the human garbage disposal

it's been kind of a blah week on the running front. i didn't want to slip and give any additional free screen time to a certain chocolate manufacturer so i had to refrain from my regular running talk.

monday was my scheduled rest day and rest i did. i also fell off the nutritional wagon some more, if that's even possible since i've been eating garbage for awhile anyway. i didn't even track my calories in/burned for the first half of the week so i wouldn't have to know how bad i was doing. garbage in, garbage out they say, and i spent the latter half of the week dragging my derailed train back on the tracks. hopefully i'll be full steam ahead next monday with protein and veggies.
monday (2/23), day of rest

tuesday was a lovely day and j and i were able to run during lunch. we ran an easy 6 near work which is much nicer than the extra-hilly route near my house. we even got to inhale some of the toxic fumes from part of the road being repaved, what more could you want.
tuesday (2/24) lunch run: 6 miles, 52:32 (8:45 avg pace), avg hr (152)

on wednesday i was moody. i wanted to run but i didn't want to run. i ended up not running of course, because i suck. that made me more moody. i tried to think of something to do for lent (even though i'm not catholic, i just like to do it anyway) but i knew giving up chocolate was out of the question. i guess i didn't try too hard 'cause i never came up with anything. forgive me, baby Jesus.
wednesday (2/25), day of laziness

thursday i had planned to get up in the morning and run a few miles on the treadmill before work, and get in my regular run after work. of course i slept through my "run" alarm and didn't wake up until my "yay time for work" alarm. i did manage to get in a quick 3-miler during lunch though. i was mad at myself for being lazy on wednesday so i ran hard as punishment. let me tell you, trying to sprint for 3-miles after 6+ weeks of nothing but easy runs is hard. about half a mile into the run i remembered how not-awesome it feels to run hard. running easy is so less likely to bring about death and well, easy. i ended up running the first two miles hard and then pulled back and ran the last mile easy. yes, a three miler kicked my butt. whatever. i haven't done any speedwork since a tempo run on january 4th. cut me some slack (but not too much).
thursday (2/26) lunch run: 3.1 miles, 23:40 (7:38 avg pace), avg hr (182)

i also got in my "regular" run after work with j. once again, not really in the mood to run, but i made myself get out there. having company certainly helped, i probably would've talked myself into a seat on the couch otherwise. it was a hilly run, but much more enjoyable without the impending feeling of death.
thursday (2/26) pm run: 6.3 miles, 56:51 (9:01 avg pace), avg hr (161)

the rain came on friday, but at least it was an off-friday! we saw the forecast had a 45-minute window of "no rain" so j and i headed out to get in a few miles. of course, it started raining after about 5 minutes. it was a mostly-light rain so we stuck it out for 3 miles, and then i came back and finished my run on the lovely treadmill. not exactly a girl's best friend when i'm already struggling to make myself go run period.
friday (2/27) am run: 8 miles, 1:12:30 (9:03 avg pace), avg hr (172)

saturday i woke up to more rain... and it didn't quite look like it'd be over any time soon.

so... i got to hop back on the treadmill! yaay, two days in a row. thanks rain. i was planning on running 14 or so today but i really didn't think i'd last that long on the tm. from the beginning, i had to talk myself into running at least 20 minutes. luckily once i got there i was able talk myself into a few more minutes, a few more minutes after that, and before i knew it i was at 8 miles. talked myself into another mile, and i knew i needed my mileage to end in a .x3 to even out my 'lifetime' mileage, so i ran a few more steps to get .33 before i hopped off. over an hour on the tm = success in my book. my mileage will be lower than i'd like for the week with my extra day off and the rain but i think i can still live with it. (and it's still raining 8 hours later...)
saturday (2/28) am run: 9.33 miles, 1:22:07 (8:48 avg pace)

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february 2009 - more easy running. feel slow. no racing. losing motivation. ate too much chocolate, need to quit.

total mileage: 159.58
time spent running: 23:36:28
days off: 7 (6 scheduled rest/xt days; 1 day of laziness)
abs/yoga: 9 ab workouts/4 yoga sessions
avg resting hr: 50.76
avg max hr: 180.73

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gabrielle jennings

what were you doing when you were 10 years old?

i know i was active, playing soccer and church-league basketball, but i was by no means awesome (at sports). of course i am awesome in general.

meet gabrielle jennings. a ten-year old from louisiana.

she runs, and she runs fast.

this cutie ran an 11:58, 3200m in the recent louisiana state high school indoor championships at lsu. yep, 5th grade, running in the high school champs, and beating all the high school girls.

what's my 2-mile pr? oh right, a 12:32. and i thought that was a good time!

track and field videos on flotrack

her key to success? she runs about 2 1/2 miles most days and intervals every other week. guess i should cut back on my mileage!

