Honey Nut Cheerios and Zen Running

It's been a while since I've written, but my life is a little insane these days. I don't really have free time, and when I have anything resembling it, I get work done. Amanda asked me if training was making me lose it or if it was keeping me sane, and it's most definitely what's keeping me sane. I'm commuting four days a week, working as a nanny, and in training. I'm also trying to plan a wedding, spend time with Jake, and be a decent dog-mommy. This past week, I commuted my usual four days, then on Saturday I drove to Boston and back (spending about 12 hours there in between), and on Sunday I drove to and from Concord. While it was a good weekend, it meant six days of serious driving with no reprieve. I had one plan for today: to not leave the house.

Well, to not get in a car. And I completed my mission! But I still needed to get a run in, and the weather was kind of perfect. It was really cold (about 23 degrees, but "feels like 12") and sunny. I decided I was going to run with Knightley today. Have you all met Knightley? He's my ridiculous looking hound mutt.


He also loves to run. He's seriously the fastest dog I've ever met.


His tongue also gets really big. Pretty sure he has the body of a beagle and the tongue of a coon hound.


Yeah, he's pretty freaking adorable.

I've felt really guilty lately because last semester, it was just us. He was the only one waiting for me after a day of classes or student teaching, and I spent all of my free time with him. Overall, he's probably happier now with Jake and Jack living here, because he can hang out with Jack all day long and he has another person to get attention from. However, in the times when he DOES get mommy time, I can tell that he's been missing it. He needs more time with me, and today I decided that I would find that time in the form of running. He was there with me when I first started running in September. He would accompany me on all of my runs, and we would both benefit from the experience. But since I've gotten addicted to the gym (and since winter came to New Hampshire), running with him hasn't been much of an option. I need to start running on the road again, though. It's easy to run on a treadmill, and the hills of New Hampshire are much less gracious, and I need to get my body used to it.

So I put Knightley on his leash, apologized profusely to Jack for not bringing him along, and hit the pavement. Not long into the run, I realized that I never started my watch. I had no idea what time I was starting, and therefore, for the first time in a very long time, wouldn't know my pace. I recently watched the (excellent) movie "The Spirit of the Marathon" and in this, a woman explains that there are two types of runners - Zen runners and everyone else with a watch or Garmin or what have you. I've never been a Zen runner - I like numbers too much. But today I decided that my time really didn't matter at all and to just GO.

Well, quickly I found that Knightley is the perfect pace keeper. Anytime I would run too fast, I'd notice that he was running, too. Like I said earlier - he's a really fast dog and if we was able to run, it meant I was DEFINITELY running too fast. And if he was tugging on me, it meant I was going too slow. Whenever I kind of wanted to walk for a minute, he'd tug and I'd realize that I didn't need to walk. On the downhills I let him decide the pace so we FLEW. I had all sorts of mental images of blowing out a knee, but it made me feel like a little kid and he was thrilled with it so it was hard to care too much (note: I remained unscathed at the end). I also live in a ridiculously gorgeous area of a ridiculously gorgeous state, so running while overlooking the snowy bay is really pretty ideal.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with this run. I think it's easy, with training, to lose sight of why you started all of this in the first place and I definitely rediscovered that today. I do it because I love it.

Other things I love:
- Epsom salt baths. Seriously.
- The opening of "The Spirit of the Marathon" - I've probably watched it twenty times and I always cry.
- Skittles.
- Honey nut cheerios.
- Signing up for a half marathon when I'm TOTALLY not ready for it. But don't worry, I will be.
- Starting to REALLY seriously consider doing a marathon. I never thought I'd even be interested but I'm thinking Atlanta 2012. I'm trying to talk Jeremy (my big bro) into doing it with me. He's a serious Zen runner, and while he'd kick my ass, it would be cool to complete it together (even if not at the same time haha).
- Foam rolling. I'm pretty sure it's a form of Medieval torture, but it really works. My legs have been feeling much better on my longer runs since I started.

Between foam rolling and epsom salts, I was able to run 7.2 miles last Thursday with NO soreness the next day. This isn't b.s. guys, this stuff works. If you're having any issues, DO IT.

Lastly, Knightley tried to act all cool and unaffected by our four mile run, but pictures don't lie. He can't even stay awake to chew his bone. Cuddling with his brother HAS been proven to cure sore muscles. Just sayin'.



What do y'all think of Zen running?

Do you foam roll? (Isn't it AWESOME?)

What's/when's your next race?

Janae's Giveaway

So Janae, aka "Hungry Runner Girl," is having a giveaway. You can check it out here. She's pretty spectacular, so if you're not already following her blog or reading it on a regular basis, I'd highly recommend it. She updates it twice a day and it's nice to have a blog to read everyday. There are too many people (like me, for instance) who update like once a week. So go enter her giveaway! Or don't, because then maybe I'll have a better chance of winning. Hahahahah jk. Sort of.

Out of Whack

What do you do when you're just not feeling it? It's not necessarily about motivation, it's your body just NOT functioning properly.

