Ladies,
I plan on starting my training mid-September. The plan I found that seems like it will work for me has you doing 10 weeks of training. I did get myself motivated to do a 4.5 run this weekend--I was so excited because I found a new trail in this pretty park that is only like a mile away from my house. I never knew it existed! I was getting really sick of running in the city (asphalt is not that pretty--and its HOT!), so I decided to try this park. It's a former overlook site to the Potomac, but trees have obstructed the view, so now there's just a bunch of trails, a vegetable garden and some other cool little nature stops. I DID stop and wonder though about running by myself in the woods... probably not the smartest thing to do, especially after I kinda turned my ankle on a root sticking up out of the ground. It didn't hurt my foot really, but I might stick to some more 'populated' areas in the future!
I have also been trying to schedule short runs during the week with some friends I have in the city. It's a good way to keep me motivated and hold me accountable. One of my friends did the Ragnar relay with me last year and is training for it again this year. I wish I could do that race again--it was sooo crazy! But its right during comps, so that's def. a no this year.
Anyway, I am gearing up for the semester to start. I start teaching on Wednesday and my exams begin this Friday. I am really looking forward to running though because it will give me some time away from my books and allow me to clear my head.
Oh, by the way, Jennifer, Allan and I met up this weekend and had brunch in DC. :) We were talking about running and I scolded her for not having posted her "running story" yet! Now I have seen all of you, except for you, Annette, in the past month. Anyway, I am really excited to see ya'll again in December!!
That's all for now! Happy running, girls.

Started training today!

Okay girls! 14 weeks until the big race! Have you started training yet? I officially started this morning. I woke up at 6:15, which was the earliest I've gotten up all week! Hehe! I met my running group at 7:30 and we ran an easy 4 miles (I ran it in 43:48).

I was surprised by how big the group was. I guess I was expecting 20-30 people, but it was probably around 100! The intermediate group left first to run 5 miles, then the novice group left to run 4. The coaches didn't put us into pace groups; they just told us to run easy so that we could carry on a conversation. There were plenty of people both ahead of and behind me, which was good! I didn't chat much with anyone during the run, except to ask one girl how she liked her running skirt. (Have you seen these or do you have one? She told me that I'd never go back if I switched!)

So, I've got an easy 2 miles tomorrow, then a rest day on Monday. (I appreciate that rest days are on Mondays and Fridays!) How is running going for the rest of you?

Preventing and Recovering from Injury

I was in Alabama the weekend before last for Colley girls' weekend (my mom's side of the family). There are some pictures below, just for fun.

Turns out driving a jet-ski isn't as scary as I thought!

Hanging out with Michele and Little Leah

All the girls with our lovely artwork

Love you Mom!

Anyway, Michele and I went running while we were there. I don't know why I keep trying to run with her. She kicks my butt every time. I had a surprising problem on this run, though. Running downhill hurt my knees. Boo. I walked for a bit, then they seemed fine. So I ran a little over three miles. It was a tough run with almost 100% humidity and more hills than I expected, but I didn't think anything of my knee.

Then when I tried running on Tuesday, it hurt my knee so badly that I couldn't do it at all! So I've been riding the stationary bike and working on strength conditioning all week. I tried running yesterday, but it still hurt (though not as bad as earlier in the week), so I cut the run short.

My knee doesn't hurt at all during regular activity, except walking up and down the stairs and running. The pain is just below the kneecap, and I don't see any swelling. I think that it is either patellar tendinitis or patellar tracking disorder. I haven't been to the doctor, because it's not debilitating and he'll just tell me to ice it and quit running. I definitely need to focus on strengthening my quads and hamstrings, and stretching. Sometimes I am too impatient to stretch, which obviously is leading to bad results!

I'm not too worried about the knee, and I am hopeful that it will be cleared up in time for my half marathon training group, which starts on August 29. In fact, this is probably a good time to take it easy on running and focus on cross-training, strength training, and stretching since I won't have as much time for those over the next few months.

I'm sure that some of you have dealt with injuries before, so what's your advice? How long do you stay off it? Do you run through the pain, or does that just make the injury worse?

Running...say what?!

Similar to Annette, I was never a fan of running during my middle school/high school days. I too remember those exercise challenges in gym class. I was pretty horrible at all of them, particularly the running and the chin-ups! Growing up, swimming was my sport. I can remember during the high school season, we would have "dry training" which consisted of running, crunches, sit-ups, weights, etc... Granted, our coach didn't expect us to run all that much, but I could barely make a lap around our school without thinking that I was going to fall over. It was awful. Turned off by running at that point, I gave no thought to that sort of exercise throughout college. After undergrad, I joined a volunteer group and lived with 2 women who LOVED to run. One housemate had even run several marathons. Needless to say, I was pretty impressed; however, still not inspired enough to join these "running fanatics".

In September 2005, I moved to a city that is quite runner friendly...Chicago. Boasting it's beautiful lake front trail and "non-hilly" terrain, it was common to see runners out at all times of the day. Still---feeling no force pushing me to join in. Tessa came to visit me that fall, the same weekend as the Chicago Marathon. We watched the runners cross over the finish lane as fans cheered and camera flashes went off. There was such an incredible energy in the air that I guess stuck with me--perhaps, this was the beginning of my thoughts about running starting to change. It was sometime in early spring of 2006 that I stumbled across a flyer for the AIDS Marathon Training Program. I have an interest in AIDS research and care and thought that this could be a way that I could support the AIDS cause while possibly making some new friends. So, I went to the information session and was sold when they said that the training program was perfect for first time runners...phew...because I don't even like running! So, I signed up for my first marathon--Chicago, October 2006. I can remember the responses I got from people when I told them about my undertaking...."You're going to do what??" "Toni, you don't even like running." "Toni, do you realize how long a marathon is?" Not only had I signed up for a VERY LONG race, but I also committed to raising quite a bit of money!

I thought I would get a jump start on my new sport before our first group Saturday run that would require that we run a 5K in order for them to put us in "pace groups". I sure didn't want to look completely out of shape for that day, so I began running around my neighborhood. The training started off slow, but grew easier as the days went by. I can remember those Saturday group runs where we would increase our mileage week by week. After each run, I'd call my parents and yell "I just ran 5 miles, 8 miles, 10 miles and so on!" It was amazing how at one time I thought 3 miles was so long, but now I was running 10 miles without thought. Not that it was easy, but it became "do-able" as time went on. Plus, I was raising a lot of money, and couldn't back out when so many friends and family had donated to the AIDS cause and supported me! I did have some injuries along the way which made me a bit nervous as marathon day drew closer. Apparently, when you have big hips (like mine), IT band problems are common.

So, Marathon Day came! It was such an incredible day. I had a terrific "curb crew" cheering me on. (photos below) The race started off great-a little chilly-but great. It was around mile 16 or so that I really started feeling tired and not wanting to go any farther! But, as I said before, I had great people to cheer me on. Anyway, I finished---it took me a long while, but I finished! Definitely a very proud day in my life!

Anyway, in order to avoid making this post the size of a novel. My running life post marathon has been filled with very few runs. I think after training so much for the marathon, I kind of got burnt out--at least that's what I tell myself. I've run a couple of 5Ks but nothing that has become a running routine. I realize that I won't run unless I have a goal. So, I was thrilled when my closest friends said "yes" to joining me in running a half-marathon. Not only will it be a great reunion for the Fairmont girls, but a motivation for me to put exercise back into my daily routine.

So...that's my story...I look forward to creating many more running memories! Here's to the St. Jude's 1/2 marathon and a race with 3 great women!!! With that said, I better get off my bum, put on my running shoes, and get out the door...

Losing weight

I don't normally spend much time thinking about my weight, but this is getting ridiculous. I tried on a pair of dress pants last night that fit fine last winter, and they were so tight. I looked like a sausage and felt even worse! Ugh! I guess that was the kick in the butt I needed to convince myself that it's time to eat more healthfully. Lately my diet has consisted of whatever I feel like eating, which is sometimes healthy but often not (and often more food than I need, as well).

It would be nice if I could drop five pounds or so, and specifically shrink my waistline enough that I'm not in danger of outgrowing all the clothes in my closet! So here's my plan: I'm going to drink more water, usually avoid bad foods (though I'm not giving up dessert altogether!), only eat as much food as I need to feel full, add one more day of weight training every week, and switch out one easy run per week for an interval workout on the track. I go crazy if I try to count calories...it's just too much work and makes me obsessive.

So, what do you think about my de-larding plan? Hopefully being healthier will help my running too! Please share any tips for eating healthy without going crazy. Sometimes I feel like French fries are just calling my name!

Tennis player turned runner...

Ok, before I give my runner's testimony, I have to confess that I am not a seasoned blogger. I feel kind of like a slacker, but at least I can blame it on my comps, right?! So, dearest friends, be patient with me--I will get the hang of this eventually!!! I am not used to checking it regularly, reading threads, commenting, uploading pics...sheesh! It takes a lot of time! :) But I have also discovered that its a great way to procrastinate....mwwhahaha.

Also, to echo some of your entries: I am having a tough time with motivation and finding a schedule to run. My life has been really hectic ever since getting back from college--lots of people moving around me (my roomate and Greg), Anna's wedding, starting to study for comps...I just got back from 5 days in PA and am leaving to go to Canaan tomorrow with my family for 4 days. It's hard to make time to run when you're not in your normal everyday setting, I think. But hopefully after this weekend, things will settle down.

So, my story. Like Annette, I was no runner in high school or college. I attribute part of that to being vertically challenged. Let's face it, at 5 foot, my legs can't be longer than... say.... 2 feet? 3 max? I tended to flock towards sports where less running was involved--hence the high school and college career as a tennis player. When it came to running, we were really wimpy.
The most running we would ever do there is a few laps around the court and some line drills. You would never hear us say, "Man, that last leg was killer." No, usually it was more like, "Oh, I really like your skirt! It's so cute!" To sum up, speed and endurance, albeit helpful, would never make or break your game. You always had plenty of time between serves to step back and catch your breath...

So, when did I get interested in running? Well, that was back in 2004 when I went to visit Toni in Chicago over fall break. It happened to be the weekend of the Chicago marathon and we went to watch. I was intrigued by the hype of it all--the excitement, the rush, the crowd, the determined look on the runners' faces... but apparently not enough to start running (I was also kinda freaked out by the men's bleeding nipples... Running must hurt!!!!). Toni, on the other hand, was inspired enough to start running... and to sign up for the marathon the following year. I returned to Chicago to cheer her on the next year and it was truly one of the most exciting and memorable experiences! I saw how much hard work and dedication went in to running a race... and suddenly I began thinking, "Hey, maybe I could do something like that after all."

So, I began toying around with the idea of a race and ran sporadically to stay somewhat in shape, but it wasn't until I moved to Bethany, WV for a year that I became serious about running and this was largely due to my good friend, Brooke, who is a die-hard, seasoned runner, who has a completed marathon under her belt. She runs almost every day of the week--and I am not talking about an easy jog around the block. No, she had me running up those huge WV hills we all love so much--lemme tell ya, the views from those hills are SO much more rewarding after you've actually run the entire way up them! It was then that I started thinking that I had the momentum and support to actually run a race. So when I told her I was interested in a race, she immediately pounced on the idea and took on a pseudo-coach role. She would come up with trails, hill workouts, strength training routines... and all I had to do was keep up, but that was definitely not easy. Over New Year's I made a resolution to find a half marathon and finally signed up to do the Frederick 1/2 marathon in May of 2008. I finished it in 2:13 and was quite happy with that! I remember what it was like crossing that finish line and feeling so emotionally and physically exhausted... I think I almost started to cry because you kind of lose control of your emotions and your inhibitions--but it was also an incredibly rewarding feeling.

Since then I have come to realize that I run best when I am training for something. So when a group of friends from college asked me to do the 180 mile Ragnar Relay in late September of that same year, I couldn't think of a better way to ring in my birthday! :) The Ragnar Race showed me how crazy and fun running could be--we had a group of 12 runners and ran from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC. I remember the second leg of my race was in the middle of the night and it was raining. I had an LED attached to my head and my rain gear on, was running through the middle of nowhere and can remember thinking, "Tessa, this is insane..." It was definitely worth the sweat and pains though--and a great memory. I ran with people who had mostly been cross country runners in college, so I was flattered that they would even ask me, the little old retired tennis player, to be part of the team (though, I should add that I definitely had the shortest and easiest legs of the relay!). The thing I like about this kind of running is that we really did work together as a team and encouraged each other along the way. Tennis is a very independent and solo sport--the most team play you have is doubles. But running with a team is something really special, I think, and I can't wait to run with our mini-team in December!

My third and most recent race was the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler last Spring. I ran this race with my good friend Jessie--who had been my colleague and running buddy during the past two summers. It was a beautiful day, the blossoms were in full bloom and the sun was shining. That race was definitely the least stressful and most enjoyable race so far for me. We ran at an easy pace and chatted the entire way which took my mind off the distance--all of a sudden we were nearing mile 9 and the race was almost over!

I should also add that my growing addiction to running has also been somewhat of a legacy in my family I would like to carry on. Though no one really runs in my family now, my grandfather used to walk 3 miles every single night at the college track (or indoors at the deserted Middletown Mall during the winter!) After an open heart surgery back in the 80s, it became vital for him to drastically change his lifestyle-- which he did by changing his diet and exercising. His dedication to walking ended up extending his life another decade and a half--something for which I am extremely grateful and a meaningful lesson he has taught me.

Ok, sorry, I didn't mean to turn all sappy on ya'll. Anyway, there is my running story. Actually writing that has given me a little bit of motivation, I think. I kind of miss the sore legs, hunger pains and the tired feeling after a good, hard run. :) I will definitely be packing my running shoes for my trip to Canaan this weekend. What better way to remember my grandparents than a nice run along the valley?