Easy day of workout/run.  Stressful day at work just drained me.

50 min:  treadmill
25 min:  upper body weights

Home now cooking up a storm so that I have lunches and dinners made for the next 3 days.  I start coaching PIM again tomorrow night (gonna be a long evening with over 400 registered; at least I am coaching an experienced runners group this time around! but then I have to run  my run and do as much of the speed workout as I can) and with work stuff I just have to be on my game to stay focused where food is concerned.  Today I finally ate around 1:30pm and basically ate my sammich in about 10 min.  No afternoon snack...banana mid morning, and had eggs and grits for breakfast...so I guess it wasnt all that bad but having to rush lunch really put me in a tizzy! 

The weatherman tonight hinted that Friday night/Saturday we may be rewarded with another 'cool front', and they show the low at 72.  From his lips to God's ears.

I sure could use that for my 21 miler.

Fartlek...Such a Giggle Word

Today I actually paid closer attention to my schedule  (2 weeks ago I didnt and missed the actual workout of the 6 miles.  Oopsie.  6 miles including 7 x 2/2's.  Which means 7 x 2 min fast/2 min slow jog.  That time went by FAST!  Legs felt strong today...probably because the long run was a cut back and I didn't run yesterday. 

Oopsie again!  :)

I really pushed the pace on the 2 min fast because well...you can anything for 2 minutes right?  Yeah.  Today I could.  :)

Less than 3 weeks from taper baby!  Bring on Chicago!

Right now I am looking so forward to dinner... MK's version of home made baked sweet potato fries and a veggie burger on a sandwich thin!  My tummy be HONGRY!!

Making Weight

I was not very good on my eating this past weekend.  I was out of my comfort zone (i.e. mi casa) first and foremost.  Being at mom's I knew, would be challenging.

At least my breakfast shortly after my 11 miler on Saturday was good.

Then it kind of went downhill after that.  Although I DID have some really good vegetables at Mom's thanks in part to raiding my sister's house which is right next door.  I also ended up eating a teeny bit of briskit.

Then on Sunday I didn't eat until around 1:30 that afternoon.  And then I only ate a small sandwich on Sandwich thins, with a bit of sliced turkey.  Now you see?  I ate meat 2 days in a row.  Blah.  Not a lot to make me feel bad on the inside but still.

Then came the invitation to go to the movies...which is really why I only ate that little sandwich because I knew I would want popcorn.  Opting out of one for the other.  And well, thats what I had for dinner.

Popcorn.

No wonder I woke up famished this morning!

Yes I could have eaten a meal once I got home since it was fairly early, but my stubborness to make sure I didnt add any more calories for the day...Ummmm...Whaat?  You had a teeny sandwich and popcorn.  I don't think I needed to worry...but eh, it is what it is...

Lets address the meat thing...bottom line is that I am certain that from now until after the next 3 long distance races (5 months of continuous marathon training, not to mention 2 marathons and 1 half marathon) I am going to have to have some protein in the way of lean meats at least once a week.  My body is craving it badly, and the cravings dont go away so I know my body wants it. 

So for now, we're reverting to 'flexitarianism'.

And yes, its a real word.  :o)

I am still going to keep it to mainly fish, but lean ground turkey will be making a reappearance since its so versatile.  Looking back I realized that my dairy consumption had dimished some so I need to put some of that back as well.

Now...to the title of this blog entry.  "Making Weight"

Yesterday while standing in line at the concession stand at the theatre, I was having the 'small sandwich = its ok to have popcorn' conversation, and we inched closer to the counter, I spotted the pretty yellow bag of peanut m&m's.. then the Reeses Pieces...and then the Butterfinger Bites...it was the Butterfinger Bites that triggered a childhood (high school) memory.  So I was telling the story...every day my last period at school was basically 'gym' because we started Drill Team practice during that time and then of course on into the afternoon after school was officially over.  And every single day I had the same thing in between.  A Dr. Pepper and either a Baby Ruth or a Butterfinger.  And then on the weekends of course I would barely eat because on Monday, during practice, was weigh in.  You had to 'make weight' if you were going to get to dance on the field on Friday night.  Every girl, depending on height had a 'weight' they had to 'make' or otherwise you sat in the bleachers.  You didnt practice, and you got replaced with an alternate.  And yes the alternates had to 'make weight' as well. 

I am 5'2 and I had to weigh in at 108 or less.

And every single week I did.  I never missed a game, or a dance.

Add to eating disorder much?

Nowadays and for some time though...I see that is no longer a 'requirement' ... Is it good?  I have mixed feelings on it.  Instead I see girls on the field who are overweight, and I am not talking by a little. It would appear high school cheerleaders still maintain a healthy body weight, and I bet its either because of restrictions set by the coach or just good old fashioned peer pressure to be thin/athletic.

I think 'health goals' should still play in part in whether or not someone gets to dance.

Good grades are mandatory, why shouldnt good health?

Anyway, just another memory of the long term effects of body image/eating disorder situations can have on a person you know?  My friend asked "I wonder how much that played a part in eating disorders to so many girls?"  Um. A lot.  I know of a few of my friends back then that were way worse off than I was when it came to 'how' they 'made weight' every Monday.

Which brings me to this morning.  I haven't weighed in quite some time.  Because I knew that I wouldnt like what I would see because since full on marathon training started I was no longer as 'thin' as I was that last time.  This morning though...feeling very comfortable with what I was seeing in the mirror the past few days I was indeed curious.

SSSSSCARRRRRRY!!!

So out came the scale from under the bed where I had hidden it.

I placed it on the kitchen floor, touched my toe to it to turn it on and saw the big fat 0 there flashing.

And up I went...wait...wait...wait...

And then the result.

Eh...about 3 lbs more than I was...not so bad really.  I was still happy that it was under that 'imaginary' number I dont want to ever see again though...1 lb away from it.  So the bottom line is that I have 4 lbs to lose in about 5-6 weeks.  I just want it to be a number that I feel certain will bode well on October 10th in Chicago.

And so it begins...the quest to get the lbs off...without harming myself or any animals in the process.

:o)

Kenyan Way Long Run - Cut back Week - 11 miles

Awesome run.
A bit cooler temps (75) and lower humidity (68%)

Average pace: 10:08
Last 3 miles at 9:24 pace

11 miles.

That's all I have time for now.  Gotta scoot to breakfast then off to take care of Mom this afternoon/night.

Marathon Training Woes - Part 1

In my short running 'career' I have learned a lot over the course of 5 years and going on marathons 5 and 6 within the next few months...things that somehow I forget about for a short period of time...till I am reminded.

The first one being:  You get REALLY  REALLY hungry...

Now this is, as I have mentioned before the first time not only did I NOT gain or remain more or less even, I actually lost weight/size/fat.  Was easy enough to do.

