Scary Stuff

This week we had an attempted abduction of a female runner in our area.  At 7:15 in the morning.  The sun is up at that hour.  You should feel safe running outside when it is light.  The attempted abduction DID take place in a very desolate area of our county.  (Very, very, very desolate... Like farms are a good mile or half mile off the "main" gravel road.)

But...

My friends and I have been stalked by this creepy old man for about a year.  The stalking got increasingly worse.  He would wait for us on random side streets.  Side streets that people don't just drive down for the heck of it.  So, we called the police and we haven't seen him for about nine months.  And, now he's back.  Intermittently enough that we can't really call again.

It gets better, though...

This morning the girls and I met around 5 am to get our 12 miles in before the weekend.  And, of course, we're all a bit jittery because of this week's attempted abduction.  There was a car that went ZOOMING past us, again, and again?  This happened at the beginning of the run. And, sure enough 45 minutes later he found us in a random, quiet, almost elderly neighborhood.  He looked for us ...   in town.  And, he passed us three times in that neighborhood. All of this was ON PURPOSE.

This morning's situation was scarier, though, than the van thing.  Mainly because he was much younger, he seemed angry, almost violent with his crazy fast driving, and he could easily hurt us if he wanted to.  I'm thankful that there were three of us, and that I wasn't running on my own.

It is disturbing.  I've been in touch with the police, we got a portion of the license plate number.  But, it's still scary.  Be careful out there...

Better...

The drugs are helping...

Hurray!

Tomorrow I'm going to try to get in six, or more.  I was very, very lazy this morning....

Gosh, I hope this doesn't carry over to beach week...

This laziness!

Looks like I need the drugs.

The long run was not a good one yesterday.  : (

My leg is back to hurting, badly.  I tried to nap in the early afternoon and it just throbbed and throbbed.  Anytime I'm in the car, I jack up the heated seats to relieve the burning pain in my rear-end.

I have no idea why it's happening again- at nearly the exact same time as last year!  (To the WEEK almost...)  Our runs have been fast.  I've always read that long runs should be a good minute or two slower than race (marathon) pace.  I don't think I've been sticking to that, per-say.  They've been pretty fast long runs and short runs, if you ask me.

So.  What do I do?  It's not so bad that I need to go back to the doctor.  Nor, is it bad enough for me to have to take some time off.  I just don't want it to get to that point.  I really don't.  So, I refilled a prescription from last year to help with inflammation.  And, I've got to slow it down some.  And, maybe look into more strengthening and stretching exercises, too.

This is baffling.  I had ZERO issues when training for the March marathon.  I don't understand why this injury has decided to re-surface again....

Long Run Saturday

Today we got in 11 miles.  11 long, hot, hot, HOT miles.

We got started at 5:15.  It was in the 80's when we started.  The thick air, though, was worse than the heat.

My right leg/butt/back is starting to burn again, so thankfully the girls didn't mind slowing the pace a little bit.  I think that speed might exacerbate the pain, but I really have no idea.  It wasn't around in the middle of the winter, I do know that.

We all ran with our belts and drank every sip of water and gatorade on our run. It was that hot and that draining.  Thankfully, we were able to re-fill our bottles over at the park before heading home.  This run has sucked the life out of me, and it's only 9 am.  I sorta forgot that training for a fall marathon can be a little bit uncomfortable in the early weeks....

Next week we're moving up to 12.  No problem.  Can't wait.  Because even though these runs suck the life out of me and force me to nap and drink a Coke, they also make me feel so alive and so healthy.

Finally!

Finally!  I got my butt up and out the door this morning.  I've been so, so tired all week.  It must be from the pool.  We've stayed everyday after lessons.  There's definitely NO sitting when we head to the pool for the afternoon.

Honestly, this was a cruddy run for me.  That's to be expected, though, when you take FOUR days in a ROW off.  The heat was tough to push through, but it's in the books.  Tomorrow will be easier.  I'd really like to run on the treadmill sometime soon because I think it helps my pace when I get outside.

The rest of the week should go something like this:

Friday: 3 miles
Saturday:  11 miles
Sunday:  3 miles

I think Sunday will be a treadmill day...

I'm hopeful that things are back on track now.

Really Annoyed.

Last week was a FANTASTIC week of running!  Just fantastic!  Maybe thirty miles, or so, which is a lot for me.

And you know what?

This week is a completely different story.

I have missed getting up at the crack of dawn ALL week, which annoys the HECK out of me.  It also means that I haven't run since Saturday.  (Uggh!)  My mom would say, "Good for you, Kate, you need to REST.  All that running isn't good for your body, anyway."  (Naturally, I'd totally roll my eyes at this comment.)  Maybe today I'll be able to squeeze in just thirty minutes on the treadmill. Maybe?!

