Race Report: 2012 Race the Roof 8k ~ 40.56

At the start line, getting ready to run.

Saturday (10/26) brought another race, the Race the Roof 8k. It was a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity and it was held in the beautiful Verandah community. Before I get started on my race report, I have to share R's (my oldest) race report.  She ran in her very FIRST race on Saturday. When I asked her about her race, she said, "Good". She is so very proud of the finishers ribbon she received. Since the tot trot was held during the 8k, my hubby had to manage getting her to the trot on time, film her running, and take care of A. He's superman! Here are some pictures of my awesome little runner!

Showing off her ribbon.

So proud of herself!

 

The Racing Crew

The 8k race for me was interesting.  My personal goal was to run at a 8.15 pace. At the 10k two weeks ago, I ran at 8.45 per mile and it was a good challenge. I felt winded and like I put in effort to accomplish that pace. Based on that, I thought an 8.15 would be an appropriate time challenge. I am horrible at pacing, so I kept having to look at my phone as I ran, but each mile I was right within my target pace, give or take a couple of seconds. I was so excited throughout the race. I was doing the math in my head and when my nike+ announced my split time at each mile, I literally was giddy - clapping my hands in excitement or doing a mini fist pump. (Yes, I know...kinda silly). I felt GREAT. I wasn't winded and my legs felt amazing. I kept passing people as I ran. Just like with the 10k, I kept mentally checking in with myself and found strength and energy. I finished in 40.56 (adjusted time) and was extremely happy with myself.

Until I saw the race results.  

The Results

I missed AG by one minute and one place. One.

If I had run a 39 minute 8k, I would have come in second in AG.  I went from thrilled with an excellent race to frustrated. I knew that if I had pushed myself, I would have easily been able to place in AG. I wasn't winded when I finished the race, it had been an easy pace. In fact, my nike+ said that my average pace for the race was actually an 8.08 because I ran two of the 5 miles in the upper 7s. 

This guy paced with me for the first 3.

I chalk up missing the AG partly to the fact that I am inexperienced in racing the 8k distance. It's an odd distance, but I'm also inexperienced with anything past a 5k. If it had been a 5k, I would have been able to judge, based on pace, what a good time would be. I also would have known approximately what I should have been aiming for time wise. With a race that was essentially 5 miles, I was afraid that I would tire myself out if I aimed for an 8 minute pace. I didn't dare aim for lower than 8, because I haven't put up consistent 8s. Plus, I'm not even sure what I'm entirely capable of right now and for what distance. 

R wanted to help me finish.

The other part is training. I've been consistent.  I've been adding mileage and I basically accomplished my distance goal in the time frame I had laid out originally. I've been getting consistently faster due simply to the mileage I've put in. But I'm not pushing myself.  I need to add in speed work and more tempo runs.  My tempo runs need to be at a faster pace.  I know that there are groups that I can join - Speedsters and Endurance Sisterhood - that would help me improve. The problem there is time. They meet at times that are not feasible for me to join them between what I need to do as a mama and what hubby does as a basketball coach. I also feel like I'm nearing a point where, if we had the money, I would visit a dietician and join up a local group that is coached. I know I can do a lot on my own and I simply need to push myself a lot harder in my own training to get there.  The race was a wake-up call in that respect.  No longer can I do a 10.30 minute warm up mile as I did last week on my tempo run.  My warm ups need to be in the high 8s and low 9s now.

The Big Finish

The feeling I'm left with after this race is a weird mix of happy with what I accomplished and irritated with what I didn't. Happy because I was right on pace and felt so strong during the race. Irritated because I didn't push myself and I know I could have gone faster since it was such an easy pace, having never felt winded at any point during the race.

I also know how to fix my irritation to a degree. I need to also find the mental fortitude to push myself.  As the quote goes, "running is 90% mental and the rest physical". With my last two races, I've discovered some of the mental toughness (those check-ins with myself), but I need to push myself harder to get there during my training runs. It's too easy at 4.30 am to slack off.

So that's where I leave this post...in kind of the same mental state I'm in right now...I know where I would like to be and what I need to do to get there to a point.  I just need to push myself.

2 for the price of 1: Race Reports

It's been busy. Rarely do I get a moment do sit down and actually write. In fact, I am down to approximately 30 minutes of personal veg time a day during the work week if you take out the time I need for sleeping. 30 minutes. And by the time I get those 30 minutes, I'm so exhausted that all I want to do is zone out in front of the TV. In fact, right now, I'm still un-showered from my race this morning.  I opted to write during nap time instead.

