Week Two

Week Two- Down 1.5 lbs from start.

Sunday - Rest

We began our week by attending the Orlando Runner's Club annual picnic at Wekiva Island.  What started as an unusually rainy morning, turned out to be a beautifully cool afternoon.  Joining the ORC just in time for this event made for a great way to get to know some fellow runners before meeting up for a group run. It was so great to be in the midst of people who all enjoy running as much as we do, and to be inspired by those who have been running further and longer than we have.  Some of these folks will actually be running in the Savannah race with us in November!  The ORC also mans an aid station at the Disney Marathon, around mile 24.

Next time we're at Wekiva Island, we'll bring our swimming gear!

Monday

The very next day, we met up with the ORC for their bi-monthly 3 (or 5) mile run.  They gather together at 7pm at the Mellow Mushroom, pass out maps to the newcomers (us) and then head out.  Tom and I usually walk a few minutes before starting our run, so jumping into a run was a little strange for us, but hey, I guess you finish up faster! The group splits up into two different routes, the 5-milers go one way, and us 3-milers go another, all ending where we started. What better place to finish a run than an amazing pizza place?  Wow- that was good stuff! Bonus- we, ORC members get a discount! Run, pizza, and great conversation with some new friends. A terrific end to Monday. :)

This kid ate an entire slice of veggie pizza. You'd think he put in some miles, too..

Tuesday

Ah, this was my favorite run this week!  We headed over to Uptown Altamonte's Cranes Roost for our 5 miler.  Since it's about a one-mile loop around the lake, and knowing Jackson was pretty sleepy already, we decided to split up for this one. Tom could finish up sooner with the jogger, giving Jack a chance to run around afterwards.  Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to running a loop five times, but since the sun was already setting, it's one of our well-lit options.  I really love running here. The time flies by because you see so many people- walkers, runners, dancers, lunge-ers, stair runners, etc etc etc..  Besides the fact that you're running around a beautiful lake at sunset, and listening to my favorite podcast-- The Extra Mile, you're also encouraged by that one runner who you keep intersecting paths with, who's running the opposite way.  Just something about knowing they've been going at it for as long as you have, you kinda start keeping a lookout for them as a landmark and wanna give them a knowing "One more mile! Good job!"

I caught up with Tom and Jack after completing my run, and we had a BLAST watching the choreographed fountain show. They set it to a variety of songs, but my favorite was the "Hoedown" (ie, the "Beef. It's what's for dinner" commercial song!).  We danced away to that one. For the others, we just chilled on the short wall around the fountain, eating some gummy bears.  :)

Wednesday

Every Wednesday, the ORC meets up at 6am at the Einstein Bagels nearby.  So being a glutton for punishment, and for the reward of a bagel and coffee, I got myself and the baby up and out of the door in time for this one.  I'm not gonna lie, that was not my most comfortable run. 1- I'm an evening runner. 2- Pushing a jogger for 3 miles, when I just ran 5 miles the night before.. eh.. But you know what? I kept it under 11 minutes/ mile, which is really great for me under those circumstances. That just shows you how running with company really does encourage you to pick up the pace without even realizing it.  Something cool I became aware of later on- Tom actually saw us out there on his way to work! So yeah, he was the man hollering at us from his car. :) Thanks for the support, babe!

After our run, Jackson and I enjoyed breakfast with our runner friends. Einstein has an amazing line of seasonal 'pumpkin' items! I indulged in the iced pumpkin latte...mmm!  Paired it with a green chile bagel, of which Jackson decided he preferred over his Cheerios..hmmph! :P We also met another Wednesday morning regular, a beautiful Ibizan named Dimer. Such a unique, sweet dog! Jack noticed her right away, and she came to meet him nose-to-nose in his jogger.

Tom did his run later on, while Jack and I hung out at the park. :)

We try to let the little guy have plenty of time on his feet as well. :D

Thursday- Rest!

