More Ketchup Please....

Hello friends!

Did you think I forgot about this little ol' blog? That I've walked (or run) away and left y'all behind?? Don't you worry. It's time for more "ketchup". I fully admit that I have no clue what week of training I'm in. My bad.
And to avoid this being a ridiculously long blog, I'm just going to stick to the main events in my little quest over the last 3 months.
Sound good?
OK...here we go.

A few months ago I came home from work to a surprise present from Jim. In order to better track my progress and feel more like an "official" awesome runner, Jim bought me a Garmin Forerunner 210. It's a great GPS running watch that keeps track of my heart rate, distance, pace and elevation all at one time. Its light, convenient and super accurate. After a run we can come home and upload my run info right onto the computer and watch my progress. I haven't done a single run since then without it. I HIGHLY recommend one of these. Totally worth it.
Thank you, Jim. I love you :)

Garmin Forerunner 210. For those who want to be more awesome....

So, it's no surprise to those of you that know Jim or have been following this blog that he started seriously running about a year before I did. He has a lot more experience with the ups and downs of being a distance runner and, of course, has completed more races than I have.

His collection of medals was starting to get more and more impressive and I was starting to get a small collection of my own. We wanted to find a place where we could proudly display our accomplishments because it just didn't feel right leaving them in the closet. We worked hard for those medals. And we are definitely the kind of people that want to show them off. 

So we did.

We built our own display board for our medals and running bibs and hung them in our dining room. 

My board is so sad compared to his!! I'm working on it, though. Next to my board there is a calendar that starts December 2011. This is our set training schedule for my first full marathon in April. More on that in a minute.



We recently took a trip back to San Francisco. Perhaps you might remember that during our last trip to San Fran, we ran in wigs along side some nakeds in the Bay to Breakers 12k. We weren't there for a race this time. Jim was a groomsman in the wedding of one of his good friends/fraternity brothers so we had the opportunity to party in one of our favorite places and Jim was able to catch up with friends he rarely gets an opportunity to see anymore.
And of course while we were there, we wanted to do a few runs. We were so lucky in the fact that our hotel was only two short blocks from the ocean and there was a trail along the beach to run. SCORE!!
We ran twice while we were there and took the trail along the beach and into Golden Gate Park.
Anytime you have an opportunity to run along the beach...TAKE IT! Maybe its just because I'm a land-locked runner but I was soooo excited to get the opportunity to look at the gorgeous waves and have the ocean breeze cool us off. I know that sounds cheesy but I don't care. It was awesome. It just made me more excited for my first full marathon. More on that in a minute. (I promise)

We didn't take a picture of the trail. So here is a picture of us later in Golden Gate Park.
(Go Bears!)

Halloween Half Marathon - Provo, UT

I was so excited for this race!! I hadn't done a race since July and was starting to get a little anxious. Jim ran this last year and had a lot of fun so I was happy that we got to run it together this year. 

And since its a Halloween Half Marathon, we just HAD to wear wicked cool costumes. 

Hence the Ninja Turtles. 

Pre Race 

The great thing about this race is not only the costumes but also the downhill. We started up Provo Canyon at the Alpine Loop which is about 2 miles past Sundance Resort and we ran down. And when I say down...I mean it. Downhill is fun because you feel really speedy but after a while it really starts to impact your body. My quads, butt and feet were KILLING me by the end of this race. 

But during the 13.1 miles, we were able to really enjoy the gorgeous scenery. The leaves are all changing color and falling to the ground. We ran through a park along a small river with trees that formed a canopy above us. We saw pirates, clowns, cheerleaders, vampires, football players, BYU fans (boo!), robots, a sumo wrestler and one group who dressed up as the cast of Despicable Me. 

This was nothing like the last half marathon I did. It was nice and cool outside. There were tons of people and the race started at 9am on a Saturday. Not 9pm on a Friday. 

