Eating Crap + 90* heat = not fun runs!

Like I said the other day, we went to my in-law's house in Springfield this weekend.  We are home now, and while I am very happy that Maggie got to see her grandparents, and we got to see a few friends that we haven't seen in awhile, I am happy to be home.

I didn't have the best week as far as my eating goes.  I think I ate hot dogs at at least 5 meals this week.  Most of them with chips or french fries.  We ate out at a Mexican restaurant and then got frozen custard on the way home, we had subs with about a gallon of mayo from a super yummy sub shop in Springfield yesterday, I had a horseshoe.  This is a Springfield specialty and is pictured below.  I had a buffalo chicken horseshoe which is a buffalo chicken breast on texas toast, topped with french fries and white cheese sauce.  Seriously, this is probably the worst thing on the planet for you to eat, but it is GOOD!  Good thing we only make it to Springfield a few times a year!  My mother-in-law also made cinnamon rolls, and dessert, and I drank more beer than usual.  All of this led to feeling like crap, self-esteem wise and running wise.  Yuck!  Just reading that list makes me cringe.

I did run 12.5 miles this week so I guess that's good.  On Saturday I ran in Springfield and it was HOT!  I felt like crap the entire time.  I think the only thing that saved me was that I was running in an unfamiliar place so it was a little more interesting.  I hope I felt like crap because of my bad eating and I can get it back on track next week.  I also hope that the August like heat and humidity chill out a little bit.  I don't like running in the heat.  My husband says he likes it and feels like if he is drenched in sweat when he gets home that he worked really hard.  I don't mind sweating, but I don't NEED it to feel like I worked hard.  I much prefer winter running!

I plan on getting back on track tomorrow.  I am afraid to step on the scale in the morning!!! 

Memorial Day Weekend

What are you doing this weekend?  We are headed south.  3 hours to my in-laws house in Springfield.  The rest of my family is heading 3 hours north to the lake.

Dave is golfing in a charity golf outing for Lincoln Land Downs Syndrome Society.  I'm sure that will be fun for him.  I hope that I will be able to run in Springfield...maybe Saturday.  Who knows it's usually about 100 degrees there. 

Tonight I am going to run out to the park to watch Dave's softball game.  It's only 2.5 miles so I'll have to add a little somewhere.  It's beautiful outside right now so hopefully that will last until tonight.  I love softball game night.  I played for a long time and I just love being out there.  Tonight they are actually playing on the fields that I played on in high school.  I might bring my glove and play a little catch before or after the game.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and don't forget why we have the day off in the first place!  Thank you to all the soldiers and their families out there!!!

Versatile Blogger

Erica at I Run Because....I Can nominated me for this award.  I am supposed to write 7 things about myself and then nominate 15 people.  A lot of the bloggers that I keep up with have already done this so if you haven't consider yourself nominated and I can't wait to read everyone else's 7 things!

1. I just started running in September with the Couch to 5K program.  I was never a runner before and now love it!  I recommend the program to everyone who mentions wanting to run.  They should probably pay me!

2. I have 2 younger brothers and a twin sister who passed away when we were 3.5 years old

3. I absolutely love chocolate and peanut butter.  Separately and together.  If it came out that peanut butter and/or chocolate was the worst food on the planet and would make me never able to lose weight I would be fat and happy!

4. I have been with my husband for almost 9 years (we've been married for almost 4) He was a cook at the restaurant that I worked in in college.  We worked together for 6 months before our first date.  When we started dating I had just become a manager at that restaurant.  My favorite shifts were when we were closing together ;)

5. I love Beverly Hills 90210 (the original) I have watched the entire 10 years of the show over and over again on the Soap Network.  I would love to own the DVDs of the show.  Dylan was soooooo hot!!!

6. I was a dancer (ballet and jazz) for many years and I played softball from kindergarten through high school.  I was on the sophomore team as a freshman and played varsity the next 3 years.  I was a pitcher.  My dad was my coach growing up and in the summers and volunteered as one of my high school coaches.  As much as he was a pain in my butt,  he was the best coach ever.  One of the few times I have ever seen him cry was at our last game as seniors.  He had coached me and 7 or 8 other girls since we were teeny tots. 

7.  I nursed Maggie for 16.5 months (just stopped last week) and I am very proud of that.  I never thought I would go beyond a year. 

This was fun.  I hope you learned a little about me and I can't wait to learn a little about you!

H.O.T. Hot!

