Marathon Madness – 2 days to go

The frenzy has started. The Half Marathon is less than 2 days away and I’m a little nervous. Kim and Annette will be here in the morning around 9:30 and then we are off to Memphis! I have no idea what top/tops to wear, one top or two, jacket or no jacket, hat or no hat, I am certain about my running shoes, oh, and my underwear, I have those picked out. Otherwise, I’m torn. The weather is iffy for rain, so I’ll have to check it again in the morning. I’ll end up packing everything and deciding tomorrow night. I can’t wait to get to Memphis, we are going to have a great time.

I just got back from a short 2.25 mile run around my neighborhood, 23:50, average pace 10:35. That’s it, no more till Saturday morning. Kim and Annette are planning on running with me throughout the half marathon, I hope they don’t regret it, you know my stomach acts up sometimes and I whine and complain and all that crap, but I’m hoping for a bright cheerful no stomach problem kind of day. I just know how my body is and sometimes it rebels.  So, if anyone wants to take off running, be my guest, I don’t expect you to stick with my slow butt for 13.1 miles.  But, I so appreciate the company 🙂

Surrogate Kitty Mom

Okay, I have become a surrogate Mommy to the Kitty, the little fur ball is very addicting, when you pick him/her up the motor starts running (purring for all you non-cat people). So sweet and loving, it’s just like a little baby, without the dirty diapers or sleep deprivation. I can’t seem to get a thing done, no work, no housework, no running. I didn’t run yesterday, barely got any work done and definitely no housework. I did call the vet about the kitty’s runny eyes and sneezing they put him on antibiotics and today his eyes are looking much better.

How about Georgie for his name, that way boy or girl, it works? Here is a picture of the little one in my arm as I try to work.

Memphis Countdown – 3 days

Tuesday is my Running Clinic and it was Hill repeats, yuck, nobody likes hills and if they say they do, they’re lying. Since I’m doing the Half Marathon on Saturday I only had to do half the workout Tuesday night, lucky me. Our workout was our normal run down to our starting point which was .67 miles, 4 x Strides, 1 x 1000 at Lactate Pace, then 7-10 hill repeats at Lactate Pace with a slow jog down the hill each time, then run back .67 miles.

Let me just say, this was a whopper of a hill. We usually do a hill on Lila Loop, this hill made Lila Loop look like a speed bump. I did all the workout except only 5 hill repeats. I could have done 7 but not 10, everyone was complaining about how big the hill was. Monster hill.

When I got home about 7:30, Glenn was waiting at the door, this is not a good sign, I’ve done something wrong, left a door unlocked, trash can lid open, some horrible sin. He motioned me inside to the extra bedroom where the door was shut, oh crap, did I touch his new laptop? I don’t remember touching it. He said “find it”, find what? what did I lose? “no silly, find the kitten”. Kitten? I love kittens. Our neighbor Carrie’s boyfriend had dropped by and he had a kitten stuck in the grill of his car!!! Glenn rescued the little guy and now I have it. Poor little thing, it rode from Maumelle to Sherwood (15-20 miles) in the grill of a Suburban going no telling how fast, scared to death and freezing cold!

He or she wouldn’t come out from under the bed, it was still scared. Glenn said he cleaned it up and fed it, so at least it isn’t a wild cat. We did get it out from under the bed, I thought we should introduce the little baby to Rocky and Smokey. Big mistake. Rocky, who is scared of his own shadow took one look and ran under our bed. Smokey on the other hand thinks he is King Cat, took one look and started hissing and growling. So, the new kitty is fine, but the two old cats are now traumatized. Rocky won’t come out from under the bed and Smokey is walking around growling at us and everything he walks by.

I did not sleep well last night worrying about the kitten, worrying that Smokey might have the kitten as a midnight snack. I got up several times to check on everything, but each time I got up the kitten was behind the couch, hiding.

When I got up this morning the kitten was in the kitchen eating the dry food, so I guess it got a little hungry. I’m guessing the kitten is only 8-9 weeks old, the dry food is probably a little hard for him to chew and digest. I gave him some of King Cats Fancy Feast and he loves that, then took him to the litter box and he started scratching away and dropped a big one! Yea! potty trained already. Last night when I took him to the litter box he was not too interested, he also peed in my kitchen floor.

