Thank You

I'd like to thank AKA Alice and Southbay Girl for your comments. They motivated me to out of my pjs and get up off the couch. I finally got up and ran (ran/walk) on Monday. Not long, not fast, but I got up off the couch and that's a start. I strapped on my garmin and prepared myself to embrace a crappy run. I think the total was 2.46 miles. Most of 1.46 was walking but that first mile ~ well that was done in 9:42 which included 1 minute of walking. To me, not too crappy. Now there's nothing left to do but keep at it...

Weak

7 days and counting - no running, no exercising. Just plain laziness. Must go eat again...

Eating My Words

40 minute run, piece of cake I said. It will be fast and done before I know it. I should know better than to be cocky. Right from the start yesterday, my run was a struggle. My legs hurt and my shins where just taunting me to try and run faster and longer. Somewhere around 20 minutes into the run the inner dialogue went something like this "maybe you should slow down, walk more. No slowing down is for wimps. Boy my shins are starting to hurt, this is just a training run, yes but you've become a run/walker..." It's at that point that I realized, was my ego really going to push me to the point of injury and vomit for a freaking training run? Seriously? Shouldn't this running thing be fun? What's one bad run? One bad run was yesterday 40 minutes 3:37 miles. Tomorrow could be a different story....

Magic Mile

Todays training run was 40 minutes which consisted on a Magic Mile. A magic mile is a mile time trail to judge your race pace and estimate your finish time. Through out the training you should improve upon your magic mile time. Well all I can say is I hope so. Today's magic mile was done in 10:19 and I ceratinly didn't feel like I could sustain the running pace for a 15K. Total distance for the 40 minutes was 3.37 miles. While I am not feeling the magic I will press on with the plan...

1:23:03

That's how long it took me to run 7 miles yesterday. I hit 5 miles at the one hour mark. Knowing that if I was just running and not following the training plan (walk breaks and pace 2 minutes slower than race pace) I would have hit 6 miles at the one hour mark was a little distracting. However the dull pain in my right shin that kicked in after 40 minutes made me rethink my ideas of speeding up.

1 hour 23 minutes and 3 seconds is a loooong time on a treadmill. Sooner or later I am going make it outside. My Christmas Garmin has arrived but I have yet to try it out. I have to make sure I've read and understand the instructions. A premature attempt to use it could be traumatizing.

Today starts the beginning of Week 4.

Mon - off

Tues - 40 Min Run (MM)

Wed - off

Thurs -40 Min Run

Fri - easy walk

Sat - 4x800

Sun - off

the orginal plan calls for the long run to happen on Sunday, I prefer Saturday but actually have had to switch back and forth depending on what I have going on. While I am glad this week's long run is not the 8.5 I have to look forward to next week, I am going to have to actually read up on the 4x800. Hope that's easy to track on a treadmil....

New Gadget

I bought this after Running School 2 weeks ago and used it for the first time last week. Love it! Makes this run/walk stuff a breeze. I don't have to watch the clock to know when to run and when to walk. I just set this baby and off I go. If you are in Atlanta you can find them at Phidippides http://www.phidippides.com/ if not at http://www.gymboss.com/

LOVE

I heart Sasha at http://www.sashasays.com/ for turning me unto to this deal ~ Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor $149.99 on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CSWCQA?tag=sassay-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B000CSWCQA&adid=1H8EHGZ7ZJ3QAM6M7AD3 If I was all tech savvy I would be able to insert a picture link but I still haven't figured out how to do that, I am lame like that.

This is where I am spending my Christmas cash! I am so excited I feel like it's Christmas morning already!! I am getting Christmas cash, right?!

Sunday was my first training run after Running School. I used the 10mile plan that called for a 5 mile run (run/walk). 1:02:44. at 5.3/3.6 (3/1) on the treadmill. (sticking with the plan and running 2 minutes slower than your race pace)It felt like I would never hit the 5 mile mark. Running outside probably would have helped with the boredom factor but I hadn't planned ahead and don't have a 5 mile course marked out. I will say that I felt good after 5 miles and probably could have continued on.

Rockstar of Running

First and foremeost I heart Jeff Galloway. I learned a lot of which I am sure I will include in future blogs. The biggest thing for me today was being introduced to the concept of running just for fun. Enjoying the whole run. How is this accomplished? Through the Run/Walk. There were a few type A people in the class and we wanted to know how to get comfortable with the walking part. After all, isn't it called running? Don't you run a race? Isn't walking cheating? Jeff's response ~ isn't that just your ego talking? Well, yeah, and she can be a real bitch. But the more I listened the more it made sense and Galloway has 1000's of examples of people setting PR's with this method. In theory it sounds very good. In practice I think perhaps it's easier to quite your ego once you hit Olympian status and were once a world class runner. As a chubby girl just trying to run under 10 minute miles, I am suspect as to whether that ego will keep quite.

