I took my two favorite little running partners out for 4 miles today to take advantage of the beautiful weather. I just love taking Elliot running because he never stops talking. He shouts encouraging things like "go mommy!" and "you run fast, mommy!" and lately he's been in the "why?" phase that all 3 year olds go through. Here's a little snapshot of some of our conversation today.
"Mommy, why you run?"
Because I like to.
"Why that girl not run?"
Because some people walk and some people run.
"Why people walk and run here today?"
Because it's a beautiful day out and it's good to be active.
"Why it beautiful day?"
Because the sun's out and it's warm.
"We go playground now?"
We're going to do 4 laps. Are you going to count them?
"I count. One, two, three..." About 10 seconds later. "We all done now? We go playground now?"
(At this point I give Elliot some crackers which keeps him quiet for a few minutes.)
"Mommy, why you not run faster?"
I don't need to run faster. But it's probably more fun to run with daddy because he runs faster.
"Daddy run fast, mommy run fast! Mommy run FASTER! GO MOMMY!"
(More crackers.)
"Mommy, you my mom. I "mwa!" you."
Awww, I love you, too, honey!
"Mommy, why you my mommy?"
Why do you think? (We've addressed this topic many times before.)
"Because I came out your belly?"
(Pause)
"Mommy? Why I come out your belly? There fun games in your belly?"
I seriously love this kid.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
I can't think up a pithy (or even mildly clever) title since there's not much going on. I've been fighting a bit of a cold with a really annoying cough, and I just feel kind of gross today (the fast food last night probably didn't help), but the running is going fine. Haakan is out of town (in a tropical local for something work related - no sympathy from me) so I took the younger two out in the jogging stroller and managed to get in 6 miles and then went straight to pick Oliver up at school. Of course, they both fell asleep in the stroller and I paid the price with Elliot being up until 10pm, but it was still a pretty good run, and pretty zippy for having the stroller with me. I may try to take them out tomorrow to get in another 4 miles, which will just leave me with my long run to do on Saturday or Sunday, since Haakan will be back (woohoo!).
I've upped my mileage to 28 miles a week, which still isn't huge in the grand scheme of how much some people run, but I'm doing ok with it and that's the point of upping the mileage slowly. I'm thinking that after the marathons are done (Pittsburgh in May, Columbus in October) that I may just stick at 30 miles per week as a base for a while. I'm surprised how much I'm liking that two of my runs a week are a decent distance - two 9 mile runs a week right now, and one of those counts as my long run - and I'm finding them going better than the shorter ones somehow, maybe because I have time to ease into things and get warmed up. I'm doing the Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving and I'm wondering if I could be in line for another PR. I'm also doing the Trot for Tots 10k the following weekend and Haakan has tried to prepare me for that not being the easiest of races since there always seems to be in wind in the face on the way back, as well as a slight uphill. My 5k times do seem to indicate that I might be due for a 10k PR, which would really knock my socks off. To even get close to the 55:14 that I did in the Great Race in 2008 would be a huge ego booster. That finish time is so far outside what I had been doing, I'm not sure how I even did it. It's my longest standing PR, and I think the time is right for it to go down.
In gear news, I've resurrected my Saucony ProGrid Rides that I bought over the summer, since my Nike Moto 7's are approaching the top of their mileage, and they seem to be doing ok. I'm pretty sure I'd be happier in at least a half size larger, but they're not causing me any major problems. I am having some blistering between the toes, so I'm thinking of trying out a pair of Injinji toe socks. I mean, the rainbow alone kind of enchants me, but I like the blister reduction, too, and the price is in line with what I've paid for tech socks in the past. I'm also debating another running pullover for cold weather running outside, and waiting for Lululemon's Run:Dash pullover to be released. I have two of the Inspire pullovers and they've been working great (I'll need another layer for outdoor running once it gets colder, but they're ok for the high 20s/low 30s that I've been running in in the early AM), but I wouldn't mind having a third top, for the weeks that I do my runs outside, as opposed to on the treadmill at the gym. To say that I am a little addicted to the Lululemon gear would be an understatement. The stuff performs great, but what really has me sold is that the shoulders are roomy and the arms are nice and long, which has been an issue for me with my linebacker shoulders and long monkey arms. My eyes are bigger than my pocketbook and I need to start deciding what I *need* as opposed to what I just *want*, but hopefully there will be some new pretties uploaded to the website or in my local showroom today, so I can at least try a few things out. Debating a new pair of running tights, too, but I'll have to wait and see on that one. It might get so cold that I'm pushed inside for most of the winter, and then all my pretty winter stuff will be languishing.
