Blogging instead of Working

I seriously sound like a broken record but I am not motivated to work. I tell this to B-Rabbit everyday through email at about 830am. This morning he suggested I do some online shopping (more time theft) but I really just want to read my book and finish it so then you all can know about it and how much I enjoyed it!

It seems like everyone is talking about the NYC Marathon and that really makes me want to be in NYC and watch it. I have never seen a marathon in person, only on TV so I hope to someday be able to watch one. Since I am not doing work I was able to find a blog that gives information on where and when to watch it. Full coverage if you are not in New York City can be seen online!!

Also everyone seems to be talking about pumpkins, Halloween, etc etc and yes I know that it is Halloween today. I may have to hit up Starbucks tonight with B-rabbit and get a pumpkin spice latte (I am seriously slacking - I haven't had one yet this season!!)

Yesterdays Run - I ran the 3 miles and did 3 hills outside! It really was a nice day and I am glad that for today's practice it is supposed to be above 60 degrees! I have my pink tutu in the back of the car all ready to wear for practice although I know I will look silly running with that on. Tomorrow I plan to do a long run (7-8 miles) and possibly could be joined by Winkly for the run! Then after I pump out those miles I am going shopping! Happy Halloween Everyone!!

TIART: Super Powers!

It is Thursday once again and that means TIART at Runners Lounge!! This weeks theme is "Choose Your Super Power".

My super power would be to have the strongest knees EVER! They would be made of steel (like Superman) and they would never hurt during running or races. I only experience knee pain in the long distance runs but it sure is annoying. This way I would also be able to run well into my old age as my knees would allow me to just keep going and going. I don't think this is too much to ask, honestly I think I am being very reasonable!!

Yesterdays Track workout/practice was nothing special - warmup with 6x200m repeats and working on hand offs. I think I am getting the hang of handing off the baton and also I can feel that I am improving on my form because for the last 50-100m of the intervals we run I don't feel as tired in my upper body. Our coach makes sure that we do bench press which I really think is helping. Yesterday Abby and Alison gave me "the blue Baton" which is from the 2005 NCAA Nationals meet. Now that I am on the relay I get to be part of the baton sharing - we each get it for a week.

Today I may skip out of work for a bit to grocery shop and even go and run/lift at the gym. Once again I am not motivated to work here at this job. I am done here in 3 weeks and I am fed up with this place and their lack of respect or even helpfulness. I plan to run about 3 miles today (once again on the treadmill) and save my longer run for Saturday. Tomorrow at practice we have to dress up for Halloween - I am definitely bringing my camera!!

Coming Soon - I plan on posting a review of the book I am currently reading (yes its a running book!) since I got a few comments asking what I have been reading so stay tuned!

Already Wednesday

I walked to the gym and then back again for my run yesterday and it was COLD!!! I stopped at the library to pick up a book that had come in for me. Part of my brain runs on a library book return calender because I am always planning out my reading (at this moment I have 4 books on my desk at home plus the one I am reading right now.) I never have time to read while taking classes because my coursework is so demanding. My library calender has already hit December as that is when the book I just picked up is due! That means that Christmas (my favorite time of year) is just around the corner!!

For my workout yesterday I headed in with a plan and I FAILED...
I was at about 3.5 miles and I didn't know how I was going to make it through the other half of the workout to 7 miles. Then my towel fell off and hit the treadmill and went flying out behind me onto the floor. So I was stuck without a towel and the sweat was just dripping off me. At 5 miles I stopped and got the towel back by my momentum was shot and I ended up stopping at 6.4 miles. It may seem like I was close but with the warm-up and then the stop to pick up the towel I had to go to about 7.4 miles.

I know I have lost some of my distance endurance but I keep telling myself that I will be able to get it back next May when I finish track and start training again for longer races. I do feel though that having endurance is important for me to maintain and improve through the 6 months of track season. I did enjoy running for over 50 minutes even if it didn't feel good at all. My breathing was normal but my legs just were not into it.

Today is 200m repeats at practice and then I am off to meet my parents and their friends for dinner! I brought out my scarfs this morning and my gloves so I was all bundled on my way to work! I love that cozy feeling a homemade scarf gives me! Happy Wednesday!

It's Time for Real Life

I have some good news!! I accepted a full time job offer yesterday!! I will start a month after I graduate from college! So as I said before I had two job offers, from Company A and B.

