize its maybe TMI but it was not cool! Second, the sidewalks looked like  this:

Uh... no thanks! I've already shown how prone I am to falling on straight, flat, non-snow-covered surfaces! When I got to this chunk of sidewalk, the little voice in my head (aka Google myTracks) chirped up that I'd done 1.5 miles at 11 min mile pace. I could see my car, so I scurried back. 

This Eastern snow storm has me going "dang nature, you're scary!" a lot. When I came home today, I started hearing this crackle/crash sound and risked running on my walkway that looks a lot like the scary sidewalk above to get to the porch alcove. Its somewhat sad when you have to choose between potential fall on the ice or whatever scary ice/snow is about to come crashing to the ground. Thankfully, I got under the safety of a roof without falling and had nothing crash on me :)

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

Antlers and fuzzy socks :)

So I'm a few days behind now (oh the exciting Christmas story I have for you!) but  have an awesome run story :) 

Remember how I said my mom could outrun me? Yeah... SPOILER ALERT! We went to the running store where I got my shoes and did their Tuesday night group run. The 1.5 mile route we did was designed to show off decorated houses. They also had a competition for the best dressed runners. Even with costumes like this (please note the ever-fabulous ugly Christmas sweaters), we didn't get honorable mentions. But we did get some good ideas :) 

Like I said, it was a 1.5 mile route and I have no clue how long it took, but it was fun to do :) I lost my mom some time around the half way mark. No clue how long it took, but getting back into "running with other people" was a nice change of pace :) 

Now that I've done this run with someone, I'm way less intimidated to do other runs at the store. They've got a lot that I can do now, and even more to look forward to. 8 miles at 8 min pace anyone???

Hope you're staying warm and safe and, as always, here's to the next TV timeout :)

-Syd

Have a safe and happy holiday season, from me, Lucy and my mom :)

Exploring the Mountains

As KR told me, "it counts for exercise if you're walking around a lot!" Mom and I went to the mountains to visit "America's Largest Home"and see the *interesting* city that is Asheville, NC. The downtown is super hilly (no pictures) and even walking around the grounds and structure of Biltmore gives your legs and knees a workout, with the ups and downs. We got to tour 4 stories of the mansion at night, all decorated for Christmas. Mom and I went back to the grounds the next day to see the mountain view from the house and explore the conservatory. What can I say? The plant nerd in me appreciated their hard work :D

Overall, Asheville was *soooo* not my cup of tea, but the house and grounds of Biltmore were amazing, spending time with my mom is always neat, and I got that box checked off my list!

Here's to the next TV Timeout!

-Syd

Sunday Pictures!

I was too lazy as I was writing the post to put up photos from Sunday, but after finding the cord and the camera, here are a few...

Start area

Gear Check

First Half-Marathon-er crossing the finish line at about 1:20

KR Making the final turn. As I yelled at all the runners "ITS ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE!" KR just yelled back "WATER!"

8.5

I put 8.5 miles on my legs this morning at the gym, in about an hour. No, I didn't all of a sudden turn into some KR-fast runner (btw, super awesome story if you stay tuned in!)- I walked about a half mile, ran a mile, then biked for 7 miles. One of my goals for 2012 is to do a sprint triathlon, so I'm trying to get my legs used to being worn out! I did the running first and then the biking, but when it comes to the tri, it'll be reverse order. Whatever :) I'm also just trying to re-gain cardiovascular endurance after basically a month and some change off. 

This morning's gym session was actually my 2nd of the week. Since calender weeks start on Sundays, so too do I! I did 20 minutes on a treadmill, alternating running and walking. During an off-season triathlon workshop (which I'll blog about one of these days!) they talked about how training on the treadmill should be done at a 2% incline or more to compensate for the fact that you exert less energy running on a flat treadmill vs. flat pavement. Plus, what road is ever flat?!? Even though I've clearly lost a lot of the endurance, I've definitely gained some speed. I used to push myself to run at a 12min/mile pace, and now that's my slow running pace. My usual training speed is 11min pace, and when I'm pushing towards a distance, not time, I'll crank it up a notch or two. I did a little bit at 10min pace on Sunday and man... the burning sensation was NOT pleasant! 