Friday

Time for another long run!  This wasn't as intimidating as last Friday, since 'If we can do 8, then 9 is only one more!" So we started out at Loch Haven Park, very close by to where Tom works. We knew there were trails that ran along here, in and out of numerous parks, so plenty enough ground to cover the distance we needed.  I tried a new Pandora station this time around- Andy Mineo, who I had recently heard on a local radio station and thought, "Wow- this would be great running music." ..And it was. I was surprised, refreshed, and encouraged by the quality and variety of Christian rap out there! It's not like a lot of the cookie-cutter stuff you hear on the typical 'safe for the whole family' stations. One song in particular stood out- "Just Like You," by Lecrae. Something about this style is just *perfect* for an intense workout, and like I said- powerful lyrics, no sugar coating here.

 

There were a couple things about this run that kept it from being 'ideal.' First, running with a 13 month old is a learning process.  Whatever it was- gas, boredom, over-tiredness, I don't know, but Jackson didn't handle this one too well. He was good for about 7 miles, but those last two miles were a struggle. We're still trying to figure out the best way to handle this.

The other thing was, somehow when we paused to take care of Jackson, the Runkeeper app somehow spazzed and recorded a 4:30 mph minute for me.. So somehow my mileage was screwed up slightly, but didn't realize till after the fact when I was going through my run details on the app.  I just hit "stop" when it said I'd finished 9 miles. Tom still had about a mile to go somehow. It couldn't have been too far off though, since my average was pretty close to what it normally is.

Saturday- Cross Training

Like last week, we headed to the beach for our one hour walk.  This time we checked out a new one though- the Canaveral National Seashore in Titusville.  Wow- so much more secluded and wild! You have to drive quite a-ways through the wilderness till you get to the beach behind the dunes. We walked as far along the beach one direction until we reached restricted NASA territory and had to turn around. It was really tempting to explore, given the fact that nobody was around and that fence wasn't in any shape to keep us out..haha! ..but we didn't. We're parents now. ;-)

 

Week One

Sundays = Rest Days

I decided I would also make them weigh-in days, and as I'll spare the numbers, I'm gonna go ahead and post a weekly photo to keep track of some weight loss progress (hopeful!)

 

 Monday

For our 3 miles, we took it to the Seminole Wekiva Trail on a hot (91F) afternoon.  Some neat discoveries were made, including these:

                                                  

Some research proved them to be "Beautyberries."  Pretty cool, right? Apparently squirrels love them. We also spotted a large gopher tortoise which was, believe it or not, moving too quickly for us to get a picture.

Before our first official training run. :)

 

 

And after!

 

Tuesday

Today I was prepared to hop out of bed when Tom got up at 5am, down a cup of coffee, jump into my running clothes, and whisk my sleeping child off to Lake Baldwin! When it was all said and done, we started our 5 mile pace run at about 6:45 am, just as the sun was starting to sneak up.

 

Do you see the plane up there? Jackson LOVES watching the airplanes here.

 

 

We did it- 5 miles!!  Then Jackson enjoyed a whole wheat banana pancake on the shore in the beautiful Fleet Peeples Dog Park.  It was a beautiful run in the low 70's.  I didn't average my goal of 10 min/ mi, but ran about 11:29, which I was happy with since I was pushing the jogger.  We saw SO many other runners and cyclists out. It's a nice 2.5 mile loop. I did find it tricky deciding if I should greet every person I saw, knowing that many of them I probably had already previously greeted on our first time around..hehe. :-x Oh well, when you pass these two, you're gonna get a friendly "Good morning!" maybe even twice.

Wednesday

We knew the clouds were moving in, but we had to do it. 1- because it's in the plan, 2- because I couldn't justify eating some Publix Premium Chocolate Cookie Quarry frozen yogurt if I didn't run first. :-o  So we went for it. Tom had his radar going and changed plans to try and avoid the rain and we started here:

 

That's right. A cemetery at sunset.  Unfortunately, there wasn't enough trail in there to cover our needed 3 miles, so we took it to the streets. Unfortunately also, just shy of a mile into our run, the rain hit us, and it hit us hard.  We practically swam our way back to the car. We did finish our run, and I actually enjoyed the change of scenery- running alongside a semi-busy road, at night time, in the pouring rain.  We've never run in rain this heavy. Seriously could have used a pair of goggles!

Drenched on the outside, now to hydrate the insides!

Thursdays = Rest Days

Fridays: Long Runs

Here we go. We knew it would come- our first long run.  We decided to change our training plan from Novice 1 to Novice 2, which meant a difference of 2 miles today.  8 miles- is this crazy? It had been a lonnng time since I ran this distance, but hey, mind over matter, right?  That's what running's all about!  So, no questions asked, we just did it.  

Ready, Set, Run!

We had to dodge these locust things for about our second half-mile stretch.. Yeah, I could have done without seeing them, too. :P

Whoops, better turn around!

WE DID IT!!! :D

Some highlights from this run- 1. WATER! I'm glad we brought plenty.  That's what's nice about pushing a jogger around, plenty of storage space for things like bottled water, books and toys to entertain Jackson if he gets bored, etc. 2. GUMMY BEARS! Yeah, that's right. I gobbled up three of those bad boys while running through an intersection with about 2 miles left to go and boy were they a pick-me-up! Wow, they tasted so good.  Mile 7 was a real goofy one for me. I don't know what happened, but I was so giddy. Maybe it just took me that long to realize, "Hey, I GOT this!!" I love that point in a long run when you can just joke around with your running buddies and not feel like you're jeopardizing your run. :) 

Afterwards, in our sweat-drenched clothes, we hit up our favorite local pizza joint- Julia's, where we knew it was not likely to be too crowded, and it wouldn't be too cold since they don't usually have an AC on. Nothing like rewarding an hour and a half + cardio workout with a good meal and great company!

Saturdays = Cross Train Days

Usually, this will mean an hour of walking for us, just cause it works out best. We have other options like swimming or doing some gym machines, but honestly, I can't swim for an hour, and I certainly don't want to be stuck on a cardio machine inside the gym for an hour of my Saturday.

This afternoon we headed out to New Smyrna Beach.  Wow- what a gorgeous day it was!  We started by packing Jack up in the jogger and walking briskly down the beach for a half hour, turning around for the half hour back, completing over 3 miles-- then it was time to swim! 

Jackson could not wait to get out and explore. The beach is one of his favorite things, along with cars and airplanes. Today he had a bonus- an airplane flying close to the beach with a "Thank you for marrying me" banner.  We assumed it had something to do with the wedding we passed! Congrats, April & Rich, whoever you are, and best wishes for your future!

 

 

Back on Track! (or Trail!)(or Beach!)(or, heaven forbid, Treadmill!)

Hello, Hello and Happy September!

Taking a look at my last blog post and noting that it was four days before I became pregnant with my now one-year-and-three-week-old son.  :) Boy, a lot has taken place since then!! Need to update my intro I think.

Today is the last day before Tom (husband) and I, along with our little guy in tow, begin our 18-week Hal Higdon Marathon Training Plan.  We're actually starting a week early, making it 19 weeks till Disney, to accommodate for an earlier half marathon than our training calls for.  We'll be running the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, which happens to take place on my 29th birthday- yippee!

The beginning of a new month, starting an intense training plan and following my sister-in-law's great new blog Daily Vacation have inspired me to get back on here and post weekly updates about our running adventures.  If nothing else, it will be a great way for me to look back to see how far we've come!

Finally Got a Run in this Week!

  Our long runs are supposed to be on Sundays.  Well, Sunday we drove to the destination for our 10- miler-- Old Mine Rd in the Delaware Water Gap, and parked the car at Millbrook Village.  Sometimes wurvy curvy roads get my stomach a little iffy, especially when it's empty, and that's exactly how I felt when we started off on our warm-up walk.  Millbrook Village is a neat, old touristy town, and this coupled with that special feeling in my tummy made for an excellent excuse to skip the run, explore, walk around and take pictures.

Of course, the sun was setting and we did end up jogging a little ways back to the car.