Training has been great. Here are some highlights of the past couple of weeks.

 - I recently rearranged my clothes' drawers by taking out my pregnancy clothes and replacing them with my favorite running clothes.  Clearly this is becoming important because I now have 2 running clothes drawers.

Favorites

- Ali and I have put in two consistent weeks of running around 20 miles.

- I definitely feel stronger and I'm noticing that our 4 mile runs feel easy - even with a bridge.

- My easy pace right now is around a 9.30. This excites me because just 2 months ago, I was struggling to run 10 minute miles at 2.5 miles or 3.

- The fruits of my labor in increasing my weekly mileage and putting in a long run are paying off already.


 - I'm really enjoying the couple new routes we've picked out and the versatility of them. 

- I'm also loving the weather. It's finally starting to cool down so that it's in the 70s now at 4.30 am instead of 90 something.

- I'm noticing that I probably need a 3rd rest day in my week.  I've been missing a run due to oversleeping each week. I think if I just cut myself some slack, alternate with recovery days, I'll be stronger for the days I do run.

In the last 7 days, I've done two races: a 5k and a 10k.  Here's a bit of a recap of them both - with pictures!


Lexington Cares 5k - 10/6/2012 - 25.34

Ali and I before Lexington Cares 5k

This was a on a golf course. With grass. And hills.  It reminded me of my old XC days. I feel like the course was about a tenth longer than it should have been, but it was a nice change of pace since it was such a well-manicured course. I went into the race wanting to simply PR for the season; beating my last time of 28.16. I smashed that time with a season PR of 25.34. I took 3 minutes off of my 5k time in a month. That's huge! Plus it was on grass which usually slows you down a bit. My first mile was fast, in the upper 7s and the other two were slower. I had more of a kick at the end this time, despite going faster overall. I was determined that I wasn't going to be beaten at the end like in the Dr. Piper 5k. It was difficult to push through the last 3/4 of mile 3 because I couldn't see the finish. Once I saw it, I was able to kick it on. This was a smaller race which resulted in me placing 3rd in my age group! It was exciting to get a medal again. I forgot how much of a motivator that is!

Medal for Third in AG

Race for FISH Sanibel 10k - 10/13/12 - 53.29

Ali and I before the Sanibel 10k

  Today's race was on Sanibel Island. It's such a pretty little island with, as Ali's hubby put it, an old-timey feel. This was my first 10k race and consider it a good check-in for how my training is going for our Half in November. The course was great! Mostly shaded, on the road or a hardtop and it was a giant loop so nothing was repeated. Ali and I stayed together for the first 3/4 of the mile and then I lost track of her and pulled ahead, I think. My first mile was at 8.45. I felt like that was a sustainable pace and wanted to see if I could keep it up. I really had to check myself from going faster. I felt extremely strong in the beginning and I had to keep reminding myself that I'm doing twice the distance. I really stink at pacing (something Ali is great at which is like reason # 456 why I run with her), but luckily I found someone who was sticking to an 8.45 pace for the first 3 miles. Once I got into the groove, I stayed close to that pace, even after the other girl dropped off. Miles 3-5 were all at around 8.54. It was an interesting race because with most of my previous races, I'm too involved in the moment. But I was actually able to check-in with myself and when I did, I kept finding that I felt strong and had fuel in the tank. My last mile was at 8.31 due, in part, to a girl who really pushed me the last half mile of the race. But doing a little

Sprinting to the finish

mental motivation, I kept reminding myself how strong I felt the entire race and I kept up with her. She would push, I responded, and vice versa. Eventually she dropped off and I finished ahead of her by about 30 seconds. I nearly caught the next girl - she beat me by three tenths of a second. I wanted to run at about 50 minutes, but also thought that 55 might be more realistic, so I'm extremely happy with my time of 53.29. (Especially considering the last time I ran 6 miles, it was at a 10.30 pace.) If I hadn't pushed the last half mile, I think I could have continued with an 8.45/9 min mile pace for at least another couple of miles. This gives me hope and strength for our Half which is in only 36 days!

I'm hoping to keep up this pace of 8.45 or 9 for the entirety of the Half, but will be super pleased with a 2.15 as that will be 15 minutes off of my first Half time. The fun thing about this race is that they gave us finishers medals. Love that! Yet another one to hang on my bulletin board at school.

