Engineers Can't Count?

In my professional life, I'm an engineer.  I do lots of things with Math and lots of things with Schedules.   And I think I'm doing pretty darn well as an engineer.  So, you would think I could do some simple math and scheduling for my running life, right?  Yeah, not so much.

Back in January, I signed up for the BAA distance challenge.  It's a 5K, 10K and Half spread out from Spring (5K) to Fall (Half), and you get a personalize bib plus a bonus medal when you complete all 3 races.  I've been (to borrow a word from Another Mother Runner) "sputtering".  In Jan, I had more than doubled my December mileage (whoo!) but Feb was tough with the blizzard and my credit card expiring so I no longer have access to the gym (I did mention, I'm good with schedules, right?)

So I get an email from Dimity and Sarah about the AMR Virtual 5K on Mother's Day, with the "Finish It 5K" training plan starting on Monday March 4th.  Ok, great!  I can do this, get back into the swing of things.  I grab my iPhone and Kindle (one for the calendar, one for the plan) and start working out the 5-6 workouts per week I'll need (HINT: I'm scheduling 5, but it's one of the cross-training I'm bailing on. I just can't get up to 6/week!  I know it's mental, but hey, at least I'll be meeting my goal of 5).

And that's when I saw it.  The first Sunday of April Vacation.  The day before the Boston Marathon.  There, with the little red dot to designate "Family Activities".  April 14th 6:30 am - 9 am BAA 5K in Copley.  How are they pulling off 2 races in 2 days? Are they crazy?!

Wait. CRAP!  That's 1, 2, 3, 5, 6! 6 Weeks away!  It's a 5K.  I'm slow.  Ok, breathe, Nic, breathe.  You're doing 3 miles in a run now.  It's slow, but you're doing it.  Ok.  I can do this. The finish time will start with "3", but I can do this.

Wait! School Vacation.  DOUBLE CRAP! The couch!  We're supposed to be getting our living room, hallway and the boys' room floors redone that weekend.  I'm supposed to be with the boys at my Mother's house which is TWO hours away from BOSTON.  Ok, we can schedule this (because I've been so good about scheduling running related activities so far!)

Wait, when's the 10K.  June, ok, June is good.  That's 10 weeks after the 5K. Well, BAA really planned this well!  TLAM10K will kick off immediately after the 5K.  Ok, good.

So, my grand plan is:

• Kick off TLAM 5K Finish It on Monday, as part of the Virtual AMR 5K.  I will modify it a bit, instead of planning walk/runs, I'm doing my regular Run and take my 15 sec walk breaks as needed.
• Move Old Couch downstairs without getting injured or dropping the couch on Hubby
• On Week 5 of TLAM 5K Run the BAA 5K
• Kick off TLAM 10K (not sure if I'm aiming for Finish It or Own It... I've got 5 weeks to decide....said the "expert" scheduler...)
• Admire my new beautiful living room with FLOOR SPACE
• Run the Virtual AMR 5K Mother's Day Weekend (and the PawSox camp out ISN'T on Mother's Day this year! YES!)
• BAA 10K in June
• Maybe 5K by my mom's in August (hilly and humid, it's a great combo!)
• Zooma Cape Cod September
• BAA Half Columbus Day Weekend

The Heart of the Story

"To get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning" - Henry VIII in "The Tudors"

When I created this blog, it was really to track my training for my 2nd half marathon, since shortly after I completed my first, I had all but forgotten the tears shed when I first ran 10 miles or when I bonked at 8 miles and was still 5 miles from home (thank goodness for Dunk's and cell phones!).  But I feel like I've hit an emotional wall with regards to running, so I need to remind myself how I got here.  I haven't told anyone the whole story, although a few close family members and friends know it.

I didn't used to be a runner.  I joined volleyball in HS because we only needed to do 10 laps around the gym.  I was always "fluffy", "curvy" or "chubby".  Unless you look at my BMI from 1999-2009.  Then I was obese.  I really hate that word.  But yeah, I was.  See?