KR got me an awesome "KEEP RUNNING-SAFELY!!" present: ankle braces! And yes, this is totally a shameless way of showing off our Christmas tree- isn't it pretty?!?! :) Its sort of basic this year, but since the roomie put it up, who am I to complain? :) 

I'm sure that come Christmas, there will be a few more ornaments on it! Both the roomie's mom and my mom will be coming to spend the holiday with us and OMG I'm so excited for it!

Oh and your final story of the day... Its not really my story, but I'm so excited for her and y'all heard about her first race, so I feel like bragging for her like a proud mamma bear. KR did her first half marathon this past Sunday. She hadn't even run 13.1 miles before then and man, did she pick a doozy of a day to run her first 13.1!!! It was rainy, unseasonably cold, and the course had quite a few hills! Given the recent craziness behind the scenes in my life, I went to go cheer her on and figured that as long as I was there, I could volunteer as well. I helped run the gear check (btw, world's greatest invention for >5k races!) with an old retired Navy man named Sid (we laughed about that!) as KR did her trek. 

The race was a fundraiser for the camp where it was held- Victory Junction Gang Camp. Race car driver Adam Petty, of the Petty racing family, HUGE deal in NASCAR, was killed during a practice run and the camp is supported by NASCAR, drivers and NASCAR's sponsors in his memory. (My NASCAR-loving brother-in-law had heard of the camp!) During the summer, different groups of kids spend a week and they have family weekends during the school year. Just from what I saw, they have awesome rec spaces, horse stables, a frisbee golf course, and tons of room to just go, play, and be a kid. What I thought was really neat about the camp was that each week or weekend is dedicated to kids of a specific disability, so if you were a kid with, say, cystic fibrosis, you would be at the camp with other kids like you. It takes away some of the comparisons and heightens the bonding experience to be with other children facing the same struggles as you. Plus, the reason fundraisers like this race, which raised over $100,000 for the camp, are so important is that no family has to pay to send their kids here. Richard Petty himself was at the camp to support the runners!

I met some really neat people, both affiliated with the camp and other runners, as I waited for KR to do her thing. Like I said, it was super cold and rainy out there. The first half marathoner came in around 1:20. He was booking it with under 7 min miles! FOR 13.1 MILES IN THE POURING COLD RAIN! I don't get it. Even crazier, there was literally nobody behind him that we could see. The end of the course had you running down a hill, up a hill and back down a hill to the finish line, all in sight of the finish area. After they'd interviewed him (from Charlotte, his first time running this race, could they please cut out some of the hills), the 2nd runner still wasn't in sight. 

Forty rainy minutes later, I saw the figure in a white top and black tights and I started yelling "Go, KR, GO!" Her one reply? "water!" After she changed into dry clothes, we ate some delicious chili and cornbread, and headed back to the car. In true KR fashion, for her 2nd race, she got 2nd in her age group. We ignored the awards ceremony and left while it was happening because KR was sure she didn't place. I'd been working the gear check so I didn't pay quite as astute attention as the previous race to see if she'd won. Plus, how do you tell a 26 year old from a 24 year old? They look the same, but different divisions! Anyway, it was super exciting to go and see some amazing runners and it definitely inspired me :)

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

I still exist!

I do still exist, I promise. Its just that, as KR put it, I 'have blisters on my fingers from the thesis' and all the mind-melting that comes as a result. I won't bore you with those details and other stresses, except to say that worrying about that has definitely not been awesome :/

I'm finally un-bruised and un-sprained, but I got so out of the rhythm of any sort of work-outs between injuries, traveling and the thesis that getting back into that habit is definitely not easy to overcome. I should get over that this week. Running always made me feel a bit more clear in the head, which is definitely something I need! Hmm... gave me an idea :)

My usual running routes outside intimidate me because Raleigh got Illinois cold! FOR REAL! Its currently the same temp in Raleigh as in my hometown- and we've had an extra hour of sunshine!!! 22* is not human running weather. All that time I wanted it to be colder? Ugh, I officially have thin Southern blood :(

For as awful as the thesis/no-running has been, I've definitely been super lucky to be surrounded by people who really support me. I've got some crazy deadlines and scary life changes happening, if only I knew how they'd end up, but through it all, the roomie, KR, Fred, my mom and so many others have been my sometimes-lacking confidence! The roomie has positive affirmations in her office-space, which I used to mock- and first-time visitors always question- but I took a page out of her book yesterday and put up my own post-it notes on my work computer. We'll see how those help me out.

