What a run today!

As I mentioned yesterday, we had planned to do three laps of a two mile loop at a park in Metairie. However, there was rain forecast for this afternoon, so we decided to run six miles down the levee instead. Since we were only planning on going one way (didn’t want to do out-and-back), we (Kristina, Ren, and I) went in two cars to the ending point of our run, and then took Kristina’s car to the beginning, six miles down the river. So far so good, right?

We start out, back towards my car, at a very easy (14 min/mile) pace, but the wind was blowing hard against us. The skies were gray, but no rain yet. In fact, it looked as if it may be clearing up. Everything was going well. People on the levee are very friendly. We passed a guy who said “it’s easier on the way back,” but we didn’t really care – we were only going one way. Then, a girl on a bike riding towards us raised her arms and yelled, “go girls!” and we cheered and it was all very exciting.

About three and a half miles down the levee, we were all feeling extremely proud of our progress and the fact that we had tons of energy remaining.

And then my stomach dropped to the ground.

I had forgotten my car key in Kristina’s car!!! Once we got to our ending spot, we would have no way of getting in my car! And there was no way to get back to Kristina’s car, except, of course, to run to it. We didn’t have a phone to call a taxi (and how strange would that have sounded, anyway?) We didn’t know any friends who have cars, who were at home, even if we did have a phone to call them.

I just started yelling, “Oh my God!” and at first Ren and Kristina ignored me, but I told them what I did, and we quickly decided to turn around. Fortunately, they weren’t mad at me or anything. (What girls! I love them! They were only doing this run for me, so I wouldn’t have to do it alone!) In fact, we laughed at my absent-mindedness and thought how cool it was going to be that we were going to run over seven miles.

At first, the run back to Kristina’s car was really good, because as the guy before had said, “it’s much easier on the way back.” With the wind at our backs, we were flying (ok, this is of course all relative). Until it started to rain. And the temperature started to drop. And we still had at least 2 miles to go.

The end was definitely less fun. Kristina and I ran up ahead, so we could get the car started. It was windy, rainy, and my glasses were useless. Plus, the moisturizer I had put on my face that morning was dripping into my eyes and making them burn. But in the end, it felt great! My right knee was a little sore, but it’s fine now.

The total time for our run was 1:43, the longest run by far I’ve ever done. Now I’ve done a 10K! More than that, actually. We measured it, and it ended up being 7.2 miles that we ran.

We just got back from lunch at a yummy pasta restaurant. Refueling is the best part!
.: posted by pam m 3:31 PM

7.2 miles! 7.2 miles! 7.2 miles!

Knee is a bit sore. Left hip also a little achy. Took some ibuprofin. Will stretch a bit more later.

Woo hoo! 7.2 miles!!!

Aaaarrrrgh! I just typed out my entry for today and I accidentally erased it. Grrrr.

Well, let’s see if I can remember what I said….

Something about how happy I am that today is a rest day. I needed my sleep this morning, in spite of the fact that Stinky woke me up at the crack of dawn for some food. At least I got to go back to sleep for a little while after that.

Actually, I may have overreacted before. I can’t remember anything else I said, so I guess I didn’t lose too much after all. Anyway, tomorrow is a big fun day. Woo! I’m going shopping for a new pair of running shoes at a store in Metairie called Phippiddeppdidpeedees or something like that. Something with a lot of p’s and d’s, at any rate. I hope this time they give me a pair that are more me. I love my Nikes, don’t get me wrong, but I read somewhere that they’re made for small to medium framed runners, and I’m sorry, but I could lose 125 lbs and still be large framed. (I actually couldn’t lose 125 lbs. That would be dangerous and disgusting.) But the fact is, I have very large bones. And I’m tall. So I’ll never be considered “small or medium framed” and it makes me wonder how seriously the man at the running store I went to last time was taking me. Hmmmm. Which is why I’m eager to try a new store. And a little nervous. I’m always scared to tell real runners that I’m training for a marathon, because they could just look at me and either laugh or yell at me. Hopefully the people at the store tomorrow are nice. Well, I guess they want my money, so let’s just hope they understand economics.

