Getting Honest

Honestly I do not want to write the rest of this sentence, but I did not go Saturday to the Team Training :/ I didn’t think it through and stayed up late Friday night. When the alarm went off on Saturday I decided to sleep longer. I volunteered Sat and Sunday this weekend; 3-8 and I had a feeling if I didn't sleep Saturday I would not have the chance to catch up before Monday. My mentor did email me though to see if I made it out and she is going to let me know when she hears back from the rest of her mentees on the team. She is trying to put together a car pool for the kids in the city. This week is Sat at Valley Forge but I have Tam's Wedding Shower and next week is the wedding..So now my first practice will be the first week in June.
I talked to Alyssa, who I ran the NJ Marathon with. We were discussing the change of the training schedule. Now we are going to run for time instead of miles during the week (according to the schedule), but I told her I think it will work if we just treat the min as a ten min mile. So whenever we see run 40:00 we can translate that to run 4 miles. That way we are getting the same mileage if we have a slower pace.

Sunday I met with a friend, in the AM then got a little cleaning done before going to the hospital. When I got home I put some laundry in the washer, went to Wawa to get my lunch for Monday, went back and changed the clothes to the dryer, then went for a run. I ran 4.3 miles in 45 minutes. Went up 2nd Street to Chestnut, to 20th then to Walnut (tried to run through Rittenhouse but the sprinklers were on), then came all the way back on Spruce. It was nice. I find myself picking up the pace when people are watching, then when I am out of view I am like huffing and puffing. I am so grateful to live in the city though because although it probably isn’t the safest to run at night, it is well lit. When I was living at my mom's I used to run around and around the same few streets because the Black Horse Pike is not the most runner friendly street, but there was no running happening at night there. I did have a car though so I could, if I really wanted to, drive to somewhere that was ok to run around at night, but that never happened.

Yesterday morning I was planning on running outside but since it was raining I went to the gym. I was not feeling it. I haven’t been to the gym in probably over a month. I ran a little but walked mostly..2.2 miles in 25 minutes as I watched The Patty Duke Show, which I actually really liked. I thought I was watching Leave it to Beaver when I first saw the mom and dad talking but then it was about Patty, she so irresponsible lol. Anyway I ran/walked as Patty tried to get money to the bank but it was closed and then she lied to her parents, such shenanigans. I really like Black and White television though. When life was simple or so it seemed to be...

I feel like a chump for not making it to the first practice but at the same time it was only a couple miles. I will get there in June and have a goal to make at least two new friends. It is actually kind of hard sometimes to go right out and make friends but luckily there are a lot of people like me who just show up alone and so they start talking and get the opportunity to meet some really awesome, down to earth cats that are all there for the same cause. Then you start talking about why you chose Team in Training and well one thing leads to another and before you know it you are crying together over either a survivor story or someone running in the memory of someone who lost their battle with cancer. It really is a great experience I don’t want to miss.

This morning I ran the Ben Franklin Bridge. The forecast was rain, but luckily 6-7:10am it held off. I was prepared though with my hat and jacket. It was pretty humid and foggy. The picture I took (below) is not the best but it is neat with the train coming over and the skyscrapers engulfed in the clouds. So from my house to the bridge (I ran down Front St by accident but gave me some more mileage) and back was about 5.5 miles. I ran with my friend again, and we walked some of it, so it took about 70 minutes but forget the time I am happy with the 5.5 miles. Can’t forget the .5 either, that is 5 and one half mile bud ha.
This morning when my alarm went off I had to remind myself that I used to wake up at 5:30 every day when I had to be at work by 7am, which was only 5 months ago… And it definitely helps knowing that someone is meeting me, because I know that is at least one more person getting up to run at that hour.




Ben Franklin Bridge 6:45am Wednesday May 18, 2011



I feel good! It is only 9AM, and I am ready for the day :)

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."~Aristotle

Go TIME

Let it begin!

