Pace Setter of the Week!

My blog buddies at 26point2ers interviewed me as their Pace Setter of the Week!

Today I'm taking it easy in my one day "taper" for the 10K race tomorrow. In the race, I'll be competing with an old friend in my age group who ALWAYS beats me in every race, by at least a minute or two. However the finish line works out this time, it'll be good motivation AND I'll most likely have someone to run with (or play cat and mouse with) for the full 6.2 miles! And if she finishes first, I can always use the excuse she's been running one year longer than me.

I actually owe my running to this girl. Watching her start from a nonathlete and train for the Country Music Half-Marathon made me think, "WELL, IF SHE CAN DO IT, I CAN DO IT!" And she got really skinny and buff.

Inspiration can come from the strangest places.

Fun Songs I'm Adding to my MP-3

I'm downloading these before Saturday. Some bring back memories (high school in the late 80's!) and some I just discovered. All are good for running motivation. Check them out on You Tube!

Animal by Def Leppard
You Shook Me All Night Long AD/DC totally classic!
You Give Love a Bad Name Bon Jovi
Paralyzer Finger Eleven
Stronger Kanye West (I'm overdue adding this one. Everyone runs to it.)
Boom Boom Boom Outhere Brothers (apparently from the 90's, but I missed it somehow!)

New Stuff!!

I spent about 3 hours shopping today. It was so frustrating! $100 doesn't go very far.

I did get these running tights/pants at the local running store for $59 (OUCH!). Of all the tights I tried on, these were the only ones that worked (mine are actually trimmed in sage instead of light blue). They are fairly thick with a soft, fuzzy inside. Some of the really thin tights like the Under Armour ones felt like they needed another layer---not for warmth, but for coverage! And the thick Nike ones I found at TJ Maxx for only 19.99 didn't fit---the mediums were too big in the waist but good everywhere else. The smalls were so tight that it hurt to bend my knees. I figured bending was important, so I had to put them back even though they were SUCH a bargain.

I ordered this Varitherm shirt from Champion Sports online. I have it in pink from last year, so I ordered it in "pearl" (white) to go with the above pants. It's warm, but not hot. ($23 and shipping was free for creating an account.)

Then, after trying it on at Hibbett Sports at the mall for $55, I came home and ordered this Nike dry-fit half-zip in sage (to match the trim on the tights) from Road Runner Sports for a bargain of $47 with free shipping.

Last but not least, I found a super-thick black Nike mock turtleneck at TJ Maxx for $16.99. It is fleece-lined and dry-fit. I can't imagine ever needing another layer with that. It will be for the coldest of the cold days. Sorry, I couldn't find a picture. I had to get it in large. That Nike stuff runs small. I can't run in something that is squeezing me to death!

It looks like I was a bit closer to $150. I honestly feel guilty. (I'm a stay-at-home mom with no income. But I can't imagine my hubby would want me to be cold!)

And I'm not even counting the two shirts I'm RETURNING to TJ Maxx. I bought them before deciding on the tights and they just don't match anything I own.

Running Is Cheap?

I've got $100 in my pocket and I'm off to the mall to look for warm running clothes! I'm also $16 poorer from registering for this Saturday's 10K race (actually, with the long-sleeved t-shirt--non technical though--they have promised, that's a relative bargain).

Who said running is an inexpensive sport??

Today, I'm going to attempt to run 4 miles at 9:40 race pace. If it doesn't go well, I'm going to adjust my time goal. I want to challenge myself but NOT set myself up for failure!! I want to continue to feel good about my sport/hobby/self. :-)

I'm on quite the exercise kick this week. On Sunday evening, I did crunches, arm work with free weights, push ups, and Pilates during the commercials on Desperate Housewives. (Usually just Tivo it, but commercials do have their uses....). I ran Monday, Pilated and ellipticalled yesterday (yes, I know those probably aren't real words), and hope to run today. Is that four days in a row? What's wrong with me??

On a side note, when I did the 100 push up challenge, I could do 25 or 30 in a row and even got up to 103 (done in sets of 25-30) total push ups (boy style). That was in July, I think. Yesterday, I barely squeaked out 12! If you don't use 'em, you really do lose 'em!

Just Run

As a runner of one year and four months, I have discovered that I'm still a little behind the learning curve when it comes to running.

Over the weekend I got out some old Runner's World magazines and looked at an article, "How to Run Any Race Faster" or something like that. The author pointed out that to run a race a certain pace, you have to actually run some of your training runs at that pace. Well, you would think that would be obvious, but looking back, I haven't been doing that. And the author didn't say anything about taking walk breaks!