Up until starting this past Sunday.  After the 19miler, I wasnt that hungry, never really am for quite some time, and honestly I was fine up until about oh...2pm on Sunday.  Thats when it hit me and its been smackin' me around ever since.

So I have eating a bit more, if I look back.  Eating actual dinners at night...and then yesterday I felt like crap.  Bloated.  Fat.  Gross.  All day.  I havent cut my mileage so its not that, but I have just been eating more I guess?  I have been 'trying' not to, but I guess...well...

So...What just days previously was plenty of food, has left me wanting more...my stomach feels like its in a constant state of hunger...hard to describe but ... you know like its just empty and kinda crampy because you are so hungry?  Yeah that...

So back to yesterday...because I felt so awful, I...who NEVER does this unless its a bad day ...wore a full length shirt on my run!  And it was about 93 deg out.  WTF?  And honestly I could 'feel' the difference in my short 3 mile run too. 

So its back to reality Little Red Running Hood...you cannot eat until your stomach thinks its had enough.  Because then you will end up like you did before that first marathon...gaining...

Last night after the run, I did eat about a cup of leftover orzo and that was it.  I had said I wasnt going to eat at all...which I guess to some, that cup of orzo doesnt constitute eating dinner.  I went ahead and made my breakfast to bring to work so I didnt splurge in the cafteteria like I had been all week for breakfast...made some scrambled egg whites, spinach, mushrooms and a bit of cheese. 

This morning when I woke up sure enough I felt a bit more like myself.  Yes after my breakfast I still wanted more...so I had a packet of grits.  No mid-morning snack (which lately has been a cookie or something)...because for whatever reason I am CRAVING oatmeal raisin cookies...or any cookie for that matter..

Bottom line is that I had forgotten how excruciating the hunger pangs can come at you full force...and exactly how difficult it is to ignore.  Because honestly I am eating enough...I know that I am. 

Fighting the desire to eat is overwhelming at times though. 

As I child I never had to 'go to bed hungry', was never even threatened with that (although it couldnt have hurt back then)...but here as an adult...a grown woman with perfectly good sense in her head...I am sending myself to bed hungry pretty much every night...

Its 6 weeks to race day in Chicago.

Gonna be a looooooooooooooong 6 weeks...for those of you training for your first marathon...get ready...not only is it bad during the last 4 weeks of training, but the taper? 

Oh good Lord...the taper-worm is just around the corner...

Brrrr....

We had a 'cool' front come through!  Which means when I started on my run tonight it was 28% humidity!  Yeah it was 93 deg out still, but only a feels like of 94!  Thats over 10 deg cooler than I normally run in in the evenings!  That lower humidity made for me being covered in salt at the end but at least it wasnt covered in dripping sweat and even my shorts were dry!  Whaaat the whaaat???

6 mile loop from my house to Rice, around and back.
Paces were between 9:40 and 10:26.  2 were in the 9's, 2 were around 10:08 and the other 2 were 10:20 and 10:26

I also finally downloaded Saturdays 19 miler and the average pace was 10:36...now THAT is something I can get behind!  I told you it was a good day out there on Saturday.  :)

Time for a smoothie!

The bottomless pit which is my stomach...

Step by Step, Growl by Growl

6 miles on Monday.

50 minutes on the treadmill today and it was a chore.  I just couldnt go for another 10 minutes.  I was just D.O.N.E.

I'm tired.  After that 19 miler and the stress of the weekend, and today was busssssy at work, I just had nothing in the tank today.  I am slowly approaching that time in marathon training when I am ready for it to be taper time.  I have also reached that point where my hunger levels are so off the chart its crazy.  Ignoring the beast within is a challenge.  I know I dont need all the food it wants, so making sure I have low cal nibbles to at least pretend like I am eating something substantial is key. 

Thank goodness its an easy week on the schedule and there is nothing in the way of speed work and no long run this weekend.  Just an easy 11 miler on Saturday.

Thank goodness because my body needs it.

See that red circled number?  If that happens I can assure you I will be jumping for joy on my run Saturday morning!
I cannot remember the last time I saw a morning low of that number!  Yee Haw!

I will be watching this for sure...

E!News Explores Extreme Eating Disorders - What's Eating You?  October 13th

A Night at the Opera Hospital

There is absolutely nothing good about staying all night in a hospital.  :o(

I got there around 12:30pm yesterday afternoon.  My sister and BIL were there but left shortly after and it was just Mom and I.  Things seemed to be OK.  I basically watched tv and Facebooked while she nodded in and out.  Dinner for her came and went.  I had a PBJ that I had brought with me.  I went to the gift shop and got some chips and 2 Nutri Grain bars in case I got hungry.  Ha!  What me hungry after a 19 mile run?  All I had after the run was that I stopped and got a large order of french fries and a Frosty from Wendys there near the hospital.

Well...around 9pm I tried turning out the lights to see if she would go to sleep.  No such luck.  She was wiggling everywhere and I kept having to adjust her.  With stroke/dementia/seizure patients the thing is that as night time falls they become more 'out there' and not themselves.  Their speech is very slurred and they sometimes see and hear things that aren't there.  And they sometimes talk in the 3rd person.  The chair in the room thankfully was a recliner, so I could keep my feet up, but because it wasnt the best quality and I dont weigh much, to make the back portion lay back...that wasnt working...I finally got to where if I laid on my side and pushed my body up on it more I could keep the back part reclined.  Sorta.

Every hour someone came in to do something:  breathing treatment, take blood, assessment, meds...clean and change her...and when they werent in the room I constantly had to keep my eye on her.  She has a habit of kicking all the covers off and raising her gown up...so I kept covering her up with the sheet.

Around 5am I guess it was, after the last breathing treatment she fiiiiiiiiiinally decided to sleep.  I got about 1.5 hours of sleep before I started hearing movement in the halls and I was awake.  I left the room, drove to a nearby gas station to fill up my car, buy some water and a diet coke.  I just had to get some fresh air and out of the room for a bit.  When I got back she was still out thankfully.  She would have slept right through breakfast had I not woke her  up.  My sister texted and said that she was getting ready and if I wanted to, to leave after I was done feeding her.

I left around 9:30am.  I was so tired, so hungry and feeling dehydrated.  Once I got home, I took a happy pill, changed into some boxers and crawled in bed.  Slept hard for about 3 hours.  When I woke up I finally felt like eating and made a super thick smoothie...It was at this time I knew there would be no run today.

No sleep.  No food.  Very little hydration.  Someone asked me yesterday "how do you not get injured with all the running?"  This is one way I stay injury free.  I know when NOT to do something because of every day events that sometimes aren't preventable.  A 3 mile run is NOT that important.  My long run went fantastic.

We need to just leave it at that.  So I have instead done chores, and filled the house with good food once again. 

Tomorrow we run.

