it's a hot one

Sunday 3-18-12

I slept in to day till 9 a.m. i can't remember the last time that happened! Not that i am complaining, just shocked! the plan was to get out the door at 8 this morning to beat the heat, well obviously that didn't happen. I didn't get out the door till about 11:30. So i was running at the hottest part of the day, which i don't mind. my body however is not accustomed to the hot yet. I ran a new loop today and it measured out to be 21.07 miles. I only needed to run 20, but i was going to run the whole thing if my body would let me. I ran with the wind the first 10 or so and I was trying to conserve water, about half way into the run i came into a town and i planned to stop to refill my water, but i still was using it sparingly. big mistake. so i stopped redid my  hair and filled my water bottles and got back to it. now i was into the wind and clearly going to need more water. there were a few clouds int the sky but not many and i really knew that i wouldn't have another chance to stop to refill, so i tried really hard to take sips instead of gulps. twice though the water went down the wrong way and i choked.
the heat was starting to get to me, and i had about a mile left to get to the 20 miles. i trudged along and got a bit past the 20 miles and stopped at the cvs. grabbed a water and man did that ice cold water taste good!
i did learn that you shouldn't forget deodorant on a long run, especially if you have just shaved your armpits. talk about chaffing! i did remember the body glide on my legs though, that's what i was worried about. i will not make that mistake again! I walked the last .5 miles home shaking out my legs, trying to cool down my body. did some stretches and hopped into the ice bath, and it felt good. i was drinking so much water trying to fend off any heat exhaustion that was about to hit. slowly i felt better and was able to stand long enough to take a real shower.
I managed top get a sweet sunburn on my shoulders, back, and chest. i took my shirt off around mile 3 and ran in just my sports bra. my poor skin that has been shielded all winter is now mad at me! my face was saved with the sunscreen and visor!
newer pink shoes are all broken in and wore them for the long run, saving the yellow ones for races. nf shorts and nf sports bra(stow and go) and nf tech t. fuel belt and visor for my accessories.

20.28 miles in 3:06:02.  my splits were faster than i thought.

1	8:26.5
2	8:11.0
3	8:49.2
4	8:23.9
5	8:51.5
6	8:31.8
7	8:34.4
8	8:49.8
9	9:01.0
10	9:06.4
11	9:00.9
12	8:50.3
13	9:26.0
14	9:53.3
15	9:53.3
16	9:52.5
17	9:51.3
18	9:41.3
19	10:09.4
20	9:53.1
21	2:45.9	0  .28	0

Happy ST. Pat's Day!

Saturday 3-17-12

yesterday was a rest day, and today is the 10K Shamrock Shuffle. Rog and I are doing this race together, my first race of the season, and his first ever 10K. the plan is to run together the whole way and to take it easy, not to push too hard and stay comfortable. for me there are alot of nerves before any race and today was no different. We got there in plenty of time and got to the front and started out great. at the first mile marker we were at a 7:30ish pace, which didn't really feel like we were going that fast so we didn't slow down. after the 3 mile turnaround i was just starting to settle into my groove and told him we couldn't go any faster due to my 20 miler the next day. so we kept our pace. towards the end we both sprinted to the end finishing within 1 sec of each other. my finish time was 47:29 with a 7:39 pace. that's a PR for me for sure! and for his first 10K ever, wow!
There's us after the race, we were gonna get a before pic, but he had to use the "johnny on the spot" soooo bad he was coming out of his skin!

needless to say it was a great race we both felt good afterwards. it was nice a sunny out and road bikes with the kids later to get ice cream.

p.s. happy birthday to Mrow Mrow and to Roger's dad.

hot hot summer

Thursday 3-15

doing the Vilas(Hope) Loop today and I am so excited, out the door again by 7:30 and it is so foggy out. The temperature is high 50's and already humid. Running in the country and early in the morning os peaceful, reallky helps me clear my head and get me into a great mood! my legs are still heavy though, so making it a bit difficult.

Also I have to remember that running in cold weather versus warmer weather that you need to hydrate differently. Example: I can run a 12 miler in cold weather and not need fuel or water, but a 12 miler in 60 degrees I need water at least.
Sporting the compression sleeves, pink shoes, nf shorts, nf long sleeve t, and visor instead of sunglasses. I am ready to get rid of the winter runners' tan, and the sunglass tan i already have aquired!
11 miles in 1:37:56

Pi day

Wednesday 3-14

Happy pi day! I made an apple pie for travis for his math class with 3.14 carved into the top crust! Anyway.....it was in the 50's today and I did the Vilas hope down and back route. my legs were still sore though. i felt great though otherwise, the sun really does bring out the great attitude!

Sporting SHORTS, nf sports bra and nf short sleeve T. pink shoes again, hoping to get them worked in for my 20 miler this weekend!
We have the shamrock shuffle 10 K race on saturday, Roger and i are running it together. it is going to be a training run for both of us, so we won't be going too fast, since he isn't ready to yet and I have a 20 miler on Sunday and I DO NOT need an injury right now!

8:04 miles in 1:10:23

pink shoes again.

Tuesday 3-13

i really am having a hard time letting go of the cold weather gear. I am dressing entirely too warm for this weather. Today was mid 40's with a little wind. I wore warmer weather brooks tights, nf sports bra, long sleeve orange tech t, and alo as an outer. i had knit gloves and knit nf hat. The gloves and the outer shirt came off on the way back.
my legs were so heavy today, i did my ab workout which involves alot of leg work, so they are sore today!
i did 6 miles with 6x100m, man it was tough!

6 miles in 51:16

New legs!

Monday 3-12

Warmer yet today 53 degrees with wind at 11 mph. forgot the picture today, but with my rest day yesterday and my ice bath, I felt like I had a new set of legs, I felt awesome!! I was out by 7 a.m. while most people are out getting to work, I'm running and it feels awesome, I like to think that I encourage soem people to work out when they normally wouldn't have.

10.22 miles in 1:29:34

Ice Ice Baby

Saturday 3-10

It has been very windy around here lately. Today the winds are in the upper 20 mph! A weekend with no kids and Roger is gone so I headed out on my run towards Marshall. It is 2 miles in town and then I hit the Cty Hwy. I was feeling good and happy and the run seemed like it was perfect. This was an 18 miler. I knew however that the wind was at my back and I would soon be facing it head on. the 9 mile mark was right on the edge of town and I turned around and BAM! It was like hitting a wall. The wind was 25 mph at this point and I could swear that a couple of times my feet were moving and I was not! This did not hinder my mood however, it was still sunny and I was having a good time, that route I've only been on once before and not that far, so it was nice to see a change in scenery. I took it easy on the first half knowing that i would be going into the wind, so I had some energy to tackle it. i took gels along the run at 1 and 2 hours.
Wearing warmer weather brooks tights, nf sports bra, nf white long sleeve base and bjorn daehlie outer. the knitted nf hat and the bula neck gator were a last minute add. i didn't need them. I also had gloves that I didn't need either, by the 3rd mile the gator and gloves were off a tied to my belt along with my sleeves pushed up and hat pulled up over my ears.
it being 45 degrees, i still couldn't get out of the cold weather mind set!
18 miles in 2:54:28, first 18 miler ever.

Tomorrow is a rest day, and I took an ice bath after this run. I stayed in a total of 4 minutes!

Breakin in new shoes.

Friday 3-9-12

It was about 25 degrees today and 16 mph winds. I am breaking in a new pair of shoes so that I can wear the yellow ones for race day in May. The shoes that I wear got upgraded to the new model, so the ones I have been wearing all year(not the same pair) are all on sale so I bought 2 pairs. I go through a pair of shoes every 300 miles, that adds up quick!
I ran down up to work and back which evens out to be a little more than 7 miles. The wind wasn't that bad because of the sun.

I wore Brooks colder weather tights, nf sports bra, ice breaker base and alo outer. gloves and hat completed the ensemble.

7.15 miles in 1:01:06.

addition

Thursday 3-8-12
.
Later work start for me today which means i can make up the miles from yesterday!! i did 11 to help make up some ground. I was over 2 miles in when i realized the GPS was still off on the watch and was also still set to foot pod mode. ahhhhhh. whatev, quick fix. i was not going to let my mood continue into today.
the weather is colder today, about 30ish and still windy about 16mph.

warmer weather brooks tights, and nf sports bra. nf white long sleeve base layer and nf black outer layer. bula neck gator and berkeley hat.

11  miles in 1:40:07.

Treadmill Stress

Wednesday 3-7-12

Horrible start to my day to say the least. This far in my training there are more mid week longer runs. In order for me to be at work by 10 I need to be out the door by 7 a.m. at the latest. I got up early, ate and got the kids up and fed them breakfast. All suited up and ready to go and grab my Garmin. Flippin' dead!! I charged it all day yesterday so this wouldn't happen. Of course I can't run without it, so i wait, and wait. As I have expressed before time really REALLY stresses me out. I get out the door after 7:30 and it's 40 some degrees with 23 mph winds. awesome.
I decide after about 1/2 a block that there is no way I have time to get my 11 miles in before work. I turn around and back my gym bag, change, and head to the gym. I was only able to get in about half the distance. So after my near panic attack, I got my run in. This however did NOT help my mood. I was pissed off all fricken day. Thank god work wasn't busy, cuz someone could have gotten the wrath of Nora.
Why does time and being late freak me out so much? It has always been that way for me even as a little kid. I remember waking up super early for school and being ready and waiting in front of school before the doors even were open, in fear that I would be late.
The mood followed me even after work and into the night. i did let everyone know that if i am rude, it's not their fault.
so this is the attire i was planning on wearing for the run outside, clearly not what i actually wore though.

5.5 miles in 44:42. eh.

minus 2

Tuesday 3-6-12

The sun is shinning and the weather is warmer, well 35 degrees anyway. The wind was a bit wicked though causing the strides to be even more challenging. I was running a bit close with time so I did 8 miles instead of the planned 10. I did the 8x100m though. I felt good despite the longer run the day before.



Wearing the colder weather tights, nf sports bra, ice breaker base, and nf outer layer. bula and berkeley hat and nf gloves.

8.18 miles in 1:12:57. not too bad.

So that's what a rest day is?!

Monday 3-5-12

Yesterday was supposed to be my long run day, well 12 miles anyway. it was flurrying all day and the wind was wicked. it was about 25 degrees, but looked nasty. I was going in the afternoon to get a sport massage to help alleviate my sore calves. i wasn't feeling like running yesterday and I knew that today being my day off from work and my "rest day" i would have the time to get the mileage in. So I got up at 5:45 am so i could eat an hour before leaving and be out the door at 7. Sun shining and literally no wind with the temp at 10 degrees, sounds pretty much perfect. Got the kids snack packed and fed them breakfast leaving it to Rog to get them off to school as i headed out at 7:05. I took a new route that took me the back way to Marshall. It was a nice change of scenery. The way back seemed to take a lot less longer than the way there.
i get about 2 miles from home and i see a car driving fast coming from the left to the intersection. i know he isn't going to stop and clearly doesn't see me. i kept a safe distance but stopped right in front of his car, hands up. the slamming of the brakes and the "oh shit" look on his face was priceless. i came to the window and he says "i didn't see you, I'm a runner too, i know you are running on this side of the road, blah, blah, blah". Not an I'm sorry, or I'll pay more attention: nothing. I just shook my head, gave him the look and started on my way.

