Moving Down?

Two weeks ago, while Dave and I were taking a long car ride, we started talking about the possibility of moving.

A little background....Dave and I were babies when we got married; I was 24, he 25.  We paid for our own wedding very frugally and had money left over.  Not only that, I was one of two people in the world (Mark Zuckerberg being the other person) who made money while in college.  I didn't party; I didn't go out; I made my own meals; and I had a paying internship.  I was a hoarder - a hoarder of money.  :)  So after the wedding we had enough dough left over to put a down payment on a house.  Sure, it wasn't 20%, but it was something.  Not only that, but being that we were both working as engineers, we had the funds to buy a very nice house that we built from scratch in a developing neighborhood.  We have been living in our house now for nine years, but we have become a little antsy.  First, we think the house is a little too big.  Yes, we would like to downsize.  The house is around 2000 square feet.  We are currently occupying only the first floor while the second floor is basically being used as storage.  Also, we've become a little disenchanted with the neighborhood.  We've had some run-ins with the HOA, which we hate with the greatest of hatred.  In addition, there has been lots of development in our area which has been both good and bad.  We're just ready for a change.

Although we were talking about all this, we haven't really been taking it seriously.  Until yesterday.

I was riding my bike to work for the very first time and I take a little bit of a different route than I would if I were driving.  Luckily, my commute is small - 6.3 miles by car or 7.5 miles by bike.  The bike path takes me right through the middle of town, parts I have seen 5 million times as I've lived in this community for 30 years.  Every once in a while something will catch my eye that I never even noticed.  Like this gem:

And it's for sale!!!

Two bedroom. Two bath.  Around 1300 square feet.  Sits on nearly an acre.  Two car garage.  Full basement.  Back deck.  Newly renovated.  Backs right up to the school fields.  Bike path goes right through the front yard.  And the price is amazeballs.

I immediately texted Dave.  Then I sent an email to my realtor.  Now we have a showing tomorrow afternoon.

And then I panicked.

How in the world are we going to sell our house?  Are we crazy to downsize?  What if we need more space in the future?  I've never lived anywhere else!  I've never sold a home!  I've never lived in a house that we didn't build, what's wrong with this house?  Why are they selling?  Why would we want to move when we have a perfectly good house?  Why would I want to move a whopping four miles away?  (Seriously, see my graph below.)  And on and on and on.

So what do you think? Would you move just to move? Would you ever considering downsizing? Have you ever sold a house? Are we insane?

Week In Review

It was a busy week last week with running, biking, and boothing.

Monday - Track day.  You can read about that workout here.

Tuesday - Finally, I got back to doing a little Crossfit.  Unfortunately, it involved rope climbing which is, obviously, not readily available in my basement.  So I substituted using my TRX and doing rows on it.  The workout (and kinda made a little easier with smaller reps and weights) was 3 X (10 TRX rows and 10 back squats at 65 pounds).  I was quite sore after this workout.

Wednesday - It was going to be a busy weekend (and it was) so I decided to get my long run out of the way.  Dave decided he was too sore to run with me so he rode his bike.  This was the last long run before the half marathon in two weeks.  12 miles averaging 7:56/mile.

Thursday - Bike day!  Dave decided to do his tempo run today so I biked 5 miles with him and provided him water and encouragement.  I also rode my bike for a few errands including the bank and grocery, which was a whopping 2.8 miles round trip.

Friday - I needed to get all my runs in before the weekend so even though I was crazy tired and sore, I had to do my tempo run today.  I started with a mile warm up and then did 5 miles at a 7:22.  It was so hot today that I went through two water bottles on this run.  I also created a nice little belly shirt for myself by tucking my shirt into the top of my sports bra.  Oh yeah, I was looking HAWT!

Saturday - We photo boothed for 15 hours straight.  Good gosh I was tired at the end of the day!

Sunday - Dave still had his long run to do and he was already throwing pity parties before we left, so I rode with him to help him.  It's so nice to have someone to go with you, especially on the bike, to provide you water and nutrition so you don't have to carry it yourself.  For me, it allows me to practice eating and drinking on the fly.  I also run much better with someone with me because I'm not in my head talking myself out of the run or the pace.  I'm hoping this summer that Dave and I can split training days so I can have him run with me especially on my long runs which start very, very soon.  First 20 miler is June 23rd!!

Weekly Totals:
Bike - 19.8 miles
Run - 24.5 miles
Other - 0.25 hours weight lifting.

I'm an Anomaly

I have always said that I only have one pace and that pace is marathon pace.  My times only vary from approximately a 7:00/mile pace for the 5K to an 8:00/mile pace for the marathon.  When I started working with a coach and she would review my pacing and heart rates she would send me emails saying I was a complete anomaly.  Yes, I can run a whole marathon in zone 4.  And not only does my speed increase over the longer distances, my heart rate tends to drop as I get faster.  Weird.

Currently I'm not working with a coach so I needed a plan to follow.  I chose the Run Less, Run Faster program because (a) you only have to run three days a week and (b) it works.  The RLRF program follows the FIRST training program.  I've got to be honest, I didn't read the book, but my husband did and he's a smarty and he said it totally makes sense and it totally works.  He went from being about a 1:50 half marathoner to a 1:43 just by following the plan.  So, I thought I would give it a try.  The plan starts out with a test of three miles and then your training progresses based on what you paced in that three miles.  My three miler was actually a 5K in which I ran a 21:35ish.  Based on a 21:35 my paces should be as follows:

Half Marathon: 7:40 (1:40:30 finish time)
Marathon: 8:00 (3:29:45)

Here's the kicker.  That time I ran in the 5K was a PR for me but I had already run a half marathon (1:38) and full marathon (3:29:28) faster.

So then in my last half marathon I ran a 1:39:52 (7:37 pace), which moved my 5K time to a 21:25 (6:53 pace).  It's not so much that I can't run a 5K in that time because I probably can, it's that it changes all my speed workouts to just incredibly fast speeds.  400s are in the 1:33-1:34 range (6:15ish pace); 1600s are between 6:36 and 6:39; tempo runs are between 7:11 and 7:26; long runs are usually between 7:57 and 8:07.

All of this very doable.  But here's where things get complicated...

I mentioned in the middle of a recent post that I signed up for a marathon in late summer/early fall.  So far, I've had a great season of running and really think there are some big races ahead of me.  I really think I could have a breakthrough performance in the marathon this year and that's why I signed up.  My goal?  3:25 or better, which is a 7:49 pace.  That's totally doable.  But throwing that into the RLRF program looks like this...

Marathon: 7:49 pace
Half Marathon: 7:27 pace
5K: 6:47 pace
Tempo: 7:04-7:34 pace
400s: 1:31-1:32 (6:04ish pace)
1600s: 6:30-6:33

Seeing those on paper scares me.  While I think it makes sense that you *should* be able to run that fast at the shorter distances to run that pace for a marathon, my body seems to think otherwise.  Is my head in the way of running faster at the short distances?  Is it weird that I can run a marathon nearly as fast as any of the shorter distances?  Is a 3:25 unrealistic?  I don't know, but I'll be finding out very shortly.  Training starts in two weeks.

The Dumbest Thing I've Ever Heard

I was watching the local news this morning while eating my breakfast.  Now, I don't put a lot of stock in our local news as it's usually terrible and I was crazy tired, but this was the story I heard.  They were doing a piece on the state legislature and how they were introducing a bill to be tried out in three counties that would test welfare recipients for drugs.  That makes sense.  So far so good.  Here's where it gets a little crazy.  Those individuals on welfare would receive a questionnaire that would ask them if they have used drugs and then if they answered yes they would have to submit to a drug screen.  The drug testing would be paid for by the individual but if they passed it then it would be reimbursed.  Um, what?  Let me get this straight.  We're going to ask somebody if they do drugs, then test them, and if it comes back no they get their money back?  First of all, you're going to ask them first?  If they say no then it's all done?  And if they say yes and then pass the test, we're okay with them lying?  I'm so confused.

To make sure I wasn't crazy this morning, I looked up the story.  Lo and behold what I heard is absolutely true.  Check it out here.

