Only A Few Long Runs Left!

Well I only have about a month and a half left in training! My last two long runs have actually been good. Last week I hit the bike trail were the race a majority of the race is going to be run. I did 19 miles and was quite pleased with the outcome. I was feeling strong the first 12 miles or so. Then I started to get really hungry. By mile 15 I had nothing left in the tank so I did find myself walking a lot towards the end. But I still had a decent pace of 11:46. It was nice running somewhere different. The change of scenery was a motivation in itself. I also tried listening to a book on tape. It was the best decision I think I have ever made. I am totally hooked on them now. They really make the time go quickly and I find myself getting so involved with the story and focusing less on my pain and suffering. I have been listening to thrillers so it makes me want to run so I can find out what happens next. So far I have finished "Runaway Jury" by John Grisham and "The Overlook" by Michael Connelly.

My long run today was 20 miles. My pace was a little slower, but I expected that because it was 90 degrees out by the time I finished. When I started, at 6:30 AM, it was 70 degrees. I knew the moment I stepped out the door that today was going to be a challenge. Once again I was feeling pretty strong till about mile 13, but then the heat really started to get to me. I did what I could to cool off, but you can only do so much. I dunked myself in a sprinkler at one point and it felt oh so good. I also stopped at Safeway twice and filled my hat with ice cubes from the soda machine after I filled my bottle with ice water. At one point I was out of water and had to stop at Starbucks for a refill. All in all I had to make 5 pit stops to refill my water. About a mile from my house I saw some construction guys spraying something out of a hose. I was going to ask them to spray me, but as I got closer I noticed it wasn't water, it was some green substance. I was thoroughly disappointed.

Overall I do feel a great deal stronger than I did when I started this training, but honestly I have no idea how I am going to be able to pull this off. I keep a positive attitude, but I know some sort of miracle is going to be needed. I suggest everyone should start praying for me now, I'm thinking a last minute prayer isn't going to work!

Fight the Boredom

I went to the library and I got a few books on tape to see how those would entertain me on my long runs. I'm starting to run out of podcasts so I needed a new plan. In addition to getting the books, I also got some audio CDs so I can try and learn to speak Italian. I figured I might as well use that time to make myself smarter. I'm not sure how well it will work out, but it's worth a shot. So if you see me running down the road and it looks like I'm talking to myself, at least you'll know I'm talking to myself in Italian!

Week 12 Wrap up: Is it October Yet?

Time got away from me this past week because I went away for a three day weekend to San Francisco. Last week my runs were okay. I was very pleased with my long run on Friday. I wanted to get it done before we went out of town because I really didn't want to map out an 18 mile route through the streets of Frisco. The run itself was quite warm, as I got out a little later than usual. Even though I did walk some at the end, I ran most of it quite strong. Forty-five minutes after completing my run, I was in the car and driving down to the Outside Lands musical festival in Golden Gate park. Once we got to the motel, we have to walk two miles to the show and then I spent another 3 hours or so standing and then walked 2 miles back to the motel. My legs were quite tired after all of this and they let me know they were not pleased with my actions. I ended up taking Saturday off and swimming at the motel inside of running.

On Saturday we changed motels and went to San Leandro and stayed at the San Leandro Marina Inn. It was fabulous! Sunday morning I woke up early and took a 4.5 mile run along the bay and the marina. The weather was perfect and it was a pleasant change from the streets of Folsom. The picture above is a shot of the marina from our balcony. I was going to take my camera on my run but I forgot it. When I got back I indulged myself in the best continental breakfast. I wish I could do that after every run.

Week Eleven Wrap Up:My Time to Whine

I am not going to lie. I am so sick of running right now. Everyday is a battle between staying in bed or getting out to hit the pavement. Of course the pavement pounding always wins, but the battle is exhausting. I'm bored with all of my running routes despite how I change them up. I'm sick of all the songs I have on my I-Pod and I'm running out of my favorite PodCasts. What am I going to do? I still have 2 months of training left!

The good news is that I have been in this predicament before and I was expecting it. The bad news is, that in the past when it's gotten to this point, I only had a few weeks left of training, not two months. My runs last week were nothing to write home about. I did go back to my old hill that I used for hill repeats the first six weeks and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it now was. It was very apparent that I have gain a lot of strength over these past almost three months.

