Wordless Wednesday

This is what I feel like doing today...

my sweet basset hound Lulu

24 and 17. Done and Done.

I tried a new approach to 50-miler training this weekend with back-to-back long runs, as opposed to a long ride/medium run Saturday, followed by a long run on Sunday. And, while I was a bit daunted by the task of spending the majority of my weekend running, I ended up really enjoying it.

I ran 24 miles Saturday with company at a faster pace than I usually do my long runs (8:08 pace) and 17 miles solo on Sunday at easy pace (8:41). After resting on Friday other than a light swim, I felt great on Saturday's run - the question that loomed in my head was how I would feel the following morning. I woke up in the middle of the night Saturday with some soreness and general achiness, causing a little bit of worry about how Sunday's run would play out. The first two miles were a bit rough, but after I got warmed up, I started to feel much better. And, as the miles ticked by, I started to feel better and better. I finished Sunday's run with a big smile on my face, thinking that I can actually do this thing.

67.68 running miles last week. How do I feel this morning? Pretty darn good, surprisingly.

I think the biggest challenge with the 50-mile distance, will not be the running or the miles. Similar to the Ironman, I think it will be a mind game. It will be about getting my head in the right place so I can run 50 miles. It will be about getting my legs to be my mind's bitch.

So, onward and upward with another week of training. This week, though, I need to get in some trail miles.

Less than 3 months until I run my first 50-miler. Sometimes that's exciting; other times it makes me want to soil myself.

Lots of Running Ahead...

TGIF. For real.

So, I had planned to do my long runs for the weekend Friday before work and Saturday morning, so that I would have Sunday free to sleep in or cycle if I got so inspired. But, I’m re-arranging my schedule. Again. Clearly my plan for the week every week is more like a rough guideline that I cannot be expected to follow. At all. I was flat out exhausted yesterday, my legs felt like dead weight and I was having some hip pain, in which I knew that my long run wasn't going to happen this morning. I needed rest instead. So rest it is.

My 50-miler training schedule calls for a 3.5-4 hour run on Saturday, and a 3 hour run on Sunday. I like to run, but that is a whole lot of running. And, early morning running to *try* to beat the heat (really not possible). I will drag my butt out of bed tomorrow morning at 4:30 am and remember the mornings when I used to come in at 4:30 am (sometimes I miss college). How times have changed.

On the bright side, I will not feel guilty about going to Baskin Robbins tonight for the third time this week since I'll certainly be running it off this weekend.

Wish me luck and send me good vibes...

Seriously?!

Hotter than Hell

No really, it is. Today is day 70 of 100+ degrees high for the year. It is wearing me out and making me grumpy. Also, kind of lazy. Hence, today's bullet list:

• Thank you to everyone for their well wishes for Flash. And, for not making me feel like a wack-job for being so concerned about a dog. It means a lot. My buddy Flash started Phenobarbital today to help control his seizures.
  
  
• Last week my schedule got a little out of whack and things didn't go quite as planned. I am human. It was just one of those weeks where I got done what I could and didn't sweat what I couldn't get done. I am trying to learn to let it go. Still ended up with decent running mileage, but barely swam or biked.
  
  
• Changing my training schedule around for the 50-miler and experimenting with some different training options - but, most importantly returning to the back-to-back long runs, as opposed to the long ride/brick Saturday and the long run Sunday. This will have me going into the Half-Ironman a little less prepared than I usually am, but will ensure I'm fully prepared for the 50-miler.
  
  
• Played tennis with Dan on Sunday and got dominated. It was the first time I had played tennis since I was like 9 and played with my brother in our driveway. Sadly, my skills have not improved any.
  
  
• I've become addicted to Baskin Robbins. They opened one not far from our house, and I am there all.the.time. I am not even that big of an ice cream person. I blame the heat.
  
•  Do you ever have those days, weeks, months, where it just seems you can never catch up? It seems like every day I have a to do list a mile long, and more often then not, only 1 or possibly 2 things get done on them. And, I don't even have kids. How is it that I cannot keep even keep up with the laundry or keep the house clean?
  
  
• I'm getting really excited for college football season. Especially since my Gamecocks are supposed to be damn good this year!
  