The kitten is sneezing and his eyes are all matted, I cleaned them last night with a warm washcloth. I thought it might be from his adventure in the car, but this morning they were matted and he is still sneezing, so he may have a cold. I don’t know if I’ve had a cat with a cold before. I may have to take him to the Vet sooner than later. Any suggestions on kitty colds would be appreciated.

Not sure if I’ll get a run in today or not. I really must do some work today, and I’m supposed to meet some of the IT guys I worked with for lunch and I need to go to the bank, pick up a Christmas gift or two, the list goes on.

Here are the stats from my clinic last night:

2.62 miles total – average pace 10:35

• Mile 1 10:29
• Mile 2 10:28
• .62 6:43

Memphis Countdown – 5 days

On Saturday, Annette, Kim and myself will be running the St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon, that’s less than 5 days away. I’m trying not to think about it too much or I’ll get nervous and not be able to think, eat or sleep the entire week. So, I will just try and concentrate on getting a few 3 or 4 mile runs in until the big day on Saturday.

Today I met Kim at Lakewood for a 3-4 mile run. It was drizzling earlier in the day and luckily this afternoon it had stopped, but still no sun. It was a brisk 46 degrees and very windy. We made a loop around Lake #3 then headed out for our loop around Lake #2 and the Old Mill. On our way out we had the wind to our backs, but when we made that turn around, BRRRRR, it was right in our faces. We ended up with 3.65 miles at an average pace of 10:34. I felt pretty good, kinda of slow starting out, breathing hard as usual, but no stomach issues again. YIPPEE!!

• Mile 1 10:47
• Mile 2 10:21
• Mile 3 10:34
• Mile .65 6:55

Wow that second mile looks pretty good!

Saturday Training

Today was supposed to be the 10K Duck Race in Stuttgart, but Kim and I backed out last night, I really just didn’t want to do it and the weather forecast sealed the deal for me. Also, Annette was not going to be riding with me and Kim, so I decided if Kim didn’t want to go we were definitely out, and as luck would have it, Kim was not into it either. I called Annette and let her know last night and again this morning while she was in route to Stuttgart, after she informed me they had driven through a little bit of rain, I was not a bit guilty just sitting around in my pj’s drinking coffee.

The forecast for Sunday is 80-90% chance of precipitation and cold. I had to get in 10 miles this week before the St. Jude’s Half Marathon next week. We all were going to run tomorrow, but with the forecast Kim and I decided to knock it out today at noon. I met Kim at the Old Mill and since it was not windy we headed to the River Trail for my first 10 mile run since March, I was pretty nervous I wouldn’t be able to finish it. We parked at the Dog Park and headed out, my legs felt like they were in quicksand for the first mile or two and I was breathing pretty hard. I always notice how hard I’m breathing when I run with Kim because I never hear her breathing!

Our route was to take us over the Big Dam Bridge into Little Rock and then back. That Dam Bridge is a Bitch of a hill! We made it up and over and kept on ticking the miles off. We did stop some for quick adjustments to shoes, gloves, jackets, snotty noses and one bathroom break. NO stomach problems again!

Once we got to mile 5, I was so relieved, we were heading back toward the Dog Park. When we were running away from our starting point it just seemed like forever to get to that 5 mile mark, but once we got there, WHEW….I could think about just getting one mile at a time done. It was odd, I would think, okay mile 6, less than 4 more to go, etc.

I could see the Big Dam Bridge in the distance, it looked so far away, and oh CRAP, it was worse going back over it, we were almost at mile 8 at this point and a few drops of something was falling from the sky, I was determined not to walk up that Dam Bridge, but as soon as it leveled out I had to take a quick breather, then it was off again, my Garmin signaled 8 miles, less than 2 miles to go!