Games People Play...Kenyan Way Long Run - 19 miles

Start time: 4:15am
Finish time: 8:20am

Starting temp: 82deg Feels like was 87
Finish temp: 87deg Feels like was 93

19 miles

9 water stops
3 gels
1 potty break around mile 10
10 min to change shoes and socks after mile 8

4 hours and 5 min total time out there including all of that.  Not a bad day at the office.  Havent plugged in the Garmin for the pace, but if I had to guess it was around 10:40ish which is perfect.  I had a really good day today...a couple of miles were around 10:20ish and I had to reel it in when I would look at the watch and see 10:08.  Would slow it down till it got back down to 10:30.  I keep it on lap pace not real time so that way I know to slow down or speed  up.  Works much better for me that way.  Real time is sketchy depending on buildings, trees etc.

I had to play a bit of game with myself this morning...altered the route.  Ran a few miles there around base, ran to Crestwood and up Blossom and then headed towards Rice.  Ran to the water stop at Hermann, then because I know that mentally and physically in the past that the Hermann loop can do a number on me, I turned at that time and headed back.  Ran the long way around Rice to make up 1 mile lost and then added on another mile at the end.  Sometimes when you know you are headed back to base its better...you think wow, I am already heading towards home!  Adding on the 2 extra miles here and there seem much easier to run than just running around a loop that traditionally has drained me in the past.  Worked out well!!!

I had bought 2 bags of ice last night and before I left this morning I went ahead and filled up the tub so the water would be nice and cold already when I got home.  I get into the tub before adding the ice.  Easier that way!

Now its time to rest a bit before heading to the hospital.  Hopefully sleeping in a chair tonight wont make tomorrow too uncomfortable for a short recovery run (3 miles)...

Woo to the hoo!  2 more long runs and its taper time for Chicago!!!

Me tomorrow morning...at least 19 miles.  Will try for 20 :o)
Temp to be at or around 81 at the start (4:30am)
Humidity in the 90 percentile
Dewpoint at 77-78
Wish me luck!

Val-i-date! Come On!

YOU are amazing!  YOU are wonderful! YOU are beautiful!

For anyone that has ever commented here, sent me an email, posted on my Facebook, either telling me I have inspired you, and for those of you who inspire ME every day...here is my gift to you today.  It's 16 minutes out of your day but I promise you it will be worth it.  Because YOU are worth it.

Take the time.  You won't be sorry.

There.  Today 'parking' is on me.  You've just been validated.

:o)
I bet after you do watch it, you won't be able to quit smiling.  That's the best part of all.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaawn says me the sleepy head!

Buuuuuuuuut...

I DID get up this morning!!!!

Got up just before 5am; actually started waking up around 4am for some reason?...weird...

Drank some water and G2, popped a couple of S!Caps...which reminds me I need to order another bottle today...and was out the door just before 5:30am!  Had my little blinky light on along with my head light since I decided to NOT run to Rice and around...too scary to run that route by myself...so having something alerting the fact that I was on the dark roads through River Oaks was muy importante!  What I did was run up past Kirby then over down to Inwood, through a small part of River Oaks, down past Luke's Locker then up Dunlavy.  Once I got home, I had left some (cold) G2 out on the patio, refilled my little 10 oz'er and off I went again and did two 1 mile loops there at the house.  Just over an hour run and I was schweaty schweaty!  But it felt good to know I had the mileage in for the day out of the way.  I was about 40 min late for work, but eh, thats ok!  Every once in a while never hurt anyone!

Monday:  6 miles treadmill

Tuesday:  Didnt get up in the morning and it was TOO brutally hot after work so I ran 6 miles on the treadmill again.  Also I had gotten word that Mom was rushed to the ER again after being home exactly one week as she started having seizures.  I didnt know if I was going to have to high tail it North so I felt like it was better for me to get the miles in as quickly as possible and doing them at 4pm in the gym was the better option.  Late night I did get news that she had had 2 extremely bad ones to where they finally had to knock her out to hopefully keep them under control and as not to hurt herself.

Today:  no run.  Went in to work for an hour or so, then went and spent the day at the hospital.  Just home now and after very little food and hydration I am not going to run this evening.  I will get up in the morning and do 6 miles before work, just go in a bit later than my usual 7am.  Cant run after work anyway as I need to go back to the hospital so the pressure is there for me to get my butt up and do them in the morning.  Plus hydration and food tonight is more important than possibly going out in the heat (the feels like right now is still 101deg)..I feel certain holding off is better than having a horrible experience out there.  The big picture is my loooooooooong run (19-20 miles) on Saturday, so missing a day of running is nothing to worry about at this point...She was pretty much out of it all day today, but at least while I was there, there were no episodes.  We're just waiting on a blood transfusion now as her blood dropped from 10 to 7 overnight.  Feel certain she will be a bit more 'with us' once she has her blood levels back up...

Twilight Has Nothing on These People!

Energy Vampires!

Eek!

I am SO over them...

What is an Energy Vampire?

Energy vampires drain your spirit by depleting your positive energy, just like real vampires slurp blood. Energy vampires – such as drama queens – leave you feeling drained and listless, but these eleven ways to protect yourself from negative influences will help! After a visit with an energy vampire, you barely have enough energy to watch tv – much pursue your goals or take care of your responsibilities. The energy vampire’s negative influences have consumed your positive energy.

How Energy Vampires Drain Your Spirit

Energy vampires drain positive energy in many ways, such as:

• Intruding on your life, ignoring boundaries and privacy (energy vampires don’t think of you).

• Making big deals out of nothing. Energy vampires are often called “drama queens” because they can easily turn a broken nail into a Shakespearean tragedy. Negative energy spreads from everyday events.

• Complaining constantly about their partners, jobs, children, bad luck, and illnesses. Energy vampires like to vent.

• Criticizing your hair, appearance, job, children, partner, friends, and pets (energy vampires aren’t positive).

• Not taking “no” for an answer. Energy vampires don’t consider your needs.

• Being unrelentingly negative. Their negative energy is relentless, and energy vampires drain your positive energy by encouraging you to be negative, too.

• Blaming everyone else for their problems (energy vampires don’t take responsibility).

How Energy Vampires Drain Energy & Why You Feel Depressed After a Conversation

You know you’ve spent time with an energy vampire when you leave feeling depressed, exhausted, or sad. Energy vampires drain your positive energy for their own use. Energy vampires leave you feeling empty and sluggish – and to compensate or build positive energy you may eat, drink, shop, or sleep for hours afterwards.

Energy Vampires Need Your Positive Energy

Energy vampires come in all shapes and sizes: loud and aggressive, soft-spoken and shy, charming and seductive, pushy and overbearing. Energy vampires have energy leaks that they need to fill. It’s up to you to stop energy vampires from draining your positive energy. Often energy vampires don’t even realize they’re bleeding you dry. Energy vampires have often suffered some sort of crisis, whether in childhood or adulthood, and they’re compensating to get rid of their negative energy. Energy vampires may not be deliberately, maliciously stealing your positive energy — but they’re definitely not contributing to a fantastic relationship.

