My longest run ever!

I did my longest training run ever today - eight miles in Central Park (for those of you who may know it - I ran the full loop - 6.02 miles - plus 1 and 1/3 times around the Reservoir - 2 miles). I was really scared going into it. The most I have run so far is a 10k. But, I had faith in my training program and it said I could do it - so I did it. It felt great (tho, we'll see how I feel tomorrow!) Happy new year to all! Cathy

Doing better

Wow, congratulations to everybody on pushing through the holidays, cold weather, and everything else. I just read the posts for the last week or so. I loved the picture of the shoe! I always thought it would be funny to show up at a race in one of the those body suits with the hood that the olympic sprinters wear (to cut down wind resistance I guess) and maybe some shoes with flames on them and then jog along real slow (but look serious about it).

V, I can't believe the run times you posted for your five miler--great effort. If I ran as fast as I could down a steep hill, I might run the time you ran for your "cool down " mile. I trust you will follow your training plan just as vigilently when it calls for an "easy run" and let your body recover for the next quality run. Hope you are having/had a blast in Spain.

Angie, congratulations on getting out there. I feel your pain.

I had a pretty good week. I ran 8 miles on Saturday and even ran up the huge hill at the end of my route. We left for Garmisch later that day and I was proud of myself that I took care of the long run before we went. I've been finding so many lame excuses lately. We hiked for 6 hours the next day, up and down a mountain. I was pretty sore, but got out for an easy 10K the next day. I actually got to the gym and put in a treadmill run this week too and I really hate the treadmill. My other run was supposed to be yesterday. It was snowing...I don't know what happened. Bobbi gave me a hard time about it on the phone today so I'm going to make it up tonight and this will be my first full week of actually following my training plan. I did mail in my medical certificate for the Paris Half Marathon today as a display of committment.

Hi all - I'm Cathy, Angie's sister in law. She invited me to join your blog - and I'm so happy she did! I am new to running - just started in September. I think Hal Higdon is a god. I have never run before and I started his 10k training program in September and ran my first 10k the end of October! I just switched to his 15k training program and it is HARD (for me anyway). But, I'm excited about the challenge. I'm running a 15k in February in Florida. I look forward to meeting you all at the Army ten-miler!! And, if any of you have reason to come to New York City, let me know, and we can run together in Central Park!!

Merry Christmas Everybody!

I hope you all had a great day! We are off to Southern Spain for a bit more than a week. I have packed my running clothes with great hopes. Wish me luck and I will check in when I get back. Hane a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Eve!

I did run today and I am very excited about it. I did speed work according to my plan. It is really Monday's workout, but I am not running tomorrow and then we go on vacation, so I thought I would do the hard run.

Mile 1: 8:27
Mile 2: 6:58
Mile 3: 6:48
Mile 4: 6:39
Mile 5: 8:27

I am not fit to live with! I was a bit worried that I would not be able to do this particular plan because of the speed. I am thrilled that I got through this today. Now, I have more confidence and instead of looking ahead, I am just going to focus on one work out at a time and today I am done. I also had a great lift. I did shoulders, legs, and abs.

Time to bake cookies with T for Santa.

For all of you with kids, here is the link to NORAD who tracks the progress of Santa as he makes his way across the world. http://www.noradsanta.org/en/default.php As I type, he has made it to China.

I made it out to run 5 miles. I think I ran faster cause I was cold. I'll have to breakdown and get some tights. I usually just wear my shorts (and a top of course, it would be really cold without a top).


I think I am just going to bite the bullet and buy some winter running clothes.
Hope everyone gets there run in today. I think I'll ice skate tomorrow for my cross train.

Happy Christmas Eve!!!!

I DO NOT want to run. However, the sun is shining and there is no snow outside so I think I'll use Shelley's idea of 10 minutes. By then I'll be 10 minutes away from the house and have to run back. I'll Blog when I get back. I must seize the moment. I can feel the gravitational pull of the couch even as I type. Ciao

I was surfing around the Internet tonight (instead of running) and I found this quote on another blog. Thought it might be inspiring...

