December 2-December 29, 2012

 

December 29, 2012

I took several days off to enjoy the family and the holidays, but I am happy I got to get out and run today.  My husband and I headed out after the snow stopped and our brains got stuck trying to finish a holiday puzzle.  I didn't think I would be going very far (2-3 miles max) but the air was warmer than I thought it was going to be and I logged 4.52 miles today.  My pace was a little slow, but that is ok.      Funny, it is almost easier to run when you have very little time in the day than to run when you have lots of time!  I think for me, it is because I have to schedule everything in the day when I am busy, and on days I have lots of time, I waste a lot of it!  I also try to fill my days with a lot of projects that I want to do.  I have another fleece running skirt half made already.  I helped my daughter finish an apron that she had started and working on my skirt at the same time.  I still need to post the directions and photos for making my skirt on this site.      After 6+ months of running, I am very proud of myself.  I began running and barely could run 1/4 mile at a time.  Now I can run 4, 6, and more without stopping.  And my lungs and asthma seem to benefit!  I have not caught the flu, I haven't been really sick a day yet, and I've had fewer asthma attacks. So this is definitely working for me!

December 24, 2012

Today is Christmas Eve and my daughters and I were able to head out and run.  My husband wanted to head out with us since he was stuck on the phone with hughes net about our internet.  :-(     But, as we ran, it was snowing again.  We met a couple that was also out running, which was inspiring and cool.  It snowed for the first part of the run, quite a bit.  As I ran farther and farther, it started slowing down.  It was also getting icy on the road, so I had to watch where I stepped as I ran.  I ran a total of 7.26 miles today.  My pace was a little bit slower, but that is ok.  Merry Christmas!

December 21, 2012

Today was our last day at school until January 2013!  I was able to leave a little early (a holiday gift from admin) and headed home to suit up and get ready.  It was 38 degrees when I hit the pavement!  Whew!  As I ran, there were snow flurries sticking to my eyelashes and actually landing in my eyes.  How weird and still somewhat amazing!  I love the time when the snow is falling and everything seems so still and quiet.  It is quite calming and relaxing to run in snow.  Definitely different than running in the rain.      I was able to run 4.10 miles today in the snow.  It was cold.  I worked on my form and making sure I was running on my forefoot instead of my heels.  I was having a little heel soreness from not quite running correctly.  But, I ran.

December 19, 2012

This is our last week of school before the Christmas break, so things are busy!  So many people have been out with the flu, including my assistant, so things do not always go as planned.  It is funny how one thing that might change in your daily schedule, can affect everything else in your day.  But, luckily I got home in time to fit in a run tonight.      I logged 4.06 miles and kept my average pace at a 12:00 minute mile.  Running in twilight is its own challenge.  To me, it is the hardest part of the day to see and focus my vision on anything.  Add to it the amount of cars that are driving home from work or whatever, and it is just a busy time of day.  I do my best to stay alert and try to keep myself safe.

December 15, 2012

Today is Saturday, so luckily I don't have to wait to run until the evening and worry about how dark it is going to be.  I drove the car to the church, then ran home, back to 231, then back to the church.  I felt pretty good today, and my breathing was ok.  It really wasn't too cool today, compared to how cool it can be in the evenings.  I ran a total of 7.2 miles-- averaging a 12:00 minute mile pace.  I walked 2/10s of a mile at the half way point and ran the rest of the way.  The hills here are some of the hardest parts of my route to complete.  Some days I can run down and up them ok, then other days I just feel as if I am never going to make it up or down the hill. Today wasn't too bad.

December 13, 2012

Tonight it got dark close to 5:00 pm, which really makes it hard to work all day, come home and get ready, and head out.  Luckily, the darkest day is only a week away and things should start getting lighter slowly after that.  It is also hard to work, run, then write on this blog, so some of these are written a few days / weeks later.      I ran 3.94 miles today--almost 4 miles!  My goal today was to run as much as I could without walking.  I walked the first 2-3 minutes, then ran the rest of the route.  It felt good to do that.  Every day that I run, is a day closer to finishing a half marathon.  I will do it!

December 11, 2012

It is getting dark when I run in the evenings after work, and cold!  For that reason, I was only able to get in a 3.1 mile run today.  By the time I get home and change, take my meds, and layer all my layers on, it is that much closer to getting dark for the night.  I kept a pretty good pace, but most of my thoughts were on trying to keep the air that I breathed in from being so cold.  My husband bought me a Buff headwarmer, and with a little work, I can make that cover my nose and mouth and warm the air that I breathe in.  The worst is that it can get wet as I breathe out, which can be a little annoying against my mouth while running.

