Broken Hearted. Diagnosis.

The Diagnosis: Today was the day I went to the doctor. I know in my last post I said this would only be failure if I let it be. Well I just got the news not but 1 hour ago so your getting the "fresh wound" out look right now. Zero positive attitude coming at you hot. Right now I feel like I just finally had momentum on my running I finally became a runner. I was even into the stage of having to buy real running gear like body glide and nice socks and good sports bras. I guess I can save my rubles. The doctor does not have a solid diagnosis yet but it could be one of two things. The first being - Achilles Tendinitis ( a runner hell!! but what I'm hoping for). The second being torn Tendons- I have grinding and that is what he is worried about that is definitely not normal. I have to wear the walking boot for two weeks 24 hours a day well I get to sleep without it and shower but other then that nothing. I asked him about no or low impact activities and he said absolutely not. After the two weeks we take the boot off and run. If it still hurts that is a bad sign because if I had option "A" I would be good to go and I will be able to continue running and there would be no pain because it only takes a few weeks of rest and it would be healed. With option B- I would be going back to get a bone scan to see if it's a stress fracture and or if my tendon have ripped. I would then likely not even be able to participate in the half marathon at all. Needless to say even if I am only out for an additional two weeks that is a total of three weeks with no cardio training at all. and It would be near impossible to run the whole half. So my goal is no longer attainable. I have now decided that the Seattle half is going to be my new goal its 5 weeks later. Well that is what the doctor said so there you have it.

The reaction: I must say right now I feel like I can't do anything right!! I was doing everything the right way and going slow and steady but I still got injured. I feel like I am going to be a bump on a log now for the next two weeks and turn into a big fat blob!! Nothing works like running does to get into shape. I feel like in two weeks time I will be back in my fat pants and feel like running was a stupid idea to begin with. I am currently in tears because no matter what anyone tells me I don't feel like they understand. I know that they are being supportive and caring and what not but right now I don't care. They were not the ones giving up Seahawks games and beers with friends and getting 5 hours of sleep and waking up at 6 am on weekends to get in a 5 mile run. So it all falls on deaf ears right now. I mean this was my big fear I was even worried about playing my beloved game of softball because I didn't want to get injured. I created a habit and stayed with it pretty well only missing two days in 5 weeks. I have accomplished something I didn't think I could do when it come to running and training and now I have to stop. I want to sit and cry...more. This may all sound dramatic to you all because it is just again two weeks. I was also debating if I should even post my reaction paragraph. But I figure It might help me get it all out there. Or it may show someone else that they are not alone. I said that this blog would be the documentation of my adventure and I wanted to stay true to that. The good bad and the UGLY. So there you have it.

The solution: I was driving back to the office and was racking my brain on activities I can do to stay in shape ( and not a round shape). I was on the fence back and forth be positive or crack. I am still on the face emotionally but mentally I have decided that this will slow me down but it will not stop me. I am going to become a strength training machine, I recently had a goal of doing 100 consecutive push ups (there is a training program). I did not make it but I am going to get back on that band wagon and I am also going to work my core until Victoria ( from Victoria Secret) calls me herself and asks me to be an "Angel" aka bra model. I am going to do join a gym to get more access to different exercise equipment where I will not be using my foot. I am going to need to come up with a training program that I can post and check off just Like I was doing with running. I know I said a lot of this last week but I didn't think I'd be out another two weeks so I did lift and bike last week and tried to run ( unsuccessfully) to stay in shape but its got to be in high gear now. I am going to have to watch my nutrition a touch closer now, but I should have done that anyway. I am going to have a positive mental attitude and practice P.S.T. ( positive self talk). I got that from my coaching friends back home (thanks Jim and Simpson). I also am going to need some help from the big guy up stairs on this one so I will be praying for strength along the way so that I do not get discouraged. I know I have it in me to get through a set back but it is just disheartening.
That was the long and the short of it. I'm feeling pretty good about things and I know it could be worse so I am thankful its not.
-Rookie Runner-