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.

It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning a lion wakes up.

It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It does not matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.

When the sun comes up, you better start running.

I did it! I meant to write this morning, but didn't have time. I got up at 6:30, went to the gym, and beat my goal of 4 miles by running 5!! I did the first 4 at a 10 minute pace, then finished at 8:50. I was so thrilled and high on endorphins I was bouncing off the walls! Seriously, I was almost manic. I love that. Maybe I'll take a week off more often.

Weird thing is though, I feel it in my lower back. I have the typical hip joint soreness (thanks to two babies), but the back soreness is new. Guess I need to work on those core exercises a bit more.

I got my mom to take a picture of my shoe, and now she thinks I'm a freak! I don't think the picture does them justice, so just imagine being blinded if you saw them in person. At least Michael Johnson had the talent to back up his obnoxious shoes! Got a big day of shopping tomorrow so I'm off to bed!

OK, first why doesn't anybody comment on my posts?

I did not run today. Instead I went to Nurnburg to the Christmas Market. It was great and I know all of you that have left Germany miss all the sights, smells and tastes of Christmas in Bavaria. Tomorrow we need to do a quick trip to Vilseck for reading material for the Spain trip and then I am entertaining the neighborhood for the eve of Christmas Eve. I don't think I will get any miles in. I am good for the week, but with the holiday and traveling, I don't how I can stay on track this next week. This may be one of those times that I have to give in. If the weather holds, I can probably get a run in Sunday since we won't go to church until evening.

Aura - By all means...I think we will all take support where we can find it. You know how much I think of Jenna. I love the diversity of our group and it is nice to have different perspectives. If they would like to be able to post, just introduce them to us and send me their email so that I can add them to the contributors list.

By the way, my shins are better, but I am really struggling with my ankles. This is new for me. Any ideas? I love that picture of all of us. Who posted it?

YES, I did!

Are you shocked? It's mostly a mental game with me. I told myself yesterday that I was going to run after I read the The Runner's World 8-Week Beginning Runners Training Program yesterday. I also decided that today would be the day I started this because I can't stand looking at my fat stomach flopping over my pants anymore. Even if I can't run 10 miles I'll be happy to loose this extra weight I've been carrying around since Freddie was born.

So I headed out and didn't worry about how I looked. However, I was worried that I would be cold. Not the case today. I had on way too much clothing. (By the way, you would never know a Blizzard blew through this place. I'll have to take some pictures so you can see. To the north from Colorado Springs to Denver is an entirely different story.) I also had my heart rate monitor to play with so my mind stayed occupied.

The first day of this Beginners plan is Run 1 minute and then Walk 2 minutes and do that 10 times. I completed the first 5 times with just about no problems. That took to about 1 mile to complete and about 15 minutes. After about 5 minutes, the pain started to set in with my side. This is the reason I hate running. After 15 minutes (halfway) I could feel my legs were getting wobbly and my chest became tight. The trail that I run is all downhill on the way out and all uphill on the way back. I walked almost the entire way home. I'm not upset that I didn't finish my goal of the day. I just know that I have lots of work before I'm ready for an entire 10 miles. Please don't let me quit! I had talked myself out of doing this about 20 times while running today. Again, I beg you, Please don't let me quit!

On my new plan tomorrow I should walk an "easy walk". Maybe I'll just do the run walk thing again?

I'm doing it for sure tomorrow. Running, that is. I've been so depressed today I'm making everyone around me miserable. I must be running low on endorphins, not to mention a little Seasonal Affective Disorder. This cold, rainy, dreary Indiana weather is killing me! (Sorry for those of you in Germany--you feel my pain daily, I know--been there, done that) My jeans are also a tad bit tighter than I like them. Geez, a few days of eating cookies and the body goes to pot! My dad has some free passes to the gym so I'm going tomorrow morning, 6:30 am. 4 miles minimum, even if I pass out. I'd like to lift too, but I'll see how I feel and how much time I have (we're going to the Children's Museum).

