No Va!!

This week has sucked as far as running fast. I'm afraid I peaked during our 17 mile week. Next week is going to be dedicated to speed work and research.

I felt great today and yesterday - beautiful mid 60 degree day, nice cloud cover, good night sleep last night, no cramps, leg pains, or breathing issues - however, when I hit a hill, forget it! My legs would not move! Maybe it's all the treadmill running we have been doing lately, or maybe it's the stress from school, maybe it is something physical, maybe it's the burning concern I have developed over the past 2 days (I will discuss with you at length over the phone, not ready to publish it for the world just yet). Not sure, but I hope it's mental, that is easy to fix.

Oh yeah, and to make matters worse, I think my Garmin is acting up. It started during yesterday's run (in the rain). This thing is supposed to be waterproof!!

Anyway, here it is:

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Ran 12 miles in 1 hour and 55.02 seconds (yuck)

Average Pace: 9:35 per mile (boo)
Number of Intervals: 12.00 miles around the neighborhood
Aches and Pains: --
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: about 3 months
Calories Burned: 993

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Ran 5 miles.

Average Pace: 8:4? per mile Garmin is frozen
Number of Intervals: 5.00 miles around the neighborhood
Aches and Pains: --
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: about 3 months
Calories Burned: ??

Too Busy Farming

We have been running, but whenever I sit down at the computer, I can't stop farming! So here it is (hope you have lots of time for reading):

Sunday, December 6
Ran 5.68 miles in 53 minutes and 15.35 seconds.

Average Pace: 9:22 per mile (yuck)
Number of Intervals: 5.68 miles around the neighborhood
Aches and Pains: The back of my right and Jason's left knees hurt
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 2 months
Calories Burned: 472

Thursday, November 26
Turkey Trot 2009
Brought back the Burke Family Tradition!! Scott didn't make it, but Brandon did!! Kate also joined us and plans to do it again next year!! We will also be joined by Zach and Austin!! So excited for next year!! It was supposed to snow, but we ended up having great weather!

There was plenty of turkey eaten afterward. Got to replenish those carbs! :-)

Here are the stats from the Results Page:
Race # age Overall Chip Time Gun Time Difference Pace

Amanda Sopko  Valdosta  GA 2311  28  1684  45:17.63  46:23.52  01:05.89  9:03/M

Jason Sopko   Valdosta  GA 2312  30  1885  46:24.09  47:30.11  01:06.02  9:17/M
Branden Burke MarbleheadOH 29402 16   546  38:08.91  39:14.86  01:05.95  7:38/M
Kate O'Malley Strongsville 30809 14  1886  46:24.17  47:30.22  01:06.05  9:17/M

Jason, Kate (niece), and John (brother-in-law)Branden (cousin), Uncle Gary, Me, Jason, and Kate

My "not so photo" Finish:Jason, Kate, and Branden did not have photos on the official site. :-(

Average Pace: 9:03 per mile (yuck)
Number of Intervals: 5 miles through Downtown Cleveland
Aches and Pains: ---
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 2 months
Calories Burned: about 460

Tuesday, November 24
Went to the Seven Hills Rec with my Mother-in-Law, Carolyn. It was nice, I ran 5 miles on the treadmill while she did her routine. Afterward, we met Russ (Father-in-Law) for a delicious lunch at Panera! (I miss that place!)

Average Pace: 7 - 7.5 mph
Number of Intervals: 5 miles
Aches and Pains: ---
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: less than 2 months
Calories Burned: 465

Sunday, November 22
Ran 13 miles on a treadmill @ Moody. It was rainy and cold and we didn't want to run outside (OK, so it was like 60 degrees outside, we just may be becoming southerns ~gag~)

Jason hated it, but it wasn't the worse thing we could have done. The drive to OH 3 hours later... not so fun! My legs cramped the entire drive to Corbin, KY. (The walk around Downtown Cincinnati was equally uncomfortable the next day when Aunt Bev and I looked for a lunch spot while waiting for my blown out tire to be repaired.)

Average Pace: 6.8-7.5 mph
Number of Intervals: 13 miles on a treadmill
Aches and Pains: ---
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: about 2 months
Calories Burned: 1186

Saturday, November 21
Karma
Before running today, Jason and I were having a lovers squabble. I didn't feel that he stretched or heated enough to run and told him I was sick of him ruining our runs with his pains. Well, lo and behold, just after the 2 mile mark, I felt a stabbing pain in my back. Karma sure does stink.

Ran 2.98 miles in 27 minutes and 43.76 seconds.

Average Pace: 9:19 per mile (yuck)
Number of Intervals: 2.98 around the neighborhood
Aches and Pains: Felt like someone punched me in the back. It was my pain that prevented us from finishing.
Breakthroughs: Be Kind!
Age of Shoes: about 2 months
Calories Burned: 251

Sunday, November 15
Ran 17 miles in 2 hours, 34 minutes and 51 seconds. Felt pretty good considering we ran 17 miles. So did the dip in the pool afterward!

Average Pace: 9:07 per mile (not terrible)
Number of Intervals: 517 miles around the neighborhood
Aches and Pains: ---
Breakthroughs: We did it!!!!
Age of Shoes: less than 2 months
Calories Burned: 1414

Saturday, November 14
Ran 3.85 miles 31 minutes and 53.01 seconds. Don't remember this run at all, but it was in my Garmin. Wish I had more to say here...

Average Pace: 8:17 per mile
Number of Intervals: 3.85 miles around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: ---
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: less than 2 months
Calories Burned: 323

2 months til Disney

Anatomy of a Runner's Foot

I know, it's disgusting, but as our favorite running shirt says, "Toenails are for Sissies!" I finally got my nail off last night. It has been wiggling since the half marathon last weekend. Today we did a 14.4 (approximately, didn't charge the Garmin... again!) in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 32 seconds. For the most part it felt great. Jason said he only hurt from the belly button down. :-) Our 12th and 14th miles were the fastest (interestingly). Jason really kicked it in on the last mile. I was so proud of him! :-) Afterward, we jumped in the pool (we can still do that down here it was 83 today!)

Average Pace: 8.39 per mile (not too shabby)
Number of Intervals: 2x4.2mi 2x3.00 mi
Aches and Pains: My legs hurt to move afterward, but a soak in the cold pool water really helped.
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 5 weeks
Calories Burned: somewhere between 1300 and 1400 (Awesome)

Didn't Go The Distance
Saturday, November 7, 2009

We were supposed to run 7 miles today, but Jason's leg did that weird cramping thing again and we only ran 4.39. He thinks it is because he didn't stretch enough beforehand. This was not a problem during the half marathon, which was much longer than 7 miles. We will have to see. I think he should go to the doctor if that does not work.

Average Pace: 8.29 per mile
Number of Intervals: 4 mile loop backwards (missed a turn so it was a little longer)
Aches and Pains:
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 4 weeks
Calories Burned: 362

Major Running
Thursday, November 5, 2009

Went for a run with Jason's boss (a Major - hence the title) tonight. We felt great! It is always nice to have a new person running with us. She is just starting her training for the Princess Half Marathon in March (Disney World of course).

As a result we had to slow down from our normal pace. We ran 5.22 miles in 47:02.42.

Average Pace: 9.00 per mile
Number of Intervals: 5.22 miles
Aches and Pains:
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 4 weeks
Calories Burned: 432

Just to Keep the Legs Moving

We went for a very short run today (2.18 miles in 20 minutes and 40.67 seconds) just to get our stiff legs moving. It was very slow, but it was a very pleasant run. The weather has been beautiful lately.

Yesterday's race really got us out of our running funk. Although we did not run as fast as we wanted, we are rejuvenated and hopefully we will be more dedicated.

Average Pace: 9.28 per mile
Number of Intervals: 2.18
Aches and Pains: Generally sore (it's to be expected.)
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 4 weeks
Calories Burned: 182

The Devil with the Blue Dress...

went down to Georgia and ran one "Hell" of a half-marathon! Well, our time was not what we wanted, but we sure felt great! It was really nice to have our friend Kim with us for a change of grouping.

