My Virtual 4 Miler

August 26, 2010 by 1 Comment

Actually the miles were real  — it was the race that was virtual!

A couple of weeks ago MCM Mama announced her “Mama Goes Masters” virtual race in honor of her 40th birthday. Options were to run 4.0 miles, 8.25 miles (her birthday) or….for the truly insane…er… hardcore, a 40K. Needless to say I selected the 4 mile option!

I’ve been trying to get this run in all week but Mother Nature had not been cooperating – read non-stop rain! Seriously, I thought it was time to start pairing up animals two-by-two….but finally this morning she finally took pity on us! My training plan called for a tempo run and my hubby announced that he was taking the car to the shop this morning so I needed to get out and back quickly…. sounds like the planets were aligning for my virtual race! So with clear skies, training in mind and a pacing husband, I set off.

My route was a simple one – a straight out and back – and at this early hour I figured it was unlikely I’d encounter much traffic – so no games of Frogger with cars…always a plus! In my new effort to focus on what is working, I kept my goals simple — to run in the mid to low 10s and try to keep a consistent pace. 

Mile #1 felt really good, sun was just starting to brighten up the sky and the streets were quiet. Hit the first invisible mile marker at 10:19 – so far so good! Most of Mile#2 was a steady climb up and about mid-hill I could feel a twinge in my left knee – I refused to go negative here so I gave myself 30 seconds to walk it off and kept moving. Finally the end of Mile#2 was in sight. I hit the corner at 11:02 and turned around to head back. Now the good thing about going up hill is that at some point you get to go back down hill! Hello Mile#3! The slow climb I had cursed just minutes earlier was now my new BFF and I crossed the mile marker in 10:08. The final mile was pretty uneventful though I did do a lot of positive mental chatter through the last half mile to help drown out the returning knee pain. I crossed the finish line (my driveway) – final mile was 10:45. Overall I did the 4 miles in 42:15, averaging 10:33 and felt good when I finished…always a plus!

So my first virtual race is done! Thanks again to MCM Mama for hosting and providing a little extra motivation to this morning’s run! Happy Birthday and welcome to the Masters division!

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Filed Under: race, race report, tempo runs, training

Focusing on what works

August 23, 2010 by 6 Comments

The other day I came across a daily tip from Peaceful Daily that really struck a chord with me — to focus on what is right with you. How often do you stop and ask yourself that question – “What is right with me?” While I’m enjoying this journey I’m on to become the runner and healthy person I want to be, I do think I often focus on the the aspects of what’s not working. I obsess about my “angry” left leg or that my pace is too slow…and in the process I lose sight of all that is working, all that is right with me.

So yesterday when I went out for my run I tried to keep my focus on what was right with me. I focused on how easy my breathing was, on how powerful my legs felt, on just how far I’ve come as a runner since the Spring. When my left knee started to tighten up in mile 4, instead of agonizing over it, I shifted my focus back to what was right with me. I celebrated the fact that this was my second 6 mile run…not bad for the sprinter from high school who would never consider running more than 200 meters at a time! And when I was done I marveled at how good I felt…and iced the one part that didn’t feel so hot 🙂

Another week of training is in the books and new challenges lie ahead – and as I gear up to meet each one, I will remember to ask myself “What is right with me?” and focus on what works!

Happy Monday!

 

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Filed Under: Monday Motivation, tips

Chatter brain hits the track

August 19, 2010 by 3 Comments

Training plan called for speedwork this morning so off to the track I went….and chatter brain was there waiting for me.

  • My abs can still feel the effects of last night’s pilates class – love my pilates instructor but I think she was trying to kill us!
  • Hmm… maybe the post-class glass of wine wasn’t the best idea.
  • Hey look a family of bunny rabbits…aren’t they cute.
  • Shoot…what lap am I on?!? OK enough warm-up time to bite the bullet and go.
  • How many of these 800’s am I suppose to do!?!?
  • I’m not going to make it….yes you can….No really I can’t!
  • If this doesn’t kill me it will make me faster (I think I repeated this to myself for at least a solid lap!)
  • I really hope there’s some coffee in my house.
  • Left knee is NOT happy!!
  • OK, last 800…and the perfect tune (“4 minutes” my fave tune of the moment happened to come up in the random shuffle on my iPod)
  • I really, really hope there’s coffee at my house!
Anyone else suffering from chatter brain?!

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    Filed Under: general musings, track work, training

    Today I asked my body to go

    August 15, 2010 by 4 Comments

    When I woke up this morning, my first thought was that I’m now moving into new territory for me as a runner. The long run on my plan today called for 6 miles. 6 miles? Really? While I may have run five on occasion waaay back in college, I can say without a doubt that I have never asked my body to go for 6 straight miles….but today I asked.

    Today I asked my body to go, even though by the first half mile my angry left leg let it be known that it was not happy – not unhappy enough to stop, but definitely unhappy!

    Today I asked my body to go, even though this was not going to be a “run for the ages.” No, this was to be what I call a “survival run” – read get the distance and to heck with the time.

    Today I asked my body to go, further than it’s ever gone before, and I learned that it will respond, it will push on even when part of my brain is screaming “Ok that’s far enough!”

    Today I asked my body to go, and it carried me 6.1 miles….a step closer to my 10K race and into uncharted running territory.

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    Filed Under: injuries, milestones, training

    Friday Shout Outs!

    August 13, 2010 by 3 Comments

    Ready to dive into what looks like a great weekend and wanted to send along some Friday Shout Outs!

    • to Beth at Shut Up and Run for not only being featured in her local paper, but also for the great interview she got to do with Dean Karnazes! Check it out HERE.
    • to TMB at Racing with Babes for adding some hardware to the collection in her first 4 miler!
    • to Jamie at Running Diva Mama for hitting the 1,000 mile mark in August!!
    • to all the runners taking on a new race this weekend – Good Luck!
    • and a Happy Birthday to Amanda at Run to the Finish!

