Tuesday, July 29, 2008

HELP... I'm bored!

I'm not cool... so I need your help!

Self admitting, I'm not cool, hip, or trendy. I don't wear the latest fashions. My hair is blah. And, while I want to have the best test in music, I don't.

So, I need your help. No, I'm not getting a makeover; however, if you'd like to fork out the cash I'd be willing to participate. But, my mp3 player does need a make over. Give me suggestions for good running music. Something to keep me going... my tastes in music are wide so hit me with everything.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Wetty Wetts

Today I made a rookie mistake. As I laced up my shoes, I felt a little urge to go to the bathroom. If you don't know already, you should always listen to that little urge. Oh no! Not me... I have the bladder of a champion! I can make it! So, I head out the door. It was probably a mile or so into the run before the wave hit me again. I look around briefly and see no relief insight. Hunker down... walk a bit... you can do it!! After realizing walking was only going to take me longer to get to a bathroom I start running again. It dawns on me... I'll be running past a friend's place! Maybe he'll miraculously be outside. Nope... no sign of him. After awhile I start chanting the don't wet yourself mantra. I have to stop and walk awhile longer. The chanting turned to cursing when I realize I missed a bathroom break about mile back. Less than a mile to go... I'm gonna make it!!! Praise God, I made it back although, the other scenario would have made for a better blog entry.

Monday, July 14, 2008

New Day!

I'm amazed at what my body can do.

Not that I'm all of a sudden some kind of Olympic marathoner, but my body amazed me today. I set my alarm for 6 a.m. hoping to get my run in before it got really hot outside. Instead of bouncing out of bed, I hit snooze till 8 (okay 8:30). Finally, I headed out the door, hating that I was going for a run.

I didn't want to be out of bed, let alone in running shoes. But, there I was walking towards my start line thinking to myself how I just wanted to walk the whole thing. As I walked, I thought about why I was so tired. Was it from a lack of sleep, possibly. The fact that today would be the 7th day in a row without a day off, maybe. Could it be from eating like crap? sure. Maybe I have low iron again. Whatever the reason... I was exhausted. So, I let myself walk a bit further than normal and finally forced myself to start running.

Wouldn't you know it! Running felt so much better than walking. It made me feel energized, alive, mobile. It shook the sleep out of my eyes (and promptly replaced it with sweat). It was a new day and I was accomplishing a goal. This run I was dreading turned out to be a run where I actually added fartleks.... amazing!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Exploration...one mile at a time

I find it pathetic how little I know about my neighborhood. Until last week, I had never seen any streets south of Connecticut (my block). To fix this, I've decided to explore my neighborhood: one mile at a time.

If you didn't know already, Google maps is amazing! I've created a bunch of running routes in my maps for all my runs. Each run explores a new little nugget of my neighborhood.

Today's 3.5 mile run featured the Southwest Garden District. I ran from my place, north on Tower Grove Ave (a street I take everyday to work, but still saw new things while running), then east on Shaw, wound my way unto Maury and back to Tower Grove Park. I learned several things today:

1. I need to fill my prescription for a new inhaler. It's not that I'm wheezing, but towards the end I began to not be able to breath (minor detail). It's almost a choking feeling... umm.
2. I'm extremely bored with Tower Grove Park. The part of my run in the park was the hardest. I'm not sure if that's because it was the end or because there's no excitement. For some reason, I think it's because I'm bored and know what's coming.
3. Fruits and veggies do make a difference. I haven't been able to afford to go to the grocery store in awhile, which means I've consumed a lot of Mrs. Dash Pasta and Pantry Creations. I can tell a huge difference while running.
4. My foot hurts... real bad! I've developed this stabbing pain in my right foot. It starts where my arch meets my heel and heads straight up the right side of my ankle. Any thoughts on what this could be?

In other news, I've been tagged! Just like my friend who tagged me, it's also my first tagging experience.... here goes nothing!

1. Write the title to your own memoir using 6 words.
2. Post it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who tagged you.
4. Tag 5 more blogs. And, in my case, 2.

No Stop Lights; No Looking Back
Katie recalls how she began her life in a small town and how she's come to live her life without fear.

Tag... you're it!
Kate
Betsy

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

cheater...

Today I cheated for the first time. Please know, I'm extremely stubborn and don't give up easily, but this morning I couldn't help it. I awoke to walk with Lara and then go for a 3 mile run myself. I awoke, changed clothes, and headed out to greet Lara with a smile and a yawn. We walked for about 30 minutes or so before I saw her off to work. Now was the time for my training!

As I began walking to my "start" line, I knew something was off. I was more tired then normal at 6 a.m. Not so much tired as fatigued. I decided to be easy on myself and start at the top of the hill to give myself a nice break at first. Fine... did that. Soon I'm fatigued again and so I walk a bit. Get up the gusto to run up one of the hills and walk again. This continued for the first 2 miles. And, I just couldn't go any further. So I cheated! I'm guessing Lara and I walked at least a mile together before I started my run so I'm using that and saying I still got my mileage in. Call me a cheater if you will.

My legs are really tight and kind of sore today. I should probably do a really good stretch, but man it hurts. Yesterday I ran a 4 miler and probably pushed myself a bit too hard. But, I saw my 2 mile mark and looked down at my watch and realized I could do a 10 minute mile so I sprinted to the mark to get it in. It was then that I realized I had stopped to walk at least once so really, I didn't do it in 10 minutes. So sad... I didn't finish my 4 mile run until 9 p.m. last night then got up at 5 a.m. this morning to run again. I'm thinking I didn't give my body enough time to rest. Whoops... lesson learned.