Listy Listwell

Excuses for only running 5 miles this week:
1. PMS/Depressed
2. Tapering – need rest
3. I am a Pathetic Excuse for a Runner
4. Sore Hips & Right Knee

Today’s Blessings:
1. I actually got off my fat butt this morning and ran
2. Not hung over from last night
3. Beautiful morning sunrise
4. Leftover dinner for lunch today (Thanks El Cap)
5. Leaving work early
6. Dinner with good friend tonight at a surprise restaurant
7. Taking Friday off = 3 day weekend
8. Getting pedicure tomorrow – yes, I will pay extra for a longer foot massage, thank you.
9. My niece is the cutest little girl in the world and I’m going to have another soon!
10. Paycheck tommorrow (even though it all goes to rent)

I have more blessings than excuses so I think I'm doing ok.

Blues Update

Ok - I'm feeling not so bluesy because I heard the funniest thing on KROQ this morning - go to www.youtube.com and look up some videos on Denny Blaze. It's pure awesomeness.

Also, I miss my best friend WAY more than Thai food.

Last, I added mileage counts to my blog today. But I don't feel like going back for the whole month to add my runs in, so it's not really accurate. I'm just proud of myself for figuring that out. Those guys at breakingthetape.com make it easy enough for a non-techy like me to figure out!

Peace. Out.

A Case of The Blues

I didn’t run again this morning because I’m still recovering from Saturday. Yesterday’s painful attempt scared me and totally sucked. It’s only been a few days and I miss running like I miss my best friend who moved to Denver. Or like I miss eating Thai food. I know I promised to "take a break” after the marathon. But what else would I do? I guess go back to Bikram Yoga and weight training and boring cardio machines at the gym. I will probably do that for a while. But I know I will end up running again. How can I not? It’s part of me now. It’s who I am.

There are already a million thoughts going thru my head and the taper has just begun. I definitely have a case of the gloomies this morning. That “rain cloud over my head” feeling. Even El Cap asked me why I looked so sad today. The thing is that there is nothing wrong. I just feel blue. That last long run really did me in. I have a sore throat and I woke up with a huge cold sore this morning… sexy! I’m so glad that I have more than two weeks to get healthy again. I wonder how I will be after the marathon. Scary thought. But to be honest, I am already thinking about new goals for after the marathon. I know my first and foremost priority will be to get back to my goal weight – at least get my pants fitting again. (I set goals when I get depressed)

The only positive so far from not running this week: My appetite is totally non-existent.

HAPPY THOUGHT:

Dinner & Games tonight with friends. Bring on the charades (and martinis)! That will cheer me up.

Walk It Out

I think I need a new sport. I was looking forward to a nice quick run this morning. Put on my new Brooks Capris (super comf). I was planning on running 6 miles fast – just a little test on my speed. Got about half a mile out and my run turned into a walk real quick.


EVERYTHING hurts again. I thought two days of rest would be enough. I’m starting to feel like a fat, bloated cow and I needed to run this morning. So I walked about another half a mile, thinking the knee and hip pain would loosen up. Plus UNK was in my ear telling me to “Walk It Out.” Who am I to argue with UNK, especially when remixed by DJ Nasty? I don’t want those guys pissed off at me.

I’m a mile away from home now, wishing I brought my cell phone to call El Cap to pick me up. I hobbled the mile back, literally. Old ladies were passing me. Old ladies with walkers (They must have been listening to “Walk It Out” too). I was humiliated, angry, frustrated and in pain. I almost faked tears.

Maybe I am addicted to Advil. Is that possible? I didn’t take any today. I wanted to try to go three full weeks without it. In my warped head, I thought going 3 weeks without it will make it better/stronger when I take it for the race. Is Advil addiction dangerous? Do you think my family will send me to Promises? Or better yet, to Cirque Lodge so I can stalk Lindsay Lohan and Richie Sambora. My best friend and I always said we would end up at “The Betty.” Knowing my luck, I would end up at some low-rent rehab with a toothless, ex-dancer from Reno.

I digress.

Lesson Learned. Will rest more.

Confidence Recovered

Hallelujah…yeah…yeah…yeah
Here is the report on Saturday’s 22 mile final training run.

Woke up early, ate Kashi cereal with yogurt and half a banana and a hard boiled egg white.
As I am waiting for my running partner to arrive, it started pouring rain. Now, California has been in a major drought and there has been NO rain for like 2 years. However, on the morning on my last training run, it’s pouring. So, I met my partner outside and sat in her car staring at the rain. All of a sudden, it stopped and the sky turned clear blue. (If that’s not a sign to get out there and run, I don’t know what is!)

