The day has officially come...
Over five months ago I signed up to do something BIG. To change my life and to help change others. I now have five months of training behind me and I AM going to run a marathon.
Its not even 3:30 in the morning yet. But it's time...
I run because I can. I run because I'm healthy and my body is able. I run because I am strong and capable. I run for those who can't.
Today I run in memory of: my Aunt Esther, my Grandpa Blas, my Uncle Hector
Today I run in honor of: Tyler - the toughest kid I know- and Virgina my honor teammates
GO TEAM!!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Injury Part #2
So I had an appointment with Dr. Smith that Wednesday. I was nervous about the appointment because Dr. Smith is a Chiropractor and I had never been to a chiropractor before. I wasn't sure what he would do to help my hip, but a few of my teammates and coach had all been treated by him and said he helped them recover. So what the heck, lets try it out.
When I got to his office, he had me show him my running shoes, both my new ones and my old ones. He inspected those and then asked to look at my feet. I was a little confused because I was talking about my hip and he was looking at my feet. He had me balance and roll my weight to the front of my feet and back. He then had me put my shoes on my feet, and when he did he pointed out that my feet looked really tight inside of my shoe. He poked at the material on the side of my foot and noticed that it was really taut. I told him that since getting my shoes I'd been having a lot of trouble with blisters. I kept getting them on the insides of both feet -- exactly where he was pointing. Dr. Smith said that because my feet were so uncomfortable and I was in pain from blistering, I may have started to run funny and thus injured my hip.
I have to admit this bugged me. Basically, I went specifically to a knowledgeable running store and bought very expensive shoes to help my running and protect my feet, only to find out that they are squishing my feet and causing all these problems? Oh great... BUT! Dr. Smith took both of my shoes and re-laced them in a way I have never seen before and could only be done by a veteran runner (Dr. Smith of course). I'll have to post a picture at some point, but basically he took my laces out of the first two holes to give my wide feet more room and then twisted the the laces around themselves. I put my shoes on and voila! MORE ROOM! he poked the same spot and the tension was gone. Nice!
Okay, so shoe problem fixed, but my hip still hurts. Dr. Smith had me lay on the table and he did a few motions with my legs. He went through the same process he had at the muscle imbalance clinic. When he got to the test for my left hip, it was strong and I resisted the weight he applied. He did the same test on my right and I just couldn't resist it. He tried again and my leg just fell under the weight. He said, "Oh yeah, that hip is very weak". THAT made me nervous. He then had me lay on my side and he started to feel around on my hip, massaging different muscles around it. He gently pressed on one and my ENTIRE body clenched. Oh yeah... he found the source of pain. Thankfully, he said it was just a tight muscle. My TFL muscle to be exact, see here: Wikipedia - TFL After that Dr. Smith adjusted my lower back and neck --- LOTS of tension in my neck he said. Most likely, because of my job. The adjustments felt WONDERFUL. However, in all honestly, my lower back hurt REALLY bad that night. I found out that was because it was the first time my back was ever adjusted. Uncomfortable, but the soreness was gone by morning.
Now that we found the source of the problem, Dr. Smith recommended three days of therapy starting that day and then seeing him once more that Friday. Therapy consisted of Ultra Sound therapy (same as those used on pregnant women) and Interferential Therapy (see here: Inferential video)This is getting long, so in short, I did three days of short sessions with each type of therapy. Each day the pain lessened and by Friday night it was gone. I saw Dr. Smith that Friday afternoon. He did the same test on my Right hip as he did two days earlier. This time, I could resist his weight! That was awesome to see, because I was doubting if the treatments were doing anything. But they worked! I had strength back in my hip. He did a couple of adjustments again on my back and neck and gave me the okay to run again, but to start out slow and only do 3 - 5 miles. WHAT A RELIEF!!!
To be continued... (STILL!)...
When I got to his office, he had me show him my running shoes, both my new ones and my old ones. He inspected those and then asked to look at my feet. I was a little confused because I was talking about my hip and he was looking at my feet. He had me balance and roll my weight to the front of my feet and back. He then had me put my shoes on my feet, and when he did he pointed out that my feet looked really tight inside of my shoe. He poked at the material on the side of my foot and noticed that it was really taut. I told him that since getting my shoes I'd been having a lot of trouble with blisters. I kept getting them on the insides of both feet -- exactly where he was pointing. Dr. Smith said that because my feet were so uncomfortable and I was in pain from blistering, I may have started to run funny and thus injured my hip.
I have to admit this bugged me. Basically, I went specifically to a knowledgeable running store and bought very expensive shoes to help my running and protect my feet, only to find out that they are squishing my feet and causing all these problems? Oh great... BUT! Dr. Smith took both of my shoes and re-laced them in a way I have never seen before and could only be done by a veteran runner (Dr. Smith of course). I'll have to post a picture at some point, but basically he took my laces out of the first two holes to give my wide feet more room and then twisted the the laces around themselves. I put my shoes on and voila! MORE ROOM! he poked the same spot and the tension was gone. Nice!
Okay, so shoe problem fixed, but my hip still hurts. Dr. Smith had me lay on the table and he did a few motions with my legs. He went through the same process he had at the muscle imbalance clinic. When he got to the test for my left hip, it was strong and I resisted the weight he applied. He did the same test on my right and I just couldn't resist it. He tried again and my leg just fell under the weight. He said, "Oh yeah, that hip is very weak". THAT made me nervous. He then had me lay on my side and he started to feel around on my hip, massaging different muscles around it. He gently pressed on one and my ENTIRE body clenched. Oh yeah... he found the source of pain. Thankfully, he said it was just a tight muscle. My TFL muscle to be exact, see here: Wikipedia - TFL After that Dr. Smith adjusted my lower back and neck --- LOTS of tension in my neck he said. Most likely, because of my job. The adjustments felt WONDERFUL. However, in all honestly, my lower back hurt REALLY bad that night. I found out that was because it was the first time my back was ever adjusted. Uncomfortable, but the soreness was gone by morning.
Now that we found the source of the problem, Dr. Smith recommended three days of therapy starting that day and then seeing him once more that Friday. Therapy consisted of Ultra Sound therapy (same as those used on pregnant women) and Interferential Therapy (see here: Inferential video)This is getting long, so in short, I did three days of short sessions with each type of therapy. Each day the pain lessened and by Friday night it was gone. I saw Dr. Smith that Friday afternoon. He did the same test on my Right hip as he did two days earlier. This time, I could resist his weight! That was awesome to see, because I was doubting if the treatments were doing anything. But they worked! I had strength back in my hip. He did a couple of adjustments again on my back and neck and gave me the okay to run again, but to start out slow and only do 3 - 5 miles. WHAT A RELIEF!!!
To be continued... (STILL!)...
