A Very Cold Run

This morning I ran 6 miles with my RunOn! Group.  I didn't know the temperature when we started, I just knew it was freezing cold.  When we finished running I checked the temperature :  28 with a windchill of 20.  Holy Schmoly.  I still haven't warmed up, I even went to hot yoga early and stayed late to enjoy the heat but it hasn't cured me of my goosebumps.
I'm shocked I haven't had any breathing problems!  I just used my inhaler before the run :)

Today's mileage: 6
January's mileage: 6

2012 Totals, Kind of

I follow several running blogs and today I've read several blogs about their totals.  It's incredible how far those hardcore runners run!  2013 will be my year to track my miles.
Matthew gave me a Garmin for my birthday in April so I have 8 months of totals but May isn't accurate because I wasn't used to having a garmin and I would forget it pretty often.

May: 25.6 miles
June: 49.1 m
July: 39.1 m
August: 46.3 m
September: 49.3 m
October: 10.4 m --the month I came down with bronchitis, twice
November: 46.5 m
December: 33.3 m

I know that for some people that isn't impressive at all.  To me right now, its kind of impressive but not good enough.  If I were to see this a year or more ago I would think, yeah right, when hell freezes over.

Dallas Half Marathon

This post is long overdue, I'm terrible at updating this.

On December 9 I ran in my first half marathon with 30,000 of my best friends at the Metro PCS Dallas Marathon.  It was stupid humid and really warm for a december day but this is Texas.  I ran the majority of the course with my running buddies which always make running so much more fun.  As we headed to our corral we passed by several porty-potties but we decided to wait until we found our corral to take care of our business.  By the time we found the corral, there were no potties (that we wanted to use) in sight so Jennie, Deb, and I snuck into the fancy Adolfus hotel just to pee!  Yes, that was the highlight of the day.  Because it was so humid outside we decided to take it nice and slow and I felt great the entire time, just walked by the water stations when we needed to.  At mile 10 I was surprised out how great I was feeling so I told my running buddies "See you at the finish line!"  and ran ahead.  I'm glad we started out slow because towards the end, there were a lot of runners that had to end up walking and I was able to run past (slowly, but surely).  Matthew was at the finish line waiting for me and I'm so glad he was there and that we found each other.  I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to find him.  I waited at the finish line for the rest of the group and we all had our pictures taken then we headed to Eddie Deans ranch for some celebrating.

I'm so glad I was able to finish this race.  I've wanted to be a runner my entire life but was always told by doctors and others that I would never be able to do more than a few miles and only during certain times of the year.  I think I proved everyone wrong.  I sent my asthma doctor a thank you note for helping me get here and for encouraging me to do this.  

I am planning on running in the Dallas Rock-n-Roll Half in March. :)

Quick Update

I'm really awful about this whole blogging thing.
Since last time I blogged, I've continued training for my half, ran the Tours de Fleurs 20k with my brother in law and sister in law, was supposed to run in a 5k but sleeping in to get over a cold sounded like a better idea.
The past few weeks have been a little frustrating with time and my asthma.  I've been working 55-60 hours a week and have had some problems breathing.  I've decided that I have to make it a daily decision to cut back on work.  I'm finally feeling better after being on prednisone for 3 weeks.
Today I ran 9 miles.  1 mile at 12 min pace, 5 at 11:15 pace, and the last 3 at 12 min pace.  I felt great!  The only problem is that I didn't wear my "long-run bra", forgot to put body glide where the bra wears and now I have some major chaffing.  Boo.
I'm looking forward to getting back to running on Tuesday!

11 Miles!

This Sunday I ran 11 stinkin miles with my group.  We ran the whole time because there wasn't any traffic and we were able to run right through those dang stop signs and red lights.  Boo.  The weather was perfect, 62 degrees at the beginning but towards the end it had warmed up 10 degrees.  I felt good until the last 2 miles.  I really just wanted to walk but my group was determined to keep on running!
It took us 2 hours 13 minutes and according to my heart rate monitor I burned 1066 calories.  Wowza!

This Saturday I'm running in the Tours de Fleurs 20k with my sister in law and brother in law.  Their super speedy and I'm super slow and now super nervous.  Here's to Saturday!