Anyway, after the shopping expedition will be our 6 mile run in LaFreniere Park. (The one I’ve never been to.) Oh, and at some point, we’re going to a movie. And grocery shopping (yes, we consider that fun.) And to lunch. (Definitely fun.)

Chris left this morning for his marathon. Eeeps! When he gets back, I want him to post his race report on here. Just so I can get a bit of first-time marathon perspective. Except that he’s fast. But since he’s running London with me, it’s only fair.
.: posted by pam m 11:08 AM

Crud. I just looked on the New Orleans Track Club website and noticed that you get a 15% discount on shoes at Phidippides (I found the spelling!), the running store I want to go to tomorrow. But I haven’t gotten my membership card yet, even though I sent in my check last week. Maybe it’ll come in the mail today. If I don’t get it today, I suppose I’ll email someone. See if I can get the discount. That’d be helpful!
.: posted by pam m 11:18 AM

Oooh, just remembered – tomorrow is my six month anniversary of quitting smoking. Woo!
.: posted by pam m 11:31 AM

Bad run this morning. Bad Pam! I only ran once around the park. 1.75 miles. Was supposed to do three. I was blaming my shoes the whole time (I wore different ones because my Nikes that I usually wear are just worn out, but I have to wait until Chris comes back from Disney World…ohhhh, see this is what I mean) and the cold, but really, it was me that didn’t finish, not my shoes. In the book I’m using for training, this is what this week’s psychological aspect is about. Internal locus of control. Not allowing external forces to affect you. Or something like that. Of course, external things will affect everyone, but allowing them to have a negative effect on you is I think what it means.

Certainly, blaming my shoes for *me* not finishing a three mile run is what that’s all about. Also, this week I learned that if you have a negative thought, you should finish it off with “…but it doesn’t matter.” So really what I should have been saying was “these shoes suck…but it doesn’t matter.” Now, I’m sure some would disagree, but I think successful runners would just get out there and run the three &@#* miles.

Oh yeah, the other excuses I had while I was not running the final 1.25 miles of my run were “I’m a social runner. I cannot run alone.” (Kristina will not run when it’s freezing outside. Not that I blame her, but I really hate running alone. I did send in my membership check for the New Orleans Track Club, so maybe I’ll find slow people to run with through that.) Also, “it’s really *$#^% cold outside.” Which is undoubtably true. It’s on the news, for goodness sake. The deep south is having a major freeze. We are not used to the cold! Although all I really need is some gloves, a hat, and something to cover my nose. Well, maybe not my nose.

I’m just going to hope it warms up ever so slightly so maybe Kristina will run with me. We’re going on Saturday, six miles, she already agreed to go with me. I’m happy about that.

Oh yeah, and I don’t think I’ll be able to manage the Jackson Day 9K. I’m a bit disappointed, but it’s the morning after my birthday celebrations, and I’m more concerned about having fun with my friends and not coming in at 8 p.m. to go to sleep. (The birthday celebrations are on the 12th, not the 9th, as it’s a Wednesday and Wednesdays are no fun.) Plus, the distance is too short for my run scheduled for that weekend. Finally, Kristina doesn’t want to run it. I should just save my money. I am definitely going to run the Chinese New Year 5K. We get fried rice. Ha ha.
.: posted by pam m 9:30 AM

Happy new year! So far, so good…well, I haven’t actually run yet, so maybe in that context I shouldn’t say anything yet.

It’s finally gotten cold in Louisiana, and when I say cold, I mean cold! Today it’s in the thirties, and yesterday it was gray and drizzly. Perfect for staying inside, wrapped up in blankets, watching movies and reading, but not so perfect for going over to someone’s house to watch football. Both of which we did. Though I should say the game was good, LSU (my alma mater) won and all that. Kristina and I went to Anne’s mom’s house, where we always get fed well and get sent home with lots of leftovers. For the first time, I ate black eyed peas and cabbage on New Year’s Day, so hopefully it will mean luck for 2002.

