Sunday, June 28, 2009

Beginning of the end

Well I am officially into my new apartment (with my lovely new roommate JoJo) but the only problem is that I don't have any bedroom furniture yet. Hopefully it will be delivered this week...

Friday was my last long run before the Boilermaker 15k in two weeks from today. I set out early to avoid the sun, but it was still hot out. I did a simple out and back loop-de-loop of just under 9 miles on a pretty flat course. Around 6 miles my knees were really hurting and I finally had to stop at an intersection with less than a mile to go. I feel like I just need new sneakers but I was thinking maybe I could just get some gel insets to wear for the race and then get new sneakers after that??

8.9 miles in 1:13:24 (8:15 pace)

After the run I had trouble walking down the stairs, my quads were so sore! I woke up Saturday and went for a recovery run which turned into a super slow jog around the block. My legs would not move at all and its a good thing that I had today off from running so I could rest up!

Tomorrow starts my "taper" of sorts for the 15k and also tomorrow is my first day of work! I have my outfit all picked out and I am ready to go! I am a little bit nervous but really the first day can't be that hard...right??!! So tomorrow is a big day in a lot of ways!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Florida Photo Friday

The first day we were there it was sunny and then the thunderstorms came in!

Going to the beach! yes I did buy the swimsuit that Chic Runner has and I absolutely love it!!

After my morning beach run I found these tracks in the sand - a turtle had come and lay eggs right next door to the place we were staying!! I wish I had seen a turtle while we were there but sadly I didn't.

We went to this Lighthouse and walked the 200+ stairs to the top!

We made it to the top of the lighthouse!!

Brian spent 3 hours building this turtle in the sand!!

So those are just a few of the 200+ pictures that my uncle and I took on the trip. It basically was a big family vacation and a lot of fun! Today I did my long run (more on this later) and Saturday will be an easy recovery job. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Tempo Tuesday!

I woke up late this morning and didn't really want to run...10am is not morning running!! I need to get my butt out of bed earlier before it gets hot outside. Next week I start my "full time", "real life" job so I will be getting up early every morning to run.

Today was a tempo run but it has been hard to find good routes to run here at Brian's house. I ended up doing a smaller loop twice for a total of 5.24 miles with 4.15 miles at a tempo pace of 7:48 m/m. My legs took some time to warm up but once I got going I was going good. My quads have been feeling very tired since the race and the long run this weekend.

Tomorrow is a track day again and then I will rest my little legs on Thursday!

Anyway, I have errands to run. Check out the Happy Runners Blog for a great giveaway!! Happy Tuesday!

Monday, June 22, 2009

5k Race Report and the Weekend

Last Thursday afternoon Brian (also known as B-Rabbit) and I drove over to the St. Greg's Church and registered for the 5k race. The race started at 7pm on Friday night and this is just one of many night time races offered around the area. All the races in my hometown are usually Saturday mornings so this was a nice change.

Around 5:30pm Friday we headed over to the race start and got our timing chips. It was super hot and humid out and I remembered why I love morning running! There were a lot of people at this race and I recognized a few people.

Brian and I did a little warm up and just waited for the race to start. I wish I had started closer to the front because once we started running, I had trouble getting around people who were running slower.

The course was pretty flat except for the last 3/4 mile. I started out well, I didn't want to go out too fast like I usually do.

Mile 1: approx 7:00 minutes
We were running through a nice neighborhood, people were outside their houses cheering and spraying us with hoses!

Mile 2: just under 14:00 minutes
So I had maintained a 7 m/m average for 2 miles and I was feeling ok. There was an older woman in front of me and I was focused on just staying with her. I ended up losing her in the final 0.1.

Mile 3 + 0.1: 8:18 minutes
I was dying on this last part. There was a slight uphill for most of this part of the race and I was just trying to get my legs to move faster!

Final chip time = 22:18 (7:12 avg)
Overall it was a great race, the actual results haven't been posted and I am not sure if they will be at all, but I did get to see the posted results right after the race and it turns out that I came in 3rd for my age group (20-24) so I got a little medal!

The food after the race was pretty good, with powerade, bananas. oranges and cool Nature's Valley granola bars! When we got home, Brian and I made mac and cheese because I was really craving it! It was the perfect post race meal!

Brian also ran the race in a time of 25:something (he forgot the actual time) This was his first running race and 5k race and I think he enjoyed it somewhat!!

After the race...This is the only photo that Brian took that isn't blurry : (

Brian and I

Saturday I was going to get up and run my 8 miler but it didn't happen. It was raining and my legs were tired so I put it off until Sunday.