So we started along our amazing beach path (God, I am so blessed). I had this thing planned down to the tee. I started drinking water after about 30 mins of running and eating the clif shot blocks at about 45 mins. The weather was awesome, a little chilly, but the sun was out. UNTIL, mile 18 – torrential down pour again. But we were in such good spirits about our awesome run that we kept plodding thru the puddles. I actually prefer the rain over the beating hot sun. We did have to stop for about 3 mins until the major storm blew over because we couldn’t even see. The funny thing is that there other psychotic runners out there too. We were all cheering each other on. It was great! Then the sun came out again for our last couple miles. I took this pic with my phone while running.

All in all, it was an amazing day. My body felt great (maybe the 800 mg of Advil helped) and I am so CONFIDENT now for the race. I know my running buddies all feel the same way, too! We chicks are going to rock this marathon together.

20 more days until the Long Beach Marathon and I’m ready!



Song of the Day: Push It by Salt-N-Pepa

Weekend Worries & Preparation

Final long run tomorrow morning.
Feeling a bit of anxiety.

Stress....
Last long run, not so good. MUST do WELL this time!
Can’t even write complete sentences.

This is the final dress rehearsal. I think I have it all under control:
Comfortable Race Outfit – check
Geeky Water-Bottle/Fanny Pack Combo - check
Clif Shot Blocks with Caffeine – check
Gatorade – need to get at store
Advil – check
Eat a good dinner and breakfast – need to go to store
Running partner – check
Hat – check
Sunscreen – check
Positive Attitude & motivation– uhhhhhhmmmmmm – check ??

I did a bunch of stretches for my hips last night. They are still sore and tight. I will do them again tonight. Also, I made a few changes to my diet. Instead of waiting until 9 to eat breakfast, I have a bit of protien right when I wake up. It's really helped keep my blood sugar regulated all day and help with the afternoon cravings. I also increased my vitamin B - I think that has really helped too.

Wish me luck!

Song of the Day: Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie

Positive Thinking

See... all that positive thinking and being grateful crap really works.

New jeans arrived today.
They FIT perfectly.
yippy
yippy
yippy

Being Grateful

This morning I had a “Like” day – not quite Love, but definitely not Hate. If running were a man, a “Like” day would be – I would go out on a date, but definitely no kissing at the end.

Since my run was “blah” this morning, I decided that I really need to focus on some positive thoughts. It’s all mental anyway, right? I may as well jump on “The Secret” bandwagon and get some positive vibes out there. So here goes:
Pausing….
Thinking….
Uhm…. Happy… positive… thoughts…. Please come to me…..
Gosh, this is harder than I thought today. Instead I am just going to think about what I’m grateful for:

• Love is Grand and I have the best boyfriend ever!


• My sister – a built-in best friend for life


• I’m grateful for where I live – Like Laurel (http://laurelruns.blogspot.com/) says – “Cali is where they put the mack down.”


• I have an exciting job (most of the time) that has allowed me to travel to distant lands


• I can run and run and run. People may zip by me, but I will end up passing them when they stop.


• I’m healthy and I have good hair


• My credit card debt paid off


• Music, music, music – it’s the soundtrack to my life


• Dirty Martinis with big, fat olives


• Vacation Days (I have now accumulated about 15 of them – perhaps I should start using them)
  
  Ok, I feel better.
  
  Life is good.
  
  Running Song of the Day: Outa Space (Ramon Zenker Remix) by Mellow Trax

It’s All In The Hips

Thought I would share a little about the pain I’m going thru right now. It started when I began to increase my mileage. I first noticed that my hip flexors were really right. I tried to stretch them. It seemed like a normal thing, so I didn’t think it would turn into a problem. Now my outer hips at the top are so sore that I actually cannot run 2 days in a row. The mornings that I run, I am practically limping for the rest of the day. By the next day the pain has dulled, but it’s still there. So I’ve changed my marathon training by actually CUTTING DOWN my weekly mileage. This freaks me out but I think that as long as I do my long runs on the weekend I will fine.

I tried doing research online but can’t find exactly what I’m experiencing. I don’t have limited range of motion and I don’t have a “popping” sound. It’s probably just a strain or overuse injury, but being only 3.5 weeks away, there is no way I’m going to rest it enough to actually heal. What if I have an uneven pelvis or unequal leg lengths? That would be weird.

