I Probably Should Make My Blog Public again

Felt great today...

My first .3 miles is always slow as I'm loosening up for the workout.  I finished the first mile at 9:00, but I estimate that I was going at about 8:30 pace.

I then did 2 minutes easy and 1 minute hard for 21 minutes.  I could feel myself losing steam, but I just wanted to make it so that I had a 1/2 mile cooldown to do.  I did make it.

My cooldown was about 5 minutes.  Altogether it took me 35 min.  8:45 pace-ish. 

Felt a little slow today while running.  Did the good old run to the farm, except I did it the back way since I just wanted a shorter run.  I felt good going out, but once I hit the wind out on Maplewood, then I was toast. 

I hate those runs where for the majority of the time, you're just thinking about how much longer you have before you're done.  This was one of those days.  Even listening to music didn't help

Today's run felt great.  My only problem is that I feel I can run an 8 minute mile in my sleep.  I think I'm afraid to go faster because I'm an overanalyzer.  I'm so concerned about staying on pace that I panic when I'm too fast or two slow.

Anyway, I ran 1.25 to the track (forgot to start my watch though), ran two mile repeats, one at 8 even (all splits within a second of 2 min) the other at 8:07 (my mind drifted during the second lap--that one was 2:07.  The other 3 were pretty much even).

Then I decided that I just needed to go a little faster.  I did an 800 at 3:45 (1:51, 1:54) and a 400 at 1:47.  I'm think I'm being too cautious.

Then on my cool down I had this weird calf twinge--didn't hurt, but wasn't exactly pleasant.  My calves have been tight the last 2-3 weeks.  Gotta stretch them better.

Ran an easy two--didn't feel like running at first, but once I decided I was going to take it easy, I finished in no time.

First mile: little under 10, second 9.

Didn't want to go on this run AT ALL.  I had to drag out the underarmor...I hate cold.

Once I got going, though, I felt good.  I was going easy--about 9:15 pace, and I was pretty consistent throughout.  I'm glad I got out.

I worked toward the last two miles on my limp-wristed right hand.  For some reason, when I'm not paying attention my right hand goes all cockeyed.  I've seen pictures.  It's not pretty.  Sometimes when I'm running I catch sight of it in my shadow.  The only problem with concentrating on my right arm is that I sacrifice a little bit of speed.  I'll keep working on it so it becomes natural.  I guess I'd rather be efficient right now.  I'm just not that fast.

I'm just guessing at my marathon pace right now.  I'd like to get in a 10K or longer soon so I can have a better idea.  My last 5K I didn't push it at all.  My two goals for the marathon are to finish and to beat Oprah's marathon time.  I know I can finish because I'm dedicated to training, but never having run more than 10 miles, I'm nervous about the Oprah thing.  She probably had the resources to hire one person to force her to pick up her feet, one person to yell at her when she hit the wall, AND one person to slap cookies out of her mouth (not factual, but that would be pretty awesome).  I just have my own nagging voice...

But I am in pretty good shape and I'm getting better as I log more miles.  I do feel guilty about missing Sunday, but I was bad this weekend and graduation took a long time.

Felt like crap today, all day.  My stomach hurt, but I knew I had to get some running in.  I was sloooow (took me 23 min) but I'm glad I went out running.

Ran a warm up mile (9 min) then did two miles 2 min slow, 2 min fast.  Felt pretty good. 

Have to guess on the exact distance.  I know it was just a little over 4 miles, but I was in Michigan. 

The run was hilly.  I'm not used to those (insert cornfield joke here).  It felt great, though.  Even though we (Coach Harris and I) ran a 10 minute mile as a warmup, by the last mile we ran at 8:30 pace, despite the hills. 

Worst run ever.  I went out to run for 2 and Coach Harris shamed me into running more.  As I passed our starting point I really wanted to quit, but allowed myself to be pulled for about another mile.  I'm still guessing at the distance (still in Michigan).

I had to stop and walk at the end, otherwise I would've pooped myself.  No wonder I felt like crap (pun intended).

Kids, I know you've been there before.  Well so have I.  Not the first time that's happened.  Definitely not the last.

I was upset because at the 2 mi, I was right on threshold pace (9 min roughly), but then when I finished, my time was slow (34:30).  I thought this run was only 3.5, and didn't think that I had slowed so much.  But I was happy when I mapped it.  The extra .35 mile means I kept my pace throughout the run.

I'm having trouble figuring out my pace.  Most of my miles are at either threshold or marathon pace.  My slow time is too slow.  I need to run a race to figure my vdot, but I'm too lazy.  And "racing" by myself doesn't sound appealing either.

Ran 2.25 slow miles and then one threshold mile (9:10--8 seconds slow).

I'm still guessing as to my vdot, but I'm too lazy to go out and really run a 5K.  Last one I did, I stayed running with a friend.

I'm planning on going out again today for some repetitions (400s, I think), so I'll update again later.

Gotta love spring in Illinois.  It's Tornado Season!!  I decided against running to the track since the kids were sleeping, making it difficult to catch a ride in case the sky opened up on me, so I opted for running the same mile 3 times. 

When I left the house the sky was black to the north (I live on the edge of town, so I can see for miles to the north) so I didn't think I had too much time to run.  About 1.3 miles into the run, I felt the temp shift abruptly.  Love it when that happens.  By the time I finished, the blackness was no longer to the north.  I probably had time for some more mileage, but I didn't want to push it.

I missed my end time, but I ran about 9:15 pace for the first two and didn't feel any less effort on the 3rd.

First I must say last night I had a terrible night's sleep.  It took me awhile to actually fall asleep, and not long after, Caleb woke up crying.  After he was safely tucked back into bed, it again took me awhile to get back to sleep, and then Caleb woke up again.  I was too tired to put him back in his bed, so the rest of the night was all elbows and feet in my back, until the train woke me up at 5:47, just like always, even though the tracks are a mile from my house.  Argh.

This was my mentality upon waking:  the last thing I want to do is run.  I tried to tame my wild garden in the morning, my allergies are bothering me...I had so many excuses.

Then I sqeezed in a nap while the kids were sleeping, and I felt a litle better.  I still didn't want to run and put it off, even though Mr. Neitzel took the kids to the farm so I could get in a run, but I thought about Sasha encouraging me to run 6 days a week.  So I went out.

