My First Half Marathon

Technically, I’m training for the Oklahoma City Memorial half, which is on April 28th. But this past weekend, our training program had us running 13 miles, and there happened to be a half marathon scheduled in our city that day.  So, a few of us from my group figured, if we’re going to run 13 miles anyway, why not get a shirt and a medal while we’re at it?

So, I ran my first half marathon over the weekend :)

I have to say, I wasn’t nervous.  People kept asking if I was.  It was local, so I was familiar with the route.  And it was going to be a super nice day, so that was a plus.  I think it helps a LOT that I really don’t care much about my finishing time.  I just want to enjoy the run and finish, period.

And, I did finish. :)  I didn’t really have a “goal” time, but I did have an estimated time I thought I should finish, given my usual pace (15min/mi).  I thought I’d finish in about 3:30, and I ended up finishing in 3:13!  So I was really happy with that.  Especially with the killer wind we had to run against for the entire second half.  I have never run in that forceful of a wind.

Like I have said before, I’m a slow runner, and I’m definitely okay with that.  Truthfully, I think I’m too lazy to try and be faster, haha.  HOWEVER, I did have a little womp womp moment when I looked at the official results.  I think there were only 22 people behind me, out of 450ish.  So, you know, not to say that in the FUTURE I won’t try for a certain finish time. ;)

But, that’s not the point, right?  I had a great time and felt so accomplished.

 

My favorite running partner, Maggie. 

Crossing the finish line!

My peeps!  I tried to get Cooper to run the last .1 with me, but he was getting sick and wanted nothing to do with me.

Hooray!!  The half that I have been training for is in just a few weeks, then I am taking a few months off to hopefully completely heal my leg that I injured a few months ago. (I had not run more than 3 miles in the last month before this weekend)  Then, I am training for another half in November with some friends from work.

I still don’t like running though, ha!

Oh, hai

I wonder if I broke my record of time lapsed between blog posts?  Not gonna lie, it’s been nice to put it on the back burner for a while.  I felt like I was really lacking for content.  What can I say, I lead a very average life.  I’m not complaining though :)

Catch up?  How about we go with some bullet points?

• I’m still training for the half :) I’m on week 14 of 20.  I’ve done something to my left leg that kept me out for over 2 weeks, and it’s still giving me some trouble, but I’m able to manage it for now.  Last run was 11 miles :)
• I have to admit, I’m proud of myself for sticking with the running.  I surprised even myself with it.  I’ve signed up for 3 half’s this year.
• Cooper is definitely going through the terrible 2’s right now.  He is equal parts frustrating, hilarious, and loving.
• We’re working on potty training.  It’s going fairly well, for the effort we’ve put into it, which is minimal.  Haha.  I like diapers.  I’m lazy.  Then his teacher was like, “he is ready, put him in underwear” So we did.
• All I want to do is stay home and paint furniture.  It’s a strange, sudden obsession I have.
• I got a new car last month.  An SUV and it rocks.  Such a nice change from my little sports sedan.  I no longer hit Cooper’s head every time I load him into his car seat.  And he tells me often that he’s grateful. “You not bump my head?”  He’s also fascinated by the cargo area in the back.  “I can see in der!”
• We decided to go on our first family trip this year.  To Sea World.  I think it will be so fun for Coopie.  Slightly nervous for the almost 9 hour drive though :/

That’s really it.  Not much excitement around here!

Half Marathon Training: Weeks 2 - 4

Saturday (4 miles): My calves were still iffy, but I wasn’t going to miss a Saturday run.  About half a mile into it, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to make it back if I went the whole way, so I turned around and ended up only going 3, maybe 3.5 miles.  BUT, I wasn’t able to walk.  It hurt so much worse when I walked, so I jogged the whole thing.  Except it was more of a shuffle than a jog.  I’m pretty sure I looked completely ridiculous.

Monday (3 miles): I didn’t run.  It was the week of Christmas.

Thursday: No scheduled run, Christmas Eve

Saturday (5 miles): I didn’t run this one either!!  Terrible, I know.  I don’t remember if it’s because it was the holidays or what, but I didn’t run.  I do know that my calves were still hurting (hint, we are currently on week 5 and they still hurt, haha, but not nearly as badly)

Monday: We didn’t have a scheduled run this day, it was New Year’s eve.

Thursday (3 miles): I was back in training mode!  I surprisingly had a great run!

