Upswing

Yesterday it rained all day in atlanta. It was miserable and my roommate and I just sat around and baked all day. 

Really, we didn't do anything.

So today was long run day, my last true long run before the half in 2 weeks.  After a disasterous 8  miles last weekened I really wanted today to be special. To feel like I hadn't been training for nothing.  

I woke up at 9:30, ate a bagel and some yogurt and didn't leave until 11:30ish. I packed my normal gatorade mix and a Cliff gel that my friend told me to try and kept a positive attitude despite the horrible weather that is here. 

It's cold.

It's windy.

Oh and it's wet everywhere.

Did I mention windy? Seriously, Atlanta is like a wind tunnel on every street.

Anyway I decided to run my usual route backwards, tackling the dreaded North Avenue hills first.  Honestly I couldn't have asked for a better run. 

Well I could have, like not freezing, and not so windy I was being pushed sideways but eh!

I ate my little gel at mile 6 as I was leaving the Highland area and by the time I got home I'd run 11.06!

I felt good. I got home, iced my knees and feet (they were achey) and smiled knowing I had hit my goal half pace.  

Now I'm sitting down to finally do school work.  

Ugh Guess I gotta put work in at some point right?

14 days till the half. Taper starts in 4 and I'm so so so ready for that!!

Run Happy everyone!

The Bad Times

Today's Running World Quote was:

"It takes faith and the courage to risk failure in order to realize one's destiny. Having had my share of failures throughout my career I know that it is well worth the risk." - Ryan Hall, American long distance runner and winner of the 2008 United States Olympic Marathon Trials

I love this quote. It really hit home after the past few weeks I have had. 

This explains a lot of my lack of posting. 

"Drama" is exactly how I'd characterize what's been going on. I'd love to divulge everything (not) but it involves tears, yelling, alcohol and honestly a little loss of dignity on my part every once in a while.  

Don't worry, you can just go watch an ABC-no-so-Family show and it will be about the same. 

Anyway the drama has caused some sidetrackedness in my focus on training. I'm still doing it but it's been more of a mind numbing get-away-from-everything thing, causing me to not want to post about it. 

On top of my 'drama' I had one of the worst runs of life on Sunday.  I had skipped my long run last weekend due to, surprise, drama and drinking, and so I was excited to get back to a 10 miler on Sunday.  I had eaten breakfast with some friends early in the morning and headed out around 2pm so I could have plenty of time to digest my food.  I felt perfectly fine when I left. Excited to run, had on new clothes, it was a beautiful day in Atlanta at a high 60's low 70's temp with some wind. 

Well I got to about mile 2.5 and realized something wasn't quite right. My legs weren't shaking that dead feeling. I chalked it up to a few days of not running and they were just stiff but I couldn't get rid of it. By mile 4.5 I was in the Virginia Highlands and had stopped. I was sitting on a bench with absolutely dead legs and a stomach ache just to add to it. My lungs were on fire and everything felt like it was falling apart.  I knew I wasn't going to make 10 miles that day, I was praying just for 8 at the rate I was going. I texted my roommate with a warning text of "this isn't going so hot" just in cased I needed her to come get me.

Yeah, I felt THAT bad. 

So I kept going, forced myself at least, slowly, and told myself that if I could just keep going and walk some/rest I'd make it through. 

The next 3.5 miles were the worst miles ever. 

I've never thrown up from working out but I was pretty damn close, and I actually WANTED to. I wanted to throw up so bad thinking it would make me feel better. Anything to make me feel better. I kept waiting for a second wind but no. And of course when you're in the middle of Atlanta you're smack in the middle of a MILLION and one hills. Steep, long hills. 

I somehow made it back to campus and when my Garmin watch hit 8 miles I just stopped. And I walked home. Walked. I've never done that in my life. It was miserable. I was miserable. I felt like such a  failure. And the half is only 3 weeks away! I was supposed to be throwin out 8 miles like nothin. 

My legs just did not want it. And I had to listen on Sunday. 

Maybe it's been the alcohol, which honestly hasn't been much because if any of y'all knew me you knew I can get a hangover from 2 beers and be hammered in 1. Maybe it's all this drama, or school, or the stress I've been putting on myself lately but it's just been a rough few weeks of training. My Monday run was sucky as well. Legs hadn't recovered yet but I knew I needed to get the miles in. 

