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Onward Bound

Sometimes life is tough. Sometimes life is awesome. Sometimes it a little bit of both. Either way, you have to keep going. I'll be running, laughing, crying and sharing it all here.

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    Saturday, July 30, 2005

    Breaking all sorts of rules...

    After weighing all of the pros and cons of whether or not to run 15 miles today, I made the decision not to run. Yesterday, I walked around a lot in Lawrence, KS with a friend and my ankle was very tender by the end of the day. I've been on a serious ice regiment and I'm really hoping to make a great come back. My marathon is just too important to me to risk further injury. I'm telling you, it was HARD decision. Especially since last week the most I ran was 5 miles and since then, I've only run 4 miles. This is not good...

    But, I'm determined to make it to the marathon. If I'm under trained, I'm under trained.

    Having made the hard decision, I knew I had only one option left. Three grueling hours on the eliptical machine. That's right folks. Your friend Stephanie has gone where she hopes no other RBF members have to go. From 6:45-10 a.m. this morning (the 15 minutes extra was the time I spent walkingand stomping around in circles every hour to wake up my feet) my life consisted of eliptical hell. I wanted to be running so bad.

    In order to prentend I was running, I still followed my pre-run routine of eating, drinking water and even using body glide. (Hey, I didn't know what my body would do if I spent that long on the thing.) I also brought along a thing of gu to keep my body used to it. (And after 1.5 hours, some extra energy was sounding great.)

    At our apartment complex workout room, there is HUGE sign that reads: "Please limit your workouts to no more than 30 minutes. Thank you." So, I was super nervous that I would get busted. Believe it or not, there are people who WANT to work out on that thing. I figured if I went early enough, I wouldn't have too much of a problem.

    After 2 hours, during one of my walking around stomping breaks, a girl came in and asked me if I was done on the eliptical. I said no, I have (pause.) an hour left. She looked at me like, "WHAT?" So I apologized and explained the entire saga of my marathon and my ankle and my training etc... She seemed to forgive me and moved to the treadmill. I apologized a million times. But we talked for a while and suddenly I'm thinking, she knows an awful lot about me. The first few hints were subtle:
    "How's your husband?"
    "Did you cut your hair?"

    And then:
    "Is your air conditioning working?"

    That's when I realized...it was the apartment complex MANAGER!!!!! Yikes. I hope we don't get evicted. Luckily, she was nice. I feel like I should bribe her with something.

    Here's to hoping I'm up to my 16 miles next week. I really hate breaking the rules.

    Wednesday, July 27, 2005

    Stephanie's Running Interview

    As a blatant knock off to Brent's running survey, I thought I'd take a chance to interview the RBF.
    So, without further ado, I tag Jeanne, A.Maria, Josh, Flatman, Liz, Margarette, Riona, and anyone else who wants to participate in my interview to answer these questions on your blog and then tag others who aren't named here. Let's see how many people we can get going on this.

    Q: What are you training for now?
    A: The Kansas City Marathon on September 24.
    Q: If you are raising money for a cause, what is it and why is that cause important to you?
    A: I'm not, but I would love to find a group running marathons for ALS.
    Q: What is the furthest distance you've run in your training and what is the furthest distance you will run before your event?
    A: 13 miles and the most I will run is 20.
    Q:What is your favorite flavor of gu? (or other sports gel)
    A:I like the caffeine in espresso and the taste of tri berry. I currently have two packets of tri berry in my purse.
    Q: How many days a week do you run?
    A: Three, same as TNT.
    Q: Are you injured in any way right now? If so,what are you doing about it?
    A: Yes, in the brain. Just kidding. My foot and ankle are sore, but no "official" diagnosis.
    Q:What is one item of running clothing/gear (shoes don't count) you can't run without?
    A: Body glide and socks that go slightly higher than the backs of my shoes. I used to be all about those cute little low-cut running socks. No more.
    Q: Do you have a talisman you are planning on taking to your event? If so, tell us!
    A: My husband! He's my main cheering squad and I think he's bringing a small crowd of our friends and family with him. That makes me the happiest.
    Q: Share one thing about yourself we don't know.
    A: I used to host Morning Edition on an NPR affiliate. It involved getting up VERY early.