My run was an easy one.  Ran to the track, ran 1.5 miles on the track (faster 400 with slower 100--all 400s at 2 min or under), ran home.  Glad I went out.

Ran the cable bill out, so I did the normal run backwards and really slow.

I felt good today.  I did 2 "fast" miles and I felt strong while doing them, like I could have gone faster for longer.  I really needed the boost of confidence.

The 2 fast miles were 8:10 and 7:46.

I felt okay, but not great on this run.  It was a slow day. 

I ran past a house with a bunch of kids playing outside and right before I ran by a little one fell off his scooter.  He was crying and I asked him if he was okay--I wanted to make sure his mommy was home.  He and his little sister started crying and ran away like I was some kind of monster.  It's kind of sad the way we condition our children.  On one hand, it's good to be cautious (and I'd probably want my kids to be leery too), but on the other hand, I'm one of their neighbors (I live just 2-3 blocks away and run past their house all the time).  What a world we live in.

Felt sluggish today. Squeezed in a quick run in the middle of cleaning house!

Feeling like I'm not ready for 6 days a week yet. Maybe next week. We'll see how I feel about that tomorrow.

Spring in Illinois is strange.  I awoke to the rumbling of thunder.  I patiently waited for it to subside, but every time I thought it was done, I'd hear another peal.  Finally, after 2 hours of being dressed and ready, I deemed it safe enough to run.  I abandoned my plans to run in the country (still pavement, but less boring) and decided to stay close to home and run the mile backwards and forwards.

A slow drizzle accompanied the first 3 miles, then a downpour started.  For some reason, the rain made it easier to run.  I think it's because all this week I've been running during the peak of the heat.  I was discouraged after Wed and Thurs--the humidity sapped my strength. 

Today's run was good though.  Nice and easy.  I finished in a little over 56 min. 

Stopped to stretch after 2.2 mi.  Felt tight.  I tried after yesterday's run to be more conscientious about stretching, but I probably needed more stretching.  I will be stretching more throughout the day today so I can be ready tomorrow.

Ran another mile after that.  It was hot, but the run was okay.  Nice and slow.

I ran to drop off the power bill.  The run was longer than I intended, but it was fine.  It was much cooler this morning.  Right after I dropped off the bill, I stretched before running back home.

Altogether the run took me 35 min.  About 9:20 pace.  It felt nice and easy.

Did a tempo run.  Not sure exactly how far but 2.7 is about right.  Mapmyrun doesn't show the park I ran to.  I'll fix it if I go out in the car to clock it. 

Pace was about 8:40. 

I ran and met everyone at Mary Alice park.  I planned my run beforehand so that I would pass the park once but continue on for another mile.  I was tempted to stop when I passed it the first time, but I kept going as planned.  Yay for me.

Took me 39:28.  A little less than 9:30 pace.  It felt easy.

This run was okay.  I wasn't feeling it during the last 1/2 mile, but I kept going depite that little voice that was telling me it would be okay to stop, that I'd done enough for the day.  That's the voice I'm worried about as I am slowly increasing mileage--the one that says, What the heck are you doing this for?  Why bother?  My problem is sometimes I am seduced by that voice... 

I left my watch at home because I wanted to just run without worrying how fast I was going.  It didn't do anything for me mentally, which was what I was hoping.  I feel better when I know my pace.

I was annoyed because my Nike + iPod thingie wasn't working.  I haven't used it since the fall and it never told me accurate distances anyway, but I wanted to use it for time so I could just hear the lady's voice tell me how much time had passed.   

Ran at Lake of the Woods.  I ran most of it with Kelsey, Dr. Rose, and Coach DeWitt  When we started off, I felt it was a good pace, but it was a little fast.  Maybe it was the hills.  Maybe it was because I'm not used to talking so much while running.

It was nice to run with someone for a change, though!

I'm logging it as 4, but I'm not sure the exact distance--it was at least 4.

This run felt good.  Only prob:  I think I need to hydrate earlier.  I waited until I'd completed 6 miles.

Time: roughly 65 min--I forgot to start my watch right away for the last mile.

This was a great run.  Greg and I did 3.1 easy (at 8:55 pace or so) and then we did the last mile in 7:56. 

I did the same run as Monday, except all at 8:50 pace.  I was proud of myself because I didn't think I'd be able to run that pace easily by myself. 

Ran through Swan Pond and down Barrypointe.  Pace:  9:20 avg. 

This run was approximately 4 mi.  I didn't wear my watch.

I'm logging as 3, but I think it was a little longer.  At Lake of the Woods running with some of the girls.  We wanted to go longer, but headed back because of lightning. 

It was refreshing to run in the rain though.

The run itself was okay, but the aftereffects were not.  I didn't have enough energy since I ran before dinner, wasn't real hydrated, the works.  You live, you learn, I guess.

It took me roughly 74 minutes to complete. 

Ran with Second Wind people. 

First mile was 8:14.  Next 3 were average 8:40.  Felt good.

Again an estimate.  Ran 45 min with some students.  At least 4.5, probably a bit more.

After a mile warmup, the rest was fartlek.

I'm logging this as 3, but it was probably more.  I spent some time on the treadmill at the hotel, hated every minute of it and then went outside for another 15 minutes.  My outside run was nice--I did a leisurely run down the hill that the hotel is on, and then pushed the pace back up.

I ran the usual loop twice, but each time I added 2 or 3 laps on the track because I didn't want to pass the house before doing my last mile. 

To avoid a disaster, I was good and ate a bite a little before I ran, and then I ran at about a 10 minute pace.  Too many cheese curds in Wisconsin this weekend.  The Neitzels love to eat.

Even though I experienced intermittent bouts of stomach cramps, the run was fine.  I barely even felt like I ran, so I think next week I can go a little faster.

I've never felt that I should log fast mileage before, since my "fast" is not all that fast.  But today I'm excited because my run was great.

I missed the Tuesday fun run, so I did my own fun run.  I started with a 7:33 mile (I only started that fast to see what I could do), ran a recovery mile, a 7:56 mile, another recovery mile, and then a 7:52 mile.

Next time I do this workout, I'll probably start with more of a warmup first.

About 4.5 miles.  It's hard to say exactly here.  Easy pace.

Wish I would have gone for a run this morning.  Squeezed in a light run before putting the kids to bed.

I'll make this a race report when I can actually find the results online...