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(wo)man vs. machine

runner's lounge is holding another giveaway, and this time it's for some sweet iron-on reflectors from see-me-run. thinking back on my own running-mishaps i thought i should definitely get in on this one.

you see, in the early spring of 2007, my right big toenail was causing me a bit of pain when i ran, and i went to see a podiatrist. unfortunately he had the attitude of most medical professionals in regards to running and did not find my other purplish-black toenail to be as cool as i thought it was. my right toenail was ingrown and i had to have ingrown toenail surgery. i had to wear an attractive black shoe-boot for about two weeks to alleviate any pressure on the area and to prevent what was left of my nail from being knocked loose by rubbing against a toe box. obviously i was also not supposed to run or perform ‘strenuous activity’ for two weeks. two weeks! for a toenail! you’d have to be crazy to think i’d stay out of my running shoes that long, especially for just a toenail.


toe box problem? solved. i didn’t want to ruin any of the shoes i was running in at the present time, so i took an older pair and cut the toe box off of the right shoe so that i could still run. (i don't remember why the heel was also cut away, but i presume it may have made it easier to slide my gimp toe in the shoe without jamming it against the sides along the way.) i also took a sock and cut the big toe tip off.


don’t ask me why i still hold onto both the cut up shoe and sock. sentimental reasons? maybe. or perhaps i'm planning for the inevitable, and the day when i may need to run in them again.

like most runners would do, i kind of heeded doc’s advice. i took one day off from running following the surgery. one day, fourteen days, it’s all the same. it’s just a freakin' toenail after all. my altered shoe and sock seemed to work fine and i was no longer having any pain.

about a week after the surgery, i was running with my friend katie on our normal route. we got to an intersection and stopped to wait for the traffic to clear. a four-door sedan was coming up from our left and turning right onto the road we were running on. don’t ask me where my eyes were looking. i thought the car had rolled on through the turn and i stepped off the sidewalk, into the back passenger side door of the car. (like i said, don’t ask where my brain or eyes were.) my arm hit the roof of the car and the right rear tire ran over my right foot as it turned and continued on it’s way. yeah, my newly-removed-ingrown-toenail-right foot that was exposed to the elements because of my brilliant idea to cut off the toebox and run anyway. katie was on my left and when she stepped off the sidewalk to run she was safely behind the car. we crossed the intersection, ran a few feet and she goes, wait, did that car just run over your foot? i was ever-so-slightly limping but i wasn’t in much pain. the skin on my toes had been rubbed off and that burned a little, but my toe/toenail felt ok. katie, in school at the time for nursing, forced me to turn around and walk/jog back to our cars (about 1.5 miles).

we got back to our cars and sat down to assess the situation. my toenail actually looked ok. the skin was pulled off, but there wasn’t much bleeding and the toenail still looked attached as far as i could tell. i dreaded having to call the podiatrist in the morning to tell him that not only did i not-listen to him, but i also managed to get my foot runover as well.

luckily, there was no ‘damage’ from the incident. no bones had been broken and the toenail was still clinging to my toe bed. i didn’t even get too bad of a lecture from the doc, must’ve been my cute and innocent face, right?

while i managed to get away without anything more than a scrape, the situation could have been a lot worse. i know this incident happened because i was not paying attention, and as runner’s we need to be even more alert to our surroundings than normal. i already do not run with music (just a personal preference) but when i know someone heading out for a run with an ipod i make sure to remind them to not crank up the volume too loud so they can hear the cars and people around them. i have become more and more attentive to my surroundings, especially on a run, and sometimes i get back to the house and can list off a few license plates and cars that i saw. so be safe running, whether in dawn, broad daylight, dusk, or the darkness of night. we are all behind the wheel at times ourselves and i know you are not always giving your full attention to the road then either ;-)

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self control? what's that?

on monday i became severely m&m deprived, which i gave into on tuesday and ate entirely too many m&m's (over half a 'medium' bag, that's normal, right?). wednesday i continued to consume the delicious candy-coated chocolates and didn't feel guilty. i ran a little bit longer anyway though. on thursday j bought me another medium-sized bag of easter m&m's, and i managed to not polish the bag off on friday so that i'd have some for next monday. after work on friday we went on a quick food shopping trip and j bought a tear-'n-share pack. i think he never buys the regular (single-serving) sized bag because he knows he only gets the blue ones. (i'm still holding a grudge against them for winning the 1995 new m&m color vote. sometimes i do share more than just the blue ones too for the record.) saturday i took brian's (a runner's blog) advice and sent m&m/mars an email. hey it's worth a shot. later in the afternoon my mom gave me another medium-sized bag for dog-sitting for her a week or so ago. lastly, when i woke up this morning, i had m&m's for breakfast before my long run. nutritious.

