Raced on Saturday morning. It was a cute little local 5K to save part of the Capital Crescent Trail that may be bulldozed to make way for a part of the new Purple Line on the Metro.
I cut a minute off of last summer's 5K time and came in at 31 flat. First mile was about 9:45. I passed people...that's right. (*brushes shoulders off*) I hope they took pictures because I finished like an absolute beast. There is no feeling like passing people right before the finish line. :)
I did tell everyone that I passed "good job" - because that's what we used to do in cross-country. I ran by a dad and his little son (I don't know how old they are when they are waist-height - Emily can weigh in on this) and said "good job little man" as I passed. I heard the dad say to his son: "Oh look...'semper fi.'" (I was wearing the Marine Corps Marathon training shirt that Bobby got me, which has this phrase on the back - much to Scott's chagrin.)
Which brings me to my next point: running in anything remotely related to the armed services makes me run harder. Sometimes I do morning runs in this Army PT shirt of Scott's that I stole, and now I have what appears to be a Marine Corps shirt. I think it's because I feel I have a duty not to embarrass the men and women who actually serve (thank you all). People see me in the gear, and people think I'm a part of it. So when I run in it, I run hard.
Managed a run this morning. Even at 6 a.m. it was boiling out and I was drenched after the first two miles. Got in two decent hills. I stopped to let some geese pass (again, I don't mess with the geese), and actually walked for a few minutes. I'd say I did a total of 40 minutes...and walk/ran the last ten. I'm not sorry.
We're getting into that time of year again where hydration matters. It matters a lot. And I need to do more of it.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Five on the Red, Six on the Blue
Run: 30 minutes
Mood: Akimbo
Got up and ran this morning, started slow. Felt awkward. I saw my shadow and I was running really weirdly. My arms were weird. It was weird. Maybe that's how I always run and never knew? Oh well.
Hit the hill again - crushed it. Ran very quietly by the geese around the pond. I've seen enough America's Funniest Home Videos to know those suckers will chase and nip you. I give them proper respect and space, I'm no fool. Also, there was a pretty big turtle. "That's why I come up here. Naaaaaaature." (David is about the only person who is gonna get that quote. Maybe Emily, too.)
My iPod did me solid this morning, it was all The Clarks, O.A.R., and Something Corporate.
P.S. You know you're a runner when you walk into your room after work and get hit in the face with the "gym bag" smell. You know what I'm talking about. Sweaty running clothes. Gross.
Mood: Akimbo
Got up and ran this morning, started slow. Felt awkward. I saw my shadow and I was running really weirdly. My arms were weird. It was weird. Maybe that's how I always run and never knew? Oh well.
Hit the hill again - crushed it. Ran very quietly by the geese around the pond. I've seen enough America's Funniest Home Videos to know those suckers will chase and nip you. I give them proper respect and space, I'm no fool. Also, there was a pretty big turtle. "That's why I come up here. Naaaaaaature." (David is about the only person who is gonna get that quote. Maybe Emily, too.)
My iPod did me solid this morning, it was all The Clarks, O.A.R., and Something Corporate.
P.S. You know you're a runner when you walk into your room after work and get hit in the face with the "gym bag" smell. You know what I'm talking about. Sweaty running clothes. Gross.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
What Did We Learn?
Run: 30 minutes
Mood: Awesome
My brothers are in a learning curve at the moment. David learned his lesson a few weeks ago with this post. After it went up, he said "OK, very funny. Now take it down." Nope.
Bobby is learning his with this current post.
What are we learning? When you have a sister who blogs, everything is fair game. :)
I came home from work yesterday to find a package on the kitchen table. I haven't ordered anything in awhile, so I was intrigued. I opened it up to find a Marine Corps Marathon training shirt. At first I thought, "Oh the marathon peoples send you a training shirt. How cute." Then I looked at the packing slip.
Ship to: Stephanie Tait
Purchased by: Bobby Tait
Say wha??? My oldest brother ordered me a rather lovely training shirt (pretty nice wick-away material, too).
What an ass.*
Actually, it was really sweet of him and I was totally touched but he didn't want me saying it was nice (Because why would Bobby want people to know that he does nice things, it would totally ruin his rep. Hence the disclaimer I promised him below). In his defense, when I called to thank him he did answer the phone with, "Um. Why are you calling me?" So see? Reputation in tact.
I got up early to run in my new shirt and even took a picture like I told brother dear I was going to:
I saved the photo as "le tired" because it was about 6:45 in the morning after a 30 minute run. And...well...I was tired.
The actual running part went really well. I woke up at 5 and chugged a glass of water, then went back to sleep for about an hour. Got up at 6 (thanks to a scheduled wake up call from Scott) and hit the road.
I do need to make a running playlist though. I put my iPod on shuffle and about ten minutes in, I'd already had to skip two Christmas songs and three really slow emo songs - including that no-matter-how-far-past-an-old-relationship-you-are-it-still-makes-you-want-to-set-yourself-on-fire song that everyone has. (Thank you, Lifehouse.)
I did add in a new hill to spice things up, and I even managed to get all the way up it without breaking my form. Made breakfast at home, too. Props, folks.
*Disclaimer: Brothers mentioned in this blog want you to know they are not at nice as they appear.
Mood: Awesome
My brothers are in a learning curve at the moment. David learned his lesson a few weeks ago with this post. After it went up, he said "OK, very funny. Now take it down." Nope.
Bobby is learning his with this current post.
What are we learning? When you have a sister who blogs, everything is fair game. :)
I came home from work yesterday to find a package on the kitchen table. I haven't ordered anything in awhile, so I was intrigued. I opened it up to find a Marine Corps Marathon training shirt. At first I thought, "Oh the marathon peoples send you a training shirt. How cute." Then I looked at the packing slip.
Ship to: Stephanie Tait
Purchased by: Bobby Tait
Say wha??? My oldest brother ordered me a rather lovely training shirt (pretty nice wick-away material, too).
What an ass.*
Actually, it was really sweet of him and I was totally touched but he didn't want me saying it was nice (Because why would Bobby want people to know that he does nice things, it would totally ruin his rep. Hence the disclaimer I promised him below). In his defense, when I called to thank him he did answer the phone with, "Um. Why are you calling me?" So see? Reputation in tact.
I got up early to run in my new shirt and even took a picture like I told brother dear I was going to:
I saved the photo as "le tired" because it was about 6:45 in the morning after a 30 minute run. And...well...I was tired.
The actual running part went really well. I woke up at 5 and chugged a glass of water, then went back to sleep for about an hour. Got up at 6 (thanks to a scheduled wake up call from Scott) and hit the road.
I do need to make a running playlist though. I put my iPod on shuffle and about ten minutes in, I'd already had to skip two Christmas songs and three really slow emo songs - including that no-matter-how-far-past-an-old-relationship-you-are-it-still-makes-you-want-to-set-yourself-on-fire song that everyone has. (Thank you, Lifehouse.)
I did add in a new hill to spice things up, and I even managed to get all the way up it without breaking my form. Made breakfast at home, too. Props, folks.
*Disclaimer: Brothers mentioned in this blog want you to know they are not at nice as they appear.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Da Dash!
Two runs this weekend. One about 20 minutes on Saturday that left me with an awesomely un-awesome sunburn and then the Warrior Dash on Sunday which wasn't so much a "run" as it was a "hill workout."
A group of us signed up for the Warrior Dash a few months ago. It's basically a 5K with a bunch of obstacles along the way.
It turned out to be a mud run. The first half of the course was through the woods and it was sneaker-sucking mud. Literally - there were sneakers stuck in the mud. Not possible to run unless you cut through the woods (and we aren't cheaters.) There was a net climb (eh), a few tire things (meh), some fire-jumping (that was ok), a crawl through this dark tunnel thing through matter that had the consistency of something thicker than stew but less so than mud (my knees are raw), a massive slip-n-slide (again, please!), and then an alligator crawl/doggie paddle through a pool of muck under barbed wire (oh. heck. yes.).
We ended like this...
A group of us signed up for the Warrior Dash a few months ago. It's basically a 5K with a bunch of obstacles along the way.
It turned out to be a mud run. The first half of the course was through the woods and it was sneaker-sucking mud. Literally - there were sneakers stuck in the mud. Not possible to run unless you cut through the woods (and we aren't cheaters.) There was a net climb (eh), a few tire things (meh), some fire-jumping (that was ok), a crawl through this dark tunnel thing through matter that had the consistency of something thicker than stew but less so than mud (my knees are raw), a massive slip-n-slide (again, please!), and then an alligator crawl/doggie paddle through a pool of muck under barbed wire (oh. heck. yes.).
We ended like this...
But were crowned with these...
Not bad for a day's work. Triny and I ended up sprinting up the hills so we could count it at least as a "hill workout."
Three runs last week. Not too shabby.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Manic Monday
Time: 25 minutes
Mood: Strong
This week is a 25 minute week, so that's what I did today. It was raining after work so I drove a few coworkers home, then actually came home and went for a run. If you know me, you know how hard it is to come home and then work out. I usually run on the trail right after work because I tend to lose all motivation the moment I walk in the door.
Hooray for Monday.
Mood: Strong
This week is a 25 minute week, so that's what I did today. It was raining after work so I drove a few coworkers home, then actually came home and went for a run. If you know me, you know how hard it is to come home and then work out. I usually run on the trail right after work because I tend to lose all motivation the moment I walk in the door.
Hooray for Monday.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Mole.
Calm down people. Pitchforks down. Flames out. Breathe in deep.....and let it out.
Feel better?
I've been mostly on schedule with the running this week. I hear some of you scoffing at me. And I actually did post yesterday, but Blogger was down so it didn't take.
20 minutes + sprints on Wednesday and another 20 minute run this morning.
I think I've finally discovered the secret to morning running. I set out my clothes/watch/iPod the night before, then the next morning after two hits of the snooze button (and a phone call from Scott) I'm bright-eyed and not-so-bushy-tailed as I head out the door.
That's the key: just getting out the door.
And for those of you who gasped at my mention of an iPod, stick it. I used to train without music, but at this point I'm willing to do anything to motivate myself. This time I downloaded a new Adele song that I was excited to listen to.
Although I have to say, sprinting down the street with "Turning Tables" playing made me feel like I was in an 80s movie. Like I should have been crying and running away from some affront to my innocence.
Two points for using "affront" in an everyday sentence.
I've got a run tomorrow with Scott (so I'll be running and he will probably be fast walking next to me because he has the pace of a small horse) and then a trail run with Triny on Sunday.
Warrior Dash next Sunday!
Feel better?
I've been mostly on schedule with the running this week. I hear some of you scoffing at me. And I actually did post yesterday, but Blogger was down so it didn't take.
20 minutes + sprints on Wednesday and another 20 minute run this morning.
I think I've finally discovered the secret to morning running. I set out my clothes/watch/iPod the night before, then the next morning after two hits of the snooze button (and a phone call from Scott) I'm bright-eyed and not-so-bushy-tailed as I head out the door.
That's the key: just getting out the door.
And for those of you who gasped at my mention of an iPod, stick it. I used to train without music, but at this point I'm willing to do anything to motivate myself. This time I downloaded a new Adele song that I was excited to listen to.
Although I have to say, sprinting down the street with "Turning Tables" playing made me feel like I was in an 80s movie. Like I should have been crying and running away from some affront to my innocence.
Two points for using "affront" in an everyday sentence.
I've got a run tomorrow with Scott (so I'll be running and he will probably be fast walking next to me because he has the pace of a small horse) and then a trail run with Triny on Sunday.
Warrior Dash next Sunday!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Hump Day
Time: 20 minutes + speed intervals
Mood: Complacent
I knew it was gonna hurt, my first run back on training. And it did. My sides were burning and I was practically panting. I didn't even whine about it, I just knew it was gonna happen. My own fault.
These first few weeks of training are all about minutes, not miles. So this week is all 20 minute runs, next week are 25 minute runs and so on and so forth. I did my 20 minutes and then finished out the rest of the way back with some speed intervals.
It was a gorgeous evening. I even remembered to stretch.
Mood: Complacent
I knew it was gonna hurt, my first run back on training. And it did. My sides were burning and I was practically panting. I didn't even whine about it, I just knew it was gonna happen. My own fault.
These first few weeks of training are all about minutes, not miles. So this week is all 20 minute runs, next week are 25 minute runs and so on and so forth. I did my 20 minutes and then finished out the rest of the way back with some speed intervals.
It was a gorgeous evening. I even remembered to stretch.
Monday, May 9, 2011
O' Other Brother
Yesterday I was home for Mother's Day. My eldest brother, whom I will be running my marathon with, called to talk with my mom. About fifteen minutes into their conversation my mom walks over to me and hands me the phone with a smirk, saying, "Your brother wants to know how your training is going."
The conversation went something like this:
Bobby: Hey, just wanted to see how training is going.
Me: Err, have you read the blog?
Bobby: Yeah, but there haven't been any recent posts.
Me: Exactly.
I told him that I hadn't stopped completely (I've been running once or twice a week so my body doesn't completely forget what running is), I've just been on a hiatus.
Which I have.
I think the 10-mile race sucked to the point of damaging my motivation. It wasn't fun. Not in the least. I didn't enjoy it at all.
It's gotten to the point where I completely forgot I'm running a marathon for a second. My mom mentioned that my brother would be in town in October and - no joke - I asked what was going on in October that he would be in town.
Your marathon, she said.
Oh. Yes. That.
Bobby did let me know that the 16 week mark was coming up, which is the point where beginners need to start training. I'm not a beginner, because I've been running pretty steadily for a year - so that makes me feel a bit better.
I did some research today, and I'm 25 weeks out from marathon day. So I've created what looks to be a beginner's training schedule: And I'm completely ok with it.
Here it is:
The conversation went something like this:
Bobby: Hey, just wanted to see how training is going.
Me: Err, have you read the blog?
Bobby: Yeah, but there haven't been any recent posts.
Me: Exactly.
I told him that I hadn't stopped completely (I've been running once or twice a week so my body doesn't completely forget what running is), I've just been on a hiatus.
Which I have.
I think the 10-mile race sucked to the point of damaging my motivation. It wasn't fun. Not in the least. I didn't enjoy it at all.
It's gotten to the point where I completely forgot I'm running a marathon for a second. My mom mentioned that my brother would be in town in October and - no joke - I asked what was going on in October that he would be in town.
Your marathon, she said.
Oh. Yes. That.
Bobby did let me know that the 16 week mark was coming up, which is the point where beginners need to start training. I'm not a beginner, because I've been running pretty steadily for a year - so that makes me feel a bit better.
I did some research today, and I'm 25 weeks out from marathon day. So I've created what looks to be a beginner's training schedule: And I'm completely ok with it.
Here it is:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)