Some Runs are Just Strange.... in Good Ways

  Last night Shauna and I did our 5 miles, I think we're only going to run 6 miles on Tuesday nights and 5 miles on Thursday nights with our long runs between 7-10 miles. It was about 85 degrees last night when we ran, and extremely humid but strangely our average pace was 10:36 a mile. We pretty much kept under an 11 minute pace the whole run and I am extremely pleased with it. Our splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:00
Mile 2 - 10:47
Mile 3 - 10:48
Mile 4 - 10:43
Mile 5 - 9:44
   One would think that during extremely humid runs, the pace would be slower or more easy going but strangely we felt great at our pace and I honestly think I could have kept it up for 3 or 4 more miles...... at least I felt like that at 5 miles. I guess it was just one of those good runs, irrelevant of the weather.
   This weekend is our 9 miles, and it is going to be extremely humid even though it will be under 85 degrees but between 75-100% humidity which is going to be murderous. I am honestly a little concerned, it's also going to be storming and raining which might make it slightly more tolerable..... I am probably going to wear my shorts and heck, just a sports bra...... I guess we'll just have to see how things go.

A Good 6 Miles Last Night

  Last night Shauna was able to run with me, and I feel we made up for last weekend... her not being able to run (broken glass in her foot) and my being one mile short of goal. We ran 6 miles, and it felt good, we were in the dark 90% of it and I had my new knuckle light thing but it wasn't really working, it kept going off. Cameron thinks the switch is bad and told me I should send it back. Two came in the package and the other one seems to be working alright, but I don't know.... I think I might send it back and just get a small headlamp for a good price though will feel weird. I am going to either call or email the place I purchased them from, letting them know what is going on.
   We're actually still doing better than Team 13, right now their weekly runs are still at 4 miles and won't increase to 5 until after next Saturday's 15k race (another race YAY!!!) then they will run their weekly runs at 5 miles while Shauna and I will be doing ours at 6 miles until the week before the Half (maybe even two weeks before the Half) where we will taper and run 3 miles Tuesday and Thursday night, and our last long run before the Half will be about 8 miles... maybe 9 I haven't decided yet. This weekend we have to run 9 miles, hopefully the weather will be nicer, I definitely won't be running between 9 a.m and 5 p.m though....at least not until it really starts cooling off. This weekend is going to be raining which isn't bad at all, Saturday shows a high of 82 with just rain, while Sunday shows a high of 79 but with thunderstorms so we will have to see here in the next couple of days.
    This stupid West Nile virus is annoying me like crazy, somethings I just don't understand why on earth they were allowed to live. On a better note Dorian and I went for a walk this morning, he slept like a baby the whole time so I am wondering if he just doesn't care for evening walks, maybe it's too warm, too humid, too dark, or maybe he'd just rather be at home sleeping or cuddling with me, maybe it is the greenway my mom and I walk on that he hates. Every time he and I go for a walk on the Newburgh Rivertown Trail, he is fine and pretty much sleeps for the whole 3 miles where if I try to take him for a walk in the evening in Evansville he can't even make 1.5 miles before he is crying and screaming and extremely upset........strange.

SWEET, SWEET, SWEEEET!!!

   Shauna didn't run with me AGAIN, there's some issues going on her marriage so I am not going to bug her right now. When my run started, I was a bit doubtful and wondered if I would even make 3 miles tonight as I felt kind of sluggish and my leg hurt a bit. I just told myself to make it to 1 mile, then I aimed for 2 miles, then when I hit 2.6 I turned around headed back. I told myself to just aim for 4 if I could, and see how I felt. I was doing pretty okay but the humidity was a bit much compared to the last couple of days. I hit the 4th mile and just said what the heck and sped up, it was a bit downhill so that probably helped, but I looked at my watch and saw that I was at 4.2 miles but what surprised me was that I was running a 9:14 pace! I told myself to keep it up to 4.5, then I figured I would at least aim for 4.7 because I was feeling a bit sick an out of breath but I passe 4.7, then 4.8 and then I saw 4.9 and was still under 9:20! My splits were as:
   Mile 1 - 11:37 / Mile 2 - 11:10 / Mile 3 - 11:15 / Mile 4 - 10: 54 / Mile 5 - 9:14!!!
   That is the best mile I've ever done! And what is more amazing is that I had already ran 4 miles before that one which was unbelievable, I am still excited about it.
   Other than that, I am still a bit nervous about this weekend's 8 mile run, something tells me Shauna won't be running it with me either. I am going to have to remind myself to stay at a slow and steady pace for 90% of it. Anyways, Dorian is being a butt hole so I must finish my blog.

Running with Stomach Issues

    Shauna wasn't able to run tonight, she was still feeling sore from Sunday night's long run. Around 4 p.m I began to have huge stomach issues and wasn't sure if I was going to be able to run.  My mom got to the house around 6:20 p.m, and I went ahead and tried for 5 miles. My bowels didn't act up a whole lot, thank god but I definitely felt weak and lacking energy. I noticed that I did run a bit faster in the beginning and throughout, my stupid garmin isn't syncing with the ANT agent right now so I am going to try and read off of my watch what my splits were.
   Mile 1 - 11:35 / Mile 2 -10:52 / Mile 3 -11:13 / Mile 4 -10:53 / Mile 5 -10:35
   So it wasn't too bad really, either my body isn't adapting to the extra weight or I am feeling the difference as I slowly begin to lose weight. I have noticed a huge difference/improvement in just the last couple of months since beginning my training, after 2.75 miles I had realized that in order to keep going I had to slow down and stop trying to reach my pre-pregnancy pace, once I did that things got a bit easier. Now with my 2 weekly runs at 5 miles each I've gone from averaging 12-14 minutes per mile back to 10:30-12:00 minutes per mile, so I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for now. I've gotten back to stretching after my runs, as I've noticed my knees and hams trying to tighten up after 4-5 miles so hopefully the stretches will help.

A Great 7 Miles Tonigh

  Shauna and I ran our 7 miles tonight, it went pretty well overall. We averaged an 11:23 mpm pace and finished at 1:20:33 which was about 9 minutes slower than last year's 7 mile long run, but that is alright with me. Our pace was :
  Mile 1 - 11:33 / Mile 2 - 11:24 / Mile 3 - 11:21 / Mile 4 - 11:37 / Mile 5 - 11:44 / Mile 6 - 11:41 / Mile 7 - 11:13 so pretty good overall.
  My knees did start to hurt around the 5th-6th miles and then my right leg started getting tight, it was getting difficult but I kept going and ignored it. I probably won't walk tomorrow evening, I was thinking about doing 3 miles but maybe I should give my legs a rest, then Shauna and I can run 4 miles Tuesday night. We've got to run 8 miles next weekend, hopefully my knees won't hurt so much, I'm really enjoying my runs with Shauna, just me an her out there. I remember really enjoying the group runs last year and the year before, but now I am quite alright with just me and her.
   The Half Marathon is getting closer and closer, and I am getting excited. I really want to do trail races, I keep thinking about it and I'd love to run those ultras that can take days to finish. Run/walking for hours, resting for a few hours and just going on. I like Half Marathons, and would like to do at least 2 a year but I really want to do ultras, trails and races like the Spartan Race, Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder.

Continued (08-20-12)
  I weighed myself this morning just out of curiosity, I purchased that scale 1 week go and weighed myself at 152 lbs... this morning I weighed myself at 150 lbs so the 7 miles helped. Hopefully as long as my legs don't act up and recover from each run, with the 2 5 mile runs during the week and then the 8, 9, 10, and 12 mile runs coming up I will begin to shed a lb to 2 lbs each week. I have 7 more weeks until the Half Marathon, if I can lose between 1 lb and 2 lbs a week I should be able to lose around 8 lbs between now and the Half Marathon and that will have me at 142 lbs which I can deal with although I really wanted to be closer to my pre pregnancy weight by the time I ran the Half. I won't sweat it much though, come to think about it now, I've lost 2 lbs or so in just a week so hopefully it will keep up that progress for 7 more weeks which would leave me at 14 lbs less than I am today when I run the Half which would be really awesome! Anyways, I won't sweat it, I will worry more on my joints and legs recovering after every run. I might go for a walk today, not sure yet but I really want to at least walk 2 miles.

Runs are Definitely Getting Better

   I've noticed an improvement in my runs, even as the mileage picks up. Last night's run was supposed to be 4 miles but Shauna and I went ahead and ran 5 miles, and it felt pretty good. We've been doing our two weekly runs at 4 miles for about 4 weeks now and this weekend we run 7 miles so I don't see much of an issue if we go ahead and increase it to 5 miles or at least one of our weekly runs. Team 13 doesn't increase their weekly runs to 5 miles until after the 15k race September 8, and I am feeling pretty good. Our pace was:
   
    Mile 1 - 11:52 / Mile 2 - 11:25 / Mile 3 - 11:18 / Mile 4 - 11:10 / Mile 5 - 10:49.

   So we averaged about an 11:19 mpm pace which isn't bad at all. I am really enjoying my runs with my sister, she keeps me from going to slow but I keep her from going to fast so we level out at a good pace. Again I felt I probably could have ran a couple miles further, but I don't want to push it. I feel really good about this training, and I am excited about the Half Marathon, I know I won't hit last year's time but I am quite alright with that as I just want to run it and finish it and to have the medal knowing that not only did I run my first Half Marathon when I was 13 weeks pregnant but I ran my second Half Marathon 6 months after giving birth to my sweet little blessing. I am excited to be setting an example for him, growing up watching his mom run races and living a healthy, active lifestyle even though Daddy isn't quite as active but that is understandable as he is much older than me and has had a very active life himself and is now running a business while enjoying Dorian's early life which he didn't get to do with his first 3 children.
   I've got 52 days until the Half Marathon, and I am so excited I can barely contain myself right now. Shauna and I are also going to do the Spartan race next year, I think it will probably be the same month as last year (April) and we'll do the Spartan Sprint: http://spartanrace.com/spartan-sprint-obstacle-course-race.html which again I just cannot wait for this one either as it is going to be on trails and I love running on trails more than anything, especially in winter.
   Okay, I am done blogging for the day.

Our Six mile Run

   I didn't get out yesterday morning to do my 6 mile run, and was a little disappointed at first because it would have been in the high 50's to low 60's if I had ran and I really wanted to feel that temperature. I am very glad I didn't go, my sister was able to run later that evening and we did our 6 miles together, granted I winged it on the route choosing but sometimes it is fun when you don't exactly have a plan and just go as the GPS on your Garmin tells you. Our pace averaged just under 12 minutes, our splits were:
Mile 1 - 12:03 / Mile 2 - 11:23 / Mile 3 - 12:16 / Mile 4 - 12:21 / Mile 5 - 12:09 / Mile 6 - 11:45
   I felt I could have gone another couple miles at 11:58 mpm pace but I am going to stick to my training plan for now and not risk injury just because I was feeling pretty good and the weather was great (71 degrees). After Half Marathon my plan is to average my weekly runs to 5 miles (2 times a week), with a fast 1 mile run for a speed workout and the weekend long runs to be between 8-10 miles hopefully averaging 15-20 miles a week.
  I am excited, things are going well with training. Dorian is a gift, blessing and a dream I never imagined coming true. He's already so strong, so aware of his surroundings, and too smart for his own good lol. Everyone who meets him can't believe how happy his is, and everything else. Cameron and I know exactly why,  not because we just got lucky with a well behaved child but because his parents love him, love each other and he lives in a stable, secure house unlike so many other children whose parents are constantly arguing and fighting or ignoring the child, and again everyone tells us we're obsessed, that we're spoiling him..... so what if we're obsessed with our child... we're supposed to be! And if loving him, socializing him, interacting with him, and working on his developmental milestones is spoiling him then that is quite alright with us. He's my contribution to this world, a clean slate that needs influencing, teaching and good (and bad) experiences with a good head on his shoulders, and the only way for that is to build a strong bond with him from the beginning. I know he is going to go through changes, especially when puberty starts and it will be tough but hopefully with a strong bond, setting a good example for him, teach him morals, value and the difference between right and wrong (and WHY), it won't be too difficult. So many people I know are just counting the days when their child/dren will be out the door and out of their hair... why??? It's an amazing experience, a whole new chapter just waiting to be written,    I just don't understand their way of thinking but I sure won't think that.
   I plan to set a great example for Dorian, healthy lifestyle, an honest living, quality over quantity and definitely living over materialistic crap. Hopefully he'll grow up learning and watching me closely, and grow a strong interest in running, or anything athletic really (but definitely running). Okay, I'm done. :)

