Um, my new running shoes, which will eventually go on a run. To be fair, I haven't had them very long at all!
Date: December 28, 2008.
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
366 Pictures: #179 Commitment
366 Pictures, Running, Things I LoveUm, my new running shoes, which will eventually go on a run. To be fair, I haven't had them very long at all!
Date: December 28, 2008.
366 Pictures: #156 Health
366 Pictures, Half-Marathon, Running
The latest edition of Women's Running. It has the perfect article for me this month: "Half-Marathon Training for Busy Women."
Date: December 18, 2008.
366 Pictures: 155 Calendar
366 Pictures, Running
My 2008 Runner's World calendar.
Date: August 3, 2008.
It's Official . . .
Running
I am officially in as a registrant of the Peachtree Road Race! The Atlanta Track Club has cashed my check, which means I'm in. This is the 10K held every year on July 4. The mileage should be no problem, seeing as how I just ran 13 and will quite possibly be training for a marathon. I know, I know! After the race I said the 13.1 was my limit . . . but I might have changed my mind. (More on that in the next couple of days.)
The blisters are healing finally! I'm itching to run but am afraid of pestering my blisters even further. So, I shall wait.
The blisters are healing finally! I'm itching to run but am afraid of pestering my blisters even further. So, I shall wait.
I Took a Tumble . . .
Half-Marathon, Running
Today is the day I finally get to blog about the ING Half-Marathon. There is good and there is bad.
I woke up at 5:00 a.m., wide awake and excited. I took MARTA from the Lindbergh Station to Underground for the start of the race. I was one of many runners stuck on MARTA for about 15 minutes. We never did figure out why we were stopped and other trains, with runners, were passing us. (We did hear something about an item being on the tracks, blocking us, but I'm not sure.) So, we get to the Five Points station a few minutes before 7:00 a.m. I decided to use the bathroom there, and of course, there was a line. I wasn't too worried about the time since I knew there wasn't a corralled or wave start. It would take 20 minutes for all the runners to cross anyway. I officially crossed at 7:17 a.m. My Garmin was unable to locate a satellite for the first mile due to the buildings downtown. I checked my time at Mile 1 and noticed that I had a satellite signal.
The first couple of miles went great. I felt energized and was keeping a steady pace. (Most of you who read this blog know that I'm a slow runner, that's just me. I have to really push to break a 10 minute mile.) Just before Mile 3, I was cut off by another runner (not intentionally) and as I tried to keep from hitting them I tripped over a round speed disc in the road. I scratched up my knees and hands really good, and put quite a bruise on my left knee. See pictorial evidence below:
During the fall, I also busted up my pretty Garmin GPS watch. It would turn on and keep time, but wouldn't locate satellites. I stopped at the first medical tent to let them swab my hands and knees with alcohol. I even had an Atlanta Police officer stop me to make sure I knew I was bleeding. I'm telling you, I was wearing the blood, scrapes and bruise like a badge of honor, because I kept going.
The runner who won the marathon passed me just after the marathon Mile 18. That was very cool! I was also able to cheer for the lead women marathoners while I stood in line at a porta-potty. (Hey! I was having fun with my run, I wasn't trying to break any kind of record. Besides, I stopped my watch, so I know what my actual time was.) The potty break was at Mile 7 (I never saw a sign, but the volunteers around that area had shirts that said "You only have a 10K left!"
I stopped again at the medical tent around mile 21 (I think?), it was the tent right off the turn at Ponce De Leon. I wanted to have my hands swabbed again since I had been inside a nasty porta-potty. Unfortunately, the guy in the tent spotted the knot and swelling around my left knee and had me ice it. He was very sweet about it though, because he could tell I didn't want to stop. One thing he said made me feel good. He told me I looked good and fresh compared to some of the runners they'd had come in. After icing my knee for about 10 minutes, he cleared me to go with instructions to stop running if my knee started to swell again or I felt any sharp twinges of pain. So, off again I went a runnin'!
The hill up 14th Street was a killer, which I have no shame in admitting that I walked up. This was around Mile 11-12. By this time, I realized I had lots of blisters on my feet, in all the places that the Body Glide didn't get, and they were so painful! I also walked the longer hills on Peachtree, part from the blisters and part from wearing down in the heat. It was 80 degrees at my finish. Once I saw the finish line, I was amazed at the burst of energy that I felt. I had always heard that you get a rush when you see the finish line, but didn't expect it. It was so neat to run across the finish line and then get my medal!