According to Runnersrescue.com:
Treatment of Hip Pain
The initial response should be rest for 1 week; you can continue to run as long as your hip injury is not being aggravated. Anti-inflammatory gels, ice packs and relaxing deep massages can help to increase the healing process. Running alternations include shortening your running stride, changing your shoes and a change of running surface. You may need sports orthotics to remedy any foot imbalance you may have. Finally, you can try lower back strengthening exercises to strengthen the back in order to prevent a re-occurrence of the condition

I can handle some of those suggestions. I will keep you posted.
Sorry for the boring blog today. I might have something interesting for tomorrow. No promises.

PS: Mom/Aunt J/Other concerned family members- Don't freak out. I'm fine. I promise I will take a break after the race.

Song of the day (not for running): My Moon My Man by Feist

Love/Hate Relationship

I have developed a “LOVE/HATE” relationship with running. My running shoes are so punk rock – they have tattoos of “love” and “hate” on them (ok, not really). I guess it takes a “Hate” day to realize how wonderful the “Love” days really can be. Here are a few thoughts to help differentiate a Love Day from a Hate Day (like you don’t already know them). Please feel free to comment with a few of your own.

Love Day
* Wake up BEFORE the alarm – ready to rock
* Favorite running gear is clean and ready to go – or even better, have fancy new $15 socks to wear
* No pain – it’s like floating on the sidewalk
* Energy abounds – let's pick up the pace
* Music pumpin'– I love my iPod. Songs play at the perfect time and I'm singin' along
* Solutions to all of my (and the worlds) problems flow easily
* Everyone says “good morning”
* The sun is rising, bringing a beautiful pinkish tint to the sky
* Dolphins are jumping – seriously, I run near the beach so some mornings I actually see schools of dolphins. I KNOW it will be a good day then!
* Wow – I’m done already? That was so fast!

Hate Day
* Hit snooze 3 times, roll out of bed but can’t open eyes
* Only clean running shorts are too small (creep, creep, rub, rub)
* Tank top made of cotton (argh!) with straps that slip off shoulder (double argh!)
* Ouch – every step hurts, reverberating pain from the foot to the hip
* Am. So. Tired. Can’t. Lift. Foot.
* My iPod sucks – who downloaded all this crappy music?
* Stupid headphones keep slipping out of ears
* Argh – it’s too windy – sand keeps blowing in my eyes
* Ohhhh no…… Did I eat Mexican last night?
* It took me HOW long run 5miles? I may as well walked the entire thing.

The Hate Days bring on at least a week of self-doubt. It’s not until I have a few Love Days in a row that I remember why I do this thing called running. Luckily this morning’s 6 mile was definitely a love day (except I didn’t see dolphins and my hips are killing me).

Here’s hoping that the rest of the week and Saturday’s 22-mile run will be Love Days, too!

Show Me The Love!

Running Song of the Day: Fuego by Pitbull

Fat Jeans

We all have them. Fat Jeans.

I went to Vegas over Labor Day weekend with El Cap and a bunch of friends (4 couples). When packing, I grabbed my favorite, sexy Rock & Republic Jeans. They are my “go-to” jeans. They are kinda dressy so you can wear them to a nice dinner or club and I know they always look good. I was getting ready to go out, I grabbed the R&R’s…. slipped them up my thighs and STOP. That’s odd. They’re stuck. They usually just slip right up. So I did a little pulling, a little jumping and a lot of sucking-it-in. I managed to get them zipped, but I couldn’t walk. I looked in the mirror and they looked horrible. So tight that there were extra creases in the back – horizontal creases along the back of the thighs AND a muffin top! Oh it was dreadful. Luckily I had a plan B outfit in case I didn’t feel like wearing jeans. Oh boy, I sure didn’t feel like wearing jeans. Any jeans. Ever.

Could it be possible? Am I actually gaining weight while I’m training? I may be running 30-40 miles per week, but I must be eating/drinking extra calories to counteract it. ARGH!

So, I’m back wearing my fat jeans. For now. However, to make sure that this is just a temporary set back, I have provided myself with some additional motivation:

NEW JEANS. (See photo to left– and NO, that is not my booty).

Clothing really motivates me. So I bought these new jeans that I have been obsessing about. I really mean OBSESSING. I saw them in In-Style Magazine 2 months ago and I “goggled” them. I looked at that website almost everyday for the past 2 months. I finally bought them realizing it was the perfect motivation. I bought them in size 28. Although at one point, I was down to 27 –I will be happy with a 28. (Hey, I got up to size 32 a couple of years ago.)