Before the Race:


We decided to dress up to show our Halloween Spirit. Surprisingly, not many people did. There were a few wonder women, and a superman type guy. Another guy ran with a tiki bikini on and another with a Statue of Liberty head piece. One woman was a cat, and a few others were fairies/angels. Other than that, there were a few more random crazy head pieces, but not many. Kim was an escaped convict running from the police. I was the Devil with the Blue Dress on. Jason was a half-marathon runner. He has no spirit!!

My Costume:

From the Back:

After the Race:


I forgot my stop watch so it really sucked not knowing the time. I know we slowed down after mile 7, because I heard the woman by us say that we were at 56 minutes (8 minute miles).

Of course, no South GA experience would be complete without a few "special" sightings:



We ran the half-marathon in 1 hour, 56 minutes and 14 seconds (Jason came in 1 second before me).

Average Pace: 8:56 per mile
Number of Intervals: 13.1 miles through Boston, GA (part of it is in Brooks County where I teach and the other part is in Thomas County - our rivals!)
Aches and Pains: Legs cramped up around miles 8 and 11, but I felt awesome enough for a good strong kick at the end!
Breakthroughs: A little nervous about the full marathon, but we will be fine by then. I really enjoy half marathons!
Age of Shoes: 4 weeks
Calories Burned: around 1,300

Lazy

That sums up the last week. It's OK, we can say we were tappering for the Boston "mini" Marathon tomorrow.

Today we ran 3.02 miles in 25 minutes and 8.37 seconds. Wish us luck tomorrow on our Halloween Half Marathon. Hope it's not too scary!! (tee hee)

Average Pace: 8:20 per mile
Number of Intervals: 3.02 miles around our neighborhood.
Aches and Pains:
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 4 weeks
Calories Burned: 252

October 25
Jason was showing his old age. We planned to run 14 miles, but the 30 year old got a really bad leg cramp. It felt like his muscle was flexed, but he wasn't trying. Then it felt like there was a water balloon in his leg. Really weird. So we stopped after 3 miles and he heated/stretched. He seems to be all better now.

Don't have exact measurements. I forgot to charge the Garmin.

Average Pace: ?? per mile
Number of Intervals: about 3 miles around our neighborhood.
Aches and Pains:
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 4 weeks
Calories Burned: ??

October 22
Ran 4.44 miles in 38 minutes and 31.98 seconds.

Average Pace: 8:41 per mile
Number of Intervals: 4.44 miles around our neighborhood.
Aches and Pains:
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 3 weeks
Calories Burned: 370

Last Night

We went for a 4 mile run. It was nice. The only thing that stunk was that I could not remove the saliva from above my braces. (I know that is not a pretty thought, but it was really annoying.) At least I can still suction and spit... Jason can't.

We ran 4.14 miles in 35 minutes and 26.84 seconds.

Average Pace: 8:33 per mile
Number of Intervals: 4.14 miles around our neighborhood.
Aches and Pains:
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 3 weeks
Calories Burned: 346

Sucks

This week, we were the "suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked". (To quote the ever inspiring Homer J. Simpson)

We did not run anywhere near as much as we should have. It's ok. I added an extra week into our schedule for such an occasion. We were technicaly behind when the week began due to our skipping a long run two weeks ago. We were just going to skip the 9 mile long run, and do our 14 mile run this week. However, we did not get up to run in the mornings and didn't try to make up for it in the evenings. We had people over yesterday and our house was a mess, so instead of running we cleaned the house. Productive, just not in terms of the marathon. So we ran 9 miles today and will redo the 14 mile week (or actually do it in the first place). It's still all good. Plus, Jason twisted his ankle on Wednesday and it was still sore. You know how that goes. You twist your ankle and can still finish the workout without pain. Then the next day, it hurts really bad.

We ran 9.00 miles in 1 hour, 18 minutes, and 48 seconds.

Average Pace: 8:45 per mile
Number of Intervals: 9.00 miles around our neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: Sore Joints
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 3 weeks
Calories Burned: 749

Pleasant Evening Run

Ran after school/work today. I felt really slow and Jason felt really fast. We just did OK. Nothing interesting to say...

Average Pace: 8:24 per mile
Number of Intervals: 4.14 miles around our neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: Right leg muscles felt weird
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 2 weeks
Calories Burned: 346

"Shoes are the Devil"

Jason came across this interesting CNN Video. Although I do not think I will begin running shoeless, I do remember that it felt very good when I was in college and had to do bare foot stride outs. Just some food for thought...

This week in a nut shell.

Gu Chomps

Today we ran 12.00 miles in 1 hour, 46 minutes and 48 seconds. I am soooo proud of Jason!! He ran the entire way without needing to stop... with the exception of our scheduled water/Gu Chomps breaks.

The Gu Chomps were really tasty. I would definitely get them again. They also last longer 1 hour and 45 minutes as opposed to the Gu Gel which only lasts 30-45 minutes. Both are delicious though. The Chomps are just less messy. We will see if I feel the same way after I get my braces next Monday.

I tried something new today to spice up our runs. Actually this was the plan for last week, but due to our jet lag, we did not do our long run last Sunday and instead of our planned 9 mile run today, we did our 12 mile run from last week. Anyway, I planned out 3 routes (all about 4 miles) that ended at our house (where we kept our water/chomps in the mailbox). Each time we stopped for water, we would grab a new route (which was on folded pieces of paper). So it was kinda a surprise each time we came to a stopping point. OK, that's weird, I know but 12 miles is a long way and anything you can do to spice it up is very helpful.

Average Pace: 8:54 per mile
Number of Intervals: 12.00 miles around Valdosta
Aches and Pains: Felt Great!
Breakthroughs: Gu Chomps are good!
Age of Shoes: 2 weeks
Calories Burned: 991

Weekly Total: 23 miles

Thursday, October 8
Went for a Morning Fog...

Got up early to run 5 miles. It was super Foggy and the Garmin did calculate the distance correctly. It did not start calculating distance until about a quarter mile in. It's OK though. We had a decent run. We ran 5.00 miles in 42 minutes and 56.65 seconds.

Average Pace: approx. 8:15 per mile
Number of Intervals: approx. 5.00 miles around our neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: Right leg muscles were tired
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: 1 week
Calories Burned: over 400

Monday, October 5
Jet Lag...

sucks! You wouldn't think we would have gotten jet lag from only 4 days in CA, but we did. We could not run... or stay awake for more than about 2 hours at a time on Sunday. So our next week is really going to be messed up. We did have the energy to run by Monday evening around 6:30pm.

As we were getting ready to run, the neighbor girl stopped by and asked if we needed any help. She was home alone and didn't want to be. We politely thanked her and told her that we were about to go for a run, so maybe another time. Well, as we walked outside, she was on her bike ready to accompany us for 6 whole miles! She is a very talkative girl and we were irritated to put it nicely to have this company for the 53 minutes and 32.29 seconds we ran. The worse part is that she got annoyed when we were running too fast. Ugh. Anyway, we ran, although not very well.

Average Pace: 8:55 per mile
Number of Intervals: 6.00 miles around our neighborhood and the neighborhood across the street.
Aches and Pains: Right leg muscles were tired
Breakthroughs: Still feels like we have jet lag...
Age of Shoes: Brand New!!
Calories Burned: 500

Sunny California (Thursday, October 1)

The heat in CA is very different from the heat in GA. It is much drier and my face and lips got really chapped. Anyway, we decided to go running around noon, after returning from Huntington Beach. It was HOT. But we managed to finish our 3.00 miles in 26 minutes and 7.32 seconds (ick).

Average Pace: 8:42 per mile
Number of Intervals: 3.00 miles around Casa Mesa, CA
Aches and Pains: Right leg muscles were tired
Breakthroughs: We are not good CA runners.
Age of Shoes: Brand New!!
Calories Burned: 246

Thai Mai Shu

Wednesday, September 30.

