in ten years

i saw a recap of the past ten years on someone else's blog and realized how this closing decade marks ten years of running for me! (on and off, but still). i'm also thinking it's probably the more exciting decade of my life because it included the college years and what will really happen when i hit the 30's and 40's. investing in a roth ira is so exciting...

2000 - ahhhh y2k ahhh! i was in 10th/11th grade, had just finished my first season of cross country ('99) and ran my second season later in the fall. my older sister graduated from high school and when we dropped her off at college everyone cried but me (and i think my dad).

2001 - apparently i've done a good job of blocking out dorky high school memories because i can't think of many. in the spring semester of 11th grade i got iss (in school suspension) for lying to my teacher. my friend and i convinced our us history teacher that he (my friend) was the soccer team trainer and had to leave early for away games. we got caught because someone in the class freakin' told on us. what the heck; lame! as an honors/ap student the iss 'teacher'/supervisor didn't think i should be in there and let me run errands for her instead. (and yes, said friend was rather cute of course). also in '01 i started taking some college classes at a local college because somehow i didn't need anymore high school credits - i had "late arrival" and "early dismissal" as some of my "classes". i had a 7:30am (or so) english class and remember hearing about the first WTC plane in the car after class, and assumed it was a small plane that had malfunctioned somehow. when i got to (high) school later that morning, i broke the news to my spanish teacher who didn't believe me until we turned on the tv near the end of class.

2002 - senior year; not as glamorous as it is on mtv. i quit soccer and cross-country; went to prom. i was the last class to graduate my old high school before they tore it down and turned it into a walmart, so some of the teachers let us spend the end of the year graffiti-ing the walls. i cut out a piece of the track as a souvenir (one of the "4's" from lane 4). i started college in the fall, joined the rowing team, learned that just because i never had to study in high school does not mean college will be as breezy...

2003 - survived freshman year; had a great group of girlfriends from the rowing team. had a much better 2nd semester grade-wise, though mandatory study hall didn't help - too many distracting male athletes. moved into first apartment where we had the best neighbors and funnest block parties. i attempted to make pancakes one night and almost set the complex on fire. the blackened, crisp pancake was hung on our front door as a warning to others. i began running again but didn't keep any stats.

2004 - more college antics. moved into new apartment. still casually running, but not yet ocd enough to log stats.

2005 - worked two internships on top of my part-time job at the crack house (aka cracker barrel). also helped out with the local special olympics group - those 'kids' always brightened my day. went to nyc for christmas, saw my best friend graduate from college, began tracking my mileage/time on runs.

2006 - set my car on fire! (yes, on accident) got a new one. ran my first marathon! began interviewing for jobs. major fail at first interview - actually told the guy i wasn't planning on having kids so that wouldn't interfere with my career (yes, seriously). needless to say they did not call me back. got a job somewhere else. college graduation! sad but exciting. began my first big-girl job, made friends with the other college-grad hires and still acted like we were in college. bought a house (offer was accepted on my 22nd b-day). made running friends in my new town. ran another marathon.

2007 - most of the new running friends quit running except one (kt), began running "hardcore" 40 mile weeks with her. participated in a medical study at md anderson in houston, tx. ran two more marathons. took a random, spontaneous trip to san diego for memorial day. took a random trip to nashville in august. older sister got married. met josh, tried to flirt, he was oblivious.

2008 - finally "really" trained for a marathon, bq'd. went to visit a friend living in st. kitts, still jealous of her! started helping out with old high school cross country team. started this blog. helped josh flip a house. experimented with buying individual stock and doubled up (go ford!).

2009 - did the goofy challenge and ran another marathon. spent 9+ months living in hotels/working in kentucky and am now a celebrity at the hampton inn. got engaged. had my wisdom teeth pulled. hit a deer. beefed up my savings.

i still have yet to review my '09 in running and make plans for 2010, but i'm pretty awesome at procrastinating and not-getting things done, what's a few more days. so, until next year! happy new year all!

