Runnin', runnin', runnin'

Finally got out for another very short run tonight. Believe it or not, it was faster than Tuesday night's jaunt. I am setting my sights on a sub-20-minute two-miler, baby!

I would write more now, but I have to get dinner. I will just pose one question before I sign off: why is my nose horribly stuffy all the time, except when I am running? I don't want to have to run all day just to breathe normally!

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: two miles
Time: 20:15
Pace: 10:07 minute/mile

Rockin' the two-miler!

*snicker* *chuckle*

Tonight was my first run in a week, and I kept it nice and short since I am still recovering. Two miles was my mental max. I decided to run to the store (the long way) and have Tim bring the kids to pick me up, since I needed to buy a few things (like a huge box of diapers).

I was thinking I would take it nice and slow and just enjoy it. But my legs were so antsy that I ran fast (for me, anyway) and it felt awesome! I also had some cool tunes on my iPod and that helped me keep a good cadence.

My finish time was my second- or third-fastest time for a two-miler yet. If I get fast enough, maybe I can run away from this virus. LOL!

That being said, I can't wait to get back to a "regular" distance run soon. Two miles is not long enough!

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: two miles
Time: 20:24
Pace: 10:12 minute/mile

Yay! Finally a workout!

So I finally got a short workout in tonight. I am still not feeling 100 percent, and my head still feels congested and funky, but it felt good mentally to exercise again.

Especially since my poor brain felt fried following our first practical exam today. I am positive I didn't score lower than a B, and think an A is definitely within reach, but it was definitely a harder test than our first one. But so far I haven't scored less than 90 percent on any test or quiz in this class, and our lowest test score and two lowest quiz scores will be dropped from our grade, so I am setting myself up nicely for another A (even if I actually did worse than I think I did).

OK, enough for now. I have to change the sheets on our bed and put away some clothing. It's times like these that I wish I had a maid!!

Today's stats:
Bike:
Time: 20 minutes
Distance: 4.89 miles

Strength training:
overhead curl, biceps, triceps, seated row, crunches, oblique crunches: two sets of 10 reps

I've been MIA

I'm sure my lack of running/blogging has not gone unnoticed by someone (probably my dad, LOL!). I was just so sick and decided to take some time off. But I fully intend to work out tomorrow evening, probably with the bike and weights. I have a big lab test in anatomy tomorrow afternoon, so I won't have time for a run.

Meanwhile, I have been trying to do fun things with the kids outside of the home the past few days. Last night, Kara and I went to the mall by ourselves and got her hair cut professionally for the first time. She did great and her hair is so cute (and straight!). Then she got to play at the indoor park there (it has been raining the past few days) and we each had a cookie for a treat. Yum!

Today, we all went to the mall because Matty needed a haircut, too. He looks like a big boy now. He was also great and the woman who cut his hair was impressed by his lack of squirming. One explanation could be that he used all his energy at Bounce-A-Rama right before. It's a place in the mall with huge bounce houses that kids can play on. It's pretty cheap (we paid $5 for 30 minutes, and that was for both kids), and Tim and I got in for free. Parents are allowed to play in the bounce houses as long as they're with their kid. So I followed Matty around and helped him out, as most of the houses has places to climb and big slides. Kara LOVED the slides. We had a blast!

I feel like taking a few days off from working out was the right thing to do. I am starting to finally feel like myself again and actually want to work out now. So look out, because tomorrow I will be back!

Uh oh......

*UPDATE*

So we all went to the doctor today and turns out it's not strep after all. Instead, it's a nasty virus that has similar symptoms to strep. I was actually REALLY hoping it would be strep, because then we could get on those fun antibiotics and start feeling better. Now we all have to suffer for as long as this virus hangs around, which the doctor said could be up to two weeks!! Oh, I am soooooo pissed about that!

