Running in Place

Last night after work Megan met me at my house and we ran 6.5 miles--Alicia to Pacific Park to Aliso Creek to Glenwood to Moulton to La Paz to Pacific Park and then home! It was sooo beautiful and nice out and we had a great run. We talked during the entire run, which made it fly by, and also confirmed that we are in decent shape! Megan is moving to the Bay Area next month with her hubby and daughter to start a new job with J&J (congrats Megan!). I am really going to miss her as a running partner and friend. Seems like everyone I know is moving forward while I continue to run in place...

Running in NYC

Ack...I didn't actually do much running in NYC while we were there last weekend. I did, however, do LOTS of walking. Basically, I took most of last week off to recuperate from my almost-17 mile run last Sunday and then got back in my running shoes Friday morning in the fitness center at our hotel. I ran three miles there (and felt pretty good!) and then put away my running shoes and got out my walking shoes for the rest of our time there. And boy did we walk--all over! We were down in Battery Park and up in Central Park and everywhere in between (SoHo, NoHo, Greenwich Village, Midtown, etc.). Luckily we did lots of walking because we also did lots of eating:

On Sunday I went for a 7 mile run around Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills. It was a good run and I actually felt very energetic--I almost felt like I was flying! I think I needed a little rest last week and maybe a few extra calories from some New York style pizza!

We have dinner plans two nights this week and then I also have to teach, so I won't be back out for a run until Thursday, but it will be a good one!

SIXTEEN Miles!!!

Holy freakin' cow...I actually ran 16.75 (almost 17!) miles yesterday. It was a long run, but it made me really believe that I can run a marathon. I started out at 4:40pm and ran from my house out Morning Ridge and onto Alicia. Then I ran down Pacific Park to Aliso Creek to Alicia to Crown Valley to PCH. By the time I got down to the ocean, it was cloudy and dreary out, but the temperature was cool and so I didn't feel overheated. I ran down PCH to Niguel...past the Ritz and St. Regis. Then I ran down Niguel forever and ever amen until I finally got back to Crown Valley. I ran into a Taco Bell at the corner of the intersection to grab a cup of water (I was getting pretty thirsty at this point). I grabbed my water and kept walking (as I would do in the marathon) and then started running again once I finished it. I ran down Crown Valley to La Paz and then all the way down La Paz to Pacific Park then to Alicia and then to Morning Ridge and then home. I wanted to cry when I saw my house again.


I felt really great during the run. There were a lot of hills (both up and down hill) and I did really well on them. By the end of my run, though, my legs were getting tired. I feel like my lungs and heart and body are in shape, but my legs just got tired after running all that ways. Abdul rubbed my feet with lotion last night (so sweet!) and I figured that after a good night's rest, I'd feel better in the morning. I was wrong.

My legs hurt me so much this morning they woke me up. PAIN! In addition to my legs being very sore, I am also chaffed in many places...under arms, thighs, and stomach. I know...I should have put Vaseline on. We leave for NYC on Wed. night, so hopefully I'm not so sore by then.

Oh, I also ran 5 miles on Saturday. Megan met me in the morning at Aliso & Wood Canyon and we ran 5 miles on the trails there. Again, it was so nice to have a running partner. This week I'm going to give my legs some time to recover...maybe go for a walk tonight and run later in the week at the fitness center at the hotel (or who knows...maybe in Central Park!).

Runnin' with the Girls

I had a couple (well, two) good runs this week. On Monday night I ran 6-7 miles outside after work (in the daylight!!). I ran from my house down to Laguna Niguel Regional Park, around the lake, and then home. Tuesday I had to teach, so I couldn't run. And Wednesday I had every intention of running, but I got bogged down at work and ended up being at the office until 8pm. Last night I ran a total of 7 miles. I ran down to Laguna Niguel Regional Park again and this time I met Megan and Nicole there. The three of us ran around the lake and then they drove home and I ran home. I was soooo nice to have running partners and the 3 miles around the like felt like 1/2 mile when I ran it with the girls. We definitely want to keep this up because I think we all enjoyed it and it made our workout fly by.

On the agenda for this weekend: Run 5 miles Saturday morning (possibly with Megan) and run a LONG run on Sunday evening. I'm not even gonna say right now how long my long run is going to be, but it's gonna be long and it's also probably going to be painful. But...the marathon is getting closer and closer and my mileage hasn't been increasing and that has to change.

I suck!

I'm so disappointed to say that I did NOT run 14 miles on Sunday. Instead, I spent the entire day at San Onofre State Beach with Abdul and our friends Jeff and Tanya. I did run 5 miles on Saturday at Aliso & Wood Canyon and that went very well, but I did not put in a long run last weekend. Next weekend I will...really!! I have less than three months until the marathon and I gotta get past 12 miles and seriously increase my mileage!!