    I've been a bad bad girl...

    I RAN! I know I wasn't supposed to. Here's why:
    1. It was beyond beautiful weather.
    2. I miss running.
    3. I was worried that if I didn't run any that my 15 miles would shock my system and be worse for me.
    4. "There's always ice."

    Still hurting, but I made it. It wasn't the kind of pain that you can't walk or run on. I ran 4 easy miles. I mean, really what's the use of training for a marathon if you can't run when it's so nice outside?

    Tuesday, July 26, 2005

    I panicked, but the doctor says I'm ok

    News Flash: I panicked. HOWEVER, my doctor said it was a good thing I did because it means I am in tune with things. She x-rayed my foot/ankle and said, there is no stress fracture!!! YAY! And, (yes, Jeanne, I agree with you about g.p.'s not knowing the foot as well as a podiatrist and if I continue to have problems, I'll have her refer me) she even gave me stretches and ice techniques for my foot. Her hypothesis is that it is just the tendons in my foot/ankle screaming at me from overuse. And she supported that by reminding me that the pain was not localized. It moves. (from my ankle to my foot and back...) I am so happy. I am so happy that I will continue to work on the eliptical for the rest of the week until my long run without complaining.

    I have a history of osteoporosis because my mom has it and I have tested positive for early stages of it. That is why I panicked about the stress fracture. She said lots of calcium supplements and stretching and ice and I should be OK. But she also said to return if the pain became worse or more localized.

    She is also very proud of me for quitting smoking and said nice things about my overall health now.

    I am wiping the virtual sweat off my forehead and continuing on with training as I knock on wood and cross my fingers... Thanks so much for the support.

    Monday, July 25, 2005

    I hate the eliptical part 1

    The eliptical is now my arch enemy for the following reasons:
    1. I am forced to use it until my foot/ankle feels better (I know what you are thinking: I thought it was your ankle! Well now it's both...more on that in a sec.)
    2. My feet fall asleep when I use it (am I too fat? can I not bear the weight of my own body for periods of time?)
    3. It represents the fact that I cannot run right now.

    I've just spent 30 minutes feeling sorry for myself while gliding away on the rinky dinky eliptical machine at my apartment complex.

    Yesterday, in addition to my ankle, I realized that my foot also hurts. (same leg) So basically I have random areas of pain from my toes to my ankle. Weird. It also was very swollen compared to my other foot. I started to "stress" out about the possiblity of having a stress fracture somewhere in my foot or ankle or both! (I can be very dramatic, I know.) Then, I got online and read about plantar fasciitis which is essentially pain in your arch area, which is where the pain in my foot is, but does not explain the ankle. I'm desparately hoping it is this because from what I read, I could train through this ailment. My worst, worst fear is a stress fracture.

    SO, I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. Just my general practicioner, who I'm sure will just want to refer me on, but what I'm really hoping is that she can listen to my woes and say, "No, Stephanie, you don't have a stress fracture. Yes, you can run your marathon. Carry on." Basically, I really don't give a flip what my "injury" is as long as I can still run on it.

    If you are reading this and care, I'd love to have some good vibes or whatever sort of positve brain waves or hopes or nice thoughts you care to send my way.

    Thanks for reading.

    Saturday, July 23, 2005


    Views like this make me so thankful to be a runner...even if I didn't finish. Posted by Picasa

    A is for ankle and actually I didn't run the whole way..

    I want to say that making the decision NOT to run two laps around Shawnee Mission Park was the hardest decision ever. I was having a great run. I was conquering the hills, running without walking and exceeding my performance from my last run at the park. Somewhere around mile 4, I stopped to take a drink. About two steps into my walk, I felt my ankle throbbing. I knew it was tender, but I had no idea how much it hurt until I stopped running. I didn't know what to do. There was no one to ask, should I keep going? Is this serious? All I knew was my ankle was seriously hurting. I ran another mile to my car, again, feeling strong, up hills etc... But as soon as I started walking again, the pain was back.