I live on iTunes! Another one I like if I don't mind a bit of bounce in my pace: "Sexbomb" by Tom Jones. Going old school here! And naughty! ;)

Good to hear from you Aura!

I Sorta Ran

Ok, I pick pink for my font color. Shocking, I know! So.....hey y'all!!! Ang- Jake has Gi-normous tonsils, too. But no issues with them. Anyway, running, yea - I was doing really well for a newbie/late bloomer. I was running at least 3 miles straight, then walk/running another 1-2 miles. If you've seen the terrain here at USMA, you'll be impressed enough with that (hello - hills!). And to further impress - my running buddy and I run at 5 am (Ang- no need to worry about fashion that early - still dark and empty!). That was before Thanksgiving. That was then, this is now. I had a physical setback that prevented me from running at all until this week. I'm so sad at how long it takes to build up your endurance and how quickly it can all go to scheisse! On Monday - first day back - I ran a mile, had to stop and walk a bit, then went another 2/3 mile and had to walk the rest of the 1/3 mile when we quit. We had been running every weekday, but I wanted to ease back into it, so didn't run again until yesterday (Wed.). I actually managed to do worse!! I had pain, so we headed to Stony hill, which is a challenge just to walk up. I couldn't sustain a run for long at all. It's all very depressing. I was really excited and proud of where I was at. Ryan and I have talked about running during our trip to OK (leave tomorrow), but I need some moral support from you guys, for sure! 'Tis the Season to be lazy, fah-la-la-la-lah...
As a footnote - I plan to train up for the 10-miler, but have parallel plans to round out the Keating Krew in 2007, so we'll see how it goes. I can at least be a cheerleader, but am an active participant for now. Looking up my plan, now. If it says I'm supposed to run 8 miles, I'll just cry!

Angie, there are big advantages to some of the new fabrics and with the cold/dry weather of CO, you will be much more confortable. Look for dry weave, cool max. It doesn't have to be expensive. Look at www.OneMoreMile.com. Bobbi and I also found great shorts at Race Ready. They are for distance (lots of back pockets), but they are really comfortable and the pockets are nice for keys, ID, phone. The cool thing is that they come in various inseam lengths as well as cool patterns. They also have some great inexpensive base shirts and tanks.

www.raceready.com

I did run today. I ran 8 miles at 8:27 pace. Exactly what my new plan required. I so love to follow the rules. I am a bit concerned. At mile 6, I felt shin splints. I haven't fought them in a long while. I will ice tonight, at least my miles are finished for the week. I like my new plan. I actually have 3 versions of my new plan. One is to run a 1:40 in Paris, the next one is a 1:37:30 and the last one is 1:35. I realize this is ridiculous, but I want to place in the top 100 women. A 1:40 should do that. A 1:35 will make me competitive for the top 50. Can you believe that last year 50 women came in within 5 minutes?

E, I know what you mean about vacation and training. We leave on Tuesday and I always struggle with this. I want to take advantage of the vacation and rest, but I hate to "come back." I would rather maintain something to avoid that first run after a break. The weather in Spain should be pretty good and I did find a few hotels with gyms. I always hesitate to take off on an outside run in another country without P and these days, he does not do the distance or the pace that I do.

I love that Bobbi and Angie posted in a different color. What a great idea. Bobbi and I were discussing the blog today and agreed that we need to post a song list. I added "Kerosene" on the advise of E. Not only do I love it, I think about her every time I hear it. I will look for her latest recommendation. Does everyone do Itunes?

Angie, thanks for the update on the blizzard. I have friends closer to Denver that got hit pretty hard. Our doctor said the same thing about Tanner's tonsils. They don't seem to bother him, just Ian when they share a hotel room. Ha!

Here is some info on heart rates and running:
http://www.coachr.org/heart_rate_training_for_improved.htm
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267--1039-0,00.html

Does anyone have the "formula" for figuring out what my heart rate should be while working out? I suppose I could just look it up on the Internet if no one knows. I still have my heart rate monitor from when I was running while Fred was in Iraq. I'll have to dig it out and dust it off.