I know that since i am a runner I pay extra close attention at intersections to make sure I am not on the other side of that situation.

Sporting brooks colder weather tights, smartwool socks, nf sports bra, red craft base layer, ice breaker base layer and alo outer. I am wearing the craft balaclava, bula neck gator and smartwool hat. both pairs of gloves got used today. i took one gel with me and both water bottles but with only one filled. i had the sun glasses but never used them, I always forget that with the balaclava they are useless because they fog up and i can't see a thing.

12 miles in 1:46:10, not too bad. i guess taking a real day off helps!

hot yoga immediately followed this run and an hour spin class tonight!

the snow is falling, the snow is falling

Saturday 3-3-12

happy Birthday to Roger! Today is my day to workout second in the scheme of things. he does double spin classes on Saturday mornings and i run when he gets home. someone has to keep the children in line! I got up early before he left and made his favorite bfast: blueberry pancakes and bacon, there was scrambled eggs, toast and i made myself(after the kids and roger ate and the dishes were cleaned and everything put away) an egg white omelet with toast topped with red raspberry jam and chopped almonds. yum!
My run today was a bit unusual due to the fact that we got about 6 inches of snow yesterday. i got to use my snow shoes here in WI for the first time all winter! i knew the trail would be open and that the roads would not be fully plowed yet so I went for it.

i forgot that the effort used to run with snow shoes is much greater and since the path was not groomed, it is also like running in sand. I was definitely up in the high heart rate zone. i did 6 miles with the wind in my face going about 10 mph on the way back. That run made me think about something while fighting the wind. It is so easy to give up and feel sorry for yourself for doing so, but it is hard to keep going but yet feel proud. Which of those do you feel yourself doing more? People ask me all the time how I run like i do, how to i have the motivation to run "that far". My most common answer is i don't know, I just run. i make that decision to myself everyday when I head out, that the miles that i have in my head to do, I simply do. It's that simple. If you cheat on your run, you are only cheating yourself and pushing yourself a little further from that goal you have set within yourself.

I bundled up a bit extra for this run since the wind was a bit strong. The snow shoes are connected to the running shoes with screws, so making sure i had warm socks was key! I had the smartwool socks on, the colder temp brooks tights with nf wind pant shell over top in case I fell. I had the nf sports bra tank and the Bjorn Daehlie long sleeve top with my craft jacket to hold all the heat in. the Bula and nf knitted hat completed the ensemble with a last minute add with the glasses.

6.01 miles in 1:07:56. when I look at that time i think it must be wrong, then I remember the snow shoes :)

Birthday Weekend

Friday 3-2-12

Tomorrow is Roger's birthday! I felt good today, the weather wasn't that bad. mostly cloudy with a sneak peak on sunshine coming through every now and then. The temp was about 30ish and not much wind. My left leg is still pretty tight and I am working on trying to loosen it up with different things.

Wearing today: Brooks colder weather tights, ice breaker long sleeve base, nf long sleeve outer. nf gloves and berkeley hat. 

8.01 miles in 1:10:13.

Day Off?

Thursday 3-1

On the schedule was 6 miles. i did 4 :( i was a bit sore this morning and I was strapped for time. Even though it was my day off, I had alot of errands to run. Time kinda stresses me out, therefore i shortened the run and I will run longer tomorrow.
i wore the colder weather brooks tights, nf sports bra, ice breaker base, white ski outer.
4:01 miles in 34:32.

Spring in my step

Wednesday 2-29

It is Leap Day!! It seems fitting that the day started out in the mid 40's and sunny to cold and sleeting within a couple hours. I thought i would have more time on my hands this morning due to going into work later. i picked up a different shift so going in at 10 instead of 1130. needless to say i only got in 8 miles instead of the 10 i wanted to. it was very warm out, i took my gloves off before i hit the 1 mile mark. i actually took off my outer layer as well on the way back!
Forgot the picture again, but.....8:01 miles in 1:10:49