Still Alive, but Maybe Only Til Sunday

I don't think I've blogged in over a month. But hey, things got crazy--I got married, our huge work conference is coming up, and I have my first half-marathon on Sunday. I am EXTREMELY nervous about this race--I wanted to drop out last week and forget running. I haven't dropped out yet, but it's still in the back of my mind that 13 miles is no picnic and maybe I'm not really prepared to do this. I've done 12 miles, but I just don't feel ready.

At least Bret Michaels will be there. Don't try to tell me you didn't watch Rock of Love Bus.

So stay tuned. You'll either get a race recap next week or some excuse for why I didn't run the race at all.

Giving 10 Miles Another Go

The one good thing about thoroughly sucking at something the first time you do it is that you are almost guaranteed to do better the second time around. This was the case with my second 10-miler I completed Sunday. I shaved 17 minutes off my time! (You can write awesome stats like that when your initial time is so bad.)

I'm not sure why this run was easier.  Maybe because I varied my route a bit and ended up running through part of a SheRox Tri. Don't worry,  I stayed on the path and didn't get in their way. It was kinda nice to be running through a crowd and to have other people running around me. And I got to enjoy some of their music.

Or maybe because I had already done 10 and knew I could do it. Or because I dragged myself out the door at 7:30 a.m. so there was less heat.

They say third time's a charm--I'll find out this coming Sunday when I run 10 miles for the third time!

10 Miles is Tough

I can't even be original with this title--running 10 miles was hard. I had intentions to be out the door by 7 a.m. Sunday to beat the heat (it's pretty much 90+ every day, which I love, except when I have to run). That didn't exactly happen. I was out the door closer to 9, so it was already quite hot. I turned on This American Life on my ipod because I knew that a whole hour would be over by the time that podcast ended. Things were trucking along until about mile 6.5/7. I was tired. At mile 7, I took a Gatorade Prime. These are supposed to be for pre-workout, but whatever, I'm a rebel. These are funny little blocks. They taste pretty good, but they are covered in a communion-like wafer (I suppose for easy swallowing.).

I keep going and around mile 8, I spot my fiance coming from the other direction on the running path I was on. He had been hoping to catch up with me. I was really glad when he arrived because at mile 9, I wanted to quit more than anything. I was walking a lot and telling him I was done, I wasn't running ever again, that I was dropping out of my half in September and that he should go get the car and pick me up. But he pushed me to keep going and kept talking to keep me occupied. And eventually, I did complete 10 miles!

I have to do it again on Sunday, and hopefully each time it will be slightly less awful.

Best/Worst Idea Ever

Yikes, I need to get back into blogging! I have been running though--just not writing about it. This weekend will  be the first time I attempt to run 10 miles. I've done 9.25, but never more. Cross your fingers for me!

I also may have the best/worst idea ever. My first half is scheduled for Sept. 18. Over Labor Day weekend, I will be in Virginia Beach, where a half-marathon is taking place that Sunday. I already have to run 12 miles that day. Should I just register and run two halfs in a month?

The one thing (other than the running itself) that is holding me back from registration is the $110 price tag that comes with the Va. Beach half. Would it be really terrible of me to run rogue? Meaning, I wouldn't drink any of their water or take any GUs or anything--but I would run the race course. Will someone come kick me out if I attempt this? Am I being really cheap? Should I just map my own 12-miler and prep for the Philly half on Sept. 18 as planned?

So many questions and so few answers!

9 Miles Looming

Usually I can save my long runs for Sundays and sleep in on Saturdays. This Sunday I will be in NYC for the day checking out Alexander McQueen's exhibition Savage Beauty (eeeeee!!!!), so my run gets bumped to Saturday. I'm a little nervous. My 5-miler  on Thursday started out well for the first 3 miles. BUT, I had decided to give a protein powder a shot before the run. Worst.Idea.Ever. I won't get into details, but I had to walk the last two miles of it. I think the protein will be a post-run type of thing.

At least I know this run will most likely be better than the last!

More of the Same

I have nothing exciting to report in my running. I've been doing it, my times are getting a little better each time and that's about it. I do have my first 8-miler of 2011 on tap for this weekend, which will probably end up being Monday because nothing says Happy Fourth like sweating your butt off on some hills in the 'Burgh. Also mostly because I am attending 2 weddings in 2 days, which won't leave me any time for runs.

Hope everyone's running is going well!

Running Machine

Just after I told you last week that I was getting ready to renounce running as my preferred method of exercise, last week happened. Every run was good. Seriously, all four of them didn’t make me want to die, I enjoyed portions of them and I ran well! This never happens. It’s like running overheard me getting ready to cut it from my life and decided to rope me back in.

I can attribute this stellar week to two things:

• Every run was a morning run. Waking up early is not my thing, but I hauled myself out of bed around 6 on the weekdays and at 8 for my weekend run. I could definitely feel a temperature difference, so I think that was helpful. Interestingly, I don’t eat when I run in the morning—I just go. So I would have thought my runs would have been poor since my energy levels were quite low, but I surprised myself.
• I have stopped my warm-up walk. I would usually walk a few blocks/minutes to get warmed up. Now I just start running. 

This week I continue with four runs, all of them are pretty easy, I guess because last week was tougher. But I saw the following week my first 8-miler of the training will be on tap. Kinda odd because at no point have I done 7 miles. A bunch of 6-ers and 5-ers, but now we’re just moving into 8. But I can blow worrying about that off for a little less than 2 weeks.

On a totally unrelated note, today is exactly 2 months until my wedding!