(Side Note: Can I give a shout out to my girl Ali? She rocked it. Yet again, she tried to short herself on a time goal before the race, claiming she wanted a 65 min race. But she finished about 8 minutes faster (!!!). I nearly burst into tears while watching her finish. She looked so strong and she is just so amazing. From someone who's come from non-runner when we started 3 years ago to the runner she is now...it just floors me. I'm so lucky to have her - I wouldn't be so consistent or feel as bad about missing runs if it wasn't for her.)

Showing off our Sanibel 10k Medals

This month is a heavy race month because some great distances are offered. We are also doing an 8k on the last Saturday of the month. Although next Saturday will be a non-racing day, I will be volunteering at the race. I think it's important to give back to the running community, especially since they put on such great races for me to compete in. I'm really looking forward to the 8k. There are a lot of fun activities planned following the race and there is a Tot Trot as well.  My hubby will actually be coming to the race and I think R will be running in the Tot Trot.  She's excited to wear her running "alphabet" and get a ribbon like Mommy. (She loves the hardware I have come home with the last couple of races and likes to wear them around.)


Not that long ago I wrote about how I've struggled with disordered eating and thoughts. I weigh myself about once a week - I really try to limit myself to that because if I don't, the scale numbers become too important. I've been losing weight like crazy. Last week I weighed in at 124.5 and then this week I was at 121.  When I saw that number, my disordered thoughts did a little happy dance, singing, "you lost weight!". But very quickly, more normal thoughts took over; leaving me with questions. Am I giving myself the proper nutrition for running and pumping? What should my race weight be? I know I need to eat properly and I really try to, but I find it's difficult to find time, especially when I'm spending my lunch time pumping for A. I have taken to eating oatmeal or cereal in the car on the way to drop the girls off and then I start grazing my lunch at about 10.30 (while teaching my reading teacher center) until about 1.30. Ali mentioned that this might be increasing my metabolism, adding on the high mileage weeks, and daily burning an extra 500 calories (if not more since I'm a super milk producer) due to nursing. I just want to make sure that I'm eating properly and not starving myself. That would only serve to weaken my body's chances for recovery after hard workouts and races. Plus, it could affect my supply. I have to say that I'm extremely pleased that, while this is a vexing set of questions that I don't have an answer to, this is how I'm looking at my weight loss. My determination to make this life-change is starting to pay off.

When motherhood slaps you in the face

In a week that was supposed to yield really decent mileage, I barely have 8 miles to my name.

Why might you ask?  Because motherhood slapped me in the face.

We live a very scheduled life in this house right now. Everything has been timed out to make sure that we get up, leave, nap, and eat on time which makes life run so much more smoothly. Being a type A personality, I have a schedule that starts at about 3.50 AM and ends at about 9.30 when I'm getting ready for bed. This week that schedule got pushed to the wayside.

Ali and I were supposed to run 4 miles on our daily runs. We completed Monday with no problem. Tuesday morning, she woke up ill so I happily used that as an excuse to crawl back in bed, thinking at very least I could maybe get one in that evening and if not, then this was my rest day this week and I'd just run the rest of the week.

Little did I know that Monday would be my only run for the week.

After crawling back into bed at 4, A woke up about 5 and wanted to be fed. This was a little out of her normal routine as usually she sleeps 12 hours at night, but she's an infant. Infants, if you don't know by now, have their own rules that they live by, chiefly the rule of FEEDMERIGHTNOW. Plus, we have been waking her up at 5.45 during the week to feed her, so it wasn't a huge step out of the ordinary. So, hubby got up to feed her while I went to pump and jump in the shower. She fell back asleep after that feeding which freed us up to get ourselves and R ready to go. A was a little grumpy when I woke her back up to change her and buckle her into her seat, but who likes being woken back up to be messed with?

When I dropped her off, she was pretty fussy. Normally she falls back asleep in the car and I'm able to put her into her crib at daycare where she naps until about 8. This time, however, she cried when I went to put her down and she just wouldn't settle. I hated leaving her like that, but I had to go.

The day progressed uneventfully and hubby picked up the girls after school so I could organize my milk supply in the freezer to donate another batch of milk to a local mama. Hubby got home right before the couple came to pick up the milk and said that he didn't think A was feeling so great. After the couple left, we checked her temperature and it was 101.7. For a baby under 3 months, that's ridiculously high. We gave her a dose of tylenol and then called the pediatrician's office. We had to wait for the after hours nurse to call us back (because babies never get sick when the doctor's office is open). When she did, she chastised us for giving A tylenol (We were told by the pediatrician's office to give tylenol if necessary for her most recent spate of vaccines and exactly how much which is what we used when dosing her this time.) and then in the next breath said we needed to get her to the ER and make sure that she was still breathing on the way, making it seem like because we gave her tylenol, she now would possible stop breathing.