so, while i'd like to think i'm usually pretty good at cutting things out it is very clear that i am not when it comes to chocolate candies that melt in your mouth and not your hand. but, i figure if m&m is going to be sending me cool stuff i can't stop eating them, right?

my m&m-fueled long run today went well... actually it was a little slower than my target easy pace but i purposely held back and there were some gigundo hills. (karen's favorite word from the "baby sitters club little sister" books) anyway. it was also my first week back to running six days as i have only been running five days (and one cross-training day) for the past four weeks. i didn't want to end up quitting on myself like last weekend's long run so i just took it a little easier. actually i was only 4 seconds/mile "off" pace so i guess it wasn't that slow afterall. (must've been those m&m's.)

alright, enough free advertising m&m. if you want to be mentioned again you're gonna need to hook me up.

thursday (2/19) pm run: 6.3 miles easy, 57:14 (9:05 avg pace), avg hr 153
friday (2/20) late afternoon run: 7.1 miles easy, 1:01:39 (8:40 avg pace), avg hr 160
saturday (2/21) am run: 6.3 miles easy, 54:58 (8:43 avg pace), avg hr 162
sunday (2/22) am run: 12.4 miles easy, 1:50:19 (8:53 avg pace), avg hr 159

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week in review (2/16 - 2/22):
total miles: 46.10 (all easy)
time spent running: ~6 hours 45 minutes
avg hr: 159.5
abs & yoga: 2 ab days, 1 yoga
off days: 1, scheduled
m&m's consumed: ~9,426 (ok that's the last plug i swear)

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i know it's winter but...

...even the squirrels are losing their tan. har har.

i saw one of these creatures on my run today for the first time ever and i was afraid i was hallucinating. apparently i wasn't since they do exist, just not typically in this area according to the albino squirrel section on wikipedia. i pondered over the existence of the white squirrel for most of run, wondering if i had imagined it and what symbolism it might have. you know, like how people dream about white elephants (or something) and then someone they know dies (supposedly). i don't think it's really white elephants but i couldn't remember what the "thing" is.

monday (1/16) pm run: 5.3 miles easy, 45:42 (8:37 avg pace), avg hr 162

tuesday (1/17) non run: normally monday is my off day but i knew in advance that it'd be tough to get my run in so i swapped with monday. it was a much enjoyed day of rest for ye olde legs. i also broke down and got m&m's... i'm not even ashamed. i made it 8 or 9 days, that has to count for something. i liked a lot of the advice you all gave - i gotta treat myself every now and then! however, treating myself on an off-day... i need to work on that.

wednesday (1/18) pm run: 8.7 miles easy, 1:16:00 (8:44 avg pace), avg hr 161
i was only "supposed" to do 7 miles easy but i had a few reasons for drawing this one out.
a) i think i was feeling motivated to burn off a few extra m&m's
b) i always read about other people enjoying their run and extending it, and it makes me jealous
c) i needed a good run to make up for last sunday's "long" run
d) i love my co-workers (had a bit of steam to blow off)
i was aiming for 9 miles but i guess i misjudged how far away i was from the car.

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12 steps

hello. my name is lindsay, and i'm an m&m-aholic.

it has been 8 days since my last m&m and i am suffering withdrawal. i managed to avoid the walgreen's conveniently located right near work (that often sells 12 oz bags at 2/$6!) all 4 times i drove by it today. it helped that i didn't have my wallet with me and i never have cash on me. i find it's easier to not spend money when i conveniently leave my wallet at home.

i miss you, delicious m&m's, even if you round up the number on my scale. i don't know if i will be able to resist you much longer. you complete me.


mmm. i'm fantasizing again. can't stop staring at this picture.

i'm usually good at cutting out junk food but these delicious, candy-coated chocolates have been tough. how do you resist temptation?