Gotta love the midwest!  It went from 50 last week to 90* and 98% humidity this week.  Geez leweez!

Yesterday was my first really hot run.  I only started running last September and did the first month or so on the treadmill.  I HATE the heat.  I would prefer 30* to 90* any day of the week!  I don't want to get up at 5am either.  My husband gets up with Maggie most weekends and so I get to sleep in.  Since I am not a morning person at all I look forward to these days all week. 

I decided to get up at 9 and go running then.  I looked at my iPod touch weather app and it was already 75* yuck!  I decided to drive into town so I could run where there was more shade.  I usually run in a newer subdivision so there are no big trees.  I brought my Nathan handheld water bottle for the first time as well.  Dave ran with it on Saturday and said that it wasn't too bad to carry. 

I wanted to run 5 miles with my consolation prize being 4 miles.  I ran 4 miles on Thursday, but I hadn't run more than 4 in a few weeks.  I set my Nike + to 45 min and took off.  It was HOT immediately but I was ok.  I decided to just go slow and not push myself too hard if I started getting over heated.  I used to play softball and in the summer I would pitch 3-4 games in one day when it was 90* out, but it had been a LLLOOONNNGGG time since then, but I thought I would be able to tell when I was just uncomfortable and when I needed to stop.

The water was definitely needed, and I poured some on my head a time or two which helped.  My route was not as shady as I thought it would be and there were more hills than I was used to running on.  I did get to run down the street that I grew up and see my old house.  I love that house and would love to buy it someday.  I got back into downtown and was only at 3.41 miles, but it was really really hot by then.  I started to feel queasy and I decided that when I got to the end of the block I would walk for a block.  By the next block I felt worse and the car was only another block away so I decided to be done.  I got back in the car and was soaked with sweat. 

When I got home we hadn't turned the air on yet and I thought I might die!  I stretched and drank 2 more bottles of cold water and started to feel better.  I took a cool shower and felt 100%.  Then I started to feel guilty about stopping and not finishing the 4 miles.  I could've gone another 3/4 of a mile and been fine.  Oh well I guess. 

I might go to the Y to run on the dreadmill today though.  I definitely want to run today, but it's already late and the temp is almost 90* already.  Dave is out running now and has taken the day off of work so I can go to the Y without Maggie.  I hate that darn treadmill though, so we'll see. 

Running in the Rain

Tonight I ran in the rain and it was nice.  I enjoy running in the rain although I haven't been able to do it much lately.  I think the last time it was cold because I was able to wear my jacket so that my iPod was inside the pocket.  I have a armband that I don't use much but it has a full plastic cover and said "sweat resistant" on the box.  I bought it to wear when it rained, but I was worried about it tonight.  I ended up putting on a long sleeved shirt over  it and it was ok.

It wasn't raining too hard and my ponytail was only damp.  It had stopped by the time I was done.  I had planned on running out to the park for Dave's softball game.  I decided at the last second to just run around my neighborhood so that if the weather got worse I could just go home instead of being stuck somewhere between my house and the park.  The weather ended up not being bad at all though and I definitely could've gone to the park instead.  Oh well, better safe than sorry.

My hamstrings have been really tight lately.  I think it is from a combination of not stretching well enough when I'm done running and from trying to "sprint" the end of my runs or kicking it up a notch here and there.  That is something that I haven't been doing until recently.  My last 2 runs I've spent a lot of time stretching after and I'm going to start doing yoga so hopefully that will help.

Water, Water, Water

I don't drink enough water.  On days that I don't run I drink maybe a bottle of water with my dinner and that's about it. On days that I do run I drink a bottle before I leave and a bottle when I get back.  I know that I need to drink more. 

Today I decided to set the timer on my watch to go off every 2 hours to remind me to drink.  So far I have drank 4 bottles of water today and I have peed about 146753 times.  I'm going to try to do this for the rest of the week and see how I feel. 

I was much better about drinking water when I was pregnant and when I was working, but now that I'm home I just don't think about it.  So how do you remember your water?

Lifetime Fitness Run Wild 5k Race Recap

We ran the Lifetime Fitness Run Wild 5k on Saturday at the Brookfield Zoo.  This was my second ever race and Dave's first (he ran one in high school with his dad, but it's been 12 or 13 years so we're this his first) Maggie spent the night at my parent's house so that we wouldn't have to wake her up early.  They brought her to the zoo and got there to see us finish.  We got up early at like 5:30 and got ready and were out the door by 6:10.  There was no traffic until we were close to the zoo so that was good.  We got there and I brought my bag in thinking there might be a gear check place like there was in Chicago.  We picked up our packet and our shirts (not technical shirts, cotton and bright yellow) and then headed back up to the car to put our stuff down.  I called my parents and they were not going to make it by the start of the race so I told them what color shirts we were wearing and we made a plan of where to meet afterward if they didn't see us.

We had looked at a map of the run before we got there, but the starting line wasn't clearly marked so Dave asked a Lifetime volunteer and she pointed us in the right direction.  We went to where people were lining up but we couldn't see the actual start so I wasn't sure where we were pace wise.  The pathways are narrow so they were encouraging people line up according to speed but we couldn't tell where we were.  I thought we were in the front of the middle of the pack and figured that would be too fast for me but we stayed where we were.

I was a little nervous because I was really hungry.  I usually run in the afternoon/evening so I haven't figured out my early morning eating routine yet.  I only had peanut butter on toast and meant to eat a banana on the way, but forgot until we got there.  My stomach was growling before we started.

We didn't hear a gun or an announcement that we were starting, but all of a sudden we started moving.  I realized quickly that we were much closer to the start than I thought, oops.  I started my nike+ right when I stepped on the mat.  About 2 minutes in I knew I was running faster than I should be, Dave was already gone, I told him not to wait for me, but reminded him to not start out too fast.  I pushed the button on my iPod and the lady told me my pace was 9:55.  Yikes!  10:45 min/mile is really good for me so I knew I had to slow down or I was never going to make it.  People were passing me like crazy and I tried to move over to the side as much as I could.  I was still going too fast I knew because I was tired before my first song was over.  I tried to slow down a little more and then I felt better.

I was surprised by the 1 mile marker and I pressed my iPod button again.  It said ".88 miles completed".  Hmmm, the course was not certified, but I was surprised that it was that off.  I was running at about a 10:25 min/mile pace.  That was still faster than I normally run, but I felt good so I decided not to worry about it.

At mile marker 2 my iPod said somewhere around 1.8 miles.  I started to wonder if the whole course would be short or if the last mile would be really long.   I started to get tired and was back up near 11 min/mile pace.  I knew there wasn't much left in my tank, but I was not giving up.  I told myself that when the iPod lady told me that there was 5 minutes left I would pick it up.  She said 5 min and I tried to go a little faster.  It was tough though.  When I knew I was close to the finish I ran as fast I could.  I finished in 32:06.  This was a full 2 minutes fast than at Wrigley 3 weeks ago.  My iPod said it was only 3.07 miles though, I don't care, I still count it as a PR! I was happy.

I saw Dave and my parents right away, but I couldn't talk to them. I had to walk a litttle.  I noticed in Chicago too, people just stop the second they hit the finish line.  I think I might die if I just stopped, especially after I sprinted the finish (sprinted being a relative term) I walked around a little bit, and over to the food and water area.  I was starving!!!! I ate an orange slice and half a banana and felt better.  I didn't stretch afterward either like a usually do so my legs were definitely not very happy with me.

Dave finished in 29:30 so under 30 minutes!  I am very proud of him!  We went to walk around the zoo but it was around 9 and the zoo doesn't officially open until 10 so there was not much to see.  You'd think that if they were going to have 2000 people in the zoo early they would want to have their vendors open and the gift shops open and the animals available so that people would want to come back some day.  The entry to the zoo was free to runners and spectators so you'd think that they would really want to have stuff open for people to spend money.  That was disappointing but we walked around enough that the giraffes were out by the time we walked around the whole place.  The giraffes are Maggie's favorites!  It was starting to get busy by the time we were done and we were all hungry so my parents took off and we ate lunch by the car and the went home.

It was a good fun run, but if we do it again next year I don't know that we will bring Maggie since there was such a gap between the run being over and the zoo stuff open.  I was sore though and I wish I could have cooled down a little bit more.  Guess that's what I learned for next time.  No matter what walk for a few minutes and find a way to stretch even if my butt will be in the air for all to see! :)

Quick Question:  My Nike+ said my time was 33 something, but my chip time was 32:06???? I know I didn't start or end it a minute early/late.  I would assume that the chip time is the most accurate right? What do you think?