Another Week, Another Track Workout

On paper, last night's track workout should have been easy. 

2 X 3200

The weird thing about the Run Less, Run Faster program is that they give you track workouts out to two miles, yet don't give you paces for that distance.  So Dave and I decided it should be short tempo pace which landed us at an 7:11/mile.  Shoot!  Compared to what we've been doing, this should be a cakewalk. 

Except it wasn't.  It seemed really hard, in fact.

We warmed up a mile and then got started.  As good as I am at pacing in a race, I'm pretty crappy at pacing on the track.  Heck, Dave wasn't even wearing a watch and he was pacing better than me.  We hit the first 1600 in 7:08 and then the second was at 7:02.  Too fast! 

After a 400 rest interval we tried again and did much better the second time.  The first 1600 was just over pace at a 7:13 and the second was dead on at a 7:11. 

I have to admit, track workouts give me anxiety.  The paces seem way outside of my abilities and frankly, scare me.  But, I know that these workouts are making me faster.  I better get used to them too, as I have a full summer of them preparing for the marathon.

Foto Friday

Here are some official pictures from the half marathon last weekend.

I look like I am having a lot more fun than that guy.

Chip time!!!!

Why, you're medal is so big!!

No Rest For The Weary

With four weeks to go until my next half marathon it was time to get back on the track for some speed work.  Dave joined me this time and I waited until we actually got to track to tell him what the workout was.  I was afraid it would scare him enough to not come with me.

1 mile warmup
3 X 2000 between 8:24-8:28 (approximately a 6:40 pace)
400 rest interval in between
1 mile cool down

It quickly became clear how tired and sore I still was from the race this past weekend.  Yet, I went out and busted the first interval at a 8:12, hitting the mile in 6:30..  Good gosh, Meredith!  Slow down!  The second one I tried to pace better and finished in an 8:26, with the mile at a 6:42.  The last one was the biggest struggle.  I hit the mile in 6:45 and wasn't sure I would have the energy to pull together to hit the target.  But, I mustered all the strength I had and finished the last lap in 1:34 to eek out a 8:24.  Success!

Dave made it through two thirds of the workout until his stomach said enough.  He was able to pull through two more 400s and then call it a day.  He hasn't been training as much so I'm proud that he did that much of the workout.  Of course, I expect he's going to be doing some more training with me this summer.  Wink, wink.

Today I'm pretty sore.  My lower calves are screaming.  There's no rest for the weary, though.  Tomorrow is tempo work.

Capital City Half Marathon 2012

Maybe I should title this post "I wear tiny shorts."  (Hey, I'm a former gymnast and I can wear them so I don't care.)

Or maybe I should title this post, "Damn, I've gotten fast!"

I never know how to start a blog post eloquently so let's just jump in.  I ran the Cap City Half Marathon yesterday and I effing rocked it!  I am five weeks into my half marathon training that I started nine weeks too late for a half marathon I'm racing in four weeks.  Does that make sense?  What it boils down to is that I didn't train specifically for Cap City.  Regardless I was going out there to race and see where I was at in my training.  Based on my 5K I ran a few weeks ago I have been training to be able to run approximately a 1:40 half marathon.  So when I lined up yesterday I figured that's about what I could do.

I was in corral A at the start and I had intended to line up around the 1:45 pace group since I usually start slow and finish fast.  But the pace group lined up in the very back of the corral and I didn't want to start back there so I moved up.  The gun went off, we pushed our way to the start line, and I started to run.  I love seeded races because you get up to speed right away and don't have to weave around people who had no business lining up at the front.  I found a groove and was feeling good.

Mile 1 - 7:47.

Hmm, that was a little quicker than I expected.  Whatever we'll go with it.

Mile 2 - 7:40
Mile 3 - 7:39
Mile 4 - 7:40

Gosh, I have mad pacing skills.  Always have.  If you ever need help pacing, I'm you're woman.  (FYI, I was not wearing a Garmin.  Seriously I can pace this way just using a watch and my internal rhythm.)

Mile 5 - 7:37
Mile 6 - 7:39

We're now in the Ohio State campus area and the crowds were out and cheering.  Lane Avenue was a slight uphill until we reached High Street which is a nice long downhill into downtown.  I should mention, it's been hotter than balls this week and Saturday morning was no exception.  It was MUGGY with a side of humidity.  I was drinking water like it was my job and was wearing equally as much water.

Mile 7 - 7:35
Mile 8 - 7:32

Now we are back downtown and I'm looking to see Dave.  I also noticed I'm starting to catch a lot of people, including people I know and people I haven't been able to match in terms of racing times in a very long time.  This is fun.

We have now joined back up with the quarter marathoners and frankly, they're in my way.  I move far to the left, kinda in traffic, and I'm still flying in this race.

Mile 9 - 7:28
Mile 10 - 7:39

I'm starting to feel tired and this pace is wearing on me.  Only a few miles to go, Mer, you can do this!  We're now in German Village and I'm looking for my friend Lauren who sits across from me at work.  I've been running with two other fast women for the last mile or so and I'm using them as my guides.

Mile 11 - 7:27

At this point I am soaking wet, not only from sweat, but from the water stops.  The cups were too big and overfilled and I sloshed water everywhere.  I am also WAY out of practice for taking gels and salt tabs.  I dropped my last salt tab (gosh darn it!).  I am going to need some practice before my marathon (um...what did you just say?).  And because I am soaking, my iPod craps out at this point.  While I don't have to run with music and generally don't hear most of it, it is a nice distraction.  I tucked the earbuds under my sports bra and away I went until the finish.  I'm going to need a solution for the iPod before the marathon too.  Mile 12 had us running on cobblestone for a little bit.  Come on race directors!  You can't find another route over real road?!

Mile 12 - 7:39

Last mile and it's uphill to the finish line.  This is the part where Dave dismantled me last year.  I was not going to let this uphill get to me this year and I was so close to breaking 1:40 that I had to push.  I worked up that hill, saw the finish line and went as hard as I could.  It was going to be a close one.

Is that my ass hanging out of my shorts?

Last 1.1 miles - 8:23 (7:37 pace - perfect pacing today!)

Official finish time was 1:39:52.  I believe this is my second fastest half marathon ever (on just a few weeks of training) and only a minute off of my PR (1:38:40).  

Here's the real kicker.  The only real goal I had established for myself was to place higher in my age group than last year.  This is a BIG race - 13,000 between the half marathon, quarter marathon, and 5K, with most of those runners doing the half.  Last year I placed 25th in my age group out of 627.  My goal was to finish 24th or better.  This year....9th out of 848 in my age group.  Holy mother!!!  This is far and away my best finish in a big race.  I am so excited about everything that happened yesterday.  I can't wait to keep training and see what's yet to come.  This girl is back in a big way!

Track Day!

Saturday's high temperature was about 45 degrees.  I did my run in capris and a long sleeved shirt.  Yesterday my car read 84 degrees at noon.  Welcome to Ohio.

Yesterday was also track day.  Ugh!  I dread track day.  It always seems so hard.  But yesterday I tried to think of it like a swimming workout.  Swim workouts I am able to break into tiny segments because it's 4 X this and 10 X that.  In my head this seemed like a good theory.  At least it got me out the door in crazy temperatures to do the workout.

The workout was one mile warm up 10 X 400 at a 1:35 with 400 rest intervals and then a mile cool down. I hit the first half of the first 400 around 42 seconds and thought, oh crap, I'm going too fast.

Interval 1 - 1:27

Mer, slow down you're going too fast!  But, I kept up the pace and hit all of the next seven intervals around a 6:00/mile.

Interval 2 - 1:30
Interval 3 - 1:28
Interval 4 - 1:31
Interval 5 - 1:29
Interval 6 - 1:28
Interval 7 - 1:28
Interval 8 - 1:29

After eight intervals I had had enough.  My arms were tingly.  I felt like I was going to vomit.  I was dizzy.  I couldn't get in enough water.  I called it a day, did my cool down and headed home.  We'll see how this speed translates when I race this weekend.  Oh yes, there's a race this weekend.

Insane in the Membrane

I haven't signed up for the marathon yet.

