So yeah...I finished my half today in 1:52:10! My tentative goals were to: 1. run sub-1:50, 2. beat my time from last year's Columbus half (1:55:42), and 3. Beat J's friend B, who was running his first half on very little training. While I didn't break 1:50 (this was an extremely lofty goal for me, and I knew full well my chances of doing it were slim), I did PR, and sort of beat B so I can't complain. By "sort of", I mean that while I crossed the finish line before he did (My clock time was 1:56 something and his was 1:57 something), his chip time (meaning time elapsed between crossing the start line and the finish line) was two minutes less than mine. He started after me (we were in two different corrals) which is why though he had the better time, I crossed the finish line first. I'll take what I can get, and so will my competitive streak! :)
All in all, though, I couldn't have asked for a better race. The weather was GLORIOUS (mid 40's at the start, clear and sunny by the end), the crowd support was great, the twinges I had been feeling in my knee since yesterday evening didn't slow me down, and I managed to see my parents and high five my dad right before I made the turn down the street to the finish line. Plus, I got to see my friend Emily finish (she was running her first half, and did AWESOME despite some knee issues and a line at the bathrooms), and was able to stop and talk to my friend Stevi and her hubby Chris (both did the Chicago Marathon last weekend and their training group worked at one of the water stops on the course today) on my way to my car. To quote Ice Cube, today was a good day :)
Right now, my legs feel pretty good-sore and stiff, but no more than I expected. I came home and had a lovely shower, pizza for lunch, and a nap...and now, life is glorious!
Next up on the race calendar is probably a Halloween weekend 5k, my usual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 5 miler, maybe something between those two races, and probably an early December race-I've never done one in December and am trying to run a race in each month of the year so we'll see how that works out :)
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
A week from now...
I will be happily eating my way through the house after finishing my 4th half marathon (at least, I hope I finish...barring any major mishaps I should at least finish :D). Wheeeeeeee! And WhereTF did the last three and a half months of training go?
Right now, I'm cautiously optimistic. Aside from a brief injury that was remedied with some rest and a new pair of running shoes and training during the hottest damn summer in recent years, my preparation for this race has gone pretty well. Well enough to break 1:50? That, I don't know but I'm sure as hell going to try!
Now, the question remains...what next? I always find me asking myself this as I prepare to run a big (for me) race and continue asking myself the same question after the race...and right now, I think I have a tentative plan. This winter, I'm going to make an effort to rededicate myself to some much needed strength training and broaden my crosstraining horizons some more. Meaning more swimming and biking (albeit indoors, because Midwest winters aren't particularly kind to bike riding). You guessed it kids...I'm thinking about training for a sprint triathlon next year. Which should be interesting seeing as I haven't done much swimming OR biking (aside from spin classes and the odd post-bar close pool crashing) in a long, long, LONG time. Neither one is particularly scary to me, I just haven't been motivated to do it. Plus, the gear can be expensive so I'll be doing some price comparing and shopping around.
In addition, it's time for me to really crack down on the amount that I've been indulging my cravings for sweets/fatty foods/fried food/salty food/cheesy stuff/all of the above. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about not depriving yourself and not feeling guilty for eating food you enjoy-but I've been doing that a little too much, and it's showing. Meaning, my gut is showing. So it's time to lay the smackdown, so to speak. More planning meals (and cooking them) at home, and less eating out...and all the fun stuff that goes along with it.
In non-running/fitness news...fall is here at last! Pumpkins, trees changing colors, glorious cool mornings and evenings (though they haven't been as much here in the last few days, we're having a heat wave), and getting out Georgie's pink sweater.
Yes, you heard that right. My dog wears a sweater. A pink one. When she's on the loveseat shivering, it's sweater time. I don't have any pictures right now, but let me tell you she's damn cute and she LOVES that thing. She loves her coat too, but she only gets to wear that in the winter :)
Plus, it's college football season which always makes life just a teeny bit happier in my household. Okay, it makes J a teeny bit happier, which makes my life easier. Win all around!