    So, I made the decision. I didn't want to stop. I wanted to go another round. But I've heard that training is about getting to the marathon, not finishing a weekly run. I figured, that it was more important for me to heal for my 15 mile run next week, as opposed to running on it and injuring it further? (am I injured or is it just my tendons?) I'm so scared.

    I'm also super depressed because I didn't finish my 8-10 mile run (one plan I looked at said to run 8 this week, another said 10. I did about 5.) and my husband said I should have pushed through the pain. So now I don't know what to think and I'm bummed.

    In other news, I took pictures with my phone when I was running (I know, talents abound.) of the sun over the lake at Shawnee Mission Park and the birds (I think they were turkeys?) I scared off the road. I'll put those up later today or tomorrow.

    I hope you all had great runs and I hope I'm back in business next Saturday. Because the thing is, I was feeling pretty darned good otherwise....

    Friday, July 22, 2005

    Sometimes you surprise even yourself...

    Last night I really had intentions of resting the knee/ankle etc... on the eliptical. But I got home and it just felt like a running night. Strange. But I wasn't going to do the whole 4 miles because I wanted to rest my aches and pains. However, somewhere between mile 2 and 4 I gave up on that because I just ran the whole way...no walking breaks even.... it just felt great to run. I have no idea what my time/pace were because I didn't calculate. But I do know that there are days when you surpass even your own expectations. Yesterday was one.

    Thursday, July 21, 2005

    I was just using it wrong!

    It turns out tobacco isn't all that bad?! Here's good news for all the tobacco farmers in North Carolina where I used to work as a reporter. According to the Runner's World Daily Tips today:

    Training: Reduce inflammation and bruising with tobacco. Training expert Ed Eyestone recommends applying leafy tobacco, cooked into a poultice, to a sprained ankle, pulled muscle, or bruised toe, to reduce inflammation and bruising. Zap a few leaves in the microwave for a minute, drain the water, pile the leaves into a washrag, and apply them directly to the sprain or bruise overnight.

    Now after all that fuss I made about quitting smoking for this marathon, now I find out the stuff is actually good for my aches and pains. Hmmph. Time to go grab a pack out of the freezer (I know, I know...emergency's only!) and start unrolling it.

    Tuesday, July 19, 2005

    I kept my end of the deal...

    So, on Saturday, I made this little promise to my body that if I made it through my 13 mile run, I wuold give my knee/ankle etc...a well-needed break from high impact work outs. So, today was the eliptical. I know, it's boring but at least I kept my end of the deal. Let's see if my body remembers this come marathon day.

    Monday, July 18, 2005

    187

    Conversation:
    Me: "Hey Josh, I got my bib number in an e-mail. It's 187. Do you think that is the number of people who have enrolled in the Kansas City Marathon?"
    Josh: "Do you know what 1-8-7 means?"
    Me: "No. Is it good or bad?
    Josh: "It depends on how you look at it."
    Me: "What does it mean!"
    Josh: "It's the police code for homocide."

    Ok, now I'm scared.

    Submit

    This may come to a surprise to many of you, but up until about an hour ago, this little marathon thing I have been talking about wasn't official. I hadn't paid for it yet. I know, I know, procrastinator etc... But it's one thing to go out and run, it's another thing to pay for something. I mean think about it, now, there is no turning back. I hit submit. The Kansas City Sports Commission has my $65 and I officially have to run this thing. It's set in stone. I'm locked in. There's no turning back. Insert your favorite cliche here.

    You know what's funny? Instead of obsessing about " can I run this thing?" "will I make it through training?" etc..., I'm more worried about whether or not I ordered the right t-shirt size. I think I changed my mind about 6 times before I hit the button.

    Don't laugh. It was a very important decision. That t-shirt is going to get a lot of mileage because you know what? I will be able to wear it and say, "I ran a marathon, see?"

