Foiled for 3M?

Waagghh! David is now sick with the virus my boys have/had. Elijah is well now. Joshua is on day 3 of his fever. Somehow, I haven't gotten it, and I'm hoping I don't until at least noon on Sunday. The real problem is that David was going to run with me, encourage me, keep me from slowing down (even though in the world of runners I already run super-slow), and try to get me to maintain a set pace for the entire run.

So now my strategy is under construction. I will have to do it on my own, which will be hard for someone who's only ever successfully paced herself for 3 miles. I don't quite know how to pace for 10 additional miles - at least not at the pace I want to run for the race.

I never ran track. I never ran cross country. My first running coach was Gilbert. Before that it was just me and some advice from friends who did run track or cross country. David has inspired me as he's improved so much and runs so well. I hope that inspiration can pull me along tomorrow morning since the fleshly David will more than likely be at home, sick in bed.

I've been a little sleep-deprived this week due to the illnesses, but I've tried to eat well and rest when possible. David let me sleep last night while he tended to Joshua (and was up most of the night, it seems). I still was awake b/c it seems, like most moms, I'm a light sleeper. I didn't have to get out of bed though which makes all the difference in getting back to sleep.

It will be an interesting 3M. I hope I'm 100% - no vertigo, no sleep deprivation, no fever...just ready to run the best I can. Oh wait, and have fun. Can't forget that.

Things I Learned Today

I cannot parallel park a car that has no power steering.

When my child is getting over a fever and wants to go to the grocery store with me, tell him no.

Getting up and moving seems to do better for vertigo than staying in bed and reading.

I still can't choose a proper pork roast.

I can buy an already-cooked honey roasted ham.

I don't like Wal-Mart even at 7:45am on a Wednesday.

Holmes nicknamed David "Varsity" which means I must be Elementary School PE, but she still insists I'm "JV."

Hot baths can actually be too hot, especially when your feet are really cold.

It's better to send your peevish spouse out for a run then have him cook the dinner.

Shape Magazine is full of "hot girls" according to one 6-year-old I know.

An imaginative 8-year-old I know created a Star Wars/Spongebob mix called Sponge Wars. He even rattled off character names.

Running in the cold weather with friends is something I look forward to doing.

Hearing Gilbert say "rowing" reminded me of the Chinese cooks sing "Fa la la la la" in A Christmas Story (Gilbert said "roaring").

400s is still my favorite work-out even though my knee smarted.

Some women have husbands that grab and grope them all the time, according to JB and Sandy in the morning.

I very well may not be prepping properly for the MS 150. I suppose I should do more biking and less running?

Dizzying Long Weekend

I've been battling vertigo all day. It was bothersome yesterday and less so on Saturday. Today has been rather uncomfortable. For those who don't know, vertigo isn't about heights. It's about the being dizzy (and thus, nauseous). My patience with this nuisance of a "disease" has grown thin.

All day I have had spouts of vertigo and nausea. I googled vertigo and found some exercises that are supposed to help for those with Benign Positional Vertigo (which is what I believe I have). David helped me with the exercises that consist of laying down, tilting your head and rolling your body and then sitting back up. We figured out it's my left ear that has the problem, but aye, those exercises were horrid in that they caused the vertigo and major nausea. I'm supposed to do them three times/day, and hopefully in 10 days (or less!), I'll be well. I'd like to think that I'll be feeling better before 10 days. I will do the exercises again tonight and hope for the best.

Now, running with vertigo is really interested. Saturday, my long run was a short 7 miles. Within 1/2 mile, I was spinning and had to stop and brace against a tree. Gayatri and Snowdene were with me and encouraged me to walk, but I wasn't going to let the vertigo win. I wanted to do this run and build confidence for 3M. I had a few more brief episodes of vertigo during the run, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.

I ran a two mile warm-up, and then the next 3 miles I ran a target pace for the 3M half. I think that pace is the slowest I'd like to run b/c I really feel like I could run it faster. I just don't know how to run with pain (you know, the regular pain of running hard). I worry I'll give up and slow down, but I'm going to do my best to not let that happen. The final two miles were a nice slow jog with Gayatri and Snowdene. We finished with 4 strides, and then I got my IT band massaged (had to lay down on the table which brought on the vertigo). The masage gals told me not to ice an IT band but rather treat it with heat. Doh! I've been icing it all week, so now I'll switch to heat and won't feel so guilty about my hot bubble baths that feel so darn good after a long run in cold, cold weather.

Sunday we visited the Capital with Elijah's Cub Scout den. I haven't been in years and years, and it was a neat trip. I think the highlight for the boys was the cool water fountain out front (south side of the capital). Gaby introduced that fountain to me a couple of summers ago on a long run. The water wasn't cool or tasty then, but it was water. The weather was lovely, and I always forget how beautiful the capital grounds are. Very picturesque. In fact, a Mariachi band was getting photographed on the grounds with the capital dome in the background.

Today I suffered through trying to be productive with vertigo. I debated going to class. David told me my goal was to be healthy for next Sunday's race. On that advice, I chose to run for 30 minutes around my 'hood rather than drive down to Austin High. I got a few dizzy spells running, so it as probably wise not to drive, especially in rainy weather with slick roads. I tried to visualize the race next week, and so far, I still am optimistic.

Off to put a heat compress on my knee/leg and try to avoid getting dizzy. Thank goodness for a wonderful husband who is picking my boys up from the neighbors, going to the grocery store, and making dinner. Now if I could just get him to make dinner while wearing his baseball pants...

Made for Comfort

Aye, I started this post days ago...Elijah's birthday, in fact. Here's what I had:

I just registered for 3M a few minutes ago. For the girl who strongly dislikes road races, it is a gutsy move. Even gutsier, I'm trying to find someone (anyone?) who will pace me to a faster race than I would do alone. I'm optimistic right now and hope that holds for the next 2 weeks.

Saturday long run was a preview of the 3M course. We met a bunch of half-marathoners at Runtex and carpooled to Mario's Deli on Anderson Lane and Shoal Creek (mile 5 of the course).

And that's where I stopped. And honestly, would it really matter if I finished the post or just posted it as is?

Well, for the two people out there who actually read this (me being one of them, I think), I'll go ahead and do a quick finish of our Saturday long run and my week.

Saturday long run was a preview of the 3M course. We met a bunch of half-marathoners at Runtex and carpooled to Mario's Deli on Anderson Lane and Shoal Creek (mile 5 of the course). I rode with EEL, aka Fast Girls, and Gayatri. EEL is my new nickname for Elizabeth, Erin, and Leslie.

The run was fine (10 miles). Weather was awesome. The slants on the streets sucked, and I was trying to avoid getting my IT band all fired-up. Gayatri and I stuck together a ways behind The Fast Girls. We saw Tina as we approached Runtex and chatted for many minutes. It was good to see her (former 5k/10k Gazelle). She's training for AT&T and is running 3M. I'm hooking her up with EEL for our next long run and 3M b/c she's around their speed (a tad faster though). EEL will be good company for Tina, and Tina will be a good pacer for EEL.

I stepped in a dog poop on my way to stretching. So typical. It was all over one of my shoes and even in the little holes on the sole (the holes under the heel for cushion). That sort of spoiled my stretching, so I didn't get the best stretch. I did enjoy talking to Linda about boxing and running. I would so not be a good boxer. She said the funniest thing to me when I commented that a particular stretch felt like work. She said, "You are made for comfort." Oh, Linda. So wise you are. Anyway, if you are curious, the stretch I gritched about it is Warrior's Pose. My quads always complain during that one.

My knee acted up last weekend perhaps from the slants on the roads, the lack of good stretching, or just for grins. I have been icing it and my leg daily, and we'll see how it goes during tomorrow's 7 mile run.

Monday was Elijah's 8th birthday. No running class for me as we were celebrating the birth of the Sweet One.

Tuesday I rode a super fancy stationary bike at Fitness Life for an hour. My friend, Jennifer, freaked out when I put in 60 minutes. She was punching in 30 minutes thinking I'd be doing the same. Alas, I can't drive a car for the MS 150. After 10 minutes of cycling, my right knee was really hurting. I said some prayers and thought good things, and it went away. I need a good leg massage and lots of ice.

Wednesday was Fartlek. I enjoy fartlek though I wish we had done a trail loop instead of around Auditorium Shores. But we do what coach tells us to do, and I wanted to run with a group.

Oh, Wednesday and today I woke up with vertigo again. I took Thursday off to do some much needed stuff around our house. Does anyone else feel like exercising every day (especially for long periods of time) causes you to neglect serious parts of your life? I know that seems unorganized of me, but I work, I have children, I have a husband, I have chores, I have daily life, and if I spend 2 hours going to a workout, doing the workout, and coming home from the workout, it sucks up a huge chunk of time from other areas. So...Thursday I just couldn't do that again.

I hope to get in a 30 minute run tonight before tomorrow's 7 miles. I hope my knee holds out and the vertigo stays in the movies.

Btw, Jane Austen fans will be happy to know that the complete Jane Austen is airing on PBS each Sunday night. Last week was Persuasion. This week is Northanger Abbey. I am nothing short of giddy.

In the Big Scheme of Things

Last Wednesday was my first ever 3-mile tempo. I wasn't nervous, but I was unsure how fast to run or how it was going to feel. I was late to class due to leaving piano late and then sitting in horrible traffic on Mopac due to a wreck. I got the boys home, changed, and was back on the road to the trail.

Everyone else started their tempo while I was finishing my warm-up. Two of the fast girls were in my class - Elizabeth and Erin, and I saw them go flying by on their 3-mile jaunt. I waved to everyone and gave them a thumbs up and then headed over to Gilbert for instructions. Andre was there with him, and both gave me varying advice. Andre's sounded more reasonable, so I started off. Since this was my first 3-mile tempo, I was going to run comfortably hard by feel and not focus on my watch.

The first mile was fine - 9:55. I thought maybe it was a little slow, but oh well. I saw the Fast Girls between the 1 and 1.25 mile marker, and they looked like they were running strides with their super high-knees and butt-kicks. The second mile was the hardest; I suppose from the hills and unfamiliar terrain. I wasn't sure exactly where the 1.5 marker was and feared I would run right by it. I didn't, of course.

The 3rd mile I knew I needed to pick it up. I felt fine physically. The 2nd mile was slower...9:58 I think. I secretly wanted to be under 30 minutes, but I didn't know really what to expect. I did think as I passed the 1 mile marker again how normally I would be done with my tempo run. I tried to pick up the pace. I didn't look at my watch, so I didn't know how I was doing. I felt that I had picked it up, but I wasn't pushing so hard that I couldn't maintain the pace. After the small hill past the 1/2 mile marker, I tried to pick the pace up again. At the Stevie statue, I tried to sprint in. Final mile was 9:36. It was a very do-able run. I ran that first one very smart, and I feel like it's a good starting point to improve upon.

Overall time was 29.30.

In the last mile, I kept repeating how many minutes left. One thing I used to say all the time was, "What's 5 minutes in the big scheme of things?" That would encourage me to keep running for 5 more minutes (or however many minutes). Well, when I turned the corner off the bridge for my last mile, I said to myself, "What's 10 more minutes in the big scheme of things?"

Well, it got me thinking about how in certain situations, 10 more minutes is immensely important. Sure, "in the big scheme of things" 10 minutes is so minuscule that it might not even be worth measuring. However, 10 more minutes with my dad "in the big scheme of things" is beyond measure. So I pondered this through to the 3/4 marker, and then started chanting how many minutes left.

It gave me something to think about and focus on. As I passed the 1/2 mile marker, I lowered the minutes, "4-5 minutes left. 4-5 minutes left." As I got off the sidewalk and back on the trail it was "3-4 minutes left" and then "2-3 minutes left" as I approached the 1/4 mile marker. It got me through and kept me focused on maintaining my pace. I don't know if I'll try it again. I've tried other focusing-techniques and mantras. I like this one b/c it changes as the run continues - shows the progress I'm making and hearing the time dwindle was motivating.

So, the Fast Girls are so fast. Elizabeth's time was 26:03 and Erin's was 26:30. Something for me to strive for, but first I might need to lose 10 pounds. ;o)

Sweet Ones

I so enjoy picking my children up from school, driving them home, eating a snack with them, and getting them started on homework. I so enjoy taking them to whatever activities they are doing (right now it's Hoop It Up at Fitness Life). Yesterday at 5pm as we walked into the basketball gym at FL, I thought about full-time working moms who probably weren't bringing their kids to Hoop It Up. Either that or they get to work at 7am and off at 4pm (my former life) and rush home to get them to some extra-curricular activity at 5pm. So...I lament my lack of salary but it's greatly compensated by my time with the Sweet Ones. In fact, I don't actually know how much money I'd need to earn to truly outweigh that lost time. Necessity rules though.

How fast can I recap my running? If I could run as fast as I type, I'd be so good. You should seriously see how fast I type. I'm fast. I promise.

When did I last post? Let me go see...

Okay, last Friday (1/4)...I don't remember at all what I did. Oh wait...I spent 8 hours on my feet at my preschool revamping my classroom and sparkling it up for 2008. That counts as my exercise for the day.

Saturday long run (1/5) - met all the girls for a 10-mile run - Gayatri, Erin, Elizabeth, Barb, Leslie, and I hope I didn't forget anyone. We split off into the Fast Girls (the two E's and L) and the Slower Girls (me, Barb, Gayatri). Our plan was to head down LAB and turn around at the water stop and somehow add 2 miles to get 10 - probably on the north side of the trail so we weren't tempted by mile 0.

I had a lot of phlegm and between mile 2-3 I got choked up, gagged, and heaved for a few seconds. It bothered me through about mile 5 and then settled down. It was disturbingly reminiscent of the Gazelle 10-miler (not snot but the wanting to hurl). We changed our course mid-way and us slower girls thought we'd get 9.5 miles by going to the Congress bridge and heading back to Runtex. We saw the Fast Girls right as we went under Congress and they were heading back from a jaunt further up the trail. Erin asked, "Are you going to go out a mile this way?" We were turning at Congress and they headed back to 1st street bridge. I was confused. Why did they add an extra mile? Were they trying to get 11 miles? Then my bubble burst. They had mentioned Congress bridge at the water stop when I was trying not to heave. If we ran to Congress and added a mile, we'd get 9.5 miles...not just to Congress would we get 9.5 miles. We were still confused so only added a mile on the south side of the trail rather than 1.5 miles. Oh well. We finished with 9.5 miles.

The highlight of this long run was going to breakfast at the Blue Dahlia Bistro after stretching with Gayatri, Elizabeth, and Leslie. Erin and Barb, I'm so sad you missed it! Next time, you are for sure joining us. It was splendid. We sat in their lovely garden and ate delicious frittata, salad, and breads and spreads (as advertised!). Oh, and they had English Breakfast tea. How dreamy. You simply must go there. It was one of those idyllic experiences that you can't create by force - they just happen upon you unexpectedly. I do hope other visits there are almost as enjoyable. We all agreed that it was a fabulous time, and we were reluctant to leave.

Sunday (1/6)- no workout

Monday (1/7) - circuit and core at Austin High. And yes, there were tons of new folks. the Monday PM class is officially huge now. It was good to see Holmes, whom I haven't seen since before the holidays. Hi Sarah! Love you!

Tuesday - (1/8) First day back to school! 25 minutes on the treadmill at lifetime fitness...was supposed to do 45-60 minutes on the bike during Hoop It Up but the Sweet Ones wanted me to watch them.

Cedar Wars

My family is in full-fledged Cedar Wars. Cedar always bothers David but not usually me. It's hitting me hard this year, and I've had congestion for over a month. Just one battle after another, it seems.

Funny thing is that we had a fire last night with wood I bought weeks and weeks ago. I swear that wood was cedar the way is burned my eyes and tingle my nose in a not-feel-good-tingly way. The force was strong with David last night, and he was able to get a good fire going for some marshmallow toasting. Joshie is funny. He loved toasting them but didn't want to eat any. "I don't like marshmallows," he said. David replied, "I don't like them either." Elijah and I of course do like them.

Monday I ran mile repeats around my 'hood. I have never done this workout, so I didn't know how to pace myself. It was getting rather chilly by the time I went out, and of course, I had lots of congestion. It was a good workout, but I cut it short by one repeat. I just couldn't do another with all my coughing and runny nose. Besides, I kept starting and finishing on my street where I saw my family and all the neighbors out playing touch football. I ran the first repeat too slow, the middle too fast, and the third was probably just right, but by that time, I was so pooped so it felt fast. I'll be happy to try them again sometime.

Tuesday we had a nice New Year's Day. I made my first home-made apple pie (semi-homemade, okay). I also prepared the New Year's dinner, and we entertained David's sister and mother. We aren't usually the ones doing the cooking and hosting, but as I was planning the meal that morning, I thought how silly it was to just have it for us 4 (especially when E and J wouldn't eat much of it). The experience was pleasant, and we should probably have people over for meals more often.

Yesterday I went to the 5:15pm class, which is my usual class. We did the 4-mile loop for Fartlek, and Starr and I ran together the whole way. Very few folks showed up, so I guess everyone is still on vacation or in vacation-mode. Gilbert promised us a whole slew of folks starting next Monday. I wonder how many will stick around through February and beyond?

I've got to dust off my bike and get moving on my MS150 training. I'm not worried or concerned at all about, but I need to get going so I am not dying when I do join us with some people for longer rides.