Countdown to DST!

Only two more days until Daylight Savings Time (DST) begins! I have been anxiously waiting for this day for so long. I'm way more excited about this day than my birthday. No more running in the dark!!!! Unfortunately, to celebrate, I'm probably going to get up early and run in the dark. Sigh...I just can't catch a break.

On Wednesday night I ran 6.5 miles around Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills. Last night I ran from my house down to the gym off La Paz and then I met Sabina there and I finished my run on the treadmill (8 miles total). Good runs. Right now my biggest problem is figuring out how to get the iPod earphones to stay in my ears--they drive me nuts slipping out every 15 seconds!

Tomorrow I need to run 5 miles and then I'm going to really, finally, try and break the 14 mile barrier on Sunday. In order to do that, though, I need to get up early and start running before it gets too warm out (it's supposed to be in the mid-80s here on Sunday). After that long run I will be rewarded with an entire beautiful day ahead of me. We have plans to go to San Onofre beach and relax with our friends Jeff and Tanya.

Product Review: Blister Block by Band-Aid

Rating Review: Two Blistered Toes Down:-(

I ordered the Johnson & Johnson Band-Aid Blister Block product the other week (Abdul works for J&J and so I can get discounts on certain J&J products from an internal company store Web site). I put the blister blockers on my feet before my long run last Sunday. The front of the box for the blister blockers claims that these band-aids will stay on better than any other competing product (as determined in a clinical study). Study-shumdy! These things didn't stay on at all! First of all, I had a hard time getting them to stick when I was putting them on. I figured once I put my socks on, though, and applied pressure, they'd stick. We'll, about 6 miles into my run I felt something coming out of my left sock--it was my blister blocker! I think that the gel-like medication on the band-aid combined with my sweating feet and running motion loosened the band-aid and pushed it out of my sock. When I got home and took off my right sock, there was no blister blocker there either. That one must have slipped down my foot and crawled out of my sock at some other point during my run. Moleskin seems to work much better. Also, the box of the Band-Aid Blister Block only contained 4 band-aids--not a good deal for your money (luckily, I didn't pay full price for them!). Sorry Uncle Jay, but your Blister Block product needs some more testing and better adhesive.

It's getting hot in here...

Hot! Hot! Hot! I'm going to use the heat as my main excuse for my disappointing long run this weekend. On Saturday I ran 4 miles with Nicole B. and that went fine--no problems there. But, we started running at around 8am. On Sunday I started my long run at 9:30am, which was too late because it was already pretty hot outside. I ran from my house down to Aliso & Wood Canyon in a round-about way so that it took me 2.5 miles to get there. Once there I figured I would run 9 miles and then head home for a total of 14 miles. Uh...no, that wasn't going to happen without me collapsing from heat exhaustion or just plain exhaustion. When I started running on the trail at Aliso & Wood Canyon I caught up with another woman who was training for a marathon. I tried to talk to her a bit, but I got the feeling she didn't feel like chit-chatting and so I ran past her. I started feeling exhausted and hot, but I felt pressured to keep ahead of this woman. In the end, I wussed out and ran in to a port-a-pottie (gross!) to pee and blow my nose and she ran past me. Now I didn't have to worry about having her on my heels. As I continued to run, though, I continued to get hotter and hotter and very thirsty also. I pretty much knew that this run wasn't going to go well and I should cut it short. So, I ran as far back as Dripping Cave, stopped to rest in the shade of the cave a bit, and then jogged home. So, I ran about 10 miles. But it was not a "good" 10 mile run. I was very disappointed with myself and began to seriously wonder if I'd be able to run the marathon in three months. I need to devise a better hydration and early morning running plan for my long weekend runs. Next weekend I have GOT to reach the 14 mile mark!

Side note: I actually came home from my 10 mile run with sunburn on my neck and arms. See, the sun was hot!

Time Off

Sorry folks, I know I've been MIA for over a week now. I went to Atlanta last week/weekend to attend a trade show for work and then this week has been super busy. While I was in Atlanta I ran on the treadmill at the hotel's pathetic fitness center. Due to time constraints I only ran 4, 3, and 2 mile runs. Then I came home last Sunday very late (due to a cancelled flight, etc.) and have been too busy all week to run:-( I had to teach, go to dinner with Angela, and then last night Abdul and I celebrated our four year anniversary by going to see George Carlin at the Pala Casino near San Diego. I'm getting back in the running groove this weekend though, so no worries! On Saturday morning I'm going to meet Nicole B. and we're going to run 4 miles at Aliso & Wood Canyon and then I'm going to put in a long run (14, I think) on Sunday. So, check back here next week to see if I'm actually sticking to my word!

Oh, my cold has finally gone away. Good riddance!