Wind Chill!

Today’s route: Highway 60
Distance: 3.0 miles

Oh my gosh. The temperature was 28 with a wind chill of 18, and it was sooo cold. I think I could have handled that 28 degrees, or even 18 degrees, but with the wind whipping around us, it was numbing. I wore my heaviest apparel yet, and it still took me a while to warm up, and I never got too hot. I had a heavy hoodie on over my long-sleeved shirt. I had a head wrap on and the hood up on my hoodie. On the way back up 60, I put the hood down and left the head wrap on. My gloves came off toward the end. So, yeah, it was cold.

We ran into dead cat on the sidewalk. It both grossed me out and made me sad. I felt bad for the poor thing.

Jojo went with us again and did very well. She wasn’t able to keep up, but she ran at a steady pace and was sore after it was over, and that’s all any of us can ask of ourselves!

We’re doing the Turkey Day 5 Miler on Sunday! I can’t wait to see how I do!

Leader of the pack!

Today’s Route: Highland
Distance: 3.6 Miles

It was cold again, but not too cold. Jojo went with us again, and did really good. She jogged for twenty minutes without stopping. She was slower than us, and had a different turnaround point, but she did really good. She’s been doing the “Couch to the 5K” program in her neighborhood, which is all hills. So when she gets to run on a flat surface, she does really well.

When we turned around today, I ended up in the front of the pack. I decided to go ahead and stay up front, because I was feeling pretty good. I managed to lead the pack all the way back home! It was a good run!

Quick Note

Today’s Route: Byers Avenue
Distance: 3.1 miles

It was freezing, but we were adequately bundled up. A good run. It was fun, and Jojo went with me and made my run a little more special. She couldn’t keep up, but just wanted to go try and improve her own running. So we passed her on our way back, and that’s when she knew to turn around and start heading back up the hill. She works so hard at it! She is good!

Sunday Running

Today’s Route: Landsdown
Distance: 3.0 miles

Ok, so we met at 6:00am on Sunday morning to go running, and the heavy dinner I’d had at 9:30 the night before still hadn’t settled. So it was kind of a sluggish run, but it was really cold, and I was bundled up really well, which made it different and interesting. I never wear a jacket when running, and I had on my long-sleeved under armor on, with a fleece jacket, gloves and a head wrap. About the last mile, I unzipped my jacket and took my gloves off. It was a good run!

The only downside was that daylight was approaching, and usually I can’t see the paths ahead of me (we usually run at 4:45am, and it’s still dark). But on Sunday, I could see all of the hills, and see Gina and Kevin far up ahead, and I had to remind myself to stay calm and keep pushing. I didn’t want to be gasping for air like a fish out of water, so I just kept the pace and push through and tried to keep my breathing level. It was a good way to start a Sunday, except it knocked me on my butt as usual, and I ended up sleeping late and not going to church. If I could just stay up and get ready, I’d be set. But there’s too much down time between when we finish running and when I have to be at church. I take my shower, eat something warm, and then with two hours to waste, I go comatose. I know, I know, it’s no excuse. Must find another way!

Easy Breezy

Today’s Route: Frederica
Distance: 3.9 miles

This morning’s run was actually pretty easy. I got off to a rough start because I was running late and didn’t brush my teeth and was out of gum (I always chew gum when I run). But despite that, the run was really pleasant. I didn’t find myself gasping for breath until I started talking too much. They asked me about wedding plans and I just started chatting away. The temp was cool but not cold, and there was a slight drizzle when we started off, but that stopped very soon into our run. Nothing new or exciting, just a nice, normal run that made me feel really good once it was over!

Crazy morning!

Today’s Route: Highland Elementary
Distance: 3.6 miles

We ran from Highland Elementary, up 54 to Thruston Dermont Road and back. The first leg up to Thruston Dermont is a long gradual hill. Good times!

This morning, I had a few snafus. Ok, so first off, I get there right at quarter til 5, and it’s raining a little. I thought I was running late, but no one was there, so I thought I’d come on the wrong day or that they were running somewhere else, or that they’d cancelled and forgot to tell me. Knowing how good they were about telling me stuff, I just decided to wait a few minutes while I decided what to do. I even considered running on my own. Then after a dozen or so cars passed by, one finally turned in. It was Pam. I just assumed Kevin wasn’t going to make it since it was so late and I was the only one there. Then once Pam got out, I got out of my car, and Kevin got out of the truck that I thought was sitting there empty. LOL. I’d look pretty silly running down the driveway at Highland by myself with Kevin sitting there waiting for Pam to arrive. They’d have thought I’d lost my mind. LOL. I can only imagine the embarrassment had I chosen to run out on my own. Thank god for patience and rational thinking!

