Climbing the Scale

Apparently, the magic number to a slowing metabolism is 37. Happy Birthday to me. Now eat less, exercise more, just to maintain my standard weight. Balancing work, kids, housework, and myself gets more challenging everyday. Thank God, I am still able to run. I will run until I can't run no more.

It Happened

Holy Crap! I knew it would happen sometime, but I didn't think it would happen already.

After one year, a season of cross country, two seasons of soccer, and a season of track, Child #1 royally kicked my ass. Starting out on a 3.5 mile course, Child#1 ended a half mile ahead of me. At 10 years old, she has come a long way and still has a lot to grow. She is AWESOME. I am so proud of her.

Maybe I should have her run my next half marathon.

Windier than the Windy City

As I push forward against the strong gusts of wind during my run, the wind pushed back causing the snot to run uncontrollably out of my nose, my eyes to blur with tears, and my throat to cough. The liquid was flowing out of my body faster than I could control. Remind me why I live in Wisconsin again.

Heat Wave

With the temperatures rising to 30-40 degrees, the Midwest is having a heat wave and the snow is starting to recede. I was able to make my first outside run for the year. It was heavenly. Believe me it's been a really long winter here. I haven't ran outside for over 3 months. I think this might be a record. My relationship with the treadmill is rocky these days. We needed a break.

Once I was outside, the caged in feeling was placated. The dirt on the side of the road was perfect. Soft and not too muddy, almost pillowy-like. As you can image, the softness of the dirt makes the impact feel  like you're running on a cloud. I love it.

Afterward, I felt great. My lungs were a little sore, but manageable. The cooler air tends to cause me to hack up a lung after a run, but I view it as cleaning out the dust from the inside environments I'm forced to be in throughout the winter. Transitioning from cold to warm is a killer on the lungs.

We won't think about the next day because that's when the muscle soreness sets in. Of course none of this will deter me from jump starting my running routine outside every year. The temperature and ice can only delay me. I refuse to be caged in.

Live, love, and enjoy! Go for a run...or walk.

Attempt to fix my foot

So my right foot has been bothering ever since I ran that godforsaken marathon last month. I'm pretty sure it has to do with running with the wrong shoes. My beloved Asics have failed me. They are not making them like they used too. Because I can't stop running, I have to find an alternative. This road has led me down a different path to a brand I've never tried before. I've done the research and read the reviews. With all that, I went to a specialty store.

After this point, we have to keep this information all top secret. I actually spent one hundred and fifty dollars on a pair of Brooks-Glycerin running shoes. Now I've never even spent that much on a suit or purse (don't own a Coach purse and never will) before. This is definitely new territory for me. Shhhh, don't tell the Handyman either. We'll claim this as my birthday present.

I took my new expensive shoes for a run yesterday. It turned out to be delightful. I won't say that my foot is cured, but I felt like I could run longer than five miles. The pain wasn't as bad and I didn't even get blisters from the new shoes. Bonus!

Happy running!

Another Check on the Bucket List

Today I'm learning to appreciate the small things we all take for granted on a daily basis. Things like sitting down on a toilet or trying to get up from the sitting position on the toilet or trying to walk down stairs. These things are very simple every day tasks that I'm pretty sure most of you don't even give a second thought to doing everyday. After running my first and only marathon yesterday, I've discovered many different muscles and joints I never knew I had. Though I woke up this morning sore (like I jumped from a twenty foot building and landed smack on the concrete sore), but I found myself penguin walking faster than I did yesterday.

Last year I did a half marathon and thought that was torturous, but I've now since changed my mind. The half marathon is a cinch compared to the 26.2 mile marathon. As I started out yesterday, I was running strong. My first thirteen miles were actually pretty good. I was averaging eight and half minute miles, but then I hit that 13th mile and I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep up with my pace. My total time on the 26.2 miles was 4 hours and 47 minutes. Calculating that out for you, I did the first half under 2 hours and the second half in 2 hours and 47 minutes.

The 13th mile marker was the hardest mentally to get through because all I could think about was I was only half done. So I dug my heals in and kept imagining the next mile. Each mile, I picked off slower and slower, but I was getting through it. By mile marker 20, my body was starting to reject this whole escapade. My feet were on fire not to mention bone crushing pain along with my hamstrings and calves were starting to tighten. I don't know how these people who run several marathons in a year or in a lifetime do it. Our bodies were not meant to run 26.2 miles at once. I was loosing energy. I needed something. Normally, I don't like drinking Gatorade during any sport activity. It usually makes my stomach upset and I tend to feel worse than before, but I had to do something. So at the water stations, I chugged a cup of water and then a cup of Gatorade then chased it down with another cup of water (with the back half of the marathon I walked through the water stations to be able to drink all this hence the longer time). I have to say the extra sugar helped. The venue was also offering these gel packs (sugar induced gel to help with energy). I tried a taste and that almost made me vomit. I will never do that again. I was running next to a guy who jumped off the route for a second and grabbed a plastic bag next to a tree. He had pre-placed a banana on the route. Now that was smart. I would've definitely taken a banana over that gel pack.

