facebook & my blog....

A small portion of my boring running blog was posted on facebook while I was sleeping last night.  I woke up to a lot of alerts from friends who saw it who haven't been kicked off this person's page yet.  Crazy!

This person "unfriended" me after the Carmel marathon.
(I hid the status updates over a year ago due to the "negativity" constantly posted by this person.)

What brought this to everyone's attention this week is that this person accused the running club of leaving them out of an event that was a "neighborhood event" not a "running club event". Really?! (Reminds me of the Seth & Amy SNL skit)
This is the type of "negativity" I stayed away from in order to train the past year, thank God.

Assuming the worst about a running club when you hardly ever show up for anything that involves the club whether it be a morning run or an event the club is doing is just wrong?

This person also asked me last year to help watch their food intake on "myfitnesspal".  When I said something about candy, Sonic food, & the fact that they needed to lose weight to get their Boston qualifying time, this person got mad & deleted me from their "myfitnesspal" friends list. 
Hey, when you ask my opinion, you will get it....truth hurts.

There are 600+ members in the run club now thanks to the "Couch to 5k" program.
Yes, there are going to be groups that break off that run the same pace, same time, same place, week after week.  That happens with a group this size.  We always put out there in the long "string" of running plans what we are doing.  Then Amy K. puts it on the run club website for all to see that go to the website for info.  Nothing is any different from a year ago, except that the "string" of running plans has got a lot longer & harder to follow on Facebook.  The thing that is different....I personally contact the "regulars" that I run with on Wed or Thurs to see what they're doing on Sat morning.  I'm a planner...& I am anal about my training these days.  I have a goal that I still have to reach if my body allows me to reach it.

This is all the attention I'm going to give this "behavior" because this is MY running blog & I have a lot of running to do, a lot of training plans to make, & so many races in my head that I'm excited about & as you know I'll post about them here...good or bad.  

We have been given a gift in July....Yes, as one member said, "It's Christmas in July!" here in middle TN.  I cannot wait to run tomorrow morning in the low-mid 60's temperatures!!!!

Have a fabulous weekend whether you're racing or running!

running away from the storm...

Our 5+ mile hilly run got cut short last night due to lightening. I ended up with 3.5 miles (easy10 min pace with the former "c25kers") which gave me 8 for the day.  At one point Scott A. said he was running right into a "wall of rain".  They turned around & tried to out run it.  We all would have kept running had it not started lightening really bad.

I also did P90x ab ripper & stretched....as a matter of fact, when I woke up this morning I did the first 35 minutes of "Yoga for Runners".  My plan is to finish up the dvd after work today or tomorrow.  It seems that Thursday's & Friday's tend to be my easiest days.  Maybe that's why I tend to run strong on Saturdays.  ;-P   I purposely dropped my miles down a bit this week in order to do speedwork & recover from it.  In a sick sorta way, I'm looking forward to doing it again on Monday.  We've got a few more runners that plan to join us next week.  I really am trying to make sure I get some "rest" days but yoga for me really is a stress reliever.  I love it & always feel so good after I do it.  I just don't view it as a hard workout at all.

So, I guess I'm eating my words about not caring to go back to Nola.  The super secret society of early morning weekend running gals (is that title long enough?) have wheels churning for a "girl's trip" to run the full or the half in Febuary.  Love these gals....all fun & no drama queens!  ;-)
The race is on Super Bowl sunday, Feb 2nd.  Yes, I can see me watching the Super Bowl in Archie Manning's restuarant.  LOL!

The week has flown by & I'm so glad tomorrow's friday.  I'm really happy about Saturday morning's temperature!!  A wonderful "gift" in the middle of July....overnight low of 63 still showing on my phone! 

"2 a Day Wednesday"

I got out & ran 4.5 miles with plenty of hills this morning.  I think my pace was around an 8:49. The reason I say I "think" is because the first mile didn't register.  I remember hitting a button to turn the light on the garmin on & I must have done something really wonky. 
Anyway, judging by the effort, I think the first mile was around a 9 minute pace.  My legs took off!  Funny how about 2 days after speedwork your legs feel like that...or least mine did this morning. 
The 2nd & 3rd miles were at 8:18 & 8:14.  I will be so glad when I start seeing sub 8's again.
It was so humid, when I bent over to stretch...a puddle of sweat formed on the sidewalk where I stretch at the "stretch wall".  Crazy!  BUT....looks like we'll get a break in the weather by friday...my phone is reading an overnight low of 63 degrees.  Wow! 

I'm hoping to run 5+ miles slower on the hills with the "former C25k" group tonight.
Love them!

Speed Work in the heat...

We organized a small group who wanted to get some speed work done. 
Lauren & some others had expressed a need do speed work this summer so we have finally got it going. 
Last night was technically our "2nd session". 
We did a one mile warm up.  Mine was at around a 9:30 pace.
Then we all hit the 400s.....Eight of them.  It was hot but we watched the sun go behind a big cloud then we started up.

All 8 of mine were 1:41 but the 7th one...it was 1:42.  We rested roughly a minute in between them.
I then cooled down (or rather jogged around while sweat dripped off me) for 1.65 miles at about a 9:00-ish pace....  Once my legs got going on the first two 400s, the rest seemed easier.  Really odd how the body works like that.