Okay, one more running-related item...a big fat CONGRATULATIONS to my sister Alli, my friend Stevi, and all my other friends and everyone else who finished the Chicago Marathon today in unseasonably warm temperatures! You guys kick ass and I'm so proud of all of you :)
Right now, I'm cautiously optimistic. Aside from a brief injury that was remedied with some rest and a new pair of running shoes and training during the hottest damn summer in recent years, my preparation for this race has gone pretty well. Well enough to break 1:50? That, I don't know but I'm sure as hell going to try!
Now, the question remains...what next? I always find me asking myself this as I prepare to run a big (for me) race and continue asking myself the same question after the race...and right now, I think I have a tentative plan. This winter, I'm going to make an effort to rededicate myself to some much needed strength training and broaden my crosstraining horizons some more. Meaning more swimming and biking (albeit indoors, because Midwest winters aren't particularly kind to bike riding). You guessed it kids...I'm thinking about training for a sprint triathlon next year. Which should be interesting seeing as I haven't done much swimming OR biking (aside from spin classes and the odd post-bar close pool crashing) in a long, long, LONG time. Neither one is particularly scary to me, I just haven't been motivated to do it. Plus, the gear can be expensive so I'll be doing some price comparing and shopping around.
In addition, it's time for me to really crack down on the amount that I've been indulging my cravings for sweets/fatty foods/fried food/salty food/cheesy stuff/all of the above. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about not depriving yourself and not feeling guilty for eating food you enjoy-but I've been doing that a little too much, and it's showing. Meaning, my gut is showing. So it's time to lay the smackdown, so to speak. More planning meals (and cooking them) at home, and less eating out...and all the fun stuff that goes along with it.
In non-running/fitness news...fall is here at last! Pumpkins, trees changing colors, glorious cool mornings and evenings (though they haven't been as much here in the last few days, we're having a heat wave), and getting out Georgie's pink sweater.
Yes, you heard that right. My dog wears a sweater. A pink one. When she's on the loveseat shivering, it's sweater time. I don't have any pictures right now, but let me tell you she's damn cute and she LOVES that thing. She loves her coat too, but she only gets to wear that in the winter :)
Plus, it's college football season which always makes life just a teeny bit happier in my household. Okay, it makes J a teeny bit happier, which makes my life easier. Win all around!
Okay, one more running-related item...a big fat CONGRATULATIONS to my sister Alli, my friend Stevi, and all my other friends and everyone else who finished the Chicago Marathon today in unseasonably warm temperatures! You guys kick ass and I'm so proud of all of you :)
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Less than a month...
until my half (it's October 17th). And you know what?
I'm actually getting excited. Training has been going pretty well thus far (minus some knee discomfort that was cured by a new pair of running shoes) and the weather is finally, finally, FINALLY cooling off. I'm even starting to think that maaaaaybe I do have a chance at breaking 1:50 next month...it's still a lofty goal, but I have a little bit of hope this time.
Plus, I found out yesterday that one of J's friends has decided that he's doing the half also. Even though next weekend's 7 mile run will be the farthest he's ever ran. And he'll be in Europe for 10 days leading up to the race. He just wants to see if he can do it...and I want to see if I can beat him. Priorities, people. :D
Yesterday was a 6 mile cutback run. I've got an 11 mile run next Saturday, 12 the week after that, and then I start tapering. That 11 miles next Saturday is going to come in handy when we go out to dinner for J's 30th bday that night...japanese steakhouse, here I come!
Happy running!
I'm actually getting excited. Training has been going pretty well thus far (minus some knee discomfort that was cured by a new pair of running shoes) and the weather is finally, finally, FINALLY cooling off. I'm even starting to think that maaaaaybe I do have a chance at breaking 1:50 next month...it's still a lofty goal, but I have a little bit of hope this time.
Plus, I found out yesterday that one of J's friends has decided that he's doing the half also. Even though next weekend's 7 mile run will be the farthest he's ever ran. And he'll be in Europe for 10 days leading up to the race. He just wants to see if he can do it...and I want to see if I can beat him. Priorities, people. :D
Yesterday was a 6 mile cutback run. I've got an 11 mile run next Saturday, 12 the week after that, and then I start tapering. That 11 miles next Saturday is going to come in handy when we go out to dinner for J's 30th bday that night...japanese steakhouse, here I come!