    Saturday, July 16, 2005

    Sweat

    Here's a statement: I have never sweat so much in my whole life. And that's a huge statement for me to make considering, I'm a big on having sweaty work outs. (Ok, sweating isn't like my favorite thing, but I am not one of those girls who can work out without sweating. I'm a heavy sweater.)

    But today's run surpassed any sweating I have ever experienced. I finally know what it feels like to be one of those athletes in the commercials with sweat pouring off of them because, folks, that was me. It was gross.

    Oh, and I also ran 13 miles. Forgot that little detail. I'M HALF WAY THERE! And do you know what? I didn't want to stop. I know. It's strange. But I was kind of dissapointed when I saw my car.

    That's not to say the whole run was a piece of cake. Oh no. The first four miles were awful. I was having to get used to the sweat and I didn't have any energy. At one point, I literally thought, I could lay down right now and take a nap. But no, I'm going to run 9 more miles! The first half of my run had more walking breaks. I just didn't have a tempo going. But the second half, I rocked it out and the miles flew by. I ate two gus. (And honestly my second "good" half may be attributed to the energy they brought.)

    I drank tons of water and gatorade. And I even tried to eat a salt packet, but it was all wet. (EVERYTHING in my bag, including the bag, was wet.) So I kind of tore it in half and got it all over my hand and licked it off. (Again, gross.)

    The last half mile, I almost gained a furry running partner in the form of a large unleashed German Shepard who saw me and thought I was going to be his new best friend. He jumped on me, which normally would not bother me at all because I love dogs. But dude, I was on a ROLL. I didn't have time to play with Fido. So I kind of looked at his owners like, are you going to do something about this dog? And they tried to call him back, but he wasn't going. So I looked at him and said, GO BACK! And he did. Just call me the dog whisperer. (Or yeller?)

    The best part was, I finished in 2:45:00 (not scientific b/c we are just talking about me looking at my cell phone when I start and when I finish) but that is still somewhat on target to do a 5- hour and some minutes marathon. Ideally, I'm thinking a 5-hour marathon would make me the happiest gal in the world. But also, just finishing my marathon will make me happy no matter what time it is. So, we'll see.

    Friday, July 15, 2005

    Got Jellybeans?

    For those who hate sports gels, the famous Jelly Belly candy has created a bean just for athletes. Check out the new Sports Bean. Anyone tried these yet?

    Thursday, July 14, 2005

    Rematch

    It was me vs. the 4 mile loop that ruined my Tuesday run. I was mad and I demanded a rematch. It was hot outside and to top it off, an e-mail inviting associates at my office for free drinks and food from 5:30 to 7:00 popped up in my e-mail at 4:15. FREE drinks and food. Last time it was just drinks. But this was some serious temptation.

    I was on the verge of fighting the temptation when a second e-mail showed up saying we could head to the bar at 4:45 if we wanted to. Oh, several months ago, that e-mail would have been music to my ears. But now it was just in the way. An obstacle between me and my rematch.

    I was out the door. In my car. I was driving. I ended up at home, the bar and the happy hour miles away. But that darned rematch was on and if I didn't show, the 4 mile loop was going to win

    It was time for my happy hour... and I was determined it would be much shorter than that.

    I walked Tally and took her back home. And then I was off. 43 minutes later I returned. Satisfied, thankful and shocked that I took 9 minutes off of Tuesday's time.

    Here's what I did differently. I ran. I stopped once. I ran some more. I didn't give up. I didn't think, "I can't do it." I just did it. And it felt good.

    Take that 4 mile loop. I won.

    However, this is alarming: my right ankle feels tender? Weird. I think I'll go ice it.

    Tuesday, July 12, 2005

    All hills are not created equal

    Alright, so I decided to flip my 4-mile loop and start the way I normally finish. You know, switch things up a bit. It turns out the hills are totally different when you run the other way! I knew the route had a couple of long inclines, but when you run it "backwards" there were many more. Whew...those hills wore me out. I'm telling you, I was golden for the first two miles, just golden...cruising up these two long hills and then recovering on a longer flat stretch. Suddenly, I just stopped. Mile three sucked. I walked way more than I wanted to, sucking in air, wiping off sweat, cursing myself for stopping. I finally recovered for mile 4 but alas, it took me 52 minutes...a horrible time and I'm depressed now.