   Fun Sunday. Then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday..no run. Did some other fun stuff like make donuts, play music, visit my sister and hang out in Times Square.  Thursday came, and it was a perfect day to finally get that long run in! Got off work relatively early, with plenty of daylight to spare.

  We drove over to the North Beach at Paulenskill Lake and hit the trail for some adventures.  I didn't set my expectations too high, after having not run for like four days straight, started off with a side stitch right away (which I never get), and felt generally uncomfortable.  Thankfully, that feeling went away after a couple miles, and I slipped right back into enjoying the run.  Listened to some running podcasts- Phedippidations and Run Run Live, both highly entertaining and distracting.  

  Running these trails are the best because you get so much change of scenery the entire time, while the course pretty much stays flat.  The old rail trails go through the woods, but also through some farms and behind large residential properties.  The deer were everywhere, watching us from ridges above, hills in the distance or darting across the trail in front of us.  We past lots of cows and horses..and even discovered an alpaca farm!! It was great..there were four of them hanging out on one side of a field having a stare-down with about five or six deer on the other side.  I'm sure as soon as we stopped watching them they continued whatever game they were playing.

  At one point, a beautiful red Irish setter ran down the hill and out of the woods toward us.  A very friendly dog, we got her to run with us for a little while.  We weren't sure if she was lost, but figured probably not, with the jingle bell on her collar and all.  A big barn was nearby, and we stopped to ask the lady grooming horses.  She assured us the dog was a neighbor's and frequently likes to run with people.  Someday it will be nice to have a dog of our own to bring with us!

  Other than that, what else stood out on this run? We saw another runner! That's always a rare gem!  He passed us twice, so he must have been out on a long run as well. What else? A giant, random flood in one chunk of the trail..difficult to get around. Lots and lots of horse doo doo. And the sun set fast on those last couple miles.. I think I was more worried about stepping right into one of those massive piles than encountering a black bear in the dark.  I guess that's about it. Oh, and I made Tom promise that he'd never let me not run for a long period of time straight..I didn't like how I felt after taking four days off and I really don't want to lose the progress I've made.  Can't imagine starting from scratch!  I enjoy running too much to let it go too easily and refuse to let myself forget it. So that's all. : )

World Wide Festival of Races- Half Marathon Challenge

WWFoR Video    <---Watch our race here!

    Alright! Four days later and finally a chance to sit down and process Sunday's big race!  I've just finished my lunch here at Panera, asking myself why I had to order the soup in a bread bowl.  You know, when there's like nobody in line and they're just waiting on you? Well, I tend to get ordering anxiety and just ask for whatever happens to look good at first glance.  Not only was it just entirely too much bread, but somehow I managed to spill a spoonful of black bean soup all over myself trying to eat the thing. Nice.

     Switching gears. Sunday. 10-10-10.  I first heard about the WWFoR on The Runner's Round Table podcast, and was kind of confused about the whole thing.  After checking out the website, I began to get the feel of what this race was all about.  "Think global. Run local." Very cool. It's not every day you get to run a race with people from around the world.  Plus, I was really intrigued with the idea of seeing photos of where all these people run. At the time, my husband Tom and I were training for our first half marathon- the Philadelphia Rock N' Roll in September. So we decided, "Hey let's do the World Wide Half in October, too."  This will be the first race where we stick together for the whole thing.  Tom and I always train together, but on race day, he's wayyyy ahead of me.

      Tom mapped out our run (mapmyrun.com) to cover ground that, for the most part, we had never really gone over before. We left the car at Swartswood State Park, where we've actually run a 5K or two several years ago.  The temperature was nice and cool and the sky was perfectly clear. We took a bunch of pictures before heading to the 'starting line,' and planned to come back later for a picnic by the lake when we returned to pick up the car.  The course would take us 13.1 back to our home neighborhood.

     We synced our iPods to listen to Phedippidations "As the World Cheers" together at the start.  Being cheered on from both new and familiar voices was so incredibly amazing! It pushed us forward, encouraged us, entertained and inspired us and made us laugh. Though, somebody called back with a joke, something about a comedian?  Tom and I just looked at each other and shrugged. Haha..maybe we missed something.  I really enjoyed the music- Black Lab and the special running song at the beginning..hehe.  Chris Russel's entry on the Mid-Packers was awesome.  Oh, and whoever said to give the next car a goofy thumbs up- I so did.

      Our course through Sussex County was beautiful.  We passed lakes, hills, horse farms and just amazing fall-foliage mountain views.  The first, and only, other half marathon we've run was pretty much flat the entire way.  This course was not, but we've done the distance before, and we weren't really pressuring ourselves for any particular finish time.  We ran the entire thing, though, and only stopped to give a couple drivers directions.

    We really enjoyed ourselves, but there are a few things I've taken away to learn from.  Somewhere, probably about five miles in, I felt blisters coming on.  I've discovered they're only a problem on the inside of my left foot, and only when I run hills. First half marathon- no blisters, but then I can run 5 miles on a hilly road and have several of them. Maybe this is a shoe issue? Or running form? I have no idea, but wow are they painful to run on.  Then there was the thigh chafing..oh my gosh. Again, sometimes it's a problem and sometimes not, even in the same shorts. It has seriously never been this bad.  I just had to keep my mind outside the pain. Going to have to get some other kind of shorts or try some anti-chafing products. Actually, yesterday I tried something from the last race goody bag.. it kind of helped.  Probably not so affective since my skin is still recovering from Sunday.

     It didn't really occur to us till the morning of the race that we would need to bring our own water or sports drink with us.  We typically never feel the need to bring anything, and for our longest run yet we had just taken water and Cytomax from the aid stations.  Tom decided to wear a shoulder bag type back pack and said it was comfortable the entire time.  We packed a bottle of water and a bottle of fruit punch flavored Cytomax, which was another goody bag sample.  The lemon-lime flavored Cytomax was great in Philly, so we didn't think twice about the fruit punch.  I asked Tom to pass me a drink around mile 6 and took a big swig.  How do I describe this?  All I can say is that for the next quarter of a mile I was seriously questioning whether that was laundry detergent I mixed with water or if it was, in fact, a sports drink.  I asked Tom, "Why does it taste like flowers????" And the taste stays with you for a bit as if you were drinking perfume. Needless to say, I stuck with water the rest of the way..

     Most of our run was on the road, but around mile 10 or 11, we headed into the Sussex Branch Rail Trails.  We run here all the time, but not typically 10 miles into a run.  The change of scenery was nice, but with the blister and chafing pain, my legs were not at their best. I felt a little lazy and actually tripped and fell once. Gotta pick up your feet a little more on the trails!  We exited the trail, back onto the road probably less than a quarter mile from our finishing line, but Tom had the course take us like half a mile or so the other way first before we turned around. Then it was a mile from the middle school to the post office- our blessed finish line, which we crossed at 2:24:36 (1 minute and 28 seconds longer than my first half marathon- not bad, considering the hills!)

     From the post office, we walked all the way up the hill to our home.  So many times I have walked up this hill, cooling down after a run, while beating myself up at how out of shape I've let myself become or just asking myself, "when does a person start to enjoy running?" All the while my husband has encouraged me," You look great" or "You just ran 3 miles. Not everyone can do that, you know."  It's so neat to look back and see how far you've come.

     By the time we got back to the house, the exhaustion set in. We were totally beat. I looked in the mirror and told Tom, "Wow, I look like death."  Never has a shower and a nap been so refreshing. Then after waking up, I discovered the sunburn! October in northern New Jersey, and I got a sunburn. Unbelievable. Everything is a learning experience.

     So, Branchville, this is where I trained for my first 5k over 5 years ago, and now, on the same stretch of road, I've finished my second half marathon with my husband and hundreds of other runners around the globe!  What a thrill! I've enjoyed so much looking at all the pictures that have been posted. Thanks to all of the entrants for their encouragement and thanks to Steve Runner and all you other running podcasters that have done so much to bring us together.  Already looking forward to next year!