Princess Runner

You know it is going to be a long, hot summer when it is already to the point where it is too hot to run at 7:00 a.m. Today’s run was pretty crappy because I was hot and didn’t have time to eat and my tummy was unhappy. I did more walking that running, but the point is that I got it done.

I even encountered a new friend (see below/click to enlarge). Although he may actually be an old friend if he is the same bunny that lives in front of my building. Maybe he was just out on a walk too.

Today was 40 minutes on the schedule. Since we both had the day off, the husband and I went to the forest preserve together so I could run and he could bike. I was glad to have some company, even though he was often miles ahead of me. I decided to just run 20 minutes one way and turn around and run 20 minutes back the way I came. I must be getting very consistent because the clock ticked over to 40:00 right when I got to the exact place that I started. My mile splits were all within 5 seconds of one another which is also good.

This was my first run with my new running skirt that my mom got me for my birthday. It was really good because I hate how my shorts always bunch up between my thighs. With a heavy dose of body glide, I didn’t really have any chafing problems and it was nice to not have to worry about the pants riding up. The only problem that I had was that while the waist part was snug, the band part above it was a bit loose and kept creeping down. Although there was no way that the skirt would have fallen off, when I first started out it made me a bit nervous. I considered adding a drawstring, but I think just putting a safety pin in to make it a little more snug would probably be the easier way to go.

I thought I would get some pleasant looks and even a smile or two by wearing my fabulous running skirt. All I got was a lot of really weird glances. The husband says it is because I am a trend-setter.

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:40:00
13:22 pace
Distance (mi): 2.99

I woke up Saturday morning at around 3:00 a.m. to the sound of thunderstorms. When I woke up to my alarm at 5:30 a.m., it was very dark outside and raining lightly. I consulted the weather channel and it showed the little thunderstorm icon for the rest of the day. After spending 10 minutes staring out of the window, I decided not to go to the group run.

Since I was awake, I decided to go to the Laundromat and wash the 30 pounds of dirty clothes that we had (that may be a low estimate). Halfway through the wash cycle I began to feel horribly guilty for not going to the group run, especially because the rain had stopped, although it was still cloudy. On the way home an hour later, I decided to just go out and do the run myself at the nearby forest preserve.

I would be without any running companion, so I took the husband’s iPod shuffle. I had only used it in the past for 30-40 minute runs, so it only has about 12 songs on it since I hadn’t needed to add anymore. Those songs got old very quickly.

On the schedule was eight miles. It started raining at mile four, although not too hard at first. By mile five, it was a torrential downpour. It is no coincidence that this was my fastest mile, as I was thinking, “The sooner you are finished, the sooner you will be dry.” Since it wasn’t thundering or lightening, I decided to stick it out as long as I could. It would not have been so bad if I had not been so cold. The temperture was low 50s and my T-shirt and shorts would have been perfect for that temperature, had it not been raining. However, since I was soaked to the bone, I was very very cold. My clothes were sticking to me. At least I had been smart enough to wear my hat, so it was not as bad as it could have been.

At mile six, I got to the forest preserve entrance nearest to my home (I had run to the preserve). I considered running right home then, but made myself do another half mile or so before heading home. This gave me a total of just over seven miles. Good enough for me, as I think I learned more about my own capabilities by running seven miles in extremely poor conditions, alone, than I would have by running a comfortable eight.

The main lesson I learned, however, was not to be a wuss and to just go to the group run.

Moving Time (h:m:s)

1:31:14

13:00 pace

Because I am lazy and haven’t washed my running clothes, I had to use (gasp!) cotton socks. They weren’t all cotton, but about 40%. My feet were so hot! I went to the nearby forest preserve, but did not see any cicadas yet. Maybe next week?

Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:26:00 13:48 pace
Distance (mi) 1.88

Due to the fact that it was very hot outside (almost 90) this afternoon, I opted for the gym. I decided to do the treadmill instead of the track for a change. The treadmills all have individual television screens, so I flipped back and forth between The People’s Court and Cops. It made the time go by a bit faster. I got really warm, even though the gym is air conditioned. Maybe because I was near a window?

Lessons learned: Don’t co-sign for a computer for your drug-addict friend’s unemployed ex-girlfriend. She won’t pay you back. Police officers get upset when a man is not being cooperative about the description of the man that stabbed him, even if the man is bleeding severely from his head and side.

Today was supposed to be another six miles. The coach marked off 1.5 miles out and we did two out and backs. I think I prefer when we don’t do the same path over again, because it was kind of boring today to see the same thing over again. Also, my Garmin is saying that we didn’t quite run six miles today, although since the area was wooded, I suppose it could have lost satellite for a little while. I was pretty tired today. I think maybe I didn’t drink enough water last night in preparation. The news shoes felt good, no blisters, so that was excellent.

The husband came with me and rode his bike on the trails while I was running. I ran into him once out on the path which was very nice.

Moving Time (h:m:s): 1:07:18
11:46 pace
Distance (mi): 5.71

I was supposed to run for 30 minutes today. It was warm by my 4:00pm start time, so I decided to go to the nearby forest preserve where it is partially shaded. It made a big difference in terms of temperature, so I am glad I went. The new shoes felt pretty good, although my ankle has been a little sore the past few days for some unknown reason. I stopped to take a few photos (shown above) and, at one point, forgot to reset my timer. So, according to motion based (who eerily knows how long I am out, even if the timer is not running), I was actually out there about 40 minutes. I think most of the extra was standing or walking, though, so I think it is fine.

Tomorrow’s long run is a repeat of last week (six miles), although in a different location.

I got new new shoes.  I felt like my enormously wide (thank you bunions!) feet were being smushed by my Brooks, so I ordered the New Balance 766, which are the shoes my mom uses.  Of course the first ones to arrive were 1/2 size too big, but Zappos.com sent me a new pair which arrived about 17 hours after I called to order a replacement.  That is service.

I will get a chance to try them out tomorrow.  Hopefully they will be nice.

On Sunday, my husband suggested we go to movies.  When we saw that the movie we wanted to see was playing at the cheap local theater (a rarity), we decided to walk there.  Although it is only 2 miles away, it felt much farther, I think because we were rather hungry.  On the way there I said “Whose idea was this?”  He blamed the cat, saying it was his suggestion, having scratched the plan out in the cat litter.  I am not sure I believe him.

After some food and an enjoyable film (Hot Fuzz), we walked back home.  By this time it was very warm and we had far too warm of clothing on.  We made it back home and laid around the rest of the day because we were exhausted.

Today’s long run was six miles. We went a lot faster this week, I am not sure why. It didn’t seem anymore tiring, so maybe we are just getting stronger. As usual, it started out very cold, but by mile two the people wearing pants were regretting their decision. No deer or frogs today, although we did spot a caterpillar. In the last two miles we met up with another woman who is doing the run/walk, so she ran with us. I finally figured out how to get my Garmina to beep when it is time for walk breaks. It is much easier than trying to add numbers in my head whilst I am tired.

I am continuing to have some blister issues, primarily on the bunion on my right foot. I have tried: bodyglide, blister blockers, moleskin, and combinations of all those. Any other tips? (I mean, short of chopping part of my foot off)

Speaking of feet, as a reward for my early successes with fundraising, I got a free pair of Team in Training socks. Thanks to all of you that made that possible!

Here are the numbers:
Time: 1:12:24
Distance: 6.05 miles
Pace: 11:57 min/mile

This bar graph shows how fairly consistent our pace was throughout. The tall bars are the 7 minutes of running and the shorter bars are the 1 minute walk breaks.