Busy, Busy, Busy!

I've been soooo busy the last few weeks, I've hardly had a change to run, let alone blog! We've been to DC, MD, NY, VT, back to NY and home again over the last month! SO much for the great training plan I talked about in my last post! I did get to spend some quality time with my goddaughter, Isabelle, so it was so worth it!!! (isn't she a doll!)


I HAVE been running, but its been very sporadic!. I have a 5k race next week, so I've been trying to get in least 3 runs a week to be ready!! Last week, I ran Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. So far this week, I ran Monday and hopefully will run today and Saturday! Don't know how the race will go, but ready or not, here I run!

Since my running group has ended, I've found it hard to motivate myself to run. My regular running partner L is suffering from plantar faciatis, so she hasn't been running at all :( (Even worse, her husband has a stress fracture of his foot from running - :( ) So I've found a 'virtual' running buddy!! Isabelle's dad is just getting back into running , so we've agreed to be virtual running buddies. We've been texting and e-mailing each other to see if we are getting in our runs each week...its actually helpful! Kind of the same reason I blog....for some accountability! So if you don't have a running buddy or running group - try finding a virtual running buddy!

New Week, New Training Plan!

Now that my 10k training is over....I need a new goal! So I decided to make it a big one - The 10 minute mile!
Ah, the 10 minute mile.....This has been my goal since I started running, but it has been somewhat unobtainable! So, I'm going nuts. I'm trying the Ultimate 5k Plan "Intermediate" from Runner's World Magazine. Over the next 6 weeks I will be running pace intervals, speed intervals, and hill workouts! YEAH! I've never done any speed work or hill work in my training...I just go run the mileage on the plan. BORING! I hope this will spice up my workouts and get me out of my slowpoke rut!
Stay tuned!

10k PR by 4 minutes!

So the training works!
I finished my 3rd 10k today with a time of 1:12:24...4 minutes, 13 seconds faster than last year! It wasn't until mile 5 that I saw the time clock and thought, OMG, I'm going to PR! My run felt EXTREMELY slow, but I must have been moving faster than I thought!

The leg/IT band did ok. It felt stiff throughout the run, but the pain never came! I am VERY happy about that!

See how happy I was!

Not sure what my training is going to look like after today. I have 5k in 6 weeks, so I might use the Smart Coach on Runners World and make a 5k training program. I need something to follow or I will loose all motivation!
Happy Running!

10k Training is OVER!

Last week of 10k training! Hippee!

IT band is behaving, but not because of the pattstrap. I did one run with the pattstrap on Tuesday - IT DROVE ME CRAZY! It felt like it was restricting my leg from moving - aka peg leg syndrome! Not something I really need. However, the ITBS gods have been nice and I've not had the "ice pick to the side of the knee" feeling, so I'm going to run the race Saturday sans pattstrap.

State vs State Challenge!

I've been playing around with the Runner + challenges for a few weeks now. They have various running challenges - men vs women; east coast vs west coast; married vs single; million feet running (most miles per person), etc....where is the state challenge? In my travels, people are always comparing their state to another - why not compare the running habits of our 50 states(ok, I mean 46 states, 4 commonwealths!!)?

So I did it. I created a State vs State challenge.

Which state will run the most by the close of 2008? I'm curious..... Think of it as a social/fitness experiment!! Will the winning state just have more internet junkies than all others????.....or do people actually run more in Arizona, Michigan, or Massachusetts???? We'll have to wait and see....join the challenge!

IT band acting up again.....what the %^$#!!!

So 2 weeks to the big 10k and my IT band flairs up again. I'm so frustrated with this thing! 6 weeks of PT, anti-inflammatory drugs, massage, tiger balm....nothing seems to keep this thing at bay! I can make it to 6 miles, but once I cross that magic line, the pain, stiffness, and fatigue returns....AAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!

So yesterday I broke down and ordered a pattstrap, a foam strap you wrap around your quad to keep the IT band from rubbing on the knee bone. Everyone keeps telling me not to use a brace because it's just a bandaid, but at this point....I need a bandaid!!! I'll post a review once I use it. Stay tuned!

Week 8.....5k PR!

Week 8 started slow because I was in Michigan for work. I only hit the dreadmill once, and that was only for 15 minutes...:( How do people get in their training runs on work trips??? I can never find the time! I was so exhausted, I could bearly stay upright, let along run. Once I got home I started to think it was the lack of running that was making me so tired! That and the pollen that has taken up residence in my upper respiratory system!

I finally did get in a 6 mile run on Friday - it was slow, but I made it.

Sunday, I ran the Red Hook/Runners Alley 5k. It was the one year anniversary of my first ever 5k! I can't believe it has been a year!

The race start was warm, but there was no humidity, which was the biggest change from last year. Over 2000 runners lined up at the startline at 11 am and the gun when off! It took me nearly a minute to cross the startline from when I heard the gun - thank goodness they use timing chips in this race!

I took off at a fast pace without a water bottle or ipod/nike +. I was FREE of all accessories! Actually, at mile 1, I was wishing for my water bottle - my mouth was so DRY! I never really missed the ipod because the pack never seemed to dissipate so I was distracted by all the other runners.

At the half way point I grabbed some water and managed to choke on it! I'm so used to running with my own water, I'm not used to drinking out of a cup! I had to walk for a few seconds to actually get a full drink - the rest went over my head!

The last mile was a bit rough. The honeysuckle, lilac, and tree pollen was causing my allergies to go wild and I couldn't get a full breath. Then I rounded the corner to the finish line and I heard someone yell "finish strong!" Something clicked in my head and I started to push it the last 100 yards. I actually had a slight kick in my stride! I crossed the finish line with a gun time of 33:55. My watch said 33:01, a PR! As I walked through the finish coral, a wave of nausea came over me and I nearly lost my breakfast all over a nice volunteer! I spotted Matt on the sideline and motioned to him to give me his water. I took a sip and bent over to untie my timing chip and nearly puked on my shoes....I have felt bad after a race, but never like I was going to puke! I did manage to get my chip off without puking and walked out of the coral. As soon as I got out of the crowd, I felt better. 33:03 was my official chip time - just 3 seconds faster than my October 5k PR. Even better than a PR, I was 3:20 faster this year! I'm making some improvement!

L and her husband ran as well - L got a rockin' PR! She finished almost 45 seconds a head of me! Her husband paced her so she could keep a sub-10:30 pace. That's what I need - a pacer! Actually, I don't think I could have gone any faster if I tried! All in all, a great 5k!

So, here are the Weeks totals:
M - N/A
T - N/A
W - 1.25 miles
Th - N/A
Fr - 6 miles
Sa - N/A
Su - 5k PR!
Total Run - 10.35 miles (should have been 16)

Should be back on my normal running schedule this coming week....3 weeks til the 10k!