Friday, March 12, 2010
purple Graduation
I should be asleep, but just wanted to get something in here really quick. Tomorrow is my final practice of the season. I can't believe we're already here. I've been thinking a lot about the marathon and getting tips and advice from people. I'm currently feeling a mixture of excitement, fear and a feeling like it isn't real.
Tomorrow is also important because I get my race day jersey. I will be receing my purple official Team in Training shirt. Until now we've only had our white singlets. So part of me feels like I'm taking part in some sort of graduation - from white to purple. Does this mean I'm officially trained?
Tomorrow is also important because I get my race day jersey. I will be receing my purple official Team in Training shirt. Until now we've only had our white singlets. So part of me feels like I'm taking part in some sort of graduation - from white to purple. Does this mean I'm officially trained?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Alive and TRAINING
I'm not even going to try to make excuses, I haven't blogged and we all know it.
However, in my blogging absence I've continued to keep up with training, despite life, and I'm doing well. I only have 10 days left till my marathon. Ten... seriously, where did the time go and how did it fly by so quickly? I've been counting months and I'm now down to DAYS.
Last night was our very last track practice (Yassos -- I'll explain later) and this Saturday is our final practice before the big day. We're only running 10 miles. That's right --- I said it --- ONLY. Ha! Honestly, at this point a ten mile run on a Saturday morning doesn't feel like that big of a deal anymore and I think that's amazing.
So what have you missed in my blogging absence? Well, this last month of training was NOT easy. My goal is to write multiple posts to catch you up. I'll start with my most recent and most stressful event - my first injury. Here we go:
Injury Part #1:
I went for a regular run a couple weeks ago, everything was going great and I felt really good. I ran for about 40 mins straight before finally taking a walk break. During the break I noticed a muscle in my left hip hurt. Then I felt it in my lower back and along the outside of my quad, from hip to knee. My first thought was OH NO, MY IT BAND IS INJURED. This is a typical injury for runners and from the sounds of it, is not pleasant and difficult to overcome. I thought I was in big trouble. I walked for a while before attempting to run again, but it didn't really help. I ran for maybe 10 more minutes and then cut my run short.
At first I thought I just had a tired, cramped up muscle, but my hip continued to hurt for the rest of the night and the next day. While at work I tried to find anything to massage it. At night the pain would get worse and walking up the stairs in my apartment was not fun. On top of this, I was in the middle of moving. Every night my boyfriend and I would pack stuff up and then take it to our new house. This meant lots of walking, lifting and going up and down those dang stairs. I told my coach and he suggested I take it easy. No track practice and no running for a few days. This was great for packing, but so stressful mentally. I'm training for a marathon and now I have to stop running? WHAT?
So I took a break for THREE whole days. My left hip felt fine. I went to group training that saturday and thank goodness it was a "step back" week. We were only doing 10. I ran the first five miles and by the end of it the pain was back but in my RIGHT hip. I don't know how or why, but the pain switched sides and stayed there for almost a week and it was worse than the first time around. I ended up walking about 4 more miles that Saturday which helped, but by the evening I was in pain again. I talked to my coach again and decided it was time to see a doctor. I wasn't about to take even MORE time off of training. Monday morning I called Dr. Smith (the same doctor who did our muscle imbalance tests) and got an appointment for that Wednesday. In the meantime I stayed away from running and headed to the gym for an elliptical, which is just not the same.
To be continued...
However, in my blogging absence I've continued to keep up with training, despite life, and I'm doing well. I only have 10 days left till my marathon. Ten... seriously, where did the time go and how did it fly by so quickly? I've been counting months and I'm now down to DAYS.
Last night was our very last track practice (Yassos -- I'll explain later) and this Saturday is our final practice before the big day. We're only running 10 miles. That's right --- I said it --- ONLY. Ha! Honestly, at this point a ten mile run on a Saturday morning doesn't feel like that big of a deal anymore and I think that's amazing.
So what have you missed in my blogging absence? Well, this last month of training was NOT easy. My goal is to write multiple posts to catch you up. I'll start with my most recent and most stressful event - my first injury. Here we go:
Injury Part #1:
I went for a regular run a couple weeks ago, everything was going great and I felt really good. I ran for about 40 mins straight before finally taking a walk break. During the break I noticed a muscle in my left hip hurt. Then I felt it in my lower back and along the outside of my quad, from hip to knee. My first thought was OH NO, MY IT BAND IS INJURED. This is a typical injury for runners and from the sounds of it, is not pleasant and difficult to overcome. I thought I was in big trouble. I walked for a while before attempting to run again, but it didn't really help. I ran for maybe 10 more minutes and then cut my run short.
At first I thought I just had a tired, cramped up muscle, but my hip continued to hurt for the rest of the night and the next day. While at work I tried to find anything to massage it. At night the pain would get worse and walking up the stairs in my apartment was not fun. On top of this, I was in the middle of moving. Every night my boyfriend and I would pack stuff up and then take it to our new house. This meant lots of walking, lifting and going up and down those dang stairs. I told my coach and he suggested I take it easy. No track practice and no running for a few days. This was great for packing, but so stressful mentally. I'm training for a marathon and now I have to stop running? WHAT?
So I took a break for THREE whole days. My left hip felt fine. I went to group training that saturday and thank goodness it was a "step back" week. We were only doing 10. I ran the first five miles and by the end of it the pain was back but in my RIGHT hip. I don't know how or why, but the pain switched sides and stayed there for almost a week and it was worse than the first time around. I ended up walking about 4 more miles that Saturday which helped, but by the evening I was in pain again. I talked to my coach again and decided it was time to see a doctor. I wasn't about to take even MORE time off of training. Monday morning I called Dr. Smith (the same doctor who did our muscle imbalance tests) and got an appointment for that Wednesday. In the meantime I stayed away from running and headed to the gym for an elliptical, which is just not the same.
To be continued...
Friday, January 22, 2010
My Shoes!
Kind of a bad picture, but oh well. Surprisingly, they look pretty similar to my old Asics shoes I was using.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Two More Months
Can't believe it, but there are only two months left till my marathon. My training has flown by and I've now been running for three months. I do believe that is the longest I've consistently ran ever. I'm now in the, perhaps, tougher time of training? I've crossed the ten mile marker and am still building. I think this Saturday we're running 14 miles. I'm a little nervous about it since my 12 miler last Saturday was awful. I started to get tired much too soon and had to slow my pace down significantly by the end of the run. My gels and energy snacks did nothing to help really either. I'm thinking it had to do with my rather large dinner the night before of Thai food. So tomorrow I'm going to eat a lighter more nutritious dinner and see how things go on Saturday.