Energy Vampires may drain positive energy, but you can learn to stop them!

11 Ways to Protect Yourself From Energy Vampires:

1. Limit the amount of time you spend with energy vampires. The less time you’re together, the less positive energy you’ll lose.

2. Learn effective ways to end conversations with energy vampires (eg, I only have ten minutes to talk.”)

3. Stay calm and detached from energy vampires. Don’t let their negative energy consume you.

4. Be honest about your needs (eg, “I need this time to work/read/relax/exercise.”)

5. Refrain from attempting to rescue them or fix an energy vampire’s problems.

6. Practice walking away from energy vampires.; the more you do it, the easier it gets.

7. Limit eye contact with energy vampires.

8. Avoid being in close spaces with energy vampires (elevators, cars, etc). Negative energy is catching.

9. Define and guard your personal space from energy vampires.

10. Tell energy vampires you feel uncomfortable discussing particular people or circumstances.

11. Stand up for yourself and your boundaries! Your time, positive energy, and resources are precious and should be closely guarded from energy vampires.

Do you have a lot of these energy vampires in your life?  I can name 3 without taking a breath.  Thankfully I DO minimize my time with or around them...and I REALLY should delete them from my Facebook but havent.  So negative all the time, argumentative and just depressing to be around...

Read more at Suite101:  How Energy Vampires Drain Your Spirit: 11 Ways to Protect Yourself
Or this article from CNN and Oprah.com

Still a Bit on Blogcation...Be Back Soon!

I am still not really in the writing mood...so bear with me followers...I promise to be back as normal as possible as soon as possible.  Writers block maybe?

I am trying to get through these next couple of weeks of torture marathon training in this God awful heat...the past few days the heat index has been 110 and above with a dewpoint of 78-80 which even the weather guy says that that is just downright ridiculous and you will probably NEVER see it above 80.  Ever.  Well doesnt that make it all better now? LOL.  September 18th cannot get here fast enough!

This weeks schedule:

Monday: 6 miles (treadmill)
Tuesday: 6 miles (3 miles morning, 3 miles evening) or if I dont get up then 4 miles on the treadmill, 2 miles outside
Wednesday: 7 miles
Thursday: 3 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 19 miles (depending on how that goes, I might do 20)
Sunday: 3 miles

Slept in.
Started run at 8:15am

Temp: 84
Feels like: 93

3 miles.

Working at Lukes Locker today...extra Chicago money!

Tuesday - No run
Wednesday - 7 miles - 10:23 average pace
Thursday - 5 miles - Treadmill
Friday - Rest Day

Saturday Long Run - Kenyan Way - 11 miles - cut back week (next week: 19-20 miles on the schedule!)
Did 3 miles before the 6am start
8 miles with the group
10:39 average pace

Starting temp: 81  Feels like: 88
Ending temp: 83 Feels like: 90

The Price of 'Admission' - This Ain't No Fairy Tale...

Time to let the cat out of the bag so to speak...They say the first step is admitting you have a problem..

It's no secret that I have struggled with not only with lifelong body image issues due mostly in part to my mother when I was growing up, but also due to the traumatic middle school years of being the outcast of the school due to weight. 

Entering that age of teenagerism and all that goes along with 'becoming a woman' and you get some pretty radical crap going on.  What you dont know is some of the 'issues' I endured for a few short years(ha..short..as if years of any degree of crap can be called 'short' when it comes to even a day)...anyway thats a part of my life I wont ever talk about here, but at least you know there were many contributing factors.

Once in high school, yes things changed, and then throughout my life I did the up and down thing, only really remembering now 2 specific periods in my life where I was considered at my heaviest.  A couple of years immediately following high school and then again in 2004 when I became classified as 'hypothyroid'.

In all the other years between there, there were 'addictions' after 'addictions' as its true what they say:  when a person with an addictive personality gives up one, they replace it with another.  There were drugs.  There was alcohol.  There were cigarettes.  There was man after man after man.  And now I have running!!!  :o)Thankfully there were a few good men in there for long periods of time that 'settled' me down to some degree...but then of course I would evitably ruin it ... pushing them away with something I would do to accomplish that... always blaming them.

Fast forward to 2004 when things started going all kinds of wrong with me physically.  Hypothyroidism is not something to play around with and I had some of the more harmful symptoms of it.  So much so that I knew something was definitely wrong.  I think though out of all of those awful things, of course the most awful was the weight gain.  I went from about a size 4 to a size 10. 

Now before you get all up in my grill that a size 10 is not big, first keep in mind that I am 5'1 (and a half) :) ... and that I was a size 4ish at the time...I was trying everything...well everything except running.  I had always been a gym rat and I thought cardio of any kind was ridiculous.  But one of my dear friends Marianne was a 'runner' and thats how she lost and stayed thin...so I started on the treadmill...

Nothing.

FF to me finally going to the doctor, getting diagnosed and on meds.  By this time I had moved from the treadmill to the outdoors and I was hooked on running.  Or run/walking.  Ok Ok, jog/walking.  But I wasnt walk/walking.  :o)

Then I started training for a 1/2 marathon.  I dont really remember now but I know some weight dropped off.  Not a lot.  Then I finished that and went on to train for the full marathon a few months later (now we are going on number 5 in October and number 6 in January).  No real change.  I didnt know how to eat and train.  Well I did know how to eat!  I was feeding all the hunger!!...therein laid the problem.  I know I looked different but I dont recall anything on a scale really...

It wasnt till right after that marathon in January 2007 when I really started up again with wanting the weight to be gone...specifically the pull and desire and obsession to be 'skinny' again.  I was deeply infatuated with a man, who didnt seem to mind how I looked but all I thought (because it was difficult to hold his attention or win his attention) was that 'if I was skinny...'

The comparing myself to others whether they were real, on television on in print started to escalate.  I dont remember much about my eating patterns then...Then in 2008 it really started to escalate even more.  I would go through bouts of self loathing and hatred.. I would take a lot of frustration out on others, closing myself off, ruining some friendships...in others relationships it caused strife...but it was never apparent as to 'why' I was doing the things I was doing...

By the time I ran NYC marathon in November 2008 I looked the best I had in a long time.  Not skinny, but thin(ner) and fit.  However now...when I look at that picture thats in my NYC finishers plaque I see 'fat'.  Compared to how I look now. 

Then 2009 hit.  I have had a lot of 'bad' years in my life, but none so awful as 2009.  Most people wouldnt know that, but its true.  Mentally I hit rock bottom.  I was still without what I would call a 'real' job; barely making enough to pay the bills, I finally completely 'lost' the man I spoke of above (who was not only someone I loved, but at the end of the day was my best friend and confidante), I shut myself off even more and of course...all the while thinking it was because "I wasnt thin enough".  "I wasnt pretty enough".  "I couldnt run fast enough".  And you know I wasnt pretty enough or fast enough because why?  Because I needed to lose weight.

