Monday I pulled out the Jackie Warner DVD again to give it a shot.  Instead of doing the whole routine, I decided to break it up and do it in 15 minute increments.  I did lower body, then upper body, and finally abs.  I liked this a lot better!  I like concentrating on one area and then moving on to something else.  It’s satisfying knowing that you completed one section already and seems to make the workout go a lot faster.  The workout kicked my hiney!

Tuesday I cranked out 6 miles.  Even with the heat, if I’m doing that distance, I do not have to take water with me.  I will set water out in my driveway so that if I need to make a pit stop, I can.  Sometimes the heat is a bit much and I do have to make a quickie stop and sometimes I can manage.  Tuesday I was able to crank out 6 without having to stop but I did drink down my water when I got back to the driveway!

Wednesday the humidity was even worse if you can believe that!  This time I did have to make a stop after 3.5 miles to take a quick drink of water.  I had thought about going a bit farther but it wasn’t happening.  Too hot!  However by the time I took Rocky out for his walk which is right after my run, the sun was out but the humidity was decreased by a great deal.  Gee thanks weather!

Thursday I had a crap run that turned glorious.  The weather was awesome and the humidity broke for a little bit which made for at least a pleasant run weather-wise.  Mentally however, I was one crankah runner!  I was tired, I was bored with my runs, and the thought of pumping out 8 miles was not appealing to me.

My original schedule that I made for myself puts speed work on Wednesdays and a semi-long run on Thursdays.  I do a ton of stuff on Thursdays around the house (cleaning, food prep and so on) plus then I have Muay Thai conditioning class in the evenings.  It’s a big day!  Then it occurred to me, why in the world did I schedule a long run on Thursdays?  I have way more time on Wednesdays, so I should do it then.  Leaving me Thursdays for a short speed run thus providing me with more time in the mornings to get stuff done around the house.

Duh!

I changed tactics, picked up my pace and did a nice 4 mile run on Thursday.  Average pace wasn’t super speedy since I was being a pain to myself and didn’t pick up the pace till I have half way through.

Conditioning class that night was a rough one.  Both of my martial arts schools are in sort of like warehouse buildings.  No air unless you open the big bay/garage door to get air moving.  So you can imagine how hot of a workout that makes.  I was dripping sweat during class on Thursday and the heat zapped my energy.  Whew!

Friday and Saturday were rest days.  Saturday was an unintentional rest day and I was mad at myself for it for a short time but got over it.  I slept like crap which caused me to sleep in till 10am.  Yikes!  I thought we were going to do yard work so I didn’t worry about getting a DVD done.  However it was seriously hot and humid yesterday and doing yard work was out of the question.  We spent some time moving an old huge TV from upstairs to the basement and I’m calling that an arm and core workout.   It was a 100lb 32 inch rear-projection TV.  Think a regular TV before the flat screens came out.  It’s a monster!  Scott and I managed to move it and now it’s in the basement where we are planning on creating a workout area.  I am totally willing to give it up as well!  For Free! If someone wants it, all you have to do is pick it up and be able to carry it outta my basement and it’s yours! It also has no remote, so you know, there’s that.

Sunday, you know what day it was. Long run time!  I was totally going to play today by ear though because I wasn’t sure how the weather was going to be.  That’s kind of how summer goes, you can have the best intentions but you also have to pay attention to the weather and your body.  If those things don’t want to do a big run then you have to acknowledge that and accept it.

Bonus, you get hot sweaty pics of me today and my CamelBak!  I had no choice, I had to bust out this evil necessity today because it was that nasty out.  At 6am, it was 80 degrees with 87% humidity.  I know the humidity increased a bit since it was clear that rain was iminent.  I took it easy with the heat and with lots of walking breaks to take a drink, I busted out 11 miles under 2 hours.  I am calling that success!

I took a picture of me with my CamelBak because Heather over at HangyPants was asking people how they secure the straw on their CamelBaks.  Mine has a clip and also some elastic straps on each arm piece.  If you click on the picture to make it bigger you’ll be able to see them.  The plastic clip can be removed so you can put it on either side.  When I need to take a drink I just pull out the straw a bit and then push it back in when I’m done.  Don’t we love the sexah chest strap? There’s also another one that goes around my belly.  Who says exercising isn’t hawt?!

There’s the backside of my CamelBak.  It’s silver with greenish accent colors.  I love the colors and all the pockets!  Plus it’s different which also appeals to me.  Don’t be jealous of my pipes now!