Okay, first of all, I'm dumb.  I thought I needed to sign up by the 2nd before the price went up.  What I didn't read very closely is that it was April 2nd, not May 2nd.  Dummy!  The price is what it is.  But, the full marathon is at 75% full so I do need to be making a decision soon. 

So what's the problem?

Well, I'm insane in the membrane.  Insane in the brain.  I haven't done a full marathon since 2009, which was Boston where I scored the perfect race and the Nike Women's Marathon where I just fell apart.  Since that time, I've struggled to get my junk together in the big races including two failed ironmans and the National Marathon which I bailed and just did the half.  I used to be able to block everything out, to almost have amnesia when it came to racing.  I was always hell-bent on doing better and better and better.  But there was something magical about Boston 2009 that I sort of doubt I will ever be able to replicate and therefore I think I give up too easily.  I'm running scared. 

I also feel like I need to do this marathon to get the freakin' monkey off my back.  To know that I've still got it.  To know that the marathon is still a great race for me. 

However, and here's the runner snob in me, I don't want to do it if I can't turn out a big time, a Boston qualifying time, a new PR.  Look I've run many marathons and I've run Boston several times.  I don't need to do a marathon to do a marathon.  And this race is BORING, certainly not one I would do for the experience.  It's not even in a different state, so it's not like I'm checking anything new off my list.

I don't know; I'm really torn.  On one hand, it's only a fraction of the money I've spent on ironman races that I never finished so I could totally eat this money if I decide I don't want to do it after signing up.  But on the other hand, I cringe at spending the money and not doing it.  I'm repulsed at the thought of training for a marathon even though it's not much more training than I'm doing right now for a half.  I'm just gonna keep my eye on the website and make a decision when I NEED to make a decision.

April Totals

I got crackin' in April on seriously training for my upcoming half marathons.  And in the process set a pretty sweet new 5K PR.  I also went back to the pushup challenge, this time doing "real" pushups.  Here's some numbers.

Bike - 3.77 miles for a total savings of a whopping 36 cents.  The weather was pretty crappy this month compared to March (except the week we were on vacation) so there wasn't a whole lot of opportunity to ride my bike.

Run - 87.78 miles. February and March were all about base miles.  April has been about speed.

Pushups - 290 of the HARDEST PUSHUPS EVER!!!

In case you were wondering, no I haven't decided on the marathon yet.  I have until midnight tonight before the price goes up.  Tick, tock, tick, tock.

What to do? What to do?

I know I said I wasn't going to sign up for a marathon this year, but here's the thing.  I really want to do one and totally kick a$$!  My running is going a lot better than I thought it was going to be and now I really want to requalify for Boston.  Thing is, I'm a little hesitant to pull the trigger because, well, do I really want to train and run a marathon?  Ugh!  For the one I want to do, I have two days to decide before the price goes up.  What to do?  What to do???!!?

Speaking of Treadmills...

The "Run Less, Run Faster" plan is no joke. Sure there are only three workouts a week, but they are tough and seem way harder than the actual goal. With vacation last week, I kind of fell off the wagon, but this week I've committed to get back on track. I started on Monday by planning on doing a long run on the treadmill, but I just wasn't feeling it and couldn't increase the pace so I stopped at 4.58 miles. After reviewing my training plans I saw I actually had an easy 6 miler this week. Crap! I should have just kept going. Son of a...I decided to move that easy 6 miler to the weekend when my friends were running together and having a breakfast cookout afterwards (in 30 degree weather!). So the workouts I had left were a 10 miler at an 8:00 pace and a track workout of 3 X 1600 at 6:40 pace. The track wasn't earlier this week. I opted to do the 10 miler in the middle of the week.

Per usual, when I got home from work yesterday I took a nap. Yes, I'm an infant and I still take naps. Shut it! When I woke up my nap is was raining. Of course. I was going to have to do this run on the treadmill. I grabbed my water and gels and headed to the basement. My plan was to see how many miles I could actually do at the 8:00 pace (which, I kid you not, is faster on a treadmill than it is on the roads). The first mile was a warm up that I did right around a 10:00 pace. Then I did 2 miles at an 8:00. The next mile was around a 9:00 pace so I could take my gel. Three more miles at an 8:00, another mile at a 9:00 for more nutrition, and the last two miles at 8:00. Over all I did 10 miles in 1:25:22, for an 8:32 pace. For a treadmill run I think that's pretty quick.

But, it was hot in the basement and I got sweaty and I got chafed. Speaking of chafing...

A few weeks ago I bought myself a pair of racing shorts, aka bum huggers, aka boy shorts. This is the pair I bought, and they are a lot shorter on me than those. Mine hit me just under the buns and wear more like a pair of volleyball shorts. I have been too embarrassed to run with them in public just in practice so I've been trying them out on the treadmill in the basement. I've worn them twice, both times sans underwear, and I've got to say, they ride my lady parts. I don't like that. But am I supposed to wear them with underwear? I mean, seriously, my underwear are basically the same size as these. And that sweaty run caused my thighs rub together and chafe. I thought the whole thing about wearing these tiny shorts is supposed to help with chub rub. I'm just not sure about them yet. 

What's the longest run you've ever done on a treadmil?

What's the fastest you've ever run on a treadmill for a sustained period of time?

Do you wear tiny shorts for racing?  Do you wear undies with them?  Do you like them?

Operation: New Treadmill

We have a workout room, a pain cave if you will, in our basement.  It's stripped down and basic with no walls, lots of dust, and is poorly lit.  In it we have exercise equipment: TRX, weight bench, bikes and trainers, and a treadmill.  We also have an old TV with a TiVO and DVD player.  Our treadmill we bought off of a friend for $75.  It's ummm...old and beyond it's life, really.  It has lost it's ability to incline.  It doesn't have buttons, only sliders that get you close to a speed.  The belt of the treadmill is all stretched out too, so now matter what speed you choose, as long as you take tiny steps, you're always going faster.  Sure, it's got its flaws, but it has worked for us.  Here's a picture of the screen of it from the crazy 20 miler I did on it last year.  Notice the toggle for the incline.



As my time as a triathlete (at least for now) has come to a close I've made some decisions. (1) I've gone back to running and only running and have absolutely loved it. I've been surprised to see my times dropped and I love not having a racing schedule or a big race to focus on, at least for now. (2) I have completely lost any interest in biking or swimming.  I have not put on a swimsuit, swim cap, or goggles since October and definitely do not want to.  (3) I have decided to quit my gym, Lifetime, after being a member there since 2004.

Where does this lead?

I want a new treadmill.

And not just any treadmill.  I want one of those new, awesome ones that not only inclines but DECLINES and is WiFi enabled where you can put in specific routes and the treadmill will adjust for the route (like a bike computrainer).  I've researched and found that these fancy treadmills are about $1200.  No small amount of change!  So, I'm keeping track of my savings and will be using the savings from my gym membership to add to this.  And notice that I've added my new savings widget on the side.

Operation: New Treadmill, commence!

WhatSUP

My adventure pick for vacation week was trapeze school.  Dave's pick was stand-up paddle boarding (SUP).  The weather was rough the day we had signed up with big winds, rockin' seas, and we even saw two funnel clouds and a water spout.  We headed straight into the wind for most of the hour plus lesson and made it all of about 100 yards.

Our lesson was very brief where we were basically told "if you're gonna fall, jump into the water."  Good enough.  And then it was time to head out into the water.  Listen to that howling wind!

As it turns out, I was a natural at SUP.  I guess eight years of gymnastics I guess gave me quite a bit of balance.  :)  One of our instructors switched me boards to her windsurfing board which gave me more of a balance challenge but also proved to be really fast.

I loved stand-up paddle boarding.  I am so excited because I already have a windsurfing board and there is a local SUP club here in Columbus.  All I need is a paddle and I'm good to go.

Life List - Fly on a Trapeze

There are three things I am deathly scared of: bridges, roller coasters, and heights.  I did not realize that flying on a trapeze would be like combining all of these into one hot mess.

This week we're on vacation in Venice, FL.  This is a spot I have been coming to as a kid as my parents love it here and plan on retiring here.  It's kind of an old-fashioned beach town where residents are retirement age and storefronts close at 6:30pm.  Dave and I feel really young here, but are still enjoying ourselves.  While my parents enjoy sitting on the beach and lounging, Dave and I like our vacations with a little dose of excitement and adventure.  So, as we were researching our trip we each picked an adventure.  Mine was going to trapeze school.

Our class was a mixture of young and old, newbies and experienced fliers.  And then there was me...wanting to check something off my Life List.  Needless to say, I was the only one who was scared.  SCARED!!!  With very little instructions we were strapped into a harness, put on a lower bar, and taught a few tricks.  I should mention, I don't even like to swing on a swing set.  It makes me a little sick to my stomach.

And then it was time to move to the real deal.  This is when I started to lose it.  There was a young girl who kinda kept taunting me.  She would say things like, "it's gonna make you want to cry" or "it's gonna make you breathe really heavy."  Because I couldn't be mean and I didn't know this chick, I would just laugh it off.  Humor is my defense mechanism for being scared (or if you know me really well, for just about anything).  Dave went first of the two of us.  You had to climb a metal extension ladder to the top and then wind your way around onto the platform where they hooked you in and then you do your thing. Dave was a natural, of course, and did all the tricks and even got to do a back flip off the trapeze and landed in the net.  Then it was my turn.  I was half way up the ladder and I started to freak out.  I mean, FREAK OUT!!!  I would take one step and pause.  Another step and pause.  Finally I got to the top and somehow made it onto the platform.  Honestly I don't remember anything from the time I made it to the top of the ladder until I grabbed the trapeze.  I needed a lot of convincing and was scared out of my mind the entire time I was flying.  I didn't do any of the tricks and basically just swung.  But I did it and that's all that counts.  When it was over I cried and cried and cried.  Silly, I know.  It was completely involuntary, though.  In the end, I only flew once.  It was enough.  Here's video evidence...(and yes that was my dad saying, "I don't think she's gonna make it up the ladder.")

What Lies Beneath

The other day I went underwear shopping.  Let me clarify what that actually means.  That means I went to Meijer (like a Target but cheaper-for those who don't have one) and picked up a 6 pack of Hanes underwear.  With my tiny hiney, the smallest size I can get is a 5, which translates to a small.  I picked up bikinis which are cut to be tiny but not ride up the butt.

Got the picture yet.

Okay, so I picked up my 6 pack, checked out, went home, and opened the package.  To my surprise, they looked a little bit like this:


Yikes!

So the next day I headed back to Meijer to try again.  This time I perused the children's department while Dave kept the look out for Chris Hansen and Dateline's "To Catch a Predator."  From the back off the box, I deduced that my size would be a children's 16: 27" inch waist, 108-117 pounds.  I bought this paid, went out to the car, opened the box and got this:



Holy big underwear, Batman!  What child can fit into those?

I packaged those bad boys back up and marched myself back into Meijer to try one last time.  Dave was so embarrassed.  This time I started opening those damn packets and holding them up to myself.  Finally, I found ones that look like they fit.  A freakin' size 12 in kids.  Tiny buns!  But I've got to tell you...I love them.  They fit so well and no wedgies!  I am going back today to buy some more as long as Chris Hensen doesn't have me arrested...

Bunny Hop 5K 2012

On Wednesday I wrote on my Facebook status:

"I'm debating signing up for a 5K this weekend.  Price sucks ($30) and I kinda hate the 5K.  Yes or no?  Discuss..."

That sounds like someone who has absolutely no desire to do a 5K.  Truth be told, I don't like the 5K.  It doesn't suit my racing style very well.  I'm not very good about being fast out of the gate.  I like to work my way into races and pretty much negative split every race and run that I do.  I also cannot stand the price of these races.  $10 per mile!?  You've got to be kidding me.  Nevertheless, I know that racing shorter and faster will make me a better distance runner, so I signed up.



Saturday morning we arrived at the race site and just about as I'm heading out to do my warmup (as I can hear Elizabeth in my head saying, "the shorter the race, the longer the warm up"), I realize I left my watch at home.  Since I've stopped working with a coach for the time being, I've stopped wearing my watch or heart rate monitor or Garmin.  I go by feel and turnaround wherever I want to.  I only wear a Garmin or watch if I have a specific workout I'm trying to hit.  Anyway, I realized I would be racing blind and figured that would be a good thing.  I did a little warmup, went to the bathroom for the hundredth time and headed to the start line.



This race was small.  I sized up my competition and actually lined up towards the front - a very rare move for me.  The horn sounded and we were off, crowding from a parking lot onto a narrow pathway and right into a strong 90 degree turn.  I found my place and took off.  The entire run was done on a bike path (nice!), but was tough as it had at least four 90 degree turns and a 180 degree turnaround.

I was immediately the fourth place female, running with two other guys with no one in front and no one behind us.  At the turn around point I wasn't terribly behind the third place female but was far enough back that no matter how fast I was going to go I wasn't going to catch her.  I was amazed, however, at my fitness level as I felt myself getting faster after the two mile mark and continuing to pick it up as the finish came nearer.  Finally, I turned the last 90 degree turn to the finish and was amazed to see the clock at a 21:20 something.  Holy cow!  I was going to PR.  My final time was 21:33.  The official results had me 11th overall and third place female, however, there was no 8th place person in the final results and that 8th place person was a female.

Is that really how Gordon is spelled?

When I established my "12 for 2012" this year and wrote that I wanted a new PR, I was expecting to get a PR by doing something like running a new distance like an aquathlon and getting a PR by default.  I had no idea that I would get a "real" PR and surely didn't think it would be in a 5K.  And, my favorite part of all this, this was the first race I have averaged under a 7:00 minute/mile pace in a race - 6:56.  This has been an unspoken/unwritten goal of mine for a long time.  The scary part?  I don't think I gave the race all I had.  I didn't feel tired at the end.  I never reached puke-stage.  I felt like I held back at the beginning.  Maybe there are more PRs in the future...

Meredith Gordon, The Girl on Fire!

I have had a great week of running so far.

Yesterday I was tweeting back and forth with a local runner girl and I happen to go out to her blog and saw that she was racing a 5K this coming weekend.  I have been looking to do a race in April, but since I'm going to be on vacation for two of the five weekends of this month, it's been hard to find a race.  I had wanted to do the Athens half marathon last weekend, but I was waiting on some medical tests to come back before I made the commitment and I didn't have the answers in time.  So that left me without a race this month.  And since it's my goal to do at least 12 races this year, I really wanted to find one this month.

As I've mentioned before I'm following the "Train Less, Run Faster" plan for my half marathon in June.  If I wanted to run a 5K this weekend, I was going to need to do my long run midweek.  The plan was for 13 miles at half marathon pace plus 30 seconds per mile.  I have decided that my race pace will be around a 7:50 for a 1:42ish half marathon.  That would mean that this 13 miles would be at an 8:20 pace.  Yikes!  That's only a few seconds slower than I averaged in my last half marathon.

I started out running two miles around the neighborhood and had worked my pace down to an 8:18.  It was fast and felt hard and I was wondering how I would hold that for a full 13 miles.  Dave joined me for the next three miles and we got the pace down to an 8:16 average.  Note, I like to set my Garmin for an overall pace for the full 13 miles.  I like to work my way into a run and usually pick up the pace as I go along.  But because it seems 9 miles seems to be my breaking point right now, I thought I would bag a little time in case I slipped off the pace later in the run.

For the last eight miles Dave joined me on his bike and I was able to run without a water pack.  I love that.  It's always around 6-7 miles that things start feeling good to me and I get in the zone.  And I did.  And before I knew it my watch was beeping at me to slow down (I had set it to be between 8:15 and 8:30 average).  As I headed into the cold wind, I kept picking up pace.  At the turn around, four miles left to run, I was down around an 8:10 or 8:11.  Now with the wind at my back I was flying.  With just over two miles to go I was at an 8:06 average and still feeling really good.  I guess that month of running every day sure was good base training!

The last mile is uphill in our neighborhood.  (I use the term uphill lightly.  We don't live anywhere with true hills.)  I was moving.  By the time I finished, I had dropped the overall pace to 8:04.  13 miles in 1:44:55.  BAM!

