Saturday, February 28, 2009
Guns n Hoses
We've had a lot of rain the Atlanta area this weekend. This was actually the first race I've signed up for that was held during the rain (all the other races I've run happened during great weather yay!). Unfortunately because of my concussion, I just didn't feel comfortable running on wet pavement. If I hit my head again before it's healed completely, I will not only re-injure myself but will make the subsequent injury much much worse. My running buddy Jennifer didn't feel comfortable running in that amount of rain either, so we collected our t-shirts and went to breakfast. I wish it had been a nicer morning because it wasn't very cold and the course looked fun. Oh well. I have another race in two weeks, so I will definitely be running in that - rain or shine.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I'm back!! Sort of...
First let me start with a wholehearted Thank You!! I received well-wishes from people I hadn't even known were reading my blog, and it made a big difference while I was sitting at home pretty much feeling sorry for myself. Here's what happened...
If you don't know already, I live in the US. I know there are a couple international readers here so that was to let you know that we drive on the right side of the road and sit on the left side of the car. I was in the process of turning left onto another road when a car three cars behind me decided to pass on my left in a no-pass zone. Needless to say he t-boned my car and sent me and Rex flying into a bunch of trees. Luckily I missed the giant tree that could have killed us and only hit the small tree. The car (formerly known as Growly because she was kind of noisy) is now dead. *sniff* I didn't actually like my car, but damn it it was my car! I had just finished paying it off and only had 3 short months without a car note.
I guess I hit my head pretty freakin' hard when the guy hit me on my side (driver's) of the car. The concussion was on the left side and gave me a migraine for more than a week. I actually don't remember the accident because of it. I ended up going to the emergency room and getting a CAT scan to make sure the head trauma wasn't too severe. I couldn't keep any short term memories in my head at all that night. I'm told I was like Ten Second Tom from 50 First Dates. I think the funniest part of the night was when Rex told me I had steered the car away from the giant death tree and my response was "I have ninja skills!". I can laugh now because we're all better. At the time I'm sure I was very scared.
So anyway, here I am. I finally went back to work today after missing all of last week. To add insult to injury I came down with a nasty head cold two days after the wreck, so I spent most of last week also getting over that. Hooray! Rex came out of the wreck with some whiplash, which was pretty painful.
I have a race this weekend called Guns 'n Hoses. It's a charity run held by Cherokee County's police and fire departments. I am still planning on going, but I'm also planning on taking it easy. I'm going to run where I feel comfortable, but if my head starts hurting I will be walking. The last thing I need to do is reinjure my head. I meant to run tonight but I'm still running around trying to deal with the insurance company. Since the other driver was at fault, I am arguing with them about how much they should pay me for my totaled car. I also have to deal with the rental I was given, getting stuff taken care of for the old car at the body shop (it's just hanging out there), and trying to find a new car for myself.
I will be a much happier person once all this stuff is done!!
If you don't know already, I live in the US. I know there are a couple international readers here so that was to let you know that we drive on the right side of the road and sit on the left side of the car. I was in the process of turning left onto another road when a car three cars behind me decided to pass on my left in a no-pass zone. Needless to say he t-boned my car and sent me and Rex flying into a bunch of trees. Luckily I missed the giant tree that could have killed us and only hit the small tree. The car (formerly known as Growly because she was kind of noisy) is now dead. *sniff* I didn't actually like my car, but damn it it was my car! I had just finished paying it off and only had 3 short months without a car note.
I guess I hit my head pretty freakin' hard when the guy hit me on my side (driver's) of the car. The concussion was on the left side and gave me a migraine for more than a week. I actually don't remember the accident because of it. I ended up going to the emergency room and getting a CAT scan to make sure the head trauma wasn't too severe. I couldn't keep any short term memories in my head at all that night. I'm told I was like Ten Second Tom from 50 First Dates. I think the funniest part of the night was when Rex told me I had steered the car away from the giant death tree and my response was "I have ninja skills!". I can laugh now because we're all better. At the time I'm sure I was very scared.
So anyway, here I am. I finally went back to work today after missing all of last week. To add insult to injury I came down with a nasty head cold two days after the wreck, so I spent most of last week also getting over that. Hooray! Rex came out of the wreck with some whiplash, which was pretty painful.
