Back at Last

Of all the things that I have accomplished in the last couple of months, keeping up with my running blog has not been one of them. It seems that the Christmas season came and went and somewhere in it all I lost the desire to run. Huh? Wha? I checked for fever, strains, and pains but there weren’t any. I just didn’t feel like doing it. So I simply didn’t. Then sometime last month I had a “What the hell am I doing” kind of moment. I mean really, I’ve come this far and ran this many miles and I was just going to throw in the towel and quit. I don’t think so dude! So I dusted off the running shoes and pulled out my favorite pair of tights and hit the road. It wasn’t pretty then and it really isn’t that pretty now. But for right now I’m happy with just putting in miles. I never started running to become elite nor did I do it ever to truly compete. Please, I’m just over five feet and still packing 15 extra lbs. of baby weight from a baby that turned 6 in January. Not too mention the boob issue yet again. Yeah, it’s still there and honestly I think I’m going to say to hell with expensive technical bras and buy a $5 one from Wal Mart and duct tape the bad boys down. Okay not really, but there are days when it’s tempting… Tomorrow there will be more, but for now I’m off to do yet another rain run.  Gotta love Spring in Virginia. 

Autumn Weather

Though I would not call Virginia cool or crisp this time of year. I will say that last night was a wonderful Fall run. It was dusk, it had just rained and there were no bugs. Yeah! No bugs! As twilight settled in and I skimmed over puddles, I felt this renewed sense of energy. Virginia summer running is so tedious, but Fall is refreshing. Autumn is what I wait for with it’s crispy leaves underfoot and cooling weather. The only thing that could make me happier is to be able to wear running tights and not be hot. That would be absolute bliss.

Blah Blah Blah

I’ve had a long lapse, not from running, but from posting. I had a slight setback with an ankle injury but I still ran the Virginia Beach Rock and Roll Half Marathon as planned. I’ll have to post pics and stories later. It was quite possibly the best experience ever. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of people and enthusiasm that was so prevalent.

For now, as the semester kicks bask in and as work remains a constant I am having a hard time putting in the necessary time required for long runs. I think that a few 5 K’s will be in my future. I just have to hop on and actually register for them.

It’s Nice to know

Picture it, the year was 2007, It was a hot July afternoon, the sun was beating down on a lone runner as she made her way down Main St. Dodging cars and avoiding several missteps i.e. the railroad track. The young runner stops at a street corner to survey the scene. However will she get across? The street is jammed with cars, many unaware that people can use their so called feet as a mode of transport. She slowly weaves through the stopped traffic. Crosswalk? What’s that!? Traffic Signal? Who needs it! Pedestrian right of way? Never heard of it here in the South.

Out of nowhere a man in a beat up pick up truck rolls down the window. The wind catches his hair and a wispy white comb over waves in the breeze. What? She thinks to herself. What sweet words could he possibly say to the her in her moment of need?

“Hey! Hot Stuff!!! Keep moving it!” Then a long whistle escapes his lips as the comb over rises higher and higher in the breeze……………

Wow, it’s nice to know that just in case my marriage to a not quite 30 year old doesn’t work out, I seem to be big with the 80-90 age range.

Long Run

Today I celebrated my first 10 mile run. I had this moment where I feel almost like I could tell someone that I have a running training plan and not have them sneer at me when I say it. Along with reaching the ten mile goal I have this renewed sense of confidence that I can and will make the half marathon point. I ran the most beautiful path along a river. It was very picturesque and I was so swept away by how peaceful and relaxing the whole thing was. If my digital camera was working, I would have taken pictures. I think that after my initial angst about the cross training program it is working. The hill walking especially helped today. I felt that the hills themselves were not as bad as last week, when I did the 9 miler. Overall two thumbs up to the new training program. Now if I could just crush this weight plateau I would be happy.

Favorite Quote of The Day

Slight Panic

No, I haven’t stopped running, worse. I’ve gained about 5 lbs in two days. The worst part is that I have zero clue why. I have been as diligent almost militant at times about avoiding excess fat and calories. I have even upped my water intake and for what?!? 5 lbs! This is how the running plan is paying me back. So far the whole cross training thing is not working. I would rather hobble about than have excess weight creeping back.

Out with the old and in with the new

I was having some, shall we say excessive issues with being tired and sore. So I chose either to A: hobble about like an arthritic ridden hobbit or B: change my training plan. Change my plan? No! I kicked, I screamed, I hollered, and yet in the end, I found this. I figure that the good people at Runner’s World probably know more about training than I do. My only objection is that at times the training seems wonky. I mean one week you have an incredibly long run and the next week you have three 9 mile runs. Go figure, I’m hoping that the other days of cross training will relieve my soreness and help shed some more lbs. If you care to peruse the link, you’ll find handing converters at the bottom of the page. Very excellent training page in my limited experience.

Time

“Speed is the result of busting ass.” Anonymous
I wanted to see how fast I could knock out 1.5 miles. Just for fun. I was hoping to put it down in less than 13 minutes. So with that thought in mind my partner in crime Mike and I laced up our running shoes and sprinted out the door. We finished in 11:37. It was better than I could have hoped for. This simple test made me feel like skipping. Okay well I would if I didn’t feel like vomiting, but once that passed skipping was in order!

Conversations In My Head

The alarm goes off at precisely 4:10 every morning, without fail. And every morning without fail I press the snooze numerous times. I can’t help it, there’s something distinctly and intrinsically wrong with getting up at 4:10 in the morning. To be honest, this morning I wasn’t going to get up at all. (That’s right I said at all!) My gym partner is in West Va., my husband was warm and snugly and it was fore casted to be 80 degrees by 7:30. Please Xena, give me a reason to get out of bed.

Alarm clock 4:10: Buzz, “Wake up”
Me: Noooo (groan), not today, I can’t do it today.
Promptly hit my BFF in the morning, SNOOZE.
Xena:”Get up, your never going to get better if you don’t develop discipline.”
It is ironically noted that Xena sounds like my mother this early.
Me: “Seriously…go away..need sleep.”
Xena:”Get up you’ll feel guilty later, you know you will.”
Me: “Can someone shut her up?”
Alarm clock 4:20: Buzz “Get the hell up.”
Rescue me Snooze!
Xena: “Fine sleep, but you will feel worse than dirt later.” Xena exits disgusted with me……I apparently am not worthy of even a conscience cameo at this point.
Arrrr, how the heck did I get a conscience all of a sudden about working out? Furthermore, why on earth am I not sleeping right now? Instead, I’m listing pros and cons in my head.
Alarm Clock 4:30: Buzz!!!
Somehow I have managed to quell Xena and yet, I cannot manage to figure out where the off button is on the alarm clock. Oye!
“Fine Xena! You win, I’ll go running today.” Grumble grumble……