In other news, I have new running shoes! Well actually, I now have NEW new running shoes. I originally bought a new pair two Saturdays ago at the running store (that so conveniently happens to be down the street from me). They seemed okay at first, definitely felt different on me feet. I can only describe it that my feet felt like they were being held differently. After a couple of runs, I decided that my feet felt like they were uneven inside my shoes. But, they were new fancy schmancy running shoes so I wanted to keep giving it a chance, maybe I'd get used to it. I took them on my long run (the 12 miler) and ended up with a couple of big blisters by the end of it. Fortunately they healed pretty quickly, but on my next run I could tell they'd come back. SO thankfully, the running store has a trial period with new shoes. I ended up going back yesterday and picking up the other pair of shoes I originally looked at. I now have a pair of Saucony's. Since it's raining (and I was in a grumpy mood from work) I decided to run on a treadmill at the gym (better than nothing, which I was very close to doing!). So my shoes' first trial run seemed okay. I could definitely tell my feet are being held differently, again, but they also don't feel as awkward inside the shoe. I was going to post a picture but technology seems to be failing me. I'll post it later.
So I found out that the Rose Bowl Half Marathon is pretty pricey. It's an $80 registration fee...and that's with a discount. So I may end up just doing the 10K which is only $30. Not quite what I wanted, but I have a lot of stuff going on with finding a new place to live so spending that much (when I've already spent SOOO much on running gear) doesn't seem like a good idea. A little bummed about that, but oh well.
Keep dry out there! Or run in it!
In other news, I have new running shoes! Well actually, I now have NEW new running shoes. I originally bought a new pair two Saturdays ago at the running store (that so conveniently happens to be down the street from me). They seemed okay at first, definitely felt different on me feet. I can only describe it that my feet felt like they were being held differently. After a couple of runs, I decided that my feet felt like they were uneven inside my shoes. But, they were new fancy schmancy running shoes so I wanted to keep giving it a chance, maybe I'd get used to it. I took them on my long run (the 12 miler) and ended up with a couple of big blisters by the end of it. Fortunately they healed pretty quickly, but on my next run I could tell they'd come back. SO thankfully, the running store has a trial period with new shoes. I ended up going back yesterday and picking up the other pair of shoes I originally looked at. I now have a pair of Saucony's. Since it's raining (and I was in a grumpy mood from work) I decided to run on a treadmill at the gym (better than nothing, which I was very close to doing!). So my shoes' first trial run seemed okay. I could definitely tell my feet are being held differently, again, but they also don't feel as awkward inside the shoe. I was going to post a picture but technology seems to be failing me. I'll post it later.
So I found out that the Rose Bowl Half Marathon is pretty pricey. It's an $80 registration fee...and that's with a discount. So I may end up just doing the 10K which is only $30. Not quite what I wanted, but I have a lot of stuff going on with finding a new place to live so spending that much (when I've already spent SOOO much on running gear) doesn't seem like a good idea. A little bummed about that, but oh well.
Keep dry out there! Or run in it!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Taking a Breather
Today I took the night off. No running, no cleaning, no moving related chores, nothing. Instead, I took a much needed nap, ate some pizza and relaxed. I did this because life again threw a curveball and this time I needed a day to recover. In short, there was a death in my boyfriend's family and last night was very emotional and tiring. I didn't get home till just before 4am and still woke up at 6:30 for work. Tomorrow I'll resume my training with our final hill training session of the season.
In other news, my boyfriend says I need to put more variety in my blog, so here is a list of posts to come (If I write this, then it means I have to do it!):
New Shoes
Gearing Up
Fundraising
Running on my own
Time for bed and relax the brain!
In other news, my boyfriend says I need to put more variety in my blog, so here is a list of posts to come (If I write this, then it means I have to do it!):
New Shoes
Gearing Up
Fundraising
Running on my own
Time for bed and relax the brain!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Guess What?!
I just found out, I'm running a half marathon! I'm blowing past 10K and going straight for a half marathon! Woohoo! I am running the "Rose Bowl Half Marathon" on February 7th, I'm very excited by this if you can't tell.
In other news, I was very close to not going on my run tonight because I was feeling very tired. Fortunately, with some great motivation from my boyfriend and him agreeing to ride his bike while I run, I did it. AND I did the full 45 mins when I wanted to cut it down a bit. Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of my best runs. I'm not sure how that happened when I was so tired, but I thought that was pretty awesome.
So a good run and a pending half marathon, nice night!
Just wanted to share. Goodnight!
In other news, I was very close to not going on my run tonight because I was feeling very tired. Fortunately, with some great motivation from my boyfriend and him agreeing to ride his bike while I run, I did it. AND I did the full 45 mins when I wanted to cut it down a bit. Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of my best runs. I'm not sure how that happened when I was so tired, but I thought that was pretty awesome.
So a good run and a pending half marathon, nice night!
Just wanted to share. Goodnight!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Life's Hurdles Vs. Building A New Habit
One of my main goals in training for this marathon is to make a habit of running on a regular basis. This gets difficult when life comes at you full force in the form of Christmas, New Years and oh yeah a stomach flu. Fortunately, I'm taking this goal and my training seriously and have somehow managed to make it through. Yes, I admit, I've missed a run here and there during the week -- BUT! I haven't missed any of my group training long runs OR any of my hill training sessions with my team.
Christmas was great, lots of time with family on Christmas Eve, Christmas day and the day after Christmas. I successfully ran according to our training schedule on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas. Had this been the "old" Melody I would have said forget it its the Holidays, I'm going to eat anything I want, sleep in and get to that run later. But the "new" Melody decided I'll take advantage of my day off, wake up at a decent time and go run in the sun on a weekday (instead of 7 or 8 at night like normal). I'll feel energized and good about myself and heck, not have to worry a whole lot about the junk food I may eat. For me, this decision was very important. Pre-TNT I had done "recreational running" but wasn't a runner. What's the difference? I would run when I felt like it, when time allowed. I'd get serious about it for a few weeks, but then something would come up and it would fizzle away. That's the key point! Now, stuff is coming up and I'm still committing myself to getting out there and running even when I'm tired, even when I think I don't have time. Because you know what? I always feel better afterward, and somehow there just seems to be more time when you cut out TV or goofing around online. I'm becoming a runner.
So I made it through Christmas, New Years should be a cinch. WRONG! Two days before New Years Eve, when I'm supposed to have people over to camp out and watch the Rose Parade.... I get a stomach flu. It was awful. Somehow, that Tuesday I made it through my entire hill training. My stomach felt a little funny but I thought it was all in my head. I came home from training and as soon as I walked in the door I knew something was wrong. My stomach suddenly felt like someone dove their hands into my stomach, grabbed all of my organs and was wringing them out like a wet rag. So for the next several hours I was in various stages of an unpleasant stomach flu... not pretty. The next day I slept and stayed in bed for almost 24 hours. I barely ate and spent most of the morning and afternoon battling a fever. Luckily I managed to recover enough to have a fun New Years, but I definitely felt weak. That Saturday I had a 6 mile run. Again, "old" Melody would have said forget it, stay home and in bed just in case. Instead I realized I felt well enough to run and should. Although I must admit my 6 mile run after New Years day... AWFUL! But it was for most of the team so, hey at least I did it.