Also, I shopped online last night for treadmills on the AAFES.com site. If Santa doesn't bring me one, at least I know which one I want. There are several boxes for me under the tree that look like clothes. Hopefully they are running stuff.

E, I'm actually not into expensive clothes and I'm like you where I don't like to try things on in the store. I get overwhelmed shopping in stores...too many choices. So, I'm very happy having someone give me gifts. I also promise not to be concerned with what anyone else is wearing. Clothing is my own insecurity. My problem with my current running wardrobe is they are all left over from before I was pregnant. I'm embarrassed to wear faded, old, too tight clothes. I'm worried my flabby butt is sticking out! It's only funny because we only know a handful of people here so even if someone did see me looking so drab they wouldn't know who I am anyway!

We survived the Blizzard yesterday and El Paso County has been declared a disaster area. We mostly got some pretty scary winds and just a dusting of snow. We couldn't open the front door because the snow had "drifted" along the front of the house. The northern part of the county got 2.5 - 4 feet!!! We're a little disappointed that we didn't get more snow here. I'd love to take the boys sledding!

The doctor says Vincent's tonsils are fine. She says children have to "grow into" their tonsils and since they're not infected or bothering him, they do not need to come out.

And that's all folks!

Ugh! I hate trying to maintain my training schedule on vacation. I ran Tuesday, but only 2 miles since it was in the mid-20s. Today it's warmer, but raining. We're going ice skating. I'll call that cross training. I did do some yoga strength exercises last night while watching "Christmas Vacation", so all is not lost! I should just go with my brother to his gym, but they want to charge me $10 and you know how cheap I am! The idea of paying to run just kills me!

Angie--I'm afraid I'm going to embarrass you when we start running together because I rarely match. I don't usually enjoy shopping, so I just grab the first thing I see (am I really a girl?!). I don't think you need a cute outfit--you just need some good music!

My new favorite running song: "Remember the Name" by Fort Minor. Yeah, I know it's rap, but it's got a fast, strong beat and the chorus is great:

10% luck,
20% skill,
15% concentrated power of will,
5% pleasure,
and 50% pain,
and 100% reason to remember the name.

Really gets me up those hills!

Trying to make a comeback

Hi everyone, I'm Shelley. I too was blog challenged yesterday. Thanks for including me in the group. I think some peer pressure might be exactly what I need to get out of this slump I've been in lately. I've run off and on my whole life. I'm a plodder and I run mostly to relax and clear my head and just to be outside. Also, I am way too uncoordinated to do things like jazzercise or step. You do not want to be next to me in one of those classes. A few years ago someone convinced me to join a marathon club. My longest run in years at that point was maybe six miles. Club members train on thier own during the week but get together on Saturdays for long runs. The club marks the course and puts out water/food. Everyone runs the course at his/her own pace but people hang around waiting for others. The exprienced marathoners help the virgins (things like where to get cool running clothes!). I doubt I would have made it to the marathon without the support and frankly the group pressure to be there every Saturday. These people had cell phones and weren't afraid to use them. We did the Dublin marathon. It was painful, yes, but so much fun. I was hooked. I kept training and started running one right after the other. I got to where I didn't feel right without my daily run. I dropped weight but ate whatever I wanted. I felt so energetic. I said I would NEVER get out of shape again. Then my job required me to move to Hohenfels, I was working long hours, I lived in a hotel for 45 days, I had an injury...blah, blah, blah. Now it is ten pounds later and I feel out of shape and yuck. I'm mad at myself. I turn 40 in March and I don't want to do it like this. I've been running again for about two weeks. Okay...maybe jogging slowly is a better description. My biggest challenge right now is getting out the door. I've gone back to my old strategy of telling myself I have to go out for ten minutes. If I still don't feel like it, I can quit then. Once I get going I am always fine. So that is where I am at. I'm looking forward to the drawing from the group energy and/or being ruthlessly hounded when I post some lame excuse for not running. Thanks again for including me.

OH YES!!!! I ran today:)

Hello All,

I had looked at the blog yesterday. However, I was Blog challenged and had to wait until V gave me remedial Blog 101.