We flew down the other side of the bridge and finally got to mile 9, less than 1 mile to go, I knew this was going to be the worse mile and it was. It was also at the part of the River Trail I don’t like as well. Kim and I were running along and I said “my pants feel like they are falling down”, I looked down and my jacket that I had tied around my waist was around my butt! Kim and I cracked up, it was pretty funny, I wonder if anyone saw me running like that and how long my jacket had been slowly creeping down my body.

Mile 10 finally came! Not a moment too soon either, I was ready for it to be over  and then I got this sharp and dull all at the same time pain in my left shoulder blade area, it was so intense it made me nauseated. I had to squat down on the side of the road 3 or 4 times because I thought I was going to puke. It just would not go away, I kept stretching my arm over head, across my chest, but nothing would make it go away. I have had this same pain before after long runs and have no idea what it could be, but it is no fun. The pain finally just went away, we got back to Kim’s vehicle, stretched, moaned and groaned and headed to Starbucks just as it started to rain a little.

I am so happy I was able to run those 10 miles, it now gives me hope that I can do the half marathon next Saturday in Memphis. Thanks Kim for running with me today, and Annette, I know you would have been there too, but you had a great race this morning and a new PR!!

Great 10 miles – Average pace 10:37, 1:46:10

• Mile 1 10:32
• Mile 2 10:25
• Mile 3 10:21
• Mile 4 10:32
• Mile 5 10:41
• Mile 6 10:36
• Mile 7 10:35
• Mile 8 10:57 Dam Bridge
• Mile 9 10:40
• Mile 10 10:44

Friday Fun

Okay people are crazy for getting out and shopping the day after Thanksgiving, lines are long, traffic is bad, people are cranky and sleep deprived, but the sales are stupendous! I couldn’t resist! It’s also a day to get out with your friends and have a good time and that’s what I did. I met Kim and my daughter Stephanie at Academy Sports at 5am, Annette decided at the last minute not to come (we did miss her), Kim had already been shopping since 4am (okay THAT is insane). Our plan was to go to Sports Authority first where they were giving the first 100 shoppers gift cards worth $10-$100, they opened at 5:30 we got there about 8 minutes after 5. When we arrived there were only about 10 cars in the parking lot, woohoo, and no one was in line, thank goodness because it was very cold, I’m thinking 35 or so and windy. We sat in our cars for a minute or two, then BAM, one person gets out of their car and everyone follows suit, it was like the flood gates had opened. We all got in line and stood there shivering like idiots. The store opened about 5 minutes early and we got our scratch off cards, all three of us got $10 cards. We shopped for 20 minutes or so and got out, none of us really found any great bargains, except for the 30% off all socks. When we were checking out the ladies in front of us said they both got $50.00 scratch off cards, they were behind us in line outside prior to the store opening. Also, when we were standing outside the lady behind me was in her pajamas and house shoes, she literally rolled out of bed, put a hat on and got in the car and came straight down to Sports Authority. At least I put some clothes and shoes on!!

Next it was off to Bed Bath & Beyond, just a couple of items purchased and then to our favorite spot – Starbucks so we could warm our insides and use the restroom. We then went across the street to Linens n Things, browsed a bit, couple of items purchased and then to the mall where we got a primo parking spot right outside of Sears. We were going to Bath and Body Works – now that store was a nightmare, the line to check-out was out the door! So we decided to go to Dillard’s to check out the purses. Once in Dillards we went to the Origins counter where Kim got her lipstick matched and I purchased some make-up remover, it better be good, I’m a die hard Clinque fan, so we’ll see. We didn’t see any purses of interest, Kim both her hubby some new undies and we headed back to Bath and Body. They really had some great bargains. Buy $30 get some doo-dad free and then Kim had a coupon for 10.00 off her $30 purchase and then another coupon for something else, she got a huge bag of stuff for $30.00, but we were in there for awhile.

