Happy Marathon Monday and good luck to everyone running today!!!

Who knew getting in an 11-mile long run this weekend would be such a challenge? It took me three tries before I could actually get it done.

Attempt One:
It was my short day at work Friday (meaning I only had to work eight hours instead of my usual 9) so I got off plenty early in the afternoon and had every intention of knocking out my 11 miles since it was supposed to rain all day Saturday.

Unfortunately, my stomach had other plans. It cramped miserably from miles one to three, and left me hustling into the bathrooms at the park thinking I was about to toss my cookies. Although I didn't, I decided it was time to throw in the towel and slowly walked the 1.5 miles back home. I'm pretty sure lunch just wasn't sitting well.

Attempt Two:
Even though I didn't get to bed until 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning after a night of swing dancing and IHOP, I was still wide awake at 9 ready to go on my run. The weather, however, had other plans. It was pouring rain.

I stepped outside, thought about it for a few minutes and decided I'd rather not be squishing in my shoes for 11 miles. I went back inside and curled up with some Netflix instead.

Attempt Three:
After falling asleep at 8 p.m. Saturday night and getting a full 12 hours of sleep, I finally felt ready to tackle my 11 miles for real Sunday morning. It was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining and even though there was a really strong wind, I didn't mind because it was keeping me cool.

The 11 miles were a struggle though from beginning to end. I think in large part it was because my fueling and nutrition were just completely out of whack. Between napping and running errands on Saturday, I didn't eat as much as usual, and I definitely didn't eat my normal night-before-a-long-run, carb-heavy dinner.

I also didn't have any Gatorade or Gu with me on the run, so really, it was just a giant fueling fail.

At the end of the day, I got the miles in though, even though they were some of the slowest I've averaged in a long time. It might have taken me three tries, but I was determined to make that long run happen.

or 
Why I Panicked Before My Long Run

Saturday morning before my long run, I had a mini-panic attack.

My stomach was in knots, my breathing was absurdly shallow and for life of me I couldn't calm myself down.

I can't ever remember feeling so nervous about a run. I think I was calmer the night before I ran my first marathon than I was Saturday before running 7 miles.

The reason for my complete and total panic:

My coworker Chris had invited me to run with him and a few of his friends, and I knew they were all going to be much faster than I am. I was freaking out that I was going to be the slowest one there and either hold back the group or force Chris to run much slower than he normally does so I didn't get left in the dust.

I know I'm not a super fast runner and I'm pretty OK with that, but showcasing my lack of speed in front of a bunch of new people and a coworker terrified me. I'm not even kidding, Matt pretty much had to force me out of the house.

I was the first one to the meeting spot, and spent the time stretching out before the rest of the group arrived.

We took off at a pretty good clip, and Chris and I clocked the first mile in 8:46. I knew there was no way I could hold that kind of pace for 7 miles, so I slowed a bit and the rest of the group pushed a little bit farther ahead.

Our next two miles were a little bit slower, but still much faster than I'm used to coming in at just over 9 minutes per mile. Chris was good about checking with me to make sure I wasn't dying and he seemed OK to be going at my pace, even though I apologized about 50 million times for slowing him down. He averaged something like 8:15 per mile in the Baltimore Half Marathon last year, so running 9's with me probably felt like a stroll in the park.

I was so grateful when we got to a stoplight and caught up with the rest of the group. It gave me a minute to catch my breath and stretch out my hips. I was just waiting for my IT bands to blow up and start bothering me badly. That never really happened, though we did stop for a short stretch break somewhere past mile four. I could feel my legs tightening up. I felt bad stopping, but I figured it was the smart thing to do.

After we hit the turn around point, I was dying. Our mile splits were closer to 9:30 now but I was sucking wind and my legs were tired. The rest of the group was pretty far ahead of us at this point, but we just kept trucking along.

I have to hand it to Chris, he was a pretty great pacer. He let me slow down when I needed too, but made sure I picked it back up and was really encouraging throughout the run.

When we met up with his friends back at the park, they were all super encouraging too.

So yes, I might have been the slowest one there, but no one seemed to care that much. Everyone was pretty accepting of my slower pace and they invited me to come back again.

I'm pretty sure I'll join them again, and next time I don't think I'll have a panic attack about being too slow.