Company A - The company I have been trying to get into for the last two years for internships but have been turned down. They gave me the run around on my offer and I had to request to meet with a manager which didn't make me feel great about working there. Plus they only gave me 6 days off the first year!!

Company B - I worked for this place last summer and enjoyed it but was assigned to the "wrong" group and did not know what I was doing for the first month! They did a much better job at making me feel at home as well as giving me 3 weeks off a year plus a week at Christmas!

I know that I had wanted to work for Company A BUT Company B gave me a much better offer and working there just seemed right! (I trusted my gut on this one) I know more people who work for this company and I was able to gather input from them. They all seem to enjoy working there and I know that I have great chances to excel by working there. So I am excited and also nervous because now I have to start looking for apartments and planning a budget!

On to Running - yesterday was 400m repeats again and they went great even though it was a cold and windy 44 degrees out for practice. My back has been hurting because I had a knot so I went to the trainers and they worked it out (which seriously hurt when they did!!) Today the girls team is on our own so we will probably just stay in the gym (predicted temp at 4pm = 39 degrees, feels like 28 degrees with rain/snow showers) and do spinning/elliptical/treadmill. My goal is to run 7 miles @ 8 minute pace tonight just to keep up my endurance level.

Upcoming races include the Turkey Trot 4.4 miler (random right?) on Thanksgiving! Winkly will be running it with me and hopefully it will not downpour like it did last year!

Halloween Party

Well it did rain pretty much all Saturday but Fall Day went on. We went to the grocery store (instead of the apple farm) and got apples and pumpkins for carving. The best part of the night was the Halloween costume party held at my apartment. There were a lot of interesting costumes!

Roommates: (from left to right) Spartan, Cross Dresser, Ballerina, Catholic School Girl

Now I was a ballerina with a tutu from Target that said "One size fits most", apparently that is the new politically correct way to say it! (The tutu was made for ages 3 and up! but it still fit!) We had so many people and apparently I am getting old because by like 1am I just wanted everyone to go home so I could go to bed!

Friday and Saturday track workouts were normal. We are starting our fourth week of workouts - this week we wont increase the workouts but maintain the distances from last week to give our bodies a chance to catch up and rest a little bit. It is supposed to snow here this week so I am guessing we wont be having any more outdoor practices : (

I finished reading What I talk about When I talk About Running by Haruki Murakami and although I enjoyed portions of it, I was left with a depressed feeling after closing the book. He focused a lot on one of my greatest fears - SLOWING DOWN! Even though I am young I worry that I will eventually slow down and I am not looking forward to that day. Now don't get me wrong I did like this book - He had some great stories about his life and his travels. Its a quick read so if you've got some time I suggest picking it up.

Why do the weekends always go so fast?! Here's to another unproductive Monday!

My Photo Friday

Last night I was able to get B-rabbit to upload all his photos from my 5k that was like 2 weeks ago! In other news its supposed to rain tomorrow and Sunday so I am not sure how this whole Fall Day, picking apples/pumpkins thing is going to work. Also I have been really itching to get out and do a long run - the sprinting is nice and sometimes we run for like 4 miles but its not the same. Yesterday Abby and I ran the 3 mile loop at a relaxed pace - my legs feel ready for a break. Ok, ok heres the some of the photos!

Just starting out

Finishing!!

My mom running to the finish!

Mother/Daughter Photo!!

That's all for me! Have a good weekend and good luck to everyone racing!!

TIART: Maintaining Weight

I packed the spandex in my Track bag this morning as it will be a "warm" 52 degrees by practice time with sun and no rain and I am assuming we will be running outside! Yesterday's workout went smoothly but 200m repeats always seem to tire me out more than the 400m repeats. We only did seven (instead of 8 - we are such rebels) but they felt good and were fairly consistent.

The theme for this weeks Take it and Run Thursday (TIART) at Runner's Lounge is Running and Weight. I have never struggled with being over weight but I have struggled with maintaining weight for a sport. There is always pressure in sports to be in your best physical condition and according to my college's athletic trainer, women in a collegiate sport are more likely to have an eating disorder (see this article for more info).

Over the past 4 years I have had my weight recorded and monitored and also had my body fat tested (only while participating in basketball, not track). My freshman year I gained 15 pounds of muscle in my first two months at college and maintained that until I went home for summer. I went from a lean 145lbs to 160lbs and this caused me to start running more.

As a sophomore, I was placed in the starting lineup and the pressure caused me to be nauseous in the mornings so I was unable to eat. I would force myself to eat oatmeal for breakfast and often would eat only a small lunch or nothing at all. There were other factors involved with this but by the end of the season I came down with mono. I was unable to run or workout for a whole month. My problems sophomore year were not that I thought I was fat it was that I wasn't mentally strong enough to handle the pressure put upon me to preform.

Looking back now it is hard for me to understand why I choose not to eat at times. I needed the nourishment to get through the long practices but sometimes I just didn't "feel" hungry. I could go in more detail about my whole experience but I think you get the picture. My Junior year was much better as I knew what to expect and I was eating regularly again with no major problems.

With my senior year approaching I once again began to work out heavily but this time I was more mature and had a better approach. I worked out in the mornings and then made sure I ate snacks throughout the day so that I didn't become starved. I went into my senior season in the best shape ever, at a good weight, mentally strong, and healthy! I finally was able to get everything right and was able to have a great season.

Now I am usually between 150-155lbs which I know is fine for my height. I eat breakfast at 7am, have a snack at 9am and 1030am. I have lunch around 1230pm and then have a good snack before practice at 4pm. I never knew that being a college athlete made me more likely to have eating problems. There is so much pressure to be the best and to improve that often coaches push too hard. Not all athletes deal with this - My coach was obsessed with weight and eating and so that in turn affected all the players on my team.

The track team is totally different from basketball. I am surrounded by girls much skinnier and much shorter than I am but I know that I can run just as well as them. This team doesn't expect me to be a certain weight - they just care about how well I can run and what they can do to help me train better and become a better athlete! I guess maybe it was all about finding myself and my strengths rather than trying to conform to someone else's standards. Everyone has parts of their body that they don't like but I just think "if my body wasn't like this then I wouldn't have the talent or ability to preform the way I do". Sometimes its about taking a step back and realizing what you have right in front of you.

Short and Sweet

I pulled out the sweaters this morning as it was 37 degrees with a high today of 42! WOO HOO! I am assuming that today's workout will be inside again - we are doing 8x200m repeats.

Yesterday it was rainy here so the girls and I went to the gym after warming up and ran on the treadmill. I got 3.92 miles in after 30 minutes and I just felt good. I didn't want to push it but just keep up a nice pace. Then we went and did our acceleration sprints - 6x150m. Not too bad but I could feel my legs were a bit tired. The hamstring felt a lot better though. We went to the weight room to do a max out on bench press. I could do 2 reps at 85 lbs, then none at 95 lbs. I decreased and could do 2 reps at 90 lbs. That is a good starting place for me as I didn't lift over the summer.

We also did squats and I had my coach watch me do them. We noticed that my knees are not able to stay straight and seem to "wobble" when I squat down. I am not sure why this is but I am now going to stick with leg press and skip the squats.

In other news - 4 years ago my group of friends started having "Fall Day", we get together and go and pick apples, carve pumpkins, drink beer and just do lots of fall stuff. This may be the last year we are able to do it together as most of us will be graduating and leaving the area but we are putting it together for this Saturday! It should be fun (and with B-rabbits new camera I hope to get some awesome photos to share!). Happy Wednesday and stay warm out there in the cold!

"True Story: You are the Greatest"

Thanks to Alison (the cute one on the team), I received that comment after practice yesterday. I really love the girls on my team and I feel a connection that only running together can bring. Before I talk about my workout from yesterday I have more good news! I got an offer from the company I interviewed with on Friday! Now I have to review both offers and hopefully make a decision by next week!

OK let me recap yesterday DEADLY workout.
Warm-up: 1 mile, then drills
Workout: 2 laps, jog curves run straightaways
then 6x400m relay style.
then 3x120m In and Outs (silly breathing/running exercises)
Cool Down: 2 laps, stretch then ab workout

My hamstring was killing me after the 400s - I ran with Abby (the fast and spunky 400m runner on the team) and we paced each other really well. I paced the 1st, 3rd and 5th runs and she did the others. Our coach was really supportive and helpful and we ran negative splits. Its amazing what a real coach can do to help you improve (I've had a string of bad coaches in my career). I was very happy with our times - 87 sec, 86, 85, 83, 81, 86. The goal was for the 5th one to be the hardest then ease off for the 6th. This workout was all mental and basically we kicked it in the BUTT!

I am once again super tired today - We have a more relaxed workout for track and that might be a good idea for my hamstring. It felt tired yesterday and I do not want to over do it. I don't understand it really - I now go to the trainers to heat it and stretch it out before practice and I am more flexible than I ever was in basketball but now it hurts!