Mileage Stand Still

Time for a breakdown, I called my mom last night to inform her about the injury and what I have read on the internet ( which means it must be true). I found out that I probably pulled or strained my Achilles tendon, and they all say rest rest rest. NO running what so ever!! Well I never thought that if I found out I could not run it would result in tears well let me tell you it did. By tears we mean I went straight into the "ugly cry". I was debating because I will not be running if I should even do blog posts because I have looked at 65 miles now for four days straight and it has not gone up at all and its killing me. After talking with my mom i found out she sent me some voodoo magic stuff in the mail when hearing about this set back I feel a lot better. I am now going to be doing some strength training this week along with biking and anything else I can to that does not cause stress on my ankle. So as long as I can get back to running in about ten days I will be okay I hope. When I stated above that Jackie "The Mother" sent me VooDoo stuff I am reffurring to a sports cream and some small magnants. I am not sure if they will help but one thign is for sure they can not make me worse so... I am currently magnetically charged and smell like menthol. I have been icing as much as I can I am on my 2nd round of ice today and I am at the office:). I am also taking some noninflammatory meds that I got for my back injury ( situation). I even called in injured to my slowpitch games tomorrow ( something I never thought I would do) but I have to get on the road as soon as possible and because I know I am incapable of taking it easy on the field I think it is better to not even put myself out there for risk. I have some great people around me who been making sure A- I don't run through the pain and B- know that is okay to rest when your hurt ( something that is foreign to me, I mean I played softball last week after taking a ball to the jaw). I really do not want to fail and I first assciated this with failure. I don't get hurt, I don't take days off, I have a program and I am sticking with it,!! I am now starting to realize that this will only be a failure if I let it be. If I give up and say now that I have lost a week of training I will no longer be able to run the whole 13.1 miles, and give up on my goal. My goal is still to run the whole way and I believe I will still be bale to do so. So my updates for the next week or so are not going to be about running but about different types of work outs and staying active while I heal. I will stay on my schedule and stay active 5 days a week but with different things. So the emotional roller coaster has begun.
-Injured Runner-

Heart breaking.

Tuesday time to get back on the running train and put in 5 miles. Well that didn't happen!!! I tried on two different occasions to run and something is defiantly wrong with my right Achilles area. I am very upset about this new draw back I am not sure if I should rest or if it is something I can run out of and it just needs to be warmed up?? Today is my interval day and I am only supposed to do 3 miles but I think that I am going just see if i can get my 5 mile easy jog in from yesterday I do not want to lose the mileage I have built up so far and I am nervous that if I do a short three mile with high intensity that it could get worse. I am not sure if i should go to the doctor for this yet or not. If it does not feel any better after today I will be heading to the doctor soon so that I can get this taken car of and back on my running schedule. I hate to report bad news but i did some work on the bike last night and did a lift routine so that I was still moving but no running.....Boo.
-Injured Rookie-

Race weekend!

Getting ready to race in the rain the swelling has gone down!!

Rain in Seattle what is this!! Running in the rain.

1,000 of my closest friends running with me.

Don't mind the laundry I'm in the middle of doing that's day two Friday was worse.