Fit For Speed. Class 1

The first official class was the past Thursday.  Yep, I'm still sore.   (And by the way, the fastest girl in our class ran the mile in 7:13.  Oh my)
Here are the results from my magic mile
5k speed: 10:14- My thoughts--do-able for one mile or so but 3.1 miles???
10k speed: 10:23 - i would have thoughts on that but I've only done about 6 miles in one setting and I remember that it was hard for me
15k speed 11:00.

On Thursday we did a 400, 800, 1200, 400, another 400 and then we ended with an "easy" 400 run. We had about 45 second breaks between each one.  I'm not really sure what the class goals were.  My goals were to keep up with everyone.  I did the first 400 in 2:15 and the second one I did in 2:04!  Woo hoo!! I did 1.75 miles in 15:38.  Not too shabby.  I was in pain on Friday.  Next time I will definitely use the roller the night of my run.

In Yoga news....  I received my 25 bracelet from SunStone!  Yay!!  I haven't lost a bit of weight but I have definitely gained muscle.  Even Matthew commented on how strong my arms look and my new abs :)

In Safety news.... I received my RoadID in the mail yesterday.  My long runs on Sundays are at least 60 minutes long which is a lot of running for me.  I do feel much better knowing that if something happens, matthew will be contacted and that whoever rescues me will know that I have life threatening allergies to certain medicines.

The Magic Mile

Tonight marked the start of a new RunOn class. This time I will be in the Fit for Speed class. I'm nervous about this class since I'm not fast at all. However, after doing some research I decided this would be the best class for me to start building up my endurance and mileage.
Tonight all of the runners got together for our magic mile to place us is in our groups. I ran that mile in 9:12. I know that to some that may seem slow but that was a new PR for me! Last time, about 7 weeks ago, I ran it in 10:23. I'll admit that I'm proud of myself. Now I'm looking forward to this speed class and possibly running a 5k in less than 30 minutes.
In other news, I saw my miracle doctor today. He's proud of my running and hot yoga but he's afraid I'm doing too much. In the next few months I'll be seeing another doctor and figure out my bone density and see how my muscles are doing. (a side effect of most of my medicines are a loss of bone density and muscles mass and since I'm already premenopausal, he definitely wants me to get it checked out).
Lastly, Im really bad about this blogging thing. I really want to track
my progress but I don't want to take the time to do it. There's another go for me to work on.

Hot Chocolate 5/15K

Originally I had planned on running the 15K but 1 week into the training class I came down with bronchitis so I decided to run the 5K.  I've been having a lot of problems with my asthma and allergies for the past two months but it didn't keep me from running.  On Thursday, I saw my doctor and he said "I know that I can't tell you to run on Saturday because I know you'll run anyways.  Just don't push it.  Walk if you need to.  If it's too cold, don't even go."  I said, "Um, yeah, ok.  I'll try."  Friday night I washed my clothes, set up my running outfit by the wall and then watched the news.  Holy. Moly.  They were predicting that by race time the weather would be in the 20's and the windchill in the teens.  Now I know there are people all over the country that say "just wear layers; it is winter by the way."  My response is, It has been incredibly warm.  We've been training it 50-60 degree weather and a few times in the 70's!  I definitely was not prepared to run in the cold.  This morning I woke up at 4:30, got dressed, stepped outside and boy was it cold!  I checked my e-mail and there were weather concerns from the medical director.  I decided that running outside would probably kill me or make me super duper sick so we stayed in.  Boo.  I was really looking forward to eating all that chocolate after the race.  Hopefully next year I'll be able to run in the cold.  

The more research I do on the best places to live with allergies, the more excited I get about leaving Texas.  I love Texas but I also love being outside and not taking 8+ medicines a day just to keep me breathing. 

Buffs

I can't run out in the cold without a mask.  Doctor's orders.  The mask I had wasn't working out for me so I bought two buffs!  The wool one is green and the other one is purple.  They're pretty amazing.

We Ran Together!

