01/19/11: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I got up this morning with my alarm...got dressed for the gym..packed my work clothes and such into my gym bag...and was ready to go.

From there I went upstairs to feed the dogs and say goodbye to hubby.

I kissed him on the forehead (he's been sick this week)....and next thing I know I'm waking up to my "non work-out day" alarm.

Yep...I'd crawled back into bed and fallen asleep.

With my running shoes on.

And, on top of that...it was an hour after that alarm had started going off.

I'd hit the snooze about 10 times by them.

Guess I needed the sleep. (giggle)

So the plan is to go to the gym tonight, and drag "sicko" along with me. The sauna will do him good.

Running and strength training.....marathon gym session. But it's gotta be done. :-)

01/18/11: Dreadmill

Nothing much to report today.

How is that for a blog post beginning???? :-)

Met sis at the gym for my scheduled short 3 mile run.

I was barely able to drag myself out of bed. I hit the snooze twice....then, just before it went off a third time, I shut it off completely.

Never a good idea.

I laid there for another 5 minutes, forcing myself to stare at the ceiling and not close my eyes.

I was laying there thinking..."you're going to feel like crap if you don't get up and run....if you stay at home and sleep that extra hour it might feel good at the time, but you'll be tired all day....and you'll feel guilty for not running like you should.....and that big bowl of salty and buttery popcorn you had last night will take up permanent residence on your mid section....and it will laugh at you as you try to button your jeans."

I can be pretty rough on myself if I need to be. :-)

So I poured myself out of bed got up and went to the darned gym, a den of voluntary torture a place of unicorns, smiles and happy endings.

:-)

(3 miles, avg pace 10:17)

01/16/11: Dreadmill

5 miles on the treadmill.

Usually when I use the words 5 miles and treadmill in the same sentence, it makes me cringe.

5 miles, running in place? Shoot me now.

But it actually felt pretty good. It's the first run I've had in a while that felt good while I was running.

I mean, it always feels good after I've run....and it always feels good to BE running.....but it's not very often the running feels good. Does that make sense?

I felt coordinated. I felt like I could have run much faster and much further.

I always hear people talk about coming back from a run and saying they could have kept going...but I've never felt that.

But today I did!

We got to the gym about noon (or so). I gave Mot (hubby) the quick 10 cent tour, then while he was taking advantage of the pool and sauna, I took advantage of the treadmill.

I had an audio book on my phone, and the time went by really, really quickly.

Hallelujah!!

He came up to check on me after about 30 minutes and said "I was in the zone" when he arrived.

Nej: "I look zoned out?"

Mot: "No, not zoned out....but your face is all business. You weren't focusing on running, but you weren't spaced out either."

Nej: "My face was all business? Do I look mean when I run?"

Mot: "Well...yeah, kinda."

Nej" "I don't want to look mean when I run."

Mot: "Yes you do."

Maybe he thinks if I look mean when I run, no one will mess with me. He gets nervous thinking about me running by myself in the mornings.

Either that or he just gets a kick out of the idea of me intimidating people.

Me? Intimidate?

Nope, not gonna happen. :-)

(5.01 miles, 10:11 avg pace, intervals of 2 min run/1 min walk)

Hurricanes

A local newspaper cartoonist published this in 2005....but it still makes me laugh whenever I see it.

Project Run-Way

Andrew at Running Man Wannabe passed on, to me, the very prestigious Stylish Blogger Award.

(Now do you get the title to my post....Project Run-Way....Stylish Blogger award? Oh, never mind.)

:-)



I'm not sure why I got the award....I'm anything but stylish.

I mean, look at this outfit!!!!



I've worn this in PUBLIC!!!!!

And...to make it worse....I've worn that EXACT same outfit many times. Isn't that some sort of fashion faux pas??

(giggle)

But, on a more serious note.....I'm honored to be mentioned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, let's see...the rules are as follows.....

1. Link back to the person who awarded this to you.
2. Tell us 7 things about you.
3. Select 5 recently discovered bloggers to pass this onto.
4. Let them know they've been selected.

7 things about me.

Hmmmmm......I'm trying to think about what I haven't already told all of you. I'm a pretty open book.

1) I envy the person that can execute a perfect snot rocket. My nose runs like nothing in the world when I run in the winter...but my "rocket" attempts always end in disaster. And when it's really cold, that "disaster" can quickly become a frozen mess down the front of my jacket. Or my sleeve.

2) I'm directionally dyslexic. If I say "right" you should probably turn left. I tell everyone to follow my finger (where I'm pointing).....it's the only safe bet. I also use "turn my way" and" turn your way" (or "this way" and "that way") if I'm giving directions while in a car with someone else driving.

3) I've recently been wondering.....is leaving the blood stains on your running shoes (from a lost toenail) a batch of honor...or disgusting????

4) When I go to a bookstore, this is my routine.....a) go to sports section and see if they have any books on running that look interesting b) go to travel section and see if they have any Appalachian Trail guides. #1 on my bucket list, hike the AT. c) used book or clearance section d) magazine aisle for the recent issues of Runner's World, etc.

5) I'm actively trying to find my "catch phrase." The one that I'll say when I'm running up a hill and want to quit. "I think I can, I think I can" didn't work. "Just make it to the top" or "someone might be watching so don't quit" weren't very effective either.

So far the only one that works has been "make it to the top, then you can walk and not feel guilty." Unfortunately, it's counter-productive. a) Because I then stop running at the top of the hill to walk....once I'm over the top, the hard part is over and I should just keep going b) Because the devil on my other shoulder counters with "Wait, running downhill is easier...give up now and walk to the top."

6) I'd love to complete a triathlon. Unfortunately someone told me swimming is involved. :-)

7) I knew I was a runner when I found myself debating purchases based on race registration costs......."that's a half marathon registration"......or "that's 1/2 of a full marathon registration."

Select 5 recently discovered bloggers to pass this onto.
Wow...only choosing 5 is impossible. I'm always adding new blogs onto my reading list. In the past week I've added 3 or 4 million at least.

(slight exaggeration)

Here are a few of my daily reads.........

Fran, Faith Ann, Lori, Heidi, Alan, Jeff, Anna

Also, make sure you go to Andrew's blog and check him out. I've recently started reading it, and was hooked after reading this race report!!!!!

Thanks again for the award!!! Coming up with 7 things was actually kinda hard. :-)

01/13/11: Lucky number 13

Thursday the 13th.

Just doesn't have the same ring as Friday the 13th, does it?

I had my stuff laid out last night, to run in the out-of-doors this morning...all the layers...all the cold weather gear.

But after "sleeping on it", I decided the streets still aren't cleaned, and I didn't feel like running through slushy snow (feels like running in sand) with my calf feeling the way it has this week. A "solid" treadmill (grumble, grumble) was probably more what I needed.

(sigh)

After a 5 minute warm up, I ran intervals (2 min run/1 min walk) until I reached the 3 miles called for on the schedule today.

I love running outside, but running inside is one of those necessary evils sometimes...and I figured I'd better learn to become one with the treadmill...if I'm going to make it through the season.

And I think I accomplished just that. I learned today (via some playing around with speed), that the faster I go, the easier it is to run on the darned thing. I've been running much slower than my outside pace, and it's been kicking my butt. Well h*ll.....when I run outside it's harder for me to run slow. So why wouldn't it be the same inside?

And it was.

With the increased speed I spent less energy pushing UP and off the treadmill, and more moving FORWARD. Makes all the difference in the world.

Yay!!

This running hobby, addiction, whatever you want to call it....of mine has been quite the journey. I'm learning everything (probably the hard way) as I go along. What works here, what doesn't work there. That, alone, make it all the more fun.

Crazy, huh?

(3.11 miles, 10:37 average pace)

Hood to Coast

I'm a sucker for a running documentary.

I know that would probably sound completely nerdish in normal conversation, but I'm sure you all understand! :-)

On a whim last night I decided to buy a ticket and go to the theater alone (gasp)...to watch the film.

I figure, I run in the mornings alone, I run in races alone, I run at the gym alone (mostly)....so why not go watch a movie about running....alone?

Well, that and I couldn't convince my sister to go along. (hehehehehe)



I'm hooked. I want to do this race so badly, I can taste it!!!! I can feel the sweet running down my face from the warm Oregon August sun.

Wait - the sun shines in Portland?? I guarantee you, the year I'm able to run this race will be the year it rains the entire time!!! (For those of you who like to run in the rain, I'm available for hire. Put me on your team - and the rain shall come!!!)

2011 is the 30th Anniversary of the race....how cool would it be to run it, for the first time, on an anniversary year?? :-)

Too bad the thing fills up the first nano-second registration is open. :-) :-) :-)

(Those of you who want rain still have time to hobble one of your team members, and open a spot for me.....just sayin'.)