Saturday (6 miles): I was SO SO SO nervous for these 6 miles.  I hadn’t run either of the last 2 “long” runs, and I have never run 6 miles before.  Yikes.  But, we set out, and I actually kept up with my pace group!!  First time ever!  I was SO proud of myself.  My calves hurt pretty bad the first 3-4 miles, but after that, it was like I got them warmed up and they were okay the last few miles.  Just as  aside note, we do not actually run the entire thing, not even on week days.  I’m the slowest pace group, remember?  We still walk 1, run 1.  And we will do this the entire training, and I will do it for the half also.  I might do walk 1, run 2, but I will still be doing intervals then.  Also, we average about a 15 mile minute.  So, when I was all self conscious about marking my pace as 13mi/min, I am now laughing at myself, because I was even slower than that!!

I was pumped that I had 1) run SIX miles!, and 2) kept up with my pace group! But when I got home, I could barely walk, my calves were hurting so badly.  Lee talked me into taking an ice bath.  Oh my gosh.  The second I stepped in, my feet went numb.  I’m not kidding, I couldn’t feel them immediately.  It was so cold that it was very painful.  But, after the first 2-3 minutes, my whole body was numb and it wasn’t a big deal to sit in there for a total of 10 minutes.  And after?  My legs felt much better!!  It was definitely worth it.

Monday (4 miles): So, on week days, we can run whatever we want.  They recommend 3-4 miles.  And most everyone in my group usually does 3.  But, I was kind of still on a high from Saturday, so I went 4 miles.  I ran the first 2 alone, and the last 2 with a girl from my group, one of the ones who runs a faster pace than me.  When we got back to the store (where we meet), I was talking about my calves, and some other people started helping me.  Come to find out, it is probably shin splints!  Even though it’s my calf.  But it’s the inside of my calf, where it meets the front of my leg.  Anyway, I was told to try compression socks, so I ordered some online.

Thursday (3 miles): I ran with my pace group this time, and we just ran 3.  Running is so much more fun when you’re doing it with people and chatting.  I was always told that, but never believed that I would be able to carry on a conversation while running!

I’m going to go ahead and say what I thought I’d never say: I like running.  I look forward to it.  Who am I?

Half Marathon Training: Week 1

My first run with my training group was on a Saturday.  (We run Monday, Thursday, and Saturday – Saturday being our long runs)

We were supposed to run 3 miles.  Just 3.  But I was beyond nervous because I had never run 3 miles before.  I mean, I’d gone 3 miles before, but some running, a lot of walking.  And when I signed up, it said you needed to be able to run 3 miles. 

I kept whining (in case you didn’t know, I’m a whiner, and sadly I’ve passed that fine trait onto my child) that I didn’t want to be the last person, and everyone would say the thing you’re supposed to say, “who cares if you’re last, the important thing is you’re doing it!”  Come on, let’s all just agree that it sucks to be the last one, because it does. But I showed up.

When I signed up, you had to tell them your pace (how many minutes it takes you to run a mile).  The choices were 8,9,10,11,12,13,14+  My pace? 13 min/mile (and that’s actually my fastest time). I didn’t sign up in time to get the email about what pace group you were in.  So, I walked around that morning looking at all the signs.  The slowest one I could find was a 12+ group.  That was my group. 

When it was time to start running, my group took off…walking!  Hooray! I was so happy.  We walked for 5 minutes and then everyone started running, including myself.  But, I didn’t keep up with everyone.  From what I could tell they were doing intervals: walk some, run some, walk some, etc.  But, I never did keep up, and really, I didn’t care.  Honestly there were so many out on the (public) trail, that you really didn’t know if someone was with a group or not, so that made me feel better.

Anyway, I wasn’t last!  BUT, the few people that were behind me?  They turned around before the halfway mark to meet back up with the group!  I was so mad.  But I did end up passing them later :)  Don’t let that fool you though.  I was going s.l.o.w.  Like, the last 1/4 of a mile, I was keeping pace with a 70+ year old couple that was walking while I was running!!  But thank goodness for them.  We started talking and that really got me through the last part.  I was grateful.  They were training for a half marathon, and it was so cute :)  They asked if they were holding me up.  Haha!

So, that first run was tough, but not as bad as I was expecting.

The second run that week was on Monday.  3 miles again.  This time, I ran almost the entire thing!  I got held up at a stoplight after 2 miles.  I met 2 girls from my running group at the light, and they were running intervals: Run 1, Walk 1.  So I joined them.  Holy lord.  It was more like SPRINT 1, walk 1.  Haha.  But I went the last mile with them.  And I was so happy that I ran most of the whole run!  However, I really hurt my calves on that last mile.  Like really hurt.  I could barely walk to my car.

