Is there a pattern here?

I know I have fallen off the side of the earth lately, but don't be offended, it's not just blogging I've neglected but fitness/nutrition in general. It was Thanksgiving...I wasn't the only one off track, right?

I've always wanted to run a holiday morning race. I would feel like a member of a secret society: getting up while everyone else is sleeping in, sneaking out to meet with my fellow runners, getting in a good workout, and then being home and showered in time to cook and celebrate. Although the closest Thanksgiving race was a little too far away, for the past few years my mom and I have created our own little Thankgiving morning long run tradition. It makes you feel just a little teensy bit justified in that extra (or extra 4) sourdough roll when you put in a good 5 miler in the morning.

We stayed here with my husband's family this year, so I couldn't get in my run with my mom, butI did, however, get out for my own personal "Turkey Trot." It felt really good to get out, but it's amazing how slow and lazy I've become in a matter of a few weeks! Something about this particular run made me reflective though and I started thinking about past and new goals.

When I got home, I broke out my little "Workout Log" that I recieved for Christmas four years ago. I was in great shape then; I just got home from studying abroad in Spain and had been running to explore the town I lived in and joined a gym in one of many failed attempts to "immerse myself in the native language." (I learned a lot of really crucial aerobics and dance class lingo, like "squat" and "stomp your right foot," but I didn't have many other interactions with the Spanish women who were working out. Their approach to exercise is a little different and I never quite understood the appeal of working out in heels. I think most of them thought I was a little goofy, too, because I was the only one who ran to the gym.)

In my workout log, I was surprised to see that I'm not that far off from where I was then. I've got some more pounds and inches to lose, but not as many as I thought. Glancing through the "Goals" page, I recognize many of the same things I'm working on now: "less Diet Coke, more fruit and vegetables," "consistent strength training," faster 5K times.

(I found a race time in the log that I couldn't find when I posted my previous race results. I remembered this race because it was on Christmas Eve, but could not find my time anywhere. I have it now and it's actually a post-high school PR! It's only 3 seconds different from my 5K from a few months ago...further evidence that things don't change much!

Mooresville Fire Department 5K
December 24, 2009
25:22

I'm remembering now also that I ran 14 miles the day before that, stayed out late with my friends in Charlotte and then met my mom at that race early that morning...I wonder if I would have had a better PR with a little rest.)

There is one goal from that page, however, that I have achieved: Complete a Marathon. So, at least I've made a little progress. Between now and the end of the year, I want to tune up so I can set my sights on my goals for 2010. I've got some ideas, but none are set yet.

What about y'all? Am I the one that sets goals for the end of the year, in preparation for new goals for the new year?

You can't always get want you want....

...but it is indeed true, that if you try, sometimes you get what you need. (Is that on anyone else's running playlist?) Maybe a little running break might be what I need (even though it wasn't really what I wanted) right now. After Thursday's mistake, I didn't run for four days and then gave up on my long run after 5 miles today. Lazy, I know, but I'm just not stressing about it. I've been on track so far and am jumping back on this week.

I appreciate y'all not cyber-bullying me and calling me a wimp. (Feel free to at any time though. I response to different styles of coaching.) The whole "365 Days of Running" is officially on the back burner, but still on the stove! (Let's revisit this goal after the marathon, perhaps?) I'm taking this opportunity to focus more on my overall health by getting re-acquainted with my long lost friends: strength training, nutrition, and cross-training. Oh, and my bestie, Jillian Michaels, of course.

So, again, combining the Runner's World Marathon Plan with Jillian's Making the Cut, here's the schedule:

Today
Ran 5 miles
JM Day 1

Tuesday
5 miles, evening
JM Day 2

Wednesday
3 miles, MIGHT try morning before my teacher workday

Thursday
2-3 miles, right after work
JM Day 4

Friday
No Run (Seems like cheating!)
JM Day 5

Saturday
12-14 miles, first thing (Do NOT let me get by without this run! It's been busy, hot, and humid and I'm letting this week's long run go, but it cannot happen again.)

Sunday
Rest

Week 7 of Marathon Training

Even though haven't exactly stuck to it run by run, it has been really helpful for me to plan with the Runner's World Plan. This is my last week of summer before workdays start. Planning and structure are going to be of paramount importance in the coming weeks if I want to stay on track. So, let's see what's in store for this week....