We went running through the sunny streets of Casa Mesa, CA. It was BEAUTIFUL!! I would totally move there if they had better gun laws. (Jason's stipulation not mine.) We should have taken pictures of the cute little houses, but who wants to run with a camera.

Anyway, after getting into CA, Jason, his family, and I went to this neat little Thai restaurant. The food was pretty good, and the portions were HUGE! Jason ate his meal and finished everyone else's. So you can imagine how he felt when we got back to our hotel room and I said, "Ready to run?"

About 1.5 miles in, we had to stop because Jason said he had an infinitely dense thai ball the size of a grapefruit in his stomach. After a breif offload at the hotel room, we completed all 6.21 miles in 55 minutes and 51.19 seconds.

Average Pace: 9:00 per mile
Number of Intervals: 6.21 miles around Casa Mesa, CA
Aches and Pains: Right leg muscles were tired
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: Brand New!!
Calories Burned: 513

eltiT

My creative juices are not flowing well today. I must have used them all up in the last few days working on school projects. Jason thinks it is because I am up 2 hours before the sun. Either way, there is no creative title today. Never mind, Jason just gave me one. He was inspired by the Mirror of Erised (for all you Harry Potter fans :-).

Our run this morning is very nice. The weather was perfect for a morning run.

Oh yeah, Jason wanted me to tell you he got new shoes and he ran in them today and they made his feet happy. :-)

I will start using mine tomorrow. (In California) Like we will need any help sleeping after waking up at 2am to be in Jacksonville for a our 6:30am flight.

Average Pace: 8:16 per mile
Number of Intervals: 3.00 miles around our neighborhood
Aches and Pains: Right leg muscles were sore., Right knee feels weird.
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: About 6 Months
Calories Burned: 249

Gu

Today we did an 11 mile long run. This week, we took a camel back and packets of Gu (R). We had one 15 minutes before the run and then another every 4 miles. They were good. I liked the Strawberry/Banana and Orange. We also had Lime.

Anyway, the run was going great (under 9 minutes miles) until mile 8.54. Jason got a really bad leg cramp. My right leg was cramping too. I think it is because we make too many right hand turns. Anyway, we walked about a mile from mile 8.54 to 9.64. Then we ran until mile 10. At that point, Jason ran home and I ran the final mile in 8 minutes and 11 seconds!!

Overall, we ran 11.00 miles in 1 hour, 45 minutes, and 49 seconds. I was hoping for under 1 hour and 39 minutes, but we will do that next time.

Anyway, Jason and I went out today and got new shoes.

Average Pace: 9:37 per mile
Number of Intervals: 11.00 miles around our neighborhood
Aches and Pains: Right leg muscles were sore.
Breakthroughs: Gu is Gud :-)
Age of Shoes: About 6 Months
Calories Burned: 876

Weekly Total: 22 miles

When Nature Calls...

You have to go. And nature sure was calling both Jason and me about 0.75 miles into our 6 mile run. The need to go, made us run a really fast 1st mile. It was all down hill from there. Jason started getting sick and we cut our run to 3 miles instead of 6. We are hoping to run the rest tonight. We will see how long it takes me to finish my portion of the group project I have in my Identification of Gifted and Talented class. Oh well. We ran 3 miles in 24 minutes and 4.27 seconds.

Average Pace: 8:01 per mile!
Number of Intervals: 3.00 miles around our neighborhood
Aches and Pains: Right leg muscles were sore.
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: About 6 Months
Calories Burned: 248

Feelin' Great

We got up this morning and ran 6.00 miles today and we did it in 50 minutes and 47.22 seconds! Finally, we are getting in shape and being consistent. Our mile times were: 8:26, 8:24, 8:25, 8:38, 8:38, and 8:14. Not to make excuses, but the 4th mile had lots of hills.

Anyway, the run felt GREAT! I'm finally feeling good about getting close to my goal time: 3 hours and 44 minutes.

Average Pace: 8:28 per mile!!
Number of Intervals: 6.00 miles around our neighborhood and Lee and Justin's neighborhood
Aches and Pains:
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: About 6 Months
Calories Burned: 501

Yea!

After 2 weeks of trying, we finally got up for a morning run, and actually did pretty good! Although my hamstring felt tight the entire run, our time is improving overall especially since we typically run slower in the mornings. Overall, I'm proud.

A little nervous about getting up and running 6 miles tomorrow morning, but I'm sure we will survive it.

Average Pace: 8:16 per mile!!
Number of Intervals: 3.00 miles around our neighborhood
Aches and Pains: sore hamstring
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: About 6 Months
Calories Burned: 254

Third Time's a Charm!

Today we almost didn't run. We got up early, ate a good breakfast (oatmeal and a banana with a BIG glass of water). After checking our e-mail and playing around on the computer, I mapped an awesome 6 mile course on mapmyrun.com. We got dressed and then it all went down hill.

While I was finishing up getting ready, Jason sat on the bed and started petting Sadie and Jovie. That made me want to pet the puppies also. So after about 20 minutes, it was clear that we were not going to be running anytime soon.

So, we decided to run before church (7pm mass) and took off on a vintage shopping spree. Well after a late lunch, we decided it would not be good to run before mass (plus we didn't want to) so we cleaned the house and redecorated the dining room.

Finally, at 8:30, we didn't have any more excuses. We took off on our 6 mile run, which was actually very enjoyable. Who'd have thought. Since it was such a nice night, we decided to take a dip in the pool afterward to cool off and now I think we are off to bed.

We ran 6.00 miles in 52 minutes and 46.78 seconds. Not bad for a couple of lazy runners! I'm really glad we ended up running. Have a great week everyone!

Average Pace: 8:48 per mile!!
Number of Intervals: 6.00 miles around our neighborhood and the neighborhood over the train tracks.
Aches and Pains:
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: About 6 Months
Calories Burned: 501

Week Total: 14 miles (blah)

Another Saturday Run

Today's run was pretty tiring. We both felt slow, although we didn't do to terrible. It was slower than we would have liked, but oh well. It was really hot. We really need to get started on our runs earlier. We went to Beijing Cafe afterward (our favorite Chinese Restaurant), then came home and took long naps. Anyway, we are off to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs tonight (which has nothing to do with running, but I'm that excited).

We ran 5.00 miles in 43 minutes and 42.01 seconds.

Average Pace: 8:44 per mile!!
Number of Intervals: 5 miles around our neighborhood
Aches and Pains: Legs felt tired
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: About 6 Months
Calories Burned: 416

After a LOOOONG day

We didn't get up and run this morning, so we had to run after work. However, after teaching all day, cheerleading practice, and a trip to Walmart, it was not at the top of my list of things I want to do. Jason felt the same way, he found out today that if he can move his court martial to Friday, his guy can get a really awesome deal. As a result, he did not get home from work until 8pm. We promptly went for a 3 mile run and it took 23 minutes and 47 seconds.

We really did an awesome job and kept a good pace the entire time. Despite our tiring days and the extreme humidity, it was a most excellent run.

Due to stress or some other reason I don't know, I have not felt hungry in about 3 weeks and sometimes forget to eat meals. This would be awesome if I were trying to diet, but I'm not. So this week, I have been reminding myself to eat at appropriate meal times. While I am eating, it is not always the healthiest choices of foods. Oh well, at least I have been doing a good job on drinking lots of water lately.

Well, I'm off to shower and go to bed. We are getting up in 8 hours for a 5 mile morning run.

Average Pace: 7:56 per mile!!
Number of Intervals: 3 miles around our neighborhood
Aches and Pains: Left knee felt weird at first
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: About 6 Months
Calories Burned: 263

Week 2

We were lazy this week. Well, not intentionally. Jason had his PT test this week and that threw off our schedule. I should have sucked it up and ran in the evenings, but I didn't.