Swollen cheek/Face

Don't mind that all these pics were from my cell phone but it was all I had on me :) This past weekend was my big 10k race on Sunday the 22nd of August. I had quite the busy weekend from Friday night to Sunday evening. When I got work off on Friday my focus of the weekend had shifted to preparing for the race on Sunday. I had a lapse in judgment this weekend with my preparation like playing in my slow pitch game on Friday night without taking a warm up jog and stretching. This resulted in a tight hamstring it was not completely pulled but I could feel it when I walked as soon as I felt the strain I took it easy. That however did not protect my face from the next draw back I was catching and in slowpitch catcher do not wear anything protective on their faces (until now) and i took a foul ball right off the bat into my face. I was lucky enough that it hit me right below the cheek and the only damage was pain and a bruised mouth. I looked like I had gotten in a bar fight Friday night but with the help of some Mac n Cheese and a little icing I was feeling better before bed. I woke up on Saturday morning and still had quite a bit of pain in my hamstring so I decided that it would be best to rest and skip my 3 mile run I am all about training and following this program but I can't run if I am not healthy so I skipped it..oops I was also concerned about my mouth situation I knew that I would be running for an hour the next day and that the inside of my mouth would be rubbing against my teeth the whole time and was wondering how that would work out. I know it is not a normal concern with most runner but i had a rough go Friday night. So I headed to pick up my race packet and get all the details of the race at about 1 then did some retail theory ( not the best thing to be walking around with a hurt hammy but I had to do something). I went and picked up some running clothes at the Under Armour outlet and then headed back home for the Pre season Seahawks game that started at 7pm. I got to thinking and decided to sit this game out so that I could be down at the race venue feeling as refreshed as possible. But I still walked down to the stadium to sell my friends ticket for her. I got a touch of the atmosphere and then whet home to mentally prepare/ eat pasta until I couldn't eat anymore. I know that the whole carbo loading thing does not really work but it does wonders to your mental prep. My goal was to finish the 6.2 miles in 1:15:00 I did not take any kind of stop watch or clock with me because I just wanted run and find out what my natural pace is. I got to running and I think I was a great decision to hold off on the running the day before it took me about 2 miles to really feel good but my leg felt okay the whole time the more I ran the better it felt. There were a couple of hill that gave me leg some trouble and i had to baby it a bit but other then that I finished the race in 1:10:00. So I was happy with that. It hard to know how much energy to expend when you have never run a distance before because you don't want to burn out so I think that if i did this distance again I could get done faster. Today I am feeling good with the exception of a few aches and pains but my hammy feels great so I have no worries. On to a rest day today and 5 miles tomorrow. I am going to see if I have a picture of my beat up face to throw on here but not sure I have one but stay tuned.

-RR-

Motivation from the boss.

I am lucky enough to have a boss at work ( yes I realized I just said work and where else would you have a boss IDK just roll with it) that is training for a full marathon. I am not sure if i have mentioned this before but its nice to talk running with someone at work. He did the R&R 1/2 marathon here in Seattle so he has done all this before. I realize I have mentioned that I do my interval training on a treadmill so that I can measure my pace and speed easily. I mentioned this to the boss and he gave me a good old fashion speech about if there is any run you should not do on a treadmill its interval training. I said whatever, after a long discussion/debate I figured he was right and if I am taking this serious I need to put in the work. So last night I went to GL because they have 1/4 mile marks on the ground so this would be great for the interval of 800m I was going to be doing. Well I did a mile warm up and stretched it out before I began this hellish workout. Well it was not easy I decided to run without pace ( in fear I would not pick one fast enough) on my 800m I just ran as fast as I could without sprinting, the last interval of 800m I did was not much different the my slow jog to recover. I ended up covering 5.6 mile in 1:04:45. After 6x800m dashes I was beat. But I felt good I also felt like I could still run so that is always great. I had my first I hate this moment while experiencing a side ache from HELL, all I could think was damn you boss man why did I let you into my running world!! All in all I am glad I did now I have a new mental strategy on my short runs I am going to push the speed a bit more and try to get more out of those small runs. Well now I am out the door for a quick 4 miles before the daily grind. Happy running.

-RR-

P.S. I also know yesterday was a rest day but I did the classic switch from Wednesday and Thursday due to a long Wednesday nap. :)

Tuesday 5 Miles 58:48 GIrl Talk.

This is a picture from my running route cell phone style sorry for the quality

They know what they are doing. Whoever makes these training programs knows what they are talking about because the workouts don't seem overwhelming, like I thought they would. Just enough of a mileage increase to keep you interested and excited about the whole thing. Now I know I have only run 5 miles at this point but I'm shocked at how I feel when I'm done.