    Time for a shower.

    Monday, July 11, 2005

    Marathon runners in the news...

    By default I'm a news junkie. Hello, I used to be a reporter! So when I found this article, I was so excited to blog it. You see, secretly, I'd love to have one of those uber popular news blog sites where I could rehash my journalism side for millions of daily readers. Not gonna happen.

    But in other news, I do love my little niche in the world of marathon blogs, so have at it. Happy Monday.

    Sunday, July 10, 2005

    10 weeks and counting

    There are 10 weeks until my marathon. That's not very much time. It seems there are so many big milestones yet to accomplish: 13, 15,16,18 and 20. Not to mention a lot of 4s, 6s, 8s and 10s sprinkled in for good times. On one hand I dread it. Like, the fruition of some sick aspiration coming true. On the other hand, I can't wait to cross that finish line — the ultimate mark of victory.

    Saturday, July 09, 2005

    Inside the mind of the lone runner

    My shoe buddy, A.Maria wanted to know what some of us running bloggers thought about while we run. So, I thought I'd take you deep into my thoughts while I ran 12 miles this morning.

    However, I need to preface this with some background. It turns out TNT uses a different set of mile markers to measure distance than I do. This shouldn't matter, but it seems the mileage chart I have been using is telling us something different. My coworker and I pulled out the map of the trails that I ordered from the Overland Park Convention & Visitors' Bureau and discovered the mileage chart is based on the map which is based on the yellow mile markers on the trail and not the stone mile markers. This is all very confusing for me. However, I've decided to stick with my chart, my map and the yellow mile markers to determine mileage because it's what I started with. But this makes it very frusterating when I see the stone markers. Do you have all of that because it's kind of strange, but I think I'm still on track...

    So, without further ado, I give to you my some thoughts that entered my mind during my 12 miles.

    0-.5 miles: Ok, I have a lot of gear on. Do I look like a dork with my my pink water bottle holder bag with my cell phone clipped to the front and my pepper spray dangling from my side? Probably, but maybe this will deter the bad guys on the trail. It's kind of clunky, but not too bad. I like my new shoes still. It's very humid. I should have started earlier than 7:15. I hate the snooze button. Should I go the long way around the Indian Valley circle or the short way? The .5 mile marker is a few feet in the direction of the long way, so I guess that means I'm supposed to go that way.

    .5-1.00 miles: I used to run on this circle when I was in elementary school. It seemed bigger then. I wonder if I was really supposed to go the long way. I hope there are no snakes under these bridges. I hate snakes. I like it when bikers tell me they are passing me. I startle easily. Where is the 1.00 marker? Darn it, there is the OTHER mile marker, I want MY mile marker. This is so confusing. I want to use the stone mile markers. Maybe I will. Ok, there is my mile marker.

    1.00-2.00 miles: (Many thoughts about which set of mile markers I should be using.) Dee de dum, I'm running. Oh look, people with dogs. This is a nice residential stretch. I wish I lived in a house and not an apartment. It would be nice to live near the trail. Oh, here comes a runner from his house. He's getting on the trail. He has a water bottle, I bet he's going far. Oh look, he's not that fast. I bet I'm as fast as he is. Ok, never mind that thought. This seems very far. Have I only run 1.5 miles? This can't be right. I think I'll drink some gatorade at 2.00 miles. I'm hot.

    2.00-3.00 miles: I'm proud that I drank my gatorade but didn't linger and kept running. I'm getting near Gary Gribbles. Hmmm...I wonder if any runner has ever had to make a bathroom stop there. That would be funny. You would have to cross the road though. That would be dangerous. I think the co-worker lives near here. It must be nice to live near the trail and not have to drive and park and worry about your keys etc...Did I lock my car? Oh good, here's a map of the trail. Ok, this is where it splits. I need to make a decision. I think I'm going on the main trail towards Blackbob.

