73.8 more miles than I'll ever run

Today's run was ok, I felt great for the first 3.5 miles but then I think someone at the Edge put the heat on full blast because it got REAL hot in there.  I gutted out the last mile and a half and hit 3 hill sprints at the end.  Running an easy 5 miles seems like nothing when you look at this movie: 

 I need to see this movie and I need to watch it yesterday! Just straight bad ass running for 100 miles straight, crushing over 18,000 ft elevation climb and 23,000 ft decent, turning boys into men and men into monsters.  Dudes jumping like mad men on the trails, face planting into snow and ice like a boss. I need to quit being a baby and smash this marathon.  BOOM!

Yesterday's Run: 7 miles, last 20 mins moderate
Time: 61 min

Since Nate was busy doing something for school in NY state all day Sunday, our regular run got pushed back to Monday. I had been crossing my fingers that the temp would be warm enough for an outside run; but alas, it was not. I ran the first 4.5 miles at an easy 9:00 min/mile pace, then bumped it up to an 8:00 min/mile for the last 20 minutes/2.5 miles. In the past, this speed has not been impossible for me to do. It isn't exactly pleasant, I am certainly pushing myself, but it isn't impossible. Six minutes into it, I had to slow the pace down. At one point I stopped completely and felt like I needed to throw up. I am hoping it was just a one-time thing, and I will be able to return to normal next time. I put it back up to the 8:00 min/mile for the last few minutes or so, as sort of a final push.

Today's run is supposed to be 5 miles plus a bunch of hill sprints (three? four? the chart is on the fridge and I am too lazy to get up and check right now, as I ran after a 2-year-old all morning and my legs hurt). Maybe I'll post again later if I'm bored.

Cheers!

Worst. Run. Ever.

Todays Run: 5 miles + 3 x .10 hill sprints
Time: 44 mins

Ok so maybe it was not the worst run I have ever had (a few others certainly stick out in my mind) but it was pretty bad. I was feeling ok, up to the challenge, ready to run an easy 5 and do a few hill sprints. For lunch I made a terrible decision and made myself rice and black beans, one of my favorite quick things to eat. I was hungry again around 4 pm and finished off what I had not eaten a few hours earlier. I have now learned the hard way: do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT eat rice and beans (or probably any sort of mexican food, really) before going to the gym and getting on the treadmill. I had MAJOR tummy and GI issues. I contemplated stopping at the 3 mile mark, but I looked over at Nate and willed myself to keep going in order to stay on pace with him. The hill sprints almost did me in completely. I am SERIOUSLY glad that it is over, and that tomorrow is an off day! I am currently celebrating with a nice glass of wine.

For dinner, I roasted some boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the oven until done. While they were cooking, I sauteed onions and a mixture of red, yellow, and green peppers until soft. I added this AMAZING marinade/dressing that I got from Trader Joe's called "Soyaki" and cooked the veggies for a little longer. Once the chicken was done, I sliced it up, added it to the veggies, and added a little more Soyaki for good measure. I highly recommend anyone with a Trader Joe's nearby to buy it. I served everything over brown rice. Even my still-sensitive stomach was happy with it. No pictures, unfortunately - I ate it too quickly.

Next run - sunday. Until then. Cheers!

OCCUPY PROVIDENCE

Dana and I began our training at the beginning of the year with the goal of running a marathon in the May-June time frame.  Looking on the website Running in the USA proved to be somewhat disappointing.  Our goal weekend (last weekend in May) and the weekends before and after didn't have much to offer.  Our best choices were Sugarloaf Maine, a bit to far of a drive for our taste and the Lake Placid Marathon, a bit to challenging with its hills. We ended up settling on the Providence Marathon .

We're hoping the early may weather will be a change of pace from the 80 degree, 100% humidity that was Burlington last year.  The course looks flat on an easy out and back, something we can definitely handle.

Today we had a cool 5 miles with 3 x .10 mile hill sprints at the end.  I felt good for most of the run and crushed the sprints.

In other news Gronk (Rob Gronkowski) is becoming bigger than football.  I'm pretty sure they had Gronk in mind when they made media week at the super bowl.  If this is gronk comedy gold:

then I can only imagine that during media week Roberto will be going platinum.

Yo Soy Fiesta! Indeed!

FARTLEK. It's a funny word.

Today's run: Fartlek run (in case you didn't already figure that out); 7 miles with 6 x 30 sec. @ 10K-3K pace
Time: 62 mins

I'm happy to say that doing the 6 and 7 mile runs are starting to get easier for me. I mean, they were not exactly difficult before - it was more that I was just extremely lazy and didn't feel like running more than 3  or 4 miles at a time. Now I simply hop on the treadmill and simply resign myself to the fact that the run must be done. I ran the first 3 miles, stopped for some water and a restroom break (don't drink 2+ cups of coffee before a semi-long run when you have an overactive bladder...), then got back on. I did three of the Fartlek's during mile 4 and the other three during mile 5. Mile 6 was a cool down.

In other news, while watching Live! with Kelly Ripa this morning, she gave the audience an interesting tidbit of information: apparently, according to medical professionals, the best treatment for a nosebleed is bacon or some other type of cured ham/pork product. Strangely enough, on Tuesday while visiting my grandmother in New Jersey, she developed a severe nosebleed and we spent a LARGE part of the day in the emergency room trying to get the nosebleed to stop. (It didn't). The ER docs clearly should have tried what I will now refer to as the Kelly method. File that information under "things I wish I knew 2 days ago". I can't imagine my grandmother actually allowing me to shove bacon and/or pork up her nose, though...

Cheers!

Today's run: 5.1 miles, plus 3 hill sprints

The weather this morning/today is SO. FREAKING. NICE. I woke up and reallyyyy didn't feel like driving to the gym and running on a treadmill. Nate and I decided to try an outside run. I was pleasantly surprised when I got out there. It felt like springtime. Definitely one of the best runs I have had in awhile. We did an easy 3 miles at about a 9:30 pace, then found a hill to sprint up, then ended with an easy 2.1 miles back home. With the exception of some minor GI issues around mile 4, it was a great run.

I am spending the afternoon/evening with my grandmother in New Jersey, running errands and cooking dinner. Pictures to follow, perhaps!

Cheers!

SUNDAY FUNDAY

So Sunday is the day when all plans must be put aside to complete the "long run."  Luckily it being week 4 our long run this Sunday was a mere 6 miles with a moderate (hard) 10 min at the end of the run.  We got to the gym around 1230 so we were able to catch both the Pats and Giants win which leads me to the theme of this blog post: celeb look a-likes:

I'm going to throw out two names, and you tell me if you've seen them in the same room together: 49'ers QB Alex Smith and man-hunk Ryan Gosling.  Last time I checked these two have not been seen in the same room together so I think its safe to say that they are the same person.  And for the sad-sacks who have been tweeting that Smith looks like Aaron Rodgers I must say you are sadly mistaken because there are only two people on this earth known have uterus shaped chest sweat marks on their shirts, and those two people are Gosling and Smith.  Case closed.

As for the run today I felt pretty good.  I ran 4.25 min at an easy 9.5 min mile then bumped it to a 9.00 mile to 4.50.  From there I kept a 8.30 pace from 4.50 to 5.00 miles and slammed a 8.00 mile from 5.00 to 5.50.  I cooled down at a 9.00 mile till I hit six and then watched Sir Brady dismantle the BlackBirds and then witnessed Gosling fall short in front of the G-Men.  I'm very excited for a rematch of 2007's superbowl.  Bradski is on a mission this year and he won't stop until Eli's head is on a steak.  PATS.... BOOM.. TheYeahNate... Out..

Lazy Sunday!

Todays Run: Progression Run, 6.0 miles, last 10 minutes moderate pace
Time: 53 min 30 sec

I woke up this morning, saw that it was about 20 degrees outside, and wanted to go right back to sleep. I suppressed the urge and downed several cups of coffee. Once Nate was up, we headed to the gym. I wasn't really feeling like doing the run, but once I got started it wasn't so bad. I did my first 3 miles at an easy 9 minute mile, stopped for about a minute to drink some water, then did another 1.5 miles at the same pace. Once I reached 4.5 miles, I bumped the pace up to an 8:00 min/mile, and did so for ten minutes. I ended back at the 9:00 min/mile to cool down. Overall, I felt like it was a good run. My knee started bothering me around mile 5, but nothing too bad...it's definitely felt MUCH worse.

Cheers!

This is a blog about running

Well, I've done it. I've said in the past that I wouldn't, and now, on a lazy and snowy saturday afternoon, I finally caved.

I have made a blog. Well, actually, Nate did most of the creating.

This is a blog about running. And eating. Two of my favorite pastimes.

Todays run: None. Saturday is our off day!