So it was cold and raining. I had plenty to keep me warm, but I was going to get wet. It wasn’t raining hard, but when it hit, it was going right through my shirt. Thankfully Pam had a big rain jacket that I could use. So I put it on and we set off. I knew I was going to get hot, but thankfully, I didn’t get too hot, and the jacket kept the cold rain off of me. Unfortunately, by the end of the run, I bet that jacket weighed five pounds. It was heavy with cold rain water. It was good though. I think I do need to keep a little warmer. Last time it was that cold, I started stripping down, and while I was pretty warm, the skin on my stomach was cold and red when the run was over, so I think a jacket is a good thing.

After we finished running, we got in our cars and headed out. I went home and got ready for work. Then when I went out to my car , I looked, and my “running car key” was still in the driver’s side door! Apparently I just unlocked my car after the run and didn’t bother to take the key out of the door, and drove home with it in my door! Then I just left it in there while I was in the house getting ready. I laughed when I came out and saw it. I’m just glad no neighborhood kids took it upon themselves to take the car key, or unlock my car and rummage through my things.

So it was kind of a crazy morning. The run was a struggle for me, but I kept up and finished right behind Pam. We ran at a 10:03 pace. Pretty good for rain and cold. I’ve really got to start cutting back on the snacks and over-eating. It’s really affecting my running. I’m reminded that I eat too much every time we head out in the mornings, and my breathing is labored. Today was another perfect example. Gotta keep those thoughts on the front of my brain!!! Onward and upward!

The little engine that could....

Today's Route: Daviess County High School – 5-miler
Distance: 5 miles

The “Turkey Day 5 Miler” is coming up in a few weeks, and we decided to run the route for this race on Saturday. It starts at Daviess County High School and goes down Southeaster Parkway, Down Old Hartford road, up Foors Lane, then up through a neighbor hood (Doe Run, Fawn Dr, Antler Ave) and back to Foors, then through the neighborhood, Stone Creek Park. Then after that, back to Foors, back to Old Hartford, back up Southeastern Parkway to DCHS! Whew! It’s a long route, and it's full of hills.... makes me hurt just thinking about it.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2352380

We met up at about 6:30am, and it was cooooold! I wore pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. I knew I would warm up, and thankfully, I did. The run was pretty rough. I was really tired to begin with, and I’d had Mexican for dinner the night before. Let me just say that Mexican food is not the best fuel for a run. It will weigh you down! Anyway, I had some stomach cramps about the first two miles into it. I slowed down a little bit and the pain subsided, and then I was able to pick up the pace and catch back up. It was another one of those runs where I had to keep encouraging myself to keep pushing forward. It’s like I make sure that giving up is not an option, so I’ve got to tell myself that I’ve just go to keep going. Unless I’m in severe pain, I’ve got to push myself to keep going. If I have to slow down to keep going, that’s ok, just keep going, don’t stop, don’t start walking, keep jogging, and keep pushing. I have to admit, my positive self-talk works, because before I know it, the run is over and I’ve got 5 miles under my belt! Sometimes it’s really rough, but at the end, I’ve done it and I’m proud. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can….. I can! I did! And I can do it again! Hooray for me! :-D

Hills and wind

Today’s Route: Landsdown
Distance: 3.0 miles

We added a little distance to this route today to get right at 3 miles. We had a pace of 10:05, which is good considering the hills and the fact that we were running into a head wind up most of the hills. It was a challenge, but I did good. I didn’t feel the urge to give up until almost the end, and I pushed through. Every now and then, when I’m running, I’ll get this feeling that I need to stop, that I can’t do it anymore and I have to trick myself into keeping up. The only times I’ve ever stopped to walk is if my stomach starts cramping really bad, or if I get a bad side stitch. If it’s just my head, and I’m just tired, then I have to push through. I tell myself that I’m not in any pain, and that I just have to keep going.

Today, with all the hills, I was heaving by quitting time, but I was proud because I’d pushed through. I have to admit that I kinda like hills. I mean I hate them, and they wear me out, but I like the feeling of pushing with my legs and feeling the burn in my rear-end. It makes me feel strong somehow. I go up hills at the same pace as running flat, not because I like being fast on hills, but mostly just to get it over with quicker. Which is better? I don’t know, but just getting to the top is an accomplishment. I didn’t notice this last time, but the last haul up Scotty Lane is awful. It’s all uphill, and it varies from “kinda uphill” to “wow that’s a steep hill!” It was really a challenge. Man. But it’s done! We’re gonna do the “Turkey Day 5-Miler” on Saturday morning. That should be fun!

Heave! Ho!

Today’s Route: Byers Avenue
Distance: 3.1 miles

It was a nice cool morning. I wore pants and a t-shirt, and wasn’t cold for too long. We ran down Byers despite some construction going on, but the sidewalks were still open and so we were able to maneuver around the construction without changing our route. Today is Election Day, and as we ran past Newton Parish Elementary, we could see all of the voters getting in early to vote in this historic election. To be honest, I’m sick of the election and can’t wait for it to be over. I know who I hope will win, but it’ll be nice to just not think about it anymore and not talk about it anymore.

But back to running! So I had another minor epiphany this morning. I was running and heaving and I thought to myself that all of the extra weight I’m carrying is just making my running more difficult. I want to love to run, but that’s hard when it’s so difficult. I’m making it harder on myself than I need to because I keep eating and counteracting any benefits I’m getting from running. So basically, it should be getting easier, but because I love to stuff my face, it’s about the same or harder. So anyway, I was just thinking about how my heart and lungs have to work harder to pump blood to all of the extra fatty parts of my body, and how I could be using that same energy to improve my running. So I think I need to be thinking about improving my running when I grab for something sweet or for second helpings. Running is such fun, and I love it and it makes me proud. But if I don’t watch what I eat, and keep gaining weight, then I’m going to get tired of running, because it’ll just get too hard, and that is nothing but a path downhill. So now, today, in the moment, is when I must decide what I want to do. What path do I want to take? How great will it feel to run and feel at ease with it? How great will it feel to run and beat my best times? It’ll feel awesome. No sheet cake can make up for that feeling, that’s all I’m sayin’.

Ok, so it was a little longer blog than I intended, but I just needed to get that out there. If I focus on running better, then I think the weight will take care of itself. Eat better to run better. That’s my new motto.

Oh, and our pace this morning was 9:50. Pretty good.

Yellow Creek

Today’s Route: Yellow Creek Park
Distance: 3.1 miles

We’re running a little different schedule this week, and we started on Sunday morning. We ran at Yellow Creek Park, and this was a first for me. We started up by the entry gate and ran down the front road and made a right by the ball parks, which takes you to a path that runs along the back of the park and on the backside of the lake. Then we ran across the parking lot next to the lake and then down the big hill to the parking lot for the trails. I thought we were going to run on one of the trails, but we just ran a circle around the parking lot and back up the big hill, past the front side of the lake and up the front drive. This lap was about a mile and a half… oh god, and then we did it again. That hill that leads to the trails is a beast. The second time I went up it, I was breathing audibly, trying to catch my breath and keep going at the same time. I almost wanted to scream, just to push myself and make myself keep going. Once I recovered from the hill the second time, Kevin picked up the pace and started running faster, then Pam, and not to be left behind, I started running faster too. Yeah, it was tough. But considering all of the hills, we managed to keep a pace right under a ten minute mile. I was really proud of that.

It was a pretty cold morning. I wore pants and a t-shirt and that worked really well. After running, I went home and took a shower and crashed in the bed. I felt like I’d been hit by a bus. Sunday morning runs do that to me and hills do that to me. Combine the two and you’ve got the perfect storm of pain. Make it burn! I love it!

The hills are alive...

Today’s route: Landsdown subdivision
Distance: 2.8 miles

Gina is someone that’s just started running with us. Well, actually, she used to run with Pam and Kevin, but she recently had a baby, and had been out of commission for a while., so she’s new to me, but not the group. Anyway, Gina lives in Landsdown and so we started off today in front of her house. As Pam put it, “they shouldn’t call it Lands-“down” because it’s all uphill!” And she wasn’t kidding. It was nothing but hills hills hills! As soon as I’d recover from one hill, we were facing another. It was rough a few times, but feeling the burn in my butt and legs made me feel good. It was hard work and I was doing it… it made me proud. So even though it was only 2.8 miles, it was still a great workout. Hills can only be good for you! That means next time I run, I’ll be a little faster, thanks to those awful hills.

Brrr...

Todays Route: We started on Tamarack (across from Texas Gas) and run down to Frederica, then down Frederica to Griffith and back.
Distance: 3.9 miles

It was a cold morning, I think somewhere around 30 degrees. I wore too many layers and had to end up shedding some within the first mile. I had on my under armor shorts and some long pants over them. Then I had on a long sleeved shirt made of the wicking material, and a hoodie on top of that. Then I had on gloves and a head band to keep my ears warm. I had to take the hoodie off pretty soon after starting and ended up tying it around my waist. Then about the last half-mile, I had to take my gloves off.

It was a pretty good run. I kept up most of the way, but when we got to Walnut Memorial on the way home, I slowed down a bit. Considering I hadn’t run since Wednesday of last week, I think I did well. I’m glad I got to go this morning. I’ve been dying to see how the cold weather affects me. I kinda like being all bundled up and running. My skin was all red and cold when I got home. A hot shower took care of that. It was a good run!

You snooze, you lose

Ok, so we didn’t run on Friday because it was raining cats and dogs. We agreed to run this morning at Highland, but unfortunately, I didn’t bother to set my alarm clock… at all. I didn’t set it to get up to run, or to get up to go to work. I just went to bed without any alarm set. My mom came and woke me up at quarter after five and asked me if I was going running. Seeing as how we start our runs at quarter ‘til five, I had to answer with a resounding “No”. I was really upset about it. I couldn’t believe I just slept in. I didn’t mean to, and I was especially looking forward to a good run this morning. Oh well, there is always Wednesday. I might even try and get up to go running tomorrow morning on my own, just to get the mileage in. It can’t hurt. I’ll have to let you know if I make it or not. Or if the warm snuggle of my bed keeps me in for another few hours of sleep. It’s getting to be that time of year, where getting up is just that much more difficult.

Runner's Trots

Today’s Route: McDonald’s on highway 60 – to OMU plant and back
Distance: 3.0 miles

Ok, this should be a reminder, NO GRAPES THE NIGHT BEFORE A RUN! I know I have to be careful about what I eat the night before I go running, and I especially can’t eat anything within a few hours of going running. Well Jojo made an awesome dinner last night, consisting mostly of roughage, and I paid for it this morning. I had a bad case of “runner’s trots”. It was so bad, I almost had to stop and walk just to make sure I didn’t have an accident. Luckily, it didn’t hit me until about a mile from the end, and I was able to contain it most of the way. But then when McDonald’s was in view, it was almost too much to bear. I had to use their facilities after our run, because I couldn’t make it home in my delicate condition. Anyway, aside from that, the run was pretty easy. I don’t really like that route though. The road is rough, there is a lot of debris everywhere, and I don’t think Pam and Kevin like it that much either. They just did it because they knew I’d moved back in with Jojo and because it was closer to me. They’re just good people like that. On a funny note, me and Pam were dressed exactly the same this morning. Dark pants and the bright green OMU Power Run long-sleeved t-shirt. Overall, a good run!

Jogging Blogging

After talking with Jojo last night, I’ve decided to start blogging about running. After my sister’s stellar performance at the half-marathon in Louisville, I’m really stoked about beefing up my running. A blog is the perfect way for me to keep track of my highs and lows, and to remind myself of what all I’ve been through. It’s amazing how some of the techniques I taught myself when I started running have left me after my running hiatus. I forgot about how to keep myself calm while running. I forgot how to about breath while running. There were little tricks I’d learned to make my runs more productive, and they’d left my head. So I figure if I write a little blurb each day about my running experience, then I can look back and see all of my successes. I plan on just writing my mileage, where we ran, and how I felt. That should be the bare minimum, and then anything else that sticks out will go on there too, or anything funny that happened.

So since I’ve started running hot and heavy with Kevin and Pam, I’ve remember a few techniques. I have to breathe deep from my stomach and not from the top of my lungs. Breathing shallow causes the side stitches, and they hurt! Also, if I keep my breathing low, it keeps my upper body more stable, and I can let my legs do most of the work. I remembered that my legs are doing the work, and that I don’t need to over-rotate my top, or again, side stitches. Also, and I think this is the most important lesson I’ve learned, is to NOT think about the end, or how far I’ve got to go. I just keep telling myself “I know my body can do this, I just have to keep going”. That’s a good mantra to have to push myself. Then when I get toward the end, within a quarter of a mile, I have to tell myself that I have to just keep jogging, and don’t think about stopping up ahead. There is something psychological about seeing the end that makes you get excited and you either get winded, or you just want to stop and walk because you’re almost there anyway. Gotta keep going!

Ok, so yesterday, our route was the Byers avenue route. We start at the bingo hall on 231 and Byers, and run down Byers to Frederica and back. This route is 3.1 miles exactly. (Pam has a nifty GPS watch that tracks mileage exactly). Anyway, it was a good run. I had my new running shoes on, and felt an extra spring in my step. It was sooo cold. I had on my running shorts and t-shirt and my big Chicago hoodie. The hoodie came off about the time we hit Frederica street and I was fine the rest of the way. Not too hot, not too cold. We didn’t run this morning, so I’ll have an update tomorrow of what we did. We’re supposed to run from McDonald’s on highway 60, down to the power plant, and back. This will be my first time running that route, so we’ll see how it goes!