A Very Happy Holiday Indeed

Run: 2 miles + 25 mins on elliptical
Time: 50 minutes total?
Mood: Pink

My first run back from the holiday food fest. My family is Italian, so we ate for like four straight days, last night's homemade ravioli topped it all off. I didn't run the entire time I was home (that's four fatty days) - I intended to. But then it snowed. And was cold. And I hadn't hydrated. And then oops I'd had a glass of wine. Or a mimosa. Or I'd just eaten. I could go all day, the excuses were boundless.

I did get some sweet running gear for Christmas, that I rocked today at the gym. My brother and sister-in-law got me a pink Nike pullover (not my favorite color, but an amazing addition to my running wardrobe) and some really cool Nike socks. Needless to say, I wore both of them for my run this morning and was feeling very pink.

Had another up-at-five-a.m.-for-no-good-reason morning, so I headed to the gym. Set incline at 1% for the first mile, then had to stop at two because I was about dead. I hopped on the elliptical afterward, because a 22 minute workout wasn't going to cut it this morning.

This week is damage control in preparation for New Year's Eve.

New treadmills

Run: 3 miles
Time: No idea
Mood: Murderous

Killed three miles last night. Legitimately crushed them. They have a bunch of new treadmills at my gym, that show you your distance on a 400 meter track - which was actually insanely motivational. I was going to do another mile after the first three, but there were people waiting for the machines. There was a staff person coming around looking at people's time (you're supposed to stop at 25 minutes when ppl are waiting). So I punched out the last half at like an 8:15 pace, trying to be extra considerate.

The new treadmills don't have t.v. or music on them yet, so I was forced to people watch. My favorite person was an older guy wearing a polo shirt tucked into basketball shorts with black socks half way up his calves wearing some old-school Adidas. :) He was a jolly sort.

Also set my incline at one percent for the first mile.

Who knew?

I read this article from Active.com about treadmill running. Apparently running on a treadmill with no incline is like running on a trail/road that has a slight decline. It says to set the incline at 1 percent.

Which is exactly what I plan to do tonight.

Boo

Run: 2.5 miles
Time: I can't remember
Mood: Bah

Bad day, unsuccessful run. Poor hydration and low energy. I did manage to knock out the last half mile at a 10 to 8:15 pace, so that felt nice.

Then got home, and completely forgot to eat dinner. No stretching either.

Boo.

Snowy Tuesday

Run: 3 miles
Time: 32 something
Mood: Cold and sweaty

It was one of those mornings where I was up at 5 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep. So off to the gym I went. Walked outside to a good inch of snow on the Beetle, wanted to turn around and get back in bed. Still went to the gym.

The upside of a snowy morning? Hardly anyone was there so I got my pick of treadmills. Again, crushed the last half mile. This time while watching Full House.

Day 2 back on the wagon is a success.

And onnnnne small note to the fellas I passed on the way out of the gym: your mother taught you better.

Just a Little Crush

Run: 3 miles
Time: 33.16
Mood: Ah-mazing

Absolutely crushed the last half mile of my run today. Crushed. To the point where I felt bad for the people on the treadmills next to me, b/c I was straight up panting. It felt amazing (considering that I wanted to stop around mile 2).

Day 1 of no-joking-around training = success.

In case you missed it...crushed.

It's go time.

No, I don't have any runs to report. Quit judging.

What I DO have to report is that I made it into the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler pool. I signed up for the lottery not really thinking I'd get in, but I did. Race isn't until April 3, so I have plenty of time to work my runs up to about 9 or 9.5 by then.

All I know is the slacking from the past two weeks or so is done for now. I tend to train better when I have a race in my immediate future.

Today's run: a least 3 miles.

P.S. Thank you everyone for an ah-mazing birthday weekend. Probably a little too much birthday.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Went to the gym last night to do a 4-miler. The cardio floor is closed until Sunday so they can put in a new floor. Went home instead.

Happy birthday to me.

3-Miles

Miles: 3
Time: 33-ish
Mood: Eh

Three miles yesterday. On the treadmill. Followed by 15 minutes hiking an incline. Working the glutes. Booyah.

Just finished some cross training (squats, lunges and about three and a half push ups) in the kitchen, much to the chagrin of my roommate who was baking.

Love you Allie.

Turkey Trotting

Miles: Various
Time: Various
Mood: Various

As my ever-loving roommate reminded me today, I haven't posted in over a week. (Sincerest apologies, Jen dear.)