Me and 1 year old Pete. Summer 2006. 

After I had Brian, I lost some of the weight and fought to keep it off.  That was my first foray into running.  I did Couch to 5K and ran the 3.5 mile JP Morgan Corporate Challenge.  In 48 minutes.  Then I stopped running until I got sick.

October 2010, right between my sister's wedding and halloween, I ended up in Mass Gen's ER.  I honestly thought I was having a heart attack.  After spending 12 hrs in the ER, having them rule out the heart attack, stroke, rule in then out a pulmonary embolism, we figured out it was a gallbladder attack. Except my gallbladder and I parted ways in 1997 due to the same exact attack.  I'm just this side of a medical miracle; I make "chunky" bile.  Nothing 6 months of pills, minor surgery and diet modifications and exercise can't fix.  On February 17th, 2010, I set my alarm early, hit the gym before work and started on the journey that has lead me to a small collection of 5Ks, a 10K, 2 mud runs, a color run and 2 half marathons (and counting!)

Brian's 5th Bday 2012. Me at my healthiest.
Please excuse the mess! :) It's hard to find any pictures of me.

And here's why I'm typing this up today.  I've had a tough time staying motivated this winter.  I've gained weight. I feel sluggish. My running routine is, well, barely a routine. So, I'm frustrated, which means old habits, like eating, are coming back. Which make me feel more sluggish, more frustrated and it's this horrible cycle. And for me, the only way to break the cycle is to face it head on and remind myself of why I run.

This is my response to the simple question of "why do you run?"  I run because that woman in the first picture couldn't run 20 feet down a ramp. Because she had problems picking up a 1 year old.  Because she slept horribly due to all the snoring.  And because she hated all of those things.

I run because I remember when I couldn't and when I wouldn't.  And I won't ever go back there again.

Treadmill vs Slush

It's been a while.  Last time I posted, I committed to running 3 days a week, 3 miles a day at a minimum.  Yeah... confession time... didn't happen this month. I think part of it is the fact I'm working from home on Fridays, so I'm not in Cambridge, where the sidewalks are (relatively) plowed.  It makes it a little harder to do the MWF running routine.  I did manage TWO (2) days a week and 3 miles a day.  And I ran on the Dreaded Treadmill when it was 11 degrees outside.  The 5K program wasn't too boring, and I found that a 2% incline is actually easier for me run on than a 0%.  But my hips were still cranky. And I really don't like the showers at the gym.

I did manage to get back outside today.  It was 38 degrees, windy and slushy! I know New Balance is paying to keep the Charles River Path cleared, but, man, they are NOT getting their money's worth! One person wide path on the downhill side, so its filled with puddles, with slush and packed snow on the rest of it.  But I did manage to get my sloggy 3 miles in, and the Darn Tough socks handled the water nicely, although it would have been nice if I had a pair designed to cover my ankle bones!

But, I did do a few good running like things! One goal is to run at least 1, if not 2 half marathons this year.  Well, I've paid for 2 already!  I'm registered for the Zooma Cape Cod Half in September.  They've got a new program, where if you get a PR or run a new distance, you get some extra bling (check it out here!)  I've registered my half PR, which just so happens to be last year's Zooma!  I'm counting on it being a lucky course (and they're making it better, so it's going to just improve the luck), and I'm aiming to come home with a New Shiny!

Plus, thanks to Michelle over at Running With Attitude, and a few coworkers, I've registered for the BAA Distance Medley.  It's a 5K in April, a 10K in June and a Half in October.  You get a medal for each completed race, and a 4th medal for doing all 4.  Plus, I should get at least one kick-ass BAA Unicorn logo shirt.  I'll probably never run Boston (heck, I'll probably never run 26.2!), but I really love the BAA shirts.  And, I've kinda always had a thing for Unicorns...

So, here's to the short month of February: to it being at least 25 degrees at 6 am, to the snow not falling on the sidewalks and to me, getting out of bed early, just one more day a week!