Sunday, September 13:

Today, we ran 9.01 miles from out house, through downtown Valdosta and part of VSU. It took us 1 hour 26 minutes and 55 seconds. In general, I felt pretty bad. My knees and right hip hurt at first. I chalked that up to taking 5 days off. Yes, you read that correctly, I said 5 DAYS! As I thought, the pains went away within the first half mile.

Then around mile 7, Jason started to feel dizzy. We stopped and walked at mile 8 for a half mile then ran the last half (up hill). Before that our time was pretty good.

It has been cooling to the mid 80s lately and we have not been drinking as much. We learned our lesson today. Also, Jason has not been eating right with his braces interfering with his ability to chew all foods.

This week, we are going to be more conscious of our water intake as well as our diet.

On a lighter note, we will be running a half marathon on Halloween morning with our friends, Kim and Chelsea. Kim thought it would be fun to dress up in costumes to run. During our run today, I decided on my half marathon costume (which will be different from my actual costume since that will be too cumbersome to run in). I have decided to get myself a blue running skirt and wear my blue tank top with a pair of devil horns. I'm going to be the Devil with the Blue Dress On... get it!! Hahaha!

Average Pace: 9:39 per mile
Number of Intervals: 9.01 miles around Valdosta
Aches and Pains: Knees and Right Hip
Breakthroughs: We need to work on our diet this week.
Age of Shoes: About 6 Months
Calories Burned: 730

Weekly Total: 12.01 miles

Monday, September 7:

Ran 3.00 miles around the neighborhood. It was nice and we jumped in the pool afterwards. Then got ready to go to our friends' house for a low county boil and more swimming.

Average Pace: 8:21 per mile
Number of Intervals: 3.00 miles in neighborhood
Aches and Pains: --
Breakthroughs: --
Age of Shoes: About 6 months
Calories Burned: 249

8 Mile Looooooong Run

8.01 long run in 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 57 seconds. It was hot, but our pace was exactly where it needed to be.

Afterwards, we jumped in the pool to cool off. It was a good thing because we would have never stopped sweating in time to get ready for the wedding we went to today. I will have to blog about that as well.

I'm trying to get Jason to do the Labor Day 5K tomorrow, but I don't think he's going to budge. Oh well. We still need to do 3 miles tomorrow.

Average Pace: 9:14 per mile
Number of Intervals: 8 miles around VSU
Aches and Pains: Very tight afterwards, my arch is starting to hurt again -- must mean I need new shoes.
Breakthroughs: We brought water on the run... BEST IDEA EVER!!
Age of Shoes: About 6 months - time to start thinking about getting a new pair or two...
Calories Burned: 663

Weekly Total: 24.02 miles

Marathon Training has officially begun...

OK, so we have been training all week, I just haven't had time to blog about it. So here is the week in a nutshell.

Today:
Ran 5 miles at race pace... well slower than race pace, but it was supposed to be race pace. We will get there. Felt good, but was really hot. I'm going to have to sit in the pool to get rid of these sports bra tan lines.

I'm adding a new category to the end, calories burned. Since I've gotten my new Garmin, there are lots of really cool things I can do. I LOVE IT!!

Average Pace: 8:23 per mile
Number of Intervals: 5.00 mile course around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: 6 months (I'm going to have to start looking into a new pair soon.)
Calories Burned: 419

Friday, September 4:
3 easy miles in 26 minutes and 40 seconds around the house at 5am!


Average Pace: 8:53 per mile (yuck) I need to get Jason in better shape quick!
Number of Intervals: 3.00 mile course around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: 6 months (I'm going to have to start looking into a new pair soon.)
Calories Burned: 250

Thursday, September 3:
5.01 miles around the neighborhood in 44 minutes and 51.09 seconds. 5am run!


Average Pace: 8:58 per mile
Number of Intervals: 5.00 mile course around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: 6 months (I'm going to have to start looking into a new pair soon.)
Calories Burned: 416

Wednesday, September 2:
Ran 3 mile loop around the neighborhood. It was really cloudy and the Garmin only said we ran 1.04 in 26 minutes and 33.36 seconds. Oh well...

Average Pace: 8:51 per mile
Number of Intervals: 3.00 mile course around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: Right knee cap felt weird -- I think it was the week off due to illness.
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: 6 months (I'm going to have to start looking into a new pair soon.)
Calories Burned: The Garmin said 92, but it was probably about 250

Way to Hot!!

I ran Monday and Today on the treadmill because it was over 100 degrees outside!

Both runs were good and I increased the pace every 3 minutes by 0.5mph. It was as fun as a treadmill run can be. Here are the stats for both:

Monday:
Average Pace: 7.0 miles per hour
Number of Intervals: Increasing speed intervals for 35 minutes.
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 2 months

Wednesday:
Average Pace: 8.0 miles per hour
Number of Intervals: Increasing speed intervals for 35 minutes.
Aches and Pains: Pain in my left arch after the workout.
Breakthroughs: I really need to wear my good shoes EVERY time I run!
Age of Shoes: about 8 months

Day 2 of the Treadmill

And the madness will probably continue through the week... at least until Friday when I can get back to a normal schedule. I have to be at school Monday - Thursday for math unit writing (fun) so I will not be able to do my morning gym time and evening run. Instead, I will be working out in the evenings at the gym on base.

Anyway, I changed it up a little today. I walked 5 minutes at 4.0mph on a 10.0 incline as a warm-up. Then I ran 6.0 for 4 minutes, 6.5 for 3 minutes, 7.0 for 3 minutes, 7.5 for 6 minutes, 8.0 for 3 minutes, 8.5 for 3 minutes, then 9.0 for 3 minutes. Followed by a 5 minute walking cool down.

It was cool, I got to watch part of Mr. Holland's Opus on Lifetime while I ran. :-)

Average Pace: 7.0 miles per hour
Number of Intervals: Increasing speed intervals for 35 minutes.
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 2 months

Treadmill

I did an interval workout on the treadmill at Moody today (35 minutes total including a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down). I also did a killer leg workout afterward which I'm sure I will feel tomorrow.

Average Pace: 7.0 miles per hour
Number of Intervals: 8 x 1 minute speed intervals (2@7.5mph; 2@8.0mph; 2@8.5mph; 2@9.0mph)
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3.5 months

Someone poured pop on me!!!!

Not really, but that's how I felt after running tonight... sticky from the humidity. It was a really good run though. I enjoyed myself, and I love hot weather! I always PRed when it was super hot, and felt very fast today - even though I did not have a spectacular time.

Today I officially signed Jason and myself up for the 2010 Disney Marathon. My goal is to maintain my running until September 6th when we start training for the Disney Marathon on January 10th (Danny's Birthday)!!

Back to today, I ran 4.18 miles in 34 minutes and 26 seconds.


Average Pace: 7.3 miles per hour; 8:10 per mile
Number of Intervals: 4.18 miles in my neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3.5 months

Big Creek Running

No, I'm not still in Cleveland, I just didn't have time to blog my run from Monday. It was nice, I got to run in the parkway which brought back good memories. It felt great! I got the best of all running terrains (sidewalk, parkway, and my personal favorite - trails!) It made me miss home :-(

I ran 3.58 miles in 31 minutes and 46 seconds (yuck). But I had a good time.

Now that the race is over, I am going to start doing some hard core cross training. Although I will still be running (on treadmills), it will not be as exciting until August when Jason and I start training for the half marathon.


Average Pace: 7.8 miles per hour; 8:54 per mile
Number of Intervals: 3.58 around Parma and on the Parkway!
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3 months

A.J. Shroder Memorial 5K

Ran the 5K today with Laura and Mrs. Bova yesterday. I really had a lot of fun. I even got to see an old Cross Country team mate, Rachel N (who came in 2nd place for females!!). :-) The race was a little chaotic, which was expected since it has only been run 2 or 3 times. There was a spaghetti dinner afterward which was even more poorly executed, but the food was GREAT!!

