Life's little annoyances...

Rain
I guess it's been so long since I've seen hard, windy rain with lightening that I just got annoyed by it. :P As I drove home after 5pm I kept thinking to myself, "if it slows up slightly, I'll head to the track & park close in case the bottom drops out again." Well, by the time I headed towards the track, the bottom kept dropping out over & over again. :( So, I jumped on the dreadmill for a 27 min 3 miles. It made me so tired. I HATE the deathmill. I decided anymore than that was just going to make my shins hurt & make me mad. I jumped on the elliptical for 30 mins. I did light weights on my legs, free weights on my arms, & yoga ball crunches. I decided that I needed to get some fruit so I ran into the grocery store next to the gym in the windy, cold, rain.

Men
Why do men NOT want to meet 1/2 way on a first time meeting? My time is just as valuable as the next persons, sorry. I decided a long time ago that I'm not going to be as nice & accommodating as I used to be. It's just not worth it.

Work
I wish that I didn't sit ALL day at a desk. It just seems to aggrivate my left hip. I've really got to make myself get up & move around! Stretch while going up & down the stairs!

Tim's Ford 6 miler or 5k in Shelby Park
Dec 1st is the regular state park 6 miler out at Tim's ford. Since I have virtually NO hill training under my belt right now, I'm going to pass on it this year. The last two years that I've done it, my achilles has hurt the next day. This year there's a 5k in Shelby Park that is a fund raiser for child abuse prevention. Even though gas is nearly $3 a gallon right now, I think I might do it & add about 7 miles to it before heading home or to my Aunt's house to visit. She lives maybe 10 mins from there & I haven't seen her in a while. I need a change & Tim's Ford is just OLD to me right now. I do have to keep in mind that the Texans game is the very next day!

Saturdays UT Game
I sincerely hope that we can all gather & leave by 7am Sat morning. I really want to see the Big Orange parade & the Vol walk.

Rest
After feeling extremely tired as I left the gym last night, I told myself that I was due for some big time rest. So, after work, I'm going home & I'm not moving. I'm going to REST. The 17 miles that I have planned will go much better if I rest the night before & yes, THANK GOD tomorrow's friday. I'm really looking forward to the weekend because I'm just that much closer to Thanksgiving!

Held off rain for 8.52

It was muggy/hot after work but thank goodness the rain held off for me to finish 8.52, pace is nothing to brag about (9:43). Supposedly, I had a 7:19 mile at one point. If that's the case, I'm not running an even pace at all. Oh well...Dec 8th will be a "just get it done" marathon for me. I've got too much going on to care that much right now. It did mist rain and that was A-OK with me. When I got back to East, it appeared to have rained more over there. I did 35 mins on the elliptical and stretched at the gym. I was tired by the time I got home.

I don't know why it's so hard to find the actual kick off time for the Vandy - UT game but I think it's at 1pm central time Sat. My guess is that leaving from Murfreesboro by 7am should give us plenty of time, I would hope! Spending the night at Hannah's. We are going to the Melting Pot for dinner friday night. Should be a FUN weekend all around.

Tonight: 5 miles, weights, and crunches
Thurs: maybe 1 hr elliptical and then get home for Grey's and REST
Fri: 17ish miles (hope to be out by 8am)
Sat: Neyland
Sun: 5 miles and some cross training (pack)
Mon: 6 miles/cross training
Tues: Rest and do final packing
Wed: 13 miles starting at 8am (start heading to airport by 2pm?)
Thur-Sun: Visiting Cheryl and walking a lot (4 days of no running, weights, etc...Yikes!)

Massage, Chiropractor, and the track....

I got the begeebees cracked out of my neck last night. I needed it. And well, Kirby always does such a great job with her massages. (note to self: get her the coach or dooney purse in NYC if at all possible)

I headed for the track where cousin, Pam, was already running/walking. I wish she could get out there more often. She has a treadmill at home. I jogged and ran around her for the first .25. I then took off on a very moderate/easy pace. This was a 3.1 recovery run for me, I dare say. :) The Sligers were doing speedwork. Such a cute couple, holding hands after they finished. They did the Marine Corp Marathon together last year. Yep, I need a guy like that. Someone who isn't afraid to run (or be ACTIVE!), isn't a complainer, and who can travel some. Not many of those around that's for sure! (At least not any I'd be attracted to in a million years!)

I went to the gym to stretch and get in my yoga ball crunches. That's all I had time for and I just felt tired and hungry. My stomach felt so empty during that little 3.1 mile jog which took me exactly 28 mins. I had stuff to do at home anyway.


Tonight: If it's not raining buckets, I'm going to get in 8+ miles.
If it is, I will hit the dreadmill for it.
Tomorrow: 5 miles and some cross training
Thurs: light cross training
Fri: attempting 17 miles
Sat: Neyland stadium
Sun: 5 miles and cross training (packing for my Thanksgiving trip!)
I am getting so EXTREMELY excited about the entire trip.

It's a loss....

Well, their sloppy offense finally lost it for the Titans yesterday. The defense seemed a little weak, too, to me.

My sis, brother in law, and I were in the door at 10am. Vince, Albert, Keith, and few others were out on the field working out in their regular clothes. Next thing I know they are signing autographs. (hence the photo!) I've got his autograph on the Univ of Texas jersey I have from the charity softball event this year. Yeah, I was excited but I sure hope they start playing better. I did sit with some fabulous people in the north endzone. :)

Due to the fact that I have a chiropractor/massage appt this afternoon, I do not think I'll get 8 miles in tonight. I will try to do it tomorrow, though. I'm planning on heading straight to the track for a few miles. My hip (knock on wood) hasn't bothered me at all since the 16.14 on Sat. Maybe the fact that I've not really sat down much since then is a factor. It seems to bother me more when I'm at work slumped over this desk. :( I'm going to see what I can do tonight and I may cross train a little, not sure.

Tomorrow: I hope to get in 8 miles

Wed: possibly 6 miles

Thurs: light cross training or rest

Fri: 17 miles (my last longer run before RC)

Sat: Neyland Stadium

Sun: Start packing for Thanksgiving trip (maybe 5-6 miles and some cross training)

16.14 miles, Bon Jovi, glycolic peel, & a UT win!

Got up at 4:50am, met Wayne in his drive way at 5:30am. We took off at 5:32am for what was supposed to be 15 miles. I got in 16.14, which was fine. The pace, NOT so fine, but I ran very conservative fearing that my hip was going to scream at me. My pace was just 10:27 overall, which was 6 secs slower than the ONLY 20 miler I have done this Fall (end of Sept). Am I scared about this fact? Eh, not really. We did his 6 mile loop, stopped for maybe a min for him to run inside, then we took off for 5 points. That run out there seemed so long but the run back was ok. I did stop once to take in some clif shot bloks. (It was an experiment since I never eat anything on these runs) They were ok, didn't upset my stomach. I only ate 4 total. I took in 2 enduralyte pills (one before we ran and then one about mile 8 or 9). Before I left the house, I had eaten 1/2 a bagel, 1/2 a banana, and some water. Still, I was starving when I finished. I stretched at Harvey's and got on the scales. I'm down 1 more lb despite the chocolate feast last week and a few days of overindulgence. ha!

Wayne realized we'd be over but when I got back to Wilson Ave, I realized we would be over a half mile so I added a loop. I felt like I could have shuffled in maybe another mile or two but I decided not to press my luck. I'm going to attempt 17 miles friday morning since I'm taking it off. (Going to the Vandy game in Knoxville on Sat! Go Vols!)

I wish it had been this weekend that we were going to Knoxville. The Razorbacks got ripped a new one! 34-13. I did manage to watch most of the game. :)

I got home, showered, and then logged into ticketmaster. It took a little while and I could tell the system was bogged down, but I got 2 Bon Jovi tickets in the lower level of the Summet Center for Apr 24th (2 days before CMM). I know it's a way off but I'm excited! :)

I then did some shopping and hung out with cousin, Pam and the kids. (Liam & Ella). It was fun. Linda had some time to give me a glycolic peel and she did a fabulous job on my eye brows. I felt kind of girly today for a change. :)

Tomorrow will be a Rest day. The Jags will be at LP Field.

Mon: I will attempt 8 miles
Tue: Cross train
Wed: 6 miles/cross train
Thur: Rest
Fri: Attempting 17 miles since I'm taking off work
Sat: Get up at the crack ass of dawn to head to Neyland with my friends
Sun: 5 miles and some serious cross training

Achy, Breaky Hip

Ok, let me describe what I'm doing as I sit at my desk this morning.
I'm sitting with my sortkwik (finger tip moistener) under my left hip!
I was told to use a tennis ball but I didn't have one handy.
Yeah, I'm still looking in & around my desk as I type this....ha!
Since the shot was a temporary fix because I did NOT lay off running long enough, I'm thinking I had better call Kirby for a couple of hip massages before Dec 8th.
My goal is to just get through the marathon now. My original goal was to beat my 4:17:11, but who knows what I'll do. I may be fine for a 4:30 or 4:45 but I'm not counting on it. There will be time to heal after Dec 8th. I will stick to my guns about cross training the rest of Dec (unlike previous years where I started running again, probably too soon "for me" anyway).

Last night I headed to the track. I knew my hip was too sore to do the 4-5 that I had planned so I opted for a couple of 400s & some light jogging. I did 2.13 by the time I decided to head to the gym. I was actually sweating when I left the track. Just me & one other guy out there in the cold. I don't know why the "walkers" just don't bundle up & keep coming. I did 45 mins on the elliptical, some weights on my quads, & I stretched. "Grey's" was coming on soon so I cut it short.

Going to log into ticketmaster at noon for "Bon Jovi & Daughtery" tickets for Apr 24th. This concert is 2 days before CMM, which is on the 26th in '08 (I'm only doing the half next year). Cousin, Patti, in Michigan is coming down for the 1/2. We'll have a Pre and Post concert! :)

Doing 15 miles in the am with Wayne. The price of gas, the 2.5 hr round trip in the car, and the fact that I'd rather run ALL 15 at an even pace, made me decide totally against Huntsville's 1/2. I don't need another miserable 1/2 to tell me I'm injured anyway. ha!

Jaguars game is Sunday! :)

Ok, I'm now sitting on a coworker's stress ball. (actually, I've put it on top of the sortkwik) I'll probably bust the stress ball and have sortkwik in my ass by the end of the day.

Ionic foot bath and some cross training

Well, I would have taken a photo of the foot bath but it was too gross! I've read reviews good and bad about this procedure. I just think it's cool and wanted to try it once. They said it looked like I had a lot of oil in my diet. Ummm, the oil & vinegar on my subway sandwiches, the oils from the dressings on my salads, and the oil from the cheesburger/fries from the past Sunday at the game. (yes, I caved. I had not had a burger/fries in many months!) With the exception of the color, I just know that my water looked a lot different from Hannah's. I had what looked like soapy flakes floating in mine and it was like an orangy/black swamp. Her's had the same colors only it looked more even than mine. Hers didn't have the oily look. It was interesting. Will I get it done again? Umm, who knows...maybe, maybe not. I tried it once and that's all that counts. I will try most anything once as long as it's not scary (sky diving) or illegal (drugs). :)

My hip is achey today. I feel like I need a good stretch. I did 50 mins on the elliptical last night, some light leg weights, and free weights on my arms. I did stretch but probably could have used the 45 mins of pilates. I really do wish we had a Wed night class. Tonight, I'm going to try to run at THS, maybe 4-5 miles, head to the gym to stretch, and get in some crunches. Then home for Grey's. I'm not a huge country music fan but I did catch some of the awards last night. I'm so glad Brad Paisley got male vocalist of the year. He did the CMM post concert in 2004 and I really enjoyed that concert.

Another 8.15 but without wind

I did the exact same route I did Monday and turns out it was 8.15.
Last night's time was 1:17:27, which I'll take for now. My hip felt much better in the cold.
Maybe it's a blessing that at the start of Rocket City, it can be anywhere from 18 degrees to 40. Last year, it was 18 degrees at the start and by far the coldest marathon I've ever done! I like the cold but that made me nervous. It did warm up to about 55 by the time we were all eating our soup. I have a general rule that if it's around 45, I'll wear a short sleeve tech shirt and shorts. If it's under 45, I will put on a long sleeve, thin tech shirt and shorts. Last night, I think it was around 45 when I started. I almost came out of the short sleeve shirt by mile 4. I did wear gloves for some odd reason. They were still in my car from the game. Those did come off. If it's under 40 and/or near freezing I'll put on the tights. If it's below freezing, I'll put on my cold weather, running pullover. I only have two of those since it's rarely that cold around here. I stretched and did my yoga ball crunches. Tonight after the ionic foot bath, I'll cross train and relax. Tomorrow, I may just go for 4-5 miles and call it a night. If I should decide to head down to Huntsville on Sat morning, I would really like some fresh legs.

Headwind Training

With tender left hip in tow, I headed to East for what I think was an 8 mile run after work. I accidentally hit the stop button at mile 4.88 when I was checking my mileage. Thankgoodness, I didn't go off my beaten path because I have an idea that I ran pretty close to 8 miles last night maybe more. Of course, I'm not real sure what my time was either. So, I logged in my marathonguide.com log, 8 miles (1:18) just to be safe. At this point, I'm not even caring about pace as long as my hip doesn't start aching too much. There was a storm coming through and I finished right before it started to sprinkle. I knew it was coming so I am guessing I did go out a little fast for the first 3-4 miles of the run to try to beat it. ha! I could see the lightening off in the distance in the dark sky. I'm one of those fools that really doesn't mind the dark if I know the road well. The wind was blowing quite a bit and at one point I felt like I was going to be blown over in a couple of yards. I kept telling myself, "Lisa, you've run in headwinds before in Huntsville, just keep going. It's good training!" Anyway, I'm glad I got out last night despite the weather. If we all stayed at home just because of bad weather, we'd never run. :)

Game was a blast on Sunday. These particular seats that we had were in the handicapped section but there were no handicapped people there. I felt weird sitting there. We sat next to some guys who had driven all the way from NC to see the Panthers. They said the Panthers had not won a home game at all this year! Jake Delhomme is out for the season with elbow surgery and David Carr has had some back problems, but he did play. Poor David, he had a terrible game but looked "hot" nonetheless..... :) I'm going to the Jag game this coming Sunday with my sister and her husband. Should be fun!

Ryan Shay, apparently, had an enlarged heart. Most serious runners do, but he had some kind of defect. I read the report of him going off the course and it made me want to cry all over again. I won't go into it here but I think ALL of us need to make sure we get checked by our family doctors. You just never know. Ryan was a newly wed. His new wife is hoping to qualify for the Olympics in track and field event. I hope she is strong enough to do just that in memory of her husband. Just sad.

On a lighter note, Paula Radclife, kicked some serious butt to win the overall women's title in the NYC marathon. I'm uploading a precious picture of her holding her 9 month old daughter after her finish. :) I'll never forget her awful Athens Olympic run where she totally broke down and sat on the side of the road. She made a huge comeback Sunday! She is the fastest woman alive in the marathon distance. Just awesome!

