More to Love Running

DST FTW!

2012-03-11T11:51:00.001-04:00

Happy Daylight Saving Time, everyone!

I commemorates this momentous occasion with a fabulous 3-mile jaunt at Lunken this morning with Caitlin. It was her first time running there--and her first time running in 2 weeks--and she kicked my butt. Well, at least for miles 3 and 3. :)

I started at quite a speedy clip, but dragged at the end. I could feel the longer stride helping during that first mile.

I could also feel the 90-second walk breaks letting my leg muscles get cold. I'm starting to really believe that running straight through us less painful for the legs. Any thoughts in that? Seasoned and new runners alike...bring on the feedback.

Anyway, here are today's iMapMyRun screenshots:

There's a chance I'll get out for a walk later today. I just can't let this weather and extended daylight go to waste! :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

2012-03-10T09:49:00.000-05:00

It's official. The day Daylight Saving Time begins is now my favorite day of the year.

Found this lovely little poster on Wikipedia Commons this morning and, I have to say, I agree. Though I'm not sure what hoe I'm supposed to be getting ready. But the dancing clock is cuuuuute!

So, while I've found that several people disagree with me on this, I still believe Daylight Saving Time is the greatest thing ever. I can't wait until I can come home from work and not feel the pressure of beating the sunset. Running is easier during DST. The couch becomes less appealing and the park has more draw than ever before.

I keep talking about how I'm ready to kick my running back into high gear, but I haven't done it yet. I think I've been unintentionally waiting for DST. And, you know, things have been busy during the week for me lately.

But now...I'm READY! Bring it on!

Happy Spring Forward Day, everyone! And stop fretting about your "lost" hour of sleep. You only lose it for one day and your body will adjust in no time.

A Speedy Revelation

2012-03-06T19:44:00.001-05:00

Good run this evening!

I still don't fully trust the distance tracking on the iMapMyRun app, but I'll go with it just for fun. Why? Because it told me my first mile was completed in 12 minutes flat, that's why. Don't think I've done that before, accurately or not.

I did have a bit of a revelation, though. Sometimes--SOMETIMES--running faster makes for fewer leg cramps.

I started wondering about that while pounding away on the treadmill at the gym this winter. I noticed that my stride got longer as I got more comfortable on the machine. I also practiced the ever-so-slight forward lean I read about in Runner's World recently. (I think this is the article. Let me know if the link doesn't work; got it while I was on the iPhone.) The forward momentum seemed to help too.

Anyway...stride length. Something to think about.

Here are my stats and running path from this evening:

The weather was perfect tonight, which is wild considering I scraped snow from my car yesterday morning and frost from my windshield today. I love Cincinnati this winter. Love it.

I almost didn't finish before dark tonight, though. Good thing that's about to change! Why?

Because DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS SUNDAY NIGHT!!!!!

My favorite day of the year!

Okay, I'm done doing my back stretches...on my back on the floor. Typing on a phone while facing the ceiling is a little tough.

Nighty-night, y'all!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Quickie: Two Miles, Wish List, Time On My Back

2012-02-29T20:01:00.003-05:00

I've been spending some extra time on my back lately. Yep. My chiropractor told me to.

Looks like this. Only with a couch. And an iPhone for entertainment. And two cats circling your head for attention.

It helps my lower back issues, surprisingly, a lot. Just, you know, lying on the floor. It's shocking how difficult it is to remember to get low, get low, get low and get on the floor to stretch, though. And then to stay there, being still, for 10-15 minutes. But it works. I'm going to get low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low here shortly.

Oh, and it's the perfect opportunity to pick up my hand weights and do a little work on my arms. Whee multitasking!

NEXT

I have a new wish list item. Shoes and extra "girly supports" are always on the list, but I've decided I want a Garmin GPS watch.

Garmin Forerunner 405CX. Image from Amazon.

After reading some of my friend Anne's latest blog posts about her half-marathon training and running the Disney Princess Half Marathon this past weekend (GOOD JOB, GIRL!), I've decided I want to be cool like her and get one. The GPS in these is much more accurate than the cell tower GPS of an iPhone or other smart phone.

NEXT

I totz just ran 2 miles tonight without stopping and kept my pace under 13 minutes/mile. Woohoo! Haven't done that in a long time! It felt really good. My legs didn't cramp up. My breathing was A-OK (probably because it was about 65 degrees and breezy...on February 29 in Cincinnati...no complaints). My back and hips felt fabulous (probably because of my fabulous adjustment just before the run...praise be to the chiropractor).

Good run. Fun run. Again, should have kept going. Here are the basic stats from MapMyRun.com:

LASTLY

Hey, go become a fan of my Facebook page, y'all! If you don't have a Facebook account (weirdos), you can still pop on and look at it at your leisure.

facebook.com/moretoloverunning

Do it! All the cool kids are!

Oh, and in case you didn't know (because I didn't until recently), if you are a "fan" of a page like my More To Love Running page on Facebook, the owner of that page (me, in this case) can't see anything on your profile other than what is already public.

For example, if you have Fort Knox-style security set up on your personal account (like yours truly), then if you go and "Like," oh, I don't know, New Kids on the Block, Danny, Donny, Joe-Jon-Jordan can't see your pictures from that NSYNC concert you went to.

So what I'm saying is, don't be scared of reverse stalking from More To Love Running's Facebook page. =)

Cheers!

Back Outside And Data-Schmata

2012-02-23T20:06:00.000-05:00

I ran outside tonight. I was so excited to get back outside to stretch the legs and feel the fresh air. Too bad it didn't feel as good as I wanted it to.

Blah.

Heavy legs, heavy stomach (Chinese food for lunch), shin attack. Hmm...not fun. It was one of those runs where I was asking myself the whole time, "Why do I do this again? I think I'll give up this running business now."

Turns out I didn't actually do too terribly bad, at least according to my iMapMyRun app. Not good, but not as bad as it felt. I ran the whole first mile, aside from a brief stop to tie my shoe. Second mile, some walk breaks.

Anyway, as mediocre as it felt and as "meh" as the results were, I just had a little fun playing with the stats on MapMyRun.com. (The iPhone app stores your run info on their site. You should definitely sign up. It's FREE!)

Mark it in your record books, I'm about to say something earth-shattering.

I've lately been enjoying--wait for it--data. Analyzing data.

What what?

Analyzing data. Me. A writer. Creative-type person. Numbers frighten me.

Somehow, though, when numbers are about me, I can dig it. For example, playing with the analytics tools on Blogger to see how many visitors I get and where my visits come from...fun. Looking at the data about my workouts. FUN! Especially since the data on MapMyRun.com includes maps and graphs that move and stuff. Ooh, shiny!

Data. I'm slightly ashamed of myself. I know a few of my friends who will be ashamed of me to.

Bah, anyway, here are some screenshots from my latest run on MapMyRun.com. Exciting stuff!

Oh! And before I forget, I went ahead and set up a fancy-pants Facebook account dedicated to More To Love Running! So, you should definitely go to the page and click "Like." It's a work in progress, but it'll likely be updated more frequently than the blog. And you know, pictures and stuff. Wheee! www.facebook.com/moretoloverunning

Quitter

2012-02-22T07:50:00.001-05:00

I have a little extra time this morning so I thought I'd post an update.

I quit twice last night. I'm a quitter. But I consider one of those quittings to be a positive.

First, I quit the gym. I've had this planned since I started back in October. The gym was away for me to bridge the time between fall and spring. To get through the dark and cold months. Turns out the dark and cold months weren't so dark and cold this year. I can honestly say this is the best February I've ever had. I know it's technically still February and I risk jinxing myself by saying it, but it's true.

I didn't make a whole lot of progress at the gym. I think I half expected to see some improvement. And I did, a little bit. I saw my weight fluctuate slightly, enough to notice that it went down on the weeks that I worked the hardest and went up when I slacked. What a novel idea.

Though I don't think I am proved my endurance while I worked out at the gym, I did see the drastic difference in my endurance from the last time I belonged to a gym until now. I was also reunited with Step Aerobics. So much fun!

But now it's time to move on. March and Daylight Saving Time are right around the corner and I am so excited to get back outside and run. I miss it so much. Thanks to such a mild winter, I've been able to get out inexperienced those runs of little bit here and there, but I can't wait to get back into some kind of outside running schedule.

Speaking of Step Aerobics, I quit that last night too.

That was not a positive quitting experience.

I just lost my breath somewhere around the 30-minute mark, and despite a few breathers, I couldn't get my lungs to start functioning properly again. I would take a break ,try again, lose my breath, take a break, try again... my lungs seemed unwilling to pull in air.

I'm okay with it though. I had a good 30 minutes. Oh and my friend Amy did an amazing job on her second attempt at Step Aerobics. She looked like a pro.

In with that, I am out of time. Probably a little late actually. Oops!

Later gators!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

More Oatmeal And Step Aerobics

2012-02-07T21:03:00.003-05:00

The main purpose of this evening's update is to share with you today's post from The Oatmeal. It's wonderful. You need to read it.

But I'll get to that later.

First, a workout update.

After my hip-hop incident on Thursday, I took it easy for a few days. Not that my workout schedule would have been any different, but I'll pretend I waited until Sunday because I was looking out for my body. Yes, that's it.

So, Sunday ... I ran outside! Yay! Not only did I run outside, but I ran at Woodland Mound, one of my favorite places to be, period, and one of the more challenging places to run as far as hills go. I purchased my fabulous 2012 Hamilton County Parks pass, so I'm set to go for the rest of the year.

Not sure how my still-achy hips would behave, I told myself that I wanted to do 6 sets of my 5-minute/90-second run/walk intervals, but that I'd forgive myself if I wimped out and only did 5. Well, I did 6. It felt good. Once my hips warmed up, they didn't fuss too much. And it was so nice to be back at the park, back outside, back in the sunshine ... at the beginning of February. (Best February on record by my calculations.)

I felt good, but still got really tired at the end. Without venturing too far into Being-too-hard-on-myself Land, I'd like to get 7 or 8 sets of those intervals under my belt a few times before The Pig relay in May. I suppose I still have a while to get there, right?

Patience. It's February. (lather, rinse, repeat)

The hilly run kicked my butt. As in my butt is sore. Along with my calves. No shin splints though! Yay!

Speaking of butt-kicking. I took Step Aerobics tonight at the gym, introducing my kindergarten-era friend, Amy, to my beloved group fitness class. It was challenging. I haven't been in a while--not since I introduced my bestie, Jeff, to it back in December. (Mr. Professional Dancer caught on in about a minute and put the rest of us veterans to shame.)

But class was fun, and I kept my risers under the Step the whole time and didn't even consider taking them out. Had to take some rest breaks though. Amy also did very well. The first time was so incredibly intimidating when I started back in early spring of 2009. Heck, it stayed intimidating for a few months, I'd say. If you have the chance to try Step Aerobics, please do. And be prepared to stumble and bumble and feel like an ass. But do it anyway, and do it more than once. You won't regret it.

So, have I ever introduced you all to Step Aerobics? Lemme search my past posts...oh, not so much. Found one promise to talk about it later, though.

Well, welcome to later. Consider yourself introduced. Audience, Step. Step, audience.

And again, speaking of kicking butt, I'd like you to watch this video (or at least the first few minutes). Please please PUH-LEASE watch it!

"Make da ankle touch da butt!"

Ah, praise be to the aerobics revolution.

And to very high-hipped bathing suit thingies.

And to Spandex. On dudes. (Shivers)

So, do you feel educated about Step Aerobics? No? Well we'll talk about it more later. Or you can come take a class with me. It'd be freeeeee!

Moving on. It's Oatmeal time!

I hope Mr. The Oatmeal realizes how much I love him and doesn't punish me for snipping his header and giving him lots of credit. Borrowed from http://theoatmeal.com/ SOURCE

Wonderful post today, called At the Gym. Please go check it out. (Some language, but you're a grown up--read it.)

Courtesy of The Oatmeal

I do wish he did a frame about watching a fat girl run on a treadmill. Something like, "Go ahead, make fun of me. But I'm running, and I've been running for the last 10 minutes while your skinny a** sputters away on the recumbent stationary bike* with arm rests! Bam!"

*I am not dis-ing the recumbent bike. It's lovely. I used one tonight, actually. And those arm rests really are the bee's knees.

Hip Hop: Runner's Delight

2012-02-02T19:28:00.004-05:00

I said a hip hop,
Hippie to the hippie,
The hip, hip a hop, and you don't stop, a rock it
To the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie,
To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.

In case you're not familiar with that prolific piece of prose, I'll let the Sugarhill Gang explain it to you:

And in case you still don't get it, here's the old lady from The Wedding Singer:

So what's the moral of this post?

My hip hurts. And I hip-hopped on the treadmill this evening during my third set of 5-minute/90-second run/walk intervals.

This is the second time this has happen in the middle of a run in the last, oh, 3 months? The other time was with Caitlin on the Little Miami Scenic Trail.

And it hurts. It makes me limp for a few days. If anyone has any insight on hippy-to-the-hippy-to-the-hip-hip-hop pain, let me know.

Okay now that I think of it, it might be above my hip joint but still within the hip-bone area that I allegedly have (I have never seen my hip bone; I'll believe it's there when I see it).

Oh, and I did some random arm-lifting-strengthening-slimming-whatevers when I got home from the gym. And some Just Dance yesterday.

Sooooo...that's all. Enjoy "Rapper's Delight"!

Strong-Arm It

2012-01-26T20:58:00.000-05:00

I have determined something and I wanted to share it with you all. Oh, and brace yourself for some bicep pictures.

I've decided to try to accomplish something within a certain period of time. Some people might call that a "goal," but we all know how I feel about goals. Most people would also figure out a way to measure that "goal" to determine success. But since I'm not setting a goal, I will not measure anything, at least not in the technical sense.

See, for normal people, goals should be SMART. That's S-M-A-R-T:

Kindly borrowed from smart-goal-setting-tips.com.

This thing I've determined won't be entirely specific. I'm not going to measure it, per se. It's attainable, for sure, or I wouldn't even try (because I'm just that driven). It's realistic (see last point). And it's going to happen before a specific date--May 12, 2012, to be exact.

If I did set goals, this one would probably sound something like this:

Decrease the circumference of my biceps by x inches by May 12, 2012.

But NO! No goals! No measuring! Otherwise it will not happen. I balk at goals--we know this.

So, what I've determined is this:

There is absolutely no reason why I shouldn't be able to make these lifeboat-sized arms of mine smaller before I have to don my beautiful navy blue bridesmaid dress for my friend Sarah's wedding this May. No reason at all.

Let's look at some pictures of my bulging (for all the wrong reasons) biceps before moving on, shall we? (Ooh, something shiny...)

Flappy! This was taken after the first 5 days of my first boot camp.

Those wings could "lift us up where we belong."

Dude, that girl is pissed. Probably because her arms are so huge. Those ripples are not muscles, folks. And the answer to your question is, "Passionately singing along to 'Hold On' by Wilson Phillips at my friend Anne's wedding."

Same pic from another angle! Sarah, the bride in the upcoming wedding, observes my arms in horror from behind. "Those things are going to hurt someone!"

My arm has it's own boob.

One of these things is not like the other. Guess which arm is mine. And the answer to your question is, "Yes, I was wearing a zebra-print tank at a New Kids on the Block Concert."

And that, folks, is why I've determined what I've determined.

So, why should this work? Why should this non-goal be a non-failure? Because it's easy, that's why.

I have, in my possession, two sets of hand weights, a gym membership until the end of March (with rowing machine!), a newly purchased set of wrist weights and an also newly purchased set of resistance bands. Most arm-strengthening workouts do not require sweating, so the excuse of "I don't feel like getting sweaty today/tonight" is out the window. So is the "I don't have time" excuse. I don't need a full-blown workout to work my arms a little. Hell, I'd be content to do 3 sets of 10-15 for maybe 2 arm exercises a day. I also plan to play my Just Dance Wii game with my new wrist weights attached.

And another reason this is going to work: because I have low expectations. I don't expect Jillian Michaels arms. I just want mine to be smaller. To look better (as determined by me) in my sleeve-free dress.

My dress. Dessy.com

Three cheers for terrible Photoshopping (not by me, thank you)!

So, that's what I've got for you. A non-commitment to a non-goal. I will also give you promise to get pictures of my arms in the dress come May. Just pester me in case I forget.

Theory Confirmed

2012-01-24T19:40:00.001-05:00

Second night in a row with the rowing machine = AMAZING!

I did 10 minutes and after watching the how-to video last night, it was much easier to get lost in the rhythm of each stroke.

I jumped on the treadmill right after and felt like I could've run for an hour. Too bad treadmills are boring. I only lasted for another 20 minutes.

But NO leg cramps and my back and knees felt wonderful.

I'm in love.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Cure For Shin Splints

2012-01-23T20:04:00.004-05:00

I FOUND IT!

I found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Nay, nay...

I found the double pot of gold at the end of a double rainbow.

Even better than that, I have found the cure for shin splints! I still need to do some more tests to give my discovery a bit more weight, but I believe it.

I hit the gym after work tonight and started my latest running workout regimen. (5 minute warm up, run 5 minutes, walk 90 seconds, repeat 5 or 6 times, cool down.) My shins were doing the usual cramping, but nothing huge. I got through 2 intervals and had to take a little break for...something.

When I came back, I decided to give the rowing machine a go. It's always intimidated me and it's right in the middle of everything and I don't like being watched while I'm doing something unfamiliar. (I've gotten over my aversion to being watched while running on the treadmill. I would prefer that someone not watch my fat flop all around, but I figure the "Wow, that fat girl is running...impressive" factor wins out over the "Look at all the jiggling!" factor.)

So, here's a rowing machine:

LifeSpan Fitness Rowing Machine. Image from Amazon.com.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the proper form is to start from all squished up (legs bent, arms forward), drive with your legs then pull back with your arms. Then you pull yourself back up into a ball and start over.

Actually, here's a video showing proper movement:

So, when you pull yourself back up into the ball at the end, you use the straps around your feet to pull, thus using the shin muscles, along with others I'm sure. IT' TOTALLY STRETCHED MY SHINS OUT!! (Something I've found very difficult to do.)