I’ll write again after I go for my lunchtime run. It’s so cold in this office, I can only get warmer after a run in freezing temperatures. Sigh.
.: posted by pam m 10:25 AM

Just got back from my planned four miler at lunch. Okay, so it really ended up being 3.75 miles, but close enough. It is cold outside! I’m proud that I actually went at all! Went to the park, and in spite of my four layers (coolmax tank, short sleeved cotton tee, long sleeved cotton tee, hooded cotton jacket) I was freezing. Naturally. Oh yeah, I also had on leggings and mesh running pants. And leather gloves. And headphones (which not only entertained me, but also kept my ears warmish.)

By the end of the run, I was hot and sweaty. Yeah! In a good way! Well, hot in a good way. I can’t think of when sweaty is *good*. Hmmm. I was also running a bit faster. Quarter miles in 2:55 to 3! Amazing! Less than 12 minute/miles! Quite unlike me.

Got back to work, refueled with some cabbage and black-eyed peas for lunch. I am determined that eating these foods will bring me luck in 2002!

Oh, I don’t think I mentioned how strange I felt all day Saturday after my run. I felt really antsy and restless, and vaguely nauseous. I drank a lot of water during my run (brought a water bottle with me, and refilled it during the run) but I think I know what the real problem was…rehydrating after the run with a big iced coffee. Ooops! I suppose that was it. I ate decent food after I got home, so I don’t think it was because I didn’t refuel properly afterwards. I didn’t even really feel better until I drank some red wine with dinner that evening. Hmmmm.

Week 2, Day 1

It’s been quite a weekend so far. Lots of people in town, lots of drinking and going out, but lots of fun too. Just got back from a 3 miler in the park with Kristina. It’s cooooolllld here! (In the 40s I think.) I had eaten lunch too recently, and I had some heartburn, so I wasn’t able to run the whole way. But we ran 1.75 miles, walked about half a mile, and ran the rest. It’s just one of the problems with running in the midafternoon. Won’t be doing that again for a while, so it’s okay.

Of course we’re going out tonight, but it’s okay…next run isn’t until Wednesday.

I made my New Year’s resolutions:

1. To be happy with my body.
2. To keep running and continue not smoking.
3. Run the London Marathon (of course! does that count?)

Happy New Year!

Week 1, Day 4

Ahhhhh….just got back from my 5 miler! I had already planned to take walk breaks during my long runs, but perhaps not as many as I took today. That’s okay, I’m happy with it anyway. I got Kristina to drop me off about 4 miles down the levee from the park, then I’d do a mile in the park. However, I went at 1 p.m. , in the full sun with no shade on the levee at all. So I had to revise a bit, and walk more than I’d planned. But I ran down St. Charles Avenue for the first time ever (it’s kind of scary, with all the cars, and the streetcars, because you kind of feel like you’re on display, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be…except when I had streetcars on either side of me – only about a foot from either side. eeps!)

Anyway, I’d estimate I walked more than I ran, overall, but I’m pretty sure I also went more than 5 miles total. Hard to say, but it was hot and I even got a little sunburn. Hmmmm. I walked and ran for a total of 1:25.35, so unless I was averaging 17 minute/miles, which is highly unlikely since I was running 12:20 miles (when I ran) I had to go more than 5 miles. Yay!

Next run is a 3 miler on Monday. Kristina said she’d run it with me. Yay again!

I think this is going to be my last post of 2001. Eeeep! I’m changing the journal portion of the website using Blogger.com, a cool weblog program thing. A fresh start for 2002! Also, that way, I can update whenever, not just from work. Aaand, other people can add comments and so forth. It’ll be much cooler. Woo!

No running today, it’s a rest day. Good thing, too. Didn’t get to sleep until about 1:30 a.m., as I had to pick up Kristina and then Anne’s boyfriend Bill at the airport last night. Bill’s flight didn’t get in until nearly 11, then we went home, exchanged Christmas presents and then finally went to sleep. Today I’m leaving work at noon because my sister in law and I are going to have tea at the Ritz! Yay! Exciting!