Thats when I found all these blogs out there.  Of foodies.  And runners who were foodies.  And runners who were foodies and were incredibly skinny.  But they showed all this food.  But this eye, even now, looking at their pictures...I know there isnt really that much on that plate.  The camera lies, lies, lies.  But...secretly by reading their blogs I was gaining insight into how I could be like that.  I could eat that little.  And I could keep running...and I found blogs of fit people, who had eating disorders...trying to overcome them...all their secrets lay right there in print on my screen. 

Like when one goes to prison, they come out more of a criminal than when they went in?  Here I was someone with a blossoming eating disorder finding tricks of the trade in cyberspace by those that thought they might be helping someone...oh they were helping me alright.  Helping me to fine tune just what I shouldnt and shouldnt be doing...and yes I meant to type shouldnt twice.  :o)

Just last night, as I was riding along with a friend to go get something to eat, two men were running opposite us on Memorial.  One was not wearing a shirt, and honestly was in good shape.  However I zero'd in on the fact that his pecs were 'moving' as he ran.  And then out of nowhere my friend said "thats how I think I look right now so I ran with my shirt on tonight".  Again this man was NOT fat.  Not even close.  But yet, not only was I judging and thinking 'wow, he could be thinner', so was this man in the car next to me.  Runners are a rare breed indeed...

Then today happened.  I opened up my Google Reader and found this on a blog I read regularly...Charlotte who is I describe as 'all around no nonsense in your face tell it like it is' blogger with a history of eating disorders...

 I Eat Everything!

Now I have been reading her blog for quite some time and fits nicely into the category above, meaning I was pulling tidbits from her past, and implementing them into mine...thinking I admired her and I wasnt like 'that'... I could do bits and pieces and I would never be someone with a disorder.  And I do...but in that last sentence, admiration was mis-directed.

Thing is...I've had one for what?  30 years now?  Its just now progressing to a point where even I cant ignore it...not like anorexia or anything...I am pretty certain I could never do that...I adore food too much...I just have issues with it  :o)

This blog post of hers not only hit me smack dab on the head, but it knocked me down, kicked me, broke my ribs and I'm limping...there are so many words in her post that are mine.  She stole them.  Not really, but you know what I mean.  Specifically this first paragraph:

Dining with me is an experience. And often it's not one conducive to gastronomic pleasure. I've admitted in the past to a multitude of eating sins including, but not limited to, looking up calorie counts on my phone during the meal, saying said calorie counts aloud, driving a waitress to the brink of madness with the complexity of my special order and then refusing to eat more than one bite of said meal when it was brought to me. I've sat hungry through beautiful Easter banquets. And then chewed and spit a bag of sugar free jelly beans in the parking lot of the convenience store where I bought them. I've self-righteously turned down homemade, once-in-a-lifetime English Trifle. And then cried as I made myself run an extra mile the next day for "insurance" against future once in a lifetime Trifles.  My disorder started at the age of 12 and had become so ingrained over the years that I honestly had no hope of ever eating like a normal person.

ALL OF THAT APPLIES TO ME..except that Trifels thing..I dont even know what once in a lifetime English Trifle is.  But how many times have I added on insurance mileage?  Quite often.

And then there is this too:

I realized that much of my eating behavior is driven by fear. I'll avoid eating when I'm hungry because I'm afraid that I'll eat the whole world, that I'll be so hungry I'll never stop or because I'm afraid admitting hunger is a sign of weakness or because what I'm really hungry for I won't allow myself to eat. I'll eat when I'm not hungry because I'm afraid that there won't be food I will allow myself to eat wherever I'm going later or because it tastes so good I'm afraid there won't be more or because I'm eating something I'm not "supposed" to eat and I'm afraid I'll never get to eat it again or because somebody made me something special.

And exactly how many times have I said or written this?  I was constantly in the mindset of needing to "earn my food." If I didn't, for some reason, get a workout in then I didn't eat.

I remember distinctly maybe a month ago posting something just like that on my Facebook.  I couldnt run that night, therefore there would be no eating.

Last night I was bummed out that the jeans I chose to wore ... well I couldnt pull them on without unzipping and unbuttoning.  This to me was tragic.  Last time I wore them I could.  I wonder now if my indecisiveness on helping choose where to eat was based on because I knew I really couldnt eat much due to this jeans situation?  Good God ... This morning...I picked out another pair of jeans...And I was happy that yes indeed, I didnt have to unzip or unbutton them to pull them up. 

Then I read that blog post.  And I felt sick to my stomach.  I went immediately to Google and searched for an online quiz of some sort to help me determine whether or not I had an eating disorder.

Guess what?  I scored a 26 out of 30 and that put me in the HIGHLY LIKELY category for developing an eating disorder. 

The only reason it wasnt higher I think was because there were a couple of questions about if I ever threw up (on purpose) or wanted to throw up after eating.  Lets get something straight.  Thats something I could never ever do.

I do love food.  I am just afraid of it obviously. But if Im gonna eat it, its staying right there in MAH BELL-LEE!

Since October 2009 I have dropped about 15 lbs I guess.  I havent weighed in quite some time, mostly because I started marathon training and its really hard to lose weight because you have to eat to fuel ... but let me tell you I have pushed the envelope this time on seeing just how little fuel I can get by with (did I mention I am also hypoglycemic?).  Therefore I think I might be a tad skinnier than the last time I did weigh?  Not sure.  I keep thinking I want to get on there...but then I am afraid that the number will be too high...what an idiot I am.    Incidentially on that quiz I took it asked for height weight age.  And my BMI (as if those things are accurate) put me in the Normal range. 

Obviously...if you've read this whole post...you now know that I am no where remotely what I would consider Normal.

I have a lot of thinking to do...as a runner, at least here in the running community I run with, thin(ner) is the goal and is praised....verbally... on any given Saturday morning meet up for a long run...you hear the words being spoken...OMG you look grrrrrrreat!  How much weight have you dropped?  They are all around you... Even 1/2 lb is that much less you have to carry around for however many miles...

The pressure, at least to me, is overwhelming. All I want to do is get to Boston. And in my mind, even though I am no where near fast...is that if I get skinny enough, that'll be my magic carpet ride to Beantown...and lets get real...I AM faster...but is it because I lost weight?  More than likely yes, that much is true.  But really at this point any more lost gonna make a difference?...I dont know....and on top of alllllllllllllll of that, there is this thing about getting older (40's)...keeping up with the youngin's...must stay youthful (i.e. skinny? wtf?)...must hear 'omg I hope I look like you when I'm your age! You look awesome!'...must remain sexy...attractive to men...and yes, attractive to women...lets face it...at the end of the day the critics we wish to silence with envy are the women...