Tonight, I'm going to head back out on the same route I did last night and see how far my hip will allow. I did manage to stretch and do some crunches last night. If I get in another 7-8 miles, I'll do the same tonight. Can't wait till tomorrow for my "ionic foot bath". :)

Ryan Shay: It's just so Sad.

How can a 28 yr old, extremely healthy man like Ryan Shay collapse 5.5 miles into the Olympic Trials and die? There will be an autopsy performed and I'm sure the world will know why soon enough. It's just Sad! No matter how much my hip hurts on Dec 8th, I'm going to complete that race and think of Ryan and how hard he worked on his Olympic dreams. It can happen to anyone, which is scary but that's why physicals and staying healthy are so extremely important. I'm sure he had the best doctors supporting him but only God knows right now why Ryan is gone. I pray for the family.

(Yeah, I don't just follow the NFL. I do follow track & field to some extent.) I'm a little disappointed that Meb didn't make it in this time but the winner of the Olympic trials is apparently having a GREAT year. Ryan Hall has set a new Olympic trials record of 2:09:02 on a fairly difficult course. Amazing!

So, after work yesterday (I get off at 4pm on fridays), I immediately got ready for 12+ miles. I started around 4:35-4:36 and when I stopped it was about 7pm. I ended up with 14.62 miles in 2:23:37. My hip was ok and I felt great during the first 8-10 miles. I started slowing down a lot after it got dark around 9.5 miles into the run. By mile 13, my hip was trying to tell me to stop but I was too far out and had to keep going until reaching East at 14.62. I felt like the last 1.5 miles were at a crawl. I got blinded by lights as I headed down the bike/walking path to East and at one point came to a complete stop. Before it got dark, I startled an older man as I was heading from Macon to Tara and he yelled at me, "Don't scare me like that!" He scared me by yelling at me! I was probably 20 feet behind him when I figured I had better jump over to the grass to get around him. (people are usually good about moving over when they see you come barreling down the paved path) Anyway, I had the sun in my eyes and my sunglasses on so I gave him a "look" and kept going. Weird!

I got REALLY tired of looping Tara but I knew I had to get the miles in and I wanted to hit Carla's pilates today, which I did. I did 45 mins of pilates and felt great afterwards. I then did 1 hr 5 mins on the elliptical, some light leg weights and some free weights on my arms. I was in the gym 2.5 hrs today! I jumped on the scales to see if I had gained any of that 3 lbs back. I think I gained 1/2 lb of it back but being slightly bloated didn't help either. If I had weighed before breakfast, I'm sure the 1/2 lb would not have been there. My weight fluctuates big time! After watching the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader try out tv show, I feel FAT! ha!

Tomorrow is the Carolina game and a rest day for me.
Mon: I'll probably go for 7 miles, stretching, and crunches
Tues: 8 miles and stretching
Wed: I have an appointment for an ionic foot bath at Dr. Florence's office with my friend, Christy. It's supposed to pull out impurities from the body. I can't wait to see what comes out in my water. I will cross train after the appointment.
Thurs: 5 miles and Grey's anatomy
Fri: Rest
Sat: Planning on the Huntsville 1/2 and planning to add at least 2 slow miles to it before I head home for 15.1 miles. I think running part of the marathon course will help me mentally....maybe? Michelle and I ran this race 2 years ago and both of us felt like the headwinds were going to sweep us away but it was by far NOT my worst half as anyone would know from recent posts. I remember telling Michelle that I felt like I had just been fighting someone when I finished that particular 1/2. She agreed. Headwinds will make you feel like you've been punching someone. :(

The "planner" craves Mexican.

Craving:
I normally eat mexican once a week for lunch. It's cheap & Los Palmas is very close to work. $5.21 for the chicken chimichanga on rice. (there's always coupons, too!) It's been over 2 weeks since I've had mexican. I brought a lean cuisine for lunch today & I guess I'll eat it monday since we have the "luncheon" tomorrow. Let's hope our little freezer is working ok in the office. All I need is food poisoning on top of a tender left hip. Yes, it's tender today after running only 8.6 miles but I'm determined to do Rocket City if I have to walk most of the 2nd half. My original goal was to set a new PR, now I just want to finish it. That seems to be the goal every year for that race with me! :( This will be the 4th RC for me in a row, btw. I will NOT do it next year. I've already decided on some things for next year and if I do a Dec marathon, it will be Memphis in '08.

I got our Dec 30th Titan's-Colts tics in the mail today. They are so COOL! They have a pic of the Super Bowl Trophy on them. I wonder if they are collector tickets. I scanned them & sent the jpg to Hannah & Wayne. I was so excited to finally get them here. I have been very lucky this year with Titans tickets. Sure, I've paid more than last year but last year they lost A LOT early in the season. I did get two sweet deals on jag tickets & texans tickets. There's only one other game that I need tickets to & that's the Chargers. I'll be in San Antonio during the last home game. Can't wait to see Austin, Avery, & my fav beagle, Toby! (oh, yeah, my sis & her husband, too!) They are big Spurs fans, of course.

Planning:
I've been thinking about what I want to do more of in 2008.
My thoughts are of traveling more....holding off on the new house & traveling. Helping mom with some much needed repairs & just saving money. Hannah's wedding is tentatively in mid-May. I know I'll want to visit New York again so another trip to see Cheryl & her family might be doable if they'll have me back. :) 4th of July in San Antonio with mom at my sister's house might be on the schedule too. I'd like to talk some family/friends into a Disney trip some time next year. I haven't been since my b-day in '98. I did not make it to the beach at all this year. I barely went to the lake. :(
Time to venture out!

As far as training & races, I can make plans all day but there's always an unexpected injury it seems, but here goes...

1. Definitely pencil in Team Nashville 1/2 for Nov '08
2. Most likely I'll try the rolling hills of Knoxville (Knoxville Marathon at the end of Mar, possibly)
3. Cedars of Lebanon 1/2 marathon-New 1/2 on the state park running tour
4. Team Nashville 10 miler might be doable in Feb
5. Predators Fangtastic 5k is the ONLY 5k I ever seem to do because we get hockey tickets with our entry but if we don't have the Preds, that's off the schedule, obviously.
6. I am sending off my NY City marathon entry form as soon as they start accepting them with my fingers crossed. (it's done by lottery!) That's always early November.
7. Speedwork: I need to learn how to do it, when to do it, and just do it!!!!
8. If it's not 150 degrees on the day of the Smyna Parks 5k, I'll do it. I promised Wayne I'd do it this year but backed out.
9. Find new long running routes & find some new running buddies. :) I like the old ones but they are rarely available when I need to run long.
10. Go to more organized training runs-(Murfreeboro Pacers and Striders)

I'll keep doing the races I've grown to love, of course, if I have time.
I will NOT do anymore Sept/early Oct half marathons, I will tell you that.
Any suggestions on races or training, please feel free to fill me in on them.

Tonight: avoiding the 4 mi recovery run.
Elliptical for an hour, some light weights, crunches, and some stretching.

Tomorrow: 12-14 miles depending on my hip.

Sat: Carla's Pilates class & some cross training. I may do a 4 mi recovery run.

Sun: David Carr & the Carolina Panthers ( He is the HOTTEST man in the NFL)

8.6 miles with the spooks

Dodging cars, adults, kids, and a few runners (believe it or not) made for an interesting Wed night training run. I did 8.6 miles in 1:19:45. Still slower than I'd like, but oh well, I wasn't racing it and I was watching my stride, my form, and everything around me. About mile 2.5 the spooks started coming out in Macon. Mostly younger children with their parents. Too cute! As it got darker, the bigger kids came out. Bigger than ME! Trick or Treating. I almost ran into a boy about twice my size talking on a cell phone. They were everywhere....walking, running, in golf carts, on bikes. I don't recall ever running on Halloween night before but I could be wrong. Seems like I've always been at home or at the gym or it was a weekend night.