(Oh, by the way, I still have been a total failure at my strength training. Such a failure, that I'm not going to bother with listing it in my plans for right now.)

Monday
1-2 miles, morning (hmm...that means I should probably be running right this second)

Tuesday
4 miles, morning

Wednesday
5-6 miles, morning

Thursday
1 mile, evening

Friday
3-4 miles, morning

Saturday
1 mile, whenever

Sunday
14 miles, hopefully in the morning before church

I'm considering switching my long runs to Saturday and may do so this week. We'll just see how things pan out.

P.S. I had a wonderful first anniversary with my husband in Charleston last weekend! Part of my gift to him was leaving behind my running shoes when I packed. : ) (I ran right before we left on Saturday and right after we got back on Sunday. Saturday morning, I even got to run with my friend Amy who is also training for a marathon, which was a real treat!)

Week 6 of Marathon Training

I've been slightly off my Runner's World marathon training schedule for the past two weeks, but I'm still really pleased with my progress. Without even planning to, I accomplished a past goal I had almost forgotten: to run from the pool (where I used to lifeguard) home.

My mom and I wanted to get in a long run and didn't want to go out and back. (Sometimes I get wimpy on out and back runs and just want to turn around early.) We had this great plan that my sisters would drive us to town and dump us out of the van. Then we'd run home. So we got on g-map pedometer and mapped out our course and it just happened to start on the road of the pool. So, there we were dumped, and we ran. It was hot and hilly, but through some really beautiful backroads. It's so flat where I live now that I was enchanted with the little valleys, hills, and creeks we encountered.

So, we're officially up to half the distance of a marathon! The real excitement though, is that I'm not (that) sore today! My quads are a little tight, but didn't bother me at all on my run. When the two of us ran a half marathon (for which I didn't train) in February, I was crippled for days. It was pathetic.

Anyway...here's the plan for this week. (Yes, I am starting over again with Making the Cut.)

Monday
1 mile, ran this morning

Tuesday
2 miles, evening
JM Making the Cut Day 1

Wednesday
4-5 miles, evening
JM Day 2

Thursday
1 mile, evening
JM Day 4

Friday
3-4 miles, morning
JM Day 5

Saturday
1 mile, morning

Sunday
4-5 miles, evening (My Runner's World said no long run this week and I'm not going to argue with the experts!)

My Next 7 Runs

On Thursday, I'm leaving to go to my parents' for a little over a week. I'm tremendously excited about all the family/friends/events/activities that I'll be squeezing in during that time. (I really hope that Stephanie has her baby while I'm home!)

Athletically, home is a dream come true! I'll be with my running mom and sisters, run a 5K with my cousins, have access to pools and the YMCA (I never in my life thought I would ache so longingly for a YMCA...we need one here desperately.), and generally just be in an environment where exercise/health is embraced instead of skeptically, slightly disapprovingly viewed as something a little wacky. (That might a little bit of a hyperbole, but not much.)

Here's the plan:

Monday
1 mile, evening
(Remarkably, I haven't been sore at all from my 10 miler on Saturday, but I'm a little concerned because I had some slight knee aches during the run. So I'm taking it a little easy.)

Tuesday
3 miles, morning

Wednesday
5-6 miles, evening

Thursday
1 mile, first thing

Friday
2 miles, at home!

Saturday
5K for the Greenway

Sunday
8 miles

Thanks for peeking in on me and holding me accountable! This is by far the best I've ever stuck to a training plan.

Back to School...Well, Not Quite Yet

About November, when I'm buried under papers to grade, desperately trying to get everything done each week, and dealing with all the daily drama of fourth grade, remind me of summertime. It's wonderful.

It took about a week after the last teacher workday, but all of the sudden, I relaxed. I stopped having dreams about teaching fractions, didn't wake up panicking about what I needed to get done before school started, didn't worry about fitting it ALL in in one day. During the school year, I have a hard time relaxing, even on the weekends; lesson plans and student issues are always churning in the back of my mind.

In about a month, I'll start my third year of teaching and my main goal for myself as a person, and not just a teacher, is to stay a little more sane. I'm starting now with a some preliminary planning and organizing for my classroom. I think a little more structure and planning will help me separate my work from the rest of my life (and thus, let me sleep a little less fitfully).

My running has the potential to make a big impact in this plan. I'm thinking about taking my running gear to school, so I can run right after the students leave (or after-school meetings). That might get me re-energized for working on grades and planning for another few hours. Another possibility is running right when I get home. The run could be my official transition from work to home.

We'll see. I have a month left to figure it out. Anybody have any ideas?

(Possible) Upcoming Runs

I love running races. In high school, it was more of kind of a love/hate thing because although I like competition, I was always worried about not being good/fast enough for my team. Now that I'm a grown-up though, I just pay my fee, get my t-shirt, and race for me. I can be anywhere I want on the spectrum from uber-competitive to leisurely jog and no one cares. And because most people in my peer group are at home sleeping on Saturday mornings, I can usually get an age-group award, too!

This is my favorite race "trophy." You have to go all the way to an isolated valley in Burke's Garden, West Virginia to run the Varmint 1/2 Marathon, but it is worth it. It's a beautiful race.

Of course, if you're my little sister, you don't mess around with the tiny age-group sheep. She won the women's 5K in 2007 (pictured above) and 2009.

Unfortunately, I live in a fairly isolated part of the state, so I'm not really on the race circuit. I have to plan a little more carefully for races, instead of just going into town for a Saturday morning 5K. Here's what I'm looking at for the rest of 2009.

July 25
Salisbury Greenway 5K with my sisters

August 22
Spruce Pine Springmaid Splash Trail 10K
*This one's a maybe-I've wanted to do this extreme race for years. You go through woods and creeks and pastures and all. It's right before school starts back though, so I don't know if it's logistically going to work out.*

September 5
Lake Waccamaw: Take the Lake, 15 miles with my mom
*I might do the lake swim again on Labor Day...we'll see.*

October 18
Des Moines Marathon!

December 12
Charlotte Thunder Road Half Marathon
*This is another maybe. One of my good friends from high school is running the marathon and I'm thinking about possibly doing the half if I can be in that region.*

If we're at my parents' for New Years, I would LOVE to start 2010 with the Running of the Lights 5K at Tanglewood at the stroke of midnight! My husband cannot think of ANYTHING more idiotic than this race, but I'm in love with the idea. : )

What fun races are y'all planning on? Are there any more in North Carolina (or upper South Carolina) that I shouldn't be missing out on?

Week 3 of Marathon Training

It's now less than 13 weeks until the Des Moines Marathon! Here's the plan for this week:

Monday
1 easy mile, evening
Jillian Michaels Workout 1

Tuesday
3 miles, morning
Jillian Michaels Workout 2

Wednesday
3-4 miles, evening

Thursday
1 mile, evening
JM Workout 4

Friday
4-5 miles, first thing in the morning
JM Workout 5

Saturday
1 easy mile

Sunday
10 miles, first thing! This will be my first double digit run since....maybe the end of 2007. It's been a while.

This Week I Will....

Planning ahead last week was a big success for me. Even though I'm finally getting enough in shape well enough to love most of my runs, it is still a struggle to just get out the door some days. It's HOT and there are so many other things I SHOULD be doing. Having a plan (and knowing that it's already out there in cyberspace) makes it less stressful and more automatic.

I should note that although I stuck to my running plan (besides switching around a couple days), I have not been as good about my strength training. That's my focus for this week.

Monday
1 easy mile in the evening
Day 2 of JM

Tuesday
4 miles, morning

Wednesday
3-4 miles, morning
Day 4 of JM

Thursday
1 mile, evening
Day 5 of JM

Friday
5 easy miles, first thing

Saturday
2-3 miles with Mom and Becca (I'm very excited about my family coming down this weekend!)

Sunday
7 miles with Mom

The mileage is going up!

Planning Ahead

I LOVE some types of planning. I love planning events: parties, showers, weddings, etc. Sometimes, I get really obsessively wrapped up in planning lessons and activities for my students. What I'm not really into, however, is the type of day-to-day planning that makes life in general run smoothly. It's not that my life is running off the tracks or anything, but I could probably use a little more structure. So I'm not doing things like running on the treadmill a few minutes before midnight, going to the grocery store twice in one day, or locking my keys in the car twice in one week. Actually, I doubt any amount of planning will ever keep me from repeatedly locking myself out of vehicles/homes/school trailers.