I have a race this weekend called Guns 'n Hoses. It's a charity run held by Cherokee County's police and fire departments. I am still planning on going, but I'm also planning on taking it easy. I'm going to run where I feel comfortable, but if my head starts hurting I will be walking. The last thing I need to do is reinjure my head. I meant to run tonight but I'm still running around trying to deal with the insurance company. Since the other driver was at fault, I am arguing with them about how much they should pay me for my totaled car. I also have to deal with the rental I was given, getting stuff taken care of for the old car at the body shop (it's just hanging out there), and trying to find a new car for myself.
I will be a much happier person once all this stuff is done!!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Out of commission
Rex and I got hit pretty hard in a car accident last Friday. Since I have a slight concussion I will be out of running commission for at least a week. I'll make a post as soon as I get back into running shape.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
3.5 miles!
Now that I've run 3 miles consistently, I hit 3.5 today to continue on my mileage build up. It was going just fine until my iPod gave out at the 3 mile mark. It wasn't out of juice. It just froze. Ugh! I ended up cranking up the speed on the treadmill just so I could get off the treadmill faster. It really sucks when you lose music plus the channel you were watching starts showing some stupid show about monkeys and forcing Romeo and Juliet on them.
Hopefully Rex will be feeling better this weekend. He's home all week with a pretty nasty infection and can't do much physically. I'm really enjoying the nice weather and hope it sticks around for a while. I anticipate another cold spell, but I think Spring is around the corner!
Hopefully Rex will be feeling better this weekend. He's home all week with a pretty nasty infection and can't do much physically. I'm really enjoying the nice weather and hope it sticks around for a while. I anticipate another cold spell, but I think Spring is around the corner!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
What a beautiful day!
Winter in Georgia doesn't last nearly as long as it does in other parts of the US, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. Luckily for me the high for today is supposed to be around 65F, so off to the park I go for some outdoor running! There's a local park that the city maintains with an excellent running trail that I love to take advantage of. It's also got some good sized hills that I can use for speed drills or just getting better at running up hills.
I don't think I'll run a lot today because I'm helping Rex (my blog nickname for the spousal unit) get in shape for his career. He's a cop wanting to become a DEA agent in the future, and there are some very high physical standards he has to meet before even being offered a job. With that in mind, I am going to join him on his workouts when I can and do everything he does. It's always easier to workout with a partner, and since this will be so physically demanding I will give as much support as I can give short of taking the test for him.
Here's what I'd like to aim for in the next year:
20+ pull ups (I can't even do one right now)
100+ sit ups (I can do about 45-50 but I struggle with that)
50+ push ups (I can't quite to a complete push up)
Complete a 120 yard dash around some cones in under 30 seconds
and the really hard part....
Run 2 miles in 16 minutes. Speed has not been my goal when I've been training because I've been working on endurance. I have some time on this one because Rex needs to just be able to run 2 miles first. I am fully confident we can do this, but it will be hard! The pay off? A kick ass career for hubby and a kick ass body for the both of us. Yeah!
I don't think I'll run a lot today because I'm helping Rex (my blog nickname for the spousal unit) get in shape for his career. He's a cop wanting to become a DEA agent in the future, and there are some very high physical standards he has to meet before even being offered a job. With that in mind, I am going to join him on his workouts when I can and do everything he does. It's always easier to workout with a partner, and since this will be so physically demanding I will give as much support as I can give short of taking the test for him.
Here's what I'd like to aim for in the next year:
20+ pull ups (I can't even do one right now)
100+ sit ups (I can do about 45-50 but I struggle with that)
50+ push ups (I can't quite to a complete push up)
Complete a 120 yard dash around some cones in under 30 seconds
and the really hard part....
Run 2 miles in 16 minutes. Speed has not been my goal when I've been training because I've been working on endurance. I have some time on this one because Rex needs to just be able to run 2 miles first. I am fully confident we can do this, but it will be hard! The pay off? A kick ass career for hubby and a kick ass body for the both of us. Yeah!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The mileage build up begins
Today was the first time I've run 3 miles outside of a race. I still hate the treadmill, but at least it offers me a way to train without being out in the freezing night. I would wake up early and run, but I hate waking up early. Plus it's all icy outside and the last thing I need is a fall that busts my butt.
I'm trying to build up the mileage slowly and consistently so I don't get hurt or burn out. I feel a little stiff even though I remembered to stretch, so I'm going to stretch again tonight before I go to bed. I would like to see me hit 3.5 miles by this time next week, and I think it's very feasible. My ultimate goal is to hit 7 or 8 miles before running the Peachtree. I figure if I can run more than 6 miles I will have a much easier time of running a 10k. I just can't wait until Spring arrives. Running outside is awesome!