My hip feels a little tender but I'm about to jump in the floor and stretch so we'll see. This is the longest run I've done in exactly 2 weeks. Two weeks ago tonight, I had a sleepless, painful night. I pray I don't tonight. Depending on how I feel after work friday, I will attempt 12-14 miles. Tomorrow, I may just do some quick cross training. Gotta cook for another birthday party at work. Ugh! Tis the season for the Sales & Marketing Birthdays and holiday lunches.

I helped make a "quota" today!!!!!!!!!

I wasn't even going to post today but it started out so CRAPPY. First of all, in the last 2 months I've had this feeling that something was going to happen to my car. I've paid it off and I've just had this gut feeling something was going to happen, an accident, a speeding ticket, etc... Well, at least it wasn't an accident. I got a speeding ticket! It's quota time, baby!!! End of the month and I was selected. Oh, I'm not saying I wasn't speeding, I was...as a matter of fact, I was trying to go around someone so I sped up right there in the middle of Manchester in front of the Goodwill. You see, I live right off Hwy 55 in Tullahoma so I can go through the base or go up 55 to work. I take 55 in the am and the base in the evening. Well, from here on out, I'm taking the base both ways. I tend to drive near the speed limit there, it's a two lane hwy and it's WAY more scenic. I'm an idiot but hey anything I can do to support the city of Manchester. ha! I won't even say how much it is but it was OUTRAGEOUS!!! I've had 4 speeding tickets in my life. The last one was in 2001 on the interstate and this one was almost as expensive as that one!!! I'm passed being pissed now and maybe it was God's way of saying, "slow down Lisa".

Also, my snack drawer at work is becoming "too public". I'm sorry, I don't make enough money to feed everyone. Sorry, if someone from work stumbles upon this blog but it's the truth. Now that I have this HUGE ticket to pay, I definitely need to make cuts. Lisa's snack drawer is off limits. My "100 calorie" snacks are expensive!!!

Ok, on a MUCH BRIGHTER note, I've lost another pound since last week. I'm 3+ lbs lighter than a week and a half ago. :) Devin, the gym mgr, said my face looks thinner. Was it chubby before? :(

I did a tinsy bit of speedwork at THS tonight. 4 X 400s and I jogged in between. With my warm up and cool down, I think I got in about 2.29 miles total. Still not too proud of the times but I was faster than last week. Amazing at how much faster you can be once you know you aren't running on a fracture or anything serious like that! :) I kept my strides short and choppy like Grady said to do and it seemed to keep the pain away. As soon as I felt my stride lengthen, I pulled it back in.....once I'm healed, lengthening the stride will surely increase my speed. I then went to the gym, (stretched, yoga ball crunches, free weights on my arms, and some light leg weights). I was hungry so I went to Kroger for some fresh fruit and some sandwich stuff. I bought some Organic strawberries.......good until I got to the middle of the batch and found a rotted one. I'm easily grossed out so I cut up what I could and threw out the rest. YUCK!

So, it's a tuna sandwich, strawberries, cottage cheese with pineapple, half a pimento cheese sandwish as a snack, small bar of cheese, and a "100 calorie" snack or two tomorrow. I have to eat every 2 hrs or my stomach goes crazy. I probably eat 5-7 times a day. No heavy dinners, except on weekends. I'm not really missing the m & m's or snickers that I was eating just about every other day in the afternoons. Seriously!

Breakfast is usually a healthy bowl of cereal and/or a whole grapefruit, yogurt, or piece of toast or all of the above if I'm starving. :)
(in the last couple of months, I've been drinking way too much coffee at work!)
Sometimes I eat those oatmeal squares when I'm in a rush to get to work and SPEED MY ASS OFF......

So, getting back to the speeding ticket.....I was going to punish myself monetarily by NOT going to the Jag game on Nov 11th. Well, low and behold I had made an "offer" on a set of tickets and the person accepted. I got the email after I got to work. UGH! So, I am going or I'll give them to my sis and her husband for Christmas and stay at home for once.

Tomorrow is a new day.....a slow driving day. :P

Temptation...

Ok, I'm talking about the chocolate toffee at work today and the fact that I feel so freaking good that my mind is wandering back to the Team Nashville 1/2 even though I've been WARNED NOT TO DO IT by many people. I'm thinking of doing the Huntsville 1/2 the very next Sat, Nov 10th. (and add a few miles afterwards to it for maybe 15 that day) It will be a game time decision. :)

The game was slightly boring yesterday as for action in the game but we had a hoot of a time sitting with a bunch of guys who were on a "guys weekend". They were all from New York. They had been in Lynchburg for the bbq the day before. They were a hoot! They told Hannah and me that we were "hot". (Ok, maybe they were a little drunk but they seemed surprised when I told them I was 40. :) The Coyote Ugly breakfast was even more awesome than it was the last time. (more fruit!)

I bought a really nice fleece pull over on the street for $20. Hannah bought a cool light weight jacket for $30. We are already trying to decide what to wear to the Dec 30th game at the RCA dome. I may wear the new Titan's fleece but I will be waving my OLD Peyton #16 UT jersey from the stands. :)

I took a pic of Hannah marching with the TSU band with my phone. The sun was in the back so it didn't turn out so good. Thank God, I now have a NEW camera.

Tonight, I ran out East 6.14 miles in 56:51. It felt good as long as I kept my stride short. As soon as I lengthened my stride I felt a tinge of pain in my left hip. Grady, from the strider's message board, said to shorten my stride. IT WORKS! I can deal with this for now. He said it would make me a little slow but until it's healed don't lengthen the stride if you can help it. That is something I really watched at the Halloween Hunt 5 miler. Melodie said she was diagnosed with this bursa issue 2 yrs ago and got a shot in each hip. She said it's just something you just have to deal with.....stretch, ice, roll your hip over a tennis ball, ibuphren, etc.......

I did 30 mins on the elliptical, some yoga ball crunches, and stretched. I felt pretty good!

Tomorrow: Going to attempt some speedwork at the track if there's no game and cross train.
Wed: 8 miles if all goes well.......
Thurs: Maybe 4 miles and some light cross training.
Friday: I'm tempted to do 12-14 miles right after work...just so I can go to Carla's pilates Sat morning. We shall see how the week goes!

Halloween Hunt 5 miler, the skirt, the hip, and an award???

Ok, sometimes when I take pressure off myself, I do better, go figure?

Last night, after running out to the Lynchburg bbq with my sis, I went up to the gym and did 1 hr on the elliptical and stretched. It was official, I felt good enough to do a 5 mile race the next day.

Got up this morning after a restless night of sleep, did a few errands, and drove to Long Hunter State Park. Nervously warmed up, stretched, and went to the bathroom. It's so GREAT that this race is only $10 when you register on race day and opt NOT to get the shirt, I might add! There were the usual state park runners there. Terry was making his rounds and talking smack. (It's true Terry, you are "smack"! Ha) I wore one of the Nike running skirts that I had bought recently. I figured this would be a good race to test one of them. Well, both skirts are really too big around my waist but Melodie (who had one on) told me to roll down the waist band. This is what I get for being short waisted and just plain SHORT! Personally, I think the tights under it could be tighter, but that's just me. I should have bought the small, I guess...