    Looking forward to taking on my first 6-miler this weekend!

    Have a great one!!

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    Filed Under: Shout-outs

    5 miles of Frogger

    August 13, 2010 by 2 Comments

    My pilates class Wednesday night was a killer (my abs are still sore) and when this morning rolled around I knew there was no way I could muster the energy for my first scheduled tempo run. Well I knew I wasn’t heading for the gym for another session with the ‘mill, so I decided it was time to try an evening run.

    While Mother Nature cooperated and provided a relatively cooler evening, the real challenge came in dodging the weary commuters heading home and the carloads of less-than-attentive teens. All I kept thinking was that I was in a giant-sized game of Frogger!

    Despite the bobbing and weaving, I managed to cut more than two minutes off my time from Sunday. I still have to work on the “tempo” part, though I did run the middle three miles at a faster pace. I just keep telling myself that the speed…the consistent speed… will come.

    For now I’m happy to have won my Frogger game and put another 5-mile run under my belt!

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    Filed Under: tempo runs, training

    Hello Monday!

    August 9, 2010 by 2 Comments
    Patience and perseverance have a magical effect
    before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
                                                         — John Quincy Adams
    Well after this busy past week filled with birthday celebrations for each of my kiddos and myself, I’m looking forward to a relatively quiet week! Despite the celebrating, I did get most of my workouts in…but I will admit watching what I ate (and drank) went right out the window! But I will get that back under control this week. 
    I did cross another milestone of sorts, completing my first five mile run. Seriously I haven’t run that far since Friday practices for Rugby when I was in college….we’re talkin’ a long time ago! Can’t wait to see what this week brings!
    Happy Monday!

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    Filed Under: milestones, Monday Motivation, Quotes, training

    First encounter with the dreaded ‘Mill

    August 7, 2010 by 2 Comments

    I’ve gotten a glimpse into what my winter training will look like and I gotta say…I’m afraid! Let me explain…I did my first run on the treadmill. (cue the cheesy horror movie shrieks!)

    Yesterday morning for the first time since starting my early-morning-beat-the-heat runs, I slept through my alarm. By the time I woke up and realized the music I was hearing was not a dream but my alarm, it was too late to go for my scheduled run and get my kiddos ready and off to camp. Once I dropped the kids off, it was soupy humid out…a run outside was out of the question! So I was faced with a dilemma, put off the run and try to squeeze it in this morning before a family outing or head to the gym now and face the treadmill. I know there are many people who can log many a mile on the ‘mill…..let me be clear when I say that I am not one of them! But I decided to head to the gym…better to have the run done I reasoned, and besides, once winter comes I’m going to have to embrace the indoor run, right?

    Well…I get to the gym, pick out a secluded treadmill and off I go. Immediately I notice that the A/C is barely cranking…yes it’s better than being outdoors, but not by much. No matter I’m just going to keep going I tell myself. Then the “bouncing bunny” arrived….this woman comes bounding up and despite the fact that there are 8 other people in the whole gym, she picks the treadmill next to mine. Well she starts to run….or rather bounce. Now I am in no position to judge someone else’s form but honest to goodness I don’t know how she stayed on the treadmill – she was literally bouncing up and down! Then when she wanted to take a break she’d jump higher and do a split landing on the side rails straddling the moving belt. It was so distracting! But I didn’t want to be rude and move….just keep running I told myself. But that’s when I heard the woman in the row of ‘mills behind me let out the first of several “whoo hoos”. Really…is this happening? Apparently she was very into her music and must have been unaware that she was now singing along loudly! So I’ve got the hopper, the singer and little A/C on top of being on the ‘mill? I started to wonder if there were a full moon somewhere!

    I lasted my scheduled 3 miles and quickly headed for my car chuckling and wondering who I’ll encounter the next time I’m forced indoors while also vowing not to sleep through my alarm again!

     

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    Filed Under: general musings, training, treadmill run

    Motivation in the dog days of summer

    August 2, 2010 by 2 Comments

    Well Hello August….you sure did make an appearance quickly!

    So it’s the beginning of a new month –  what’s on deck for August?

    I’ll be working through weeks 4 – 7 of my 10k training program. That means a minimum of 54 miles, a fair amount of cross-training, Pilates, and weights, plus the introduction of my first tempo run and speedwork! THAT should keep me busy 🙂

    But since the theme around here is usually “Motivation Monday” – I decided to add a little extra incentive and today signed on for MCM Mama’s “Mama Goes Masters” Virtual Race! MCM Mama has come up with a fun virtual race to celebrate her 40th birthday – check it out HERE I’ll be doing the 4 mile option which fits nicely into my training plan and should help push me to pick up the pace a little!

    What have you got on tap this month?

    Happy Running!

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    Filed Under: Monday Motivation, race, training

    A Few Friday Shout-Outs!!

    July 30, 2010 by 6 Comments

    It’s Friday again and it’s a glorious day here in my neck of the woods. Picture perfect day with no humidity for a change! My youngest and the dog are already tugging at me to get outside…but before I do, a few Friday Shout-Outs to share:

    • to Tonia, Katye, Marcia and Jamie who are all taking on the Chicago RNR Half on Sunday! Good luck and have fun!
    • to Marcia again for her blog Running Off at the Mouth being ranked among the top 25 blogs by Treadmill Reviews! It’s well-deserved! If you haven’t checked out her blog, you really should!
    • to anyone else taking on a race or new challenge this weekend!

    Make it a Great Weekend!

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      Filed Under: Shout-outs