For the first time ever, Matthew and I did a run together!  Yay!  We did our 30 minute "easy" run but it didn't feel so easy because of the wind.  We tried to plan our route to go with the wind but it was all over the place.  I am still coughing like crazy!!  I'm just going to have to use my nebulizer before I run.  I'll ask Dr. Gross for help on that next time I see him.  This "winter" weather has been a wee bit bi-polar, even for DFW.
2.3 miles, 30 minutes.  Not the best, but it will do.

Tuesday's Run

On Tuesday I went to Running Club.  I wasn't sure how much I would be able to run (a cold front blew in and it was pretty chilly).  I used my nebulizer before running which was a very smart idea. We were supposed to run 9 min, walk 1 min for 25 minutes.  Coach Melanie forgot that we were supposed to walk and we ran the entire time.  Halfway through, I asked if we were ever going to walk, yep, I'm that student.  Melanie realized that she completely forgot about walking, asked how we were doing, and we all decided that we could keep on truckin' along.  We did about 2 1/4 miles in 25 minutes.  I didn't have a single problem breathing or coughing.  I did wear that crazy mask the entire time and I think that's what helped so much.  I realized that the cold really does affect my muscles.  They are sore today and I did a lot of stretching.  I'm blaming the cold and not my lack of stretching.
I'm glad to be back running.  I was supposed to run tonight but I didn't have time.  Looking forward to tomorrow's run!

Not Off To A Great Start

This year has not been off to a great start at all.  On January 3rd, I did the magic mile to figure out what running group I should be with.  It was really cold and windy and it took me 10:30 to finish.  When I was done, I could barely breathe.  Some of the coaches tried to talk me into doing the 15K class, which I really wanted to do, but I have had such a hard time controlling my asthma that I didn't think that would be the best idea.  I am now in the regular 5k program.  I ran on Thursday, the 5th, felt fine but then got sick over the weekend.  I went to the emergency room on Sunday and was diagnosed with bronchitis.  I've stayed indoors for over a week now and I'm really getting a case of cabin fever.  I plan on going to running on Tuesday and I sure hope I can keep up.  I don't know what I'm going to do if I can't run in the cold.  I might have to invest in that machine that Dr. Gross was talking about.  

I guess in the cold weather I have to take it 1 day at a time and realize that there are days that I just should not run outside.  

Oh, Hi There!

Well, I've been just as bad running as I have been blogging.  School has been crazy and I've had a cold that I haven't been able to get rid of.  Also, I was having a hard time breathing while running in the cold.  I asked Dr. Gross about running in the cold and he said he would love for me to be able to run during any weather.  He suggested I buy a mask type thing to wear to warm up the air I breath and keep my neck and chest warm.  He also suggested some apparatus machine thing in which you wear an actual plastic mask and it warms up the air before you breath in.  I'm going to try to not use that.  I did my a mask thing from REI.  It isn't the most comfortable to run with but it will do.
Yesterday Matthew and I signed up for the next running class that starts on Tuesday.  Yikes!!  I decided to go for a run this morning and it turns out I don't like running in 30 degree weather.  I'm going to need to invest in some warmer running clothes.  I started off fine and felt great but it didn't take long for the mucus to take over.  I ran only a little over a mile (at a 9:45 pace) and then I had to walk.  I couldn't get my breath back.  I might try running again tonight and tomorrow but this time I'll take some Mucinex before I go out and see how that works out.  I definitely don't want to keel over on Tuesday night.  That would be embarrassing!

Fired Up 5k- Nov. 2011

Yesterday Matthew and I skipped out on church to run in the Fired Up 5K.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to run.  Stupid asthma and allergies have been out of control lately.  I don't complain about my asthma when its my fault that its bad (not taking my meds, hanging out in smokey places, playing with animals I shouldn't...)  but this time it was not my fault.  All day Friday and Saturday I was using my nebulizer every 4 hours, taking allergy/sinus medicine every 6 hours, and using my sinus rinse (nedi pot on steroids) every other hour.  Nothing was helping.  I finally decided to bust out the big steroids Saturday night (predinose and the liquid albuterol that I take 1/2 tsp of) and I'm glad I did!  I was actually breathing like a normal person on Sunday morning.