Big weekend planned…going to dinner tonight with brother, sister, etc, dinner tomorrow night with friends, big day on Sunday with party at uncle’s house in French Quarter plus football game, all with about 15 friends; New Year’s Eve on Monday, don’t know what’s planned except for a 3 miler for me. 😀

5 miles tomorrow…Anne said she’d run it with me, but I don’t really see that happening. But that’s okay.

Week 1, Day 3
This morning, I got up and went to the park to run my three miles. Yay! And I did it! I’ve had so much trouble running at the park lately that I was sure I’d be unable to do it (yeah, that’s the attitude to have, I know) but I got there, and just started running. I honestly think that running without headphones helped. Also, it was a gorgeous cold morning, which didn’t hurt.

I couldn’t decide how I wanted to do the 3 miles on the 1.75 mile loop, it can get confusing. All those fractions! Ha ha. So I went backwards (clockwise) for 1.25 miles, then turned around and ran 1.25 miles back to where I started, then ran another half mile, then walked back to the beginning. 3 miles! And, I’m very pleased to report, I did it in 36:49, which is just over 12 minute miles (okay, okay, 12:16, of course I’ve figured it out to the second!) I seem to be getting a bit faster without trying. It used to be that I would go as slow as humanly possible, and that was 14 min/mile or slower, but now when I slow down as much as I can, it’s only about 12:45 or so per mile. Woo hooo!

I wore my new heart rate monitor, which was fun and helped pass the time too. I seemed to be in the 79-82% zone most of the time, which if I recall, is far too high for an easy run. However, I know that the range that the HRM came set with is incorrect, so I need to figure out a more correct maximum heart rate thingy. Without going to a doctor and taking expensive tests. And without running as fast as I can and killing myself. Hmmm. Need a new formula, I guess.

Last night, I blew up the exercise ball I got. Ooooh, that thing is fun! I don’t think I’ll have a problem doing my strength training now! I just don’t know how Kristina’s going to feel about having that huge ball in the living room. It won’t fit in my room, and I’m certainly not going to inflate it and deflate it every time I use it. Hmmm.

Anyway, overall, I’m pleased with my training so far. Just a liiiiitttle nervous about Saturday’s 5 miler. Yeeeeps! I hope Kristina will run it with me!

 

Merry (belated) Christmas! Or Happy Boxing Day if you’re in a country that celebrates it (you lucky dogs! I’m back at work now!)

I had a fantastic Christmas! Spent lots of time with my family, had a few good runs, and got lots of good stuff from Santa. Yay!

Friday, after I got off work, I went to the park to run. It was about 1:00 in the afternoon, sunny, a little warm, but beautiful. But once I started going, I was just not in the mood to run. So I walked most of it, then went home and put my cat in her carrier, and went to Baton Rouge. I didn’t feel bad that I didn’t run as far as I could have or should have. After all, my official training hadn’t started yet anyway.

Saturday, before I had to go to the airport to pick up my brother and sister-in-law, I wanted to run on my mom’s circle (as mentioned above.) I went around about four times, and God, was it boring. My shins started to hurt (I need new shoes) so I used that as an excuse to stop. Certainly didn’t want to start my training with an injury!

And now the real training begins…I will denote training days in italics. Silly.

Week 1, Day 1
On Monday, my sister-in-law and I went around the circle, 11 times to be exact. She walked while I jogged (oops, I mean ran) alongside her, and we had a nice conversation and though I wasn’t going very fast, it was a nice start to my official training. It probably ended up being a little more than 3 miles, but I walked the first and last loops.

Tuesday was no day for running for me (no time!) but I did get lots of good loot. The running watch I wanted (a Timex Rush V02) and a Polar A3 Heart Rate Monitor and a Camelbak Flashflo (which Chris got me too…so now I get credit at Road Runner Sports…yay!) and Jeff Galloway’s book, Marathon, plus my sister-in-law gave me a set of real British pint glasses, which was the coolest thing ever. She had to bring those on the plane! She’s so swell! And a cool book on London, and an Amazon.co.uk gift certificate, and some earrings, and…etc, etc, etc. We gave my mom a DVD player and some DVDs which she loved, so I’m happy about that. Everyone was in good spirits, and everyone liked their presents, and my anal-retentive brother didn’t make everyone take turns opening presents one at a time. Yay!

Week 1, Day 2
Today, Chris and I went for a four mile run before I had to head back to New Orleans to go to work. We went to the LSU lakes, and we each wore the HRMs that we got for Christmas. It was fun comparing our heart rates (mine were invariably higher than his, but that’s no surprise.) The pace was not bad, it was definitely manageable, and I was extremely pleased to see that we did the four miles in 50 minutes! A 12:30 pace! Not bad at all! I’m quite happy with that, for such a long run. I wish I knew where the mile splits on that route were, so I could have used my handy new watch to record them. 😀

I’m starting to get intimidated by the distances in my training, but I decided I’m just going to take them one day at at time…no pressure, don’t think ahead, just do what needs to be done.

Okay, so I didn’t run this morning. But not to worry, I’m running after work. I’m getting off at 1, so I’m going to the park (hopefully with Ren) and will run in the daylight again! Well, full afternoon daylight as opposed to morning daylight. I went to dinner last night with Ren and her brother and mom and stepdad, and we didn’t get back until late, and I had to pack up and put some stuff in my car, etc, etc so no time this morning.

Also, this is the last time I’ll be able to post until after Christmas. I’ll be away from my computer (and my dreamweaver, most importantly) but I’ll write about everything I do during the little break. I’m anticipating a five miler tomorrow (Saturday), a three miler on Monday, and a four miler (with Chris, in Baton Rouge) on Wednesday morning, before I head back to New Orleans. The most crucial of these, I feel, is the five-miler tomorrow. I really have to make myself get out and do the entire five miles, alone, no matter how much I don’t want to. I still don’t know where I’m going to do it, but I’ll figure something out. It may just end up being 15 laps around my mom’s street. Yeeeps.

I’m excited about Christmas particularly this year. I realized last night that this is the first time in three years that my entire immediate family will be together for Christmas. Excepting my father, of course. But in 1998 (the first Christmas without him) my mother, sister, and I flew up to Seattle to spend Christmas with my brother and sister-in-law. It was nice, it snowed on Christmas day and everything, but it was an unreal Christmas. In a hotel room…with my mom and sister snoring on either side of me…no dad…etc…etc. This year should be much much better. I’m excited. Actually, this is the first time in three years we’ve all been together, period, not just at Christmas.

I guess if I move to England, it might be the last Christmas together for a while, too. I guess it has its downsides, too.

Ahhhh, life is wonderful! The sun shines, the temperature has dropped, Pam is a happy, happy girl!

Nothing to do with running, though. Didn’t run this morning. Was supposed to. Why not? Well, Sarah, my business partner/boss called me last night at 11, as I was preparing to go to sleep to get up at 7 for my run. She had had a few drinks, and asked what was wrong with me. I haven’t been so very nice to her recently, instead I’ve been projecting my frustrations with work on her. I have felt for a long time that she no longer thinks of me as a partner, but rather as an employee. Technically, I am, but we built this business from the ground up. She is the business/money/management, I am the creative/talent. Neither of us could have done anything without the other. (Well, I guess I could have been any old web designer, but nothing would have been the same, and the idea for Mardi Gras Store was all hers.)

Anyway, we hashed it out, and I told her the basis for all of my bad feelings. See, all I want from life is to live in England. And Sarah is (technically) British. She promised me a year or so ago that she would help me to live in England one day. (My goal was by the time I turned 30, which is now about 3 years away. Gulp.) However, I started to doubt that this would really happen, and started to wonder what I was doing with this company if I was going to be underpaid and still never get to live in England. (I don’t mind making a sacrifice now if it means I get to live in the UK later.)