Anyway back to the applicable quote for the day. I guess this is all of my failures right now. I keep fighting the failure feeling. I have to shake it because I start taper in 8 days and then it's race time. I've been working way too hard to let this feeling take me down.

So it's time to push the personal shit out of my mind and get it all done and get back to running happy instead of this moody gloomy running.

Sleep

Monday morning's workout turned into a Monday EVENING workout due to one too many (meaning more than one, meaning two) whiskey coke's while watching the Superbowl.

Somehow my tolerance is like negative drinks now. I think if I even look at alcohol my head starts hurting.

Anyway so I went last night I did some abs and ran around the track a bazillion zillion times to get some miles in.  I then decided that since it was 8pm and I didn't feel like fighting for a treadmill for hill stuff or braving Atlanta night-time that I'd just do some stadiums inside the pool viewers deck!

What a GREAT idea right?!

False. 

I made it through three sets, my legs were shaking so hard I couldn't stand still, literally. 

It's amazing I used to do those every week when I was swimming.

So then last night around 11 I was icing my knees and heating my shoulders (which hurt) and felt exhausted.  I was very excited to sleep hard and rest before my 6am workout, which is the normal Tuesday time. 

Fell asleep...and then woke up at 1:30 convinced it was 6. 

Re collected my thoughts. Fell asleep.

Then woke up at 4 conVINCED it was 6. 

Goodness. You'd think I'd stop being so anxious about missing my alarm and would just sleep.

Then of course at 6am I turned my alaram off and fell asleep till 6:30.

That's life right?

Rushed over to the gym to get in some biking and a light leg lifting session.  So far so good this week. Quality workouts that I'm definitely feeling the next day. 

Or days after I mean. 

Hopefully I'll sleep like the dead tonight though. God knows I need it. 

Lab at 8am! Woo!

Everyone go get a good run in today!!

Run Happy!

Doing it all

Last semester was the first semester I really felt like everything CLICKED. Well, at least in the past few months it's felt like that.

I had a rough spot from about last New Years till August/September. 

Wow that's a long rough spot looking back.

Anyway, I had a bad relationship, I lost my car before I even saw it, I had lots of health problems and friend drama all thrown in.  By July/August I'd started to get my feet back underneath me. By October I was sprinting. My grades were out of this world good, was working 20 hours a week and was training for my first Half Marathon. I was happy. 

Very happy.

I was also very organized. I knew what I wanted, when I needed things done by, how every day would go.  I had plans for just about everything. It seems kind of cyclic/boring to most but for me it worked. And the busier I was the better. Nothing could get in my way! Half marathon? So ready. Finals? Breezy. (comparitively) Yes I had a few  panic moments but otherwise, I did great! This was my best semester grade wise. I applied, and GOT, an internship with Atlanta Track Club working with kids AND now this sweet Brooks deal.  I have a wonderful boyfriend who supports me all the time and the best friends anyone could ask for. I really am doing it all right now.

I've found, after having some of the worst luck possible, that a positive outlook and a set plan really works. Yes some luck is involved, but when I set a goal I'm positive, I'm calculative and I'm persistent.  I know my limits but I also know when they should be pushed. I make sure that I wake up every morning with a positive outlook and knowing what I have planned for the day.  Maybe that's not everyone's cup of tea, but so far it's worked wonders for me!

Here's a nice little article by Active about setting goals. It's short and to the point, and if you can master all of these aspects of goal setting for running you can set goals for just about anything else in life.

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Defining_Your_Goal.htm

I think today is a rest day for me. My butt is still in quite a bit of pain.

I hope this ice/snow goes away soon. I need to run long this weekend!

Sitting Down

So, in case you haven't heard, Atlanta has been covered in ice/snow for a few days now. I haven't been in school for THREE days. Georgia Tech is like pulling a prank or something. 

Anyway despite the snow and ice and awful conditions I've been getting back into the swing of a training routine for my second half. Last night my roommate Thea and I sat down and really worked everything out for the next 10 weeks. It was a lot more involved and intense this time than it was for the first half marathon. My first one was really more for completion than for time. This time around I'm trying to shave off 17 minutes and run it in 2 hours or less.

