Jumping Hurdles...

I'm trying to keep it all together over here.

In my universe, this time of year means year-end closing for 4 companies, taxes, audits, and an overabundance of sheer annoyance. I always take 2 steps forward...just so that I can take 3 more back.

I need a Valium.

My training is severely suffering this week. Sunday was my fantastic 8 miler. Tuesday my plans for running 6 miles after work were foiled because I left work late, and the dogs were completely out of dog food. Sometimes I need a personal assistant.

Last night, the plan was to make up the 6 miles that I missed. I brought some work home with me (even though I have no place to sit down and comfortably do it, since the new dining room table we ordered 4 weeks ago has still not arrived), so I was comfortable with the idea of taking an hour of my scant free time to run.

I began the run tired. I jogged tired. I gasped and hacked and coughed. Still tired.

Then my shins got tired.

Then my brain completely shut down.

The end.

I proceeded to walk home with my tired body and shins and brain. After completing only 1.85 miles. Pffftttttt!!! I went home and cried.

Then I started working, got about 20 minutes in, and decided that if I remotely changed the resolution on my work computer, it would speed up my connection at home (VPN). Yeah, don't ever try that. Make your resolution changes prior to leaving your real computer at the office. Otherwise, you will cry again, and won't get any more work done for the rest of the night.

It was basically a completely awful and unproductive evening.

I ended the evening with a pity party and a veggie fest of a dinner. I suppose that the veggies were my only positive during for the night. Thank God for veggies. I had grilled zucchini squash w/ mushrooms, mashed cauliflower with cheddar, steamed broccoli, and some of my favorite cottage cheese. My Gazelle's reaction?

"Aren't you havin' any steak?"

"Meh. Steak is for men."

And now, I am trying to put on my happy face because today is our anniversary! He has to work tonight (naturally), so we're doing lunch today to celebrate. It was a lovely surprise when I slugged into work today and found two anniversary cards (a funny and a sweet) and this cute little desk plaque thingy in my purse:



It does make me smile when I look at it. I love the simplicity of it. And the way that he left the price tag on it. It's so...so...him.

Up and Down. And Up. And Down. And Up...

And down.

That is what I did today for 8 miles.

Hello? Did you hear me?

I said EIGHT miles!

Not 4 miles. Or even 6 miles.

EIGHT miles!!

I did it by myself, and I walked for a total of 3:31, but my pace was still not too painfully slow (for me).

Here she is:



And this picture has been brought to you by MotionBased, thanks to the technological reciprocity that it shares with my cute little Garmin 305.

My Sweet Gazelle bought me the 305 for our anniversary. Knowing how incredibly badly I was jonesin for my very own Garmin, he gave it to me the day that it arrived on our doorstep. One more reason to love him.

So far, I've done 6 runs with 305, but during one of them, my battery died. Hence, I have learned to charge 305 as soon as I arrive home from my run! I am absolutely in love with my Garmin, and I think that everyone should get one of their own.

I also love how on days like today, when I'm running with an overabundance of bodies littered on MY trail around the lake, my beeping Garmin scares everyone and makes them move. Maybe they think I'm harnessing a bomb. I don't really care what they think, as long as they move.

Funny thing happened today. I came across one of those annoying zoomers during the last 1.5 miles of my run. Although I kept a steady (albeit slow) pace throughout my run, I was gassed out by the time that I got back to the lake path for my last 1.5 miles. As soon as I got back on the path, there was a pretty big hill to climb, and I had already done like 12,574 hills during the previous 6.5 miles. I was still running (albeit slow), and this guy zoomed right past me.

He had one of those weird 1995 spiked hairdos. And a very, very flat butt. That's all I saw as he zoomed by.

I am used to people zooming past me pretty often. Most people are keeping at least a 10:00/mile pace, and I'm just not there yet. I've figured out that I have staying power, but I'm not even a little bit fast.

So, Spikey Flat Butt zoomed past me, and I was like "meh...whatever". I already ran 6.5 miles bizotch.

So then at the top of the hill, Spikey Flat Butt is walking. I jogged past him.

A quarter mile later, SFB zooms by me again.

I proceeded to pass him again, as he walked off his tenth of a mile sprint. I don't know...maybe he was doing interval training or something, but that's just not generally something that people do on the lake loop.

We repeated this for for at least 1/2 mile, and finally I got fed up and just jetted past him. I have no idea where the energy came from. Sheer annoyance most likely.

Today's incident reminded me of the last 5K I did wherein this chubby kid kept doing the zoom/walk bit. I would pass him while he walked, then he would zoom past me as I jogged. Then walk again.

Repeat. For 2 entirely too long miles.

Unfortunately, during that race, I didn't have the same annoyance energy reserves as I did today. So, the chubby zoomer finished before me.

Grrr.

But not Spikey Flat Butt. There was no way I was getting crushed again by a zoomer. Especially not by a Spikey Flat Butted zoomer.

Product Review: Nike Air Pegasus+ 25

In case you missed the news on Wednesday during my drunken shoe porn post, I purchased a new pair of running shoes. One of my favorite things in the whole world. I bypassed all of the spring beauties in my local shoe mecca (a.k.a. DSW Shoe Warehouse), and opted for new running shoes. How very practical of me.

I tried on approximately 8 pair of running shoes that day, and even went so far as to take my custom orthos out of my shoe and insert them into the potential new running shoes.

Gross you say?

Maybe.

But I'm just not taking any chances with my money...in this economy. PS...is anyone else sufficiently sick of hearing that phrase yet? Me too!

The Nike Air Pegasus+ 25 was smack in the middle of my running shoe party at DSW. I ended up trying on several pair before and after, and ultimately went back to the Air Pegasus+ 25 and tried them on again. This time, both feet.

And proceeded to walk around the entire clearance section wearing them.

For about an hour.

Hey, like I said. I'm not taking any chances with my money. In this economy.

After wearing them for 1/2 of my adult life, I felt sufficiently satisfied that these were "the ones", and paid $74.95 for them. I thought this price was very reasonable. Especially considering the fact that I had just worn them for free for the past hour. The least I could do was pay for the rest of my time with them.

Some info about the shoe itself from the Nike website:


Celebrating 25 years in the making, the Nike Air Pegasus+ 25 Women's Running Shoe is the most advanced incarnation yet, including Nike+ technology to help track your training progress.

