Saturday, October 9, 2010

Photos from Last Week's Komen 5K

my face, painted

after the race at the lake house

the tags on my back - in celebration of Lillian Hunter & in memory of Evelyn Kaechle

Thursday, October 7, 2010

850 Calories!

I had an amazing day today. First of all, we went to the doctor to have my daughter's wrist x-rayed after our bike incident. No broken bones! Yeah!

After I dropped her off at our co-op, I went and worked out HARD for 40 minutes with my personal trainer. We spent about 30 minutes on my legs and did some new exercises that were incredibly hard. Then we did about 10 minutes of HARD work on my arms!

Next, he took me on a bike ride. Part of the time we were on a bike/jogging trail and part of the time we were on the edge of a fairly busy street. He was teaching me about cadence and proper form. With cadence, you are supposed to choose a steady rhythm to pedal. Then, you change gears to stay with that cadence! You should pick a pace you could do for hours. We rode for 40 minutes and covered almost 7 miles.

After that, I taught my two classes at co-op and then we headed to AHG, American Heritage Girls, which is very similar to Girl Scouts. While my daughter was there, I went running with another mom! We ran for 30 minutes which I'm guessing was about 2 miles.

After AHG, we went to Christian roller skating night with some AHG friends. We were gone from before 8 am until about 8:30 pm! Long day!!!

But, it was worth it! I burned almost 850 calories! The most I've ever burned before was 600. And, I actually didn't eat that much. I had to 'make' myself eat dinner and had grapes for dessert.

I did have to stop and buy some ALEVE on the way to the skating rink as my hips & legs were starting to ache. And, no, I didn't skate! I was tired!

I soaked in the tub when I got home and it's a little before 10 and I'm getting ready to go to sleep.

(Countdown to Half Marathon: 169 days)
(Today's Training: weights (40 mins); bike (40 mins/7 miles); run (30 mins/2 miles)

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Bike Wreck!

Yes, I just got my new bike on Friday and I had a wreck today.


My daughter and I were riding our bikes around the neighborhood tonight. We were both in the street and she decided to ride on the sidewalk. She went up one driveway and I sped up a little to pull alongside her. Well, she changed her mind and didn't tell me. She zipped down the next short driveway and "BAM"... right into the side of me! We both tumbled to the ground. I landed on the street and she landed somewhat on top of me.

I got a 2 inch long scrape on my forearm and a small scrape on my wrist. My daughter hurt her wrist, though we hope it'll be fine. She broke her other wrist last November, so I hope that isn't the case this time!

I also dinged up my bike just a bit. The wrapping on the handlebars has a little chunk taken out of it. That's the only damage I've seen so far. I rode the bike home after the wreck and it seemed to be working fine. I guess I'll take it in and have it checked out, though.

Sorry I still haven't taken photos of my bike! Someone asked what kind it is. It is a Scott Speedster S30. I bought it at a chain (Sun and Ski Sports) which is nice because I can take it into any of their stores at any time and have it checked out. Also, they honor their regular 30 day return/90 day credit policy... though they said it was only if it hadn't been in a big wreck.

I worked out a lot today, but I ate really poorly. I think it was emotional eating. My arm was really stinging for about an hour and I was just upset to have crashed my brand new bike. I've eaten quite a bit of junk today. And, that was after burning almost 600 calories today! Yuck! I'll have to get back on track tomorrow. And, I'm hoping my arm doesn't get too stiff and I can stick with my workouts!

(Countdown: 171 days until Half Marathon)
(Today's workout: ran 3.6 miles, upper/lower strength training, 2 mile bike ride, 600 calories BURNED!)

Monday, October 4, 2010

Breaking in My New Bike!

After my 5K on Saturday, I drove up to our lake house. I thought I'd shower, eat some lunch, and then have a nap, but I ended up going out on the jet skis with my husband. Then, my daughter wanted to go bike riding, so I hopped on and we went for a ride!

I just got my bike on Friday, so Saturday was my first ride. I told my daughter that her bike is no comparison to mine. (She's 9.) My wheels are so much bigger and I have gears to shift through! I had to go really slow and keep stopping for her - especially on the hills. We rode almost 4 miles. Then, I went in and took a nap.

I went on another ride Sunday afternoon. This time by myself. I ended up going almost 7 miles. I have quite a few hills and enjoyed challenging myself! And, I enjoyed 'flying' DOWN the hills.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I went on my first bike rides in MANY years this summer when I borrowed a bike while in New Mexico. That time, my neck and my 'seat' hurt during and afterwards.

This time, my neck still hurt. But, I took the bike in today and had it readjusted. Hopefully it'll be better! And, I got some gel shorts that my saleslady recommended. They were GREAT! I rode 2 days in a row with minimal discomfort! She had recommended a $100 pair, but I told her I didn't need that much yet. So, her 2nd recommendation was on sale for $45. Much better! And, they work great.

I forgot to take photos but I'll try to do it soon!

(Countdown: 172 days until Half Marathon)
(Today's Exercise: nothing ... We ran errands from 3 - 7:30 and then had to do dinner and finish up some school work. There just wasn't time - or I didn't make time.)