A Good Run Last Night

  Shauna and I started off slower than Tuesday, her shorts were falling down and my legs were a bit stiff. The temperature was amazing though, compared to the day before, 85 degrees was like 60 degrees with a good breeze. We ran our 4 miles with the last mile being a 10:23 pace, our splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:58 pace / Mile 2 - 11:55 pace / Mile 3 - 11:25 pace / Mile 4 - 10:23 pace. So I am happy to say that we did a negative split and it felt good, this weekend I would be comfortable at an 11:25-11:55 pace during the first half of the 6 mile long run, then picking up the pace as I feel comfortable.
  Shauna and I might not be able to run together this weekend, I just hope she is able to get out there and run her 6 miles. This weekend is supposed to be great weather, so I might try and get my run in the morning. This morning was 70 degrees and I can't begin to describe how excited I was to feel it. I hope this might be a sign that there is a break in the heat, but I am not going to get my hopes up. Looking at the forecast, it's saying that next week will stay pretty much in the 80's, maybe touching the low 90's so we will have to see. I really hope so, my sanity really needs it because I don't know how much more of this 95+ weather I can take.
  Oh.... and I finally started my "you know what", I was feeling bloaty the last two days but since I hadn't had one in a year I totally forgot what my body did felt like before it happens..... I don't miss it.

Last Night's Run with Shauna

  Shauna and I got to run together last night, we did our 4 miles around 44 minutes so not bad at all. It was better than I expected, for some reason I run better with Shauna as long as we run alone and not with a group; for some reason she feels the need to compete with others and run faster which isn't bad for her as she used to run at around an 8 minute pace before having kids and pausing her running career.... but for me right now anything under 10 minutes is a bit much though I do feel that I am getting better and my old pace is within reach.
  Hopefully Shauna and I can run together tomorrow night, this weekend we have got to do 6 miles for our long run. Shauna has been missing out on runs in the last 2 weeks or so, I really hope this doesn't injure her. This isn't her first 6 miles, it has just been quite a few years since she was running anything more than a mile (when she got the chance). She is going about 2-3 minutes slower, if that'll help her any. I guess all we can do is take it slow and steady, keeping our eyes on the prize (the Half Marathon).
  I am tempted to think about a Marathon next year, or at least within 2 years but I've heard the training can be a bit time consuming so I am not sure if I can. I do know that I enjoy Half Marathons, and I want to do more trail races or races like the Spartan Race that is coming here next April.
   Splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:48
Mile 2 - 11:21
Mile 3 - 11:45
Mile 4 - 11:17
Mile 5 - 11:30
Mile 6 - 10:24

YMCA 5k Race Results

   So I did better than I thought, I was expecting around a 11:30 minute pace but we averaged a 10:13 pace. The first mile or 2 was very close to 10 minutes but around the 3rd mile I started feeling the urge to puke and my head was very hot. I am happy that I did better than I expected, and Shauna stuck with me the whole time which was awesome but I wonder if she could have done a lot better had she gone on without me. I am a little worried for Shauna, she hasn't been able to run much these last couple of weeks and she hasn't reached 4 miles. We haven't exactly been able to run together, so I can't supervise her mileage, next Saturday's long run is 6 miles so maybe I will try and see about us running together. The Half Marathon isn't very far away, she needs to start increasing her mileage.
    I am very satisfied with the race, the rest of today is going to be relaxing except when I go and visit Grandma Mary.

First Race Since Half Marathon

  Okay, technically the Hearts on Fire back in February was my last race before Dorian was born and I haven't ran a race since he was born. Today will be my first official race in a while, the YMCA 5k, and I am excited but a little bit nervous. Cameron won't be coming to this one he doesn't think Dorian will enjoy being there for an hour and then to breakfast and then to my grandma's so he and Dorian are going to stay home during the race. It sucks, because Cameron is the one who takes the photos of me during the race, so I will have memories but now he isn't coming. I won't be too upset as long as he comes for the 15k on September 8 and definitely the Evansville Half Marathon in October because I definitely want pictures for that one. After the race I must come home and take a shower, then we will go eat breakfast and then go to my grandma Mary's to visit for a bit today. After all that I would like to come home and sleep, but that probably won't happen lol. Well, wish me luck.