I ran a little slower than I wanted to, but can't complain too much. My goal was to run it in under 22 minutes. My time was about 22:17. I will post the actual results when they are put online. It felt good and I did come in 3rd in my age group, winning a medal. I am really excited to hang it in my classroom next year to show off to my students. They always get a kick out of those kinds of things, and I love watching their brains explode when I tell them I didn't have to stop and walk. :-)

The best part of the race was the cheering section at the end (Mom, Dad, Rowan, Gavin, Shaun, Joey, and Rachel). The boys were soooo much fun and we all yelled for Mrs. Bova and Laura as they finished too.

Are we making plans for a road race next summer???? Or maybe the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving?? Jaime, we need to get you in on this as soon as the boot comes off!!

Average Pace: 8.5 miles per hour; 7:04 per mile
Number of Intervals: one 5K
Aches and Pains: Sore left calf muscle.
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3 months

Cleveland... where the sidewalk never ends

I got up early yesterday and went for a 4.35 mile run. It was really nice to run in my old neighborhood, but felt strange at the same time. From the beginning, I felt that something was off. I felt great and for the first time I felt like I was running fast. About 5 minutes into the run, I realized that for the first time in about 2 years, I was running on sidewalks. Since they don't exist in Valdosta, I usually end up running the middle of the street.

Average Pace: 7.9 miles per hour; 7:34 per mile
Number of Intervals: 4.35 miles around Parma :-)
Aches and Pains: Pain/Pulling in right shin and calf
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3 months

Kickin' Grass

I did not get to do my long run this week, which makes me really sad, I was really looking forward to it. Instead, I spent the last two days working on the lawn, sod to be specific. I got up early and met a friend at the track to run 6x200 today. They were easy and right on goal pace (44 seconds each - I'd say that's pretty consistent).

I'm not sure what the rest of the week holds for me. I may run 4-5 miles tonight, but I will not run tomorrow since I will be traveling from sun up to way past sun down. I may go for a short run Thursday and Friday morning even though that is not consistent with my plan. But then again, I didn't do my long run either.

What I am sure of is that I am WAY excited for the 5K on Saturday!

Average Pace: 5:52 per mile
Number of Intervals: 6x200
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3 months

Traded my Dancing Shoes for Running Shoes

We went out dancing last night so I thought today's run would be difficult. It was not. I ran with Jason for the first 3 miles and ran the last one alone. I did have to keep reminding myself that I needed to pick up the pace, but it's cool. I ran faster than I have in awhile on the road so I'm happy. Tomorrow is my last long run before next Saturday's race. I can't wait to get to Cleveland!! I miss everyone sooooo much!

Average Pace: 8:30 per mile
Number of Intervals: 4.24 miles around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3 months

Slow and Steady and Sore

I know I shouldn't be upset about this evening's run. I did a hard core legs workout yesterday at the gym and went to the gym this morning to run/lift (back and chest), then returned to the gym this afternoon for a total body workout/walk on the treadmill. But it was such a beautiful night that I suggested that Jason and I go for a run.

We were originally planning to go 4 miles, but I reduced the distance to 3 miles. After about 2 minutes, I again reduced the distance to 2 miles only to have a sudden change of heart just as we were approaching the house and added a third mile. It was SLOW!!!!!! My legs/butt hurt sooooooo bad!!!! But, I did it and I am proud of that.

Average Pace: 6.7 miles per hour/9:00 per mile
Number of Intervals: 3.14 miles
Aches and Pains: VERY sore
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3 months

Treadmill

It is raining! On my Birthday!!!! So I ran inside. I really should run outside in the rain every once in a while since it could rain on race day, but I'm a wussy and I don't have to. :-) Anyway, I was on the treadmill for 35 minutes, and did 10 minutes of walking (5 at the beginning and 5 at the end) and 25 minutes of a fartleck (sp) workout (slightly over 3 miles). I ran 2 minutes and sprinted 1 each time increasing the speed. It was a good workout and much needed after I took yesterday off to do some strength training on my legs. My calves were screaming when I woke up today! I think I'm going to try to do a 45 minute tempo run tonight. We will see.

Average Pace: 7.5 miles per hour
Number of Intervals: 8 speed intervals
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3 months

Kickin' it Old School

This morning I did a fun old fashion Holy Name 8x400s workout. I did not run it as fast as Mr. Farmer used to make us. I ran each one in 1:38-1:45. Shockingly, the slowest one was my first one and my fastest was my 8th one. I think I remember it being that way some 10 years ago as well... :-)

I have been using the 5K training on my list of links. It suggests that I run the 400s in my 5K goal pace. I think a 7 minute mile is a good goal time.

2 months til Half Marathon Training begins!!!! Soooo excited!! :-)

Average Pace: about 7:00 per mile/8.6 miles per hour
Number of Intervals: 8
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3 months

My New Long Run Routine:

Sundays are my long run days. Since summer seems to be in full swing in South GA, I decided to get up early and do my morning runs before church every week to avoid the blazing hot afternoon sun. I'm not much of a morning person and my legs proved that today.

This morning, I got up before 9:30 mass to do my long run. It was slow, but it felt good for the most part. I ran 9.41 miles in 1 hour, 24 minutes, and 50 seconds (about 10 minutes slower than my 15K time... blah). I was sooo tired afterward. At church, I had to grab on to the pew in front of me in order to stand up/sit down/kneel.

Jason ran the last 3 miles with me, which was nice. He kept me going when I really wanted to quit. I have been running without my iPod lately, which has not been too terrible. I should wear it next time to see if that makes me run faster. I would like my 80 minute runs to eventually be 10 miles long. Although I am off pace, I'm still pretty proud of myself. :-)

Average Pace: 9:00 per mile/6.7 miles per hour
Number of Intervals: Running around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: slight pain in my knee, I think it was a tired muscle though, nothing to worry about
Breakthroughs: Maybe I need my iPod to speed me up.
Age of Shoes: about 3 months

Track Workout

I did 10x200 today. It was... weird. I have NEVER did a 200 workout, but it was on my training schedule. I ran them all in about 44 seconds each, which I know is not that impressive, but I was running it in my 5K pace. Anyway, Annie ran it with me. She decided she wants to do the half marathon with me (she's not a runner at all), so we are getting her into shape to begin training. I will also update you on her status.

Average Pace: 7:30 per mile
Number of Intervals: 10x200
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3 months

It's supposed to stop raining today.

I got up early on my first day off for the summer to go all the way to Moody to run on the treadmill. It was good except for the fact that the air was now working at the gym. Anyway, I walked for the first 5 minutes then ran for the next 35 minutes at about 6.5-9.0 mph. It was cool, but not :-)

Average Pace: 6.5-9.0 per mile
Number of Intervals: 4.57 miles on the treadmill.
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 3 months

I did not fall today!!!!

I did not run very fast today either. :-( However, I did enjoy my run. I ventured our of my little neighborhood and ran though different parts of Valdosta. It was cool, I got to see some of the bigger houses with nicely manicured lawns. I also got some more ideas for my front yard which was good. All in all, I felt sore and tired at first but that went away. I did not stop feeling that I was running slow though, and I was running slow... very slow. Oh well, it was a beautiful day and a very enjoyable run. I ran 7.78 miles in 1 hour 12 minutes and 56 seconds.

Average Pace: 9.24 per mile
Number of Intervals: 7.78 miles around Valdosta.
Aches and Pains: sore from yesterday's RUN not FALL :-)
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 2 months

Wipe Out!!

It has been storming for over a week now and I have been using that as an excuse not to run. Today, however, I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill. I've done this before, but you would never be able to tell.

About 30 minutes into my 45 minute run, I tripped on my shoelace and fell. Not just a little fall, a huge loud fall causing everyone in the cardio room to look at me. I did get up to finish the workout scraped knee, bumped chin, slight pain in my elbow, and a serious bruise to my ego :-). I should have known, I trip all the time in these shoes. The laces are sooo long!

Oh well, I'm going to attempt 60 minutes tomorrow as long as it doesn't rain. I will probably run less if I have to run on the treadmill again :-(. The weather man promises Monday to be a beautiful day... I hope he's right.

Average Pace: 7.5-8.5 miles per hour on the treadmill.
Number of Intervals: 43 minutes
Aches and Pains: all pains are related to my spill
Breakthroughs: tie your shoes real good :-)
Age of Shoes: about 2 months

I was only going to run 10 minutes today.

But it turned in to 31 minutes and 2 seconds. I ended up running 3.94 miles. It felt good. The people around here are awesome! Whenever I see people while I'm out on my run they always say hello and cheer me on. It really pumps me up to have strangers getting excited for you.

I also took the time while I was running today to check out the front yards in the neighborhoods. There aren't that many that are perfectly manicured. I think ours will be one of the best... but I'm a little biased :-)

Oh well, here are my stats:

Average Pace: 7:54 per mile!!!!!! I finally got below 8 minute miles!!!!
Number of Intervals: 3.94 mile run around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: my chest felt heavy, but not difficult to breath, around mile 2
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: about 2 months

Early Long Run

I got up at 7am to go on a long run this morning. I ran about 8.52 miles (I mapped it to the best of my memory) in 1 hour, 11 minutes and 6 seconds. It was a pretty random run. I mean what else can you do if you plan to run 70 minutes. The first part of the run I felt really tired and slow, but soon I was awake and running strong. It felt pretty good and it was a pleasant morning (mid 70s) with a slight overcast. Well, I'm off to finish painting the front of the house. Have a great Sunday!! :-)

Average Pace: 8:18 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: about 8.52 mile run around the neighborhood and the neighborhood across the street.
Aches and Pains: a little tired at first
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: about 2 months

LOST

I decided to map a new run on www.mapmyrun.com today. I really like this site. I can plan my runs and when I finish, I can log the run to find my average mile time and calories burned based on my personal information. However, I am not familiar with the neighborhood across from ours and I got lost. It's OK, it added a little to my run, which I did not appreciate at the time. My legs felt really tired.

I always thought that you burn the same number of calories walking a mile as you do running a mile, but time does matter. Shockingly, you do not burn more calories running faster. At some point if you run to fast, you burn less calories. I'm sure it has something to do with your heart rate and getting your body in to the fat burning/cardio sections according to those gym posters. I don't know. Maybe someday I will be interested enough to learn about it.

Anyway, I ran 5.17 miles today in 42 minutes and 10 seconds. A little slower than I had hoped, but better than yesterday so I can't be too mad. According to my training plan, I was supposed to run 5 miles fast today. I had to keep reminding myself to run fast, then try to convince my legs to do the same.

Average Pace: 8:10 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 5.17 mile run around the neighborhood and the neighborhood across the street.
Aches and Pains: ----
Breakthroughs:
Age of Shoes: about 2 months

HOT! HOT! HOT!

It wouldn't have been so bad if I weren't running at 6pm in late spring in south GA. It was slow and not very fun, but I had to go early since we have dinner plans with some friends. I did, however, enjoy the smell of jasmine throughout the entire neighborhood/run. Today I ran a rather slow 3.17 miles in a whopping 27 minutes flat (yuck). Oh well, I'll do better tomorrow, :-)

Happy Friday everyone!

Average Pace: 8:31 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 3.17 mile run around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: cramps in my left side
Breakthroughs: I need to start planning my runs around the heat.
Age of Shoes: about 2 months

Put My Running Shoes On

...for the first time in over a week. My back was hurting after my last run and it lasted for about 4 days. I should have started running when it stopped hurting, but I was lazy. I hate taking more than 1 day off at a time. It's so hard for me to get motivated after a few days off.

So, I decided to go for a 3 mile run today. Well, I wanted to go for a 4 mile run, but agreed to be OK with stopping after 3 miles. While I was running, I felt OK, not great, but not half as bad as I expected. Coming around on my usual route, I decided I was only going to run 3 miles despite the fact that I didn't feel like I needed to.

In order to not be a loser, I decided to change my route. I had no idea how far I was going or when I would stop. It was fun. I remember reading about this and I have to admit, I was skeptical. It works and I think I will do it again sometime. :-)

When all was said and done, I ran 4.7 miles in 38 minutes and 43 seconds.

Average Pace: 8:14 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 4.07 mile run around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: cramps in my right side and shoulder
Breakthroughs: Change it up!! It keeps you interested! :-)
Age of Shoes: about 2 months

Long Evening Run

I ran 7.33 miles in 1 hour and 8 seconds. It felt really good. I ran the first 3 on my own and picked up Jason for the last 4, just in time for it to start getting dark. Afterward, we took the girls for a short walk. I did have some tightness in my right quad, but my butt did not get tight... yea! I think the tightness is slowly moving down my leg :-) Anyway, it was a good run. Have a great week!!

Average Pace: 8:12 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 7.33 mile loop around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: tightness in my right quad.
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 1.5 months

Beginning My 5K Training

Today officially starts my 5K training. It should have started last week, but I think I'm in good enough shape to start 1 week into the program, especially since my long runs have been longer than the required longs runs on the plan. I"m also going to begin counting calories again today. I want to be at my goal weight by my birthday (June 4). It shouldn't be hard, I don't have much to lose.

A coworker of mine is also a runner and told me about Hal Higdon. He was an awesome runner and coach and my friend says he has used his plans and likes them because they don't kill you. Laura, check it out he has a plan for all levels. Here's the link to the plan I am using. I started on the first Saturday workout. I am also posting the plan in my links section:
http://www.halhigdon.com/5K%20Training/5-Kadv.htm

Anyway, the run went well, a little slower than I wanted, but I got to run with Jason for the first time in forever! He ran the first 3 miles with me and I ran the last one alone. Altogether I ran 4.12 miles in 34 minutes and 9 seconds.

Average Pace: 8:17 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 3.03 mile loop and 1.09 mile loop around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: Felt nauseous after the run again. I was kinda expecting that because I felt ill after eating sushi last night.
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 1.5 months

Feelin Good

I ran 5.38 miles around my neighborhood today in 42 minutes and 46 seconds. It felt pretty good. My time was decent to, so that's good. I guess I really did need the break. Minor cramp just before the 2 mile mark and a slight tugging in my ankle around mile 2.5 that I will have to monitor. Well I'm off to plant grass! Talk to you later :-)


Average Pace: 7:57 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 3.03 mile loop and 2.35 mile loop around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: Nagging pull in my ankle (not painful, just felt weird)
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 1 month

Hitting the Roads after a short Hiatus

After burnt knees and slow runs, I decided to take a week off. Today was not as fast as I would have liked it to be, but it was much better than my last few. I ran 3.88 miles today, it would have been 4, but when I stopped to cross a main road, I felt as though I was going to vomit. I have never had that feeling before. I blame it on the funnel cake at midnight last night at Relay for Life. So, I offered my nausea up to cancer research and moved on.

Today I ran my usual 3.03 mile loop, then ran to Lee and Justin's to help Jason with their counter tops. It took me 32 minutes and 9 seconds. So, now I'm off to work on the counters! Have a great Saturday!

Average Pace: 8:15 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 3.88 miles in Valdosta, GA
Aches and Pains: NONE!!! I got my shoes back!!
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: about 1 month

Panama City

I went to the beach yesterday so of course I packed my shoes to run on the beach. Panama City is BEAUTIFUL, but incredibly difficult to run on. Most of the sand is very fine, but by the ocean it's compacted. So I decided to run along the ocean... what a great run right? Wrong. The sand along the ocean is very slanted and difficult to run on. Plus my shoes got soaked. So I decided, after 1.5 miles of slanted sand, that it was time to explore the city.

I ended up finding this really cute neighborhood of beachy cottages to run through and check out all the houses. There were some for sale and I so wanted to buy one. I also found some really cool shops to check out after hanging out on the beach. Running may be the best way to explore new cities.

Anyway, I ran 5.5 miles 51:41, not incredible, but I was running slower on the sand just so I would not fall or twist an ankle.