Anyway, I have to try and make it to the school tomorrow to study before our big lab test on Monday. And, by the way, I got 97 points out of 100 on our first big lecture test last week!! Woo hoo!! So I need to keep the momentum going so I can get another A! Kara can't go to school sick like this (they even sent a letter home to us begging us to keep sick kids home), so I hope Tim can stay home with the sickies while I study muscles on cadavers.


*************************************************************************************
This can't be good.

It looks like we all have strep throat!

Kara's preschool informed us last week that the kids had been exposed to strep. She was a little under the weather, but seemed OK overall.

This morning, I checked her throat for the first time because she was complaining of it being sore and was shocked. There are big white patches everywhere! Then I looked down my throat in the mirror. I have white spots on the back of my throat, too! Although I don't have tonsils anymore and my throat isn't as sore as it could be (I had strep a lot as a child, and it was painful!!). Matty is still asleep, so we can't check him, but Tim's throat is very sore too.

Well, this would explain why I am still feeling crappy. We are trying to get appointments with the doctor today, but I have to wait until they open in about 30 minutes. This really sucks!!

I be illin'

Just how many times I one winter can I be sick?

It seems like every other week I am fighting off some sort of virus. This most recent one hit on Friday night and really took hold on Sunday morning. It was basically a wicked head cold that also zapped all my energy. Said energy has been VERY slow to return. I am sure Kara being in school, socializing with her fellow virus-carriers, is the main reason we have been so sick this winter.

I am feeling a little better and I really wanted to get out and run today, since I had to miss my long run this weekend. I opted for a very short run, which also turned into a fast run. I had no intention of running fast. Guess the legs had other ideas.

I am thinking about doing 30 minutes on the bike later to make my numbers more impressive. But I also have to study, as I have a quiz tomorrow. If I do ride the bike, I will come back and post stats.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: two miles
Time: 21:14
Pace: 10:37 minute/mile

**coming back to add bike stats**

Bike:
Time: 20 minutes
Distance: 4.96 miles

Stuff and things

1) Our town just got its first Quiznos sandwich shop today! I've eaten there twice already. (*blush*)

2) I managed a painful run this evening. My shins cramped up something awful in the second half and it slowed me a lot. (Bummer!)

3) Tim and I split some chocolate I bought in honor of Valentine's Day. (Yay!)

3.5) Kara had a Valentine's Day party at school today. She got all hopped up on candy. (Grrrr...)

4) I don't have school on Monday since it's a holiday. (Woo hoo!)

5) The first half of the day was spent with the power out in half of our house. PG&E sent a tech out who found that a line leading to our house had blown out by the street. He managed a temporary patch and a crew will come out tomorrow to dig deeper and fix it permanently. Luckily, we don't have to pay for the fix. (Booo! followed by Whew!)

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 33:35
Pace: 11:11 minute/mile

Cadavers...not so bad

Today was our first day looking at the cadavers in my anatomy class. I had it all worked up in my head that it was going to be super-gross and I was going to either pass out or throw up. When our teacher was telling us about who the three cadavers once were, I was feeling really upset. I mean, these were once living, breathing people with families and friends. And now they're lying on a metal slab in a junior college lab in various states of dissection.

Long story short, when we finally got in the cadaver lab, I was surprised by what I saw. The cadavers, which were embalmed and now spend most of the time in fluid to preserve them, resembled mummies from a distance. That actually made me feel better for some reason. Up close, it wasn't as gross as I imagined. The only time I kinda cringed was when I realized our cadaver Sarah had her eyes slightly opened and her eyeballs were still there. But overall it was kind of neat and I wished I could have stayed longer to look at all the muscles we were learning about today.

That was my excitement for the day. Tonight I rode the bike during Project Runway.

Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: 7.58 miles
Time: 30 minutes

Out with the old

I have (finally) changed the name of this here blog. I was getting SO tired of the old name, but didn't know where I wanted to go with it. I think the new name sums it up nicely, as I will NEVER have a body (or speed) of an elite runner, although my heart says I am a runner nonetheless.