My long run was not too great. I had a few stomach issues early on and had to spend a good mile and a half walking to Safeway. My new mantra was "get me to Safeway, just get me to Safeway!" It was also very warm and I just didn't feel good. I met my dad at mile ten and he helped me get through three more. I called it quits at that point. My dad drove me home and I had something to eat. Despite not feeling that great, my guilt of not doing my planned 18 miles got the better of me. I changed into my shorts and tank top and went out and ran another 2 miles. I figured 15 miles was a good compromise and I'm glad I decided to go back out.

On our way home from the run we stopped at REI and my dad bought me some anti-chafe balm. I used it today and it seemed to work well. The real test will come on my next long run. If it does truly work than I will be able to wear shorts on my long runs so I'm less likely to overheat.

What have I gotten myself into? This all seemed like a good idea three months ago. Why do I put myself through this torture voluntarily? I ask myself these questions daily. For some reason I feel I need to prove to all the non believers that I can do this. Why I feel I need to prove this, I'm not sure. I can't figure out why I need to challenge myself to do this. It's beyond the point of wanting to do it, I need to do this. I guess I will just have to ponder these questions on my next 18 mile run.

Week 10: Wrap Up and Shoes

Another week completed! As I look back on this past week, I really feel as though I struggled. I'm not sure why. My runs seemed to wear me out regardless of the distance and I thought there were weights tied to my feet. I'm thinking it was more mental than physical. I feel stuck in a running rut and I'm not sure how to remedy that right now. My long run was okay. I went 17 miles at an 11:06 pace. I found myself having to walk more than I did the previous week, but my finish was much stronger. My dad ran with my again the last 6 miles or so. Joe the Kenyan had the week off so he didn't show up at the end like last week.

On the way home from my long run my dad and I stopped at Big 5 and I bought a new pair of running shoes. I stayed loyal to my Saucony despite the fact that they have changed the inside of their shoe in the past year. The older models use to have a lot more cushion, bounce, and overall better feel on my foot. I use to be able to grab any pair of Saucony and they would fit perfectly. Since they changed the placement of arch support in some of their newer models, finding a pair that work has been a challenge. This time I got the Grid Tornado 3. They seem to be a good match. Hopefully they will make a difference in my future runs.

Meet the Crew

On race day I get to have a crew. I'm thinking this is going to be a good thing because you get to see them every six-ten miles. I figure this will help to break the race up into manageable sections. Here are my three crew members so far:



My Mom: Sharon O'Neill, a constant smiler and my number one cheerleader. My mom will provide the "rah rah" for the day. I'm hoping her peppy spirit will keep me going when times get tough. She's always been my best supporter. Even if she thinks something probably isn't going to work, she still cheers me on anyway, just in case she is wrong.





My Dad: John O'Neill, local running legend, AKA:Joe the Kenyan and my coach. I'm actually trying to convince him to enter the race too. If he's running these long runs with me, he might was well have them count towards something other than helping me out right? Plus I think it would be fun. As I've mentioned before my dad is my running hero so I'm excited to know he is going to be by my side on race day. Unless I'm dead, he won't let me quit, and even if I were dead he'd tell me to quit faking and get running! I know I'm gonna need the tough love in those late race miles.


My Husband: Jim Young. I know race day is going to be boring for him, but he will be there anyway to support me. I don't think he totally understands me need to do this but he goes along with it. Odds are he will have his radio with him the whole day so he and my dad can listen to whatever game is on that day.

So that is team Morgan. i'm glad they are all going to be there becasue I sure don't want to tackle this by myself!

I Beat Joe the Kenyan: Week 9 Wrap-up

I can't believe I've already completed nine weeks of training. I'm pleasantly shocked at how fast the time is going. All in all I would classify this as a pretty good week. Even though I started the week feeling stiff and fatigued, I was able to loosen up and finish strong. I'm loving my new socks and I found some new material to put on my I-Pod. I also downloaded my stats thus far from my GPS. During this training I have:

Run 235 miles
Burned 30,000 calories (but haven't lost weight)
Kept an average pace of 10:47 a mile
Spent 44 hours running

I may still weigh the same, but I have lost a few inches and 2% body fat. If I can lay off the sweets then maybe I can drop a few pounds. Now on to my long run.