With all this water and Gatorade drinking, I never used the bathroom facilities the entire run. Which reminds me of the funniest poster sign a spectator held up during the whole run (this was around mile marker 15, the route took us back through some dirt roads and wooded areas, not as many port-a-johns available) was "Don't you wished you took a Dump before?" I thought it was funny because a lot of people do have go once they start running. I was fortunate not to have this problem.

Anyway, after mile marker 20, I tried to run through the pain, but I found myself walking more and more between each mile. Once I hit mile marker 25, I ran the rest of the way in at a very slow pace, but I did it. That last mile was the most torturous of them all and felt like the longest. I was ready to cry when I finally saw the finish line.   

After crossing the finish line I wanted to collapse and curl up in the fetus position, but I knew I had to keep walking. I still had to stretch, collect my stuff, eat something, and walk to my car. This presented a challenge since I could barely walk.

All in all, I accomplished something not everyone can do and all before I turn 36 years old this month. I'll be happy to run a half marathon anytime after this experience. Now onto allowing my poor body to heal. I have to get ready for Tough Mudder (the 10 mile Army inspired obstacle course challenge) in September. The Handyman will be joining me for this event.

18 Miles...

Now I understand how I was able to run eight miles with no problems when I was younger. Aside from the obvious that I'm older now. It was the bike trail behind my parents house. Running on the flat dirt path was easier on the body. Plus no worries about where vehicles are in relationship to your body.

Today I ventured onto the bike path in my quaint little City of Muskego. What a difference the flatness and small cushion the dirt gives versus the road. I want to thank the rain gods for just the right amount of rain last night to make the path slightly softer for my well abused legs today. With the extra cushion, I managed to pull off 18 miles this morning averaging about 10 minutes per mile-a collective whole of 3 hours. With a bunch of uncertainty after running the said 18 miles, I'm sure I won't be able to hold that pace for the remainder 8.2 miles that I will have to complete in a month. Who knows, maybe I'll have it in me. That last mile was a killer. In about two weeks, I will test out 22 or 24 miles and see where I end up.  

On a different note, my intention prior to this run was to buy one of those belts that holds water bottles. Of course, I forgot to buy them when I was at the store last (way too focused on the necessary things of life). In my attempt to prepare for my run with the necessary resource to survive, I needed to come up with something to carry a water bottle. I dove into my closet and pulled out an old shirt I used for biking while training for my past triathlons. It has a pocket on the back of the shirt so I put a cold water bottle in it. Magically, it numbed my lower back for the first half of my run. In turn, I didn't have any aches in my lower back (insert image of me patting my own back). I just saved thirty dollars.

Speaking about aches, the rest of my lower half didn't hold up as well. The stuff in my old running shoes was gone so I've been slowly breaking in a new pair, but I hadn't taken them on a long distance run yet. Today was the day. It's kind of alarming when your feet are numb when you start running. New running shoes always make my feet tingly and numb until they've been sufficiently broken in. Well, I managed to break them in by mile five. Though by mile fourteen, they went numb again from the blisters and the abusive pounding. My calves were so tight and spasm periodically. Thankfully, my knees and hips were good during this run. Then again, my pain from my feet and calves could be misleading the pain from my knees and hips.

Through this journey of preparing for a marathon, I have to wonder how do all those people who do multiple marathons manage it. This one is just painful enough I'm almost certain I won't be doing another one. Though it is one more thing I can cross off my bucket list. Beyond the bucket list, there is a method to my madness. If I can do a marathon, I can climb Mt. Whitney (the tallest mountain, 22 miles round trip, in the lower 48).

Now it will take me the rest of the day to recover. Off to take my recover nap. Enjoy your Sunday!         

Out with the Old and in with the New

The camel limousine has been with us in sickness and in health for ten years, but it's time to say good-bye.

Say hello to my new treadmill.

Ironically, my old treadmill was ten years old too. The camel limousine and my old treadmill retired together. Adios!

Now I can start training for my first marathon. FYI that's 26.2 miles. I didn't experience enough pain during my half marathon last year so my masochistic side has over powered my sanity. Don't worry, I'll share the pain as I go.

Happy Weekend!

Winter Blues

I'm definitely struggling with this winter. Due to my treadmill that has finally coughed it's last cough, I'm stuck running outside. Yes, I could go to the gym and run on a treadmill, but I find the gym to be a waste of time. To drive there, put my stuff away, find a machine, cool down, take shower, get dressed, and drive back home takes me approximately two hours. If I run at home, cool down, shower, and dress, it only takes me an hour and fifteen minutes. I'm all about the most efficient way possible.

So in my midst of attempting to run outside, the weather wasn't exactly cooperating with me. Two weekends ago, in our Godforsaken winter weather, we endured a snow blizzard and a little bit of melting that turned into icy streams scattered on the roads. At this point I'm reading to crawl up the walls, I need to have my running fix. I'm left with a day that has sleet in the forecast and the roads are already pretty frosty. I take the chance (what a risk taker I am!)

Starting out, I'm able to navigate around the icy spots without slipping and cracking my head open so far. I've mentioned before we don't have sidewalks in most of our neighborhoods, but we do have some disconnected bike/walking trails scattered around some areas of this tiny little spec on earth, I call home. There happens to be a short stretch on the road behind my house. I decided to take that route out of my neighborhood. The downside is that the paths aren't usually plowed. Running in the snow isn't bad, it's like running in the sand and tends to be a good workout. The downside to this path is half way up a steep hill, the path ends at a three way intersection. In order to continue up the hill, I have to cross the narrow road blinded by any oncoming traffic.

In my process of crossing, a car comes flying over the hill. I was almost safely to the side, but since there isn't much space on the side of the road, I jumped into the culvert to avoid any misconception between the car and my body. After sinking up to my knees in soft snow and my shoes absorbing all the water passing through soaked ground below, I continued up the hill. The snow looked deceivingly solid, but with some of the melting conditions in previous days I hadn't thought to consider what lay underneath the perfect layer of snow. It was my split second decision I made to keep a safe distance between my body and metal. 

I didn't start to second guess my decision until I got to the top of the hill when my feet were soaked to the bone and water was squishing out of my shoes. The questions started: Should I go back? Will I get hypothermia? Will I get blisters? Who can I call to pick me up? Oh wait I don't have a phone. Whose house is the closest to where I am? All my answers were I don't want to go back. I will turn around when I get cold, feel blisters forming, or figure out the closest family/friend who would be able to take me home. There I constructed a plan so I continued, though I hate having wet feet when I run.

Oddly enough, my feet never got cold so I finished my run successfully. As long as I kept moving, I didn't get cold. I need Spring to come.

Now I have to start researching treadmills so I don't have to have wet feet when I run anymore. It's been ten years since I've been in the market.

Happy Days!          

Alternative Workout

Since I wasn't able to run outside today, do to our lovely snow storm last night, I decided to hike through the foot of snow on the lake. Here are some photos I captured on my hike.

An island on the ice.

Land vs. Island

Park Bench

Snow covered trees.

Fallen trees.

No water under the bridge here.

The Lake!

Have a great day!

Cold vs Flu

A few weeks ago, I caught some kind of cold. Some might've said it was the flu, but I would have to argue this. Ironically, this cold appeared a week after my treadmill broke. I wasn't running outside either because of the deadly freezing temperatures, therefore I was lacking exercise. In return, my body went through withdraws and I got sick. The flu shot is not something I would ever consider (that will have to be a different post).  Oddly enough, I had a sore throat for a few days. No other systems, just a sore throat. To make this even stranger, no one else in my house was sick. The sore throat disappeared, I became congested and a persistent cough magically appeared. Apparently there are two kinds of influenza-a stomach flu and a respiratory flu. With deductive reasoning, I had the respiratory one. I wasn't run down or anything, but the cough took about a week to go away. It felt more like a cold then the flu, but I gave it another week before I ventured out into the great Wisconsin cold to run.

Today was my integration back into running, post-cold. My lungs burned so bad I thought I was going to die. It brought me back to my good old days of competitive swimming. Chlorine isn't always the best chemical to inhale six days a week. Occasionally, my lungs would burn after an intense practice. Between the cold and the exertion, I was hacking up a well conditioned cardiovascular lung. It took two hours to calm the spasms, but in my Dr. Hansen diagnosis I think I might actually have had the respiratory flu. Non-doctors can be wrong too. Yes I am admitting I might've been wrong. It doesn't happen very often so you can mark it down. Oh yeah, I've written it down for you.

I will test out my theory with another run tomorrow out in the cold. I know I can hear all your awww's in sync. Feel my pain.

Keyless and Stuck Outside

The weather has drastically dropped this week, needless to say it's really cold outside. Normally I don't relent to the treadmill until it snows, but it's really cold outside and I don't feel like fighting the wind. In the spirit to curve the sugar intake, I decide to take on the treadmill early.

So I head down to the basement, I plug the treadmill into the wall, get on the belt and there's no key. The treadmill doesn't work unless you have the pullout key. I look around and nothing,. For the past ten years, the key has never been messed with. Now I am extremely PISSED. Good thing the kids were at school when I discovered this. I end up going outside anyway and taking a nice long jog. It definitely cooled me off. On the positive side, it was sunny outside.

Maybe it's a sign I can get a new treadmill. I can only guess one of my lovely children or their friends were the culprit, but it's lost and nothing I can do about it. The handyman of the house said he could possibly hot wire it when he gets home so maybe a new treadmill isn't in my future.

For now, I'm stuck running outside.

Stay warm and enjoy your day!

Welcome Back...Blisters

I don't know what I was thinking when I put on my new running shoes on and went running. Man, I have the blisters to show for it. I'm not sure what was more painful running the last two miles in the half marathon I ran earlier in the spring or these blisters on my heals. Normally I would've worn the shoes a few times walking around before I put them on to go running, but apparently my lack of judgement yesterday was enticing me to a week of pain.

I was blessed with the last two pairs of shoes I purchased that never gave me blisters. Unfortunately, when I went to purchase the same shoe that style didn't have my size anymore so I had to go with same shoe, but newer version. I hate that the shoe manufacturers always have to update their styles. When I find a good shoe I usually buy 2 to 3 of the same shoe at a time (I usually have to buy new running shoes every 3 to 4 months. I know that's a lot, but I put a lot of miles on my shoes. Have to keep the joints happy.) Well I went through those pairs so now I'm back to square one. Now off to the store to buy more band aids.

Feeling Good

The big day came and went. I completed my first(possibly my last) half marathon 13.1 miles of pounding bones and joints against the pavement. It was a great experience. The shot gun start was a little frustrating, not like the triathlons where you get assigned heats for your start. I felt really strong for the first eight miles. The next two miles I still felt good, but after the tenth mile it was torturous. Then came the eleventh mile (only two miles to go), I had nothing left. I was basically a robot going through the motions to finish. My feet hurt, my knees hurt, my hip hurt. I pushed on to the last mile. Man, that mile felt like two. I swear it went on forever. Crossing the finish line, the clock read 1:57:30. The shock filled my system and my body didn't hurt so much anymore. I couldn't believe it I made it under 2 hours. Of course, then I start to think I could have ran a little faster at the end, but like I said I had nothing left at the time. It was a great accomplishment for my own little personal goal and I won't have to run another half marathon again.

The next day I was pretty sore, but it was a good sore. It was hard to jump out of the starting gate from a sitting position, but as the next day came it got easier.

Now three days later, I find myself feeling really good. The only analogy I can come up with is giving birth. While going through labor, you feel pain (that's until they give you my all time favorite drug the epidural) and think how the hell will you ever get through pushing a child the size of a watermelon out a hole the size of a lemon. After the baby is born and everyone is healthy and filled with the bountiful love and joy of a new born baby, you tell yourself it wasn't so bad, I could do it again. Maybe not tomorrow or next week, but in the future I can definitely do it again.

So maybe I will do another half marathon next year.

Fell Short

I know that running is self inflicted pain (the hubby constantly reminds me about this and he can't understand why I do it), but I continue to train for this half marathon. I now know that after ten miles it is all pain. There is no runners high, no in the zone, just plain pain for me. In the attempt to make it to 12 miles today, I fell short at 11.5 miles. Not bad, but I did have to stop at a gas station to get a cup of water and I ran out of steam going up a huge hill on the 11th mile. So my time wasn't exactly great. At the 11th mile, I actually contemplated whether there would be a chance to get an epidural while running (my favorite drug in world). Rationally I know this is impossible, but it crept into my mind none the less.

I'm trying not to complain about the weather, but man does it have to be 80 degrees. Not exactly prime temp for running a lot of miles. I planned the half marathon in April assuming the temps would be in the 50s (my favorite temp to run in). I actually avoid any races in the summer unless it is a triathlon (obviously because I get to swim).

Now I will have to rest my poor skin and bones for the rest of the afternoon until it is time to pick up the girls for their dentist appointments. Well at least it's not my dentist appointment.

Have a great day and enjoy the weather!

