Rookie on the Run

January 31 Group Run: 6 miles WCRR Group Run It's Saturday! That means group running day for the West Coast Road Runners . We met near the beach again and broke up into our pace groups to run the six miles scheduled for today. It was another beautiful day... sunny and perfectly warm. If you read my blog about last Saturday's five-mile run, you know I had a miserable run. I'm happy to say that today's run, although a mile longer, went much better than last week. I did not run the whole way but I did run most of it (walking the hills). Slow-Poke I have to admit-- and I do so without shame-- that I am a slow runner. I don't mind that I'm slow. I really don't feel the need or the desire right now to run fast. I figure I can work on that after I get more running experience under my feet. West Coast Road Runners has names for each of their pace groups. I can't remember all the group names but each is named after a marathon. For example, there is the...

January 29 th Assignment: Run 40 minutes America's Finest At some point in history, San Diego was given the title of "America's Finest City". I once heard that the title was actually given to San Diego by one of its city leaders as a way to promote tourism. I don't know if that rumor is true or not. And I don't know how deserving San Diego is to own the nickname, but there can be no doubt that San Diego and its surrounding suburbs are a fine place to live! Especially on days like today. I woke up to beautiful, sunny, blue sky. The temperature was probably about 70 degrees at 9:00 am, when I finally started out on my run. I prepared for the run by putting on SPF 50 sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, running shorts, and sweat- wicking tank. I filled all four bottles on my running belt, applied about 10 layers of lip balm, and forgot my new watch. Music Motivates I love music. I've found that I run best when I'm enjoying the stuff coming out of my iPod...

January 27 Day 9 of Marathon Training Assignment: Run 35 minutes Quick Update Even though today was gorgeous, I ran on the treadmill for my 35 minute training today. I am so happy with myself! Except for the 2 minute warm-up at the beginning and the 3 minute cool-down at the end of my run, I ran the whole time. Last week I couldn't run the whole time without walking. It's so nice to be able to see the progress!! I love that about running. This Old Body I am glad tomorrow is a non-running day, my hips are not too happy with me today. I think I need the day off to give my body a break. Since I've been running, I have noticed that my body parts seem to take turns letting me know how they feel about their exertions. The first day, my ankles felt bad until the chiropractor yanked on them; the second day it was time for my inner thighs to yell at me (didn't send the chiropractor that direction!); the third day my back hurt... and so on. I'm waiting for the day that...

January 26th Day 8 of Marathon Training Assignment: Run 30 minutes Up & At 'em! I woke up this morning pretty easily... I went to bed early the night before. OK, early for me which is before 11 p.m. It was still dark out but I could see that it had been raining. I debated going to the gym to run on the treadmill but I didn't want to have to do that. So, I ate breakfast, stretched, and waited to see what the weather would hold. Brrrrr... It looked pretty clear when the sun came out so I decided to skip the gym and run the route I had planned. I went outside and gasped because it was so stinking cold!! It was probably 45 degrees Fahrenheit**. I almost turned around and went inside but I was stretched-out, dressed, and ready... and too lazy to want to undo it all. Victory- Short, but Sweet I am so glad I decided to run! It was my unofficial goal to be able to run the 30 minutes/2+ miles without stopping to walk. And I did it! I just kept telling myself that I...

January 24, 2009 West Coast Runners Group Run Assignment: Run 5 miles I'll go ahead and apologize for the overly-dramatic title for this blog... only two-thirds of the title actually happened. Catchy title, though, huh? I woke up this morning at 6 o'clock. It was tough to get out of bed... true to my nature, I went to bed too late. I got ready for my 7:30 meeting time with the WCRR . I was looking forward to running the five miles we were to complete today. I met my friend, Mitchell, at the local park & ride and we drive the half hour it takes to get to the beach where we were to meet the rest of the group. We were a little early so we took some time to chat, make jokes, and stretch before the group "talk" and run. When our group did finally meet, we were to introduce ourselves and tell everyone the longest distance we've ever run. I listened as each person said their name and their longest distance. As people shared their distances, it became apparent...

So tomorrow is our first Saturday run as a group. Five miles. Sounds like a lot to me, but I know I can do it. My goal for the next couple weeks is to be able to run five miles without stopping to walk. Tomorrow's run will be a good indicator as to how close I am to that goal. One nice thing is, I'll be running with other people... some I know and some I don't. It'll be great to have company while I run. We will be running near the beach, which will also be a nice change. I'm a little disappointed, though, because I was hoping to get my fuel belt and sports watch in the mail before tomorrow. That didn't happen. I'll have to make sure I hydrate myself before and after the run since I can't do it during the run. I'm sure I'll have my fuel belt for our next Saturday run. Here's to a great run tomorrow!

January 22, 2009 Training Day #3 Assignment: Run 35 minutes Today started off a little less than ideal for running. My four year old has a cough that only seems to be around in the wee hours of the morning. At 5:15 a.m., I heard him coughing. And coughing. And coughing. I got up an hour before my alarm was set to go off in order to get my son some water and find a decent kid show for him to watch. The thing is, I'm a night-person. It's is very difficult for me to get to bed before 11:00... and last night, bed-time for me was around midnight. So I really only got about 5 1/2 hours of sleep at the most. I was worried how this would affect my run this morning. In spite of my lack of sleep, it was a good run! I was able to run much farther before having to stop and walk. I'm not sure how many miles I ran in my 35 minutes but I'm certain it was more than earlier in the week. Ah... sweet progress! Did I mention before that I'm not the sharpest knife in the dra...

Wednesday, January 21st Non-Training Day Assignment: Catch Up Today is a day off from running. That's why I'm sitting here, catching up on my blogs. I actually almost miss having to run. It's getting kind of fun! I do realize, though, that it's important to take a break in order for my body to take care of itself. Hopefully tomorrow, I will be rejuvenated and ready to run my 35 minutes without having to take a walking break. We'll see. Friday is also a non-running day. I'm a little nervous about that because we are supposed to run five miles on Saturday as a group (with WCRR). I worry that I won't be ready and I'll totally wimp out on the run. I worry my friends, Susan and Lee Ann, will take off running tirelessly without me while I'm left behind throwing up on the sidewalk. It'll be interesting to see how it goes. I know I can do this!! Jogging is very beneficial. It's good for your legs and your feet. It's also very good for...

Tuesday morning, January 20th Training Day #2 Assignment: Run for 30 Minutes I decided to do my running on the treadmill at the gym for this day of training. I like to mix things up a bit. Besides, the treadmill keeps better time than the timer I had been using (which was my timed-test timer from my teaching days... now the boys use it to play BOMB... uh, don't ask). I prefer to run outside but this was a great day run at the gym because I got to run and watch TV at the same time. What was on TV? The inauguration of President Obama. No matter your political preference, this was an inauguration to see. So that's what I did- I watched it while I ran. I think it made time go faster to focus on squinting in order to read the closed captioning, rather than think about how tired I was. And I was tired! I think my biggest lesson for this day was to not spend an hour at the gym the night before, doing weight-lifting exercises for the lower body. I enjoy strength training but...

Monday Morning, January 19th Training Day #1 Assignment: Run for 25 Minutes I got up on Monday morning, ate half a Cliff Bar, drank a bottle of water and got ready for my fist official day of marathon training. I put on my new moisture-wicking shorts, moisture-wicking running bra, moisture-wicking shirt, and my- yes -moisture wicking socks. In case you are wondering about moisture-wicking panties, I'll let you in on a little secret... most running shorts have built-in moisture-wicking undies . Trial/Error #1 I put on my new, specially selected running shoes and noticed that they felt weird. The right shoe had what felt like a lump on the right side. What?! That wasn't there in the store! I took the shoe off, checked the insole and didn't discover anything wrong. I tried the shoe on again and the lump was still there! Ugh!! I took the shoe off again and decided to inspect my new socks. That's when I noticed the little "L" on the sides of both of my soc...

I used to think cotton is the best material to run in. It's natural, breathable, soft, and comfy. Well, I now know that cotton is big no-no when running. Why? It soaks up and retains sweat. The last thing you want to deal with when running is a wet, heavy shirt. Who wants their sweaty shorts clinging to their legs? Wet, smelly socks? Icky! The solution to the problem of sweat: Run naked. If you're like me, however, and are not comfortable with the idea of running around the neighborhood in your birthday suit, try clothes made out of wicking material . This is mostly/usually a synthetic fabric made to take sweat, pull it away from the skin, and dry quickly. There are lots of brands that make wicking apparel. You don't have to spend a lot of money for it, either. But you can if you want to do your patriotic duty and help boost the economy! "You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons t...

I knew I would need a good pair of running shoes in order start the whole training process. I also knew that Road Runner Sports in San Diego would be a great place to get them. I have only heard positive things about the place. What I didn't know, was how thorough the staff at Road Runner is when fitting people for shoes! I figured they would just measure my feet, give me some advice, and point me to the most expensive pair of running shoes in the store. The first step (pun intended) in finding the right pair of shoes involves walking on some sort of scanner mat. The mat picks up an image of your foot and computerizes your pressure points, weight distribution, etc. This information helps the shoe person know where you might need the most foot support. Those are my feet walking on the scanner mat. Remind me to schedule a pedicure appointment. This is how my feet look on the computer... don't know what it all means, but they sure are colorful! Part two involves a quick ru...

Saturday, January 17th Sign-ups and Orientation for the West Coast Road Runners (WCRR) 7:15 a.m.= Met my good friend, Mitchell, at the Park & Ride in Escondido. Why? So we could drive to San Diego to attend the orientation meeting for the West Coast Road Runners' spring training session. Mitchell has run eight marathons... he's not only my buddy, he's my inspiration. We've been friends for almost twenty years. I used to date his twin brother. He is like a big brother to me and a partner in crime. Mitchell has trained with West Coast Road Runners (WCRR) for a few years and he recommended them highly when I told him I wanted to train to run a marathon. WCRR trains runners of all levels (from beginners to those who know what they are doing). I qualify as a beginner, of course. WCRR puts their runners into pace-groups, ranging from fast runners to the slower runners/walkers. Naturally, I am in the slow runner group. And I'm fine with that... I'm certa...

I am not a runner by nature. I've never enjoyed running. Other than the occasional run to burn a few calories when I can't get to the gym, I have always viewed running as a last-resort tool to get from one point to another as quickly as possible. For example: My son falls on a concrete bench, splits open his chin & he's screaming... run ! Wait too long to use the restroom... uh-oh, run ! Realize I forgot about that last batch of cookies in the oven... run! The cat is making signs that she is going to hack up a massive fur ball on the new couch... run ! Kick a ball into a bee-hive... run and wave arms frantically!! I assume you get the idea. So, why run a marathon? I'm not really sure. Maybe I'm bored and need a challenge. Maybe it's mid-life crisis (a very early mid-life crisis). Maybe I want to push myself more than I ever thought I could. Maybe it all goes back to my parents... they are the ones who told me to eat my mushrooms and eventually I ...