Fundraising
OK I added the link (on the right) to my Fundraising page and it OFFICIALLY has begun! I got the brochures for Cookie Dough Tubs $10 for a 2 lb container that you can freeze. The kinds of cookies are:
*Chocolate Chunk
*Peanut Butter
*Oatmeal Raisin
*Sugar
*White Chocolate Macadamia Nut
*Snickerdoodle

I have to have 120 tubs ordered before I can place it though, so if you know ANYONE that likes cookies, send them my way!!!

Second Option: Joe Corbis Pizza
A woman at work's kid, did this one and I kept my pizza kit in the freezer at work so I can just make the little personalized guy for lunch when I need it. Great Idea. I am waiting on the brochures for that. More info to come...

Kick Off
Last night I went to the TNT Kickoff at the Great American Pub in Conshohocken. Last year they had the back room but this year it was upstairs, a lot bigger! There were a lot of people there! A lot of people are doing the Philly Full Marathon and A bunce are doing the Rock N Roll Half in September. There were people for the other events too (Marine Corps Marathon, Nike’s Women Marathon, the Tri, and Seagull Century) but the majority were for the Philly events.
I got my training shirt, similar to last years, but I went for the Large this time. Last year I was always tugging on it, too tiny..

Training
Anyway tomorrow will be our first group run and our training schedules start from there. It was interesting this time because instead of miles, the runs are by time… so for the three or four runs on our own during the week it will say (25 min or 30 min) instead of 2.5 or 3 miles. The weekend long runs are in miles still. I am excited!! Tomorrow we are meeting at the Manayunk running club. They are leaving every 20 mins from 8-11am. I met a couple girls from the city but none of us drive, they are taking the 7:25am train out because they are mentors so they have to be there from the start. I said I would go with them because it will be nice to not go alone plus I have no idea where I am going. My understanding is that when I first get there, they will give me the schpele on running shoes and which are best for me…take a look at mine and ask me how long I have had them… I can actually get the correct answer by going back in my posts but off the top of my head I think Feb of 2010 I bought them so over a year old. I was told that the deal for running shoes is they are good for 500 miles…I am not sure when mine expired but I’m pretty confident they are doneski. I do not have the money right now for the new shoes but they are in my plans for this summer. After that we will go with a group for a 20-25 min run on the toe path. Not sure what the toe path is or if I have run on it before but it sounds fun.

I did not wake up yesterday or today in time to run : ( Yesterday I just wanted to sleep and today I justified it because I got a Charlie horse (or cramp) in my Left Calf. So I told myself, I better not run so I am not sore for my softball game tonight. But actually I don’t feel the pain anymore. Sometimes when I get those cramps I feel it for a day or two…They are the worst! I cry like a baby too when I get one. There is nothing that can make it go away. Depending on my mood I either squeeze my leg for dear life or I punch it, but I have to ride it to the end. Then if I flex my foot half the time the pain comes right back again. Every time I tell people I get them they always say how they got them when they were pregnant. I get them like once every 3-6 weeks, but no bun in the oven here. Lack of potassium is what WebMD and my parents tell me, so I gotta eat more bananas and stop being such a baby.

Tonight hopefully I will run around the bases a couple times and can count that as my little teeny run. Tomorrow after Manayunk, I am going to run to the Path and check out the Dad Vail (Since I didn’t make it this morning). Today is the beginning so by mid morning tomorrow it should be heading into the Finals.. I miss crew.. Hopefully I will get a few more miles in other than the morning run.

Sunday I am meeting a friend at 10am so I want to wake up and run a little before then, that way I am not rushing so I can run before I have to be at the hospital at 3. School starts on Monday, which means these AM runs will be key. I need more discipline. I know once I get home from school I usually have convinced myself I am too tired to run, so by doing it right away I don’t give myself the chance to say no! Two weeks til Tam’s Wedding! Holy Moly! Next week is the shower and then it is here already. I have not tried the dress on since I was fitted for it, not because I am too scared but Tam has it. I think it should be fine. I have the dress for Dannielle’s wedding (Sept) Hanging in my closet and I don’t want to touch it because I feel like I can stain and wrinkle anything at any moment. Hopefully by August that bad boy will be a little looser, but if not no worries. OK today’s quote is:

