Ah, there's the extra motivation I needed!

Wait, I mean ...

Oh, crap, now I've gotta run a marathon!

I'm excited!

I'm scared!

I'm excited!

How am I going to do this?

Can I do this?

Yes, I can do it but it will be hard - and it will hurt.

But it will be worth it.

My husband will be proud of me ...

My kids will be proud of me ...

Wait a minute, I will be proud of MYSELF!

I've lost my mind.

I'm excited!
I'm scared!
I'm excited!

Foto Friday

Yep, this post idea is stolen from Carly, who stole it from ??? or maybe it was her idea ??? I know there's been a recent analysis of the origins of Three Things Thursday by the Redhead, but that's it for my running blogger history.

All I know is, maybe if I have a few standard blog ideas at the ready, I'll be more consistent posting here.

I walked through the break room earlier this week and saw this on the counter.

Drink Please

Mmmm, nope, I don't think so.

I work in a courthouse and this breakroom is accessible to anybody. I'd hate to fall victim to one of the many court system regulars who roam these halls and left this hoping a gullible and thirsty judge might wander by.

Well, not really but I have to look for workplace humor where I can find it. Some unknown employee had good intentions by gifting this only slightly-out-date beverage, but still, I think I'll pass. I'm afraid to even put anything in that refrigerator for fear that it will be either be a) eaten by someone else before lunchtime (been known to happen before) or b) spontaneously grow green fuzz just from being near some of the stuff already in there. Apparently this lemonade tried to make its escape and only made it as far as the counter.

I just wish I worked in a building where the visitors are more pleasant. If people aren't here for court, then they're usually here to pay their property taxes in my office. Or, you know, at least complain about their property taxes. Fun, fun for everyone! But at least I don't take the money. I just create the maps!

Three Things Thursday

The lunchtime quickie edition ...

Success last night! I did the 2 miles prescribed in my smartcoach training plan for October's trail 10-miler. It was still very hot and humid, but I had a great time for a couple of different reasons. First, I was running/walking again and it felt great! Second, Will (my 4-year-old) joined me on the adventure. He loves going with me to the cow pasture which is my standard 2-mile route. This picture isn't from last night but gives you a good idea of his goals anytime he goes for a walk: collect as many rocks and sticks as possible.

~

I'm recovering from plantar fascitis and my heel did great last night. I feel it a little bit today, but not too bad. My podiatrist suggested I try inserts in my running shoes to offer a little more cushion for my heel. They are soft and feel great, but my foot feels kind of "tall" in my shoe. I've also got to play around with the lacing some so the back portion of the shoe will be a little tighter.

~

Taylor and I directed VBS at our church last week. It was a great experience and I truly believe God was present and working each night! The kids had a great time and it was worth all of the preparation and late nights. The only thing is I still cannot get those songs out of my head ... who needs an iPod with that kind of internal soundtrack? And speaking of iPods (hello, segue), there's a great Yurbuds giveaway at Running Off at the Mouth. Be sure to click on over and check out the wonderful blog ... she's an inspiring running mom. I could definitely use these as my last pair of earbuds mysteriously disappeared ... that's what happens when Kate wants to borrow them all the time and they don't find their way back to me ...

Baby steps

I can't believe how difficult it is to write this post. I've struggled several times with what to say, what not to say and just haven't been able to type out the words to begin.

I began running two years ago as an attempt to begin a healthier lifestyle, but just as important, it was an attempt to start a new hobby for me ... an attempt to succeed at something by not procrastinating or being lazy. So far, it's been a mixture of successes and failures, much like life in general.

I've completed 5k's, a ten miler and a half-marathon. Completed the distances, that is, but have not successfully completed the training plans. And with a disappointing half back in March, I took a huge break from running. Yes, I was extremely proud of myself at first for completing the 13.1 miles on an incredibly muddy course (amazing what an entire week of rain will do to a trail), but I started beating myself up shortly afterward for not completing the training plan's midweek runs. I did a pretty good job at the weekend long runs, but I found it difficult to get in the shorter distance runs during the week. The more I thought about it, the more I convinced myself I screwed up and the downward spiral began.

So here it is, almost five months later and time to begin training for the Medoc 10-miler again. And ... I slept in yesterday and today and still haven't done the first weekly run, a measly 2 miles. My weight has crept up again and reaching 150 pounds seems like an impossibility. I'm eating way too much crap. It'll take a miracle to reach 500 miles for the year.

But still, somewhere inside me, there's a part that thinks I can achieve big things in running. Big things, like 26.2 miles in March 2011. But it'll take discipline and determination to complete a training plan during the winter. Can I do it? Jeff Galloway says I can, if I follow his plan. There's even a podcast providing inspiration.

For now, though, it's baby steps again ... but at least that's moving forward.

Three Things Thursday

• My last 5 runs have been on my sister-in-law's treadmill. Like most of the rest of the country, northeastern NC has been colder than usual. My time to run is either early morning before work or in the evenings after work, both of which are in the dark and when the temps have dropped even more. I know many of you are accustomed to running in the 20s and even colder, but a) I'm essentially a wuss when it comes to the cold and b) my cold weather gear isn't really for temps that low, especially my socks. So, the treadmill it is ...

• Which leads me to this, why on earth do I find myself going slower on the treadmill than outside? My only theory is that, ironically, I'm having to adjust to being warm again while running on the treadmill since it's a comfy 72 degrees in her house. I do like being able to maintain a steady pace on the treadmill, but I'm now back to 13:00+ minute miles. I'm confident that my measured routes on the farm are accurate so the 12:00 or so minute miles averaged in December should be accurate as well. The google my tracks app on my phone corresponds with my measurements using my GIS software. This seriously makes me want a Garmin even more now, but that's another story altogether.

• The half-marathon training is still going well. I just need to add in some cross-training twice a week but am not sure what to do. What do you readers think? Would adding in 2 or 3 days of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred be good for cross-training?

A gisrunner wordle

So cool ...




Created using http://www.wordle.net

A Year's Worth of Progress

I have a few minutes to blog while everybody else is otherwise occupied. Taylor and his sisters are with their mother shopping. Kate is hanging out with her Papa. Will is playing with the Wii. So I've decided to geek out a little bit and look at my online log from Buckeye Outdoors more closely.

I've thought about Monday's post a lot and realized I was way too critical of myself. 2009 was a very good running year for me. It was the first complete year of running and I did improve a lot even though I had some lazy times during the year when I just didn't want to do anything at all. Here's a colorful look at December 2008 vs. 2009.

Running Summary - Dec. 2008 Dec. 2009
Runs: 4 13
Avg. Time: 00:21:55 00:30:54
Total Time:01:27:43 06:41:54
Avg. Speed: 4.7 MPH 4.9 MPH
Avg. Mi Pace: 12:53 12:21
Avg. Dist.: 1.7 Mi 2.5 Mi
Total Dist.: 6.8 Mi 32.5 Mi

I improved in all of those categories, especially the number of runs and total distance. December 2009 was much more consistent and I am very proud of that. My speed even improved (I know I shouldn't even be thinking about speed, but it's hard not to!). At least three of the 2009 runs were with Kate and I let her dictate the run/walk intervals. If I take those runs out, I actually averaged slightly under 12:00 minute miles.

I'm excited about what it will look like next year when I have another year of running under my belt, so to speak. Giving myself credit for my accomplishments is something that I need to do more often, so I'm glad I took the time to geek out a little this afternoon.

Here's to a great 2010! Now, back to the Wii ...