So the upshot is that she said she wants me to be happy, and if that means living in England, then so be it. So Kristina will leave New Orleans in August, our lease will be up, and that’s our goal. For me to live in England in August. Ack! My dream, coming true much sooner than I had originally anticipated!

Of course, we have to figure out how to get me there. Set up a business? Get me hired somewhere? Freelance? Marry a British man? (ha ha) Whatever, I don’t care! So now I’m off to research ways to get a work visa…

If this didn’t make much sense, I apologize. I’m just so excited about it!

PS I’ll run tomorrow morning.

Ooooooof! Last night I may have overdone it a tad. Well, not really, but I’m sure feeling a little sore today! I went to the gym with Ren and we got there half an hour before her aerobics class was to start, but I got immediately on a treadmill. This meant that I had an hour and a half before she was to be done with her class. Not a big deal, it took me an hour to get through the four miles I had planned, plus the cool down. Boy! Treadmills these days are fancy! I programmed this treadmill for my 4 mile goal, and I could set pace/speed and look at how many calories I was burning (over 600 total! Woo!) and how far I’d gone. Well, I know those aren’t exactly new features on treadmills, but this one was so nice! And it had a heart rate monitor thing, but it didn’t seem to work (or I couldn’t figure it out) because my heart was either beating at 67 beats per minute or 199. So either I was dead or dying. Don’t think it was accurate. Ha ha. That’s okay, I’ll be getting my own HRM soon (Santa willing!) I had the incline set at 1% but sometimes made it 1.5% just for fun. (Wooooo!) About half way through it, my feet started going numb, and my right calf was a little sore but I didn’t want to stop the treadmill to retie my laces or stretch because that would have messed up my calculations and my rhythm. I think that is one of the main downsides of treadmills. You can’t just easily stop. Or if you do, you have to reacclimate to non-moving ground again. It’s just a pain. Plus, my lower back was aching, but I know that’s just because it isn’t strong enough. I hope I also get the balance ball I asked for so I can strengthen my core. Exciting!

So after I got off the treadmill I had half an hour before Ren’s class ended. I stretched a little and decided to walk around the indoor track for a little while. It’s one of those 9-times-around-per-mile tracks but it’s so lovely and air-conditioned (the treadmill area is not so well ventilated) that I couldn’t resist. Plus, I was trying to get my land legs back. But walking wasn’t cutting it for me, so I started to run. What a difference! The ground felt so hard (though the track is relatively soft) which sucked but at the same time I felt like I was flying (and I know I wasn’t running that fast!) It was fun. Plus, with the air conditioning vents blowing cold air on you almost constantly, it’s a little like running in heaven. I ran around 3 or 4 times, then got bored with it (see, it’s not ideal) so I stretched a little more. With 10 minutes before Ren was finished, I got on one of the stationary bikes and leisurely cycled for 10 minutes or so.

A good workout, overall. I worry that I did too much, though the track and the bike were hardly taxing. I think I may go with her sometimes on my off days, or my short run days and do the aerobics class. It focuses on abs, back, and thighs (or is it abs, butt and thighs? either is good with me) which seems like it would help with my running. Or at least be some interesting cross-training. Ren says she can barely move after the class. Sounds good!

I overslept this morning (the electricity went out in our apartment overnight, so my alarm clock went out) so I feel great today! Nice and well-rested! I wouldn’t have woken up at all, I don’t think, if it hadn’t been for Stinky meowing for her food.

Tomorrow I’ll run again, 3 miles. Maybe I’ll go to the levee.

Cool! Found an article from The Times with quotes from runners about the London Marathon. One is from Mike Henry, the Reluctant Runner! Yay! Cool! Here’s the link, hope it still works! If not, here’s what Mike said:

“I have no views on why the Flora London is the best marathon in the world because I have not run it yet. But I do know how to lose 17lb in ten weeks because I have done that while training for the 2002 race. Mike Henry”