Ran an easy 1.2 or so warm up.

Race was good, but I already know the mistake I made.  I went out at actually a comfortable pace.  When I saw, though, that my first mile was 7:33, I consciously slowed down, even though I had probably already slowed down by the time I hit the first mile.  It was weird, though, because I didn't feel I was going that fast.  And I felt slow in the first .25 mile.  My second mile was then 8:27.

But after the second mile I felt good.  Once I looked and saw 16 minutes on the clock I picked up the pace because I couldn't believe that I had slowed down that much.  I'm too lazy right now to do the math for the min/mile pace, but I did the last 1.1 in 8:20 or so.   My  official time 24:19.  I had a good kick, which is why I know that I can do better that second mile!

I was pleased overall, since my goal was to be in low 25.  And I seem to always make that same mistake during the 2nd mile, so maybe one of these days I'll learn. 

AND HOLY COW!  I WAS 3RD IN MY AGE DIVISION!  That was a surprise.

A nice recovery run.

good long run.

Ran at Parkland--down and back to Kaufman, over to Duncan and then in along the perimeter road.

2 tempo miles, then 2 800s at 3:30 apiece.  Then I ran into Genevieve and ran 1.5 slow miles with her and then ran a mile home.

Nice slow run.  The last 1/2 mile was hard.

Drove all the way to LOTW and into a severe thunderstorm.  Decided to drive home.  Started my run a little late, but got in a good run.

Felt good.  Average pace was 9:40.  Tried some G2 with water at 4 miles and 8 miles.  That helped tremendously.

I ran a warmup mile at 8:44 (I was raring to go after about .3 miles).  Then I ran 3 fast miles 23 minutes) and then a cool down mile (10 minutes).  I felt great!

Best run EVER!!

Ran with the XC kids.  After about 3 miles I let the kids I was running with go ahead while I waited to give support to a new runner.  I ran about a mile with her.  I'm pleased she was able to run all 4 miles.

Ran 2 slow miles to the track.  On the track I did intervals.

800--3:48, 400--1:52, 400--1:54, 800--3:42, 400--1:51, 400--1:51.  I was a little fast on some of them, but not by much (goal for 800 was 3:47, for 400, 1:54).  It felt good, but I feel as if I can start increasing the distance for my speed workouts.

Then I ran 2 slow miles home.

Running this week was light--vacation.

Mileage is only approximate from last Friday till today, but today's run is accurate.

Back to the swing of things tomorrow.

A good run.  After 10.5 I felt good--I almost stopped then to help my dad look for his keys (that my mom lost).  Instead I ran the route to look for them.  We didn't find them.

After running the route I cut my run a little short since it was getting dark and I wanted to visit my new niece before leaving to go home tomorrow. 

Got in 2 miles before the storm started.

Ran 3.4 before the kids arrived, then did 4.3 with several of the runners.  We did a little fartlek during the run.

2 miles tempo

Worst run in a long time.  I went out when Chuck got home from work and it was humid.  I planned to go longer but I couldn't make it. 

I'm not looking forward to practices in this heat and humidity...

Ran at Lake of the Woods.  There weren't too many kids there.  I ran on my own on the 5 mile path.  For a while I didn't think I would make it back--I get so confused out there.

Well I feel good about the length of this run, but not about the speed.

I wish I had worn my watch because mapmyrun.com says my course was 5.05 mi.  I did it 3X with water/gatorade breaks in between.  The second water break might have been 3 minutes because I had to talk to Chuck about possibly picking me up (it had started to thunder and I didn't want to get caught in a storm), but the other was about 1 min.  Still my run took 20 minutes more than it should have.  I guess either I was going 11 min pace, although I didn't feel like I was, OR I started a little later than I thought I did.

Whatever.  Next week I'll wear my watch.

I did 3 tempo miles (maybe a little bit faster) and 2 marathon pace miles.  I'm counting the marathon pace as fast.  I couldn't find my watch so I had to calculate my pace by how many songs had played.  The only mile I figured was the last, which was roughly 8:50.  The 4th mile was about the same pace and the first 3 were a lot faster.

I think I've hit a wall with my training, mentally.  I feel like I don't have any motivation to do any faster-paced runs.  I haven't felt as good about my running since before vacation, probably because my training wasn't that intense during that week and I haven't gotten back on track.  I think my run on Sunday also has made me feel a little down about my running.  I'm just afraid that I've put all this time and I'm not going to perform as well as I'd like.

Hopefully today helped my mood.  I felt good for the first 2 miles, stuck with the fast pace for one more mile, then slowed to a comfortable, but not slow, pace.  I just need a couple more good runs this week.  Then maybe I'll be back on track.

Ran at Parkland--down to Kaufman, over to Duncan and through the little perimeter.

I enjoy running with Jason Gumbel.  He and I are pretty much the same speed and we chat about school while running.  He gives a pretty honest view of student life at STM.

All through this run I was trying to talk myself into just going 4 miles.  I'm glad I didn't listen to my negative side. 

I'm still going through a bump in my training.

I hate this slow mile/fast mile thing.  I can't remember how to change my setup and I'm too lazy to sit and figure it out. 

I needed a run like today.  I don't know my exact pace, but it took me around 57 minutes to do my 6.4 miles (about 8:45 pace).  What motivated me today was that I saw Tiffany running when I first started out, and I decided that I wanted to run faster.  I passed her and thought about slowing down once I figured she wasn't running the same route, but decided that I could run faster for my whole run.  I wasn't huffing and puffing, but it was challenging.  Luckily the weather was perfect for a run--it's going to rain soon!  Another midwest storm!

I think taking another day off was helpful also.  I didn't feel so beat down today. 

I needed this run.  The first 5 mile loop I pushed the pace because I didn't want a repeat of last week.  When I came back and saw that I had run it in 9:00 pace, I was a little nervous, but decided that I would try to keep that pace until I couldn't do it anymore. 

Second 5 mile loop was still great.  I kept my 9:00 pace comfortably.  When I was done I had to send Chuck to get me some G2 because I didn't have any and I didn't think that I could do 6 more w/o taking in something other than water. 

My next 4 miles was slower, about 9:30 pace.  I took in some G2 before my last 2 miles, but those last two miles were, um, hard.  I ran them in 10 min pace, but it felt like I exerted more effort than I had for the 1st 14.

I've decided that I'll try Gu or some other energy packets, starting my next long run. 

