The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I've noticed lately that quite frequently I find myself feeling jealous when I read other people's blogs. Well maybe jealous isn't the right word. It is more that I feel like my own life isn't as good in comparison. "Wow, she runs so fast. She is so skinny. She has the most exciting life." But of course, what we see in a blog is only a snippet of a person's life, and usually it is the best moments. We see the best, but we don't usually see the ugly.

Just you don't get any illusions that I am perfect, here are some of the not so perfect aspects on my life.

Good thing she is so cute. Because she's a shedding machine.

1. I am constantly covered in dog hair. We have 2 dogs and, despite the fact that I vacuum regularly, I always have dog hair all over my pants. Not just a few hairs, but enough to be gross. It may have something to do with the fact that I spend a fair amount of time rolling around on the floor on the foam roller. It isn't unusual to find me frantically trying to remove dog hair with tape before I leave the house.

2. I have a chronically runny nose. This is likely related to #1, as I am allergic dogs, and surely being covered in an allergen constantly can't be good. This means I am a snot rocket machine when I run. I usually run alone so I try to time it when there isn't a car nearby. In races, I just try not to hit the person behind me. Doesn't think make you want to run with me? This congestion also backs up and causes problems with my ears. So I can't hear and talk really loudly.

3. I have zero self control when it comes to ice cream (and frosting). I don't know why I continue to delude myself that I can eat a single reasonable portion of ice cream at home. I eat my first bowl, then back for seconds, and then sometimes thirds. I have this theory that I have a whole second stomach for ice cream and it never gets full.

I probably could eat this ice cream monstrosity for Rory's birthday by myself

Do you like it when bloggers include the more negative aspects of their lives? Or do you just want the highlights? If you blog, do you make an effort to provide a realistic picture of your life?

Morocco Training Week 2

Wham bam, another week of training nailed.

Week Of 4/20	Long Run	Weekly Total
Planned	8+8	25-30
Actual	8+8	28.6

• I am SO glad I included one split long run in this training. I was questioning it, but it was perfect. After such a terrible long run last week, I needed a good long run this week. Getting 16 miles in for the day was a huge confidence builder, but splitting the run was a lot easier on my body!
• I heart the track lately. I was inspired by watching Boston on Monday so Tuesday I went to the track (in the pouring rain) and cranked out 4 x 1 mile. And they were all at a 7 min/mile pace. I'm on fire!
• I think I also felt so good running this week because it was colder. I know it will be hot in Morocco and I should be hoping for heat so I can acclimate, but I just really hate the heat. I am going to suffer on race day regardless, so shouldn't I just enjoy my training?
• I am starting to where I am going to run in Morocco. I am not running an official race- just running 26.2 all by my lonesome. I want it to be safe most of all, but also hopefully interesting and scenic. I've gotten mixed answers on how safe it is for a woman to run alone. Anyone been to Morocco? Any advice?

just 3.5 weeks and I'll be here!

Durability and Warranty

In New Zealand my beloved Asics Gel Cumulus 16 running shoes completely fell apart. Most of the heel on the sole of my right foot fell off and there were tears in both toe-boxes. Luckily they waited until after the marathon to do so.

bye bye beloved shoes. I left you in the trash in New Zealand

However I wasn't upset at all because I'd worn them for more than four months and four hundred miles. They were rough miles too- snowy, icy, salty, and sandy. They lived a long life and wore out evenly.

Yet when my Mizuno Wave Rider sneakers started to tear on the outer right side of the toe box recently, I was really annoyed. They are only a couple months old and I only wear them at the gym. So they don't get nearly as much use as my running shoes. Plus, it seemed like a design flaw. They still seemed nearly new everywhere, there was just this one weak spot where the softer fabric met the harder plastic overlay. 

Just for the heck of it I sent Mizuno an e-mail. To my surprise they wrote right back and said that the shoes had a one year warranty. As long as I could provide proof of purchase, they would replace the shoes. Sweet!

But this got me thinking. A year is actually really generous. I wouldn't expect most running shoes to last a whole year. I wonder if people take advantage of it? Or I wonder if more people are like me and have no idea there is a year warranty.

How long do you expect your shoes to last?

Have you ever asked the manufacturer to replace a pair?

Have you ever tried to return something you knew you really shouldn't?
(I think my husband wins the prize for this. He returned a hat that the dog chewed up to LL Bean. Or maybe my Mom who brought back a 30 year old pair of boots. That lifetime warranty is a dangerous thing!)

