One month until Bass Pro...EEK!

I haven't posted in so long! To be honest...I'm getting hooked on blogs..reading OTHER people's blogs..that is! I can't believe Bass Pro is just 1 month away! Cheryl and I did the 20 miler with the LRM group this weekend.

We started at the "traditional" meeting place, aka The Arts Center, for the first "marathon training" run of this season. We tried to get there early, but downtown Argenta was almost completely blocked off, due to the Big Dam Bridge 100 mile bike race. By the time we got there, it was almost 5:45...It was dark, of course...I do love that fall is making an appearance, however, the darkness arriving earlier in the evening and staying later in the morning is not my fav. The route pretty much took us through the whole of downtown Little Rock, past all the usual places...Central High, MLK, The Capitol, up Kavanaugh, down Cedar Hill and back to downtown via Titus Trail. We kept a pretty consistent pace for most of the run. Cheryl had her Garmin set for an 11:00 mile/min pace, sometimes we went way too fast..other times too slow. We averaged around a 10:45ish for the whole run. My feet were killing me at around mile 17 and I was ready to get that run OVERWITH!

I kept thinking to myself..."How in the HELL am I going to do 26 miles in a month?!" Cheryl basically talked me through the last 3 miles, and I was wondering how I will get through the race by myself...

On that note, I recently read a blog about a group of bloggers that run together and wondered how they handled running together at races when they all have differing speeds. They basically disperse at the finish line, so they can concentrate on their own races and not feel pressured to keep up or compete just to beat each other. For some reason, this post made me sigh in relief. I want to run with the girls..I mean, we are driving 5 hours to do the race together! But I am just not as fast as they are and when I run with them, my need to keep up goes against the common sense of not starting out too fast and burning out early! So, I have decided to start out alone. I haven't necessarily imposed that on myself, but I want to have a good race, despite whether I can "keep up" with the girls or not. At the Tupelo 14 Miler, I started out WAY TOO FAST, and although I finished in a decent time, I ended up pulling my hip AGAIN. I don't want to chance that in the marathon. I hate to put time goals on myself, mostly because I am afraid I will fail, but I would love to finish in under 5 hours. I feel that I have been working hard in running clinic, and I really hope it makes a difference.

This weekend is a 14 miler and I'm looking forward to a "short" run (haha)!

Blah...blah....and more blah...

I'm trying to get back into blogging regularly again, but it has been hard to get motivated, not sure why. The past few weeks has had its ups and downs, mostly having to do with my various and seemingly widespread injuries...hehe..



I will say, to start, that I had a blast at the NLRAC 1 hour Triathlon a few weekends back..I was nervous, especially since I had pulled my hip, again, and had been taking it easy that week and the week before. They had moved my time to 7:40, I was in the 3rd "heat"...I was so nervous, I could hardly sleep the night before. I just kept reminding myself that it was for fun and that I could just pretend it was a really good workout. I knew all the girls in my group, and was a bit apprehensive about that, since one girl in particular is pretty competitive, but it ended up making the whole thing more fun. We all were trying it for the first time, and everyone was very encouraging! The swim leg was first, with 10 minutes in the lap pool...just get as many laps as you can during that time. I must admit I got pretty tired, but I kept going the whole 10 minutes and Natalie Berry on the sidelines cheering me definitely helped! The 10 minute transition period flew by and it felt like it took me forever to dry off and get my clothes changed. I ran over to the spin bikes for the next "leg" of 30 minutes (as much mileage and wattage as possible). Thank God I brought my ipod! It was definitely fun joking around with the girls some, but I really pushed it during this part and I had Bon Jovi to help me along the way! hehe... I had brought my running shoes to change for the last "leg" on the treadmill, but with no transition period between the cycling and the running, i wished I had worn my running shoes during the cycling part, even though I hate to do that. It took a minute just to change shoes and later I had to stop to retie them! 2 minutes wasted....oh well...I turned that baby up and got as much mileage as possible in the last 18 minutes..

I would definately do that again...it was fun, a good workout, and we got awesome goodie bags on top of it all. To top off a wonderful time, I got Starbuck's, headed home to change, and went back to the pool for a few lazy hours of relaxing in the sun!

Rough run...maybe I should "tri" harder?

I haven't blogged in sooo long, no excuse really...Today was our run with the LRM group in Maumelle. I haven't been super consistant running with the group on Staurday mornings, for one reason or another. The past few months were frought with 5k's and being out of town, so it look as if I will be able to run with them for a while (with the possible exception on June 20th, more on that later)...

It turned out to be a nice morning..at first it was lightning outside, but it cleared up really nicely. It was humid, of course, but it seemed cooler than it has the past few days or so in the morning. Cheryl and I did 9 miles and it was a LONG 9 miles. We were commenting that it felt like we hadn't done even 8 miles recently, considering how hard it seemed. My left hip has been bothering me (big shock, I know)...this past Monday I pulled something in Kickboxing class. I usually try to be careful about sidekicks and such, but I guess I wasn't warmed up enough or something. I was pretty frustrated...not only because the most RANDOM things set it off...but on top of that, I had to modify my running in Coach Dennis' clinic due to the tightness and pain. It started getting better until yesterday, again, when I was in my "boot-camp"type class....geez...Today during the run it felt okay until about mile 6-7 and I was ready to stop!
Cheryl and I were glad it was over and we headed to Starbuck's for some cafe'! It really is a treat now, since I only go after our Saturday runs!