Anyway, I'm standing there chit chatting at the start catching up with people that I only see at these races when Tomas starts the siren. He's so cool! He makes the perfect dracula every year at this event. There were more people dressed up this year than at the last two HH races that I've ran. When we did the costume awards, we had the Tin man, a Girl Scout, a guy dressed as a girl cheerleader, the power bar girls, a Geisha girl, Superman, and an Olympic swimmer (he was nearly naked standing there in goggles and a speedo!) The Guy cheerleader won. I wish I had a pic of him. He had this huge wig, glitter on his eye lashes, and this tiny little cheerleader outfit. He was probably 14-16 yrs old. Terry said that he heard the cheerleader's rustling pom-poms behind him. The cheerleader passed him on the course!! So, this boy was really fast with a huge wig on his head and carrying pom-poms while running!!

I did the first mile slow or I thought I did it slow. I tried to make myself keep it even, keep it comfortable. I even allowed people who I would normally not allow to pass me. Tomas was calling out the first mile times. Mine was 7:50? Good grief, it felt more like a 8:30-8:50. Anyway, I'll take it........so, mile 2, mile 3 went by uneventful. I ran with a tissue in my hand simply because I tend to cough up stuff when the seasons change and I did not want to be spitting all over the course. I'm so glad I took that tissue because I sure did use it. Mile 4 seems to come up quickly. It's a rather curvy course and I know it well. I ran straight lines as much as I could and the last mile, I kept hearing this person breathing hard behind me. I had no idea who it was...didn't care but for some reason I decided to stay ahead of whoever it was.... When I finished, the man introduced himself and told me that he had been pacing off me and the last mile he wanted to try to catch me but I turned it on the last half mile. (Ok, thanks?)

I ate half a hot dog off the grill, got some diet coke, and a banana. I was cooling down quickly and got COLD. I put some fleece on and walked around. I heard Kellie A. call my name. She did the Staggerwing Du this past Aug. GREAT RUNNER! She's 35 and already has a Boston Marathon under her belt. As a matter of fact, she seriously should have won the duathlon this past Aug. Due to a Newbie guy who got disqualified, she got penalized for passing him. Anyway, that soured her big time but now she says she has a good mind to come back and try to win it next year. Go Kellie! She advised me that it would NOT be wise to do the Team Nashville 1/2 with the hip issues going on.....wait till next year, it ain't going anywhere. John S. said the same thing so next year, the Team Nashville 1/2 will definitely be on my schedule.

A few of the FAST women that I've had to contend with this past year after I turned 40 have turned 45. Yippee!! They are out of my age bracket for now finally! This is the only way I knew I could get an age graded award anyway. Low and behold, I managed to get 2nd in the 40-44 age bracket. (Right behind Melodie) I guess if Jeanine had showed up, I would have got 3rd. My time was about 40 seconds slower than last year, I think... I kept it well under 43 mins but I'm not at all sure what my time is right now. I just know I've got a cutsie award to add to the collection. Yippee!!!!!!!! :)

Anyway, great day for a race and I'm glad I went. I took ibuprophen and I mowed about half the yard just to clean up the leaves. I'm going to ice my left hip after I stretch it a little.

Tomorrow should be fun......I hope to buy a new camera after the Raider's game is over.

Weight loss and smaller feet?!

Ok, so freaking out about taking it easy on the hip this week, I decided to seriously watch what I eat. If I could make myself watch my diet, I'd be rail thin, seriously. Low and behold, I've lost 2+ lbs inside of a week and my feet have shrunk. My shoes are all loose! I put on some running shoes last night to cross train in and they felt like Bozo shoes. I almost could NOT walk in them. My feet must stay swollen most of the time, SERIOUSLY!

Anyway, I'm about to turn 41 in Dec and I really need to look into "watching what I eat" more often anyway. My whole life has been a free for all, eat all you can, etc... I weighed 105 lbs all through high school, 98 lbs in college, 107 when I got married at age 22, the weight went all the way up to 138 the last 2 yrs of my marriage (my highest weight EVER!), then back down to 121-122 after my divorce, and it's been a roller coaster ever since. Stress takes weight off of me, I have noticed that. My weight varies 3-5 lbs at any given time but I try very hard never to go over 130. I'm not one to get on the scales all the time but I can always tell in my clothes and how I feel when I do drop or gain. Being 5 ft 4 inches tall, small boned, a few lbs makes such a difference on me on and off. The smaller feet thing is probably due to the NOT running so much this week. Feet are not swollen. Nothing is swollen but my left butt cheek is still sore from the shot.

I feel good and I feel like I could run tomorrow the 5 miles at Halloween Hunt no problem. Even with last years finish time, I doubt I'd get an age graded award anyway. So, I'm going and I'm having fun! After last night's cross training, I feel ok so........

Below is my plan for the next week depending on the hip issues.

Tonight: I may burn some calories on the ellpitical (just 30 mins) and stretch
Sat: 5 miles at Halloween Hunt (STRETCH)
Sun: Oakland Game
Mon: 6 miles and some light cross training
Tues: Depending on how the hip feels-some speedwork and cross training
Wed: 8 miles (STRETCH)
Thurs: 4 Rec miles (STRETCH)
Fri: Rest

Diagnosis Day

Got a shot in my bursa tissue today? How many people can say that? ha!

Nothing is stressed and yes, I've NOT been stretching my hip area like I should. I've been too focused on my tight calves and feet. If I were not training for Rocket City, Dr. Stevens said, "I would NOT recommend the shot but you are training for something and this should speed up your healing a little." He said that I should ease back into running by taking it easy for a couple more days. He said that Sat, if I felt like running, do a few miles...(my thoughts turn to the Halloween Hunt 5 miler and I think that's just enough to be considered a few miles) Ok, so I'll run it slow and more than likely, I will NOT get an age graded award at that race for the first time but heck, I'm missing the Team Nashville 1/2 due to this injury and this 5 miler is cheaper anyway. He did advise against Team Nashville for sure because I flat out asked what he thought. I did not tell him that the Dec race was a marathon and I probably should have...honestly, I just said, "I have a race in Nov and Dec." when he asked if I had some coming up. We talked about my schedule, when I run, how much, cross training, etc... He said, "At least you did not suffer for months and then come hobbling in here like most of the runners do. At least you are not someone who thinks they have to run every single day during your training." I took that as a compliment but I'm injured for a reason and I guess it's just the fact that I probably forced myself up some hills a little too fast and I was not stretched out for them.

So, diagnosis, irritated bursa tissue that probably has caused some tightening of the hammys this past Saturday. Hammys feel ok the last few days.
Solution, take Wed night off, cross train lightly Thursday after work, and rest Friday. Sat morning at 8am, decide whether to go to Long Hunter State Park. Race is at 11am. If I decide not to go, I will run some and I will cross train but if I do go, I will enjoy myself. Listening to my body.

Tues night was just too tempting and I'm a sick gal for admitting this...I love the rain and cooler temps and I could NOT resist getting out in it. I went to THS. There was NO game! I warmed up by looping a couple of parking lots and the school for a mile. Then I hit the track for some "slow" speed work. I won't embarrass myself by posting splits. ha! Anyway, I ran 4 X .25 with one lap walking in between. It was misting rain at the end and it felt so GOOD! I did a .75 of a mile cool down around the school and back to the car. I probably ended up with 3.5 miles when I decided to head to the gym.

I got on the Elliptical for an hour and 10 mins....but didn't do the speeding I did on it Monday night! I watched the Jeff Fisher show while on there. Then I made myself stretch in the yoga room. I'm trying to find new and unique ways to stretch out this mess. The great thing is....I'm starting to feel more flexible again!

The next few weekends are looking a little overwhelming.

