stop running to keep the car running

No running today, no gym. I had to take my car to the shop today after work. But no worries... I will hit the gym tomorrow. :) 2 days till my Firecracker 5 k!

1 hour of bliss

Hi,

Not much to tell today. I did one hour on the elliptical machine again after work. I love that little machine. I have been sleeping in though... and that is not good because I don't want to get in that habit. Since most races are in the morning. And I have that 5k coming up on Saturday.

My knee is starting to feel a little better though. :)

I think I joined a gym

I know how can I not be sure. You either join a gym or you don't. Well I got this 7 day free trial thingy. And So I decided what the heck. My knee has been bothering me and I decided this week to not run on pavement. I figure pounding my knee on asphalt every day may not be helping the situation. And the elliptical machine is basically no impact. So I dragged myself to the gym and fell in love. One hour on the elliptical and I was hooked. That one hour was pure joy and bliss. So I figure I'll take the gym up on the 7 day thing and see how my knee feels.

Now I have a 5K on Saturday. The firecracker race. I am so excited. I even talked a few coworkers to join me. So I have this little experiment. If I don't run all week and just do the elliptical and bike, lets just see what my time will be on the 5k Saturday morning. hmmmm. This will be very interesting. And the other experiment is to see if I can wear the compression shorts without getting arrested.

And yes after the 7 day trial period is up... I will join the gym. Or Jiminy Cricket will be chirping in my ear.

Oh and just for the record, my knee injury was not caused by running. It is a cubical injury. Yes you heard me right. You see I am stuck in a cubical for 40 hour a week, and I got into the habit of slouching in my chair and pressing my foot up against the back wall of the cubical under my desk. I know this is what caused the injury because I did this once before. I know its embarrassing. The only person I know to have a cubical injury, and although I am ashamed I didn't want you saying... "see running is bad for your knees".... because I think if you do it right and are careful you can run injury free. Working injury free in a cubical is another story.

Let your conscience be your guide Jiminy Cricket

In this case my body is my conscience. And my body is saying I need a rest day today. Well I did get up early and ride my bike for about 1/2 hour before church this morning. But then that was all she wrote. (well actually I'm still writing) Saturday zapped my energy and then I got the female thing going on. Usually I plan on Monday's and Fridays being my rest days... but I have learned to listen to my body. If I feel really tired I know not to push it. Because if I do I usually end up with a cold. And if I listen to my body and rest when it needs it I usually feel stronger the next day and have a really good run.

Now I am not saying that you need to rest every time you feel tired; sometimes you do have to push yourself. But you have to know when it is a case of laziness or if it is a case of needing real rest. If your body needs rest and you don't let it you will not give your muscles time to repair. You need rest to grow strong. But it is important to know the difference between really needing rest and just plain laziness. For example, I know I need the rest today because it is only 7:30 pm and I am planning on going to bed. Now, if I don't feel like working out tomorrow I will push myself because I know I had plenty of rest today.

So it is very important to push your self hard, but it is also important to rest and give your body time to repair. It is good to have scheduled rest days, but I have learned to be flexible to change that schedule so I can rest when I really need it the most. So sweet Dreams.... and yes I really do believe that dreams can come true. My dream is to run a marathon at Walt Disney World!!!

Almost half way to half way there

Ok that title really does have a meaning when you are training for a marathon. because Almost half of half way there is still a pretty darn long way. Trust me I just did it. Yep I ran 6 miles this morning. Ok I know 6.5 is really a quarter of a marathon, That is why I said "Almost". HELLO!!!! But anyway you look at it running 6 miles straight.... I'm pretty proud of myself. And my time??? 1:23:44:52 - No I'm not playing football.... this is my actual time. So round up to 1 hour 24 mins. This is a 14 min mile pace. You have to run at least a 16min mile to qualify for the Disney Marathon. So I'm in. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now what made my run a little more difficult this morning is the fact that I got up late. You see a marathon runner's night life ends at 9:00 pm EASTERN TIME. And some of my friends (although they live on the East Coast) are on PACIFIC TIME. So when I met them for dinner last night and they forced me to stay out late... Ok they didn't hog tie me or anything... and I had a wonderful time so of course I didn't want to leave. But still somehow (not sure how) but it is all their fault. Now one thing you have to learn about running in Florida during the summer is that you just simply don't run once the sun comes up. Trust me it is not a wise thing to do. But this morning I did run in the sun. (because my friends kept me out late and made me hit the snooze on my alarm clock) And by 7:00 am it was very hot and very, very humid. But with the wrath of the angry sun beating on my head I kept running.

So the way I look at it. Take my little 14 min mile pace; factor in the Florida heat and humidity and I'd say I ran about an 8 min mile. Wouldn't you???

fancy pants

Ok I learned a valuable lesson. Being so excited about my new running life I went to the local store and bought a cute little running outfit. You know the kind, the top with the matching shorts. Well my first run in them was a disaster. The first 2 miles were ok, But by the third my inner thighs were sore. The cute little shorts with the cute little stitched border around the leg was actually trying to see saw my leg. I mean there was blood and everything. So I researched online for jogging shorts that would not try to cut you in half. And I found out that many professional runners use.... Angels singing the Hallelujah chorus in the background... COMPRESSION SHORTS. So I went to the local sports store and tried some on.... Hallelujah chorus again. OK they are not and I repeat NOT cute. But then what is cute about blood, sweat and tears. They fit tight and are purposely made to show every bulge and wrinkle. But they are so comfortable. They are the holy grail of running shorts. They are expensive, very unflattering, obnoxious and the most wonderful thing I bought in years. Although they look hideous on they are truly a wonderful thing. So if you plan on running long miles or are overweight and trying to go for walks, look into buying some compression shorts. They will keep your inner legs from rubbing against each other and I promise no more chafing.

Ok now for my progress today. I got up early this morning but my knees were bothering me. I ran 2 miles in about 30 mins. That was all my knees would allow. Tomorrow, Friday, is my rest day. But I am scheduled to run 6 miles on Saturday. I'll let you know how it turns out. But you can rest assure I will have my compression shorts on. :)

P.S.

OK I guess I should tell you what I did today to start my 200 day journey. This morning I ran 3 miles. Now it took me 44 mins. So not a very fast 3 miles, but hey it WAS a 44 min workout. That should count for something. Then tonight after dinner I went on a 45 min heart pumping bike ride. Yep. I feel good. :)

200 day countdown

Hello,

Ok first let me give you a little background on how I got started on this crazy adventure. One day I was sitting at home feeling very fat. and sad :( And like a good couch potato I was on the couch watching tv. And like a very experienced couch potato I was flipping through the channels. Then I came across the Biggest Loser. But it wasn't just any normal Biggest Loser.... they were running a marathon. Yep... all 26 miles. Well like a slightly motivated and mostly curious couch potato I watched and thought... Wow!!! If they can do that so can I. And then I thought I really need to do something drastic because I am gaining weight daily. But then like most couch potatoes... after the show I went to bed. However, while I was laying in bed I Picked up a magazine that just happened to be about running (so unlike a couch potato). And as I flipped through the pages I saw a full page add about the Disney Marathon. And then I am not sure exactly what happened... but I blame it on pixie dust. Lets just say when I came to... I was in front of the computer with an email confirming my registration to the Disney Marathon and sure enough the charge already hit my card. Yep pixie dust is powerful stuff.

So... I thought, I guess I'm running a Marathon and went back to bed. I set my alarm to 5:00 am to run before work. That next morning the alarm went off and I tuned it off and went back to sleep. (yep still in couch potato mode) Later that day I decided that I needed to get serious. so I told everyone at work I was going to run a marathon. Well I'm not sure if they believed me or not.... but regardless the word was out. I paid money, told everyone I was going to do it. So I backed myself in a corner and had not choice. I have to do it.

So the past month I have been getting up at 5:00 am and running and cross training. I have been reading books and consuming myself with my marathon. And to tell you the truth I am scared to death. But I have to do it. I told everyone. I can barely run 4 miles but I have a lot of determination.

I decided to start this blog to capture this great journey, because one thing I understand. My marathon does not start on January 9th at the finish line. It starts now.. 200 days before. And I want to enjoy and savor every moment.

When it is over and I cross the finish line (which I will) maybe someone can read this and use some of my experiences as help or encouragement for your marathon. And then maybe some of of you will read this because you are my friends and coworkers and I have not given you the choice... YOU HAVE TO READ IT! In either case I hope you enjoy the next 200 days with me.