I ran a few times last week, nothing notable to report. Distances of three miles or less. One day was only a mile because I tried to run with Bandit around my parent's neighborhood and he was a pill and a half, so we had to go home early.

Someone is tired after his mini-run.

Another day was a mile and a half because someone let me drink an entire bottle of champage by myself the night before - when she was supposed to be helping me (thank you, Triny).

Managed to eat and drink like a complete jackass over the break. And I'm not sorry.

I did get in a three-miler on Monday morning, and have taken the last two days off due to an upcoming school presentation that's becoming a total time-suck. Buuuuut I brought my running stuff to work so I can go straight to the gym after. The plan? 4.5 miles.

Here's hoping I'm able to shower once I'm done. Did I mention we can't use the water at home?

P.S. Tomorrow I can buy food again. And by food I mean lettuce.

Green Miles

Run: 4.5
Time: Approx. 48:00 (first 4 at 11 split)
Mood: Strong

Awesome run at the gym with the help of Green Mile. I plugged in and covered the mile display and just ran. Was only planning on 4 but did the extra half mile b/c I wanted to see the part of the movie where John Coffey saves the warden's wife. Again, punched out the last half at an 8:15 pace.

I read that the average person gains 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years. I'm not making it up, really. Honestly, after we had our house Thanksgiving dinner last night, I can totally see how it happens.

This is not allowed. I figure I burnt around 500 calories on my run yesterday (not including to the two hours of leaf raking) so that at least puts a dent in dinner. And this shall be the strategy going forward. Days when there is festive intake, shall contain grueling output.

Can't wait for real Thanksgiving.

"Make Winter Your B*tch"

Run: 3.1
Time: 32:Something
Mood: Visible

Things we learned at the gym last night:

• Wearing day-glo yellow in the gym...not such a hot idea. Not only are you highly visible in the mirrors, but when you're switching from machine to machine trying to find one that has a working monitor, people will see you. Not only see you, but SEE you.
• Pay no attention to the kid mumbling to himself on the treadmill next to you. He's harmless.
• I need to start doing upper-body strength training. It's embarassing.

Ended up doing a 5K last night on the treadmill. While I may be generally grumpy about having to run indoors, I'm trying to make the best of it by using the speed pace effectively. As my runs come to a close, I crank up the speed. Finished last night's 3.1 at an 8:14 pace...which feels so freaking fast when you've been doing an 11/10:30 split.

Winter slump is setting in. When it's cold out, I don't want to walk to the gym - didn't run on Monday for that exact reason.

But we are gonna crack down. Finalizing my training calendar as we speak.

To quote a new blogger (Ben Does Life) I just discovered, I'm going to make winter my bitch. :)

Side note: I'm trying out the whole "5-6 small meals a day" thing, and it's working out well.

Damage Report

I've run twice since my last post. 4 miles on the treadmill, and then 2.5 outside today. Today's run was supposed to be a long one, 5 or 6 miles, but I started hurting around mile 1. My right hip flexor is definitely screwed. I'm a little pissed about it.

Also, there's an insane hill on the route I took today. No lie. Legit hill. Went a little slowly.

The three glasses of wine last night prolly didn't help either.

Bah.

Run: 3 miles
Time: I have no idea
Mood: Crankarific

I had to run on a treadmill. Inside. Enough said.

I forgot that gyms surround you with mirrors. I don't want to talk about it.

P.S. Preeeetty positive there is something up with the hip flexor. Sore again today. But only sore immediately after a run.

Back at It!

Run: 2 miles
Time: 21:08
Mood: Scrumtrulescent

Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t posted in a week...and…well…that’s because I haven’t really run in a week. That’s right, took some time off after the 10K. Say something.

This week starts the working-up-to-ten-miles stage of training. I’m making a new calendar for the next three months, and it will involve running five times a week (up from the previous three) and working mileage up to ten miles, then back to six, then back to ten – it will cycle this way until about four months before the 2011 MCM. At that point, I start tacking on mileage to build up to 26. But for now, we focus on the big 1-0.

Today, thanks to daylight savings, I was able to run at 6:30 this morning. It won’t last long, and it’s getting dark at 5:30 now – so we get a gym membership this week to use the treadmill. I still plan on doing my long runs outside on the weekends to get the cold air in my lungs. Today’s run felt great though.

Side note: We may have the beginnings of our first injury. The week before the 10K my right hip flexor was bugging a tiny bit, and after the 6.2 both of my hips were sore. This morning’s run triggered that bugging again and my right flexor was sore after I finished. I don’t think it has anything to do with my new shoes, but I’m trying to stretch it as well as I can and not overdo it. I’d rather baby something like this now, than ignore it and have a bigger injury in six months.

Next race on the horizon: Cherry Blossom 10-Miler (if I can get registered through the lottery).

MCM 10K - PhotoPost

Run: 6.2
Time: 1:10
Mood: Felt great!

This is going to me mostly a photo blog, because pictures speak 1,000 words today. My friends came out to support me and celebrated Halloween to the fullest. (Love you ladies.)

Race went well, it was really fun to be there with all those people. Hip flexors are sore now, but otherwise feeling good. Rehydrating and eating Halloween candy today.

Quote of the day from Boyer as I was groaning after my post-race nap: "This is only the beginning."

P.S. Finishing at the top of a hill = not fun. Good to know for next year's marathon finish.

Ready...

Set....

Go!

Oh wait, not yet.

My support group...

Post-race.

I ran.

"Are those Teletubbies?"

Seriously, you guys are great.

Snipers keeping us safe.

Waiting for the Metro.

"Teletubbies in outer spaaaace!"

They. Waved. At. Everyone.

Countdown Begins

Run: 3 miles
Time: 33:15
Mood: Strong

Did my last real run before Sunday's MCM10K. Felt amazing, not like Tuesday's run where I wanted to shoot myself.

I'm planning on taking today off, then running a brisk mile tomorrow to get the blood flowing. Tomorrow evening will be carb loading (and carving a pumpkin) and lots of sleep.

Tonight is our house's Halloween Party...where I will behave...and not drink...too much. ;)

Day Glo!

Run: 5.5 miles (!)
Time: 1:03
Mood: That sucker hurt

Welp, did a 5.5 mile run (longest yet) while wearing 95% new running stuff. New kicks, new socks, new pants, new shirts, new ear warmer (don't laugh, I have ear issues), new watch ($15 from Target - BAM!).

The run was ok...and by "ok" I mean torture. My sides hurt, my calves hurt, my nose was running and I kept resisting the urge to throw up.

The highlight? Neon yellow running shirt. To my surprise, I saw a lot of people wearing neon yellow while I was on the trail, it seems to be popular as the days get shorter.

Mini photoshoot in the office
before my run. Neon yellow!

Next weekend is the MCM 10K - that's 6.2 miles. I'm shooting for 1:15 or less. So while everyone else is out partying in their costumes next Saturday, I'll be scarfing pasta and mainlining H2O.

Zoom Zoom

After much admonition from my friends, mostly my roommates (Tait...you need new shoes), I decided to break down and get new running shoes.

Now I'm wondering why I waited so long. My old shoes were Nike Zooms so I went to RnJ to get fitted for new ones, and I ended up with another pair of Zooms - Vomeros.



Old kicks.

New kicks.



I may or may not have been wearing them around the office all day. They are magnificent. It's like walking on air. I'm breaking these puppies in this evening.



5 miles.

Run: 5 freaking miles
Time: for me to replace my watch (it died right before the run)
Mood: Holy crapola

I. Ran. Five. Miles. Today.

In a row. Without stopping. Felt great.

Even came home with a bloody sock, didn't even notice. Too many endorphins to feel pain. :)

That is all.

P.S. I need new running shoes.

The 5K From Hell

Run: 3.1 miles
Time: 32:24
Mood: Self-hating

I thought I could use a smaller race to get myself into race mode for the 10K in a few weeks. So I signed up for a local 5K for this past Sunday.

Even though I ran it 30 seconds faster than my previous 5K in July - it sucked.

Thanks for coming out, ladies.

Here's what we learned:

1. Don't drink the entire bottle of Reisling that your mom brings to your house the night before. It might seem like a good idea at the time. It might taste fruity and delicious. But it is a bad idea.

2. Do hydrate the day before. Like a jackass, I drank maybe two glasses of water on Saturday.

3. Don't skip three days of runs right before a race. Just because you ran 4 miles on Wednesday doesn't mean you can take off Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

4. Do high-five the 5 year old who passes you during mile two.

5. Do not listen to your roommates make fun of you for said 5 year old finishing before you (they're just jealous they didn't run it, too).

6. That pain in your side? It's called Karma. Now you've been introduced.

I do thank my lovely roomates (and Allison) who came to watch and cheer me on at the finish.

I. Was. Running.

Run: 4 miles
Time: 45:16
Mood: Awe-some

Tonight's 3 mile run turned into 3.5 and then into 4. I just kept running. Like in Forest Gump...when he hit the one coast and turned around and ran back. Ok, so not like Forrest Gump. But you get the gist.