Morocco Training Week 1

The first week of training is done and I was right on target! Here are the numbers:

Week Of 4/13	Long Run	Weekly Total
Planned	12-14	20-25
Actual	13	28.7

Comments and Thoughts:

• My long run felt TERRIBLE. My allergies were bad, I was getting my husband's cold, it was that time of the month, and my legs felt like lead. It was a struggle fest. I just kept reminding myself to appreciate the weather and the clear roads. After doing all my long runs for New Zealand in the extreme cold and snow/ice, I knew I should feel lucky to have "perfect" running conditions. 
• It is amazing how once you are training for something specific your runs have so much more weight and meaning. Before I officially committed to Africa, I had a rough mileage goal for each run and for the week. I didn't read too much into my pace or how I felt. But now, I feel so much more obligation to get each run in and worry too much about how I felt and how fast I went. After my crappy long run I was all worried and thinking maybe I am not recovered enough, maybe I can't run 2 marathons just 2 months apart. 
• The track is back! The snow is finally melted and the track is open! I did a speed session on Saturday and really enjoyed it. So I am adding a weekly speed session at the track to my plan. It is good for my body and my mind to mix up the pace and do something different.

So now onto week 2! With just a 6 week training plan I am already 1/6 of the way there!

How is your training going? What is your next race?

Birthday Surprises

Happy Friday! I was so busy sharing my exciting marathon news earlier this week that I totally forgot to tell you about the awesome weekend I had last weekend. Better late than never right?

It was the hubby's 30th birthday so I decided to plan a whole day of surprises. The man does not really like not knowing the plan, so the best part (for me) was teasing him about the surprise for weeks before the big day. I'm such a nice wife.

We got the birthday boy (and the dogs) all decked out in birthday attire and then we hit the road.

Surprise stop #1 was Maine Indoor Karting. It was a huge hit!

You will notice I am not on the podium. I came in last. The birthday boy whopped us all- he lapped me 3 times! It like he was professionally trained to drive vehicles really quickly......

Surprise Stop #2 was lunch at Asmara, an Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant in Portland. We started with some magical honey wine (made more magical with mini sombreros). The food is served family style on top of injera, a flatbread made of teff. You don't get silverware, instead you scoop up the food with the injera. We got a little bit of everything and managed not to make too much of a mess eating with our hands!

After our lunch feast, we wandered around the city a bit to make some room in our stomachs. Because stop # 3 was a doozy. We went to Gelato Fiasco for the Fiasco. The fiasco is an enormous sundae built on top of brownies and topped with all kinds of cookies and hot fudge,

We got to pick 10 flavors! We each picked one and let the birthday boy choose the rest. We slayed that sundae!

We needed a break from eating and drinking, so we headed home for some board game action. Rory takes his games very seriously! I was quite suspicious he might be the trader in Shadows Over Camelot, so I didn't quite trust him when he promised that he would bring me back to life on his next turn if I killed myself for the good of the team.

Our final stop of the day was Arcadia, a bar in Portland that has all kinds of vintage board and video games. I am pretty terrible at video games and pinball, but it was still a ton of fun! 

Happy Birthday Rory!

How to Train for A Marathon in 6 Weeks

finishing a marathon just last month

I just committed to running a marathon in 6 weeks. Yikes!

Now, I would certainly not recommend trying to start from scratch and run a marathon in 6 weeks. The only way I can do this safely is because I just ran a marathon a month ago and already have a solid 4 months of marathon training under my belt.

I just need to top-off my fitness and endurance before the race.

Here's my plan

Week Of	Long Run	Weekly Total
4/13	12-14	20-25
4/20	8+8	25-30
4/27	16-18	30-35
5/4	12-14	25-30
5/11	8	20
5/18	Race

I intentionally made it pretty loose. My biggest goal is to get to my next marathon healthy. This is the first time I am going to attempt 2 marathons in a year, much less in 3 months! So I want to do enough training to get me through 26.2 miles, but not so much that I risk injury. 

I set a range for both my long runs and weekly mileage. If I'm feeling strong I'll run on the higher end, but if I not, I have some built in room to back-off. I also included one of the split long runs that I used in my training cycle for New Zealand. This helps to build endurance, but puts a little less stress in your body. 

I am greatly looking forward to running these training miles in the spring weather, instead of in the extreme cold and snow! Hopefully, this will be right balance to get me through my final continent feeling strong. 

Have you ever run 2 marathons fairly close together? What was your training strategy?

BIG NEWS

So this happened.....

I am going to Morocco in May. I am going to finish my 7 continents THIS year!!

As I wrote last week, I was so undecided on when to do my last continent. I felt great physically after New Zealand and didn't have my usual post-marathon mental burn-out on running. Plus, I am going to be really busy with my nursing program for the next 15 months and then starting a new job. This may be my only chance for awhile.