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it's the little things

merry (belated) christmas! i hope you all had an enjoyable, relaxing holiday with friends and family. once i got home to my mom's never-ending baking, i had no trouble making up for lost calories from earlier this week. entire tin of cookies in one sitting? no problem.

initially i thought i'd get in all this running during these two weeks of vacation but it turns out i'm doing a much better job of being lazy. i've still gotten in a few runs, including a solid (spontaneous) progression run on christmas day. my long run for the week ended up being shorter than planned, but i hung in for 11 miles instead of quitting at 1 or 2 like i so badly wanted to.

friday (12/25) afternoon run: 6.15 miles, 50:45 (avg pace 8:15)
(8:54, 8:41, 8:23, 8:18, 7:52, 7:09 - see, progression! i don't achieve this often.)

even though i wait for a particular movement before heading out on a run, there are many days where my bowels seem to hold out for revenge. lucky me, this morning was no exception. i wasn't brave enough to pop into one of the 19 churches i ran by and detoured for a grocery store instead. it was probably the only food store without a well-marked "restrooms" sign and i frantically hustled around all the edge-aisles of the store. i eventually found it though, thankfully, and once again i was reminded what a great invention the bathroom was.

sunday (12/27) am run: 11.10 miles, 1:41:36 (avg pace 9:09), 33-47*

thank you, running, for making me appreciate the porcelain throne even more. you always make water the most awesomest thing ever too.

week in review (12/21 - 12/27):
total miles: 32.55
time spent running: ~ 4 hours 47 minutes
avg hr: unknown
avg pace: 8:50/mile
off days: 3 (sleeping has gotten better, not glorious, but better)

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two g's

i surprised myself this morning when i entered today's 11-miler into my dorky spreadsheets (yes, plural. i love my spreadsheets). i just crested 2000 miles for the year! woo hoo. i didn't set a mileage goal for the year because i'm already hard-headed enough -- i don't need the extra goal forcing me to run when i don't feel well or in the event i get injured (which thankfully didn't happen in '09!). so yeah, i don't do a yearly mileage goal but of course i want to continue beating each previous year :o)

2005 - 735.94 (logged march thru december)
2006 - 623.43 (didn't log mileage may thru september; gasp i know!)
2007 - 1335.95
2008 - 1618.95
2009 - 2000.01 (with 8 days to go!)

i'm like walmart with all those .94 and .95 endings.

wednesday (12/23) am run: 11 miles, 1:34:48 (avg pace 8:37), 32-47*
i kind of attempted a couple "threshold" miles but they were slower than threshold pace. with mile 1 clocking in at 9:48 i was just glad my legs could still pick up the pace somewhat. with the sleeping/eating troubles i'm just going to take this week easy.

and just for the record --
week in review (12/14 - 12/20):
total miles: 14.75
time spent running: ~ 2 hours 03 minutes
avg hr: 153
avg pace: 8:34/mile
off days: 5 (yep, 5) some people sleep 8 hours/night. i get 8 hours/week.

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sleepless at night

it's a good thing i'm not officially in training, as i haven't ran in 5 days. oops? i actually kind of enjoyed it. for the most part, i didn't feel good enough to run. i'm not sick as in "i have a cold" sick, but i'm not quite myself either.

the sleeping issue has still been going on, and combined with a lack of appetite well, i copped out and said i should obviously just rest. saturday and sunday nights i watched like two seasons of house since i couldn't sleep. sunday night i fell asleep around 4am and got my whopping three hours of sleep. as for my appetite - on sunday i ate one waffle (breakfast) and an egg wrap (dinner), and monday i ate a salad (lunch) and a little bit of creamed corn ("dinner"). i know, i really should control myself!

anyway. the good news is i got 12 hours of *uninterrupted* sleep monday night. i felt myself actually being tired monday evening so i got in bed and... felt more awake. wtc. sitting up - feel sleepy; laying down - wide awake. so i sat on the couch for a bit and then decided to try again. i, uh, took a pain pill (left over from wisdom teeth; a side effect of watching so much house) since those made me drowsy back when i had my teeth pulled. yeah, i am aware, not it's intended use. i don't plan on taking it daily alright. i don't think the excessive sleep is all from the pill, but i think maybe it helped a little. i think part of it was that i finally got tired enough to sleep.

i broke my streak of 5 days off and went out for a short, easy run today. i would have ran longer but my lack of eating caught up to me quickly and i felt weak. at least i don't have that whole work thing getting in my way and can run/eat/sleep whenever i feel like it (or i guess should say *if* i ever feel like it?) :o)

tuesday (12/22) afternoon run: 4.3 miles, 40:03 (avg pace 9:18), 47*

this time last year i wasn't eating or sleeping well either, but for entirely different reasons. don't forget to hug and cherish your loved ones today, at this Christmas holiday, and everyday of the year!