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coming up short

i'm a slacker.

figures that my follow up post to my first, crappy marathon would be one about slacking off. i think i jinxed myself.

today, sunday, was supposed to be my 'long' run. i had 13 planned, but was hating every step i took. it was 44* when i started out so i had on a light windbreaker. that got too warm about 2 miles in so i took it off and tied it around my waist, and instantly hated having the thing tied around my waist. it was flapping behind me and hitting my legs, and not helping my already-irritated mood. the weather was nice - sunny and not too cold, and i tried to tell myself "look how nice the weather is, lets just enjoy a nice run" but no, not a single part of me would listen.

so i turned around somewhere around 3.5 miles. slacker. i got back to the house with 7 miles in, added it in to my spreadsheet (yes i am a dork and proud of it) and noticed if i ran another 1/2 mile i could at least get 35 miles for the week (instead of the planned 40). so i hopped on the treadmill to round out my miles. i called my friend looking for her to tell me that it was ok to slack off this week but got her voicemail... was that a sign? it's not ok?

it's easy for me to tell myself that it's ok because this is week 4 of running since goofy and it fits into the "cutback every 4th week" rule. or maybe i just made that rule up. of course my mileage hasn't been anything spectacular lately (22, 30, 37) so do i even deserve a "cutback" week? i'm hard on myself, i know. (who isn't?) i've been getting lectured about that for years.

maybe i'll head out for a couple more miles this afternoon if i'm really feeling guilty but knowing me, i'll be too lazy and end up being grouchy for letting myself slack off.

sunday (1/15) am run: 7.5 miles easy, 1:07:55 (9:03 avg pace), avg hr (157)


i didn't spend the whole week completely sucking --

wednesday (1/11) lunch run: 6 miles easy, 50:32 (8:25 avg pace), avg hr (159)
since this run was 4 days ago i don't remember too much about it. 62* and sunny, i still couldn't slow down enough to my daniels' easy pace, but closer than tuesday.

thursday (1/12) non run: 25 minutes of jillian michael's kickboxing
i think i'm gonna get her shred dvd to have for my non-running days since everyone seems to have good things to say about it.

friday (1/13) am run: 8.5 miles easy, 1:12:07 (8:29 avg pace), avg hr (172)
friday the 13th can't be that bad if it's an off-day from work. it was a lovely 60* and sunny although i was a little dehydrated from not drinking anything before heading out on my run. (which i think contributed to my higher than normal hr) hmm, maybe i was a slacker all week...

saturday (1/14) am run: 7 miles easy, 1:01:45 (8:49 avg pace)
i got dressed to head out on this run after seeing 53* on weather.com. i opened to door and heard the faintest of "rain". (you couldn't even see it.) it also felt a lot colder than 53 (today's 44 was quite nice in comparison) and i just wasn't in the mood to get "rained" on. so i shut the door, debated with myself for a few minutes about just going because i wouldn't have time later in the day, and decided to just suck it up and go. i opened the door again and now you could actually see the rain. so i wimped out and ran on the treadmill, but at least i ran i guess.

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week in review (2/9 - 2/15):
total miles: 35.00 (all easy)
time spent running: ~5 hours
avg hr: 165.20
abs & yoga: 2 ab days, 1 yoga
off days: 2, both scheduled (1 xt)

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how not to train for a marathon

the 2009 myrtle beach marathon weekend is here, and once again i find myself reminiscing about my own mbm experience. myrtle beach was my first marathon back in 2006, and i was a cocky little college senior at the ripe old age of 21. i was nervous as heck in the days leading up to the race but i continued to tell myself i would bq, no problem.

start of the '06 mb marathon. i'm in the gray shirt by the barricade.

to cut the suspense - i, of course, did not bq. i ran a 4:03:26 (9:18 avg pace). i did run the first half in 1:46:40 though (an 8:08 pace), and clearly died somewhere around mile 16.

how did i get to myrtle beach?
good question! i still ask myself this and i still don't have a really good answer, but i don't regret it at all. i ran cross country my sophomore and junior years of high school, ran periodically through college, and then some time in march of 2005 i began logging my runs (mileage and time). some time after that i decided to run a local 10k, the midnight flight. i ran a crappy time, somehow won my age group, and a few days later decided to run a marathon. yeah, you know, run some 5k's in high school, run a (slow) 10k, what else is the reasonable 'next step'? right, a marathon. on top of that, instead of just aiming to finish and have fun in my first marathon, i wanted a bq.

did i research training plans online? probably, i'm assuming so anyway.

did i follow a training plan? judging by my running log i'm gonna go with not really at all.

