Best Laid plans…

So we had severe weather in the area and the 9:30 AM run was abandoned.  So my hubby and I waited out the storm and headed to the meeting place of the scheduled run.  We parked and took off for a quarter mile walking warm up.  Oh my goodness!  It was a lot hillier than my poor body could take the day after the long run.  So, I did a little running and I did a lot of walking.  Here are my pitiful stats:

Split	Time	Miles	Avg Pace
Summary	00:56:59	3.90	14:45
1	00:13:05	1.00	13:11
2	00:13:35	1.00	13:44
3	00:16:08	1.00	16:08
4	00:14:10	0.89	15:48

My second, third, fourth and fifth blister…

Ok, so hubby and I went to the local 5K loop, which is really flat, for our morning run.  Since I had taken Wednesday off today was supposed to be my long run.  We ran the 5K loop starting at 10:50 AM:

Split	Hour:Minute:Second Time	Miles Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	00:37:41	3.15	12:00
1	00:11:51	1.00	11:53
2	00:11:44	1.00	11:46
3	00:12:31	1.00	12:34
4	00:01:34	0.15	10:27

Then we stopped for a breather, drink and energy snack and took off again on the 5K loop.  (To be honest if it hadn’t been for my hubby I would have called it quits and just headed home after the first 3.15 miles.  But he talked me into just starting the second loop at a walk to see how we felt.  He is soooo good for me!)  This time as we got about half way in to the second loop we were both feeling really good so we added in an extra mile and then resumed the regular loop.  So the second run looked like this started at 11:33 AM:

Split	Hour:Minute:Second Time	Miles Distance	Minutes per Mile Avg Pace
Summary	00:52:53	4.15	12:49
1	00:14:35	1.00	14:45
2	00:12:23	1.00	12:25
3	00:12:10	1.00	12:16
4	00:12:19	1.00	12:21
5	00:01:24	0.15	09:26

I was really proud that I hadn’t quit after the first loop and that we  completed the long run miles that I would have been my goal if I had headed to the gym and got on the treadmill.  When I got home and peeled out of my socks I noticed two blisters in each arch of my foot.  So there are my new blisters…  My runner friend wants to meet at 9:30 AM and do another outside run with a local group of lady’s.  Wish me speedy muscle recovery!

New Shoes!

Ok not for me, I just got running shoes on 12/4, my hubby and I went to Starting Block and had his gait analysis and he ended up with a new pair of Saucony’s.  Because we spent the day shopping it was my day off this week from running.  That means tomorrow should be my long run.  I now have a decision to make, do I head to the treadmill where I can set my pace and have water available, or do I attempt an outside run.  Last week I was able to run over 6 miles on the treadmill.  I was hoping to run an even 7 miles this week, but I realize that running outside is more difficult than it is on the treadmill.

Quote stolen from ‘The Emerging Runner’ blog…

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."
- John Bingham, Runner and author

I know I am trying to answer that question for myself but I loved this quote.

My first blister!

(I just realized the date on my camera was messed up... this photo was taken today 12/28/2010)

Ok for those of us running newbie’s who haven’t ran any half or full marathons, we hear the horror stories from our friends about black or missing toenails, blisters, cramps etc… I recently had a conversation with my friend (the one who forgot her shoes yesterday) about some $10 socks she was buying. I couldn’t imagine paying that for a pair of socks and then only having 1 pair! She said that when she ran in the Chicago marathon that she learned a lesson about not having the right socks… I believed her but said that I would probably hold off on the fancy running socks until I felt they were needed. So here I sit with my first blister. I don’t think I necessarily need $10 socks just because I have a blister, so for me the jury is still out.
Today my daughter (12 yrs old) and I went to the gym to hit the treadmills as we are still off work/school. Let’s just say it wasn’t her idea of a fun mid-day activity after her soccer practice the night before. As I started my treadmill up I could tell it was going to be a rough day. My left calf is completely cramping up. So I did a kind of walk-run thing today that put miles in my log and a little speed under my belt but it didn’t feel like I accomplished any great running. I guess for me the accomplishment was that I went at all, for me it has been all too easy to make excuses.

Split	Hour:Minute:Second Time	Miles Distance	Minutes per Mile Avg Pace
Summary	00:42:55	3.31	12:57
1	00:14:15	1.00	14:13
2	00:13:33	1.00	13:40
3	00:11:37	1.00	11:40
4	00:03:28	0.31	10:49

Stood up at the gym

So today was my day off and as me and the kids were rearranging the furniture in the living room (ok if I really clean the house, I feel like I should move stuff around a bit) and I realized that it was getting close to lunch time.  So I text my running friend (now she is a real runner that has completed some half-marathons and has been running for years) to see if she was heading to the gym at lunch.  She confirmed our regular lunch time and I flew around getting my running shorts and shoes on…  I get to the gym and grab a treadmill and get warming up.  My friend gets there and lo-and-behold she has forgotten her running shoes!  So my running date ended up with just me and the treadmillJ.

I took it easy as you can see below.

Split	Hour:Minute:Second Time	Miles Distance	Minutes per Mile Avg Pace
1	00:13:14	1.00	13:11
2	00:11:26	1.00	11:30
3	00:12:02	1.00	12:03
4	00:03:18	0.26	12:31
Summary	00:40:02	3.26	12:16

Day after Christmas run…

Today hubby and I went to the gym and I got in a 4 mile easy run on the treadmill.  I felt good overall, had a slight soreness in my left calf and right arch. 

Mile 1 – 13.11

Mile 2 – 11:17

Mile 3 – 11:40

Mile 4 – 12:00

Today’s total 4.11 miles 50 minutes

Am I a runner?

I guess the answer depends on your point of view. 

Here is the beginning of my story:

I joined a local gym in October (2010) and started lifting and doing some cardio with a friend.  Our cardio consisted of a 5 minute run on the treadmill as a warm up.  I found that I felt more comfortable with the cardio than the lifting… so I started hitting the treadmill more and lifting less.  I completed my first 5K race on 11/13/2010.  I finished 43^rd with a time of 32:13.  It was hard but I secretly thought I could beat that time.  But soon after upping my miles on the treadmill I felt a twinge of hip pain.  I tried to run through it because I didn’t want to give myself an excuse to stop running.  After some goading from my friends, I finally (12/04/2010) bought some good running shoes; Saucony Hurricane 12’s…  In full disclosure, I also had one visit to a chiropractor for an adjustment (it was my first visit to a chiropractor).  Anyway, I started running and logging miles and the first week I had 18 miles under my belt and no hip pain!  The next week I added up my running log and I had 20.9 miles.  My hubby bought me a Garmin FR60 with heart rate monitor, foot pod and ant-stick (12/18/2010) and I logged into Garmin Connect and now when I come back from my run and walk-by the laptop my stats upload to the computer.  Talk about the lazy man’s way to log miles!  This week was a busy holiday week and I still managed 21.37 miles.  So I realize I am a wife and mother and know the likelihood of my becoming an elite female runner is astronomically low… but I am really excited that I ran a 6 mile run this week and 3 months ago I could barely run a quarter mile.  So this blog is my attempt to push myself to give no rest to my soles J and to answer the question ‘am I a runner’ for myself.