Sunday dawned hot and humid and I was dripping with sweat just 2 short miles into my 8 mile long run. I made sure to go slow and I felt strong the whole time. I ran a VERY hilly route but I got it done in a decent time. Afterward, I went with my family to see my cousin compete in skeet shooting. She is really good and will probably be going to Junior Olympics in Colorado later in July!

Run details = 8.0 miles in 1:08:26 (8:34 avg pace)

This morning I had a easy 3 miles on the schedule and I went with Brian's mom to the gym. I hoped on the treadmill and just took it really slow. Its been a while since I have run on the treadmill and it was tough getting back into the groove!

Thats all for me! Thanks for reading and have a happy Monday!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

TIART: Summer Running

Thursday, Thursday, Thursday...you snuck up on me again!

This weeks theme for TIART at Runners Lounge is about summer gear and tips. I love buying new shorts and recently I bought two more pairs of the Women's Nike Tempo run shorts (shown here at left). I bought a pair of bright orange and bright lime green shorts!

Just a few short months ago, I wasn't too keen on wearing these shorts. This new style of the tempo shorts really didn't fit my legs and bottom too well.

But on my last long run of 7 miles I decided to give these shorts a second chance and they actually weren't too bad. Maybe my butt got smaller...

So what do you wear with these shorts? I prefer tank tops in the summer, but what really is important is what is under. This time of year I go through all my clothes (running and non-running) to get rid of the old stuff. This includes sport bras.

So now I am on a mission to find some good sport bras to wear. I have tried the ones from target but they stretch out really easily. I need to be strapped in and not have anything bouncing around!! I would be interested to hear everyone's thoughts about this!

Well enough about that! I am running the 5k tomorrow, and maybe I will even talk B-Rabbit into running it as well! The long run will be either Saturday or Sunday depending on how I feel. Thanks for all the helpful comments, I really appreciate it! Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Track workout, LW, and A new idea

B-Rabbit drove me to the track at his old high school this morning. I ran 8x400m and it was a killer. There was hurricane winds and my legs felt like they were going to fall off with each step. Today was my 5th day in a row of working out which explains a lot. Tomorrow I will do some cross-training to give my legs a rest.

It is Wednesday (literary Wednesday) and that means I am supposed to recommend a book to you. When I go on vacation I have a hard time picking one book to take with me. Thoughts will race through my head - What if I don't like this one book? What if the back cover is lying and it is actually not as good as The New York Times says it is??

So before heading off to vacation in Florida, I borrowed a total of 5 books. Last night I just started reading Airframe by Michael Crichton. I can't really say its good, but its much better than the one I started earlier in the day that was just putting me to sleep! Its tough finding a good book these days! So really I have no scoop on a outrageously good book to read, maybe next week!

On to my dilemma or should I say new plan/idea:

While furniture shopping yesterday, the salesman asked me if I was a runner. I replied yes, thinking that I must really look like a runner now, but in fact he heard me mention to B-Rabbit that I wanted to go to the track this morning for my workout. Well he told me about a 5k race that was being held nearby this Friday night. The wheels in my head began to turn as I contemplated if this was a good idea.

Well I could run this 5k Friday night, it might be fun, its a flat course....hmmmm.

The only thing is that I need to get my long run in (8 miles this week) and that leaves only Saturday or Sunday. Saturday morning might be tough because it will be about 12 hours after the race. I really would like to do this 5k on Friday but the long run needs to be worked out. I would run this 5k on Friday instead of the one on Sunday. So once again I need your advice.

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Low Carb Diet

I think we have all heard about low carb diets like the Atkins diet. They have become recently more popular with the restructuring of the food pyramid.

My dad started on a low carb diet back in January. He has had type 1 diabetes since he was very young and a few years ago was diagnosed with celiacs disease which means he can't eat gluten (wheat products). Since January he has been eating less carbs (with the help of a dietitian that he has been seeing since before I was born) and it really has helped him a lot. He has more energy now and has lost the extra weight he had.

With the help of my dad, I decided to start counting the carbs that I was in taking per day. I have been using the daily plate site to help me keep track over the past two weeks. This is a decent site but sometimes it doesn't have exactly the right foods and nutrition values so its good for a rough estimate of daily eats. Before starting this I kept track of my carb intake to use as a comparison and I was eating at the very least 400 grams per day.

I set a goal of about 100 carbs per day. This was just a test mark value and it would be varied as I went along. At first it was hard because I was very hungry between meals but as the days went on it got easier. On average now I am eating between 120-150 grams of carbohydrates per day. I did find that after my long runs I eat more carbs (close to 200 grams).