Pam P. brought her orange cones & her neighbor, Stephanie.  We also had Stephanie S. Diana P., Tandy, etc...  There were others meeting at the school to just get some miles in...this club now has an "unofficial" Monday evening run going on.  Love it! 
I love the postive energy we get from this group...some of the best runners I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.  There are no negative attitudes in this group & we're going to keep it that way.

Indiana weekend....

It felt good to zip 5 hours away to Indiana to see good friends, who just bought a new house on a lake.  They also have a new dog that I fell totally in love with...a rescue named, Louis.  I ran just over 4 miles on Saturday morning & the first 2.3 of it was with Hannah & Louis.  Flat, flat, flat.....it was around a 10 minute pace.....just needed to loosen the legs up a bit & rest.

This morning before we left Indianapolis, Joe & I went downtown Indy to scope out most of the 2nd half of the Monumental Marathon that we are doing Nov 2nd.  We parked the car & ran 8.04 (8:55 pace) of it.  It was humid, but overcast, flat, with a few tiny rollers.  The first half is definitely flatter than the last half, which means, I need to make sure I am running hills the latter part of my longer runs when training kicks in soon. 
The Broad Ripple area of Indy is so beautiful.  I cannot imagine how gorgeous this area is going to look once the leaves have changed.  Whether my 3rd attempt to BQ happens or not, I'm looking forward to running these streets with Joe, Kim, Russ, Kristina, & Danielle G. 

Firecracker 5k race report & a friday morning 10 miler

With the temperature drop, the front coming through, & all this rain, of course I got a sinus migraine headache.  I woke up yesterday morning about 4am & had to take a "mac daddy" migraine pill.  Needless to say, I felt "foggy" for a while.  I didn't feel 100% that's for sure but I felt "ok" by 7:00am.  The last mile & a half of the 5k, my sinuses drained.  That's normally a good thing during a training run but not during a 5k.  It rained nonstop during the 5k but it wasn't bad.  I've run in MUCH worse & of course after we finished it pretty much stopped raining.  My time was 23:58 but my garmin read 23:54 (3.14 miles).  This wasn't a PR but considering how I felt, I'll take it. 

1.16 mile warm up.....11:01 pace

3.14 miles - 23:54 - 7:37 pace
Mi 1- 7:12 (too fast)
Mi 2- 7:32
Mi 3- 8:07 (I was spitting a good bit the final mile...drainage)
  .14.- 7:31

This morning I met Mandy & Danielle G. for 10 easy miles at 5:30am in Crockett park.

10 miles - 1:32:20 - 9:14 pace
Mi 1- 10:06
Mi 2- 9:22
Mi 3- 9:58
Mi 4- 9:17
Mi 5- 9:12
Mi 6- 9:20
Mi 7- 9:17
Mi 8- 8:42
Mi 9- 8:46
Mi 10- 8:22 (sped up the last few miles & felt strong despite the 5k the day before)

We are headed to Indianapolis for the rest of the holiday weekend & hope to run some miles there.  We definitely want to check out the last half of the Monumental full course.

"rest"

I tend to do "active" resting.  Meaning on days where I don't run, I sometimes spin my legs on a stationary bike at the gym, do yoga, a 16 minute P90x ab ripper dvd, or I walk.  (Or a combo of all of them.) 
Some peeps totally do nothing but "rest" on rest days.  I choose to do what I want to do & so far it's not bothered me at all but due to my sore hammies, I skipped this mornings planned easy 3-3.5 mile run.  I chose to do ab ripper & stretch some more instead of rolling out of bed for such a short run.

Other than the tight hammies, I feel awesome.  I'm very happy to be running the 5k tomorrow & possibly running 8-10 miles Friday morning, then getting a message.  It's going to be a great weekend in Indianapolis on the lake with good friends. 
Happy 4th of July!

First week of July...

I rolled out of bed for 4 miles this morning feeling "groggy".  I didn't sleep well so I choked down a vanilla caffeinated gu with some water & got out the door a 4:55am.  I felt tired, period & I tried to avoid some of the hills. 
My plan is to run an easy 3 miles with Wayne & Kate J. with the Wild Wings group tonight giving me 7 miles for the day. 
Tomorrow morning, I'm going out for an easy 3-3.5 miles. Thursday morning, I'm running the Maryland Farms Firecracker 5k.  I do NOT expect much since I HATE heat & I HATE 5ks.  It's like pulling a bandaid off a hairy scrape on your knee.  OUCH! 
My 5k PR is from last December & it was something like a 23:40.  I will do good to get anywhere near 24 minutes in this heat but it is what it is.....I'm considering it "speed work" for the week!

4 miles - 8:25 pace
Mi 1: 9:27 (yawwwnnn...)
Mi 2: 8:04
Mi 3: 7:49
Mi 4: 8:19

the weekend...running with a purpose....