Having a group to push me will help make me a faster and stronger runner. Plus it was a nice change of pace to run with other people and make new friends.

Do you ever worry you're too slow to run with other people?

I think the town of Crofton, Md. was designed by a runner. I'm 100% serious. There are sidewalks everywhere including on all the busy roads. There are tons of neighbors with lots of shady areas that make for fabulous mileage.

The Crofton Parkway is a giant loops that is almost exactly a 5K. I mean seriously, who designs stuff like that if they aren't a runner themselves or a very runner friendly person.

Well anyway, I'm down in Maryland today because I have a vacation day (whoo!!) that I used because this afternoon a bunch of us are driving to Charlottesville, Va. for a soccer game. So I decided that I would use the morning for a nice, easy long run.

I planned out an 8.33 mile course. (Why can I never find a course that ends on an even mile or half mile lol) and hit the road around 8:30ish. It was still a bit chilly, but in a good way. I was pretty comfortable in my Under Armour tights and a long sleeve tech shirt with my ear warmer on.

I was cruising along the first three miles feeling really great and absolutely loving running in Crofton. Everyone else out is so freakin' nice. I think every single person I passed waved and said, "Hi." People with dogs were so nice about pulling the leashes close and stepping out of the way so I could get by. A super nice crossing guard helped me across the busiest road with a bunch of school kids.

Right around mile 3 my iPod died because it was cold. Does anyone else have that problem? iPods dying in the cold? (Like not dead, dead it's fine now, but it just turns off and won't turn back on outside.)

Well right about that time I passed a mom and her son going to a Halloween party at what looked to be a kindergarten. The little boy was dressed up as a PowerRanger I think. And I ran past him and he started running right along side of me. So I chatted with him for a little while, told him I liked his costume and that he was super fast. He was such a cutie. (I also told him not to get too far ahead of his mom, I didn't want her to panic.)

They veered off to go to their party and I headed on my way on the Parkway, which is an awesome place to run. There's plenty of sidewalk room and its not too hilly. There were a couple big ones in the middle, but nothing too bad.

Miles four and five I was still feeling good. Around mile six, I was exiting the Parkway and I could definitely feel my legs were getting tired. I also noticed a twinge in my knee. It was nothing serious. Just annoying.

I pushed through mile seven and was really really tired by mile eight. It sucked not having my iPod here. The music helps me zone out and not focus so much on how tired I am. I had one line from the last song I listened to stuck in my head so I was like singing it over and over again haha. Not out loud though.

I finished 8.33 in 1:27.43. I think that's about a 10:30 mile. I was hoping to average 10 minute miles, but I'm still not disappointed in the run. It felt great except for my knee acting up at the end. I think I'm going to tape my knee from now on runs over 6 miles. That's when I seem to notice it start to act up. I also think I would have been able to push the speed a little bit more had I eaten more before I went out. I only ate half a PBJ because I just was not hungry enough to eat a whole one. I kind of wish I had though. Oh well, I know for next time.

Anyway, I'm off to go get ready for this soccer game. It's Halloween so we're all dressing up. I'm going as...a soccer player...creative, I know right haha!

Hope you all have a great Halloween weekend!

I am really happy with today's run. I logged 8 miles in 1:28:35. That's no lightening pace or anything, but it's the first time I've run in warmer temps with the sun beating down on me and basically no shade for the entire run.

My times usually start to get a lot slower when it's hotter out, but today I was really happy to see that I kept a pretty nice pace on my long run.

It started out really well. My legs felt rested and ready to go. My knee wasn't bothering me at all and I just felt like I was flying. My right hip started to act up a little around mile one, but that passed sometime before I hit mile two.

At the beginning of mile three things started to get a little tough because my route is pretty hilly and my legs were getting a little tired, but I was able to push through to the next down hill knowing I would get a little bit of a recovery there.

Around mile four I stopped to walk and slurp down my GU. I'd say it took me about five minutes to get the thing open, gulp it and then chase it with some water. But I picked up running again and in the end it didn't hurt my time too much.

The back four miles were a mental marathon though. It was so hot. The shade was gone by this point. And there were hills. Lots and lots of uphills with very small downhills in between. I did a lot of talking to myself in those last four miles, but I never stopped to walk.

The only negative is that my left knee really started bothering me in the last mile or so. I'm icing it down now though so hopefully that will help.

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

ORN:
8 miles, 1:28:35

Today my long run was a nine miler. I mapped out a course and made sure I had pasta for dinner last night. I was in bed by 1 a.m. and woke up at 9ish to get ready to run.

Chowed down a PowerBar, drank some water and threw a pack of Sharkies in my running pack and was out the door by 9:45ish.

If you noticed the title of this post, I was not feeling this run.

But let's focus on the positives first:
I finished the entire 9 miles.
By some miracle I ran an average of 11:12 minute miles.
My final time was 1:41:17

And now for the not-so-positive aspects of this run:
It sucked from the minute I started.
My legs felt like I dead weight.
I never hit my stride.
I had to start walking at the 55 minute marker (which was when I ate the Sharkies so I'd have energy for the last 4ish miles)

In the end:
After I had to start walking the first time, I walked for about five minutes while I was eating the gummies and then started running again and kept that up for another 12 minutes or so. After that I had to switch the run 5 minutes walk two minutes method.

I'm not sure how with all that walking I was able to finish in the time I did. I went back and re-mapped my course when I got home, and it still magically said nine miles.

So I guess another big positive is that even though I had to start walking I was able to keep my times consistent. Unfortunately I don't have splits, but I think the first few miles I had to be smoking even though I was trying to tell myself to run slowly.

Now I'm going to go rest my heavy legs and do all sorts of fun things like laundry and grocery shopping....you know you're jealous haha!

Catch ya back here Monday.

Sorry it's been a while. I've been more than a little consumed with the basketball and I was at home over the weekend for Easter.

But here's a quick rundown of what I've been up to.

Thursday was a weights day and a short, recovery run. Both went pretty well.

Friday was a killer spin day. I loved it.

Saturday was my long run of 8 miles. Now I was at home for this back on my old training stomping ground so I was very familiar with the 8 mile course I had planned to do. I figured that'd give me an edge and make the run a little bit easier. But no luck. The run was hard from the get go. My legs felt like lead for the first mile and I kept trying to convince myself it would get better after that. But mile two was no better, nor really was mile three.

By the time I hit mile four, I had seemed to hit a little bit of a stride. It didn't feel easy, but it felt better than it had. The following four miles were much of the same.

Maybe it was because the weather was pretty cold and it took me a while to warm up, or maybe it was because I probably could have benefited from some sports beans around mile 6, but didn't have any with me, but the run was nothing to write home about.

I could find two positives: I was able to run the whole thing and I finished in 1:29:59, which is a little bit more than an 11-minute mile average.

Sunday was a rest day, and today was supposed to be a 40-minute recovery run, but I didn't do it this morning. My knee had been bothering me a little bit on Sunday and I'm still really sore from Saturday so I didn't to push it. Depending how I feel, I may get out for something short after work, but we'll see.

Also as far as the food log goes, I gave myself a break over the weekend for some sweets. I mean, seriously, it was Easter. So no food logs for the days I already missed, but I'll get back on track with that today.

Sorry I'm not getting around to blogging about yesterday's long run until this afternoon. As soon as I got home yesterday I jumped in the shower, grabbed some food and was out the door to watch the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown. After that it was off to eat lunch with friends and watch many, many basketball games.

The night wrapped up at one of the more chill bars in town with a final stop at Denny's for some late night breakfast. It was definitely a fun day.

But I think the best part was my seven mile long run in the morning. Everything about it was perfect. The temperature was in the high 40's or low 50's with alternating sunny and cloudy moments.

I had mapped out a course before hand and was having a hard time finding an area that I could run avoiding hugely busy roads. What I settled on worked out pretty well. It was a little bit through neighborhoods, with an out and back into a part of town I've never been to. That road was a little narrow sometime and occasionally I had to run in the grass when a car went by, but it wasn't really an issue and it's a route I'll have to keep in mind for future runs.

I cruised the whole time. I started out telling myself I just wanted to take it nice and slow. Finishing strong was more important to me than any time. When I finished the course I mapped out my time was 1:18:32ish. I didn't stop my watch though and I kept running because I thought there was no way that could possibly be my time, so I figured I hadn't gone as far as I was supposed to on the out an back. So I added an extra loop and ended up back home with a time of 1:23:02.

When I re-mapped with the extra loop the entire course was 7.5 miles. And I had run 7.2 in the 1:18:32ish.

