Can't believe it's been a month!

I have been a negligent blogger, bad girl! It's been a busy month of running since I last updated, with lots more to come.

I completed my summer series with not only multiple first, second and third place finishes in my age group, but I won third overall in my group as well! I was quite surprised. I suppose my triumph is a testament solely to perseverance, because I most certainly wasn't fast. I was a little disappointed that I only met my goal of under 30 minutes once; it was in the middle of the summer, and on the coolest day of the summer. I will have to run a 5K sometime this fall to see how the cooler weather affects my pace.

The new RB (running buddy) and I are making some progress! Speaking of cooler weather, we had a great six mile run a few weekends ago early while it was still cool. It felt great outside, and we really improved our pace. I'm hopeful that when it really cools off, we will be going gangbusters. It helps that I finally got my hands on a Garmin wristwatch. If you're looking for a running GPS, the small Garmins are great. They have a lot of useful functions, including keeping your pace and heartrate for a more accurate calories-burned calculation. I have mine set to sing at me every mile, which is a morale booster on long runs. When we get into running a more consistent pace, I may set it so that it beeps if we fall under a certain pace.

This past weekend I got a little ahead of myself. I signed up for a Labor Day 15K - and it was brutal. It was almost all on the trail, which means no shade, and it was quite steamy and sunny that morning. I kept an average pace of 12:05, but it felt a lot slower than that. The three mile jump from six to nine miles was more than I was ready for.

I'm going to be on vacation for the next few weeks, so I won't be running or posting much. I have made some decisions about races, though: I'm thinking pretty seriously about going to Phoenix for the PF Chang's Rock'n'Roll in January. I will do the Cowtown in February, and Rock'n'Roll Dallas in March. I am looking at a race in Nashville (with my cousin Kate!) in April.

Happy Running!

First five miler in a while

Ran the first five mile run I've done in a while this morning. It went well - I powered up a few hills and got my heartrate up, but most of it was at a steady pace. My new running buddy is still trying to pick up speed. She's doing great! And I think we will be faster once it cools off some. You know, in October.

I have to admit, I think I've enjoyed being a mentor. Up until now I've been the mentee (or at least I have allowed myself to remain in that role.) But it does make me a bit nervous. I hope I am giving good advice and not leading her astray or being too big-sisterly. Sometimes I fall into that trap all too easily.

I've noticed lately that some of my running clothes, especially the tops, are not coming clean anymore. The sweat smell seems to be trapped in the shirt. I wonder if this is a failure on my part to wash them appropriately - with no fabric softener - or if they just have a shelf life. It does seem to be the older ones, some of which I've had for at least two years. For the record, my favorite clothes are Mizunos, with New Balance a close second. The Mizuno gear seems to fit me really well, I like the cuts and the colors, and they tend to HAVE POCKETS. Note to fitness wear designers: include pockets in women's wear, too, not just men's. Both the New Balance and Mizuno shorts are so soft and comfy to wear, and they dry very quickly. If only the tops didn't snag so easily...

I'm getting to the point of no return for next year. I need to register for the first few halves to make sure I get in and I'm starting to wonder if I can do this. Will my feet hold up? Will I get tired of it or bored? I'm nervous.

Finally, I got some good advice last week. (Thanks Dee!) The greater the goal, the greater the preparation must be. No brainer, right? For some reason that tidbit caught my attention, and I think this is the inspiration I finally needed to get back to Weight Watchers. My weight isn't really out of control, but I'd like to have some of my clothes fit more comfortably. Like my sister says, "you work out all the time!" But I don't feel like I have the body to show for it. There are muscles under there! I want to let them out. So I'm going on Wednesday whether I can con anyone from work into going with me or not.

These are the days that make me a better runner.

Tonight's 5K was so hard! My shin splits are back in full force. (For some reason the left is worse than the right, for a change.) My legs felt like they were made of lead. It never fails, though, that when I think I'm performing poorly, I'm actually doing quite well. My first mile was around the 9:30 mark, which I'm pretty happy with for a first mile. I suffered on the third, though. But these are the runs, when I finish with a decent time, or even just finish, that make me a better runner. It is further proof to myself that most of it is mental, and that I can do this, and that's better than a great time.

I was a bad running buddy today.