So I was able to sneak in a short recovery run tonight. I have been surrounded by sick kids all day (including one I was babysitting), so the break was nice. My legs sure felt funky the first mile or so. After they warmed up, all was good.

Not much else to share right now. I am thinking of doing a seven-miler this weekend, since I feel I need to work on that distance before I move forward again. Plus, now that I've done nine, seven should feel like a cake walk! :-)

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 33:13
Pace: 11:03 minute/mile

Too tired

I am just too tired to work out tonight. :-(

I had a quiz AND my first big test in anatomy today. So basically, we had two tests and a lab session (four hours of school), which wiped me out mentally. But I feel like I did pretty well on the test, so that's good.

Add the fact the kids went to bed late so I didn't even have time to work out until 10 p.m. and you have a recipe for being a lazy butt. Oh well. I am babysitting tomorrow, so I have to be up early. So I'm off to bed now.

I plan on getting back at it tomorrow. I hope a short run and maybe a strength training session will be in the cards.

Bet I'll be sore tomorrow! (9 on the 9th race report!)

Whew!

I just ran nine miles! I almost can't believe it!

The weather was perfect for running. Sunshine, a breeze and only a few clouds when I headed out the door. Unfortunately, I wore my heavier wick-away shirt and really regretted it around Mile 4. Live and learn.

So I left the house around 11:30 a.m. and had my path plotted out. The first mile has a gradual hill climb pretty much the entire way. I like to get the hills out of the way at the beginning because I know doing them at the end is much harder. The first three miles were almost exactly what I run on a regular basis, so it was nice and familiar. And it felt pretty good, too.

At Mile 4, I had to stop at McDonald's for a pee break. It only took a minute and I was off again. Then, at 5.5 miles, I gulped down a Gu (still gross). At 7.25 miles, I had to fill my water bottles back up at the hospital. It was around this time I was questioning if I could actually finish. My legs felt kinda wobbly and I was so tired. Then I remembered that awesome quote I used the other day, from George S. Patton. I would NOT let my body rule this run. This was all about my mind getting me to the finish. At that point, I didn't care what my time was. I just wanted to be done.

After Mile 8 was in the books, I was confident I could finish. Boy howdy, was it hard. But I just kept putting one foot in front of the other until Garmin beeped after Mile 9 was done (my slowest mile, but who cares?). I had done it! Honestly, it felt so good to stop and walk! I think for my really long runs for my HM training, I might start doing walk breaks to keep my legs from petering out like today.

9 on the 9th Run stats:
Distance: nine miles!
Time: 1:43 even (can't believe it!)
Pace: 11:26 minute/mile

I don't think...

...anything could top my race photo post from earlier today. It was just too perfectly disturbing. LOL!

So I will just say I got 19 1/2 points out of 20 on my anatomy quiz this week. So far, out of 40 points, I have 38 1/2. Not bad so far! We have our first real test next week, so after my nine-miler on Saturday, I will be studying!

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3.3 miles
Time: 35:50
Pace: 10:51 minute/mile

Wanna see a picture of a pissed-off runner?

OK, so maybe I wasn't really mad, but I sure look pissed in my Trinidad to Clam Beach Run pic!! The only one they took of me was while I was in the freakin' river, and I don't look too thrilled. Oh, and I kinda look like a boy. I had turned my hat around for a bit because the brim kept falling down just over my eyes and it was bugging me. Rest assured I am most definitely not a boy.

Oh, and my rain jacket was wrapped around my neck to keep its contents dry (mostly Kleenex in the pockets). It had been wrapped around my waist until that point.

Here is a link to my FABULOUS pic!

http://www.finishshots.com/search.php

Use the pull-down menu to choose Trinidad to Clam Beach Run.

Type in 2030 in the bib number box.

And voila!

Recovery run

My legs felt a little "off" tonight.

Maybe they're still reeling from the river crossing during Saturday's race.

Either way, tonight's recovery run was a little uncomfortable at first. It did get better near the end.

Plus, it started raining again when I was out. Of course, it was NOTHING like Saturday's rain. This was a light, refreshing precipitation event. Not a torrential downpour.

I hope the legs start feeling a little more normal by Saturday. That's when I'm doing the 9 on the 9th Run, set up by the wonderful Nancy. This will be my farthest run to date, and I am excited! It should give me more confidence for the HM I will be doing in May.

But for today, the run was short and sweet. I hope Thursday's run will be a little longer.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 33:12
Pace: 11:04 minute/mile

Back to normal

So I feel much better than I did last week. Thank goodness. I was able to get back to my stationary bike/weight workouts tonight and it was nice. Being sick like I was last week is for the birds.

Today was my second anatomy quiz. We have quizzes every Monday. I got 19 points out of 20 on my first quiz last week. I think I did pretty well today, also. So far I really enjoy the class. But it is A LOT of memorization. I can't even tell you how much I have already learned about connective tissues! :-)

My first big test is next week. Wish me luck!!

Today's stats:
Strength training:
Overhead press, bicep curls, tricep curls, squats, toe raises, seated row, crunches: two sets of 12 reps each

Bike:
Distance: 9.11 miles
Time: 36 minutes

Official Trinidad to Clam Beach Run race report!

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."
- George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian

That quote pretty much sums up this race. My body wanted to quit. More than once, in fact. But my mind, well, that darn thing is pretty stubborn when it wants to be. It wouldn't let me stop, despite all the pain and trepidation I felt during today's race.

I arrived in Trinidad a couple hours before the race was to start, as last year was awful trying to get a parking space. This year, there was nobody around. It was storming out (pouring rain and wind that chilled to the bone), and I was a little nervous that the race had been called off but no one told me. I found a prime parking space and then had to hit the potty.

I went back to my truck and listened to the radio as the rain got stronger. I was looking for other runners, but there was nobody. What the hell? After about 30 minutes, I finally spotted some people in running clothes, so I felt a little better. Either the race wasn't canceled, or they hadn't gotten the memo, either.

So after sitting in the truck for 1 1/2 hours, I ventured out in the storm to walk to the starting line. There were many more runners here by now, and the closer I got to the starting area, the more I saw. At that point, I was so glad I was wearing wick-away clothing and my huge rain jacket (it's very lightweight and long, which was nice). I also had a hood on the jacket and a baseball-styled hat, which helped keep the pounding rain off my face, for the most part.

At the starting area, a couple hundred people were waiting. Many of them were crammed under the steel canopy at the adjacent gas station. We cheered the runners doing the 8 3/4-mile race, who started earlier and were passing by our starting area. I met up with my acquaintance, Jeremy, and his wife Lareesa. It seems the only time I see him is at races, which is funny since we live in the same small town. We chatted for a bit and then it was time to line up!

After some brief instructions over the loudspeaker, we were counting down from 15 to one. Then we were off! We all had to run over the pad to get our timing chips started (and chips turned out to be a good thing, since I accidentally forgot Garmin at home), but there were so many of us in one area and the pad was so narrow that I wasn't able to run for a few hundred feet. Once I got past all the walkers and slower runners, I let loose! The first two miles actually felt really good. My body and mind were working together, passing other people and enjoying the beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean below.

In Mile 3, there was a ginormous hill. I mean, this thing was daunting. Almost everyone within my sight was walking. I slowed way down, but kept running. It was a struggle, to be sure. Little did I know the real struggle would be coming up within a mile.