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?" - Peter Maher, Canadian marathon runner

Yesterday and today I woke up in time to run! Monday my allergies were out of control. It took half the day to feel semi normal. By the time I got home, my plan was to take a nap for 30 minutes around 6pm…I woke up at 5am! Then I laid in bed til 5:45 when I got a text from a friend, saying ‘Rise and Shine.’ Now a few weeks ago, maybe even a month by now, I was telling her how great it is to wake up early and get your work out done. Telling her how I feel so wonderful when I do, yada yada. And she has been waking up to make the early morning spinning class for her gym on Tuesdays. That was the push I needed to get moving. I was well rested but my body could sleep forever if I let it. I ran up South St to the Bridge at 27th St, then back. It is 4 miles total (2 up and 2 back). I ran 10 mins, walked 5, ran 10, walked 10, ran the rest. It was nice.

Then this morning, I ran with a friend which always motivates me. Woke up at 5:30 was out the door at 6 and we ran for roughly 35 mins. Did around 3.2 miles. We went down to Penn’s Landing then up Market over 10th and back to Bainbridge and home. I was talking to him about Team in Training and the Philly Marathon, if I had it my way everyone of my friends and family would run a marathon together! It was perfect running weather today. I ran the whole time (because I wasn’t alone). But so far I feel good today. My college crew team is coming to town this weekend for the Dad Vail Regatta. I am going to try to wake up at 5 on Friday and run up there to see if I see Coach Allen. I would go Saturday but I think the first Team training is this Sat at 8am at Valley Green, so I won’t have enough time.

Tomorrow night is the Kick Off Party and I am excited to meet the new team. I am glad Alyssa is doing it too. She moved to the burbs though which is kind of a bummer but I think she will still be at the group runs so I can have a running partner my pace. I will have to mingle so I can meet someone from the city who has a car and won’t mind carting me around. I borrowed my mom’s car for a couple of the runs last year but I had some numbers to call in case it didn’t work out.
I’m excited to start again with the Team because it gives me more of a purpose. I like to hear the stories of the survivors and of other team members as to why they do it. It’s like a mini cry session before the run but again it reminds you why you are out there, raising $ Etc… Alright Quote of the day:

“No great achievement is possible without persistent work.” ~Bertrand Russell

Speedy Pants

I can be a space cadet sometimes. The whole reason I wanted to write was because I was just on http://www.athlinks.com/myresultsadv.aspx?rid=80623279
And I can see my pace for all of the races in the past. Even though I ran Broad St as someone else, this site still let me claim the time as mine, so that's awesome. And....This last run was the fastest pace I have ran (well it's the average, but you get my drift) ever. Pace was 10:46 which is slow for a lot of people but if you haven't noticed my user name is 'slow and steady.' I am usually an 11 or so on the longer runs, so ten miles averaging under 11 min miles is something I can be happy about :) Fastest Race over a 5 K*
Big things guys, big things!

Getting Stoked

I was so excited about the new countdown widget, I forgot to talk about the other races lined up for Fall! Well I was talking about running at work one day, and I started to get excited talking about the ING or Rock N Roll or Distance Run (whatever the Philly September Half Marathon is called now). I was telling the girls about the bands at every mile and running around the city, I really liked it last year. Probably because the route is my normal stomping ground. Anyway, I now I have two other girls (and one or two teetering) that are doing it! That race is September 18 this year. Then, I signed up for the Philly Full Marathon with TEAM IN TRAINING!!!
I went to the info meeting two weeks ago and it was cool to say that I had run a marathon before. A little more than a year ago anyone who said that to me I looked at them like they had three heads, how could they ever run that far? But now I cannot wait to do it again! This Thursday will be the TNT kickoff Party in Conshohocken, just like last year. I think it will be more challenging to train in the summer opposed to the winter. I prefer the cold, especially when running. But it will be cool to do it! So I have my fundraising page again but I want to personalize it before I post the link. Last year my goal was $4,500! And this year for Philly it is $1,300 if you stay in a hotel, $1,000 if you don’t, and $750 if you are alumni. So my goal is $750!!! Not too bad at all. I went online looking for fundraising options and sent away for the cookie tub things (frozen cookie dough). That is a brochure so there is no money up front that I pay and you get cookie dough for the money you pay! Good deal! If you want cookie dough let me know, I’m your girl. I will post the details once I get them.

Yesterday I went for a walk/run down to FDR Park to see some friends play softball. I stayed in Jersey Sat night so I didn’t hit the pavement til after 11. By the time I got to the game, my friends scored a couple runs and within ten minutes it was over. It was good because I got to see them win but I still had plenty of time to get back to my place before having to be at the hospital. On the way home I did a loop around the lake in the park. I tracked it on Mapmyrun.com this morning and I did about 8.5 miles total yesterday. The first three miles was mainly running with a couple walk breaks. Then the next two miles (after the game) was running, but the rest was walking. This weekend was gorgeous! Saturday I was at Six Flags all day and man did we walk. It was 5:30pm before we even got to the other half of the park! So much fun. Today my allergies are killing me….slowly. I am hoping by the time I get back to my place I will feel up for a run tonight. Only 4 more months til my lease is up and I can move to somewhere with windows. So up to date countdown would be:

20 in 24 --- 68 Days
Philly Half--- 132 Days
Philly Full Marathon--- 195 Days


“Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.” ~Josh Billings

71 Days and Counting...

Ok Okay Ok… There are 71 Days til the 20 in 24 Race (check out the countdown clock to the right ;) Which means, I really need to stay committed to this. I ran the Broad Street Run on Sunday as ‘Catherine New- 35 F from NYC (Thanks Caroline: )’ and I ran it in 1 hr 47 mins. When I ran Broad St in 2008 my time was 1 hr 57 mins, so I am improving! Although I haven’t specifically trained for Broad St it was a Nice run. Nice meaning I did not want to throw up or die at the end, which was not the case in ’08. Maggie and I have been talking a lot about what we are going to need to do to make sure we get the calories we need and don’t completely want to die during this 24 hour race. I am currently reading “Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultra marathon” by Neal Jamison. Ultras, I believe, can be 30, 50, or 100 mile races. Anything over a marathon I’m guessing. Even though I am planning on walking the majority of the 24 hrs I still need to train! And that is what I have been telling myself the past two weeks. Sometimes I still think in my mind ‘it’s cool, I’m only walking’ but in actuality I will be burning the same amount of calories as if I were doing the same distance and running. It is roughly a little more than 100 calories burned per mile run/walked. So I will be burning 5,000+ calories in one day. Luckily, there is a lot of information out there on the correct way to replenish your body during such long runs, so I will need to keep reading.

The past couple weeks I have been inclined to get my butt up and out on the road before work. I always find it so rewarding to be able to run while the sun is rising however I am still completely stubborn in the morning when I start contemplating. This week; I intentionally took off Monday (Broad St was Sunday) then Tuesday, yesterday, and Today I laid in bed when my alarm went off at 5:15 and came up with every excuse under the sun as to why I should lay in bed just a little bit longer. Tuesday was my Chemistry final, and always my busiest day at work so that deserved another 13 slaps on the snooze. Then yesterday I said I would run after work and I did. Last night’s run was great. I did about 3.5 miles around the city. The morning runs just put you on this cloud for the rest of the day and the photo ops are way better. Don’t get me wrong last night I had my runner’s high, however it caused me to putz around til finally getting in the shower and laying down to bed close to midnight. Waa Waa, way too late to be up on a work night.

Anyway, moral of my babbling is: AM runs are way better, they make me feel alive. I can feel God in the sunrise and I love to see other runners who won against their alarm clock to get out at that hour and do what they love. On the other hand Night running is better than no running. I think I tend to pick up my pace in the dark too, which I guess could be good if I were running for time. Last week, I was tired but still made it out the door. I ran the night before so I decided to just jog to the water and meditate. It was gorgeous and peaceful. Even though I ran less than 2 miles my soul was fired up. Early mornings have something no other part of the day have, now if I could just get my bed to stop telling me otherwise, I’d be set :D

Here are some pics from the AM Runs: