What is scarier than a technical writer?

Well, pretty much anything and everything! I'm a geek...I know it. I guess a university lecturer is scarier, or at least my students would probably say so.

So tonight, after helping Sabina pass out candy and grading a few papers, I'm going to run three miles on the treadmill again. Let's hope I beat my previous record of running 20 minute miles (don't worry, I'm exagerating...a little). I'll post tomorrow with the results.

Thinking & Running Don't Mix!

Today's the day. Five miles. (Okay, technically, since I'm now at the start of week #6 (after skipping weeks 1-4), I should run six miles, but give me a break! So far I can barely run three miles without keeling over from muscle spasms and pain.)

I parked my car at the entrance to Aliso & Wood Canyons Park and ran down the Aliso Canyon Trail to Wood Canyon Trail to Dripping Cave (and back, of course). It was actually very refreshing to be running out in "nature" and it was encouraging to see so many other bikers and runners outside with me on a Sunday morning. The run back to Dripping Cave was much more painful than the run back to the car, so I guess that means I'm making progress. I honestly thought that I was going to have a heat stroke right before I arrived at the cave, but luckily some scrub oak trees finally provided me with a little bit of shade from the hot morning sun.

Here's a picture of the entrance to the cave:

And here's a picture of me at the cave last month when I hiked there with my friend Angela and her friends, Coral and Marcelo:

After my run I went to Sabina's for brunch and she asked me what I think about when I run. I cannot think about anything serious when I run because it literally makes me want to hurl. I can't think about work, bills, teaching, etc. And I can't be completely negative and always think, "I'm going to fall down and have a heart attack any minute...I just know it." So normally I just run around thinking, "Carrie, you're doing SUCH a great job! Keep it up! You're awesome! Look at that stride...that's like a 6 inch stride...MUCH better than yesterday's 4 inch stride. Hey, look at that 70 year old woman hobbling along there...you can run faster than her! And that dog with only two legs...I'm sure you could out run him. Carrie, you're doing so well. I'm so proud of you."

Sometimes, though, I get distracted from my personal cheerleading and start thinking, "Geez...I just ran two miles...I just need to tack on 24.2 more and I'm good to go....uggg..." But then I start to feel last night's dinner coming up and quickly switch back to "Atta girl Carrie...you're running faster than those people walking over there, which means that if they walk the marathon and you run it, you'll beat them and won't come in last. You're so fast!"

I don't want to sound completely narcissistic though so I don't tell myself how amazing I'm doing ALL the time. My thoughts do drift..."Huh...look at the cracks in the sidewalk--better not step on them or I'll break my mother's back...that is such a silly (and demented) rhyme from when we were kids...ew--that dog poop is huge...I should wash a load of whites today...ug--my nose is running...will anyone see me do a "farmer's blow"?...wait, that dog poop is even bigger than the last one!"

Sometimes my thoughts create fear...for example, on Saturday I saw a guy cross the road and walk onto my sidewalk. He didn't use a cross walk and he crossed the road in a place where there were no stores or houses on either side, so he wasn't crossing to get to somewhere in particular faster. I started to wonder why he crossed the road where he did (I mean, I know the riddle...he crossed to get to the other side, but did he cross near me?). Was he now walking in my direction on my side of the street? Was he going to kidnap me? Are those footsteps I hear quickly approaching me? If I run closest to the road on the sidewalk will he be less likely to steal me and will a driver be more likely to see it if he tries? If I blow my nose in the bushes now, will that gross him out and scare him off? Dang, I should have picked up that dog poop back there so I could fling it at him if he tries to attack me.

And yesterday in the park, I thought (multiple times) that I heard a mountain lion in the bushes. You'd think that would make me want to run faster, but really it just made me want to lie down and surrender to his appetite. Luckily, it always turned out to be birds and lizards and not mountain lions.

Monday is an off day. Running--and thinking while running--is draining. I need a day to sit in front of the TV and take my mind off everything.

No Pain, No Gain

My run on Saturday was pretty uneventful. I didn't trip and fall or get chased by a wild pack of dogs or even make that horrible heaving sound I sometimes do after I'm finished running. Don't get my wrong, though, it still was hard to get up on a Saturday morning and run--even if it was only three miles. I ran down Alicia again to Laguna Hills. I just keep thinking, though, "no pain, no gain."

The most eventful part of my day was attending my friend, Kara's, beautiful wedding and reception. Kara was the very first friend I met when I moved to CA in January 2003. After dating for many, many years, she and her boyfriend, Nate, finally tied the knot! The wedding took place in her Methodist church and the reception was at the gorgeous Hyatt in Huntington Beach. Everything about the ceremony and reception was very elegant, classy, and beautiful. It was definitely one of the best weddings I've ever been too. So, congratulations Kara & Nate!

Tomorrow I have to step it up a notch and run five miles...yikes!

The Schedule

Here's the schedule I'm working off...since I've been a lathargic waste of space lately, I need to first complete the "buildup" schedule and then I can actually begin the "real" training. I'm starting with the 5th week, also, because I don't have the time (before June 3) to start with week 1.