I didn't feel nearly as tired and there were no episodes of hyperventilation. It wasn't until about the last 2 miles that I was really getting anxious for the finish line and that was mostly just because my feet hurt so bad. I've put a few too many miles on my running shoes and I could certainly feel it at that point. But when we crossed that finish line and I heard the announcer call out our names and the little kid dressed as Dracula handed me my medal, I was happy. And not JUST because the race was over. But because I actually enjoyed myself. I actually had fun.That's very important, people. Don't do something you don't enjoy doing. You're just going to be miserable.

Oh and in case you were wondering about my time.....2:32:09!! Almost a full 30 minutes faster than my last race. Hell yeah!! (Jim was 2:32:12....hahaha!) 

Post Race with our medals. I'm tired but very happy. This is a real smile.

But alas, the next morning when I woke up, I felt like I had been hit by a semi. Every muscle in my body hurt. It took a lot of effort to get out of bed and walk around. Jim lovingly called me Gimpy and it was totally true. The worst of all the muscle groups at that time was my ass. No joke, you guys...I covered my butt cheeks in Icy-Hot.

Then we went to my sister's house for brunch and football. While in the kitchen my brother-in-law, John, says "What is that smell?" And I had to bow my head and admit "It's my ass. My ass smells like an old man."

There was so much menthol floating around that house that our breakfast burritos might as well have been topped with Icy-Hot instead of sour cream since that was all we could really taste anyway. I actually made Jim massage my butt cheeks. In front of my mother. I didn't even care. They hurt. 

And all I could say in response to my offensive smell and lying on the couch getting a good ol' fashioned ass massage? "I'm an athlete!"

So now, we get ready for the big stuff. We are keeping ourselves in shape and ready for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas on December 4th. We are still debating on our costumes for that one so keep your eyes on Facebook for pictures the day of the race. 

Before that we have the Cottonwood Heights Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. This was the fist race Jim and I did as a couple when we first started dating last year. My sister, Carly, called it our "5k-versary". Ahhh...how sweet. 

Then, when we get home from Vegas we start our serious and structured full marathon training for the Big Sur Internationl Marathon in Monterey, CA on April 29, 2012. We get to return to the ocean and run a full 26.2 miles along the coast line. We are running this marathon with our friends Ellie and Jason. This will be the first full marathon for all of us but Jim. I can't wait to see how gorgeous this course is. I'm excited to run at sea level again. And I'm excited that apparently we get beer at the end of this race. SCORE AGAIN! 

Should you want to see pictures of what we will be running, here is the link to their website. 

http://www.bsim.org/site3.aspx

OK....I think we are all caught up. I'm sure there is stuff I missed but I will include it in a future blog. 

Sorry for the long post again. 

My bad! 

Legacy Midnight Half Marathon : A story of survival

So as you might have seen / heard on Facebook, I completed my first half marathon this last weekend.
And forgive me for saying / typing this but Holy Sh** Balls, Batman. That was rough!!
Let me tell you the story of how I barely survived 13.1 miles.

And how I'm crazy enough to do it again....

The half marathon was scheduled for 10pm on Friday night. Which meant that we (meaning Coach Jim and I, of course) had to work all day and then go run for a few hours. And of course, because I needed time to de-stress and relax for a few minutes, I missed the Trax train home and had to wait a half hour for the next one. Which made me late to get home which left no time to get rid of all the clutter in my brain.
I was off to a fantastic start.
So after a quick little hissy fit about being too tired to do this crap and dragging myself to the car, I shrugged off the negative attitude since that just won't help anyone and we headed up to Farmington.
We had to catch the bus to the starting line at 8pm and I'm really not sure why they left that early because the race didn't start for 2 hours so once we got there we had to just stand around and wait. And of course, since we forgot to put on bug spray, there were mosquitoes everywhere. (Wow...we're good at this.)
We sat around and contemplated our bitchin' outfits for a while. That passed the time.

Notice all the glow sticks behind me. We weren't messin' around...

The whole time we were hanging out before the race started, I was mostly thinking about what to do to make the best running-friendly glowstick outfit. Not so much about the fact that this wasn't just another 5k. I have to run 4 back to back 5ks.

But we looked good! See! 

I like that Jim looks like a super hero with the Spartan logo and a utility belt :)

We didn't get a picture of the starting line but it was a lit up archway in the middle of the dark trail. It looked pretty cool. And it wasn't until we were herd like cattle to the front of the line that I realized, "holy crap. I have to do this now. It's time to run....for a really long time. What have I done??"

I tend to do better in races and I think it's the energy from all the other racers that help me stay pumped.So I tend to take off a little too fast from the starting line which wears me out after a few miles. For those moments when I start to slow down or get a little frustrated, I have an awesome coach to help me stay motivated. 

That said, the first 5 miles went by pretty smooth. I would say they went by fast but that would be a total lie. If it wasn't so dark outside, I probably could have seen that stupid snail cruisin' past me. Damn, he sucks. 

At the 5 mile mark, Jim's mom, aunt and nephew were there to cheer us on. I couldn't believe they were up that late. I mean, it was past my bedtime on the bus ride to the starting line! So they snapped a few pictures while I was still feeling good. I just wish it stayed that way!! 

(staged) Action shot! I'm surprised she even got this picture. I mean, we're so fast....

Miles 5 - 7 were pretty uneventful except that I had to pee really bad. Running when you have to pee sucks! I felt like I was carrying an extra 50 lbs around in my bladder. And it got worse as the miles went on and on and on and on. 

But somewhere out in the dark, dark distance we could hear a tiny little voice yelling "Gatorade, water and Gu!" I hear you little kid! And I know there's a porta potty up there with you! I can make it....just a little bit farther until the sweet, sweet porta potty. 

Ew...this blog totally veered left. Sorry..back on track. 

I think I started to notice how tired I was about 8 miles in. By that time, I had matched my farthest distance. Every mile past that was marking another small victory. But it was painful. 

We got to ten miles and the guy at the water station reminds us of how many miles we have left. "Just a 5k left now," he says. 

I can do that! I've done a few 5ks! This is nothing....

WORST 5K EVER!!! 

My feet were screaming at me. My legs are like jello and I feel like no matter how hard I try, I can't catch my breath. Which actually led to a scary little episode where I actually hyperventilated. No joke. 

I really don't want to admit that because its not like I was competing in the Iron Man! I've only run 11 miles! 

But that was still farther than I had run so I was tired and not paying attention to my breathing. It only happened for about 20 seconds or so but it was enough to scare the crap out of me and Jim. Once my lungs decided to stop freaking out, we were on our way again with only 1.5 miles to go. 

The last mile was the longest mile I have ever run....ever. This was the point where I started to feel a little emotional. I seriously had a moment where I thought the finish line was fictional. All I wanted in my life in those last few minutes was a view of the finish line so I knew it actually existed. 

Finally...in the distance...in that smelly parking lot in Farmington, the finish line stood gloriously ahead of us. I'm pretty sure I blacked out the last few feet. I heard Jim tell me to smile as we crossed the line. I don't remember what I said in response but it probably wasn't even in words. I think it was more of a grunt. I didn't smile. But I made it. 

A few feet from the finish line. I'm dying right now!

The cut off time for the half marathon was 3 hours. My time.....2:57:51.

Ha! I did it!! I successfully completed a half marathon! Woo hoo!

I have never been so physically exhausted in my life. 

Forced smile...barely conscious

Even though it was rough, I'm really glad I did it. It's such an amazing feeling of accomplishment when you're finally done and can actually comprehend what the hell is going on around you.

So, on that note, I have 3 more half marathons to do before this year is over. 

1. Fire Station Half Marathon in Sandy, UT

2. Halloween Half Marathon in Provo, UT

3. Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas, NV

And then.....the first FULL marathon. 

We're all registered for the Big Sur International Marathon along the California coast line in April.