Afterward, I lounged on the beach and the backs of my knees got really burned (along with my back, but that doesn't hurt very bad). I want to run today, but might not be able to get my sports bra on or my knees to bend. Oh well, that sucks.

Average Pace: about 9:24 per mile, I really need to start working on my times again. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 5.5 miles in Panama City
Aches and Pains: my ankle wrap got wet and was rubbing on the back of my ankle - I have 2 blisters now.
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: < 1 week

So Cold!

OK, I'm officially a huge wimp! It was in the low 50s this morning so I decided to run indoors today. I was going to do a 400s workout outside despite the cold, but when I got there, the high school track team was about to practice. Anyway, I ran 30 minutes on the treadmill today. I walked 5 minutes then ran to 15 minutes at 7.0 then at 15 and 18 minutes, I ran at 8.0 for a minute each. When I got to 21 and 24 minutes I ran 8.5 for a minute each, and 9.0 at 27 and 30 minutes. At 33 minutes, I ran 9.5 for a minutes and back to 7.0 until I reached 35 minutes with a 5 minute cool down. It was a pretty good run followed by weight training targeting my chest and back and 4 hours of "back-breaking" yard work (I will post photos on our other Blog as well as Flickr when it is finishes).

I've decided my chest is shrinking because I am beginning to chafe in that area. I think I need a smaller sports bra.

In more exciting news, I have decided on a marathon!! I'm going to run the Disney World Marathon!!!!!!!! I am sooooo excited! In the meantime, I'm looking to run 1-2 half marathons. After the marathon, I'm thinking of a simple 26.2 tattoo. (I can't find what I'm looking for, just a 26.2 written really cool with a few swish marks coming off of it.) Anyone who wants to join me, or if you just want to check it out, here is the link: www.disneyworld.com

In the meantime, here are my stats from today:
Average Pace: about 9:09 per mile - that includes the first and last 5 minutes of walking. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 4.37 miles on the treadmill @ Moody AFB
Aches and Pains: pains in my arch (on and off throughout the day after running)
Breakthroughs: I am a WIMP!
Age of Shoes: < 1 week

If only I could run 2.34 miles in 5 minutes.

Then my time today wouldn't seem so bad. I don't know why my times are so slow lately. I took a week off after my last 5K, but I have been going again for a week and my times shouldn't suck this bad anymore.

I ran 7.1 miles today in 1 hour 9 minutes and 24 seconds. Sadly, I ran 9.44 miles in 1 hour 14 minutes and 4 seconds just a few weeks ago in FL. So now you are thinking "but that was a race; times are always faster when you are racing." True, but the week before my race, I ran 8 miles in 1 hour and 4 minutes! Now your thinking "geeze that does suck." I would have agree with you.

There was nothing significantly crappy about today's run, it was just slow. I felt that I had a slow start, but after that, I really felt like I was moving. Oh well. I did decide yesterday that I would not let my times affect me until I'm training for a race. So, until then, today's run was pleasant.

Average Pace: 9:46 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 7.1 miles VSU loop
Aches and Pains: some pain in my left arch (can't wait to see my shoes again!! :-)
Breakthroughs: at a total loss...
Age of Shoes: 2 days

It's a Great Day to Run

Krissy called me last night to see if I wanted to run at 7am!! I said sure and got up before the sun on a Saturday to go run 45-50 minutes. It was a really nice run! Finally, I'm feeling like my old self again. We had a really great run and took it kinda slow. We ran for 46 minutes and 53 seconds and I think I calculated the distance correctly at a little over 5.5 miles (as long as I didn't miss any turns).

In other news: I miss my stopwatch!! :-( I used my iPod the other day, but it ran out of batteries and my computer did not recognize it when I plugged it in. Do not fret, it is charging now.

Average Pace: about 8:30 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: About 5.5 miles around downtown Valdosta
End Results: feel great
Aches and Pains: some pain in my left arch (can't wait to see my shoes again!! :-)
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: 1.5 years

Friday, April 4, 2009

Another crappy run. I would have blogged yesterday, but our internet was out. It still is actually, I am using Jason's Blackberry to get internet as a type. I don't understand why my last few runs went the way they did and I hope it changes soon. I ran my usual loop around the neighborhood in 24 minutes and 50 seconds (yuck)!

I left my good shoes and stop watch at school thinking I would be back on Wednesday/Thursday/Friday to get them. No luck. I got a new pair of shoes and they are really not that great. I am having pains in my arches again... ugh!

Oh well, I'm sure this will pass and I will be back to my usual happy running self.

Average Pace: about 8:17 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 3.03 mile loop around the neighborhood.
Aches and Pains: sore arch
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: 1.5 years

Still Raining...

It has been raining for 2 days now and I didn't want to go another day without running, so I decided to go to the gym and run on the treadmill. I used to think that I ran faster on the treadmill, but that is not the case. Since I have been tracking my progress, I realized that running 7.0 on the treadmill is over 8 minutes miles. So I increased my pace to 7.5 which is only 8 minute miles and it felt difficult!!!! I did add in some surges which made me feel like less of a loser, but oh well.

Since I was at the gym, I also did some cross training (back, chest, and abs) and did a cool down walk on the treadmill (fun). I was, however, able to read my Runner's World while cooling down and it had some helpful hints for training for a marathon. Apparently, if you run more intense workouts during the week, you don't have to run the dreaded 20+ mile long run. Most runners on the plan don't run more than 16 miles at their peak and have shaved lots of time off their 26.2. I have no point of reference, but I would LOVE not having the dreaded 20 mile run hanging over my head.

Average Pace: about 8:00 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: slightly over 3 miles on the treadmill at Moody AFB
End Results: shocked
Aches and Pains: none
Breakthroughs: I am much better outdoors than on a treadmill.
Age of Shoes: 1.5 years

Cross Training

Well, it rained all morning when I was planning to run. When it finally stopped, it was too late to run and have enough time to recover for spin class. So I didn't run today, but I did do an hour of spin class followed by an hour of Zumba. I think that counts as a workout. We have tomorrow off, so if it is raining in the morning, I will go up to Moody and run on the treadmill.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

I didn't get the chance to blog yesterday. It was a pretty uneventful run for the most part. I ran 5 miles at Moody in an unimpressive time (43 minutes). I felt really tired the whole time! I have not been lazy about blogging lately, I've just been plain lazy. It had been one week since I last ran. The sad thing is that my last run was enjoyable and rewarding. Oh well, I'm back on track. I will run again tomorrow. Not sure how far, I will just have to see where and how far my legs take me. Here are the blah stats:

Average Pace: about 8:12 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 5 miles on Moody AFB
End Results: tired
Aches and Pains: none
Breakthroughs: ----
Age of Shoes: 1 year

Relay for Life 5K ~ Valdosta, GA

I did awesome today! It was a fun race, it began and ended at St. John's Catholic Church. My time was about 22 minutes. I haven't seen the actual results yet. I will update when they update me, but I wanted to let everyone know that I survived. I was 6th overall, 4th female (the men did not represent well), and first in my age group. All in all, I was very happy. :-)

It's Sunday now and I am getting annoyed. They have not posted the results on any of the pages they said they would. So here is what I got:

Mile 1: 7:07 - I was shocked! At this point, I'm the first girl!! 3rd overall!
Mile 2: 14:22 - Now I'm getting excited! I couldn't believe I kept that pace. Passed the #2 runner,but sadly, I got passed by two girls just before the 2 mile mark.
Mile 3: 21:46 - Yea! Got passed by a different guy and the #3 girl just before the 3 mile mark.
Finish: I think it was 22:07?? I accidentally hit the lap button, not stop and I can't figure out how to get back to my lap 1 split.

Either way, I did way better than I could have ever imagined at this point. I finally feel like I'm at a point to go home and run in Mr. Ream's 5K without feeling like I've taken the last 10 years off, but I still can't make it. (tear) :-(

Here are my stats as I best remember them:
Average Pace: about 7:12 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 5K (Valdosta, GA)
End Results: YEA!!!!
Aches and Pains: All of my toes felt like they were swollen in my shoe for the entire race... very strange feeling. No pain though.
Breakthroughs: I know I'm a runner again :-) Yea!
Age of Shoes: 2 weeks

I didn't want to run today...

but I did. Actually, I kept going back and forth on whether or not I would run. When something would come up, I would try to convince myself that it was a good enough excuse not to run.