On the other hand, I'm back in school and money is really tight. Could I justify spending money on a trip?

Yet, whenever I had a few minutes I kept finding myself on travel sites looking at options. I put out a tentative "Does anyone want to go to Africa for a long weekend with me" post on Facebook.

Let me just say what wonderful friends and family I have. SO many people expressed interest because they want to help me finally accomplish this crazy goal.

My friend Cheri and I booked our flights and we are going to Morocco for Memorial Day weekend! I'll find a way to pay for it somehow. Accompanying me to Africa goes above and beyond the normal duties of friendship for sure!

I'll be running my own marathon, most likely on Saturday the 23rd.

It doesn't seem real yet. I am finally going to finish this thing.

I guess I've got some training to do between now and then!

Exciting Things

Hi Friends! Happy Wednesday! Maybe I just had too much coffee this morning, but I am in a really good mood. Here's some exciting stuff happening in my world lately.

1. I found a basically brand new pair of Asics Gel Nimbus 16 in my size for $8 at Goodwill!

I mean you really can't beat $8 for a pair of running shoes. This is especially exciting because I am really not in love with the Brooks Defyance I switched to after the marathon. Every run I've done in them, I've been thinking "I miss my Asics."




2. I got a donut, took a bite, it wasn't good, and I didn't eat the rest!

I have this problem of eating all of whatever is front of me, regardless of whether or not it is good or if I am hungry. But this donut was really dry and had a funny, bitter taste. So I told myself it wasn't worth it and put the rest back in the bag. (And then threw it out of reach in the backseat.)

3. Runny Eggs

Most of my life I was grossed out by eggs. I had gotten to the point where I could eat eggs in omelette or scrambled eggs, but if they had more veggies and cheese than egg.  Then earlier this year, I got a breakfast sandwich and it came with the egg over easy. I was too cheap to not eat it (see #2 in this post) and to my surprise I loved the drippy, runny egg. So now I've been putting over easy eggs on everything! It's like the tastiest, easiest sauce ever!

And Now What?

Despite a tough winter for training, I got in a solid block of training and ran a strong race in New Zealand, completing my sixth continent.

For awhile I was content to let my body recover and have nothing else on my athletic calender. I got enjoy the rest of my honeymoon in New Zealand without worrying that I needed to get in more running. When I got home and it was still freezing cold and snowing, I could go to the cozy gym for a spin class instead of forcing myself outside.

But now it has been a month and I was starting to want another goal. I want to know what is next.

In the back of my mind all winter, I thought that if New Zealand went well that I might try to get to Africa this spring. It's the training that really wears you down, and I don't know if I can train through another winter next year. Plus, I'll have a lot less time and money for travel since I'll be right in the middle of my intensive nursing program. However, it turns out that there is no quick, cheap way to get to Africa! I was hoping to just go over for a long weekend, but that isn't looking possible. (However, if anyone wants to sponsor me, I could get on a plane any day!!)

Since my running has been feeling really good since I got back, I started to look at races close to home. Maybe I could leverage my fitness and set a PR in the half. However, all of the races are over $70! Now that I'm back in school, money is a lot tighter around here, and I have a hard time dropping $70-$100 to just go run a half.

I'm also normally starting to transition into triathalon mode about now. However, the Tri for the Y isn't being held this year and I didn't get into Tri for a Cure. I've started to look at other races, but once again the money thing gets me. I have a hard time justifying spending the equivalent of a week's worth of groceries on a race that will last a couple hours at most when I could just go ride my bike, go for a run, or go to a class at the gym for free.

So basically I have made no decisions. As much as I would love to jet over to Africa and finish my seven continents, I don't think that it going to happen. I'd like to have a race or two on my calender, but I just can't convince myself it is worth the money.

What is your next goal? How do you decide what is next?

Girls on the Run

I am getting to do something this spring that I've been wanting to do for quite awhile. I am coaching a Girls on the Run team!

For those of you who haven't heard of it, Girls on the Run is a season long program with a curriculum that focuses on 3 key areas: understanding ourselves, valuing relationships and teamwork and understanding how we connect with and shape the world at large. 

Through fun running games each lesson, the girls develop the endurance and the confidence to run a 5k at the end of the season.

I am coaching a 3-5 grade team at my local elementary school. We've been meeting for 2 weeks now and I am just so blown away by the energy and enthusiasm of my girls. I leave every practice in such a great mood and feel so inspired. My own running has even taken on a new meaning as I think about all the opportunities it has brought me.

Please think about getting involved with this awesome organization. They need coaches, run buddies to run the final 5k with the girls, or even just financial support.