[title of this post references song by "until june" - sleepless]

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home sweet....

...holiday inn express.

thinking i was hotel-free for the rest of 2009 was too good to be true. i ran into snow 11 miles from the kentucky/tennessee border. this morning, weather.com showed me a big green blob over tn/nc/sc, even when i hit the future forecast button. now it looks like this:

 thanks weather.com!

i drove through part of the blue blob in kentucky and am now in a green area,

but more mountains and blue blobbiness await!

it took me two hours to drive (if you want to call it that) about 50 miles from the start of the snow to the hotel. it took almost 5 hours to make what is typically a sub-3 hr drive. getting up to 20mph was exhilarating!

 

of course i was half-tempted to keep trucking along, but sunset was approaching, the temps were going to be dropping and it just did not seem like a wise idea since i still have a few more mountains to climb. i've heard that there's already a few inches of snow in the mountains of north carolina, and i'll admit i was a little nervous driving in the snow earlier. the lack of exits/civilization for 30 miles didn't help much. i just want to get home and i'm bored now in the hotel, but as josh put it -- better to be bored than dead.

at least the hie in clinton, tn is brand new and snazzy! i guess i can survive another night in not-my-bed. word on the street is this winter storm is supposed to last until sunday in some parts, yuck. tndot and ncdot - get on the ball here with the plowing and salting. this carolina girl needs to get home.

any runners in clinton, tn that want to get in a long run tomorrow?? :o)

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home for the holidays

i'm busy packing up my life again (for the holidays). combined with the recent lack-'o-sleep situation my running has taken a hit this week, but i'm not in training so i'm letting it roll.

the sleeping situation:
no it hasn't gotten better (well some nights i might actually get 5 hours instead of 3, if that counts as improvement). no i haven't taken any more meds for it. yes i'm going to the doctor next week.

only five hours of work and then i'm freeeeeeee for two weeks! i don't know if i'm more excited about being free from work or free from kentucky... hmm.

monday (12/14) pm run - ex.hausted. attempted 1/2 a mile in my backwards clothes. felt super awful so i called it quits.
tuesday (12/15) pm run - 7.25 miles with 3.25 @ threshold, 58:00 (avg pace 8:00), avg hr (167)
wednesday (12/16) pm run - 7 miles easy, 1:01:02 (avg pace 8:43), avg hr (157)
thursday (12/17) laziness - another unscheduled rest day. had some things i needed to get done before leaving town and again, i'm not in training so i can skip a day if i feel like darn it. :o)
friday (12/18) uhhh - as of 10:45pm thursday i'm 98% sure i won't be getting up to run at 4am. i gotta rush around and load up the car and drive 6+ hours home (in forecasted snow storms, in the south where they don't have plows...) so yeah, i think this will be another 0 mile day.

while i make my mad dash out of kentucky, i'll leave you with this fun running survey i borrowed from nyflygirl of training hard, hardly training.

miles last week:
44.80 - a good week, making this week look a little sad.

your first race:
technically: eye opener in high school cross country (1999)
post high-school: midnight flight 10k (09/02/05)

your last race:
running wild 4-mile trail race, a beast (11/07/09)

when/why did you start running:
hs xc - 'cause my friends were doing it
re-starting in '05 - to stay active i'm assuming

favorite race:
disney goofy challenge, so much fun even though the 39.3 miles are a little intimidating

favorite distance:
half-marathon - you get to run hard/fast but not to the point where you feel like dying like a 5k/10k and you can actually walk the next day unlike the marathon

mistake you always make while racing:
same as nyflygirl - "in 5K's-blasting the first mile and then desperately trying to hang on for the remaining 2.1!"

your mantra is:
"go big"

favorite food before a race or long run:
i always like pasta

favorite gadget:
running related? garmin - so much easier to not have to map every run out afterwards!
non-running? iphone... gets me through the long days at work ;)

something *strange* you always need on a run?
a bathroom. i swear my bowels plan it so they have to go at the most inconvenient time.

amount of races you’ve done in your life?
29 (not counting high school, because i don't remember). in 5 years, looks like i need to race more!

amount of races you’ve done this year?

7

when i can’t run, i:
am very discontent!

music or no music?
i rarely run to the beat

favorite book?
i don't know. i'm not a fan of this question.

favorite movie?
see above.

favorite runner?
duh, ryan hall.

favorite brand of apparel?
sugoi!

favorite brand of shoes? 

saucony or mizuno

how many pairs of running shoes do you have? is this seriously a question?!? i can't recall how many retired pairs i have lying around... but a lot.

currently in the rotation? 4

how many pairs do you actually use?

all of them... 1 pair basically retired this week, 1 pair are my speed/racing shoes (used rarely) and 2 are in the daily rotation.

next challenge ahead:
surviving kentucky

a goal further ahead you’d like to get to someday:
marathon in all 50 states. being reasonable and level-headed i made this goal before i even ran 1 marathon...

pr you’re most proud of:
my goofy half-marathon? i have always such happy thoughts thinking back on that one.

fuel on long run or race is:
gu! roctane in races, regular flavors on a long run

last injury:
umm. sore shins last year? or that enormo toe blister i had this past summer?

why do you run?
to eat! you know i love the two basic food groups - sugar and chocolate. also as an attempt to keep the roundness (somewhat) at bay, to keep me sane (you do not want to be around me if i miss too many runs) and 'cause well it's just awesome.

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insomnia

for the past 10 days or so (maybe more, i can't remember), i haven't been able to sleep through the night. first of all i don't even get tired until maybe 11pm - when i essentially take a 1-2 hour nap, wake up for about 3 hours, and then get another 'nap' in before having to get up for work.

the sitting around, alone, at 3:00 am is probably my favorite part.

i have some sleepy pills that i've taken like 5 of in my entire life (so i'm certainly not used to them). the first time i took one i was completely useless until after lunch the next day; they knock me out. over the weekend i gave in and took one since i wouldn't have to worry about going to work the next morning. i still woke up in the middle of the night! what the heck! these were my last resort... i'm not sure what to do now.

at any rate, last night (sunday) was no exception. i got maybe 3-3.5 hrs of sleep. being hardheaded, i came home to change for a run. when i put my clothes on backwards i thought maybe i should take the day off and try to rest (/sleep!). this pounding headache isn't too inviting either. i'd be willing to continue on this crappy sleep cycle if it meant i could hang with tera moody in the marathon.

and so begins my derailment from the routine i was just settling into...

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week #2 on track

i hope i can make this good running behavior last.

week in review (12/07 - 12/13):
total miles: 44.80
time spent running: ~ 6 hours 28 minutes
avg hr: 160
avg pace: 8:38/mile (avg temp: 42*)
off days: 1

grumble grumble. my patience is being tested too much tonight with whatever-internet-service this is in kentucky. mozilla firefox, can we crash one more time for no reason? i know, scrolling through google reader is pretty taxing...

running went well this week, minus pushing thursday's speedwork to friday of course but what can you do. for the second week in a row i stuck to the schedule, getting in two quality workouts and a long run. the "long" run was only 12-miles but hey, i'm working my way back up there. i had a work christmas party saturday evening. the job site party is way better than the home office one - you can wear jeans and people don't suck up to the bosses the whole time. (what will i ever do when i can't wear jeans 24/7 anymore...) i was an answer in the trivia game for locking my keys in the car (i'm so famous) and scored a belgian waffle maker in the christmas raffle. it was weird seeing some of the guys in (somewhat) regular clothes and sans hardhat; more mullets than i was aware of.

ok since mozilla wants to continue to crash even if the computer is left idling, i'm giving up.

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coach i didn't run today 'cause...

i locked my keys in the car.

while it was running.

(i turned it on to warm it up shortly before leaving work for the day since it was a brisk 17 degrees)

you'd think that out on a construction site there'd be someone with a history of breaking into cars, but either that stereotype is incorrect or no one wanted to fess up. my boss tried rigging up some wire to slide in the window but only ended up scraping his hand (and my car). the security guard was calling her nephew who knew someone who knew the local policeman (yes, singular) but he's out of town so no luck there. i got the run around from all four locksmiths within a 50 mile radius (slight exaggeration) but finally found a guy who could come out. an hour and $40 later, (part of which was a loan from my boss, who carries cash these days?) we were finally able to leave work.

come to think of it, i locked my keys in the car at least twice in college and once in high school that i can recall...

can i get it framed?

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product review: go lite (and stay warm!)

{forgive me, but i am writing this as i watch the biggest loser finale - the only two hours of tv i watch. holy crap i am loving the surprises and shockers :o) that is all. no spoilers here.}

it snowed a little friday night/saturday morning and was a lovely 25* for my saturday "long" run of 9 miles. i was pelted in the face with flurries for the first half of my run (brrr) and once i turned around (out-and-back) the snow flurries stopped (go figure). for whatever reason, i didn't bring any warm running fleeces with me to kentucky. i did have a new, thermal/activewear shirt from go lite though, which i donned as my base layer.

the go lite women's drimove baselayer (bl2)

on top of that i wore a long sleeve tech shirt from the goofy challenge earlier this year and my reebok running jacket (to help keep the snow/wetness off). i am used to running in a nice, warm fleece when it hits the 30's or below, and i was quite relieved to find i was perfectly comfortable in less-thick layers. i wore the go lite shirt again on sunday when it was 35* with just the reebok jacket on top, and was pleasantly warm-enough again. i may also be wearing this as a baselayer for work here soon - it is getting chilly out there! i'm still trying to hold off on sporting my long johns, but i may be breaking them out too. do you know how cold a porta-potty is when the high is like 36*?

anyway, i used to be an under armour girl, but i'd easily get too hot, too cold or constantly flip-flop in between the two while running. the go lite shirt kept my temperature more balanced and made for comfortable runs in both 25 and 35 degree weather.

i would prefer to not go to jail (thanks ftc), so i must inform you that go lite and their fabulous pr company graciously gave me the shirt so that i'd brave the cold temperatures and run outdoors this winter (or perhaps for my review, whichever). they also sent me the "travel-lite tote" which has come in handy in my never-ending packing and unpacking between south carolina and kentucky. the travelite tote is made from 100% recycled content and has tons of pockets (11!) and storage space for all your various sized belongings. i have found it to be great for traveling as well as everyday use.

the go lite travelite tote

go lite is another one of those companies that speaks to my inner tree-hugger. i'm no extremist, but i do try to do my little part with recycling and taking care of the environment. they carry a variety of other products as well, including apparel for men and women (i especially like the badlands trinity soft shell jacket), backpacks, tents, fuel belts, suitcases and other travel bags, sleeping bags... all made from recycled and environmentally preferred materials. from their website --

You want to get away from all the stuff—the blaring music, the gadgets, the never-ending load of work and the glut of more, more, more. So you go light. You head out on the trail, because you want to experience nature on its own terms.

You value adventure over advertising. Memories over souvenirs. You don’t want to clog the planet with more stuff. You just want to have pure, simple, heart-pounding fun.

Therefore you GoLite.

sign me up! when my grandfather passed away last october, i helped my mom and aunts clean out his apartment. it was crazy to see all the stuff we accumulate in life and leave behind when we die. i took it to heart, and have since been rather non-materialistic. i think i'm actually kind of a pain now at christmas/my birthday because i never want anything. well, i'm always down for a cool vacation; my passport has room for more stamps. as go lite says, "memories over souvenirs"!

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getting back on track

week in review (11/30 - 12/06):
total miles: 38.5 (last week's dinky 3-milers became 5's, which i like better)
time spent running: ~ 5 hours 36 minutes
avg hr: 160
avg pace: 8:44/mile (avg temp: 30*)
off days: 1

a successful week at actually sticking to my "plan". i'm not currently training for anything in particular, but i did throw together a training plan to help me get out and run six days a week. i would like to get back to 60+ mpw but i'm not sure how well that meshes with that little thing called "work". i definitely got a little burnt out training for nyc when life was work, run, sleep, scarf down food and no spare time for anything else. (now if only it was acceptable to work a 3-hour day....) for now, i'm just aiming to maintain a healthy balance of running and relaxing.

on sunday afternoon i took a page from jess at seejessrun and made martha's outrageous chocolate cookies "for the guys at work". i packed half of them up and, uh, didn't feel like sharing when i got to work today. yes, i ate them all by myself. :( i ate so healthily all last week and then i go and eat half a batch of cookies in one day; not my finest moment. at least i didn't advertise that i was making them cookies so it's not like they knew i was being a greedy oinker... in case that makes it any better. they turned out pretty tasty if i do say so myself, although my "furnished" apartment does not have measuring spoons so i had to eyeball the baking powder, vanilla and salt. since i haven't cooked or baked in 9+ months i'm sure i was right on the money...