I've got a lot of work to do, y'all. And don't worry, I'll keep you posted on the ups and downs. 

I have a feeling there will be a lot of them. 

Good run, bad run and my figurative taunting bug.

First of all...let me start out this post on a positive note.

I ran the Freedom 5k over the 4th of July weekend. My last few 5ks I've completed in about 35-33 minutes. So I wanted to finish this one with a 2- in front. I didn't care if it was 29:59, as long as it was under 30.
The route was almost the same as the Pride Day 5k I did in June so I thought I might be able to do it.
The first mile I ran in about 9:30/mile! That's speedy for me! I mean, I was probably a giant blob to the people around me. Especially snails. I imagine it was a little like this....

Note the pink shoes. Yeah..that's pure awesome.

As I got near the finish line, my RunKeeper conveniently announced my time....30:10!
11 seconds off!!! I was soooooo close!! I'm bummed I didn't get the time I wanted but I'm glad that I'm really close to getting there. I have no doubt that with a little more training, I can get a 5k under 30 min.


Now for a more negative / serious note. I'm just 3 days away from running my first half marathon and I just don't know how this will go, you guys.

The Legacy Midnight Run starts Friday at 10pm on the Legacy trail and goes from North Salt Lake to Farmington. They light the trail with neon lights and even the coolers are lit up with glowing ice cubes. How awesome is that?!

Check it out    http://www.legacymidnightrun.com/

13.1 miles is still a long distance for me. So when Coach Jim and I had a training run this last weekend, I wanted to get 10 miles under my belt.

Damn. It was NOT pretty. There were tears involved. And the last mile or so was all just walking and fuming while my loving boyfriend was smart enough to not say a word and when he did, they were encouraging. I don't know if you have picked up on this while reading this blog, but I can either do awesome in a run or I do crappy and beat myself up about it.Then I pretty much give up and get super negative and Coach Jim does what he can to make me feel better. And really, I can't even tell you why it was bad except maybe that it was a little hot and my first few miles I went too fast and got tired. But really, when I look back on the time and distance, I didn't do as bad as I thought I did. But at the time....it was horrible! Needless to say, I only got about 8 miles and they were slooooowwww.

*sigh*

I'm going to try my best to do well in this race but mostly I just want to cross the finish line because this will be the farthest distance I've done. And overall, I think it will be fun.

Wish me luck this weekend. I'll let you guys know how it goes. And if that snail "accidently" gets squished.

(wait, I can't even joke about that. Poor smart ass snail. I couldn't squish him. He's totally figurative anyway)

Ketchup

I know its been a little while since I've blogged and now I need ketchup. (hehe see what I did there. Clever, huh?). So sit back and relax because this is gonna be a loooooooong blog.


Week 7

ummmm....I can't even remember what I did this week. So let's just pretend that I did a ton of running and it went totally smooth with no hissy fits, pouting, bargaining, falling or cussing.



Week 8: Smile Center Memorial Day 10k  - Orem, UT 


This was my first 10k. Now you might be thinking, "Wait a minute, you did a 12k last month. How hard could   a 10k be for you?" Well my friends, let me tell you something that I've learned throughout this little quest of mine. Altitude totally counts! Seriously.
There was no Devil Hill during this 10k but we were back in Utah altitude.It was raining (of course) and a little cold and at one point we were running on the side of the road with lots of nasty exhaust. Once we got through that, we took a trek through Orem suburbia which was actually quite pleasant. Until we passed a sign around 3 miles which lovingly said:  "If you would have run the 5k, you'd be done by now."
Thanks, Sign. You're a jerk.

Around 3.5 miles, I really started to struggle. I wanted to walk soooo bad. My calves were tight and I was hoping that my panting wasn't too obvious to Coach Jim because I didn't want him to know that I was having a rough time. I mean, we're only half way through. So I decided to just suck it up and keep going although my pace seriously slowed.
All of a sudden, the Running Gods looked upon my poor desperate ass and said, "Maybe we should help a sister out." Thank you! I needed that.
Mile 4-5 was freaking awesome! I picked up pace and felt amazing! I felt like I was just out for a stroll. Unfortunately it only lasted that one mile because 5-6 was rough. Not as rough as someone else who ran it before me, however, because they actually puked all over the sidewalk.
And they had oatmeal for breakfast. Did you get that visual? Good. And you're welcome.
Check out my stats. And a picture. Because that's what we do.

Week 9: Pride Day 5k - Memory Grove Park - Salt Lake City, UT 


Talk about a fun race! It was the next closest thing to the Bay to Breakers. Except there were no Nakeds.
I loved the overall attitude of this race. Everyone was there to have a great time and share an overall message of love and diversity. Plus it was a SUPER gorgeous day outside which made for a very nice run through Memory Grove by the capital building.
But alas....I can't have too nice of a run. That just wouldn't be right. So of course there was a massive hill. Again....ugh.
I've decided that when you walk up a hill but make the arm motion like you're running, it totally counts. So if anyone ever tells you that you're not actually running, tell them they're stupid and keep on truckin' up that mountain!
I ran this race separate from Jim because I could tell that he was really jonesing to run really fast. Plus, he just got a wicked tattoo to honor his awesome marathon achievements so I think that might have added to his desire to kick some 5k ass. Check it out

Jim's bitchin tattoo 

This 5k was really cool and I feel like I had a good run. My official time was 33:10 so my average pace was about 10:40/mile.

Before race 

After. PS...no one wanted a hug :(

Week 10

So, no running this week. Just imagine week 7 but with the hissy fits and cussing. That's all I'm going to say about that.


Week 11


No race this week, just training runs. So we actually went back to the same location at the capital building but instead of running 3 miles, we did 7. I had to run that stupid hill again but I'm told that hills are actually really good for you when training. So up we go. Again....ugh.
Those of you that live in Utah know that the area around the capital is anything but flat.So its no surprise that if you travel along that area in the early morning hours during the summer, you are sure to find lots of runners and bikers out there getting in their cardio burn. It was kind of nice to pass by people and say hello and get a smile and nod from the other runners who are sharing my pain. Even that lady with fantastic legs who isn't even breaking a sweat. She's suffering. I just know it. She just has to be! Either way, it feels like a little community and I'm kind of glad I get to experience that every once in a while.
This was also my first run that I've ever used an energy aid other than Gatorade during a run. If any of you out there are running long distances and not using something like GU or Shot Blocks, STOP DOING THAT! Seriously, you're body is stressed the hell out when you put it through that many miles and it needs fuel. I felt awesome during my run but I know I couldn't have done it without a little pick me up. I definitely recommend trying these little miracles on your next run. You won't regret it.

The next few weeks will be serious training because I'm running my first Half Marathon (ahhhhh!!) on July 15th. Wow....that's only a few weeks away.
I'm a little bit sick to my stomach just thinking about it.


Whew..holy long blog, Batman!!
Sorry 'bout that. I promise to keep in touch more, OK? Don't leave angry mob posts on my Facebook page anymore. Mom, I'm looking at you. You totally started it.
:)

Week 6: Bay to Breakers - San Francisco, CA

Top 10 things I learned (or didn't learn) during my experience at the 100th annual Bay To Breakers 12k in San Francisco, CA 


10. Find a happy place before your run. Center your chi...or whatever

Lake Tahoe! 

                                     



9. Wear comfortable clothing that you can run in. Nudity is not recommended only because of chafing
     issues*

Jealous?

     
                                     

                                           












   *(side note...my shorts led to major thigh chafing that HURT and looks like road rash. Lesson learned.)





8.  Do not wear masks or anything that will impair your vision.

Pac Man ghosts!

7.  Do not run with sticks...you learned this in kindergarten. 

6.  Keep your eyes forward at all times. Keep your focus on the road ahead of you. 

5. Acknowledge supporting spectators but only take what they are offering you if it's water....not booze.

These Smurfs are freakin wasted.

4. On the same note, ignore spectators that may be "heckling" you. 

I'm still not sure why these people were there and why they're so angry. Maybe it was all the Nakeds.

3. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays. And make sure you get a picture of your 

     boyfriend's bitchin' reflection. 

2.  Always keep a positive attitude. 

And number 1......hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! 

Quite possibly one of the worst pictures ever taken. But I show you because I love you. This beer was so delicious.

Needless to say, Bay To Breakers was awesome despite the chafing and a massive hill created by the Devil himself. That thing sucked!! But we had a blast and the route was gorgeous (except the Devil hill). We even saw a guy do a beer bong out of a 3rd story window! I mean, that's just impressive, I don't care who you are.

This was the farthest distance to date (7.46 miles) that I have run consecutively and despite a few points where I saw my life flash before my eyes (the worst being around mile 6), I think I did OK. It made it all worth it to enjoy the party that is San Francisco. Who wouldn't love a city that gets plastered to run a 12k and thinks clothing is optional?!

I say I'm going to move there. Coach Jim might have a different opinion....

    

Stupid Treadmill

So when you watch You Tube and someone falls on a treadmill, it's hilarious!
It's not so funny when it's you, dude!

I had to run 2 miles today so I decided to just to bust it out on the stupid treadmill early this morning instead of doing it after work because I wouldn't have time.
Around 1.5 miles, I got a little distracted and a little clumsy. That's a bad combo when you are on the stupid treadmill.
Needless to say, I fell.

The ONLY thing that made it somewhat funny was the only other person in the gym with me at the time.
There is this lady that I see all the time and even though we've never talked, we've acknowledged each other and I think we have a pretty good "gym relationship"
Well, she doesn't speak any English (which I guess is one reason we've never talked....).
So when I took my little tumble I had no idea what she was trying to say to me but I imagine it was something like this:

"Oh sweetie! I'm so sorry about your tumble. What a stupid treadmill! I saw how awesome you were doing on your run. I mean, you're so super speedy and your form is fantastic! It's totally the stupid treadmill's fault that you fell down. It certainly was not your fault. Would you like me to go make you a margarita? Will that help?"

Thank you Gym Lady. I appreciate your concern. But its 6am.
I don't want a margarita.

                                                             Sprained rotator cuff. Lame.

Week 5: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k

Week 5 sucked.

Well...let me start over. Week 5 started out great! Throughout my training runs during the week I managed to keep a steady pace and shave almost 2 minutes off my regular time. And these were done with little to no complaining which was a HUGE accomplishment for me. I'm sure Coach Jim really appreciated the few days that I didn't bitch and moan about one thing or another.
(You're welcome, honey.)

And then....

Saturday came.

Saturday was the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k. I have done this 5k several times but I've never actually run it for several reasons.

1. I was chunky.
2. I was lazy.
3. I was (probably) hung over
4. I was a chunky hung over lazy person who just wanted to go to back to bed.

But alas, in my quest to become a super awesome runner, I have to actually run this 5k. Go fig.

One of the reasons it was so hard to run this 5k was the amount of people there. I think at one point I heard an announcer say there were an estimated 20,000 in attendance. That's an extraordinary large amount of people. And that's awesome! This is a great event and its for a great cause. But seriously...how in the hell do you run a race with 19,999 other people?? Solution: get in the front of the starting line and just haul ass in front of everyone!
Ummmm....no, that still didn't work.
Everyone took off of that starting line like tons of pink bats outta hell and I was still just trying to find my footing in all the madness. I couldn't really focus much on my running in the beginning because I was mostly just making the motion to make it look like I was running but really I was just trying not to get trampled. Then it was a matter of maneuvering around strollers, kids, dogs and old people.
Oh! And at one point, the road had a bump that I swear came out of nowhere and I almost face planted. Funny for others to watch, I'm sure. But not so much for me.
Anyway...once I was able to get through the crowd and into a somewhat decent area to run in, I could finally focus on what I was doing. But that still didn't help. My heart rate was out of control and I felt like my legs weighed about 20 lbs each. I had to walk several times and just could not keep a consistent pace. I was frustrated with myself and wanted to just run faster. I felt like I was back at square one and got a little discouraged to think about how far I still have to go. Needless to say...the entire race was like that.