Monday, Day 1 of the Snowpocalypse, I ran some hill workouts on the treadmill and did a few thera-ball exercises with the BF in his baby gym in the house complex he lives in. I sweat my little ass off. Clearly I've been running outside in the cold too much because I forgot how much sweating I do inside.  Tuesday I got on the stationary bike as a XT and did legs.  This involved some lunges...and some machines...

I can NOT sit down without pain, my ass hurts so bad. 

Today I ran 3 miles with some speedwork thrown in, a bunch of abs, and arms. 

These first few weeks are going to SUCK. But I'm fully ready to commit to the work that I will need for this. I want to run this well. I want my time cut down. I want a PR. And I know that by adding lifting, some speedwork and hill work will do it. I think it's going to get me past the plateau I'm on.

This morning I was up at 6:15. Alarm went off and after 3 weeks of sleeping in, it actually felt GOOD to get out, get back showered and out for breakfast and back before 11am. I feel like a champ today.

Time to try and be even MORE productive in the snowy ice snowpocalypse that's struck Atlanta.

Winter runs

I have now successfully gotten up twice this week in the frigid 20 degree weather to run.

Man, nothing makes a hot shower feel deserved like an ice cold run.

Tuesday:

I had been conned with ice cream into staying at the boyfriend's place that night knowing that I'd have an opportunity to run the Silver Comet trail in the morning.  Stayed up a bit too late studying (1am) and when my alarm when off at 6 I felt like I hadn't even fallen asleep yet.

To be completely honest I was extremely nervous about this run. I've never run in cold like this, ever. I didn't know if I was prepared for it or not. I have some NikePro long tight/warm weather gear pant things and underarmor. So as I donned all of my apparel I kept thinking "is this too much? is this not enough? is that tiny space between my tights and my socks going to feel like ice the whole run?".  

Walked outside and the cold immediately took my breath away (I had a hat and gloves, but nothing prepared me for that first step). It was 18 outside. 

18.

A TEEN NUMBER.

In ATLANTA.

Hello? Mother Nature? Yes, this is the south calling, we're upset.

Anyway I took a deep (cold, harsh, dry) breath and set off. 

My legs responded beautifully. 

I've been taking it pretty easy since the half and I wanted to make my morning week runs shorter but faster. So I chose 4 miles. 2 out, 2 back, very straight path but with rolling hills the whole way.  

I knew I was moving quick but when I hit the 2 mile turn around at right over 18 minutes I did a double take on my Garmin.

Err what? 

So that's when I decided I wanted to kick my 5k time's ass. The last 5k I did was in June, it was my first race ever. My goal was 30 minutes, I ran it in 28:45 (or something like that, 28 high).  I hit the lap button so I'd know how fast my third mile was and took off with gusto.  New 5k time: 27:36. I shaved a minute on that last mile and then kept going to do another 9 minute mile.

I guess I didn't need to be afraid of the cold. My body seems to like it. It reminds me of diving into a cold pool for a race. That immediate jolt of OH SHIT. 

My hot shower felt so good ...the only reason I got out was because I was starving.

Today:

Got up, struggled to get out of bed. I'm having a rough dead week/pre finals week. Very stressed. I caved and had mac and cheese for dinner (AH I knowwww it's bad) and wans't sleeping well. Got outside, again, 21 degrees...cold. Ran 4 miles, did 4 freshman hill (read: HELL hill) sprints...somehow managed to get my cold ass back home and ready for school.

My new shoes are holding up wonderfully. My underarmor and Nike pants are keeping me mostly warm...

If only finals were as easy as running.

Speaking of I need to go study.

Till another time,

Run Happy!

The Uber Planner

First order of business: I won my first running medal! I placed second in my age group (for women) and 23rd over all (for women). Frogtown is definitely one of the most fun races I'll ever run. 

I got a medal, a shirt, and a lot of free swag as well as a sore ankle from nearly busting ass on the rough trails. I LOVED IT. 

Second order:

So yesterday, while I was hungover from a  night of debauchy celebrations with The BF, I made my half-marathon training plan. Randomly too. I just needed to see it on paper. So I pulled out my fancy super-awesome-super-fine-point-super-nerdy color pens and went to work.  I only have a little over 7 weeks to do this. Fingers cross I can manage it, but since I put it down on paper it feels a lot more manageable.