The downside to my CamelBak is that the straps sort of poke and scratch me a bit, the right side the most.  I have no idea how to combat this!  I also can’t stand the swish-swish-swish sound as I run.  Someone on Heather’s site said to squeeze out the air from the bladder and that will eliminate the noise.  I have no idea how to go about this.  If I squeeze the bladder, the water will come out!  If someone knows hot to accomplish this, please share.

Alright pretties, that was my week!  Let me know how yours went and what you accomplished this week!

Totally guilty!  And it happens because no one’s perfect.

Monday, I slept in and then did a little bit of light lifting along with some abs and pushups.  I did a few moves from Bodyrock.TV.  I really like the alternative pushups and ab moves that are on there.

Tuesday I got up early, coaxed Scotty outta bed and we headed out for a nice run.  I did six miles at a 9:30 pace which was totally lovely!

Wednesday, back at it again and I decided to do a short run but to pick up the pace a little bit and see what I could do.  I did four miles at a 9:00 min pace!  That was my first ever 9 min/mile!  Whooo!   It was hard and I was worn out afterwards but I felt awesome and was completely pleased with that run.  It was also a gorgeous morning, that pic above is what I woke up to on Wednesday morning.  Beautiful!

We’ve been having hot weather but nothing too terribly horrible.  That is until Thursday rolled around and then we got slammed with more humidity.  I started off the morning just playing the run by ear.  I was going to see how I felt and how my legs felt and go from there.  I ended up doing another 4 miler.  My hams were tired from Wednesday’s speedy run and knowing that I had Muay Thai conditioning class later, I decided to take it easy.

Conditioning class was a rough one just because of how hot it was.  I had sweat rolling off of me like crazy! Thank goodness for water breaks!

Friday and Saturday I took as rest days.  Saturday was an unintentional rest day.  I woke up late and groggy and just had 0 motivation to get anything done.  I was cranky about it but whatever.  Life goes on and you can’t dwell on things, you know?

Scott and I headed out to get some errands taken care of.  He needed some more running shirts and we both needed to get some sunglasses.  Target was our friend and I got a pair of sunglasses for running and then another pair for the car.  Both are polarized because I’m told that along with UVA/UVB protection, polarized sunglasses are also needed.  I guess they help protect your eyes from the brightness of the sun and prevents you from squinting in direct sunlight.

The downside to my sunglasses is that they are pink.  YUCK!  But that is the only pair of that kind that Target had, so I didn’t really have a choice.  I decided to just try a pair from Target first before dropping some major cash on a pair this way I can make sure that they are needed and that running with glasses doesn’t bother me.

Today, despite a really crapola night of sleep, I got up to bust out a long run.  I managed 10.5 miles today and I’m happy with that!  I was tired and my right knee felt a little achy towards the end which is what convinced me to bring it home at 10.5.  Normally I like a more rounded number of miles, so it did feel a little odd for me to stop at a half mile.  It was really overcast this morning so no need for my glasses but I did wear them when I walked Rocky.

I have to say that I do sort of feel a bit ridiculous in these glasses.  I’m not used to wearing sunglasses that have lenses this big, so I feel like everyone is staring at me.   But they work!  The sun didn’t bother me at all and because they are so big, your entire eye area is covered which means there’s no gaps for sun or weird perspective issues to deal with.

As I was reflecting on this past week’s workouts, I realized that the majority of us also need outside reasons to do our workouts. Yes we all want to be healthy and yes we all like doing our chosen workouts.  But for most of us, there is also something else that motivates us that doesn’t quite fit into those categories.

For me, it’s getting to see things in the early mornings that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.  Like that gorgeous early morning sky pictured above.  I get to see lots of bunnies and in the spring lots of baby duckies and geese.  Today I saw a raccoon!   Which was a first for me.  Early morning sunshine and seeing the sun rise isn’t something everyone gets to see and that’s too bad because they are seriously missing out.  The earth is a beautiful place indeed!

I also really like shopping for workout clothes.  Yes it’s an expensive hobby but I love it.  That’s my superficial motivator.  Workout clothes can be fun along with being functional.  I will always gladly shop for new shorts and tops and such.  I might not be a girly-girl but I will admit that shopping for workout gear is time well spent!

You know what else I realized?  That it’s totally okay to have outside motivators.  There is nothing wrong with having some other force that gets you out the door and moving your stuff.