I took A to the ER while hubby stayed home with R. We ended up staying there until midnight while they ran a myriad of tests on her. It was wretched as they gave her a catheter to do a urinalysis, a nasal wash to test for RSV and flu, and pricked her no less than 3 times to draw blood. The only positive thing was because I whipped out the boob to comfort nurse her while they checked her vitals, we were offered a private waiting room. Oh, and another positive thing was that our vitals nurse told me that giving A tylenol was exactly what she was going to do anyway and thanked us for doing that. She said that the after hours nurse was wrong and if A was even just 3 days old, she would have given her tylenol.

A didn't have any other symptoms other than the fever and her tests all came back negative. I thought she might be sick with the same cold both hubby and R had been sick with (especially since 2 year olds LOVE to share), and sure enough the only positive test was for a virus, but not RSV. Score one for Mommy's Intuition. 

A continued to have a fever for the next 48 hours and hubby had to stay home with her both days (normally we'd each take a day off) because I'm out of sick leave due to maternity leave (Remind me again why we live in a country that perpetually screws over women?). Hubby took A to the doctor on Thursday since her fever still hadn't improved and she wasn't eating very much. Thankfully, they said she was well-hydrated and doing well. Aside from the fever, she was still responsive and would smile when we would talk to her.

So obviously, Wednesday morning's run was out because by the time I got back from the ER, settled A, and pumped, it was after 1 AM, resulting in about 3 hours of sleep without getting up to run.  Then A couldn't settle Wednesday night because of how the fever was making her feel, so we were up until a little after 2 AM trying to make her comfortable. It wasn't until hubby went to the guest bed and positioned her with her resting half propped up by his legs that she finally fell asleep. (Score one for co-sleeping, which by the way, has been a sleep saver for us, especially in the early days of A's life.) So that meant only 2 hours of sleep without getting up to run on Thursday.  I guess I could have run Friday morning, but Thursday was the first night of normalcy and I was beat. I needed as much sleep as I could get after having a combined 5 hours of sleep in 48 hours, teaching, an observation, and of course dealing with our normal family routine and a sick baby. (I don't know how single moms do it?!)

So yeah, needless to say, it was a bit rough this week.  I have been amazingly ok with the lack of mileage because really I have no control over it.  I love running and I have some tough goals to reach, but I can't do that without sleep, and really, my family is the most important thing to me. This week was a good reminder that if they aren't happy and healthy, then what's the point of me running?

Because really, being a mama is what comes first.

A day where I'm transformed into "Supermama"...

Being a mom pretty much guarantees that you are superwoman.  There are so many things we juggle as a mom, especially as a mom who works another job on top of the career of being mom. Trying to balance it all and trying to find balance in it all is difficult. On September 1st, I transformed myself into Supermama because I did find that balance...with a lot of help from my husband.

Two weeks ago, I knew that as soon as my maternity leave ended, that I would be back to juggling life. During the first year of R's life, I developed a routine where I would spend one Saturday, every other week, cooking all day. I would then freeze these foods so we would have easy and healthy freezer meals to eat during the week. It was awesome and really there was no way we could have eaten so well that first year if I hadn't done this.  I slacked off from doing this last year, and while there were some weeks where I contemplated starting up again, we made it work. It was alright to cook immediately after school since R was older and could entertain herself and could eat snacks by herself. However, I knew that with a two year old and a little one, there was no way I could make dinner and eat at a decent time after school.  I can't always count on my hubby's help because he coaches the never-ending sport of basketball. Right now, he's only gone one or two nights a week, but in a few short weeks, he won't be there at all most nights. As an example of how life is when he's not there in the evening, a recent evening went like this:

Out of school at 5, Pick up the girls at 5.20, back at the house by 5.45, needed to pump so get hooked up to the pump, R is playing nicely on the iPad, A decides she needs to eat RIGHTTHEN, unhook from pump to feed A, realize that now it's 6.40, give R some leftovers for dinner hoping she'll eat while I'm pumping, R decides that dinner is the next closest thing to dog puke even though she happily ate it last night and pitches a huge fit, try to reason with my unreasonable tired and hungry 2 year old to no avail, unhook from the pump, try to feed R her food (which sometimes will get her started on eating it) only to result in a bigger temper tantrum, send R to time out, A wakes up and wants to eat RIGHTTHEN, R comes out of time out, pitches another fit about eating but starts eating nicely just as hubby gets home. Meanwhile, the last 2 hours I've been topless, in pain because I'm overfull, and dripping milk everywhere.

