10 Bad Miles Outside

:( I was supposed to run 20 miles today but only made it 10. Dangit, I'm disappointed. I had brought my Camelpak, a PB&J sandwich, pretzals, an orange, music, extra clothes...I was ready for the long haul. It took me about 1 hr 55 minutes to run the 10 miles. HOPEFULLY I can somehow make myself run 20 miles tomorrow, but it's looking doubtful.

It was a very hard run because of all of the snow. I'm surprised/lucky that I didn't break an ankle or knee. It was good technical running practice. I couldn't wear my yaktrax either because every other 100 feet was a plowed walk with no snow on it...so I just carried them the whole way.

10 Miles on Treadmill

Woohoo! 30 more miles to go.

Excuses

• Monday = too tired
• Tuesday = tired, and I have 5 other days I can run
• Wednesday = darn snow storm, 12 inches! not at work to use treadmill. does sledding with my niece count?
• Thursday = didn't get home from work until 8:30pm...too tired
• Friday = I better the heck run 10 miles
• Saturday = I better the heck run 20 miles
• Sunday = I better the heck run 10 miles
• Weekly Mileage = 40 miles. Saved myself (KNOCK ON WOOD!).

Bop to the Top and 10.5 mile run

*Updated: Look at these pictures. They're hilarious! I like to smile for the camera guy. :)

Well the Bop to the Top went well and I finished in 6:57 minutes, which is about what I expected. After the first 7 flights I had to start walking. In the beginning I wasn't using the rails to help me until I saw the guy behind me doing it. I felt like I was cheating...but everyone was doing it. Although I enjoyed myself, I probably won't do it again. I'm surprisingly/thankfully not sore at all but perhaps I will be tomorrow.

After the race I went and ran 10.5 miles outside at a 7:55 minute pace. It felt pretty good. Then I did 15 minutes of abs.

10.5 Miles

Yesterday after work I didn't want to run that much, but after the pressure from the bet at work, I made myself run 10.5 miles. Somehow I ran it in 1 hr 16 minutes...so somewhere around 7:30 minute miles or something. Yes, I did measure the distance twice because I was doubting I could actually keep up that pace for 10 miles. Last night I did 15 minutes of abs right before bed.

I wanted to do 20 miles this morning (honestly, I did) but I have the Bop to the top in a few hours and I didn't think I'd be done in time since I had to wait until the sun came up. I'm HOPING that my legs won't be too cut up afterwards so that I can still run and get at least 10 miles in today. I'll take a lot of medicine before I run and just ruin my muscles for the day. You're supposed to get used to running on tired legs, right? Anyway, wish me luck on those stairs!

A bet at work puts the pressure on

*Updated info at bottom
**Another update at bottom
***and another

Well unfortunately the director of the company that I work for learned that I run long distances. He also learned that another employee at our San Antonio facility is a runner. The difference between me and the other runner is that I am slow and he is fast. He ran his last marathon in 3:30, but he walked about 6 miles and was sick. I think he ran another marathon in 2:30 or something crazy.

So anyway, the cmpy director is a competitive guy and wants to have a bet between us. We're both running the Boston Marathon this April and the director is going to use this Heartbreak Hill Striders Age-Graded Calculator to find out who's the better runner. If he's better, then the San Antonio employees will get a free day off work. If I'm better, then us Indy folks will get the day off.

Based on my results from my best marathon, I fall into the top 64% of my age group. The other guy falls into the top 88% group or something. Although I'm semi-competitive, I don't like this bet because the other guy is obviously way faster than me. There's too much pressure.

I just talked to the director this morning and he said that guy is running 90 miles a week. That's ridiculous! Who has time/motivation for that much? I thought my dinky 40 miles a week was good.

I told the director to change the bet because there's no way I'll win. I told him if we did a bet on long distance races (such as ultras), I'd be happy to win that one. I challenged the guy to run Land Between the Lakes 50 Miles or Mohican 100 Miles with me but it's 100% doubtful he'll try it.

Anyway....I might bump my mileage up to 50 miles a week in February just to get closer to him, but that's still far away from 90. Wish me luck!

*I just found out that I might get some leeway on my Boston finishing time. The bet might state that if I finish within x amount of time from the other guy, I win. Keep your fingers crossed.

**Okay...the bet is official- I have to finish within 40 minutes of the other guy's time. His goal time is 2:40 and so I am pretty sure (KNOCK ON WOOD) that I can finish by 3:29 (hopefully sooner). Also, this is that guy first's Boston marathon and I think he's only run 2-3 marathons in his life.

***The winner does not get a day off work. Instead, the whole facility will get a cookout in your name and a trophy up in the gym.

A good run better be ahead...

Out of boredom, I ate wayyy too much yesterday. Actually, just a lot of unhealthy stuff. I wonder if I had eaten a ton of food yesterday, but all vegetables, if I would be writing this post. Probably not. Anyway, I woke up feeling full which is always gross.

Soooooo, that means that I now feel like I need to run a million miles to work it all off. Today is supposed to be about 44 degrees out and sunny. WOOHOO! I'm going to the park and going to run on trail for the first time in awhile. You better expect big miles out of me.

Land Between the Lakes 50 Mile

*See my Land Between the Lakes 60k 2009 race report here.

I finally decided to sign up for the Land Between the Lakes 50 Mile Trail Run on Saturday, March 14. It's in Grand Rivers, KY which is about 5 hours away. It was a fun run last year and it'll ensure I meet the Ten More Miles! challenge of running 30 miles in March. It'll be the first ultra of the year. Woohoo!

7 miles of sprints/hills

1 mile run
3 miles of incline every other .25 miles
1 mile run

4 x .25 mile sprints

2 x .5 mile incline

I did 15 minutes of ab stuff and they were the longest minutes of my life. My abs were soo sore during the whole time. Wow, I'm out of shape. And the leg lifts SUCK but I could already tell that they were easier today than yesterday.

10 Good Miles

I went running outside today on a new route I had measured out. I hadn't planned on running at any specific pace but somehow I was feeling great and ran 10 miles at about a 7:35 pace...finished in 1hr 16 mins. It felt great to get my legs moving fast and not just slug around at a slow, easy pace.

Afterward I made myself do 15 minutes of ab work, as recommended. I can already tell that my abs will be sore tomorrow, even after my measly sit ups, just because I never work them out.

3 miles on treadmill

...thus completing my goal for the week.

11 mile run

Yesterday Chris and I headed out around 1:45pm for an 11 mile run around downtown. Running with someone is way better than alone. The sun was out bright so that helped a ton with the temps, but the wind was awful. We ran pretty slow the whole time because of the winds; it felt like we were just going backwards. Some people were ice skating around the canal which was fun/scary.

13 consistent miles

After work today I went on the treadmill and SOMEHOW ran 13 miles without stopping. After Spanish called me out on my previous post, I made sure that I kept on going. I felt good the whole time, most likely due to the slow 9:05 pace with no incline. It's too bad that the treadmill makes my knees hurt. I hope to finish up the remaining 14 miles tomorrow. I haven't started adding other workouts yet but don't worry, I'll eventually ease into them.

13 mile run in increments

It was freezing outside today so after work, I went to the gym there and got on the treadmill. I wanted to do 10 miles but after the first mile, I knew it'd be hard because as we all say- the treadmill sucks!

Somehow I was able to keep running, as long as I gave myself breaks off that dumb machine. I ended up running 3 sets of 3 miles, with a 5 minute walking break inbetween. Then I continued to run 2.4 miles, bathroom break, then 1.6 miles.

I averaged an 8:47 pace or something. Somehow I felt like I was running faster when I was running 9:05 per mile than when I was running 8:34 per mile, and the miles seemed to come by faster. It was probably because I felt more comfortable running at the slower pace so I didn't mind running that much. Hmm.

I learned it's a lot easier to run at work because different people come in and out during the time. I especially like it when others get on the treadmill next to me because I know they won't be doing more than 3 miles, so I always make it my goal to run a little bit farther than them. I know, it's dumb.

It would have been better for me to run the 13 miles all together, but oh well- at least I got the miles in. ANNND, I'll always be taking walking breaks during a 100 miler so this was good practice, right?

Dangit. I forgot to do ab stuff before showering. Oops.

Future Workouts/Advice Needed

I need some advice, so please leave as many tips/suggestions that you have.

I've just run 40 miles this past week and I plan on keeping it up. However, all of those runs were done on flat pavement and they were not that fast. In order to prepare for Mohican 100 Trail Run in JUNEEEE, I need to do more technical running on hilly trails. Furthermore, I haven't started to do any ab/other-body-part workout that I intended to do.

Here are my questions:

1. In Feb., should I start doing 45mi/wk?
2. If I do 45mi/wk, is it reasonable to include hill/sprint workouts on top of the mileage?

OR

1. In Feb., should I continue the 40mi/wk and just add some tempo/hill workouts and play it safe?

AND

1. What's an easy, doable ab workout that I can include after my daily runs?

THANKS!

5.5 mile run

I didn't want to procrastinate and so I ran the remaining 5.5 miles this morning. It was like yesterday- nice out and good to be out there alone. Although I've run 40 miles this week, it seems like I've been going verrrry slow. For all of the miles, I averaged probably 8:20-8:50 minute miles. I'll work on that.

7 miles

I ran 7 miles outside this morning without the headphones. It was a very nice, peaceful run and I liked listening to all of the birds.

10.5-something mile run

As usual, I really didn't want to run this afternoon but I made myself put on the clothes and go out. After 6 minutes I considered turning around and saying "screw it....I don't want to run so I shouldn't have to", but I forced myself to keep on truckin to complete the Ten More Miles! challenge.

I had put on tights and windbreaker pants to stay warm, and after 15 minutes I shredded the pants (and my hat) and carried them the rest of the way. A sign said it was 37 degrees out but with the sun, it felt a lot warmer.

I'm glad I'll reach my 40mi/wk goal this week (knock on wood) but it's almost as if I'm expecting a break after I reach this goal....but nope, I'll have to do the same thing next week. It's okay, I need to get into a different mindset. I don't think I've run 40mi/wk on my own for at least 5 months...that's sad.

Don't eat Greek after a 7 mile run :(

Yesterday was my husband and my 3 year anniversary. Our rehearsal dinner, and our 1st and 2nd year anniversary dinners were at this great Greek restaurant, Santorini Greek Kitchen. It's very good and they always give you a crapload of food. So all day yesterday at work, I was looking forward to it. I wanted to make sure I had an appetite, and that's part of the reason I ran 7 miles immediately before dinner. Bad idea.

My first mistake was to come home after the run and not drink or eat anything. About 40 minutes after my run, we headed off to the restaurant. We first ordered this great bottle of wine that we always get. After my first sip, I thought it tasted different than before- not that good. Then the feta/pita/cucumber sauce appetizers came and for some reason, they didn't taste that good either.

It sucked...I realized my body was depleted of something and that Greek food was not going to replenish it. That unusual Greek taste that I usually love now disgusted me. So I only ate a tiny bit of the appetizers and then put the rest in a to-go box. Then came our salads, and the gyros- packed on with huge piles of potatoes, green beans, and rice. I took one bite of the gyro and almost puked...and the same happened with the rice. Dangit!

I literally just sat there with tons of food around me and I couldn't eat it. I apologized to the waiter. (Woe is me)

After dinner, we came home and I was able to eat some of my vanilla Wendys frosty. :) Somehow that tasted perfect.

All in all- it was just really interesting to me that even though I was super hungry and I normally like Greek food, my body wouldn't take it because I needed carbs and other stuff. I kept craving a huge pot of spaghetti or even just plain bread. Ohh well. I'm now glad I have tons of leftovers that will last me the rest of the week. (I still have to run today to make my 40mi/wk goal, so hopefully that'll happen wayyy before mealtime).

7 mile run

I came home from work and was tired and didn't want to run, but I made myself and I did 7 miles. Woohoo! I ran outside and it was cold but it was way better than the treadmill. I listened to my little book on cd.

Another 5 mile run

Dangit...I was trying really hard to get my 10 miles in today to meet the Ten More Miles! requirements for January. I ran on the treadmill and even though I hate that machine, I thought I'd last 10 miles since I would be watching a couple of good videos. Well I was going strong until I checked the freakin mileage and realized that I had only been going for 3.9 miles. That moment right then and there ruined it for me because it felt like I had been running for at leaaasst 5 or 6 miles. So even though I was feeling fine at 3.9 miles, I got discouraged and said screw it. I made myself go 1 more mile and then called it quits at 5. Isn't that dumb of me?

My goal (not too serious of one, though) is to try to run at least 40 miles per week, starting now. Well...I have 30 miles to run before next Monday and it doesn't seem too hard, so we'll see.

Bop To The Top

Today I mailed in my registration for the Bop To The Top "race" on January 24. For those of you that don't know, it consists of running up the 37 floors of the OneAmerica building in downtown Indy. The winner from last year did it in about 4 minutes. Since I suckkk at walking up stairs, let alone running up them, I predict I'll finish in about 7 minutes...who knows. Hope it's fun. Only $20.

5 mile run

I drove to IL by myself last weekend and so I listened to A Million Little Pieces (yes, I know it's fake) on cd (which, by the way, would be better read). I decided to listen to it while I ran yesterday and it turned out to be very helpful, although it was annoying to hold that big portable cd player. It took me awhile to get into the groove of running but I went 5 miles and felt fine. I think I need to find a really good, intense book and listen to it during future ultras.

Ten-More-Miles Challenge

Alright. So Rob called me out. We all know the reason I haven't been posting is because I haven't run for a week or something. I know you're sick of reading my stupid posts that keep saying I need to run, I ran, then I slacked; I need to run, I ran, then I slacked. Ay ay ay.

I'm going to get off my lazy butt and run. It's January now! I think the main reason I want to run is because I keep eating sweets and not magically getting fit.

So anyway, thanks to Rob for the reminder of the Ten-More-Miles! challenge that's going on; and thanks to Mike for setting it up. Please visit the website and join the challenge. It only costs $10. Here are the basic rules from the website:

"The running premise is that you must run a long run of 10 miles in January and 10 miles longer each successive month. The run can be a part of any race, or training...you CAN walk the distance as long as it is consecutive. As the mileage increases past 50, I think it might even be appropriate that a nap is allowed, the same way ultrarunners nap in 100 mile races sometimes, as long as you get up and run right after...".

See- it's not too hard. February will be the longest I've run on my own in a long time (knock on wood). If you only make it one month, then good for you! You've donated $10 to charity.

Brian- you've done 7+ so far...now make it 10!