 If I don't, I think I'll just go crazy.

 Really, I think I might!

Week 3 Long Run

This week's long run was supposed to be about six miles.

Foolishly, I ran nine.

Where is this crazy desire to run, and run, and run coming from?  I know I'm going to burn out before the marathon if I refuse to adhere to the program.  Once September hits, I know I'll be struggling with exhaustion.  That ALWAYS happens when I train for Marine Corps.

Anyway... The long run.

I met up with two running friends.  We ran in a different location, just to change things up a bit.  The park is off limits right now because of a bear sighting.  And, the stalker van is back.  We were stalked for about a year by a van, not kidding.  He would sit on street corners to wait for us, and pass us multiple times throughout a run.  (Scary? Creepy?) He left us alone after a few calls to the cops.  It's been months since we've seen him, but now he's back.  Every run. It makes me angry to think about it, much less blog it.

We did an out and back course yesterday, kind of  later in the morning than usual.  And, it was fantastically HOT.  By the end of the run, the sun was really beating down on those asphalt roads.  Thankfully, I brought a little bit of water that was luke warm (yuck) and some of those sport beans.  I felt pretty strong towards the end, even on the hills, because of the fuel.

My breathing felt great, so did my legs.  I was really happy with the pace, I think it was eight something. Maybe this is the year that I can get myself to Boston.  Or, I'd really be happy just to break 3:50 this time around.  The new shoes are totally working for me, too!  The support, cushion, and weight are great.  I did end up with a toenail blister, so I'm down to nine "good" nails.  'Tis the season, I suppose!

More running this week... can't wait!!

The Whole Neighborhood is Running!

When we moved here there wasn't a runner in site.  I remember feeling so sad that my running friends lived so far away.  It was devastating, actually.  Running with friends has become a huge, huge part of my life; and has been since the fall of 2001.  We were here about a year when I met a sweet, sweet lady around the corner who also happened to be a runner.  She ran in the afternoons, though, and I'm kind of shy when it comes to making new friends. Eventually, though, we got together one morning and we've been running in the mornings ever since.  I don't know what I would have done for the past three years without her friendship and company on these morning runs.

It seems that over the past few months runners have been coming out of the woodwork around here, which is so much fun!  My neighbor down the street has picked up running, and just this morning two other gals have joined our morning runs, too!  It's wonderful!!  There's also another lady in our neighborhood who is training for a half marathon in October.  Even if we all don't get out together, it is great to see familiar faces on our morning runs.

This morning I got in over three miles- that silly "plan" is so hard to stick to!! I know I'll regret bumping up the mileage too much before marathon training really gets underway, though.  We got in about five and a half miles, and our pace was VERY quick for the last two and a half miles.  (Like very, very quick, I kind of felt like I was running in a race, actually!)

Today is a big day because I am going to check out the double jogging strollers AND I'm canceling my gym membership.  I'm really sad about canceling the membership, but I just don't have the time to drive 50 minutes (total: there and back) a couple times a week.  It has been a burden to worry about how often I'm not going and how much money I spend on it every month.  I'm going to miss it, and the people, but it's not worth that monthly fee.  Plus, running is going so well (injury wise) that I really don't want to do much else!

Week 3 of the Novice 2 Program

So, I'm going to go with the Novice 2 Program this time around.  I'm worried about being too tired with the Intermediate Program, so I'm going to bump it up just a little bit.

Here's what this week looks like:

Mon: Rest
Tuesday:  3
Wednesday: 5
Thursday: 3
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 6
Sunday: Cross Train

Not bad at all; I always enjoy the beginning weeks of a marathon program!

In other exciting running news, I think I've located a double jogger for a really, really, really great price.  (Like FREE, or close to it...)  We'll have to see how things play out later in the week.

Now, I'm off to enjoy my day of "rest," yeah.  Right.

It was time.

Finally:  I bought a new pair of running shoes!

After running yesterday morning in a pair of  shoes for runners who need a "neutral" fit, I thought that my legs were going to fall off.  Honestly, my lower legs and ankles were so, so achy!  I think they must have worked overtime in an attempt to compensate for my pronating issues.  I think I've mentioned before that those shoes are perfect for walking around, but they're way too small for any sort of long distance running. Of course, my big toe nails are now bruised.  Fabulous.  I ran a marathon in March without any toe nail bruising issues. One seven mile run with shoes that are too small, and now I might lose the nails.  Go figure.