I did cross training on Thursday & Friday...bike, yoga, ab ripper...
Saturday, I was up at 4am & out the door at 4:30am to park at MJ's for a one mile warm up run to the ball park to meet the 5am girls.  Jo Ann, Andrea, Traci, & I took off for 3.67 miles before we met Mandy & Danielle at 5:30am back at the ball park. All of us took off for the hills on Sunset, Waller, & Maxwell roads. By the time we got back to the ball park, we had another 7.13 miles.  I stopped my garmin 2x so I'm not counting this as a full fledged 11-12 mile long run.  My heart rate rested for probably 2 minutes in between the runs.  

I cooled off, got breakfast back at MJ's, & handed out cold wash cloths to the participants of the "Miles for Amelia" event.  I ended up walking 2 miles after i ran with Lauren C. who is recovering from an injury.  She's been given the "ok" to start running slow intervals.  Can't wait to till she can run again!  The event was awesome & the club exceeded what they needed to raise so much so another family was helped with renovations for their daughter.  How cool is that?!!  Talk about running with a purpose!  We had 3 runners complete the marathon distance around that ball park track. Joe was one of them.  Thanks to his sponsors he raised well over $500.00!  We had a silent auction where I won a massage at the Y. :-)

My weekend runs below:

1.04 + 3.67 + 7.13 = 11.84 miles

1.04 flat mile: 9:58 pace - warm up
3.67 flat miles: 8:43 pace

Mi 1- 9:08
Mi 2- 8:42
Mi 3- 8:23
 .67 - 8:38

7.13 miles hilly: 8:50 pace

Mi 1- 8:41
Mi 2- 8:47
Mi 3- 8:53
Mi 4- 8:45
Mi 5- 8:41
Mi 6- 9:02
Mi 7- 8:59
  .13- 8:51

About 15 of us stayed 

until the last walker finished at 3:00pm. Needless to say, we were happy to stay in for the evening.

Early this morning I ran an easy 5.71 miles with Vicki, Crystal, Amy, & Katie.

My pace was 9:55.  The weather was great for the last weekend in June in TN!! Low 60s!  I got my weights in, 35 minutes on the bike, & planning to hit up yoga later. 

This week.... Firecracker 5k & a trip to Indianapolis!

"Two a day Wednesday"....nosomuch....

My legs were still way too heavy from the 1 mile time trial on Monday & the half marathon two days before that on Saturday. The time trial really put them over the edge. I will not do that again so soon after a half marathon race that grueling….ha!

Yesterday, I ran 1.1 miles with Joe before we met the Wednesday night crew….9:01 pace.

Then we both took off with the "5k to 10k to ½ marathon group". Yes, I've renamed the group & created a private facebook site for them only. I'm limiting it to probably less than 25 runners.
The NRC facebook site has gotten crazy confusing. I feel like all I do is scroll so it's to the point to where I make running plans privately days ahead of time with the "usual suspects" that I know will show up & run my pace or close to it and/or push me. (Then on Friday, we make a post on "JP's message" via the NRC page & we're done with it…no more scrolling.)
Anyway, we took off on the 5 mi hilly route with a few who had never done it before because they have it in their minds they can't do hills and/or they're slow. Some are folks who want to lower their current half marathon times & some are first timers training for the Middle Half. Doing at least one day of hills will surely help that's for sure. I came in with Elizabeth (first time on this course) who took two bathroom breaks, one at a portapottie at a construction site & one at someone's house less than a half mile from the school. LOVE HER! ;-) Joe finished with Tiffany, who also did the route for the first time. As the weeks go by I'm confident they'll get more efficient & faster but it is summer after all & the temperature isn't helping any at that time of the day. Heat & hill training now, will help them in October. ;-)

So, I had a total of 6.28 miles combined yesterday (along with P90X ab ripper) when it was all over with at a slow pace, much slower than I'm used to but I was due a break. I'm not running one step until Saturday morning at 5am.

We are looking forward to helping with the "Miles for Amelia" event at the Nolensville park this Saturday & we have nothing else planned.  YES!

Hellish run...

I don't really know what I was thinking but it sounded like a great idea at the time.
I wanted 6 miles last night & cut it short at 5.66 at around a 9:16 pace.
I ignored the heat index warning on the news as I left for the run with the "Wild Wing Group" in Cool Springs.  It was HOT & that particular course was hilly.  We can't get AWAY FROM HILLS!
Anyway, I enjoyed hanging onto Roy T. for the run, spending time with Jayson, Dar, Wayne, & Kate J..  It was nice to join up with a much smaller group of runners than we have on Wednesday nights right now.  We all sorta, kinda miss the good ole days when only 25-30 runners would show up on a Wednesday night & you didn't have to search the crowd to find someone you needed to see.
All that said, I'm enjoying the "Couch to 5k to 10k to 1/2 marathon" group that I'm running with on Wednesday nights.  I'm counting that as my slow, hill run for the week on the 5+ mile hilly route.  I don't hate it as much if I run it at 9:30-10:00 pace instead of 8:00-8:30-9:00 pace.  LOL! 
I'm NOT at a loss for hilly runs, obviously, that is for sure.  If I want to run faster on hills, there's PLENTY of choices during my week in my 'hood & in the morning.