Angie, I so know what you mean about Colorado and the "correct outfit". Lived there, Denver and Colorado Springs for several years. Even though I don't suffer from "fashion sense" I did feel pressure to wear a matching outfit. Even now I prefer to match. I usually don't. It is Germany:)

My Goals. Run the Semi-marathon in Paris on my next birthday (March). I would like to run it in 2hours 15 minutes. I pride myself in being the fastest slow motion runner alive. There is a lot to be said about the People that run my pace. We have a good time and are not as competitive as those a bit faster.

I have run a marathon and plan to run another one in Dublin, late October. My goal with the Dublin race is to not to stop and use the bathroom 5 times. I'll have to work on my hydration training.

The Army 10 miler will fit well into my training schedule.

More later...

I did run today. I did the 4 miles required of my new plan. That's right, I found a plan. My new friend, Shelley (you guys will meet her soon) suggested that I go to Runner's World site and check out their new tool the "Smart Coach." This feature is too cool. You just fill in the field with the time you would like to train for, the distance of the run, your desired work effort and so forth and it creates not only a distance plan, but it also tells you the pace to run those miles. It also has a feature for new runners. So, I added the link to the side panel.

I have invited 2 of my friends from here to participate in our little support group. I know you will love both of them as much as I do. They will be great assets to our group.

Bobbi is my office mate at the Ed Center. We have worked together for over a year now. Bobbi has always been a huge support to me. She agreed to go with me to Prague for my first marathon. At the time, she had just completed the Box Run 10K. She decided to sign up for the 8K race in Prague, which was held the day before the marathon. She did great in her own run and was an amazing friend for my race. Not everyone will slick up your arm pits with Body Glide so you don't get rash. She also took my shoes off when I finished because I was so sore I couldn't do it. It was during my marathon that Bobbi decided to train for one herself. We traveled to Berlin in September for one of the biggest marathons in the world. It was a fabulous weekend. Bobbi and I both finished strong. I will her tell you her next goals.

Shelley is new to the Ed Center. She is a distance runner with several marathons to her credit and she recently finished an ultra marathon at 50 miles! I know that sounds so intimidating, however she is anything but. With her experience, she can offer us a lot. I have also learned that she, herself is in need of some accountability.

Tomorrow morning is spin class. Wish me luck!

Well, I sorta have a plan. Is just get out there and do it, a plan? You know I'm the girl with all the excuses so you'll have to keep me from doing that too much. As of yesterday, I've been forbidden to even shop for treadmills and/or running clothes. I guess that means Santa may be involved.

I'm jealous because Fred has been able to run everyday this week. I so wish he and I could run together. Did I tell you that Fred ran the Army 10 miler every year he was in college (92-96). He can teach me quite a bit and I'm willing to learn. I'm also planning on asking my sister in law, Cathy if she wants to run with me. She recently finished a 10K sponsored by the Marine Corp in Washington DC. I'm going to call her today to see what she thinks of the idea.

So why am I dragging my feet? I'm sure it's the clothes. I know, I know, it sounds so childish. I really have nothing to wear in this frigid Colorado weather and we're under another winter storm warning today. Fred tells me to just wear sweat pants but, V, I'm sure you will understand the caliber of wives I'm competing with on the trails here. I just can't look too much like a rookie. Everyone is dressed when they run in the most expensive running gear and they're always pushing their $600 REI Chariot jogging strollers. I have no idea why this bothers me. (V, do you have the link for that racing stroller you told me about? Maybe we could add that to the side bar).

So anyway, no I'm probably not going to run today. Today, I will be taking Vincent to the doctor to have his tonsils checked out. We noticed over the weekend that they were swollen so much they are almost blocking his airway. Probably why he snores so much. Why he won't eat. Why he's so small. Hopefully, our doctor will just say they need to come out. And tomorrow both the big boys have dentist appointments. And on Wednesday, my soldier, is going pheasant hunting.

I will make time for this. That's my plan!

(p.s. I added the site meter to the side bar. You can click on the numbers and it will take you to the site meter page. Site meter will tell you who's on, who's been on, where they are from, where they came from...etc. If you'd like to change the way it looks, just let me know and I'll email you the password.)

I did run today and I ran yesterday as well. I knew that I was feeling the blahs, so I needed to run more than ever. I ran a slow 5 and then went to the commissary. That was a good choice, because otherwise I would have bought nothing but comfort food.

Today I did 5 miles of intervals. Warm up for 1/2 mile and then sprint for 1/4 mile and recover for a 1/4 mile. My last interval was at a 6 minute pace. Not bad. I also got a great lift in before I had to get ready for the boss' Christmas Party.

I realized yesterday that I have exactly 12 weeks before the Paris Half Marathon. That is pretty motivating to train. I really want to do well in this race and I am going to have to work hard to do that.

Beth, I sure wish I had some of your weather so I didn't have to train on the treadmill. Christy are you well enough to start running again? Angie, thanks for the help with the links. Have you got a plan yet? Need help? Find a new outfit yet? By the way, I totally understand that philosophy. I was thrilled to find a new sports bra in our own PX last week (bright pink with funky swirls).

Happy Weekend! P left again for a TDY trip, his 3rd this month. The weather is cold and grey, the house is a mess and we have no food. Needless to say, I don't want to run. I am struggling to come up with a weekly training plan. My goal today is to sit down with the various fitness magazines I bought this month and decide on something.

I really enjoyed the spin class this past week. It was hard, but I was able to keep up and it challenges me in a different way. I think my goal mileage is 20-25 per week. The problem is figuring out how to do those miles. I like to run fast. Running is not so boring if I run fast. I also enjoy intervals, but these things wear down the body too much if you do it too often. The long run is important, but it is so boring for me. I would pay someone to run with me on long days, just so I could have someone to talk to. Training for the marathons almost killed me, not because the training was difficult, but because I spent too many hours alone running. A person could loose their mind with that much time to think.

Clearly, the winter blahs are here. That usually means that I should make running today a priority. I did manage to do some work on the blog. What other info do you guys want on here? I thought I would look for some articles on training, shoes, injuries, etc. Your thought? V

I did run Friday. I did a quick 3 and lifted that morning. I finished 18 miles this week and I picked up a spin class. I liked the class and I will try to do it once a week. It is a great way to crosstrain during the winter. We had a ball Friday night and P took the day off (a rareity). We had a lot of fun tonight. Our days are numbered in this community and we treasure the time we have.

Ok, I'm in....I can do it, I think?....at least I know i can do 2 miles. Can't wait to see where this takes me! BUT I'm not running until I get some cute new clothes. I plan to get started after the first of the new year. Fred will be off work for his PCS leave starting January 2nd, so childcare shouldn't be an issue for awhile.
Smiles,
Angie

Yes, I did run today! 4+ miles, and I felt great! I wanted to go further, but didn't have time. Of course, this was on the treadmill, so no hills or wind. I've been lifting more lately until I get over this anemia, and I think it has really helped me. I felt strong the entire run, instead of dragging.

I desperately need some running buddies so I'm glad V started this. As of now, my goal is to run the ATM, not race it. I do have a tiny competitive streak in me though, so we'll see what happens. I know I won't even make the top 500 women though, so my motivation to race is lower. Just want to have fun with the girls!

Ok guys,
I am so thrilled to hear that each of you will consider training and running this race with me. I have started a blog for us. I set it up so that the authors are me, Angie, Beth, Aura, Christy, Heidi, and Patti (I am holding out hope that you will be Stateside). By no means do I expect us to limit our group, unless that is what you want. I have at least 2 more friends from Germany that would like to join, but we can have that discussion. I am not sure what vision I have here. With all of us scattered all over the world, I thought it would be a great way to share training highs and lows, support for each of our goals and challenges, great ideas, frustrations etc. It always helps me to be accountable to someone. We have plenty of time to play with this before we have to make real decisions. I would love to hear your thoughts. V