The best laid plans

As I mentioned before, the hubby is still out of town (he'll be back on Saturday, and not a moment too soon!) and it's been really challenging to get time to run while he's been away.  I didn't realize just how convenient that getting up at 5am to run routine really was.  The first issue is that my gym's daycare options SUCK (Urban Active Pittsburgh, I'm talking to you!).  They are closed from 2-4pm Monday through Thursday and 12-4pm on Friday.  This is ridiculous because that's the time of day I could actually really use the gym and make the most of my time!  If they were open during that time, I could pick Elliot up from preschool at 1pm, drop him and Charlie at the childcare (where Charlie would nap and Elliot would play with the cars) and do my 8 miles, or whatever, get showered, and have plenty of time to get Oliver from school at 3:50.  That time between Elliot's pickup and Oliver's is absolutely dead time because of Charlie's nap, it would be the perfect time during the day to run.  But can I?  Nope.  Because my gym's daycare hours suck.

In an effort to overcome this difficulty, I decided on Monday that we'd go to the gym at 4pm after picking Oliver up from school and I'd do my 8 miles on the treadmill, then we'd either grab dinner out or whip something up quickly at home.  I figured we'd be home around 6pm.  Well, it too longer than I thought to get us checked in and everything (it should be a newsflash to no one that 4pm is a busy time at the gym, and I should have anticipated this), I misplaced my phone in the changing room and had to track it down, and the 4 miles into my 8 miler I got a call from the childcare that Charlie was freaking out, so I cut it short, showered and went down to get him.  Since it was so late in the day, I had packed a bag of snacks for the kiddos, which the childcare staff totally forgot I brought, so my children were absolutely losing it because they were hungry, poor things.  So I took everyone home, all three of them crying, Oliver in low blood sugar induced hysteria, and realized that there really was no part of that plan that had been a good idea.  So lesson learned, 4pm at the gym is not a good time for a whole bunch of reasons.

I was going to try to go this morning, since the older two kiddos would be at school, but then I ran into problem number two - my kids keep getting sick.  Oliver said his belly hurt, so I agreed to let him stay home since he said it hurt "so bad" and was crying and upset, the whole nine yards.  Now he *IS* a pretty sensitive soul and prone to overreaction, so I made a rookie mistake and let him stay home even though he really didn't seem that sick (I think he just had some gas).  I didn't want to drop him at the childcare if he was sick (obviously), but I did make him come to Target with me to get some new shoes for Charlie, where he proceeded to *skip* through the aisles and pitch a hissy fit in the Lego aisle when I wouldn't buy him the 12 different things he asked for.  At that point I decided he was probably fine, so I signed him into school late.  Yup, I'm *that* mom.  But I'd already missed my chance to run since the stupid childcare closes so early, so today is a wash, too.  This means either I'll have to talk my mom into hanging out at my house after I put the kids to bed so that I can go to the gym and do my hamster on a wheel routine, or I'll have to skip pilates tomorrow so that I can run instead.  And that'll only work if everyone stays healthy!  Let's not forget that I've got my old annoying cold that I'm fighting, but since mom's don't get to be sick, I'm choosing to ignore it for now.

That's a whole lot about my kids and not a whole lot about running, which seems pretty appropriate given how the week has been shaking out.

Still plowing away

My 14 miler on Saturday went surprisingly well, some belly upset notwithstanding.  I'm not sure what causes the upset belly, but I choose my routes for the facilities, so it all works out.  This was my longest run in almost 2 years and though the pace was a pretty slow 10:50ish, I got it done.  I think the poor conditions contributed to the slow pace - it was wicked slippery out there!  My Yak Trax did not live up to my expectations and snapped after just 5 or 6 uses, so I was out there sans friction, and the icy snowy yuck that got left up around the reservoir was just enough to slow me down.  I did the last 2 miles on the road and they were MUCH easier, even with the hills.

Haakan's put in some projected paces and finish times for the races I have coming up, and for once I actually don't think he's overestimated my abilities.  I'm shooting for a 2:35 finish in the Spring Thaw 15 miler at the end of February, and I think that's pretty doable, if I get the early pacing right.  That puts me at a 10:20 pace, and after I get a couple of 16 milers under my belt, that really shouldn't be pushing it all that much.  I'm shooting for a 4:30 finish in the marathon in May, which would be awesome.  It would please me to no end to actually come in just under 4:30, like 4:29:59.  I mean, less than that would be great, but I'd be happy with *just* under.

