The Saturday streak is still alive

Despite my best intentions to run on Saturday it still didn’t happen, though I am trying no to feel too badly about it. Friday afternoon (which was supposed to be a rest day), Matt texted and suggested we take the “babies” (read: dogs) for a run/walk before going out to dinner. It was HOT and HUMID on Friday and I had psyched myself up for a rest but I figured since we didn’t have a set schedule we could take one of our longer/tougher (read: HILLS OF DEATH) routes and maybe I could make that count for my scheduled 5-miler…or I could push the 5 miler to Sunday since Amy was out of town this weekend.

We clocked a little less than 4.5 miles in a little over an hour (see, longer than I would have spent running 5 miles!) and were completely drenched afterwards. (I’ll spare you a photo, but imagine my shirt completely soaked…not even my boobs were dry). When I woke up Saturday around 7:00 to find it BROILING outside, I knew I was not going running that morning. The rest of Saturday was busy running errands and then driving to Montgomery. My cousin’s game was supposed to start at 7:30 but did not start until after 8:30! We had a great time, but it was STILL HOT and HUMID and really sucked the energy out of us. Not to mention sitting still on metal bleachers for hours, our feet totally swelled up. We had bona fide cankles and took pictures to prove it (again, I’ll spare you!). I pulled out of the parking lot to drive home at 11:30, pulling into my driveway just shy of 1 a.m. on Sunday (and you know I didn't go straight to bed...I had to unwind!). When I got up Sunday morning to let the dogs out, I felt (and looked) like death warmed over…tired, sore, still swollen. I laid on the couch, willing myself to get out and hit a shaded trail but I could barely hold my head up. I ended up falling asleep on the couch, dozing in and out of consciousness until after 1 in the afternoon. That is really very much unlike me and I think Matt was a bit worried b/c he didn’t even encourage me to get up.

I am not one to make excuses; even as busy as I get, I am going to find a way to sacrifice and get it done. However, I think after I had come so close to hitting 5 miles on Friday, that mentally I gave myself a pass long before I even knew it. I also know that Sunday it was not mind over matter; my body was simply NOT going to handle anything else. I actually felt really rested and refreshed today and had an awesome 3 miler after work and another almost 2 with Matt and the dogs.

AND...I just ordered the Garmin! FINALLY! Got a really great deal (I think) on Amazon, so now I can finally stop stressing about it and just wait for it to arrive in the mail!

Feeling a little more centered

Definitely feeling a bit more sane in the week since my last (frantic) post. Don't get me wrong, things are still busy and crazy as hell but I'm feeling a lot more centered...and I've even managed to get in all of my scheduled work outs this week instead of having to cram in extra mileage or walks to "get the time on my feet".

Week #3 is a step-down week in the program I'm following (my rest days are different but this is the mileage plan) so I should be done fairly "quickly" on Saturday before going to get a pedicure. I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I do feel bad for the poor girls at Aveda Institute that have to deal with these feet but at least I know they won't talk about me to my face! This is actually my first Saturday run in a while...the past 2 weeks I've been running long on Friday night after work b/c of other commitments and let's face it, I did not do much structured Saturday running during the summer. I've really debated cramming it in tomorrow night but it might be nice to actually eat a relaxed, warm meal with Matt (instead of a warmed up meal that Matt cooked earlier and has waiting for me when I get home).

I'm headed to Montgomery Saturday afternoon to meet up w/my mom and aunt to watch my cousin (who I think of as my nephew more than anything) march in his first high school football game! As a musician and someone who marched in both high school and college (and majored in music as an undergrad) I am so excited and proud of him and hope that he enjoys it as much as I did.

In other news, Disney has opened up a wait list for the Wine and Dine half marathon (which would serve as a training run for me on a day when I need to log 15 miles), so I hope to hear something soon. Southwest was running a fairly kick ass special fare from BHM to Orlando ($89 ea way...flights to FL almost never go on sale) that ended today, but I couldn't make myself pull the trigger without knowing for sure that I have an entry. I'm not sure if I could have just applied to $$ to another flight in case I needed to 'cancel' but no here, no there. Keeping fingers crossed that I will get in!

Pleasing Everyone and Noone

I am under so much stress at work and I am about to explode. I am routinely going in early (like 6:30 am early), eating through lunch and staying late (regularly til 5:30 or 6, sometimes much later). Despite this, I still feel like I can't get it all done, the work keeps piling in and I feel stressed trying to keep everyone happy. I've recently been privileged to have more responsibility and I feel flat out exhausted trying to manage the expectations of all of several different personalities, all while hoping that I am also meeting the expectations of my actual boss. I feel really good and confident about my decisions, yet I second guess myself in the same breath b/c I worry about how boss or committee chair or whoever is going to react and be unhappy. PHEW!

All of that being said, it should come as no shock that I am feeling exhausted and we're only halfway through week #2 of training! My running has been surprisingly fine but I am struggling to balance WORK, the running side of my life and the "personal" side of my life. Running has become a large part of my life and Matt is completely supportive but I feel bad rolling in after 7pm every night (some nights a bit later). I end up scarfing down some dinner (luckily we meal plan and since Matt works from home, he is great about cooking most nights) and then Matt wants to head out for a long walk (usually 45 min-1 hour) with the dogs. I love the time with Matt and "the girls" but I feel like the day is so FULL...and truly, this work schedule is on par to continue through mid-December, given the expectations and structure of the committees and everything else that's going on. It's not going to get any easier, mileage is going to build, daylight is going to wane...

