Funky Toenails

Something is wrong with one of my toenails. It's a funny color and it hurts when I press on it. I've heard of runners whose toenails turn black & fall off. In a sick, twisted sort of way, I was kind of excited when my toenail started looking weird. If my toenail turns black then I can call myself a real runner!! whoo hoo!

Actually, I am not running near enough miles for that to happen. And it would be darn painful and probably make running kinda difficult, just a guess...

I did run 7 miles Sunday and it was AWESOME. In a painful, gut renching, air sucking, energy draining, goodlordpleasehelpme kind of way. ha ha! Truthfully, it was a little hard. But I fought through it. A little humid, and definitely warmish, so I stopped a couple of times for a drink. But I compared my time to the 7 miles I ran training for the last 1/2 marathon and I shaved off 1 minute. Not too shabby, consider I ran that first one straight through with no stops.

Watched the Olympic Men's Marathon Saturday night which got me fired up for my Sunday run. Those guys ran the marathon twice as fast as me, for twice the distance. Wowser! While we were watching, I said my goal for the next half would be however long it took them to run the full, but then they ran it in 2:06 something, and I don't think I can pull that off!! Maybe 2:15?? We'll soon see... Stay tuned.

sick..

I haven't been feeling too well this week, so not only have I NOT run, I haven't done much of anything. After being out of town last weekend and eating out way too much, then laying around the last couple of days, I am feeling rather fat! Though hubby assures me I am not fat, I'm not convinced. I feel like I am totally out of shape. ugh. And I'm supposed to run 7 miles Sunday, so I better squeeze a least a couple of runs in before then.

Another PR... Really!

I know, I can hardly believe it myself. I ran a 5K this weekend while I was on a mini-vacation out of town. It was a little warmer out than I would have liked and by the end of the race, I thought I might barf. When I reached mile 1, there was a volunteer who called out 8:35. Holy crap, really??? Well, no wonder I was dying! So I slowed down considerably during mile 2. Or at least I think I did. I left my Garmin at home so I was running blind, which was also a little different because I always ALWAYS run with it. Plus I stopped to drink at the 2nd water station and walked for a bit which I never do either! I was HOT! Anyway, during the last mile, I was upset because A) I was convinced I was really bombing and B) I was convinced they had threw in a couple of extra miles without telling us and C) I was mad at myself because I'm a distance runner, not a speedy runner, so why the blazes was I running a 5K??

Needless to say, I struggled with this one but when I reached mile 3 they called out the time again and I realized that if I pushed it, I would PR again. Yes, again! So basically, I have shaved yet another minute off my 5K time. When oh when will the madness end?

(hopefully never)

Quick Post from a busy woman

just a quick post because i'm busier than hell right now. Did strength training this morning, after meeting carpet installer at the office at 8 am. Now I have to clean out the house and move a bunch of furniture & other crap over to Mom's for a garage sale next month. Then, I have to go back to the office tonight to lock up and make sure they got all the carpet in alright. Then gotta pack & get hubby ready for his business trip. I will be tired tonight!

30 Days of Hell

The next 30 days will be rough. By the end of August, my long run will be 8 miles which right now seems a little far fetched. But I'm sure I'll get there. However, not only am I ramping up my training, my job has me taking on another total life-sucking project over the next month. I struggled this week with getting all my runs in. I have been running in the morning, and it definitely helps. At least it's kept me off the treadmill, unlike last summer. I just cannot run in the heat, and I'm finally accepting that!

Running in the heat

This morning it was nice & cool for my 4 mile run. A welcome relief from the recent heat & humidity. I ran a LOT faster with a LOT less effort this morning, and I gotta say, the run was much more enjoyable. I am just not cut out for running in the heat. I struggled with it last summer, too, but this year I am starting my half marathon training during the hottest time of the year. Great planning.

Anyway, I realized this morning just how much the heat had been affecting me. I was beginning to think that I was really out of shape!! I guess if it was like this year round, I would eventually adapt. But it's not, and I'm not adjusting well, and it stinks! And I'll be darned if I'm going to be stuck on the treadmill all summer!!!

The latest & greatest frustrations

So here's the scoop. First, I actually ran more than my usual 3 miles yesterday which felt amazing. I feel so out of shape, but I think a lot of it is the HEAT, which I still haven't adjusted to. I officially start my half marathon training in 2 weeks, so right now I'm training to get my butt in shape to start training! That's just pathetic!

I'm getting a little excited about getting back to those long runs, and running another half. I finally realized and will admit that I definitely, definitely, definitely NEED to be signed up for some type of running event to keep motivated. The down time after the first half was killer. I think I was almost depressed. It was the craziest thing.

And lastly, this "weight loss ticker" at the top of the page is pissing me off. I've been stuck at this weight forever. It's no big mystery, though... I'm cheating on my diet like there's no tomorrow. I'm actually amazed at the crap I can eat and not gain a thing. I tend to go for a week or 2 eating everything in sight, then realize I need to reign it in, so I'll be good for a few days, but then I slip back into it. I've just been training so hard, and eating right (meaning STRICT) for so much of the last year, that I guess I'm a little "over" it. But I am so, so close to my goal weight now, that I just need to commit to one last push. It's not about the number on the scale, believe me! When I was this weight before, I wore 2 sizes bigger than I wear now. So I am definitely leaner, more muscle mass, less fat. But I just want to shred off the last little bit of blubber, and be just a little lighter (leading to faster running???). So let's buckle down and do this thingy already!! And then we can take the ticker off the site, for goodness sakes!!!