Basically, I started running and felt so good that I kept going. Cut two minutes off last week's four mile time. I'm running a 5K this weekend, so I needed to do my long run before Friday (when I usually do it).

Saw TWO people (not one, but two) talking on their phones while running, and almost saw some lady die when she ran into the oncoming path of a biker going a million miles an hour. Smart, lady. Real smart.

4 Mile Friday

Run: 4 miles (!)
Time: 47:18
Mood: A little bored

Four miles. Let that sink in. Furthest I've run so far in my training.

I planned a 4-miler for after work on Friday, so I made sure I hydrated and ate enough (not like my Thursday run where I tried to cut it on like 500 calories and a glass of water - it wasn't pretty). I purposely ran slower so I wouldn't burn out, and I made it.

Definitely was a little bored running by myself without music for almost an hour, but it was a nice, quiet run.

Training note: Eating Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich after running for almost an hour = you will want to die. I kept thinking of Jim Gaffigan's stand-up about hot pockets: "Did I just eat that or rub it on my face?"

Maybe next time we do a protein shake or something. :)

Bandit's Last Run

Run: 3.01 miles
Time: 34:04
Mood: Tired

Welp, yesterday was the last day with the puppy. After a rain-out in the morning, Bandit and I went for a run after work. The poor guy struggled with three miles, getting tired after two. But he stuck it out, and slept the whole car ride back to my parent's house.

Three miles around the neighborhood, with Bandit weaving back and forth. Felt a little slow. But I looked it up on DailyPlate.com, and that run burnt like 500 calories. Wowsa.

Puppy Run

Run: 2 miles
Time: 22:33
Mood: Elated

I've been pet sitting my parent's boxer, Bandit, for the past few days. He's a sweetie, but when I leave him in the house alone, he barks...which drives my roommates nuts.

Needless to say, I've put my runs on hold because I didn't want to leave him alone. I didn't think he'd be able to run with me, because he has a schmushed snout - I didn't think he'd be able to breathe through it.

Bandit resting after his first run.

Well today, I wanted to go for a run with one of my roommates, but couldn't leave the dog alone. So I took him with us on a two miler. And he did GREAT! Like he was born to run on a leash, I was so proud of him!

We are gonna do three miles in the morning before I go to work.

Puppy is a running fool.

Fall Schmall

Run: 2.5 miles
Time: 29:28
Mood: Gasping

Mother Nature certainly has an odd sense of humor.

It was the first day of fall, temperature hit the mid-90s and it was insanely humid. There was nothing "fall" about it.

Went for a run with my coworker after work, right after it had rained (which did not, in fact, cool things off like we'd hoped...just made it really steamy and added MORE humidity).

We were trying to do a 4-miler (it's technically a 3.5 mile week), and we ended up stopping at the 2.5 mile marker absolutely drenched and walking the final mile and a half.

Epic fail.

It's ok, this just makes me angry enough to actually do four miles this weekend.

Monday

Run: 2.2 miles
Time: ~22
Mood: Eh
 
Did a 2 mile maintenence run yesterday, felt good. Short and sweet, just like today's post. :)

Maniac.

Run: 2 miles
Time: 19:25
Mood: Bad ass

I had about an hour and fifteen minutes between classes today, and I was feeling jazzed up (the class liked my sketches) so I thought it would be wise to go for a quick run. And then something amazing happened.

It was probably the best run I've had so far in my training.

My first split was 9:46, and the two miles capped out at 19:25. I actually passed someone while I was running (yes, you read that correctly). I've been taking steroids this week for a medical thing, so I'm really not sure if that has anything to do with it. But I felt like a bad ass.

Also on a side note: getting home, running, showering and making it back to campus in a little over an hour is...nerve-wracking...to say the least.

Back again!

Run: 2 miles
Time: 21:06 (10:24/10:42)
General Mood: Feelin' good

I took a four day hiatus from running after a 3.5 mile run last Friday (which was amazing).

Today I wanted to punch it out a bit and cut down on my 11 minute mile pace, my goal was to run the mile back as fast or faster than the mile out. I didn't quite make it, but am happy that it was comparable. Overall, good run - fueled by Almond M&Ms (which was my lunch). Yum!

Speaking of which, I'm now starving.