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Amazing 5K PR!!! (aka...a Blessing of Being SLOW!)

Yesterday was my 2nd 5K since finishing C25K (Couch to 5K) in August. My 5K in September was a small, local event. But, this 5K was HUGE! It was the Houston Komen Race for the Cure... and we had over 32,000 (yes!) walkers and runners. I was amazed!

I went to the race by myself and, as I'd mentioned earlier, was worried about parking. Well, I actually found a parking garage really easily which was just about 2-3 blocks away. It was still dark as I walked to the park area, but there were 1,000s of runners/walkers out, too, so I wasn't nervous.

I got to the park and there were dozens of tents giving out freebies. My first thought was, 'how can runners be picking up freebies before the race? where would they keep them?' But, then I saw the wagons and all of the others who were there just to walk, raise money, and have a great time. So, I understood. I only got a free small towel because it is allergy season for me and I forgot to bring anything! I sometimes run with a water bottle, so I knew I'd be OK.

As I walked around, I was amazed that I started getting quite emotional. This race is to raise money to fight breast cancer. There were a lot of survivors there - either to walk or run. And, there were people walking around with pink signs on their back saying "in memory of" or "in celebration of." I saw at least one that said "in memory of 'my mom'" and one that said "in celebration of myself" along with some other names. I saw a booth where you could make signs, and I walked over and grabbed two.

My grandmother, Evelyn Kaechle, had breast cancer in the mid-80's. She was treated successfuly and was cancer-free until 2003. She ended up with cancer 'all over' her body, which they beleived stemmed from her earlier breast cancer. She lost her battle in 2003 at the age of 88. I raced "in memory of" my grandmother, Evelyn Kaechle.

My husband's grandmother, Lillian Hunter, had breast cancer, too. Her cancer was in 2000 and she is a survivor. I proudly raced for her, too.

After I finished writing their names, it was hard for me to control my emotions. One of the volunteers pinned the signs on my back as I tried to gain my composure. I was thinking of both of my grandmothers and also thinking about what so many who were there at the race must be going through. Some had signs of people who had died this year. A group had signs of someone who had died just last month. How hard this must be for them! And, at the same time, they knew they were there helping to raise money to fight this disease.

After I finisihed my sign, I lined up at a port-o-potty. The line wasn't very long and I still had about an hour's wait! After that, I decided I needed to figure out where to line up.

The park area is huge and I wasn't sure where to go. I saw another couple and one of them had on a blue tag (like me) which means you are running the competitive race. I asked if she knew where she was going. She didn't, but I decided to stick with her and we could figure it out together.

She dropped her husband off at the "non-competitive" area and then we found our way to the "competitive" area. We thought there would be signs showing paces so we knew where to line up. There weren't, but we both wanted to be fairly far back. She's a lot faster than me - she was expecting to run an 8 minute mile.

A few minutes before the start, another lady came up to me and asked if I was "I M Smiley." It was BABHONORS! I knew she'd be at the race, but I was shocked she'd found me! I had my profile shirt on "Believe and Achieve" and she recognized me! We talked for the few minutes before the gun went off. During that time, she told me she usually runs about a 14-15 minute mile. (I think.) I told her that my last 5K was about 15 minutes/mile and I was hoping to go as fast as a 14 minute mile. Actually, my goal has been to break 45 minutes.

The starting gun went off and took a good 1-2 minutes before we got to start walking. With such a large crowd, everyone basically walks until they reach the starting line. When I stepped on the starting line, I started my 'slow' jog along with the crowd. About a minute later, I realized taht BAB was beside me! So, we talked a tiny bit.

I asked if she'd started the timer on her watch because I'd forgotten! She had and was able to give me the information so I knew approximately how to adjust my timer. We kept jogging along together. At one point, she told us we'd hit the 1 mile mark! (It wasn't marked on the course, but she had a Garmin.) I believe it was at about 12:30! I couldn't believe it! Ive only once broken a 14 minute mile!

She kept running and I kept struggling to keep up. But, I was doing it! I kept thinking I should tell her to go on without me if she wanted, but I kept trying to stay up with her, too.

We walked for about a minute at mile 1 and about another minute at mile 2. I couldn't believe it when we hit the 2nd mile at about 26 minutes or so. How could I be running so fast? And, this was the hardest I've ever pushed myself. Could I keep it up???

The last mile, like my other 5K, was the hardest. I didn't think I could keep up this pace. I got a stitch in my side for a minute, but was able to breathe through it. We had to go under an overpass and there was a pretty steep 'hill' on the other side. We both walked, as did most of those around us.

We got closer and closer to the end and I kept thinking "I can't do this!" But, a voice inside of me kept telling me I could. I actually thought about what how my sister-in-law would be telling me that I COULD do it if she were beside me. I kept running!

The finish line, even when BAB told me we were at 2.8 miles, seemed so far away. When I run at home, I always get a burst of energy near the end. I wanted the burst, but I could barely go at the pace we were going!