    3.00-4.00 miles: Wow, the co-worker wasn't kidding, this stretch is woody.I'm kind of glad it is. It's hot outside. Ok, what to do if someone jumps out. Grab pepper spray. Is it still there? Ok, yes it is. What if I had to pee? I don't yet. Lot's of bikers. Oh, look another neighborhood. These houses are bigger! Woah. I wish I knew someone who lived over here, then I could use their restroom. But, I don't have to go, so that doesn't even matter. At 4.00 miles I'll try my gu. I have two flavors. I guess I'll start with the triberry. Oh my gosh, there is a man doing marshal arts in the clearing. Weird. People are looking at him funny. Time for gu.

    4.00-5.00 miles: Oh yuck. This stuff is horrible. I can barely get it down. Is it gone yet? These people are looking at me funny. Now what do I do with this wrapper? I don't want to litter. But I really don't want to put it back in my bag. No wonder the company rewards you for sending them wrappers. It's a pain. I'll hold it until I find a trash bin. Oh wow, I have entered Olathe. Oh dear, what happened to my yellow markers? Now they are wood markers. Is this the same system as mine? Man I wish someone would just tell me, run to here and back and you are done. I hate figuring this stuff out. They have nice signs in Olathe directing you to the path ahead.

    5.00 - 6.00 miles: I'm running low on water. I wonder if my turn around point park has a water fountain. Here's a lady, I'll ask her if there is a park ahead. Ok, she said there are two. One with water and one without. That makes sense. I'm on track because my map showed one park with bathrooms but no water and one park with water a bit further. Wow, I'm doing good on not stopping. Knee hurts a bit. All the TNT runners are probably already done. I hate getting a late start. That gu stuff really worked. Wow. I feel great. Ok, here's the park. I need water. Here's a water fountain. DRAT! NO WATER! Now what? Ok, don't panic. It's a big park, there has to be a second fountain. Ok, I see one over yonder. I'll have to walk through the grass to get there...AHhhh...water.

    6.00-8.00 miles: I just called my husband to tell him to have a good day at work. I wanted to talk longer. He had to go. I'm feeling chatty. Oh there's the park with the last bathrooms. Still don't have to go. Ok then, keep running. Kick ass. This rocks. I'm running. (Lots of positive thoughts here. Enjoyable time.) Ok my knee hurts bad...time to walk some.

    8.00-10.00 miles: (Several periods of walking...lots of pain in knee.) Just keep going. Work on running correctly. Don't run down the hills. Oh yay, Gary Gribbles again. I'm getting somehwere. This isn't so bad. Hey there's that guy from earlier. He told me good job.

    10.00-11.00 miles: YAY! I like this. 20 miles wouldn't be bad. I could do that. Need to work on knee though. I'm thankful it's not my shins. I hear that's bad. Maybe I'll get two patella straps instead of one. Other knee kind of hurts now.

    11.00-11.5 miles: Ok, do I take the long way back around Indian Valley circle? There is a water fountain on the long way side, so I think I'm going for it. Ok, I have to walk again...knee...feeling a little nausea too. What's up with that? It's hot. Finally water fountain. Let's hope it works. YAY! Lotsa water. Oh, I'm not even waiting to screw the lid on my water bottle. I want some on my face too to wash the salt off. Ok, just .5 miles, I can do it.

    11.5-12.00 miles: Run strong. Let's go. This is fun. I love this. Feeling good. Glad I had water. Wow, I'm almost there. Shade feels good. I see my car! Oh my gosh I did it.

    Thursday, July 07, 2005

    What can I say? The girl likes new shoes.

    Did the new shoes make the girl run better?
    OR
    Did the girl make the new shoes run better for her?

    That is the question of the day. By now I'm guessing you've figured out I bought new running shoes. Aasics GT-2100's to be exact. Yes, I finally went to Gary Gribbles and made the big purchase. I LOVE them. It's like night and day. I feel like I have actual surface room on the bottom of these shoes. I love the support. I love the stability. I love the shoes. Ok, enough.
    I want to thank my husband for encouraging to make the purchase. Honestly, without his support, I couldn't do all of this. He's the best and he supports this crazy marathon of mine which makes it all the better.