The wild wing group is probably only 8-12 runners right now & slowly growing.
You check in on a lap top every week & I believe, if I heard correctly, that your 10th visit you get a free tech shirt.  You get your first beer free every week (I don't drink beer but Joe got his free beer) & all appetizers are half off.  I left our 'hood at 5:15pm & got over there at 5:40pm no problem.  They take off around 6:15-6:20pm after everyone is checked in on the laptop under the Sun, Sea, & Ski tent that's set up every week.  They, obviously, don't have all paces yet but there are 3-5 mile routes.  Obviously, there's lights you have to stop at but not that many that your pace drops that much.  I don't stop my garmin for lights or fuel refills. 

(To me....It defeats the purpose of the run to really KNOW your true pace....your heart "rests" for pete's sake!  For instance, "I ran an 8 minute pace for 5 miles."  me-"No, really, you didn't...you stopped your garmin for 4 minutes to tie your shoes, refill your bottle, & go to the bathroom." )

So, the advice I'm giving my former C25k'ers now....soon to be 1/2 marathoners......
First & foremost, you cannot ignore the 10% rule of increasing mileage from week to week or you run the risk of injuries.  Do not ramp up too quickly....etc...you cannot make up miles....
I'm drilling that in their heads!
Dr. J who is loved by so many doesn't need anymore business if I can help it.  ;-)

Happy Hump day!

One mile time trial: once again....

We & a few others brave enough to try to run "fast" in the late afternoon, met up at the Nolensville Elementary school yesterday.  I warmed up by jogging a mile at about a 10 minute pace, then we stretched a bit, & took off around the school for two laps.  My one mile was 6:54.  Had I not run a hilly, HOT half marathon two days before it, I think it would have been MUCH faster than that. Had it not been in the 80s, I think I could've done better so I'm pretty stoked about that time.  If you recall, I ran a timed mile before Carmel on a cooler evening the day after a 16 miler at 6:58 or 6:59. 

We are going to loosely follow a speed work plan every Monday evening with a few folks.  I say loosely because it may not be every single Monday.  Next week, we are doing the Firecracker 5k in Maryland Farms on the 4th of July.  I'm not doing speed work next week...that 5k will be my speed work for the week.

I got in 5 miles yesterday with the time trial & ab ripper. 
(I made myself spend 30 minutes doing yoga stretches, too)

Tonight we are doing something out of the ordinary for us.  We're meeting up with the Wild Wing Cafe run group at 6pm.  I'm shooting for 6 miles at a fairly decent pace. 
Last week I ended up with 40 miles & I'm not even in marathon training yet.
I've managed to keep my mileage around 35-38 a week up until last week.  I can feel it.
I'm a bit tired but I'm keeping things in check with it.  I feel ok overall & I'm enjoying the heat.
Yes, WHO AM I?!  I told myself when I signed up for the Viola Half & the Franklin Half..."embrace the heat".  I have & I'll be ready for marathon training to get started.  November 2nd just doesn't seem that far away to me...

6.1 recovery miles & the regular Sunday stuff...

So, I was up wide awake at ......wait for it.....4:30am.  I got my usual Sunday work out in much earlier than normal.  Weights, some IT Band exercises, & 35 minutes on the bike at the gym.  We also met up with Elizabeth, the Victory's, Amy L., her friend Kate, & Crystal for some miles.  Kate is training for Rocket City & building her base miles now.  It's her first full marathon.  I told her how I did it as my first in '04 & basically "winged" it.  I had developed plantar issues in my right foot late that year & never did any long runs.  How I ended up with a 5:04 finish time is beyond me.  I didn't have a run over an hour long.  Ignorance truly is bliss sometimes. 

Joe & I ran a mile until everyone got there.  The plan was to run with them for 5 miles between a 9:30-10:00 pace & we kept it flat. (I ended up with 6.1 miles at a 9:47 pace) We sped up as we went along with them.  David & Joe ended up with around a 9 minute pace & the girls & I had around a 9:50, I believe.  Most of them already have a novice half marathon training program in mind.  I have no doubt they will set their bars high!

It was a great weekend.

Franklin Half Marathon: Race Report

I had no expectations other than to get it in under 2 hours & with the way I've been running, I knew I had it in me.  What I didn't expect was a 7am start turned into almost a 7:25am start. Major BOO!  That is the ONLY thing I didn't like about this inaugural half.  If they can guarantee us starting on time next year, I'm there.  ;-)

We left our hood at 5:30am after picking up Eric W. & got to the parking area right around 6am.  We had no parking issues getting there an hour early.  Apparently, those that were there much later trying to park & get their packets is why the race was delayed. I'm sorry but if there are runners who are running late, that's their problem. It was timed from the moment you went under the starting area timing device. There was NO reason to hold the rest of us up.  Holding us up was just WRONG!

The volunteers were great & there was water/gatorade stops at every mile.  They even had gu on the course. With a starting time of 7:25am & a temp of 70+ degrees on those TN hills, we totally needed the fluid stations at every mile.  Major points for that! 
I actually ran with a hand held for the first 6 miles, dumped it, & took in fluids from there to the end at every single mile.  I was also pouring water over my head at every station, too, at that point. 

All that said, I had fun!  ;-)  David & Vicki V. from the c25k running group are now full fledged NRC'ers. They showed up to do the 1 mile fun run with their daughter & then they stood in the heat for over 2 hours cheering us at the finish.  They are awesome!  So many familiar faces running & volunteering. 
I LOVE races like this....!!