My long run this week was surprisingly good too. I ran the first hour and forty-five minutes by myself and then met up with my dad for the rest. All I can say is that my dad must really love me because he ran an hour and a half by himself and then finished the last hour and fifteen minutes of my run with me. If that ain't love then I don't know what is! The last few weeks we have been starting from different locations and then meeting somewhere in the middle. It's pretty fun and it works well. You never know where you're going to meet because neither of us have a set time as to when we are going to start. So you have to keep a lookout for the other person. Plus I work much harder when I'm running with my dad, so it's nice to just go my own pace for some of the run and then have him keep me going the last part when I really need extra support. This week I was keeping a great pace even by myself. When I met up with him I was feeling strong and the time was just flying by. I got to mile 13 and I just hit the wall. It all happened so fast. The last 3 miles were really a struggle but Dad, as always, got me through it. The last mile or so he decided we were going to race. He was "Joe the Kenyan" and I was "The Girl from Folsom." I kept telling him I didn't want to play that game but eventually I gave in and passed him up. He narrated the entire performance. It was hard, but I beat Joe the Kenyan.

Socks

Runs have been going okay the past few days. Hill repeats are getting easier and the weather has been fairly mild. I've been training for 2 months now and I decided I needed to reward my accomplishments thus far with a little present...or five.

About a year ago I saw an ad for these running socks in my Runner's World magazine. I was instantly intrigued by the concept. Toe socks for running. How clever! By having each toe covered it eliminates the skin on skin contact that can cause blisters. A majority of my blisters came from this problem so this seemed like a perfect solution. I bought one pair to try them out. At first they felt a little weird having my toes all separated, but once I put on my shoes the feeling was gone. I went out for my run and I was instantly hooked on them. I had no more blister issues and I loved the feeling of having my toes be free instead of crammed together. It was almost like I was running barefoot (which is a bonus because it strengthens your legs). I wanted to buy more but they are kind of pricey and hard to find. After failing to find them at any of the stores around Folsom, I broke down and went to the Injinji website.

I was able to get five pairs of toesocks on clearance for $9 a pair. Normally they run $12-$14 a pair depending on which ones you get. I plan on giving my dad a pair as a late father's day present to see if he likes them. I also got free shipping because my order was over $40. I ordered them on Aug 2nd and I got them today.

One thing to remember if you buy a pair of these socks is to know that the size is by your foot size, not your shoe size. I wear a 10 1/2 in men's running shoes and I wear a Medium in the new Injinji sock and a large in the old ones.

My cat, Rusty, was very into my socks too.

Week 8 Wrap-up

I am pleased to announce that I had another good long run today. My dad met me about 30 minutes in and we run the rest of the way more or less together. I did 14.15 miles in 2 1/2 hours. That came out to a 10:38 pace. I ran most of the way, I just had to walk twice (about .20 mile each time). My groove was there even with the hills which was a pleasant change. I felt very stiff the first couple miles, but then everything fell into place.

Around mile 10 I did start to experience hip pain. My IT band (a muscle that runs down the side of the thigh from hip to knee) tighten up severely and kept causing my hip to pop. Each time it popped, it would radiate pain down my leg. I had to stop a few times to try and stretch it out. While it didn't go away completely, I was able to work through it and finish my run. It's super sore right now and I have been massaging and icing it. IT band issues are very common with runners. A tight IT band can cause everything from knee pain to hip pain. Ways to remedy it is to roll your thigh on a foam roller to loosen it up. I have a foam roller at home that I try to use on regular basis, but I will be honest. Rolling out a tight IT band hurts like hell! Sometimes the pain is so intense I think I will pass out. The tighter it is the more it hurts. I seriously can not think of a pain that is worse. I'm trying to work up the courage to roll it out right now but I'm not quite ready for it.

My other issue came after my run. To avoid getting too graphic let's just say I sometimes get "tummy problems" during my runs. It comes on suddenly, sometimes during a run and sometimes afterwards. For three years I tried to figure out what the cause was. I spoke to my doctor but she didn't really have an answer but she did tell me what foods would be good to avoid before a run. I kept a food diary for awhile to see if I could figure out if it was a food that was triggering it. That didn't seem to shed any light on the matter. Everything was just so unpredictable. I could eat one thing and be fine, and then eat the same thing the next week and run into major issues. I just didn't know what to do other than grin and bear it. Just as I was about to give up hope, I stumbled upon the cause by accident. Dehydration!

Two weeks before I started my training I began drinking 2-3 liters of water a day as a way to help me lose weight. After the first few weeks of training I noticed that I was not having any problems. I changed nothing in my diet and ate exactly as I had. The only variable was the increased water intake. I put two and two together and it seemed to be the answer. That theory was confirmed today. This past week I had a very limited amount of fluids due to being on vacation and being very busy at work. I paid the price for my laziness after my run. I eventually recovered, as I always do, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. I now know I MUST drink my water every single day or I will suffer the consequences. I am very happy to have found an answer to my worst running problem.

Week 7 Wrap-up

It's been awhile since I last updated this and I apologize. I was camping for four days and I couldn't not get a Wi-fi signal in the woods, but we did try. As I mentioned in a prior post, I was scheduled to run a 2 1/2 hour run on Sunday. I ended up breaking that up into 2 days because of the vacation. I ran 1 1/2 hours on Saturday before I left and then 1:10 on Sunday. My run on Saturday was nothing special. I pasted the time listening to a few podcasts and that was about it. My run on Sunday; however, was glorious! I think my dad would agree with that statement as he ran with me. We started out at about 7 AM. It was chilly and I was thankful my dad loaned me a long sleeve shirt. The mist was hanging in the air and the fog was just starting to set in.

Our original plan was to turn left out of our campsite, run up a long steep hill out of the campground, and then down Highway 1. Thankfully my dad changed his mind and decided we should turn right instead and see what was further in the campground. At the end of the campground (we stayed at Russian Gulch State Park, about 8 miles from Fort Bragg) we found Fern Canyon Trail. As you can see below it was just an old road covered with leaves so we choose to explore it.

It was so beautiful. No one was out there but us. I'm really glad my dad was with me otherwise I would not have gotten to run on it. Call me crazy, but I don't like to run on trails by myself in the early morning in a place I've never been. This trail was about 1.6 miles through the ferns and redwoods. There was a small river to the right of us that provided lovely running music.

We eventually came upon the Falls Loop Trail that would take us to a waterfall. This is where the road turned into a true trail. I have not run on many trails in the past, but I did enjoy it very much. The route was described as moderately strenuous. I think that was an accurate description. The hills were steep, but short and I was happy to see that my hill repeats were paying off. The trail also seemed to get more beautiful too. Every turn I made I was in awe. Not only was it a sight to behold, I was also feeling really strong despite the terrain. I was easily able to keep up with my dad. At one point I asked my dad if he ever thought he would be on a camping trip running on a trail to a waterfall with me at 7 AM. He said no. After .7 miles we made it to the waterfall and it was amazing to see!

What a fantastic treat! These are the moments that make me grateful that I am able to run. I know it sounds weird but I never take my ability to run for granted and I enjoy every moment in some way. Even when I think I'll die if I take another step. Of course there are moments I enjoy more than others and this was definitely one of them. I was also grateful I was able to experience this run with my dad. Being with him at that waterfall is something I'll never forget. I will always look back on it with fond memories.

On the way back, the sun was starting to peek through the trees and all the foliage lit up.

We stopped at one point to get just a few more pictures to document the journey.

Everything was going so well, up to the point where my foot hit a root and I did a full on spread eagle face plant onto the ground. It was pretty funny. Thankfully I wasn't hurt and I just bruised up my knees a bit. The picture below was taken shortly after my fall. If you look closely you can see the dirt on my pants. I'm a trooper though and I kept on running.

Here is a picture of my battle wound. As you can see it's not that bad and it only hurts if I bend down on it.

All in all it was awesome, fall and all. Thanks dad for coming with me. I couldn't have done it without you! Nor would I have wanted to.

Weigh In - 7/23/09

This week I was pleased to see a change in more than one area. I am hoping this trend continues.

Weight: 165lb (-2.5 lb)
Body Fat: 32% (-1%)
Waist: 31" (-.5")
Hips: 37" (-.5")
Thigh: 24.5" (-.5")
Bust: 37" (no change)
Arm: 12" (no change)

Today I did my hill repeats on a new hill. It kicked my booty! While this hill is not as long as my other, it's about a million times steeper. I was able to do 5 repeats which was about 2 1/2 miles total. That last one put me over the top. My legs were all rubbery and I found myself having to walk a majority of the way home because I was feeling dizzy. I was proud of the accomplishment though. It was a challenge indeed and I look forward to seeing how I improve over time.