After my little rowing experiment, I hopped back on the treadmill and felt like I had new legs. "New legs, Lieutenant Dan! New legs!"

From icanhascheezburger.com, of course.

No shin splits whatsoever. Too bad I had worn myself out on the rowing machine and doing a few arm thingies. And too bad I just wanted to go home. I could have run for ages after the miracle machine took away the shin splints!

I'm a miracle worker.

Oh, what did you do tonight?

Hmm...not much. Just did a little running and, you know, found the cure for shin splints!!!! OMGGGGGGS!!!

And that's all I've got. I'm freezing. Time to drink some tea and eat some cookies. =)

Is This Thing On?

2012-01-16T21:41:00.000-05:00

Hello world!

Yes, I am here.

Yes, I've missed you.

No, I haven't abandoned you.

No, I haven't fallen off the running train.

No, I haven't quit running.

No, I haven't quit working out.

No, I haven't given up on this blog.

Though I thought about it. Giving up on the blog, that is.

Not because of you, though. In fact, you're the primary reason I'm going to try to get back into the swing of blogging. Some of you have told me that this blog helped you in some way, shape or form, and the idea that someone might miss out on something because I've become too lazy and maybe jaded is unacceptable to me.

At one time I needed this blog for me. I needed it to keep myself going, to hold myself accountable and to see that there's a big community of runners out there--however nontraditional those runners might be--who want to share what they know and who want others to feel the joy and feelings of accomplishment that come with running.

I need this blog less now. Running has become part of who I am. When I stop running for a period of time, I know something is off. When my knees hurt too much to pound the pavement or the treadmill belt, I have no doubt that I will be back on the pavement or treadmill belt as soon as my body lets me.

I do miss talking about running, though. At my previous workplace I had developed a small group of running mentors and buddies who I could turn to with questions or just thoughts. Those folks helped me be the runner I am today. For the most part, they're still in my life and I can still go to them when I need to, but they're just a little less accessible.

I miss talking about running so much that I find myself talking to perfect strangers about it. I was at the Apple store yesterday and had quite a conversation with the Genius (is that what they call the associates?) who helped me. She was just getting started with running and seemed eager to hear the tips I had to offer about arm bands and running apps and even about how to start slow, take it easy on yourself and do run/walk intervals. (BTW, if you're reading this, hello! Thanks for your help, and good luck!)

So, this has already turned into a longer post than I expected. Old habits, eh?

What I came here to say is that I didn't go anywhere. I also want to start writing here again, but I'm not going to make any promises about how often. That's a really grand idea, but I tend to balk away from goals and anything that feels like an obligation. Because I'm a responsible adult.

I will tell you, however, that me and three of my gal pals are on the cusp of signing up for the 4-person Flying Pig relay. I'm tickled pig-pink to get to be a part of this event again without having to do the half-marathon.

I also want to say thank you to an old friend, Amy (P)H., who recently signed up to run the Flying Pig half marathon, committed to some weight loss and fitness goals, and set up a blog to hold herself accountable. I thank you because you made me realize I need to get my butt back on here. Girlfriend has 2 young children and she's about to rock the running world. Watch out! =)

So with that, see you soon!

Revelations From A Fellow Blogger

2011-11-30T19:49:00.001-05:00

Since I've been so heinously terrible about blogging, I'll leave you with a link to someone else's blog post. My pal Rob sent this to me today and it cracked me up.

Enjoy this blogger's "4 Stunning Revelations An Idiot Has About Running."

Definitely read the whole post for a good laugh (beware PG-13 language, Mom), but here are his 4 revelations:

4. It's not an all or nothing scenario

3. The clothes actually do something

2. Runners aren't all lying scumbags

1. It's true: bodies actually are capable of improvement

I love his references to my favorite scapegoat, gym teachers. Oh, and realizing the joy of finding the perfect running socks.

I also think I enjoyed this so much because, not only have I gone through my own revelations (these 4 included), but I can see that it's the revelations that matter so much in the journey to calling yourself a runner. I've watched some of my friends start and stop, start and continue, start and proceed to fall in love with running. Their success was dependent upon the "a ha" moments. The little victories early on.

Something has to click. It doesn't have to be an Earth-shattering moment, but something little. My important click/revelation was, "Hey, I can do this without dying."

What was your revelation, "a ha" moment or click?

Two Thoughts

2011-11-14T20:24:00.001-05:00

Thought One:

Being an adult means having this for dinner at 8:20 p.m. And being okay with it.

Mystery bagel from the freezer (with cream cheese, of course), cucumber slices and pita wedges, and tzatziki to dip them in.

Thought Two:

I found my hamstrings. They were at the gym hiding in the Group Power class. They are clearly happy to be back with me because they're dancing around under my skin right now. I'm thinking they're going to regret all this partying tomorrow and they're going to whine and cry about it all day. I might have to introduce them to my disciplinarian friend, Captain Biofreeze, tonight to help keep them in line.

That is all. Do you have any thoughts to share with the class?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

How To Make Staying Active More Difficult

2011-11-06T12:32:00.002-05:00

Ten easy steps to making it more difficult to stay active

Steps 1 - 10:

Buy a Wii

Wheeeee! A Wii!

After years of longing and pining and coveting and making responsible financial decisions (right), I finally broke down and did it. I've upgraded from my Sega Genesis.


Sega Genesis. Yes, I still have it. Yes, it still works perfectly (only child, remember). And yes, it's still awesome.

Minesweeper, the devil.

On a whim last night, after playing Minesweeper on my iPhone for a good half hour (man I'm lame), I got up and went to Best Buy, then Walmart, then back to Best Buy (checking my options) and purchased a Wii. This was at 9 p.m., mind you. I got home, put it together and played until nearly midnight.

Talk about a wild and crazy Saturday night. And, being "fall back" night, it was the longest party night of the year, to boot. I live the fabulous life, obviously.

And thus beginneth the struggle between sitting on my couch playing the New Super Mario Bros and getting off my butt to go to the gym.

New Super Mario Bros. for Wiiiiii!

There's good news though! I tried a step aerobics class this morning at the new gym and ...

IT ... WAS ... FAAAAAH-BULOUS!

I loved it! I loved the music. The instructor was really good. My muscles seemed to remember many of the standard moves from the 10-ish months I spent taking step aerobics at the gym I belonged to before this running business started. And I had F-U-N, fun! I was doing better than some of the folks in the class that had clearly been there a few times. Woot!

Here's a Reebok step just like the ones we use in class. This one has two risers (purple things) under it.

Here's the cool part. I started with just the step (the green part of the picture above) because that's what I used when I took the classes previously. I once tried to use a set of purple risers, but had to remove them halfway through the class. The step alone was pretty intense for me then. And since I hadn't taken a step class in so long, I figured I should get my groove back in the easiest way possible.

Good choices on my part.

But guess what. From the time I took my last step class till this morning, apparently I've gotten much fitter! Hot damn, running works!

The single step was SUPER easy for me. I was able to regulate my breath so easily, my legs felt really good (they were getting a workout, but certainly not a difficult one), and I know that I could have done the class with a set of risers underneath the step.

Besides the whole "I used to only be able to run 60 seconds at a time--if that--and now I can run for 10, 15, 20 minutes straight" thing, this has been the most obvious sign of my growth and success over the last, oh, 20 months.

I'm friggin' fit, y'all!

Okay, clearly I'm not as fit as I need to be in order to be a healthy individual, but dude, that's a huge deal! I can SEE this. I can FEEL this. I remember what it was like before and I have seen what it's like after.

Yes, losing 40 pounds (and then putting another 8 back on in the last few months) is a big measurement success, and seeing the different sized clothes in my closet helps me see the before and after, but nothing has been as blatantly obvious to me as today's experience in that step class. Having stopped taking class and starting it again--that's how I can see success.

I know I can't just do step class though. I'm starting to feel at home at the gym. I'm still too intimidated to lift weights with the meatheads though. I know what I'm doing, but those dudes are just--ugh. And the hardcore chicks are intimidating too. I'm giving myself time to get into a groove, to establish habits, and then I'll make my way to the weights. But the treadmill in the "cardio cinema" is great, and the classes are promising (I might even try spinning).

The battle this winter between the Wii and the gym should be pretty epic. I'm relying on you all to remind me that there is a life outside of my apartment.

Treadmill Fun?

2011-11-03T19:52:00.001-04:00

I just did a 35 minute session on the treadmill and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Eh?
Come again?
Please? (Outside of Cincinnati this translates roughly to "come again?")
Come again?

That's right, I said it.

Have I mentioned I joined a gym? And by "joined" I mean "chose to participate in a no-commitment month-to-month plan." Well, I did.

More on all that some other time. Just wanted to announce that crazy "fun on a treadmill" news.

Whoa.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ketchup Blog

2011-10-25T21:14:00.000-04:00

I'm way behind on blogging so I'm just going to catch up with a list. (Read the list and you'll be rewarded with pictures at the end.)

My third grade teacher, Mrs. Chalk, didn't like ketchup. So if our class needed a "catch-up day" (ketchup day) she liked to call it mayonnaise day.
Apparently, I can't spell mayonnaise without help from my computer.
Seeing a pattern here ... this might not be such a succinct list after all, given my easily-distracted mood this evening. Ooh shiny ...
I'm running a 5K this Friday ... in a Halloween costume. It's the Cincinnati Run Like Hell.
It's my friend, Mr. PurulentSmile's first 5K and I'm uber excited for him. He's going to murder it.
Sarah is running it too! Yay!
If you're in a donating mood, please consider using my friend Leslie's donation page for the Run Like Hell 5K, which benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Here's the link to her page. She's $160 away from her $500 goal. Oh, and her team (which I'm a part of) is called Marissa's Miracle, named after her daughter. Read Marissa's story on the page I linked above.
My costume is almost ready. I'm taking two yards of tulle (the stuff that goes under tutus) to work tomorrow to get help from my crafty coworkers. I'm not crafty. Have I mentioned that? Then I'm getting a bunch of latex gloves from my cousin Thursday. (Have you figured it out yet? I'm guessing no. Hehe...)
Tonight I met Caitlin for my last run of the week before the 5K. It went terribly for me.
Here's when you know you have a great running buddy: Caitlin looked at me when tonight's run was over and said, "I was hoping you'd have a bad run tonight." Errr...thanks? =)
What Caitlin did was reiterate some advice I gave her a few weeks ago when she ran a 5K and met all of her goals (no puking, no walking, finish in under 40 minutes). She had a bad workout that week and was a little discouraged. I told her it was good because she got the bad run out of her system. See, bad runs usually travel alone. One and done ... for a little while. That one bad run could be REALLY bad and could REALLY discourage you, but it's only going to happen once...unless you let it defeat you.
Speaking of the 5K Caitlin did, it was the day after my 30th birthday celebration, so I opted out. (recovery ... whew) But I did go to the run as a spectator, which I love. It was a beautiful day and I had the pleasure of bopping around the course with a fancy-pants camera dangling around my neck to play paparazzi for Caitlin. Super...super...FUN! Pictures below!
I love that Caitlin wished a bad run on me. Punk.
Caitlin is kicking my a$$ in running, more and more every time I see her. We tried speed intervals not too long ago. I failed miserably. She busted butt. And she may not realize it, but that one speed workout has kicked her normal running speed up a notch or three.
In fact, everyone is kicking my a$$ in running. I'm slowing down. I'm not working out as much as I'd like, I've gained a little weight, and I'm just not improving my speed. I could work harder at this.
I need to return to the land of losing weight. I've noticed a difference in the amount of effort required now versus when I was 6 pounds lighter.
It's getting cold and dark out. I hate standard time. Seriously, someone give me a good reason why we should ever NOT be in daylight saving time. There is NO good reason. It should be all year round.
Cold + Dark + Gaining Weight + Boredom Sneaking In = I'm joining a gym. Probably tomorrow after work. The gym down the street has some pretty good annual plans, but better yet, they have EXTREMELY reasonable month-to-month plans. I'm going to try to make nice with the dreadmills (read about my first treadmill experience here). I'm also going to take a body pump class. Basically synchronized lifting with a room full of people.
I am extremely proud of my two running buddies. They're doing such a fabulous job and, as I've said, are completely annihilating me in terms of running ability and improvement.
I can't spell annihilating either.
I'm getting to be a very delinquent blogger, so please follow me on Twitter if you're the Twitter type. If you're not the Twitter type, my tweets show up on the right hand side of my blog page. I'm trying to improve the frequency of my posts there to compensate for my poor blogging habits. Plus, I often re-tweet or quote some really useful and insightful tweets from Runner's World, Women's Health, Eat This Not That, and other Twitter resources.
This is a mighty long list, but I think I'm finished for now.
This is my first blog post as a thirty-something!

And now pictures...

These are from the Warrior Run.

Caitlin before the race started.

At the start line. (Caitlin is in pink.)

At mile 1. This was the prettiest race course ever. Through a super cute neighborhood with fall leaves everywhere. =)

Finish line! (Caitlin isn't there quite yet.)

There she is! She had to elbow and shove her way through a pack of walkers. Atta girl!

Caitlin's cheering section. Her husband Jesse (pointing toward their hidden child in the stroller, Emalynn). To the left in the red plaid is Jesse's brother Jason. To the left again, creeping over Jason's shoulder, is Kevin, Caitlin's twin brother.

The paparazzi!

And here's a collage of pics from my 30th birthday party. I didn't party like a rockstar as I intended (due in large part to me going "too big, too fast," if you catch my drift. But I got to see most of my most favorite people in the world, no exaggeration here! Thank you for celebrating with me, peeps. Love you all!

Happy birthday to me!

Roaring Twenties

2011-10-04T20:48:00.003-04:00

Tonight I said goodbye to running in my 20s, and I did it with a roar!

Caitlin (and Emalynn) and I pounded out 3 miles on the Little Miami Trail this evening. For some reason, a little less than a mile in, I felt like I wanted to kick it up a bit. And boy howdy did I! I feel like I felt a new stride or something. Could be the new shoes. Could be the perfect running weather. Could be that I was wearing pants instead of shorts and my leg muscles stayed nice and warm. Could be that I was just feeling like getting one last good run in before my 20s are over.

My 30th birthday is Friday and for once I'm thrilled to celebrating my birthday. That's not usually how I roll. Not a big birthday gal. It's not about getting older; I just don't like the forced attention and all that jazz. But last year I vowed that I was doing my 30th "the right way," and that I am. Big party! Woot!

So, farewell my dear 20s. You're the decade that taught me who I am, taught me what's important to me, brought me to my career, and taught me to love running! Cheers to you!

Pumped Up Kicks

2011-10-02T19:22:00.001-04:00

I got new shoes!!!

Definitely unplanned, total fluke. I had to return a pair of shoes to DSW for my mom and, since I had used a $5 off birthday coupon for the previous purchase, the associate there convinced me to look around so I didn't lose the coupon.

So, straight back to the clearance section I went.

"10 & up" women's shoes? No luck.

"10 & up" men's? Score! The first thing I saw was the exact shoe I've been running in for more than a year now. Mizunos Wave Inspire or some jazz. I was tickled pink at the prospect of getting the same shoes since I know they worked.

Oh, but what's this? There are other running shoes on clearance? Hmmm...

Oooh, black with red? Do they fit? Yep! Are they squishy? Yep! Bounce, bounce ... Run a few steps ... Play with the laces ... Up on my toes ... Look in the mirror.

I liked. I bought. Yay clearance!

Saucony Shadow Genesis

Oh and here's a sampling of the plus-sized activewear section at JCPenney:

Velour track suits, baby!

To give JCPenney credit, they do have a pretty great selection of functional activewear for fluffy women. They even had a track jacket with thumb holes! (ooooooh! aahhhhhh!)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pounding The Cheez-Its Trail

2011-10-01T18:19:00.000-04:00

Brrrr! It's cold out! I actually had to consider how much clothing to put on before running today. Haven't done that in a while. In case you're on the edge of your seat wondering, for the 50-ish degree temps this early afternoon, I opted for shorts and a long sleeved tshirt over my trusty stretchy, "compression" short-sleeved undershirt. Ah, I love that thing! It's so snug and cozy. And as much as I've complained about summer being over, it was nice to get geared up for a run instead of just thinking about how I'm going to avoid heat stroke.

Today I opted for another trip to Lunken for a Week 1 Bridge to 10K run, and I dragged my mom along with me (she walked, of course). I started at the southern end of the loop so I didn't have to worry about the short, crazy-steep hill midway through the run.

Good choice, Becks.

As my elementary and high school classmate (and running guru), Liz, says, Lunken is pancake flat. And that was just what I needed after my shin-wrecking runs of the past two weeks. No shin pain today!

My favorite part of today's run had to be during the second and third legs of my W1 workout. (For those familiar with the course, this was back on the part that runs parallel with Kellogg and then along some of the long backstretch.)

As I was staring at the ground (not the most healthy posture) and pounding away, I started to notice Cheez-Its. At first I thought it would be funny if these few Cheez-Its turned into some kind of "breadcrumb" trail. Then of course I started dreaming up the image of a runner with a baggie of snacks in his pocket. Or maybe a ~~snot-nosed~~ sweet little ~~spawn of satan~~ toddler, ~~screeching~~ giggling and throwing snacks out of her stroller while her mom pushed her along on her workout.

Dontchya just love kids?

Well, in this case I do love kids, because the daydreaming kept my mind off my running for a little bit. The Cheez-It trail continued for probably about a half-mile, each one deposited maybe 50-100 feet from the other. And only one at a time. Finally, I reached the smashed Cheez-It, marking the end of the trail and, coincidentally, the almost-end of the "out" portion of my out-and-back path.

By the end of my run, I was wobbly-kneed but not dizzy, and I had cycled from freezing to frying and back to freezing again. My ears hurt from the wind and I was prepared for the upcoming nose-dive my body temperature was about to take.

Fortunately, my mom finished her walk just a smidge before me and popped over to the farmer's market next door to buy us an apple a piece. Yum! Then, as is becoming an unfortunate habit of mine following an Armleder or Lunken weekend workout, I stopped at Big Apple Bagels and got an everything bagel with veggie cream cheese. O-M-G. So good.

So, that's that! Good run.

In Run Like Hell news, the former coworker has officially registered for his very first 5K. I'm so stinkin' excited for him! And I'm excited about the event in general.

