The Anti-Running Runner

I have a brief update about the goals I outlined a few posts ago. Today was the fourth day I ran this week. I ran no more than three miles each time, except for one five miler, but I'm still pretty tired today. I took Lance around the park this morning, and he could have gone farther, but I was happy to maintain my goal without worrying about too much distance right now. The Claw Run is 10 miles, so I'll be increasing the mileage this next week. Running stairs more is also a good way to train for the adventure run because there are several inclines at the race. I'm glad I could do it (run at least three times this week) and now I'm going to do my push-ups and sit-ups and some weights. Then to the store for food because that meal planning I need to do hasn't been coming along as well.

Team Hea and Bria cannot be stopped! We had such fun doing the 5K together last Friday evening. We did a decent time of 27:20 or something close to that. No chips but a close estimate. It's a very good time for me. The Honda Grand Prix track is put up throughout the streets of downtown St Pete. We run where the cars race. It's a neat and different experience. This year was thankfully cooler and less humid than last year. Still sweaty, we went to dinner afterward at a St Pete staple, Harvey's. A friend we saw at the race joined us, hubby stopped bathroom rebuild project to come, and a friend from Orlando was on her way to stay with us for the weekend, so she also came. I ate way too many onion rings, but they were oh-so-good. What is it about greasy food after a race? I tried their chicken walnut salad on a croissant, as did the other girls, and that was delicious. We almost did Yogurtology (LOVE that place), but it was so late we all decided to head home. No races ag...

I got a new running skirt for $10 at the Gasparilla Expo. I love getting running stuff at expos because they usually mark down their products. Sometimes way down. Lance and I ran today and I wore the skirt for the first time. I really like it. I can't even say why, except that it was fun to feel feminine while running. I love that picture of the beautiful and sleek runner with a great stride that says: "This is how I feel when I run." Then at the bottom there is a little girl veering rather than running and her face is skewed: "This is how I actually look." I know that is so true because out of hundreds of photos from the photographers who come to races, I think I've only looked good in about two of them. I guess it doesn't hurt to try to boost the feeling when there's nothing I can do about how I actually look while running. It even has a key pocket! I have good intentions for my running, but I don't always follow through. I want to mak...

I had such a pleasant and enjoyable 5K Sunday morning with the Race for the Greys. The only downside was losing that hour of sleep. And, sadly, I didn't bring Lance but ended up wishing I had. Because hubby couldn't come, I wasn't very comfortable running Lance in a race with other dogs. He's never done that before, but I realize now that it would have been fine. Seminole Lake Park is beautiful, and I hope to bring Lance to run the trails another time. It was a casual and friendly atmosphere. The race began with a volunteer shouting, "Ready, set, go!" after explaining the course. "Follow the yellow ribbons" was pretty much all I heard. The trails in the park did a lot of winding, which I enjoy in a race. I actually passed about five people, which is not the norm for me. I'm usually the one getting passed! I started out slow to see how I would feel, probably an 11-minute mile average to start, and eventually I must have increased to something b...

This book makes me appreciate that I can run. And that I can race. I started running in college, and it's a very uncompetitive, casual sport for me. I'm not fast, and I don't try to be. When I race, I simply want to finish. Maybe PR if I can. This book makes me want to run more than I do, and makes me want to set goals that I never set for myself before. Much in this book made my jaw drop. I enjoy my restful and lazy days, but reading about the life of Kathrine Switzer makes me think I'm enjoying far too many of those days. Her push for the inclusion of the women's marathon in the Olympics started with the simple notion in college that she wanted to run the Boston Marathon to see if she could. Medical experts in the 60's were telling women their uteruses would fall out if they ran that far. Yet Kathrine ran with the men on her track team and thought, if they can do it, I can do it. And she challenged her coach to train her for a marathon the same way he wou...

First of all, I must thank Jesus for getting me across that finish line. There was a man who collapsed and was obviously hurt, and I pray that he's okay. But it reminds me how careful I need to be in the heat. And this was a HOT race. I threw water over my head at almost every water station, and usually more than one cup at a time. Still, I was sweating a ton (not like me) and my face felt like it was on fire. My husband and his coworkers and his coworker's wife all ran, and they all did awesome. I guess I did pretty well, too, but I felt awful the last half of the race because of the heat. True, 79 degrees is not so bad for Florida, but I just ran in 40 degrees at the Rock N Roll Half a few weeks earlier. It hasn't been very hot while I've been training, and honestly, I haven't been training very consistently in the midst of all these races. My biggest problem, however, was starting too fast. I went out with the group, and I immediately felt the pac...