Gear I am loving these days

My how times have changed... it used to be that I'd have a few extra dollars laying around and I'd be shopping at Gap for new jeans.  In the past year though I more often find myself browsing workout gear at Scheels or Beyond Running (my fave local running store).

I LOVE finding new clothes/gadgets/etc to compliment my running addiction.  Here are a couple of the latest things I have added to my collection!

Normally when it comes to clothes, I have always preferred Under Armour tops.  They fit well and are great quality.... BUT, recently Gap has expanded their selections to include active wear (GapFit).  One day I was shopping with my kiddos and a series of events involving 2 rowdy children, the stroller, a 90% full Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte from Starbucks, and my white shirt, took place... thus requiring a quick shirt purchase.

And so I found the GapFit Breathe V-neck T for $24.95!  It is fantastic!  It is ridiculously comfortable and pretty flattering.  I've worn it during two pretty sweaty runs and it stays dry.  I haven't had any chafing issues and so far in the couple weeks I've had it, it doesn't seem to hold on to the stink.  There are lots of fun colors too!  I've worn this shirt once or twice just as a regular t-shirt, and it doesn't look like I'm just running around in workout clothing (not that there is anything wrong with that- I do it quite often)!  Below is a photo from the Gap website and below that is what it looks like on me (a non-model!)

This Gap model looks quite happy to be wearing this shirt.

Don't mistake me for a Gap model. 

The other shirt I am going to rave about is the updated version of the Under Armour Women's UA Tech Sleeveless Tank 
I have a couple of the old style of UA Tech tanks and love them, so I was a little hesitant at first about the new style.  It's a bit of a different cut than the old style, so I didn't know if I liked it at first.  I tried it on and fell in love with it!  The best thing about this tank is that they have done something different with the material- it is SO soft!  That is one gripe I have about the old style- it gets a little rough feeling after time.  So far this one feels wonderful!  I love how it hangs and even though it hangs loose, there are no chafing concerns.  When I'm not wearing my new Gap shirt, I am wearing this tank!  The price is reasonable (about $23) and there is a pretty good selection of colors!  Highly recommend this one!

This model does NOT look happy to be wearing this awesome tank.

What the tank looks like on a real person





 

The post in which I have a number of possible titles

Saturday morning I ran a small 10K race.

I couldn't settle on one title, so I'll share all of the possible titles with you.

The race in which I had a sketchy calf muscle
After my 3 three mile training runs this week, my right calf muscle was feeling a little questionable.  Friday I started to worry that I wouldn't be up for keeping up a good pace for my 10k.  I spent all day Friday rubbing my calf with "the stick" and icing the hell out of it.  Luckily, it felt much better by race time!

The race in which I ran my first run with my new marathon training partners
I had been worrying before I started my marathon training that I wouldn't have people to train with me.  I am a pretty social being and part of the fun of running for me is having people to run with and talk training with.
Because of the wonders of Facebook, two friends of mine from a past job had voiced interest in training for TCM.  A few Facebook posts later, and all taking the plunge by actually registering for the race, and we were SET!  Emily, Stacie, and I made the plan to run as many of our long runs together.  This week worked perfectly as we had 6 on our schedule and the Lindenwood 10k was taking place on our long run day.  Worked even better because the race was right on the route I always run at the time I always run it!  It was awesome to see the ladies and think we are going to have a great 18 weeks of training!

The race in which humidity kicked my ass
Woah momma.  It was steamy and gross.  I am no friend of humidity.  I choked on the air I was trying to breathe.  Brutal.

The race in which I started too fast and ran out of steam
I need to learn to pace myself better.  I am able to run faster speeds than I used to, but have been trying to figure out a comfortable, sustainable pace.  Ran the first mile in 9:16.  WAY.TOO.FAST.  Couple that with the humidity and I was feeling out of gas by mile 2.  Note to self for future long runs.  Slow down.