I was so excited! That's an average of 11 minute miles! Oh and I didn't have to stop to walk at all either. Seriously what could have been better about this run?

Today's a rest day, which will most likely be spent catching college hoops finals and then Selection Sunday coverage.

Catch you all tomorrow.

OFN:
Dinner Friday: Went to a Chinese buffet as a going away party. Had a little bit of lots of different things, including, crab legs, lo mien, pasta salad and garlic bread.

Yesterday:
Pre-run: Cliff bar
Breakfast: Cheerios with skim and half a grapefruit
Lunch: Chicken Caesar wrap and fries
Dinner/late night breakfast at Dennys: Cheese omelette, wheat toast and the potato thingies.

As I mentioned in my previous post, today's long run was scheduled to be a 10K (or 6.2 miles). I was debating whether I just wanted to run the three mile loops through my neighborhood twice or if I wanted to try out this trail down in the city that everyone keeps telling me about.

I decided to test out the trail, and it very well might have been my first and last time on it. At least by myself and because I don't know a single person here who runs as slow as me I don't really have a running buddy I could go with.

The trail itself was fine. Parts were concrete, parts were gravel, but peeps it was shady as hell. It follows the railroad tracks and a river and you go past all these seedy run down houses and buildings with their windows broken and stuff. As I was running I was just picturing all the places some psycho killer could leave my poor, mutilated body and it would probably never be found.

So needless to say as I was running I revamped my plan. Originally the plan was to run three miles and out three back for a total of six. I changed that to two out, two back for a total of four. Then I figured I'd try to see if the trail went in the other direction and do one mile out and one back to get a total of six, but oopsies it didn't. So I picked up an extra .3 trying to find the trail going in the other direction before I headed back and just did the first mile out and back to get my last two.

So that total was 6.3 miles in 1:10:13, a time I'm happy with.

I also had to park my car .23 miles away from the start of the trail (damn parking meters that I refused to pay) so I jogged from my car to the start of the trail as warm up, but I didn't have my watch on or anything so I don't have a time for that.

But still that means my total today was something close to 6.5 miles.

My knees are a little sore, and my hips feel tight, but otherwise I feel fine. I was pumped that I was able to run the whole thing because in other years during training I sometimes had to add in walk breaks as I started ramping up the mileage. Not this time though!

Tomorrow's a rest day! Yippie!

Hope you all have a rockin' weekend. Catch you back here Monday!

I DID IT! I went for 8 miles! Granted I couldn't run the whole thing and had to stop and walk occasionally, but still I don't care I was just so excited to actually be able to keep moving forward for that long. When I got back home I wanted to do a little dance because I was just that excited, but welllll I was also exhausted. So collapsing onto a chair was looking a lot better than dancing around! :o)

I felt pretty good afterwards. I mean my legs were obviously exhausted (and still are) but otherwise I wasn't feeling any major aches and pains. At least not right away.

Now my knees are a little sore, but nothing too horrible. So I've been icing them. Basically my lower body just feels stiff, and I've been stretching and stuff so hopefully that will help stem some of that.

Tomorrow is a rest day, which should give me plenty of time to recover for Monday's run.

I was really proud of myself for being able to finish! I still can't believe I did it. I had all kinds of doubts that my knee wasn't going to hold up or that I would just get to tired and not get anywhere close to 8 miles, but I did and I'm quite impressed with myself. The only negative aspect of the whole run was how horribly strong the sun was. I went running at 7 in the morning, hoping to get out and back before it got too hot and sunny. No luck. I was out for no more than 15 minutes before the sun started beating down and unlucky for me a lot of where I run isn't very shaded (blasted suburbia and all it's developments with no trees), but even with the really strong sun I managed to finish!

What a day what a day!

Following the run was car shopping, and I think I might have finally found something affordable that drives nicely. I drove an Impala LS today....oh man it drove like a dream. But it was a 2000 with 51,000 miles and they were asking 10,400 and wouldn't drop the price anything below that. So, unfortunately I won't be getting that car. I'm afraid to say which car I might be getting for fear of jinking it. I have had awful luck in the car shopping department lately.

P.S. The officials in the US's World Cup game today sucked something awful! But we ended with a tie, so at least we get one point. ***Crosses fingers for a better game against Ghana***