5 am or pm?

My goal - my aim - my desire is to wake up at 5 am and run 10 miles. The reality? Likely that I shut my alarm off which plays pretty soothing music to me and roll over and I have to run the 10 miles at 5pm - which is tough considering it's after a long day, the dog still needs walking and I need to spend 2 hours running? This will be a challenge. We'll see what I'm made of tomorrow. 

Running with a side of life

Last year when my friends were training for the marathon, they were lame. They went to bed between 9-10 on Friday nights and running seemed to take over their life - the weird thing is they seemed to enjoy it.


Last night I played volleyball with my team and rather than go out for a few social beers afterwards, I tightened my laces and ran the long way home. I thought, "running is a very solitary activity... better be careful to not become a recluse or after the marathon I won't have any friends left". That said, I was far happier to be running than consuming a pitcher of beer on a Tuesday night (though that has its perks as well). This week is one of those weeks where I am struggling to balance the two. I'm headed to San Francisco this weekend and as a result, don't think I'll have much time for my Saturday run. A friend suggested I alter my schedule and do the long run on Thursday.


I've been trying to put in the miles prior to Thursday (still unsure of when I'll fit in the run on Thursday as well), but it's been difficult with the dog and other miscellaneous stuff that comes up (apartment viewing, volleyball...). I think the killer is the dog. It might be a good warm up run, but it also takes 30-40 minutes to take Dogan out and I can't begrudge him that - he's been cooped up in the house all day. Arg.


Needless to say, this week has been a struggle and will continue to be a struggle into the weekend. Perhaps I'll sneak out early Sat morning for a quick run...


Long run this week is supposed to be 10-11 miles. Updates to come soon!

Lucky # 9

I feel like I've kept to a good schedule this week - though weekday runs tend to be less intense perhaps than what they could be. Mind you, I start my runs after commuting to work by bike. I am nearly all trained up for a triathlon minus the swimming...

This weekend my goal was to run 9 miles. I was excited, pumping myself up the entire week and feeling positive about the distance. I mapped out my route prior to Saturday. I've never run straight south past Fremont before so I was curious how far I could get with 4.5 miles (there and back). As it turns out, I could run from Killingsworth to Division (almost exactly 4.5 miles). If you're not familiar with Portland, Killingsworth and Division are the north and south boundaries of being considered "close-in" to the center of the city (more or less). Except if I ever had to drive to Division, I would consider a major pain in the ass. Anyhow... back to the run.

The first 4.5 miles were easy - slight downhill the entire way. I thought to myself while running, "shit, I wonder what the incline will be coming back (I was taking a different street back). Well what goes down must come back up! The run back was pretty good - a bit slower than the first half, but I felt strong. In total the run was 9.33 miles and I felt like I could have kept going... which is good because next weekend is 10 miles! 

Might be time to start running with a group! 

Saturday's Run: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3713161 

The Wednesday "hump"

Impending storm clouds over Portland

It so happened that I was able to carpool with my roommate yesterday, so I was able to run home from work (luckily this time without a backpack and the subsequent shoulder pain). Yet it seemed everything that could, went wrong. First off, I had to carry my phone, a few cards and my keys. The cards and keys were not such a big deal, but the weight of my iphone smacked across my ass (it was in the pocket of an extra fleece tied around my waist) and was thoroughly distracting.

Beautiful greens and blooms on an upward climb

Not even 1/2 a mile in, it started to downpour. Not a little sprinkle or mist - a complete soaking downpour. On top of it, I was in downtown Portland, so I had to keep stopping at lights. Eventually it let up, but the damage was done - I was wet with a smacked ass and no running groove. When the rain did stop and the sun came out (it's a miracle!), I put the phone in my palm which was much better. I trucked onwards and eventually got home... when I mapped it out later that night, it was actually 4.5 miles - which was a surprise because it only felt like 3 or 4 at most. Not my best run, but at least I put in the miles.

Today's Run: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3704652

The oddest photo - it's the cap to my hat... but I'm not there!

Bay to Breakers 2010

Registered and excited. Now I just need a costume!

whoa - week 4

Starting strong in the week...

Ran 4.87 miles today. I decided that my runs with Dogan won't count toward my daily total anymore. Even though I am jogging - it's too slow and too stop / start for me to really get into a groove. They are excellent warm ups though and range between 1-2 miles.

Tonight's run was beautiful - the weather gods helped to keep the clouds parted for the duration of my run - even though a slight sprinkle and daunting clouds were pregnant with rain on all sides of me. I was a bit slow to get into the groove but the many thoughts wandering through my head helped to distract me. By mile two I was coasting - not thinking about the run at all. I wandered straight up 21st - a street I haven't yet been on - and it was beautiful. Gorgeous large houses with huge overhanging trees. The sun cast bright yellow light on the leaves and contrasted by the dark rain clouds, the sky was alight with color. By the time I got home, it hardly felt like I had run just under 5 miles. It felt more like 3. I fancy this running thing is getting easier!

Today's run:  http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3697478


I've carefully planned out my meals for this week to ensure that I am getting enough carbs to keep my muscles going all week long. A few weeks ago I did a 3-week cleanse diet and my weight went from 138 to 130. Since I've been teetering between 130-132. Now with all the running I've now dropped to 128. Though I don't miss the now-gone weight, I do need to have enough food to sustain me on my runs - hell to sustain me through the week. With running in the evenings, I've also done a bunch of meal prep to help ease the stress of cooking a big meal after a long day. I've steered towards cleanse-friendly foods, but have made a few exceptions (because life is all about exceptions after all). Tonight's dinner was spelt noodles with pine nuts, onions, garlic, black olives and feta cheese.

Ahh - sleep.

Week 3 (x=day y=miles)

My runs are in orange. I'm starting to follow a pattern...

Saturday 8 miler - check.

On my run today, I kept thinking to myself, 8 miles in a marathon is just the warm up Beth - better start getting used to it. The weather was cooler, partially sunny, slight breeze and overall a very comfortable running climate. I ran at around 8:30 (it was hard getting up this morning despite Dogan's best efforts). Around mile 3 I could feel the outer thighs start to get sore (or perhaps the right word is tight?). So I paused for a few moments to stretch them out before continuing. They didn't start hurting again until around mile 7. There are 2 things I think I need to do next week for my long run - 1. change up the route (e.g. neighborhood) and 2. run with a group that has pace setters. I think it would be good for me and perhaps provide that extra motivation to keep going strong in mile 9.


The highlight of this run: the dude who clapped me on from his porch - thanks clapping dude.

This week's 8 miler route....

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3690547


Week 3
Total Mileage this week: 19.86 Longest Run: 8.44