Happy running!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Four years...
Four years ago, I went over to my parents' house for a Labor Day cookout. While I was there, I was looking for something in their bathroom and decided to step on the scale (sadly, I have never been one to resist stepping on the scale. I need to work on that. I swear, they put magnets in those things). To my dismay, the scale said a number that I had always said it would never get to. I said to myself "Goddamnit, this has got to stop. I'm getting married in two years, and that's plenty of time to get my butt back in shape." So on the way home, I went to the gym near my apartment and pretty much walked in and said "Sign me up, I don't care how much it costs." I started going religiously and eating healthier, and even decided to sign up for a Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5 mile run (thanks to my sister's cajoling).
And now here I am, four years and almost 30 lbs lighter. I actually like going the gym (especially if there's a spin class involved) and like running outside even more. Hell, I've run more 5ks and 10k's than I can count, and have three (soon to be four) half marathons under my belt (and still no desire to train for a full marathon). I still love my junk food, but have finally learned to show some restraint (sometimes) and do other things when I'm stressed besides eat. Like go on a run.
I will not post before/after pictures because I still don't really like to look at the before pictures very much, but you get the idea. I'm still not at my ideal weight, but I'm pretty close (within 10 lbs) and have been for a couple of years so I'm starting to make my peace with that. If I lose the weight, awesome, but if not that's okay too. The biggest thing is that I'm happier and healthier than I've ever been, and I will never let myself get back to where I was four years ago this weekend.
And that's enough about that. To recap this lovely long weekend-Football has returned to my life (Go Bucks!), my friend and her adorable puppy came to visit from Pittsburgh, I fell and scraped up my knee real good about 7.5 miles into my 9 mile long run on Saturday (no running w/running group due to my car getting a new transmission), my friend and I ran around Columbus a bit, I made it through a recovery run this AM without hurting myself, and I have to go back to work tomorrow :(
Whew!
And now here I am, four years and almost 30 lbs lighter. I actually like going the gym (especially if there's a spin class involved) and like running outside even more. Hell, I've run more 5ks and 10k's than I can count, and have three (soon to be four) half marathons under my belt (and still no desire to train for a full marathon). I still love my junk food, but have finally learned to show some restraint (sometimes) and do other things when I'm stressed besides eat. Like go on a run.
I will not post before/after pictures because I still don't really like to look at the before pictures very much, but you get the idea. I'm still not at my ideal weight, but I'm pretty close (within 10 lbs) and have been for a couple of years so I'm starting to make my peace with that. If I lose the weight, awesome, but if not that's okay too. The biggest thing is that I'm happier and healthier than I've ever been, and I will never let myself get back to where I was four years ago this weekend.
And that's enough about that. To recap this lovely long weekend-Football has returned to my life (Go Bucks!), my friend and her adorable puppy came to visit from Pittsburgh, I fell and scraped up my knee real good about 7.5 miles into my 9 mile long run on Saturday (no running w/running group due to my car getting a new transmission), my friend and I ran around Columbus a bit, I made it through a recovery run this AM without hurting myself, and I have to go back to work tomorrow :(
Whew!
Dude!
I got a blog award? Whaaaaaaat? You mean people actually read this thing? Apparently, Colleen at Irondiva does, because she gave it to me! Look how cute it is!
Along with this award, I have some things to answer, so here goes...