I picked up a few pieces to my costume yesterday. I'm actually excited about a costume for once in a very long time. I usually despise costumes. My typical explanation of those feelings goes something like this: "I have a hard enough time feeling comfortable in everyday clothes. How can you expect me to be remotely comfortable in a costume?" But, seeing as how this is a running event and everyone will be nasty and sweaty, I can definitely get on board.

PS, are you following me on Twitter yet? If not, I don't blame you. =) Nah, I'm actually trying to keep up with posting, including a few reposts of some great articles and quotes from the pages I follow. So, there's an option for you. My Twitter info is somewhere on that ---> side of the page. @MTLRunning

Later! (feel free to point out typos ... I totally ran out of time to proofread)

Does Icing Your Shins Help?

2011-09-28T19:40:00.001-04:00

In a word, yes.

In two words, hell yes.

Proof?

The past few times I've run hills, including Five Mile Trail, I've come home and iced my shins. They felt great. No recovery pain.

Yesterday I ran Five Mile Trail and didn't ice my shins. Today, ouuuucccchhhh!!!

To be fair, I think there's some other stuff going on. Last week I returned to Woodland Mound and started my run downhill. Bad plan. I also didn't ice after that. Bad plan again.

Repetitive running on un-iced and potentially strained shins? Smart.

And I think I need new shoes. Apparently that's one of the leading causes of shin splints. I may be able to do that soon-ish. I'll let you know. :)

What should I do? Probably rest. But I don't wanna! It's perfect running weather and I want to feel good about the Run Like Hell at the end of October.

So I'm going to compromise. Flat trails only this week. And some ice and vigorous post-run shin-rubbing.

Goodness, you know they're bad when you wake up with them, amiright?

Toodles!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Un-Skinny Bob Bop Bop Bop!

2011-09-26T20:35:00.000-04:00

Really, this post has nothing to do with that amazing song by the boys of Poison, but it came on the radio on my drive home today and made me laugh. You bet your butt I cranked the volume and sang right along.

Here's the video, in case any of you want to listen and read at the same time:

It's amazing how a good commute home can put you in a good place for an evening run and how a bad commute does just the opposite. (That's what happened to me last week. AWFUL!) Today's ... pretty good.

This un-skinny bop ran a B210K Week 1 workout yesterday at Lunken and it went very well. (Here's an old blog about Lunken, including pics and a lot of complaining.) Aside from not being able to run up or down the super steep and super short hill (probably about 50 feet long but a serious altitude change), I completed the workout as it was written.

Since this evening's weather was so nice, and since I can't run tomorrow, I decided to go out again. I tackled the Five Mile Trail and turned on another B210K Week 1 workout, thinking ahead of time that I might not be able to finish it, but I'd try anyway. You've gotta know your body and your capabilities, right? I knew I was tired from yesterday and I knew that my shins have been a bit testy lately (more like pesky little bastards, actually).

Well, I was spot on. I did the first two sets fully (run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat), including my start up the top third of the monster hill. I was really hurting by the time I got through those sets. (My shins are hurting like they did when I first started this running business.) So I took a longer walk, then ran a little, then decided to take advantage of a handrail and stopped to stretch my legs and do a little limb shaking. It helped a bit!

I followed the plan for most of the third set, and only part of the fourth and final set. I feel totally fine about it though. I got a workout. I was sweaty. And surprisingly, according to the ever accurate (right...) GPS feature of my B210K app, I did it all at the same pace as my run yesterday. Must be the downhills.

Anyway, as you've been reading, the Run Like Hell is coming up. I'm flipping excited! My friend Sarah decided to join in the fun. I think she's more excited about the opportunity to re-use her amazing Halloween costume from a year or two ago. Here's a hint ...

Image from Amazon.

Regardless, I'm so happy to be running with my Flying Pig partner and with one of my biggest running supporters and former coworker. Oh yeah, and I'm excited about the party after. There are always festivities after runs, but I feel like I'm always rushed away for some reason, either by my own doing or otherwise.

Well, that's all I've got for the evening. Thanks for reading and thanks for hanging with me during this blog dry spell. =)

Run Like Hell Fundraising

2011-09-24T23:34:00.001-04:00

Good evening, folks!

I promised you more information on the Cincinnati Run Like Hell 5K, and here it is!

I just officially registered for the race and am a part of team Marissa's Miracle. Marissa is Leslie's infant/toddler-ish daughter (I'm really good with babies and stuff, clearly). You can read all about them on Leslie's page here.

I've known Leslie since I was in 9th grade. We were in youth group together. She's a lovely person, so I know this is a great cause.

One of the best parts of this race is that it's a Halloween run. That means COSTUMES! I had this fabulous costume all planned out based on one of the costume categories. But now they've changed the category a bit and my costume is just silly without a theme. So, unless there's a typo on the website this week and the category was unintentionally changed, it's back to the costume drawing board for me. I will DEFINITELY post pictures.

Another great part? I'm getting to run it with a two of my good friends! (And it's a first race for one of them.) Yay!

So, if you feel moved to donate to the cause, here's a link to my Run Like Hell (Cystic Fibrosis) fundraising page: click here

Thanks so much! Check back for updates on the run!

Back On A Program To Run Like Hell

2011-09-16T19:07:00.000-04:00

Oh, I suppose I am long overdue for an update on actual running, huh? I was just sitting here thinking about how I desperately need to redesign my blog page, but feeling completely overwhelmed by the thought of committing to something. (If any of you have any interest in designing a layout for me, let's chat.)

So, what's been going on?

Well, I feel like I'm back on the horse and loving it, that's what. I rediscovered the joy of being back on a program instead of the "let's see how far I can go" plan. I decided to give Bridge to 10K (B210K) another go, and I friggin' love it. (Click here to read about my first foray into B210K.)

Here's a little refresher on B210K:

Table snapshot from Bridge to 10K site. Click on it to make it bigger.

I've completed Week 1 once, plus one abbreviated day (half of one of the days of W1). I attempted W2D1 earlier this week, but I'm not quite ready for it (I only got through 2 of the 3 rounds).

Despite realizing I couldn't complete W2, I feel great! It didn't phase me at all that I couldn't finish it; I just planned to get back to W1 next time. Ah, I've missed the joys of workout checklists! I just can't believe I went so long without using one of my handy "tell you what to do" apps. No wonder I was in a slump for so long.

OK, so there's a slight chance the change in weather could have something to do with it. And I'm not obsessing over a book at the moment. And I have a bit of pressure to run at least two weeknights out of the week since I'm helping a coworker get on the running train. (BTW, said coworker even got her mom to join her for W2D1 of Couch to 5K yesterday. Woohoo!)

The stars are just aligned at the moment.

Which leads me to my next update ...

I'll be running a race I've always wanted to do! One of my favorite newbie runners (I believe he started very shortly after me) has finally committed to running a 5K, and he's chosen the Cincinnati Run Like Hell! And I'm totally joining him. Yay for running at night through the ghetto and a cemetery, and yay for Halloween runs!

Image from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation site.

I believe I'll be joining the "team" an old friend of mine created in her toddler daughter's name, just to raise awareness. (There will be a website involved with opportunities to donate how you see fit, but no pressure. More on that later.)

And I think I already have a costume idea, but I'm not committing to it until I find the supplies to make it happen. As if running in running clothes isn't difficult enough ...

So, there's that.

On an entirely different note, here's a funny-to-me story ...

I got into a little verbal kerfuffle at the gas station earlier this week because of ~~a moron driver~~ impolite driving behaviors. Wouldn't you know, the ~~jerkface tailgater~~ fella with whom I was kerfuffle-ing thought it would be a good idea to pick on my by way of a certain magnet on the back of my car.

The magnet on the back of my car. Image borrowed from here.

~~Big stupid dummy~~ Silly boy shouted, "You're a little big to have a 13.1 sticker on your car, aren't you?"

Heh heh ...

I'm going to pretend the kerfuffle ended there. Let's just say I don't take insults as sheepishly as I did when I was a child. Or heck, as sheepishly as I did a few years ago. (evil grin)

So yay for running! Get to it, folks! This is the BEST time of year to run and there's NO time like NOW to get started.

Tweet!

2011-09-13T20:09:00.001-04:00

Since I'm failing epically at posting lately, I've decided to create a MoreToLoveRunning Twitter account!

Tweet!

Do I know what to do with it? Not really, but I'm gonna try, darn it!

If you're viewing this entry from my site (instead of a reader), the Follow Me link/picture is over there -->

below my bio and followers. Otherwise, go to www.twitter.com/mtlrunning to follow the exciting life of an overweight runner.

Wheee!

Coming soon (assuming I figure out how to do it and what exactly to do with it): Facebook!

Special Post: 9/11 Tribute From The Past

2011-09-11T21:45:00.000-04:00

This post has nothing to do with running. Apologies.

But I believe we're all united today in our remembrance of where we were 10 years ago when the U.S. experienced the terror of September 11, 2001. My Facebook friends are posting accounts of what they were doing and how they felt. I did this several years ago in a feature writing class at Xavier. To this day, it's one of my favorite pieces because it immediately takes me back to the day.

Today, I'm a much more emotional person that I was a few years ago when I wrote this. Funny how life does that. Anyway, I teared up several times this morning while watching the memorial and I'm currently glued to the "10 years later" special on CBS. Ten years ago, that wouldn't have happened, as you'll read in this story. Things are different now. Ten years of experience, joys and sorrows, loss, fear, elation and triumph. But -- while documentaries and other people's stories will help me remember the horror of the day -- thanks to this essay, I'll remember how I felt.

Tuesday Morning Pigeons

I can honestly say that the strangest part of that day was waking up to the sound of bells wafting through the open window of my dorm room. It was at that time of the morning—when your ears are awake before other parts of your body begins to come alive—when I knew that day was going to be exceptional.

The tragic events happening on the east coast were in no way reflected in the early morning hours on the small, rural campus of Wilmington College. The bright blue sky and light breeze promised nothing more than a pleasant Tuesday. However, September 11, 2001 was fated to be more than an ordinary day of the week. Stranger than the bells that announced the beginning of that day was the difference between my response and the response of many others.

My morning of sleeping in had already been ruined by some errands I planned to run before my Marketing class that afternoon. The alarm was set for 9 a.m. but the resounding campus carillon bells woke me before my buzzing alarm clock. The eerie yet beautiful bells usually only played at Christmas, during graduation rituals, and as incoming freshman participated in a welcoming ceremony in August. Any Wilmington veteran would have noticed the unbefitting September song.

As was suitable to the Quaker heritage of the school, the chiming hymn “Simple Gifts” lured me out from under the warm covers and into the chilly dorm room. Before I could adjust to the change in temperature, my cell phone sounded for my attention. “Hey Kiddo, did I wake you? Have you had the TV on yet?” My mother’s voice was almost excited, as if she had indeed already had the TV on and had heard extraordinary news. After a stretch and a yawn, I informed her that although her call had preceded my alarm, she had in fact missed the opportunity to wake her only daughter due to the dissonant bells.

After some motherly coaxing, I shuffled to the television by way of the open window. When I glimpsed toward the Carillon I had half expected to see a mass of students circled around the noisy bell tower for some unannounced prayer meeting. I found no such thing. Actually, besides the bells, the campus was as peaceful as would be expected at an hour when students were usually either in bed or in class. With my mother still on the phone, I rubbed my heavy eyelids clean and turned on the TV.

“Something hit one of the buildings in New York and Washington too, I think,” she explained. Still groggy, I fought to understand what she was telling me. Her vague description produced mental pictures of an ill-fated pigeon bouncing off the window of a high rise building. I thought such news was unworthy of a morning interruption. “What channel?” I grumbled sleepily as I groped for the nearby remote control. However, my bitterness faded to curiosity when she replied, “Doesn’t matter—it’s everywhere.” Now I knew it had to be more than a blindsided pigeon.

When I look back, I can’t believe my lack of surprise or awe in those first few moments. I listened to the reports long enough to get the gist: airplanes had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Even after my mom told me that officials expected terrorism as the cause, I felt no deep concern. It wasn’t here. It wasn’t me. The bells perturbed me more.

That strange morning turned into a strange afternoon. The bells eventually stopped and I eventually moved away from the television and said goodbye to my mother after promising to keep in touch throughout the day. What now? I imagine people throughout the United States were asking themselves that same question at that very moment. After they watched minutes or even hours of riveting news coverage, others may have been frozen to their seats, wondering what would come next. However, it wasn’t until days later, when I noticed that the news coverage had been ceaseless, that I was in doubt that the world would continue routinely. Nevertheless, my Tuesday persisted as normal. I needed to get ready, run my errands, go to class, eat lunch, call a friend, meet for dinner, do a little homework, watch some TV, go to bed, and do it all again tomorrow and the next day.

My disregard and lack of concern didn’t remain the same—nor did it go away. Instead, it changed — evolved. Morning bitterness changed to midday curiosity. Curiosity changed to nostalgia. Nostalgia changed to cynicism. Finally, I ended up feeling sorry for those who were hurt and grateful it didn’t affect me. I didn’t share the deep cuts and scars that were left on the hearts of many of those around me.

I remember having my picture taken that day by a friend who was finishing a photography project. While I felt a little strange about having no problem smiling for the camera, I was not nearly as distressed as the other girl in the picture. She had been deeply wounded and argued against posing because she had spent the whole morning crying. I almost felt guilty because of my lack of hurt. To this day when I see that black-and-white snapshot I can see the stark difference between us. Our smiles are equally big, but while my eyes are cheery and squinted against the sun, hers are almost grimacing against the pain. I didn’t share that with her.

I shared other things though. I shared the urge to call everyone I know. Worry followed if someone didn’t answer the phone. I shared with other grown children away from home the desire to hang on the phone with my mom as long as possible. For independent college students, those phone calls were a substitute for curling up in mommy’s lap. I shared those moments where I found myself stopped completely. I would simply get lost in thought and find myself pondering what had happened — puzzled — and imagining why everyone else was so torn up. I shared the mixed emotions of relief, a little joy, and even more discomfort with my fellow students when we walked into my Marketing class to be greeted by a sorrowful-looking professor. “Class is cancelled today—no quiz.”

I never did experience immense fear or deep sorrow for what had happened that fateful Tuesday morning. I watched those around me fall apart similar to the besieged national landmarks while I felt like the only person in the nation who did not share those feelings. As far as pigeons go, I was not the pigeon that hit the towering window. Nor was I in the flock that dodged the window, turned to watch the collision, and landed painfully because of the distraction. Instead, I was the pigeon that watched from a distant ringing bell tower that Tuesday morning. I was sorry because so many were hurt by the incident, but I opened my unscathed wings, continued to fly, and was reminded by the chiming melody that this was my simple gift.

Leave Your Tips On The Table, Please!

2011-09-06T19:35:00.000-04:00

I'm hoping you all can help me out. Well, help me help someone else out, actually. And really, it'll help LOTS of people. Soooo ... help.

I know I've been slacking drastically when it comes to blogging, but I've actually been running! Up until this past weekend, I was only getting two runs in per week, but I'm back on the program, y'all, and training for a race (more on that at a later date), so I'm all good.

I've been slacking because I got big-time hooked on the book I was reading and couldn't bring myself to put it down when I should be updating you all on my progress. (For you historical fiction fans out there, or just fans of a really good story, you must read Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. SO GOOD!)

Anyway, back on track ...

Tonight I helped a friend get started on the tried-and-true Couch to 5K (C25K) program. Mr. C25K -- my buddy, my pal, the reason I succeeded in becoming a runner. And I know the reason some of you have become sucked into this torture device we call running.

So, calling all runners!

New runners, old runners, seasoned runners, expert runners, runners who still don't know what they're doing but know they're getting better at it. And also those of you who have started, stopped, started again or decided to move on to something else.

I want to hear from everyone. This won't take too long, unless you want it to.

You've been reading this blog for a while now. Okay, so maybe just this one time. Or maybe since I started it last spring. You know I've been up and down and WAY down and everywhere in between. I've learned as I went, read advice, asked for your advice, and shared advice.

Well, now it's your friggin' turn! I want your tips.

Let's help new runners, like the friend I ran with tonight, together! No matter what you think of yourself and your level of expertise when it comes to running, you've got something to offer -- more than you think. So dish it up! Let's hear it!

What one thing, three things, ten things can you offer as advice, wisdom or even just a random musing?

Whether it's something you discovered on your own, read about in a book, magazine or website, saw on this blog, or whatever -- I want to know what helped you. Was it a goal? A mantra? How did you keep yourself going?

What about finding your stride? How did you figure out how fast to run or how slow to run? How big or small your steps should be? How did you conquer breathing issues, if you had them? Leg cramps? Overheating?

What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome and how did you do it?

Why did you keep going? What made you want to throw in the towel -- all eight times it happened?

Do you find it helps to read books or magazines about running? Which ones?

I think you've probably heard my number one tip, and I think it's got multiple parts:

Take it easy on yourself. Don't kill yourself because you think that's what you're supposed to do. Listen to your body and let it dictate how to proceed.

So, for the benefit of this beginner friend, and for the benefit of any other beginners or soon-to-be beginners out there, hit me with your best shot. Leave me one tip, or a list, or an essay. Whatever you like. First thing that comes to your mind.

I know you're all busy, so really, just leave one thing you can think of if you like.

And don't worry if someone else already wrote it. Write it again.

So, whaddaya say? Leave your tips on the table ...

Quickie Update: Juilfs To Donatos

2011-08-29T20:48:00.001-04:00

In case you were wondering, it takes me about 23 minutes to run half of the track at Juilfs, through the woods and through the fields of Nagel Middle School, and up Nagel Road to get to Donatos on Beechmont. Know your abilities, right?

I started my run this evening (after a shameful handful of days without any) but got a call from a family member I hadn't seen in a long time. Today is sort of a memorial day for them and they make it a point to visit certain restaurants on this day. Anyway, she asked me to join and I agreed but wanted to finish my run first.

So I continued the normal path at Juilfs but thought, wait a tick, I can just run there! I estimated that it'd be about the same amour of time as my workout, give or take, and it was.

Good story.

Whatever. I ran, I got pizza, I visited with family, and I got a ride back to my car. Ha!