Also - thanks for all the info on the Boston Marathon. I do not really plan on running a marathon anytime soon or maybe even at all but I was just wondering about it!

Monday Morning Sassiness

So I don't know what has come over me this morning but I am in a very weird mood. I woke up grumpy and mad but now that I sit at work I am all sassy and sarcastic! After commenting on Marcy's morning post about necessary winter apparel, I decided to investigate. I have been wanting to buy under armour underwear since before I ran my half marathon.

Also people have been talking about cutting their hair. I usually always have longer hair, its just easier to maintain. Last year in basketball I had been growing my hair out so it was SUPER long. This is me at the beginning of the season - Now add 2 more inches and that is how long it was at the end of the season! Needless to say I cut it and now its a normal length.

I brought B-Rabbit back to his apartment yesterday - He is doing fine and has some nice cuts on his stomach. It is just funny to be around him - He worries about every little thing and of course I take advantage of it to tease him.

I finished New Moon By Stephenie Meyer (I thought it was better than the 1st book!) and now I am on to some running books I signed out from the library. Maybe I will even write a review or something for once.

Today I am back to track practices and we will be doing 400 repeats today! We will be doing 6 repeats and I know that I will be extra grumpy and tired afterward!

Ok one question that has been bothering me - what exactly are the standards for BQing and how can you qualify for 2009 and 2010 when its still 2008. I am totally confused and have no idea about any of this all I know is that you have to qualify for Boston!

Saturday Morning

Last night I was exhausted and passed out soon after my head hit the pillow. The interviews went well and now I am totally undecided on where I want to work full time!!

This morning I woke up and went to practice at 9am. We did a mile warm up and then stretching and drills. It was barely 40 degrees out and I had on my under armour and pants and a sweatshirt - I was totally bundled and I stayed warm. We then played this silly game. There were 6 girls at practice and so we had to run around the track and the last person after each lap was "out" and we continued until one girl won. It wasn't intense at all until the end when Abby and I were the only girls left. I had waited for her when I was winning with just two laps to go because I knew she would push me. She ended up beating me by one step but it was ok, a good workout. We then cooled down and went and lifted lower body.

I then left and drove to meet Winkly - we ran about 5.2 miles together and she was having some knee problems. I don't know what to tell her - it hurts on the outside of her knee - Anyone know how to get rid of it or what it is?? It was a slow run but at least we got out there.

We talked a lot while running which was nice because we got caught up on each others lives - we are now planning on moving in together after I graduate. I am really excited because she and I are very similar plus my running buddy will be living with me!!

Anyway, I am off to surprise B-rabbit and visit him!! He is doing ok - in a little pain. Enjoy the weekend. I finally have a day off tomorrow. I calculated it - I have about 50 hours of no running so I can get some rest!!

Night Runner

It seems like this week has just been non stop for me. Last night was no exception; I came home from work and immediately changed into nice clothes and headed out for a nice dinner provided by a company I am interviewing at. Although I mentioned before that I got an offer from the company I have been wanting to work for I continued to apply to other companies as well.

All in all it was a nice dinner with some of my college friends who have already graduated but I was exhausted. I then proceeded to drive back to B-rabbits apartment and pick him up. This morning he is having surgery for a bi-lateral hernia so I drove him to meet his parents as he will be staying with them to recover. All of this - regular work, track practice, surgery, and an interview has caused me to be extremely stressed out and I cannot wait for the weekend.

So after dropping off B-rabbit I drove back to school and headed to the gym. I quickly changed and went to the track. I did a simplified warm-up and drills workout then got to the main set of 7x200m. By this time it was past 10pm and surprisingly I couldn't really tell the difference between running this late at night and running in the morning. My brain was pretty much dead/half alseep and I was just pumping out the repeats to get them done. I thought I was speeding through them but who knows. I had wanted to get up yesterday morning and do the workout but that previous nightI had slept with my window open. I don't ever do this but it was nice to fall asleep to the outdoor noises. I woke up to the sound of rain and its was peaceful but also meant that my planned morning workout was postponed.

Today I am at this interview all day and so I am skipping the light workout. Tomorrow there is a morning practice then I may go running with Winkly - Not sure if I am going to make it though! I miss the longer runs and I feel like I am losing my endurance but I am happy to be improving in sprinting so really its a toss up!

Happy Friday!