So...I wonder...what this 'admission' has really cost me?  This 'admission' of my faults?  And lastly the admission of not knowing whether or not I can change how I act and feel?  

Thank you Charlotte.  (I think)... ;o)

Make You Laugh Friday the 13th!!

OK, so everyone knows how I loooooooooooooooves my Lady Gaga, as seen here getting ready to head out to see her live in Houston!  But this morning Lady Gaga herself posts this spoof to Facebook and I watched here at work...OMG its hilarious!  If you dont know the words to the original 'Telephone" by her and Beyonce, you might not (or maybe can) appreciate the change in lyrics...

"Telephone" (The Office version)

Just what America needs....

A Pop Tart store ....

Go ahead, click the link and read the story from the NY Times...

Deserted Island? Yes Please.

I am taking a break from people.  Yes thats right...from people.
So I leave you with my weeks worth of upcoming runs on the road to Chicago Marathon:

Tuesday:  no run (Mom's birthday)
Wednesday:  7 miles - progressive
Thursday: 6 miles - treadmill more than likely
Friday: 2-3 miles maybe...usually a rest day but since I have cutback long run...
Saturday: 11 miles
Sunday:  3 miles or so...

See you next week...maybe by then I will be somewhat back to where I should be...if not, I guess I will just have to fake it. 

Wouldnt be the first time.

4 miles on the treadmill.

Physically I feel fine.  Mentally I'm done.

Sunday Runday

Slept in this morning...well I got up at 6:20 but then went back to bed and slept till about 8:30...amazing...and wonderful.

Therefore this meant that I wouldnt be able to run till close to 6:30 this evening due to heat.  So I just made breakfast, laid around and then went by the pool for a bit of sun.  Had to run errands, buy momma a birthday present, so forth and so on.  Shortly after getting home the skies opened up and down came a whole lotta rain!  As soon as it let up I was out the door!  It was still sprinkling but I didnt care at all!  I always forget how sauna like it is after a rain :o( ... but today I welcomed the way I was feeling even if I was pouring sweat from every pore in my body.  I love that I can recover from a hard 18 miler...sometimes that amazes me as I remember that use to not be the case...this is my first marathon training where I have been running the Sunday after long runs.  I kinda like that ...

Just did my short 3 mile route and now can call it a day!

Quads were a bit tender all day but a couple of ibuprofen a bit earlier and that subsided.  Once I took off running nothing hurt and I was able to do the 3 miles at GMP.  I wonder does that make up for not being able to do them during my long run?  Probably not, but oh well :)

Another One (Long Run) Bites the Dust

When I rolled out of bed this morning at 3:45am...yep 3:45am...I saw the temperature on the phone...82 deg.  At 3:45am.  Loverly.  :)

Plan was to start at 4:30 and that indeed did happen.  I shoved a banana down while getting ready and pulled up to base.  Only 1 car there.  But I didnt see anyone but shortly after I pulled up another car pulled up behind me.  It was a girl I didnt know, but we spoke and the next thing I knew we were running together.  It was nice to feel a bit safer even if I was just going to do loops at base.

However after the 2nd loop SW was there and he informed me that the water stops were already out, so I only did 4 loops there at base and then took off towards Crestwood (which would in fact be the last water stop of the route as you do River Oaks).  I did run this 4 mile loop by myself but there were enough people running up Memorial to where I didnt feel nervous.  As I hit the water stop, there were a couple of people I knew that had come down Blossom so I had them to run with on the way back as they were just going back the way they came.  I had taken 2 S!Caps before I left the house, took 1 at mile 6 (water stop).  I also took a gel at mile 6.  I did NOT want to red line like I did last week when I didnt do anything proactive in those first 7 miles. Once I got back to base there were obviously more people arriving as it was nearing 6am.  I changed out of my already completely soaked socks and shoes as I had brought a 2nd pair of each with me knowing that I could do this because of the way I was running the miles today.  Even though the dryness of the 2nd pair only lasted about 3 miles it was good to do that.

Now it was time for five 2 mile runs :) ... the water stops were 2 miles apart thankfully today...sometimes that is not the case.  I was pretty much managing 10:40/10:45 pace...sometimes it would get close to 11, but i would speed up a bit to keep it as close to target as I could for as long as I could given the conditions.

I had a couple of incidents of nausea this morning, whenever I would take a gel so that was weird.  I've never had that before but I guess it was just the heat.  I also starting have cramps (the woman kind) midway but quickly just put those out of mind as best as I could. 

I took my time at the water stops and drank a bit more than I normally do ... but again I was losing so much fluid that I knew I needed to do it.

It wasnt until about starting in mile 13 that I started feeling some ill effects of the heat as it pertains to get up and go in my legs.  Once I hit 15 I was fading so I started running a bit slower, would walk a bit, then start up again, going for 6-7 min at a time.  I was at or near MP and I was in full on sun as I chose to run the paved side of Memorial Drive and not the path which is mostly shade at that hour.  Somehow I managed to get to the last water stop and thats where I had a 'talk' with myself. 

I was pleased that todays run had already gone SO much better than last weekends fiasco so I had that.  But then I knew and had to remind myself that I had 2 more miles to go (and that next week I am rewarded with only an 11 mile run!)...at that water stop there were some very much so struggling runners and they had only done 8 miles...so I off towards Blossom I went.  Unfortunately I was in full sun again, but just put one foot in front of the other and managed a decent last 2 miles.

While I would not call this a great run, it was good.  Funny how the marathon training scale gets altered when comparing to another run so recent as last week you know?

Now we start the long one week/short the next dance...6 more weeks to taper.  I have a 19, 21 and 22 miler left to do.  The 19 might turn into a 20 depending on how I feel on that particular day :)

I spent the rest of the morning 'icing' in the pool, and trying to sleep (didnt work) before heading off to see Mom ...  and on the way I stopped off at Celebrity Cupcakes to bring her a special surprise (and of course I indulged as well:  Vanilla Coconut for me!)  So darn yummy!!!

Now I sit here talking to you all...eating a huge bowl of veggie lo mein (mine, not from a restaurant)...so I know its not full of oil and gunk :)  Was going to go out this evening with the girls, but now ... I am thinking I am going to stay in and watch 'Book of Eli'...and fall asleep half way through it probably :)

By the way when I finished my run this morning?  The temp was 89 deg.  Feels like of 94...Good grief!  :)

How was YOUR run today???

OFFICIALLY registered today for Chevron Houston Marathon!

Love that I didn't have to go through the lottery process.  :o)

But first there's:

October 10, 2010 Chicago Marathon

December 5, 2010 Dallas White Rock Half Marathon

I Know You Are, but What Am I? (aka How about some Drama with Your Running Blog)

Name calling.
Back stabbing.
Humiliation.

Lots of ugly, ugly words.