Needless to say, I don't have time to make dinner every night.

And I knew this would be the way it would be, which is why I decided to again pick up the art of cooking a ton so we just have to defrost it and eat. This time I attempted to do that with the crockpot so it will be hot and ready by the time we are home.  I love Stephanie O'Dea's website where she attempted to use the crockpot every day for a year. She has a ton of recipes and she blogs about how to make each one and if it was any good. We've eaten some of her recipes before, but for this endeavor I decided to really peruse her site and then google some more.  I made a mixture of her recipes and Once A Month Mom's crock pot offerings.

A quick shot of the remainder of our dinners from that cooking endeavor.

After picking out 8 recipes, I went shopping for what I needed and ended up spending about $50 less on our grocery bill than I normally do. (That can't be a coincidence, right?) I came home and put together the meals into freezer bags - no cooking necessary. The only thing I had to do was chop up some veggies. Even that was limited because I used frozen veg to replace a lot of veggies that were called for. It took 2 hours to assemble everything and clean up. I only had one minor mishap of a bag tipping over and spilling chicken, broth, and veggies everywhere. Basically for about 4 hours of time (including shopping), I had 8 bags which equals 16 family dinners.

 But you might be asking yourself, "Ok, fine, so she cooked some meals. Big deal. I do that all the time. How does that make her Supermama?" 

Ali and I commemorate our first race of the season. Many more of these to come.

Sprinting to the finish

Well, ladies, I'm Supermama because earlier that day I got up early and ran my first 5k of the season.  I ran the Dr. Piper Legacy 5k in a time of 27.39. I totally surprised myself with that time. My pace was an 8.45/mi and my first split was an 8.02. I got to the mile mark and I almost fell over with shock.  I did not intend on going out that fast. I was about a minute slower on my subsequent miles and really had to push myself to finish the last half mile running. The race started at 7.30, so the sun was already up and the humidity was already ridiculous. It was a hot race. I don't do well in the heat standing still, much less running so that compounded why I was surprised with my time. This was also the first race that I can remember where I didn't do well on my finish. Normally I can out-sprint anyone, but I couldn't this time. In fact, I got out-sprinted by two ladies I had passed.  I know it's a product of going out so fast, but I guess I should be happy because I may not have even been close to those ladies or that time if I had gone out slower. I ended up finishing 4th in my age group - one place away from medaling. This race gives me a lot of confidence for our next 5k on the first of October - Lexington Cares. I'm hoping with consistent mileage at or above 3 miles, my 5k time will be even better next race.  I need to take about 7 minutes off of my time to meet my goal, but with consistent training with longer distances, I think it will be do-able.

Crossing the finish line

I'm so proud of Ali on this race because it originally had been her goal to finish in under 30, but she ended up either breaking or severely spraining her toe earlier that week. She finished in a very respectable time just over 30 given that situation.

So this is why I was Supermama...not only did I cook enough food for half of a month of eating, but I also ran a 5k that morning.




(And I have to end on this shout-out: Of course none of this could have been accomplished without my hubby's help. His support makes all of the above happen.)

Running for life - mine and theirs

Role models.

Those words have been running through my head a lot lately and have popped up in different ways through conversations I've had with separate people. A role model is a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people.  

Be honest, when you read the words "role model" who do you think of? Do you think of a famous person? Someone you are trying to be like who has some level of notoriety? I think most of us are guilty of that.  I know as a teacher, I'm ashamed to admit, I've given examples of, and even encouraged, famous people as role models for my students.  While I'm not saying that these people can't be role models, have you ever stopped to think about accessible role models?  I mean people in your everyday life who you look at and say, "Wow! They are amazing. I want to be like that...". I think these people are the unsung heroes of our lives - the people who truly make the most impact on who we are and what we do. 