Coach Jim says sometimes you just have a bad run. I can definitely say that's true.
Considering how many people were there and how many times I had to walk, my time wasn't too bad. It was only 2 minutes longer than the previous 5k. So in normal, sensible-person reality, that's great! I should be happy! But I'm a little bit crazy and I can definitely admit that I'm too hard on myself most times.
Overall, I should be proud of the work I did.

But I certainly made up for my lack of complaining during the week with lots of whining in those few minutes of the race.

I also had a few people comment on our cute shirts so I wanted to give a shout out to Mandi!
These shirts were for her team The Elemonators. She posts a blog about her battle with breast cancer and she's a very strong chica for everything she has to go through. We were definitely proud to rock those shirts.
Check it out

http://www.darngoodlemonade.com/

We are on our way to San Francisco this week so I will be sure to update you on that race when we get back

Week 4: Salt Lake Running Co. 5k

I fully admit that week 4 was a slacker week for me. Because he can't speak and therefore can't stick up for himself, I'm going to blame a dog for my laziness.
I was dog sitting a super adorable basset hound named Bailey. Since I was staying at his house and had to be home right after work to feed him and supply with him with more prescription medications than an 80 year-old man, I didn't have time to stop by my gym and get on the elliptical. Damn you, Bailey! How dare you distract me with all your floppy cuteness!

Needless to say, I got very few runs in but I did manage to complete a 5k on Saturday that was hosted by the Salt Lake Running Company.
My ultimate goal was to complete a 5k in less than 40 minutes since the last one I did (South Jordan Valentine's Day 5k) was 42 minutes. I felt good because not only did I beat my time by achieving a 36 minute race, we also ran in the cold! Utah weather acts a little like a paranoid schizophrenic so at the slightest sign of reasonable Spring temperatures, Mother Nature threw out a batch of snow that reached 10 inches in some places in the valley. The freeway was covered in slush and we saw 3 accidents on our way to the race.
Now image this...its a FREE 5k so it's not like we would be out any money. We already have our shirts so we could totally lie and say that we did it and have proof to back it up. We can run 3.1 miles anywhere, at any time. What's our motivation for going to this thing at 6:30am? in the snow? More free stuff, of course! Salt Lake Running Co. was also holding a raffle with tons of free crap. I mean, I might not ever use that multicolored head band or autographed picture of some runner I've never heard of. But its FREE! I have to have it.
And after all of that, we didn't even win anything. I think it was rigged.

                                             Evidence: we were totally there...honest. The shirt doesn't lie.

I did get a present last week, anyway.
A few weeks ago, Jim and I were watching TV and a commercial for gel insoles for high heels came on. Instead of saying to him that I wanted some new high heels, I turned to him and told him I wanted a pair of hot pink running shoes. Holy crap....my life has changed A LOT in the last few months.
Jim was so happy about what I said, he went online and bought me said shoes as a surprise.

              
                                                                         Hot, right?

                          Coach Jim is lucky he's faster than me. And what the hell are my hands doing??


What's even better than having hot pink running shoes?
Having a coach / boyfriend that has bright orange ones.

                                                                 Ah, aren't we precious?


Next week I have another 5k. The week after that will be a run in sunny San Francisco. You don't want to miss that one because that run might have naked people. Stay tuned...

Week 3: The Gomers, The Stick and The Bra

Week 3 of my training has come to an end. To be totally honest, it wasn't too bad of a week. Definitely easier than I thought it would be but I still had to push myself. 12 miles total divided into a 3, 4 and 5 mile run. The latter of which was done in Liberty Park and I really liked running there. I will be doing that a lot when the weather is nice.