I don't remember this run at all.  Don't even know how long it was, but it was at least 5.

XC practice started today.  I know my running is going to suffer, but hopefully I can get in all or most of the long run days.

I got in a 1.5 (doing intervals) and I knew I wouldn't be able to do the whole workout.  There's always someone having some problem.  First a girl passed out (luckily I was right behind her) then there were some "I'm having a pain here" type problems.  I might have gotten in a little more than 3, but it was hard to really keep track.  I wanted to run more, but I had to tutor after practice. 

Sort of a fartlek with a small group of runners.  Some of them struggled towards the end.

1 warmup mile then 5.2 at 9:20 pace.  I rolled my ankle after about 3 miles, but kept running and it was okay after a bit.

I intended to run 17 miles today.  I ran in the heat of the day and once I hit 9 miles, I couldn't go anymore.

I'm disappointed, but I'll get back on track

Ran a long run with the kids.

Intended to get in 5.5 miles, but tried to do it while coaching.  This run (after dealing with an asthma attack, low blood sugar, a turned ankle, 2 blisters, and a score of other minor complaints from my runners) inspired me to set my alarm for just before 5 tomorrow.  I'm going to try to get in a 5-6 mile run BEFORE work.

We'll see how all that goes.

Woke up early to get in a good run.

Waking up early makes me tired...

I'm going to have to do it at least once a week, though.

Went for 18, only did 13.

Combination sore, still getting over feeling ill on Friday, and the heat.

Now I will start waking up early on Sundays so I can get my run over with before it gets too hot.  I didn't want to have to do this, but I'll either go to church Saturday or get my run over and go to 11:15 mass.  I'd rather run in the evening, but I can't do it with this heat.

Ran with the kids after their time trial.  I ran with a faster group so I could work it a little.

Did 4 fast 1000s with some warmup and cool down. 

Got most of it in at about 9 min pace, but then hung back to make sure one of the runners made it back.

I plan on getting up tomorrow early for at least 4 miles, but we'll see. 

AM run

This run felt awesome.  I felt energized for some reason the last 2 miles (I think it was because Queen came up on the ipod).

AM run.

My first mile was really slow while I worked out some soreness.  Other 4 miles were about 9:40 pace.

Now that I'm done, the soreness is gone.

A weird day.  We had to run part inside, part outside and cut our running short because of a storm.  Continued inside with some strength training.

Guessing on the distance here.  Had to get in my running in dribs and drabs.

Started with 1.5 miles and pushed it because I knew the rest would be hard to get in.

We were at Chrisman and they do flighted races (so we had 8 races), but there were always 2 races going on at once.  Once one group went by, I ran backward along the course to see the next group, ran across the course to the finish, etc.  Sometimes I was able to get in .25 or .5 miles, sometime it was only a minute or two.

I'm just crossing my fingers that the training I did over the summer is going to help me at the marathon--as always during this time of the year, it's getting hard to get mileage in.  I'm trying not to feel guilty about it, but it's hard not to.

Ran in Chicago today.  Saw another woman 3 times on my run--had just enough time to figure out that we're both running the Chicago marathon.

I had a baptism today, had limited time to run, but I'm okay with what I got in.  This run felt easy.  When I first started I wasn't in a running mood, but after I stopped for a bathroom break (during which I went to the bathroom and then helped Chuck with the kids) I felt better.  By the time I was done, I wished that I hadn't put off my run for 1/2 hour while I supposedly digested, but really was just dragging my feet. 

Oh well.  Coulda, shoulda, woulda...didn't. 

Ran with the kids today.  Warmed up for 10 minutes, pushed it harder for 20 min, then cooled down for 15 minutes.  I'm just guessing on the distance--it might have been a little longer than 5 miles.

Ran a little on the course during the races today.  Not too much, but enough so I won't feel too guilty.  I may or may not run tomorrow--there's a cold going around at school and I felt it coming on today.  If I feel good I might run in the morning, but tomorrow's going to be a long day...parent open house.  Gotta put on my prettiest smile and pretend I love my students (ha).

I was running with the team today, so I kinda lost count on how many 400s I did.  My mileage might not be accurate.

I did a 3/4 mile warmup.  Then I did 400 repeats.  I started running with a group that was doing 90s to 100s per 400.  I did have to bow out of their group occasionally to check on some of the faster and slower groups, but even if I ran with another group, most of my 400s were still in the 90s.  They did 12 400s, I maybe did 7 or 8 with this group and a couple odd 400s with other groups.

Once my group was finished I ran with the slower group on their last 3.  They were running about 2 minutes.  For the last 3 I ran with a girl who struggles to run at 10 min pace--she hasn't broken 30 minutes for a race yet this year--and that's what her 400s were supposed to be.  I told her I'd pace her because my easy pace is 10 min.  I ran the 400s much faster than I thought (2 min each), but she kept with me the whole way.

She was excited. 

That's what I love about running and coaching--all runners, even slower ones, are pushing to do better than they think they can do.  I hate when people chastise slower runners or look down on them, or worse yet, drive them away from XC teams.  There's always room for plenty of ability levels on my team.

Did the warmup and cool down but in between I supervised the prerace 200s!

I'm tired of feeling sick and I'm tired of the rain.  I have a head cold and a cough, which is making it hard to breathe while running.

I got to the meet early and ran the course before the team got there.  Afterward my head hurt.  But medicine helped.  The course was wet and muddy, even before all the teams got to PBL.  My shoes were soaked and I wore flip flops once the kids started racing--I walked a lot, probably 3 or 4 miles (there were 5 races today).

Usually this course is fast, but several factors led to mostly difficult races for my runners.  The conditions were only part of it, but a lot of them are having issues with mental toughness.  The tension between me and my assistant isn't helping on that front.  But a few of them looked good out there.

I'm planning a long run tomorrow, but I am feeling severely run down.  I guess I'm not going to set a distance--I'm just going to make sure that I get in as many miles as I possibly can.  I'm going to push myself, but not to the point where I can't function for the rest of the day (especially because I have homework and planning to do!  Yay!  I love working 7 days a week!).  We'll see how it goes.

I hate being in the position where I have to either run the distance and possibly prolong my cold or cut my run short, risking wimpiness.

Ran a warmup mile then 3 miles.  My paces for the 3 miles were 7:35, 7:40, 7:55.  I can't remember if I cooled down, so I'll leave it off my mileage.