What’s your reason for working out and doing your thing?

I had three rest days this week!  I know it’s crazy but it’s also vacation so whatever.  I’m not going to feel guilty or be upset for relaxing, can you dig it?

This past week has been hot with a side of hot and some extra hot on top with humidity for dessert.  Basically the weather has been miserable and running in it hasn’t been full of fun.  It has been challenging!

I won a contest over at Java Joggers and my prize was a Bondi Band!  YaY!  I have been wanting to try out a Bondi Band forever.  I’ve seen so many other runners wear them that I was curious to test them out.  Plus I was on the hunt for something new since my running hat wasn’t working for me anymore.  The one I won is blue with writing that says “Will run for….” And then it has pictures of pizza, beer, cupcake, and a margarita..

This is only partially true for me.   I will not run for a cupcake or a margarita but I will bust my ass for some beer and pizza.  In case you are ever responsible for feeding me after a run, now you know what is appropriate and what is not.

I wore my new Bondi Band on Tuesday when it was crazy humid.  I slept-in which meant I was only doing a shortie run.  I did 4 miles and it was hard!  HARD.  I don’t know how people can run in the late morning sun and heat because it wrecks me.  That is me right after my Tuesday run.  Obviously I’m sweating like Lindsey before a drug test as evidenced by my red hawt face and soaked t-shirt.  The Bondi Band worked great at keeping the sweat out of my eyes.  I was amazed actually by how well it worked.  Expect a product review soon!

As a side note, the shirt I’m wearing in that picture is one of my favorite running shirts.  Its light-weight and shows me how much I sweat which I love.  I want to see how hard I just kicked it!

Wednesday I did nothing but relaxed.

Thursday I did 5 miles and the first 3.5 were with Scott.  Scott was going pretty fast, he was running roughly a 9 min mile the whole time and I totally kept up with him the entire 3.5.  That includes the end when he took off sprinting like a brat, rookie.  His mentality is, “Holy crap the end is right there, if I go faster it will be over faster.”  Instead of, you know, keeping a regular pace.   I sprinted right along with him, dropped him off, and headed back out.  I would have done 6 but mother nature called and there was no way I was letting that go to voicemail.  I lived with 5 and called it good.

Friday, I busted out 6.  Normally a rest day but I already had some and really wanted to get another run in.  Scott didn’t go with me, he said he wanted to sleep in.  See?  That’s what happens to rookies who bust it out super fast.  Y’all wear yourselves out!   My run on Friday was awesome and I was so happy to have gotten some movement going.

Saturday I played Lego Star Wars.  This was an exercise involving my patience because I want to toss this game out a window and then run it over with the car.

Sunday, glorious Sunday!  I got up, changed, filled my CamelBak and headed out for my long run.  Naturally once the humidity decreases I consider taking my CamelBak out with me.  I have a love hate relationship with this thing.

I love having water with me at all times.

I hate the “swish swish” sound of sloushing water as I run.  It also has something on the right strap that pokes me in the arm.  It also slows me down.  Or at least if feels like it slows me down.  I’m a light runner.  Meaning, I don’t like taking a lot of stuff with me on runs.  I try to run with as little as possible, so carrying a backpack full of water = not fun for me.  However it’s summer and you gotta do what you gotta do, right?  I wore it for the first 4.5 loop then I tossed it in the corner like a prom dress.  This is because I had to head home to use the facilities. I would have worn it the whole time if I didn’t have to stop, just to see how I would do on a super long run with it.

My long run today?  12 miles!    It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve done a double digit run and it felt soooo nice to finally get in a great long run.  My pace was pretty great today and I finished those 12 just over 2 hours, clocking in at 2:02!  That’s not shabby at all!

So while this week saw a lot of rest days and a few odd runs, I’m still happy with the end result.

What all did you do this week?

Comment #4: Jess

Comment #7: Kirstie

Comment #18: Barrett

Congratulations Winners!  I will need your mailing info to pass along to Columbus Marathon so they can mail out your new armbands!  Hooray!

Then Run Fest is for you!  Run Fest is put on by the Columbus Marathon and is a day full of happening things for runners!  Let’s start with the basic details first:

What: Run Fest

When: Saturday, July 10th from 1-4pm

Where: Frog Bear and Wild Boar in the Arena District

Who: Everyone!