TIART: Favorite Quotes

I have had this post for about 2 months now. I wanted to write something about my favorite quotes but never got around to organizing them. This of course was the perfect opportunity to not only slack at work but also dig through my stuff and find all those quotes that have helped me get through the good and bad times. These first three quotes pretty much sum up my philosophy on running and life.

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine

"Even if most people I interacted with had no idea of what I'd done, I knew. That was all that mattered. The greatest rewards of high achievement, I had come to believe, were intrinsic." - Dean Karnazes

"It's very hard to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the real competition is against the voice inside you that wants to quit." - George Sheehan

This next one is from a song I have been listening to a lot but its super motivational:

"When you can't wait any longer but there's no end in sight, when you need to find the strength it's your faith that makes you stronger, the only way you get there is one step at a time." - One Step at a Time by Jordan Sparks

Going way back I found the quotes from my Senior year in high school when we went to the Championship game in basketball:

"If you couldn't play tomorrow, how hard would you play today?" - Unknown

"You pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates; and the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the name on the back." - Herb Brooks (Miracle)

I also asked B-Rabbit what his favorite quotes were (he is on the college swim team so his quotes are about swimming but still good)

"For myself, losing is not coming second. It's getting out of the water and knowing you could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I've been in." - Ian Thorpe

"I am not going to allow myself not to preform well just because I don't feel well. I am bulletproof to the extent that a lot of things can be thrown at me, but it's about how much I am prepared to let them affect me." - Ian Thorpe

Ok I guess that is enough quotes! I am missing practice today and tomorrow so I will be doing the workouts on my own. Yesterday we just did five hills and some running then upper body lifting. During lifting the sprinter girls showed me this neat exercise. Take 5 pound dumbbells in each hand. Stand in place but do the running motion with arms for 30 seconds (try not to hit your hips with 5lb weights). FEEL THE BURN!! Apparently it is supposed to make you run faster and help you build up important muscles. (do you understand my explanation of the exercise???) Stay Motivated!!


Runners Lounge - Take it and Run Thursday

Intense Workout

It is just a lovely 40 degree morning here. I am at work (not doing work as usual - I never start being productive till after 9am!) and I feel like today will be a good day.

Yesterday I arrived at the trainers for my usual pre-practice stretch and I can definitely tell I am more flexible! I believe that my right leg is just not as strong as my left and that is why I am having problems with it.

Practice was super intense! We did a mile warm-up then the usual stretching/warm-up drills, etc (I would explain these better but really you would have to see it to really understand them). Then we did 3x100m accelerations to get our muscles ready for the 400s! We ran 5x400m in relay format, which I believe is the most I have done in a row. Sprinter Coach Ken only timed my 3rd and 5th runs so I couldn't tell if I was being consistent (My third felt like my slowest and it was 86 seconds). My last one I started just before the boys cross country team started their 400m run (they were on the track too) so I was pushing to try and stay ahead of them but with 100m left a few of them past me. I still came in at 81 seconds which I was happy about.

After the killer 400s we ran 2x100m In and Outs. Now these are supposed to be focused on your breathing while you sprint. I haven't totally gotten the hang of it but the purpose is to breath in and hold then breath out quick and repeat for about 10-20 times for the 100m. We followed this with 2 laps cool down, elbow stability (core workout) and then lower body lifting. I am not even sore today which is great! I did get wrapped in ice after practice and had to drive home once again, I included a picture of my leg for all you visual learners!

The new shoes, which I wore for the first time yesterday felt great. I got Asics again because I know they work and I don't want to take a chance in trying something new when I am in the middle of training. Anyway time to start looking semi-productive without actually doing any work!

My new shoes!

My leg after practice!
(yes that is my right leg - I took the picture in my mirror cause honestly its hard to take a picture of your own leg!)

Day 8 (of 13)

Yesterday was my 8th day in a row of training and my first day off will be Sunday the 19th! I don't think I have ever trained this many days in a row and yesterday I was so tired. I left work at noon and came home and napped until 2:30 then got up and went to the trainers then headed to practice.

Mondays are usually 400m repeat days but since there was a soccer game the workouts were pushed around. We just did a nice easy 2 mile run then 6x110m strides/accelerations. These felt really good and I feel like my speed is improving. We lifted upper body afterward and today I am a little sore but it is not anywhere as bad as last week! It wasn't a hard workout which was good for me but today is the 400m repeats (we are doing 5 i think! ekkkk!) Just as a precaution I got two bags of ice after practice and strapped one to my right knee and one to my right hamstring. Let's just say that driving a standard car home with an immobilized leg was kind of difficult! But I am not sore today and I feel rested.