So it makes me wonder, could there really be a possibility at a half marathon PR this year?

Races, Races, and More Races

Saturday afternoon I said to Dave, "You know, it wouldn't take much convincing to get me to do the Rev3 Cedar Point half ironman", a sentiment he had stated earlier in the week. By the end of the day I had talked myself into a full ironman and by Sunday morning I had talked Dave into it doing it with me. Over breakfast I was a mess. I was crying and already doubting my abilities to finish the race. Still I found myself later in the day cleaning my bike and preparing to ride.

Sunday evening I came to my senses. I don't want to do an ironman. I want to run!!! And run FAST!!!

One of my former athletes (now, a law student) asked me to join her for a half marathon. She lives in Virginia so we decided to meet in the middle and do a half in West Virginia (a state I haven't raced in). Immediately Dave and I were in and plans have started. Training plans have started too. This is a pretty small race so I decided it was time to actually race this year and get on a solid training plan to do so. With only 9 weeks until the race, I am jumping into the "Train Less, Run Faster" plan right in the middle, but with a full month of base training last month, I am ready.

So, yesterday was Day 1 and I asked Dave to join me on the track. He hasn't been doing a whole lot of running since Houston, but was game. He was not excited, however, when I told him was the workout would be.

 

In case you can't read that it's: 

1 mile warmup 1 mile @ 6:49 

400m rest interval

2 miles @ 7:22 pace

800m rest interval 

2 X 800m @ 3:16 

400m rest interval in between

1 mile cool down 

Dude, we nailed it. Our 1600 was 6:43. Our 2 mile was 7:16 and 7:11. And our 800s were both 3:12s.

It's on. It's so on.

12 for 2012 - Run Streak for One Month

And on the 32nd day, she rested. I had no idea when I decided to run streak for one month that it would be so tough. Luckily, I had built up a pretty good base by trying to do this in February, so the first couple weeks of the month went great, including a week totaling 40 miles. But by the middle of the fourth week (and of course I had to choose a month that had 5 weeks), I had had enough. I fell into a pattern of coming home from work, taking a nap, watching TV, waiting until Dave got home, moping around the house, and finally heading up around 6:00pm or later to do a measly three miles. Regardless, I got the task done. Check, check.

In the end, I finished the month with 134.49 miles. Funny enough, this isn't even my biggest month ever. I remember having a month around 165 miles when I was training for Boston in 2008 or 2005. In other training this month... Bike - 7.53 miles which came to a total savings of $1.51 (including Dave's bike miles). Sure, it doesn't even pay for a gallon of gas this month, but as the weather improves there will be a lot more bike riding. Other - 1.5 hours of CrossFit. I am enjoying doing some weight training. I hope it turns me into a bodybuilder. :) Pushups - 1195. I finished the pushup challenge (check out the video here). This week I did another test to see how many "regular" push ups I could do. The answer was 20 and then I went and did another 30 in sets of ten. Start the challenge over? What's next for April?

12 for 2012 - 100 Pushups

So after a long 6+ weeks of training (closer to three months than six weeks), I finally completed the pushup challenge. Again, I did "girl" pushups (on my knees). No I did not touch my nose to the ground, but {mostly} I bent my arms 90 degrees.

Count with me now..

.

Gas Savings

Wonder how we're doing our cost savings based on where we are biking instead of driving?

1. I use MapMyRide to calculate the number of miles we would DRIVE if we were taking the car to the location. Even though we might use alternative, safer, perhaps longer routes for biking we want to know the savings based on how we would drive to the location. Please note, I kinda hate MapMyRide as I don't think it's exactly user friendly, but I don't know of a better option. I hope to kind of build up a database of places we travel frequently via bike so that I don't have to use the website.

2. I use another app, GasBuddy, (or online) to determine the price of gas based on where we normally fill up specifically for the day we rode our bikes instead of drove.

3. I have put together a spreadsheet (shut up, I'm an engineer!) with two different pages - one for savings based on driving the Honda Element and one for driving the Toyota Prius. This makes a huge difference because the Element gets about 20 mpg and the Prius is about 40 mpg. We generally drive the Prius everywhere so any time it's the two of us riding our bikes or just Dave riding his bike, we do the calculations based on the Prius. Now, when I start riding to work, because I drive the Element, the calculations will be based on that car. Here's how the calculation works:

(Miles X Cost of Gas) / Miles Per Gallon = Savings

At the end of the month I plan on adding up both spreadsheets and then keeping a master spreadsheet with these total savings to see how much I can save in a year.  It would be nice if it was actual money and we could reinvest it back into savings for a new car or something else.

What are ways that you are saving money as the gas prices hit new highs?  What are some of your general savings tips?  What are you willing to splurge on?  Do you make spreadsheets for things?

Week In Review

Good grief these reviews are boring! I'm still going strong with the run streak (well, strong is a subjective word) and this week I completed the push up challenge. More to come on that another day. Here we go...

Monday - Today was a speed/strength workout at the track. Dave and I warmed up with an easy mile and then did 5 X 400 sprints with 15 Turkish get-ups in between. I finished up with another 1.75 miles of cool down for a total of 4 miles. I also did the last exercises of the 100 push up challenge before going to the track. Push up total was 274.

Tuesday - Just a 4.5 mile local run from home that was a bit hilly and a bit quick: mile 1 - 9:01, mile 2 - 8:28, mile 3 - 8.38, mile 4 - 8:30, mile 0.5 - 8:29 pace.

Wednesday - A total of 4.3 miles as one mile with Dave and Sloopy and then the remaining 3.3 by myself. I got myself in trouble as a girl passed me at the turnaround spot and then I spent the next mile chasing her down and keeping her in my rearview all the way home.

Thursday - By Thursday I was just spent and didn't want anything to do with this running streak anymore. Yet, I went out and had a good 5 mile run with numb legs all the way.

Friday - Today was rough as I met Dave immediately after work and went to see The Hunger Games. Then my mom texted and wanted to see if we would have dinner at a local restaurant. By the time I got home, I was just not in the mood to run. And Jeff
had to make the decision to bow out (injury) of the March Run Streak, so now I was on my own. Regardless, I got my buns down to the basement and hopped on the treadmill for a whopping 1.2 miles.

Saturday - I woke up on Saturday not feeling so hot and just laid around most of the day. Soon it became afternoon and I had to run to get it in before the wedding we needed to work that night. Dave drug me around the neighborhood for 3 miles. Dave and I also rode our bikes to breakfast this morning for a total of 1.8 miles and a savings of 18 cents.

Sunday - I had intended to do a long run this week, but after thinking about it I just didn't care. This week has been a tough week of motivation, but I still got in all the runs. Today was another 3 mile neighborhood run that turned out better than expected. Now I kinda wish I had done the long run. Also on Sunday I conquered the 100 pushup challenge by easily getting through it. I have video evidence and will post it another day this week. Dave rode his bike to pick up breakfast and to pick up something from the Home Depot. He rode a total of 2.52 miles (we live really close to everything) for a savings of 25 cents. Sure these are not my miles but I'm keeping them to calculate how much money we're saving by riding our bikes.

Totals:

Bike - 1.8 miles for me; 4.32 miles for Dave.

Run - 25 miles (not terrible considering I didn't do a long run)

Pushups - 374

March Run Streak

Today is day 23 of the March Run Streak. Last week I had a totally kick-butt week.. But this week has been a little tougher. Now granted, I wasn't so smart and did a speed workout on Monday, the day after my long run. And the weather has been in the mid-80s all this week (in March!!!). So the other three runs of the week have been kinda crappy. My calves, shins, ankles, and feet are starting to hate me for doing all this running. I've now completed over 100 miles for the month which means I'm averaging just under 5 miles per day. I know there are only a few days left, but I'm really lacking the motivation.

What do you say to yourself to get yourself out the door? Any suggestions for motivation? How many miles is your maximum for a single month?