so... then what did i do? well, lets assume i went with a typical "18-week" schedule, and managed to turn it into pretty inappropriate marathon training. here's a glimpse at how those 18 weeks went:

week 1: 25.1 miles in 4 days, longest run 6.2 miles, avg pace 8:02

week 2: 32 miles in 5 days, longest run 12 miles, avg pace 8:38
(prior to this 12-miler the longest i had ever run was 9 miles, about 2 months earlier)

week 3: 26.2 miles in 6 days, longest run 6.5 miles, avg pace 9:00

week 4: 26.15 miles in 4 days, longest run 10.2 miles, avg pace 10:05
(i have a feeling some of these "runs" were walks with friends...)

week 5: 11 miles in 2 days, longest run 6 miles, avg pace 8:28
(i was due for a cutback week, right? and cutback means don't run, right?)

week 6: 28.7 miles in 5 days, longest run 6 miles, avg pace 8:19

week 7: 25 miles in 4 days, longest run 10 miles, avg pace 7:52
(apparently i was a much faster runner back then)

week 8: 21.15 miles in 3 days, longest run 8 miles, avg pace 8:02

week 9: 21.5 miles in 4 days, longest run 7 miles, avg pace 8:11
(i must not have gotten the memo about increasing weekly mileage)

week 10: 13.8 miles in 3 days, longest run 6 miles, avg pace 9:01

week 11: 10.05 miles in 3 days, longest run 6 miles, avg pace 12:14
(fairly certain, or at least hopeful, that the other 2 days were walks and not runs)

week 12: 14.75 miles in 4 days, longest run 5.25 miles, avg pace 9:16
(what, you didn't know 5.25 miles was a long run in marathon training?)

week 13: 26.9 miles in 5 days, longest run 7.5 miles, avg pace 9:48

week 14: 31.75 miles in 5 days, longest run 12 miles, avg pace 9:21

week 15: 33.3 miles in 5 days, longest run 13 miles, avg pace 8:53
(whoa! two "long" runs in the past two weeks!)

week 16: 7.1 miles in 2 days, longest run 4 miles, avg pace 9:00
(...i spoke too soon week 15, thanks. yeah this was an impressive week of training. we could call it tapering?)

week 17: 28.75 miles in 5 days, longest run 6.5 miles, avg pace 8:56

week 18: 52.51 miles in 7 days, longest run 26.2 miles, avg pace 8:56
(because who doesn't run everyday of the week leading up to marathon day, especially after barely running for the past 18 weeks?)

you're impressed, i know.

as we all know, long runs are the key to marathon training. clearly i failed in this department with 2-12 milers and 1-13 miler. i still remember that 13 miler too, it was fairly warm out and i walked a good bit. but did that stop me from feeling confident in my ability to bq? of course not. i am still pretty impressed that i managed a 4:03 with very little training and very little base. (hey, i have to give myself some kind of credit here.)

(mb '06) recognize these lovely folks?
'cause here we are 3 years later...

jess and her dad ran the myrtle beach half, saw me suffering after the full,
and still decided to sign up to run baltimore with me later that year.
i've been dragging them along on all my great marathoning ideas ever since. :o)

obviously, the marathon did not go so well. i did fine for the first 7 miles, which makes perfect sense as that was about my typical "long" run. i remember talking to an old man early on and telling him i wanted to bq. he said i looked strong and would do great. i'm sure i looked strong at that point, but i still had about 20 or so miles to go. i had this brilliant idea to wear cotton spandex shorts because they'd look cute. major chafage and being unable to shower for the next 3 days was probably not so cute. did i ever run in these shorts before? of course not. i was a huge marathon newbie.

just chuggin' along, trying to not collapse.
quitting was never an option.

i think i died around mile 16 or so. my parents had come down for the race and my dad was telling me all about how i was hitting "the wall" and to just push through it. he said he felt so bad for me because i looked awful (aw, thanks pops), and even ran to a nearby atlanta bread co. to get a bottle of water for me in case i needed some in between the water stations. i remember my whole body ached as i was running, with my lower back screaming the loudest. i walked a lot. when i got to mile 20, everyone around me talked about the whole "only a 10k to go". the relay teams had an exchange point there and it was really disheartening to see fresh legs passing you.

finishing fairly strong, i still had a kick in me.
and yes, i beat green shorts man.

this honduran man commented to me on my chafage during the race.
notice the man behind me as well...
what are you lookin' at pal?

in pain. but i made it.

in spirit of this year's myrtle beach marathon (and half marathon, 5k, and multiple bike rides), i thought i should enlighten everyone on how not to train for the marathon. as you hopefully realize, i have gotten a little bit better at actually training, although it still took a few more attempts at the marathon before i finally admitted to myself that long runs are kind of important. i wish i had done a little more research back then and trained better, but at the same time, i'm kind of proud of my pathetic first marathon. it makes for a good story, and you never forget your first.

good luck to amanda and her hubs (who have both been dedicated to their training) this weekend in the myrtle beach half!