The race in which I had to build mental toughness
Oh I wanted to quit.  Humidity and a brief calf cramp made me crazy in my head.  I had to keep repeating to myself:  "keep going. you're building mental toughness."  Sometimes after I said it in my head, I told that voice to shut up.  I basically fought back and forth in my brain.  I think mental toughness is harder than physical toughness.

The race in which my main goal was to not finish DFL
Small races are terrifying in that the chances of coming in dead f---ing last are much much greater.  I've been there before, and my ego tells me to never be in that position again.  Yes, I know, I know- I should just be competing with myself and yada yada bladda.  But still.  I've done the last place thing before.  I don't care to be there again.  I checked last year's results from this 10k and saw that only TEN people last year ran this race at 10:00 pace or slower.  TEN!  I was thinking I'd be running this at 11:00 at BEST.  Eeek!

The race in which I PR'd by about 10 minutes
I have only run one other 10k- it was last June around this time.  I ran that race in 1:16 (a 12:20 min/mile pace)
I finished this race in 1:06:17!! (a 10:44 pace).

And I did NOT finish DFL.  There was at least 2 or 3 who came in behind me.  Ha!

The race in which I peed myself
Yes literally.  Just a little bit.  Right after I finished the race.  TMI, I know.  This happens to people sometimes.  Just trying to keep it honest.  Surprising because I thought I had sweat literally every ounce of fluid out of my body.



So, there it is.  It wasn't pretty, but it was a pretty spectacular PR for me.  My splits were:  9:16, 10:34, 10:33, 11:15, 11:25, 11:28, and 9:53 (for the last .2).


   

Add caption

Emily, Stacie, and me before the 10K!

All sweaty and gross!

Week 3 training recap

3 weeks of marathon training done and 15 left to go!

Last week, my good friend Hal told me to do this:
Monday- Rest
Tuesday- 3 miles
Wednesday- 4 miles
Thursday- 3 miles
Friday- Rest
Saturday 5 miles
Sunday- Cross train

And what I REALLY did:

Monday- 2 bike rides with the kiddos.  7.96 miles and 10.33 miles.  I know, it's not a rest day, but I also didn't do a long run the previous Saturday.  And Monday nights are the family bike ride night.  Both of the rides were done at a pretty relaxed pace- and I only pulled the Burley for the 8 mile ride :)

Tuesday- 4.01 miles at a 10:54 pace.  My first run in my new shoes- felt terrific!

Wednesday- 4.05 miles at a 10:27 pace.  Pace felt comfortable in spite of the humidity- ran in the afternoon, so it was pretty warm out there.

Thursday- Biking:  32.01 miles (two rides), Running: 2.04 miles at a 10:07 pace.  Biked to work in the morning, did my run after my work meeting, and then I biked home.  Cut the run short by one mile because I was feeling pretty tired and I had done an extra mile on Tuesday.  Thursday night did my regular bike ride that totaled around 26 miles.

Friday- RESTED!!

Saturday- 5.01 miles at a 10:39 pace.  A great 7am run with Emily.  A tad on the humid side, but I felt great the whole time!

After our 5 miler!

Sunday- 53.82 mile bike ride.  WHAT?!?!  Yeah, I didn't realize the ride was going to be that long!  I went with a group and thought we were going for a 30-40 mile ride... turns out the route was much further than that!  This ride was double the length of my previous longest ride.  It actually wasn't so bad- there were moments at the beginning where we were riding into the wind and going at a pretty fast pace that I felt totally discouraged.  I was feeling a little bit in over my head- and pretty intimidated because it was mostly experienced bikers.  Around the halfway point I was able to relax and the rest of the ride was great!  I was surprised how NOT sore I was afterward.  Really the main complaint I had was that my hands and shoulders were a little achy- and otherwise I felt good!

Week 2 training recap and happy father's day to my awesome husband!

Week 2 of training is in the books!  My goal is to write a recap post at the end of each week.