A Little Off The top

God (or my parents) blessed me with good teeth. I have never had a cavity; I never had braces; and I never got my wisdom teeth which means I've never had a tooth pulled. But, I tend to carry all my tension in my jaw and grind the h-e-l-l out of my teeth. So much so that I have grooves and channels through most of my teeth and have been wearing a protective guard to sleep in for most of my adult life. And frankly, I should be wearing it all the time as I involuntarily grind my teeth a good 23 hours a day (the other hour I'm eating).

This constant grinding has basically worn away all my enamel and now I am left with super-super sensitive teeth. In the last three weeks I have had a very painful molar that no matter what I tried I couldn't make it feel better. Yesterday morning I couldn't take it anymore. I called the dentist at 10:30am and they asked me to come in a half hour later. Wow! Talk about customer service!

At the dentist they took an x-ray (good grief, I have got to be sterile from all the x-rays I've had) and then a whole bunch of other tests. Twice now they've believed that my tooth is fractured. And I specifically remember a time in the last couple of weeks where I had a very sharp pain while I was eating and turned to Dave and said, "I think I broke my tooth." But since I've never had a filling, the dentist said a fracture was unlikely. Instead she said that this tooth was one of the first to touch when I bite down and the nerve in my tooth was likely bruised from all the grinding. Ouch! So she took out her sander and ground my tooth down, just a little off the top, so it would be more even with the rest of my teeth when I bit down.

Yesterday it was quite painful for most of the day. Today it's grittier but certainly feeling better. Of course, my favorite part of all this was calling Dave and freaking him out when I said they were going to have to pull it. :)

Week In Review

I know you all probably don't care about my "Week in Reviews" but I'm really excited I've been keeping to a consistent running schedule and want to post about it. So without further ado...

Monday 3/12 - 5.25 miles treadmill run. I did 1.25 miles as a warm up and then did a crossfit workout with Dave of reps of 21-15-9 of handstand pushups, dips, and pushups. Then I hopped back on the treadmill and did another 4 miles.



Tuesday 3/13 - 4.25 mile neighborhood run with Dave. We then rode our bikes a whopping 1.16 miles to Meijer (grocery store) to pick up some dinner. Cost savings of riding our bikes instead of driving was 11 cents.

Wednesday 3/14 - Another crossfit workout, this time at the gym. The workout was supposed to be 1 mile run, 2000m row, 1 mile run. But I didn't want to run just two miles so I did 1 mile warmup, 1 mile run fast (7:57), 2000m row (9:36), 1 mile run fast (7:50), 1 mile easy, 0.29 mile cool down.

Thursday 3/15 - I had intended to do my long run today and wanted to do it on the treadmill, but I was struggling. I stopped every 3 miles to take a bathroom break. At my 6 mile stop I got a phone call that had some news I wasn't very happy about and made my stomach just drop. The workout ended there with 6.03 miles. I did my pushup set before the run maxing out at 246 pushups.

Friday 3/16 - 4.18 miles on the treadmill because I wanted to watch basketball.

Why do I want to do all these weird distances? Well, I wanted to be able to make the miles for the week an even number.

Saturday 3/17 - I had wanted to run with the group this morning, but after a late night (later than I had planned), I slept in and just ran a few miles on my own. I made up my route so I think I got in around 4 miles. I also rode my bike to Kroger (another local grocery store) to pick up some things for a total of 2.85 miles and a fuel savings of 53 cents.

Sunday 3/18 - Long run day - 12 miles. I didn't start this run until later in the afternoon and it was hot. Too hot for March; I certainly am not acclimated to this type of heat yet. And if I wasn't wearing a pink sports bra and red shorts, I probably would have run in just those. Dave accompanied me on the run by riding his bike and carrying my water and gels. About 6 miles into the run it started to sprinkle a little. And at 8 miles when Dave stopped at a food truck for a pita (yeah, he did) it was pouring. The rain only lasted a few minutes, though, and I finished up the run quickly. My first mile was 9:34 and my last mile was 8:03. I am loving running right now! Of course, not even an hour and a half after we returned home we were under a thunderstorm and tornado warning, lost power, and sat in the basement in the dark comforting our dog who is scared of storms. What an eventful day!

Totals:

Biking - 4.01 miles, savings 64 cents
Running - 40 miles!!! I haven't run this many miles since training for Nike.
Other - 0.50 hours
Pushups - 291

A New Way of Commuting

While I have not been on my bike since October and have zero plans to get back on it, does not necessarily mean I've ruled out biking all together...

All the riding I've done in the past several years has all been for training which means I haven't necessarily enjoyed the rides, or gotten to ride for leisure or transportation, or stopped and taken pictures of cool things I've seen on my bike. No, biking was work. But as the training went on I didn't find that I necessarily hated biking, I hated bike training.

Fast forwarder to this past September and I got a job that is only a few miles from home. A location that I biked by countless times during my ironman training. When I was hired I inquired about being a bike commuter and our company totally supports it (yet we don't have any bike racks). We have a gym onsite so shower facilities are available. The problem for me was, because we don't have bike racks (the people here just leave their bikes tucked into nooks in the buildings) and my only bike was my fancy triathlon bike, I didn't feel comfortable leaving my bike laying around. I had an old bike in the basement that would work well for commuting except all the components are rusted out and it needs new, basically, everything. With all the money I would put into it, it would be better to buy a new bike.

So on Sunday I made my way to Roll, my favorite local bike shop, to search for a new ride. I had a list of requirements:

1. Will be commuting between 16-20 miles a day.
2. Want a road-type bike but do not feel comfortable in drop handlebars nor do I like the geometry of a road bike.
3. Want to be able to carry things or attach a cart to it.
4. Needs to be comfortable and dependable.

Chris, my favorite bike person salesperson in the whole world, knew exactly what I was looking for and came out with this....Giant's City Escape. It was perfect - road-ish bike but able to handle rough terrain, sat upright, no drop handlebars, came with a rack and elastics, fenders, and it even had a bell. And before I knew it, it was mine.



There's a few more things I have to work out before I can actually commute to work but I am so excited to be able to be a bike commuter. I am sooooo excited that I've already created my spreadsheet to see how much money I'm saving by replacing my car with my bike on trips.

Would you ever bike commute or do you bike commute? What's your limit in terms of gas prices before you'll make a change to the way you commute? Does your city have public transit options? My new bike needs a name. Any suggestions?

Week In Review

Wow! I jumped on the running bandwagon hard this week and I can't believe I wasn't thrown off. Halfway through the week I was worried I'd be doing some huge running numbers, but soreness, tiredness, and photo boothing slowed down those numbers. That's a good thing, though, as my body is not ready for high mileage yet and I don't want to get injured for a silly run streak.

Monday - 5 miles on treadmill. Middle three miles tempo at sub-8:30s.

Tuesday - 4.25 mile neighborhood run.

Wednesday - Today I was planning on doing my long run as I wouldn't have time for it over the weekend, but it was super-windy and I was pretty sore and only got in 8 miles. But still, it was at an 8:40 average. I also did my week 5 push up test today and maxed out at 60.

Thursday - 3 miles on the treadmill as 1.5 miles before weight lifting and 1.5 miles after weight lifting. Weight lifting (cross fit) was 18 miles AMRAP (which I learned means "as many reps as possible" of 15 box jumps (we did tuck jumps), 9 toes to bar, and 12 push presses (I did 55 pounds). We forgot to count, but I think we did 5 sets of those. Yeesh!

Friday - 3 mile easy treadmill run

Saturday - 4.25 mile neighborhood run.

Sunday - 3 easy miles with Dave in the 'hood. Also, week 6 day 1 of push up challenge which came in a whopping 220 push ups. I'm hurting.

Totals:

Running - 30.5 miles
Other - 0.25 hours
Pushups - 280

New Racing Shoes

A few years ago, Coach told me I should be wearing racing flats when I ran. What?! There's no way I'm fast enough for that. But sure enough I bought a pair, did a few practice runs in them, and wore them for both Boston 2009 and the Nike Women's Marathon 2009. Although they didn't have a lot of support in them, I absolutely loved how light they made my legs feel during a race - light and fast!