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the magical banana

i've been feeling slow and sluggish for the past few weeks, and even though i've only been aiming for all easy runs, it's still been kind of depressing. at first i didn't mind the thought of no tempo runs, no speed work, no strained hr, but after a few weeks at an easy pace i am starting to feel fat and slow.

so today, i went for a run during my lunch break and decided i'd aim for my daniels'-prescribed easy pace of 8:39/mile. (which i just noticed is really supposed to be 8:49... "oops") i remembered the feeling i got on my last lunch run and ate a banana as a late-morning snack in hopes that i wouldn't get weak in the middle of my run again. well it worked pretty darn good as i sucked at maintaining my "8:39" goal pace. i experimented with my nike+ on "pace" mode and glanced down throughout the run to see 7:4x's and 7:5x's. oops again. i slowed down but still the slowest i ever saw was 8:30 on an uphill. not to mention, i didn't really want to slow down. my hr avg was only a few beats higher than it has been on all my recent easy runs (at 9:xx), and i'm not really sure why everything was just 100 times better today. i mean i've only been m&m free for 2 days now. i guess i was just overdue for a good run, and it sure felt better than all the other sludge-filled ones lately.

tomorrow i'm going to work on finding this 8:49-ish pace for my easy runs 'cause i know what jack daniels has in store for me in a few weeks and i'm pretty sure i'm going to want to savor the easy days then. for today, it was nice to know i hadn't become a complete blob just yet.

tuesday (2/10) lunch run: 6 miles, 49:31 (avg pace 8:15), avg hr 166

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see ya winter!

buddy was back for a week at his "vacation home". (translation: i dog sat for my mom). he ran 3 miles with j on friday and another 3 with me on saturday. initially i was going to try to do my "7 on the 7th" with him but he was dragging dog butt (he must be getting old). i took him back home after 3 miles and headed back out to finish my run. i wasn't really into it, and i ran 7 miles on friday, so i figured that could count for the virtual race. i slacked, but ran the 6 i had on schedule. at least i placed better than buddy, who was not only a bandit in the race but ended up with a dnf. as soon as we got back to the house he went straight for some refreshing water and post-race dog biscuit.

saturday (2/7) am run: 6.25 miles, 57:28 (9:11 avg pace), avg hr (159)
being a little extra motivated (/feeling slack about not running another .75), i did about 25 minutes of jillian michael's: cardio kickboxing and some yoga after my run. buddy kept walking over and sitting right in front of me during the kickboxing so i had to front kick around him 'cause he wouldn't move. then when i rolled out my yoga mat he hopped up, came right over, and stretched out on it as if i had laid it out just for him. talk about spoiled. the kickboxing was a decent workout, but very basic (although i wasn't looking for anything hardcore). i just wanted to make up for skipping thursday's non-running workout with something that would get my hr going. it was essentially 30 jumping jacks, 10 front kicks, 30 jab-cross, 30 jumprope, 10 side kicks... etc etc. no coordination required as even i managed to complete the workout without falling over. i wouldn't recommend purchasing the dvd unless there are other workouts on there because it was so basic and you could easily re-create it without needing the dvd as guidance (i did it through netflix).

sunday (2/8) am run: 10.10 miles, 1:36:15 (9:31 avg pace), avg/max hr (164/182)
i was also not really "feeling" this run, but i think it was from being extra tired. i had taken one of my night-time anti-allergy pills saturday which knock me out. the first time i took one of these i was a zombie the next morning until lunch time. (i don't take them regularly.) i was sluggish for most of the run but just kept trucking along, slowly, and got it all in. it didn't hurt that the weather was a gorgeous sunny 60*, and later got up to 75! don't come back old man winter, you are not welcome here. later i took buddy back home to my parents and attempted a "knees to elbows" move on the pull-up bar. i read about these from sara at docs/flops/crocs the other day, and was intrigued. i'm glad i only attempted one because i failed, miserably. i don't know how she does more than one!