Today I got on the treadmill and admittedly, I wasn't feeling motivated. I sat in the gym parking lot for a few minutes after babysitting, contemplating the amount of snow on the ground and trying to decide if I should stay out or go straight home. I really was just looking for an out (...even though the amount of snow was insane. And 10-16 more inches tomorrow! Woohoo!).


(My car before I went out to babysit.)

I forced myself into the gym because I know I won't be able to workout this upcoming weekend, so I had to at least do something. I started out on the treadmill, and literally just couldn't do it. I walked a little to warm up, and then tried to run at my typical pace. I told myself I just had to do a couple miles, then I'd get on the bike.

...I couldn't even run half a mile. Now back in September, this would have been par for the course. But it's not September anymore. I can run at least four miles without having to stop, and today I couldn't do more than half a mile. At first, around the .30 point, I was telling myself it was all about the mental fortitude. I told myself that I've forced myself through this wall before, and I can do it again. Not even "Like a G6" could get me in the zone! And while I'm thinking about how I can't get in the zone (which is a bad idea, anyway), I stumbled and almost ate treadmill. I righted myself and dealt with it - I'm pretty freaking uncoordinated so almost doing a faceplant really isn't that rare for me. However, about thirty seconds later, it happened again. This time I had to catch myself on the front of the treadmill, and barely managed to do that. That's when I decided I was done. I got on the bike and did 13 miles, but still never really got into the zone.

Does this ever happen to you? Does your body ever just totally let you down? Mine let me down today. I'm trying to shake it off, but I know it'll cause a mental block the next time I get on the treadmill.

Blah.


(Really old picture, but the only picture I have of me doing a sadface. Oh, and that's one of my bffs, Meredith. Say hi, Meredith.)

The good news is...


There's always a silver lining. I may be in a crappy mood right now, but I can sleep in tomorrow. At least there's that.

We're all crazy.

The running community is a truly truly funny place. This is a community where people openly talk about things like runner's trots, chaffing, and sweat soaked undies. This is a community that thrives on supporting others, and receiving motivation in return. This is a community that accepts others openly - no matter where you are in your fitness or training. Run, and they will welcome you with open arms. Lastly, this is a community that is bound together by a common bond so significant that we all feel like we really know each other. We can follow each other's workouts on Daily Mile or read the blogs and we actually feel like we're friends. When you really think about it, it's bizarre. But for us? It's not so bizarre.

For example, I have been friends with Jan on DM for a while, and I've been reading/commenting on her blog (which you should all do, too). And we've been talking about races in other states and how we should travel to one. We've never met in person, and yet we're talking about traveling... to a race... together. Think about that. It SOUNDS so weird.

Also, I've been starting to think that my goal for the future (maybe 2012, maybe 2013) is one of those epic relay races. The three people I've talked to about it are Jess, Janae, Katie, and Jan. Out of these four awesome women, I have only met one in person. That one is Katie, who I went to high school with, but we were never even close friends. But here's the thing about this weird common bond - it wouldn't be *that* weird for us to do a crazy relay race together. It doesn't matter that most of us haven't met, we all have similar goals and mindsets and we're all INSANE enough to watch a trailer like the one for the Hood to Coast movie and go "I WANT TO DO THAT."


(Just in case you don't know what I'm talking about.)

It's such a cool community. It's so crazy and so different but these people become so important to you after a while. It's really impossible to describe in a way that others will understand, but if you are a runner, you WILL understand. And it's so contradictory because as we're doing our miles alone on the road, you would think that we would feel so isolated. But I have the words of other runners in my head. I'm thinking about what Janae will eat for dessert. I'm wondering how everyone else's runs are going. It's an odd bond, but it's one I am incredibly grateful for.

~~

Recent workouts:

Friday - 5 mile run in 1:05
Saturday - rest
Sunday - 4.1 mile run in 0:51

Favorite running songs of the day:

"I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by the Dropkick Murphys
"The Distance" by Cake
"Like a G6" by Far East Movement, Cataracs, and Dev
"When You Were Young" by the Killers

~~

I might be an idiot.

Ohhh where to start?

First of all, I broke the big toe on my right foot. It's not pretty.


But has this slowed me down? Nope. On Wednesday (read: the day after breaking the toe) I did a brick and then some. I biked 13, ran 3.2, and then went into the locker room to shower. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that I was still vibrating with energy and I didn't look NEARLY dead enough. So I went back out and got back on the bike and did another 12. So.. I might be crazy. But it was the best (and most intense) workout of my life.

Thursday I didn't get to workout, and I wasn't happy about it. So Friday, home from class due to snow, I took the dogs for a 3.5 mile walk. In the snow. They were so brave! They didn't wuss out or anything - not even Jack who is NOT good in the snow. I taped the crap out of my toe beforehand, but it was still a little sore afterwards. That's ok though, because we all needed the workout. Then, not feeling done, I hooked up my bike trainer for the first time. It's definitely weird and it's going to take some getting used to (and possibly clip pedals/shoes), but I think I'll learn to like it. Knightley, however, isn't so sure.


Lastly, I'd like to share two things with you. One, what "taping the crap out a toe" looks like.