DISCLAIMER: FOR ALL MEN WHO DO NOT WANT TO LISTEN TO SOME SERIOUS GIRL TALK OR YOU WANT TO THINK THAT US GIRLS ARE STILL ATTRACTIVE I SUGGEST YOU STOP READING IMMEDIATELY IF NOT SOONER.

Girl talk this fine Wednesday is going to be about boobs. We all have them and they are something that we need to control during running. I have the blessing/curse of losing weight and not losing any of it in my chest. I am now on a bra hunt. When running for a hour at a time I have found that my chest will rub on any seam that is close to it and it never really hurts until after I am done. I am now on a hunt for a good sports bra that will keep me cool and eliminate hot spots. Now for all you woman out there that have any suggestions on where to start please fill me in. I know I have to get a handle on this soon because in a weeks time I am not sure I will be able to wear a normal bra to work anymore.....and well that is just not acceptable. I got a suggestion from a friend on a place to go that specializes in woman's sports and they have great bras from what I hear. Well today at work I put my measurements in their size calculator and they said they could not compute!! GREAT, PERFECT!!! Well I am going to go check this place out in person and see what I come up with. But wearing two sports bras at one time creates more heat then necessary and the rubbing and chaffing that is occurring will not fly after this week's run. Looks like I am becoming a runner and it is not as easy and as cheap as I thought this little gifty gift may cost be a bundle but if could just be worth it. I need comments on this one because I need help so I can shower without pain. Talk to me ladies.
-Rookie runner-

Week 4 Training Schedule

Week 4

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Run 5 miles easy.
• Wednesday - Warm up with 10 to 15 minutes of easy jogging. Run 6 x 800 meter repeats at around your 5K pace or 15 seconds per mile faster than your 10K pace. Jog for 400 meters between repeats. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging.
• Thursday - Rest or cross train. ( we all know that this should just say REST no CT for me)
  
• Friday - Run 4 miles easy.
• Saturday - Run 3 miles easy.
• Sunday - Run 6 miles easy. ( My 10k Race day)
  

The Traning Continues....

Feels like forever since I have given a update. This weekend was a smashing success. I got my two miles in early Saturday morning and I got my 5 miles in on Sunday at about 6:30am. After my early Sunday run I watched my mom complete her second triathlon of the summer. I did not think I was going to cry when she finished but as soon as I was watching all the woman crossing the finish line I was in tears for a solid 20 mins. SO when I got home I needed to reward myself after the emotional and successful morning I had just had and this Sunday the reward happened to be laying in the sun on the rooftop and drinking some beers. My run took me 1:05:00 after moving that long you need your carbs (beer). A couple of my friends stopped to helped me on this venture and then we all headed to a concert and had a great little Sunday. I know that my mind set has changed in the past three weeks. I was thinking on Sunday night that I could have a few beers because I did NOT have to run on Monday.... turns out I still had to work on Monday and that had not really crossed my mind but oh well. So I enjoyed my day off by playing in my softball game and then going out to a fabulous dinner. With all my training that I have been doing I think that I might have finally broken into the "you can eat whatever you want phase" of my training. I have turned my body into a calorie burning machine and I seem to be hungry a lot more, hence the eating whatever I want. The problem with this is that bad food does not sound as appetizing as it once did. During the day I am concerned with what I eat because I want it to be good fuel for the run ahead and I want to be sure it also sits well in my stomach (nothing like running uncomfortable). But after I run I have treated my self to a trip to the ice cream shop and the occasional French fry feast ( delish by the way). Just a couple more hours at the job then I head out for a 5miler this evening.
-RR-

Friday's Morning run. 4 miles 49 mins.

