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| Yes, I know, I owe everyone an update on the Chicago Marathon - and that is coming post haste - but I could not let this momentous occasion pass without bringing it to everyone's attention! I GOT MY FIRST MEAN COMMENT! Not horribly mean, not vicious, but ... mean: "Hey ummmm, not to be indelicate here, but...you are an attorney? Isn't that eight years of school? Your blog reads like a teenage myspace page. LOL. I have visions of you blowing bubble gum and playing with your hair. LOL. I REALLY do not mean to sound insulting, please don't get me wrong. I just thought attorneys had important work to do. You know, sixteen hour days, briefcases, powersuits, ambition, etc etc. I can't imagine any of those lawyers from 'Law and Order' would have time to maintain a blog. I know it's TV and all. Still, I had this sense that lawyers were higher than 'common' folk. LOL." First of all, this person is obviously not familiar with my blog (yes, I use the term "blog" loosely, LOL) because she says: I have visions of you blowing bubble gum... Ummm, hello? I am addicted to bubble gum. Hardly a day goes by that I DON'T chew bubble gum. So you must be, like, psychic. Ohmigod. (By the way, is this language myspace-ish enough?) Yes, I am an attorney, and no that is not eight years of school; law school is only three years (although in my case, I did a joint JD/MBA program, so I did complete four years of graduate school after college, which does equal "eight years of school," although I don't think you can just limit the definition of "school" to college and graduate school, so let's throw elementary and high school in there, as well, so that would be a total of TWENTY YEARS OF SCHOOL). That's a lotta student loans, my friend. And in response to this: I just thought attorneys had important work to do. You know, sixteen hour days, briefcases, powersuits, ambition, etc etc. I can't imagine any of those lawyers from 'Law and Order' would have time to maintain a blog. I know it's TV and all. Still, I had this sense that lawyers were higher than 'common' folk. LOL. Let me just say this: I blog for the little people. ROFL!! Oh, I almost forgot this: Your blog reads like a teenage myspace page. So, I'm hip? At my age, this is a compliment! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alright, enough fun and games ... the marathon. Well, it was "ok". I know, I know, it was Chicago, and yes, there were lots of runners and lots of spectators and it was a big event. The race certainly delivered on its promises - but the outcome wasn't what I'd totally hoped for. I finished in 4:52:31. I expected to finish somewhere around 4:45. I would have loved to have finished in 4:30 or under (my A/dream goal). I guess it's frustrating because my 5K PR is 24:41 and I ran a recent 5K in 24:57. I've run 4 half marathons, with the fastest being 1:59:49 and the slowest being 2:08:xx - so I *know* I am capable of running a full marathon in 4:30. But I was soooooooo conservative, which actually was fine, because I was feeling good and did start to pick up the pace, but right as I did, I got this horrible foot pain/burning (which I have later determined to be something called "metatarsalgia"), which meant that not only could I not speed up, but I had to slow down somewhat. Anyway, here's the post I made on dailymile.com: My time was slower than I would have liked, but between a port-a-potty stop that lasted 5 minutes because of the line (I will *never* do that again), and a burning foot starting at Mile 23/24, I ended up slower than I would have liked. I did run the race well in terms of my pacing (I had a slight negative split) and my race strategy . The only problem was that, I was feeling good around Mile 21 and had anticipated slowly and steadily picking up the pace, but around Mile 23 the bottom of my left foot started burning like it was on fire. I don't ever get blisters (and, in fact, this turned out not to be an actual blister, but it felt like a huge blister) ... so I found myself slowing down. My splits: 10:06
10:06
12:37 (this was like, WTF? I don't know what happened)
10:19
10:30
10:36
10:38
10:22
10:40
15:20 (port-a-potty)
10:52
10:31
10:49
9:59
10:42
10:43
10:39
10:37
11:19
10:14
10:40
10:36
11:27
10:48
11:46
10:51
That only goes up to Mile 26. My Garmin says I ran 26.77 miles, and that's b/c of the slight detour to the port-a-potties. All in all, not the worst not the best. I am planning to run a half marathon in December and hope I can get my running revenge on that course and hopefully break my PR of 1:59:49. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` I am gearing up for White Rock, trying to incorporate some speedwork into my training, and hopefully I can beat my current PR for the half! | | |
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I know I have been completely M.I.A. for ... 5 months now? That is crazy! Essentially, I have not blogged during any of my training for the Chicago Marathon. Which, by the way is in FIVE DAYS ... My excuses are nothing unusual or even interesting: working, life, Facebooking, etc., etc.. The crazy thing is that when I go to other bloggers' sites and see that they have not updated, I get so mad and indignant. LOL. Well, let's see - a recap since May/June? Went to my 20 year college reunion in May, which was just o.k. We made it to the Friday night event, which was fun, and it was nice seeing people. The Saturday event was a bust, however, and the Alumni Association actually ended up refunding people's money. All in all, it was fun, but I won't be attending another one. I started marathon training in June. Let me say, there has not been a single easy thing about this training cycle. First of all, it was BLAZING HOT for all of June, July and August. And after struggling so much on so many runs, I was finally able (with the help of dailymile.com) to see that, while I had run @ 104 miles in April (training for and completing Ragnar L.A.), I only ran a total of 56 miles in May. So, while I'd envisioned starting training with a decent base, I was basically starting from scratch. And it was painful. In September, it finally started to cool off and the runs got a bit easier, but let me just say, taper madness or no taper madness, I feel VERY slow and sluggish going into this marathon. I've done two 20 mile runs. The first one was pretty darn good, and were it not for that run, I'd probably be literally shaking in my boots right now. I was able to finish that in 2:59, for a 10:00 minute/mile. Best part is that I totally negative split the run, with the last few miles in the 9s. The 2nd 20 miler was a lot slower, 3:21, and the last mile was a walk/run/death march, I started later, probably ran just a tad too fast during the first half, and was therefore dying after about Mile 16/17, and ended up walking part of Mile 19 and Mile 20. I know I was very dehydrated b/c although I drank a ton of water on the course and gulped water afterwards, I didn't pee for hours after the run. YIKES! The other problem I had during my 2nd 20 miler was that I've been having a sore right achilles, and it sort of popped around Mile 9. It didn't cause any great pain, but it definitely freaked me out. I haven't missed any runs since then, and I think I've been able to kind of figure the achilles out somewhat. The key is that it's sore for the first 1/2 mile and then it tends to warm up progressively, and the pain is mostly gone by about Mile 4. I just pray that I don't have any achilles/calf issues during the race! I have been pretty good about recovery, taking ice baths after both of my 20 milers and icing my achilles (like right now). On the plus side, out of all the runs in this cycle, I have only missed a few, in Week 7, because I was sick - and I never missed a long run. But on the other hand, I've done very little formal speed work - especially after my achilles started giving me trouble (in fact, I think the problem started after I did 5 800s); the most I can say is that some of my shorter runs were done at a "tempo" pace. Anyway, I'm just glad that my goal is just to finish. Well, actually my goal is to finish and to NOT be doing a death march of any sort, whatsoever. I would love to feel like I did for my 1st half-marathon (where I finshed the last mile in 8:16 - talk about still having gas in the tank!). I know that a key part of that will be to run very conservatively, so that's my plan. I'M SO NERVOUS!!! Anyway, I completely deviated from my 5 month recap. In July, we went to Arizona. This was one of the most lackluster vacations I've been on, and I ended up getting sick afterwards. We went with the kids and some of our good friends, and their kids, which was fine, but out hotel did *nothing* for me (the Fairmont Princess). Also, it was HOT AS ALL GET-OUT. I mean, like 118 degrees! We did go to the Grand Canyon. Even that was kinda like,  We finally finished our pool and outdoor kitchen in late July and we hosted a couple parties in August. I threw a casual surprise birthday party for my husband in September. Other than that, it's been business as usual (which is a blessing). The kids are in school and are doing great. S is doing cheerleading this year. I am going to Vegas to meet my best friend from high school for the weekend, the weekend after the marathon, and I cannot wait for that! Well, I will be sure to update after the race this Sunday! Say a prayer for me, you guys! Thanks for reading! | | |