Anyway, to make a long story short, life happens, but it shouldn't stop me. I faced these hurdles and soldiered on. I'm building my new habit and trying to make it concrete. This way when I no longer have a team behind me or a marathon ahead of me, I'll still get out and run. I already have my next hurdle to face. On March 1st (three weeks before my marathon) I'm moving! These next two months I have to deal with showing my current place, finding a new place and (ugh) packing. It'll get hard, stressful and tiring, but my hopes are to use my running as a stress reliever and something to do for myself. We'll see how it goes.
In the meantime, bare with me and my erratic posting (and non-posting), but know that I am STILL RUNNING!
Christmas was great, lots of time with family on Christmas Eve, Christmas day and the day after Christmas. I successfully ran according to our training schedule on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas. Had this been the "old" Melody I would have said forget it its the Holidays, I'm going to eat anything I want, sleep in and get to that run later. But the "new" Melody decided I'll take advantage of my day off, wake up at a decent time and go run in the sun on a weekday (instead of 7 or 8 at night like normal). I'll feel energized and good about myself and heck, not have to worry a whole lot about the junk food I may eat. For me, this decision was very important. Pre-TNT I had done "recreational running" but wasn't a runner. What's the difference? I would run when I felt like it, when time allowed. I'd get serious about it for a few weeks, but then something would come up and it would fizzle away. That's the key point! Now, stuff is coming up and I'm still committing myself to getting out there and running even when I'm tired, even when I think I don't have time. Because you know what? I always feel better afterward, and somehow there just seems to be more time when you cut out TV or goofing around online. I'm becoming a runner.
So I made it through Christmas, New Years should be a cinch. WRONG! Two days before New Years Eve, when I'm supposed to have people over to camp out and watch the Rose Parade.... I get a stomach flu. It was awful. Somehow, that Tuesday I made it through my entire hill training. My stomach felt a little funny but I thought it was all in my head. I came home from training and as soon as I walked in the door I knew something was wrong. My stomach suddenly felt like someone dove their hands into my stomach, grabbed all of my organs and was wringing them out like a wet rag. So for the next several hours I was in various stages of an unpleasant stomach flu... not pretty. The next day I slept and stayed in bed for almost 24 hours. I barely ate and spent most of the morning and afternoon battling a fever. Luckily I managed to recover enough to have a fun New Years, but I definitely felt weak. That Saturday I had a 6 mile run. Again, "old" Melody would have said forget it, stay home and in bed just in case. Instead I realized I felt well enough to run and should. Although I must admit my 6 mile run after New Years day... AWFUL! But it was for most of the team so, hey at least I did it.
Anyway, to make a long story short, life happens, but it shouldn't stop me. I faced these hurdles and soldiered on. I'm building my new habit and trying to make it concrete. This way when I no longer have a team behind me or a marathon ahead of me, I'll still get out and run. I already have my next hurdle to face. On March 1st (three weeks before my marathon) I'm moving! These next two months I have to deal with showing my current place, finding a new place and (ugh) packing. It'll get hard, stressful and tiring, but my hopes are to use my running as a stress reliever and something to do for myself. We'll see how it goes.
In the meantime, bare with me and my erratic posting (and non-posting), but know that I am STILL RUNNING!
Monday, December 28, 2009
A Perfect Ten
So another month of training has come and gone. Training is going by pretty quickly and somehow I'm making it through the winter. Hopefully the weather doesn't get too bad. I've somehow managed to avoid rain on my running days. I have a feeling that will catch up with me at some point. So far we've just had to deal with running in the cold. This past weekend it was 40 degrees out when we started our run. Our hands were literally burning/stinging from the cold. It wasn't till about mile two that I finally started to warm up. We actually saw a couple people run by with FROST on their beanies. Note to self: if there is actually frost outside, maybe a long sleeve shirt isn't a bad idea even if I tend to overheat...
Anyway, my biggest accomplishment this past month that I am most proud of is I ran TEN miles! I finally reached double digits. It was a good run too (minus the cold). I was struggling a little last week because my hip started bothering me the Sunday after our 8 mile run. All week I was concerned about it and tried to baby it. I didn't run Monday, did hill training tuesday but at a much slower pace (still hurt a bit after that), nothing on wednesday and a light jog on Thursday. The babying helped! Saturday, I did my ten miles and my hip cooperated. Even after our run, it's still holding up. I've been using a foam roller (similar to REALLY hard styrofoam that you use to massage your muscles) to relax my hip and it's been helping a lot. So as a reward to myself, I get to finally use my gift certificate for a massage that my boyfriend bought me for my birthday. Ten miles down, only 16.2 more to go! =)
Another accomplishment this month, is somehow I raised $1,700 in a month bringing my total fundraised to a little over $2,400! Really amazing! After Thanksgiving it just started accumulating. This is before I've even been able to participate in group fundraisers with my team. All just from family, friends and co-workers. I feel very lucky to have so many people show their support for me and this cause -- during the holidays AND during a recession--- it's nice to feel so supported and I'm very grateful.
One last highlight of this month. I finally met my other honor teammate, Tyler Cordova. Tyler is 7 years old and was diagnosed with leukemia in 2007. This kid is amazing. He has such a personality - upbeat, lively, energetic. He's not shy, gives his opinion and tough. He just went through a stem cell transplant a few months ago and is still recovering. If it wasn't for the signs on his young body, you wouldn't know this happy kid was going through such an intense medical battle. I was very impressed by him and his family. I was also glad to hear that a match was found for him through the bone marrow registry (now called "Be the Match"), a registry I joined six years ago at Stanford. Who knows if I'll ever be a match for someone, but it's nice to know the registry works and is saving lives. It's also nice to know that Tyler was able to spend Christmas at home instead of a hospital.
In short, I've accomplished all my goals I made last month:
1. Several MORE hours of running - oh yeah
2. My next personal mileage hurdle -- 10 miles. DONE!
3. More muscles (less fat?)! slowly but surely...
4. More running gear including a much needed hydration belt --- Way past just the belt
5. About $1,800 more fundraised - less than $100 left!
Alright, so what goals do I want to shoot for in this next month:
1. Focus more on nutrition - food to fuel the machine!
2. Figure out my energy food of choice: beans, "goo", blocks, bars...
3. Integrate more injury prevention exercises into my weekly routine
4. Exceed my $2,500 goal
5. More miles on my feet!
Anyway, my biggest accomplishment this past month that I am most proud of is I ran TEN miles! I finally reached double digits. It was a good run too (minus the cold). I was struggling a little last week because my hip started bothering me the Sunday after our 8 mile run. All week I was concerned about it and tried to baby it. I didn't run Monday, did hill training tuesday but at a much slower pace (still hurt a bit after that), nothing on wednesday and a light jog on Thursday. The babying helped! Saturday, I did my ten miles and my hip cooperated. Even after our run, it's still holding up. I've been using a foam roller (similar to REALLY hard styrofoam that you use to massage your muscles) to relax my hip and it's been helping a lot. So as a reward to myself, I get to finally use my gift certificate for a massage that my boyfriend bought me for my birthday. Ten miles down, only 16.2 more to go! =)
Another accomplishment this month, is somehow I raised $1,700 in a month bringing my total fundraised to a little over $2,400! Really amazing! After Thanksgiving it just started accumulating. This is before I've even been able to participate in group fundraisers with my team. All just from family, friends and co-workers. I feel very lucky to have so many people show their support for me and this cause -- during the holidays AND during a recession--- it's nice to feel so supported and I'm very grateful.