Its Friday so you know what that means up early to get my run in before work. Today my goal was to be up and at em at 5:45am so I could drive to my running location. I failed at that attempt. I was instead up at 6:20am and knew that I had to hustle to make my run before work. So I had half of a protein bar and some leftover pasta from the night before ( yeah that's right I had dinner for breakfast.) I knew I need some carbs for my run and my protein bar was not going to cut it I just ate it to feel like I had something in my stomach. So I drove to GL and hit the trail I felt good during my whole run today got into the grove early but at the end I did want to stop I could have pressed on but if felt good to be done. For the first time I felt exhausted after this run I walked in the door to my penthouse suite (aka a studio of about 430sq feet), and crawled right back into bed for 10 mins After a quick rinse. I don't think I had the proper nutrition today. I needed more food before I started but I had no time for a bigger breakfast (running late as usual) and I hate running on a full stomach so that's why I had what I did, lesson learned. I was reading a few articles on training and most of them say if you send your body into a calorie deficiency while you are running you feel more tired after and have a big appetite. So the experts say you should have a good meal before running and to keep consuming calories while running (if it is over an hour) so that your body can stay as consistent as possible when burning calories. I am not quite up to the one hour mark so I have not toyed with GU gels yet but I defiantly need to be aware of what I am eating before hand. I felt like I had not slept in days and that a nap was in order but I did not have that option due to this thing called work so after my 8min power nap I grabbed a G2 and headed to Starbucks to get food and a coffee. I felt like a million bucks after the food and a cup O Joe. For those of you wondering I do not drink what I like to call "fufu coffee" I drink black unsweetened iced coffee, it gives me the boost I need with out adding all the extra crap. I am trying to limit empty calories on drinks, I'd much rather eat. Well tomorrow I have an easy 2 mile jog and then my biggest run yet 5miles I'm getting into the runner realm where when you tell people you went and ran 5 miles they say "you are a runner??" or what I always liked saying " oh really just a 5 mile jog like that, no problem yeah right I'd die if I had to do that, nice work". I'm still a beginner until I have to buy running socks and Body Glide and GU pack. MY teammates ( Jackie "the mom" and Keri "the sister") say that will all come at about mile 7. So a few more weeks and I might just be a runner.
-Rookie Runner-

Thursady Intervals 4 miles 45 mins

I got home from work today and it was beautiful out so what did I do, I hopped on the treadmill. Like I have mentioned the interval training is very tough to do when you don't have a way to measure your pace and so the treadmill got the bid ...for now. I Had to do 6 400m with 400m between with each and warm up and cool down. I know myself and know I would lose track so before I went to hit the gym I got a note card wrote down numbers 1 through 6 and and when I was done with my fast pace run I got to tear off the number it was great little game for me. My paper kept getting smaller and the task became more doable as time passed. When I hit my 5th interval I began to get a side ache and thought looks like I'll have to slow down my pace but then the competitive side took over and thought this is the exact moment that I am improving my running and getting a fast pace on my other runs. So I pressed on and it never became a full blown side ache and the 6th and final interval was great. Not a very exciting post but I felt good not great but good during my run and was even able to go get ice cream with some friends later that night so the switching of the rest day worked out.
-Rookie Runner-