Along those same lines, I want to make a positive impact on my girls.  Girls have it TOUGH.  We are judged by our actions, our successes, our bodies, our choices - the list goes on - from nearly the moment we enter puberty, if not earlier.  Most girls these days have low self-esteem and poor body image.  I count myself as one of these.  Poor body image is something I have dealt with my whole life. Despite being fairly thin, I have always looked at myself and those numbers on the scale with anxiety.  I have battled with some form of disordered eating from about 13 and onward. It has never overly extreme, but it is always there.  I battle, daily, the thoughts and actions that come with disordered eating. There are several triggers that led to me struggling with food and body image. I often find myself saying, "I'm having a 'fat day'" or being upset when something doesn't fit the way it is supposed to. 

But I want to break that cycle.

The title of this post is running for life - mine and theirs.  This has so much meaning to me.  Running is something that, somehow, ingrains itself into your very bones. You become addicted to it; how it makes you feel, the gear, the times, the miles, the races. But, I'm running for my life because I want my life to be healthy. I want to replace my disordered eating with something that is healthy for me. I want to combat my low self-esteem with something that makes me feel good about something I have accomplished (because no one can run those miles but me). But in turn, that makes me running for my girls as well. By combating low self-esteem and disordered eating, they will see me make healthier choices consistently. They will grow up in a house where healthy fitness matters. I NEVER want my girls to hear me saying, "I look fat in this" or "I'll get fat if I eat this". I want them to see me have self-confidence. I want my girls to see that you can take charge of your fitness and life and find the value in that. I hope that they will love running as well so that it will be something I can share with them. So I can connect with them, not just with words or hugs, but also with what occurs when you lace on your shoes and step out on to the road; that runner's camaraderie.

I'm already seeing the fruits of my labor. My oldest, R, has been "running" with me since she was a month old. I would push her in the jogging stroller while she slept. Now that she's a little older, she chatters to me about everything on our runs while she relaxes in the stroller. She requests to wear her running "alphabet" (outfit) and her "running shoes" when we go out together. When she sees my running buddy, her Godmother, Ali, she asks if we are going running. If she sees me hot and sweaty, she automatically infers that I've been out to run. If she sees me dressed in my running clothes, she'll ask about it. She likes to borrow my gear and play that she's going running. She loves to run fast and to race me. Sometimes she throws a fit when I'm heading out to run because she wants to spend that time with me. The baby, A, has only been out once or twice, but right now it's difficult to fit in a run when it's just me and the girls while she is so little.  I know, however, that very soon I'll be pushing the double jogger with both of them. I know that A will do what R does now because I am showing through example that running and health - true health - is important.

So this is how I will be a role model for my girls. I don't need to do anything over the top. I don't need to win medals or become famous. 

I simply need to lace up my shoes and go.

"Runner-y"

Runner-y /ˈrənərē/ (adjective): characterized by doing or buying something that relates to running.

Let's admit it.  Being a runner is a mindset.  Oftentimes, people say that the word runner is synonymous with jogger. But frankly, if someone called me a jogger, I'd be offended. In the past, I've told people not to sell themselves short when they've called themselves joggers.  Runners are people who factor running into their lives.  It may not be daily, but they make a concentrated effort to run.  Joggers are people who go out once a month, semester, year - there's no effort to make it a lifestyle. 

But it's not only about the frequency, it's also about how you support and think about this habit. I think it can be as simple as buying a new sports bra or new running shoes, putting a new song on your running playlist to motivate you, setting a goal and sticking to it, being anxious to get through something so you can get to your run, or adding distance to your planned run just because it felt right in the moment.  It can be as complicated changing your diet so you feel stronger on your runs or changing your daily routine so you can fit a run in, even if it means waking up at 4 am. Or as emotional as "feeling" the race (with sweaty palms and an elevated heart rate) while watching Track & Field in the Olympics or having a pregnancy hormone induced argument with your husband over which running stroller to purchase (guilty). And then, in turn, doing these things motivates you to do more, to run more.  A vicious cycle.