One thing I am concerned with is that I am beginning to feel and see signs of over training. This is such a fine line and I'm not sure how to go about this. I really cannot afford to cut any mileage out of my daily runs. Hopefully these feelings will pass as time goes on. I am eating well and getting plenty of sleep most of the time. The biggest problem I have is the fact that I stand for eight hours a day. My manager is going to assign me to a desk so I will be able to sit more. I hope this will help a little bit with the leg fatigue. I also have been nursing any aches or pains as soon as I feel them. So far I have been able to keep everything under control and I have no real ailments to speak of. I will continue to monitor myself take each day as it comes.

Wrap Up: Week 6

My long run on Sunday was just that, a long run! I got out at 6 am, which was later than I wanted, but still early enough so I wasn't running in 90 degree weather for too long. Overall I would say it was a decent run. I walked a little and I picked a route with some challenging hills. I wasn't as fatigued at the end like I was the week before. It felt like I had run faster then last week, but it turns out I was slower. This time I listened to two podcasts and it made the time pass fairly quickly. The heat and major chafing began to affect me around mile 8 (I did 12 total). Somehow I muddled my way through it, like I seem to do every week.

As my long runs increase in distance, I am beginning to feel the all around fatigue. My body feels tired and my legs heavy. I basically through my hands up at today's run. I went the scheduled 30 minutes, but I certainly was not speeding along. My legs felt so heavy and I just could not get into the groove. These kind of runs really mess with my confidence. I start thinking how I am going to run 50 miles when I can barely seem to finish 3? It's all in my head, and I am aware of that, but it still does not make it any easier. Tomorrow I have 4 miles of hill repeats on a new, more challenging incline. Hopefully I will be able to do that with greater ease than today's run.

As I review my stats for the week, I can see how the heat has caused my pace to slow down tremendously. My usual 10-10:15 minute miles have been replaced with 11:00-11:30 minute ones. That is to be expected though so I am not really worried about it at this time.

Planned: 30 miles
Actual: 30.44 miles
Calories: 3850
Average pace: 11:33

Training Plan: The Next 9 Weeks

After my run tomorrow I will be done with the "Base Phase" and move into the "Build Phase." For the next nine weeks I will focus on increasing my mileage from 30-35 miles week up to 50 a week. I'm a little nervous as I get into the longer runs. For the most part I have been handling them well. I hope that is a trend that continues. As the heat gets worse I'm finding it necessary to get out earlier than usual. Tomorrow I am aiming for a 5:30 AM start time. I have my I-Pod loaded and I feel ready for my 2 hour and 15 minutes. Next week will be a test. We are going camping up at Russian Gulch and I will have to do a 2 hour and 30 minute run. Hopefully there will a place to do it, otherwise I will be making a lot of loops around the campground! My parents might go with us and I hope they do because I will have my dad to run with for part of it. Anyway, here is my training plan for the next nine weeks:

Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun

Week 1: 2 mile/4 mile/30 min; ST/4 mile/30 min; ST/Rest/2:30
Week 2: 2 mile/4 mile/35 min;ST/4 mile/35 min;ST/Rest/2:45
Week 3: 2 mile/4.5 mile/35 min;ST/4.5 mile/35 min; ST/Rest/3:00
Week 4: 3 mile/4.5 mile/40 min;ST/4.5 mile/40 min;ST/Rest/3:15
Week 5: 4 mile/5 mile/40 min;ST/5 mile/40 min;ST/Rest/3:30
Week 6: 3 mile/5 mile/45 min; ST/5 mile/45 min;ST/Rest/3:45
Week 7: 4 mile/5 mile/45 min;ST/5 mile/45 min;ST/Rest/4:00
Week 8: 4 mile/5 mile/45 min;ST/5 mile/45 min;ST/Rest/4:15
Week 9: 4 mile/5 mile/45 min;ST/5 mile/45 min;ST/Rest/20 mile

I will continue to do strength training (ST) on Wednesday and Friday. I will also continue doing my hill repeats once a week; however, I am going to do them on a more challenging hill. As I sit here looking at this training plan I'm starting to feel a little intimidated. I still have faith I will be able to finish this race, but I have my doubts as to how alive I will be once I do!

