Vacation Here I Come...

I am dropping off the grid and landing in beautiful Ormond-by-the-Sea for a week.

My marathon training for the Chicago Marathon will continue while I'm gone, but the rest of my time will be spent resting, relaxing and focusing on my family.



See you next week.

You Got Me! I'm It.

Jade Lady tagged me, so check out my answers.


1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

15 years ago I ran a lot. I wasn't into to tracking my miles or listening to music, I mean come on, Walkmans were HUGE compared to today's standard. I found that it was a way to maintain my sanity right after a break-up. (So, we got back together and we've been married for more than 14 years...) But eventually the running tapered off and eventually disappeared. 10 years ago I wasn't running in June, but in November I ran my first official 5K. With one week of training I made it to the finish line in 40:07. I must have kept at it, because the next January I ran my next 5K in 34:36 and a week later my 3rd 5K was 30:49.

Eventually the running went away again. There were several cameo appearances over the next or so years. And now with almost 3 years since the return of running to my life, I can't imagine my life without it.


2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?

My best race experience was the 2008 Women Run the World 15K at Disney World. I was preparing myself for a not so great race because I was coming down with a cold. I ran the first part of the race conservatively and turned it up the second half. I finished in 1:28:02 a 9:26 pace and I took 7:06 off my PR and course record.

I don't know that there has been a "worst" experience. Every race, and every run is a learning experience. I've learned things like:

Cotton is not your friend.

It's easier to run in cooler temperatures.

I can't control the weather.

Sometimes it's just not your day.

It sucks when you realize it's not your day at mile 3 of a half marathon.

3. Why do you run?

There are so many reasons why I run. I started running again to lose weight. I had fallen into some unhealthy habits and I wasn't exercising at all. I had also registered to run the 2006 Walt Disney World Half Marathon, so I knew I needed to train for it.

I also run to show my kids that you can do anything you put your mind to. And to set the example that exercising and being fit (or the quest to be fit) is important.

I like that running gives me energy clears my mind and just makes me feel good. My new favorite saying that I stole from a Nike commercial sums up how running makes me feel. "I got strong all day". And I think it's true.


4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?

I have gotten a lot of advice. My favorite piece of advice comes from my friend David. It's so simple but so easily forgotten sometimes, so it's nice to be reminded - "Listen to your body".

I don't know that I have gotten any bad advice. If it was bad advice, it was meant with the best intention and I probably politely listened and then filtered it out. Someone, who is portly, to say the least, told me they could never run because of what it does to your toenails - and this person loves her pedicures and my feet were disgusting. I bit my tongue and refrained from saying that I would rather be thin and fit with jacked up toenails that be a hog-body. Damn manners...



5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

This is always the hardest question. And over the past few years I have been tagged a few times and I feel like I'm running of surprising facts to share.

I don't like grasshoppers. One of my long run routes is covered with grasshoppers in the morning. There is a chain link fence and sometimes it is covered with them. Like the fence is black with grasshoppers instead of the silver color it should be.

There are also these yellow and black grasshoppers on the ground that look like they have escaped from a mad scientist lab.


It goes without saying, I didn't take this picture.

They're huge and really scary. I am always so afraid that one of those is going to jump on me. If that ever happens I would freakin' scream like a girl!


I'm not going to tag anyone this time around, but if you would like to play, then please consider yourself tagged.

1. Copy the rules (or your version of them), and the set of questions onto your blog post, provide your own answers, and then tag 5 new people.

2. Be sure that everyone tagged knows they have been invited to play, go to their blogs and leave them a special comment letting them know, and refer them to your blog for details.


3. Once they've answered the questions on their own blog, they should come back to yours to tell you.

An Awkward Conversation

A few weeks ago, I ordered a few items from SwimOutlet.com. A few days later I mentioned my purchase to my mother-in law.

A little background...

My in-laws live next door to us

My mother-in-law wears hearing aids, but we were in the pool during this conversation so she had a little trouble hearing me.

I think she had a few drinky-poos on an empty stomach

.