This all brings me to runner-y. Yes, it's a made up word, but I think it's an important word to have.  I think the things I listed above could be characterized as runner-y things.  Things you do, say, think about, purchase to support this wonderful habit. As I've been getting back into running after taking a pregnancy hiatus, I've been slowly adding these kinds of things into my daily routine. While doing something particularly "runner-y" today, the "word" popped into my head and lead me to list of some of the things I've been doing lately, like:

-Getting up a 3.30 am to feed a hungry baby, pump, and then head out for a run.
-Texting my running buddy, Ali, at 4.30 am to back out on our planned run because hungry baby is not cooperating and has decided she wants a 5 course gourmet meal instead of a midnight snack.
-Emailing my principal three weeks post-partum to determine what school hours will be so that I can figure out exactly what time I need to get up to fit in a morning run once maternity leave will be over (school hadn't even started yet)
-Goal setting for the next few months.
-Purchasing a double jogging stroller so I can run with both my toddler and infant during basketball season.
-Evaluating my running shoes to see if they'll last me or if I need to buy a new pair.
-Being envious of Ali's new gear, times, distance, strength (you go girl!)
-Writing about running

(It's hardcore "runner-y" of me to do morning workouts.  I am NOT a morning person.)

And today's "runner-y" thing: Buying electrolyte effervescent tabs to put into my water so that I'm not just flushing all the good stuff out of my system with the amount of water I'm drinking to keep up both my milk supply and to be well hydrated. (I think this takes the cake as the most runner-y thing I've done, although that pregnancy hormone induced argument with my husband is a close second.)

[Let me tell you they taste nasty - They are just like that "Airborne" stuff which somehow always encourages my gag reflex to jump into overdrive - but I'm doing it anyway because I'm hardcore like that.]

As I said, it's a mindset.  I find myself doing those things because it's intrinsically important to me to run. And to be a runner. 

What runner-y things do you do?

Goals: Races, Distances, and Times

Part of making a success of the challenge I have created for myself is to set goals, both short and long term, so that I see the progress and have something to continually strive for.  I figure this is a 3-fold process.  I need goals for my daily runs and what they will look like and how they will change as I add distance, goals for what races I'd like my racing season to include, and goals for times.

Training Runs
Goal #1: Run 4-5 times a week
Goal #2: From now until October 1st is to increase my mileage by a 1/2 mile each week until I reach 6 miles.  My hubby says this goal is a little over-ambitious, but I feel like if I run 4-5 training runs a week, an increase by a half mile shouldn't be too painful.  I know that the beginning-of-the-week runs will be slower and more painful, but I should be fine by the end of the week.
Goal #3: After reaching 6 mile regular training runs, include speed work once a week.
Goal #4: After reaching 6 miles regular training runs, Include one long run a week.

Times
Goal #1: Once I am consistently at 6 miles for my training runs, I want to see myself running at a 7:15 pace for the 6 miles.
Goal #2: 20 minute 5k
Goal #3: 1:30 half marathon

Races
The following are the races that Ali and I will most likely do this year (thanks to Ali compiling the list):
September 1: Legacy 5k
October 6: Lexington Cares 5k
October 13: 10k Race for F.I.S.H
October 27: Race the Roof 8k
November 18: Women's Half Marathon
December 15: Frosty 5k
February 10: Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon

There needs to be another race early or late Dec and mid-late Jan, but I'm liking this race schedule so far.  It should be a nice running schedule.  I might add on Hooters to Hooters half which is in March or April as well.

 I'd also like to add one more goal of strength training.

So this is it.  Here are my goals - written in "stone".

Wish me good luck!  I'm going to need it and the accountability.

Competitive Running - My version

Earlier I posted about how prior to becoming pregnant with AE, I had decided I wanted to test out my ability to become a competitive runner. I used to be, like many middle school and high school athletes, a "competitive" runner.  I was good enough to frequently have my results published in our local area paper and to be mentioned in a blurb about a meet. I was good enough that I frequently medaled or placed well in races. I was good enough to be recruited by NCAA 2 and 3 schools for my running. (I can't list running in college here because of an injury that side-lined me for several years.)

So you might find yourself asking, why do I put the word 'competitive' in quotations above or why do I want to test my ability when clearly it appears that I was tested and I was competitive. 

Answer: I wasn't.

Despite all of my previous accomplishments in the sport, I wasn't really competitive.  I had talent. I can run. My body is made for and responds well to the sport of long distance running.  But having talent - the ability to do something - is totally different than wanting to do it well.  I simply ran because it was easy for me. I didn't have to overly challenge myself to have success. I ran because it was fun to hang out with the girls and the fact that I was decent at it was an added bonus.  I have a competitive nature, so it was easy to challenge myself during a race, but I never challenged myself during a practice.  I chatted through every run - it was social hour at 6 am for me - while I should have been running with the boys. My dad used to tell me that I was uncoachable.  Meaning that I didn't listen to the advice of my coaches or my dad, that I didn't put in 100% of my effort in practice or even in my races. I was good enough without trying and that was good enough for me.