Ran a warmup of about 1/2 mile. 

Then I got in a really good workout.  I did 400 intervals on the track (with a 200 jog in between).  All my 400s were under 1:40.  I did 10.  I felt hugely proud when I was done.

Then I did a cool down.

Now if only I was training for a short race.  I'm having a hard time coming by mileage here.

Did an easy run today.

I did 2 miles while the girls were warming up for their race today.

Then, I made the bus dropped me off at my house.  I feel so guilty, but we were driving through my town--the meet today was an hour and 15 min away from school--and I asked if they could just drop me off at home.  It saved me at least 45 min and I'll just ride with my husband to work tomorrow.  Am I terrible or what?

But I used the time I save to go out for another run.  My last mile and a half I just for some reason wanted to see what I could do.  My last mile was around 7 min.  7!  I'm ecstatic.

The most embarrassing thing happened to me while I was out.  I was running by the high school in town and I heard someone yell "hey" and saw a bunch of girls waving.  They were wearing skirts and for some reason I thought it was the dancers, who are coached by a woman I used to teach with. 

Now, keep in mind this woman is VERY short, African-American, late 50s/early 60s.

When I ran over there, I found out that not only were they yelling at me, but the one I thought was that woman was a VERY tall 16 year old (at least my eyes didn't deceive me about the fact that she was African-American). And they were tennis players.

So then I embarrassed myself even more by holding a conversation with them and embarrassed my nieces (who go to that school) by mentioning that I was related to them. 

Maybe I had sweat in my eyes.

Also, I forgot to keep note of the fact that I've been phasing in new shoes.  They feel great to run in!  I've done 24.75 miles in them.  Didn't want to wear them pretty much all last week because of the mud and rain, but now things are pretty well dried out.

Big meet today in Peoria on the state course. 

I didn't get much of a run:  I had my kids with me, but I still was able to get in a little bit.

Since I knew I wouldn't have time to get in a super long run, I did most of it faster than normal. 

After a 4 mile warmup (at about 9:30 pace), I did sets of 4 miles.  Next miles were 9:20, 8:40, 8:40, 7:40.  Last set was a little slower:  9:20, 8:57, 8:57, 8:40.  I wish I had written it down because that's about what I remember, but it may not be exact.

I did it all on a treadmill--I'm not used to running on a treadmill.  My calves were more sore than usual.

Meet day.  Mileage is approximate.

I'm stressed out lately.  There's a lot going on:  trips to Chicago (made after meets and then I drive back home the next day), papers to grade, coaching duties, other crap to get done, bills to pay, miles to run, kids to parent!  I feel like my running is affected because my cold is lingering and I've been getting stress headaches.  Running is the least important of all the things I have to do, so lately it's been getting short-changed.

I think I'm ready for the marathon, but I wish it had been last week.  I'm nervous that I won't be ready in 3 weeks.

I HAVE to get my long run in Sunday.  Then mentally, I think I'll feel better about the upcoming race.

Ran with Jamie.  He always has lots of questions about running.  It's nice to know he is committed to running faster and still wants to put in hard work.  We ran at approximately 9:00 pace--I think it was a little fast for him, but he still did it. I know he wanted to stop after about 35 minutes, but I wouldn't let him.

Today was a good run, but I feel exhausted now.  I'm just mentally drained.

2 miles running back and forth between the 1200 start and the finish. 

I don't know.  I'll say one mile.  I tried to get my JV team started on their workout and my 2 varsity teams ready for their races all at the same time.

I ran a little on the course.  Probably should have done the cool downs with at least one team, but had to juggle all 3 today.

This was my last long run before the marathon.  It tells me that miles 18 and on are going to be tough for me, but my bro and I decided that if we're still together at that point, we will finish together no matter what.

I ran for the first time with my fuel belt and it worked great.  I was able to carry everything that I needed for the first 15 miles (but note, I mixed my hammer gels with a bit of water on the suggestion of a friend, and I didn't like how that worked out, only because I don't mind the texture of the raw gel).

After 15 miles I had to stop back at the house.  Chuck even remarked that I looked like I hadn't run at all and I felt that way.  I felt great.  My sister-in-law was getting ready to take my oldest to the movies, and I stopped a little longer than I wanted so I could see him off. 

My first 15 miles were average 9:40 pace.  I started off with 10 min. pace for the first 5, about 9 min. pace for the next 5 miles (I don't know why I do that--I think I panic that I have to make up time or something) and then 9:40ish pace for the next 5. 

Then, even though my last 4 miles were still about 10 min pace, my legs felt incredibly heavy.  I don't think I would have been able to do another 4 (I thought about trying, but we decided to go to church earlier than we originally planned).  My calves felt heavy, but I elevated them for 5 min and then felt okay.

I guess I'm ready.  I know it's going to be hard and I have only 1 goal--I need to finish.

Watched Run, Fatboy, Run yesterday.  It was okay, cuter than I expected it to be.

Ran maybe a 1/2 mile at the meet today.

About 3.5 miles--had to cut my run short so I could work with some kids who are dropping mileage for a variety of reasons.

4 miles.  2 fast ones, 1 slow, 1 broken into 400s so I could follow the kids on the course.

2 on the course.  Hoped to get more.

Ran 10.  Planned on running 12, but had this nagging pain in my ankle.  I've felt it before but ignored it.  I figured today that I might want to take care of it, since the race is next week!

Icing today.

I hope I can get in some mileage this week--planning on running M-F, but I'll be driving to Chicago on Monday.  I know I won't get much in on Tu and Th because we have meets those days.

First time I got out there after Sunday.  I intended to run on Tuesday, but the rain and our home meet thwarted me.

My run was fine.  I can feel an uncomfortableness in my ankle and I believe it's probably just another bout of tendonitis, just not in the same location as before.  I've been taking care of it.

Ran on the course during the meet.  This mile was fragmented.  Didn't have much time for anything else.

When the race started, I felt great.  We peons started 5 minutes after the elite runners and it was wall-to-wall people in the open corral.  It took us about 10 minutes to walk up to the start line.

My brother Greg and I decided that we would run the whole thing together, so we made sure our shoes crossed the mats at the same time.

I was going along so happy that I missed the first mile marker, and when I finally looked at my watch, we had already been running 16 minutes.  It felt like 5!  That was a good sign.

For the first 10 miles, Greg and I went along at about 9:40 pace, which was about 4:15 pace.  At 10.5 miles we stopped so that he could go to the bathroom and get some vaseline for his nipples--they were chafing.  I stretched while he was in the bathroom.  We lost about 3 minutes there.  At that point, my ankle started to hurt, so I waited until the next water station and then took some ibuprofin.  It took a couple miles before it started to kick in, but eventually it did and I didn't have any more trouble.

At the 1/2 way point we were on track for 4:30.

But after that we started walking through the gatorade/water stations.  Because of last year AND because the IOC was watching, there were a lot of water stations (every 2 miles or so).

I hit a wall of sorts at mile 15.  I wanted to walk a little bit, but Greg convinced me that I just needed to take his ipod (I had brought mine, but it wasn't working for some reason) and it actually helped.  Tremendously. 

We stopped to stretch 2 more times--once at mile 18 and the other I can't remember when.  Greg had to go to the bathroom once more.  I think those stretching/bathroom breaks cost us roughly 10 minutes, but oh well.

Once we were in the single digits for miles left I felt better mentally.  No problems from then on out, but again, we were walking through the water stations.  We slowed significantly.

Our average pace overall was 11 minutes.  We crossed the finish line at the exact same time (in fact, our listed times were EXACTLY the same).

I felt much better when I was done than I expected.  I was actually able to walk back to the el relatively pain-free and I didn't take a nap like I thought we would.  I went out to dinner with my parents and sister (the only sibling who didn't run--our other brother ran/walk to finish just over 6 hours) and the kids.

Today I feel sore, but not terrible.  I do have some new blisters, but I'm taking care of them. My ankle hurts today, but only if I am barefoot, so I put on my shoes as soon as I woke up.

I hope to do some light running/walking this week.

There were a couple things that I wished I had brought with me:  a functioning ipod (even though those weren't officially allowed on the course, many people had them any way), new shoes/socks for when I was done, new dry clothes.  Other than that, I think I had everything I needed.

I already know I want to do more marathons, but I don't think my next will be Chicago.  I think I would have done much better if it were about 10 degrees cooler (it was 80 or so) AND I think it would have been better with fewer people.  There were a lot of walkers towards the end, and it was like an obstacle course the way we had to weave around them.

But I found out this morning that around 11,000 runners didn't show up.  It could have been worse.

Ran a little on the course today.  It was quite comical--I couldn't seem to get my legs moving.

I'm going to try and run/walk a little today with the kids, but I bet it'll be more walking than running.

2 miles on the course during a number of races. Next year I want to remember that members of the community did participate in the open race this year.  I'll remember that for next year. 

Went for a run even though my toe was bothering me.

I'm finally on antibiotics for my infected toe.  Today was the first day that I felt good enough to run on it.

I ran 3 miles before the races started, then did about a mile during the races.

My toe felt fine; the antibiotics have helped.

Both my teams qualified for sectionals!  It was a good day.

Side note:  I'm ready to start running good mileage again, but it gets difficult this time of year with sectionals and state coming up.  It is also hard because my new goals (a 1/2 marathon in April and a 19 mile race in June) are so far away.  I'm planning on doing some 5Ks and an 8 mile race in January, but I can (and have) done those races for pleasure without really training.

Basically, I have little motivation right now.

I did a 1/2 mile warmup, 1 mile at 8:00 pace, and then I hung back to run with one of my runners.  I thought I would help her, but she just wasn't running very fast, so I picked up the pace again after a mile. 

I finished 3 miles in 26 minutes or something like that.  It felt good, but it was WINDY.

3/4 mile warmup, then on the track I did

2 200s (40 seconds each--too fast for what I wanted to do)

1 800 (3:33)

1 400 (1:40)

2 200s (50 seconds each--much better)

1 800 (3:38--slowed a little)

I felt like I was going slow, but I was actually going quite fast for me.  I'm going to be doing a 5K in November and 1 in Dec. and I'd like to try for a consistent 7:15 or 7:30 pace in Dec.

Then I did 1.5 mile cool down

I did 2 miles at 8:30 pace.  Then I did a 10 min cool down, a mile or a bit more, but I'll log it as a mile.

I ran some with the girls as they warmed up and then some on the course throughout both races.

I ran with Greg.  This was the first time he's run since the marathon.  I could have gone longer, but didn't want to go back out by myself.

I ran three fast miles and then two at about tempo pace.  I forgot my watch, so I don't know my exact pace, but I was challenged.

Okay, so I wanted to hurry because I went for a run in the dark, so I started off fast--almost incredibly so.

Once I realized that my first mile was under 8 minutes, I thought "I can go faster."  So I did.

I ended up running 3 miles in 22:45.  Then I cooled down 1.1 miles.  I should've warmed up, but oh well.

Needless to say, this was a good run for me.  I'm running a 5K on Saturday and I want to run at 7:30 pace or faster.  I think I can do that with a good warmup. 

The nice thing about the shorter runs that I am doing now is they seem like nothing, really.  The marathon has helped me to feel like I can run forever, so short runs seem like they're done in the blink of an eye.  I like that feeling and I hope I can hang on to it throughout the winter.

I blew off running yesterday because I didn't want to run in the dark AND in the rain.  Daylight savings makes things tough; my husband doesn't get home until it is dark outside.

This morning I thought I'd run in the morning, even though it was still dark when I went.  I set my alarm for 4:40 so I could meet my niece for a run, but I didn't actually turn it on, so I woke up at 5:20.  I went for a run, but I only had time for a little under 25 minutes.

I called my niece right before I left, and she mentioned her run was cold.  I didn't feel it because I was in a hurry to get my run over with.

I ran a 2 mile warmup with my niece and a runner from my team.  Then I ran the race.

My first mile was 7:10 and I thought I crossed the 2 mile at 13:54 (I swear that's what I heard the split reader say), but it had to have been 14:54 because I know my last 1.1 was not 10 minutes.  I don't race that much, so I made another rookie mistake:  instead of just focusing on my pace, I was focused on the girl in front of me.  I didn't end up beating her and I was sorta disappointed, but then I found out that she was in the under 19 division, and I didn't feel so bad.

My splits, then, were 7:10, 7:44, and roughly 8 for the last mile.  Since I ran 3 miles in 22:40something this week and it didn't feel hard, I was hoping to be a bit faster for this 5K. 