Week Five Wrap-up

I can't believe I've already been training for over a month. It's gone fast. I do admit I am slightly tired of running so much, but I think I found a way to persevere. Podcasts! I just discovered how awesome they are for long runs. My sister has talked about podcasts in the past, but it wasn't until Saturday night that I went onto I-Tunes and checked them out. all I can say is that I wish I would have found them sooner! I am a big fan of "Real Time" with Bill Maher. The problem is that I don't have HBO so I can't watch the show. Well that's no longer an issue now that I found the podcast for the show.

I downloaded the most recent show for my run on Sunday. I was scheduled to go out for 2 hours. The show was just over an hour. To supplement the remaining hour of my run I downloaded a few new songs to add to my existing music. The first hour just flew by while I was listening to the show. There were many times I found myself running down the road and laughing out loud. Once I had to listen to my music it felt like time just stopped. The last hour was long and tiring. I walked more and it felt like I had weights attached to my feet.

I think it was mostly mental because the music did not provide a long enough distraction like the podcast did. It was also fairly warm (80 degrees and humid). At one point I went past a park that had its sprinklers on. I immediately sought relief from the weather by making a few passes through the mist. It was like liquid heaven! I'm sure I looked funny but I didn't care, it felt so good. Overall it was a decent run, not as good as last week was, but definitely manageable. After my run I went to the lake with some friends and went tubing and jet skiing for the first time. I had a blast, but between that and my run I was quite sore this morning.

Here are the numbers for this past week. I was a little under my planned miles this week due to the fact I only run 11 miles on Sunday instead of 12. I'm not too concerned because overall I am still over my plan.

Planned: 28.5
Actual: 27.3
Avg Pace: 11:00
Calories: 3448

When I add up all the time I've spent running these past five weeks, it equals 21 hours. That's almost an entire day. That's crazy! I've also burned 15,393 calories so how can I not be thinner? I love figuring out and seeing all of my stats. That too is a motivator for me.

So here's to week 6 of training and the final week before moving into a new phase. I'm a little nervous about the next phase, but I'm sure I'll be able to manage it.

Weigh-In: 7/9/09

Once again, no real change. There was a slight weight gain, but I'm not too concerned.

Weight: 167.5 lb (+2.5 lb)
Body fat: 33%
Waist: 31.5" (no change)
Hips: 37.5" (-.5")
Thigh: 25" (no change)
Bust: 37" (no change)
Arm: 12" (no change)

Week Four Wrap Up

I had the most glorious long run on Sunday! Jim and I went to San Francisco for the 4th of July weekend. Training can be tricky while on vacation, but Jim was kind enough to book a hotel that was right on the Embarcadero. He figured it would make it easier for me to get my hour and forty-five minute run in on Sunday. After waking up, I stepped out the door and off I went. The temperature was in the high fifties, foggy and misty. There was a head wind, but it wasn't strong enough to hinder my pace. I ran out towards Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf, past the Exploratorium and basically to the base of the Golden Gate bridge. I took my camera with me so I could capture the beauty of my run.

I took this picture at about mile 4. I'm sure all the other people thought I looked ridiculous taking pictures while I was running, but I didn't care. Most of the run was flat, at one point I did have to climb a fairly steep hill to get to Fort Mason. The effort was worth it though, because I was rewarded with this view of the Golden Gate:

I ended up running 10.6 miles that day in 1:45. I felt like I could run forever. Of course I felt tired at the end, but I wasn't dying like I was last week. These are the runs that renew your desire to keep up with training. I know the weather, and the easy terrain played big roles in the success of this run, but it was also my attitude that attributed to the ease of it. I was so excited to do my run along the bay so it was something I was looking forward to instead of dreading. I took a picture of my self at the end of my run too. I was happy to be done and very pleased with my accomplishment!

Here is the wrap up for the week:

Planned: 25.5 miles

Actual: 25.92 miles

Average Pace: 10:16

Calories Burned: 3267

I'm pleased that I still exceeded my planned miles despite the fact that I took an extra day off this week. I am still waiting for my blister to fully heal. It's better then it was, but no where near fully healed.

Weigh In; 7/2/09

I got a little behind this past week with my posts. I'm not sure what happened. My guess is that I got busy. Anyway, there has not been much change with weight an measurements. I was hoping to see something at this point. If I worked on my food intake a little more, I probably would see a weight loss. I have made some questionable food choices the past few weeks, but it's hard not to. When you burn 1300 calories on a run it's difficult to say no to that second Margarita. Plus I'm not gonna lie, I'm friggin hungry after an hour and a half run! Training is like being pregnant. When you're running all these miles, you think it's a free ticket to eat whatever you want and you assume you need to eat that gallon of ice cream because your body needs the fuel. I just have to remind myself that I'm not eating for two. With that being said, I am going to work on making better food choices this week.