Yep, I was ready to run. I was DYING to run. I've been itching to run five miles all week... but unfortunately, it didn't happen today. But I DID get to run. I got on the treadmill with some new songs loaded on my tiny ipod and got to work.

New running songs: "How You Like Me Now" by The Heavy, "When I Grow Up" by the Pussycat Dolls, "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha, "La La" by Ashlee Simpson

With the help of these songs (namely "How You Like Me Now" which wound up on repeat for the last mile), I banged out the fastest 5k of my life. It was 36 minutes - which includes walking five minutes as a warm up. I realize that this isn't "fast" but it's fast for me.

But this is the second thing I wanted to share with you - why I'm an idiot. Because I do, in fact, have a broken toe. So maybe that wasn't the best idea? As soon as I finished my miles I stumbled around while wiping down the treadmill and then limped my way into the locker room. I then proceeded to throw up from the pain in my foot. I thought I was ok after that, tried to do one weight machine, and then jogged back into the locker room to throw up again. So yeah, I might be an idiot.

...But a PR is worth the pain every time.

Day of Firsts

Today I did my first official brick. For those of you who aren't hip with the triathlon lingo, a brick is doing back to back workouts to get the feel of the bam bam bam nature of a triathlon. I've done swimming then biking several times, but seeing as I have to drive to the gym or home after swimming, that's a solid 15 to 30 minute break in between workouts. I've also done running then biking, but I hadn't done biking then running. It's easy to bike through discomfort - not so true with running. So today I biked 14 miles (in my fastest pace to date - 30 minutes - 28 mph) and then I went straight to the treadmill and ran 3.1 miles. I probably walked a total of a half mile, and ran the rest. I thought I was going to throw up after my workout (and spent five minutes lying on the bench in the locker room waiting to see if it would happen) but I pulled through and managed not to vomit. Win. Afterwards, Jake told me that I looked "like death" - that's love.


(Hair is soaked roots to tips. Not gross at all.)

Another first today: I got the lactic acid build up in my legs. Around mile 2, it hit me like the engine sludge in those oil commercials. It was sudden and my legs felt like stone. I had to slow to a fast paced walk to try and loosen them up a little, sipped some water, and then went into a FAST run. It hurt like a you know what, but I broke through it. I came out the other side, and I didn't eat treadmill. Win-win.

A first since September - I got a side stitch. That hasn't happened since I first started running seriously. However, another first, I didn't let it defeat me. Back in September, it would make me stop - but this time I just took deeper breaths and finished my miles.

Also, it was the first time I ever cheered for the Bears. My other teams are out (GIANTS, Colts, Broncos), so I decided I would cheer for the Bears haha. I was jumping around on the treadmill when they won, much to the chagrin of the Seahawks fan two treadmills down from me.

My last first of the day (that I can think of, at least): I tried coconut water. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate coconut, but I bought a few different flavors of it (plain, with pineapple, and with pomegranate) for Jake to try because he was interested. Jake brought the pineapple one with him to the gym so he could drink it afterwards, and we split it on the drive to the grocery store. I can't say it was my favorite thing ever, but it hit the spot after that workout.

Lastly, this is something I've been thinking about since earlier. When today's workout was killing me and I was considering giving up, I thought about where I was in September. Back when running a mile would make me throw up because my body was so unprepared. If I had tried to do a brick in September, I legitimately think it might have killed me. And while I didn't get my best 5k time today, I didn't get my worst either. I survived it - I needed an ice bath after it, but I survived it.

It's amazing to think about how far you can go in so little time. To anyone who thinks that they can't get into shape, believe me, you can. It IS possible. And you'll feel so amazing when you look back at what you used to be.

Oh and - dinner.

Blah.

I haven't posted because I haven't been working out enough. Let's make this brief, because the Benadryl is kicking in.

On wednesday I biked 40 miles out of sheer boredom. It was on the recumbent bike, but I suppose it still counts. I'm not going to say it felt good, but it was fun to see the numbers go up that high. I then took TWO days off, and that really really wasn't fun, but I've been feeling super crappy. I had a really bad headache for like three days straight, and my stomach was being weird. I couldn't do much more than leave my couch.

However, I got back on the bike today (even though I'm definitely not 100%). Also, and most importantly, I've OFFICIALLY registered for my first triathlon. It's May 22nd. And I would save money if I registered for two at once, so I'm also registered for one the weekend before I get married. We'll see if that one actually happens, haha. I wasn't paying attention to the date when I registered. Maybe it will be a great last minute self-esteem boost pre-wedding? Or maybe I'll do the one in May and decide that I'm stupid for ever thinking I can do it. ...But I have a feeling that this is something I will get seriously addicted to.

Look. Proof.


Expect a new running shoe review in the near future. I'm not up to it right now, and I've only gotten to use them once. I feel it's only fair to my old shoes to run at least two more times in the new ones before announcing how incredible they are.

Oh and wish me luck - I'm shopping for my WEDDING DRESS on tuesday. Please oh please let me fall in love (in person) with the one I've been obsessed with for over a year. SIGH.

That's all for now. Back to being a blob on the couch. I hope you're all feeling healthy!