On two random not-related to anything subjects...

With the cold + Christmas decorations at the house, Lucy's usual cage spot was overtaken by the Christmas tree (Lucy stays in the cage when nobody's home. All she does is sleep, and this way, if she's home a little bit too long, the mess is easier to find and clean up). Finding a new spot that wasn't too drafty was a couple days figuring out, but the roomie figured out just how to make sure the spot wouldn't be too drafty or cold for Lucy.

Yep, even Lucy's giving the roomie the "Mom, what are you doing?!?" look!

Finally, in the spirit of Christmas, I will warn you that this will make you cry. The video explains most of it, but Dax's mom and grandmother are closely tied to my church back home, so I read along with the blog as Dax underwent two bone marrow transplants. Julie, his mom, is such a loving woman and was born to be a mother. My mom sent this to me, but I saw it posted on a friend's Facebook wall this morning, so I thought I'd pass it along. The warning my mom sent definitely applies- have a few tissues handy!

Here's to the next TV timeout

-Syd

THANKSGIVING!

Greetings from the coldest cold I've dealt with this side of summer :) I knew it was cold when Fred handed me a hat to go with the coat I had already bundled around me and mittens on my hands. We took Penny the family dog out on her nightly walk and as long as I was walking around, I took a shot at running. Its weird, but it felt alright. Obviously, in my Thanksgiving dinner clothes, I wasn't quite equipped to go running, but after the 2nd try, courtesy of the grassy area around the grade school, I was hitting my stride, literally :) No running clothes with me in New England, but can't wait to run once I get back to Raleigh!

Some of the things I'm most thankful for Thanksgiving are awesome movies, people that love me, and adorable pets, so since I'm 1000 miles from my mom, cats and the Sound of Music and 700 miles away from the roomie, Lucy and Elf, its time for me to curl up with Fred and enjoy Across the Universe. They're fittingly at a scene at Thanksgiving now :)

Here's to the next TV Timeout!
-Syd

Ankle update :)

While I showed you pictures of my awesome knee the other day, I thought I'd let you see the catalyst injury. Really, I was sitting here with my legs up and crossed at the ankles when I realized my left ankle was BURNING UP! Guess all the little cells are in there, repairing away, right?! :) A girl can dream, at least!

Comparison of injured and standard:

Swollen...

Normal. Aww, I miss that ankle bone on the left side!

I've felt great the past couple days, mainly because I took lots of ibproufen! Thursday night was a dinner with potential employers, but I'd definitely been told it was a cocktail reception, which conjured up images of lots of standing and mingling in my mind! My cute little $10 flats from Target came in handy, though, because I got to show off a flash of HOT PINK argyle socks that went with my gray pants and pink sweater :) 

The big test came Friday morning when I wore a skirt suit to the formal interviews. I tested out the outfit with my hose to see how much of the bruise you could see (not noticeable!) and which shoes to wear. I didn't want to wear flats, but I didn't want to be in heels too scandalous, and trust me, I have some KILLER heels! My original game plan was the low black slingbacks, but the strap cut PERFECTLY across the swollen ankle area. I had a newly purchased ($13, thank you Ann Taylor LOFT!) dark purple top and so I decided to be a bit daring fashion wise and wear higher heels, but more coverage, less ankle annoyance and in the same area of the color spectrum as the top under my suit jacket. 

With more of the ibproufen, taken at doses approved by the Roomie, MD , walking from interview room to interview room, up and down stairs, was no big :) I switched back into the aforementioned Target flats for a site tour, and life was great! The great rapport (I HOPE!) with the interviewers probably made me feel a bit invincible, too ;) 

Today has been a medication free day. I had a sneaking suspicion my horrid tummy ache yesterday wasn't nerves but ibproufen, so I wanted a day free of that pain. Walking around is definitely doable, just a bit of discomfort here and there, but nothing I can't handle. I think I might put the ice pack back on the ankle, since my instructions say to do it once a day.

Here's to (playing at!) the next TV timeout!

-Syd

Ouchie!