My new best friend Hal Higdon told me to do THIS:
Monday- Rest
Tuesday- 3 miles
Wednesday- 3 miles
Thursday- 3 miles
Friday- Rest
Saturday- 7 miles
Sunday-XT

THIS is what actually happened:

Monday- I "rested."  Quotation marks because I rested in the sense that I didn't do any official exercise... instead I chased my crazy children around all day long.  I wish there was a way to quantify calories burned while parenting a 4 year old and 19 month old.

Tuesday- My calf was feeling sketchy still, so instead of running 3 miles, I went out and biked 23 miles on my road bike.  It's the longest ride I've done by myself.  Great ride- a little breezy at times and pretty warm out.  Later that evening I wanted to pull the kids in the bike trailer for a longish evening ride... but my knees were screaming at me for trying to do the heavy pulling after that long afternoon ride I had just done.  We ended up doing a quick 3 mile ride to a park and back.

Wednesday- Ran 3 miles at a 10:59 pace.  I realized the reason I'm feeling pain all of a sudden is that my shoes are toast.  This is the first pair I've run out completely- and in hindsight I probably should have bought new shoes several weeks ago.  I've run in these for 6 months and just over 450 miles.  I took it at a slow pace, especially since every step I took felt painful in my calf, hip, and ankles.

Thursday- Ran 3 miles at a 10:56 pace.  I ran one final run in those shoes.  Kind of a humid morning, but not terrible.  I think I am starting to adapt to heat and humidity.  I think I'm adapting in general to running in imperfect conditions.  I used to be a fair weather outdoor runner and anytime there was a hint of heat, humidity, or wind, I'd hit the treadmill.  I'm really trying to force myself outdoors for most weather conditions though so I can run in any condition.  So far, so good.  I don't think I've touched my treadmill for several months now!
Thursday night I biked 26 miles with the women's group!  It was much windier than I've biked in before, but overall it was a good ride.

Friday- Rest!

Saturday- Rest again.  I was bummed bummed bummed about missing my long run, but I knew that it would be a bad idea to run long in my bad shoes.  My new shoes should arrive on Monday, so it's possible I try to make up a little mileage when the shoes get here.  I am trying hard to train smart and prevent injury.  I'm pretty stubborn though- so it was really hard for me to just stay home on Saturday morning.  It looks like Em and Stace had a great rainy 7 mile run!  I was SO jealous!  :)

Sunday- 5.5 mile family bike ride to the park!  We had a nice picnic and played awhile. 


Happy Father's day to all the fathers out there!  Happy Father's day to my awesome husband, who is an even awesomer father.  In addition to all the things he does for our family, I also have to say how impossible it would be for me to do this marathon training without him on board with it all.  Training is going to take up a lot of time in the coming months and I'm so lucky that Jay is supportive and willing to do solo parenting duty while I run.  I am trying to schedule runs at times that are less inconvenient, but I am sure some days it will be frustrating.  Hubby also runs and bikes, and it's tough to balance time for family, his hobbies, my hobbies, jobs, friends, etc etc.

New shoes

Ahhh!  Look at my new shoes!  Aren't they purrty?

I officially wore out my last pair of shoes.  They actually held up for nearly 6 months and 450+ miles.

This morning I went for a 3 mile in my old shoes and realized how awful they felt all of a sudden.  I felt pain in my hip and ankles and my right calf.  It's crazy how one day your shoes can feel fine and suddenly they.are.done.

My super talented husband was able to find a replacement pair online for $100 and free 2 day shipping.  This style is last year's style and are getting more difficult to find in my size, but Jay is the master of finding stuff cheap on the internet.  He even found this cute pink and white color! 

These really are the greatest shoes.  I need a shoe with a lot of stability and this is one of the highest rated stability shoes.  They are super padded inside, but not too heavy or bulky.  My first pair of Kayanos were the Kayano 16's and I didn't like them as well as I have liked the 17's.  The 17's feel much lighter than the 16's, but still just as padded.

I can't wait till the 18's get marked down- I've tried them on and they are even lighter and more comfortable.  Until then I am still very happy with the Kayano 17's!

With the 2 day shipping, there is a small chance I'll get my new pair by the time I do my 7 mile long run on Saturday! 

Don't call it jogging!!!

So, I have this thing that I need to get off my chest.

I hate hate hate hate hate when people call running "jogging."  More specifically, I hate when people act as though there is even a difference between the two things.

The way I see it, if you're moving faster than walking, you're RUNNING.  If you make an effort to lace up some athletic type shoe, put on some sort of athletic type outfit, and get outdoors or on a treadmill and start moving at faster than a casual "walk to the mailbox" pace, you're running.

To put a distinction between the two makes it seem like those who fall into the "jogger" category aren't out there kicking just as much ass as the person who falls into this mythical "runner" category.

I.RUN.

It may not be fast.  It may not always be pretty.  But each and every time I slip on my Asics Gel Kayano shoes (which, I might add, are sold as "running" shoes, not "jogging" shoes), I go out there with a purpose.  Sometimes the purpose is to clear my mind.  Sometimes the purpose is to soak up some sunshine.  Sometimes the purpose is to go fast.  Sometimes the purpose is to go long.  Always the purpose is to be better than I was the previous day.  Always the purpose IS.TO.RUN.

I recently had a Facebook convo with a friend of mine who believes there is a distinction.  We've had similar (all in good fun) "arguments" about it before.  He says this regarding the difference between running and jogging:

This is the same silliness as biking or cycling. I will bet you anything I beat many skinny tire people next weekend who claim to be "cyclists" While I am rocking my mountain bike looking hybrid. :) Usain Bolt runs. We jog. Calling everybody a runner is like giving everybody a trophy for showing up. Silly...

It IS silly.  Probably silly that it bothers me so much, but speaking as a person who, if we were to follow some definitions of "running," would not be fast enough to be considered a "runner," I take offense to it.  I did some Googling around on the interwebz and found that to be a "runner," I would have to run 9:00-10:00 min/mile pace.


I'm not sure who decided upon those terms, but I imagine it's somebody who finds a 7:00 min/mile to be a walk in the park.  


I'm not the only one it seems who bristles at this "running vs jogging" argument, and actually it seems as though there are a fair number of articles out there that are more aligned with what I believe.  I found a good one that kind of sums up exactly how I feel about it all.  


http://theruniverse.com/2012/05/running-or-jogging/

So, debate away!  What do you all think?  Maybe you don't care as much as I do about it, but it's just one of my pet peeves.  Comment away if you have strong feelings (or even mild feelings) either way!

And so it begins...

Yesterday was my first official day of training for my very first marathon!

And it began with a rest day.  Kind of a bummer to say your first day of training didn't involve any actual training.  ha! 

As will likely be the case on most rest days, I imagine I will still do some type of exercise, likely in the form of lugging 70 pounds of offspring in the Burley cart behind the big heavy mountain bike.  No biggie, right? 

Confession: when we bought the Burley, I half hoped that MOST of the Burley pulling would be done by my hubby, because, seriously, it's a lot of work. 

Last night hubby got a free pass on pulling the Burley as he had been at the ER with an exploding gall bladder (not really exploding- but severe enough that it's probably getting removed soon) yesterday morning.  So after a long afternoon at the pool with the dynamic duo, I decided to bring the kids on the family bike ride that is put on by Great Northern Bicycle Company every Monday night.  It was our first time taking part, and it was awesome!  The ride is a nice and easy pace and was only around 7 miles.  We rode to a local park and stopped to play for a bit, and then rode back to the bike shop.  Everyone who rides gets a free scoop of gelato (worth the ride just for the dessert!).  The kids loved it and I got a great workout out of the deal!  It's just over 3 miles to the bike shop from our house, so we logged almost 14 miles!  Not too bad for a rest day! 

I am beyond excited for the next 18 weeks of my life.  I imagine it's going to be really tough at times, but can't wait to check an item off my bucket list that I thought I would never actually do! 

the moment I felt like a "real" runner

This morning somewhere along the way during my run, the thought crossed my mind "HEY!  I'm like a real runner!"

Which is kind of weird, because I've BEEN running for almost a year and a half now.  I think the difference today for me was that I went out and ran just for the joy of running.  I ran because it was Saturday morning and it's my favorite time to run.  I ran because the weather was too gorgeous NOT to run.  I didn't run because a training calendar told me so.  I didn't run a specific number of miles because I had to.  I didn't try to keep a certain pace. 

I just ran.

I am becoming the person I never thought I'd be.  I never saw myself looking forward to getting up at 6am on a Saturday and running miles and miles before most people are awake.  Especially crazy because I begin marathon training on Monday and this really was my last Saturday morning to sleep in for the next 4 1/2 months.  But I checked the forecast before bed last night and saw it was going to be 50, sunny, and NO wind at 7am.  It doesn't get much better than that!

I did 7.1 miles at a 10:59 pace.  It was a perfect pace and a perfect run. 

OH!  AND, I wore a running skirt for the very first time.  There are lots of opinions out there about them.  Some scoff because the point of running isn't to try to look cute.  Some love them because they are super comfy AND what's wrong with feeling happy about how you look when you run?

I picked up a cheapy at Target because I didn't know which camp I fell into.  I figured I could go either way and I didn't want to spend a fortune if I ended up hating it.

I.LOVED.IT.

Haters gonna hate, but that running skirt is the MOST comfortable piece of running attire I own.  And I'm not going to lie, I looked pretty dang good in it too.  Something about the shape of it made my legs look phenomenal when I saw them in window reflections.  I'm sold!  Can't wait to buy more of them!!  Oh, and even though it's from Target, it was actually pretty well made.  No chafe concerns, no complaints.  The shorts that line the skirt crept up just a little, but not uncomfortably so.  Might be a problem on a long run, but no problems during my 7 miler.  Best part is that the skirt was only $14!!  So awesome!

Here's some pictures of my awesome run.  I ran along the river on trails I don't normally use.  Nice change of pace :)

my first group bike ride!

I'm adding a new activity to my repertoire!  Last year at the end of Summer I finally decided that I would jump on the cycling bandwagon and buy a road bike.  Some of my favorite girlfriends are avid cyclists and had been encouraging me to join the "bike cult."  I resisted for a long time, but finally gave in because I hate missing out on social activities.  Sometimes I would feel like I was on that episode of Friends where everyone was talking about all the fun they had in London, and Phoebe had no idea what they were talking about because she had to stay back in NY.  (side note: when will Friends references stop being useful?  do people still know what I'm talking about when I reference Friends?  I hope so!)

Anyway, my need for always "being in the loop," is the thing that pushed me to join the bike cult.  Since I bought my bike at the end of Summer last year, I decided that I'd wait till this Spring to start cycling.

As with any "new" thing, I get slightly really really anxious to get started.  I don't like risking looking like a fool.  I've spent the past few months firing questions at my biking friends, making sure I have the correct clothes, gear, etc so I could avoid looking like a total rookie on my first ride!  There was also the self-doubt in my mind about whether I would be able to keep up with everyone....

Of course, like most things I blow out of proportion in my mind, it actually all turned out to be JUST FINE.  Actually, the ride went great!  I was nervous a few times about riding so close to people, and I'm a little clumsy on the gear shifting stuff, but all in all, physically I felt terrific.  Ended up doing just about 24 miles total.

Glad I was finally talked into biking and think this is going to be a great way to add some crosstraining to my marathon training!