Ran in my new shorts last night

The Nike Tempos.  I used some body glide on my thigh chub hopeing that would help keep them from riding up between my legs.  At first they did ride up a little, but they weren't bad and once I got going I didn't notice it at all.  The body glide worked well and I have no problem.  When I got to the park my sister-in-law said they looked cute but commented that she could never wear shorts that short.  I didn't think they were too bad, but she is way skinnier than me so I got a little worried and self conscience.  My legs are probably my best part though and she has some junk in the trunk so hopefully they weren't too bad.  Dave said they looked good so I felt better.  They were a little longer in the back than in the front and they are a tad bit tighter at the leg opening so I think that helped them stay down and to not show too much.  Over all I liked them and I think I will wear them tomorrow if it's warm enough.

Speaking of tomorrow, we are running in the Lifetime Fitness Run Wild 5k at the Brookfield Zoo.  I am sooooo excited and nervous.  I hope to run it in about 33 minutes the one I ran 3 weeks ago was a little over 34 min so I hope I can get a little faster each time.  Dave and I are running it together and then we are going to hang out at the zoo with Maggie and my parents.  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

Running out to the softball game tonight

My brothers and dad and a couple of other friends play on a softball team on Thursday nights.  My hubby is playing tonight as a sub so we are going to the game.   My mom is taking Maggie so that I can run to the park.  It's only about 2.5 miles so I might run a lap around my neighborhood before I go or just stick to the 2.5 since our race is on Saturday.  Last week I ran a mile with Dave and Maggie in the jogging stroller and then headed out to the park while they stayed home.  Thursdays are girls night out so Dave stayed home.  Tonight he's playing so I guess no girls night out :( Maybe he'll take her home so I can go grab a beer with the girls afterward.

On a non-running note... anyone watch Oprah?  The cast of Twilight were on today.  I watched it twice!  I loved the books, the movies are ok.  I never like the movie after reading the books, but that Edward is H.O.T. hot!  Mmmmmm, Jacob isn't too bad either.  I think the adult women fawning all over Oprah is a little out of control, but whatever floats your boat I guess.

Hope everyone has a good Thursday!!!!

My Running Wish List

Last week Amanda at RuntotheFinish wrote a post about the runner's toolbox.   Running is pretty simple.  All you really need is shoes, but there is lots and lots of "stuff" that can go with it.  Here is the list of stuff that I would love to have to add to my running experience.

1. Bondi Band - I have long hair, but I also have little short baby hairs all over the place.  I also have an oddly shaped head or something because every headband I have tried slips off the back of my head while I'm running.  I have found 1 by Goody that kinda works, but it's so tight that I get a headache by the end of my run.  I want a Bondi Band because it looks comfy and there are a lot of good reviews out there. Plus there are lots of cute patterns like this:  

2. Road ID - I think that Dave and I should both get these Road ID's.  We both run outside and most of the time alone.  Neither of us carry a phone or any ID.  Plus they come in cool colors!

3.  Garman GPS Watch - Now I love my Nike+ but this thing is just so freaking cool.  The forerunner 405 is the newest  one and I would love to have one.  Of course it is not in the budget, someday maybe. 

4. Arm Warmers - Ok so I think I would look ridiculous in these things!  Especially since I usually only run 3-4 miles.  But they look awesome on other people!  Haha

4. Running Skirt - I think these are super cute!  And such awesome patterns.  I don't know how my thigh chub would feel about it though.  Check them out at here

 

 Oh what I would do if I won the lottery!!! haha!

Feeling Good Tonight

I ran 3.75 miles today.  I felt great.  I ran yesterday.  This is only the second time I have run on back to back days since I started this whole running thing.  I started out slowly, but I decided that at 5 min left I would pick up the pace.  I ran the 5 minutes and was at 2.75 miles and decided to keep it up until 3.1 just to see if I could.  I slowed down a tad close to 3, but when I got there I sprinted the last .1 and then ran another 3/4 miles after that. 

I have felt really strong the last couple days.  I did NOT feel strong before my last (first) 5k.  I was super nervous and doubting myself.  We are running on Saturday at Brookfield Zoo.  I'm super excited!  We love going to the zoo.  My parents are bringing Maggie so we can hang out after the race.  Anyway, I think that I am going to do much better this time.  I hope.

Dave is running too, I'm sure he will beat me.  I tell myself it's because his legs are longer!


Happy running everyone!!!!

Happy Mother's Day & 200 miles

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

I got to sleep in a little.  Last night was my dad's birthday dinner (today is his b-day) so we had a super yummy  dinner at my parent's house.  It was a late so we put Maggie to bed there.  She stayed there and we went home.  Dave went and got her this morning so I got to sleep in a little.