After the race, I will refocus on “the diet” and slim down again. I swear weight loss is 90% what you eat and 10% physical activity. It’s just too hard to think about cutting calories when I’m running. So I will re-focus on that goal after I get thru the marathon goal. Plus, there are cupcakes in the office today.

One goal at a time is enough.


Running Song of the Day: Stonger by Kanye West

Martinis are Like Breasts

Just finished my Saturday morning 8 mile (8 is great) run. It really hit me that I have one month until the marathon. 4 measly weeks. Next week is my last "long" run, then I will taper down. I did 20 miles about a month and a half ago and it was surprisingly pleasent. I did 21 miles 3 weeks ago and it totally sucked. I can pin point a few things that probably made the difference - not a good brekkie, irritating shirt, tried Accelerade sports drink (gave me major stomach issues), extremely hot, forgot sunscreen, etc.

Anyway, 4 weeks left and I feel like I haven't been taking my training seriously. Don't get me wrong - I have been running and doing the long runs. But I have it in my head that I will be able to skate by. THat was until that last miserable 21 miler. It gave me doubts. On the other hand, it's making me realize that I need to focus and plan better and it will go just fine. I think I'm just a little burned out maybe. Maybe I need to get my diet/eating back on track. Maybe I need to cut out sugar again. Maybe I need to cut out my drinking for a bit.

Ouch. I think I just nailed it on the head!

I know the main culprit to this little "burn out" is that I can't seem to say no to a martini (or two). And frankly, who would WANT to? I just love them and their dirty, salty goodness- shaken, almost whitish from the flakes of ice floating on top. Oh and don't forget about the olives. Big, succulent, green, salty olives. mmmmm After some experience with this lusty libation, I have learned: (I didn't make this up, so I can't claim the credit, but it is definately a rule to live by)

~~Martini's are like breasts - one is not enough and three is too many~~

So, there's and easy solution, right? Just say "I will not drink until after the marathon." But before the words are even uttered, the little devil on my shoulder pops up... but what about the wedding at the end of the month, or so-and-so's birthday, or delicious wine with El Capitán's (The boyfriend) home-cooked dinner or after-work cocktails? See, it's not that easy.

My ramblings really have no point today. These are just the things that went through my head this morning. I guess the Moral of the Story is....

Kids - just say "no." Since we all know how well that campaign turned out, here's another option. Just have TWO. That way, you can still run in the morning.

Running History

Ok - it's after lunch. Actually, i was so excited to post again that i shoved my salad down my throat with hardly tasting it. Who cares - it was just salad.

So, since this blog will mostly be about my running, I thought a brief history was in order.

I started running about a year ago exactly. I had recently lost weight (story for another blog) and realized it's alot easier to run without lugging an extra 30 lbs around. So, I started to jog. A little at a time. Very little. Then a friend of mine suggested that we run a fun 5k. Sounds like a great idea. I made a pretty good time - I think like 27 or 28 mins. (See pic attached) and it was so fun that

I GOT THE ITCH...

For a little challenge, I decided to sign up for a 10K. Luckily there was one about 3 months later. I ran it with a girlfriend and had a blast! It was Thanksgiving and I wore a feather in my hair. Then went to a big family dinner and pigged out!

So, after that - what's next? Of course - a half marathon. My 10K friend agreed to run it with me (THANK GOODNESS). I did online research and created my own traning plan. I really struggled the last 2 miles, but came out with an ok time of 2:04. My goal was under 2hours, but who do I really think I am? hee hee. That was in Feb 07.

--Update--I forgot that I ran the Seal Beach 10K in March. I was totally hung over - the night before is when I met El Cap. I was having such a great time that I over-consumed the adult beverages. Suprisingly my time wasn't too bad - like 56 mins or something. Although I thought the grim reaper would be waiting for me at the end.

Since then I have just been running a couple times a week with longer runs on the weekend.

My Denver Gal Pal talked me into trying a MARATHON. After thinking long and hard, I realized it's the perfect new challenge for me. And it will be the most fun of all becuase my best friend is flying down to run it with me! Actually, we now have a group of four awesome (and hot) chicks all running it together.

FOUR MORE WEEKS until the Long Beach Marathon.

Training updates coming next week.

Newbie

I just learned what a blog was. Seriously. So please excuse my non-computer-ish ways. I was bored at work and looking through running websites and started reading blogs. Wow, how fun is that? Especially for nosey people like me. It's like peeping into someone's diary (not that I would EVER do something like that).

So this is it - my FIRST blog. Welcome to my de-flowering.

I have alot of things on my mind so get ready for some hard-hitting bloggin' action coming soon. Maybe even after lunch...

Ciao