Oct 27: Some serious cross training or some serious running (If the hips feel good, Long Hunter State Park, here I come...)
Oct 28: Raiders game

Nov 3: NO Team Nashville 1/2 due to injury (Depending on how I feel, I will probably do at least 12 miles this day)
Nov 4: Carolina game

Nov 10: Hopefully a long run if my hip is better...14 miles? (fingers crossed)
Nov 11: Jaguars game (working on tickets for me, my sis and her husband)

Nov 16: Off from work, possibly 15-16 miles
Nov 17: UT - Vandy game
Nov 18: Short rec run-5 miles
I have to start packing for Thanksgiving trip this weekend!!!!

Nov 21-25: Flying to Philly, Cheryl's picking me up and we're heading to Jersey.
Trips to Atlantic city and NYC. I'm so excited I cannot stand it. I have not seen her since 1993!?

Dec 1: Tim's ford 6 mile race (still.....depends on my hip situation)
Dec 2: Texans game (still looking for tickets)

Dec 8: Rocket City (God willing my hip is healed and I can handle it!)
Dec 9: Chargers game (haven't even tried looking for tickets yet)

Dec 15: Recovery run of 4-5 miles
Hoping to see Arlene for some shopping, dinner, and movie (been too long my friend)
Dec 16: Not sure about a game this day but if I run RC, I'll probably cross train a lot this day. I have to start packing for San Antonio!

Dec 20-26: Early morning dr's appt and then flying to San Antonio for Christmas.

Dec 29-30 or 31: Driving to Indianpolis for the Dec 30th Titans - Colts game at the RCA dome.

Throw in a trip to Dr. Swansons (dentist), Dr. Capps (migraines), and Dr. Fleenor's (yearly exam) All DURING DECEMBER, a few Christmas parties that have NOT been scheduled yet, and God forbid anything else, I may get to breathe Jan 1st. (ya know, I'd love to do the Resolution 5k....)

GREAT cross training!

Ok, going to try to be positive here. :)
I got in some great cross training last night. I tore that ellipitical up with just a hair over 7 miles on it when I got off. I had to turn down the resistance and the incline to avoid stressing out my left hip but it was a good work out. Supposedly, 700 calories, but who knows if that machine was calibrated correctly but I'm going to be POSITIVE here. :)

I did some very light weights, crunches, and stretched and then I stared at the treadmill....
I got on with the full intentions of walking a mile and then I looked at my watch and realized I really needed to get home so I started running. So, yes, I walked maybe .3 and ran the rest.
I'm going to the track tonight and if there's a game going on, I will run around the high school. I have no idea how many miles I'm going to do but I'm going to get in some miles before I see Dr. Stevens in the morning. (Yes, I moved the appt up to tomorrow!)

On the bright side of things, I will be getting new glasses tomorrow. The last pair I got was nearly 2 yrs ago and I left them at Rollin's never to be seen again.

We lucked up on some club seats for the game this weekend. Really more than I wanted to spend but tickets were so expensive for this game for some reason. After Sundays miraculous win off Bironas' foot, I had to go! What a couple of season's he's had! NFL records all over the place. So, I'm looking forward to this weekend and who knows....maybe I can run! :)

Injured Lisa drags her hip around Kroger....

Ya know, I HATE Walmart, but they are WAY, WAY cheaper than Kroger. I used to refer to Kroger as the rich man's grocery store. It did not used to be that way when I was little. I remember the days that I hung onto the end of the buggy as one of my parents pushed us around Kroger. It was always an adventure! ha!

I got fed up with the lack of good produce last week at Walmart and vowed I would go to Kroger this week. I somehow managed to miss the grapefruit but I'll grab some at Food Lion later. It amazes me at the selection of organic foods. So EXPENSIVE! I did buy some organic ingredients for a good, BIG salad today. I'm craving greens. The atmosphere is so much better than Walmart, also. It's never busy in our Kroger but then again, I rarely go in there. (Maybe 5-6 times a year!) I opted for some chocolate frozen yogurt instead of the nutty buddies. Why can't those be fat free???!! I did something that I have NOT done in a long time, I bought some "lean cuisines". I got so burned out on those when I lived in Germany. When I was locked down on an Army post for like a month and a half (Gulf War), the only sources of food was the commissary or Burger King. I ate "lean cuisines" like a crazy person. I've had them since then but only when I was not running so much. Well, since my left hip isn't cooperating, I'm going to really watch what I eat this week.

Yesterday, I was too chicken to even try to run. My good sense finally kicked in to take another day AWAY from running. I have not taken 3 days off in a row from running since late July. I went to the gym, did some light leg weights and then Carla came in for her Pilates class that she teaches every Sat. She called it "Carlates". ha! Since she indicated it was a lot of stretching, I decided to go on in and it was GREAT. I enjoyed it. We did a lot of hip stretching. (Was that on purpose, Carla?) :) We did that and core strengthening and I feel it in my arms today. I learned how to massage my hip on the floor. Cool! After class, I did the elliptical for 1 hr 5 mins, then the bike for 32 mins (all somewhat slowly). Then I went shopping in Murf....got a black Nike running skirt dirt cheap with my frequent buyer discount at FF. It was on sale! Bought cliff shots to try out when the hip gets better and a reflector light made by Brooks. Cool! I did some much needed clothes shopping for work. Yeah, I MADE myself try on clothes. I'm not a big time shopper so that was torture. Ross' and Old Navy....and I got EVERYTHING on sale. Yippee! Hip still feels good at this point in the day so I make a mental note to myself that I will definitely try to run in the am. I have to add, that it feels so much better than it did Wed/Thurs. I wish I could see Dr. Stevens tomorrow instead of Thursday, though.

I got out about 7am this morning for a pitiful 3.1 miles. I don't believe that I would have caused anything positive to happen with it if I had run longer so I stopped. I listened to my body and stopped. I immediately headed to the gym for 1 hr 5 mins on the elliptical, some yoga ball crunches, light arm weights, and stretches. I tried to do the stretches we did in pilates yesterday. Some guy in the yoga room asked me how far I ran this morning. I was perplexed?? I had never seen him in there ever... (I had noticed him watching me before I went into the yoga room!) He acted like he wanted to talk and I was in no mood. :(

Whenever I'm injured, I always start hating how my body looks. I stared at myself in the yoga room mirror thinking that my abs looked ok, borderline defined, but the little fat deposits just above my waist band were UGLY! I guess that's the age thing creeping in...5-10 yrs ago, I had nothing around my waist band like that. YUCK! My sides feel a little sore from Carla's class so I know we worked some AB muscles that I have not been working so that's cool!

If my cousin Patti (in Michigan) reads this I want her to know that I'm incredibly proud of her Detroit Free Press Half marathon finish today. She says she thinks she finished around 3 1/2 hrs. This was her first Half. She's done a few 5ks in the past so this was BIG for her. If I could have been there for her finish today, I would have....I hope this starts an addiction with her. :) Congrats Patti!

Let's hope that after the Tide ass stomping on UT in Tuscaloosa yesterday that the Titans can get a win in Houston today. Looks like Fisher isn't going to allow VY in the game. Kerry Collins is not an "out of pocket" guy. I sure hope he gets the coverage in that pocket. Looks like Brady and Moss are showing no mercy on Miami today. That score is already 28-7. SAD! It's been predicted that the Patriots will go undefeated this season. Peyton, watch out!

Evaluating and regrouping.