We passed the 'finish' line for survivors. We heard the lady on the speaker talking about the survivors crossing the finish line and the various names that we were running 'in memory of' or 'in honor of.' I kept running. I finally saw the actually finish line. I stuck next to BAB and we CROSSED THE LINE! What an incredible feeling. "What was our time?" I asked. 40:40... 40:40... I couldn't believe it! I'd wanted to break 45 minutes and I'd made it in 40:40!!! WOW!

We walked on. It was really crowded and I desperately wanted water. Where's the water??? I finally saw some volunteers and I had to backtrack a little to grab a water bottle. Ahh!! Then, I saw LOTS of volunteers ahead of us with water bottles.

I walked next to BAB and was trying to talk to her and thank her for her help in 'pushing' me, but I could barely talk. And, I could barely walk! My equillibrium was off and I kept walking sideways.

We got to a long row of tables where they had 1,000s of Luna bars, bananas and apples. I grabbed a banana and an apple. Afterwards, I thought that was kind of greedy of me and I hope they had plenty! But, at the time I was just wanting some nourishment.

I walked with BAB and went to meet her husband. She introduced me and we talked for a few minutes before I left. My family was already at our lake house and I had a long drive ahead of me.

I really felt on top of the world! You should have heard me as I talked with my sister-in-law. I was so giddy with happiness! I couldn't believe that I'd run that fast. That I'd beat my own PR by so much... almost 6 minutes! And, that is a blessing of being slow. Who else can take almost 6 minutes off their 5K time?

I'm feeling great and ready to run some more!

Ugh....I had photos to load, but I always have problems! I think my camera is set to take too high and the files are too big! Trying to add photos...

(Days to Half Marathon: 173)
(Today's Training: 6.9 miles on bike)
(Yesterday's Training: 3.1 mile race and 4 miles on bike)

September Reviews & October Goals

SEPTEMBER REVIEW:
1. Run 1st 5K (since 2003) on Sept 11th. - GOAL MET!!!
2. Run 'my' lake 5K in under 46 minutes. (currently at 49 mins 20 secs) - GOAL MET!!!
3. Run 1 mile at 14 mins 30 secs. (fastest current run was 15 mins 30 secs) - GOAL MET!!! Actually ran 1 mile in UNDER 13 mins!!!
4. Buy a bicycle! - GOAL MET!!!
5. Lose 4 pounds (so 143). GOAL MET!!!  EXACTLY!
6. Get back in the habit of drinking 8 glasses of water a day. (So, let's say 20 days this month.) - Goal NOT met
7. Start logging food again. (15 days this month) - Goal NOT met
8. Run 8 miles per week, swim 500 yards per week, and 'bicycle' (probably at gym) 4 miles a week. Goal NOT met - Did get in most of my running, but only 1 short swim and didn't buy bike until Friday.

Overall, I'm really happy with my results. I met 5 of 8 goals!

OCTOBER GOALS (crazy month, so goals shorter)

1. Lose 3.5 pounds - that would put me at 139.5!
2. Run a long run of at least 5.5 miles.
3. Run a total of 30 miles.
4. Ride bike at least once per week.
5. Have one bike ride of at least 10 miles.
6. Do strength training twice a week for upper AND lower.

I'm not going to make any goals about logging food or drinking water as I know that's probably not going to happen. I would also like to start taking swim lessons or join some kind of swim practice, but I don't think that will happen this month, either. For now, I'll concentrate on running, cycling, and losing more pounds!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Learning to Run My Own Race

I  picked up my bike tonight. Yes! It took almost 2 hours as I also needed a helmet and some other equipment. We didn't get home until late, so I'll be riding it tomorrow!

I also am very nervous about my 5K tomorrow. It is further away then the others I've ran. I'll need to leave the house by 6 am. And, I need to find parking, find the line up area, the bathrooms, etc. I know I'll be fine, but I wish I had someone to ride with!

I've been thinking a lot about speed and I've been asking a lot of questions. So, as I head into tomorrow's race, I thought I'd leave you with a comment I just left on a blog.

Thanks for your comment on my blog about speed, age, etc. Yes, I have gotten a lot faster. My first timed mileage was at a 17 min 30 sec pace. I ran one mile this week in 13 mins 57 secs. So, that's quite an improvement in about 6-7 weeks!

I guess I have been comparing myself to others. I don't even know their ages or background, but I see we started C25K at about the same time and they are so much faster!

I guess I was also disappointed on my first 5K to be 'so slow' instead of just enjoying it. I was running, but the walkers were beating me. I have another 5K tomorrow and I don't want that same experience. Maybe I should have not signed up for 5Ks until I was more comfortable... or faster!

Anyway, you are right and I need to just relax and not be so competitive. I am setting new PRs almost every run - in one way or the other (distance, time, etc). It's amazing! And, I shouldn't keep feeling like it isn't enough.

I have a 5K tomorrow and I'm going to try to just 'sit back' (well,run!) and enjoy it... no matter what the outcome. Whether I beat my last time or not. Whether I'm running with walkers or runners. I'm running to have fun and to get in shape, so I need to not worry about comparing myself to the other runners!

(Countdown to Half Marathon: 175 days)
(Today's Workout: REST day!)