December 8, 2012--Surf 'n Santa 10 miler

Thursday night and Friday were pretty rough days.  We had a sick dog in pain who kept us up until 3 am Friday morning, so getting through work was very difficult since I was so tired.  My husband stayed home to make the emergency vet visit with our dog.  Luckily, we have amazing vets, and after some observation, x-rays, and a steroid shot, she was feeling much better.  Once I finished with work, I picked up our dog and headed home.  We loaded up the car and headed out to Virginia Beach.  We finally got there around 10:30 at night, tried to unwind, pulled out our clothes, and hit the hay.      We woke up early and grabbed a little breakfast, then headed out to get our registration packets.  It was a little foggy and misty, so trying to figure out what to wear wasn't easy.  I decided to wear a running skirt and long sleeve shirt.  I changed my shoes once we got our packets and put my VFFs on.  We stored our stuff in the car so my husband could pick it up when he finished his race.      We got to start in the same corral which was great.  The crowd was so festive and full of holiday spirit.  There were runners dressed as Christmas trees, Santas, Cookies, elves, and just about anything you could imagine.  I have no clue how they were able to actually run in some of the costumes!  Most of the 5K runners wore jingle bells (we each got one when we got our packets) and more costumes.  The 5K and 10 mile runners stayed together for the first 3 miles, and then we veered off to finish our next 7 miles.  Even though the crowds were less once we split, there were still tons of people running.  I kept a steady pace the whole race, only slowing down between miles 7 and 8.  Luckily I didn't stop running for long, just about 1-2 tenths of a mile.  I drank water or gatorade at every water stop except the very last one.  I met some really nice people while running--we chatted about how much farther to go (when do we turn around...34th?  we are only at 21st!), about other races, and how perfect the weather was today for running.  One of my favorite parts was when I rounded the turn on 2nd to the Boardwalk and got a whiff of the ocean breeze.  It was amazing to run and smell the salty air.  There were also bands and A Capella groups along the course that were singing Christmas carols.  There were radio stations also broadcasting and one even handing out mardi gras type beads to runners.  Although, running the last half with beads bouncing as I ran was a little weird.      Making the final couple of turns into the Convention Center (the finish line was actually in the building) was amazing.  I became teary-eyed when I turned the second turn and realized that I had really just run 10 miles, and finished! And I beat my goal time of 2 hours!  I really was a bit worried about it and nervous, so it was pretty emotional to finish.  When I ran into the building, they were announcing the runners who entered, and I actually heard my name.  I saw my husband with the camera trying to take a photo as I funneled through the volunteers that were handing us water, Gatorade, Power bars, a commemorative glass, and other goodies.  Once I reached my husband, I gave him a huge hug.  I was relieved, proud, and exhausted.  The Convention Center was packed with runners and friends, and there were loads of decorations and a live band.  We had fun walking around, taking pictures, and enjoying the food and drinks.     We left the convention center and headed back to the hotel to shower and checkout.  Once I had a chance to check my watch, I was thrilled by my times.  My average mile time was 11:19, and I kept my pace pretty steady, with the 7th and 8th mile being the slowest ones.  I actually tackled a longer race and succeeded!   This was a great run and a lot of fun.  They hold four different runs during the year, and they are probably all as well managed as this one was.  A very good day indeed.

December 4, 2012

Today was a school day, but I came home on time so I could run.  I suited up and took my meds and headed out.  It was nice weather so I did an easy run.  I ran about 2 miles and wore my Merrells tonight.  My ankles were a little sore, it seems to happen sometimes when I change the shoes that I chose to wear.  So I'm not sure what shoes I should wear on my 10 mile race on Saturday.  Which by the way, I'm a little nervous about.  I haven't run 10 miles ever, so hopefully I can do it.  Tonight my run was easy on the legs and easy on my lungs.

December 2, 2012

    Today was Sunday, so we ate breakfast, went to church, and came home to get ready for a long run.  I have got to plan better for these longer runs than I have been. Racing a long run is actually easier because there are plenty of port-potties and water stations on a race course, and none on my neighborhood route.  I brought my hand held water bottle, plenty of kleenexes and chapstick.  I also took my Benadryl and inhaler and dresses appropriately, so I thought I would be good to go.  We drove to the Baptist church down the road and then we both ran to 231 and turned around.  Chris ran a route right by the car and I continued all the way to the Boston Store and route 522.  My total mileage was 8.5 miles today!  But, it wasn't my best run.  About 6 miles into the run, I became so hungry I was lightheaded.  I meant to grab a gel pack before leaving, and totally forgot.  So I have to remember this for my next big run.  I think I would have felt much better running if I had done that.  I basically walked almost a mile because I was totally wiped out and struggling with running.  I really haven't felt that way too often, and I really don't like how it made me feel!  I also had to go to the bathroom (again!) so I need to remember to hit the toilet one last time before leaving.  Our road is about half way down the route I ran, and I seriously thought about going the 2/10ths of a mile down to hit the restroom and grab a gel, but I didn't.  I would have felt much better today on the last part if I had done that.  Well, chalk it up to something learned.  I finished 8.5 miles in 1:46.  Next week is my first 10 mile run ever!