My left hip still has a very dull, deep pain but not as bad as it was yesterday or Wed night. I did not run last night and I didn't even cross train. When I do absolutely nothing, the guilt does get to me. Last Fall, I battled shin splints and it worked on me mentally. I basically told myself then to just try to get through the marathons the best that I could and I did but barely getting in under 5 hrs is not good enough for me. Chickamauga in November was basically just a training run for me. I got it in just a mere seconds under 5 hrs with my left shin wrapped in an ace bandage. The course was not entirely flat and I hated the way the roads would curve to one side for a minute and then to the opposite side and then back again. It's hard to explain unless you've been to the Chickamauga battlefield, walked the roads, etc... BEAUTIFUL area, but not my cup of tea for a marathon. I was only doing it for motivation and to get in a long training run so no big deal.

Exactly a month later in Huntsville, the shin pain had not totally gone away, I ran just a few minutes under 5 hrs. My worst Rocket City time ever and I was mad at myself. I told myself that I'd never run again injured and here I am one year later and I'm freaking out over this hip pain that has reared it's ugly head in the last week.

For the record, my shin pain gradually came on sometime in the fall last year and it did NOT completely go away until late Jan/early Feb. By that time, I had totally changed shoes and I was getting fired up about more races. I basically ran through the pain, aqua jogging when I could get into the pool, and riding the ellpitical trainer. What caused this shin pain? I deducted that I was running in motion control shoes, which I no longer needed (Plus running every weekend at Tim's Ford was not a good thing). I had battled plantar fascittis in the summer/fall of 2004. My PF had been long gone and truth be known, I really needed to get reevaluated. I had bought shoes at the Huntsville FF and in Brentwood but nobody ever offered to let me try a different shoe. I didn't know any better. I figured I was doomed to motion control shoes FOREVER. Lesson learned the hard way.

Christi, at the Brentwood FF, put me in stability shoes, the Saucony Omni's & Brooks Adrenalines. The shin pain was all but gone by early Feb '07 and I was HAPPY again! Now here I am with a totally different pain. I'm running in Adrenalines, Omni's, and the Trance now. The Trance is very much like the Adrenalines so I'm about 99.9% sure it's not my shoes this time. I did wear them this past Sat out at the Lake and I do remember jarring myself and losing my footing in an area that Carla fell down at last fall but I was ok. We all lose our footing and then regain it at some point in our runs sometimes. My middle name is definitely NOT "Grace". So, who knows...maybe that little jolt to my stride did cause this but I was already having a miserable run out there at that point anyway with my concrete calves but I had not started walking any at that point. I was maybe 3-4 miles into the run and I felt like my body was trying to loosen up.

As I ramble on about this obsessing over something that may only last a few days, I realize that for the sake of my sanity, I need to make an appointment with a sports med doc. I have an appointment with Dr. Stevens in Tullahoma next Thursday. The pain may be totally gone by then or it may be worse but you can bet, I will definitely test it out before next Thursday. I was told by a runner/doctor who frequents the nashvillestriders message board that it could be something called, trochanteric bursitis. Dr. Trent Rosenbloom is always so happy to offer advice on everything. He even went as far as saying that an orthapoedist could inject meds into the bursa to help the healing but I hope to avoid that with rest, ibuprophen, ice, massage therapy, and cross training. If there's still pain there next Thursday, hopefully, Dr. Stevens, will have something to offer....we shall see.

Running is not the "end all, be all, meaning of life for me" sort of thing but it sure makes my life easier when I can do it. I will never forget my roller blading, broken wrist incident of 2003. My whole attitude changed when I was sidelined. My personal life was a mess but "He's gone now" and I'm a much better person for not being with "that person". ha!

At one point, I even ran a few miles on a treadmill at DW Wilson with 4 screws coming out of my wrist. I think I freaked everyone out because one fall could have set back my healing wrist for a very long time but I had to do it for my sanity. 5.5 weeks later when those screws came out, I could NOT wait to get back into running shape! I wanted to "race". Even though I had already raced in a couple of races before the roller blading accident, I REALLY wanted to train/race now. Looking back, it was something I had to do to prove something to myself.

I seriously do NOT know how people do it when they are permanently injured, paralyzed, never being able to do what they did before their accidents, etc... My heart seriously goes out to those that go through that kind of hell. It can happen to anybody. It's scary but we can't constantly live in fear of the "what ifs". We run and hope for the best. That may have to be my philosophy once again in Dec. Run and hope for the best because once again, I know I can't give my best because of my stupid luck in the fall. If for some reason, I barely get in RC under the 5 hr mark, I will swear off that marathon for a very long time. Lord knows I'm not a huge fan of the course but it's "local". It's the flattest around here that's for sure but there's always the chance there will be headwinds and it could be 18 degrees at the start one year and 30 degrees the next. I've experienced both! It's not known for it's crowd support but if that's what gets you through a marathon then you really do need to train harder and be more focused. The marathon is a journey. It's not something to take lightly and I've made that mistake a couple of times. I've completed 7 of them and not all have been pretty! :)

So, anyway........getting my eyes checked for new glasses next Wed and getting my left hip checked out next Thursday. I pray for the best on Thursday!

Revelations from a night of hip pain....

I think I got maybe 2 hrs here & 2 hrs there for a combined total of maybe 4 hrs sleep last night. I could NOT get comfortable. My left hip hurts deep in the tissue. Ever since last Wed/Thur, it's been a very slight pain & lets face it, if I let a little slight pain slow me down, I would never run/train for anything. Of course, I felt pain in both hips Sat out at the lake. Kirby worked me over Monday after work. No pain Mon or Tues, although, Bob (in accounting) said I had the look of pain as I walked up the stairs on Monday...ummmm.... Why are some of us(myself!) so prone to ignoring signs of pain?

I've decided after getting so little sleep last night that I'm due two days of NON-RUNNING activities. Depending on how much caffiene I get in me & how I feel after work, I may try to crosstrain at the gym. I had planned 5 rec miles around my neighborhood but that's not happening. I ran out East area last night my planned 10 miles but the first 3-4 miles were almost excruciating. I could not get my calves to loosen up & then there was the hip pain, mostly in my left hip. I kept going & going & thinking that I should cut it off at 8 miles & I didn't....I kept going. I finally hit 10 miles SLOWLY at my car in front of East. An old friend, Christy Glenn, was there dropping off her daughter for cheerleading practice. I hopped in her car & we played "catch up" with each other. It was nice! I've known Christy since the dawn of time! :) I told her about my hip pain & she said, "sciatic nerve" but everything I read points to back injuries when I look up sciatic nerve issues. My back feels fine. It also points to pain in the legs. Well, my calves have always had the tendency to be very tight & they really do NOT hurt. I'll keep worrying about this if Sat morning rolls around & my left hip is still hurting.

As I tossed & turned trying to get comfortable last night, I thought about EVERYTHING. Where my life is going, where I want it to go, the holiday travel I have coming up, the Rocket City marathon, 2 friends that have tested my friendship the last few months, how there are NO men within 100 miles of me that are "my type", and I realize, "I think too damn much!" ha!

If the hip keeps me awake tonight, I'm taking a sleeping pill. I'm not allowing myself to stress about this anymore. My 2 best marathons were done without any 20 milers at all. (not saying I don't need them, but...) If I only get in 2 - 20 mile training runs before Rocket City then so be it.

TGITHURSDAY (Grey's Anatomy!)

Monday, adjustment, massage, and 3.15 @ THS

After my much needed adjustment and massage, I drove over to THS thinking I could use the track. I should know by now that it's rare that a game of some sort isn't going on during the Fall over there. You'd think?! Anyway, I didn't want to run anywhere else so I parked, got out, and hit the garmin. (I'm still trying to learn the bells & whistles of this thing and I have not even pulled out the heart rate monitor yet. Sad!) I took off, dodging cars, kids, etc... I ran the outer parts of the parking lots. I now know how far the loop is that I've run so many times from the ball field to the front of THS and back. (About 1.02) I had guessed it at about a mile several years ago. ha! I only wanted 3 miles but ended up with 3:15. It was slow and easy at times and then at others, I felt like I was sprinting but the time was only 29.45.