I can't complain:  I was the 3rd overall woman finisher, but this was a really small race (30-40 women altogether).

We did a mile cool down to get back in time for the results.

Ran 5 at an easy pace.  I was around 9:15 min pace. 

I need to make sure I carry my cell phone with me when I run now, since it'll always be dark or about dark when I'm running.  On this run, I saw some boys fighting over a bike, but it looked like they were just playing.  But when I ran closer to them, one of the boys shouted for help.  I wasn't about to wade in, so I went into a nearby gas station to report it.  I don't know what happened because I didn't want to go back and get involved.

Anyway, I don't worry about running in my neighborhood, really, but I do worry about some of the adjacent neighborhoods.  I wish 1) I had a treadmill or 2) I could talk myself into a gym membership for a few months.  The prob with a gym membership is that it just means more time away from the kids (which = more guilt for me!).

I went to visit my old college roomie and we went to her gym together.  Even though I hate treadmill running, this workout was a good one.

We did an interval workout where we switched from 10:00, 9:13, 8:00, and 7:03 pace at set times throughout the workout.  The whole workout was about 5.5 miles, but I did a mile cooldown while my roomie finished the workout, b/c she had to stop and go to the bathroom.  I could estimate how much of that was "fast" but I'm too lazy.

It was a lot more fun running with someone for a change.  And I was glad to be out of the cold, wet air.

I have a horrible sore throat (one of my sons was hospitalized got the rest of the family sick) so this week I am going to look into either a gym membership OR I will do cardio on my Gazelle (totally not like running, but at least I can stay inside).  The cold outside makes it hard to breathe.

If I'm working out at home, I won't count it in my mileage (and won't blog it probably). 

Ran two miles indoors.  Tried to squeeze it in before putting the kids to bed.

2 miles this morning, still indoors.

I've looked into the cost of a gym membership, and I am going to do it.  It isn't that pricey, but I'll have to workout in the evening since it doesn't open until 6 in the morning.

We had company this weekend.  Got in a run this morning, but I felt rushed.

"Ran" for a 1/2 hour on my home machine. It sucks.  It's not even really running...

I'm teaching a class now 3 nights a week.  That also sucks...The only good thing is that I should be able to get in a run right after school since my class doesn't start till 6.  I think I want to go over to Mahomet to run the trails there, but we'll see.  I might just run at Parkland since it's closer to school.

I'm guessing on the distance, but I know it's close.  I ran out behind my school.  It was probably unsafe, since the roads I ran on have not been opened yet and I forgot my own reminder to bring my cell phone.

I'm probably going to run there again tomorrow.  The one good thing about my class is that I have free time between 3:30 and 5:00, so I can run outside while the sun is still out. 

The weather was nippy, but sunny, probably in the high 40s.  Since I was adequately bundled up, it felt nice.

My pace was okay, but I did get bored 1/2 way through.  I need a running partner...

I finally joined the gym, so I'll be working out on a treadmill for the next 3 months.  Ugh.

I did 5 miles at varying inclines and varying speeds.  I used the interval function on the treadmill and then increased the pace when I was at 0 incline.  My uphills were always at 9:13 pace.  The 0-incline speeds varied.  The 5 miles took me roughly 45 minutes.

I did 2 warmup miles at 9:13 pace and then 2 miles at 8:30 pace (I think).  Then I cooled down at 9:13 pace.

My ipod ran out of charge so I was bored watching a t.v. with no sound.  No closed captioning either.  Blech.

The good thing about the gym I joined is that they offer free classes.  I'm looking forward to doing some core classes.  We'll see if I can work that in. 

Ran at the gym.  It would have been a nice day to run outside, but by the time I could've it was already after 4.  I didn't want to get caught in the dark.  I was glad I didn't run outside because when I left the gym, it had dropped more than 10 degrees. 

I hate cold.

I get so bored on the treadmill; it's hard to keep to one pace because I get obsessed with watching the clock.  I'll probably get used to it in a few weeks, but for now I've been playing with pace.

I did 5 minutes at 9:13 pace, 3 min at 8:00 pace, 2 min at 7:03, 2 min 9:13, 5 min 8:00, 3 min 7:03, 2 min 9:13, 7 min 8:00, 2 min 6:40, then cooled down a mile at 9:13 pace.

It was nice and I should have run outside, but I'm trying to embrace this treadmill thing and get my money's worth on the gym.

I ran for an hour after wasting part of my 1/2 day of work trying (unsuccessfully) to find an outfit for a Christening I have on Saturday.  I had wanted to lift too, but was running up on the time I told the babysitter I'd pick up the kids!

I ran an easy 3.5 miles, then lifted (legs and shoulders).  Now I'm putting off getting the house ready for Thanksgiving guests! 

I ran this morning at the gym, but split up my run.  I ran 2.2 miles, then lifted, then ran another 2.2.  I wish I would have run more--I ran less because we were going to drive to Chicago today, but I came home to a sick toddler.  We may still go tomorrow, but if we do, we'll leave early, so I probably won't get in a run.  We'll see.  I may squeeze in a quick one.

Ran Sunday afternoon while the whole family was sick.  Felt sick after running. 

Ran a bit at the gym.  Lifted legs and did abs.

I've been lazy about lifting arms lately.  I used to lift every morning.  I have to get back into that.

My husband was painting last night, so I didn't get in a run.  I was bummed.  This day I had time for a quick four--I finished teaching my class at 5:15 and stopped at the gym on the way home.  I didn't get home then until almost 7.  Because of my guilt, I'm thinking about goingto run AFTER I put the kids in bed (at about 9) but I'm an early riser, so likely it won't last!

Last night my husband was supervising a basketball game, so I didn't get to the gym.

I did, though, have a good run this morning.  I ran 3.5 miles, then I did abs.  Then I ran another 2 and afterward did shoulders, biceps and triceps. 

My running felt a little sluggish, but that's probably because I didn't run much this week.  I need to stop feeling so guilty about it; I can't do everything!

I ran with a couple kids from my team.  We started off slow and ran I would say tempo for the first 2 miles.  I forgot my watch in the car, so I don't know our splits.  Then roughly around the 2 mile mark, Gregg Rose came by with his heavy breathing.  At first I didn't know it was him, but as soon as he passed me, I knew there was no way that I was going to let him blow by me.  He told us afterward that he was annoyed that we were talking during our race so he thought he'd spur us on.  I'm glad he did because we weren't going hard.  The last mile, though, we were.