| It's been awhile since I tagged myself for a meme! Yes, I said, "tagged myself" since I don't think anyone has even tagged me since I've been ... ahem ... blogging. LOL. Here goes ... 8 things to which I am looking forward 1. My 20 year college reunion - in 2 weeks! 2. Seeing my mom (and my other family members) at my brother's wedding in September. 3. (Hopefully) going to Martha's Vineyard with the kids and another family this summer. 4. Bringing in my first economic development deal (work). 5. Getting this current rheumatoid arthritis flare under control. 6. Starting marathon training (June - yikes!). 7. Getting my house decorated the way I really want it done. 8. Progressing with respect to my swimming!  8 things I did yesterday 1. Ran 10 miles in 1:39:01. 2. Spent 5 hours shopping with my mom and my kids (bought 2 pair of shoes and some workout stuff). 3. Made my kids' lunch. 4. Watched "Trouble the Water" with my mom (2nd time for me) - EXCELLENT FILM!!!!! 5. Ate a salted pretzel. 6. Jammed out to some gospel music. 7. Traded text messages with one of my good friends. 8. Kissed my babies, my husband and my mom. 8 things I'd like to do 1. Go back to Jamaica. STAT! 2. Experience a great 1st marathon. 3. Get my race paces somewhere in the 8's for distances above a 5K 4. Maintain and continue to grow my hair - which is currently healthy, long and beautiful! Thanks Biotin! 5. Keep my job (unless I land a dream job). 6. Get our refinancing taken care of. 7. Break the sugar habit (again). 8. Eat healthier (I'm getting better at this, but still have a ways to go). 8 shows I watch 1. Intervention 2. The Real Housewives of [all cities, so far] 3. Jon & Kate + 8 (can you believe all the gossip and drama recently? Yikes!) 4. Real World Challenge - The Gauntlet 5. America's Next Top Model 6. Deadliest Catch 7. She's Got the Look 8. I'll dedicate this to some of my old favorites: Blowout, Workout, Family Plots, The Surreal Life, Strange Love, Being Bobby Brown (this was jaw-droppingly fascinating to me, LOL), The Jury Room, I Survived, almost anything on the Discovery Health Channel ... | | |
| I love a good challenge. Not necessarily a tough challenge, but some sort of goal hanging out there in the future to keep me motivated and on track. Following training programs and training for races is a perfect example of having a good challenge to keep me motivated. Additionally, I will informally name a particular time period, "Cross-train month" or "Eat Clean week" or "Don't Spend Any Money Month." I've actually designated May as the Last Chance to Party Month bceause I start marathon training in June, and I've said that from June to October, I'm going to try to be all about health, fitness and training. We'll see.  At work, I'm pursuing a particular speciality within my practice area. Before I really defined my goals, it was hard to take any steps at all, but once I defined my goals and outlined some objectives, I got really excited to have a structure and framework to work within. In blogland, many bloggers create different challenges, and I love reading about them, even if I don't participate. Well, this time I am participating, in one of my new-favorite bloggers' challenges. Bobbi, of NHerShoes, created a Simple Life Challenge, and I'm going to particpate. In this challenge, you get points for making homeade meals, commuting to work in a "green" way (carpooling, running, biking, walking, etc.), and for any other frugal/simple/green things that you do. Now let's be honest - I'm *not* going to win, for a couple reasons. First of all, today is the first day of the challenge and I had to buy my breakfast and will have to buy lunch, since I was traveling for work until this morning. Also, since I live 26 miles from where I work, and I'm in "sunny" Texas, there is no way that I'll ever be green in the way I get to work. AND, I'm going to be traveling again during the last weekend in May, so I know I will be eating out then. BUT, I should be able to make all of my meals on the other days, and there are plenty of other simple/green/frugal things I can do to accumulate points. I'm excited!! I'll try to make sure to come back and update you guys on everything I did.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oh, and Ragnar L.A. was *great*. We just really had a great time. Oh, and my running? I was so pleased! I averaged about 9:00 min/mile for all 19 miles! I felt really good out there, even with my last hilly run. My knees and ankles were pretty sore afterwards, so I just completely rested and did not run, from Saturday until the following Wednesday. Wednesday night I just ran 3 miles when I arrived at my hotel and I felt pretty good (tried out my new shoes). Will probably run again Sunday, then starting next week, I'll be shooting for 25 miles/week plus Jillian Michaels, all the way until June 1, when I start MARATHON TRAINING. I am so excited/nervous/scared/terrified/happy to start marathon training. A full marathon? WOW!! | | |