Luckily I am no stranger to the distances of training right now (and it should be that way until early October) b/c if I had the anxiety of "unknown distance" on top of everything else, I might just be drowning myself in a jar of Nutella (best stuff EVER, btw). I also know that I am going to have to be flexible in my training schedule, if I have to miss one of the shorter runs b/c of obligations, SO BE IT. Respect the long run and make sure to get in all the other runs that I can and listen to my body.

Thanks to anyone who has made it this far. I just feel overwhelmed and needed to get this out.

(Retail therapy at Dick's tonight...after working til nearly 7pm...gear update to come!)

**edited to remove some of the extraneous work stuff**

Hunting and Gathering

Well, with week 1 of marathon training stumbling along, I am officially in "hunting and gathering" mode...for running gear, of course.

These beauties arrived from Zappos Monday afternoon, just in time for breaking in on a nearly 3 mile walk (after a 3 mile run at the gym). (Although I must admit I only paid $110...and I really did want the pink ones but they weren't on sale AT ALL and I can't justify a $30 price difference when I am buying for function, not form. Oh how I *heart* my Mizuno Wave Nirvanas...this is my 4th pair!)

I put about 500 miles on my "Mercedes Shoes" and knew I needed a new pair, but didn't realize how beat they were until I had something to compare to:

Guess which one is new? LOL

Poor stretched out shoes!

I'd say the soles are pretty worn down, though not as bad as some previous pairs!

On the list for this weekend (or the near future):

--The Garmin Forerunner (I don't know why I am having such a problem dropping the cash when A. I have it set aside and B. I know it's a HELPFUL tool that I will USE)

--Handheld water bottle (Thought about a hydration belt but I don't know how I feel about that given that I already feel thick around the middle)

--A couple more sports bras. Still not totally sold on the Nike compression fit (is it really supporting all it can?) but don't want to drop $50+ on a sports bra when I know I need to purchase multiples!

--1 or 2 more pairs of running shorts. I have 4 pairs but I have to time laundry just right and I have enough stress at work w/o having to worry about that I ran the load of darks on just the right evening that week.

--A small stock of Mojo Bars (I really like the Mountain Mix and I tried the Peanut Butter Pretzel for the first time today. I love that they are a low glycemic food and that they have natural and healthy ingredients.) My Publix has them fairly reliably at $1/bar and I was hoping to find a deal online to buy bulk, but it's looking so far like Publix actually has the best price!

--Gatorade/G2 (Which Publix actually has on sale this week) I used G2 when in "half" training but I am wondering does it offer the same benefit as regular, full calorie Gatorade when I am actually trying to replace carbs/calories and sustain myself for HOURS on the long run. (I may be ~1min/mile faster on my long run pace now but I'm still not fast so the time I know I will be spending on the long run is of very real concern/anxiety for me!)

--New music! I have some songs in mind but I have to re-install my iTunes library before I can get started and though I'm sure it won't be horrible, I have it built up in my head to be a major, stressful ordeal and I keep putting it off.

Any other "marathon must haves"?

Marathon Nightmares

I must have marathon on the brain (given that official training starts Monday!) b/c I just had a nightmare that I MISSED my marathon. I am training for St Jude in Memphis but in the dream I was running NYC and my mom was going to help get me there on time. Well, I wake up to find the marathon on TV and we are still out in the 'burbs (Westchester County, where both my mom and dad grew up and I spent many a summer). She tells me she didn't wake me up b/c I looked tired and that I can always "do another one soon". At my frantic request, she drives me into the city but of course the start line is closed. 18 weeks down the tubes. Aughhh!! At this point, I'm AWAKE. That dream was SO VIVID. Geez...anxiety much? I have to say that in real life my mom is the most awesome, dependable person on the planet and would NEVER do that!

I ran last night after work (5 miles) so I could sleep in and relax today since this is the last Saturday before they get dominated by my long runsng.. Hopefully I can RELAX and forget this craziness before the day gets started in full swing!

On a Mission

I'm on a mission to find a bib (entry) into the Disney World Inaugural Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon for the 1st weekend in October!! My best friend from FSU's husband (who is also a friend) is running and I have been looking for a good excuse to make the trip to central FL in 2010 (I visited 3x in 2009 for various weddings, baby showers, etc). The race starts at 10:00pm(!) on a new (read: more interesting) course and Epcot stays open until some insane time in the middle of the night for a private version of the food and wine festival for the runners and their friends/families. It also fits almost PERFECTLY into my marathon training plan (more on that to come) and I really want to run it!

The problem? It's sold out! If anyone has an inside hook up into getting a bib, please let me know!

Belated!

I can't tell you how many posts that I have started or completed that are sitting on my work computer. Blogger is blocked there, so I will start a word document and then email it to myself. Or in my case, FORGET to email it to myself.

I've been keeping to my 15-20 mile/week goal and also trying to make sure I actually get cross training in (lots of walking the dogs...like 3-4miles a night after running, maybe 3-4 days a week and yoga about once a week). I really need to do some lifting or strength but I get SO BORED with it. I know what I'm doing, but I hate it!

I've also been spending quite a bit of time on trails. I have my weekly "date" with Amy but I've been going on my own some too. Last week, Matt and I also took the dogs hiking at Ruffner Mountain's first "Dog Days of Summer Event". There was a "dog hike", lots of booths and vendors, games, caricatures, etc. It was a ton of fun and our dogs even made the event's FB page. HAHA!

Me and Roxy. I had no idea this picture was being taken but apparently Roxy was hamming it up for the camera!

Bali excited to sniff the camera that was on the ground

Bali at the summit of this hike, about to jump into the rock quarry (our camera)

A copy of the caricature we had done of them. The guy was awesome and totally nailed their personalities in the 5 minutes that they posed for this. Bali as the happy go-lucky and Roxy as the "worry wart". She doesn't take after her mom or anything ;) (our camera)