Cost: FREE

This is the official celebration for the kickoff to the start of training for the Columbus Marathon and Half.  This event is all about running!  There will be booths all focused on running.  Some will be local running stores, others will be running groups, and fitness experts.  There will be free food and drinks to keep you from perishing in this Ohio summer heat.

Live music to keep you moving and PRIZES to keep you on your toes checking to see if you won!

Prizes for the day include $1,000.00 worth of running store gift certificates, FREE marathon entry for LIFE, and other various fun surprises!

Columbus marathon is revealing a new logo this year which will be announced at Run Fest!  To show their appreciation, Columbus Marathon is giving away FREE iPod armbands with the new logo to the first 500 people who show up at the event!  There will also be Columbus Marathon merchandise on sale with the new logo as well.

Want inside hookup?  Columbus Marathon is giving THREE OHC readers their very own iPod armband! Oh yeah!  All you have to do is comment on this post telling me:

1. If you’re going to run fest.

2. If you’re signing up for the marathon or half.

3. Or what your summer running goals are for 2010.

You don’t have to answer all of them, just the ones that apply to you!  Easy!  I will announce the winners of the armband on Friday by 4pm! Contest open to locals only. Contest ends Friday, July 9th at Noon.  Winners announced that same day at 4pm ET.

Are you signed up for the Columbus Marathon and Half?  Inside sources have informed me that current registration is going strong.  The full is up to 40% and 20% for the half.  Early bird pricing ends this month!  If you’re gonna do it, then you better get crackin’!

You can signup or read more about Run Fest on Facebook!

Don’t worry, that’s not my dog spazzing out, he’s just really excited in this picture and doing his happy dance. Life would be a little more fun if we all did happy dances don’t you think?

My week started off alright and then ended really well!  Monday I tried a new workout DVD and tried Jackie’s workout.  It was alright but not as intense as a Jillian workout.  I probably will have to consider upping the weights when I do that DVD again.  I did wake up sore the next day so I must have done something right!

Tuesday I needed a rest day like you can’t even imagine.  I was exhausted.  I didn’t do anything, not even Muay Thai.

Wednesday I kicked it for a shortie 3 miles.  It was very overcast when I woke up and it seemed like it was going to storm any second.  I waited it out and the weather cleared a little bit so I went out and was able to get in 3 before it got overcast again.

Thursday was a glorious 8 mile run! It was perfect! The weather was cool, my legs felt awesome, my pace was killer and just everything seemed totally ON.  I loved it and could have ran forever.  Conditioning class later made that one intense workout day.

Friday I took as a rest day.

Saturday, I was tired from a crap night of sleep so I just did some light weights at home.  I used my dumbbells and did various things along with squats, pushups, lunges, and some ab work.

Today I kicked out 11 miles for my long run.  It was another gorgeous morning here in the Midwest and I loved being outside.  I made sure that I was plenty hydrated!  I pounded the water all day yesterday and then put a waterbottle out in my driveway.  I completed my first 4.5 route and came in for some water.  After that I was able to finish my run without needing water but when I was done I drained that water bottle.  I took Rocks out for a walk before it got too hot outside.

Shoe News:

I went to the running store and tried on a pair of Adrenaline 10s without the flower pattern in the middle to see if those would fit any differently.  They felt the same as the flower version which means that the 10s are out for me.  The store didn’t have anymore 9s and I turned to online shopping to solve the problem.

It took me forever to find shoes! No one had Adrenalines 9 anymore and if they did, the size was ridiculous like a 3.  Um, right.  I finally found some (albeit a bit overpriced for a previous model shoe but what can you do?) and they had them in my size.

So I ordered 3 pairs of them.  Oh yes I did.  These shoes work for me and I want to make sure I’ve got backups as I try out other shoes.  I can’t wait till they get here!  For my 11 miles today I wore my old 9s and I’ll make the 10s generic workout shoes.  I’m not looking forward to finding new shoes though.  Running shoes aren’t cheap and aren’t really something you want to keep testing out.

I’m a stablity shoe girl and I sort of feel like we don’t have as many options as the neutral folks.  What kind of shoes do you wear?

Crappy sleep = crappy workout.

I want to be at my best!  I’m pretty good at knowing when my body just needs a rest though and when I can push through.  Today when I woke up to get my day started and take care of Rocky, I knew right away that my body needed more sleep and rest, not a run.  I finished up with Rocks and then went back to bed.