Long runs on Saturday morning, goal longest is 11ish. Jeez, double digit numbers scare the hell outta me! I've calculated all my long run and tempo run paces...laid out my cross training. Now It's time to get to work. Starting today with a few miles and some time in the pool.

I'm not sure if I'm giving myself enough time for this or not but I think I can do it. It may not be the fastest half ever or the most comfortable but I need to start somewhere and I need to just push myself to start training at all. 

Here's to hoping all goes well!

Half or Half-assed?

Yesterday I was on the phone with my mom and mentioned coming home for Thanksgiving and that we needed to buy plane tickets. Her response "well aren't you going home with the BF?" (she doesn't say BF I just keep confidentiality here). 

Me:" errr well I can?"

Mom: "well I mean you'll be back 3 weeks after that...It's no big deal and I'm sure you'll be fine with the BF's family."

Well damn thanks mom.

This whole time I've been dreaming of baking with my sister and hanging out with my dogs and seeing Arlington and DC in their gorgeous fall colors and now guess not.

I was also looking forward to getting perpetually tipsy with my mother via mimosas at breakfast beer at lunch and wine at dinner/desserts. But hey, here's to hoping. 

So I'm staying here and going to the BF's for Turkey Day. No biggy. 

Actually this opens up a good opportunity that I'm going to sit on for a while. Atlanta Track Club's half marathon on Thanksgiving Morning. I have till October 31st till the application fee goes up again but It's going to be brooding in my head for a while. I'm nervous to set a bar so high. It's high for me at least. 13.1 miles?? Just walking around for 2 hours  makes me tired.

Damn. 

So I'll be working on that decision for a while.

Good things from today: I'm an official card-carrying member of ASME now. Sticker went on my nalgene and EVERYTHING.

I also have a 4.3 mi trail race on Saturday! In the middle-of-bumble-fuck-Georgia. Fingers crossed it goes well. Poor BF will be running the 10+ mile race and...well...he's going to hurt Saturday afternoon.

Just have to get through some tests first. Here's to a good week! Cheer y'all.

Home Sweet Home: Artery Clogging.

Long time no post.

I'm finally home, in Virginia, after a nice little 9+ hour drive with the BF. We averaged 80mph and were sans-cops the whooollle time. It was great.  Lots of chatting, dancing, generally just being happy to not be in school.

And now, I'm home. After 24 hours here I remember why I absolutely love it here but can only really be here a week.  The food is amazing, boutiful, and there's always a dessert. I just cannot help myself. I'm almost never home! 

It helps that I'm allowed to eat this much since the first thing my father said to me was "have you been eating??" as he hugged me and called me a stick figure. 

I ran before my this past Thursday, probably a little under four miles. It was...rough.

Ross talked to me last Saturday about a "shovel" on our run around Chickamunga (err?) Battlefield. We were both kinda struggling, I was cramping really bad and was at the end of my 17 mile week, and he started being all coach-y on me. Trying to relate running to swimming..

Ross: "you know those rough days, when you're in a distance practice, and you've already been swimming forever and you're not sure if you can make it.You're already in so much pain and you don't know if you can go further."

Me: *huff,puff,die* "yeah"

BF: "Well those are the days you have to pull out your shovel. You have to dig for the motivation."

Me: *glaring* "alright, I'm digging"

BF: "Some days, you dig and dig and you just don't see it, but you have to keep digging."

Me: "Can I have some water?" (he carry's my water for me, what a good BF)

Anyway, I really liked what he was saying to me. It's very true. Some days you wonder, why the hell am I doing this? And then dig a little and you find your motivation. Some days though, you dig forever and you end up digging the whole time.  This past Thursday, I think I left my shovel at home. I'm not sure if it was because I had a final that day, or because I've been trying to rest my legs so I don't get injured (lots of pain lately, not good) but I was not in it.  I didn't want to be out there, not one bit. 

I always want to go run, seriously. It could be a planned run at 6am and I usually want to go run, I love it. But the past few runs, not so much.

It sucks, but sometimes, you just have to take a break. If you don't want to run, it's not worth it. It's lazy, it's unproductive, it's just not worth the time.  When I run I want to be putting in work. 

Always carry a spare shovel. 

Eventually, you have to just get back in the groove.  It's time. So tomorrow, I'm digging the shoes out and I'm going to try and clear out some of the artery passageways that I've clogged in 24 hours at home and run around my hometown with the BF.

Happy Running!