Laura - Found: the secret to running long distances

So until this past weekend, I've done my longer runs - all my runs, in fact - with no music.  For awhile, the first mile or so, it's nice.  I organize my thoughts, plan my day, pay attention to the neighborhood, drool over beautiful houses.  But lately, especially on longer runs, I get BORED.  And this leads to way too much watch checking.  Way too much psyching myself up for one more mile, and then one more mile, and then one more mile.

Why no music, you ask?  Over the years and my evolving love/hate relationship with the gym, I've tried various workout playlists.  After awhile, though, they just become another way to tell time.  "Great!  This is the second-to-last song!  Almost done" or "Ugh.  I've got a dozen songs to go.  At least.".  Even when I shuffle, it just stops working for me after awhile.  And as much as I wish I had the time, motivation and song library to build a custom mix for each workout to keep it fresh, I don't.

This Saturday, I was going to go out for 6 miles or so to get ready for the Turkey Trot on Thursday.  It was cold and I knew based on recent long runs I would need help in the entertainment department.  I recently rediscoved some old podcasts on my ipod and decided to give it a shot.

Best.  Decision.  Ever.


I <heart> This American Life

I listened straight through to two entire This American Life episodes and loved every second of them.  At one point I was even singing along to a clip of "Somewhere Out There" from American Tale that they played between segments in the Valentines Day show (like I said...they're old!).  Not only did I enjoy the humorous and thought-provoking content, I completely zoned out for good chunks of my run.  No more "one more mile" thoughts.

I just signed up to get all current T.A.L. podcasts and went to the archives and grabbed a bunch too.  I will never be without entertainment or stimulation on another long run!  YAY!

And the result of my run?  I ran just over 9 miles!  Mostly because I just wanted to keep listening.  I did pay for that extra distance on Sunday though.  And still a little bit today. But it was worth it :)

Take a listen here:  http://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast  and enjoy!

Laura - To Trot or not to Trot?

I'm debating whether or not to sign up for a Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving morning in Kenosha, WI.  The logistics worry me, but the price is dirt cheap ($15) so I guess if I can't run it, it's not a big loss. 

Believe it or not, there are NO Turkey Trot races in Milwaukee.  This is the second closest and the only 10k. 

I would have to leave Chicago at 7am, drive up to Kenosha for the race, and continue on to Milwaukee, probably directly to Gram's place to shower and change.  Or conversely, drive up to Germantown on Wednesday night and then drive 45 minutes back south towards Chicago on Thursday morning.

Not sure if it's gonna work.  But it would be nice to be able to eat a guilt-free T-day meal :)  We'll see...

Theresa, any Tday races in your neck o' the woods?

Laura - Back on the waggon

It was tough...and I did it a day later than I should have...but I made it back on the waggon and went for a 4 mile run this morning, after not running at ALL (actually doing almost zero physical activity of any sort - save lifting a fork/wineglass) for 5 days.

I started off at a normal pace.  Actually a wee bit faster than normal thanks, I think, to a generous helping of whole wheat linguini last night.  But with a little under a mile to go, I got a HORRIBLE side split.  Which is odd because I really haven't gotten one since I started training...at least not one that was bad enough that I had to stop.  I tried to keep going at my normal pace and got almost done with the run and back to the house before I had to slow to a walk, but it was super painful.  Thankfully nobody was around me when it got really bad, as I was making some pretty weird noises as I tried to push through it.

All in all though, today went better than I thought it would after the longest running break I've had since begining of October.  Especially considering how anti-healthy and excessive I was with everything I consumed in LA.

Back on track and pounding the pavement again tomorrow :)

Theresa - 6:30am...DONE and lovin my life!

We did it! Walker and I met at my house at 6:30am and did 3 miles! I am SO excited! This is totally possible. As soon as Walker entered my house I thanked her, because I knew that if she wasn't coming over this morning I would have not gotten up. I found myself laying in bed as my alarm went off at 6am and had threethoughts. 1.) Call Walker and ask if we can delay our run till this evening. 2.) Cancel completley 3.) Do It! Thank God the option was #3.
I knew I would totally hate myself if I didn't do it, it would dissapoint Walker and set a tone that I am not serious about this, and I am.

As we began the walk down my driveway, we were so excited that the sun had already started to rise. It not only felt safer, but it felt much later than it really was. It helped mentally and physically. We were strong the whole way, in fact I felt like I could have run more. I think this is a really good sign of what's to come. We also talked about planning our long runs. We are going to try and get on some asphalt and some high school tracks (to avoid running on strictly concrete). The other awesome part is that we are the exact same pace. That is sure helpful!

Signing off...13.1 it can be done!

Theresa - First Run with a Buddy = Success!

What a difference! I got to run with my awesome friend Walker tonight. We did 3 miles...doing the 2-1 intervals. It was great! Not only was the exercise great, but the conversation was important, timely and encouraging to one another. She shared with me a great article about being 25(ish) and the challenges and excitement that come with that. Check out the article: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/features/22864-what-to-know-when-youre-25ish
Well, I hadn't run in over a week, so I was really nervous about getting back out there, but was shocked that it went so well. I really think running with someone helps in a major way. Walker and I are going to try running in the mornings. Our first trial run will be this Friday morning at 6:30am! I am so hopeful that it will go well and that running in the mornings will prove to be a great addition to our lives. It would be great to get workouts done with and over by the time I start my day. Plus, I think it will really help my energy level throughout the day. 

SO thankful to be back in my sneaks and pounding the pavement! 

13.1...it can be done!

Laura - Beer Run!

I ran in my first longer "race" on Saturday since starting to train.  The event was super fun, but I'm a bit dissapointed in my time.  At the same time, I'm reminding myself that I've only been doing this with any sort of regularity and planning for 5 weeks.  Even though I wasn't as fast as I had hoped, I kept a steady, comfortable pace the whole time.  Which is a lot more than I can say about when I started.

A few things I need to note for next time...

FOOD!  I usually run first thing in the morning so I don't eat before I go.  Not wanting to all of the sudden eat a ton and upset my stomach, I didn't eat much Saturday morning before the race...a small bowl of cereal around 9am.  But...the race didn't start until 12:30 and by then I was STARVING and definitely dragging because of it.

HILLS!  Around our house where I run is flat.  Like pancake flat.  Which is nice until you get to a course like this one with hills.  It wasn't anything crazy, but there were definitely a good half dozen significant inclines.  Pair that with the whole not eating thing and the result wasn't great.

The overall event was really fun and the company was excellent, so overall it was a great day.  The post race food was better than any other race I've ever done (all three of them - ha) and the beer was yummy :)  I'm definitely excited for the next one.  And excited to beat my time! 

Cheers!

Laura - Changin' things up for OPRAH!

Marathon Oprah

Had to change my schedule up a bit this week.  Normally I would have done yoga today to break up the running a bit and give the legs a rest (well, sorta) BUT....I had to run today because I GO SEE OPRAH TOMORROW!  I'm excited, can you tell?  I have no idea what the show topic is yet, but I have to be at Harpo studios at 7am.  So I moved tomorrow's AM run up to today.

And I was thinking about it and getting excited during my run today, so much so that I had the energy to go an extra mile.  Thanks, Oprah!

Here's a fun fact:  Oprah ran the 1994 Marine Corps Marathon in 4:29:20.  If Oprah can do it, so can we!

I'll fill you in on my new BFF Oprah after the taping tomrorow :)