After that Stephanie decided she would follow us to Belk’s in Little Rock, so we dropped her off and headed to Little Rock. Kim should have driven, she started getting a little car sick right before we got there, but she came around once we fed her some California rolls and a Diet Coke at The Fresh Market. We said good-bye to Steph, then Kim and I headed to Mid-Town Plaza, or whatever it’s called, but we went to Ann Taylor Loft where we got matching shirts :), Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Bombay and Company (very disappointing), and Lewis and Clark (new favorite store for sports related clothing). It was now about 1:00 or so and we headed to Target in North Little Rock, we were both about ready to drop. Got a few things in Target and headed home. It was a fun filled, bargain filled day. The traffic was not bad at all, parking was pretty good, people were relatively nice, I’m really glad I went. I think the name should be changed from Black Friday to Fun Friday! Then again I did not have to buy any toys or electronics so I’m probably in the minority of the shoppers out on Friday.

Thankful Thursday

Kim and I did not get to run on Wednesday, we received the rain that was fore-casted right around the time we had planned to run, awww, too bad. But, this also meant the cold front was coming in and OH MY did it!

On Thursday morning I met Kim and Annette in Cabot along with 10-15 other runners from the Cabot Cruisers running club for a 6.5 traditional Thanksgiving morning run. First, I want to Thanks to my good friends Annette and Kim for always being there to run with me, they are always willing to run whenever and wherever, they really are great friends and I am very thankful. Second, I want to say thanks to my stomach for not acting up on this run!! I actually only had to take about 3 short walk breaks. We ran 6.2 miles according to my Garmin at an average pace of 10:46 per mile, good for me, but probably a little slow for Kim. Here are our miles

• Mile 1 10:48
• Mile 2 10:38
• Mile 3 10:55
• Mile 4 10:33
• Mile 5 10:44
• Mile 6 10:57

It was so cold, I think it was around 38 degrees and the wind was blowing pretty good, it was fore-casted at 10-15 mph. I wore two layers of everything and a jacket. I did have to take the jacket off, but that’s it. No other layers came off, winter has reared its ugliness. Have I mentioned I hate the cold weather? We had a pretty good run, and then it was back home to finish up with my fruit salad and over to my Mom’s for more Thankfulness.

We (Glenn and I) arrived at my Mother’s around 1:30 and I was absolutely starving, I had eating an omelet when I got home from my run, but that did not last, I was ready to eat again, 2:00 would not come soon enough. Third thing to be thankful for today, all the food, it was so good, the sweet potatoes and dressing were by far my favorite.
Today was the day we were to meet Stephanie’s boyfriend. Fourth thing today to be thankful for, he is not a thug!! Yippee!! He was really very nice and polite, he seems to really like Stephanie and everyone liked him. She has not had the best luck in the past with boyfriends and she deserves someone to treat her like she deserves to be treated, and I think she has finally realized there are guys out there that are actually nice and have jobs. He is definitely a keeper.

Blah Tuesday

Once again I didn’t want to run. On Tuesday I go to my running clinic which is already planned out before I get there, I’m in the intermediate group and I knew what was ahead and I didn’t want to go, it was not a hard workout, I just didn’t want to run again! I must be in a slump. Our workout was to work on our Lactate Threshold pace, mine is at 10:26, easy enough, we do a warm up run .65 miles, 3 strides, 1 x 800, 1 x 10 minute, 1 x 3 minute, 3 strides, then .65 cool down back. My total mileage was 3.38 in 35.52, so par for the course. Pretty exciting wouldn’t you say.

The clinic really is great, Dennis always has insightful words before our run, he explains why we are doing a measured distance and then the time instead of the measured distance. He really got on the people who had just came back from the marathon who wanted to run hard, he said they should be in recovery mode and only run easy for 3-4 miles. He also advised them not to run the 10K on Saturday, but those girls are head strong and I’m sure I’ll see each of them at the start line in Stuttgart 8am Saturday (I’m dreading that too).