Michael went with me to the downtown running store to check out the inventory and the different styles.  I love Brooks and I'm afraid of Asics.  (I wore Asics during all of those injuries last spring/summer/fall.)  The guys at the store were great,  very knowledgeable about the different shoes and what would be best in terms of weight, support, and cushion.  I won't go through each shoe I tried out, that would be very, very boring. (Kinda like this post....)  The guys ended up pushing me to the Saucony Progrid Stabil CS.  Size 9.5.  (Big, big feet...)

I tried em out on the treadmill today and they feel heavenly.  I'm not sure why I waited so long to buy a new pair. (I bought the last pair in December- it's amazing that I'm NOT injured!)  My right leg still hurts around the calf/ankle, but it could very well be related to yesterday's escapades.  It's so important to run in shoes that are meant for your body.  Or, at least when you're over 30 years old.

Have you checked out Daily Mile yet?  I love, love, love that site!

Coolest Thing...

This week I decided to give "Daily Mile" a try.  It's this facebook-esque kind of site that helps you track your workouts, you can build yourself a little workout community.  It doesn't have to be a running thing, either. If you use videos or p90x or cycle or swim... you can track all of it!  Even though I am painfully aware of how much exercise I have gotten in a day or a week, this helps motivation even more.  You can somehow share it on facebook, too, which is kind of fun if you're into that sort of thing.  I'm not on facebook anymore, but I do like having it on the blog(s) because it's motivating to remind myself of my last run.

Check it out!  You also don't have to be "friends" with other people.  I'm not doing it to connect with people in the area, I just like the idea of having a place to track my workouts, pace, and mileage.  It'll come in handy once marathon training really gets underway.  Which, I think it should be underway... haven't even thought about looking at a calendar.  (I don't ever want summer to end....)

Marathoning Dilemmas!

This marathon coming up will be marathon number SEVEN! When in the heck did I run six others?!  And, when did I become so addicted to running this far?  It's crazy, just plain crazy.  There's nothing like that marathon high, though, and it's the thought of that feeling that makes me feel so excited about Marine Corps.  This will be my fourth Marine Corps; once you run five of 'em you don't have to enter the lottery anymore. Really, though, that's not such a big deal anymore.  The race has increased the entrant field dramatically since my first one in 2001. It used to be a BIG deal to get into the race, I remember sitting in a computer lab my senior year of college hitting "refresh" over and over and over again.

The dilemmas that I am facing this time around are:  which program to use AND which shoes to wear while training.  In the past I have used Hal Higdon's Novice I program over and over and over.  The last marathon was actually the first marathon that I have followed a different training program.  My last marathon was my worst performance, from what I can remember.  So, obviously, I'm not going to use that program again, simply because I don't just want to finish. I want to have a really, really great experience, which means a faster time!  Translate:  3:51 or faster, preferably 3:40.  This link will take you to  Hal Higdon's Intermediate Program.  If you compare the two programs, the intermediate has two 20 milers, and one less day of rest/cross training.  It's definitely a step up, but my mileage is good right now and I don't think it is out of reach.  I can make myself get up incredibly early, so family time is not invaded upon too much.  I really think this is the one I want to try this go around.  Really, my problem is speed.  I don't work on that training piece AT ALL.

And, the other dilemma, the shoe thing:  I'm completely aware of the fact that there are places that analyze your running and BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.  However!  I barely have time to shower everyday, much less to drive far, far, far from home (with two kids) to run a few steps for someone to tell me which pair of shoes I need.  (It's the traveling with two kids part that makes the adventure difficult and LONG.) Maybe it's worth it, though?  Currently, I am running in the Brooks Ariel.  It actually took me at least a month to adjust to the motion control/support because it really does alter the pattern of each step.  The one thing that I really, really don't like about this shoe is that it is SO heavy!  (As in: really, really, really heavy.)  This morning I tried out a FREE pair of shoes from my brother, who used to work in a running store.  Again, they are Brooks.  In fact, it's the Glycerin model, which is an expensive shoe.  They felt great this morning because of the light weight!  However, there is virtually no motion control/support, which I think I need.  I love running in Brooks!  Didn't lose a single toenail with the last marathon, and I've been injury free since switching back to Brooks in November.  What I really need to do is either research this issue further or deal with the fact that I'm going to spend a day driving my kids to the ends of the Earth just so someone can watch me run for two minutes.  (Personally, I vote for research...)

Marathon training will start soon... Stay tuned for that AND a 5k race report!  I'm all signed up for Sunday's event in the park!  Yay!!