I just started reading New Moon by Stephenie Meyer! It is pretty good so far!! I don't know if anyone else does this but I keep a list of all the books I have read (in a word document). It is nice to look back and see what I have read. I used to keep a more detailed record with plot and character descriptions but honestly I don't have time for that anymore!

On a sad note - a classmate of mine and friend passed away Sunday from Cystic Fibrosis. She was on the lung transplant list and they had a pair for her but she spiked a fever Saturday night so she wasn't able to go in for surgery. It has made me think and be thankful that I am healthy and have a good pair of lungs that allow me to run and enjoy everyday! Every day is a gift - keep running!

Lots of Running

I just woke up from my nap...and I am still a little drowsy. I was exhausted!!

Friday
It was a beautiful day outside and practice was fairly light. We did a mile warm-up, then went through the normal drills and then worked on our form as well as had some resistance training with bungee cords. Afterward I went to the training room and got into the cold tub (a big tub of 50 degree water) with two of the other sprinters. I stepped into it one leg at a time and it was very cold but not as bad as I though it would be. I stood in it with the water up to my my thighs. It seemed to help my legs and I will have to probably go in again next week.

Saturday
Woke up early to eat and then go to practice at 9am. We spent a good 45 minutes to an hour warming up. My sprinting coach is teaching me a lot - he said we have to touch speed before we race, we have to feel that pace so that when we get in the race our legs will be ready. We did 3x100m accelerations to help us build up to the speed and I could feel that it helped. Then we were put into relay teams and ran 400m time trials. I ran the first leg with Abby as my pacer and finished with a time of 71 seconds!! My legs were burning when I finished but I was really happy with this for a time because
1. this was the 6th day in a row of running and
2. I was still quite sore in my legs
3. I think that is a PR in the 400m
At 10:30 I ran into the field house/fitness center building for the Basketball Alumni Reunion. All my old teammates from past years were there and we played 5 on 5 (a tradition done every year). The first time I got the ball, I felt how weak my arms were; the ball felt odd and heavy - I guess I have turned into a runner! Last May I stopped lifting and decided to let myself lean down and now I have started lifting again. After we finished playing, lunch was provided so we sat down and continued to catch up on each others lives.

Sunday
I woke up early, picked up B-rabbit at 830 and went to the 5k race on campus and met my mom who was going to walk the 5k. My mom used to be a runner before she had me but now she just walks. My left leg felt really heavy but loosened up as I warmed up. The race started and I felt ok but soon I became tired. I knew when I hit the first mile that this was not going to be my best race. This was my 7th day in a row of working out. I ended getting past by a much older woman at about 1.5 miles and she was really booking it (this gives me hope I will still be running super fast when I am 40 and beyond!) I hot the 2 mile mark right at 14 minutes but I was tired. Once I neared the finished I knew that I had second place and just let myself coast in. I was not totally happy with this race (finishing time = 22:38 I think) but I did get second place (just like last year) and I also was the first student to cross the finish line so I got a prize!! My mom actually ran some of the race! She is so awesome and I really love spending time with her. After the race we went and picked out new running shoes for me and also got some really cheap running shorts and a running zip up top! I bought a half size smaller in running shoes and I think that may help my knees because apparently I have been buying my shoes too big! Crazy! B-rabbit took lots of pictures at the race but he is being lazy and has not put them on the computer yet!!

Six Things

Yesterdays workout was not as intense as previous ones which was good. We were supposed to run 2-4 miles but I was put into the girls group and they are strictly sprinters aka they hate running any form of distance. After running a few miles we were supposed to do hills. We ended up just running to the hill, doing 4 hills, and running back. I think my body needed a little rest although I really wanted to get 3 miles in. The knee/hamstring is sore but better. After the short workout we went and lifted.

Today is a speed work day of sorts and then Saturday we are doing time trails!! I am kind of excited because I haven't done these since high school and I would like to see what I am capable of doing. The sprinter coach asked me yesterday how fast I run the 400m. Of course my mind went completely blank at that point and I couldn't remember any of my times. He said that they need another girl for the 4x400m relay and as long as my times are good and low I may be able to run it! I am very excited about this because that is one of my goals (to be on the relay teams). I know that last year without any training I ran a 72 (seconds) for my first lap of the 800m so I hope that I can run a sub 70 Saturday for the 400m. (sorry for all the trackie terms)

Ok so everyone has been tagged in this 6 random facts about yourself. Well I am never good at coming up with this kind of stuff but here goes:

1. I love to make lists. I make lists for everything - daily to do lists, books to read lists, clothes to buy lists, food to shop for lists....the list go on!