I've upped my mileage to 28 miles a week, which still isn't huge in the grand scheme of how much some people run, but I'm doing ok with it and that's the point of upping the mileage slowly. I'm thinking that after the marathons are done (Pittsburgh in May, Columbus in October) that I may just stick at 30 miles per week as a base for a while. I'm surprised how much I'm liking that two of my runs a week are a decent distance - two 9 mile runs a week right now, and one of those counts as my long run - and I'm finding them going better than the shorter ones somehow, maybe because I have time to ease into things and get warmed up. I'm doing the Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving and I'm wondering if I could be in line for another PR. I'm also doing the Trot for Tots 10k the following weekend and Haakan has tried to prepare me for that not being the easiest of races since there always seems to be in wind in the face on the way back, as well as a slight uphill. My 5k times do seem to indicate that I might be due for a 10k PR, which would really knock my socks off. To even get close to the 55:14 that I did in the Great Race in 2008 would be a huge ego booster. That finish time is so far outside what I had been doing, I'm not sure how I even did it. It's my longest standing PR, and I think the time is right for it to go down.
In gear news, I've resurrected my Saucony ProGrid Rides that I bought over the summer, since my Nike Moto 7's are approaching the top of their mileage, and they seem to be doing ok. I'm pretty sure I'd be happier in at least a half size larger, but they're not causing me any major problems. I am having some blistering between the toes, so I'm thinking of trying out a pair of Injinji toe socks. I mean, the rainbow alone kind of enchants me, but I like the blister reduction, too, and the price is in line with what I've paid for tech socks in the past. I'm also debating another running pullover for cold weather running outside, and waiting for Lululemon's Run:Dash pullover to be released. I have two of the Inspire pullovers and they've been working great (I'll need another layer for outdoor running once it gets colder, but they're ok for the high 20s/low 30s that I've been running in in the early AM), but I wouldn't mind having a third top, for the weeks that I do my runs outside, as opposed to on the treadmill at the gym. To say that I am a little addicted to the Lululemon gear would be an understatement. The stuff performs great, but what really has me sold is that the shoulders are roomy and the arms are nice and long, which has been an issue for me with my linebacker shoulders and long monkey arms. My eyes are bigger than my pocketbook and I need to start deciding what I *need* as opposed to what I just *want*, but hopefully there will be some new pretties uploaded to the website or in my local showroom today, so I can at least try a few things out. Debating a new pair of running tights, too, but I'll have to wait and see on that one. It might get so cold that I'm pushed inside for most of the winter, and then all my pretty winter stuff will be languishing.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Gen runs like hell!
The Freaky 5k I did on Saturday had "Run for your life!" as its tagline, but a friend tells me that it used to be "Run like hell!" and have zombies on the tshirt. Though I'd love a tshirt that says "run like hell!" on the front, I have a bit of an issue with zombies, so I'm happy with the little running skeletons on the swag shirt I got. The Freaky 5k is part of the Pittsburgh Marathon series, apparently, and Haakan had it on my training plan, so I thought what the hell. The fun part is that it was a costume 5k, and Haakan and I both had the bright idea that I should go as Wonder Woman, so after I was unable to find a Wonder Woman costume that actually fit me properly, I went low rent and wore a red top, bright blue crops, a red cape, and pinned the Wonder Woman symbol to my chest (printed out about 2 minutes before I left the house, since, you know, I like to plan ahead and all that).
The race was in North Park and Google maps had me going with weirdest way, but it worked and I managed to find the race in fairly decent time. I had a little mini panic attack as I drove through the park because I remember the route from the Just a Short Run that I did in March of 2009 and really wasn't feeling a repeat of the 5k portion, which went up a wicked hill, but it was a pretty flat course. The costumes were fabulous! I saw a Sarah Palin, complete with bump hairdo and American flag, a guy doing a "beer run" with a case of beer and a two headed baby in a Baby Bjorn, and a bunch of other super heros, among others. A few people looked like they were there to run seriously, but the guys who came in first and second were dressed like Mr Incredible and a caveman in a spotted loin cloth, so who says you can't run fast in a costume!
The race started right on time, and boy was it cold! I was in a tank top and my hands were numb before we even started (gloves would be a good idea for next year), but I found myself near the front pretty quickly. It was an out and back at the beginning of the course, and it became clear pretty early that a lot of people were just going to walk it. Which was nice for me because it meant my stats would be pretty good. Maybe a half mile in I looked down at the Garmin and realized that I was doing around an 8 minute mile, which is ridiculous and unsustainable for me, but I had a hard time pulling it back and I took a walk break when I got to the water station around the 1 mile mark. I went back out, and again, the pace was too quick and I took a break again right around the 2 mile mark. At that point I could see the turn where we'd head back to the skating rink where the finish line was, so I thought I might as well finish strong. I also saw another Wonder Woman and I really wanted to pass her. With a quarter mile left to go I checked my Garmin and found that I was well under where I thought I'd be and that amazingly I might have a chance to PR. I crossed the finish line with Batgirl and another super hero and set a new PR of 26:39, which was good enough for 12th in my age group. I thought I might place a little higher, but there were some speedy chicks in there!
I got Batgirl and the Wonder Woman I passed to snap a picture of me before I left. I think I'll run all of my races with a cape from now on, since it obviously is to blame for my speed and pacing issues!
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