Not a Resolution

Yeah, I know, it's been a while. I haven't really written about running for a good reason. I haven't really been running.  Since the Zooma Cape Cod Half, I put in about 13-15 miles.  Yes, I ran in ONE day the same miles as the 3 months since.  And yes, I'm very embarrassed.  But, part of it is OK too. I took some time off for legit reasons: post race, injured toe, the flu (2 days of 102+ fever! then a good week recovery till I could stand up with coughing).

But there were the less than legit reasons, like "I'm tired today"or, "It's 6 degrees on Jan 2. I'm not going to the gym I haven't gone to since the spring to run on the treadmill. Everyone there will think I'm a New Year's Resolution Person".  Made total sense at 4am.

When I found myself avoiding twitter, because I follow so many runners, I noticed.  When I weighed myself, I really noticed.  I had all but stopped running.  Sure, getting up early on a few Mondays and getting through a slow 30 minutes was keeping me from being totally sedentary, but I wasn't feeling fit or healthy.

I mentioned this before: I'm the type of person who needs goals. I need a race to aim for and train to.  Sept 29th is a bit far off, and I haven't really found anything sooner that fits my family's schedule. So, I made a goal.  Technically, it's 4 goals. I'm not calling it a resolution, because, well, they never make it to February.  So, without further ado:

Nicole's 2013 Running Goals

1. Run at least 3 days a week
2. Go at least 3 miles per run
3. Run at least 1 half marathon (aiming for 2)
4. Run at least 500 miles this year

Ok, I know you're looking at goal 4 and you're very confused.  If I'm running 1-2 halves, that should be easy, heck, I should have passed that during last year.  Nope. Didn't really come close, actually.  I ran Princess in Feb, and Zooma in Sept, plus a bunch of 5Ks (both virtual and "real").  I hit 350 miles. So this year, I figure I can average 10 miles a week, instead of the 7 (yes, I'm using 50 weeks per year. I'm assuming I'm going to miss at least 1 week for vacation, and 1 week buffer).  My minimum won't get me there, but it'll get me 90% of the way (hey, literally!).

I decided this over the weekend. I got up Monday, I ran 3.07 miles in 38:35. I got up this morning and ran it in 37:30.  I'm getting up tomorrow, and I'm running it.  

I'm a little nervous about the days when its below 25 in the morning. At what temperature do I get on the treadmill in the little gym with the icky showers?  The extended forecast is calling for single digits in 2 weeks.  I don't think I own enough clothing to go running in single digits!

Post-race reflections

If you've been following along this summer, you know I ran the Zooma Cape Cod Half Marathon this weekend.  It was a beautiful course, and very well run race. Don't tell the folks at Disney, but I think I actually liked Zooma better!  Less pagentry, more camaraderie. 

Anyway, I PR'd by 1.5 minutes at Zooma.  On hills. Almost 800 feet of elevation. I was flying high at the end of the race.  Crying and yelling when I crossed the finish line. 

Then, Sunday, we had a bit of excitement at home and I barely noticed the day (quick summary: It's all good now, Hubby got dehydrated, and passed out.  7 year old called 911 for me, Hubby ended up in the ER, discharged 6 hours later and has been fine since. Side note: I ran 13.1 miles and peed within an hour of finishing. Hubby had a gigantic buffet breakfast and ends up on IV fluids. Just saying.) But Monday? Monday hit me hard!

Monday, I couldn't walk up or down stairs without grimacing.  I was told to take the elevator several times.  I replied with "I ran 13 miles, I am not taking an elevator" and continued to hobble.  I fell into chairs instead of sitting.  I wore flip flops with work clothes because my weird toe nail hurt. I had slammed the toe into a curb a few years back and the nail now grows up instead of out. Apparently, it was too long during the race and got banged up. It's now a pretty pale purple color and achy. 

Tuesday, got better.  I could almost sit and stand easily. Stairs slowed me down, but weren't painful. Toe got some more color to it, and a bit throbby, but I could wear shoes.

All of the aches and pains got me thinking: during the training runs, I was fine.  No long recovery times, no toe issues.  But, then again, it took me 2:40 to run 12 miles during training.  What was different about the race? 

I ran faster.  That's it.  I checked the elevation, my 12 mile run was 787 ft, the Zooma Half was 797 ft.  Let's call that even (and I was worried about the elevation change! I probably should have check my long run elevation before the race, not afterwards!).  The only different was I kept my pace and walked less. I also set a more realistic pace than in training (10:20-12:30 min/mile vs 8:50-10:20 min/mile), which made it easier to keep.

Going into the race, I wasn't even thinking PR. Heck, I was hoping for 10 minutes over my first half.  At one point, I was running with Michelle, and found she was aiming for sub 2:30.  I ran with her for most of the race.  She finished stronger than I did, and got her goal and PR.  I was right there with her, till mile 10.

Up until mile 10, I was on target for a 2:30 finish.

Right now, I'm afraid to actually aim for a 2:30 goal.  But maybe that's just the busted toe nail talking. 

Zooma Cape Cod Race "Weekend" Recap

I figured I should write the recap while my legs are still achy.  Which means the pictures are still in Todd's camera (hey, we picked up our iPhone 5's yesterday, my photos are low on the priority list!)

Since I haven't been as diligent as updating this, let's back up a few weeks.  I messed up my schedule and only (ha! "only") ran 12 miles for my longest long run. And it took me 2 hours 38 minutes.  I panicked, I bombarded the internet for help and they all responded with "silly girl, if you've done 13 before, and you did 12, you'll do 13 again. Rest. Your body needs rest".  Fortunately, I listened.  Still panicking, but listening.  I did 8 the following week then 6 last week.  Ran 3 on Monday and Wednesday and fought the urge to go out Friday.  Which was probably pretty smart, since Wednesday afternoon I got vaccinated for Hep A, Typhoid and Yellow Fever (Peru trip in November).  Thursday, I was incredibly cranky from the vaccines, and convinced I just threw the race out the window.

Sarah and Dimity chatting.  You can almost see the water bottle
I won on the table

But Thursday night, I went to Another Mother Runner House party.  That was so much fun! I showed up a bit late because of back to school night. But made it before Dimity and Sarah started talking. I threw my name in the raffle bucket and won one of the first prizes, I super cleanable water bottle.  Now, I don't have to use a kid's party water bottle for my runs anymore :)  I was surprised that Dimity recognized me (well, my name) but it was pretty cool to realize that I really am "another mother runner". I also "met" a few woman I had chatted with on-line (which always feels weird, since you already know them).  Erica had asked if I wanted to run with her, but she was expecting to be a bit faster than me, so I declined.  I also met a new mom, who showed up solo.  Rebecca and I both sat on the couch and I think we were both in love with the color of Sarah's toes! (she took a picture, I didn't!)  Anyway, had a blast at the night, got home at decent hour, and slept well.

Then Friday, we drove to my father in law's house about 15 minutes from the Sea Crest Hotel.  Had a nice dinner, tucked in nice and early. Then, 10 minutes before the early alarm went off, Pete threw up.  Poor kid, he never gets stomach bugs.  We all managed to scurry around for 15 minutes, get back in bed and rest until the late alarm.  5:30 am and we're up, eating and puking again.  Change of plans, Pete is staying home with Grandpa, Brian - the night owl - is up, dressed and ready for the kids' race.  And off we go!

We get to the race and park in the Old Silver Beach lot.  We go to this beach a lot during the summer, but it looked so different with the bath house closed, the gray, pre-dawn sky and fall in the air.  I grabbed my goodie bag (ok, 1st of 2.5 complaints: 4 samples of rub on pain cream? That's it? I hope the girls who didn't do the mail option got better stuff. Although I do like the bag itself!)  The race wasn't as crowded as I expected (not even 500 runners, including the men), but I still didn't find Rebecca!  Ended up seeing Erica and Danielle and lined up a bit behind them.  Ok, I lined up at the 12 min/mile sign.  I was feeling pretty gutsy doing so, since I was expecting a 2:45 or under finish.