Today, I met my friend Amy for my first run of the week. For months, I've had an easy two-miler scheduled on Mondays as a recovery run from the weekend's long run. Today, I could just run. I could make it up as I went along. It felt really freeing. We decided to do three miles. I decided to run the middle mile at my projected 10K pace for Saturday to see how comfortable it felt. We warmed up at about a 10:20 pace for the first mile, then ran a 9:18 pace for the middle (too fast---race pace is 9:40), then cooled down with a 10:30 mile. I didn't have any walk breaks again. Maybe I've broken the "mental" aspect of that habit or maybe we just weren't pushing that hard. I'm hopeful, though.

It was about 45 degrees with a strong, cold wind. I hadn't been that cold on a run in about 7 months. I even got out my ear warmer band. I realized something today---I NEED COLD GEAR!

I'd love a pair of those fuzzy, fleece-lined tights and a warm, but breathable jacket. ANY SUGGESTIONS???

The Saturday Six

For the next several weeks my running club is going to have six-mile Saturdays to maintain our base of mileage until we start training for the Country Music Half-Marathon in January. I waffled on whether to go this morning or just run in my neighborhood alone. At 7:45, I decided to throw on clothes and go. I was actually the only ONE to show up at 8:00 a.m. However, I lucked upon two other runners I knew who wanted to run the 10K course for next weekend's race called the Sango Scamper.

I've been in the bad habit of running at an inconsistent pace and taking walk breaks lately. What seems to be happening is that I am running too fast (for me), and my heart rate goes up too high. Then I feel like I have to have a walk break to let my heart rate go back down. Then I do it all over again.

Today, running with these women, I ran my first true tempo run in a while--- a slightly uncomfortable, but manageable pace with no walking. About mile 3, I was ready for my usual walk break. (Part of it is mental, I think.) I wasn't dying or anything, so the lead runner suggested we just slow down a little, but not walk. I kept going, and you know what? After that few minutes of tiredness, I got over it and was feeling just fine.

So, for the first time since maybe February or March (if ever), I ran 6.22 miles WITHOUT A WALK BREAK!! I was so proud. I kept a consistent pace and a consistent heart rate (I assume). My time was about two minutes slower than I hope to do in the race next weekend. That means shaving 20 seconds off per mile, which could be tough--9:40/ per mile for six miles. Yikes!! But, I will have so much more confidence next week when my energy is flagging since I was able to run the whole course without walking this week.

Today's run was exactly what I needed! And to think I almost didn't go!

I didn't plan to have a good run today. There was wine at my bunco group last night..... I was up late and didn't sleep well..... I was a little, um, dehydrated this morning.... I didn't eat a special breakfast or have Gatorade or a gel or anything. But somehow everything fell into place. (About a week too late??)

Hormones??

I’m done beating myself up about not making my goal finish time by 49 seconds. Why is it that we are so hard on ourselves sometimes?? I was ready to quit running, quit exercising in general, and basically give up on MYSELF. Pretty dramatic, huh? I’m such a goal-oriented person (that’s why I like running and doing races) that I was kind of devastated to pour four months of my life into something and come up short---even 49 seconds short.

Then my husband and some good friends talked some sense into me. They reminded me that I ran 13 miles on Saturday. Not everyone can say they’ve done that. (My husband says there is no way in the world he could ever finish 13, but I disagree.) I actually ran 13.1 miles three times in the last 6 weeks, that’s three half-marathons in two months! And hello, I got a PR! Just what the heck was I whining about? I think I’ll blame it all on the FEMALE CATCH-ALL FOR INSANE BEHAVIOR: HORMONES!

One thing that caught me off guard on Saturday was that I really was in pain and struggling some in the last three miles. Maybe running three half-marathon distances that close together wasn’t the smartest move I ever made. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried to stay with my pace group when they were running faster than we were supposed to go in the first 6 miles. Maybe I should have done a little more (ok, any AT ALL) cross-training on my days off of running just to build up my endurance levels a bit more.

Looking ahead: For the next couple of months, I’ll be running mostly six-milers or less. I’ll hit some pilates and yoga classes. Maybe do a little more strength training. In January it all starts over again. The Country Music Half-Marathon is April 25, 2009 and I’m going to run a 2:10 if it kills me.

WORTH REVISITING:
Bob Glover, author of The Competitive Runner's Handbook, writes, "Feeling worthwhile as an athlete doesn't come easily. Whether you run a 5-minute or a 10-minute mile, are twenty years old or sixty. You strive to do your best just like the Elites up front. Feel proud of yourself as a runner. Don't compare yourself to others and feel substandard." Thanks, Bob. I needed to hear that.