Then once I made Team Trakkers (now Team Rev3), I was so excited to get sponsored by Saucony. Saucony is, in my opinion, the best running shoe manufacturer out there. I FLOVE their shoes! My training shoes has been and still is the Saucony Omni. I also selected a new racing shoes, the Saucony Fastwitch.



During the time I was sponsored by Saucony (Hi Saucony, I love you!!!) my teammates were raving about the Kinvaras. But most of them were wearing them as training shoes, and I'm sorry, I'm not going to be part of the minimalist movement. However, these shoes have continued to be on my radar. Both my Brooks racing flats and the Saucony Fastwitches were a little too racing flat for me. I think they were meant to be more for 5Ks and 10Ks than half and full marathons. A few weeks ago I was at DSW and slipped my foot into a men's pair of Sauncony Kinvaras (they didn't have women's) and fell in love. This shoe had to be my next racing shoe. It was perfect for the longer distances. So I started to save my money and had talked to my local running store about them.

This morning I got my daily email from Road Runner Sports (I love you too!!!) and they were having a big sale on discontinued shoes. Not only that, but I am a VIP member, of course, which got me an additional 10% off and rushed delivery. These puppies will be on my porch this week. And I only paid $80 for them!!!



I had wanted the pink ones, but they didn't have them in my size. But these have green on them and allows me to continue with the Green Dragon theme.

What do you think? Do you wear different racing and training shoes? Have you worn the Kinvara?

Virtual Running

I have "met" a lot of good people through blogging. Some I've met in real life. Meet Jeff.



I met Jeff through our blogs and then met him in real life while on vacation in California. Since that initial meeting way back in like 2005 we have met up again in Boston 2006 and again in California in 2010 where we ran about 16 miles together. Jeff and I became fast real friends. He texts me when I'm having a bad day and I text him to let him know he's an awesome dad. Jeff is the big brother I've always wanted. I just wish he lived closer.

Jeff and I have taken on the March Run Streak together. Every day after our runs we Tweet the other one about our run. It's great to have accountability and a partner in crime. When I get that tweet, it puts a smile on my face.

Do you want to participate in our virtual run streak? Of course you do! Just make sure to hashtag your tweets #MarchRunStreak and then I'd love it if you let me know, @meredithjgordon. Come join our virtual running fun!

Week In Review

March has come and the page has turned. I got back at it HARD this week. This week was awesome. I ran more than any week (maybe) in February. I even started lifting weights. This spring is going to be awesome.

Run - 22 miles
Other (yoga and weight lifting) - 2.75 hours
Pushups - 555

February Totals

The original plan was to run everyday in February. Unfortunately that did not happen as I caught a horrible stomach bug at a week or so ago. Despite not being able to run all 29 days, I did run 21 days. I took several days off for being sick, took Monday off to recover from my race, and took yesterday off to prepare to try the run streak again in March. Here's what February looked like:

Swim - 0 meters. This is unfortunate because I did have it on my list of goals to get back in the pool.

Bike - 0 miles. Right, like you thought I was getting back on my bike.

Run - 72.33 miles. I would have thought this would have been a lot higher considering I was trying to run every day. But I wouldn't have imagined an injury and then getting sick.

Other - 4.25 hours. This was yoga and strength training.

Pushups - 1250. The pushup challenge continues. {Supposedly} one more week to go until I test!!

And yes, I did mention I'm going to try the running challenge again in March. Hopefully it will go better and will include more miles than February. And I've decided to incorporate it with a little bit of a virtual challenge. Details to come soon....

I'm Mer and He's Dave and We're Here To...

...Pump {clap} You Up!

Last year before ironman training really took hold, Coach had me doing a lot of strength training. I would usually attend an aerobic weight class and then do another day during the week using the TRX. By the time I reached my half IM in June my body was looking cut.



Right after that race started full-on ironman training and all the strength training fell to the side and eventually became non-existent. Well now, we want to be cut. I'm hoping to look a little bit like this....

Hi Michelle!

And Dave, well, I'd like him to look a little bit like this...



We decided to add some weight training to our routines. And not just any weight training....Cross Fit. Now, we're not joining a Cross Fit gym. And we're not trying to qualify for the Cross Fit Games. So, we're taking the workouts off the Cross Fit website and doing them to the best of our abilities. We're not doing anything for time. We're not, necessarily, trying to max out our weight. We're having to modify things based on equipment and skill levels we have available.

We started on Monday. The workout of the day was 3 X 300m row, 20 lb ball wall throws, 10 pull ups. Our gym has rowing machines, so we were able to program them for 300m and have it count down for us. This was probably the easiest part of the entire workout. Since I don't think Lifetime would appreciate us throwing their medicine balls against the wall and letting them fall to the floor, we modified the wall throws so they were basically hip-thrust shoulder presses. The first two sets I used 10 pound dumbbells and the last set I used 12 pounds. What a difference those four pounds made! Finally was the pull ups. Ugh! Neither of us can do a pull up. Not even close. So, we used the pull up machine that allows assistance. I did my first set using 40 lbs of help, the second set I did 5 reps with 40 pounds and 5 reps with 50 pounds, and the last set was with the aid of 50 pounds.

Today's workout is going to be hilarious. Today's workout involves handstand pushups. Dave says to me last night, "I can't even get up to a handstand!" He's going to modify them off the ball. I fortunately/unfortunately can do a handstand. There are also toes-to-bar, which is the same thing as I have in my 12 for 2012 goals: hanging V-ups. We will probably be modifying them since neither of us are even close to being able to touch our toes while hanging from the bar. We are supposed to do 75 push presses at 75 pounds. Um, we have a 35 pound bar, so we'll go with that. And finally 150 double-unders, otherwise known as jump roping. I'll be buying us some jump ropes after work.

Last Chance Half Marathon 2012

For like the gazillionth year in a row, I decided to run in circles at the Last Chance race. Dave and I had initially decided to do the marathon relay, but since we've both been really sick and Dave has recovered a little slower from the stomach bug than me, I decided to do the half marathon instead. I signed up on Friday. Way to wait until the last minute!

The weather patterns in Columbus for this winter have been warm during the week and cold on the weekend. And keeping with that tradition, it was about 20 degrees at the start of this race. Don't I look like I'm cold?

I'm the little one in the blue-ish jacket looking REALLY cold.

A friend said something on Facebook regarding the format of this race and not needing to wear a fancy watch to be able to track your pace. She's right. But here's a little nugget of information to know about me and my running....I don't wear a Garmin in a running race. Nope. Just a regular watch. Why? I think I would run SLOWER if I wore it because I would always come back to a pace where I SHOULD be and not what I'm actually capable of.

So where am I going with this?

The race starts 0.1 or 0.2 (depending on what race distance you're doing) before the start/finish line of the one mile loop. I started my watch with the gun but forgot to hit the split when I came through the line. I hit the first 1.1 miles in about 9:00. Woah! That was a lot faster than I've been starting my recent races. I knew I needed to slow down. And if I had been wearing a Garmin I totally would, but instead I started turning miles of 8:11, 8:10, 8:08s. Things were going okay.



Since I have only been running 3-4 miles at a time, when I got around to 4 miles in this race I started to doubt my abilities to run a half marathon and especially to run a half marathon at the pace I was doing. But because this course is so well designed for my psyche, I just had to talk myself into one mile and then another mile. Around mile 5 I got hot and took off my jacket. That helped me refocus my head.



By the time I got to mile 9 I was starting to feel my lack of endurance. My legs were heavy. Not only that, but my stomach was also starting to bother me. The pace started to slow - 8:20, 8:28, 8:38. Once I reached mile 11 my stomach was a mess and I needed a bathroom pronto. I wasn't sure I could make it two more miles and not crap myself (yeah I said it), but I was having such a good race that I didn't want to stop either. I kid you not, mile 12 I ran clinching my butt cheeks. Come on Mer! One more mile. As I came through mile 12 I yelled at Dave, "go get my backpack". It was gonna be a close one. That last mile I just got through. I ran through the finish line, grabbed that medal, smiled for the camera and hit that bathroom. Thank goodness, everything turned out all right. My dignity and running clothes lived to see another day. ;)



My final time was 1:48:48. Much better than Houston but still far off where I was and where I want to be. In mile 12 I got passed by some women who were finishing the race - women I used to beat - women who drive me batty. Looking at the results, another girl I used to be in contention with walloped me good - 1:34. Watch out ladies, this race and this month of running have got me hungry. I'm already eyeing my next race...