One last highlight of this month. I finally met my other honor teammate, Tyler Cordova. Tyler is 7 years old and was diagnosed with leukemia in 2007. This kid is amazing. He has such a personality - upbeat, lively, energetic. He's not shy, gives his opinion and tough. He just went through a stem cell transplant a few months ago and is still recovering. If it wasn't for the signs on his young body, you wouldn't know this happy kid was going through such an intense medical battle. I was very impressed by him and his family. I was also glad to hear that a match was found for him through the bone marrow registry (now called "Be the Match"), a registry I joined six years ago at Stanford. Who knows if I'll ever be a match for someone, but it's nice to know the registry works and is saving lives. It's also nice to know that Tyler was able to spend Christmas at home instead of a hospital.
In short, I've accomplished all my goals I made last month:
1. Several MORE hours of running - oh yeah
2. My next personal mileage hurdle -- 10 miles. DONE!
3. More muscles (less fat?)! slowly but surely...
4. More running gear including a much needed hydration belt --- Way past just the belt
5. About $1,800 more fundraised - less than $100 left!
Alright, so what goals do I want to shoot for in this next month:
1. Focus more on nutrition - food to fuel the machine!
2. Figure out my energy food of choice: beans, "goo", blocks, bars...
3. Integrate more injury prevention exercises into my weekly routine
4. Exceed my $2,500 goal
5. More miles on my feet!
Monday, December 14, 2009
My First 5K
So Saturday was my very first 5K race ever and I must say it went really well! It looked awful out and was raining off and on, but I had fun nonetheless.
I got to our TNT tent a little early, put on my shoe tag and my first race bib ever! The shoe tag is pretty neat. There were blue mats laid across the start/finish line and as soon as your tag crosses the mat, your chip is activated and your time starts. It was funny running across the mats and hearing all the beeps from the tags going off.
The 10K runners were running before us and as the last few runners were coming in it started to POUR, HARD. Thankfully it
stopped right before we started lining up. It may have been sprinkling during the run, but honestly I don't even remember!
The run itself was AWESOME! I listened to my coach and slowly built up my speed and I didn't focus on trying to weave through the crowd (it really was crowded at the start--if I had tripped I would have been trampled). Before I knew it we reached the half way point... the whole race went by so fast! Not too far after the last turn I saw Coach Kiley cheering me and my running partner Pola in. Once I saw him I started sprinting in. I knew the finish line was close and I could see it getting closer. But, you know what? I am NOT a sprinter. I could feel the muscles in my legs tiring and I had the oddest sensation of my insides contracting. I slowed a little before the finish, but was still still running faster than I ever run. Lesson learned: Don't start sprinting too early. I crossed the finish and saw that I came in under thirty minutes. WOW! I surprised myself. My official time was 28:54. Compared to my initial pace assessment time, which was the same distance, I cut my time by FOUR minutes. From 32:56 to 28:54... my coach said that's HUGE for such a short distance. I must admit, I'm very impressed by myself. It's nice to see that I really am at a new fitness level.
After our run. Me, Pola and Coach Kiley peeking through in the back.
I got to our TNT tent a little early, put on my shoe tag and my first race bib ever! The shoe tag is pretty neat. There were blue mats laid across the start/finish line and as soon as your tag crosses the mat, your chip is activated and your time starts. It was funny running across the mats and hearing all the beeps from the tags going off.
The 10K runners were running before us and as the last few runners were coming in it started to POUR, HARD. Thankfully it
stopped right before we started lining up. It may have been sprinkling during the run, but honestly I don't even remember!
The run itself was AWESOME! I listened to my coach and slowly built up my speed and I didn't focus on trying to weave through the crowd (it really was crowded at the start--if I had tripped I would have been trampled). Before I knew it we reached the half way point... the whole race went by so fast! Not too far after the last turn I saw Coach Kiley cheering me and my running partner Pola in. Once I saw him I started sprinting in. I knew the finish line was close and I could see it getting closer. But, you know what? I am NOT a sprinter. I could feel the muscles in my legs tiring and I had the oddest sensation of my insides contracting. I slowed a little before the finish, but was still still running faster than I ever run. Lesson learned: Don't start sprinting too early. I crossed the finish and saw that I came in under thirty minutes. WOW! I surprised myself. My official time was 28:54. Compared to my initial pace assessment time, which was the same distance, I cut my time by FOUR minutes. From 32:56 to 28:54... my coach said that's HUGE for such a short distance. I must admit, I'm very impressed by myself. It's nice to see that I really am at a new fitness level.
After our run. Me, Pola and Coach Kiley peeking through in the back.
Friday, December 11, 2009
First Race Ever!
Tomorrow morning I'm running my very first 5K ever! And it's most likely going to rain... also a first! Can't talk long, got to go to bed, should really already be asleep! Just wanted to get it down before the race. Think good thoughts, I'm worried about the rain since I've never done it!
This is the race I'll be running: www.christmasrun.com
Yay for a running first! GOOD NIGHT!
This is the race I'll be running: www.christmasrun.com
Yay for a running first! GOOD NIGHT!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Relentless, Surprise & Burn Out
It's been an interesting past few days. I've had ups and slight downs. At group training on Saturday I was awarded the "Relentless For A Cure" singlet to wear during our practice. The singlet, from my understanding, recognizes your hard work and commitment to TNT - through your training and fundraising (with checks I'm nearing $1,900). It was nice to be recognized by the staff, I really appreciated it. So for our run I wore the "RFAC" shirt. The shirt itself is meant to be passed on from week to week so it's a one size fits all deal, which meant I got to run wearing a dress/tunic. I thought that was funny.
Saturday was also our six mile run. Coach Kiley told us the course and for the first time I thought, "wow, that is pretty long". This time we started in Hahamonga Park, ran down to the Rose Bowl, ran around the full bowl, back up to Hahamonga Park, on the trail for a bit and around an old baseball field and then finally back to where we started. Took my pace group one hour and 30 minutes. At about the 45 min mark I was getting tired and by the time we reached the aid station (our first!) I was in need of the gatorade. We only stopped for maybe a minute, but man did that make a difference! Gatorade and starbursts... who knew! At the end of our run I thankfully found out that a lot of other people had the also felt like the run was long and were getting tired sooner than they expected. Turns out we ran closer to 7 miles, probably over. Pola, in my pace group has a GPS watch that said we did more like 7 and a half. Either way... we went past six! No wonder I was so dang tired!! I remember when I used to have a goal of running six miles, well I did and blew past it! That feels pretty good. A little sore the next day, but good overall.