Weight: 165 lbs (no change)
Body fat: 33% (no change)
Waist: 31.5 " (+.5")
Hips: 38" (no change)
Thigh: 25" (no change)
Bust: 37 " (-.5")
Arm: 12" (no change)

Life as a Runner: Blisters

I have my first ailment I sad to say, and it's a doosey! Sunday's run produced a small blister on the arch of my right foot. At first it didn't seem too bad and I barely felt it. Fast forward 3 days, and 12 miles later. Now it's a different story. Normally I am able to drain my blisters, they dry up and that's the end of it. Obviously that is not going to work this time. I have been draining it the past few days and instead of drying up, it is has become incredibly painful, itchy and infected. Right now I have a cold baking soda paste on it (to help with the itching) and it is wrapped with a gauze pad and ace bandage to give it some padding. I was able to run 5 miles this morning and it didn't really bother me. I'm not sure why all of a sudden it flared up? I'm hoping it will be better in the morning. If it's not, I'm going to be in trouble. I'm having difficulty walking properly now and I can't imagine standing on it all day tomorrow the way it feels now (I had the day off today). Let's all hope for the best!

Besides using today's post as a whining session, I thought I would do a product review. I'm one of those people who will see an advertisement for a new product and I just have to try it. Sometimes the products turn out to be good, other times, bad. Band-Aid brand Blister cushions fall into the bad category. I was very disappointed and I would not recommend them. For one thing, they are a bit pricey for only 4 band-aids. When you first take it out of the wrapper, you think hey, this might actually work. The pad is thick and cushy and the sticky part appears more spongy than a plain band-aid. That is were it ends though. The advertisements claim it stays in place and promotes healing. Well it doesn't stay in place at all. I could see where it was already trying to come off before I even got my sock on. By the end of my run it had slid up to my ankle (it started on the arch of my foot). As for the promoting of healing? I couldn't tell you, but I'm guessing that's not true either if it won't stay in the right place to begin with. So I give this product an A for looks, and an F in performance. A regular band-aid and a cotton ball is way more effective.

Week Three Wrap-up

It meant to get this posted a few days ago, but time just got away from me. Anyway, I have finished my third week and I'm still moving along. I had my first "bad" run on Sunday. My dad came down and ran with me again. He took me on a super hilly course that I swear was up hill both ways. We got out at 7 AM, but it was already 80 degrees. By the time we got back at 8:30 AM it was 89 degrees. So in addition to the grueling hills, there was sweltering heat.

The first half of the run was better than the second even though it was mostly uphill. I kept thinking the second half would be great because it would be mostly downhill, but it didn't turn out that way. I survived though and went eight miles. I wasn't as fast as I was last week, but that was to be expected. Overall, given the situation, I guess the run wasn't that bad, it just felt like it at the time, and for a few hours afterward. I'm glad my dad was with me though, he definitely pushed me through the hard parts and made me keep running up those hills!

So here is the wrap-up of week 3:

Planned: 23 miles
Actual: 24.6 miles
Average Pace: 10:32
Calories burned: 3210

Once again I surpassed my planned miles. This week I want work on stretching and not feeling as stiff throughout the day. my legs feel tight all the time now. That is one downside of being a banker, I stand for eight hours a day so my legs don't really get to rest in between runs.

Weigh-in 6/25/09

Dude, I felt like that cat when I squished into my spandex this morning! Despite the feeling though, things did go in a good direction this past week. I had a great 4 miler today consisting of hill repeats. I noticed they felt easier than the last two weeks. I'm very proud of myself for sticking with the repeats. This is the first time I have consistently done them. Feels good! I'm still working on the Chi running. That is not coming as easily but I know it takes time and I am willing to work at it.

Here are the results of this week:

Weight: 165 (-1 lb)
Body fat: 33% (no change)
Waist: 31" (-.5")
Hips: 38" (no change)
Thigh: 25 " (no change)
Bust: 37.5" (+.5")
Arm: 12" (no change)

I'm please with the loss of 1lb and the loss of the 1/2" in my waist. Hopefully this next week will bring more losses!