So, results say I was 1:58:32 & 6th in my age group.  I'll take it!  ;-P
I'm going to give my garmin stats below which had 13.23 miles on it.
1:58:40-ish....I almost forgot to stop it.  8:59-9:03-ish pace

Mi 1- 8:19 (yes, I went out too fast but it didn't feel fast.)
Mi 2- 8:40
Mi 3- 7:50 (must have sailed down a hill)
Mi 4- 8:34
Mi 5- 8:51 (started pouring water over my head)
Mi 6- 9:32 (started walking up some of the hills which were getting pretty steep)
Mi 7- 10:16 (this hill seemed to go on forever...)
Mi 8- 8:08 (huge down hill & at one point 6:26 floated onto my garmin)
Mi 9- 8:44 (a guy had collapsed & an ambulance was coming to get him at this stop.  I hope he was ok)
Mi 10- 9:23 (more walk breaks on hills & full on sun....NO SHADE at all!)
Mi 11- 9:14 (my piriformis is screaming)
Mi 12- 9:19 (still taking short walk breaks)
     .23- 9:40 (just glad to see the finish)

Tomorrow, we are doing 5 recovery miles with the Victory's & a few others early & I'm hitting the gym.  I hope to do yoga in the afternoon to stretch this race out of my body. 

Our next race is the Firecracker 5k on the 4th of July.  We were lucky enough to do a "one day only deal" a few months ago for $20.  After that there are no races for us until the Franklin Classic 10k on Labor Day.  We will be full on marathon training then & I totally look forward to it. 

LOVED "Monster's University".... We literally had an hour and a half to grab a quick lunch & shower before the movie.  Now I'm home in an air conditioned house, watching "Ellen" episodes I dvr'd weeks ago.  It's time for some much needed downtime. 

Happy First Day of Summer....half marathon anyone?

So, today is the first day of summer & I'm running a hot, hilly half marathon tomorrow.  Who knew?  It seemed like a good idea to sign up like 2 months ago.  It's also been a month since the Viola half & 2 months since the Carmel marathon.  I'm not having any issues at all & that's a blessing. 

Wednesday, I ran the "5 mile hilly" route with some of the former "C25k" group & Crystal.
I'm recruiting a few others to join us that want to get stronger for "The Middle Half".
I looped around for Crystal since she had tummy/shoe issues going on but I ended up with 5.49 miles at a 9:55 pace.  I think over the next few weeks that will be our Wednesday night plan.  I'll plan to get up early on Wednesdays to run faster hills in my 'hood.  "2 a day Wednesdays" are back in full swing!
I ab ripped Wednesday & this morning.  I did the bike & elliptical yesterday along with my "Yoga for Runners" dvd.  My body was screaming for yoga!

Franklin Half Marathon...here we come!

20 something half marathons....

This Saturday I'm attempting my 20th or 21st half marathon in Franklin, TN or more specifically Lieper's Fork, TN.  Yall know where that is...it's where a good bit of country music singers have their mansions hidden.  Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman live out there.  Yes, it's very common to see a lot of celebrities around here.  Even former Olympic figure skater, Scott Hamilton lives in Franklin, TN.  I  just know one of these days I'm going to be running somewhere & a celebrity is going to zip past me & run me off the road.  My friend, Sharon, told me once that Wynona Judd nearly ran her off the road.  Speaking of being run off the road, as I was driving home the other day, I came up on an accident that involved a cyclist. I hate rubber necking so I didn't really get a look at the scene but I did see the twisted, wrecked bike.  My heart skipped a beat....I hope that cyclist was ok.

Anyway, I'm rambling today....probably because I rolled out of bed at 4:30am & was running by 4:43am per my garmin. (yawn) It was a decent run.  The purpose of it was to "run on tired legs".  My legs were a bit heavy half way through it since I had run a short tempo yesterday.  I had done my "Yoga for Runners" dvd yesterday afternoon & it always helps tremendously.  It had been well over a week or two since I had done the dvd & my body was screaming for it.  It targets the muscles we need to keep loose for better running.  I almost want to do it again friday afternoon if I can find the time.

This morning's run was 5.25 miles...not sure of the temperature but it felt like it was near 70 degrees.  I'm wearing my ventilator CW-X tights in the mornings.  These come to just above the knees.  I'm wearing them to help support the muscles...primarily hips, lower back, quads...  They feel pretty good at that time of the morning at that temperature but I can't see me wearing them on warmer afternoon runs at all.  My pace was 8:38 & I had one short 20 second walk break. I had two miles in the middle of it at 8:08 & 8:06 but they had some downhill to it. 

This afternoon I'm doing a slow 9:30-10:00 pace over the 5 mile hilly course with the club.  A few of my former "C25k'ers" are joining me, I think....
I'm going to take it easy since we have the half on Saturday morning.  My goal for the Franklin Half is to obviously do better than I did in Viola but I'm betting the best thing about this run will be the biscuits from Puckett's Grocery.  Quite a few NRC'ers will be running.  We'll have to take off for home by 10:00am since my work is renting out a theater or two for the employees to bring their kids to watch, "Monsters Unversity".  I love where I work...most of the time...just sayin'...

Other than the half marathon & the movie...we have nothing else planned.  I am going to "chill out" at home on a Saturday night for a change.

easy.....then not so easy in less than 12 hours....

Monday afternoon's run was 6 easy miles at a 9:34 pace.  The first 5 of it was with several of the former C25k runner group folks who have signed up for the Franklin Classic 10k & their first half marathon in October. They are "gung ho" & I find myself saying, "patience grasshopper".  ;-) 
I reminded them about the 10% rule when building mileage.  For one of them, this was his longest run since his 20's when he was in the Army.  He was pretty proud of his run.  I also managed to knock out "ab ripper" before I joined the group & the post-run picnic. 

This morning, I got out the door around 4:45am for a "comfortably hard" short tempo run.  It's hard to do tempo early in the morning for me but I'm ok with it.  I stopped 3x for maybe 15-20 seconds each to catch my breath & once to re-tie my shoe.  I need more of these with sub 8 minute miles over the summer. 

4.18 miles
Mi 1- 8:38
Mi 2- 8:08
Mi 3- 7:48
Mi 4- 8:32
  .18- 8:26

This afternoon, I'm spinning my legs out on the bike at the gym for 35 minutes & then I'm tackling the 75 minute "Yoga for Runners" dvd.  MUST STRETCH!!!!!!!

Mid-June

Sunday, I did 6.19 miles...the first 3.5 with the Victory's & Daryl & the last 2.5 with just Daryl. (9:05 pace)  I did my weights at the gym & went to Erin's yoga class.
I could feel the effects of the miles on my hammy's yesterday so yoga was a definite must!
I've got to make time for the "yoga for runners" dvd this week to get the legs loose. There will be no running on Thursday & Friday due to the "Franklin Half".  I feel like I signed up for this half marathon months ago..... 

This half will be challenging but a) I'm better heat trained than I was in May at Viola, b) My legs seem to have bounced back a bit since the Carmel full so I feel more recovered than I did for Viola, & c) The course doesn't look near as brutal as Viola.  I swear I need a t-shirt that says "I survived the Viola, TN half marathon!"  LOL!

What will I do different?
I'll carry my hand held & avoid the early water stations. LOL!
Let's hope there's no rain storms before it starts to get the greasy, country roads slippery.

This week will be all about a slow 1 hour run this afternoon before our C25k picnic at 6:30pm, yoga, ab ripper, a quick 3.5 miler, a 2-a-day on Wednesday totaling 9-10 miles, & maybe some time on the bike at the gym. I still so some IT Band exercises a few days a week to keep that "thing" in check.

It's June 17th & I'm already dreaming about Fall.  So far this summer has been kind to us here in middle TN so I'm certainly not griping.

in the last 24 hours....

1. I came in 3rd in a planking contest at "Ladie's Night" at Fleet Feet Nashville with a time of 6 mins 3 secs.  Who knew?!  It was the type on your forearms, which I feel is easier than on your hands. The two ladies that were still up dropped about 20 seconds after me.

2. I ran 12.5 rather hilly miles with Jo Ann, Traci, Joe, Gary, Mandy, & Danielle this morning.  We started at 5:03am because most of us had to volunteer at the "Change for a Chance" 5k in Nolensville by 7am. We kept the first 4 miles flat then we hit the hilly 6 mile loop finishing with the last 2.5 mostly flat. The weather was great for a June morning in TN, low humidity & I think the temp at 5am was around 65 degrees!

12.5 miles - 8:44 pace - 1:49:15

Mi 1- 8:44
Mi 2- 8:36
Mi 3- 8:24
Mi 4- 8:36
Mi 5- 8:39
Mi 6- 8:33
Mi 7- 8:50
Mi 8- 8:51
Mi 9- 8:26
Mi 10- 8:38
Mi 11- 9:16 (we swung back around for Jo Ann, who stayed with us the whole way!)
Mi 12- 8:52
.5-       9:44

3. We directed runners & traffic for the 5k this morning that our "Couch to 5k" folks have been training for over the last couple of months.  My "Road Runner" group did awesome & at least 3 of them placed in their age groups!!  We ate at the start/finish line area where they had grills going with hotdogs & burgers. Inside pancakes were for sale. 

4. Joe & I drove the Franklin Half marathon course in Leipers Fork.  I have to say, it will not be as difficult on me as Viola was a month ago.  I'm heat trained now & this course does have a few flat/downhill miles to it. Can't wait!

5. We're about to go to a "mentor's party" near the Pryor's house.  Our running club had enough $ left over from the C25K program to treat those that helped with it to a party.  The theme is "Hawaiian Luau". 

Tomorrow, I'll run an easy 6, do yoga, ab ripper, & hit my gym for weights, & maybe some time on the bike.  It's father's day so Joe gets to pick something fun to do.  I hope he picks "couch sitting".  We need rest.  LOL!

Happy Father's Day Weekend!!

catching up....

I've come to the conclusion that Joe & I really do deserve the week long, expensive trip in California in December. We are forever trekking to visit family & we don't have any regrets about that but it's time we do go somewhere where at least one of us has never been….(I've only connected via LAX to Hawaii once, never actually been in California to see anything.)