Workout EPIC FAIL

So on Wednesdays I have my ole interval training. This week it will be a Thursday interval training. I will have you know it is was not due to lack of motivation but lack of facility. I went and met my friend Rafter and crew at a local pub when I got off work to watch them have some beers. When I got home at 9pm I geared up for my workout and walked downstairs ( I have a work out room in my apartment). When I unlock the door someone was running on MY treadmill the nerve don't they know that, that treadmill belong to me??? SO I politly asked when they would be done and they said a half hour. This person on the treadmill I think is the only other person in the building that uses it and he also is the one I see out on my morning runs too. I think that we may be on the same plan. Run outside but when you have to the treadmill will do. So back upstairs to my glorious home I went and I got sucked into a TV show and well headed back down at about 10pm ( wow late I know). But another human had stolen my training device. So I chalked it up to a loss and will get the intervals tackled today NP ( no problem).
So my mother, Jackie is coming into town this weekend to compete in the Danskin Triathlon. She is one of my partners in crime in the Marathon.5 and she happened to scholarship my entry fee to the event as well. It should be a nice motivation for me, to keep on, keeping on. Watching her and her friends swim 1/2 mile then bike 12 miles then run a 5k WOW looking forward to being the official photog for this fine event. If you are not familiar with this triathlon it is a female only extravaganza and it is a blast to just be around all those amazing female athletes. So in talking to Jackie aka Mom she informed me that this could be an emotional journey as well as a physical one. She told me that she cried when she finished her first marathon ( yes the whole 26.2) and after the first triathlon she did. I was thinking great I am going to be a S*^! show at the end of the ROCK N ROLL because I cry when a good comical comes on or when people get kicked off American Idol. So I have that! to look forward to. I will probably cry this weekend when Jackie passed the finish line and I am there to watch. Go get em MOM.
-Rookie Runner-

Week 3 Workout.

Sorry I never got Week 2's workout Schedule up, but here Is week 3.

Week 3

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Run 4 miles easy.
• Wednesday - Warm up with 10 to 15 minutes of easy jogging. Run 6 x 400 meter repeats at 10 seconds per mile faster than your 5K pace or about 25 seconds faster than your 10K pace. Jog for 400 meters between repeats. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging.
• Thursday - Rest or cross train.
• Friday - Run 4 miles easy.
• Saturday - Run 2 miles easy.
• Sunday - Run 5 miles easy. You make another increase in mileage here. Remember to keep you pace easy. You will increase your longest run by one mile each week.

Today's 4.1 miles 48mins 23 secs

The pace has finally gotten into 11 minute range and I am happy about that. I was supposed to do just 4 miles but when I was cruising Greenlake I had to run a bit farther (ha ha ha .1 miles) to make sure I was at least getting the miles in. Today was a day where I lacked complete motivation but from a few posting on facebook and a pep talk from my boss I drove to GL and headed out after a headache of a parking situation. So there I was waiting to pull into a spot on my left but had to yield to the car that had just pulled into the lot I was sitting WITH my blinker on. I very patiently waited for them to pass when much to my surprise they just pulled right into my spot. It took everything in my power not to just drive home and say the stars were stacked against me. So I cruised around the other two parking lots and got nothing there, so I headed right back to the location of "the incident" and a spot had opened up right next to the one I had originally wanted to park in. Now I had the option of saying to myself wow what a great parking spot its basically right where I wanted to be OR be filled with animosity toward the driver that was still in her driver seat and send evil vibes her way. I will have you know I went with option 2. But it gave me some great motivation for the beginning of my run. It was not the right thing to do but sometimes you don't have the discipline for the right thing and today I was just lucky to be running. So I am sorry to the woman that was the parked next to me and may have received an unfriendly expression. Now that I was off and running I found myself thinking what do you think about when you run like the song on the Ipod, work, boys, how far you have left and or how far you have gone. I always seem to get stuck on the how far until this is over topic. Then when I hit some random point it comes to me wow I've been running for while and could keep going, only a mile left wow that is totally doable. If someone would have told me two weeks ago that I would be running for almost an hour and feel good, I would have never believed it. So that was my silver lining and my victory of the day. I can run longer then I thought I would be able to and it's only week three. I started my run in a pissed frame of mind and well by the end I thought I will be able to do my 5 miler at the end of the week ( got to love endorphins!!). Once again running won I did not (I try to hate it but I always like and even enjoy the second half) and I am excited for my next work out.

-RR-

Week three Has begun.