Title courtesy of the roomie. What you see to the left is what happened to my knees after I fulfilled one of my biggest fears when running and tripped, sprained my ankle, and came crashing down on the paved trail. That kneecap is all nice and swollen- a great look for the skirt I was hoping to wear for an interview on Friday! The knee's not the biggest problem though, its the ankle. I did pretty much the same thing in August, only I was on a wooded trail and I didn't go all the way to the ground. At least I don't remember the palms of my hands hurting like this. 

I was lucky enough to snag a doctor's appointment for this afternoon. X-rays confirm the bones are fine, but with the way that I step (supinate) and the fact that I've done this before, I'm not supposed to run or stress the ankle until I feel 100% on it :( Definitely not what I wanted to have happen today or at this point. Since its high in the ankle, it might take a while to heal, probably closer to the 6, not 1 week rehab time. 

Super bummed about this because I was getting back into the "alright, run with a goal" mindset. Maybe I can bike during this time? I liked my nice defined legs! I'll definitely have to do more abs/arms stuff!

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

aaaand we're back!

Its past 2:30 and I'm waiting for a call I was supposed to get at 1, so I figured I'll kill time wisely without getting too into work in case I still get the call. Seriously confused, and yes, time zones were mentioned in the e-mails to arrange the call!

Anyway, the roomie, Lucy and I went to meet up with KB at the North Carolina Museum of Art today. Yes, going to an art museum sounds weird, but there's tons of trails around there. Hooray for hippy-dippy North Carolina planning :) It was SO beautiful today! I didn't make the roomie my official photographer again, but here's what the view from the living room is : 

Imagine that over sprawling hills, surrounded by a sculpture garden! I realize my mom will have NC envy as she reads this, but she'll be out here soon!

KB hadn't run in 2 weeks, I hadn't run in a week, so I just followed her pace. She always pushes me, and I know it, but I just try to keep up. With our recent slacking, running wise at least, we aimed to do a good solid mile, then walk and regain our breath- a nice easy re-introduction to running. As KB told me to keep up with her pace, something along the lines of "if you can do 12:02 for 3 miles, you can do just one 10:30 mile!" we talked a little, but that soon got to be just too hard. We turned around at the top of a little hill, and had to run back to the roomie... who was now running in the other direction! 

Once we caught our breath, KB told me she'd lied a little about the pace. Her Garmin fancy-watch actually had us doing 1.1 miles in 11 minutes which means 10 min miles :) I don't know how much longer I could've kept it up, but its a nice mental victory to know that I can! When the cold sets in this winter, I'll be sure to not fear the 6.0mph setting on the treadmills as much!

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

Unexpected weights...

I had plans to run today, but they were quickly dashed when I was asked to help out in the greenhouse. Once I realized what my task would be, I knew that my "strength training rest day" was about to go out the window. Dear muscles, I hope you enjoyed your 24 hours of no working out because that came to a SCREECHING halt! I got to empty Terra cotta pots into wheelbarrows, then take the wheelbarrows to the huge wooden crates, unload the pots, then go up a ramp to drop off the plant and soil mixture into an organics dumpster- over and over! That's always fun, but then we had to figure out how to set up and fill pots in a way that wouldn't clog the drains with soil. We got through one wheelbarrow full of soil, but a new fast system is in place :) 

After all that, I was SUPER tired! I thought about taking Lucy for a walk, had every intention of doing it, but I realized I agreed to make cupcakes for the roomie :) I bake, she knows this, and is a bridesmaid this weekend. The vanilla ones looked good... until I tasted them. How on earth do you make something taste like cornmeal having added 0 corn derived ingredients? The mystery is solved, although it wasn't really one I ever thought of tackling. And it was from a trusty go-to source! I can't believe she would let me down, PLUS the chocolate cupcakes from Hershey's, marketed as "no fail!" definitely failed. Cupcakes shouldn't look like little cups of goo:

 I swear. I can cook. I can bake. 

Tonight's just not my night...

but I did get a callback about a job I applied for   :)    REDEMPTION! 

Run is definitely on the calender for tomorrow. I miss those endorphins!

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

PS: Lucy looking evil picture of the day :

Results and rebound

First off, the official results are up and I did better than I thought I did! I thought I'd gotten in around the 39 minute mark, but I was about 30 seconds faster per mile than I'd though. First outing, its still super exciting :) I was 4th in my age group- first 3 got medals! One of these days I'll get a medal- even if its just a "finisher" medal! Even though KR got a TROPHY, she still wanted a medal, too!