I told Kirby, my massage therapist, my hips had hurt me really bad on Saturday out at the lake and she stuck her elbows in my glutes. I thought I'd come up off her table but when I walked out of that office, I told her it was one of her BEST massages on me. It was fabulous! Today, I'm going to take a much needed cross training day at the gym. The usual elliptical, yoga ball crunches, light weights, and a lot of stretching. I wish there was a 30 min yoga class on Tuesdays. I can never make those classes it seems...just too busy! Met Carla on my way into the gym after I ran @ THS. Bless her heart, she had filled in for another aerobics teacher. She had taught a 30 min AB class, someone else's aerobics class for an hour, and then her 1 hr kick boxing class. Yikes! I jumped on the elliptical for 20 short mins to help stretch out my calves. The gym mgr showed me how to do the "back" weight machine properly, and I stretched my calves a little more. I decided watching "2 1/2 Men" was going to be on my agenda tonight so I left. ha!

Wed-I'm going to attempt 10 miles and I'm hoping for a fairly decent pace out East. I'm guessing the last 4 miles will be in the dark in Tara but that's ok.
Thurs-I'm going to try to do 5 around my neighborhood and head in for the evening.
Fri-Rest
Sat-I will attempt 20 miles fairly flat. I'm thinking I may head into the base. If I hear a bunch of hunter's guns going off, I'll turn around and head towards East Middle and just gauge my mileage back to the house. I may call Wayne and see if I can start out with him Sat morning. He's not going long but he'll be running early.
Sun-If I get my 20 in, I will be resting and/or some very light cross training. If I don't get my 20 in, then I'll probably punish myself by driving out to the lake again for a hilly run. :P

Eeeew, doesn't look good.....

.....the Titans in Tampa, that is...and my run on Sat. Vince just got injured and I feel injured!

First of all, I don't have too many consistant running buddies. Everyone has their own thing going on and I totally understand that. I don't have kids, I'm the one training for the marathon here, and I choose not to get up extra early during the week to run, etc... So, Sat morning, I still felt tired from my week. Work was not exactly stressfree this week and I didn't get to bed as early as I wanted Friday night. I just flat out felt tired. I ate enough on friday, but probably should have opted for some pasta instead of the very light salad I had friday night. I felt weak and almost "light headed". Someone told me I looked like I had lost weight but the scales don't show it. I do know that my NIKE running skirt is a little loose on me and it's a medium. Some of my running shorts look like curtains on me. I am happy with the way my body looks but right now, I feel like I could eat forever but can't stomach just anything. Ever have one of those weeks? Ya know the weeks where you want to eat but just don't know what you want?

Needing some motivation just to get out the door Sat morning, I took my shuffle and drove out to Tim's Ford lake. I knew I'd be sacrificing pace on those hills. I've only run out there once since June and that was a slow 5 miler with Carla on a Wed night back in Aug or early Sept. When I took off, I felt my hips aching. I thought to myself, "I am warming up and it will go away". It didn't. I knew the 11.5 miler and the 6.18 miler had made me a little tired but friday was a rest day.

I felt like I was climbing mountains. Again, I realized I was sacrificing pace by going out there on hills I have not been running lately. I ended up doing 11.17 instead of the planned 15. It felt like 20 when I got in my car. I was sore from the hips down. So, I went to the gym to see what the problem was......I loosened my legs for 30 mins on the elliptical slowly and 30 mins on the bike SLOWLY. By the time I left, my hips felt better but I was hungry, sleepy, and just completely exhausted. Needless to say, the rest of my Saturday was very lazy. I called Terry to see how the first state park race went and I complained to him about how I was feeling. He said he's had those days before not to think too much about it. He didn't place at the Montgomery State Park trail race but he said he had a pretty good run. I heard some people fell and one person ended up in the ER. I'm not a trail runner for those reasons. I'm too clumsy!

Anyway, my time out on the Tim's Ford bike trail was 2:03:31 for 11.17 miles. I admit, I walked about 4-5 minutes drinking gatorade. So, this morning, I got my butt out and ran 5:03 in 47:02 for a recovery. I'm going to head to the gym later this afternoon and try to do weights, crunches, and some serious stretching. I'm still planning on a 20 miler this Sat but it's looking very tempting to put it off till the 27th and running it with Wayne. This would mean that I would have to blow off the Halloween Hunt but that's ok. I may end up going to the Oakland Game at the last minute on the 28th anyway. Too much driving around in one weekend wears me out and I did that last weekend. Not too much fun being on the road both weekend days.

I have a chiropractor and massage appt tomorrow so not sure what I'll do on Monday. I do know I need another mid week long run either Tues or Wed, probably 10 miles. I will go on how I feel this week and I will watch what I eat and try to get some good carbs in my system.

I think I've let Wayne talk me into the Team Nashville half. Heck, what have I got to lose at this point with the last two half marathons being my worst ever?! I will NOT run in my Trance shoes because both Lana and Terry told me that socks and shoes would get dirty on the cinder trail. I will have to really watch my footing and slow down on that trail....it's a new race to me and I have to go with the intent to have fun. :)

Best laid plans sometimes turn out BETTER than expected!

I was going to do my usual slow 6 miles tonight thinking I'd be sore as heck from the 11.5 last night. My 40 yr old "cooling system" didn't even have to kick on. Yes, my hair was wet when I finished tonight's 6.18 in 56.45 but I felt like I could run forever. I hit the route that leads me into the Fairways past the country club. It's got hills that I do NOT run enough. I soared up those hills going out. Coming back I did slow down and yes, my hips did hurt the last mile coming back to East but this was not suppose to be this fast tonight. :) I may pay for it tomorrow or even Sat morning but I don't care. My pace needs to come down, seriously.

Tomorrow, my sis is cutting my hair and I'm resting. I plan to get out no later than 7am Sat for 15 miles. I hope I can keep it well UNDER 10 min miles, especially now that it won't be NASTY HOT outside.

Sunday, I plan to cross train...depending on how my legs feel, I may attempt a slow 3-4 mi recovery Sunday.

OKAY, time for "Grey's Anatomy"!!! :)

Ahhh, coooooollll dooowwwnnnnn....

I LOVE the cool down. My legs love the cool down. My body does NOT have to work near as hard to run because of the cool down.

I got in a nice little cross training night Tues night. The usual elliptical for an hour, light legs weights, free weights for my arms, yoga ball crunches, and I stretched. It always feels so good but not as good as tonight's cool down....my recently miserable pace dropped a little and I felt pretty darn good. I ran 11.5 miles in 1:49:45 (9.33 pace). I probably should have pushed it a little harder but I ran the first 3 miles while it was still pretty warm and the sun was still up so I took it easy. As soon as the sun started going down and the temp dropped, the pace started dropping. What I would have given for this weather this past Sat morning or on Sept 22nd. :(

Tomorrow, I'll probably do a 5 or 6 mile recovery run around my neighborhood and a little bit of cross training at the gym. Friday will definitely be a rest day. Sat should make for a great morning for my 15 miles. I have to find some time to clean out the attic this weekend. I've got some much needed organizing to do around here.

Debating whether I want to do the Team Nashville Half...part of it is on a cinder trail. I've had a few people tell me they didn't care much for that trail. I'm also wondering if I want to do the Halloween Hunt 5 miler at Long Hunter State park. I think I've got a 15 miler scheduled for that particular weekend. As October rolls on by us, I realize.....the holidays will be here soon and I've got something going on nearly every single weekend. Yikes!!!!