The cheering zones that were set up around the course were great. I loved that our first names were on the bib numbers because going through those zones you'd have random people yelling your name and cheering you on. That was great for me! I was also excited to see a friend of mine cheering the runners on around Mile 3-4. I ran over and hugged her! I think my only complaints as far as race set-up were the mile markers and water stops. I would have rather seen mile markers every 3 miles, and I really only saw two medical tents (but could've missed some). Only the very first water stop had Powerade, this was somewhere around Little Five Points b/c I had both Powerade and water around there. All the rest were just water. Thankfully, I had a big bottle of Gatorade in my fuel belt, along with two bags of Sport Beans. I will swear by Sports Beans for every long run -- they worked great!
After the finish, I felt completely exhausted! My feet were killing me and honestly, the only thought in my head was, "Why did I sign up to do another one of these next month?" I got some water and food and made my way to the chip removal spot. I wanted to meet up with the TrainStrong group, but my feet hurt so bad that I just walked to MARTA and went back to my car.
Once I got home, I was so afraid to take off my shoes! I was worried about what they'd look like. I knew they'd be blistered, but I was really hoping they wouldn't be blue! I counted 12 blisters, total, 6 on each foot. Here they are as of last night:
Honestly, this is the funniest picture to me! I can't look at it and not start giggling. Today, the blisters are covered in gel band-aids made especially for blisters, which are wonderful! They're feeling much better today!
So, today, I'm kinda itching to run! How funny is that? All in all, I'm happy that I did it. I'm very proud of myself for finishing the race. This time last year, I couldn't run a full mile, and I just did a half-marathon! How cool is that?
I woke up at 5:00 a.m., wide awake and excited. I took MARTA from the Lindbergh Station to Underground for the start of the race. I was one of many runners stuck on MARTA for about 15 minutes. We never did figure out why we were stopped and other trains, with runners, were passing us. (We did hear something about an item being on the tracks, blocking us, but I'm not sure.) So, we get to the Five Points station a few minutes before 7:00 a.m. I decided to use the bathroom there, and of course, there was a line. I wasn't too worried about the time since I knew there wasn't a corralled or wave start. It would take 20 minutes for all the runners to cross anyway. I officially crossed at 7:17 a.m. My Garmin was unable to locate a satellite for the first mile due to the buildings downtown. I checked my time at Mile 1 and noticed that I had a satellite signal.
The first couple of miles went great. I felt energized and was keeping a steady pace. (Most of you who read this blog know that I'm a slow runner, that's just me. I have to really push to break a 10 minute mile.) Just before Mile 3, I was cut off by another runner (not intentionally) and as I tried to keep from hitting them I tripped over a round speed disc in the road. I scratched up my knees and hands really good, and put quite a bruise on my left knee. See pictorial evidence below:
During the fall, I also busted up my pretty Garmin GPS watch. It would turn on and keep time, but wouldn't locate satellites. I stopped at the first medical tent to let them swab my hands and knees with alcohol. I even had an Atlanta Police officer stop me to make sure I knew I was bleeding. I'm telling you, I was wearing the blood, scrapes and bruise like a badge of honor, because I kept going.
The runner who won the marathon passed me just after the marathon Mile 18. That was very cool! I was also able to cheer for the lead women marathoners while I stood in line at a porta-potty. (Hey! I was having fun with my run, I wasn't trying to break any kind of record. Besides, I stopped my watch, so I know what my actual time was.) The potty break was at Mile 7 (I never saw a sign, but the volunteers around that area had shirts that said "You only have a 10K left!"
I stopped again at the medical tent around mile 21 (I think?), it was the tent right off the turn at Ponce De Leon. I wanted to have my hands swabbed again since I had been inside a nasty porta-potty. Unfortunately, the guy in the tent spotted the knot and swelling around my left knee and had me ice it. He was very sweet about it though, because he could tell I didn't want to stop. One thing he said made me feel good. He told me I looked good and fresh compared to some of the runners they'd had come in. After icing my knee for about 10 minutes, he cleared me to go with instructions to stop running if my knee started to swell again or I felt any sharp twinges of pain. So, off again I went a runnin'!
The hill up 14th Street was a killer, which I have no shame in admitting that I walked up. This was around Mile 11-12. By this time, I realized I had lots of blisters on my feet, in all the places that the Body Glide didn't get, and they were so painful! I also walked the longer hills on Peachtree, part from the blisters and part from wearing down in the heat. It was 80 degrees at my finish. Once I saw the finish line, I was amazed at the burst of energy that I felt. I had always heard that you get a rush when you see the finish line, but didn't expect it. It was so neat to run across the finish line and then get my medal!