Later dudes!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Foggy Saturday At Armleder

2011-08-23T20:57:00.000-04:00

I'm a little behind in my posts, and I apologize for that. But I have pictures!

Saturday's run at Armleder wasn't so good. I had a bit of an upset stomach and it kept me from completing even one loop (1.9 miles). I did finish just about a mile before wandering down to the river to get some pictures. Then I walked about a half mile more after the photo shoot.

Saturday was a sunny, warm morning, but when I got close to the park, I found a thick blanket of fog covering the entire Little Miami River valley, including Armleder. It made for some interesting pictures and kept the sun off my head for a little.

Anyway, on to pictures! (And I'll post about Monday night's run soon.)

All pictures Copyright 2011 MoreToLoveRunning, so don't steal them, because they're just that good.

By the way, check out this blog entry for pictures of Armleder without the fog, just to see the contrast.

Fog. And birds in a tree. Exciting.

Fog. And a car. Check out the sun, though!

It was about 9:30 a.m. and that sun was BLARING on top of Beechmont hill.

After my failed run, I took a walk down to the river.

Sadly, there was no Matt Foley living in a van down by the river, but there was this sweet photo opp. "Whoops a daisy."

(Looking south down the bank of the Little Miami)

Down the river. Some remaining fog.

Up the river. When I first got down there, a kayaker was "docking" and getting out, but I thought I'd avoid being stalker-y and took downstream pics instead. Sorry if I failed you.

Ah, there we go. Some sunlight.

I just love it here! So pretty!

Just A Picture - Little Miami Scenic Trail

2011-08-17T18:20:00.001-04:00

It was real pretty when we was out runnin' last night, y'all. Here's a purdy picture I snapped with my fancy telephone.

Thank you, Mr. Fisherman, for casting at that very moment.

(Taken on the Little Miami Scenic Trail overlooking, you guessed it, the Little Miami River.)

Traffic, Books And Running, Of Course

2011-08-16T21:01:00.001-04:00

Another quickie!

1) I sat in stop-and-go highway traffic for about 50 minutes on the way home. My usual commute home takes 30-35 minutes, and that's on medium/heavy days. And apparently this will be going on for awhile.

2) It's beautiful out. That made traffic almost bearable. Plus I know there are worse routes right now.

3) I'm so excited about running in this beautiful weather, especially since I'm doing it for fun. No training nonsense.

4) I refilled a prescription with the new insurance and it was FREE! Woohoo!!!!

5) My book became available at the library. It's "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follett. New author for me. It's 985 pages and weighs roughly 30 pounds.

6) PHENOMENAL run with Caitlin and Emalynn tonight. 2 miles on the Little Miami Scenic Trail. I only stopped to tie my shoe and then made 2 20-ish-second walk breaks on the return leg.

7) Caitlin is now MY rabbit. Muahahahaha!

Good night!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Weak Week Recap

2011-08-15T21:48:00.000-04:00

Hi all, sorry about not posting, but I have been running. I'll just give you a quick recap now and get back to regular programming soon.

I tried running on Wednesday last week at Veterans, but I think a few things kept it from going well. First, last Sunday I tackled the Five Mile Trail and may have had a little too much fun running down the hills. My shins and calves were quite tender last week. Second, I think I laced my shoes too tight. Third, my back was SUPER wonky on Wednesday and I could never really find a balanced stride when I was running. It's weird, I felt like I was lopsided, which, according to what I know about chiropractic stuff, I probably was. Either way, I lasted a solid 15 minutes before giving in and calling it a night. I felt like I was running on stone legs from the knee down. That's not so comfortable.

But I went right out again on Thursday, this time with Caitlin at Miami Meadows. I'm not sure how long we went, but it was good. Caitlin kicked my butt big time, and Emalynn decided that neither of us were going to run much longer when she became very "vocal" about her dislike of the evening's festivities.

Then I hit the road again on Sunday afternoon at Juilfs. I ran for 24 minutes straight, no walking. Yay! That felt good. I even did a little off-path running, just to see how I managed. I like it. It's almost like I was concentrating so hard on not tripping or spraining an ankle that I forgot to be tired. I immediately remembered to be tired when I got back to the paved path. I also remembered I had to pee.

So that's that. The weather is fall-like here in Cincy, and it's making me eager to get down to business. I'm actually excited about it!

Shout out to Mr. Purulent Smile for his major running accomplishment this weekend! Next stop, 5K!

Close Encounters Of The Wild Kind

2011-08-07T20:52:00.001-04:00

Today's run post was brought to you by the letters H and W, for Humidity and Wildlife.

I took a midday run on this fine, humid Sunday. The temperature was quite low compared to the 90-100 degree "dome" we've been baking under for the last, I don't know, month? It was somewhere in the 80s and overcast most of the day, so I figured, What the heck, I'll run in the afternoon. One better, I'll do it on the hilly Five Mile Trail.

Whoo-wee! My lungs got a workout today!

But I'm glad I went when I did. The Five Mile Trail (read my first blog about it and check out some pictures here) is such a pretty path. It's always so green and lush and fragrant. It was even better after the much needed thunderstorm in the wee hours of this morning.

I tackled the trail from the Newtown Road entrance, giant uphill first. I wasn't out to run hill repeats or anything, so I just took it easy and went as far as I could before resigning to walk the rest of the way up. It's real big, folks. Steep and long. But from the crest of the hill, I ran the whole first leg of the out-and-back, save a brief walk at another mini-monster hill at the end of the leg. I turned, ran down the mini-monster, then let myself walk the uphills and run the crests and downhills for the second leg. All in all, considering my freshness in my return to running and considering the milkshake-thick air, I'm pleased.

Now to the wildlife portion of our programming. Turns out I don't do so well with any kind of wild (read: everything but a domesticated cats or friendly dogs) animal.

Exhibit A: Yesterday after a wedding ceremony, the bride and groom released a small flock of domesticated/pet white doves. It was a magical moment, so naturally, I screamed and ducked-and-covered --twice-- nearly diving to the ground as the beautiful creatures fluttered about overhead. Fortunately I'm not what the crowd was paying attention to, so I don't think more than 8 people saw what I did. Embarrassing nonetheless.

Wing-ed spawn of Satan (source)

Exhibit B: I had a standoff with a doe on the trail this afternoon. I was trotting down a hill in the middle of my return leg when I rounded a corner and saw a large brown thing. I thought it was a wild dog and prepared to have to kick and scream and fight for my life, but I almost instantly realized it was a deer. Oh, no problem, it'll run away when it hears me. It heard me, it saw me, it did not run. I coughed, I clapped my hands, I stomped my feet while running. The deer was just standing there. And it didn't have the headlights look either. It had no fear in its beady eyes. I was, no joke, about 10 feet from it before I realized my plan wasn't working.

It was *almost* this big. Terrifying. (Source)

Don't get me wrong--I am an animal advocate. I love all creatures and abhor hunting and get sad when I see any animal dead on the road. (Except maybe white doves.) But this was a big animal. And it had hooves. And hooves are hard. I may or may not have visualized this doe, standing on its back legs, hoofing me to death, kind of like a kangaroo with boxing gloves.

In case you needed help visualizing. (Source)

But I'm brave and I don't panic at unreasonable things, so naturally I squealed a little and turned and ran in the opposite direction, flailing my arms (again, just a little) hoping it wasn't chasing me. I think the doe was intimidated by my wicked survival skills and sauntered slowly off the trail and into the woods. I swear it rolled its eyes at me.

Whatevs. So now you know how to get rid of a scary deer.

Late Night Parking Lot Run

2011-08-03T21:12:00.001-04:00

I just took an impromptu run around the parking lot of my complex. After eating a not-so-light dinner at 6, I felt ready to give it a try at 8:30. Though I keep telling myself to stop trying to run after eating, I can't seem to stop giving it a go.

Well, this time...not bad! I felt a little "heavy" at times, but I totally just ran a full 20 minutes without stopping. I truly can't remember when I did that last.

Yay me!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Another Reason To Love The Oatmeal

2011-08-03T18:55:00.001-04:00

While I think oatmeal is a delicious and nutritious breakfast meal, wonderful for pre-run eating, I LOVE The Oatmeal.

Consider yourself warned, many of The Oatmeal's pages include foul (and hilariously used) language.

The artist/author's writing and comics crack me up on a regular basis. They can also be educational. I've used several of his posts to educate my coworkers on the proper use of punctuation. Specifically ...

How to use an apostrophe. (Source: The Oatmeal)

When to use i.e. in a sentence. (Source: The Oatmeal)

And How to use a semicolon (Source: The Oatmeal)

Then, of course, since I'm notorious for being a bit of a crazy cat lady, I have a special place in my heart for The Oatmeal's cat comics.

But today The Oatmeal posted about his recent ultra marathon (anything over 26.2 miles) experience. First, he runs. Yay! Second, I love that he shared his experience on his website. Third, his bit about runner's trots is amazing. I laughed a lot.

So, if you're looking for a fun running-related read, check out The Oatmeal's blog about his first 50 mile ultra marathon.

Just A Run -- Woodland Mound

2011-07-31T22:45:00.000-04:00

Just a quick run update. I ran at Woodland Mound this evening. I'm not sure how long, though. Somewhere between 1.5 and 2 miles probably. I do know that I ran for more than a mile--maybe 1.25--without walking.

Everything felt pretty good. It was about 7:45 this evening when I got started, so the worst of the day's heat was gone. Oh, and I busted butt running up the one big stretch of hill. Woot! I'm so glad to see that I didn't "lose" anything during my running funk.

One And Done ... NOT

2011-07-26T21:07:00.001-04:00

Yes, I'm still 8 years old. And yes, I did run tonight!

I made a triumphant return to Juilfs Park and tackled the hills while my pal, Caitlin, tackled me on the hills while breaking in her new running stroller (thank you, you know who). Seriously, the girl kicked my butt and was pushing an additional, what, 40-50 pounds in front of her? Sick.

Anyway, it felt good. My body is still happy to be mobile again. The humidity broke today so it was really nice out (though still hot).

Yay for not pulling an Ochocinco-as-a-bull-rider! Two and NOT done!

Oh and here are a few cute post-run swing pics, starring Skinny Minnie (Caitlin), some cute kid we found, and my mom. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Phoenix Rising?

2011-07-24T21:12:00.000-04:00

It may be overly dramatic to say so, but I felt like a phoenix rising from the ashes this morning. The ashes of a big, nasty, dark running burnout.

That's where I've been for the past two weeks. In a pit of "I hate running, I want nothing to do with it again, I'm ready to get fat and be happy, leave me alone."

Okay, that's not entirely true. I still wanted to talk about running and hear how everyone was doing with it. But I have been in a seemingly bottomless burnout pit. I think it was the same thing that happened in the coldest part of this winter. The part where I realized I had to force myself to stop for a while, when I was riddled with guilt and self-loathing for nearly a month because I didn't want to even think about running again. The weather made it so challenging then, and I think that's what helped the downfall this time. That plus the knee and back pain that had been increasing slowly since the friggin' Pig.

So I rested. I willingly stopped running for a while. I took care of my back and knees (rather, my wonderful chiropractor, Dr. Allen Homan of Homan Chiropractic took care of my back and therefore my knees), I had fun with friends, I went tubing and attempted water skiing, I soaked up some sun at the pool, and I ate very poorly. It was all for the sake of recovering, of course.

Turns out it worked. I needed it. My body was tired and things were giving up on me. And, as it turns out, it happens to lots of runners. In this article from Runner's World -- Falling in Love Again -- the author talks about how maintaining a running relationship requires the same care as real relationships: communication, respect, spontaneity, romance, quality time, flexibility and appreciation. Me and running, you see, we got a little too intense and needed a break. I was abusing a lot of these things and, as a result, got big fat burnt out. The author says, "The initial thrill of the beginning runner inevitably fades. You can't stay gaga forever. The good news is that beneath the infatuation is something even better, more mature, and ultimately more rewarding-a love that will sustain you for years to come."

Holler! So true! Here's another one that sings the praises of taking a break when you need it:

Take a Break for Peak Performance.

That magazine is so helpful.

So why, after reading these articles and even going through this burnout once before, was it such a shock to me and so difficult to come to terms with when it happened again? Why couldn't I just let it be and take a vacay?

I'm not entirely sure, but I think it has something to do with the fear of not wanting to and/or being able to start again. I felt so completely over running that I didn't want to do it again and was petrified that I never would.

But I did.

I had been gently telling myself that I was going to start running again yesterday. That didn't happen. Shocker. Then I saw a lump of fat that had diminished over the last year of running beginning to make its home again on a part of my body that I was growing particularly proud of. But what about the scale? Oh, you know, I'm at a record low, one pound lower than my previous low. So, a returning lump of fat and a decreased number on the scale? EEEEEK! I'm losing muscle at an alarming rate!

So essentially, my gentle-nudging return-to-running plan turned into an "OHMIGOD I HAVE TO START NOW OR THE FAT WILL CONTINUE TO MULTIPLY" plan.

The panic plan worked better.

I ran this morning. I got up at 7 a.m., ate a half piece of toast, drank some green tea and a bunch of water, and got to Armleder at 8:30 a.m.I was sweating sitting in my car. A half hour after I started, my Weather Channel app said it was 83 degrees with 75% humidity and a dew point of 74.

Gross.

Whatever, it didn't matter. I was there to sweat. And I had just downloaded a new album on my way to the park as a sort of reward and I was ready to rock out to some new running music (Foster the People ... super fun). I set my timer for 30 minutes, got a pebble out of my shoe, turned up the tunes, and set off.

To continue on the overly dramatic theme I started with the title of this post, m first few running steps were euphoric.

I was overjoyed.
I felt weightless.
I was practically bounding.
I kid you not, I almost cried. (And I can't even blame hormones.)

What the heck? How? Why? Can resting really have this kind of effect? Chyeah it can!

Don't get me wrong, it was still running and it was still hard. I was still drenched in sweat and I still got tired. But nothing hurt. My breathing was good (better than I expected on such a humid morning). My muscles were ready to rock and they carried me an entire mile before I took my first walk break.

To add to the magic of the moment, two bucks (complete with a small set of--er--horns?) went bounding across my path and through the fields at Armleder during the first 5 minutes of the run. Cue the symphony, please.

Not surprisingly, considering it had been two weeks since I last ran, my body started to protest at 20 minutes and at 25, I called it a run. I took a little walk to the river to take in the sights and sounds, and to snap some pictures, but I was done. Return to running -- success.

So I'm ready to start running again. And I'm actually kind of looking forward to being in the heat. I keep thinking about some of the hottest running days last year at TQL. (Here's a post about TQL with PICTURES!) Yeah, it was hot and all, but I could do it. Sometimes sweating feels good. Sometimes.

Anyway, I leave you with this, quite possibly my favorite running quote by some dude (I have no idea who he is) and some pictures from today (sorry they're dark ... iPhone + morning light + iamnotaphotographer).

"Run because you love it. If you don't, learn to love it. Running will bring things into your life that you could never imagine."

- Scott Jurek

The entrance to Armleder.

Yay morning light!

Lots of birdhouses = lots of pretty birds. A mockingbird lives in the chimney of the shelter there. LOVE IT!

The path leading to the Little Miami River. These plants were all flattened like two months ago from all the flooding. I love how quickly they rebounded!

Shot from the car. Already sweating.

The Little Miami River. I'm not outdoorsy enough to venture down the steep hill and through the bushes to get closer. Sorry.

More river.

What's Next?

2011-07-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

I ran less than two miles for today's workout. I enjoyed about a quarter-mile of it, tolerated a mile of it, and spent the other quarter-mile-ish trying to figure out how I was going to get myself to keep up with running--or rather, if I was going to keep up with running.

If you've been around me or talked to me at all lately, you know this has been going on in my head for a while. In fact, I know exactly when it started. May 1, somewhere between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.

I burned out. I reached the point of "this is where I was going, I'm here, now what?"

I've finished the Couch to 5K (C25K) program, I've finished a year's worth of 5K events, I've finished a 10K, and I've finished a half-marathon (and never want to do one again). I finished one boot camp a year ago, took an early exit from the most recent boot camp.

I've lost two toenails, injured both knees, and exacerbated my back problems. I've lost 40-ish pounds (10-ish through step aerobics during the year before I started running, the other 30 immediately following last year's boot camp, and nothing since).

I've nudged a handful of people start running, fall in love with running, pretend to hate running (but do it anyway and secretly enjoy it).

I've told good stories, funny stories, gross stories (hello runners' trots, toenails and calluses). I've read books and magazines and Internet articles.

I've stopped enjoying it. I can count the number of runs in the last two months that I've thoroughly enjoyed on one hand. I can no longer tell if I'm itching to go for a run or if my guilty conscience is making me think I'm itching to run.

I don't want to go backwards, but I'm not so sure I want to run anymore. I certainly can't think of any other form of exercise that I want to do, that would give me the same sense of accomplishment that running did (or is as cheap as running is).

I don't feel like I accomplish anything with my running anymore.

I don't have anything to cross off. I used to cross off days and weeks of C25K. Then I crossed off races. Then I crossed off days until the Pig.

I'm also kind of removed from running buddies lately. Not that I need people to run with, but talking about it helps. Schedules, a job change, etc. have gotten in the way of me getting to talk about it as much as I used to. Remember this post? Talking about it ... what a novel idea. Wish I had thought of that sooner. =)

Anyway, I'm tired. What should I do? What else can I try?

Whew, huge downer post, folks. Sorry about that. This has been brewing for a while. If you've come through something similar, I'd love to hear about it. Or if you have any ideas, please speak up.

Calluses

2011-06-29T20:28:00.001-04:00

Ran a "quick" two miles around the parking lot of my complex tonight so I could get home quickly to watch "So You Think You Can Dance," the only TV show I even watch anymore.

The run wasn't great. I'm convinced this parking lot and it's long, shallow inclines is a lot harder to run than some of the hilly paths I run.

Question time!

And of course, because it's me it has to be a topic no one wants to talk about.

Calluses!

How do bottom-of-foot calluses affect running? Should I keep them nice and smooth or are thicker calluses useful to runners like they can be for dancers?

