Nip Pain

No, I'm not getting plastic surgery, but I do need to do something about my chest. Since I've gotten pregnant, it feels like someone is rubbing sandpaper over my chest and it hurts!! It actually slowed me down today on our 7 mile run. We stopped after mile 3 so that I could research how to eliminate my pain. It looks like we are off to the mall to purchase an underarmor (sp) sports bra which is supposed to help. I'll keep you updated.

If you are wondering why I am re-starting my blog, it's because we are training for a half marathon at the end of October. I have not been posting all of my runs like I usually do, but today I felt the need to discuss. Maybe I should since training while pregnant is very different from how I used to train. Anyway, I keep asking my Dr. if it is OK to run and she keeps telling me yes as long as I drink A LOT!! (Which I have been doing.)

I have decided to use the novice training program and do not worry about my time... it would only make me sad. It has taken me back to a time when running was truly enjoyable and I am really taking in the scenery in new ways.

Here we go again!

We have some sad news. Due to circumstances out of our control, we are unable to go to the Gate River Run this year. I am sooooo sad about this. It is such a cool and fun race. Oh well, there is always next year...

Training officially begins tomorrow for the Marine Corps Historic Half. It will be held in Fredericksburg, Virginia and will run through George Washington's childhood neighborhood on May 16th. I am sooo excited!

Since the Disney Marathon, we have been doing some light running including a 5K in Hahira, GA which I won for my age group. I would have been the first female overall, but got beat out by some high schoolers in the last half mile... bummer. My friend, April, from my gifted endorsement classes told us about it and we decided what the heck. The race was called the "Art of Surviving" and was hosted by some art teachers in honor of one of the teachers at the elementary school in Hahira (a city in Lowndes County - where we live).

Here is a picture of my award (they gave out art work made by the kids at the elementary school where the race was held - so creative!). We also met a really cool couple, Paul and Jamie, who we had over for dinner last Saturday.

The Happiest Marathon on Earth!

It sure has been a long time since I've posted anything. Here it is in a nutshell. Jason and I followed the program through to the marathon. Some highlights include a most excellent 20 mile run in Cleveland the Tuesday before Christmas (Average time: 8:45 per mile!! Temperature - in the 20's).

In the end, we had an AWESOME time (fun) at the marathon, but not an awesome time. We finished the marathon in 4 hours, 38 minutes. We had hoped for under 4 hours. Oh well, we can't be too mad, we did run a whole marathon! That's pretty amazing! Of course we did get to see Mickey! It was the coldest WDW Marathon ever! 27 degrees at the start. I did get a pretty sweet blister, but to see that picture, you will have to check out our Flickr account. Here are some pictures of the event.


Fireworks to start the race:

The infamous Epcot ball in the background (approx 6am):

Jason in front of Cinderella's Castle:

High Five for Donald at the Finish:
WDW Marathon Finishers!!

My Marathon Tattoo (I got it the Saturday after the marathon):


The best part is that Jason wants to keep running marathons! Maybe we will do Disney again next year???? I definitely want to run that one again, but I would also like to try a few other destination marathons (Hawaii has one that looks cool.)

Now we are training for the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, FL on March 13. I did this run with Krissy last year and we had a blast! This year I will be running it with Kim and Chlesea. Jason may run it with us as well depending on his court martial schedule for March.

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