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week in review (2/2 - 2/8):
total miles: 37.65 (all easy, still)
time spent running: ~5 hr 45 min
avg hr: 160.25
abs & yoga: 3 ab days, 1 yoga
off days: 2, both scheduled

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more miles and a cheesy award

i have fallen a bit behind here, but i'm going to blame it on all the reebok emails i had to respond to. :) just kidding, i hope you all hear from them soon, unless they quit sending me stuff and then we will have issues.

not much new going on... just the usual. legs are cooperating, runs are going ok, and i'm even sticking to my yoga/ab "resolution". i need to step up my game with the abs though. i'm rarely sore (i love a sore core!) and i need to start making some real progress. aka: nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. i'm telling myself that i am starting next week (monday, 2/9) with a better diet (no chocolate) and more/more varied ab work, so we'll see. i've already gotten a kettleball idea from chris @ gibtown runner!

tuesday (2/3) am run: 8 miles with kt, 1:08:50 (8:36 avg pace), avg/max hr unknown
my old pal kt was in town for half a day so we met at the lovely hour of 5:15am for a hilly 8 miler. this was my first morning (pre-8am) run in a long time. it was nice and i do miss running in the mornings... but for now i still have time (and reasonable temps) to run after work so i'll continue to be a morning slacker. for the record, i did get up to run at 3:30am awhile back, but normally i was more of a 5am kind of runner. for now, my nice warm bed is quite lovely.

wednesday (2/4) pm run: 6.3 miles, 58:15 (9:14 avg pace), avg/max hr (161/182)
hooray the sun is hanging around longer. i hit the streets around 5:45pm and got in almost 5 of my slow miles before it was 'dusky'. can't complain there. my face froze (~30*) and my left arm/elbow/hand was going numb again and i thought hey, doesn't your left arm go numb when you have a heart attack? i recalled reading some email forward i got at work about signs of a stroke, but i could only remember smile, talk and raise your arms. i could do all three of those so i ruled out the fact that i was having a mid-run stroke. so maybe i don't have the clearest logic after a long day at work...

thursday (2/5) nothing: umm this was supposed to be cross-training...
i didn't really feel guilty for skipping it on thursday but boy was i moody (and feeling fat) on friday and ready to run. after work i headed over to the local track club's monthly meeting which was also the awards ceremony for the 2008 racing series. i was curious to see what the track club was like and i wanted to get my '08-series-first-place-age-group-award. last year was my first year as a member and i wasn't involved at all other than running in various local races. there was a solid turnout, apparently there are like 800-something members which is pretty good for the area. i was a little piggy on the sweet potato chips and pita/hummus at the meeting/social/banquet, and was not exactly in the mood to workout when i got home. i didn't feel too bad since i wasn't missing any mileage and i figured i can get in my non-running workout over the weekend.


friday (2/6) late afternoon run: 7 miles, 1:04:29 (9:12 avg pace), avg/max hr (157/182)
my m&m iv hasn't been removed yet, and i am feeling the jiggly-ness in my hips, thighs, rear, belly... blech. i've been a little more liberal with my eating habits ever since disney (so, a month now, terrific) and i really need to clean it back up and get back on track. it was a beautiful 60 degrees out so i decided that this should definitely be a marlene run.

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my dirty little secret

ok, so they're not dirty.

i was tagged by carlee of chasing forrest gump forever ago with the recently popular list o' 25 things. its taken me the past few days to come up with 25 things about myself, so i'm sorry for the delay.

the rules here are to write 25 random things (facts, habits, goals, etc) about yourself and tag 20-something people (or however many) including the person who tagged you.

1. i've demolished three-and-a-half 12oz bags of m&m's in the past 4 days
2. yet i still wonder why the scale has crept up a tad
3. i watch tv over an antenna (and now also a converter box); although i don't really watch much tv anyway, hence the lack of caring about channels
   
4. it takes me ~10 minutes or less to get ready for work in the morning
5. it would take a lot less if i didn't have to put on real clothes
6. i bought a house when i was 21, four months out of school, and had no idea what i was doing at closing
7. luckily i haven't had any huge emergency-repairs
8. although painting walls got really old, really fast
   
9. i don't want to get married until after april 19, 2010 so i can run boston under my name (not that i have worry about that coming up anytime soon anyway)
10. i've never seen any of the austin power movies
11. now that i'm an adult, i feel like the growing-up part of life passed so fast, and i'm trying to not wish any days by (you know, "i can't wait until the weekend")
    
12. i once toured a jail facility and got holla'd at by the inmates
    
13. i grew up with a kid who now plays in the mlb, and i sort of dated a guy who is now a starter in the nfl (and no, i don't feel i am missing out on the paychecks)
    
14. i went to a pat mcgee concert in atlanta while sporting a du-rag. luckily mine was white, and not red or blue.
    