Here's why I ask. I've been keeping in top of mine like a good girl. Not like I can show my ugly feet this summer because my toenails are 97% gone. On days when they're a little stiff from either a missed exfoliation or from a hard day in work shoes (devil...you dudes don't know how lucky you are), running hurts. And I don't even run on my toes (mid-foot strike, right here).

Now the balls of my feet have always been sensitive to -- well -- everything, so maybe it's just that and has nothing to do with calluses.

Anyway, just thought I'd put that out there and see what you all thought. Plus I miss your comments. I'm sure if I posted more than just lame "I ran today" updates, you'd have a reason to comment, right? Right.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

After The Rain - Woodland Mound 6/26/2011

2011-06-26T16:09:00.001-04:00

I did another un-timed, music-free run at Woodland Mound this afternoon. It still feels really good and I'm so glad to get back to running.

I did some thinking during my quiet run and I realized I just need to refocus my efforts.

New focus: ME

My time.
My schedule.
My rules.
My abilities.
My workout.
My run.
Mine.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Return To Normalcy - Woodland Mound 6/23

2011-06-23T21:04:00.001-04:00

I ran about 2.25 miles tonight. I have no idea how long it took. I didn't listen to music. It was beautiful at the park. I sat on a bench by a pond with my mom for a half-hour afterwards. It was all amazing.

Sorry for my absence lately. I've been going through some personal battles surrounding exercise but all is resolved now and...I'M BACK!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Giggles: More Plus-Sized Activewear

2011-06-14T19:49:00.003-04:00

In light of my recent ho-hums regarding running/exercise burn-out, I think it's a right-good time for a few giggles, don't you?

Back at the end of May, I spent the day with Caitlin, her family and her bestie. They were nice enough to invite me along for a trip to a giant thrift store clear on the other side of town. As a preface, thrift stores are generally tough places for plus-sized gals to shop. Clothes aren't often organized more than into categories like bottoms and tops, let alone into sizes or separated into regular sizes and "more to love" sizes. So unless you're an avid shopper who enjoys rummaging through miles of terribleness and things that don't fit (which I am most DEFINITELY not), it's not likely a big girl is going to find big girl clothes worth buying.

Well, I, ladies and gentlemen, hit the jackpot on this thrift shop trip. As I was wandering aimlessly behind Caitlin and her BFF, looking for the most terrible garments to hold up and make fun of, I found a sea--nay, an ocean--of plus-sized velour track suits!

Read my take on plus-sized active wear here.

Take a good long look at these BEAUTIES!
(Photos by the beautiful and talented Teresa B.)

This one was actually a really pretty color!
Sexy, for sure. Look how flattering those pants are to my figure!

SEAFOAM GREEN!
This one felt like I was wearing quilted window treatments. Instant sweat, ladies and gents.

I implore you, f you're out shopping somewhere and you stumble across velour track suits, please please please model them and take a picture and email it to me: moretoloverunning@gmail.com

And that is all for this evening. Thanks for sharing a giggle with me. =)

Redlegs Run 5K 2011

2011-06-13T12:40:00.001-04:00

Hi folks! Sorry for the delay in posts. I've been a bit overwhelmed with boot camp in the mornings and starting a new job this week. But I didn't want to leave you having too much longer on the Redlegs Run results. I

'll post more later this week about how things are going. In a nutshell, I'm burned out. I need a break. Blah.

Official time: 41:30 (my third best 5k time)

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Boot Camp Part Deux - Week 1, Day 1

2011-06-06T15:22:00.002-04:00

Today was the first day of my second go-'round with Cincinnati Adventure Fitness Boot Camp for Women and holy cow what a difference a year makes! I gave myself a little laugh this afternoon and read my blog post from the first day of camp last year. (Read it here.)

Things definitely went differently this year. I knew that I shouldn't dive into it head-first like I did last year when I lunged with all my might with my heaviest weight. I knew that each exercise would be done in quick succession with other exercises and that the whole set would be repeated 3 or 4 times. I knew that the little running "track" ABC Linda tells us all to run on includes some deceptively steep hills.

Most importantly, I knew it could be fun if I let it be. And it was.

As soon as ABC Linda turned the music on and we started to warm up, I felt good. I was ready to roll.

I did have to take caution with my knees though, more than I've ever done. If anything, I think that helped me work on my form a bit.

Meh, anyway, on to day 2 and day 3, etc. I'm weighing myself every day after camp, too, so we can all see some real-time results. As usual, these numbers are actually completely wrong, disguised by my super-secret calculation that keeps my real weight a secret. (One of these days I'll be able to just share that number...but not today.) I'll weigh myself every day right after camp to get the most accurate number. And yes, I agree that weighing yourself everyday can be unhealthy, but only if you expect certain results every day. I do not. My weight has fluctuated 5 pounds within a day before. No big deal.

Weigh-ins
ABC2: W1D1 - 521.1

Tricking My Knees - Little Miami Scenic 6/5

2011-06-05T17:01:00.003-04:00

I think I figured out a way to trick my knees into letting me run and I got to test it out today.

Success!

Caitlin sent me a text this morning to see if I was up for a run on the Little Miami Scenic Trail. So, we headed out. We did just shy of 3 miles (1.5-ish miles out, 1.5-ish miles back) and only took a few short walk breaks on the second leg. It was hot, y'all.

I'm really pleased with the run, though. I'm so glad I got some significant distance in (to me, that means more than 2 miles), and I'm also glad I got to test out the knee-tricker with our few walk breaks.

So, the trick is to start running with my knees bent a little more than normal. Kind of like a shock resistance thing, I guess. The hurting knee (right) doesn't hurt when I do that, and the popping knee (behind the left one) doesn't pop quite so much. And, I can do that throughout the run whenever either one of them starts acting up.

So yay for tricking my body into cooperating!

First day of boot camp tomorrow.
Chiropractor appointment (boo!) tomorrow to fiddle with my back and knees.
First day of the new job on Tuesday.

Thanks for checking in!

Weigh-In And Run

2011-06-03T20:55:00.001-04:00

Long story short, I may have figured out a way to trick my knees into letting me run. Did a lap at Armleder (1.9 miles) tonight without walking.

I also got weighed and measured for boot camp pre-evaluation. I'm very close to or just below where I measured last year AFTER camp. Considering how little I've done outside of running in terms of health, I'd say that's a little bit of a victory. I should have gained in every area (except my bitchin' legs).

Oh, and today was my last day at my job. Had to say bye to a lot of people I didn't want to say bye to, but I'm ready for the next adventure!

Boot camp starts Monday.
New job starts Tuesday.

That's all! Time to eat and watch my first ever episode of Mad Men.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Something Is Not Right With Me - TQL 5/31

2011-05-31T20:45:00.001-04:00

"...Trying not to let it show."

Thanks, Cold War Kids!

(Link to the YouTube video here because apparently you can't embed on the iPhone.)

This is no good, folks. I almost had a panic attack/crying episode tonight, and it wasn't because I was forcing myself to run in the heat. It was because I was physically unable to run. Backwards, right?

I started the run, fighting the knee twinge that has sadly become a regular part of warming up for me. But I limped and shook it off and got into my groove. I banged out a nice, slow mile+ before I stopped to take a short walk break. But when I started to run again, my knee had other plans. Lots o' pain. Twinges with every right-foot strike.

So I walked a little more, then tried again. No go. I stopped counting after 5 tries. Each attempt sent the pain shooting in my joint.

I let my recent worries take hold of me and started to panic at the thought of my running "career" being over already, before I reach my first anniversary of road races (5k's). I finally found a healthy activity that I love and could see myself doing for a long time, but my body can't take it.

Just as I was reaching my car, I decided to give it one last go up a very VERY short little hill (we're talking 4 long running strides). I bounded up and went to take my last step to crest the hill when the concrete reached up and tripped me.

Bastard.

Turns out there's a flaw in the pavement that I didn't see. I tripped and caught myself with my legs (no scraped palms), and I could feel that I jarred something, but not necessarily in a bad way.

Sure enough, I tried to run again, and after a few careful strides, I was good to go again. Unfortunately I can tall this isn't going to go away, though. Something is not right with me, for sure.

Oh yeah, and I've got all kinds of weird popping awfulness behind my other knee. Please tell me how one stupid half-marathon can make so many things go wrong.

So, not such a happy run tonight, but at least it wasn't an attitude problem on my behalf. Just a silly potentially-run-ending mystery injury. Pish posh...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Creeping Knee Concerns - Woodland Mound 5/28

2011-05-28T10:50:00.001-04:00

Short run this morning. I woke up not feeling it, got to the lark not feeling it, and pretty much stayed that way throughout the single mile I managed (thought I might do 3 miles). Not sure if my attitude kept me from doing well, or if my body was tired, or if the humidity got to me (not used to it yet), or if I'm just not used to morning runs anymore.

Despite all that, I somehow did okay. I'm going to credit the sweet downhill section.

I'm also starting to seriously wonder if my knees can handle running. I haven't posted much about it, but I've had knee pain while running since the Pig. Now it's migrating to the other knee and includes some behind-the-knee popping. Ugh, not cool.

Something to consider. Should I switch to walking until I can shed enough weight to take pressure off my knees? Would I keep up with the walking? I am a terrible walker. I'm slow.

Anyway, off to a busy day. Happy 3-day weekend for most of you! (I'm wrapping up a 10-day weekend myself.)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Woodland Mound 5/26

2011-05-26T18:35:00.001-04:00

I know I said I'd run tomorrow, but the skies cleared and I felt like getting out. Here are iMapMyRun stats and a picture of the storm clouds from high atop Woodland Mound, one of my favorite parks (though I haven't run here yet).

I finished the second "30 miles in 30 days" challenge!

I kinda kicked this run's a$$.

Oooh wicked! (Looking at Kentucky.)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Nordyke Rd,Cincinnati,United States

The Forest Hills 5K And A Commitment

2011-05-26T14:45:00.011-04:00

I'll address my ineptitude in blogging momentarily. For now, here's a re-cap of my latest 5K adventure.

The Forest Hills 5K was this past Saturday. It benefits the schools I grew up in and runs through the 'burbs instead of the dirty, nasty streets of downtown Cincinnati like so many other races do.

Finishing time: 41:12

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

(Click on the collages to see a larger view.)

A few shots before it started. It was before 8:30 and already steamy hot. It was one of the first hot runs of the year and definitely the first hot race. Hello sweaty head!

Some signs, some firefighters (big and small) and me at the halfway point. I stopped running shortly after this because the course went back uphill. Oh yeah, this course was surprisingly hilly. Yikes! And I've lost my ability to run 3 miles without stopping. I can force 2 miles uncomfortably, but 3 alludes me once again. Turns out I reached my distance peak right before the Emerald Miles back in March (read the post here). Go figure.

Finish line photos. Check out the top left corner shot...I totally look like a runner there! That stupid Bengals mascot was all up in my grill, yo. Had to get around him.

Me and my photographer, my mom. The pile o' donuts at the finish line (along with bagels, water and bananas), me offering the donut to my mom, and some browsing after the finish. Ah the joys of freebies after a race! =)

The race also featured a mascot race. A mascot for each of the 9 local schools (6 elementary, 1 middle, 2 high schools) and some other local organizations like businesses and college and professional sports mascots. My high school track coach (the bee below) won the race last year and took the prize again this year. Go coach!

Me with the mascots. A picture with the organizations from which I matriculated, plus two. Clockwise from top left: Mercer Golden Eagle, Cincinnati Bengal, Xavier Musketeer, Ayer/Summit Bee (can't remember, didn't go there; my high school track coach), Turpin Spartan, Kroger Bagster.

This is the professional picture, taken by Cincy Sports Photos.

After the race-day events, I got some time to rest, get un-sweaty, and get dolled up to go to a wonderful wedding. One of my best high school friends, Anne, put on a beautiful event. It was so great to see her wedding come to fruition after so much planning and it was REALLY great to see all my friends (and a handful of parents) in one place. Here's a collage:

So, about my blogging slackertude. I'm going to remedy this.

Here's what's happened. Running, as I've said before, has become a full-on part of my life--pretty much un-spectacular. I forget to blog about it because of that, but I don't want to stop. I still love keeping you all up to date, and I definitely need the accountability to keep me going. You all have been so helpful until this point and I need your help.

So this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to post. I'm going to post after every workout. It might be one sentence, two sentence, 8 paragraphs, 3 pages. Seriously. If I go out and run a ho-hum 2 miles or a crappy 1 mile, you're getting an update. It'll likely be from my phone and will likely be boring. But I'm going to do it.

Don't worry, I'm going to continue to do my classic over-long posts with pictures and such, but because they seem to be happening fewer and farther between, I need to do something else.

So there it is. My plan. Is that okay? I hope so, because I'm doing it anyway.

So, news:

I got a new job! Big change. Big, BIG change. I'm scared and excited and scared. It starts on June 7.
I start boot camp on June 6. I'm scared and excited and scared about this too. But I've been noticing my arms getting flabbier and fatter lately, so Imma need this.
I'm doing the Redlegs Run for Home 5K again! This was my first 5K last year, so I'm excited to return to the scene of the crime to see how I fare. This day also marks the 1-year anniversary of my "road racing career." Woooo! (Last year's post.)
My post-Pig toenails are still in less-than-stellar shape. I didn't lose them, but I still think that would have been easier. The big toe nails are still...um...oozing. Goodness. But I finished the antibiotic and I've been keeping them clean, so yeah...good stuff.

Alright, that's all I've got. I guess you'll be hearing from me tomorrow since I plan on running then. Wheee! What's up with you all? How's the running going?

The Week After The Pig

2011-05-09T20:10:00.004-04:00

Well, I think the best way to let you know what the last week has been like is to take you through a day-by-day replay. You seasoned runners know how your body reacts to big challenges, but I know there are folks who read that don't know anything about it, so I'll cue you in on how my body reacted. And of course, as promised, it's a long one. Riveting I'm sure, but long.

Background:
In case you aren't a loyal follower of my blog (shame on you) or you haven't been subjected to my in-person and/or Facebook whining, let me fill you in. Last Sunday, May 1, I participated in and completed a half-marathon in the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. It was my first half-marathon, and about 8 miles in to the 13.1 miles, I declared it to be my last. It was an extremely painful experience. Rain + hills and hills and hills + under-training = ouch. But I finished. Read all about it in my blog post here, written Sunday evening after the race.

Monday:
I totally made it through a day of work, y'all. And I didn't do it from the comfort of my couch, which was my contingency plan. Yes, working from home would have been a really easy option considering what my body was doing, but something made me want to go in. I wanted to say, "HA! I'm here! I survived! I made it and I made it to my cube! Look at my nasty feet!" Granted, I probably would have gotten more work done if I had worked from home; I spent most of the day recalling the Pig's terrible-ness to the wonderfully supportive folks in my department. But they donated to Fernside, so they deserved to hear the full story, right?

Monday was an extremely wobbly and wonky-walking kind of day. My feet felt bruised on the bottom, my toenails hurt (more on this in a bit), and my hips--OHHHH my hips! They were very sore and stiff, which prevented me from making fast movements (like getting out of people's way as they walked quickly down the hallway). Sitting down was very comfortable. Taking the first few steps after getting up? Not so much. The surprising thing was that my "usual" pain spots didn't hurt. My lower back was peachy keen--no problemo. My legs felt just fine.

Another surprise was the sore muscles in my middle and upper back and shoulders. See, during the last mile-ish of the Pig, I was in so much pain (feet and ankle) that I was completely clenched from my fingertips, up my arms, across my shoulders, and down through my legs, all in an effort to alleviate the pain.

No worries, though. I lathered Biofreeze all over myself for the second night in a row, including on my legs. (For future reference, Biofreeze on your legs at bedtime makes for a FRIGID hour under the blankets. Talk about shivers!)

Tuesday:
I made it to work again on Tuesday, and I wore my gym shoes in the office again (one of the benefits of tearing your feet to pieces in a half-marathon). My shins started to feel a little cramped. My feet still felt really tender on the bottom and my toenails continued to hurt. But, the nails weren't falling off. Both Monday and Tuesday, there were several times where I would have preferred the nails to fall off, because surely it would have been more comfortable than what I felt. My two big-toe nails were throbbing (or rather what's under the nails).

Despite the feet/nail issue, I was moving just a bit better. I still hobbled when I got out of my desk chair, but it took me far less time to loosen up and walk more smoothly. Still couldn't change direction quickly, though, and my hips were still sore and stiff. Shoulders/back = still sore.

Tuesday night, while I was sitting on my living room floor going through some paperwork, I was playing with my feet (as I'm sure we all do when we sit on the floor) when I felt a mysterious stickiness on my toes. What the ...?

As I yelped into the phone when I called my BFF Jeff (a seasoned dancer and therefore feet-issues-quasi-expert), "MY TOENAILS ARE LEAKING!"

Oh yes, that's right ... leaking toenails.

I'm sorry, did you just eat dinner? Oops ...

I don't know if I figured it out Tuesday night or Wednesday, but I deduced that I had big fat blisters under my big-toe nails. Really? Blisters under my toenails? Talk about a new experience. Not on my heel, not on the bottom of my foot, not on the side of my toe. No. Under the toenails. The leaking and discomfort has continued through until today. After trimming my nails last night (while trying to NOT cut the blister skin), the pain has decreased greatly. And I only leaked once today that I know of. Blech.

Wednesday:
I had plans to work from home Wednesday because of a mid-day appointment, so I didn't have to endure another wobbly day in the office, but I did do something pretty impressive Wednesday evening. I ran! Yay!

I knew that my body was ready. And I knew that some marathon recovery plans included a light run on the third day. So I hit the pavement. I planned to meet my cousin, Autumn, at Veterans. She wanted to get started on Couch to 5K and I knew that I could handle those intervals. Well, I got to the park about 10 minutes early and decided I'd take a few laps around the small loop (about a quarter-mile loop). I most definitely ran at a good, quick clip around that little loop. Twice. And it felt good. I felt my knee tweak at first (something that is still plaguing me and terrifying me), and my stride was a little wonky for the first lap, but I eventually found my legs and pounded the laps out. I also did the 2-mile (30-minute) workout with Autumn, who did a great job, with no problem. Yay!

Thursday:
Got better. Toenail pain increased. Nothing spectacular.