Me: I ordered a pull buoy.

Mother-In-Law: You're getting a pool boy?

Me: No, no, P-U-L-L B-U-O-Y

Mother-In-Law: Oh. I was going to ask that you let me know when he was coming so I could get out the binoculars.

She was clearly disappointed.

Mother-In-Law: What's a pull buoy?

Me: It's like a piece of foam that you put between your legs to help you focus on your stroke.

Mother-In-Law: Wow! That sounds better than the pool boy. I want one!

And she wasn't talking about needing one for swimming.

Oh, my! Uncomfortable.

All I was thinking was - Change the subject, change the subject!

A few minutes later, my husband came up and I relayed the conversation to him. He was horrified. He said "Why would you tell me that?"

"Dude, I had to share the pain with you. I couldn't keep that all to myself..."

Awkward.

SwimOutlet.com sent my order - They must have walked it across the country. I finally get my stuff on Friday. It seems like it took a long time.

The plan is to include some swimming as cross training as I prepare for the Chicago Marathon.

I'll let you know how it goes.

A Little Bit Of Pain

Training for Chicago officially begins on Monday. I'm not really expecting a whole lot of changes right off the bat. The mileage is pretty consistent with my base, the only difference is that this is regimented and not whatever I feel like.

Earlier this week my right hip started bothering me again. It hasn't been a problem and I don't know what to attribute the pain to. Yoga on Tuesday definitely helped, but it's still bothering me a little.

I opted out of running yesterday and I rode my bike for 40 minutes. I was shooting for an hour, but I had things that needed to get done around the house.


So sinister, like my aggravated hip...

My hip is feeling better, but it's still a little sore. This sort of pain usually starts when I need new shoes. My Nike Structure Triax+ 11's have 235 miles on them. I should get another 100 miles out of them. I do have my next pair, back to the Nike Structure Triax+ 10 - I got a screamin' deal on the Nike site, including free shipping - so I bought two pair and probably saved $40 - $50. Is it time to add a new pair to the mix and alternate between the 11's and the 10's?

Answers and Updates

My last post got a few questions. I thought I would take a minute and provide the answers:

Jade Lady asked what made me decide to try yoga and what kind I'm doing.

I decided to try yoga for a few reasons:

I am not very good at stretching and I thought it might help.

POM has had some great success with racing after some yoga.

I tried some videos years ago and I liked it, but I never knew if I was doing it right, so I thought if I was in front of a teacher who would correct me, it couldn't hurt.

The class I'm taking is Prem Yoga. It's similar to Kripalu Yoga.

Debbie's doctor wants her to do some yoga, but she is worried about embarrassing herself. I say just do it. You'll feel so good at the end of the class! And, you'll be more bendy!

Charlie asked if I felt that biking was a good compliment to the running program.

I really do think it's a good compliment to running. It's so much easier when you're in shape and you're not worn out right off the bat. I have a bike trainer, so my biking has been done in the comfort of my living room after the kids go to sleep.

On a side note, between my treadmill running and my indoor biking, I promise I am not agoraphobic. Sometimes, you have to do whatever it takes to get those workouts in.


May was another record mileage month for me with 145.28 miles. I continue to feel good and I'm looking forward to getting official training underway next week.

My run today put me just over 500 miles for the year.



I was especially happy about reaching the milestone on June 2nd. My goal for the year was 100 miles per month. In February, due to a hectic work schedule and the flu, I logged 16.13 miles for the entire month. Even so, I seem to be just two days off of my original goal.

Vacation Plan

I am excited about our upcoming summer vacation. The second week of marathon training I will be in Ormond-by-the-Sea. We are renting a condo about a mile from where I lived from the time I was 12 until I was almost 17 when my family moved to Orlando. My plan?

Early morning runs on the beach.

Eat well. With a full kitchen, and a grocery store less than a mile a way, what's stopping me?

Relax.

Read a book. Maybe one that Running Geezer recommended.

Not work.

Did I mention, relax?