After our run we had a doctor come in who is a runner himself and knows a lot about runner's injuries. He spoke for a bit and then brought out his table and gave "muscle imbalance" examinations to any one who wanted one. That was NEAT, very cool! I laid down on his table and he would bend and maneuver my legs in different positions. He held my ankle and would push on my leg and I'd have to resist against the pressure. We started on my left and it was VERY strong, solid as a rock with hardly any movement. He said that was good. We then moved to my right leg. As soon as he pushed, my leg went to jello and slipped under the pressure. I laughed because it was so drastic. We tried again thinking maybe the pressure caught me off guard - nope. My leg fell again. Surprise! Turns out my inner leg muscles on my right leg are not nearly as strong as my left. This explains the odd sensation I was starting to get in my right knee as well as the pain I've been having in my right arch. Fortunately, Dr. Smith showed me some exercises I now have to do twice a day to strengthen my leg. On a funny note, Dr. Smith also examined my feet and could tell right away that I danced, apparently one of the bones in my foot is much more "prominent" than usual.
So Monday I decided to take the day off from my training for no other reason than to avoid burnout. I needed a longer break than just a Sunday rest day. Kind of odd timing after just getting the "relentless" shirt, but I was sensing the negative feelings starting to creep in. Most days I wake up, go to work, drive home, change, go run, come home, eat and go to bed. Then repeat about three more times before anything changes. Honestly, the extra day of nothing was all I needed. I'm feeling much better and now we're adding hill training along with cross training in our weekly schedule, so I think that will help add a little variety in my life. I think it was just a combination from being tired, bored with the usual and having just come off a very long run.
Again another long post - and I still have more I want to write!
Saturday was also our six mile run. Coach Kiley told us the course and for the first time I thought, "wow, that is pretty long". This time we started in Hahamonga Park, ran down to the Rose Bowl, ran around the full bowl, back up to Hahamonga Park, on the trail for a bit and around an old baseball field and then finally back to where we started. Took my pace group one hour and 30 minutes. At about the 45 min mark I was getting tired and by the time we reached the aid station (our first!) I was in need of the gatorade. We only stopped for maybe a minute, but man did that make a difference! Gatorade and starbursts... who knew! At the end of our run I thankfully found out that a lot of other people had the also felt like the run was long and were getting tired sooner than they expected. Turns out we ran closer to 7 miles, probably over. Pola, in my pace group has a GPS watch that said we did more like 7 and a half. Either way... we went past six! No wonder I was so dang tired!! I remember when I used to have a goal of running six miles, well I did and blew past it! That feels pretty good. A little sore the next day, but good overall.
After our run we had a doctor come in who is a runner himself and knows a lot about runner's injuries. He spoke for a bit and then brought out his table and gave "muscle imbalance" examinations to any one who wanted one. That was NEAT, very cool! I laid down on his table and he would bend and maneuver my legs in different positions. He held my ankle and would push on my leg and I'd have to resist against the pressure. We started on my left and it was VERY strong, solid as a rock with hardly any movement. He said that was good. We then moved to my right leg. As soon as he pushed, my leg went to jello and slipped under the pressure. I laughed because it was so drastic. We tried again thinking maybe the pressure caught me off guard - nope. My leg fell again. Surprise! Turns out my inner leg muscles on my right leg are not nearly as strong as my left. This explains the odd sensation I was starting to get in my right knee as well as the pain I've been having in my right arch. Fortunately, Dr. Smith showed me some exercises I now have to do twice a day to strengthen my leg. On a funny note, Dr. Smith also examined my feet and could tell right away that I danced, apparently one of the bones in my foot is much more "prominent" than usual.
So Monday I decided to take the day off from my training for no other reason than to avoid burnout. I needed a longer break than just a Sunday rest day. Kind of odd timing after just getting the "relentless" shirt, but I was sensing the negative feelings starting to creep in. Most days I wake up, go to work, drive home, change, go run, come home, eat and go to bed. Then repeat about three more times before anything changes. Honestly, the extra day of nothing was all I needed. I'm feeling much better and now we're adding hill training along with cross training in our weekly schedule, so I think that will help add a little variety in my life. I think it was just a combination from being tired, bored with the usual and having just come off a very long run.
Again another long post - and I still have more I want to write!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Running Through The Holidays
One of my goals was to keep this blog current. As evident from the last week...I've been slipping on that goal. BUT! I have not been slipping on my running! I managed to complete all my runs including the one on turkey day AND the Saturday after!
I meant to write on here on Thanksgiving day, but of course ran out of time. Thanksgiving morning I woke up at 7am and went for my run. I was at my boyfriend's parents' house and his mom decided to go with me. That was great because I had someone with me to endure the early run and to guide me around the neighborhood. It was windy out and at one point we were running uphill with the wind pushing against us, that was so hard I was literally laughing. Thanksgiving was great and this year I found myself genuinely thankful for my health, I know how important that is and I don't want to take it for granted --- so run a marathon!
Everything has been great the last week and a half. Our last group training we did 5 miles. We started at the Rose Bowl and connected to Hahamonga Park then ran back. I felt pretty good, but felt my energy draining at the very end... possibly the turkey? I might need to start carrying energy food or gel as we start to add more mileage. Runs during the week have been good too, but it's getting COLD!!! I had to buy more running clothes so I wouldn't freeze... Black friday I took advantage of the running gear on sale. I've also finally gotten a hydration belt and have been running with it to get used to it. Kind of odd, still not sure if I like it. Overall my body is holding up pretty well. We've been doing injury prevention cross training on Wednesdays and I'm getting better at making sure my body is warmed up before I go running. I do need to stretch more though, the other day I got out of bed and almost toppled over because my calves were so tight.
My biggest news is that I will be running my very first 5K (and very first race) in ten days! I will be running in the Santa Monica - Venice Christmas Run http://www.christmasrun.com/ I'm a little nervous only because it's my first race. I find it funny that I'm not nervous about the distance anymore - yay me!
In other news, my fundraising doubled in the last week. THANK YOU EVERYONE! That was an awesome Thanksgiving surprise.
I meant to write on here on Thanksgiving day, but of course ran out of time. Thanksgiving morning I woke up at 7am and went for my run. I was at my boyfriend's parents' house and his mom decided to go with me. That was great because I had someone with me to endure the early run and to guide me around the neighborhood. It was windy out and at one point we were running uphill with the wind pushing against us, that was so hard I was literally laughing. Thanksgiving was great and this year I found myself genuinely thankful for my health, I know how important that is and I don't want to take it for granted --- so run a marathon!