After the hellacious hill, there was a long downhill portion. It was a great break for my legs and lungs. Then we turned a sharp right and headed down a really steep hill. Someone said "There's the river!" I knew we would have to cross the Little River at some point, but I thought it was further along in the race. We had only gone three miles at this point. I wasn't worried at first, until I saw the rope line and Coast Guard swimmers they had brought in to help us across. People could only cross three at a time, and had to hold on tight to the rope line or risk being swept away into the ocean. The recent rains had caused the river to swell and get deep and fast. And of course it was frigid. So I stood in a line of anxious runners, waiting to get to the rope line to cross. According to a nearby runner, it took us more than 10 minutes to get to the front of the line.

So I am finally up to cross the river and I am trying to stay calm. I am not a swimmer and don't like water much, particularly if it's cold. I put my right foot in and all I could think was "Holy S#*@!! THAT IS FREEZING!!" The I put my left foot in and swore in my head some more. Soon the water was up to my belly button and I felt like I couldn't breathe. It was that damn cold. I told the nearby Coast Guard guy that I am afraid of water and don't swim, and he walked with me. That turned out to be a good idea, because every step I took it felt like my legs were being knocked out from under me by the swift current. It was so scary. It felt like an eternity had passed before I reached the other bank. But I finally did and was so relieved. But now I had to run another 2 3/4 miles with numb legs.

After the river, we ran on the beach. It was more of the same: rain, wind, cold. All I could see were some bodies in front of me, the vast expanse of sand and ocean and fog in the distance. I couldn't see the finish line at all. For some reason I didn't realize we were that far away still. As I continued on, it felt like this beach run would never end. I ended up running with a girl who ran the three-mile race last year (which is also what I ran and didn't include a river crossing). We encouraged each other to the finish. We agreed that this beach portion was tedious, at best.

But we finally spotted the finish and started running a little harder. Of course, my legs were still slow to respond and everything from the waist down was soaked and frozen. She told me to smile while we crossed because maybe we'd get our picture in the paper. LOL! So we both smiled as we finished, then gave each other a high-five.

I was so glad to be done. We wandered over to a bonfire on the beach and warmed ourselves for a minute. Then we hopped aboard the bus that would take us back to Trinidad to get our cars.

I knew I didn't PR, but I didn't really care. I was just glad I finished. Pretty much everyone -- except the people who were in the lead and got to the river first -- had slow times because of the wait to get across the river. My time would have been at least 10 minutes faster had I not had the setback. I think I will do this run again next year, but now I have a better idea what to expect. And hopefully, the river won't be as high!

Official race stats:
Distance: 5.75 miles
Time: 1:17:03 (it would have been 1:07, possibly faster, if not for the river. Bah!)
Pace: 13:24 minute/mile

Finished:
*163 out of 291 runners
*12 out of 22 in my age division
*75 out of 166 female runners

Yes, I ran the race!!!

And it was totally cuckoo-nuts! I still can't believe I finished!

I'll be back in a bit to write a race report. Just wanted to let you guys know I actually went through with it!! :-)

OMG, I am scared now

I am sitting here, looking out the window, and it is windy and raining like crazy. I am sure the weather is just as crummy at the race site, since it is right on the ocean. I am scared now. I have run in rain before, but not like this. And it's cold, too.

If I just make it TO the race, I will be a happy camper.

Heart of a runner...

...mind of a crazy person.

Yup, that's me right now.

I went to pick up my race packet tonight. As I got my little white envelope with my race bib (No. 2030), timing chip and instructions, it hit me. My body may feel not-so-good still, but my mind WANTS to do this race. It NEEDS to do this race. Therefore, my body WILL run this race. I realized this even more as I grabbed my race T-shirt off the table. I don't want a T-shirt that I didn't truly "earn."

Luckily, I am starting to feel a little better. Not 100 percent by any means, but well enough to participate and actually run. I will probably drug up on DayQuil before I leave the house, but that's OK. If the weather cooperates and isn't too poopy, it should be a fun race.

I just hope a week of being a sick slug doesn't come back to bite me. I really didn't do squat this week, outside of going to school and taking care of the kids. Not a single workout. I think my body needed a break, and that's why I got sick. Oh well.

Until tomorrow.....