Sticks and stones. 

I was recently told in an email "Get off facebook and act your age".  What?  Really?  This coming from someone that is ALSO on facebook, just a few years younger than I, playing mafia wars and posting mean comments and innuendos on not only MY wall, but others?  OK.  And Steve, if you're reading this, sorry, but its true. 

Hello Kettle, I'm Black.

So anywaaaaaaaaaaaay...a couple of weeks ago I took a proud picture of myself wearing my cute new technical No Meat Athlete shirt and posted it as my profile picture on Facebook.  A few people made snide remarks, and a few people wanted to know where I got it.  Mostly there was nothing said at all.

Fast forward to one day last week. 

One morning after arriving at work, I was craaaaaaaaaaaving not only a breakfast taco but one with sausage.  I have ALWAYS maintained that if my body wants something, I will wait a bit to see if it subsides but if it doesnt then I am going to give it what it wants. 

I posted my 'surrender' on Facebook and boy let me tell you...I got it from SS...he thought that was SO funny and SO hypocritical that, yet again, the only time he comments is when he wants to mock, point out, or make an argument about something I BELIEVE in, am PASSIONATE about...from eating vegetarian to the food banks that are bare, to the homeless/needy...etc.  There are a lot of things I am quite passionate about.

This was not the first time I have had comments on the subject...snide remarks such as 'eat a hamburger, it'll make you faster' for example...

This time though, I was done.  Someone that I once looked up to, admired, trusted...but yet had always not quite made me feel like much of a person...he had indeed been an ear from time to time, but even then I still always felt not quite right...like I was less of a person.  According to him I am a person who needs to be 'dealt with kid gloves'...

I unfriended him on Facebook.

Then I find out he's making comments on another friends Facebook on a random picture that has NOTHING to do with me...about "i guess thats what happens when No Meat Athletes get caught eating a hamburger'.

Huh? 

To me this implied that I had been caught red-handed in some back alley eating a hamburger as if it had been a crackpipe loaded up and ready to go....Mean emails went back and forth...

But then I started to wonder...was I worthy of that shirt?  Because sometimes I give in to my body's needs?  I posed this question to No Meat Athlete himself...

Here is the last sentence of that conversation with him:  am i bad for giving in to my bodys cravings sometimes????? and does that mean i am not worthy to wear the shirt????

Here is a response I received: 
Hey Junie,

I think there is a big difference in both health and environmental effects in say, eating sausage once a month, compared to eating it everyday with breakfast, then having a turkey sandwich for lunch, and then pork tenderloin for dinner.

I started off this post by saying I made the decision to eat less meat. There are vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians, pescetarians and everything in between— and they all have their own reasons for doing so, whether compelled by race times, general health, finances, environmental concerns, or just straight up compassion.

I personally believe that the average American diet includes way too much meat, and that the fact that there is a demand for meat to be so cheap and convenient has a terrible effect on the treatment of animals and environmental conditions at factory farms.
I believe meat should be expensive, because to feed animals correctly and raise them ethically involves a lot of time and money. I personally am willing to occasionally eat this kind of meat, and do so infrequently enough that feel what I am doing is in check with the pace animals are raised and with what I can actually afford.

There is a cool restaurant where I live that lists the local farms that their meat dishes come from, and I appreciate that kind of awareness and accountability. At the same time, I do not like how I feel physically after eating meat so there is not too much motivation to order the steak when there are marvelous couscous salads around.

As you can see from the Pro-Veggie or Anti-Meat Post, there are just as many people who agree and disagree with this, and you are bound to run into them as you begin making active choices about your food.

You just need to examine which issues are important to you, and then align your actions with your values.

I think you should definitely continue wearing your shirt, because it represents a community of people (in which you belong) who are willing to be conscious eaters and it also raises awareness that there are alternative ways to fuel your body and still have successful athletic training.

Christine

************************************************

Thank you Christine for saying everything I think and feel and then some...my words in my head are the same but they don't always translate to the page that way...especially when I feel 'attacked'.

Operation Beautiful!!!!

I have been reading Caitlin's blog for quite some time and I must tell you that the thought process behind leaving 'random acts of kindness' on post its for women is just amazing ... Its a lot like the Post Secret idea I suppose, but not.  :o) 

I myself haven't left random post its for anyone...other than myself sometimes...because as women we ARE our own worst enemies when it comes to self-worth...I am so excited that Caitlin's new book came out and in it are pictures upon pictures of randomness of post its that people have written, hidden and photographed for I am not sure how long...

Anyway...today Caitlin was on one of my most favorite and guilty pleasures, the Today Show (I know I'm weird like that)...and here is the segment!!!

Its truly an amazing concept and vision...so...will YOU be a part of Operation Beautiful?  I think today might just be my first post it surprise for someone here at work...If I do it, I will post a picture of it...

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Cel-e-brate Good Times! Come On!

OK, first things first.  Let us bask in the glow of the fact that today is my Friday.  Don't hate.  ;o)  And not only that; but for the first weekend in what? about a month, I have lovely, lovely days off!  No Luke's!  From now until um...not sure, I told them I couldn't fill in on a Saturday when I had such long mileage to do.  Only on cut-back weeks.  But this weekend I had told them I couldnt work at all.  I needed the break!

Now what we WON'T celebrate is the fact that a) at 6:30 last night the feels like was 107 and b) this morning at 5:30am it was 91.  We are smack dab in the middle of heat extremity.  Warnings all over the place.  When the actual temps are 97-99 deg and you have the high (than normal when its this hot) humidity as we are experiencing, its not so bueno.

My workout yesterday got altered.  I ended up doing 6 miles on the treadmill at a 2% incline and in the last mile I did 3 x 4:00 sprints with 2:00m rest in between.  Then I was advised to wait until dusk to do my Yasso's.  Basically this meant waiting till around 7:30pm.  Sigh.  But you know at the end of the day, the miles I needed to go got done and I did manage SOME speed regardless of the weather and thats all I can hope for.

I am cutting my 6 miles down to 3 today, and I wanted to do them before work but soooooooooomehow the alarm shut itself off and therefore I didnt hear it ;o) ... So basically that means running 3 miles in yet again 107 feels like temps this evening as the news said this morning.  I dont know that I want to wait till 7 or later again, so its not gonna be pleasant at all...but at least its just 3 miles.  This will give me 36 hours more or less to prepare for Saturdays 18 miler.

This, my friends, is going to be interesting...I just have to make it through this one...and as far as I'm concerned I will be home free...at least I feel better knowing that after this one, its a major cut back week...and it couldnt come at a better time either.

I am anxiously awaiting the route announcement...so much so that I just shot off an email to Coach asking...and I actually begged him for a route that was 95%, if not 100% pavement...

More Eat This! Not That!

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Its still Summer time and that means for a lot of folks finding themselves out on the road!  If you arent like me (for the most part) and pack food for the road, when faced with only fast food options, remember items from this segment!