Nike+ enabled for instant workout feedback when used with a Nike+ SportBand or iPod® nano and Nike + iPod Sport Kit
Built on women's specific last just for her
Breathable mesh with 360-degree supportive overlays
Full-length Air-Sole unit embedded in PU midsole
Women's radiused Crash Pad with women's Fitsole
BRS1000 carbon rubber heel for durability
Waffle pattern outsole for responsiveness and cushioning
Weight: 9.6 oz. based on Women's size 8


Appearance-wise, these shoes are very cute. The green/dark grey combo makes me think "spring". And who couldn't use a little more "spring" in their life?



Speaking of spring.

One of the first tests that I do on all runners before I even try them on is the "spring" test. I bend back the shoe from the toe to the middle, and see how easily it rolls into itself, and then see how well it springs back to normal. According to my PT, this is one of the things that I need to be concerned with because I have a chronically rigid foot. If the shoe is rigid at the mid-foot (arch area to the ball of the foot under the toes), then I'm screwed. Shoes like that cause me to run like I have on cement shoes...all cloppy and heavy-footed.

Out of all of the runners that I did my incredibly scientific "spring" test on that day, these were the ones with the most flexible sole. Some of them didn't even make it on my foot because they couldn't pass my spring test. Poor things. They never had a chance.

The color of these shoes is actually much brighter than is depicted on the Nike website. And, by "dark gray", they actually mean "silver". Because It's not dark gray. Unless I'm color blind or something.

Last night, I inserted my orthos in place of the regular Nike insoles, and prepared for a 4 mile spin in my new Air Pegasus+ 25's. When I got everything all tied up and ready to roll, I noticed a bit of slippage in the heel area...like my foot was too high in the shoe due to my insole, and was going to be uncomfortable during the run.

I also notice this with my standard Nikes...and my Saucony's. I'm thinking that my orthos might be a little too "built up" in the heel. Up until last night, I was just running with them anyway, and not thinking much of the "slippy heel" issue.

Rather than continue being a fu$kt@rd, (thanks GQH-that's my favorite new word) and running with the insoles, I opted to remove them and use the standard Nike insoles.

The Result:

I loved them!

My calves were already sore yesterday when I started running from doing stability work on Moday and Tuesday, but I didn't have any knee pain at all during my run. My calves didn't ache or provide any additional pain...in fact, they felt much better as I kept running.

I found the shoe provided just enough stability for me to feel comfortable, but not so much that it felt rigid. Although Nike is not notorious for their "stable" running shoes, I found that these were a good neutral shoe with a fair amount of cushion to absorb the pounding of my large man-calves on the pavement.

With the subtraction of my insoles, I'm also starting to feel like I'm not so high-maintenance in the running department, and that was an awesome feeling.

The Day After:
My calves are still mildly sore today, but not more than they were prior to the inaugural run of the Air Pegasus+ 25's. No knee pain, no calf pain, and no excessive calf tightness.

My final verdict is that these runners get the Jogger's Seal of Approval. I'll run with them daily now.

I Knew There Was a Good Reason Why I Hate Naps

Yesterday morning, I embarked on my longest run ever. With 7 miles on my training schedule, I was actually praying on my way to the park that everyone else in my group forgot to set their clocks ahead. So that I could be alone to run.

Alone to snot and hack and cough and gag while running 7 miles.

I didn't want Robert there to drag me up hills. I love him, and continuously feel blessed to have his help (and for free).

But I just wanted to be alone.

I left my house 10 minutes late. Maybe it was on purpose. I knew they'd wait five minutes for me, but probably not 10. When I arrived to our normal parking lot, everyone's cars were there, but they were nowhere to be found.

Victory.

I decided to veer off of the normal path around the lake because I knew that the path is only 3.2 miles around. If I had to circle the lake 2.5 times before making it to 7 miles, I wasn't sure if I'd stick with it. I get bored easily. When I got to around the 2 mile mark, I veered off of the path and cut through a neighborhood. It just so happened to be a beautiful neighborhood filled with huge houses, and a lake that I never even knew existed. There were geese everywhere, flowers, little benches on which to sit and gaze across the lake.

It was all very picturesque.

Except for the hills.

Oh, the rolling hills.

I hated them, but I also loved them. I hated them for obvious reasons, but loved them because I knew they were preparing me for my races, especially for The Boilermaker 15K, which I will run with My Sista in July. The elevation for that race is brutal. From mile 1 to mile 4, the elevation climbs steadily to 750 feet, drops down to around 500 feet until mile 6, then climbs again up to 600 feet until mile 8. Mile 9 also has a small climb. It looks scary, even on paper.

I ran around the neighborhood lake once, and then I turned around and did it again. I wanted to make sure that I hit as many hills as possible on this run. It was painful, and there were some intermittent walk breaks thrown in for good measure. But, I didn't cry.

When my iPod told me that I had 2 miles to go, I started to leave the neighborhood. I made my way back to the lake, and I backtracked the lake loop 2.5 miles to where I started. Robert was waiting for me when I finished. It was perfect...I got to have my solo run, but he was there to celebrate with me at the end.

So, I did 7.52 miles at 11:19 pace. Although I'm not like ashamed of my pace (I am a jogger, afterall), I was more impressed with the distance than the pace. I ran 7.5 miles, biznitches!

I promptly iced and stretched when I got home, then made a green smoothie (stay tuned for a more in-depth post about this), and a bowl of cream of wheat with almond butter and soy milk, with granola on top (gotta have some crunch).

I quickly came down with a severe case of the "itis" (as My Gazelle calls it), and I laid on the futon watching some crazy PBS show about people who grow giant pumpkins. I ended up with a pretty bad headache, and proceeded to chug water for the next 2 hours. When water didn't help, I decided that the only way to combat the headache was to take a nap.

I've never really been a fan of naps. I was just never good at falling asleep in the middle of the day and then waking up refreshed. Naps generally make me feel more tired than before. This isn't really a good reason to hate naps, I just didn't like them.

I woke up from my nap sneezing, coughing, and with that annoying 'tickly nose feeling' that I'm so fond of. Not to mention, I had a severe breakout all over my face. Not just localized pimples. All. Over. My. Face.

And my neck.

Now, I officially hate naps.

I could easily chalk this horrible breakout up to the aftermath of my boredom-induced mud mask party on Friday. However, I know that it is only due to the fact that I sweatted profusely during my run, and there was no way to wash my face until I got home. I need to come up with a solution for these breakouts, because seriously...this is not just me being vain.

These are full-fledged "holy crap, what happened to your face" breakouts. My boss actually said that this AM, by the way.

So, I'm trying to come up with a solution. I'm going to google "my sweat is poisonous" and see if I can find an antidote.