I've been a bad running buddy this week. Tuesday morning at 5:45 my new buddy texted me to see if I was ready to go. Bad move - I'm never ready to go at 5:45 (or 7:45, or 8:30) in the morning. I negotiated my way back into bed, and we agreed to run Wednesday morning instead.

I woke up Wednesday morning at 6, turned on the television and saw that all of Parker County was lit up with a storm that was headed our way, so I called my buddy and called off the run. She was disappointed, and said she was going to run in her neighborhood. I hope she did - I went back to sleep, and the storm, of course, never materialized. I feel guilty about not showing up. I told my mom (the accomplished marathoner) about this, and she had a good point: part of the job of running buddy is to not judge and not question the other person/people, and to remember they are adults, and that if they don't want to get up, they don't have to. Or if they want to run in the rain, that's fine. She's right. I try to be a good buddy, so I hope my buddy will extend that to me. So far so good - but it's a good reminder that I should hand out good karma if I expect to get some back.

So I'm off to bed before too long. Tomorrow evening is my weekly 5K. We'll see if I can beat last week's time.

The Plan

I'm starting to work on my plan, trying to figure out what and where I'm going to run next year, and I'm already hitting snags. I was planning on running the Houston half marathon. It's already full. Which, honestly, I'm ok with, since I'm going to be in Houston the weekend before for a wedding and I don't want to drive down there two weekends in a row. So now I'm looking at the Austin 3M half marathon, which is later in January. Since it's late in January, I can justify running the Cowtown half, which is the last weekend in February. Nothing great about the Cowtown except that it's local. Last year I ran a Dallas race in March, which would be nice to do again, since it's the same course as the White Rock half. I didn't see it on the list yet. I know I want my July race to be El Scorcho, and I really want to try and get into the San Fransisco Nike Women's race. I'd also like to try and find one in New York, so I can get in a visit to Julie and Finn. So that's not a terrible start to the plan.

The other part of my training that I struggle with (constantly) is nutrition. I'm so confused about exactly what it is I'm supposed to be eating. I know I need to cut back on the carbs, but carbs are fuel for what I'm trying to accomplish. I could also cut back on the sugar. I've done relatively well with breakfast lately - I've been eating Rice Chex with rice milk or organic oatmeal. A big part of the problem with breakfast - well, with any meal - is that I'm so busy I don't have time to prepare lots of food. I know I eat at restaurants way too often, but it's convenient. I suppose my bank account would prefer that I restrain myself. And frankly, at the end of a long day or a hard workout, grilled chicken and steamed veggies - even if I can wait around long enough to prepare it - is not what I want. It's something I'm working through.

Saturday Four Miles...

Went very well! I have a new running buddy who is just getting into running, and this was her first four mile run since we've been training. I really admire her enthusiasm and spirit - she is inspiring me all over again. It's so easy to fall back on the begrudging run, and I'll admit, I don't always enjoy it. But I never think back after I finish and think "I wish I hadn't done that" - I'm always glad that I did.

5K PR!

I ran a 29:40 5K tonight - almost a five minute improvement over last week! Of course there was also a 20 degree difference, too... I can't wait for October.

So, this internet thing...

Is apparently here to stay. I've decided it might be time to jump on the bandwagon and blog something.

Over the last few years I have reluctantly become a runner. I can't say that I enjoy the actual activity of running; I enjoy stopping quite a bit. I especially enjoy pancakes after a weekend run. I do like the empowerment of being able to complete a lengthy run. I love the opportunity to have dedicated time to talk with a friend, or listen to music, or just let my mind wander. I could do without the shin splits, the foot problems, the sore muscles, and all the sweat.

But! I digress. In honor of my thirtieth birthday, I am contemplating running a half marathon each month of 2010. Some I will run, some I will race. I don't have a set schedule yet. But I think it's an interesting challenge that will provide plenty of fodder for the Thirty Dozen.

So it's something to think about. For now, I'm off for my weekly summer 5K on the river. I'm taking Oliver the puppy with me tonight so Alicia can walk him while I run. Last week it was 105 degrees; today it's in the low 80s, but much more humid. I placed first in my age division last week mostly because everyone else was smart enough to stay home.

Yours in running shoes,
Monica