Everything has been great the last week and a half. Our last group training we did 5 miles. We started at the Rose Bowl and connected to Hahamonga Park then ran back. I felt pretty good, but felt my energy draining at the very end... possibly the turkey? I might need to start carrying energy food or gel as we start to add more mileage. Runs during the week have been good too, but it's getting COLD!!! I had to buy more running clothes so I wouldn't freeze... Black friday I took advantage of the running gear on sale. I've also finally gotten a hydration belt and have been running with it to get used to it. Kind of odd, still not sure if I like it. Overall my body is holding up pretty well. We've been doing injury prevention cross training on Wednesdays and I'm getting better at making sure my body is warmed up before I go running. I do need to stretch more though, the other day I got out of bed and almost toppled over because my calves were so tight.
My biggest news is that I will be running my very first 5K (and very first race) in ten days! I will be running in the Santa Monica - Venice Christmas Run http://www.christmasrun.com/ I'm a little nervous only because it's my first race. I find it funny that I'm not nervous about the distance anymore - yay me!
In other news, my fundraising doubled in the last week. THANK YOU EVERYONE! That was an awesome Thanksgiving surprise.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
One Month Down
I have officially been training for one month now. It has BLOWN by, almost too quick because I only have four more months till the marathon... exactly four.
Today was my fourth group training session - 1 hour run, the last of our timed runs I believe. Unlike last week where I felt like I could have ran much longer, today was a bit harder. I've been battling a looming cold all week. On Thursday I thought all of my Zicam, orange juice, echinacea and 11 hours of sleep on Monday had beat the germs, but then yesterday morning I woke up and there was my runny nose and fatigue. I was excited for my first hour long run though so I wanted to do it, and I did, but the last 20 mins was a little difficult. I couldn't breathe normally because of my congestion and I felt my body tiring, but I did it! All things considered, I actually think I did pretty well.
So one month of training and I've stuck to the schedule almost 100%. I've missed two runs. One because I went to a concert and the other because I felt sick and slept instead. But as Coach Kiley says, life happens. I like that. Obviously you don't want to skip too much, but you also don't need to beat yourself up for missing one every now and then.
So maybe I should give some quick accomplishments from the past month:
1. Completed my first hour long run
2. Most likely completed 5 miles in that hour --- longest run ever?
3. Seeing some new muscles in my legs
4. Got a brand new sports watch which I love!
5. Raised $703.60 on my fundraising page and checks (still being processed)
So what's to come?
1. Several MORE hours of running
2. My next personal mileage hurdle -- 10 miles.
3. More muscles (less fat?)!
4. More running gear including a much needed hydration belt
5. About $1,800 more fundraised
I'm sure the next month will fly by just as fast.
And finally, a picture of me and my pace group. Glistening from just finishing a run.
Today was my fourth group training session - 1 hour run, the last of our timed runs I believe. Unlike last week where I felt like I could have ran much longer, today was a bit harder. I've been battling a looming cold all week. On Thursday I thought all of my Zicam, orange juice, echinacea and 11 hours of sleep on Monday had beat the germs, but then yesterday morning I woke up and there was my runny nose and fatigue. I was excited for my first hour long run though so I wanted to do it, and I did, but the last 20 mins was a little difficult. I couldn't breathe normally because of my congestion and I felt my body tiring, but I did it! All things considered, I actually think I did pretty well.
So one month of training and I've stuck to the schedule almost 100%. I've missed two runs. One because I went to a concert and the other because I felt sick and slept instead. But as Coach Kiley says, life happens. I like that. Obviously you don't want to skip too much, but you also don't need to beat yourself up for missing one every now and then.
So maybe I should give some quick accomplishments from the past month:
1. Completed my first hour long run
2. Most likely completed 5 miles in that hour --- longest run ever?
3. Seeing some new muscles in my legs
4. Got a brand new sports watch which I love!
5. Raised $703.60 on my fundraising page and checks (still being processed)
So what's to come?
1. Several MORE hours of running
2. My next personal mileage hurdle -- 10 miles.
3. More muscles (less fat?)!
4. More running gear including a much needed hydration belt
5. About $1,800 more fundraised
I'm sure the next month will fly by just as fast.
And finally, a picture of me and my pace group. Glistening from just finishing a run.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Training Week 3
Doing good! My weekday runs are going well, although I've decided I need to devote more time to warming up beforehand. I've noticed that some days the front of my ankle starts to tighten up and is uncomfortable while I run.
I'm also learning to embrace a walk break here and there since with TNT, we're training using interval running. I've always been a little opposed to walking when I go running and during these first few weeks I found myself thinking, "Okay, 30 min run, have to run the WHOLE thing". I wouldn't stop because I knew I'd end up being disappointed with myself. Then last week during a run my ankle started to hurt and I ran through it anyway. By the end of the run I started feeling an odd sensation in my knee. That is when I realized I was already ignoring what our coaches were warning us about. LISTEN to your body!! It is far too early in the game to go hurting myself, so I will walk when I need to. I did this the other night, and you know what? I felt great. Seriously, my "breaks" last maybe 15 -60 seconds, so I will not feel guilty for a few seconds of a break in order to prevent injury. So there!
This week has been pretty hectic again. I had friends in town, a couple of concerts and my mom is coming over this weekend. With all this I missed 1 run and a x-training session. Tomorrow morning is another GTS - 50 min run. Slowly but surely it's adding up! Then after that I'm off to Disneyland to celebrate my mom's birthday. What an eventful life I'm leading these days...
Oh yeah, I had my first running dream since training started. I can't really remember all of it, but I think I was with some friends walking and at one point decided walking was silly when we could run, so I did. I wonder how many miles I'll rack up in my dreams. Do they count towards my training too?
I'm also learning to embrace a walk break here and there since with TNT, we're training using interval running. I've always been a little opposed to walking when I go running and during these first few weeks I found myself thinking, "Okay, 30 min run, have to run the WHOLE thing". I wouldn't stop because I knew I'd end up being disappointed with myself. Then last week during a run my ankle started to hurt and I ran through it anyway. By the end of the run I started feeling an odd sensation in my knee. That is when I realized I was already ignoring what our coaches were warning us about. LISTEN to your body!! It is far too early in the game to go hurting myself, so I will walk when I need to. I did this the other night, and you know what? I felt great. Seriously, my "breaks" last maybe 15 -60 seconds, so I will not feel guilty for a few seconds of a break in order to prevent injury. So there!
This week has been pretty hectic again. I had friends in town, a couple of concerts and my mom is coming over this weekend. With all this I missed 1 run and a x-training session. Tomorrow morning is another GTS - 50 min run. Slowly but surely it's adding up! Then after that I'm off to Disneyland to celebrate my mom's birthday. What an eventful life I'm leading these days...