1. If you had a chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be? I wouldn't consider this a regret, but I wish I would have taken up running and stuck with it earlier in my life. I picked up running in fall 2006 (more on that in my next post) in an effort to help me lose the 25ish lbs I put on during grad school. My sister Alli had gotten bit by the running bug right around then, and she convinced me to do a local Turkey Trot 5mile run with her that Thanksgiving. How could I turn down a chance at a free pumpkin pie (the first 1000 male and 1000 female finishers got one)? So I started running at the gym more, in addition to the elliptical and bike work I was trying to adjust to, and lo and behold the Trot went far better than I anticipated (and I got my pie!) The next spring (2007), Alli and our youngest sister Julie decided to do the Flying Pig 1/2 marathon in Cincinnati...I knew I wasn't ready for that yet but happily tagged along for their 5k races here in Columbus, and even joined them for parts of their training runs while we were on Spring Break in Myrtle Beach. Somewhere along the way, I started to look forward to going on a run...four years later, countless 5ks and 10ks, and three (soon to be four) half marathons later, here I am. Much healthier, and a lot less stressed :) I feel like if I had picked up running in college, or even in the year I took off between getting my BA at Ohio State and starting my MA program in Cincinnati, I would have been able to head off the stress eating that was a big part of my weight gain and overall kept myself in much better physical shape. And I likely would have quit smoking a lot sooner than I did, too.
2. The second thing you have to do is pick 6 people and give them this award. You then have to inform the person that they have gotten this award. Oh jeebus. Here goes... Emily at A Day in the Life of Em, Brit at Duke's House , Katie at Vegetarian Lunchbox, Andrea at This Year's Love , Jill at Happy Hopefuls, and Sarah at TBDBITL-OT. These are all blogs I love to read, and therefore they're all awesome :)
3. The third and final thing is, thank the person who gave you the award. Colleen, thankyou for the super cute award! I've really enjoyed following your journeys through training for your Ironman races-what you and Tom do is an inspiration to us all. I know Louisville didn't go the way you planned, but you have so much to be proud of and I know you're going to keep on kicking ass!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
It's the most wonderful time of the year...
...as in, the days leading up to the start of Ohio State football season! Only 5 short days until the official return of tailgating and college football to my life (okay, and tailgate food too). This will hopefully mean the steady return of fall weather, too but considering we had gorgeous weather all week only to have it get hot again yesterday and today with no end in sight I don't think that's going to happen.
However, as I may have mentioned in the past, training in this hot weather should mean great things for my overall pace and race times come fall. Barring any major mishaps, that is. I was afraid I had a mishap on my hands a couple of weeks ago, in the form of some nagging pain/discomfort in my left knee that started up during a 4 mile run and refused to go away no matter how much I rested my legs. I picked up a new pair of shoes (I was due for some, anyway), made plans to have my athletic trainer sister take a look at the knee when she was in Cinci that weekend, and crossed my fingers I could at least make it through part of my scheduled 9 mile long run that Saturday (after having rested my legs since that Tuesday). The 9 miler came and went...with only minor discomfort. That continued to diminish throughout that day, and was gone completely when I woke up Sunday morning. I don't know if it was the new shoes, or the thread of being poked and prodded by my sister (which we never got around to doing), or just a coincidence and me getting nervous over nothing, but I haven't heard a peep out of my knee since and I am SO relieved. When training for my spring half, I strained my right quad about 2 months before the race and my speed and focus never really recovered so needless to say when this nagging ache came along at the same point in my training I was NOT amused. Thankfully, my speed and focus are sloooooowly starting to come back to me so hopefully I can stay healthy and kick some ass in October :D
Speaking of kicking some ass, my friend Colleen is at this very second undoubtedly kicking some ass on the running portion of her third Ironman triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) in Louisville. I am totally in awe-she and her husband Tom have trained like crazy for this and I know they're both doing awesome. However, I also know that their course covers a good part of the same course I ran for the Derby Festival Mini and my sister and her BF ran for the Derby Festival Marathon in April and that its a tough course. Plus its roughly 90 degrees here in Columbus so definitely hotter down south...I guess this is one of those times that training in heat and humidity comes in handy :) Keep kicking ass, Colleen and Tom-we're all cheering for you!