Haakan's out of town so I'm stuck on the treadmill, which I absolutely loathe.  It was actually beautiful outside today, over 40 degrees, and I would have taken the younger kiddos out in the jogging stroller, but it was still pretty icy, so the treadmill it was.  I'm sort of perplexed about why it's so much easier to keep my pace up outside as opposed to on the treadmill.  I'm thinking it's because it's just so. damn. boring.  Seriously, it's like being a hamster on a wheel.  I need some better strategies for dealing with it because I'm stuck on the dreadmill for another week or so.  Yes, the fancy schmancy gym does have TV's on the treadmills, but for some reason the volume is so low on the headphones, I can barely hear what's being said.  This does actually provide some distraction, but it's totally annoying, and I can't ever get the closed captioning to work.

Some numbers to wrap up 2010

2010 was a good year.  And for those of you who love numbers and stats, here are a few to review the year that was.

803 miles run total

13 races completed (8 5k's, 3 10k's, and 1 half marathon)

3 5k PR's set

3 slowest records sent (slowest 5k, slowest 10k, slowest half marathon)

2 pairs of running shoes gone through

I love the symmetry of having had so many extreme highs and extreme lows at the same time this year.  Still I'm hoping that moderation is more the order of the day for the new year, all those highs and lows get exhausting!

So far we're off to a good start.  I did my first long run of the year yesterday and it went pretty well.  I was not at all pleased to head out for 12 miles in the pouring rain, on what I consider to be not nearly enough sleep, but it really wasn't unpleasant, other than my hands being absolutely frozen by the time I got home.  I haven't figured out a good way to keep the hands warm when it's raining, do they make rain-proof gloves or mittens?  I kept a rather zippy pace of 10:21, and felt pretty good still at the end.  Next week I up my mileage to 33 miles, so I do a 10 mile, a 7 mile, a 4 mile tempo run, and a 12 mile long run.  I think this will be the highest weekly mileage I've ever run, since training for my previous marathon topped out around 31 miles (which explains a whole lot about how that race went down).  Then the next week I get to up my long run to 14 miles, which is about where the wheels came off of my marathon training over the summer.  I'm both looking forward to this mini milestone and kind of afraid of it.

Things Elliot says while we're out running

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.

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.

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!

Holding steady

I've had a few race-free weekends now, which feels kind of weird, but the running overall has been going quite well.  It's like Charlie hit 5.5 to 6 months and something just clicked with my physically and suddenly, I was on my way back.  As time goes on I just feel like I'm getting stronger and stronger, and it's cool to have gone through a pregnancy and birth and be back to where I was, fitness wise.  I'm even a few pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight, and I've really never felt better.

I've been getting up at 5am to run 3 or 4 mornings a week, and surprisingly it's been going really well.  The kids are so unpredictable, it's great to get the run out of the way and not have to worry that someone's going to not want to run with me, or scream bloody murder the whole time (that would be Charlie), or that it's going to be pouring down rain or something.  Poor Charlie had croup last week and I forewent the 5am run in favor of sleep, since we'd been up with him all night, and I did manage to get in 6.5 miles with him asleep in the jogging stroller during the day.  Poor kid was so tired, and the cooler air is supposed to be good for croup, so it was win win.  I was surprised that my pace with the jogger was about the same as my pace without it.  I've been averaging between 10:19 and 10:30 for my easy runs, which is actually a big speedier than they should be according to the McMillan Pace Calculator, but I have a hard time slowing down.  It's always been a problem for me, and the cooler weather just makes it easier for me to run faster.

I did my 3 mile tempo run yesterday at 9:00 pace, and I'm kind of wondering if I might be able to set a new 5k PR at the Freaky 5k next Saturday.  I think whether or not I PR is going to depend on a lot of factors, not least of which is whether or not I run it in costume.  Haakan and I both had the brilliant idea that I should run it dressed as Wonder Woman, but I have yet to find a costume the right size (this is where I could rant a little bit about vanity sizing, but I'll spare you since I normally don't care, it only bugs me when *my* size isn't in stock).  Got any other brilliant ideas for a clever costume?  I may have to try another costume store and brave the hoards of kids and teenagers this weekend, though my hopes aren't high.  I'm thinking if I can find a Cat Woman mask, I can just wear my black running tights and black long sleeved top and call it a day, but believe it or not, I haven't seen Cat Woman at the stores!  I've seen every other permutation of superhero gone slutty, but no Cat Woman.