I'm trying to build up the mileage slowly and consistently so I don't get hurt or burn out. I feel a little stiff even though I remembered to stretch, so I'm going to stretch again tonight before I go to bed. I would like to see me hit 3.5 miles by this time next week, and I think it's very feasible. My ultimate goal is to hit 7 or 8 miles before running the Peachtree. I figure if I can run more than 6 miles I will have a much easier time of running a 10k. I just can't wait until Spring arrives. Running outside is awesome!
Monday, February 2, 2009
The Cherokee Animal Shelter Scurry 5k
This race sucked. My performance was okay, but I learned a lot about running in the cold (parts of me were so numb I didn't realize it until I started warming up in the car). I've run in the cold before, but never for a race and never that far. The moment I stopped running I started getting cold again. Last winter I would run about 1.5 miles before coming inside. Here's what I learned about running in below freezing weather (I live in Georgia so 25 F is really cold):
- Due to the exercise induced asthma, I had to wear a neck gaiter while running. I am going to invest in a full balaclava soon. The neck gaiter kept falling down, which was a huge distraction. I can't breathe in that much cold air without having some really negative consequences during and after the race. Plus the hat part will keep my ears warm. My hat, while cute, didn't cover enough of my ears.
- No matter how warm the shirt you're wearing is, think about wearing an additional layer. This would have prevented the numb love handles. I was kind of cold all the way through breakfast.
- Wear full length socks with the running tights. It helps keep your ankles warm. Also consider wearing shorts over the tights to keep the butt warm.
Those are all the positive sides to running last weekend's race (I believe learning is positive). Here's why I think the race sucked:
- I didn't get a freakin' race number!!! %$^@ What race doesn't give race numbers?? Ugh!
- Most of the race was on gravel that slipped under my feet. I'm certain that this slowed me down. My time was 35:18, but I am willing to bet that I was actually faster than that. The other part of the race was on frozen and uneven mud. That could have easily been a sprained ankle.
- Because of the general lack of raciness to this race, I felt like I had gotten up super early and drove way out of my way for just a work out. It felt much more like a training run than an actual race run. I'm glad I could help out a local animal shelter, because that's something I believe very strongly in. I just don't think I'll be signing up for this race again next year.
Btw, one major reason I will not participate in this race again - there was a distinct lack in emergency personnel at this race. I'm not saying we need EMTs at every 100 feet, but at least one cop would have been nice. First responders are necessary at all races, no matter the size. People get hurt way too easily, and I felt like if something had happened no one would have been able to respond quickly enough. That means someone could have died. It sounds farfetched, but it's not.
- Due to the exercise induced asthma, I had to wear a neck gaiter while running. I am going to invest in a full balaclava soon. The neck gaiter kept falling down, which was a huge distraction. I can't breathe in that much cold air without having some really negative consequences during and after the race. Plus the hat part will keep my ears warm. My hat, while cute, didn't cover enough of my ears.
- No matter how warm the shirt you're wearing is, think about wearing an additional layer. This would have prevented the numb love handles. I was kind of cold all the way through breakfast.
- Wear full length socks with the running tights. It helps keep your ankles warm. Also consider wearing shorts over the tights to keep the butt warm.
Those are all the positive sides to running last weekend's race (I believe learning is positive). Here's why I think the race sucked:
- I didn't get a freakin' race number!!! %$^@ What race doesn't give race numbers?? Ugh!
- Most of the race was on gravel that slipped under my feet. I'm certain that this slowed me down. My time was 35:18, but I am willing to bet that I was actually faster than that. The other part of the race was on frozen and uneven mud. That could have easily been a sprained ankle.
- Because of the general lack of raciness to this race, I felt like I had gotten up super early and drove way out of my way for just a work out. It felt much more like a training run than an actual race run. I'm glad I could help out a local animal shelter, because that's something I believe very strongly in. I just don't think I'll be signing up for this race again next year.
Btw, one major reason I will not participate in this race again - there was a distinct lack in emergency personnel at this race. I'm not saying we need EMTs at every 100 feet, but at least one cop would have been nice. First responders are necessary at all races, no matter the size. People get hurt way too easily, and I felt like if something had happened no one would have been able to respond quickly enough. That means someone could have died. It sounds farfetched, but it's not.
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