The start kind of snuck up on me.  I went out and kept my music and micoach low, since the roads were partially open.  I started talking to my phone, asking why I couldn't hear MiCoach Man talking to me.  Turns out, I had already hit my pace.  Ok, good.  Then the road starting turning and tipping left.  I chat during races, so I asked to no one in particular "Anyone else sliding left", and Michelle replied with a "Yes" that was obvious she wasn't thrilled about it.  Then we saw the Fast Girls coming back. Man, that was a motivating site!  We hit the turn around and then ran past the entrance to the hotel. I got a high five from Brian (and his juice box) and kept going.  Saw Dimity taking pictures around mile 2ish, fell in with 2 women who were calling me "Cute Skirt" thanks to my Hot Chocolate Happy Girl (thanks Dana for my early birthday present!) then noticed I was keeping pace with Erica and Danielle.  They were at the top end of my range, the end I didn't expect to see.  Things were going well until 3 miles.

We were running along the water, with houses on our left and BAM, shooting pain in my left knee.  My normal response to pain during a run is 5 more steps then react.  I slowed to a walk for a few steps, it went away immediately, so I started running again. This time I grunted and knew the pain showed on my face. I pulled over and did my IT band stretches (hey, I couldn't think of anything else to do!) then started back up again. It was lessening at this point and I was able to keep going.  Within a few minutes, it was gone.  Then we found the hills...

The first hill, we didn't have a lot of room, we were running on the shoulder.  We came around the corner and it was staring at us. But, there was a dad and 2 boys on the side of the road cheering. Turns out they were Michelle the Race Ambassador's family.  It was great, I was within a couple of minutes of her for the whole race (except the finish, she beat 2:30!!!!) and I got all of her overflow cheers!

I did pass her up that first hill! It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I just aimed for the street sign near the crest and ran.  After that, I was emotionally flying high!  I didn't stop to walk as often as during my training/regular runs.  I actually had to slow down to keep my pace in a good zone.  I kept hydrated and fed, but still, mile 12 sucked.  The hills, they looked a lot scarier on paper than they did in person.  The kids at the rest stops were wonderful, except for the cheerleaders at mile 8.5 yelling "You're almost there!"  I gave them the polite version of the response from "Train Like a Mother".  It went something like "Nononononono, there's 4.5 miles left. that is NOT almost there".  See, polite. No swearing :)

Mile 12 is always hard, the finish is so close, yet so far away.  Then it's up hill (ugh, I was done with hills) and in the middle, there was a detour down a side street.  It sapped so much emotional momentum from everyone, even those of us who looked at the updated map and saw it coming. (yep, that's complaint #2).  It reminded me of a side road on my regular long run route. The one that I'll skip about once a month and coming in 0.2 miles short that day but call it close enough.  I think that's why I walked back up the side road.  Then, I got a text from Todd. He'd been tracking me on "Find my iPhone" and thought I took a wrong turn.  Honestly!

Then the finish line was in sight.  The road was partially closed, so I was running on the right shoulder and had to take a left into the hotel.  As I coming up on the turn, a car starts coming up behind me.  There was NO way I was letting the car go, so the New Yorker in me came out and I stuck my hand out and cut the car off to take the turn.  As I did, I yelled to the cop and volunteers "What's the time?"  The cop replied "2:33" and I took off as fast as I could.  I crossed the line at a gun time of 2:34:06 which is still a PR. My chip time came in at 2:33:23! over a minute and a half faster than the glass like Princess Half!

I was (still am!) thrilled.  I hit the expo, but we couldn't stay long, since Pete was home sick. I shot off my "runner's high" tweet of "Hills? What Hills? I PR'd. Only 365 days to Zooma Cape Cod 2013" and I won! Of course, I don't know what I won, because I had to go to the finish line. And we were already home with Pete, who was feeling much better by then (complaint 2.5).  I'm going to assume it was another water bottle, since I just got one the day before.  If it's a free entry to next year's Zooma, that can be emailed, right? :)

AMR 10 Running-Related Personal Questions

Sarah and Dimity over at AMR decided September is The Month Of Asking. They never really said why, but I'm assuming because it's back to school, and those kids just never stop asking questions!  Anyway, since I almost never run out of things to say, here's my answers!

1. Best Run Ever: Sunday, December 4th, 2011.  I set out to run 9 miles in preparation for the Princess Half that coming February.  I was feeling really good at 4.5 miles on my out and back, so I figured "Another half mile won't kill me." and went to 5 miles.  Of course, that half mile was really a mile, but whatever, right?  Anyway, I'm turning the corner onto my street at 9.9 something miles and I can see my boys in their bedroom window.  They started banging on the window and cheering, like I was going for gold in the Olympics.  I made it 10.0 something miles and came home to the biggest, best welcoming ever!  Plus, I did a 10 mile run before my 39th birthday (which was the following week).  There's something about clicking over to double digits for the first time that just gave me such a feeling of accomplishment.

2. Three words that describe my running: Quiet, calming, motivating

3. My go-to running outfit is: Nike Be Bold knee length shorts (that they do not make anymore. So not happy about that!), although after this morning's run, I could see switching to Skirt Sport's Happy Girl skirt (7" inseam on those shorts is very anti-chafing), a tech t-shirt, headband for hair control and sunglasses if its day light hours (although if it's cloudy, they will likely be on top of my head)

4. Quirky habit while running: Wearing sunglasses on my head in the rain (see outfit info). It's New England, you never know what's going to happen with the weather!  Also, all of the fire hydrants have a reflector mounted on a 5 foot pole, so you can find them and dig out the hydrants in the winter.  I high-five the reflectors when I run past.  Especially the one at the top of the hill, when I don't stop to walk (he's super proud those day! :) )

5. Morning, midday, evening: Morning! It's my only "me" time.  I leave the sleeping house, drive to work, run, shower and have my first cup of coffee before the alarm goes off for the rest of the family.  Added bonus: I get to work before rush hour hits.  In the winter, I sometimes run in the afternoon, if I needed the extra sleep, or just want to see the sun for a change.

6. I won't run outside when it's: dangerous. I can handle smooth ice, I have my YakTrax for that. It's when it gets slushy then freezes overnight so the ice is all lumpy and just begging for a busted ankle.  I won't run on that. Or if it's below 25 or so.  I just can't get the clothing right when it gets that cold.  In the summer, I won't run in a heat advisory (unless it's Columbus Day, 90 degrees at noon and I'm signed up for a 10K. Of course I'll run then).

7. Worst injury -- and how I got over it: IT band/hip thingy.  Not really over it.  Found out sitting in my favorite spot on the couch aggravates it (think there's a busted spring and I'm listing).  I have my foam roller and that helps a lot.  Plus stretching before and during runs when its really bad.  I know I need to do my strength training though...

8. I felt most like a Badass Mother Runner when: I wear the shirt that says it! (Love that shirt!). After I ran my first half.  I bawled right after I crossed the finish line.  My family missed me finishing (rain jacket confusion and a delayed bus), but we met up afterwards in the family reunion area.  We went to Epcot for the day, and we all wore our finishers medals (the boys did the kids' run the day before).  At one point, we were just walking through the park and my then 6 year old stopped, looked at me and said "You did it Mommy, you really just ran a half marathon!" and hugged me.

9. Next race is: Zooma Cape Cod.

10. Potential running goal for 2013: Not give up running.  I don't currently have a goal or race scheduled for the first half of the year, and I'm the type of gal who needs one.  I've got my eye on a half that's a "hilly" race (you know the terrain will be interesting when they name the race after a mountain, no matter how small!) but I want to see how I do on a non-flat half first this month.