However, as I may have mentioned in the past, training in this hot weather should mean great things for my overall pace and race times come fall. Barring any major mishaps, that is. I was afraid I had a mishap on my hands a couple of weeks ago, in the form of some nagging pain/discomfort in my left knee that started up during a 4 mile run and refused to go away no matter how much I rested my legs. I picked up a new pair of shoes (I was due for some, anyway), made plans to have my athletic trainer sister take a look at the knee when she was in Cinci that weekend, and crossed my fingers I could at least make it through part of my scheduled 9 mile long run that Saturday (after having rested my legs since that Tuesday). The 9 miler came and went...with only minor discomfort. That continued to diminish throughout that day, and was gone completely when I woke up Sunday morning. I don't know if it was the new shoes, or the thread of being poked and prodded by my sister (which we never got around to doing), or just a coincidence and me getting nervous over nothing, but I haven't heard a peep out of my knee since and I am SO relieved. When training for my spring half, I strained my right quad about 2 months before the race and my speed and focus never really recovered so needless to say when this nagging ache came along at the same point in my training I was NOT amused. Thankfully, my speed and focus are sloooooowly starting to come back to me so hopefully I can stay healthy and kick some ass in October :D
Speaking of kicking some ass, my friend Colleen is at this very second undoubtedly kicking some ass on the running portion of her third Ironman triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) in Louisville. I am totally in awe-she and her husband Tom have trained like crazy for this and I know they're both doing awesome. However, I also know that their course covers a good part of the same course I ran for the Derby Festival Mini and my sister and her BF ran for the Derby Festival Marathon in April and that its a tough course. Plus its roughly 90 degrees here in Columbus so definitely hotter down south...I guess this is one of those times that training in heat and humidity comes in handy :) Keep kicking ass, Colleen and Tom-we're all cheering for you!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
C'mon, Mother Nature...
...haven't we had enough? Ohio has had humid, oppressive hot weather from pretty much May 'til now, save the random couple days of "cooler" weather and teases of 60ish degree 7am long runs. Damnit, I have a half marathon to break 1:50 in a little over TWO months from now and doing some much needed outdoor speed training is going to be much easier once it cools off a little bit! I should not sweat as much on a 3 mile easyish run (meaning, long run pace) as I did tonight. Jesus H.
On that note, I have officially joined that running group I was talking about. I've gotten to chat with a few people in my long run pace group, which definitely makes the long runs go a lot faster...and am forcing myself to do my necessary speedwork either on the dreadmill or the track at the gym. Both of which I HATEHATEHATE but it's better than doing it outside because with the aforementioned heat I know it would not go well.
I'm also trying to make an effort to rededicate myself to eating better, to improve my overall health and to lose the 5-7lbs I've gained since my half last fall (also Columbus). I know I CAN do this, I just have to remind my willpower of that :) All the veggies we're getting from our garden (hooray for ripe tomatoes) has helped somewhat, as has a couple of trips to local farmers markets. Mmmmm, peaches...
In other news, we are eagerly counting down the days until the start of Ohio State football season aka the hap-happiest season of alllllllllll...less than a month now! Between that and the hoopla surrounding TO joining my Bengals (don't worry, I still hate TO but just slightly less since he's a Bengal), things are good in my household :)
So cross your fingers things cool off here soon...it can't stay this hot for THAT much longer. Right?
On that note, I have officially joined that running group I was talking about. I've gotten to chat with a few people in my long run pace group, which definitely makes the long runs go a lot faster...and am forcing myself to do my necessary speedwork either on the dreadmill or the track at the gym. Both of which I HATEHATEHATE but it's better than doing it outside because with the aforementioned heat I know it would not go well.
I'm also trying to make an effort to rededicate myself to eating better, to improve my overall health and to lose the 5-7lbs I've gained since my half last fall (also Columbus). I know I CAN do this, I just have to remind my willpower of that :) All the veggies we're getting from our garden (hooray for ripe tomatoes) has helped somewhat, as has a couple of trips to local farmers markets. Mmmmm, peaches...
In other news, we are eagerly counting down the days until the start of Ohio State football season aka the hap-happiest season of alllllllllll...less than a month now! Between that and the hoopla surrounding TO joining my Bengals (don't worry, I still hate TO but just slightly less since he's a Bengal), things are good in my household :)
So cross your fingers things cool off here soon...it can't stay this hot for THAT much longer. Right?
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