2. In my third year of basketball I ate Kraft macaroni and cheese three hours before one of the first games and played amazing so from then on I ate it before every game! It was like my magic food but by the end of my fourth year I was so sick of it and haven't had it since!

3. I carry this quote around in my wallet - "worrying does not empty tomorrow of its problems, it robs today of its strength"

4. I am 5' 9" and I played the Forward/Center position in basketball. I loved it because I was always so much quicker than the tall fat girls I played against. My favorite thing was to rebound and in a game my senior year I had 23 rebounds. This proves its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog.

5. I am an only child and therefore I am prone to selfish moments and boughts of not sharing!

6. I played soccer and basketball, and ran track from 7th grade through my senior year in high school. Needless to say I didn't have a boyfriend until college.


Happy Friday! My roommate is making chicken enchiladas tonight for dinner! YUM!

Rain Soaked Workout

Yesterday I ducked out of work early to get to the trainers so that I could put heat on my hamstring/knee and stretch before practice even started. I am going back again today at 11am to see the head trainer and have her look at my leg and see what exactly is going on. My knee didn't hurt at practice as I avoided the drills that made it hurt (duh)! I also weighed myself at the training room - a nice whopping 156 lbs! I don't know if I have gained muscle or what but usually I am about 145-150 lbs so who knows whats going on with my body.

It was raining as I walked to the trainers yesterday but I was hoping that it would stop by the time practice started. Of course I hadn't checked the weather report otherwise I would have known that it was supposed to rain all afternoon and into the night. Here's yesterdays workout:

warm up - 1200m - run 100m, walk 100m, then 800m - run 200m, walk 200m.
workout - relay groups - 6x200m
cool down - 1 lap and stretch

By the end of the workout I was soaking wet and the only dry part of me was my butt - how odd. Today is another hurdle workout as well as some running and weight lifting.

I was thinking as I was walking to my car this morning in the dark that I am enjoying the afternoon workouts. Lately it has been a great stress reliever after work but the workouts sometimes are not even close to as intense as the basketball workouts from previous years. I really shouldn't be complaining because I know in about 3 weeks they are going to pick up the intensity and then I'll be wishing for easy practices.

So tired

I woke up this morning and I could barely move. I am very sore from only two days of practice. Yesterday I did hurdle drills and then went for a 3.5 mile run with my group where I happened to be the only girl. Let me tell you this was not my ideal situation. There are four other girls that I train with (for right now) but two had class yesterday and the other two are just strictly sprinters so they went into another group.

The run was ok - but I got boxed in by the slower boys and then couldn't catch up to the fast group. I feel like the slow boys did it on purpose cause they didn't want me to beat them. Well guess what boys you are so freaking annoying and immature. I work in a male dominate field and I am just about fed up with all the bullshit i have to deal with and on top of this now i have to deal with it in track.

Now not all the boys on the team are this way - just a select few so I try to avoid the rude/annoying boys. I feel some respect from some of the boys for working hard and not making excuses. If I have to listen to more excuses coming from boys today at practice I am going to punch someone. After the cool down we went inside to lift weights and i met back up with the girls thankfully.

I went to the trainers after practice because I was feeling a slight pain in the back of my right knee during warm ups but it didn't hurt during the run. I am going back today and tomorrow to get heat my legs and do a pre-warm up before practice so I don't get hurt. I feel that because my left hamstring is not as flexible as my right that I over compensate somehow and therefore feel the pain in my knee.

Ok enough ranting and raving, thanks for reading this I am very tired and just annoyed and fed up with a lot of stuff but overall I am really glad that I am running track because the girls teams is very nice.

The First Day

Track practice DAY 1:

Warm up - 1 mile on track then drills
Work out - sprint straightaways/walk curves for one lap, 4 - 400m relay style, 2x100m drills
Cool down - 2 laps slow, planks/ab workout, stretch

It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I talked to my coach and I will be in the 400m group for now and I really like the workouts they have planned. Tomorrow includes a long run as well as more sprinting. This will give me the right combination to increase my endurance. Also the girls I run with are really nice and I like running with them because they help to push me to run faster.

Once the season starts to get going and cross country is over I will be able to work on my field events. I have always loved throwing shot put and in high school shot is what got me into pentathlon which is 5 events (100m hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot put, and 800m). In college they still have pent but only for indoor - for outdoor its heptathlon which is 7 events (same events as pent plus 200m and javelin).