  
• I think that's about all I have to report. It's only hump day, I'm exhausted, and need a nap

Word Vomit

Please excuse this word vomit on my blog, as it’s been a really tough week for me.

I really don't think that there is a better friend than your dog. Loyalty, undying and true, along with unconditional love is the glue that binds man with his best friend.

Those that have known me for awhile, know that I absolutely adore my basset hounds. I will do anything for those dogs. One of them, Flash, even has his own blog and Facebook page (go ahead and call me crazy dog lady).

I have written about my dogs, Flash & Lulu, before on this blog, but in this post, there is a different tone that is taken.

Not that I didn’t love Lulu, but Flash is my best buddy. He follows me everywhere, greets me at the door when I get home from work, and never leaves my side. This may sound crazy, but when he looks into my eyes, I really feel he understands me.

Even if you do not care for dogs very much, just come meet my dog, Flash...And you will instantly be drawn to his big beautiful brown eyes, sweet little open-mouthed and tongue-hanging-out-smile, floppy ears, fairly large snout and black wet nose. 

Flash has been having what the vet thinks are epileptic seizures, and they have been increasing in frequency. It’s both scary and heartbreaking. I was pretty much devastated when the vet told me there is no cure for epilepsy, only medicine to tame the seizures. And, that, it’s likely in time the seizures will not be as contained and can turn into grand mal seizures where my poor Flash can have seizures that cause him to poop and pee on himself. While the medication – Phenobarbital – seems like an obvious solution, it’s really not. The side affects are pretty undesirable, the worst one being that it sedates the dogs and zones them out. Flash's unique personality is one of the reasons I love him so much; so the thought of having him sedated and not himself is a hard pill for me to swallow. Next week, Flash will have to go on medication no matter what for about a month, so they can 100% say that epilepsy is the cause of his tremors. After that, it’s up to us whether we keep him on it; a decision that doesn’t rest easy with me.

If you can’t tell, I have this enormous pride in being able to call Flash my pet. And I really am proud. I swell up whenever someone mentions how beautiful he is, or how cool he is. He is cool.

So, it’s been a long week. I am pretty much unfocused on anything other than Flash. I will get in my workouts as I can, but they just aren’t my priority this week. My buddy Flash is.

Hottest Half-Marathon Race Report: That was rough.

The Hottest Half lived up to its name. The heat is brutal, and until you have tried to race in it, it is impossible to understand just how much it can slow you down. The humidity was also ridiculously high due to rain (gasp!) in Dallas the day before.

When I said in my pre-race post that I was hoping to run a 1:33-1:34 race on Sunday, I honestly thought I could handle that without a problem. I’m typically a 1:30-1:32 half marathoner, with a PR of 1:29:xx, so I thought giving myself a few minutes extra cushion in the heat would be perfectly reasonable. Uhhhh…not so much. I underestimated how tough it would be to run a half-marathon in August in Texas –especially when we are having one of the hottest summer in years. A 5k I could have still handled without losing too much speed, but not a half-marathon. I learned how much the heat and humidity can really take out of you mile upon mile.

Pre-race:

This was a solo trip to Dallas for me, as Dan had to work/watch the dogs. I arrived in Dallas around 3 pm and checked in my hotel. I stayed at the host hotel, the Hyatt Summerfield, out of convenience and because they were offering a good rate for half-marathoners. They ended up giving me a deluxe king suite for the race rate, which was awesome. It was like a freaking condo; living room, full kitchen, walk-in closet, dvd player, 2 flat screen tv’s etc. I wish I could have stayed for more than 1 night! I was also only a mile from North Park mall, where I did some shopping and scored a pair of Lululemon shorts for only $39!!! (Dan says this is not a bargain, but in my world it is). Grabbed some dinner from Whole Foods ($20 dinner for ONE. That pay-by-the-pound salad bar KILLS me every time), went back to my hotel, watched 2 movies on HBO, in bed by 9 pm.

Race Morning: Arrived at the race start about an hour early, got parked and hit the porta-potty’s (which by the way, they had plenty. Big pet peeve of mine is that races never seem to have enough bathrooms and the lines end up being super long). Ran into my friend Andrew from Georgetown, and his girlfriend! Also got to meet Royce from Daily Mile who was doing his first race ever on Sunday (by the way, he’s a trooper and one tough athlete for selecting the Hottest Half as his first race. I told him they definitely get easier than this one)! Warmed up for 20 minutes, and headed to the start line.

You know you are in for a hot day when you are sweating like crazy and the race hasn't even started yet.

Start time was 7:30 am. I’m a ‘run before the sun comes up kinda girl’. I’m usually done with my runs by 6:45 am-7:00 am. So, 7:30 am was a little late for my liking, but hey, I guess that’s why they call it the Hottest Half.

Race gun went off and I was off. My pace felt really good to start – I kept looking down and reminding myself to slow down because it would be a long race. The course was an out and back and I was running right at a 7 min flat pace for the first two miles. Had the nice surprise to see a friendly face, Nina!, around Mile 2 and it gave me a boost. I was running with two other guys who wanted to keep a 7 min pace, and their company was keeping me going. As miles 3, 4, 5 ticked by I noticed that our pace was slowing slightly, although I felt like my perceived effort was not. In fact, I felt like I was fighting harder to keep a slower pace. Frustrating. This was also about the time the sun decided to make its appearance very well known and the temperature went up. The sun was right on us... burning. 

At mile 5, our average pace had slowed to around 7:09, and we all three admitted that perhaps we had been too overzealous in our 7 min efforts given the conditions.One guy dropped back just after mile 5, and I lost my other running partner right before the turn around at Mile 6.55.

I was around a 7:09-7:10 pace at the turn around, but I putting in a lot of effort to hold that pace. I was pretty sure I would have to readjust my 1:34 goal, but I would try to hang on the next few miles. Saw Andrew again, as well as Brian from Daily Mile, just past the turn-around, and their encouragement was much appreciated. Around Mile 8, I also saw Lauren, and then Royce again from Daily Mile, and I was really excited to see them both, and again, really appreciated their encouragement. I came to this race expecting to see no one, and so the friendly faces made a world of difference.

At mile 9, I decided I needed to slow down. I was red lining. I noticed myself weaving a little, and I have having a weird out of body experience where I felt like I had no control over my legs. There was really no internal debate on this issue. Acceptance.

I also knew at this point (thank you kind spectators for letting me know) that I was the 5^th woman. I also knew that I wasn’t going to catch the fourth place woman. She was in my line of sight, but not close enough that I could safely make a kick to catch her. I also knew that there wasn’t another woman close behind me. Let’s just finish this thing, I told myself. I wasn’t getting passed by people, and was still passing some, so it appeared to me that everyone was struggling and just trying to make it to the finish line.

The last few miles were survival for me. I just wanted to safety make it to the finish line. I ended up crossing the finish line in 1:36:34. I measured the course long at 13.21, but that could have been due to weaving in and out of people on the race course (anyone else measure it long?). My finish was good enough for 36^th overall, 5^th woman and 1^st in my age group. I left with a nice plaque and finisher’s medal.

I do want to give a lot of props to the race organizers – this is the first time I’ve run a half in the Texas heat and no station was out of water. There were so many water stations – they all had water and powerade on the course. It was awesome. The volunteers were super nice and helpful! Around mile 10, I tried to grab water but missed the handoff (totally my fault) and the volunteer chased after me with a cup of water and powerade to make sure I had fluids. I thought the race was very well-organized, a good value for the price, and I will do it again next year (and start out more conservatively!).

Would I have liked to run faster? Yes, most definitely. Yet I am feeling quite at peace in accepting what I was given.

And that's pretty much a wrap for this race.  Stick a fork in it... it's D-O-N-E.

Hottest Half: The Quick and Dirty Report

I had hoped to post a race report from yesterday's half marathon, but I've been at the vet all morning with one of my basset hounds (second vet trip in four days), and to be honest, I am not in the best of moods today (my poor little basset, Flash, likely has epilepsy. To top it off, when I waiting for Flash some guy walks in carrying his DEAD dog to get him cremated. Not what I needed today). So, I'll save a race report for tomorrow.

In short, it went pretty well. I measured the course a big long (13.21) and clocked a 1:36:34. Not near a PR, but given the conditions, not too bad. I finished in 36th overall, 5th woman and 1st in my group. I also got to see several Daily Mile friends at the race, which was awesome!!

Finisher's Medal and Age Group Award...and basset #2, Lulu

Age Group Award

Time to Race: Hottest Half Marathon

This weekend I'm headed 3 hours North to Dallas to run in the Hottest Half with 1500+ other crazy people who think it's a good idea to run 13.1 miles in over 100 degree temps. I think the race will definitely live up to its name, as it's been over 100 degrees every day for weeks. I'm looking forward to racing in a venue other than Austin and against different people. I'm also looking forward to the fact that my hotel is only a mile away from a Lululemon store, a large 2 story Dick's Sporting Good store (another fav place of mine to shop) and a Whole Foods. It will pretty much be a miracle if I get out of Dallas without spending any money. :)

I haven't thought a whole lot about my goals for this race. I'm shortening my normal bike/run tomorrow morning to leave my legs a little fresher for Sunday, but didn't want to skip it entirely. I've been training in the heat, but with a 7:30 am race start, it will start to get pretty darn hot about 6 miles in. The course appears to be pretty flat, so I *think* I should be able to run a 1:32-1:33 race, putting me right at 7:05-7:10 minute miles. I would imagine the competition is pretty tough at this race, but I would love to place in my age group. We'll see what the day brings!

If you're going to be at Hottest Half, please say hello if you see me! I'll be wearing blue shorts and a black Mizuno sports top!

Hope everyone has a great weekend...I rented 'Soul Surfer' and am looking forward to curling up on the couch tonight and doing absolutely nothing!

Figuring Out the 50-Miler

In about 3 months, I am planning to run the JFK 50 Mile ultramarathon. As the realization is starting to hit me, I have spent a lot of time researching anything and everything related to the JFK race and the 50 mile distance itself.

I am frightened–not of the running, not of the distance, not of the pain- but mostly of the unknown, namely, where it will take me internally in that uncharted territory of mind. I’ve come to realize how much further the distance is compared to my normal runs, and it is daunting. I remember having the same feeling going into my Ironman. I had put in the training, but I had never put all of the pieces together. I did not swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, then run a marathon in training - not even near that. Just as I won’t run near 50 miles in training for JFK. I have a profound respect for the distance. Like with sound, where volume, measured in decibels, increases exponentially, the level of difficulty of a long run increases with the distance exponentially.

Many of you know I am originally from the Washington, DC area. All my family is still there. This means that JFK is my home race. The race is the largest and oldest ultra-marathon in the country, brings out the nation's best trail runners. I chose it not only for its proximity to my family, but also for its prestige. I am the first to admit that I am driven by my competitive nature. Growing up it was for grades. Now it's in my running. I find that I get competitive in many areas of my life, but mostly it's to prove something to myself. When I race, I'm competing against my own times. Yes, there are a few girls out there that I'll admit I enjoy beating. But if they have the better day than I do, I don't begrudge them that, nor do I fall apart. That being said, I would being lying if I said I am going into this race just to finish. I am going in it to compete. I am not cocky enough to think I have a chance for a top ten finish in this field; but I would like a strong finish in my age group and to cross that finish line before the clock strikes xxx.

The biggest thing I’ve been struggling with is setting my time goal. When signing up for this race I had two specific goals: to run the entire thing (no walking!) and to average 9 minute miles, ultimately finishing in around 7 hrs and 30 min. Seems relatively easy in theory…until I started doing more research on this unknown distance they call the 50-miler. To be honest, I always thought the longer distance would play to my strength. I am actually not that fast, I just don’t slow down as much as others, which is why I prefer to run a marathon over a 5k any day. I was banking on this theory applying in the 50 miler. But, what if half-way through, I am way off pace? Will I be able to remain mentally focused? What if I have to walk the last 10 miles? What if I am completely humbled by the distance? Will I be able to accept 'just a finish'?

The race is a mix of very technical hilly trails (15.5miles), dirt flat path (26.3miles) and rolling roads (8.4miles) (the race is actually 50.2miles total). While I am not confident in my ability to run 9 min miles on technical trails, we are done with the technical part of the race first, and then I am confident in my ability to run 9 or sub 9’s….but for how long? Can I hold it for 34 more miles?

I read that one should not expect to complete a 50-miler without walking (unless you are a super star elite or highly experienced). In fact, most people utilize a run/walk strategy. So, it is realistic for me to think I can run for 50 miles without walking? I don’t know. I think back to Ironman C’ouer D’Alene. I had the same goal going into the marathon portion of the Ironman. I ended up walking through some of the water stops the last 6-7 miles and finished right at a 4 hour marathon/9 min miles. So, will this experience be a similar experience? Again, I don’t know.

And, speaking of running hours and hours at a time, I’m going to have to eat something other than gel packets. Eating on the run isn’t something you can take or leave when it comes to ultra running, and that isn’t something I’ve been training (mental note: must do). How easy will I be able to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the run?

I know much of the success is a function of the mind. But, I know how naive I feel about the distance, and don’t want to get my ass handed to me as a result. I’m a big believer in the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ theory…I just don’t want to be going home at mile 30.

This should be interesting.

Nice little weekend

Although I am not sure how it can already be Monday, here we are again. I had a nice little weekend, finding a good balance between hard work and fun. I got some quality workouts in, while also spending some quality time with my husband - which is in my book a win-win.

Friday Night: Dan cooked dinner and we watched 'The Goonies.' I'm trying to decide on a movie to show for our Movie in the Park Event at work in October that is in conjunction with our Halloween Hay Ride and Carnival. Co-workers suggested this movie and were flabbergasted that I had never seen it...so I decided to check it out. It was a good movie, although I don't think it will be a good fit for this event. We're trying to attract the 'tween' crowd, so I need something more current...thinking Harry Potter or Twilight.

Saturday Workout: Up at 5:15 am so I could meet my friend for our 6:30 am ride/run. Another lady joined us, and I proceeded to bust my butt trying to keep up with her as she was a powerhouse on the bike. Our route is 23 miles out and 23 miles back for a total of 46 miles. I was riding at race pace - or faster - on the way out, but couldn't keep up with her on the way back. Definitely got me out of my comfort zone, which was good. Too many times on the bike I just sort of pedal along complacently without ever really pushing myself. After the ride, I headed out for an 8 mile t-run...it was hot...but I got it done.

Saturday FUN!: We went to see 'The Change Up' at the Flix Brewhouse in Round Rock. Great movie, I highly recommend it! I also highly recommend Flix if you haven't been there yet. Think Alamo Drafthouse, but nicer.

Sunday Morning: 11.5 mile run at comfortable (conversational) pace. I need get up earlier for these runs. I was on the road by 7:30 am, but once the sun comes up in Texas, it gets hot, fast. I actually meant to go longer, but my legs were pretty trashed from Saturday and the heat really started to get to me.

Sunday FUN!: We decided to check out brunch at a restaurant in Austin that we had never been to called Fonda San Miguel. Dan found in it a google search and it received rave reviews for its brunch. While the food (brunch buffet) was magnificent, we learned a valuable lesson: always ask how much it is before you decide to eat there. If the prices are not listed anywhere, and they do not mention the cost to you when going over the buffet (which was the only option), then it's probably very expensive. I was guessing it was going to be around $18.95 per person...the bill said otherwise at $39.95 per person. Ouch. A little more than we like to spend on Sunday brunch.

After relaxing the rest of the afternoon, I capped off the evening with an ice cream cone at Baskin Robbins, where I learned another valuable lesson and ended up with an ice cream cone the size of my head. Two scoops of ice cream in a giant waffle cone is a lot of ice cream. Lesson #2 for the day: one scoop on a regular cone will suffice next time.

This morning was a 10 mile recovery run. My goal was to practice running on tired legs, and tired legs is what I got. In all honesty, I actually think my 50-miler may be harder than my Ironman. At least if I try to run it in the desired amount of time I'm shooting for. Much respect to all of you Ultra Runners out there...

Hope everyone has a great week!

Letting Myself off the Hook

It's no secret that I like to push myself. I'm pretty disciplined when it comes to my workouts, and I don't like to make excuses to not complete a scheduled workout. In fact, I can be disciplined to a flaw so much that I will do anything to get in my workouts, whether it's getting up at 3 am to get it done or missing a fun night out because I need to get to bed early. I have these lofty intentions/goals that propel me towards a constant state of busyness. And when I don't reach the goals, I feel a little flat, let down, disappointed. I feel remorse and guilt when I fall short of my best laid plans.

This week took a different turn than planned. My training was (unintentionally) significantly reduced. I haven't been on my bike since last Saturday. I did not work out in the evenings at all. I skipped Tuesday morning run group for extra sleep. I blew off my usual Tuesday evening group ride. I skipped some lunch time swims. And, my plans for a Thursday evening ride were easily exchanged for pizza and beer with my husband. I took two complete days off from running during the week (I must be sick). My swim workouts were all easy and fly by my pants.

Feeling guilty for my so called laziness this week, I woke up this morning thinking I should get up and get in a ride before work, but laid in bed watching the clock turnover from 5:00 to 6:00 and knew it wasn't going to happen. When the time read 7:00 a.m., I made the decision not to worry about it. I let myself off the hook. It’s true I will not meet goal for number of training hours this week. So be it. My body wanted to rest this week, and I let it. I've been putting it through hell, and it was time to give it some rest.

Too often I let my type A sometimes crazy mind take over with guilt when I don't meet my goals for the week. Like somehow running/biking/swimming xxx numbers of miles each week determines my worth as a person. I completely exclude the middle ground. It was time to get over myself. It’s not like I'm a pro athlete or anything. I can work hard, but I also need to know when enough is enough. Training should be fun, but not an obligation.

In reality there will be weeks where I will not meet my goals. And that reality does not need to upset me; I need to let myself off this self-imposed hook and just be free to do what I can and forget the rest.

It felt good to let myself off the hook this week.

Blog Interruption: Happy Anniversary Post!

I interrupt the normally scheduled workout posts to wish my husband a very Happy Anniversary! We have been married 4 years today!

Dear Dan,

Congratulations! You have successfully put up with me for four years of marriage. And believe me, I know that is not an easy feat. I know I am not always the easiest to put up with and sometimes I let my prima donna come out (like last night when our AC went out and I was determined it was the end of the world and we would all melt in our sleep) . I know I am not perfect and yet you love me still. I love you not only for who you are but for who you help me to be.

It is hard to believe that 4 years have flown by, and yet, it is also hard to imagine life without you. Like all marriages we have challenges and blessings, but most importantly we have been there for each other. You are not just a “husband”, you are also my best friend, life partner, and my support.

Anniversaries are a time to remember where you have come from and where you are going. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us. And as I remember this special day, I wanted to share a picture with you:

Remember this?

Much Love, Erin

*******************

Today didn't get off to the best start. A little bit of background: it's hot like WOAH in Texas. 106 pretty much every day this week. I get very hot and break a (large) sweat very easily. We keep our house on 72 during the day and crank the AC down to 69 to sleep at night. Overnight guests always comment on how cold we keep our house, but I can't have it any other way. It has to be cold when I sleep; otherwise, I won't sleep. I was the kid who slept with my windows open in the dead of winter growing up, hoping my dad wouldn't find out and yell at me for wasting energy and letting the warm air out of the house. Perhaps Antartica would be a better place for me to live, I don't know.

Anyway - our AC crapped out last night. And by crap out I mean not functioning at all. It was 86 degrees in my house, and despite our frantic google search to try to figure out how to fix it ourselves, we were unsuccessful. Shit. It was too late to call the AC repair guy and too late to drag ourselves and two hound dogs to a hotel. We found one box fan, plugged it in....and, nothing. It wouldn't work. So, needless to say, neither of us got much sleep. I woke up several times last night in a hot sweat.

Since we weren't sleeping anyway, we decided to get up and go to run group. I always warm-up from home to meet the group. Half delirious this morning, I guess I wasn't picking my feet up and tripped and face planted during the warm-up, producing another nice battle wound on my knee. The rest of the workout didn't go much better. But, I got done what I could (which is really the theme of my week with work and the heat). Now, to wait for our savior, the AC repairman, who will hopefully tell us he can fix our AC today at a reasonable price (that's not too much to ask for, right?)

Needless to say, I was a pretty grumpy bitch last night and this morning with everything going on. Still, these arrived for me at work, Yeah, I think he's a keeper.

#thisweathersucks

This week's weather forecast. Hmmm....think I'll make this week a recovery week as well...