Sometimes I just need more sleep, so I’ll sleep in and then workout later.  Perhaps not getting in a 6 mile run but a 4 miler instead.  Or I’ll do a workout DVD or some yoga.

Other times, like today, I can just tell that my body needs a break.  Two years ago when I vowed to get healthier, I also vowed to pay attention to my bod and listen to what it tries to tell me.  I’ve become pretty good at this and at respecting its wishes.  I know the difference between needing a little bit more sleep and needing a total rest day.  I can’t explain it, but my body feels differently between the two.

When I first started working out, I didn’t take rest days because I didn’t think I could afford too.  Now I see how important rest days are and how important it is to respect your body.

I have a “scheduled” rest day during the week and it’s on Fridays.  Sometimes it’s a full rest day and sometimes I do run in the morning.  It depends on how I feel and how the rest of my week was.  More often than not, it’s a rest day.  Occasionally, like today, my body lets me know I need another one.  Before I used to feel guilty about taking a day off of running.  Now I do not.  I need it, my body says so.

Sometimes I feel guilty about missing a workout.  As if other runners or people look at me and think, “She’s a runner, she should want to run all the time!”

I think people (and fellow runners)  forget that running is hard.  And it’s hard on the body!  No matter what kind of runner you are, everybody needs a rest day.  Your body is naturally going to want to take a break here and there.  It doesn’t mean you don’t like running anymore.  Or that you’re slacking.  Or that you aren’t motivated.

It just means that you need a break.

This applies to all kinds of workouts.  You’re just going to need a break.  And it’s okay.

How do you feel about rest days?  Do you listen to what your body tries to tell you?

I miss just chatting with you friends! We’re always talking about something specific and sometimes I really just want to pull some ADD on you and talk about random whatevers.

So this week, while I still maintained my average mileage (I’m typically in the area of 20+ miles a week), it was a bit of an oddball of assortments.  On Tuesday I ran 8 miles, yeah baby!  It was lovely outside and since I did a 10K on Sunday, I didn’t get in a “long” run that week.  The 8 miles went great and I had an awesome pace going on.  Tuesday evening, I was at Muay Thai and tweaked my right groin muscle a bit.  Gah!  It bothered me the week before but was fine by race day.  I was shadow boxing, threw a right knee and my groin didn’t like that very much.  The rest of the night it was hard to throw more knees and to do any left roundkicks.  I was pouty and mad.

Wednesday it was raining so I did some workouts that I found on Bodyrock.TV.  That shit is no joke.  The workouts are hard! I love that the host actually does the workouts and you can see her get tired and she talks about how hard the stuff is.  A lot of people talk about Exercise TV but I can’t figure that stinkin’ website out.  Bodyrock.TV posts everyday and the workouts are free.  It is awesome! I totally suggest checking it out if you’re into core and strength workouts that use your own body weight for the resistance.

Thursday I rested and only did conditioning class that evening.  Bonus for me, I was able to do some clap-pushups for the first time ever!  Hooray!  I did five in a row and then added a few in every so often during the set.  YES!

Friday was a total rest day.

Saturday, I slept in and then did a quick 4 miles in the crazy heat.  LORD. Running in late morning is so hard for me! I am such a wuss and definitely prefer to run before the sun rises.  The rest of the day was spent running errands.  Shopping errands, the kind Scott loathes.  He was such a good sport though and didn’t complain once!

We stopped at Old Navy because I saw a commercial they were having tanks on sale for $2! However by the time I got there, they were sold out.  The sales chick said they had lines outside the store before they opened and the store opens at 7am.   Hardcore shoppers!  I did score a pair of jeans for $13, a sweat shirt which is so awesome I cannot wait to take a pic for you, and some lovely long-sleeved Ts.

I also hit up Target, Dick’s (the store people), and Kohl’s.  Oh yeah!  Also can I say, thank god for Vera Wang jeans because they are amazing!  I have the worst time finding jeans in my size and shopping in the junior’s section isn’t my idea of a great time.  That’s a whole other rant for another time.  Scott was so amazing that I made him some spicy mac ‘n cheese for supper.

Today 5:45am came super early, ugh!  I got my hiney up and out the door and kicked out 12 miles.  Hellz yes!  That’s my longest run since the half in May.  Go me!  It was a bit rough going towards the end.  I was tired and by that point it was overcast and getting humid outside.  I pushed through and am so happy that I did!  The downside is that my new shoes gave me a blister.  Grrr! I’ve never gotten a blister from Brooks before and these new shoes are so different it’s like they aren’t even Brooks Adrenalines.  I’ll have to go into that more next week as I’ve already written a novel and chatted your ear off!