I've been using my summer break so far to get caught up and really feel quite accomplished with all the little things I've done so far. None of these events are really great feats, but they were simply not happening during the school year.

I've already got my hair cut, been to the dentist, scheduled an eye appointment, took the kitten to the vet, deep cleaned (most of) the house, got my car inspected, renewed my car registration, weeded and fertilized the garden, started my marathon training, washed pretty much every stitch of clothing in this house, and a done a few little other things here and there.

My Runner's World Marathon Plan outlines what I'm going to run every day, but I'm going to try and go the extra step and plan ahead for where and when. Even though I wasn't feeling real jazzed about it right when I got up, I went ahead and hit the road because I knew it was only getting hotter. Three minutes in, I was so grateful. So, since this is Week One of my sixteen week schedule, I think I should start some routines to keep me on track. Each week, I'll post my training "plan" on Sunday or Monday (yes, I realize that already puts me behind on this week) so I can look ahead and avoid late night long runs on the treadmill.

*If you have this month's RW (Runner's World) and see the plan, you have an idea of what I'm doing. The "First Timer" modificiations for the their plan are reducing the Sunday long runs by 2 miles each week (building only to 20, instead of 22), just doing 3-4 miles on Wednesdays and Fridays instead of the quality runs, and rest on Saturday.*

Monday (Yesterday)
Walked/Ran with Justin, got in at least 2 miles of running

Tuesday (Today)
4 Miles, Morning to Track and Back

Wednesday
RW says "hills" but I'm yet to find the hills in this county. I'm going to do 3-4 miles in the evening. I'll look for hills. : )
Day 2 of JM (Jillian's Michael's "Making the Cut")

Thursday
RW and JM says "rest" so it's just one easy mile in the evening.

Friday
Easy 4 in the morning
Day 4 of JM

Saturday
1 mile, first thing
Day 5 of JM

Sunday
5 miles before church

Okay, so maybe I'm not ready to plan where yet, but there's when at least.

Hold me to it!

Where/What/When to Run

As I count down the last 1.5 days of teaching and 3 workdays, I can see summer and sanity on the horizon! I didn't work last summer but I was all over the state wedding planning, attending pre-wedding events, moving (twice), getting a new job, getting married, etc. So, I'm extremely excited about the approaching two months!

I've been formulating a list in my mind for months of things I need/want to do, but just have not been able to do during the school year. (The kids may leave at 3 [or 4, or 4:20, depending on tutoring] but it's rare for me to get back to town before 5 and I'm usually dragging a bag of schoolwork with me. Maybe, year three of teaching will be a LITTLE less time-consuming.) Here's the ones I can think of now...

1. Take the kitten to the vet
2. Get my hair cut
3. Go the dentist
4. Go to the eye doctor
5. Take back the broken fan
6. Hang pictures
7. Cook real meals on a consistent basis!
8. Make headboard and possibly paint bedroom
9. Read!
10. Organize my husband's study
11. Scrapbook/organize wedding photos and memorabilia

ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDD....the only one thing that truly is relevant to this blog:

12. Really RUN!!!!!!

I've been checking out runs and triathlons for this summer and fall and want to make some commitments (i.e. dropping some cash on registrations fees) for races. It's was a lot easier to find races when I lived with my running mom and sister within an hour of several medium to large cities within a 45 minute radius.

In my new married life, I live with my husband who really cannot (yet) get jazzed up about getting up early to run on a Saturday. And also, there is that little detail of being about one hour from ANY city that recognizes the need for 5Ks. I am undaunted, however, and will be making some race announcements soon! Depending on the success on the next few weeks, there might be some exciting races for the fall!

Day One

So, lately, I've been keeping up with my (now long-distance) friends via their respective blogs and somehow, through a series of links, starting following additional blogs of people that I have never met. All of the sudden, I had so much reading to get to every day! To keep all this organized, I made my own little blog page, but it was blank. And it seemed a little creepy to have a blank blog and just stalk around reading everybody else's writing. It was my husband that suggested that I have a "theme" for my blog. (Actually, he suggested I NOT have a blog. But if I HAD to, to have a theme.)



Well, this made me think of something else my husband suggests I not do. Two years ago, I attempted to run every day for a year. I made it 9 months...and then forgot one day and it was ruined and I just stopped. Today, on my 24th birthday, I'm starting over! It seemed like a good idea to merge the two ideas. So, here I am.