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April, 2009:

A Very Good Day

Apr 30th, 2009
by gazelle.
15 comments

April 29, 2009 shall go down in the record  books as a very good day for Amy.

Yesterday at approximately 7:30 PM I completed my 100th mile for the month of April. I’m not going to say it was easy, because, due to my swine ‘flu, the last 11.55 miles kinda sucked ass, but it was done.  Last night’s 5-miler was, by far, the slowest 5 miler I’ve done in a LOOONG time – 11:22 pace (and that doesn’t even include the TWO walk/nose-blowing/throat-moistening breaks I was forced to take).  I’m hoping that the snot & dry mouth go away. I’m running Friday AND Saturday, and yoga-ing tonight, and would really like to feel BETTER now, thank you!

But, slowness & snot aside, I did it. It was hard & there was a point when I thought maybe I was being a bit stubborn and/or ridiculous, but dammit, I made it. And now I know I can do it, so next month it shouldn’t be so scary. I’ve crossed that barrier! Yay me! (Also, in May, my races are a half marathon & a 20K instead of a 5K & 10K, so that should help with the distance!)

The other VERY exciting news is that yesterday I found out that I was accepted into the Applied Information Management program at the University of Oregon. My first class will be June 15, and in approximately 3-ish years (or a little less), I will have my Master’s degree. That was the “super secret project” I was working on in March. I think I told about 5 people – didn’t want to jinx it – but now it’s official. Of course, if I don’t get any financial aid, this may all be moot – I don’t think it’s wise to put all my classes on my Discover Card (especially since they just hiked my interest rate to 16% – WTF? Is it because I don’t carry a balance? Why would you do that?)….but I think that I’ll be able to find a way to make this work.

Of course, with every set of exciting things, there has to be a downer, right? This is a very small thing, and I’m not even sure why it’s bothering me at all, but here’s the story. Last night, during my run, I was struggling. At about mile 3, I crossed a busier road near a bus stop. At said bus stop, there were two teenage boys, and one of them yelled at me, “yeah, you better run that fat ass….” which, beyond being grammatically incorrect and a little on the ‘what?’ side, was kinda rude. And I know teenage boys aren’t known for their social skills & grace, but really? fat ass? Only once ever have I been called fat by a stranger before, and although that, too, stung, I kinda had to shrug & say, “well, yes – can’t really argue.” But even if my spandex wasn’t as flattering on me as it is on some of my slimmer friends, I really don’t feel that the description was apt. So, why can’t I let it go? A couple of weeks ago, a youngish man told me I had a smile he could see from two blocks away, and I don’t dwell on that, so why do I dwell on the negative?

ACK!

So – yesterday = good.

1) 100 miles

2) grad school

That is what I am going to dwell on.

Porn delayed…..

Apr 29th, 2009
by gazelle.
13 comments

Until Friday.   I’m going to have more wedding shoe porn, and need some non-work time to do a little research. Also coming up is my actual review of last week’s brewery stop. And more garden pictures!

Things are pretty busy at work, and will likely remain so for awhile, so I really need to get back to my habit of doing my porn research & other important bloggy (and other stuff) on my day off. It was so much easier when I had Mondays off – it just seemed like I should do something other than lounge around eating bonbons & watching soap operas. But now that I have Fridays off, it just seems like a 3-day weekend, so I am LAZY.

I did run last night – and it was hard. I had to take walk/water breaks twice (once at 2 miles & once at 5) – and since I hardly ever even BRING water on less than an 8 miler, I’m glad I did last night. It might be all the mouth breathing, but I have been thirsty the last few days.

However, my 6.55 mile run last night, although painful & causing of soreness today, which is weird, turned out to be a good thing. I felt so much better after finishing the run that it was almost ridiculous. I am still sniffly & mucus-y (and had to blow my first ever snot rocket last night whilst running), but my sore throat is mostly gone, and the head no longer feels 10x too big.

Also, I have now officially run 95 miles this month, and with two days left in the month, I feel that I will hit my 100 mile goal! In fact, the architect & I are going to run together tonight, so I will be able to report my 100 mile success back to you tomorrow. YAY! Go me!

And now – back to the grind -but dream sweet shoe dreams!

Will She or Won’t She?

Apr 28th, 2009
by gazelle.
16 comments

Make it to 100 miles, that is….I feel that every time I get really close to a big running goal, something happens to derail it. Last year it was injury; last month it was the stomach flu; now, so close to my first 100 miles (and yes, I am obsessed with this mythical milestone), I have some kind of blech.

I feel better today than yesterday, although my head still feels too large & heavy for my body & my throat is still scratchy without constant lubrication (which I guess is good for my water intake).

I am trying to scare the whatever-it-is out of my body. I had a green smoothie with carrots, spinach, grapes, mixed berries (black, blue & rasp) this morning – that sounds full of health, right? For lunch I will have a sweet potato with tomatoes (more health, right there), and then a banana in a little bit. I am drinking pomegranate cranberry juice along with my water. All those vitamins have to be doing something good.

I also slept for another 9.5 hours last night, although I didn’t sleep as well as the night before.

I skipped my run last night, partly because I didn’t get home until 7:30 & it was pouring, and partly because I thought maybe a day would be good for me. And I think it was. The architect made me dinner & then hung out with me while I lounged in bed reading before falling asleep. He didn’t even make too much fun of me for getting into bed before 8:30 for the 2nd night in a row.

Tonight I am NOT going to do speedwork, but instead will go for a longish slow run – maybe in the 6-8 mile range, depending on how I feel. And then tomorrow, another similar run to hit that 100.

I really like how Will Run For Wine posts weekly training plans & then does a recap of how well she did hitting all her plans, so I decided to copy.

Monday: Rest (yay! Accomplished!)

Tuesday: LSD – 6-8 miles

Wednesday: LSD with speed pickups if I’m feeling up to it – 4-6 miles; abs & push-ups

Thursday: yoga

Friday: hill run – 6 miles; abs & push-ups

Saturday: 10 mile run

Sunday: spectate at Eugene; hopefully get some walking in; abs & push-ups

Weekly mileage: 27.55

Next week (May 4-10) is not only my half marathon (woo!) but also the beginning tri- training. If anyone has a good beginner tri- plan, would you please share? Right now I’m just kind of making things up.

And now – on to lunch & more vitamins!

The Suck

Apr 27th, 2009
by gazelle.
16 comments

After yesterday’s goodness (run, lunch) I wasn’t anticipating that it would all go down hill so quickly. I had to go to the market last night, so we could continue to eat food like we do, and I felt a bit….whiny. I tried to convince the architect to go (he was all, ‘but you’re so good at it! you get the best bargains! I’d spend so much more than you on less food!’), but he wasn’t having it. So, I went. And by the time I got home, I felt…not well.

Just fevery & achy & headachy & sore throaty & a LOT more whiny. The architect made me dinner. I drank some pomegranate/cranberry juice. After dinner, I decided that this standing up thing was so OVER, so I put on my pj’s and went to bed. It was about 7 PM when I slipped my legs between the sheets. Oh yeah, people, I am a party animal.

I didn’t actually fall asleep for a while – stayed up reading trashy books until close to 9, but I slept a good 10 hours.

I felt better this morning – just kinda foggy & still with a sore throat – so I headed off to work, where the crises live.

I was in the middle of crisis management, when I decided that instead of my lunch (leftover Moroccan Stew), I would just have a nice cup of chicken noodle soup. So I made one, as one does, with a soup envelope (left over from when our department had a budget for unnecessary items like SOUP and TEA) and the very hot water that comes out of a commercial coffee maker.

I took a sip & promptly burned all the skin off my tongue. Because that water? It is very hot.

So I did what I’m sure any of you would’ve done at that point – spilled the whole damn cup all over myself. And my keyboard (I am still unable to get all the noodles out from between the spacebar & the ‘alt’ key). And the floor. It was hot. I may have yelled (but, and I know you’ll all be surprised/proud, I did manage to avoid yelling any obscenities – go me).

I look awesome now – because nothing says business casual like a crusty white stain on the left leg of your pants.

And now – the debate? Do I run my 5 tonight (all symptoms are neck & above) or Wednesday? Tomorrow night is track workout, and I have to get 11.55 miles in sometime in the next three days, but do I wait & hope I get better? Or will a run make the whatever-it-is better? At this point, I’m not sure why I don’t feel well. My office mate (hi!) suggested swine flu, but I think that’s unlikely….opinions? advice? sympathy?

Long Run – almost 100% successful

Apr 26th, 2009
by gazelle.
26 comments

The only lack of success is that I’d planned on 15 miles and not the 12 I ended up with. But – I only have 11.55 miles left to hit 100 miles for April, and I’m pretty sure I can do it!

I met up with her & her this morning. I wasn’t feeling incredible today – maybe last night I should’ve tried to remember that I was planning a 15 miler today instead of just drinking beers with my cousin. Blech. Anyways, we had maps for a couple of loops, so we started with the 8.25 mile loop. There were a couple walk breaks, but we finished the loop with 7.3 running miles. Then Sarah & I took off for a 2nd smaller 4-mile loop (that actually ended up being 4.7 miles) and finished with 12 miles total. The running routes were great loops through NE Portland – we saw a lot of beautiful houses & trees & gardens. It was gorgeous.

After the 12 miler, Sarah & I went to Por Que No which was only a couple of blocks away. I had tamales & strawberry lemonade & beer (Amnesia Desolation IPA – YUM!), she had tacos & beer & also, in her continuing infinite wisdom, order chips & guac & even let me have some – double YUM!

Now I am home being happy with our run times – my splits:

Mile 1: 10:43
Mile 2: 10:38
Mile 3: 10:49
Mile 4: 10:58
Mile 5: 10:21
Mile 6: 10:37
Mile 7: 11:17
Mile 8: 10:24
Mile 9: 10:14
Mile 10: 10:43
Mile 11: 10:30
Mile 12: 9:54

Total: 2:07:12 – average pace of 10:36 minute miles.

I’m pretty stoked that I had a sub 10-minute mile left in me at the end – we were pretty anxious to be done at that point, too. We were both just getting to the ‘bitching about the run’ point when we ran by a home for quadripelegics and saw a woman in a wheelchair & realized how incredibly lucky we were to be running – I think that gave me a burst of speed.

My half marathon is in two weeks, and I’m beginning to feel ridiculously confident that I am going to kill last year’s time. My first goal is to just beat last year’s 2:25 time (11 minute miles). My 2nd goal is to come in under 2:15 (10:18 pace), and my super-secret goal that I will share with no one but you is to come in under 2:10 (9:55 pace). The runner’s world training calculator seems to think, based on my recent 5K time that 2:10 is doable. I’m not entirely sure I believe the calculator, but I do think that I can PR by the 10 minutes necessary to hit 2:15. And if I don’t, I’ll have another chance on 7/4 when I do the Sauvie Island half marathon (all Portlanders doing that race – we can carpool from my house if you want).

I’m really starting to feel so strong & confident in my running. I’m never going to be a speedy gonzales like her, but I’m feeling so good about the strength & speed I have gained. On my 3-day weekend, I ran 22 miles – something I couldn’t have even conceived of three years ago. And now, I’m 11.55 miles away from my first-ever 100 mile month! That’s pretty amazing, if you ask me!

Happy running, people!

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