We went to breakfast at Eggsclusive yum!!! Nutella Pancakes and mimosas! I ate a lot in those 18 hours!  I also got to take a little nap while Maggs was napping.  I haven't done that in a LONG time.

I ended up not running yesterday.  I drove up to the lake to try to find my phone that I thought I left there last weekend.  I didn't find it.  Not good. :(  I wasn't feeling like running today either, but I convinced myself to go finally.  I ran 3.1 and it was great!  I ran for about 1.5 miles and then decided to do a few sprint/jog intervals.  I sprinted 30 sec and jogged 2 min 5x.  It felt pretty good and I ended up finishing the 3.1 faster than I have in  a while.

When I got home Dave was grilling burgers and I made some green beans. Yum again!

I feel very lucky today to have my wonderful mom and to get to be the mom of my wonderful baby.

On another note I am at 200 miles running since I got my Nike+ in November.  This is pretty exciting.  I was in week 4 or 5 of the couch to 5K when I got it so I am over 200 total, but still this is a big milestone for me.  I hope to have another 200 soon.  

Good night!!!

To Run or Not to Run....

It's cold here today. Like really cold, in the 30's with the windchill and the wind is 20-25 MPH. I've run in colder and windier, not in a month or more though. I wanted to run 5-6 miles today. It's overcast and just cold. I might wait until tomorrow to do that longer run. Maybe I'll just run 2.5-3 today instead.

I have decided to up my running from 3x per week to 4x per week. Last week I ran 4x for a total of 15 miles. I have only run 7 miles so far this week and only 2x so to keep up with last week I need to run today and tomorrow. I guess it's settled then....short today, long tomorrow.

 I bought some running shorts yesterday. They are the Nike Tempo.

I have read many reviews and a lot of people swear by them. These are actually my second pair. I wore the first pair a few days ago and they were great except my inner thighs were a little red, but not too bad. Yes my thighs touch, I don't remember them ever not touching and I think they will still touch even if I lose 50 more pounds! So anyway, I also got some body glide and hopefully that will make the shorts wearable. Of course it's only going to be in the 40's all week here so it will be a bit before I can try them out :(

Happy Running!

My first blog post

After reading blogs about running for a few weeks now I have decided to start my own running blog. I don't know who will read it, or even how much I have to say, but you gotta start somewhere right?

Here's my story:

I am 29 years old, I have been married for 3.5 years and I have a 16 month old daughter who is the joy of my life! I live in the small town that I grew up in and, besides wanting a bigger house, couldn't be happier!

I was never a runner, ever. I was a dancer, a softball player, I also played soccer a bit. I was in ballet/jazz classes for years and then was on my high school dance team all 4 years. I started playing softball when I was 5 and played through high school. I was a pitcher so I didn't bat much and when I did the furthest I ever had to run was 90 feet to 1st base. To say I was slow was an understatement!

In college I played on a beer league, slow-pitch softball team but that was about the extent of my athletics at that time. When I met my husband we were both working in a restaurant and that became my career. I left that restaurant, but became a manager and spent the next 4 years working 60-70 hour weeks, that's not including my close to 2 hour daily commute. I was not exercising in any form at this point, unless you count being in 10 places at once in the restaurant.

When I had my daughter I had stopped working, I didn't gain much weight while I was pregnant and when I left the hospital with her, I weighed 15 lbs less than when I got pregnant. Don't get too jealous, 3 months later I was back up to my highest weight ever and just felt gross. I decided to join the YMCA and spent 2 months on the elliptical and lifting weights. I came across the Couch to 5K program and decided to try it.

The Couch to 5K program is wonderful and it was hard, but not so hard that I couldn't do it. It was motivating to see my progress and even though I still wasn't losing weight I felt better about myself and I knew that this time I was going to stick with it. Not only for myself, but for Maggie too. I wanted to teach her that exercise was important and being healthy is worth it.

My husband started C25K a month or two after me. He is doing awesome and has lost close to 70 lbs! I added weight watchers and I'm down 15 pounds. Back to the weight that I was when I left the hospital with my beautiful girl 16 months ago.

I'm not fast by any means, but I love running! I ran my first 5K 2 weeks ago and have another one planned next weekend. I ran 6 miles this past weekend and it's the furthest I have ever run in my life!!! I can see myself running a half marathon sometime in the future. My mom has made me promise to never run a marathon, right now I agree, but I have a feeling that that could change.

This got long, thanks for reading this far!