I made the mistake of assuming it would be chilly in the morning, I mean it was November 20.  So I didn't do laundry and all of my shorts were dirty so I wore my capris.  Bad idea.  It was in the low 70's with 90% humidity.  Crazy Texas weather.  I will never get used to Texas weather. 

During the run, the first two miles I ran a 10:07 mile but that last mile was a killer.  It started to sprinkle but the humidity was really bad and I had to walk a minute and ran a lot slower, about an 11:15 min mile.  I finished strong and I was able to sprint on the last leg through the finish line.  I finished in 32 min 20 sec.  I was hoping to finish faster than 31 minutes but the weather plus the asthma didn't help out.    Matthew finished in about 37 minutes.  I'm proud of him.  He really didn't want to join the running club but he did (and he likes it) and he really didn't want to wake up so early Sunday, and he definitely did not want to run in 90% humidity but he did.  He was able to run the entire time.  Way to go Matthew!

We stayed for awards hoping we would win a 5 day trip for four to Hawaii but we didn't win.  The only other awards they were giving out were for the winners for all of the age groups.  We definitely weren't winners.  How in the world can people finish 3.1 miles in less than 20 minutes?  It blows my mind.    There was was 92 year old woman that one for her age division  :)

I want my next class to be a half marathon class but right now all of them start at 5:15am on Tuesday and Thursdays and I would be late to work twice a week and that won't work out.  My next class is just going to focus on more speed work and building up miles.  Hopefully RunOn will get tired of me asking when they'll have an evening half marathon class and decided to get one going soon!

My 2nd Running Class

After the first week of my first running class I knew I was hooked and would be joining another one.  I signed up for my second RunOn! 101 class and had my doctor sign the note again.  Even hubby agreed to give this running class a try. This time for the Magic Mile my time was 9 minutes 26 seconds.  What the heck?!?!  I shaved off more than an entire minute from the first time!  Coach Elizabeth was proud! Oh, and I also ran with my "slow buddy" Kate.  Yay!  I was glad we would be in the same group again.  I have really enjoyed getting to know her and becoming running buddies.  Some of our fellow runners quit while 3 others joined the 8 mile class!  I'm super proud of them and I miss them but I knew I wasn't ready to up my milage yet.  We managed to get the same coach as last time.  Coach Elizabeth is so great.  Matthew couldn't make it to the Magic Mile so they put him with the other group with Coach Dan.
In our group was a really tall lady who had never run before, the rest of us are around my height, 5'2  (except for Kate who is a little taller).  Well, new lady ran FAST!!  The first night I thought I would be bumped to the other group but Coach didn't kick me out just yet.  I was able to keep up, I was glad for the challenge.  This time around we worked on more speed work and continued to work on hills.  Boo.  :)  The goal for this class was the Turkey Trot but since Matthew and I don't get out of our PJ's on thanksgiving we decided to race early at the Fired Up 5k.
Tuesday is my last day for this running class and I'm a little sad about it.  What am I going to do every Tuesday and Thursday night?  Who's going to ask me about my Wednesday run or my Saturday long run?

Mary Kay 5K- Oct 2011

On October 1 my the RunOn! 101 groups met up at my mecca, I mean, the Mary Kay building for the Mary Kay 5k.  It was COLD that morning!  We were used to running in the upper 90's but that day it was in the low 70's.  Right now the 70's is the perfect temperature but when you're used to upper 90's nearly 30 degrees difference is a lot!  I got there bright and early and waited for my fellow runners to join me.  Kate, my "slow buddy", coach, and I all ran together.  Kate and I really struggled with pacing ourselves so our coach was there to help us out.  My goal for this race was to run the entire time except for walking at the water stations.  I met my goal!!  I was so proud of myself!  I was even able to run faster than my buddies.  I left them in the dust towards the end.  I finished right at 35 minutes. I thought I worked hard enough but when I go to class on Tuesday night the coach asked if I was sore and I said no and she said that I could have gone faster.  The nerve of that woman!  :)  The Mary Kay race was such a great race.  It wasn't that crowded because some of the bigger Race for the Cure races were going on.  The location was just down the road from me and the prizes were really great!  3 people in our group won prizes!  I will definitely be running in this one next year.