It made me a little misty eyed seeing my nephew graduate this past Sunday. It seems just like yesterday that I was changing his diapers & force feeding him vegetables. LOL! Yep, I'm feeling mighty OLD right now…. Ok, enough about NON-running stuff & back to the "Running blog".


My sister's 'hood isn't what I'd call "Indiana flat" but it's definitely not what I'd call "Nolensville hilly". It was a nice mixture of flat to small rolling hills. It was around 73-75 degrees (with a lot of humidity) all three mornings that I ran, which was around 7:15-7:30am each morning. I felt like I could've run longer had I not run out of fluids on these runs. The joy of running in a place where you don't get to run often….


Sunday- 6.21 mi – 8:47 pace – 53:19
Mi 1- 9:10
Mi 2- 8:43
Mi 3- 8:23
Mi 4- 8:24
Mi 5- 8:23
Mi 6- 8:25 (ran out of fluids in hand held)
.21- 8:16


Monday-7 mi – 8:27 – 59:06
Mi 1- 8:38
Mi 2- 7:58
Mi 3- 8:26
Mi 4- 7:58
Mi 5- 8:27 (ran out of fluids in hand held)
Mil 6- 8:42
Mi 7- 8:58


Tuesday-5.55 mi – 8:57 – 49:39
Mi 1- 9:35
Mil 2- 8:52
Mi 3- 8:26
Mi 4- 8:46 (ran out of fluids in hand held)
Mi 5- 8:49
.55- 9:28

Wednesday- Pre Couch to 5k- 4.1 mi- 9:54 pace with DD, Joe, Jo Anne, & Kim….96 degrees…ran some hills. Couch to 5k run with Meredith-2 miles 11:08 pace….still hot but we kept it flat & we only had them run for 20 minutes. I had Meredith run just over 22 minutes so she could get in at least 2 miles.

early morning....

Yesterday, I jogged to the gym & back, did weights & the bike for 40 minutes.  I also knocked out "P90x ab ripper".  Yes, I know I do that dvd at least 3x a week but have you seen my abs?  It works!  ;-P

This morning I drug my tired butt out of bed at 4:16am & was out the door at 4:29am. I ate a caffeinated plain gu, sipped on some caffeinated Nuun, & ate a 160 calorie energy waffle.  What a difference that made! 

8 miles with lots of hills - 8:48 pace - 1:10:20
Mi 1- 9:48 (still asleep)
Mi 2- 9:18
Mi 3- 8:43
Mi 4- 8:30
Mi 5- 8:19
Mi 6- 8:23
Mi 7- 8:35
Mi 8- 8:46 (pretty good since I had to finish uphill to the stretch wall)

My tummy wanted to get a little upset about mile 4 but I pushed through it. I had to get 8 miles in since we aren't running tomorrow.  That Franklin Half isn't going to run itself for me.  ;-) 
We'll do a few short, HOT runs in Texas, I'm sure...their "highs" are in the 90s right now.  It won't be long before TN is that hot.

Next Saturday, we're going for 12 miles before we volunteer at the Change for a Chance 5k.
I had thought I'd run with my "Road Runner" couch to 5k group but they need 25 volunteers who aren't running the race.  Joe & I never signed up so we're volunteering after we get done with our 12 miler.  The plan is start at the starting area of the 5k at 5:00am.  We'll be done before 7:00am & the 5k starts at 7:30am.  I'll look gross but I'll be there probably directing traffic.

Spurs won last night...guess I need to drag out the Tony Parker jersey for the trip.
We're leaving the crazed Country Music festival stuff for the crazed NBA play stuff.....Go SPURS!

5.62 + 3.76 + 3.1 = 12.48 miles

I have done two runs before on Wednesdays but yesterday was a "triple".  Yes, they were short runs but I still ran 3x....In the morning at 4:40am, 5:45pm, & then a short break before we started up again at 6:45pm with the "couch to 5k".  The second run (3.76 miles) was mostly with Tim L. We hit some hills early on but kept the last mile or so flat.  (8:46 pace)  So, I got over 12 miles on my feet yesterday at different paces.  ;-)

I stayed at the back of the C25k folks with Elizabeth & Meredith.  We did 3.1 at roughly an 11:32 pace.  Elizabeth is capable of a sub 10:00 pace but she was taking it easy on her shins last night.  That's probably the first sign of any type of injury I had when I first started running.  She's icing them & will be fine for the 5k on the 15th.  I'm so proud of this group. They have been such troopers. We've had complete "newbies" & we've had a few who could already cover the distance just fine, they just wanted to get faster.  It's been fun watching them push each other.  I'm not even sure how many we've had drop out of our "Road Runner" group but I'm guessing probably 2 or 3.  Overall, I'm guessing maybe 25-35% drop in overall attendance in the program.

My friend, Hannah, joined in with Joe's "oneders" 1:1 group last night & had a good time.  She's moving up to the "2 legit to quit" 2:1 group on Monday & will attend even though we won't be in town.  ;-)   She's staying with us until her time at her job runs out. She's bought a house in Noblesville, IN right outside of Carmel.  How convenient is that?  *wink, wink*

rookie mistake, a sale, & watching day break through....