For starters, I had to wait 1 hour after practice to have one of my track girls picked up. When I got home, I remembered that it was St. Patty's day and we didn't have the ingredients for an Irish dinner, so I HAD to go to the store. 45 minutes later, it was still light out and although I was hungry, I decided to run. That was until Jason needed my help with the electrical for the pool. Since it's almost pool season, I though I should help. It took longer than expected and I was definitely NOT going to run.

Then I remembered that I have a track meet tomorrow (wish my girls luck!) and will not be able to run. That leaves Thursday and Friday to run before my 5K on Saturday. I can't run much on Friday and Thursday I want to do 400s which would really stink after 3 days off. I began to feel guilty, so I sucked it up and ran. All in all, it was a surprisingly good run. I felt great and enjoyed myself! So here are the stats:

Average Pace: 7:51 per mile, just like Saturday. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 3.03 miles around the neighborhood
End Results: No Guilt
Aches and Pains: none
Breakthroughs: I think I'm becoming a runner again :-) Yea!
Age of Shoes: 1.5 weeks

Nice and Easy

Well, maybe not so easy. My legs definitely felt heavy and my butt still felt tight and I got a cramp. However, with all that, I still felt happy to be running. It was a nice run, beautiful day, and it kept me from doing school work :-) I did get a little sad while I was running knowing that I was going to be stuck indoors all day. Maybe I'll set some goals and reward myself by doing some yard work. Right now though, I need lunch. Happy Sunday everyone!!

I ran 2.11 miles in 19 minutes and 29.59 seconds... and had plenty of time to smell the flowers :-) I may take tomorrow off then start preparing for my 5K on Saturday! :-)

Average Pace: 9:15 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 2.11 miles around the neighborhood
End Results: Happy
Aches and Pains: tired legs and a sore butt :-)
Breakthroughs: Fun run
Age of Shoes: 1.5 years

Gates River Run 15K ~ Jacksonville, FL

I had sooooooo much fun at the run today!!!! There was live music all along the route. About 4 miles of the run was through a really cute neighborhood. It was really cool to see all of the people who came out of their houses to cheer the runners on. Some gave out water, others gave out oranges, one house even gave out popsicles. My favorite was the house that was giving out mimosas! How fun is that?!?!? I did not partake, but if I were walking, I totally would have. I was really nervous at first because I hadn't run in 3 days and mother nature decided to show up Friday night.

What didn't show up was my shirt. They ran out of smalls (even though I pre-ordered it) but promised to mail them to us when they come in. We did get medals though! :-)

I did get really tired about 8.5 miles into the race, but I finished and didn't have to stop (except for the potty break - Krissy needed to go, I also tried.) In all it took 1 hour 14 minutes and 4 seconds!!!!!!! That is an unofficial time because the results are not posted yet and I stopped my watch when we made out pit stop. Plus you have to count the time it takes to get to the starting line from where we were standing when the Navy guys fired the cannon to start the race. I am totally happy about this, it was much faster than I was expecting. The best part is that I finished in the top 10% and won a hat!! The race was run really well and there was tons of free food, drinks, and beer for everyone after the race. Yes I said free beer!! Who doesn't need bread (even in liquid form) after running 9.44 miles? Check out our Flickr page for more photos.

To get race results, go to http://www.gate-riverrun.com/ and click on results.

There were 12,901 runners, I was 1,480 - which is actually 11%, but that is including the lead group who do not count because they left 10 minutes before everyone else.

Average Pace: 7:51 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 15K in Jacksonville
End Results: Happy, sore, VERY TIRED!
Aches and Pains: pain in my left arch, sore right cheek from mile 8-finish, I also got a few small blisters :-(, but mostly just really beat afterward
Breakthroughs: I LOVE road races!!
Age of Shoes: 6 days :-)

Waiting to start the race:



A small fraction of the runners:



Post race (with our metals):



Our biggest cheerleader and the best husband ever: (note the hat - Top 10%!!)



In other running related news, my track team came in 2nd place at their first meet on Thursday. They looked really good and I really have some awesome athletes this year. Sooooo excited!

Also, if you ever want really cheep running gear (shoes, short, tops, etc...) go to the runners' village of any large road race! The prices were AMAZING!!!!! Mizzunos (sp) for under $50! And MANY more deals!!

Still Tired

That's about all I can say about today's run. Well, that and I finally broke 8 minute miles!!!!! I'd like to get down into the low 7's by March 21st (a week and a half from now) when I do my 5K. I don't know what it was, but mile three rocked. I just felt really fast.

My 3.03 mile time... 23:43!!!!!!!!!! I rock! :-)

Average Pace: 7:54 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 3.03 mile loop around the neighborhood.
End Results: Happy
Aches and Pains: slight pain in my left arch
Breakthroughs:none
Age of Shoes: 6 months

Sooooooo Tired!

I ran this yesterday, but our internet was out!

My legs felt extremely heavy running.

Here are the reasons I believe I felt so bad:
I got to bed late Sunday Night
I ran an AWESOME 8 miles the day before
I stood all day at school - it has been super busy there lately
I was napping minutes before my run
There are HILLS in my neighborhood, which normally I love, but not on tired legs

My time was not what I wanted, but I can't be too upset. (24 minutes and 57 seconds) The results were not all bad though, my new shoes really are great! No pain!!!!

Average Pace: 8:19 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 3.03 mile loop around the neighborhood.
End Results: Tired
Aches and Pains: NONE... other than really tired legs.
Breakthroughs: Sometimes, you just got to suck it up and run. I'll probably feel great running today.
Age of Shoes: Brand New!!!!

I signed up for a 5K in Valdosta on March 21st! I'm pretty excited about that! :-)

Moody

Don't worry, I am not feeling moody, I ran at Moody today. Jason is working on our fence all weekend and I knew he would not want to run. My friend Annie mentioned that she wanted to work out this weekend, and she is not a runner. So, we went to base today and while she worked out, I ran on the fitness trail.

Let me describe the trail to you. The first mile is thorough a wooded area (kinnda reminds me of the Metro Parks in Cleveland) and the rest is around the landing and take off strips of base. Not a very scenic run on an early Sunday afternoon, but it was a change of scenery none the less.

I believe the fitness trail is 7 miles long, but I only did the first 3. For whatever reason they burned all the grass around the runways beginning around mile 2.15 and it went on indefinitely. While it was no longer burning, it still smelled really bad and I decided to turn around at mile 3. Upon arriving back at the start, I turned around again and ran one mile out then back for a total or 8.1 miles. The best part... it only took me 1 hour 5 minutes and 37 seconds!! That's with no iPod! (I forgot to charge it... oops :-)

In other running related news,I have been having a pain in my left foot where my arch should be. So, I finally bought new shoes after my run today. They are Saucony's, which I have never purchased before (I'm a Nike girl), but the running store I went to had this high tech shoe choosing system and I hope these will help. If nothing else, they are super comfortable. I LOVE running in new shoes! I will keep you updated on my new relationship with Saucony. :-)

Average Pace: 8:05 per mile!!!!!!!!! Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 8.1 miles around Moody AFB
End Results: Happy about my time!!! Want to get under 8 minute miles by my next 5K
Aches and Pains: My left arch, or space where my arch should be, hurts and I am now limping. It didn't hurt while I ran. Hopefully my new shoes will help with that situation. Also, around mile 7.5 my toes fell asleep and I was sure they were swelling, but they weren't. I propped my feet up on a wall afterward to drain the blood from my legs (I'm sure that's what it was.)
Breakthroughs: I Rock!!!! :-)
Age of Shoes: 2.5 years - New ones coming tomorrow! Tee hee!