Update- I am completely committed now! If for some reason it decided to quit this journey( which I do not plan on doing) It will cost me $227.98 Because yesterday I bought my plane ticket to Denver. What a great deal thank you Southwest. I will be getting there at 6:30 the Thursday before the race and will wake up Friday for a nice little two mile run the last run in my training schedule. This outing I am sure will be a good indication how different the air is up there. I am sure it will be more difficult but my goal is still to run the whole thing no walking. Even if I have to slow my roll that is okay. I got some good news yesterday A- My Seahawks tickets are in the mail. B-I get to go to a Bronco's game after my 13.1 mile jog. Who knows if I'll be up for it but I will make myself up for it. Nothing that a post run beer can't cure I say. On the docket today I have a 4 mile ez jog and I am looking forward to running in somewhat cooler conditions. Running in Chelan was a little different. I have also found that I don't so much enjoy the first two miles of my runs but after they are over I am in a bit a groove and actually have fun. Sorry I have no pics from the weekend oops.
-Rookie Runner-

Friday early morning 3 mile.

Looks like my new favorite thing to do is run in the mornings on Friday. It is just a great way to start the day and I usually have something going on, on Friday night and have no time for a run. SO yesterday morning I hooked up the blackberry and went out for my three miler. First time I really enjoyed my whole run my pace was even faster then usual and I am getting more comfortable with it all. I still find myself messing with my form to see what the most efficient way to run is. I have really gotten sucked into this whole training thing and find myself online trying to learn as much as I can about nutrition, clothing and everything else. A friend of mine is currently training for a full marathon and so I like to pick his brain for tips and tricks he has learned during his training. It also gives me someone to talk about running with because as interesting as I have come to find it, my friends really don't care about pacing, hydration and the occasional blister I may have ( I know those all sound so very interesting). Today thank goodness is a simple 2 mile jog just to keep my body moving which is good considering I'm headed out of town to watch two of my friends get married. I will get to snap pics with a new camera lens I got. I'm very excited for todays events and to see if I can capture some of the magic with my camera. Well Off to hit the pavement before I hit the road.

-Rookie Runner-

Interval Traning

Last week when I did intervals it was on a hill that equaled zero fun. This week maybe because I am used to running a little bit more it was my favorite workout of the training thus far. I ended up running 3.75 miles because my warm up was only 10 mins. I also realized once I was done with my last 800m interval I didn't have to run 400m then an 800m cool done I could just go straight to the cool down stage so that was a great little surprise. I am doing a little bit better on pacing, I know where my goal pace is for the faster speed and I just take it back to a slow jog for my recovery. So it didn't feel like I was running for distance even though this has been my farthest mileage yet. Lesson in this is - don't knock it until you try it. I went into this workout thinking it was going to be H-E-Double Hockey Stick, and it wasn't. I also had some distractions. Today I have the day off and well kinda find myself wanting to run anyway ( I won't but I could). Today is my day to get girlie, I am attending a wedding this weekend and I need a new dress and I have a $100 dollar gift card to Nordstrum burning a whole in my pocket so shopping I shall go. Once again I will be out of town and trying to get my workouts in so I hope it all goes as planned, I developed a bit of a blister on one of my feet and I am kind of freaking out because I don't want one of those annoying little things that make a run miserable. So off to a running store to see what they have for this fix. I am kind of excited for tomorrow because I will make it over the 20mile mark after my run I may have to wake up early and check out the "runner wave" on my pier route. I'm off to enjoy my day off and try and get some pictures on this blog of mine.
Rookie Runner- Out.