The cheering zones that were set up around the course were great. I loved that our first names were on the bib numbers because going through those zones you'd have random people yelling your name and cheering you on. That was great for me! I was also excited to see a friend of mine cheering the runners on around Mile 3-4. I ran over and hugged her! I think my only complaints as far as race set-up were the mile markers and water stops. I would have rather seen mile markers every 3 miles, and I really only saw two medical tents (but could've missed some). Only the very first water stop had Powerade, this was somewhere around Little Five Points b/c I had both Powerade and water around there. All the rest were just water. Thankfully, I had a big bottle of Gatorade in my fuel belt, along with two bags of Sport Beans. I will swear by Sports Beans for every long run -- they worked great!
After the finish, I felt completely exhausted! My feet were killing me and honestly, the only thought in my head was, "Why did I sign up to do another one of these next month?" I got some water and food and made my way to the chip removal spot. I wanted to meet up with the TrainStrong group, but my feet hurt so bad that I just walked to MARTA and went back to my car.
Once I got home, I was so afraid to take off my shoes! I was worried about what they'd look like. I knew they'd be blistered, but I was really hoping they wouldn't be blue! I counted 12 blisters, total, 6 on each foot. Here they are as of last night:
Honestly, this is the funniest picture to me! I can't look at it and not start giggling. Today, the blisters are covered in gel band-aids made especially for blisters, which are wonderful! They're feeling much better today!
So, today, I'm kinda itching to run! How funny is that? All in all, I'm happy that I did it. I'm very proud of myself for finishing the race. This time last year, I couldn't run a full mile, and I just did a half-marathon! How cool is that?
Peachtree Road Race . . .
Food, Half-Marathon, Running
So, today is the day the application for Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race comes out. I snatched up my paper very early this morning to prevent anyone from stealing it! (It happens in apartment complexes!) My application is completed, a copy of my passport is ready to go, along with my entry fee. I'll put it in the mail first thing tomorrow morning.
For those of you unfamiliar, the P'tree Road Race 10K is very competitive in Atlanta. It's capped at 55,000 runners. They automatically accept the first 45,000 entries they receive and then randomly select 10,000 more from all the applications. The first year I applied, I got a number, but ended up not being able to run and gave it to a friend. The second year, I didn't get in. The race is held the morning of July 4, you know, when it's miserably humid in the city of Atlanta! I'll keep you updated -- I should know within a couple of weeks if I'm in.
Yesterday, my Will and I headed to Nuevo Laredo for some yummy Mexican food. Their lobster tacos are the best! Afterwards, we drove around the city a bit. We stopped at a couple of little neighborhood stores, grabbed some coffee, and checked out Park Tavern's St. Patrick's Day event. It was a beautiful day, but quite cool. Afterwards, we went back to his place and watched some of Shortbus. We'd seen it at the Landmark Theater during its run and it's good, very graphic, but good. Anyway, we checked out of some of the special features and what not.
Today I plan to get through four days worth of newspaper! I got behind this week. I also have several movies that I need to watch, one being, An Inconvenient Truth.
Next Sunday is the ING Georgia Marathon/Half-Marathon. I'm telling you all right now, with no shame, that my time is going to be horrible! My longest training run is about 8 miles. I had three weekends within the last month where I haven't been able to run, plus having some sinus issues that kept me heavily medicated! So, I'm sure I'll be walking a decent portion of the race. I figure, as long as I finish, and do not get picked up by the sweeper bus, I'll be happy. Surely I can do it in 6 hours! Plus, I have another one the end of April. That one will be much better.
For those of you unfamiliar, the P'tree Road Race 10K is very competitive in Atlanta. It's capped at 55,000 runners. They automatically accept the first 45,000 entries they receive and then randomly select 10,000 more from all the applications. The first year I applied, I got a number, but ended up not being able to run and gave it to a friend. The second year, I didn't get in. The race is held the morning of July 4, you know, when it's miserably humid in the city of Atlanta! I'll keep you updated -- I should know within a couple of weeks if I'm in.
Yesterday, my Will and I headed to Nuevo Laredo for some yummy Mexican food. Their lobster tacos are the best! Afterwards, we drove around the city a bit. We stopped at a couple of little neighborhood stores, grabbed some coffee, and checked out Park Tavern's St. Patrick's Day event. It was a beautiful day, but quite cool. Afterwards, we went back to his place and watched some of Shortbus. We'd seen it at the Landmark Theater during its run and it's good, very graphic, but good. Anyway, we checked out of some of the special features and what not.
Today I plan to get through four days worth of newspaper! I got behind this week. I also have several movies that I need to watch, one being, An Inconvenient Truth.
Next Sunday is the ING Georgia Marathon/Half-Marathon. I'm telling you all right now, with no shame, that my time is going to be horrible! My longest training run is about 8 miles. I had three weekends within the last month where I haven't been able to run, plus having some sinus issues that kept me heavily medicated! So, I'm sure I'll be walking a decent portion of the race. I figure, as long as I finish, and do not get picked up by the sweeper bus, I'll be happy. Surely I can do it in 6 hours! Plus, I have another one the end of April. That one will be much better.
My New Shoes . . .
Running
Yesterday I went to Big Peach Running Co. for some new shoes. My Nike's are beat from camp. Anyhow, Big Peach offers video gait analysis. They put you in a pair of running shoes and record you running on a treadmill. When you review the video with them, you find out whether you over or under pronate (where your feet roll in or out too much during your strides), or whether you have a neutral gait. This helps in your shoe selection because you are able to purchase a shoe which properly supports your individual feet. I learned that I over pronate (my feel roll in) just a little bit. Other than that, everything about my foot is pretty normal! I've never worn Asics before, so I'm anxious to see how they do during my runs and at camp. I'm also hopeful they will help with my shin splits. I should have close to a netrual gait and therefore proper alignment when I run. I don't like that the shoes are so white, so I look forward to getting them dirty this week!I also bought some Jelly Belly Sport Beans in orange and blueberry, and picked up November "Runner's World" magazine. Now, I get to stare at another handsome athlete for the next 30 days. Last month was Dean Karnazes and this month it's Lance Armstrong! Speaking of Dean, he ran marathon 22 of 50 today and ran the marathon course in 3:20:04, which is his fastest time so far. You'd think running a marathon every single day would tire your body and you'd run slower, but evidently not!
I think Shannon and I are going to hang out later today. I'm trying to catch up on the shows I Tivo'd this past week. I only have "Nip/Tuck" and "The Nine" left to watch. I am really enjoying "Heroes", "Ugly Betty", and "Dexter". Although, I've been told that "The Nine" will be my favorite. It's supposed to be really good.
Ouch . . .
Red Sox, Running
I've had a pretty good weekend. I've been all on my own, which has been nice.
Yesterday I watched baseball and football. Boston took one game from the Yankees, and then gave up the second one. They play another doubleheader today. Tennessee lost to Florida by 1 measly point! I was yelling at my television throughout that game so much I was hoarse!
Today, I went for a run. I went over to Lovett since I wouldn't have to deal with any traffic and it's a pretty campus. I ran 2 miles, if I mapped it out right, in 18:36. However, I had a negative split, running the second mile in 9:06, 12 seconds faster than the first. I'm not sure how that happened at all! On my way back, I was running across a wooden bridge which crosses the Chattahoochee River when I fell. I'm not sure if I tripped or if my left ankle gave out on me. I landed directly on my right knee. I was able to finish the run (and get a faster time)! My ankle's a little tight, but not swollen. My knee doesn't hurt but looks as if I've got a cotton ball stuffed under the skin! It's already bruising. I'm icing my knee right now, and then I'm going to ice my ankle afterwards.
Meeting some friends for lunch at Nino's Cucina Italiana. Hopefully my knee does alright.
My travel plans as far as work have changed, most likely to early next week. So, I'll still be in Atlanta this week. Hopefully my knee goes down so that I can still get my workouts in this week!
Yesterday I watched baseball and football. Boston took one game from the Yankees, and then gave up the second one. They play another doubleheader today. Tennessee lost to Florida by 1 measly point! I was yelling at my television throughout that game so much I was hoarse!
Today, I went for a run. I went over to Lovett since I wouldn't have to deal with any traffic and it's a pretty campus. I ran 2 miles, if I mapped it out right, in 18:36. However, I had a negative split, running the second mile in 9:06, 12 seconds faster than the first. I'm not sure how that happened at all! On my way back, I was running across a wooden bridge which crosses the Chattahoochee River when I fell. I'm not sure if I tripped or if my left ankle gave out on me. I landed directly on my right knee. I was able to finish the run (and get a faster time)! My ankle's a little tight, but not swollen. My knee doesn't hurt but looks as if I've got a cotton ball stuffed under the skin! It's already bruising. I'm icing my knee right now, and then I'm going to ice my ankle afterwards.
Meeting some friends for lunch at Nino's Cucina Italiana. Hopefully my knee does alright.
My travel plans as far as work have changed, most likely to early next week. So, I'll still be in Atlanta this week. Hopefully my knee goes down so that I can still get my workouts in this week!
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