Westward Skies

Apparently dry heat and high elevations does nothing for my cardiovascular system. It takes the hot, sticky Midwestern humidity to knock my lungs out while jogging. Coming off of a very active vacation really didn't boost my endurance any. Actually I feel like I fell back a notch. However, it was well worth the time off from the usual routine. I'm not complaining just noting the difference in weather. I miss the West and some day I will return.

Running in Circles

I am sick of the cold from keeping me from exercising outside. On top of that the kids are home because of one of those fun home days from school. My choices were running on the treadmill or running in circles at the park's parking lot. I don't know what's more boring. Okay so I chose to run in circles in the parking lot while the girls rode their bikes (great exercise for me and the girls). In addition, I couldn't listen to music because I had to make sure I could hear them if they needed me or a car was coming into the parking lot. This isn't exactly how I like to run, but as a "mom" (a compromising, under appreciated door mat) it is part of the job, which I enjoy about 70% of the time. Of course this arrangement only lasts about twenty minutes when Child #2 wants to go home because she is bored. I was able to push her another ten minutes before the complaining was unbearable and she started to whine about being cold. Back to the house I go. At least I got thirty minutes in.

Triathlon Times

Apparently, writing things down doesn't actually hold me accountable to myself. Okay so the last ten pounds didn’t come off before my triathlon, but I still dropped eleven minutes off my overall time from last year. Consequently, this gives me a new goal for next year to drop the same excruciating ten pounds. Of course procrastination runs in the family, which will probably lead to trying to drop ten pounds again two months before the race. What a vicious cycle I live in.

Anyway my official time is listed below:

Distance Short
Clock Time 01:23:57
Overall Place 165 / 2544
Division Place 18 / 258
Swim 00:13:10
Swimrank 105
Trans1 00:04:16
Bike 00:39:35
Bikerank 470
Mph 18.1
Trans2 00:01:31
Runrank 220
Run 00:25:24
Pace 00:08:11

Even though, I did better on my time I totally slacked in the swimming. I did better last year in the swim, but my bike and run improved. Maybe next year I will actually train for the swim part (nah, not training always makes it more interesting). I really need to carve out some time (Where did that 27 hour/day pill go? I know it was in my pocket somewhere).

James brought the girls so they could cheer on their mommy for a whole three seconds, but at least they got to see what the race was about. My parents came too, but they missed me on all three transitions. Oh well, there is always next year.

PS. These times are based on 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike and 3.1 mile run just in case you were wondering.

Bike Shorts

After taking out my brand new road bike last week, I came to the conclusion that I really need to buy a pair of bike shorts. Evidently, the seats on the road bikes aren’t very comfortable and the shocks that are on hybrid bikes are definitely there for a reason (I felt every crack and divot in the road and you know how Wisconsin roads fair after a rough winter, well my ass didn’t fair to well either), but I can really go fast on the road bike.

Of course, I digress. If you’re unfamiliar with what bike shorts are, let me explain, basically they are a pair of Lycra shorts with a pad in the, you know what. So I go to the store in search of these so called shorts. HOLY COW! Bike shorts are really expensive, $75 for a measly pair of shorts. Call the cops, its highway robbery. So I start shopping around, the best I could find was $60. At least my ass will be happy now. Yippy, I get to try them out on Saturday.

Puzzled

As you all know, I’m a pretty active person. I do a little of this, a little of that. Okay so I pretty much kill myself working out during the week, running, walking, biking, weight lifting and swimming (the swimming actually only pertains to when I compete in a triathlon, okay so once a year, I still kick ass with my swimming time). I know you would think I would have this great body, except I enjoy food too much so everything evens itself out in a sort of acceptable body form (it’s all gravity’s fault). I’ve already gotten off track thus I will reel myself back in (thanks a lot).

So I decide on Wednesday night I am going to change up my routine, I am going to try boxing. Not just any kind of boxing, Wii boxing. (Did you hear that drum roll?) Consequently, I play the boxing for about forty minutes. I’m sweating, breathing hard and my arms feel like jello. I switch to tennis to cool down. I figure it was a good work out probably not as good as running, but the treadmill needed a rest. I’m almost certain I will be sore in the morning (I wasn’t born yesterday, I know how this works).

Well, of course, I wake up sore, but it wasn’t too bad.

Granted, I am completely aware that my competitive nature circles full-force when I play the Wii, but it shouldn’t be any different than lifting weights or running. Right? Wrong. The worse comes the following morning. I’m more achy and sore than I was yesterday. It hurts to lift my arms above my head just to put my shirt on. Why does it take TWO days to feel the full effect of what the Wii does to you?