| ... so you know that I don't have time to actually write a true update.  In times like these, random posts are the only way to go! Heeeere goes: * My life is crazy right now. It feels like that horrible airline flight when, after, an initial shock caused by turbulence, I looked over at the woman next to me and assured her, "It's ok," when, in fact, I was scared out of my mind and, moments later, would be calling on Jesus OUT LOUD while staring wildly out of the window as the plane thrashed about. I've been assuring various friends and relatives that they shouldn't panic about the recession, to keep things in perspective, blah, blah, blah, when in reality, I'm like this: . * Susan Boyle? Is that her name? I think I just caught the video after too much hype because I didn't shed a tear. Normally that kind of thing would really move me, but it seemed rigged to me. I mean, people assumed she couldn't sing because she was unattractive? Weird! I actually thought her voice matched her persona very well. *shrugs* * Leaving for L.A. in a few days to run the Los Angeles Ragnar Relay. So, I'm doing a total of 19+ miles. GULP. Originally, and until a few days ago, it was only 15+. My last run is 9.5 miles, with the first 4.5 being uphill. Actually, let's see, here it is: 
Is that not CRAZY? And that will be my 3rd run of the 'day'. Whatever, I'm just going to take it veeeery slowly. Right about now, I'm really not feeling in the mood to do the race, or be around my awesome MILF teammates. I hope I can get a major attitude adjustment between now and Thursday. * Been dealing with some health issues. Did I ever write about how I was absolutely, 100% certain I had ovarian cancer? *sigh* Well, I was, but have now had 2 ultrasounds which pretty much prove that I don't have ovarian cancer. So, that meant that my unexplained G.I. issues needed to be addressed on their own. In trying to figure out what might be wrong, I decided to eat clean to see if that helped. I did that for almost 3 weeks, but still had issues. So ... I will be having a colonoscopy soon. Uugh. Crazy thing is that ever since I had the appointment with the G.I. doc (who thought, based on my description of my issues, I might have IBS or Celiac), I have had no G.I. issues, so who knows. *BIG SIGH* * Xanga advertised that they have a new feature that allows you to publish your updates to Facebook. HAH! Are you kidding? That would be the worst thing in the world - like if I mistakenly checked the box?! ROFL! I would die! I don't want anyone I know in real life (unless I originally met you through the Internet) to know that I have a blog, and I damned sure don't want anyone I know to actually read this thing. (Now is where I picture a handful of people I know in real life laughing out loud saying, "If she only knew!") * My rheumatoid arthritis is very active in the mornings in my elbows and hands. I truly believe that running keeps it at bay from the rest of my body. * I really need to pray about my career. * I took an adult fear-of-water swim class about a month ago, and it was GREAT!! I really need to sign up for the 2nd session, because my current fear is that I will lose all of the "skills" I acquired if I don't keep it going. * The guys on Making the Band are the biggest bunch of crybabies (umm, that's putting it nicely) I have ever seen. Gheesh! I'm wondering if it's even real just because there is So.Much.Drama and gnashing of teeth! * I had one of the best massages, ever, a few weeks ago. Has me obsessed with going back for more. And yes, it was a professional massage - get your minds out of the gutter!  * Running has been going fairly well. In this post-Mardi Gras half, pre-Chicago marathon training period, I've basically been doing my own thing, and shooting for 30 miles per week, a goal which I have only achieved once. I think I've been averaging maybe 25-26 miles per week ... which is good enough, I guess, for starting 16 (or 18?) weeks of marathon training. I have *not* however, had the energy to incorporate any cross-training (e.g., Jillian Michaels) into my regimen. Hopefully once marathon training starts I'll be more disciplined all the way around and can fit it in. Thats's all for now! | | |
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