It is really nice to be with a team for workouts instead of alone, maybe this is what a running club kind of feels like. The 400s felt good but still like I pushed and I really tried to work on my form because sometimes I tend to swing my arms side to side instead of straight. I need to go and stretch because I can feel that my legs are tight. Have a good night!

Scarecrow 5k

Let me recap for the last few days. I haven't posted because well I have been busy and also I have just been lazy (and tired). Thursday night aka B-Rabbits birthday dinner went great. As I drove him to dinner he was trying to get me to give him some hints but I kept my mouth shut and so he was surprised when we pulled into a local Italian restaurant. We had a lovely dinner and then I gave him his gifts - a new Under Armour half zip sweatshirt and a new pair of jeans.


Friday night I went out to dinner with B-rabbit, his mom and dad, his brother and sister in-law and my parents. It was actually quite a nice time and this was the first time both families had met so I was glad that they enjoyed each others company.

I didn't work out Thursday or Friday and I am not sure if that helped me or hurt me in the race Saturday morning. I arrived at 8am with B-Rabbit and got my number and goodie bag. My mom showed up shortly after that and I began to warm up. It was FREEZING out - a lovely 45 degrees at 9am for the race start. My mom, who is just as silly as me, kept waving at me to go to the front of the start so they could get a picture of me.


I started the race well - my first mile was 6:40 which was what i wanted because I didn't want to go out too fast. I was in third place (for women) until about mile 2 when two women past me. I stayed with one of the woman until the finish but I just couldn't seem to pass her. I had been following this older guy for a while and he was really annoying me (this might have been more of a mental distraction for me and caused me to not preform as well as I wanted). I was staying with him, but behind him and not crowding him and using him as a pace of sorts but then he would slow down and I would continue on at my pace and then he would pick up his pace and sprint past me. I wanted to freaking PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE!!


Anyway - it was a good race but cold and I finished 5th for women and first in my age group (a first for me) and I was the 33rd person to cross the finish line out of 225. Overall time was 21:57 (my PR is 21:46).

I am a little nervous for tomorrow as I start pre-season track practices with the team and coaches. My coach sent out an email that said this first week would just be overall conditioning for everyone then later we will be split into groups. I hope that after a week of hard training next weeks 5k will be better. This upcoming 5k is the one that I ran my PR on last year.

Also yesterday B-rabbit and I went shopping after the race and he bought a new camera for his birthday. He now has the Canon Rebel XSi so I am expecting amazing pictures from his for my future races!! After buying it he was like a little kid with a new toy and would not stop taking pictures of everything!!

Time to go and watch football!! I can't beleive that the weekend is almost over : (

Happy Birthday

Today is B-rabbits Birthday!!
His real name is Brian, mostly I call him B but my roommate (who is a very silly guy) started calling him B-rabbit last spring and it stuck! I have a few surprises planned for him tonight and I know he reads this so I will not be giving away any hints as to where we are going!!!

I am running the Scarecrow 5k on Saturday morning. The course description says: Picturesque, flat and fast! I have never run this race before so it should be interesting.

I finished The Book Thief by Mark Zusak last night - It was pretty good, not one of my favorite though. I will be starting The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks pretty soon.

I am so burnt out even though this week has been fairly good since I got my project up and running!! I didn't go running this morning like I planned. I want to go home and I want my sweatpants!

Happy Running!!

Run then Repeat

This mornings workout was planned especially so that I could work on running under 7 minute miles to prepare for the race. I want my body to know what the miles are supposed to feel like and so that way I wont go out too fast or too slow. Therefore this morning I ran mile repeats!

I ran to the track, stretched quick and then started the first mile. The laps were uneventful as it was dark and I think I may have zoned out a bit. I finished the 4 laps and waited a few minutes then started the second mile.

Mile 1: 6:53
Mile 2: 7:00

The second mile I started off slower and that totally hurt me because at the end I was racing to finish at the 7 minute mark. Overall it was a decent workout and now my hamstrings are a little sore. Is two miles for repeats enough?? I remember the distance girls in high school track running 3-5 mile repeats!!

I did go swimming last night too - only 500 yards because I knew I would be running this morning (I forgot how to swim for like the first few laps). I am not sure what to do for a workout tomorrow, I was going to take off Friday but two days off before the race I think is too much.

I guess I should get back to work...