Week In Review

After the terrible, terrible stomach bug last weekend, it took me several days to feel like myself again. And therefore, I didn't run until Saturday. All month my achilles was hurting me and I would have thought a week off would have done it a lot of good, but no. One short run on Saturday and it was hurting again. Regardless, I raced a half marathon on Sunday - race report to come tomorrow.

Thursday - So, it's taken me three weeks to get through one week on this silly 100 push-up challenge. Week 4 was HARD! I repeated it and then still needed to do a push-up test to see where I would start for week 5. Today I did the test and maxed out at 55 push-ups at once. Technically there are two more weeks to go in the challenge before the actual 100 push-up test.

Saturday - Easy 3 miles on treadmill. Just making sure those legs still work.

Sunday - Half marathon - 1:48:48. Happy stuff! Race report coming soon.

I'm thinking of trying the run streak again in March. We'll see...

Going Around in Circles

My favorite race of the year is this weekend and I'm still debating if I'm going to run it. How can a race in February in lovely, wintry Central Ohio be my most favorite race? The race, "Last Chance for Boston", was started as a way to - well let's face it, deperately - find a way to get into Boston. The race was initially held the day before the Boston registration cut off. The course is unique and designed to easily qualify you to Boston. And if you qualified you would fill out your registration on the spot and the race director would hand deliver it to the post office for you. Well, as Boston has become bigger and bigger this race, obviously, doesn't have the same meaning but still keeps the name and is still a crazy unique and fast race.

So what makes this race unique? It's a one mile loop.

Yep, it's a one mile loop that is severally flat and pretty boring as it's around a parking lot. But it's insanely fast, the water stops are always in the same place and your cheering section, if they're willing to brave the cold, are available every mile. And because it's one loop there are a variety of races available: 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon, and relays. I have done the 5K, 10K, half marathon and a marathon relay of this race.

This race suits me perfectly. I'm not one of those people who needs scenery in a race. Honestly even if it's there I don't see it. Mentally I know how to break a race down into separate sections, but still the full distance of it is still daunting. But having a race that is physically broken down into smaller sections helps me mentally. I like knowing exactly where my water stops are going to be. I don't know, there's just something about this race. I love it!

My former teammate Kacie is taking on a double ironman this weekend. Oh my stars! OH MY STARS!!! While I have no desire to do a double ironman, I do have a desire to finish the damn ironman. And the format of her race is exactly how I'd like to do an ironman. I wish there were ironmans out there like this (and if there are, please, please, please let me know about them). Here's what she's going to be doing: 4.8 mile swim in a 50m pool, 224 miles of biking (my lady bits hurt just thinking about this) on a 6.8 mile loop, and 52.4 miles of running on a 1.7 mile loop. I have to say I'm intrigued by the format. It's right up my alley. Good luck Kacie! I can't wait to track you this weekend.

What type of race suits you best? Would running around in loops drive you insane?

All Good Things Must Come To An End...

...and so did the "Run Streak."

Sunday was supposed to be my long run day. I was planning on 12-16 miles. But Sunday I woke up and my stomach felt very crampy. I'm not talking about PMS cramps either. More like severe gas pains all over my stomach from my chest bone to my pelvis. Dave and I had some breakfast and I crawled back into bed.

I woke up a few hours later and didn't feel any better and minutes later I was in the bathroom losing my breakfast. And unfortunately, it didn't end for hours. Finally I couldn't take anymore and Dave took me down to the Urgent Care (thank goodness there's one in our neighborhood). They gave me a shot of anti-nausea medicine and gave me a prescription. I went home and went to bed (for literally the next 24 hours), while Dave went to the pharmacy and grocery to get me some things. Unfortunately for him, he got sick during this time too. Poor us! All throughout Sunday and Monday we just laid around in our pajamas trying to just function. Monday night we finally got some food in us although personally, I didn't feel much better.

It's now Tuesday. Dave went back to work today and I'm working from home. I haven't run since Saturday and I don't think today will be the day I return. It's too bad. I really enjoyed the Run Streak.

Thursday Thoughts

I tweeted the other day (follow me @meredithjgordon) that besides my shoes, the piece of running equipment I use most often is my reflective vest. Seriously, I probably use it 3-4 times per week. It was probably the best $20 I've spent on running equipment. (You can read about the best money I ever spent on triathlon here.)

So this begs the question, what's the item you use the most, love the most, best money you've spent on running or triathlon equipment? Leave me a message!

Week In Review

The February Run Streak challenge is not exactly shaping up to be what I thought it would. Secretly, I was hoping to build my miles and perhaps use them to rock a half marathon or even manage a full marathon in the spring. What I didn't think would happen is that I would have a niggling injury and that I would be fighting one of the worst colds I've had in years. Nevertheless, I found a way to continue to do at least one freakin' mile each day as needed.

Monday - I mentioned this in an earlier post, I was HURTING after my long run last weekend. So I BARELY managed to get in one mile today. It was more of a run/walk, but regardless, I got it done.

Tuesday - By Tuesday, though, my achilles was feeling much better so I did a quick little 2.29 mile run followed by 1 hour of yoga at the gym.

Wednesday - Today I was smart and instead of dreading all the pushups I needed to be doing, I did them as soon as I got home from work, before I headed out on my run. Week 4/day 3 (I know I'm all over the place) = 160 pushups. When Dave and I got home from work, we headed out for a 5 mile run that turned into a tempo run. I don't know what pace we were running as neither of us were wearing a watch, but we were moving quick enough that neither of us was talking.

After the run on Wednesday, however, I started to feel a little tingle in my throat...

Thursday - Sure enough, I had caught a cold. I had only intended on doing about one or two miles, but I stayed on the treadmill for 3 miles until Dave got done with his workout.

Friday - Despite the head cold, I had a fantastic two mile run in the neighborhood, flying through my miles - 8:57, 8:13. I think running every day is starting to put a little pep in my step again. After struggling through week 4 of the pushup challenge, I decided to start week 4 over. Week 4/day 1 = 120 pushups.

Friday night, however, I started feeling really bad. The cold turned into a bad, bad sinus infection.

Saturday - I managed one freakin' mile on the treadmill. Is this worth it?

Sunday - I was supposed to run the Columbus Winter Run 15 Miler today, a race I had already signed up for and paid for. I was so sick, however, I didn't even get out of my pajamas all day. I did do one stupid mile on the treadmill to keep this run streak alive. I was not happy, however, that I didn't get to race.

Weekly Totals:
Run - 15.29 miles (that's not very many considering I ran 7 days)
Other - 1 hour yoga
Pushups - 280

Why Pretend?

I accidentally stumbled upon the XTerra triathlon this weekend on TV. I found it fascinating and interesting and a tiny bit inspiring. But you know what else I discovered? I have absolutely no interest in doing triathlon again (at least in the near future).

For years I have been trying to do triathlon with the thought that I would be decent at it since I don't suck at running. Unfortunately it hasn't really worked out that way, although that's kind of a ridiculous excuse as I know I've placed in my age group several times and have even won a race. But despite all that, I don't really like triathlon. I keep trying, hoping I will like it, and I just don't.

I'm reading a book right now called "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. The book follows a woman's year long journey month-by-month on exploring happiness. In May she remarked that she wanted to go off the path and explore "unexpected thoughts, unfamiliar scenes, new people, and unconventional juxtaposition" which may be sources of happiness. What she found, however, is that she didn't like trying to make herself like things. She wanted to spend more time with the things she already liked.

Point taken.

I haven't gotten on my bike since October. Heck it is hanging up with the race wheels still on. And my new swimsuits I bought in October still have the tags on them. Although I do love to swim, I have absolutely no desire to dip my toes in the pool any time soon.

I have run every day now for 8 days and I've got to say, I've been loving it. I would say I'm getting a "little pinch of fire" back. I am a runner. I am a good runner. And someday I'm gonna be fast again. I can't wait!