No matter what I did, I couldn’t get my calves to stop hurting.  So when Thursday rolled around, I didn’t go run.  It just hurt sooo bad.  I was really frustrated and wondered if they would ever get better. 

So, that was my first week.  I was disappointed that I didn’t run every scheduled run, but I was so glad that I had gotten started.  That’s the hardest part.

Half Marathon Training

I think I want to document my training for the half marathon that I’m running at the end of April.  Mostly because I think I’ll enjoy looking back and seeing how far I’ve come since these beginning days. (hopefully)  And maybe so others like me, who think there’s no way they could ever run ANYthing, to see that you CAN if you set your mind to it! :)  (hopefully)

How it began:

Now, I am not a “runner”.  I am not athletic.  I never played sports.  Wait, I did play soccer one year when I was about 8 years old.  If I remember correctly, I think I often ran the wrong direction, and sometimes stopped and picked flowers on the field.  After that season, my parents never suggested another athletic team for me to join.  Haha.  I consistently worked out for one semester in college.  Other than that, I’ve gone to the gym sporadically (I can’t NOT think of Clueless every time I use that word), and I’ve started and stopped a handful of workout routines, including The Shred and Couch to 5k.  I never made it past stage 1 of The Shred, and I think the furthest I ever went in C25K was week 5, and that’s a stretch.  My preferred method of exercise, if I do any, is group fitness classes at a gym.  And I love spin.  As a matter of fact, I had every intention of starting spin classes back up before this whole half marathon came up.

Let’s go back to August-ish of this year.  One of my co-workers suggested that a group of us run as a relay team in a marathon coming up at the end of November.  Each of us would have to run roughly 5 miles.  I thought it would be a fun challenge, and a great motivator for me to get off my butt and start exercising, so I said sure.  I had every intention of training.  But then…I don’t know, I never made it a priority.  I went to the gym sometimes and ran on the treadmill.  The longest run I did was 3 miles, and it was a run/walk.  A few of us ran the Race for the Cure in September.  That was my first 5k, first race really, and I just wanted to finish in less than 45 minutes.  I walked more than I wanted to, but I think we finished in about 40 minutes, and I was so happy with it.  Running across the finish line was exhilarating and I had renewed motivation to get with it for the relay.

And then 2.5 months passed, and relay day came and I hadn’t run much at all.  In fact, instead of preparing, I complained about it every day at work.  How much I hated running and I wished I hadn’t signed up.  How running is so stupid and what was I thinking.  Two of my co-workers ended up getting injured and couldn’t run, and I said I wished that I had gotten hurt so I didn’t have to go.  Clearly I an a whiner.  Anyway, when we went to pick up our race packets, the atmosphere was so motivating and fun, that I was actually excited to participate.  (I think you can see my rollercoaster love affair with running.  Although, I wouldn’t call it a LOVE affair really, more like a tolerate affair)  Marathon day was here, and I went out and did it.  I completed just under 5.5 miles in an hour and 12 minutes.  It was hard, and again, I walked (a lot) more than I wanted to, but running across the finish line was even more exhilarating than the first time.  It was awesome and I was proud of myself for following through, even if I hadn’t prepared like I should have.

After the marathon (like immediately after), one of my co-workers, who is much more excitable than I am :), started talking about how she wanted to run a half next year for her 40th birthday.  And with the endorphins pumping, I was all “I’M IN, LET’S DO IT!!!”  Haha.  At work the next day, I told someone about it and he was like “BUT YOU HATE RUNNING!!  YOU JUST COMPLAINED EVERY DAY ABOUT THE MARATHON!!”  Which was so true.  I had complained every day.  Because I didn’t have any confidence that I would be able to finish.  But I HAD finished.  Maybe not with the best time, but it was such an accomplishment for me.  And I wanted to get better.

And THEN, that same day, my fiend Jackie mentioned that she and her fiance were thinking about running the half marathon at the end of April.  This is a different half than the one my co-worker wants to do.  And just like that, I decided that I will do BOTH of them this year.  At some point along the way, I think I drank the kool aid and I’m now hooked.  But this time, I’m serious.  I joined a training group that started over the weekend, and we’ve had 2 runs so far.  I plan to recap those later, this is getting far too long.  Do I love running?  Nope.  Not yet, anyway…I think I might by the end of this though….

Checking In

Let’s have a little life update.