For breakfast I have been eating 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, coffee and a fruit (usually a banana). Lunch and dinner can vary but I have stayed away from pasta and other carbo-loading foods. Snacks include cheese or anything with low carbs and protein.

Eating fewer carbohydrates has helped me to feel less "full" or "stuffed" after a meal. I still have the same energy level as before and my morning runs have been great. I am not sure if I have really lost any weight from this, but that is not the reason I am doing this. By following this diet, it will help you slim down by helping you lose the fat and not the muscle.

Now I am not suggesting that anyone should go on this diet, this is just my own experience. I don't know all the information about this diet so if you are interested in this I would suggest doing some research yourself. Eating lower carbohydrates is really an interesting concept for me and it seems to be working. You don't need to give up bread or anything like that, its just all about moderation and not eating three meals that are packed with carbs.

If anyone has any questions feel free to comment and I will try my best to answer them.

Onto today's running - Tempo Tuesday!! Currently I am staying with B-Rabbit and his family and so I have new places to run. B went to the gym so I ran there and got in 5.2 miles for the run with 3.7 at tempo pace. Thanks for all the encouraging comments about running the 5k this weekend. I think I have my running schedule all figured out, now just to get my social calender arranged and I will be good to go for the race! Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Back to Reality

I am back from Florida, back to the normal temperatures and humidity of the north!

I ran pretty much everyday except Friday; getting up at 6:30 and heading out into 75 degree weather with 95% humidity. And I was actually getting used to it...even though when I finished the run I looked like I had taken a shower. The hardest workout had to be doing an 800m interval workout in the road! I didn't see a single track while I was down there so I had to use the road. The hot weather was good practice for the Boilermaker 15k which is pretty much the hottest race I run every year.

In other news, I am still logging my food intake and trying to keep my carb consumption low. I am working on a post with details about this whole eating experience!

I am looking for some advice. There is a local 5k this coming Sunday, I have never run it but it looks like a pretty good, flat course. I am interested to see how fast I can run a 5k right now, but Saturday is supposed to be my long run day. Should I switch up my long run and run the 5k?? Let me know your thoughts!

Happy Monday y'all! ( I may have picked up a slight southern drawl!)

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Flat land

Today started off with another gorgeous but humid run!

The land is pretty flat here in Florida so I can't really complain. Let me do a quick recap of my latest runs.

Last Friday I did 7 miles...B-rabbit rode his bike along side me for a 3.5 mile out and back. It was really nice to have him there, this is the first time we have ran/biked together and I hope we can do it again. I averaged a 8:15 min/mile pace which I was happy about since the course was mainly flat.

Fast forward to today and my lovely Tuesday Tempo run. If twas 6:45am and I was on the road, the humidity didn't bother me too much and I was enjoying being out there. I think I was going at a good pace but I can't really be sure right now. I am looking at gmaps-pedometer and I can't really tell/I can't really remember where I stopped so I will have to drive the car on my route! Maybe I need a garmin or something similar??!!


Also, I should have done this a while ago, but I got distracted. Heather at Trials of Training gave this Lovely blog award to me and I couldn't be more honored. She is a really great girl and I enjoy reading all her posts.

The instructions with this award are easy - Post the award and link some new blogs that you have started reading!

JerBear Shares - She is just starting to run in the mornings and I really admire her determination! I really enjoy reading about her adventures!

I'd rather Be laughing
- This woman really inspires me. She is a mother and a runner and her posts are always insightful!


I wont post any more lovely beach pictures for now...Maybe for Photo Friday!! Happy Tuesday all!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Florida!!

Well I am back in Florida...twice in one year is awesome, and this time it is hot! I have been living in tank tops and shorts which is aweeeesome!

I have been here since Saturday afternoon and I am loving it. The humidity is pretty high (like 95%!!) but I have been running!

This morning I ran on the beach with B-Rabbit and it was super tough! The sand wasn't firmly packed in some places and its not totally flat so I kept slipping. We went out about 1.5 miles and then came back and it took us 30 minutes round trip.

My hair has been a frizztastic mess thanks to the heat and humidity. I have been using a new product I bought, Pantene's Humidity Protection. It actually works pretty well and my hair hasn't been too out of control! Anyway, I am off to the beach now to get some sun! Happy Monday!


The walkway to the beach!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Fabulous Friday

I am very excited from all the comments that I got about wanting to do a relay team race and/or the actual Wild West Relay. I don't think that the relay will happen this summer (the Wild West relay is in August) but I am totally up for this relay race in 2010! More on this to come later!!

Also another random tid bit...I was reading the magazine Real Simple yesterday and came across websites for book exchanges. Check out the websites here, here and here. If you haven't checked out that magazine, I highly recommend it...it actually has a lot really cool stuff in it every month, like tips on saving money and the best products to use!

An now on to Photo Friday. This is my 18 year old cat, Itsy. She has a very strong personality!! It was hard just to get her to look at the camera! Happy Friday! And have a fabulous weekend!!!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

TIART: Relays and Stuff

If you have been following this blog for a bit you know that I competed on a few relay teams for my track team this past year. Track relays are the best, because it is the best of the best running around with little metal stick things in hand! Well it is a bit more than that but it really is a great experience!

I have been stalking a few blogs lately and came across the Wild West Relay! Now since I am totally into relays I am so interested in this relay! The only problem is that it is in Colorado and I don't have 11 other people to run the relay with!! I believe I want to put this on my "LIFE TO DO" list or bucket list of sorts! I have never been to Colorado but I love it anyway and I really want to go and see it!

Oh and I totally forgot to mention that I signed up officially (aka paid the big bucks!) for the Boilermaker 15k on July 12th and I also officially signed up for the Half Marathon on September 13th that I ran last year and is in my home city!

Thanks for reading! Happy Thursday!


Yesterdays run was spent at my favorite place...the track! 7x400m repeats! yes I love the track and I am a crazy person!


TIART is brought to you today by Runners Lounge and also a giant cup of coffee I just chugged down!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Literary Wednesday!

I think this is the third week that I have been doing Literary Wednesday, thanks to the TFH for the genius idea! This weeks book I am currently reading so I am not sure if the whole book is good, but its good so far. This book was made into the movie "Shooter" with Mark Wahlberg (Love him!!). I recently have been watching movies and in the beginning during the opening credits there will be a little portion that reads:

"Based on a book by...."

and so since I happen to like the movie, I then go and look up the book! This seems to be my new fetish because if I liked the movie then wont the book be even better? Logically!! So this week I am recommending Point of Impact By Stephen Hunter or any other book that happened to inspire a good movie for that matter!!

Now I have a question for all of you. As I mentioned before I am heading to Florida for vacation on Saturday and I want to bring along some books to read on the beach! Please comment and leave your ideas for some good books to read!

Yesterday was my tempo run and it was sucky. I think something is up with the way I breathe when I run because I keep getting a cramp under my right lung when I get to about 3 miles on a tempo (or race) run. It is extremely painful and yesterday I had to stop - it feels like I can't even breathe!

After the run I went with my mom for pedicures! I haven't had one since last summer when I went to a wedding! Now my feet look pretty and not so ugly from track running! I always go to the same place and the ladies there are so funny and nice to talk to! It was a nice mother-daughter bonding!

From our toes do we look like we are related?? My mom got the french pedicure and I got the pinky/red toes!

Monday, June 1, 2009

First Day of June

Its a new month!! One step closer to summer...the funny part is that the weather hasn't been feeling like summer here at all! It was barely 60 degrees and cold yesterday and today it isn't much better.

So I am headed to Florida on Saturday and I have been checking the weather down there. It looks like its going to be high 80s or 90s for most of my trip. I guess I will be getting up super early to make sure I get my runs in before it gets hot. Anyone live down there? If I ran at 6 or 7am will I survive?? Will I even be able to get up that early on vacation!!??

Over the weekend (Saturday) I completed my first long run. 6 whole miles! I went slow because my legs were still tired from the 3.5 mile race on Thursday and the 800m repeats at the track Friday (not a good choice 12 hours after a race!). Currently I am living at my parents house and there are a ton of hills! It seems like no matter which way I go I am always running up a hill for the majority of the run!!

I took Sunday off from running and this morning I ran 3.7 miles. Those miles once again were tough. Not sure what happened but I got through them. With about a mile left I finally felt good. Maybe it was because I waited over an hour after I got up to start the run this morning and I didn't have anything to eat before I left!

See the thing is that I am trying something new over here with my eating habits. Its very personalized and I am trying to figure out what works best for me. Basically I am trying to eat more protein and cut back on the carbs. I use TheDailyPlate.com and I have been tracking everything I eat. Previously I was consuming a minimum of 400 grams of carbs a day. Now I am trying to cut way back and see how it affects me and my running. Today is my fourth day on this eating plan and I am still experimenting. After a week I think I will evaluate my progress and the pros and cons of eating less carbs!

That is all I got for today! Congrats to all the SD marathoners out there! You all did fabulous!!

Happy Monday!