What? Another 'Magic Bullet' is Nothing but a Blank?

I'm shocked I say!

Note the sarcasm...

I know a few people who have paid good money for this...and I never said anything...but inside my eyes were rolling...

And now...see?

I told you so.

6 miles.
Treadmill.

I thought about maybe going to the park to run, but around 4pm I looked at my trusty WeatherBug on my phone and it showed 108 heat index.  Um...no thank you.  Its Tuesday.  Gym day anyway :o)

Even my last few runs on the treadmill havent been all that stellar, but today the hour FLEW by!!  I felt strong and my legs were cooperating.  I still left a mess of sweat (which yes I cleaned up), but I was happy to do so!

Tomorrow is speed day.  Yasso 800's.  I am either going to run 3 miles before work and then go to the track after work to do the workout which is 6 x 800m at 4:09-4:15.  Or I will run 4 miles on the treadmill after work and then head to the track.  Either way a good solid (at least) 7 miles...

Remaining mileage done.  3 miles.  6 miles for the day.

Temp was 99deg and a heat index of 104deg when I stepped outside.  I ran the shadiest route from my house I have and basically its running down to Rice and back and even then you have to stay on west side of the street to avoid direct sun exposure.

I'm not gonna lie I was praying "turn red, turn red" every time I came up near an intersection with a light (there are 2 of them on this route.

Gonna try for 5:15am again tomorrow morning...

Product Review - Win Detergent - as told by: Stinky McStinkerson :o)

OK, I have worked for a year in a specialty running store, and part time since then.  I have been a runner for almost 5 years now.

And until last Summer and now this Summer I never could understand why we couldnt keep this in stock at the store; it would fly off the shelves when we would get it in..I washed my running stuff with normal detergent...and like I said recently I had to start rethinking this...

Let me explain.  This Summer even though I wash my running clothes ... its just not doing the job.  When I would wear a pair of shorts especially or even a top, within a mile or so of running I could 'smell' not a good smell at all.  Horrible. 

So horrible that I have taken to leaving them outside till they would dry and then spray Febreze on them to put them in the dirty clothes hamper.  To me my house smelled like a gym locker.

The theory is that with all the new technology of wicking sweat and gunk from your body as you run, it just builds up over time into the wicking fabric, and ordinary detergent just doesn't get the job done.  After so long hey its just gonna smell bad people no matter what :o)  Especially as your body even remotely starts to heat up and of course, sweat again. 

Now I know that Tide has come out with a product aimed at athletes but every single review I have read on it is BAD.  The smell is overpowering and makes most people nauseous whenever they start to run and sweat.

So last weekend I bought Win at Luke's and at 40% discount (it runs about $7 a bottle w/ no dis), well the price is ok :o) since its much more expensive but then again you are to only wash your athletic apparel in it.  Its not a substitute for your regular clothes and linens.

This morning on my run, I was sweating like crazy within the first mile.  Its that bad out there.  And by the end of the 2nd mile I was drenched.

NO STINKY STINK WHATSOEVER.

Once I finished running and went inside and undressed...I did what I had to do.  Put the shorts up to my face and took a deep breath in.

NO STINKY STINK WHATSOEVER!!!!

OMG is it really possible???

I do believe Win has made a believer out of me!!!

August Rears His Ugly Head....

I, as most of you know, am not an early morning runner except for on Saturdays...and by early morning I mean 6am or earlier.  I like to get to work by 7:15 so I can get out of here early too...Therefore I have never been one to get up and run mileage during the week before work.  I would rather do the mileage after work.

However, here in SE Texas doing that almost requires (at least for me) to not run until 6pm and later (and honestly, its now more like 7pm before its bearable!!).  Then you know whats next...that just means it kinda cuts into evening stuff like having to shower, and then cook etc...at a much later time.  Plus what if you want to actually DO something???  Also not ideal.  Now if I was a runner who could run 6 miles in 40 minutes or something like that it wouldnt be a problem :)

So this week because the heat and humidity combined are to send us into heat warnings (heat indexs of 104-107), I knew I had to try something different this week.  So to make a longer story longer....  :O)

I ran 3 miles this morning (around 5:15am; head lamp and red blinky light firmly in place to light my way and make my presense known) and will run 3 more after work.  This is my plan at least for this week...quite possibly through August if need be.  Wednesdays I run 8 miles with speed, so I am going to try and do 4 miles on Wednesday morning, then head to the track at Memorial late evening to do the speed work.  I don't know if it matters much if the mileage is done all at one shot or if its "OK" to split it up...meaning is it 'cheating' on marathon training miles?  Its not like I will be doing this on my long run Saturdays...

So what do you think? 

OK to split the smaller mileage days up for the sake of health?  Or will it hurt my marathon on race day?

Busy as a Bee

Blech!  Been so busy the blog has been sad and lonely!

Friday:  No run

Saturday:  17 miles.  Not pretty.  7 miles were good, 8 and 9 were just ok (damage had been done), and the rest was done run/walking.  It was horrible.  Just an all around off day of running.  First of all KW had an 'off' week so even though there was a route (loops of Memorial and the bayou) no way was I going to do that!  So a few of us did a rogue route (Rice and Hermann mainly), and it wasnt much better. 

I made the DUMB mistake of a) not taking S!Caps before I started, and the first 'loop' we went long out at Rice to Hermann and then long back.  7 miles.  No S!Caps, no gel.  Dumb, dumb, dumb.  I paid dearly for it not to mention even though we started at 5:30 the weather here is worse than usual (heat wise) and it starts early :(

I was sick most of the day (again the heat and letting myself lose too much salt/water)...I went to work at Lukes and only made it 2 hours.  Came home and slept.  The thing is once you go into a deficit its almost impossible to recover from it.  I know this more than anyone and I preach it to new runners all the time. 

It was what it was.  Live and learn.  I felt like I was out there forever, so if nothing else, I got extra time on the legs whether it was running the whole time or not.  17 miles still got done.

Sunday:  I got up this morning and wanted to see how I would fare on a short run.  Ran a 4 mile route while it was still shady...around 7:30 I guess it was.  While it was still extremely hot and humid at that time it was better.  Plus it was ALL pavement and if you've read my blog for any length of time you know I am a pavement runner (Rice/Hermann are not paved)...soft surfaces tend to tire my legs out in a way I cannot explain.  So I didnt feel any residual effects after yesterdays fiasco thankfully.  I felt back in my element so to speak.

I have 18 miles this coming Saturday and thankfully we should have a 'normal' route and hopefully ALL PAVEMENT!

7 weeks to taper!!  I can hardly believe it...If I can survive August here in SE Texas...heres to hope and prayer!!!

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Go see "Inception".  Fantastic movie!  Long (2.5 hours), so you get your moneys worth and then some!!!