Oh yeah, I had my first running dream since training started. I can't really remember all of it, but I think I was with some friends walking and at one point decided walking was silly when we could run, so I did. I wonder how many miles I'll rack up in my dreams. Do they count towards my training too?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Catching up - AKA a LONG post
This past week was VERY busy. Every night after work and going for my run, I would stay up in my room collecting family addresses and writing a letter. In the end I printed out 73 letters. I stayed up till almost midnight before our 7am group training printing and stuffing envelopes. FORTUNATELY I had help from my boyfriend, roommate and friends. I actually wanted 100 letters and was a little bummed I didn't have enough time, but I can still send them out.
Anyway, I've now had TWO group training sessions and both have been great. The TNT support staff are AWESOME. They actually run with us and encourage us the whole way.
GTS #1: pace assessment. I was nervous for this as I'm sure everyone else was, but it turned out really well. I ended up running the entire 3 miles with my teammate Elisa. We started out at pretty much the same pace. She ended up being a little faster than me, but I wanted to try to stick with her. That ended up working out really well because I ran about 3mins faster than I normally do. The staff was great because they had someone at every turn around the rose bowl to direct us and cheer us on. It's nice to have such a genuinely supportive staff. It was a good session, got to finally meet teammates, the full staff and see Virginia again.
GTS #2: 40 minute run at Hahamonga Park. This place was really neat. It feels hidden away and from what I saw has some really cool trails. it was FREEZING in the morning (although not as bad as first practice) but warmed up a little later. Based off of our times we were broken up into pace groups and given a pace. I am in a group with three other girls and right now we are at a 3:1 pace. This is for interval running which means we run for three minutes and then walk one minute. I have NEVER done this. It was actually kind of neat and I felt great afterward. I also met with my mentor afterward and we discussed different ways to fundraise. I was really stressing about that this past week, but I think now I have a general idea of what I would like to do.
In general I've been doing really well so far. I like running once I get out there, but am not at the point where I am looking forward to a run. My run on Thursday night though wasn't so great. My arch in my right foot started to hurt and I had to walk a couple times. I was disappointed, but started thinking maybe I was pushing a little more than I thought and our coaches keep saying to really watch that we don't do that. Right now we are "building our base", getting our bodies used to the pounding on the pavement, getting us used to the schedule, etc. I have plenty of time to run faster, longer and for more miles. I don't need to pile it on my first month. I think tomorrow when I go running I will take it a little easier and not be so hard on myself. After all my goal is to just COMPLETE a marathon and I don't want to get injured in the process.
Today is my rest day and I LOVE it. Now to go enjoy the little that's left of it. =)
Anyway, I've now had TWO group training sessions and both have been great. The TNT support staff are AWESOME. They actually run with us and encourage us the whole way.
GTS #1: pace assessment. I was nervous for this as I'm sure everyone else was, but it turned out really well. I ended up running the entire 3 miles with my teammate Elisa. We started out at pretty much the same pace. She ended up being a little faster than me, but I wanted to try to stick with her. That ended up working out really well because I ran about 3mins faster than I normally do. The staff was great because they had someone at every turn around the rose bowl to direct us and cheer us on. It's nice to have such a genuinely supportive staff. It was a good session, got to finally meet teammates, the full staff and see Virginia again.
GTS #2: 40 minute run at Hahamonga Park. This place was really neat. It feels hidden away and from what I saw has some really cool trails. it was FREEZING in the morning (although not as bad as first practice) but warmed up a little later. Based off of our times we were broken up into pace groups and given a pace. I am in a group with three other girls and right now we are at a 3:1 pace. This is for interval running which means we run for three minutes and then walk one minute. I have NEVER done this. It was actually kind of neat and I felt great afterward. I also met with my mentor afterward and we discussed different ways to fundraise. I was really stressing about that this past week, but I think now I have a general idea of what I would like to do.
In general I've been doing really well so far. I like running once I get out there, but am not at the point where I am looking forward to a run. My run on Thursday night though wasn't so great. My arch in my right foot started to hurt and I had to walk a couple times. I was disappointed, but started thinking maybe I was pushing a little more than I thought and our coaches keep saying to really watch that we don't do that. Right now we are "building our base", getting our bodies used to the pounding on the pavement, getting us used to the schedule, etc. I have plenty of time to run faster, longer and for more miles. I don't need to pile it on my first month. I think tomorrow when I go running I will take it a little easier and not be so hard on myself. After all my goal is to just COMPLETE a marathon and I don't want to get injured in the process.
Today is my rest day and I LOVE it. Now to go enjoy the little that's left of it. =)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
A Little Busy
I'm falling behind on my blog, but I have a good excuse!! I'm in the middle of writing 100 letters for my fundraising. I have to finish by Saturday practice. I'm literally working all day: wake up, go to work, come home & change, run, eat & shower, work on letters, sleep. Repeat.
Once Sunday comes, I'll have more time and I can hopefully catch up on my 1st group practice (that went REALLY well) and my own personal runs, etc.
Busy bee!!!
Once Sunday comes, I'll have more time and I can hopefully catch up on my 1st group practice (that went REALLY well) and my own personal runs, etc.
Busy bee!!!
Friday, October 30, 2009
1st Group Training Eve
Night before my first group training. I REALLY need to get to bed considering I have to wake up in less than 7 hours. I have to admit I AM NERVOUS. Don't know why... something new? new people? Our timed 3 mile pace assessment? ....all of it. I'm feeling a little like a chicken at the moment but I know I'm going to go and I know it will be fine. I think the nerves I feel are the butterflies I'd get before a performance, but as soon as I started dancing I'd be fine. So, I'm hoping that carries into running tomorrow.
For now, I just hope my brain will calm down enough to let me sleep the whole night.
For now, I just hope my brain will calm down enough to let me sleep the whole night.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Getting Pumped!
Did my first official run for training, an "Easy 30". I ran the bowl @ the Rose Bowl, just over 3 miles in about 36 mins. I really need to get a sports watch... my cell phone doesn't quite cut it. Not a fast run at all, but I didn't stop and when I finished I wasn't out of breath. Coach Kiley said to run at a pace where you could carry a conversation or sing. I was running by myself, so whenever there wasn't anyone around I would sing happy birthday to myself and adjust my pace. Kind of a funny thing to do. At the end I felt like I could keep going -- that's a good sign right?
I got my first email from our coach with tips, logistics, schedule, etc. Throughout the email Kiley put in some inspirational quotes. ALL of which I love and appreciate greatly.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. " ~Mark Twain
“The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”
These quotes really resonate with me. The first perfectly describes why I started my "25th Challenge" and the second captures my decision to join TNT.
I'm feeling pretty good...GO TEAM!
I got my first email from our coach with tips, logistics, schedule, etc. Throughout the email Kiley put in some inspirational quotes. ALL of which I love and appreciate greatly.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. " ~Mark Twain
“The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”
These quotes really resonate with me. The first perfectly describes why I started my "25th Challenge" and the second captures my decision to join TNT.
I'm feeling pretty good...GO TEAM!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