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the cow whisperer

i stopped for a minute on this morning's run to get a picture of the cows - a handful of them were standing near the fence. it was kind of weird because then all the other cows in the field lumbered over to the fence to stare at me. i don't know if they wanted their picture taken or if they thought i had breakfast for them. sorry cows, no corn for you. maybe they knew i was their friend - after watching food, inc i will be a very limited carnivore. (i don't feel comfortable cutting out all meat since i can't eat beans or those "amazing" soy products for protein. yes that is sarcasm, i dislike the miracle-food attitude towards soybeans.)

food, inc. was good though. there weren't many "queasy" moments but watching it right after lunch probably wasn't the best idea. i don't think everyone needs to give up meat, it's certainly a personal choice, and i won't be 100% vegetarian myself. i am interested in finding out more about how the food industry is regulated and making it safe(r). as someone with extensive food allergies, it is very frustrating to scour product labels for hidden ingredients. the fda claims certain foods/ingredients are supposed to be noted with an asterik, bolded, or listed separately in the "warning: contains" section, but in many cases this is still somehow overlooked.

anyway, stepping off my little soapbox now... (food inc. didn't even touch on allergies). feel free to check out food, inc's website, and if you are further interested - watch the movie of course. it's available on dvd or you can also "watch instantly" on netflix.

saturday (12/5) am run: 9.1 miles, 1:19:39 (avg pace 8:45), 25* and flurries

good luck to those running cim and las vegas tomorrow, especially my girl aron!

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behind again (november 2009)

my how time gets away from me. i don't feel like i'm good with time-management these days. i know i tend to blame it on work/commuting/being away from home but it still seems like i am insufficient compared to other mid-20's "professionals" (and really, everyone else in the world no matter the age or phase of life). how does everyone else get more done?!

anyway. here are what are hopefully the last hotel-life stats for 2009 (and it better be since i've already paid rent for december). i've enjoyed working out in the field and exploring a new state, but 9 months in a hotel/driving home every other weekend is wearing me down.

week in review (11/16 - 11/22):
total miles: 30.4
time spent running: ~ 4 hours 26 minutes
avg hr: unknown, didn't wear hrm
avg pace: 8:54/mile (avg temp: unknown*)
off days: 2

week in review (11/23 - 11/29):
total miles: 24.23 (a bunch of dinky 3 milers)
time spent running: ~ 3 hours 34 minutes
avg hr: 161.5
avg pace: 8:51/mile (avg temp: 58.5*)
off days: 1

a very unimpressive thanksgiving week. you'd think with the extra time off, ability to run mid-day on my old, familiar, safe running routes would've motivated me to run all day long. nope, all i wanted to do was sit on the couch. actually i was semi-motivated to rake leaves, but i wasn't able to finish because there are a ton. i'm sure by the time i finish raking these leaves it will be fall 2010 and i'll have a fresh batch.

josh helped finish up various house projects and i made a few more donations to home depot, something else i hadn't done since february/pre-kentucky. sometimes owning a house is no fun - you have to pay for these people to come out and do work (uh like re-doing insulation in the crawlspace, no thanks). i could've gone on a sweet trip to s.america for $900 but no, had people come crawl under my house instead.

i did ok with thanksgiving feasting (2 dinners! oink oink)... until dessert time. i love sweets; i had to be forklifted away from the table. josh and i went to see the trans-siberian orchestra on friday which was cool. i only know their two christmas songs which i sometimes randomly sing to myself during a speed workout. the violinist (anna phoebe) kept flipping her hair every other note, and with her leggings and constant wide-legged squat/lunge she made me think of peter pan. [photo cred]

i'm not hating though, it was a fun show - funky music, awesome lighting effects, and entertaining people-watching.

november 2009
total mileage: 103.78 (hangs head)
time spent running: 15:04:52
avg pace: 8:56/mile
days off: 12 (mostly post-marathon rest/recovery)
avg resting hr: not measured
avg max hr: 180.29

technically i could call this marathon recovery mode, but that would require me stepping up my game again and actually logging some decent miles in december...

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