Sigh

Run: 2.01 miles
Time: 22:22
General Mood: Groggy
 
You’ve most likely notice that I haven’t posted in a few days (or maybe not), and that’s because I just plain didn’t want to talk about my workouts over the weekend. (Cross-training on Saturday consisted of dancing at a wedding…enough said)
 
I’m back to the grind this week, with a new training twist: I’m going to try to run four times a week instead of three. Let that sink in.

I ran on Monday and again this morning, two solid miles each time. The weather is getting cooler and Monday I was able to run in the middle of the day – it was fantastic.

Now that the debilitating heat is subsiding, I have another issue that’s developing: lack of daylight hours.

I woke up at today at 6:30 a.m. for a morning run to discover the sun hadn’t yet come up…which means that in another month or so, it’s going to be dark in the morning when I get up to run and in the evening when I come home to run. This is a problem.

I don’t have a gym membership, because I’m trying to train my body to run outside and without music – since that’s how I’ll be racing (although if anyone knows of any treadmill races, do tell). But it’s looking more and more like I’m going to need to get a membership for the winter.

Sigh.

Snakes on a Plane

Run: 2.52 miles
Time: 25:00
General Mood: Meh

Or, well, snakes on a trail.

After three days of non-running (two of which included deck-building – which DOES count as cross-training, I don’t care what anyone says), I was ready to get back to it.

I planned a 2 mile run along my usual route. After hitting the 1-mile split at 10:18, I continued onto a trail the cuts through woods to my neighborhood.

It was there that I met a new friend. A long black snake was sprawled across the path. After yelping (and then quickly checking to make sure there was no one around to hear me), I jogged in place for a few minutes, examining my options.

Option 1: Try to get past the snake without it realizing I was there (yeah, right).

Option 2: Turn around and run up the killer hill I had just run down while thinking, “I’m glad I don’t have to run back up this hill.”

I ended up running back up the hill. It actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and I think I’m going to reverse my route more often to include that hill. Who knows how hilly the 10K will be?

I paused for a few seconds at the top to catch my breath, and then finished out the rest of the 2.5 miles. A couple of block sprints topped off the workout.

Today’s workout should be cross-training, but it's going to be a 2-miler on the trail behind my office.

Back up, snakes.

Success!

Run: 3 miles
Time: 35:44
General Mood: Ecstatic
 
Welp, folks. I did it. I ran three miles...finally. The 2.5-mile-breaking-point that's been plaguing me for weeks is finally a thing of the past. Yesterday wasn't technically my long run day, but I did it anyway. Gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet, am I right?

The pace was slooooooow, because I think I was too afraid to run faster and tire out before I hit the 3-mile mark. I've been hitting consistent 10 minute splits in my runs so far, and I think that I need to pull back my pace a little bit on the long runs until I am able to comfortably finish them. Distance before speed, people!

The rest of the week's workouts are on track, did a 2.2 mile run on Tuesday, rested Wednesday and did my long run last night. Today is a 30 min. cross-training day, and I'm thinking that the deck-building I'll be doing at my house tonight should cover it.

Next week starts the gradual mileage increase. I think I'm adding about a half mile to my long runs every week, and eventually will get up to 5.5 miles the week before my 10K. It sounds like a lot, but totally do-able.

Work it.

We live. We learn.

Training lesson: Do not attempt long run on a humid morning after an unintentional 12-hour fast. You will run out of energy. Your run will be an epic fail, and you will crawl home in misery.

Ok, so I don’t like to eat before I run. I just don’t. I know it’s the equivalent of running an engine without gas and that the body is a machine that requires energy in the form of food, but I still resist. And it finally caught up to me.

I was optimistic for my Sunday long run. Mapped out my route and laced up my shoes, ready to go. Everything was fine until I was about halfway through and realized my legs were getting extremely heavy and my strides were getting shorter. I literally looked down at my feet, expecting some sort of weight to be clinging onto my ankles. (No lie, I really did glance down in disbelief.)

To make a not-so-long story short, I ended my run early, about a mile sooner than I wanted.

I’ve decided to shake up this week’s training schedule, and am going to do a long run tomorrow after work, just to be stubborn and prove that I can.

When Momma's Happy...

Run: 2 miles
Time: 23:03
General Mood: Chatty
 
Let's all take a second to acknowledge the fact that Mother Nature is in one happy mood. The weather yesterday and this morning has been absolutely amazing. Yesterday's run was two miles (was technically only supposed to be one) with my coworker Stephanie. I know, my life is laden with Stephanies. I've collected three so far, four including myself - and each has a modifier to tell them apart.
 
Run was good, but slow because we were talking. It's actually relatively difficult to carry on a conversation while running, but I'm sure it's improving something in terms of breathing, right? No? Not doing anything good? Ok then.