Hover Round and Snuggies do not Thrill Me

After last nights' successful 5 mile run (6 miles total walk + run), I am anxious to get back in the gym tonight for my scheduled 3 miles. My right calf feels tight today, but nothing alarming. Definitely not like yesterday or the day before.

It wasn't the calf that was upsetting me, actually.

It was Sunday's wretched shin pain that eclipsed to a disappointing 3 mile walk that really threw me for a loop. Sunday's run turned walk in the falling snow coupled with my extreme calf tightness on Monday and yesterday was just more than I could grasp.

I tinkered with the repercussions of claiming mental insanity (will I lose my job, will I have to be medicated, will I start drooling on myself, and so on). Then, I began toying with the idea of purchasing a Hover Round and a Snuggie, and just living happily ever after (with my free book light and extra Snuggie, no less). And never running again.

Never.

I said never.

The more I considered it, I decided that I just wasn't comfortable driving a Hover Round. I'm sure that I'd crash it. My overly-vivid imagination brought me to a terrible foreshadowing moment in time. I was driving my Hover Round aimlessly through town in the dead of the night while reading "ChiRunning" (free book light ablaze), having one of those "I coulda been a runna" moments. All of a sudden, my Snuggie inexplicably became wrapped around the little wheels of my Hover Round. It was all bad.

The mere thought of this tragic scene invoked terrible childhood memories involving my BFF, a vanilla ice cream cone, a bicycle, and a large hill. Oh yeah. And gravel. Lots of gravel.


Where was I headed with this? I forgot.

Oh yeah.

So the point is that not only do I love running too much to stop, but I also don't want to crash my Hover Round.

Or something like that.



I was supposed to meet with Liz today at 12:30, but an emergency has pushed our appointment to 5:15. Then I have to pick up the pups from Wednesday doggie daycamp. Then I have to go home and change for the gym. I'm hoping that I can get to the gym by 7:15 so that I can be out by 8ish (only 3 miles on the schedule). I'm finding it really difficult on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (run days) to eat dinner prior to 10PM. It's kind of a pain in the arse actually. I need to be better prepared for quick dinners.

Yesterday I started using my food log again. I haven't used it in ages, but it helped me to take back a little more control over my own existence anyway. It's also made me realize that I'm not getting enough protein.

But all of my meat is frozen, and at 8PM I don't feel like trying to cook frozen meat!

Ideas people?

Oh, Hi! It's You! Welcome Back!

In honor of the 3 blog followers that I lost in the past 3 hours (yes, it's true...although I'm not sure what warranted this sudden unfollowing trend)...

I'd like to give a warm, Joggerslife welcome back to two of my old best friends.

Collar Bone,

and

Triceps Muscle!

Upon their recent reappearance, I questioned their months long hiatus. I learned that they have been on a temporary vacation, one in which they brought along massive quantities of food, and did very little exercise.

I'm happy to have them back, I really missed them.

I plan to fully question collar bone and triceps later on today to see if I can figure out where some of my other former companions (gluteus maximus, biceps, latissimus dorsi) have been as of late. Hopefully, together with collar bone and triceps I can convince the rest to return.

My run-in with the bucket of Pad Thai yesterday didn't prove to help nor hinder last night's run. I ran a little over 4 miles, and my average pace was 10:28. Not as good as Tuesday's super fabulous 10:16 pace, but I'll take it. I'd love to stay consistent now in the 10:30 area. It seems much more favorable to announce "I run at a 10:30 pace" rather than "I'm so slow that moms running with baby strollers filled with 40lb children pass me".

It's kind of humiliating when things like that happen.

p.s...is it even OK to put your 40lb child in a stroller? That always makes me feel uncomfortable when I see it, but maybe that's just me.

Moving along...

I'm no stranger to humiliating jogging moments though. The first time that I ran in Centennial Park (where I now do my long Sunday runs), was for a 5K race. It was the same location (different race) where My Gazelle finished the Police Pace 5K like an hour before me.

This first experience with the 5K at Centennial Lake came as a result of Robert.

Hmmm...I think I'm noticing a pattern here.

Back then, Robert had organized a group of runners to wear gear for his studio, "Peak Performance Fitness", during the race. He wanted us to run the race, but he also wanted us to advertise for him by having his logo emblazoned across the front AND BACK of our shirts.

I was cool with that.

I had been training.

A little.

Not much.

But certainly enough to make it through a piddly ass little 5K.

In the dead of winter.

In Maryland.

It was the Jingle Bell Run. That means that it's ass cold outside, and a bunch of total toolbags (like me) get together and run 3.2 miles. Snot flying everywhere. Oh, and we also tie bells onto our shoelaces, so with every wretched step, there is this cute little "jingle". Isn't that adorable?

The reality was that I wasn't prepared at all.

Within the first 1/4 mile, I was pulled off on the side of the road "stretching". In other words, I wanted to turn around and run back because I was way too friggen winded and tired and defeated to go another step. Instead, I paused to collect my thoughts, wipe the snot from my upper lip, "stretch", and then tried to forge ahead.

Again and again (and again), I would start off strong, run for about 2.8 minutes, and then pull off on the side of the road again. It was pathetic.

As if the humiliation of not being able to run even a 1/4 mile without stopping wasn't enough, I was advertising "PEAK PERFORMANCE FITNESS" in huge letters...plastered across my chest as I gasped for air and hacked up a lung.

At one point, pulled over on the side of the road, someone ran by and yelled "C'MON PEAK PERFORMANCE FITNESS! WHAT KIND OF PEAK PERFORMANCE IS THAT??!!"

If I had any energy left at all, I would have turned my shirt inside out.

I finished that stupid race in 34:30. I took a lot of stretch breaks.


At this moment, my only fear is that Robert is going to expect me to wear one of his shirts for the Frederick 1/2. I think that I will humbly decline.

Polar Running Watch?

This, my friends, is a Polar 190025960 RS200 Watch. Purportedly, this little gadget keeps track of your heart rate as well as running distance and pace, allows you to set pace and heart rate goals, has alternating and repeating countdowns/alarms.

Here is the descriptive mumbo-jumbo:

"The RS200 was made for goal oriented runners who want to prepare for their first running event or who want to enhance their running experience. Use the Polar sports zones and the event countdown timer to manage your training for that key running event. You can even upload your settings to your running computer and then download your workout files to the Polar Running Coach Web Service for analysis. Wearlink fabric transmitter included."


Goal oriented runner? Check!
Enhance running experience? Check!
Manage training? Check!
Upload settings Check!
Download workouts Check!