Conquering the Treadmill

As I stated in my previous post, I've never run on a treadmill. Maybe this would be a good time to point out that I actually used to run...A LOT! I ran on my high school's cross country and track teams (Katie, from post #1, was my running partner) and I've run in many 5k races since then. But all my running has been outside, which I like. But tonight I had to teach at CSULB, so I didn't get home until 10:15pm. But since I want to stick to my training schedule, I need to run three miles today.

I must admit that I was scared. What if the treadmill shoots me off the end and I land in a pile of sweat on the nasty, very nasty 24 Hour Fitness Floor? I'd probably get athletes foot on my head then or something. Gross! Because of my fears, when I went to the gym, I asked the guy at the front desk to show me how to use the treadmill. He must have thought I was the biggest idiot ever...because as I later found out, it's pretty easy. Up on the treadmill, I ran and ran and ran and freakin' ran some more! I was starting to get peeved...why was it taking me so much longer to run on the treadmill than outside? Ah...I need to adjust the speed. Ouch...that hurts! It was a lot easier to run on the treadmill, but it took me FOREVER.

Now, I was certainly glad to finally be done running my three miles, but when I stopped running I seriously thought I was going to fall over. My brain was telling my body that it was still moving, but my body wasn't going anywhere! I thought I was going to have to ask the guy from the front desk to carry me to my car. I did manage to make it out to the car on my own, and once the dizziness subsided, the pain began. I said my thighs burned like a wildfire yesterday, well, today they burned like...hmm...what's bigger than a wildfire?...the SUN!

Tomorrow is a "rest" day. I plan on lying on my couch and eating bon bons.

Training Day #1

Okay, so I said I'm going to run a marathon--now I have to start training. Lately I've been acting like 24 Hour Fitness is a charity to which I generously donate monthly. I give, but don't take. Too bad I don't get a break on my taxes for it though. Anyway, that's gotta change. But, I've never run on a treadmill and am scared to tackle that on day #1. I figure I'll just get up early in the morning, go for my three mile run, and then shower and head off to work energized and ready to tackle anything that comes my way.

I must have fallen and hit my head before I came up with the thoughts above. There's NO WAY I was going to get out of bed that first morning when the alarm clock rang. I talked myself out of running by saying that I'd make more walking trips during the day between my desk and bathroom...maybe if I went every 15 minutes, by the end of the day I would have walked like...a mile or something. And hey, that's not really the same as running three miles, but I'm sure Oprah had to start out slow like this also.

By the end of the day I felt pretty bad that I didn't start training like I said I would. So, after work, I went home and put on my running shoes (note to self: need new running shoes that don't have holes in...the holes make me look like an amateur). I started my three mile run just after the sun set and I gotta tell you, when I started to run, I felt awesome! I was breathing well and bouncing right along. This was turning out to be A LOT easier than I thought it would be!

Thirty seconds later...just around the corner from my house, I wanted to lie down and cry. My body was obviously playing a cruel trick on me...making me think that this was going to be easy and then once I got going, making me understand that this was going to be hell.

I had already started the run, though, so I had to keep going...down Alicia to Laguna Hills--and then back. I felt like I weighed 200 lbs. My shoulders hurt. If I had had the energy, I would have hurled myself into traffic to end it all. But all I could do was put one foot in front of the other in a straight line. And in the end, I made it back to my condo.

And then the pain REALLY started. My thighs burn like a wildfire! I can hardly walk. Clearly, I'm so out of shape that even running three miles makes my body freak out. Let's hope this gets easier...help me Oprah!

If Oprah can do it...

Recently I've been more and more impressed with friends and family who have been running in marathons. My friend, Katie, ran in the Phoenix Rock n' Roll Marathon earlier this year, and although I was super proud of her, I wasn't shocked or surprised. She probably only weighs as much as my two legs and she has been running since junior high. So when I found out she ran a marathon, I thought, "Well, of course. But there's no way MY body would be able to do that." But then my friend, Susan, told me that her and her husband have been participating in triathlons in Texas. Susan was never very active in sports before and I had never knows her to be a runner, biker, or swimmer. Now I was more impressed. And then the other day my cousin, Sarah, told me that she ran in the Chicago Marathon last weekend. Sarah's a bit more athletic because I believe she did used to run in junior high and she used to be a gymnast, but dang...again, I was impressed. Finally, I remembered hearing that Oprah ran a marathon once. That did it. If Oprah can do it, I can too! Wait...I'm just now thinking that Oprah probably had a personal trainer and cook. Crap...oh well, I can still do it!! Right?

Actually, I'm not really sure I can do this (or even WANT to do this!) and that's why I'm starting this blog. I figure that if I start telling people that I want to run a marathon and I chart my progress through this blog, it will be as if I have an audience (a virtual one) and I don't want to let any of you down! Basically, I do want to stick to my word. And here's my word: I'm going to run 26 (.2) miles while I'm 26. So, the training is beginning so that I can run in the San Diego Rock n' Roll Marathon on June 3, 2007.