Week Two Day One

If you have been reading this blog you may have caught on to my erratic schedule I tend to keep. I always think that I have time to do it all and well, I don't. I thought that I would try and run at the same time every day and make this part of my daily routine but as you can see I kinda just squeeze workouts in between my social life. I mean come on I would hate to miss out on fun for my ever so rewarding runs I take myself on 5 days a week. I also said I was going to try and stay away from the treadmill but sometimes that is better then nothing. Which brings me to yesterday's adventure. I had let you know I would be running Greenlake a great hidden gem in Seattle (and by hidden I mean If the weather man says there is a 25% chance of sun this path is packed like bring a horn on your bike and or stroller cause things can get crazy out there!). Well in true fashion I was running late. I got home from work at about 5pm and had to meet my sister at 5:40 and thought I'll be good to go she'll be running late anyway I'll have just enough time to park and run. I may have under estimated a little thing we like to call rush hour... oops. So While driving I realized I was not going to make my Greenlake run but maybe I can just park at the zoo and run around the park there. That is exactly what I did and when I parked and looked down at the time I realized 3 miles was not going to happen so I ran for 1.5 miles. and had just enough time to meet my sister( the one on the right in the picture above) at 6 a little behind schedule but it was fine. We sat back in the park and had a great time listening to great music for about 2.5 hours then we headed home. I had a 3 mile run planned and I know that I need to work on my endurance. So going home and running another 1.5 miles and adding to the previous 1.5 I had run earlier was not going to cut it. It was dark so I headed down to the treadmill, where I decided I have to get my body used to running the correct mileage. So I hopped on and ran the 3 miles like I was supposed to, it was not outside but it better then nothing. I did this run in 33 mins so I was feeling good another small victory and back on the right path after the skipped run on Sunday.
Today I have interval training ( what I have come to call death training) it switches things up a bit but it is not easy. Today's workout will consist of 15 mins of an easy jog to warm up ( jogging for 15 mins for me is still not easy fyi). Then I proceed to run 4x800m at my 5k pace and because I skipped that 5k race this weekend I'm not even sure what that pace is. I just know it is faster then the easy jog I will be warming up with. After I run the 1st 800m I get my heart rate back down with an easy jog for 400m. This takes place 4 time then I get to cool down with an easy 800m jog. I am hoping that because I will be tacking all this information it will take my mind off the distance I will be covering (4.25 mile I have estimated). We shall see.
I'll be giving my update this evening hopefully. But I have friends coming over at 6 tonight to celebrate a birthday not mine) on the roof top. It has turned into quite the hip little joint. So once again I'll be finding a way to squeeze in a workout before the fun starts.
Rookie Runner-Out.

Time for my First confession-

What a wonderful weekend I just had. It was so great to be out on the lake playing beach volleyball for hours and sipping on a few beers here or there. I rolled into camp at about 10 pm on Friday night and chatted and caught up with old friends, and went to bed a little too late. After a semi good sleep I was up and at em. I knew it would be along day and if I didn't run early I would not run at all. So I strapped up my new running shoes (which I found out soon enough that they are not good running shoes at all, they just look fast) and hit the road. When I can back to my 20 plus friends I got teased about my fast looking shoes that were not carrying me very fast ( so they nick named me FloJo ha ha very funny guys). That and I missed out on red beer breakfast so I may have lost some cool point again. After a shower in the lake it was time to play and that is just what we did. This is where my confession comes into play I somehow this weekend got a touch over served Saturday day/night. So my 3 mile run that was supposed to take place on Sunday didn't end up happening I needed to have my beauty rest Sunday and just relax in the sun. We did not hit the road to home until about 6pm So by the time I go back it just was not going to happen. So, week one ended with a big F+. I got one out of my two runs in and that was it. But tonight I will have better news I will be heading out to Greenlake to hit the 3.1 mile loop before I head to the Mary Chapin Carpenter concert. That's right you heard me correct. I'm 27 years of age and the highlight of my week/summer is happening tonight with a Mary Chapin Carpenter Concert. My sister and I grew up listening to her and I got free tickets at work last week so we are heading for the show this evening. This week my workouts increase by a mile from last week so this should be a good test, to see if I can really be a runner. I think the real test is just not missing any workouts which I will not do this week.
Rookie Runner-
P.S. I almost forgot this weekend I got the chance to meet a couple that trains for marathons/ Iron man triathlons. What a great inspiration and wonderful to hear all about how they attack workouts. It makes it seem that a little 3 miles run shouldn't be too hard, you got to start somewhere right??
-RR-