It would seem that this here Polar running watch is the answer to my prayers, but is it all too good to be true?

Help! Does anyone have one of these?

Better yet...does anyone want to donate one of these to me? Lord knows that I've spent the gads of money that I've saved on coupons over the past 6 months on REPLACEMENT NIKE + RECEIVERS!

I kid. I kid.

No donations necessary. I'll buy the darn thing if it works. I just can't bring myself to spend $200 (or more) on a Garmin...but I really don't want to be cheapola and buy this one if it doesn't work.

Training Update

In the midst of searching for "the best wrinkle cream ever", I am pausing for a moment to post an update on my training! I realized that I haven't really said much as of late about my actual training progress, so although wrinkle cream is very important at this juncture, it can wait.

Did I mention that I'm getting wrinkles?

Yeah. This concerns me.

Moving along.

I am fully immersed in week 4 of my modified Hal Higdon plan, and things seem to be going good so far. I am tired today, but I'm not sure if it is a result of the past 3 weeks of training, or staying up until 1AM cleaning and lugging furniture around in preparation for the painters arrival tomorrow. We're getting the condo painted. It needs it. Badly.

*Week 1 of training consisted of 14 total miles, with a long run of 5 miles. That was the week I was in Tennessee, and got 2 nice outdoor runs while I was there.

*Week 2 of training consisted of 15.25 total miles, with a long run of 6.25 miles. Week 2 was my first semi-self-organized group Sunday run at Centennial Park with Robert, Carol & Amanda. This was the 6.25 beauty (my longest run to date) that Robert had to drag me up the hills on. I love that man. Week 2 was also my first time in YEARS of running 3 consecutive days, which I was very nervous about. My body cooperated though, much to my surprise.

*Week 3 of training (last week) consisted of 16.25 total miles, with my long run again at 6.25 miles. The goal for Sunday long run was 7 miles, but I was really struggling. It was much (much) colder out at a mere 35 degrees at 9:30AM, and my legs felt really heavy from the beginning. I didn't warm up sufficiently, and that was most likely my mistake. I was already walking during the first lake loop, so I knew I was going to be slow. To make matters worse, my stupid dumb Nike + receiver pooped out the night before during my 40 minutes on the elliptical. Due to that, I basically just had to rely on Robert's Garmin to keep track of my time for me.

Sidebar: Have I mentioned how much I sometimes HATE my stupid Nike + thingamabob? Yes, yes, I have. I am so tired of replacing my receiver and sensor...and then my receiver again...then my sensor. Scuse me...Junk Miles? If you're reading, can you please inform the leader of your cult that this Nike + contraption needs to be better engineered so that it will be sweat-proof? Because for realz, I'm going to go bankrupt from having to replace the stupid things every month. And the chances of me sweating less are pretty much nil. Thank you. Muah. Love you.

I have been using the P:I workouts at least twice a week, and I gotta tell ya...this is some really great stuff! Remember how scared I was about trying out the Podrunner Intervals plan? Yeah, not anymore! I just love them. Last Thursday, during my 4 mile workout with Fred Mill at my good gym (as opposed to the gym I go to at lunch on work days), I had an awesome run to the P:I Week 2 interval podcast. For the first time in my life, I experienced that strange tunnel vision feeling while I was running, and it was amazing. Anyone else experience this? I felt like I could have gone on forever, and it occurred around the 3 mile mark. I basically "sprinted" (which for me is more like saying "ran" instead of "jogged") for the entire 3rd mile because I felt so incredible, then I turned down the heat a little and ran another 1/2 mile after that.

*So, here we are. One day into week 4 of "the plan". Yesterday was "stretch and strength" day, and I did a bunch of girlie pushups, some back exercises, walking lunges, abs, bi's and tri's. I was basically just trying to get an overall strength workout, and then I did 15 minutes of good stretching at the gym, followed by 15 minutes more when I got home last night. Pre-cleaning and furniture lugging.

The problem me with right now, at this very moment, is that my right calf is tight. Not as tight as yesterday, but still tight. I have a feeling that it is from the shoes that I wore yesterday, which were flatter than flat...but I did put my nerdy insoles in them, so I shouldn't have really had any issues from them. Who knows...it could also be from Sunday's seemingly torturous run...but I felt fine on Sunday night. I just don't know. I'm going to do some foot stretches at lunch, because they always seem to help.

Have I mentioned that sometimes I feel like a science project?

Girl Power!

Go make a cup of tea. Pop a bag of popcorn. I'm sure I should have split this into 2 posts, but it's almost 10PM and I'm lazy. Hope you'll still love me anyway.

__________

My Gazelle is a police officer. Recently, he switched from a job that allowed him to work the schedule of a "normal" human being: Monday-Friday, 9-5. Well, in theory he worked 9-5, but in reality, he worked 9-6 or 9-7, or sometimes 9-9. In addition, his job didn't allow him any freedom, sunshine, or lunch breaks most of the time. He was miserable.

In light of his misery, he changed jobs.

Now, he works the schedule of a "normal" police officer. Translation: he works ungodly hours on unpredictable days.

Considering that I spent the first 2 years of our life together enjoying the predictability of my honey working a very similar schedule as mine, having him home on weekends, and planning our life around that schedule, it was a bit of a shock when he changed to this newfangled police officer schedule. How was I supposed to plan around a swing schedule, with a 3PM-1AM shift? How was I supposed to count on having fun times together? How was I supposed to be home all the time by myself? Most importantly, HOW was I going to go to sleep by myself?

I was bitter for a minute or two.

I wondered how long it would be before our relationship crashed and burned.

It made me sad.

BUT.

I was patient.

I was kind to the fact that he was going to need a couple of weeks to adjust.

I didn't get mad when he slept through his entire first day off a few times.

I didn't smack the SH#T out of him when he announced to me during the first week that since I dirtied the pots and pans (that were dirtied by making him dinner), it should be my responsibility to clean them.

No no, I just stared at him, shocked, and realized that it must be the schedule change that was making him stupid. Then I laughed at him the next day, when his guilt led him to take me out to dinner and grovel a little. It was quite funny. Thank you for the dinner, crazy schedule change.



It has now been approximately a month since the new schedule, and guess what?

I LOVE IT.

So what if we have to celebrate Valentine's Day on February 13th. At least we don't have to worry about the Valentine's Day dinner rush.

So what if he's working on our anniversary. We'll celebrate it on another day. It'll be just as special.

See, I've realized that all of these details just don't matter. In the past month, I have done more things for myself and by myself than I've done in my entire life.