Here’s hoping that I get out of this slump. Kim and I are planning to run at the Old Mill today around 2:30 or 3, there is an 80% chance of rain, cold front coming in. Everyone knows how much I despise the cold weather!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Marathon Countdown

Well, it’s actually only half of a marathon and I’m getting a little nervous. Thirteen miles is nothing when you’re driving, but when you’re running, that’s another story, and since I injured my ankle in September my training has not gotten me anywhere near 13 miles (8 max mileage so far). I have a measly 11 days until the St. Jude’s Marathon in Memphis to prepare my head and body for 2 1/2 hours of torture. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Even knowing that I only have 11 days until the big day doesn’t make me want to run more, it makes me want to run less. Monday was no different, Kim and I were to meet at Lakewood for a 3 mile run. Three miles is all I could muster and she was recovering from the Tulsa 1/2 marathon on Sunday, she probably shouldn’t have run at all! It was dark of course, but not cold, around 67 degrees, that will change in the next couple of days according to the weather folks. Our 3 miles –

• Mile 1 10:36
• Mile 2 10:26
• Mile 3 10:42

On a lighter note, Monday was Kim’s farewell luncheon at Cancun Mexican Restaurant, she is taking terminal leave from the Air Force. I was the only civilian present (except for a weirdo that I used to work with), but it was a lot of fun meeting her co-workers and watching all the presentations. I have attached a picture of me and Kim, it’s not a great shot of me, looks like I have some buck teeth or something, but it’s the only one of us.

Saturday Marathon Training

Since all my regular running buddies are off at the Tulsa Route 66 Marathon or 1/2 Marathon I was on my own for running today. I called LeAnn, my neighbor and running buddy too, but she can’t get out and run as much as she would like, but she wanted to run this morning and was to meet me between 5:30 and 5:40 am to run with the Little Rock Marathon Training Group at the Arts Center.

I woke up around 4:15 and couldn’t go back to sleep. The LR Marathon Group does two different trainings on Saturday mornings, one for 1/2 marathon people and one for full marathon folks. Today the 1/2 marathoners were doing 6 miles and the full were doing 12. I wanted to do 9 miles, so my thoughts were to do the 6 with LeAnn and then add on 1.5 out and back, pie in the sky ideas again. I had already talked to LeAnn about it and this was our plan. Well, I didn’t have to worry about it because no LeAnn, I waited until 5:41 and then had to leave.

I really do enjoy running with this group, there are SO many people there it’s like a small race. Thank goodness it was not as cold this morning as yesterday, it was about 48 degrees this morning, no frost. I was still dressed warmly compared to a lot of the folks there. I’m guessing there were over 100 people there, lots in shorts, brave souls. We actually sign in when we get there and cross off our names when we get back, get a copy of the route, whether 6 or 12 miles and then Tom (the leader) gives out any special instructions. We were off promptly at 6:00 am.

My first mile was pretty slow, I met up with a girl a little past the first mile and we ran and talked a bit, then she started slowing down and I met up with another girl, Mary, who I ran with the remainder of the 6 miles. Wow, the difference it makes having someone next to you, we live in the same town (Sherwood), so we are really close to one another and I hope I can run with her again. She is only running the 1/2 marathon, but I’m sure we will meet up again. The miles really did go by pretty fast, the first 6 anyway. We did stop in the River Market for a restroom break, I knew I had 3 more miles once we got back to the Arts Center which was only 1 mile away. We kept a steady pace and made it back within 1 hour, not really, because I forgot to turn my Garmin back on after we left the restroom so we missed about a 1/4 of a mile.

After Mary and I exchanged email addresses it was time for the dreaded out and back for 1 and 1/2 miles. I decided to head back toward the River Market, I was thinking I might feel a little safer going that way. Once I got to about mile 7 my stomach said NO, DAMN IT, it has been a great day so far, what the hell, so I had to walk probably a 1/4 of a mile to the River Market, go to the bathroom and then finish my run. I ran down to the President Clinton Library, looped through there and then back toward the Arts Center. I ended up with 8.3 miles, that includes the 1/4 mile I missed earlier. I felt pretty good when I was finished. I could have done the 9, but I just wanted to stop, so I did. Here is how it played out –

8.3 miles 1:28:11 10:57 average pace 804 calories burned

• Mile 1 11:30
• Mile 2 10:56
• Mile 3 11:21
• Mile 4 10:42
• Mile 5 10:43
• Mile 6 10:41
• Mile 7 10:47
• Mile 8 11:00
• Mile .3 10:00