So, I rolled out of bed at 4:30am, sipped some water & ate nothing...I got out the door by 4:40am....  Half way through my run this mistake came back to haunt me....
If you do not get enough carbs the night before, your morning run will suck. (at least mine do)
I know better than to start running on an empty stomach & of course I didn't bring my handheld water bottle either.  I felt good the first 3.5 miles then my stomach cramped.  (hungry & dehydrated)  I stopped my garmin for probably a good 2-3 minutes to stretch it out.  I then restarted the garmin & took off back home.  I ended up with 5.62 miles at an 8:50 pace with the usual hills in our 'hood.  I'll take it even if I did take a 2-3 minute break in the middle of it.  I was shooting for 5.5-6 miles this morning so I did what I set out to do but I will have to make myself get my hand held bottle ready the night before & eat something quick when I do this again.  I'm not running much in the mornings right now, except on the weekends.  This will change once marathon training kicks in & believe it or not, I miss it BAD.  I miss the schedule!  I have to admit it was nice seeing day break come through this morning, too.  I love early morning runs in the summer.

I noticed the NYRR is having a sale today on "National Running Day". 
I replaced the long sleeve cotton finishers shirt & finishers cap of Joe's that we accidentally left in a coffee shop the day after we ran the 2011 NYC marathon. 
That was his break through marathon.  (My IT Band shut down during that race)  
I spent $5 on the cap & $12 on the shirt.  (I also bought him the adidas boost running shoes at Fleet Feet this week) 

Happy Early Father Day!

first week of june!

On Sunday we met 4 or 5 "Couch to 5k'ers" for a run. I ended up with around 4.5 miles with the first 3.1 miles of it at a 9:42 pace with the girls. They were thrilled to know they could get the whole course in under 30 minutes. Both of those girls have already signed up for their first 10k on Labor Day (Franklin Classic) & they've both signed up for their first 1/2 marathon in Murfreesboro (The Middle half).

They started the program running 10:00-10:30-ish miles & now they have their best 5k training runs down below a 10:00 minute pace.  I LOVE to see people take ownership of their training & progress.  No excuses!  These folks work full time jobs & have children but they're making time for themselves & improving their overall health & fitness.  LOVE IT!  I cannot wait to see how they progress over the rest of the summer.  I can't believe June 15th is just around the corner for their 5k race!

I've been doing the usual stuff but I did manage to get in my Jillian Michael's 20 minute shred dvd on Sunday.  Boy, did I feel it in my hips yesterday when we were running before C25K started.  Wow, I must find more time for more cross training dvds before marathon training kicks in again.  I ran with Jo Anne & we did 4.5 miles at a 9:09 pace...gradually speeding up as we ran with the last two miles well under a 9 minute pace.  The weather was great...humidity was lower than it has been & the high yesterday only got up to 79, I think...  Afterwards, we took off with our C25K group & ran over 3.5 miles with them at a 10:20-ish pace up & over some big hills in Nolensville.  These folks will be flying on the "Change for a Chance 5k" course.

We will be running again tomorrow with the "C25K'ers" but will miss next Monday night's run with them.  We'll be in Texas for my nephews graduation.  We'll be at this place wearing ourselves out next Monday!  So my week & weekend will be pretty busy!  I do plan to get in an 8 miler before work in our 'hood on friday morning, though.  Much like May, June will likely fly by....

Cross Training & a HOT, HILLY 11.75 miles....

Everyone seems to be getting bit by the cross training bug. I have to say, it makes me want to do my P90x or Jillian Michael's dvds more than ever.  As a matter of fact, I did break out the Jillian Michael's yoga dvd yesterday.  I did that & P90x ab ripper so friday was not a "rest" day.  ;-P
I'm thinking tomorrow after our short run with the "couch to 5k" Sunday group, I'll do Jillian's shred dvd.  Been a LONNNNGG time since I've done it.

This morning we had 8 people show up at 5:45am to run with us.  We did an extremely hilly route that I've not done in a while. Ugh, after a few miles I could feel the heat but overall I'm good with the pace.  I ran with a fuel belt & ran out of fluids before I got to mile 11. Time to start dropping a cooler with ice on our Saturday long runs.
We took a walk break up a huge hill around mile 7 or 8 when Traci's allergies were getting the best of her. She said her heart rate was all over the place.  Afterwards, we set up "operation middle half registration" at Mama's Java.  LOL!  I got us registered along with Jayson L., who was on a bike ride, & the Kettrey's, who were doing a trail race.  It was a sight to see anxious, sweaty runners swinging out laptops, registering, & then ordering food. We had 15 minutes in between toweling off from our run & starting registrations.

11.75 miles - 9:12 pace - 1:48:06

Mile 1- 9:20
Mile 2- 8:55
Mile 3- 8:45
Mile 4- 8:53
Mile 5- 8:20
Mile 6- 8:52 (took in salt tab but forgot to take in my power gel)
Mile 7- 10:02 (where Traci started feeling bad)
Mile 8- 10:13 (walked up a huge hill)
Mile 9- 9:07
Mile 10- 9:22
Mile 11- 8:49
       .75- 9:57 (just want it over!)

I went to the gym & spun my legs out for 35 minutes on a bike. I feel pretty dang good!