Yesterday, I traveled 45 minutes on the Metro into DC, and spent 2 hours in the Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which is one of my favorite places on earth. In the past, I have always gone with other people. This is fun, of course, but I am fascinated by art pieces which feature people, so the Portrait Gallery is like a little piece of Heaven to me. Yesterday, for the first time, I had the opportunity to look at exactly what I wanted to look at, for as long as I wanted to look, and if I wanted to go back and look again, I did. There was no pressure to hurry, and the fact that I didn't have to worry about what someone else wanted was refreshing.

After I spent 2 hours wandering through the Portrait Gallery, I wandered for another 2 hours through Chinatown, and did a little shopping. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me it is very big.

Very. Very. BIG.

It was a very empowering and kind thing to do for myself. I plan to do things of this sort much more often.

It was a ME weekend...

_____________________

Throughout the week, I was bugging Robert, (who is the one that convinced me to do the 1/2 marathon in May rather than waiting until October) to help me organize group runs on Sundays in preparation for the 1/2. We worked out the details, and planned for everyone to meet this morning at 9:30 to run 6 miles at a local park. I was excited, but nervous about running with other people. However, Robert is one of my best friends ever, and I met him because he was my personal trainer when I first started running. He has already seen me in various forms of hacking, coughing, and snotting on myself. Not to mention, I felt like I needed his direction because he knows what he's talking about. I basically think that he is awesome, and I love him.

It turned out that it was just me, Robert, Carol & Amanda...at one point (ahem...pre-gazelle), the 4 of us hung out often, so it a was very comfortable group. We decided to do 6 miles, which was 2 loops around the lake. The 3 mile loop includes a lot of hills. Especially between the 2nd and 3rd mile in the loop. It is miserable. By the time you finish one hill, you really only have 10 seconds to recover before you hit the next one. Repeat. Repeat again.

Before we began, Robert studied my gait. He was VERY impressed by how much it has improved since the last time I called him in desperation over my knee pain. He actually said that he was very surprised that it was "10 times better". That made me so happy.

The first loop, Robert ran around the lake with me. He wanted to help me pick up my pace, so we stayed in step the whole time...he slowed down with me when necessary. We were running at about 10:30 pace according to my Nike +, and then when we hit the hills at the end, we slowed down quite a bit.

The reason why everyone should have a great running coach/personal trainer: When I was ready to fall on the side of the path and die, Robert grabbed my arm and basically dragged me up that series of hills. No really. He dragged me up the hills. Held my hand and wouldn't let it go until the hill was over. It felt so corny, and I was hoping that nobody passed us at that point, but I was thankful. He encouraged me the entire way up those damn hills. Told me to run on my toes (yeah, never knew that). Told me I was doing awesome. Told me we were almost there. I definitely would have given up if he wasn't there.

Did I mention that I love Robert?

I did make it through the first loop, averaging about 10:45/mile, which is really awesome for me, especially given the terrain. I ran the second loop on my own, and really kept a nice pace. I walked very little, to my surprise, and finished the run with 6.25 miles, average pace of 11:10. I came home and couldn't really believe what I had just done.

I just ran 6.25 miles. My longest run ever. And I did it with an 11:10 average pace.

For this, I'm awarding myself another Wonder Woman Moment. Just go with it.



Next week, we run 7 miles on Sunday. We have a standing 9:30AM long Sunday run date. If it rains or whathaveyou, we'll meet at Robert's studio and run there inside. I'm excited about the idea of having peeps to run with. This is kind of funny considering that just a short time ago, I had a chronic case of runningpartnerophobia.

It's all about the girl power. And there's no room for runningpartnerophobia when you have girl power.

Those Sweet Words...

Rest.

Day.



Every time I say those words, I feel like I just finished the end of a prayer, and I need to seal the deal with an "amen".

No, no. Not just an "amen".

Definitely an "amen sista".

I know that the words "rest day" might not seem as significant to you, because maybe you're one of those 'runner types'. Maybe you were born to run. Ran before you crawled. You ran a sub-3:50 marathon at the age of 10. Me? Not so much.

Running is a constant battle for me. My body does not want to run, nor is it built to do anything of the sort. I'm built more like a bodybuilder or a field hockey player...maybe a softball player. But definitely not a runner. My legs are short, my chest is ginormous, and I am insanely inflexible. Every time I strap on my runners, I am essentially laughing in the face of my genetic makeup and saying,

"Ha! Take that genes! Just try to tell me that I'm not a runner!"

Tuesday, I jogged.

Wednesday, I jogged with a little walking.

Yesterday, I nearly crawled.

I have to give myself a little credit though, because on Tuesday, I did tell you that I knew it would be hard, but I didn't want to be a wussy and just adopt the idea in advance that I couldn't run 3 days in a row. I have clearly proven to myself that I can run 3 days in a row again, and I can run 3 days in a row without sustaining an injury or dealing with pain in my leg/knee/calf. It feels good to know that a year of physical therapy plus the slow base building I've been doing has paid off. Patience has allowed me to train for a 1/2 marathon.

Today is just one of those introspective days. I'm replaying in my head all of the events that have occurred during the past 5 years of my life, and I feel so thankful that I've persevered.

And continue to persevere.

Amen sista.

Hal Higdon Plan

Last week, I embarked on my official 1/2 marathon training plan. I decided to use Hal Higdon's 1/2 marathon novice plan, and skip the first 2 weeks of the plan since I already have a good 4 mile base. I started last week on week 3, and roared through the week like a champ. I had my longest run ever (5 miles) on Sunday while in Tennessee, and it was a greatly fantastic feeling. The last mile was an ass kicker, but I finished in about 54 minutes.

I plan to stick with the Hal Higdon plan until race day on May 3, and I'll also add a little P:I action in there to stay motivated and give myself a little variety. There's no rules against using P:I on the Hal Higdon plan, right?

Right.

This is my world, and I'm the boss.

When I perused the Hal Higdon plan many months ago (when Sista first recommended it to me), my only concern was that it's asking me to run 3 days in a row (Tuesday run, Wednesday run or cross, Thursday run), and I was a little nervous about stressing the old knee/leg/calf 3 days in a row. That said, I'm just going to totally ignore my instinct for the time being and see how this week goes.

Because that's how I roll.

I'm not tryin' to be no sissy pants here, people. I have to at least try the old knee out and see how she does. If my knee/leg/calf is revolting by Thursday, I'll regroup.

That said, in the instance that I need to rearrange some of the Hal Higdon plan in order to cooperate more with the Questionable Knee/Leg/Calf plan, I need to be able to make changes. The printable plan is only offered through the Hal Higdon website in pdf format. They've got the file on lock-down, and I don't possess magical powers to transform it. I tried, trust me.

What to do...what to do.

Create an Excel spreadsheet, of course!

So, if you want to use Hal's 1/2 marathon novice plan, but you want to switch it up a little, make some changes, notes to self, etc., you can get my Excel version HIZZLE. It's wicked awesome. Not really, but I just wanted to say wicked awesome.

Oh My Aching Neck...and Arm!

In honor of the fact that I started my day today at 3:45AM, followed shortly after by a 2 hour plane ride curled up roughly into the shape of a pretzel, winter jacket propped on the chilly plane window, head resting sideways on my bent arm...

I bring you a video by Danny Dreyer, author of ChiRunning, a book that I am presently eating alive.

In this video, Danny gives us a crash course in posture, which is very important in running to avoid injury and increase oxygen intake, as well as in everyday life.

Enjoy!

Stay tuned for a post later today about the new love of my life, complete with delish pictures! It's sure to create a baby envy epidemic across the universe!

My BFF is better than your BFF

I'm going to Tennessee.

And I'm never coming back.

Just kidding.

I'm going to Tennessee on Thursday night. Tennessee's slogan is "America at its Best". I will return back to Maryland on Monday morning. Maryland's slogan is "America? Isn't that a shade of Dior lip gloss?"

I love Tennessee. I never thought that those words would escape my keyboard on purpose, but they did. Tennessee brings me back to reality, even if only for 3 bliss-filled days while I catch up with my BFF, and repeatedly sniff the head of her new baby. Warning: I will most likely return from Tennessee with a horrible, incurable, desperate case of baby fever.

Having grown up humbly in Central New York, moving to Maryland at the age of 20 caused a serious bit of culture shock for me. Everything was so fast and expensive and flashy. Maryland is no Miami, but compared to Blossvale, NY...well...you do the math. My point is that I love Tennessee because it reminds me that life doesn't have to be so fast all the time. The pace with which everything is done in Tennessee is about 8 times slower than the speed with which everything is done in Maryland. Slow is good sometimes. I like taking a vacation from fast every now and again.

In addition, Karie and I have been together forever. I have saved letters and poems and Valentine's Day cards from my Karie since we first became instant friends in middle school. I think it was New Kids on the Block that first brought us together. We still giggle about that. We giggle about everything, in fact. We have been friends through many years, and thousands of miles (think 'Germany', and 'Alaska'), marriages (both of us), divorces (me--not her), and now, little Aden James. Regardless of distance or time, our relationship and interaction is always exactly the same every time we are together. There is only one word to describe it: giddy. When together, we are two giddy little schoolgirls. Her husband just rolls his eyes while he drinks his Long Island iced tea. By the second Long Island iced tea, he's giggling right along with us.

My BFF, being the awesome BFF that she is, has already planned my running location for me while I am visiting her. I was nervous about this aspect of my trip to Tennessee. I have 90 days to train for my first 1/2, and I know that running on the regular is really important at this juncture. However, I'm chronically scared of being high maintenance. Although I have never gone to Tennessee and had expectations of doing anything spectacular (other than hanging with my BFF), I also am not the type to make requests. Like telling her what I want to eat for breakfast (she always asks me), or if I want pot roast for dinner on Saturday. These are just not things I'm comfortable with. I'm perfectly comfortable being the one who asks these questions and obliges. Not the other way around.

However, I did ask Karie this morning whether it would be a problem for me to run twice while I was in Tennessee. I had a panic attack upon hitting "send" on the email.

"Running? How SELFISH of me to want to run while I'm supposed to be in Tennessee hanging out with my BFF and her beautiful boy (Aden, not Toby)!"

I was mad at myself for sending the email. Then, no more than 5 minutes into my fit of panic, she responded. And it wasn't to tell me what an ass I am. On the contrary, my BFF said that she had already considered my running schedule, and we could either go to the park and run outside, or go to the gym and run on the dreadmill. Do you see how considerate this girl is? Have I mentioned that my BFF is way better than yours?

Not only did my BFF tell me that we will go to the park on Friday and Sunday (as I so sheepishly requested), but she also wants to go on SATURDAY too! Oh yeah. She's WAY better than yours. Don't try to deny it.

So, my worries about not running while I'm in Tennessee have been squashed. I will run twice, and walk on Saturday in the park with my BFF.

We'll probably giggle for 3 miles straight.

Crazy Lady, Comin Through...Scuse Me...Look Out!

Much has occurred since we last spoke at 11AM today. Well, not really, but I am feeling an overwhelming need to vent. So I shall.

1) I ran, and it was grand. I wouldn't call it my best run to date, or even as good as my last run. But, I tried my orthotics, and they were fabulous. Liz did caution me that I will most likely experience muscle soreness since my foot is now hitting the ground (or dreadmill) evenly, thus causing me to work different muscles. I'm all about working different muscles. It means the lazy ones that caused my original problem are being whipped into shape. Damn lazy ass muscles.

2) Today, at the gym, there were two young women who appear to be resolutioners. I say this because I have been going to the same ghetto-fied gym for 9 years, and I have only seen these two young women twice. Once today. Once last week. They don't have a designated "gym bag", they carry their things in a plastic grocery store bag. They were discussing the fact that one of them forgot her deodorant and brush. Any seasoned gym-going person knows that you buy two of everything. One for home, and one for your gym bag. And you certainly don't carry your gym things in a plastic grocery bag. THIS is how I know that they are resolutioners.

In addition, post workout, they both stepped on the stupid gym scale that has been broken for the past 8.75 out of 9 years that I have been going there. Although I do not weigh myself like...ever...I've heard others complaining about that scale for as long as I've been going to that particular gym. Not only did they step on the scale before their shower, but they both stepped on it again AFTER their shower. One of them complained that she "gained a pound" by taking a shower.

This reminded me, once again, of how happy I am to not be a slave to the scale. Please, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. THROW AWAY YOUR SCALE, LADIES. They are from the devil.

3) I sent my awesome friend, Robert a text this afternoon to ask him if he's interested in networking with my PT because she mentioned that she was looking for a running coach to work with. In turn, he invited me to run with his Peak Performance team in the Baltimore 1/2 Marathon in Frederick, MD on May 3. Considering that I have this innate ability to never say "no" to anything or anybody, I obliged. Now, I'm scared.

Baltimore 1/2 Marathon (Frederick), May 3
15K, July 12
Baltimore 1/2 Marathon (Baltimore), October 10

Errr...My original commitment to run The Boilermaker seems to be turning into a full-on race schedule. I'm frightened. But the idea of running both of the Baltimore 1/2 Marathons this year is very exciting to me. I think they even give out medals. I've never got a medal before. I bet they'll be shiny.

But...

Can I do this?

Am I up for the challenge?

Can I do 13 miles by MAY?

Help.

Who, Me...Orthotics? YES WAY!!!

This morning, I picked up my custom orthotics. At lunch, I shall try them out for the first time.

And I am excited.

Yes, excited.

What a difference 3 weeks, and 2 laps around the PT track can do, no?

When Liz took them out of the package, I was still in denial. I still hated them. In fact, prior to stuffing them into my Mizunos, I was horrified by the very sight of them.



Ugh. Gross!




AREN'T THEY HIDEOUS?

Yes, yes. They're bright blue, and they're thick as I don't know what. I wanted to throw them on the ground and stomp on them because they were so ugly and...ugly. And orthotic-y. I had 3 weeks to build up this frighteningly unhealthy, extreme hatred for my poor orthotics.

Then I stuffed the ugly things in my runners. Crammed my wide, (baby) bunion-infested foot into my Mizuno. Tied the laces.

And then, the heavens parted.

I saw Jesus himself.

And he was wearing orthotics too.

Effort-Based Treadmill Training Speed

I don't know how many of you use Twitter, but if you don't you should. It's pretty cool. It's a great way to stay in touch with the rest of the universe, to connect with new people from around the globe, and to get nifty Effort-Based Treadmill Training Speed Charts (thanks, @kellyring)!

My Sista had mentioned to me over Christmas vacation that I needed to be mindful of the fact that the treadmill doesn't account for wind resistance. I basically blew her off. I do that a lot. However, now that I see some actual proof of this, and this chart is speaking my language (I speak "spreadsheet", the language of love), the concept of wind resistance is making sense to me.

What also makes sense to me is that if I try to run on the treadmill at only 5.6 with only a measly 1% grade, that's like running at a 10:32 pace. Now, I'm slow people, but I am likely to be able to handle 5.6 at a 1% grade for at least a few minutes anyway. So, I'm going to make this part of my training plan at least one workout per week.

______In other news_____

I wouldn't feel right about myself as a human being if I didn't mention the fact that I think it's totally awesome that DJ Steve Boyett personally commented on yesterday's musings about the PODRUNNER: Intervals Freeway to 10K Podcast. Even if it was so that he could tell me that I'm a complete dumb ass for not following instructions properly. What can I say...I'm willing to suck it up and admit that I'm an idiot from time to time.

Straight from the horses mouth (not that I'm calling you a horse, DJ Steve), the mixes are:

"house and progressive house (very little techno, by the way)!"

See, this proves that I am a newbie when it comes to running with anything other than The Rolling Stones, The Violent Femmes, The Prodigy, and the occasional trendy-bootie-shaker that somehow ended up on my Nano. I am a music moron. I admit it. In my non-running life, I listen to Regina Spektor and Imogen Heap and Fiona Apple, Etta James, Aretha Franklin...are you noticing a pattern? I like angsty female singers. Generally speaking, these songs don't include electronic drums. Forgive my ignorance.

I am actually glad that DJ Steve mentioned this to me, because it led me to start googling the difference between "techno" and "house" music, which led me to start listening to various clips, and much to my surprise, it really did all sound different. It also turned me on to some new music, which is extra cool in my universe.

Another thing that DJ Steve mentioned was this:

"(1) We urge people to listen to the very first P:I episode, "Intro to Intervals," that provides instructions on how to use the program and what to listen for. It's not exactly counterintuitive: the ascending tone signals acceleration, the descending tone signals deceleration;"

First of all: DUHHHHHHHHH!!!! I honestly, truly did not even notice the fact that there was an ascending AND a descending tone. Maybe there was too much sweat in my ears and I couldn't hear properly. Maybe I was breathing too hard and it distorted the sound of the tones. Maybe I was just enjoying the music so much that I got wrapped up and didn't even really hear the tones? Whatever the case may be, I am once again a moron, and when I do the workout next time, I will completely pay attention to the fact that there are two very different and distinct tones to imply whether I should be running slow or slower.

Lastly, he mentioned this:

"(2) We don't provide spoken instructions because we have a global audience, and feel it isn't write to play favorites in any particular language. Music seems to be universal enough that we decided to let it do our talking for us."

And, I am once again feeling like the village idiot. How completely ethnocentric and pompous of me to assume that the world revolves around the English language. Music is universal, and if the idiot who is listening to the tones would realize that they are ascending and descending, then this whole bit about telling said idiot to go faster or slower in English as well is a moot point. So, lets completely scratch that from all records.

I have a degree in Accounting. I swear I do. I am studying to be a CPA. Many people rely on me to give them concise, true, reliable information regarding very important things. I have many leather-bound books (that was a lie). WHY, you ask, is it so difficult for me to learn how to run intervals with the Podrunner Freeway to 10K Podcast? Because I'm impatient, that's why. Again, this patience problem rears its' ugly head.

I'm still working on that.

If I had been patient and taken the time to learn how the program works, none of this would have ever occurred. Although. I rather like the fact that all of this occurred.

Hmmm...

Nevertheless, I wanted to personally thank DJ Steve Boyett for taking the time to explain to the village idiot how the Podrunner Freeway to 10K plan works. You will have no further problems from me, DJ Steve Boyett.

Oh, and from this day forward, I'm going to be calling this plan the P:I. Because DJ Steve does. Because I think its cool. Because I can now, since he commented my blog and all. Right DJ Steve?



p.s...My SkirtSports Giveaway is still open for anybody who is interested in telling me a funny running story! I plan to close comments tonight, so you better get on it!

It's completely snowing today.

I don't like snow.

On another note, my treadmill run last night was terrible.

Aren't I just a ball of sunshine today?

I was happy to finally be at the gym last night, since it took My Gazelle about 25 years to get ready, but then my run turned to absolute crap around the 3rd mile. I haven't uploaded it to Nike + yet, so I can't tell you specifically where the actual crash and burn took place, but it felt like around the 3rd mile. I was physically on the treadmill for 60 minutes, and most of that included running, but I didn't start my Nike + until I got to the first fast interval on the Freeway to 10K Podcast. Which leads me to the next topic...

It is very early in my trials of the PODRUNNER: Freeway to 10K Podcast, but of course I have already formed an opinion of it. Because I'm slightly opinionated. I try not to be, but its hard.

Despite my preconceived notion that I was going to hate this plan because the entire workout played techno music, I quite enjoyed it.

Yes, quite.

I found the music to be exciting and invigorating, and not at all seizure-inducing (as I expected it would be). Prior to trying it for the first time, all I could think about was that my listening to this podcast while working out was going to cause me to discover some new condition similar to photosensitive epilepsy, and I'd name it "technosensitive Elisabethilipsy", just so that I could have my 15 minutes of fame for flopping around on the treadmill in a techno-induced fit. Oh, my imagination.

Alas, I had not a single seizure. I guess I'm going to have to find another way to earn my 15 minutes.

The way that the Freeway to 10K program works is that each workout is a little longer than the next. There are 10 workouts (10 weeks), and you do each workout a few times a week prior to moving up to the next week's workout. The idea is that each week, you build a few more minutes to your time, thus adding more distance, and by the 10th week the goal is that you can run for 60 minutes straight. We'll see how that goes.

Each workout has a series of fast and slow intervals. Last night's workout included 5 of each. I was mildly confused, though, because I didn't listen to the instructions very carefully at the beginning, and I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to start with a slow or a fast interval after the warm-up. I began with a 5 minute fast interval, and then a 4 minute slow interval. By the time that I got to the second "fast" interval, I was questioning whether I was really supposed to be doing a slow interval instead because the music seemed slower than the last interval. I don't know.

I'm confused.

What?

In any case, I just stuck with my plan, the slows maybe should have been fasts and vice versa, but I just went with it. My suggestion to PODRUNNER? Rather than just playing a little techo "boop boop boop" tone to notify you of a change in intervals, maybe try to be a little more clear. How about "boop boop boop FAST" and "boop boop boop SLOW"? I'd like that. Then I wouldn't have to think so much. I always like not thinking much.

I did some walk/run segments because, like I said, I lost my fire around the 3rd mile. I did make it to 4.2 miles (per my Nike +), and the treadmill said I was at 5.43 when I got off at 60 minutes. It was still horrendously slow, but I have to stop thinking that I'm going to just wake up and magically become Kate O'Neill.

It's just not going to happen people.

I know that building the base I need takes time, but patience has never been my forte. I am painfully inept when it comes to that virtue. I'm working on it. I'm hoping that the Freeway to 10K plan helps me to remain patient and build a sensible base, without trying to rush myself. I have plenty of time before my first "big" race, so there is no need to try to rush.

All in all, I think the PODRUNNER plan is a good one. I'm giving my JL Seal of Approval. If you want to try the PODRUNNER: Freeway to 10K plan yourself, you can get it here.

It's free. I like free.

Another Weekend...

I'm leaving for the gym in approximately 10 minutes (depending on how quickly My Gazelle can get his slow arse ready), and I'm looking forward to a nice run. I hate running on the treadmill, but I also want to do some core stuff today, so I'll suck it up and run on the treadmill.

Today I have decided to listen to the PODRUNNER: INTERVALS Freeway to 10K podcast. The idea is that it will help me build my base so that I can comfortably (wow, that is relative) run at least 7-8 miles within the next 3 months. That will make it much easier to run the The Boilermaker in July. I'll let everyone know later on how it went. My only concern is that the music is techno, and that type of music usually makes me feel like I'm about to have a seizure. That would just be bad to drop on the dreadmill (wow! I really did just type that on accident. Scary!) treadmill and have a seizure.

Typing dreadmill just made me simultaneously laugh and cry at the same time.

I also will be measuring and taking pictures today for the start of the Sexy Six Pack challenge. Sidebar: I'm really not looking forward to taking pictures of my flabby belly. However, the motivation which will come from taking pictures of my flabby belly will most likely accomplish more than anything else ever could.

I also wanted to mention that I am having so much fun reading everyone's posts about race stories for my SkirtSports Giveaway! I'm going to keep the post open for a little while longer just to see if anyone else wants to enter. That, and I also just love laughing at everyone's story.

Ok, off to the treadmill!

Stranded.

The only way that I was going to complete this run, I decided, was if I had no other option but to complete this run. I was stuck on this plateau (even on my weekend "long") of not being able to run any farther than 3.5 miles. I knew that just wasn't going to cut it.

So, last night, in the midst of 2 Stella's, a house salad (with Ranch dressing, of course), and some french onion soup at The Greene Turtle with My Gazelle, I had the brilliant idea that he would drop me off somewhere far from home, leaving me no other option BUT to run home.

In the 30 degree weather.

Snotting all over my Under Armour gloves and the Nike cold gear that My Sista gave me for Christmas.

The plan was that My Gazelle would drive me to the lake (a neighborhood running/walking spot with a paved path around the lake). He would basically leave me there, stranded, in the wilderness, and I would have to fend for myself. How COULD he?!

I would then loop the lake twice (1 mile once around), and run home (another 2 miles), for a total of about 4 miles.

That was the plan, but it actually went down like this...

32 steps into the first loop, I had to pee.

First loop, backside of the lake, I paused my Nike + so I could stop at the bathroom.

The door was locked.

I cried.

My tears froze on my cheeks and then my cheeks cracked and I fell violently to the ground convulsing from the cold and the pain.

Ok. Not really.

I decided to suck it up and just try to forget about the fact that I had to pee. Not sure how I managed to do that, but it worked. I guess I was more concentrated on running than peeing.

About 3/4 through my 2nd loop, I decided to do a THIRD loop because I was feeling totally girl power by that point. I just kept telling myself that if running was easy, then everyone would be doing it. Nothing worth having is ever easy.

So, I did my 3rd loop and then ran home. At that point, I was just thinking about making it to the "landmarks" along the way.

Ok...Self...RUN to the stoplight by the mall.

Self...just RUN to Petco...

Self...just RUN REALLY FAST past that super creepola homeless guy that is shuffling across the street towards you, wearing a DHL envelope on his head!

See, there are advantages to living and running in the city. Creepy people make me run fast.

The final stretch home was difficult (hence the huge "crash and burn" slope you saw earlier on my workout chart). I never realized that the street that I live on is almost completely an uphill slope (from the direction I was running). Although not a huge grade, it was enough to be a struggle for me after already doing 4 miles. The last stretch did include a few walk/run stints, but I made it. Good lordy bigordy, I made it.

I did not curl up in a ball and cry on the side of Route 1. My Gazelle did not have to send out a search party for me.

And I basically feel like Wonder Woman.