Alright guys I’m out to continue getting my grub on.  Hooray for distance running!

I wasn’t going to do any sort of taper or anything leading up to the race but my right groin muscle was giving me some trouble and I did end up tapering a bit.  My last run was on Wednesday and it was 6 miles.  I didn’t run again till race day on Sunday!

All this week we’ve been having serious thunderstorms, tornado-type weather, and rain.  Lots of rain.  It’s been seriously humid and hot as well!  Sunday morning I actually got to sleep in!  Normally I’m up before or right at 6am to get ready for my long run, however this race didn’t start till 9am (That is so late you guys! Seriously, let’s get a 7am run going! ), which meant I had some time on my hands.  It was thundering and lightening out something fierce.  I checked the weather and we had a tornado watch on until 9pm.  Yikes!  Not the best weather for a race!

So far my races this year, my first 5K was rained out, it poured rain during my half, and now my first 10K looked like it was going to be a wet one as well.  Maybe my race season this year is just going to be full of water?

I finally wandered upstairs to get dressed and Scott and I headed down to the start.  I decided that I was running and if I can do a half in torrential downpour, I can do 6 miles in some rain.  We got there just in time!  I had time to hit the potty and only had to stand around for a few minutes before the race started.  The race started and finished at COSI which is Columbus’s Center of Science and Industry.  It was our first time at COSI!

Racers waiting for the 10K to start!

Scott is on picture duty which is both awesome and frustrating at the same time.  Why?  Because Scott loves “candid” shots.  You know, random action shots of people doing whatever.  Which would be fine if he would just start taking pictures.  However his approach is to make you stand there all posed and pretty and then keep you there for 10 minutes as he tries for the “candids”.  It’s not like he takes a picture, says he has it and then keeps photographing “the moment”.   He just stands there looking at you while you are trying to hold onto a plastic smile for 10 minutes and you have no idea what’s going on.  A lot of the “candids” of me end up looking like this.

This is at the point where I’m yelling, “Scott are you taking some effin’ pictures or what?!”  Because you see, for 10 minutes prior I was standing there looking like this.

Isn’t this much cuter?  We then had a deep “discussion” about how he needs to inform me when we are taking serious pictures and when we are taking “fun” pictures.  We’ll see how well this works.

The kids finished up their race and I got in line for my first 10K!  Also?  I was freaking freezing cold.  This part of COSI is right next to the water.  I have no idea what body of water it is but it’s a river and it’s dirty.  This is all I know.

FREEZING COLD!  There was a breeze and it was arctic.

Maybe if I hop in place I will get warm?  Note to self, this did not work.

The horn blew and we were off!  I waved goodbye to Scottarazzi and I was off!  I was under the impression that I wouldn’t see Scott again but I was totally wrong!  I saw him again right away because we ran around the COSI building and came back up the front.  This was the first hill incline of the race and while it doesn’t seem like much, when you’re running it, it’s hard!

I am flashing some sort of race sign to indicate that I am hawtness.  Also my right hand needs to get under control!  Apparently I fling it out when I run.  Not attractive!  Making fists is not a comfortable position for me.  I try to hold loose fists but I guess I don’t do this either.  I need to work on this!

The camera that is used for all the OHC food shots is also our “event” camera.  It is not a good event camera.  It doesn’t switch between modes fast enough and it doesn’t do continuous very well.  For example here is me running with the camera on continuous:

Oh here I come! Flinging hands and all!

Shouldn’t most of me be in this picture?

Whoa! Now I’m like totally in your face!

Now you can just see my buff forearm and Wonder Woman wristband.  Or maybe Scott was trying to get that chick in the blue shorts?  She does have a great butt!

That’s alright, I got some killer legs! Take that sexah butt girl!  Also? Pay no mind to the flinging right hand.  Jeeze.

That was the last time I saw Scott until after I finished.

This race was hard, no lie.  I was thankful it was only six miles long!  Once I got out away from the water, it became hot and humid again.  It was a later morning start than I’m used to so that was a bit rougher on me.  It was also super windy at times!  Up some of the inclines we were battling some serious wind and I had to keep a hold of my hat so it wouldn’t fly off.