Coach Jim introduced me to a new podcast called "Two Gomers Run a Marathon". It's not only a great podcast to listen to but it's great when I'm running because it's distracting me from thinking too much about how absolutely exhausted I am or wondering what my ass looks like in my running pants. The podcast is just two average guys who have never done anything extraordinary and they are training to run a marathon. They are open and honest about all of their ups and downs including times they want to vomit and when they think they might "Code Brown" on someone's front lawn. I'm happy to report that I have never been to that point in my running but I can assure you that as soon as I do, you guys will be the first to know. 

Because I know part of you is curious. 

Let me also tell you about "The Stick". Every athlete or wanna-be, such as your's truly, should invest in this slightly overpriced piece of fantastic plastic. (ha! bonus...I made a rhyme) 

"The Stick" is considered 'a toothbrush for your muscles'. Despite its marketing flaw (toothbrush?...?) it really is a handy little thing to own. It's just a long plastic rod with several little plastic rings that you can roll along your muscles before or after a work out to help get the lactic acid out of there. I've used it after my runs on my calves in particular and it is sooooooo nice. My legs still hurt but certainly not as bad as they would if I hadn't used it. 

My calves hurt today because I decided to be an idiot and run 5 miles yesterday, then wear high heels all day today. So by the time I got home, my calves hurt so bad that all I wanted was The Stick. I was such a pansy about rolling it down my leg since they hurt so I made Coach Jim take over and give them a good rub down (keep it PG people). Let me tell you, it hurts so good. 

Anyway...invest. I promise you will love it. 

To the ladies out there: have you ever finished a work out only to find that somehow Lake Eerie is now residing in your bra between the mountains? I mean, really! How nasty is that?? I've never really been a sweaty person. A light perspiration?....maybe. Certainly never to this extent. But if you combine more exercise than my ass is used to and a gym with fans that are also on spring break, you get one nasty boob sweat. Hey, I promise to keep it real, folks. Good and bad. Unfortunately, sweat is a necessary evil. 

But on a much less disgusting note, I found a bra that you ladies really need to try if you're looking for one to keep those girls under control and not bouncing in your face during a work out. 

The Under Armour Duplicity Sports Bra not only secures the boobs during the entire duration of the ride, it's ridiculously comfortable. I don't even think about it when I'm running. Which might be partly because I'm busy thinking about how I would handle a "Code Brown"  situation should I ever need to. But I'm mostly sure it's because I'm comfortable. Oh! And..its reversible! So no one would ever know if you were to switch sides and wear it again the next day without washing it! Which is gross. I mean, Lake Eerie was in there. Wash that bra! 

But you have the option if you want it, Nasty.

Week 4 will include a 5k. I will keep you posted. Don't worry!

Introduction

First of all, let me say this...I am not a runner.

I'm just a girl who runs. You might ask yourself, "What's the difference?" And I honestly can't tell you my exact reasoning. I have this image in my head of what a real runner looks like and I'm definitely not that. But I want to be. It's what all the cool kids are doing these days. So I'm going to try.
With the help of my boyfriend - who I consider to be a real life runner - I will train to run a marathon. (which marathon has yet to be determined but I have a few in mind and I'll come back to that in another post). I will document all the ups and downs that come with training for a marathon and put it on this blog for my utter humiliation and your entertainment.

Now, I'm already 3 weeks into my structured training schedule as laid out by Coach Jim. The first two weeks are far too much to write about right now but believe me when I say...it was ugly, folks. It was more than ugly. It was an absolute disaster. It was full of pain, sweat, hissy fits, getting lost in Murray suburban hell, a battle with a heart rate monitor and enough swearing to make a construction worker pray for my salvation.
Something tells me my entire training process will always be like that. (I must be insane)

So on that note....
Join me, boys and girls, as I log my progress to becoming a super awesome runner!
It's sure to be interesting.