This side of the race, I'm still thinking about that next TV timeout and what comes after! So...

1- Get faster/better endurance - 12 minute miles are great for 2 months into running, but I want to be stronger, faster! Oh, and I can't forget about this whole 10k goal I have for the end of April. If I could do that in at least 72 minutes- which is about 12 minute mile pace- for the 10k, I'd be happy, but I know I can push it more.

2- Triathalons? Maybe? I'd definitely need to work on my swimming- I equate swimming, especially in deep ends!, with peas. So for now, that's a super long term goal.

I went running/walking with a friend from work today. If she was talking, we ran, but if I was talking, we had to walk. We covered 3 miles but no clue how long it took... and I'm perfectly okay with that. After yoga last week, I realized I've lost so much upper body strength that I'd built up over months of yoga and other strength training! I didn't have super defined muscles, but I could kick some skinny girls' butt in yoga and other classes!!! With that in mind, I'm going to Total Body Sculpt tomorrow, a class that leaves me in pain every time. We've befriended the instructor (Fred even drives to a class with her, small world!) so its always nice to see her at 6:20 am! KR continues to torture me- but its okay :) Lucy is sleeping quietly next to me, so I'm going to take a cue from her and hit the hay!

Here's to the next TV timeout (and race!)

-Syd

Rolesville 5k/10k

TA-DA!!! Done, done, DONE! All my whining for cold finally paid off and WHEW it was the coldest day this side of summer so far! Windy and cold, everyone thought we were CRAZY! KR was in running capris and a sleeveless tee, I was in shorts and a long sleeved shirt. All around us were people bundled up with pants, jackets, gloves and hats. By the time I got through the first song, however, I was SO glad I wore as little as I had. My hands just went numb, and I enjoyed the run in a new location. From the map at the registration, I saw that the course was an out and back, so every hill I went down, I knew I'd have to run up again! North Carolina subdivisions have some rolling hills!!! It was a quiet neighborhood, but cars were still driving around. I stayed on the asphalt most of the time because, darnit, I paid my money to run my race!!! (And yes, run your own race, was a key point my mom kept telling me!) 

I'm pretty sure I was one of the last people for the 5k coming out the start gates, but around that first turn where I was nice and warm, still jogging, TONS of people started walking. I didn't pass too many people, but had a few play cat and mouse with my steady pace as they walked then ran. Having people around kept me going nicely! I did the first mile in 12 minutes, the 2nd mile in probably 20 seconds faster. I didn't stop running until after the 2 mile mark, about halfway up this hill (coming back!). Yeah, no clue how to rotate it, sorry! I was pretty darn proud of myself for getting BACK into running after I walked. The key was to have the "you will run HERE" points.

The 10k route had the runners going right out of the starting gate, where I'd gone left, to do 5k, then had them wind back near the start/finish line and do the 5k route. I was just a little beyond my turnaround point when I saw the first 10k runner coming towards me! I was on my 3rd mile when I saw KR. We knew they gave out top 3 trophies for overall male/female finishers of both races, so in between talking to one of the mice that kept running/walking near me, encouraging her to keep running, I looked out for female 10k racers. There was one very early on, but the 2nd one I saw was... KR! When we overlapped, I yelled at her to keep going, that she was kicking butt! She just shot me the "ohmigawd why do you have SO MUCH ENERGY!!" look and said "get on it!" In her defense, she later told me she wanted to WOO at me and encourage me like I'd done to her. Its okay- she was on track to run her 6.2 miles in under an hour! 

I wasn't quite sure of where the end was, but at the last water station (woo for lots of those!) a volunteer was directing me out of the way of traffic and had his hand out for a high 5- I gave him a superhero leap and he told me the finish line was just around the corner. Downed the water, looked up, and saw the man directing runners into the chute. I saw the cones and realized...SPRINTING TIME! My legs were jello, but I got in! My goal had been to shoot for 40 minutes total- giving me enough time to walk if I needed it, plus I didn't know how hilly the course would be. What I turned in was a ~38 minute race! 12.25 minute mile pace!!!

They IMMEDIATELY made me stop so they could take off my foot chips- not cool!- but I went to grab some water, juice, chocolate milk and a banana. I beat the first 10k guy in (woo!), and knew with KR's pace that I had enough time to walk to the car to grab a sweatshirt and my camera. I kept jamming to my iPod, had the lady that I'd been encouraging come up and explain to her friend how I had been the person to keep her running (hee hee! always feels good), and waited for KR. She came in under 53 minutes, and I was pretty sure she was still the 2nd 10k female. 

Sure enough... we stuck around for the awards ceremony and KR took home a cute little trophy :) The age ranges once you got out of the teens were in 10 year blocks, so I went home empty handed, but hey- pain is temporary, pride is forever :) This was a great first race, I have a neat t-shirt that I can wear with pride, my bib has my time and a few notes on the back, and I AM HOOKED! 

Before today, I was soo looking forward to taking a break from running. I still will take the running down a notch, maybe just go for longer distances with more breaks, but still pushing myself, no training program. Case in point? Going with my friend for a run on Monday. She's so excited I'm into running now, since she got into it a couple years ago and always wants someone to go with her. I've warned her I'm slow, but at least now I know I can GO!

CLEARLY before :) See why people thought KR was CRAZY?!?! She warmed up quickly, too!

KR all done :)

My bib

KR's 2nd place trophy. The 3rd place girl grabbed it, so she had to go track it down and get her rightful trophy!

Here's to the next race and TV Timeout!

-Syd

My Mom is Awesome

I'm highly biased, but if there was to be anybody biased in the other way, it would be me. However... I think my mom is awesome. Whereas too many empty-nesters I know of just kind of settle down, stay content with the lives they'd built while dealing with unruly teenagers, my mom did the COMPLETE OPPOSITE! She's kind of like me where she has some awesome friends who have challenged her to go outside her comfort box. Even without them, she's pretty fearless and independent. After joining the military at 18, she's lived in Germany, visited Egypt, and took me around London. On the less-exotic front, she bakes, cooks, sews, and sings nice and loud at church every Sunday. 

During the bike ride across Iowa in Pocahontas :)

One of her empty-nest endeavors was .... RUNNING! She's done a 4-mile race in my hometown for a few years. She interrupted her training to ride her bike across Iowa to do it this year to keep up her 4-mile run :) My mom's even done a half marathon. Quite a legacy to live up to! With that in mind, she sent me the following advice, which I have also passed on to KR. 

Here's to the next TV Timeout and take it away, Mom...

Syd

1. don't wear any new clothes - including sock. only wear stuff you have run in before and are comfortable in. you never know what might itch or bind. wear comfortable clothes - this is not a beauty contest!

 

1.5 be sure your shoelaces are tied - and tucked into the laces some way so they don't get loose. nothing worse than having to stop to tie your shoes.

 

2. go to the bathroom before the race - go at home, and at least once when you get there - even if you don't think you need to. be prepared for long lines.

 

3. only eat food that you have eaten before - this is not the time to try something new! be sure to stay hydrated, but water is much better than caffinated drinks. drink on the race if offered, and don't be afraid to pour the water over your head if you are getting warm. advice i got for drinking on the run was to smoosh the cup so it's just a narrow sliver and drink from that.

 

3.5 chapstick or something on your lips

 

4. dress for at least 10 degrees warmer than the temp - you KNOW you'll warm up.

 

4.3 stretch a little before the race, then stretch more afterwards - you will feel much better the day after.

 

4.5 check out the finish line - or the whole race course if possible. it helps to know if there are hills or turns, so you can be mentally prepared.

 

5. don't go out too fast - it will be very tempting, the adrenalin is going, everyone is passing you - but go at your own pace. You'll pass a lot of those people as they run out of steam.

 

5.5 sometimes, especially if you are running by yourself, it helps to pick out someone ahead of you and try to keep pace with them, or pass them if they are too slow then pick someone else in front.

 

6. RUN YOUR OWN RACE! You are not racing anyone else, you are just running for you.

 

7. Have fun, go at a comfortable pace, but don't be afraid to sprint at the end! You'll be amazed how much energy you really have left!

 

I'll be rooting for you!!

 

Love, Mom

 

p.s. - our buddy Toni would say to set a goal - do you want to run 12 minute miles? 12.5 minute miles? 40 minute race? Only walk for a total of 5 minutes? Choose something, and see how you do.

in which I don't run

Yep. A blog where I document running but sometimes you have to document purposely not running, like today! KR and I went to morning yoga, then had some quality time on the ellipticals afterward. I had planned on taking Lucy out on a walk to make her be tired, but smushy-face is getting off easy, thanks to tons of rain! She hates the rain so much, that when it's time to take her out for potty breaks, she goes down the steps, then around towards the house to the area under the roofing. Smart/lazy dog!

I got some awesome news today and am super excited for the upcoming weeks :) Getting the 5k conquered this weekend will actually make me more excited to work out. I'll probably re-start more strength (yoga!) training and other aerobics, like biking! I'm clearly getting burnt out on running, so a nice break from it, but not from working out, is in the works. Besides, I was checking myself out in yoga today- she told us to, I swear!- and realized my butt's getting smaller :) 

On to the next TV timeout- and my first 5k!

-Syd

Desperation

I've dome some crazy impulse things in my life, but KR might have just helped me do one of the craziest...

http://www.ecrun.org/docs/131entryform.pdf

So let me backtrack... I went to the treadmill on Sunday, thinking I could cover the screen, and just go. It sort of worked. I pushed to just a mile, but that victorious 1.21 miles was still looming over me. KB realized in our runs that I suck after I quit to walk, but I tried to go again. Bleeeggghhh. I did check out my form a lot in the mirrors in front of and beside me. Hooray for leg muscles :) 

I can feel the leg muscles again today- calves and shins OMG! As KR and I were plotting our races, we realized that our plan A AND plan B were full :( Crap. Punting... KR jokingly suggested this weekend. Well, a joking suggestion got me into this mess, so why not have another one get me over this darned hump?! I am officially registered for my first 5k to run (I've done tons of Race for the Cures, but walked them all). So, with that in mind, I went out and took all the advice KR had gotten after she posted her little announcement on Facebook. I had the "you can do this!" mantra and mindset and stopped looking at my feet. I used to like the measurement of my progress, concrete square by concrete square, but just looking ahead helped me just be and go. I ran the longest I ever had without stopping- a full 1.78 miles. 

Like I said, my shins and calves are KILLING. I'll do yoga (yay internet videos!) tomorrow and Thursday, as well as finding a way to go 4 miles, a combo of running and walking, taking Lucy with me to TIRE HER OUT- GRRR- on Thursday. If I can get out of my head for 4 miles, I can do the 3.1 miles, pushing myself like none other, on Saturday.

Now accepting any and all ideas/tips! 

Here's to the next TV timeout :)

-Syd

C-c-c-cold

Hooray! Once again (and maybe for the last time?) its COLD! Well, not cold-cold, but at least chilly-cold! The house is at 69 right now. As the first one up, I had the pleasure of shutting all the windows in the house to maintain what heat was left. And to think, I turned on the a/c in my car yesterday because it was raining but still super stuffy!

I convinced the roomie to come out with me. I had my little route all planned out, and I did it, but I definitely walked more than I wanted to. I'm getting there, but not quite at the pace I'd hoped, I still have 3 weeks to build up to 3 miles :) My GPS tracker decided to be fickle again, so I have no clue what my pace or time was, which is kind of freeing. Will definitely do Sunday's run on a treadmill- no GPS to mess up there!

The worst part of the run was the headache I gave myself. I realized I've been making a couple stupid mistakes (thanks Mr Clean!), including forgetting to eat real dinner the night before. Who says cupcakes don't keep you going?!?! I also didn't fuel up before going out this morning, and coffee only takes you so far! Definitely learned lots of lessons, so, like I said, actually looking forward to Sunday's run. 

With the roomie on the run came 2 other things: Lucy and a camera! Enjoy the pictures, but please, ignore my hideous "this is me, running and feeling like crap" faces!

Hooray! COOLER WEATHER AHEAD!!!

Warming up, just outside the house

Lucy!

Oh what's that? Yeah, I think I'm thirsty, too!

Turned around!

srsly...let this be done...

Oh hi. Sorry all the drivers get to see my tired face!

Maybe?

Getting there...

Hooray!

LEAP!

I have the superwoman outfit at home, but sometimes you just need to practice your flying form :)

Yeah. Typical running face. Not pretty at all :P

Random guy riding his bike...and the roomie's shadow of her taking a picture :)

Lucy. To scale :D

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

Scary Skies

Scary scary tornado-ready skies today as I went out. I figured the worst thing that could happen would be getting rained on, in which case, I'd run FASTER, and put my phone and iPod in the shorts closest to my body to keep them protected from the rain. Somewhat unfortunately, the only moisture came from me! Its downright sticky here :P It hit 80. Does the world not realize Halloween is right around the corner? Oh the childhood trick-or-treating memories I have, ruined by the coat I needed to protect myself with! 

I'm a bit off the plan, so I ran 1.1 miles, walked for a song, then ran another .5 miles. I realized I do much better when there are other people around. As I was going *down* the evil hill, I ran into a suuuuper toned girl and her dog (poor furry dog, probably made for Alaska, not neverending NC summer!) running *up* the hill! Feeling her plight, I told her "good job" and got some extra spunk in my step :D My normal sprint down the hill was derailed by PINE NEEDLES! I was so scared of stepping on one, having it be so wet that I would lose my footing- have I mentioned my parents gave me the middle name of "Grace" as a cruel joke???- and lead to a hobbled me. Instead, I slowed down, carefully picking steps, losing my momentum. Ugh, I should never stop for walking, even if my abs do start to hurt during the run.

On a much more personal note, one of the main reasons I've always been intrigued by running is because of a dear friend I had in high school. My typical teenage job was working at a Midwestern food chain called Culver's. Oh the weight I gained with free/cheap burgers and ice cream! I knew some of the people that worked there from high school, including one girl, Laura. She played girl's soccer one year, until she moved to track as her spring sport, so I knew her briefly from JV soccer. Laura was a natural at running, kicking butt at cross country meets in the fall, and dominating long distance races for spring track. Her true mettle came out one day, tho, after she ran a half marathon. We'd been swamped at work, and were constantly texting and calling her, BEGGING her to come in and bring us to full staffing. After going and running 13.1 miles, she came in at noon and closed, roughly an 11 hour shift, all on your feet, all having to be nice to customers, not an easy feat, even on your best day. 

For as happy-go-lucky and schoolgirl cheerful Laura could be, she was often deeply sad. Of course, there were the many times I let her copy my AP/IB Bio workbook because I knew she'd worked an evil shift the night before, but she would still be sad beyond the level of a girl as gorgeous, talented and smart as her should be, even if she hadn't done her homework or studied for a test. A few conversations I had with her were depressing, but having had a great life, but still had things that made me depressed and sad in high school, I thought nothing of it. After all, we both had great friends as support systems, and despite the divorced parents, we knew at least one of them would always be there for us (thanks, Mom!). 

On October 28, 2005, however, the entire world realized just how sad this young woman had been. Her car was found at the bottom of a cliff in my hometown. The little red car she'd worked so hard to buy had literally split an oak tree in half as it sailed off the road down the ravine. If the impact hadn't killed her, the coroner found a lethal dose of cough syrup in her system. The opening manager at our work called her parents when they found what seemed like a goodbye from Laura on the front counter, only to have her parents discover she hadn't shown up for school, either. A hiker in the woods on the morning of the 28th found her car and alerted authorities. 

Much publicity has been made about the "It Gets Better" project, with prominent gay figures pleading with LGBT teens to keep on living through high school because it gets better. While I realize this is a message aimed at LGBT individuals, I think it would resonate with so many teenagers contemplating suicide, for whatever reasons. At 17, Laura hadn't yet gotten to experience truly falling in love, crazy fun parties in college, conning a boy into asking you out, Facebook stalking said cute guy who asked you out, landing an amazing job, graduating from college, getting married to the boy who keeps falling for your traps, making him the proudest man alive with your new baby, traveling the world, and so many other milestones, interspersed with sweet little memories, and yes, some bad times that, like all things, pass.

From the Journal Star : Laura Craig had everything to live for. The 17-year-old Richwoods High School senior was an honor roll student and a champion cross-country runner who also had an artist's hand in ceramics and sculpturing. But beneath the polished exterior was a troubled teen. Craig, who authorities say had a history of depression and had been treated for it in the past, was found in her mangled car at the bottom of a ravine in Detweiller Park on Oct. 28 "


It gets better.

-Syd