My Blog Has a Runny Nose

Ugg...my nose, not my feet, has been running lately. I contracted a cold last week and am hopefully at the tail end of it by now. I ran 8 miles last Thursday on a route I've never run before. I ran from my house down Oso to Cabot to La Paz (4.5 miles). It was my first time running with my new iPod:-) I met the Bullocks and Sabina at the gym and ran the remaining 3.5 miles there. The run down Oso wasn't bad, although it was a bit dark in places. The path on the side of the road is also used for horses, I believe, and so I'm pretty sure I stepped in some horse dung at some point by accident--yuck! Anyway, it was nice to meet friends at the gym and chat with Nicole B. while running. I think we're going to make this a weekly occurrence.

Friday was my day off. Saturday morning I met Nicole B. bright and early at 8am at Aliso & Wood Canyon and ran four miles with her. Again, it was very nice to have a running partner and I think we're going to try and keep up the Saturday morning runs too.

I was supposed to run 6 miles on Sunday, but I took the day off to try and get over my cold. I might make up 4 of those miles at the gym tonight though. This week is an easy week on the schedule--all 4 mile runs. I'm going to Atlanta Wed. - Sun. for work and so I'll have to run at the Marriott's fitness center while I'm there (I've been instructed by my co-workers NOT to run outside in downtown Atlanta!).

Nano, Nano!

Woo-hoo! Being the wonderful, generous, and supportive boyfriend that he is, Abdul bought me a 4GB iPod Nano (Nano, Nano!) for Valentine's Day. Now I will have music when I run. Can I get an Amen?! I'm so excited to use it tonight on my 8 mile run. Thank you Baby!

I Heart Running

My feet are still not recovered from my 12 mile run on Sunday. I used to have nice feet...now they look like a dog used them as a chew toy for an afternoon. They may still look rough, but they don't hurt anymore, so I got back on them this morning. I was supposed to run 6 miles last night, but that's just too much to do when I get home from work and teaching at 10pm. I was going to go to the gym and run 4 miles last night, but I went to bed instead and got up at 6am today and went to the gym and put in the 4 miles. I gotta admit--it was nice to go work out in the morning. From my treadmill, I could see the sunrise over the local mountains.

Today is Valentine's Day, of course, and in honor of love and hearts and roses and all that crap, I'm taking the night off from running and having dinner with Abdul and some of our friends. Tomorrow I'll run 8 miles and be back on track.

Oh...I gotta thank Sabina for adding a link on her blog to my blog--thanks! You can check out her very funny and long-running blog, Random Thoughts and Gripes, here.

TWELVE Miles!!!

I did it--12 miles on Sunday. I ran at Aliso & Wood Canyon again, even though the park was closed due to wet roads/trails. I ran again at a fairly consistent pace (a little slower than last time), but felt pretty good during and after the run. When I was finishing the run, another runner ran by me and said "Downhill is better than uphill." His statement is very true--I won't dispute that, but most of the trail is on flat ground and certainly the part we were running on was completely flat. So, I'm not sure if he was just trying to educate me on running different grades or if perhaps he delusionally thought that he was running downhill. Or maybe, after 12 miles, I was delusional and I just imagined the whole conversation.

Anyway...after the run I went home, showered, and then went to my friend, Pam's, going away open house in Signal Hill. Soon after I arrived I got really dizzy and light-headed and felt like I was going to faint. I got super super super hot and sweaty and nauseous and was white as a ghost. So embarrassing! I was escorted upstairs and eventually felt better. I felt so bad because the focus of the party was supposed to be on Pam, and then I walk in and almost faint and everyone is whispering about me. In the end, Pam drove me home in my car and I felt better. I had eaten quite a bit before I went running, but hadn't eaten anything after my run, so maybe that's why I got sick. It was two hours after my run that my episode occurred. Like I said, though, I'll make sure I eat more before and AFTER my next long run.

I also ran 4 miles on Saturday. It was sooo nice outside and I ran around my neighborhood in between baking and cooking for Book Club on Sat. night.

Cool Runnings

I'm getting serious about this marathon stuff now! On Wednesday I ran 6.5 miles outside--from my house to Abdul's in a roundabout, long way. It was a good run with many up and down hill portions, but I doubt I'll do it again at night because I had to run the entire length of Laguna Niguel Regional Park (on La Paz) and it kind of creeped me out to be running by a park at night. On Thursday I ran 8 miles outside, which is the longest mileage I've run outside during the week after work. I ran a huge block through Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, and Laguna Niguel--I went by the theaters in AV, the Aliso Creek Trail in LH, and Wal-Mart in LN. Quite a long run in the dark! This run also had many up and down hill portions. My legs are getting a good work out. Oh...but more poor feet! I'm going to have to start going in for weekly pedicures instead of monthly pedicures!

My pace during my outside runs remains very consistent pretty much no matter where I run. I run between a 9 and 10 minute mile, which is right where I want to be.

Today is an "off" day and then I pick things back up this weekend with a 4 miler on Saturday and a 12 miler on Sunday.

You're so vain, you probably think this blog is about you...

Actually, this blog is my exercise in narcissism. It's all about me. Well, actually, this entry is about Anna and Abdul too! We had a great time skiing and boarding in Colorado, despite the very frigid temperatures and gusty winds. And oh my gosh...what a workout we all got! The runs at Copper Mountain are all so long; by the time we got to the bottom of the mountain, our thighs were burning like hot sauce in your eye. Ouch!

Anna & Me Warming Up in the Lodge

The Three of Us in Our New Copper Mountain Ballcaps

I should have run on Sunday night when we got home, but I was too tired. And then I should have run on Monday, but I was feeling lazy and depressed and so I went to bed at 8pm. So, finally, yesterday after working all day and teaching until 9:15pm, I went to the gym and ran 4 miles on the treadmill. I swear it was 100 degrees in the gym. After running and almost fainting from the high heat, I said something to the guy at the front desk about the heat being so high and he replied, “Really? You think it’s hot in here? Huh…doesn’t feel hot to me.” I told him that I was a disgusting sweating mess after only working out for 35 minutes and he made it seem like no one ever complains about the heat there. Interesting to note, though: The dude said that all of the controls for the heat and music are inside a tiny locked room that no one really has access to. I gotta find a way to break into that room!!

Tonight I'm supposed to run 8 miles, but that's just too much to do after working and getting home late and having to run in the dark. I'm planning on putting 6 in instead.

Oh...one accomplishment to note: I finally finished my "build up" training schedule last week. Now I've moved on to the "marathon" schedule. During my "build up" training, I ran 224 miles. Only 17 weeks left until the marathon!!