I ended up only 26 seconds slower than last month with a lot less effort.  Even though I was disappointed at myself for not really racing, I was still okay with the fact that I took 3rd in my age division (and another 10 seconds and I would have taken first in my division--I thought there was no way I'd even be close to a medal.  But hindsight is 20/20).

BTW, it was about 20 degrees. 

Ran on the treadmill at 8:12 pace.  I ran at that pace for 35 minutes, mostly because I find it hard to believe that I'm actually running at 8:12 pace.  Then I cooled down a 1/2 mile.

I almost didn't get to run today because I tutored a kid after school and I thought it would take 1/2 hour and we worked for an hour and a half.  I had planned to run after I was done with him and then my husband was going to work his night job (a painting project with his bros).  But one brother had to cancel at the last minute so they are going to paint tomorrow.

I may not be able to run tomorrow, but I have conflicting guilt:  do I skip the run and feel guilty about that, or do I come home at 6 only to bring my kids to the gym so they can spend more time with someone else and then feel guilty about that?  I'll probably skip the run...mom guilt overrules everything. 

Running was a bust this week.  I was supposed to go Wed and Thurs, but I had to teach my class at its scheduled time instead of early like we've been doing.  I stayed at school to grade papers instead of going out to run (I'm an idiot for collecting a research paper 2 weeks before finals and Xmas.  I've been busting my rear to get them done.  My plans weren't supposed to work that way, but my son was in the hospital in the beginning of the week I was originally supposed to start the paper, so I had to push it back till the next week).

Anyway, I ran 4.2 miles in 33 minutes.  I was in Chicago and ran on my sister's treadmill.  I had limited time, so I did what I could.  I warmed up 1.2 miles, and then did 3 miles at 7:30 pace.  I was pretty proud of the pace I was able to sustain, but I'm still convinced that I would not be able to do that outside.

I warmed up .9 miles and then did 5.2 miles at 8 minute pace.  I'm counting those as fast.

I forgot to post on Tuesday's that I lifted, so I don't even remember what I lifted.  I think I did legs, lower back, and abs.

Yesterday I did arms, but only shoulders, bench press, biceps and triceps.

Today I did legs and abs (but only one set with a medicine ball--I ran a little longer than I had planned and needed to make it home for dinner).

I ran 1 mile at 9:13 pace, 1.5 at 8:49 pace, and then 2 at 8:41 pace (although I sped up the treadmill a bit towards the end.  It was a good run.  When I started running, my knee hurt, but after a mile, it didn't hurt anymore I just stretched afterwards and I am planning on lifting tonight at home.

I've been skimping on stretching lately, but I made sure I stretched well today.  

I warmed up for .3 miles and then did 1 mile in 8:34, 3 miles at 8:20 pace, and 1 mile in 8:34.

I get really bored running on a treadmill at my usual easy pace.  I watch the clock and it seems to take forever.  If I challenge myself a little, I feel less bored and more satisfied.  

I was a little challenged towards the end of my tenure at 8:20 pace, but I just stayed focused and allowed myself to go slower on the last mile so that I would finish my 45 minutes right at 5.3 miles.  To help myself concentrate while I'm running, I like to do the math--like, if I run at this pace for x minutes, how many miles will I do?  Then partway through when I feel like I'm in a rut, I'll think, now how much will I need to increase my pace in order to tack on an extra tenth of a mile?  I find that if I do math while I'm running, for some reason I feel more focused.  I always do it on long runs outside--when I finish a mile, I calculate what percentage of my workout I've completed.  I'm a dork, I know, but I bet other people do similar things.

And now I'm taking a break from tedious grading--it's finals week!  As soon as I finish another 10 portfolios, I'm leaving and probably heading to the gym, depending on the time and the weather.  We are due for an ice storm today, but no one's real certain about when it'll hit.

I had only a bit of time to run, so I went to the gym and ran for 1/2 hour.  I can't remember my pace but I remember my mileage.

Ran easy for 3.5 miles and then a little harder for the last two miles.  It took me 50 minutes to run and I think my easy pace was 9:05 and harder pace varied between 8:20 and 8:34.

We had a problem with our thermostat, so it was freezing in the house and I was dealing with that during the afternoon.  I got to the gym 45 minutes before it was closing, so only ran for 30 minutes.

I had a great run.  I started at 8:34 pace and then sped up every .2 mile.  I went to 8, 7:30, 7:03, 6:40 pace and then started over.  The last .1 mile I ran at 6:00 pace so I could get in a .1 mile before the treadmill shut off!

Did this at 8:34 pace--I'm counting that as fast.  It was difficult towards the end, probably because I haven't run more than 5 or so consecutive miles in a while.

A quick 3.5 miles before we hit the road for my folks'.

First run since Xmas.  I hadn't planned on running on Christmas Day, but the rest I was planning to run, but I was going to run streets and Friday and Saturday were icy.  Then Saturday warmed up to 60 degrees!  But I was already on my whirlwind tour of family and friends that day.  Sunday I was lazy, but today I had a good run.

It was in the 40s, so it was a nice run outside for a change.  I didn't bring a watch so I don't know how long it took me.  I thought the route I planned was more like 7 miles, but when I mapped it it was only 6.25.  Oh well.

Ran about 2 miles before my foot started hurting.  Ran another 2 before I thought it would be a good idea to stop.

I was afraid that I had a stress fracture because my foot still hurt just in one spot two days later after icing and ibueprofin.  I drove 125 miles to have my dad (podiatrist) look at it.  He took xrays and luckily it is only tendonitis in the peroneus longus.  I'm relieved that it's not a stress fracture. 

Anyway, I have to stop running for about a week until it doesn't hurt anymore.  After that I have to run less on the treadmill.  Bummer, but I guess I can still run outside on the weekends and then just run a few miles on the treadmill during the days of the week.  It's funny because it didn't hurt at all until partway through the run on Tuesday. 

I'm going to try the rowing machine at the gym in the meantime.  We'll see how that goes, since I'm not sure that they even have one.  But I'll find something to do, I'm sure.  I'll go tomorrow when I get back home.  I'm annoyed that this didn't happen while I was at my parent's house earlier in the week.