15. i grew up thinking i was allergic to chocolate, milk, sugar and ketchup
16. then i was told i was allergic to wheat (that diet really sucked!)
17. i had testing done last year to discover i now have new food allergies, but at least i can have chocolate, and ketchup (and that wheat was safe)
    
18. some days i wear a pair of $0.50 shoes to work, found them at the goodwill
19. i ate ramen noodles almost every day from 7th grade up until last year
    
20. if i could, i'd still eat them every day
    
21. i ultimately want to run a sub-3:00 marathon
22. that'd be just over an hour faster than my first (a 4:03)
23. after my first 4 marathons, i never thought i'd bq
24. i own high school musical and hsm2, but i haven't seen the 3rd yet so that has to count for something
    
25. i'm really bad at keeping in touch with old friends
    

tag you're it! middle of the pack girl, joyrun, 5ks and cabernets, ramblings of a running addict, run girl run, run b*$%@ run (hey just keeping it pg here), kimpossible and tag-back to you carlee! i tried to not re-tag people i just tagged in my last tagging-activity so that you don't start hating me, but otherwise i would have! (i promise my feelings won't be hurt should you shamefully choose to not participate) ;-)

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moving on...

now that you know the intimate details of my enthralling life, i thought i should answer a question for brian, terri, and glenn, and i'm pretty sure others of you won't mind this either.

reebok is looking to expand their product-testing roster! it's a tough job, but someone has to do it. periodically, a reebok representative will email you in regards to testing a pair of shorts, a running top, a sports bra, shoes, etc. you reply back (quickly) to get dibs on a sample, and they mail it to you with the test instructions. you then wear the gear for however long the test period is for (sometimes a few days, usually a couple of weeks), fill out the forms as necessary, and mail it back to them. you do have to pay for the return shipping, but what's ~$5 for a running top or shorts? after they collect their data, they will mail the garment back to you for keeps. shoe testing works a little differently, but you still get a free treat in the end.

of course, there are a few requirements you must meet:
men - clothing size medium (and/or) shoe size 9 or 12
women - clothing size medium (and/or) shoe size 7 (although sometimes they do 9's)
runners - must run a minimum of three (3) times per week
yoga-ers (women only) - must yoga at least two (2) times per week

so, if you're interested. shoot me an email and i'll send you the forms and reebok contact, and hopefully you can score some free running gear!

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new kicks

i've gotten some exciting mail over the past week, but really as long as it's not a bill i'm excited. my new shoes came in about a week ago and they look cool, but i haven't actually ran in them yet because i also received a pair from reebok to wear. they have been updating their style in both clothing and shoes, which is refreshing because i was afraid they'd never leave the 80's.

my new (purchased) shoes are asics gel stratus 2.1s and saucony grid sinsters. since i'm not running for speed anytime soon (theoretically) i just wanted to get some "regular" running shoes. the lighter, racing shoes i wore for the disney half are still run-able so i'll have them handy for when i allow myself to run outside of my easy-hr zone. i've never had an issue with any pair or brand of running shoes, so i pick my shoes based on looks. (yeah i know, i've gotten the lecture from my local shop 90 times now) i want my shoes to be loud ok.



today i checked the mail and my disney half award had arrived (along with some junk mail of course). i didn't know i'd really get one since i only got 5th place, but i'll take it!



sunday (2/1) am run: 8.1 miles easy, 1:15:50 (9:21 avg pace)
my heartrate monitor was acting up so i ignored it, ran by feel, and didn't record the numbers it wanted to give me afterward. it was a beautiful day, a little windy, but 50+ degrees and sunny made up for that.

monday (2/2) non-run: scheduled day of rest
my legs are still sore (although not nearly as bad) from the squats/lunges i did last thursday. come on legs, i've ran easy a few times, yoga'd, stretched... lets lose the lactate already ok? i probably should have done something active after all the munching i did during the super bowl but i didn't. however, i did do some planks at work. i was bored and getting sleepy so i went to a vacant cubicle and counted seconds in my head. it woke me up at least. :)

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week in review (1/26 - 2/1):
total miles: 30.85 (all super easy slow pace)
time spent running: ~4 hr 45 min
avg hr: 155.80
abs & yoga: 3 ab days, 2 yoga
off days: 2, both scheduled

a good week overall, but i'm feeling like a lard butt from the lower weekly mileage (than before goofy) and my appetite has been huge. i'm hoping once i get back to "regular" weekly mileage i'll balance back out (and re-lose these jiggly pounds that have shown up on the scale lately).

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