It was hot and the race just felt long.  Many times I thought we were farther than we actually were!  I stopped for a water break once, I think it was the second station which was right before the mile 3 marker.  I was so happy to hit half way!

The second half of the race was all on paved park and bike trails through downtown.  Lovely for a race and it provided some nice terrain.  It wasn’t flat but the hills weren’t killer either.  For some reason I was able to handle those hills much better than the steady inclines of downtown!

When they told us that we just had to go down the hill to the bottom and we were done, I was so happy!  YES!  I would be done, praise be!

I started trucking it as much as I could down the hill without risk of tripping and rolling across the finish line.

My thought process was something like:

“Go go go go go go!”  “The end is right there!”  “Go go go go!”

“Ugh get the sweat off my face!”

See and you thought my Wonder Woman wristbands were a fashion statement!  Pffffttt!

DONE!  Thank goodness!!!

I waited around till Scott found me and then he started taking pictures again.

Ahem.  I’m up here, babies. Up here.

Oh hey! There I am!  No I didn’t drink any cherry seltzer, why do you ask?

That bottle was actually half full of chocolate soymilk and thank goodness too!  I needed some fluids in a big way! I chugged that in two seconds flat.

No rain at all during the race which was awesome!

My time was 1:03 which I was really disappointed in.  The run was hard, it was windy, and there were some hills which slowed me down. Mostly the wind!  I wanted to finish in under an hour and that didn’t happen.  I got over being cranky pretty quickly though.  It was a good race and it was challenging! That is what is important, time is not.

After this picture we jetted back home.  I couldn’t stick around because it was just too cold! Now that I was super sweaty, the breeze was even worse!  I came home to shower and stuff my face with some breakfast.

First 10K done! Whooo!

My name is Andrea, and I am not a technical runner.

I run because I like it and I like how running makes me feel.  I run because I like competing against myself and challenging myself in different ways.  I run to run.  Plain and simple.

The only “runner speak” I know is:

• HRM = Heart Rate Monitor
• Garmin = Over priced GPS device worn on wrist
• PR = Personal Record
• PDR = Personal Distance Record

That’s it.  This is all I know.

When runners start talking about negative splits, positive splits, and occasional banana splits, I have no idea what they are talking about.  Usually numbers follow those splits and those numbers mean nothing to me other than looking like a bunch of random numbers tossed around.

If I don’t know what a split is, I certainly don’t know what Fartleks are.

A tempo run?  Is that running to a Latin beat?  I have no idea.

Those of you that can lay out your long runs mile by mile amaze me.  After my run, all I know is how the run went.  I cannot even begin to try and figure out how I felt at mile 5 verses mile 2.

And lastly, on occasion you’ll see something like this on a running blog:

“Today I did 4×800s followed with 16×600s and wow was I glad I was done when it was over!”

Why?  I have not the slightest clue why these numbers would wear a runner out.  Does one have to count to 16 600 times? Because, wow that would wear me out too! And I would want to be a rebel and just push to 20 on occasion.

Also? I’m too lazy to look any of this up.  Either that or I’m super not interested.  Possibly both.

I like running blogs that talk about their runs and why they enjoy running.  What happened on their run and what they felt like during their run.  When blogs get too technical with the stuff I just mentioned, my eyes glaze over and I move on.  It’s nothing against the blog because all types of blogs appeal to all types of people.  Super technical running/training blogs just don’t appeal to me.

Why?

Because when I run, my focus is on the run and how I’m feeling at the time.  What I saw on my run and maybe what I didn’t see.  Did I push myself today or take it easy?  Did I get some mileage in or do a quick run?  And since this is what my focus is on, I tend to gravitate towards running blogs that talk about the same things.  I don’t really focus on numbers and I have no big goals that I’m looking to achieve because I’ve already achieved what I set out to do: become a distance runner.

I just like to run. It’s my peace, my calming force, and my alone time.  I don’t need outside forces to motivate me because running, by itself, is a great motivator.  Will I ever learn what those terms mean? Most likely, because as I already stated, I like to challenge myself in new ways with regards to running.  However, my run posts and recaps won’t be dominated by numbers and splits, and farts.  My run posts and recaps will be dominated by thoughts, emotions, and sights.

At this point, not knowing what those terms mean doesn’t bother me at all.  Whatever.  I run because I like it and who gives a flip if I don’t know all the super technical words that can be tagged on to a simple run.

My name is Andrea and I am not a technical runner.