Joining a Running Class

I'm so glad that I stayed and talked to the people at the RunOn! tent at the Melon Dash.  They encouraged me to think about joining a class.  I went to the store and mentioned some of my health problems to one of the workers and she told me about her heart problems and how she started running as an adult because of the RunOn! classes.  I signed up for the class and since I answered yes to any of the health questions I had to get a written note from my doctor.  (I actually answered yes to 8 of the questions).
In August I started my first class at RunOn!  The first night we do the "Magic Mile" to place us in the right group.  I ran the mile in 10 min 46 seconds.  I was actually proud of that.  I was really nervous.  I thought most people would finish in less that 8 or 9 minutes.  I was in the middle of the pack.  There were people that were much faster and some that were slower.  They put me in the the "faster" 101 group.  I had a lot of fun getting to run with the group every Tuesday and Thursday and sometimes Saturdays!  I learned a lot about stretching, diet, clothes, products, and first half marathons and marathons.  I also made some great friends, one of which is my "slow buddy" Kate.  We were always at the back of the pack but we thought that was our job, to make sure no one was left behind.  Our goal for this class was the Mary Kay 5k.

Melon Dash- Aug, 2011

I had surgery in early May and I literally couldn't do anything for a good 6-8 weeks.  Once I got the go-ahead from my doctor that I could exercise I signed up for the Melon Dash 5K with my friend.  Well, the hottest summer on record plus the fact that I was still sore from the surgery plus the fact that I was already out of shape = me not wanting to train for this at all, so I kind of didn't.  I figured it would be okay because I knew my friend would be taking this race slow.  I got to the race, tried to call me friend but no answer or text back.  She decided not to do the race.  I was a little upset, lonely, and I thought about leaving before everything started but I'm no quitter.  The race started and I ran at least the first 1.5 miles.  After that I was exhausted and had to run a few minutes, walk a min.   I did that for literally the rest of the time.  The race was beautiful, downtown McKinney with the old house, big trees, small town feel, etc... but boy was it HOT and I was so thankful when I finished the race.  I didn't even bother looking at the time.  I was just glad I wasn't last or died of heat stroke.  I hung around for a little bit and went to see what kind of vendors were there.  That's when I met the nicest people from RunOn!.
I just looked at the results and I finished the race in 44 minutes.  Yikes.  That's embarrassing but at least I went, started, and finished.

My First Race

My first 5K was the St. Paddy's Dash Down Greenville in March 2011.  My training consisted of run/walking for about 30 minutes whenever I felt like it.  There were a ton of people there, about 7000 ran in the race.  It really isn't a race if you want to PR.  I don't remember the exact time but I knot it took about about 40 minutes to finish.  It wouldn't have taken that long if we had gotten there earlier or if there had been less people.  We got there late so we were at the back of the back and we were pretty much forced to walk the first mile.
The race was pretty uneventful.  I was disappointed that it took so long for me to finish.

Why Run?

I enjoy working out, really, I do.  I've always had gym memberships and I enjoyed lifting weights and the spinning classes.   If I couldn't make it to a spin class during the week I wouldn't go to the gym.  I would just spend several hours on Saturday's and Sunday's.  I really didn't have a workout routine, I only went when it was convenient.  I have a pretty decent drive to work so when school started I could never make it to the gym on time for spinning so I never went.  I decided to stop my membership since I would only go a couple of times a month.  My doctor always preaches about how important it is for me to stay in a consistent exercise routine and I hate disappointing my doctor.  I know that he would not be happy if he new I only worked out on the weekends.
I love being outside and I have always been amazed at runners.  (I think it started when I was in 6th grade and I had to write a paper about Jackie Joyner Kersee).  How cool is it that a long distance runner can run anywhere in the world?  I love watching people run the short fast races but also the marathons.  It just seems like something that should be impossible to do.  After telling friends and family that I want to try to be a runner (obviously not one that wins races, just one that finishes races) a lot of them would say things like "You can't run outside" or "ok, yeah, um good luck with that."  Don't tell me I can't do it. That's a challenge to me.  So now I'm determined to be a runner.