- Jake has made himself at home in our house.  A little too much.  He’s kind of on thin ice right now.  Truth be told, it’s pretty clear that he needs to be an only dog. He is insanely jealous of attention we give to Isabelle and Zoe.  To the point where he storms over and pushes the other dogs out of the way if we are petting or holding them.  Not cool, Jake.  Not cool.  He is also super rowdy, which is fine, but he runs over the other dogs all the time.  Isabelle doesn’t even get out of her cage on her own when we get home because she is scared of him :(  It makes me so sad.  But Isabelle and Zoe were our very first babies and they come first.  We aren’t planning on trying to find a home for him again, but if one presented itself, we would probably consider it.  Poor Jakey poo.  He is a sweet dog.  He just needs a TON of attention :)

- My house is a disaster right now.  I can NOT keep up with it.  So frustrating.  I don’t understand how this happens when we really do have a place for everything.  I constantly feel like I need to re-organize every space because that might help.  And I feel like ALL I do is dishes lately.  Although, I haven’t cooked dinner at all this week (I usually do every night) and there have been WAY less dishes to wash.  Maybe I’m on to something here….

- I am super proud to say that we are almost finished Christmas shopping. I just need to get stocking stuffers and we are all set!  This never happens so early in the month for us.

- Cooper is so wild right now.  And I really think it’s partially due to Jake.  He gets Cooper all riled up and then they go crazy.  Cooper literally bounces off the walls at night.  Literally.  He bounces from the wall to his bed, and repeat until we make him stop.  I have never seen a child with so much energy.  It wears me out just watching him!

- Coop’s language development is so so awesome right now.  The things he says both surprise us and crack us up!  When did he learn some of these things?  Last night he pointed to a Santa and said “Santa Clause. I sit on his lap. I get pesents”  We have never told him anything about Santa or sitting on his lap.  He has gone to see Santa every year, but that’s about the extent of us talking about him.  And he does know about presents, but usually relates them to birthdays, never Santa.  Must be school, although they focus more on the real meaning of Christmas, so who knows.  Oh, he can also “spell” his name: C-O-P-R.  Pretty close :)

- I am seriously counting down the days until I am off for Christmas.  12 work days and counting…

- How’s this for logical: I hate running.  Hate.  I signed up for a relay with my co-workers, which I’ve talked about it.  I had to run 5.5 miles.  I had every intention of training, but I didn’t.  Because I hate running.  I was dreading the race, and complained about it every day at work.  And then I ran it.  And it was so awesome and fun.  My team was super proud of our time.  But I haven’t run since.  And now I’m signing up to run 2 half-marathons in 2013.  HA!  I will be joining a training team this time so that I can actually DO it.  We’ll see how it goes.

An Unexpected Addition

Meet Jake:

  

Two weeks ago, I found him in our neighborhood.  I snapped this picture below, and posted it to our neighborhood’s facebook wall.  Then, I continued on my run. And he followed me.  For almost a mile, he followed me.  All the way to my house.  And since I have a soft spot for dogs, I tentatively asked Lee if we could keep him for the night, because it was going to get really cold out.  Lee begrudgingly let me keep him an a cage in our garage.  And then he brought him bowls of food and water :)  He was a really sweet dog and obviously needed attention.  He went right into the cage and didn’t make a peep all night.  I gave him like 5 queen sized blankets because I was afraid he would get cold.

The next morning I took this picture and made some signs and hung them around the neighborhood.

That night, we let Cooper see him, which was instant excitement for him.  This dog played with him!  He didn’t run from him!  He loved it.

We also let the dog hang out in the house for the evening (after he got a bath).  Until he peed on our carpet.  Clearly not housebroken.  Boo.  Back into the cage in the garage.  Which he actually didn’t seem to mind, but still.

Over the next few days, we heard nothing on the dog.  No owners, no one wanting to give him a home.  Meanwhile, this was happening every night:

He is obsessed with me.  I don’t really mind.

Then one night, we moved his cage into the house.  I think you can see where this is going….

The dog, who we were calling “pup dog” slowly worked his way into our home.  Well, actually there was nothing slow about it.  He basically ran in and took over.  Haha. 

After a little over a week of trying to find him a home, we have decided to keep him.  Mostly because of how much Cooper loves him.  But also because he’s just a sweet dog.  He gets along fine with our two dogs, who are maybe getting a little jealous, but they don’t really mind him being around.  He doesn’t bark. (well, yet)  He loves to cuddle. And he’s catching on to potty training.

We settled on the name Jake this morning, and he’s going to the vet tomorrow to get checked out.  Hopefully he doesn’t have a chip, or else Cooper is going to be one sad boy!  And Lee and I might be a little sad too ;)

I never ever thought that we would have 3 dogs at once.  But he is really no more work than the other 2 so what the heck. 

Although, I’m afraid that Lee will never let me bring home a stray again….