Of course, I was merely a typical teenager and hindsight is 20/20, but I now feel like I wasted those years.  I wish I attempted to challenge myself then. If with putting in the bare minimum, I was able to do ok, how would I have been if I had put in a concentrated effort? Now I regret not trying to run with the boys, with making it a social event, with not putting in extra time on the road/track.

I regret not trying.
Which brings me to last year and my decision to try. Last summer, I started upping my mileage to running on average 4-4.5 miles per run with respectable times. I took the month of August off because the first month of school is exhausting and I was trying to find time and energy to get on the road again. After a successful summer of running, I thought a break of a few weeks wouldn't be too bad.  Then I found out I was pregnant and it was put on hold. And while running while pregnant is a totally different post, I have been itching for 10 months to get out there again. It's been frustrating to set a goal, to have a vision, to make up for years of wasted potential, to only have no control over at least trying to make it happen.

Somone might say, "Well, it was only a few months. You'll be back at it."  But that's the thing, and maybe it's the fact that I'm turning 30 this year, but a few months seem like an eon. And now I'm starting COMPLETELY over. Further behind than I was last summer. Weighing more than I did last summer. I have no legs, no cardio, and other issues that I'm dealing with.  Yes, I can overcome these things and I will, but it's been frustrating to sit on the sidelines and see others improving when I can do nothing. It's frustrating to start over. Again.

I realize the only way to overcome them is to get out there and do something about it, which I am.  If you notice my dailymile ticker, I've been fairly consistent in getting a run in almost every other day the last 2 weeks. I have plans, once I can run 4 miles again, to join up with a local running group to help motivate me in my next step to reaching my potential.

So my ultimate goal here? To see what I can do if I put an effort into my running.  What will I be able to do if I don't allow it to be just a social event and rather train, put the miles on the road, and compete with a full bag of tricks and not just on ability.

It comes down to being able to answer the question: Can I be competitive locally?

I think to do otherwise will waste the God-given talent I was once given and hopefully still have and I don't want to live with regret.

Motivations for returning to the blogging world

Wow!  This blog has been out of commission since, well, the birth of my first child.  Now I have two little ones!  My excuses are both good and bad: babies (good), too little time (thanks FB, pinterest, etsy), school (how can I manage my working life better?).  Regardless of the time away, the blog has been calling to me again recently as I've had some realizations and have encountered some things that really need for me to have a writing outlet. While I'll mention a couple today, they all really deserve their own posts.  They are huge topics that deserve to be fleshed out individually - not lumped together into one, "I'm back!" post.

For starters, last year, prior to becoming pregnant with baby number 2, AE, I had the realization that I really wanted to test out my ability to become a competitive runner.  Now running has basically always been in my life - an old friend that I have always been able to call on to be there, in some manner, when I needed it to be.  I used to be competitive in junior high and high school (and I was decent. I was recruited by a couple NCAA 2 and 3 schools), but I didn't take it seriously then.  I did it more for the social aspect and never realized my true potential because I mentally wasn't in it. Then, as I said, last year struck and told me that if I ever wanted to test myself, this was the time.  That I'm not getting younger and if I want to see if I can make a mark, then I need to do it now.  I started amping up my mileage last summer, took a break in August for the start of school to promptly find out that I was pregnant with AE. In a nutshell, training competitively was on the back burner until now. There's a lot more to this story and thought process and to be honest, it will be a long work in progress.

The second motivator came through the cause/site, Every Mother Counts. As a woman, I am deeply passionate about women's rights issues, specifically when it comes to reproductive rights and care. I have been feeling helpless listening to the news lately on how women are treated like second-rate citizens here in the US, how men are legislating everything we do with our bodies, and how little support pregnant women and women with children have here in the US. I have found hope in Every Mother Counts. It is an organization that was started by Christy Turlington Burns (the former model) to help bring awareness of inequality of women's reproductive rights both here in the US and internationally. They are a grassroots effort at this point, slowly developing into, what I predict, a force to be reckoned with in bringing about a change both in the business world and politics. There are many other groups out there trying to do the same, but what makes me turn to EMC is that they are also passionate runners. For fundraising and publicity, they ran the 2011 NYC marathon sporting their logos.  In fact, running has been a central theme in bringing awareness to their cause. What better combination could I find?  A group that's passionate about running AND maternal health and rights? Sign me up!

So this is it - a couple of my motivators right now that are inspiring me to get back into writing about my running.