Friday:
Only sporadic wobbling, back/shoulder pain gone, toenails hurt worse and still oozing. So, I decided to head to The Little Clinic to rule out/determine infection and to find out how to treat the bad boys. An antibiotic prescription, 3 packs of bandages, and a monster bag of Epsom salt later, I walked out of TLC in the Kroger store and went about my business.

Saturday:
All other race-related pains are gone by this point. I soaked my feet a few times and put my running shoes on and hit the pavement again. I set out to do two miles of "speed work." I only did one. But that one mile was FAST! I so wish I would have timed it.

Sunday:
Soaked the feet some more. The toenails were still oozing. I headed out for a day with Mom on Mother's Day and finished the day with a 3-mile run at my pre-race pace/effort. I was a little bummed at my finishing time (41 minutes), but then my mom reminded me that it was my first run like that since well before the Pig. In that case, I'm totally happy with the time.

And more importantly, I'm so ready to run some more.

Future:
I feel like I'm on the cusp of some kind of breakthrough here. Now that I know I'm happy with 5K races and maybe the occasional 10K, I want to focus on improving my times and effort at those distances. I want to do hills and speed work and focus on my form (which, according to an article in this month's Runner's World, isn't so bad). I'm excited about what's ahead of me.

After that heinous half-marathon experience, my biggest victory at this point is that I still want to run. FOR THE WIN!

The Reason I Did It

2011-05-08T20:23:00.001-04:00

I'm going to blog tomorrow--probably one of my long, rambling posts about the past week's dramatic physical reactions to last weekend's half marathon. (Just wait till you hear about the toes.)

But for this evening, I'll leave you with a photo. It's kind of the main reason I put myself through the Pig. Thank you, Lisa, for surprising me with this on packet pick-up day!

Praised be the 13.1 car magnet. Amen.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thank You

2011-05-03T08:45:00.004-04:00

You all are wonderful. I just wanted to put that out there. Your comments on my Flying Pig post from Sunday nearly bring me to tears every time I read them (and yes I've read them several times). Same goes to the TONS of Facebook messages and wall posts. I love you all.

Just an update on the feet ... they're much better, but they still feel bruised on the bottom, which is totally understandable. My toenails are still attached but still slightly uncomfortable.

I was walking a little wonky all day yesterday, espeically right after I stood up. My hips were super stiff and sore. Today my shins hurt more than anything and my middle and upper back muscles are still pretty tight.

Oh, and my weight has recovered after dropping down to my lowest point shortly after the run Sunday. Booo!

That's all! Later gators!

The Cincinnati Flying Pig (Half) Marathon

2011-05-01T18:57:00.011-04:00

I'm done. I finished. My feet (and toenails) hurt. I don't ever want to do anything longer than a 10K again. But apparently participating in these torturous events is similar to giving birth and getting tattoos (the latter which I actually know about), and I'm destined to want to do more. Not looking forward to that day. In fact, if you catch me slipping into the "I want to do another half marathon ... or heck, a whole marathon" mentality, please slap me ... hard.

Anyway, here's me at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning before heading out. Still nice and dry. (And excited about the new bib placement on my leg instead of on my shirt. Less snagging.)

Oh, in case I haven't mentioned it yet, the forecast for today in Cincinnati called for showers and storms, beginning at 6 a.m. (the race started at 6:30). Fortunately the rain didn't last the entire race, but it was definitely enough to drench everyone. It was also enough to soak my socks and shoes and to give me some seriously bad foot pain because of the intense pruning.

I was miserable. I was seriously considering quitting at least 3 separate times. What kept me going? Was it the drive to accomplish something huge? Was it the finishers medal? Did it have anything to do with the significance of the event? No. My driving thought was, "I paid for this sucker! I'm going to finish it!"

Even in the last mile, when my feet and ankle hurt so bad that I couldn't do much more than shuffle (not exaggerating in the slightest), I just wanted someone to bring me a wheelchair. I did manage to jog over the finish line, though I have no idea how I did.

So, on to some pictures and I'll fill you in in the middle.

Dark picture, but this is the band playing at the start line. Speaking of the start line, it took so long to get across it. There were 5 corrals (Pig Pens) leading up to the start. I'm not entirely positive, but I think it took 10-15 minutes to cross the start line. Whew!

Plus, walking to the Pens was a HUGE pain. The had fences erected to separate the sidewalks from the corrals (street) and THEN they put port-o-potties in that fenced-in sidewalk area creating a nasty bottleneck as my friend Sarah and I tried to make our way to Pig Pen E.

Speaking of Sarah, she was nice enough to stick with me through the entire first mile of the race. That was actually a really fun part. I ran the whole first mile and took two short walk breaks during the second mile and a few more during the third. My sock started rubbing funky on one of my toes during mile 4, so I stopped to adjust. Good story, huh? =)

My mom made her way from the start line up to 7th and Plum to watch me run up to mile marker 5. She snagged a few pics.

Dude dressed like a pig.

There's me in the light green Fernside shirt!

Speaking of Fernside, I raised $595 and some change! Yay!

Mile 5 and still trucking.

Hi mom!

Time for a pic with mile marker 5.

So, shortly after these pics, I continued down 7th, which turns into Gilbert, which is an enormous hill. I mean, HUGE. It's "The Hill." It's 3 miles of intense uphill followed by a lot more gradual uphill. As I expected, it killed me. I couldn't run up the hill at all and didn't expect to be able to. I actually had a lot of trouble walking up the hill. I hate uphills.

After the hill, I hit some pretty bad spots for me, including my first bout of wanting to quit. Nothing sounded better than a ride in a medic vehicle. With a few exceptions, I walked from the bottom of Gilbert (mile 6-ish) until the end of the race. I got a few short jogs in where the road was flat and on Martin Luther King where there were some little bitty downhills.

Then I got to see my coworker, Theresa, at the top of Gilbert and that gave me a little extra mojo to run down Gilbert. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to do it, but I did it. I ran the whole way down. That's why I pulled off a 15-minute mile that late in the race. (I'm good at downhills.) Another short jog across I-71 and down a hill on Central, and that was all she wrote.

Wait, I take that back. I did do tiny little jogs to see my coworkers Theresa (again) and Lisa and Lisa's daughter, Kate. I thought since they came out to see me, they deserved to see some action. Then that was it until my finish line jaunt (maybe 100 yards).

Bad, bad, bad. UGH!

Yes, I know I finished, but it was just so hard and I was so obviously not prepared like I should have been.

Okay, back out of the dreariness hole...here are the "Finish Swine" pics my pal Caitlin took when she met my mom to see me cross the line.

The Finish Swine

Check out the sign on the US Bank Arena.

There I am! Light green shirt, looking like death.

At this point I was choking up and was seconds away from hyperventilating. No joke. Couldn't breathe because I was freaking out, in pain, emotional, and my feet felt like hell.

Dying some more.

Pretending like I have some "kick" left in my step. I almost fooled myself here.

I'm glad these shots are from behind, because I was seriously puckered up right about now.

So, after crossing the line, we were given our finishers medals and a Mylar blanket, and ushered through the recovery area. Water, Gatorade, people to cut the tags off your shoes, bananas, fruit cups, donuts, potato chips, go-gurt, chocolate milk...

All I wanted was a banana and a spot on the concrete. It was crazy crowded down in Sawyer Point, so I found the first curb I could that wasn't covered in garbage or people and collapse to the ground--exactly what you're not supposed to do. But oh, it felt so good. My mom and Caitlin found me and I immediately showed them why I was in so much pain.

BEWARE OF GROSS PICTURES!!!

GROSS! ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T LIKE FEET!

Ohhhhhh! My poor feeeeeet!!!

And here I am. My only post-race shot with my medal. Yay feet!

So here are the stats:

Official finish time: 3:40:49
Official pace: 16:52/mile

Here are my lap times, recorded by yours truly on my iPhone, which I managed to keep try with my trusty bandanna:

0-1 13:44 (ran it all)
1-2 14:14 (few short walk breaks)
2-3 15:34 (few short walk breaks)
3-4 14:00 (yep)
4-5 16:36 (still yep)
5-6 16:10 (7th to Gilbert)
6-7 19:19 (up uphill)
7-8 18:29 (still uphill)
8-9 17:10 (still uphill, though less, but still walking, wanted to quit)
9-10 19:05 (wanted to quit and die)
10-11 15:58 (Hey hey hey! Downhill fun!)
11-12 18:24 (dying again)
12-13 20:43 (low point...shuffling and limping)

Here are the Flying Pig's official photographs.

Thank you to everyone who sent me emails and texts and Facebook messages. You're all wonderful and I could tell you were really happy for me and that you believed in me.

Thank you to those of you who donated to Fernside and contributed to such a successful fundraising project.

Thank you to Theresa, Lisa (and Kate), and Caitlin for coming to watch me.

Thank you to Sarah for signing up for the event and for sticking with me for the first mile.

And a HUGE thank you to my mom for getting up extra, extra early, chauffeuring me and Sarah to the race, standing in the rain, hiking all over the downtown area, taking pictures, watching me finish, taking me home, making me lunch, doing my dishes and taking care of me! I don't know what I would have done without your help today. I love you!

And with that ... I'm going to bed with my man, Mr. Biofreeze.

Hello 4 a.m.!

2011-05-01T04:11:00.003-04:00

Good morning. I'm drinking my cup of coffee before getting ready to leave for the Flying Pig Marathon, so I thought I'd do a little pre-race update. I got to bed later than I would have liked yesterday thanks to a to-do list that seemed to keep growing and a few small non-race-related dramas that popped up Friday and Saturday. Alas, I made it to Sunday and I'm as ready as I'm going to get for 13.1 miles.

No stomach upsets ... yet.

A few sore back muscles that I think are preparing themselves for later today.

A pair of tender-soled feet that are probably in the same boat as the back muscles.

Pockets full of gear for the race (gummy bears, hair ties, lip balm...).

Devoted fans that hopefully still make it to the course despite the forecasted downpour.

A HEAP of well-wishes from my Facebook community.

An encouraging greeting card from my caring coworkers.

A probably-sleepy mother who's getting ready to pick me up and head downtown to grab Sarah and then wait for 4 hours in the rain for me to cross the finish line.

One small tube of Biofreeze, one 32-ounce pump of Biofreeze (a generous gift), a bottle of Aleve, and a container of Epsom salts waiting for me at home.

So I think that's it. The coffee is almost done, which means it's time to gear up. I'm hoping I can get a blog up rather quickly after the run, so keep your eyes peeled.

I'm already ready for a nap...

Track Me In The Pig!

2011-04-29T20:59:00.003-04:00

I'm doing a terrible job of posting about how little activity I've done this week, how much I've eaten to celebrate Pig Out Week (created by me), how many fingernails I've destroyed because I'm flipping nervous, and how incredibly freaked out and scared I am.

But, I'll get to that some more this weekend. I anticipate spending a great deal of time on the couch tomorrow and post-race Sunday. Enter blogging.

In the meantime, please sign up to receive email or text updates on my Flying Pig Marathon (half) progress on Sunday. You can sign up now here. Chose either email or text, and either "at the finish line" or "all available timing locations." I recommend at least a finish line alert so you can be sure I actually made it across the finish line.

Fernside Fundraising update: there was just over $60 in the piggy bank I kept at work. Thanks to my wonderful coworkers for making my fundraising effort so incredibly successful. Full count coming soon!

This Is What Prepared Looks Like

2011-04-26T19:44:00.001-04:00

Okay, now I'm ready. Scared but ready.

Bring on the Flying Pig!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

White Legs, Purple Shoes

2011-04-21T20:52:00.001-04:00

I know I haven't posted much lately about my regular runs. It's just that they've become so ordinarily that I don't think much of them, nor do I think them worthy of talking about. But really, the normal-ness of running PERIOD is a pretty extraordinary phenomenon in itself, isn't it? It's like I let this milestone kind of pass me by, the sneaky little devil.

I run two to three times a week and it's "no big deal." Wicked.

So let me give a little ordinary-ness update.

My Mizunos died. I think they were feeling pretty ill before the Rat Race 10K, and that sucker pretty much put the nail in the coffin. I tried to put them on for a run yesterday and they pretty much made my ankle roll out. No good. Especially considering my history with ankles. I think I need to stay away from overly-cushioned shoes from now on. I just beat them in too quickly and they become almost bad for me to wear, making my ankles turn and hurt.

I bought a new pair of shoes today at Nordstrom Rack. They were cheap, they're rather hard- and thin-soled, and they are a heinous shade of purple, which highlights the whiteness of my legs quite nicely, don't you think?

The bottoms of my feet burned a little on tonight's run, but not differently than any other time I've run in new shoes, so I think I'll give them some more tries. Hopefully they're broken in before the Pig.

I bought some running shorts. It's shorts season! (Yay white legs! See above.) I really wanted a running skirt, but they were $60 and the shorts were $20. Tough choice. Skirt later, maybe.

I just did a 3-mile workout following yesterday's 3-mile workout. Tonight I ran the first two miles without stopping, then added a few very short walk breaks to the third mile. Oh, and the best part? I totally ran a negative split from mile 1 to mile 2! Sweet! Here are my stats.

Going to try 6-ish miles this weekend then go cold-turkey pre-Pig. Well I'm going to walk and do some stretches, but that's it.

Have I mentioned I'm terrified of the Pig? I'm going to die, I know it. Please play "Running on Empty" at my post-Pig funeral. K, thanks.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

There Should Be An Award For Last Place

2011-04-20T20:53:00.001-04:00

Unfortunately, Blogger has been a HUGE pain for the last two days and won't let me upload my photos (thus me posting this a day later than I promised). I thought I'd go ahead and post this without pictures and do a picture post later when I can actually get them loaded.

grumble grumble stupid technology grumble

There should be an award for last place.

I really do believe that. It takes a special person to finish last. It takes a special attitude to not quit in a last-ditch effort to avoid being last. "Oh, I didn't finish ... I just didn't feel right so I dropped out."

No, no, no ... a last place finisher deserves as much attention as a first place finisher. Yeah, maybe the last place finisher crosses that finish line when the awards ceremony is already halfway over, but that doesn't mean the whole crowd shouldn't turn around and applaud, and maybe--maybe they're chanting the last-place finisher's name.

Beckey!
Beckey!
Beckey!
Beckey!

"Ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention away from Mr. Meb Keflezighi and toward the finish line. We are about to welcome the esteemed Ms. More-to-Love Beckey to our party. Let's cheer her on as she crosses the finish line at an astonishing 1:28:07 in 250th place out of 250 runners in today's 10K race."

(The crowd goes wild. Meb looks confused, but slowly joins in the clapping.)

I'm not going to say either way, but this scenario may or may not have been playing in my head for the last mile of Saturday's Rat Race 10K. So Meb wasn't there, but I'm pretty sure I was dying and I desperately needed something to keep me going. Granted, the fact that Caitlin told all the volunteers along the course for the final 3 miles to cheer me on did help a little, Okay, a lot. I still needed more. I was wiped out. My shin muscles wouldn't flex to bring my feet up off the ground, I was wet and cold and hot all at the same time, my lungs couldn't possibly take in any more air. The cheering crowd was all I had--er--I mean, all I might have had, had that daydream actually been playing in my head.

Yeah.

So, in case you haven't gathered by now, I finished this past Saturday's Rat Race 10K in ...

Wait for it ...

LAST PLACE

And frankly, I don't know that I've ever felt better about a finish. I've never felt like I left everything I had on the course. I never felt happier to cross the finish line after a run that didn't want to end. I never felt like I had just accomplished something truly not many people do.

I never wanted a hot dog more. Well, unless you count that time I was a vegetarian for 5 months... (photographic evidence forthcoming)

I had more individual attention in that race than I've ever had in a 10K, and not the creepy kind of attention. I'm talking about ...

The volunteers who were happy to see me pass because it meant they could pack up and go
The rest of the 10K runners who had already gotten to the turnaround and gave me words of encouragement when they discovered that they weren't last (something I kept reminding them of as they passed me:"Congrats! You're not last!")
The idiots who were standing on the path or walking backwards through the finish archway who realized what they were doing when they saw me barreling (right...try trudging) toward them and when my mom yelled at them, "Ah, come on people!"
My mom at the finish line with the camera
And Caitlin, having crossed the line more than 2 minutes earlier, circling back around to watch me finish

(I like the last two best.)

=)

Anyway, it wasn't a bad run. It was freezing and raining the whole time, we didn't have time to warm up, we were amongst a group of rather serious runners (all the casual runners were smart enough to do the 5K), and my shins froze up almost immediately. But we did have gummy bears in our pockets for mid-race energy boosts (seemed to work for me!), and I clocked a 14:17/mile pace and beat the time of last year's last place finisher.

While it was definitely difficult and painful, I'm definitely glad I did it and I can see myself trying maybe 1 of these each year ... though now I'm considering the Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day Race (a 10K). (If I continue to consider that 10K, please make sure I remember the discomfort I felt the evening after the Rat Race, along with the day after that and the terrible post-race run the Monday following. Thanks.)

Extra special thank you's to Caitlin for picking this run out for us and for doing such a kick-ass job (this girl and her super strong finishes is meant for marathons, folks) and, of course, to my mom; she had the option of going or not, but despite the cold and rain, she put on my pink rain tarp (jacket) and played photographer for us. Thank you!

Up next, smushing some runs in before the Flying Pig (Half) Marathon on May 1. I'm pretty sure that one is going to kill me.

Oh, and some news ... I had planned on beginning Cincinnati Adventure Fitness Bootcamp for Women this coming Monday. Thanks to flexibility from the ABC folks and the advice of some wise friends, I've decided to delay camp for a month to make way for the Pig.

******

Fernside fundraising update: $531

Whoa! A Fernside Fundraising Update

2011-04-18T20:30:00.002-04:00

Consider me blown away.

I've just completed my second bake sale at work to benefit Fernside in my Flying Pig (Half) Marathon fundraising efforts and I'm happy to report ...

I broke another goal!

My generous family and coworkers have helped me to raise $506 for Fernside!

Amazing!

The best part is there's still time to donate if you'd like to. I'll be collecting until Friday, April 29. I can take cash and checks (made out to Fernside). Please let me know if you would like to contribute and I'll let you know where to mail or drop off the money.

Links:
Fernside: A Center for Grieving Children
Flying Pig Marathon
My original blog post about Fernside Fundraising

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

Hey folks, sorry for the delay in posting an update about the Rat Race 10K. I'll post tomorrow. (I'd give you a spoiler, but, well, that'd spoil it!)

This Is What Freaking Out Looks Like

2011-04-14T20:26:00.002-04:00

Hi.

Hello.

I'm running a 10K in two days.

I'm running ... a 10K ... in two days.

TWO DAYS! 10K!

Oh ... oh yeah ...

And then 15 days after that ...

I'm running a FREAKING half marathon!

AAAAAaaaHHHHhhhhHHHHhhhhHHH!!!

Thank you for your time.
Please check back for more freaking out over the next two weeks.

FERNSIDE REMINDER!
I'm still collecting donations for Team Fernside. I'm hoping to bring in at LEAST $100 more this Monday when I sell my red velvet cupcakes at work.

Links:
10K = 10th annual Cincinnati Rat Race
Half marathon = Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
Fernside = Link to Fernside's website
Team Fernside Fundraising = read about my fundraising here
(though I don't need as much personal contact info as I mentioned in that post)

Blog Update From The Road

2011-04-09T11:34:00.001-04:00

I had every intention of giving you all a brief update on my ride to Chicago yesterday, but it turns out my car-sickness is just as prominent as it's always been and I knew I'd be miserable if I tried to type something on my trusty iPhone.

So yes, I'm Chicago for my friend Anne's bachelorette party. I had considered bringing my running gear for a Saturday morning run (considering I'm almost always the first to wake up in a strange place), but I opted out.

I opted wrong.

Turns out Anne and one of her maids of honor were planning a 4-mile jaunt this morning. Granted, there's no way I would have been able to keep up with them since I'm such a penguin (slow runner). But I could have taken my own route. It's overcast and slightly cool here today and my legs feel like they're spring-loaded after the long car ride yesterday.

I'm going to play the blame game and pin this one on my BBW nature; if I didn't have to use very specific, heavy-duty equipment to strap my "girls" down, I could have improvised and hit the pavement.

Alas, no go. I probably could still take a walk...hmmm...

Anyway, I got 1.5 runs in this week. Caitlin and I cut the first one short because of a bit of a knee mishap for Caitlin. It's all good though, because I ran a really nice mile without stopping and clocked something like 13:40. That's not exactly fast, but it included a shoelace stop and something similar to a sand trap. (I had to bulldoze my way through a herd of soccer parents who decided it was a brilliant idea to block the ENTIRE pathway. Genius.)

Anyway, I went out the next day and had a bit of a rough time. My legs were stiff and generally not cooperative. Boooo!

And now I'm entering the days of increasing panic as we get closer to the Pig. I'm terrified. I'm even scared of the Rat Race 10k this coming weekend. Ugh...

Anyway, fundraising update...

I sold my carrot cake cupcakes at work to raise funds for Fernside (and awareness) and pulled in some serious dough. I've smashed my $300 goal by about $30. Woohoo! So I think I need to up my goal, or just see what I can do.

Would you like to donate? Let me know! I don't need all your contact info like I initially said I do. Just contact me and I'll let you know how you can give. Thanks!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

30 Miles in 30 Days: COMPLETE!

2011-04-02T13:30:00.002-04:00

Yay! I did it! After running 4 miles with Caitlin this morning on the Five Mile Trail, I completed 30 miles within 30 days, the Spring Into Fitness Run Challenge through MapMyRun.com.

Good run today. Took us 58 minutes and includes some grueling hills, but we did great. Caitlin finished stronger than I did and kicked the final hill's butt, big time. Good job, Caitlin!

Now, on to training for the 10K and half Pig. No biggie ...

30 In 30 Update: Why I Still Hate Setting Goals

2011-03-31T19:48:00.003-04:00

Blah. Yuck. Patooey.

What a terrible run. I just knocked out another 3 miles, bringing me to 26 miles and another 4 days to get 4 more miles in to complete the MapMyRun.com Spring Into Fitness 30 miles in 30 days challenge. (Whew! Mouthful!) I should be knocking out the last 4 on a weekend run, hopefully on Saturday so I have a bit of a buffer in case something goes wrong.

Anyway, today's run was awful, and I have one theory about why part of it sucked so bad. My legs felt like solid, painful rocks from the knees down, fronts and backs and sides. And then my hips ached, probably from compensating for my shins/calves. After the past few runs I've been stretching my legs a little bit, and that probably doesn't seem so odd until you consider that I stopped stretching before and after running back in the summer after reading Jeff Galloway's take on the issue. (Basically, man has been running since there was man. It's a natural motion that our bodies are built to do, so there's no need to stretch. He thinks this applies only to walking and running, not to other physical activity.) I've discovered over the last year that this is a hotly debated issue in the running world and I think I've finally decided where I fall on the spectrum. After the way my legs have been feeling on runs following runs where I stretched afterward (follow that?), I'm not stretching any-friggin-more.

You can't make me.

But I do still want to know what you think about it. Runners, do you stretch? Have you always? Have you tried both stretching and not stretching? I want to hear from those of you who might not yet consider yourselves runners, too.

Lastly, my fundraising plug!

Do you want to run the Cincinnati Flying Pig (Half) Marathon with me on May 1? No?

Do you wish you could? No?

Well, do you want to show your support for a really worthy cause as I trudge 13.1 miles through downtown Cincinnati and Mt. Adams? Have you been looking for a way to give back? Do you have an extra $1, $5, $12, $27, $50 or $3,000 sitting around and you want a place to put it? Now's your chance! Check out this post about my Fernside fundraising efforts and let me know if you'd like to contribute. I'll be collecting pledges until Friday, April 29.

Thank you for your time!

Close To Meeting A Goal? Me?

2011-03-27T18:48:00.003-04:00

At the risk of cursing myself for posting this, I'm going to do it anyway.

I think I just might reach my "30 miles in 30 days challenge" goal.

(ducks and covers to dodge downpour of goal-setting curses)

You know I don't do goals. Hate 'em. Hate 'em personally and hate 'em professionally. Hate 'em all around. But apparently the world is against me and wants me to set goals for myself. Personally, professionally, running-ly.

I think I took this particular goal on because it's worded as a challenge. "Hey, you ... big girl. Bet you can't run 30 miles in 30 days. You already failed at it once so there's no way you can do it now." Yes, I respond a bit differently to that kind of wording. A challenge.

Anyway, in this Spring challenge through MapMyRun.com, I only have 10 miles left to run in 8 days. I'll get 6 in this week, ideally (3 miles Tuesday, 3 miles Thursday). That leaves me in perfect position to do Five Mile Trail this weekend (4 miles) and knock that "challenge" out before the 8 days are up. (Caitlin, are you writing this down?)

Oooohhhhh boy! That looks like a schedule and a goal to me. Those two combined are sure to bring on a big plate of failure and disappointment. =(

So anyway, good run today. It's Cincinnati at the end of March, so naturally it snowed over night (after 70-degree temps earlier this week). Fortunately the ground was clear by lunch time and I knew Otto Armleder Park would be cleared. I bundled up but wished I didn't have so much on by halfway through my first lap (1 mile in). I did two laps (I think that's a first for me at that park), which is a total of 3.8 miles in 53 minutes. A little poky, but I don't care. At this point I'm just honing my 5:1 intervals in preparation for the long runs I have coming up.

Hopefully next time I post I'll have good news about this here goal/challenge I'm so close to accomplishing. Fingers crossed!

**********

Reminder: I'm accepting donations as a part of Team Fernside for the Flying Pig Marathon. Check out my blog entry about my fundraising efforts.

Current pledges: $130
Goal: $300

(and you know how much I hate to set goals)

Fernside Fundraising For The Flying Pig Half Marathon

2011-03-21T18:12:00.003-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, it's that time. I gave you a heads up a while back that this day would come and it's finally here.

It's time to raise funds, baby!

As I've mentioned previously, I've joined the the Fernside team for the Cincinnati Flying Pig (Half) Marathon on May 1. If I'm going to run 13.1 miles, I'm doing it for a reason, darn it!

So, as uncomfortable as this makes everyone, please bear with me.

Here's the info from the organization's About Us page:

Fernside, established in 1986, as the nation's second oldest children's grief center, remains today a national leader in providing grief support services and outreach and education to the community.An affiliate of Hospice of Cincinnati, Fernside services compliment Hospice of Cincinnati's comprehensive bereavement program by addressing the unique needs of children.

Fernside provides the following services free of charge with the help of generous donors who support our mission:

Peer support groups serving over 900 children, teens and adults annually
Camp Erin - Cincinnati program, providing summer camp and retreat experiences
Community Outreach, including in-school grief groups, education and training and publications

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

I'll be honest with you: I haven't had the pleasure of working with Fernside, but one of my dearest friends, Sarah, has volunteered there for a while now and she can't speak highly enough of it.

Having recently lost someone very close to me to cancer, I know what it feels like as an adult with an extensive support system. I can't imagine what the experience would be like for a child or even for a child without that kind of love and support from family. I've seen first-hand what kind of care Hospice of Cincinnati provides and I'm confident that any organization affiliated with Hospice must be doing great work.

You all know how I feel about soliciting funds from others. I don't want anyone to feel pressured or "guilted" in to giving to any cause. But if you're looking for a way to give back, or even a way to show your support to me as I take on this monstrous race, here's your chance.

Now, unfortunately Fernside doesn't have a fancy online donation system set up for JUST the Pig like the Susan G. Komen organization did for the Race for the Cure. But they do have an online donation system (see bullet #4 below). And I can offer you a few other ways to give. If you choose to donate through me, I'll need your name, mailing address, e-mail address, and donation amount. I'll get back to you to arrange a way to get your check to me.

(Fernside asks for a mailing address, but I imagine this will get you a tax document and a thank you note instead of a bombardment of solicitations. Even still, if you ever get a solicitation and want off their list, just contact them and I'm sure they'll oblige.)

Here are your options:

E-mail me your details. Name, address, e-mail address, and donation amount. If you know my personal address, go ahead and use that. If not, please use moretoloverunning@gmail.com; I get these messages as quickly as I do my personal ones.
Facebook me if we're Facebook friends. Works like e-mail!
Call or text me (if you're so lucky to have that information ... wink wink)
Contact Fernside. If you don't know me personally and/or don't feel comfortable with me having your contact information or your money, you can contact Fernside and ask how to make a donation to the Flying Pig team. You can mention my name or not ... totally up to you. Actually, they have a website dedicated to donations. You should check it out.

So, there you go. There's my fundraising solicitation. You'll probably see reminders at the bottom of my posts from now until the Pig.

Thanks so much for your time and for your support! Donation or not, you're all wonderful!

The Longest Yet

2011-03-20T21:19:00.004-04:00

Oh folks, I don't know how to ease you into this, but this could very well be a painfully not entertaining post. I'm so exhausted that each keystroke is like an individual effort. But the key is why I'm exhausted. Naturally from spending the entire day in warm pajama-like clothes, being extremely lazy on my couch.

Oh, yeah, except for that 90-ish minutes this morning/noon when I ran about 6.5 miles with Caitlin.

No big thang ...

Here's our course on Gmaps Pedometer: click here for the course

We took the out-and-back approach on the Little Miami Scenic Trail. The first half was easy. Too easy. In fact, it wasn't until we turned around to come back that I figured out why it might have been so easy. I think it was down hill. 3 miles down hill. Yeah ...

Needless to say, the "back" portion of the out-and-back was really hard for me. We maintained a 5:1 run/walk interval the whole way out, but took one medium-long and one long walk break pretty early into the second leg. I thought it might make the rest of the run feel like the second run of the day instead of just a continuation. Not sure that worked so well. I insisted on some other longer walk breaks.

The problem for me came mostly with breathing. That's another reason I'm convinced it was uphill on the way back. I don't have breathing problems anymore unless I hit a hill. I couldn't draw in a breath without making noise. You know, like when your breath catches your voice box and makes that hyperventilating sound?

No?

Well, I know what I'm talking about. It's bad news for me. I've hyperventilated once in my life and it was horrifying; I don't wish to experience it again. (Hello, plyometrics box jumps for track practice at Wilmington College! I think I even scared my coach.) Anyway, I don't do well at pressing past episodes like that, which is why I've cowered away from hill workouts so much (and which is why I think I need to do some hill work this week).

As far as leg pain, I didn't have any really until we stopped at the end and I don't even know if I'd classify it as pain. My legs were just tired and me knees were a little disgruntled. (Side note: Apparently during my freshman year of college I once yelled "disgruntled!" out in the middle of the night. Former sleep walker and sleep talker, right here folks.) I felt so good going in and good through the first half. That second half just killed me.

So my question for myself is whether it was the possible hill that got me or the new longer distance that got me. Essentially the halfway point of our run marked the longest I've ever gone.

Either way, when I finished I was elated to chug down my bottle of full-calorie Gatorade to re-fuel (thanks to my pal, Rob, for reminding me I'd need to do that). I may have chugged too fast because I got a teensy bit nauseated. I also thought I was going to shiver to death for a good hour or two after. My blue lips startled my mother a bit. What's the deal with that anyway? Such a weirdo.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of Caitlin and I after our run. Pictures after 90 minutes of running? We must be crazy ... or really amused by the sign and some well-placed graffiti at the entrance to the trail. Please excuse the grossness and consider that we ran the first part of our run in the rain. Thank you.

Wonder where he went?

Caitlin, do you see him?

Really, where'd he go?

Yay! Caitlin found him!

That Smelled Like A Spring Rain

2011-03-14T20:59:00.001-04:00

I went for a run at Juilfs this evening, this first weekday of Daylight-saving time. Unfortunately I didn't beat the rain. It started barely sprinkling halfway through my second lap/mile, but I decided to keep at it for the planned 3 miles.

And I loved it. In fact, if it weren't for fear of my phone getting wet (my armband has an open front so you can access the touch screen), I'd run in the rain more often. It's refreshing.

The beat part of today's run was realizing that the rain smelled like Spring rain. It's completely different from nasty winter rain. There's something earthy and tangy about the smell. That, paired with the lovely extended daylight, made my day and made my run enjoyable.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Emerald Miles: Full Recap

2011-03-13T18:53:00.006-04:00

So I had a bit of a goal going into this race. Blech. Goals. You know how I feel about those. I didn't make this one for myself, though. I kind of adopted it from Caitlin. I wanted to run the whole stinkin' thing.

Since she and I had a great 3.1-mile run two weeks ago, I knew we had a pretty good chance of making it happen.

So anyway, backing up a bit ...

I had some buddies in this run. Caitlin, of course. This was her first 5K and the one she wanted to complete before her birthday later this month. Matt also jumped on the bandwagon.

Caitlin in her first race T-shirt and race bib. YAY!

The three of us before the race. (Thanks for the pictures!)

We couldn't have asked for a better mid-March day to run the first race of the season. It was warm enough to leave the gloves, fleece vest, and ear-covering headband in the car. The sky was completely clear and the sun was shining.

The starting line at the start of the Purple People Bridge in Newport, Kentucky.

We found out mid last week that the mighty Ohio had overrun its banks so much that our race route was underwater. During packet pick up on Thursday, they assured us that there was a new path and that it was flatter than the old one (YAY!) Unfortunately, it wasn't all that much flatter. There was still a monster hill to climb during the last half mile of the run. Slow and long. Whew.

So yeah, unfortunately that hill had me pretty much convinced from the beginning that I wasn't going to be able to run the whole time. I'm wicked bad on hills, which should make the Pig really fun. I walked for a total of maybe 1:30 to 2 minutes in three different places. Two of those were really brief, one (on the hill) was much longer. I stayed in front of Caitlin until the hill up to the bridge where, as I predicted, she kicked my butt and got a nice distance ahead of me. Go girl!

As I finally got to the top of the hill (the middle of the Purple People Bridge), I could see the finish line and REALLY wanted to sprint to the finish. Yeah, turns out it was a bit further away than I thought. That was the hardest I've worked during a finishing stretch yet. My body just did not want to go any faster and I couldn't catch up with Caitlin.

Caitlin finishing. I'm in the white long-sleeved T-shirt over her right shoulder.

All in all, I'm pleased with myself. I set a new PR and I ran more than I could have dreamed I would at my last 5K. Very cool!

Me, post-run and post-post-run-snack, quite content to be sitting and leaving a monster butt print on the pavement.

Somehow they captured our finishing times and pace without timing chips. Someone will have to explain that to me. Anyway, here's the screen shot of mine and Caitlin's finishing times. Matt, the newest runner of the three of us, came in around 33 minutes (WOOHOO!) and kicked both of our butts.

There we are!

The good news is I won't be running another 5K until mid-May (Forest Hills 5K). That will be after a 10K, after a half marathon, and after completing another 4-week session of boot camp. I should be hot to trot! (Oh yeah, looks like Caitlin and I are doing the Rat Race 10K. Yikes again!)

And to wrap up, here's our group post-race picture.

Great job you two!

Emerald Miles - Preliminary Results

2011-03-12T10:47:00.001-05:00

More to come later, but here are my final time and mile splits!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I'M REGISTERED!

2011-03-10T12:35:00.002-05:00

Oh good god, now I've gone and done it. I just registered for the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon.

Now begins the panic, self-doubt and denial. Oh, and stand by for my fundraising pitch for Fernside.

AHHHHH!

Pig Prep And Planning: Please Provide Pointers!

2011-03-09T18:54:00.004-05:00

Hey folks, I need your expert advice. I'm starting to think about what I should do for the upcoming Cincinnati Flying Pig (half) Marathon. I certainly don't plan on running the whole thing, but I would like my total running time--executed through run/walk intervals--to be more than half my total time. So, what intervals should I do? Please, pipe up. I want to know what you think ... especially you seasoned runners and marathoners. I really think I'll do much better with a plan and my interval timer set to help me along the way. I like deadlines better than "winging it."

The good news is I think I'll be participating in a 10K two weeks before the Pig so I'll get to test the intervals out (Cincinnati Rat Race 5K/10K ... thanks Caitlin!)

So, give it to me! I need help! Thanks!

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

On an unrelated note, I have some congratulations to dish out.

First, to my pal Matt, who just completed the Couch to 5K running program. Matt has been toying with the idea of trying the program for some time now, but he finally took the plunge around 9 weeks ago and hasn't looked back yet. He finished the program in 9 weeks. That's how long it's designed to take. I took 9 months. So Matt, you should know that I'm hugely jealous and very happy for you! Judging by the distance and time of your final C25K workout, I'd say you're going to kick some major butt (including mine and Caitlin's) at this Saturday's Emerald Miles race. Well, they find a course for us that's not covered in the Ohio River (it's a little wet in Cincinnati right now, folks.)

My second congrats goes to my running buddy Caitlin. After our awesome 5K victory last week at Juilfs Park, Caitlin knocked out another huge run in her neighborhood this Monday. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what running for stress relief can look like:

48 minutes of running without walking! WHOA! Someone's ready for her first 5K.

Great job Caitlin and Matt!

Anniversary Look Back: Shoes And Socks (And An Announcement)

2011-03-07T18:52:00.006-05:00

Continuing my one-year anniversary series, today I'm going to take a quick look at how my feelings about shoes and socks have changed. Hold on to your seats, folks. This is e-x-c-i-t-i-n-g.

So, a few past blogs to reference in case you haven't been reading since the beginning:

My feet are still the bane of my existence. I wear strictly flats now and still dream of the day that big ol' athletic shoes will become proper office attire.

The shoe topic is relatively easy. I still love them. And I can finally lace them up without worrying about tying them too tightly (turns out I like them pretty stinkin' loose). It took me until this winter of running around my parking lot to figure it out. I've started seriously considering low-profile running shoes, though. I'll definitely have to give them a good trial run at Fleet Feet before making a decision.

Now, socks? Well, it turns out I've become a bit of a sock snob. I blame my BFF Jeff, who worked at lululemon athletica (with the pompous lowercase company name) in NYC until about a week ago. He got me a pair of men's socks for Christmas (he knows me so well), and they're the best thing ever.

The lululemon man socks I've fallen in love with and man legs that do not come with purchase (not mine).

They're $14. Yeah.

A year ago, I didn't even know there was a proper kind of running sock. A little less than a year ago, I began to wonder what the big deal was and stuck to my Hanes lo-cut cotton athletic socks. A little after that, I started wondering if my sock choice had something to do with the burning sensation I felt on the bottom of my feet. And now? Now I am now hooked on $14 socks. I now have 3 pairs.

To be fair, I bought a 3-pack of these Converse athletic socks back in December with my Nordstrom Rack Groupon (same one I used for my favorite running pants) and they're super comfy too.

The runners up, forever in the shadow of the lululemon socks.

So, what's next for me? What will be my next snotty runner obsession? I'm feeling the need for some special sunglasses, or maybe a GPS watch ...

To be continued.

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

AH, I almost forgot! I have HUGE news! Beginning Monday, April 25, I will be participating in another 20 days of Cincinnati Adventure Fitness Boot Camp for Women!!! I'm so fortunate to get to do this again and I can't wait to kick my own ass. I lost between 20 and 30 pounds the first time without much effort on the food front; this time, no holds barred, people. What's even better is that I'll have a buddy this time! My mom's acquaintance, Roselyn, will be sweating right next to me. I love that so many of you have tried it out and succeeded and I can't wait to get back to it.

One small, teensy concern, though. The first week of boot camp falls during the week before the Half Pig. And then I have to go back to camp the Monday following the Sunday run. I took that Monday off work as a planned recovery day, yet I will apparently be at boot camp. EEEK!

So, big BIG news! Who else wants to join in the ABC fun? =)

Non-Stop 5K At Juilfs With Caitlin And A Blowout

2011-03-03T20:43:00.006-05:00

Oh good god. I'm so wiped right now. First, yesterday I did Jackie Warner's lower body workout on my lovely DVD. As my Facebook friends already know, I've been acutely aware of my butt today. Why? Because it has been screaming in pain all day, along with my quads. Ouch-ee! It's the "good" kind of pain though ... not injury pain.

Big news though. Caitlin and I rocked 3.1 miles tonight at Juilfs without walking, including two hills. I believe it kicked both of our butts (which made my sore one feel all that much better), but we did it and that's all that matters. It's the longest (time and distance) either of us have run straight, ever. It took just a bit over 40 minutes.

Here are some screen shots provided by Caitlin's phone. (By the way, I've confirmed that my iPhone's GPS is inaccurate. BOO!)

Map of our path at the park

All the stats. I'm loving that distance.

The elevation map. This is not what I pictured.

I also had a pretty interesting day in a way that has nothing to do with running, but I think the pictures are funny. I blew out a rear tire on my way in to work today. I was on the highway, traveling at 65+ MPH, but was very fortunate that the blow-out wasn't a violent one. No accident, no scary moments, all is well. And since my tires were 15,000 miles over what they should have been and were dry rotted, I had to dish out some serious cash for four new tires. Ouch.

Anyway, here are the pictures of my tire. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I could have patched this up with some duct tape.

But I'm here and alive and just ran 3.1 miles straight. Tires schmires. =)

Anniversary Look Back: Paying To Run

2011-03-02T19:31:00.003-05:00

Continuing my series of entries focused on comparing where I am today as a runner to where I was a year ago when I started this whole mess, I'm going to look at the phenomenon of road races. Basically, how did I go from the chubby 5-year-old who just learned to hate running in gym class to the 29-year-old who scrapes her budget to find the means to pay to run?

This topic actually came up this week in a few e-mails I exchanged with my co-worker's husband, Matt, who is very nearly finished with the nine weeks of Couch to 5K. He's joining Caitlin and me on March 12 for the Emerald Miles 5K. It's his first race and he's a little disturbed about having to pay to run. I know the feeling. It was quite difficult for me to get over the concept back in May when I registered for the Redlegs Run for Home, my first 5K. The brief mention in this post doesn't do justice to the amount of shock I was feeling at the time.

But I got over it. A lot.

I got over it when I realized you're paying for more than just the privilege of sweating in front of hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of other people. Based on my vast sports management/event planning experience (2 or 3 semesters as a college major, believe it or not ... so impactful [corporate buzzword] that I can't remember how long I studied it), here are a few of the things I can think of that you're paying for with a race entry fee:

An event t-shirt. Most important part of a race, hands down. Some races don't have shirts. They should be punished.
A race number bib. Second most important part of a race. Makes you feel like a bonafide athlete.
Chip timing, sometimes. There's something special about seeing your name and stats in an official list with tons of other runners. "See? Look! I did do it, and here's the proof!"
Clear streets. I believe road races require permits to shut roads down. They also require police officers to keep cars from running you over. Police officers require pay ... and donuts.
Cups. Lots of cups all over the street surrounding the one or two drink stations (for a 5K ... more and more elaborate for longer runs).
A venue. Sometimes the races have events inside a building before and/or after a run. Or in a tent. Those things cost money. I bet the ones that are all outside have some cost associated with them, like vendor booths (pipe, drape, signs, etc.).
Bananas. I'm sure sponsoring vendors provide their own food for after the race (yum!), but I don't know what vendor would provide bananas. I'm going to assume that the race organizers have to pay for that. Bananas are important.
Health care professionals. People, especially runners, do stupid things and get hurt. Let's just think of it as job security for the EMTs and paramedics of the world who get stuck working these runs.
Awards. I have no personal experience with this, but I bet there's some kind of award for fast people or participants with the tightest running shorts.

So that's just a short list of all the things your entry fee goes toward.

I left out one important thing though. I haven't seen a race yet that doesn't benefit some kind of non-profit organization or cause. These runs are huge fundraising opportunities for these non-profits. Just think of the immense reach of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Bajillions of people participate in a Race for the Cure across the country every year. Many of those people do their own fundraising and earn more than just their entry fee for that organization. I'm no math-lete, but a bajillion people times loads of fundraising money is a hoard of cash, you know?

Some races (the Flying Pig, for example) let you select which charity you're going to help by becoming part of a team. As a way to bribe my friend Sarah to do the half Pig with me on May 1, I decided to join the Fernside team. She is an active volunteer there and ran on their behalf last year. (Okay, I didn't really bribe her with that, but she did decide to join in the fun.)

So, not only am I going to pay for another race (and this one's expensive, folks), but I'm going to try to get you all to contribute to my madness and to a pretty cool organization. (In short, Fernside offers grief support to children, teens, and adults. They're affiliated with Hospice of Cincinnati.) Unfortunately Fernside doesn't have it's own snazzy online pledge system, but I do have a spreadsheet (Ooooh, spreadsheet!) to fill out with pledges.

Wait ... before you get too excited, I'm going to wait until I officially register for the race before soliciting cash. So thoughtful of me, no? So just be ready for it when it comes.

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

So I guess I got slightly off track.

My shock of paying to run went away pretty much immediately when I got to the Redlegs Run for Home 5K. I knew I was hooked right then and there. The feeling of accomplishment (even for a crap-o run) and the energy of the event is enough. Add on top of that the benefit of contributing to some non-profit cause, and you've got yourself a few good reasons to dish out the dough to run. That doesn't mean I won't try to find the event that gives me the most for my money.

The lessons to take away from this post are:

Don't be afraid to pay to run. You'll love it. Promise.
Be prepared for a solicitation in the next month or so (which, as always, you are welcome to ignore, because if anyone understands the money pinch, it's me)

Thanks folks. More of these look-backs to come.

Happy Anniversary To Me!

2011-03-01T20:19:00.004-05:00

Today, March 1, marks the one-year anniversary of the day I started running.

[pause for applause]

Well, that could be a lie. Please don't throw anything at me. I actually don't know the exact date I started running. What I do know is that my gym membership expired at the end of February last year and I started running because of that expired gym membership. I know that there wasn't much time between the two either. So, for the sake of having a date, I will, from this point forward, recognize March 1 as my running anniversary date.

Happy anniversary to me!

Did I ever think I'd be here? Nope.

Am I still a little shocked that I am here? Yep.

Am I happy I did it? You betchya!

So, to commemorate this occasion, I'm going to spend the next few blog entries comparing and contrasting where I am now versus where I was a year ago. I thought that reviewing the year would be a little redundant, but I think this little exercise could be fun.

I'll start with something I did today and actually just started doing about two weeks ago ...

One year ago, I was petrified of what I looked like and sounded like after a run. I'd finish my workouts (Week 1 of Couch to 5k: run 30 seconds, walk 90 seconds, repeat), and would be tomato red and dripping sweat from every skin cell, hair follicle, and thread of my clothing. My mother was the only person fortunate enough to get to see me like that.

Also, many of you have been with me from the beginning and know about my over-awareness of my heavy breathing. The freight train. A year ago, that heavy breathing would last a lot longer than it does now and would be a lot more intense. There was a lot more choking involved too. Yum! And like now, I suffered from post-run sneezes (hasn't changed a bit, though it goes away in during the hot months).

After runs a year ago, I was lucky to make it home to the couch. I didn't dream of being any more active than putting on my pajamas and refilling my bottle of water before heading to bed.

Finally, I didn't want to be seen in my drenched workout clothes, a dilapidated collection of yoga-pants-turned-pajama-pants-turned-running-gear and old t-shirts. Sweaty? Yes. But they also showed some very unattractive jiggly parts on my 30-pounds-heavier-than-today frame.

Today, after my 2.2-mile run/walk (10 minutes run, 1 minute walk, repeat 2.5 times because I cut it short), I went to Michael's in search of a bottle of the seemingly non-existent strawberry extract that Ms. Paula Deen calls for in her strawberry cake recipe, which I plan on making quite soon. Thanks Paula. (If anyone spots this stuff anywhere, please let me know ASAP

Anyway, I got to Michael's (a short drive from Juilfs), wiped my forehead on my sleeve, put my zip-up hoodie on, and checked for major hair fly-aways in my rear-view mirror before heading on in. No sweat.

Well, yes sweat, but not much and I know how to "hide" it now. Practice makes perfect.

Activity after running? Sure, why not? Actually, these days I feel rip-roarin' and ready to go after running. Not right after running, but give me a 5-minute cool down walk and my legs are good as new. (That probably speaks to the fact that I need to up intensity and/or distance of my runs a bit, but you get the point.) In fact, I'll often have more energy than before I started.

So yes, quite a contrast between today and a year ago.

This is fun! Check back over the next few posts and I'll see what else I can dig up. I'll try to post more frequently for the next few entries, I promise.

PS, I purchased tickets for something today that requires me to meet a maximum weight that I'm currently 25 pounds above. And I have to do it before September.

This is not a goal. This is a financial commitment (a whopping $35) that I have to adhere to. No big deal.

NOT A GOAL. Do you hear me?

[stops shaking finger at no one, calmly sits back down on couch]

Ahem. Sorry about that.

Anyway, that is why I've reserved Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred on Netflix. I should have it by later this week so I can figure out if it's worth the purchase.

Not a goal.

I'm So Going There

2011-02-23T08:19:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'm not actually going to go there myself. But it's a topic I've always wanted to ask about. Not surprisingly, no one seems to bring the topic up. And you'll see why. Consider yourself warned ... digestion is involved.

Thank you to the writer at Active.com for "going there."

How to Avoid Runner's Trots

Bridge To 10K: W1, D2 -- And My Race Schedule

2011-02-20T20:03:00.007-05:00

Little victory: After my original running plans for the day were delayed for another time, I still got my butt off the couch and went for a run. Not an easy feat considering the weather. The temperatures climbed throughout the day from just below freezing to the lower 40s, but the wind and precipitation were pretty unpredictable. But I decided I could handle it, and since I took two days off (and because next week will be a roller coaster of weather and really unreliable), I went big.

Today I returned to the Bridge to 10K program. The app is now my favorite app ever. (Here's the link to its iTunes page.) I've had the app since early last fall but had only used it 1.5 times (one failed attempt, one successful attempt). Within the last month or two, I purchased the GPS add-on for $1. Best dollar ever spent. Like the iMapMyRun app, the app tracks your progress geographically. Here's a shot of my run today.

The purple pins mark the miles, the red and green pins mark my start and finish.

The app also does what the Couch to 5K app did: pipes in and tells you when to warm up, run, walk, and cool down. Like C25K, it beeps at halfway. Unlike C25K, it also chimes in for each running segment to tell you when there are 5, 2, and 1 minute left.

Today I did Week 1, Day 1 -- Warm up for 5 minutes, then run for 10 minutes and walk for 1 minute, repeat the 10:1 intervals 4 times, cool down for 5 minutes. That's 53 minutes. Woohoo!

Now, the app also has a nice journal feature where you can record a general "how do you feel," the weather, the path, and other notes. And, best of all, it keeps your stats straight. iMapMyRun does speed and pace, but this app breaks your pace down into walking segments and running segments. AMAZING!

Here's the journal screen.

Check out my run pace, y'all! I'm thrilled with that!

Okay, enough of my sales pitch. Go get the app if you're shopping. (I think it'd still be a good app for iPod Touch users, just sans GPS.)

It was good run! Gloves, headband, slimeys + running pants, "under armor" shirt + long-sleeved t-shirt (the usual winter wear). Because of the wind, I also wore my windbreaker (doesn't breathe AT ALL), which kept me super toasty. At one point I thought it might be too much, but yeah, no more sweat than in the middle of July. Thrilling, no?

Today I had to do something I haven't done since fall: I yelled at myself to get through my last interval. I think I've been pooping out too early lately because I haven't been yelling at myself enough. Well, let the yelling begin! I'm ready to bring the pain this spring.

Now I just have to wait for this next bout of winter to pass. I'm a pessimistic Cincinnatian, so I'm betting on one more winter storm before we can call this season over. It's okay, I can wait.

20 more days until Daylight-saving Time begins!

Oh, and here's the promised race schedule for this spring:

March 12 - Emerald Miles 5K
Caitlin and I picked this run because it meets a pre-birthday goal for her and because it's cheap. The Hearth Mini Marathon is the following week (which includes a 5K) but is incredibly expensive as far as 5Ks go in my experience. I know it's a good cause, but we have economic concerns to deal with here. Anyway, even though the Emerald Miles run is downtown, it seems like a good path. It stays on the Purple People Bridge and within the boundaries of Sawyer Point. No downtown streets. Blech. Unfortunately for my efforts of not disappointing myself, Caitlin has me wanting to finish this one without walking. Time to work on some hills! (For those of you that don't know, if a race goes across a bridge over the Ohio, those bridges are rather beastly hills, so be prepared.) Oh, and my co-worker's husband, Matt, might be joining in on this one too since he's rocking C25K right now. Fun fun!

The Purple People Bridge. I don't know this person, but I stole this awesome photo from this blog.

May 1 - Cincinnati Flying Pig Half-Marathon
Oh lord, here it is. I'm still completely petrified to do this but I still strongly feel like I need to do it. I'm guessing I'll be doing it alone too, which is sad. It'd be nice to have company the whole time ... it would probably make the 13.1 miles go much quicker. But it's expensive and it's long, so I can't really force anyone to join me. And I don't need anyone, right? Right? Psshhh... I do expect a cheering section of at least 1 somewhere along the course, hopefully at the end (cough, MOM, cough). If anyone wants to stand with her, I'm sure she'd appreciate the company. =)

May 21 - Forest Hills 5K
This one holds a special place for me for more than one reason. First, it's in my hometown. Not just Cincinnati, but in the neighborhood I grew up in. It supports the schools I went to. Alumni get a discount. WOOT! Second, last year was the first year for this race and I was too scared to do it. It would have been my first. Well, I'm not too scared this year. I'm all over it!

There they are, the next three races! Eeek! Should be fun!

So, that short post turned into a novel, and not a very exciting one. Sorry about that. Thanks for reading!

A Time For Rest

2011-02-17T18:52:00.001-05:00

My self-inflicted week of hell is complete. I ran for 6 days in a row and didn't do as well as I expected. But, considering what the last three months have looked like for me, as far as running goes, I guess this wasn't so bad.

Though I'm seriously starting to doubt the accuracy of the app and/or the GPS on my iPhone, here's what iMapMyRun recorded this week:

This is missing Tuesday's "speed work," so add on another, oh whatever two laps at TQL is (30 minutes).

I -- am -- beat.

And I'm taking tomorrow AND Saturday off. Hopefully this will result in a productive run on Sunday.

Next blog: Race schedules for the next 2-3 months! Yay!

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