Allie Stewart made this from scratch.

Last night was my roommate Jen's birthday celebration, which included wine, obnoxiously greasy pizza and insane chocolate cake. Needless to say, when my alarm went off this morning for my bike ride, I only considered hitting snooze for a second before thoughts of the previous evening's food debauchery propelled me out of bed.
 
Workouts this week = on track.

Tuesday

Run: 2 miles
Time: Time to remember to wear my watch
General Mood: Compact

I say compact because that's literally how I felt. I think it might be the fact that I had my hair in a knot, as opposed to a ponytail, so there was a lot less hair movement. Sounds silly, I know, but I literally felt like my form was tighter as well. (This is most likely all in my head.)

This just in. I remembered to stretch. Get excited, people.

Sunday Funday

Run: 2.5 miles
Time: 30:33
General Mood: Moot
 
It was a rainy Sunday, and I was...for lack of a more elegant term...a little hungover. (Happy Birthday, Jen) Nevertheless, I got in a run around the neighborhood.
 
It wasn't fast. It wasn't pretty. It was half a mile shorter than it should have been. But it was a run.
 
I've been trying to finish my runs with some speed, so I don't get stuck in the slower mid-run pace, and I managed to get a nice sprint at the end of this one. Ended up with my hands on my knees, gasping for air when I was done. I think I amused an old man on a walk with his dog. He literally looked like he was about to ask me if I needed assistance.
 
Again, didn't stretch. I meant to, but forgot after my half mile walk home, and I'm paying for it today. My bad, hamstrings. My bad.
 
Ended the weekend with a roommate dinner that involved some amazing food and too much wine. Happy today is a strength/stretch day.
 
Side note: I've gotten my first training blister. It's fantastic.

Sneaker Therapy

Run: 1.5 miles
Time: 15:35
General Mood: Torturous

First off, let's revel in the fact that this girl actually got out of bed and ran on a Saturday morning. Let that sink in.

I was feeling like torturing myself today (bad week), so I tried to run some extra hills...all the while with that "Bad Intruder Song" in my head. Seriously, if you haven't heard it, don't listen to it. It will run on repeat in your mind for a week straight. Running hills with that rolling like a broken record did the trick.

Running makes everything better.

Wednesday

Run: 2 miles
Time: Irrelevant
General Mood: Compliant

I turned yesterday into my "rest" day, and did my two mile run this morning. Which means I'm switching out Friday for the 25 minute cross-train I was supposed to do today. So if I carry the two and solve for x...I'll be able to get all the workouts in this week.

Good run, weather was muggy but decent. I find that when I get up on time to run in the morning, I end up doing chores and making breakfast before work. Who knew that was possible??

No, I didn't stretch before or after. I know, I know - I need to.

It's so hot...

Milk was a bad choice. (kudos for those who get the reference)

So it has been circling around the 100s here the past two days. Training officially started yesterday, and it wasn't technically a running day. But like my dad has been known to say: I do whatever I want. :)

The goal was a nice and easy run after work on the Capitol Crescent Trail - it was an epic fail. I didn't last long. One 10:00 mile and I was ready to throw in the sweat-drenched towel. Got the blood flowing, but didn't do much else.

Today is a 2 mile day. I think maybe we drink a little more water and run a little bit later in the evening.

Ok...a LOT more water.

On Your Mark...

My brother (a runner) said he'd like to run the Marine Corps Marathon in 2011. Like an idiot, I said I'd run it with him.

I used to run. Really, I did. In high school, I ran cross country for three years. Long runs, short runs, cross training - I did it all. I just wasn't any good.

So why would I commit to over 26 miles? The answer: I have NO idea, but I did.

The word on the street and in the general running community is that one should train for a marathon for about a year. Having put away my running shoes for more years than I care to admit, I've got a long road ahead of me (pun intended). I'm starting slow - in both speed and distance - and trying to work my way up. I'm starting this blog as a way to hold myself accountable for the next year, and as a way to track my progress.

The plan is as follows: run shorter races, gradually building up my distance over time.

I've been running a few times a week for the past month. I ran a 5K last weekend and finished in 33:00. It was a flat, fast course and a good race for my first time back (I beat the guy running in the hotdog suit, but was passed by the barefoot guy and the guy running in khakis).

The next race on the horizon is the MCM 10K at the end of October. I've done up my training schedule, mixing running with strength training and cross training, and the official plan starts on Monday.

Here goes nothing.