Bailing

Somewhat related to running, I've decide not to run the Gobble Job Thanksgiving morning. I am proud to say that it has nothing to do with the cold or the hills, although that makes the decision a bit easier. I say a bit easier because I feel like I failed since I decided not to run it. (Could I for once have a vacation from my type A personality?)

It's really a budget matter. Halloween is the start of the holiday season for me, Halloween, my brithday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. My spending spikes around my birthday and Christmas (of course). My plan has been to start 2009 debt free from holiday spending. However, when I checked my credit card balance yesterday I was dismayed to find I've dug a nice little hole for myself. Must have been that birthday spree. Any way after running the numbers I came to the conclusion that 1) I've been spoiling myself lately, 2) that the credit card neeeds to go back into hiding, and 3) I need to stop spending unnecessary money on myself with Christmas right aorund the corner.

It's a cruel fact that you find the best stuff for yourself only when your out shopping for someone else. Any way no Gobble Jog for me or any other incidentals until that credit card balance reads zero! I do plan to get up and run Thanksgiving morning minus the bib but twenty some dollars closer to having that debt paid off!

Thought of the Day

"Holy crap!" or "You didn't think this through". Take your pick. It's 26 degrees this morning at 8:00am. All I can think about is Running School on Saturday morning at 7:00am. It's going to be cold. I don't like to be cold. Being cold makes me want to cry. Crap, not only will Running School be cold so will the Gobble Jog on Thanksgiving, cold and hills. UGH!! Holy crap, I didn't think this through! Letting the crying begin....

Training or Slacking?

Yesterday, I started training for the Gate River Run 15K in March. I ran the plan from Runner's World based on the time of my last 5k, currently running 6-10 miles a week training moderately (read: slacker tendencies)

Much to my joy, here is week 1's training plan:

Mon -Easy RunDist: 2mi@11:39
Tues -Rest/ XT
Wed - Easy RunDist: 2mi@11:39
Thurs -Rest/ XT
Fri - Rest/ XT
Sat - Easy RunDist: 2mi@11:39
Week Toatl - 6 miles

I ran my two miles yesterday at 10:23 pace and was damn happy to hit the 2 mile mark. Hope that's not a bad omen.

I'll post more about my training and the upcoming race as it will be a girls weekend with one not yet runner, one "I am only running this to get a guy's attention, and myself.

Big Pumpkin Run 5K

Cold, rolling hills, 29:07. I am not too proud to admit that I sprinted at the end to pass a dog and it's owner. Said dog had the nerve to drop a load earlier in the run leaving those of us in it's path to deal with the smelly aftermath.

Lunch

Before you get impressed, let me just say that I wish I could say that this is me preparing for the Big Pumpkin 5K on Saturday. In actuality it's me trying to stick to my grocery budget and not having any other less healthy options in the house. Back in the day this was standard, today what I wouldn't do for some chocolate or a piece of pizza.

Running the Heart Walk

Today I ran the Heart Walk. I thought this would be a good opportunity to do a run/walk since it wasn't officially a run and I wouldn't feel any self imposed pressure to do my best.

It was a 5K but I question their measurement in that my time was 29:52. That's with 2 water stops, several stops to take pictures, a shoe lace malfunction, and two music mishaps (knocked my MP3 player out of the arm holster, cause I am graceful like that) and slowing down to accept the misc trinktes that were be given out. (Didn't really want the stuff but wanted to be polite). All in all I ran the 5K with exception of the above mention stops. I may run with my camera more often.

Traffic was starting to irritate me the closer I got then I looked over to car next and a little boy was waving to me. I missed the team picture but seeing the little boy's excitement made it worthwhile

We started the walk at Turner Field and headed north to downtown. Similar route to the Kaiser Corporate Challenge we did last month
Headed over the interstate towards the GA Capital building.
I think the majority of the peopel from our company walked but I did end pass this lady who had a sticker on her back saying she was running in honor of her mother and father. Not many runners.

The last mile intersected with the end of the walkers just leaving the Turner Field area at the start.

Randon pictures of the "tent area".

The above mentioned misc. trinkets.

Finally a cute company shirt. Last couple, not so much.