quoted!

The fabulous Kelly, of Every Gym's Nightmare quoted me in an article she wrote for Twirlit.com.

Does this make me almost famous?

It's funny, because I had written and re-written that a comment on her personal blog several times before I decided on what to say.

I have mixed feelings about Celebrities and their public "weight battles." But I do believe what wrote, I dig the fact that even though Oprah has yo-yo'ed her career has only sky rocketed.

speed racer.....

So, as I stated in my last post, I am going to sign up for my next 5k. Because the race is so big to have a timed run, you are supposed to be able to run the 5k in 35 minutes. I’ve looked over previous year’s results and this hasn’t always been the case, but I’d like to make a concerted effort to be as close as possible.

Why not just sign up for a non competitive run/walk wave and run it anyway you ask? Well, you can’t. The race is so big that you cannot find a rhythm in the main waves. My sister-in-law and I tried to run/walk it two years ago and gave up and just walked the whole way. And trust me, I need to take avoid any opportunity to give up.

So, I need to increase my mile time. I went for a run yesterday (I have been dying to be able to say that for years!!!!!!!!) and I wasn’t planning on a certain distance or a certain time, just going to a jog in the morning. I ended up running 1.77 miles in 24 minutes. So a 13.5 minute mile. This would put me at a 42 minute 5k. So I need to shave off 7 minutes of time.

I’ve done a bit of reading about this. I know that I shouldn’t increase my speed too much, or I’ll aggravate my shin splints, but I’ve been thinking about speed training. Running spring/jog intervals. Does anyone have experience with this? What works….what doesn’t.
Help!

race day

So, on Saturday I had my 5k race.

I woke up at 5:30 and couldnt' get back to sleep (the alarm was set for 6:00am). I got up putzed around, and got dressed. My stomach was a ball of nerves. I had planned on eating a half of a peanut butter and jelly sammie when we got to the race site. I knew I would need to eat before then so I forced down half of a banana. Here is my...i'm eating and I'm nervous face....

We got to the park, and were extremely early. I picked up my race chip, and walked around, stretched and went to the bathroom like 10 times before the 5k started. Prior to the 5k starting, about 100 women took off on a Half Marathon! About 20 minutes after they left, the 5kers lined up. I got behind the 12+ minute mile sign. The gun went off and it took me about 45 minute to cross the start line....and I was off...

It was hard for me to get my pace at first. My pants were a little loose and they kept sliping off until I started sweating enough for them to stick to me. Gross right? Anyway....It was interesting for me to run a course I've never run. It was so much easier to no worry about how far I had gone, or how long we had been running when I didn't know distance. I also didn't wear my watch. I was feeling pretty good through mile one. The course didn't have mile markers, but I had studied the race map relgiously, so I had an idea of where the mile markers were. Right after mile one we headed up a small hill. Post hill there was a water station...I remembered from the race packet that the first water station was supposed to be at mile 2. I thought there was no way that I had run 2 miles already, and that i didn't think that mile 2 was until further down the course. I had a gulp of water and threw my cup on the ground feeling like a real runner. At this point I was feeling tired. There was a group of three women in front of me and two women behind me. Both grous were run/walking and we kept passing eachother.

I wasn't too familiar with the course, but since I could see several people infront of me, I wasn't too worried about going the right way.....before i knew it there was an arrow on the ground (i'd been following them all along) but this one had the word "finish by it" at the point we re-entered the park and i knew i only had about half a mile to go. I fought every urge not to walk.

But I didn't. And I ran across the finish line!

The clock had 1:00 hour on it. It didnt' take me an hour, the 1/2 marathon had started 30 minutes prior. I was doing the math and realized It had only taken me 30 minutes! I could hardly believe it......

A volunteer handed me a medal, and took off my race chip. I was still in disbelief about my time. I was truly expecting it to take me 40 minutes. But...I didn't think about it too long and i was so proud of my self for not walking at all...


After the run Scott and I had a picnic with his parents. A ham sandwich at 9:30am has never tasted so good....

So....later that day, I was anxious to see what my race results would be, and I knew that they would be online at spondoro.com.

My chip time was 27:56. Meaning 8:59 minute miles. I was in disbelief. I pulled up the PDF of the race map and realized that there was no way we had run the whole course.

I was still feeling good about my race, but had a nagging feeling about my time and the distance. last week my practice 5k took me 41 minutes. No one cuts that much time off, even if they do run the whole way. I told my husband and he reassured me that even the first finishers had come in super fast. I formulated the theory that the course had been mismarked.