As far as the running clinic goes, I am enjoying it...I really appreciate the tips, advice and wisdom that Coach Dennis has for us...I am hoping that the speedwork and (hopefully) hill repeats, will help me be better prepared for the Bass Pro Marathon in November. So far it seems not to be helping my long runs!

Next weekend is an "experimental" triathalon, if you will, at the NLRAC. It is a timed one hour simulated triathalon...10 minute lap swim, 30 minute bike ride, 20 min run...as much mileage as possible. I am seriously thinking about trying it, just to see how it goes. I DO NOT SWIM, so this should be interesting and I must admit, it is my major concern...I guess my agenda is just to finish..and if nothing else...it should be a good workout. I do dread the "Dreadmill" though...If they garner enough interest, they will look into sponsoring a "real" tri and even have training options...that would be awesome!

Short update

Man, it's been so long since my last blog, I can't possibly remember all I was going to blog about! Now that I have email on a more regular basis, I hope that won't be the norm for me. I can't believe that it has been over 2 months since the marathon! This has been my "break" from "official" training for a marathon, but has not been a time to slack!



The Women Can Run Clinic came to an end, sadly, but was finished with a memorable 5k that ended up being a PR for me! I was excited and the speed work in the clinic really helped! I also did the Rocket 5k and won 2nd place in my age division! Cheryl and I did the Capital City Classic 10k in April and the MacArthur Park 5k in May. We will finally be able to get back into summer running with the Little Rock Marathon training group on Saturdays and I am looking forward to that! This past weekend Cheryl and I did 8 miles in the River Market, which is the farthest I've run since the marathon. Building that endurance again has been tough, but that last long run felt great! This week was my "official" beginning of training for the Bass Pro Shop Marathon on November 1st. Cheryl, Kim and I are doing it together and hoping for some decent weather and better times all around!

A lame blog history...

Yes...I need to update my blog...However, my internet access has been sporadic at best lately. Have patience, folks...I have done several 5k's in the last month and a half and this week starts Marathon training again! I hope to blog soon..

On the road again....

Finally starting to feel human again after the marathon, "getting my legs back", so to speak....my runs are still felling challenging, but I am slowly becoming able to run for longer lengths of time...Last week at the WCR Clinic was a pretty good week. Monday was a combo of hill repeats and speed work and it was tough, but it felt like a good workout and, most importantly, I didn't injure myself! Thursday was a little more tough, a 4.5 mile "social" run...my hips and IT Band were acting up pretty bad and it was a slow day....I guess you have both!

This past Saturday we did the LRM group run in Maumelle and it felt good to be called a "crackhead" again....:) It was an out-and-back, which I typically hate, but I was able to do 7 miles and was proud of that considering my latest struggles with increasing my mileage. My hips were a bit tight and I attribute that to my extra 20 minutes of sleep, instead of warming up on my spin bike like I usually do...oh well....Of course, I'm not super speedy yet, but I am hoping that will come with time. This next month is going to be an intermediate time of trying to work up my endurance level during the week, and hopefully making a habit of running 5 days a week. Me, Cheryl and Kim have talked about doing the Bass Pro Shops Marathon on November 1st and that should give me a little "cushion" as I get ready to start training again. I have been looking at training schedules and want to give the Galloway method a spin at some point. Mostly, I am concentrating on running for longer periods of time and less on how far I run. Somehow that little shift of focus actually seems to help me, and I'm not so obsessed with pace!

I'm planning on doing the Catholic High Rocket 5k on April 25th. This next weekend is the route on Rhaling Rd. with the LRM group, and I NEED those hills. I've heard the 5k route is all hills! Cheryl will be out of town that weekend for the American Odyssey Relay and Kim will be doing the marathon in Nashville. May is fraught with several 5k's as well, although, I regret not being able to do the Dino Dash on the 30th. I will be camping at the Buffalo that weekend...somehow I will find a way to cope...hehe...

Any advice regarding marathon training schedules or experience with the Galloway Method is welcome!

Whine..complain....etc...etc...etc...

Ok...so mostly this blog is to vent...whine..bitch..moan and complain....5 things I do exceptionally well...Mostly, I'm just feeling frustrated in general about how slowly my body is letting me recover from the marathon. The 5k last weekend was a treat, in that it was fun, and I beat my goal time. But it bothers me that, more often than not, those 2 things are directly linked and almost totally dependant upon each other...I want to train for another marathon...but I'm not sure when...and I don't want to sign up "just because" and not be ready...And, anyhoo, I have been signing up for some 5k's and a 10k to get used to running again and try something different for a while and I still seem to have this pressure following me around...kind of like competition...I've always been focused on trying to beat myself, meet my own goals...but now, I feel like if I'm not a part of someone else's, I 'll always get left behind...My friends have done plenty of run days, running slower than I know they can or want to, to stay with me..and now, not getting any faster, I need to let them go and do better for themselves. This makes me feel sad...sad that I'm not doing better....sad that I will be alone...sad that I once enjoyed running alone and now it kind of hurts...sad that the love of running seems to be overshadowed by expectations (mine and others)....

So, it is with a heavy heart and ipod in hand, that I let go...I will sign up for a marathon WHEN I'm ready...I will run at MY OWN pace and let others leave me if they need to....and this WILL NOT mean that I'm not bad or inadequate or a sucky runner...it just means that I AM WHERE I AM...and hopefully other people will accept that....hopefully I will accept that. That's all I can do.