    So in order to try out my new shoes, I ran 4 miles today. (Ok, so I was going to run 4 miles anyway, but it's all about shoes...) It felt so good to get a good, solid chunk of mileage in that wasn't crappy. Like last Saturday when I ran 5 miles, it just didn't feel like I did my best. I gave in to my mind too quickly. But today, I only had one walk break and was solid the rest of the time. My route seemed mad, crazy hilly but it probably wasn't.

    It was incredibly hot, but I managed. Ok, enough about my run. Back to the shopping trip.

    Other things I bought: two packets of gu and a little thing of pepper spray. (There have been some recent attacks on the trail I run at.) I'm good to go.

    When I got back, I was reading all about gu on the Internet and I learned they have this very cool recycle program that rewards you for not throwing your gu wrapper on the ground. Also did you know that the banana blitz flavor was the first without caffeine? Trivia of the day, I'm telling you.

    I believe it's time to take these new spiffy shoes off my feet and hit the showers.

    Tuesday, July 05, 2005

    Mental Wars

    Please tell me everyone who has trained for a marathon has periods where they have felt like I have since my last good, long run. (see 11 miles) I feel like my mind needs to go on a good 12 mile run to prove to my body that it can follow. Take today.

    I am suffering from a 2nd degree sunburn on my side from Friday's poolside adventure with my friend, Molly. Yes, I know I ran on Saturday, but I didn't get blisters until Sunday when I was at the races.

    Let me tell you, I'll take blisters on my feet any day now that I've experienced this sunburn. Before you write off my blog as complaint city, I am mighty proud that I got out and ran today. All day, I was dragging my feet about it. My clothes rub against my side where the blisters are, and a wrong move can send me into a stinging painful moment.

    I asked my doctor if she thought I could run, and she said yes, and helped me understand how to treat the blisters should they pop. *gross*

    So, I did it. I didn't run a full 3 miles, so I will run 4 Thursday to keep up with mileage, but I did it.

    I promise a better attitude next time I blog.

    Monday, July 04, 2005

    We interupt this training schedule to bring you a trip to the races

    No, not the running races...the Indianapolis Car Races. In KANSAS! That's right folks, step right up for your personal pit tour of the Indie Cars visit the Kansas Speedway courtesy of Racing for Kids and my father's connections to the team. Join Matt and I as we experience our first day of Indianpolis Cars. I think we may be hooked.

    Saturday, July 02, 2005

    I'm a freak

    I couldn't let it go. So I just took tally on a 2.(?) mile run. Now I feel better. I'm a freak. Hey, my new friend A.Maria had a great idea. Go enjoy my weekend. That sounds like a plan. No more running until Tuesday.

    Five miles of hills

    Ok, before you say anything, I know I was supposed to do 7 miles, but I went to Shawnee Mission Park so I could do some hill work. (My co-worker told me it was a great spot to catch some big rolling hills and he wasn't kidding. ) The road around the park is about 5 miles, and had I done it twice, it would have been 10 miles. (duh) I didn't want to do 10 miles b/c I'm supposed to be on a low-mileage week. So I did 5 . Tomorrow I'll run 2- 3 to make up for it and then I' ll be set.

    I really feel like I should return like when I need to to 15 miles or when I need to do 10 miles so I can get more practice on the hills. It's a good route. And it's probably important because my marathon course is going to be very hilly.

    The good news is I totally felt like I could have done the loop again. So, I know I'm getting to be in good shape.

    I guess people who train at that park take things pretty seriously because they sure took me seriously. I had so many kind bikers and runners say nice things to me as I was running. That's a really good feeling to have a total stranger tell you, "Good job runner" or "Keep up the good work." I loved that.

    I did have to make one bathroom break and three walk breaks, but that's not bad considering how hilly it was. I was thankful it was so overcast today too. It was hot, but not unbearable. I imagine that route would be awful in intense sun.

    I still feel slightly guilty about not doing 7. I hope I didn't screw anything up.