Today, I started feeling a little down about the whole thing. It's just not possible to run sub 9 minute miles on Saturday, when you were running 13 minute miles on Tuesday. While I was in the shower, my husband called the store that sponsored the race. They confirmed that "the course had either been mismarked, or the participants took a wrong turn." Damn.

I feel so jipped! I was so nervous about this 5k and I truly feel let down. I am proud of myself for signing up for the race and going and being prepared to run the whole thing, and running the whole distance regardless of how far it was...but I wanted an authentic time and authentic race.

It's ok though, I'm going to sign up for another local race that is in September. It's also a 5k. It's a HUGE race, literally 10,000 people (women only again) in the race. to have a timed race, you are supposed to be able to run a 35 minute 5k. So....that is my new goal. Aim for a 35 minute 5k in my training, increase my speed and endurance...and try again.

Dork Alert

So, I'm going to a conference in Salt Lake City in October.

I just realized that the conference site is ONE MILE from a WHOLE FOODS!

I'm super excited. Not because I think Whole Foods is the best, but because I've never been. I know it's super expensive etc, but i live in a town with out a Co-op, Trader Joes, etc. NOTHING! No Publix Fresh Market, no Earth Fare....i'm excited!

That same weekend i'm going to Reno for a Wedding...and there is a Trader Joes..i'm stoked for that as well.

And i'm a huge dork.

And getting super nervous for my race....TOMORROW!

Race coverage will begin tonight with packet pick up!

breathe in...breathe out....

This is the race I am running on Saturday. EEEEEEEEEAKLJASLDJALSKJDAS>
I am getting pre-race nerves. Like seriously. Not so much about my ability to do the race, but about having on the right clothes, and not forgetting my sunscreen and what the route is going to look like, and if the XL race t-shirt will fit, and where we are going to park.
Like I said: aajweroiukjanvbopaiufboieng!

I’ve been reviewing my race packet and printing off parking maps and looking at the sponsors website and it’s just going to be so cool!

So for the running part. I can jog 30 minutes with out stopping. But during those 30 minutes my feet only carry me about 2.25 miles. Right, less than a 5k. I’m not sure yet how I am going to work out the amounts of running vs. walking. I really want to run the whole thing without taking a walk break, but I don’t want to push my shins and back. I think my tentative plan, if I need to walk is to run for 20 minutes, take a 5 minute walking break and then run through to the finish.

Or just plod along slow and steady.
This weekend I am running for Chocolate and Champagne…both of which will be at the finish line…what do you run for?

...and I ran

Today I ran for 30 consecutive minutes. No walking, no stopping.
Just run for 30 minutes.
And I am so damn proud of myself.

oh man...

It’s has been way tooo long. The last week of may and the first two weeks of June are always my most busy time of year, gearing up for all of our summer recreation programs.
So I’m going to do an update of sorts, in list form. I love list updates. Hooray.

1). 5k training. My 5K is next weekend!!!!! Eeeek! I’m so excited and nervous about it!. I’ve been following the Couch 2 5k training plan, and tomorrow will be my final run of week 8. It so happens that my last training workout co-incides with race day.
I injured my back two weeks into training, and it set me back a week. I was hoping to have an extra week before, but that is ok.

About a year ago I posted that one of my fitness goals was to run a mile…I can now proudly say that I can run 2 miles….Seriously, I don’t take the time to think about that often, and I often compare myself to marathoning bloggers, but…I should be proud of myself.

2). My husband and I joined a new gym last weekend. I joined Gold’s Gym almost two years ago when we first moved here, and am ready to let that membership go. We joined Anytime Fitness, a franchise near our house. It’s a small gym, but adequate enough, and it’s not super crowded and for the two of us we are only paying 20 bucks more per month then I paid for JUST ME at Gold’s.

Tied into number two, my husband and I have started working out together. He hasn’t been regularly exercising in along time….it’s so exciting to be getting healthier together. Our goal is to run a 5K together in the fall…I’m hoping that training with him for a 5K will make me a faster runner.

3)I’ve been working on cleaning up my eating. I just tried almond milk in my morning smoothie (green monster style) this morning. HOW COME NO ONE TOLD ME ALMOND MILK MAKES SMOOTHIES THE BEST THING EVER????

that time of year...

I'm nostalgic today. The radio station I listen to at work is talking about graduation. They are also playing all those "graduation" type songs, focusing on those that were popular between 1999 and 2001. Odd..the years I was in highschool. I'm not going to wax poetic...but I am going to post the "Sunscreen" Graduation Speech. I remember being in highschool and really like this....I like it even more now.

"Wear sunscreen.If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.
Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy.

Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise.
Politicians will philander.
You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen."