Fantastic 5, Fab 15...Another 100 and a wine party!

I alluded to my fantastic 5 in my last post...fantastic 5 miler that is! I had a bit of the training blahs this week. I was stressed, PMSing and just in general feeling burnt out and blah. I didn't workout on Monday or Tuesday (Monday was a rest day...Tuesday was just a blah day). Wednesday I forced myself out the door after work for what I thought was going to just be an easy 5 mile run. I started out with Mr. Pi and Zoey on a small 2.3ish mile loop...despite Zoey's pee and poo stops, we came in with decent splits:

Mile 1 - 10:20 Mile 2 - 10:24 (not sure what the rest of the .3 was)

This is where things got interesting. We dropped off the dog, Mr. Pi continued on in one direction and I headed back for loop #2 (knowing to hit 5 I was going to have to run a few circles in the neighborhood). I was feeling good, my legs felt light and I was really enjoying listening to the birds and taking in the scenery. (I was sans iPhone, which I rarely do if I'm alone.) I wasn't really going for a time goal but once I glanced down and realized I was on track for negative splits of course I had to go for it.

Mile 3 - 10:15 Mile 4 - 9:42 Mile - 5 9:40

It was a great run! I felt fantastic! I decided to count that run as my tempo run for the week =). 5 miles/50:40/10:07 AP

Sadly, the blahs kicked back in on Wednesday and I didn't do anything but my SBSD's. Thursday was a crazy day at work and I didn't get up in the morning to run so no exercise except my SBSD's. Friday after work I went out for a really easy 5 miler with Zoey since I knew my long run was scheduled for Saturday. Friday's 5 miler was slow...Zoey was being a pain and I felt heavy and tired. 5 miles/58:13/11:39 AP

Saturday we woke up to rain! YUCK! (Have I mentioned, I'm a sunshine girl?) I met up with Gazelle and JM for our long run. We went to a new area. We were in farm country! I always like exploring new routes keeps the run exciting. We saw all sorts of things. Lamas, baby sheep, old farm trucks now used as planter boxes and scary old barns which looked straight out of a horror movie! Despite the pouring down rain and occasional ice pellet, it wasn't too bad once we got going. My goal was to keep the 15 miles around or under 11:30. I succeeded for the first 11 miles...in fact, we were averaging right around 11:00, even with our water/walk breaks! The girls left at mile 12 and I was tired and ready to go too. The last few miles were a struggle but I finished not too much over my goal. 15 miles/2:55/11:40 AP (Clearly, not a negative split run...lots of walking in the last 3 solo miles.)

I've been having two issues on long runs lately. 1) My inner right ankle gets really sore after about 7 miles. Not sure what that is all about. 2) My stomach gets upset about 6-7 miles into long runs. I haven't been drinking or eating anything different, in fact, I've been trying to better about keeping hydrated and fueled. Obviously, neither of these aliments have prevented me from completing my long runs but they have been nagging little annoyances.

In other running news, I hit over 100 miles for March yesterday. I'm at 105.42 to be exact! I've never hit 100 miles in a month before and it was one of my 2009 goals. I also haven't missed a run of SD training. I have adjusted the schedule and done runs a few days late, I have cut a few miles from some of the runs (but not the long ones, in fact, I upped my mileage the last two long runs)...BUT...I haven't missed a single run! I have missed XTraining days and a few days of SBSD but no runs.

Saturday night was the PB&J's (Portland Bloggers & Joggers...I think this is our new name, everyone seems to like it...I think it's pretty darn genius...Gazelle, you rock!) wine party at Emily's. There was lots of wine, food and even a pushup challenge! Who knew after a few glasses of wine I could bust out some real pushups?! I'm sure there will lots of pictures posted on various blogs I have a few from Gazelle...see below. The party was super fun but today I'm nursing a hangover (totally worth it but I'm glad I don't party every weekend).

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I know there were some racers...TFH, Dirty Divas in SF, Maddy...may have been others sorry if I missed you.

Speaking of racers...I have a 1/2 next weekend. Goals to be announced this week.

100 Baby!!

I've wanted to post all week but I couldn't just post any old post, this is number 100! I'll have a post later this week about my awesome run last night that got me out of the "blahs." (Let's just say it was almost a negative split run with the last two miles under 10! Wahoo!) For my 100th post, I'm copying a bunch of other bloggers and listing 100 things about me. Feel free to skip to the bottom, where there are 10 fun pictures.

10 things about my past:
1. I’ve lived in 3 states, 6 different cities and countless apts
2. I’ve been to 26 US states (i.e. spent the night, airports don’t count)
3. I was MVP of my softball team
4. I was born July 23, 1982
5. My parents are divorced but are friends (everyone thinks this is weird)
6. My first car was Yolanda the Honda
7. I used to go to Hawaii with my Dad and grandmother every year for Christmas
8. I traveled on an airplane before age 1
9. I got married one month before my 25th birthday (June 23, 2007)
10. I went on my first date with Mr. Pi on his 23rd birthday

10 things about my personality:
1. I talk a lot
2. I love to plan things
3. I am not very patient
4. I’m shy in large groups
5. I’m opinionated
6. I’m stubborn
7. I can be a little neurotic about things
8. I’m happy
9. I’m confident
10. I am not easily persuaded

10 random things I love:
1. Sunshine
2. Shopping
3. Shoes
4. Exercise
5. Traveling
6. Being tan
7. Ice cream
8. Cooking
9. Being pampered
10. Anything with my hubby, Mr. Pi!

10 awesome places I've been:
1. Australia
2. New Zealand
3. Bora Bora
4. France
5. Mexico
6. Hawaii
7. All the major northeast coast cities (NYC, Boston, DC)
8. Charleston, SC
9. Las Vegas
10. Up and down the California coast

10 places I'd like to go:
1. Yosemite (yes, I’m a Cali native and I’ve never been)
2. Africa
3. China
4. Thailand
5. Peru
6. Russia
7. The Maldives
8. Wine Tour of Portugal, Spain, France and Italy
9. Galapagos Islands
10. Bali

10 life dreams/goals:
1. Buy a house
2. Have the words Vice President, Executive or Professor in my title
3. Run the Boston marathon (notice I didn’t say qualify…though I might when I’m 80, if so, I’ll be there)
4. Iron Man (I didn’t say these were realistic dreams/goals)
5. Be in a movie or Broadway play (again, not realistic)
6. Travel to every continent
7. Run a race in every state (not necessarily a marathon)
8. Have a family
9. Learn a foreign language (really learn it…6 years of French and I can only muster a few sentences)
10. Write a book

10 "favorites":
1. favorite movie: Dirty Dancing
2. favorite food: Anything sweet (though I do crave steak sometimes, what can I say I’m weird)
3. favorite drink: Alcoholic- wine/ Non-alcoholic- Coffee
4. favorite color: Turquoise or pink
5. favorite number: 4 (You’d think it would be 23, see my first 10 things)
6. favorite season: SUMMER!!!!!!
7. favorite band: The Beatles
8. favorite cookie: Oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chip
9. favorite clothing item: My Victoria Secret hot-pink velour lounge pants
10. favorite animal: Dolphin

10 things I'm proud of:
1. Having a Masters Degree
2. Not being in debt
3. Having a job
4. Completing 2 marathons
5. Being healthy
6. Being in a great relationship
7. Standing up for myself
8. My parents (despite being divorced, they have always been friendly and cordial with each other and are always there for me)
9. Learning to cook
10. Trying new things

10 things I dislike:

1. Rain
2. Meatloaf
3. Spiders
4. Scallops
5. Waiting (at restaurants, for appointments, for others to be ready to go, etc)
6. People who are disrespectful
7. Clutter
8. Timid drivers
9. People who wear clothes that are too tight
10. Being late

10 Fun Pictures:

1. Fall 2003- Very first trip with Mr. Pi camping at Toad Lake near Mt. Shasta.

2. Spring 2004- college graduation.

3. Summer 2004- trip to Australia/New Zealand.

4. Summer 2007- My Bachelorette party.

5. Summer 2007-wedding!

6. Summer 2007- Honeymoon, BoraBora.

7. Fall 2007- Seattle trip, when I thought going dark was a good idea.

8. Summer 2008- Hiking in Hawaii!

9. Fall 2008...Zoey's first pumpkin patch.

10. Christmas Time 2008- snow shoeing in the Sierras.

Spring it on!

After Wednesday’s rant, the week went uphill! Thursday I did an awesome 8 miler with 7 miles of tempo running in 1:25:15. That was the longest tempo stretch I’ve ever attempted. I counted it toward RunningLaur’s Hooray for Spring 6-miler b/c it was the most spring-like weather of the week.
Friday, I did my own mini duathlon at the gym. My legs were really heavy from the tempo run so I decided NOT to do a mini-tri. I ended up with 30 minutes on the Bike and 1700 yards in the pool (had the lane all to myself). I tried Emily’s SKIPS (swim, kick, IM, pull, swim). I loved the SKIPS! I will definitely be adding them into my routine more often. I even busted out fly for the 200 IM. I figured it was only 2 laps of it.

My best friend Kristen and her hubby arrived late Friday night from CA to visit for the weekend. It’s always fun to have company. Saturday we went to Washington Park, which was really nice. I even decided that when it gets a little less muddy I’m willing and actually, a little eager, to try trail running with the Gazelle!

Sunday, we were running late and missed the meet up with these gals. However, we all trekked off to run along the waterfront and Springwater. Kristen and hub K were trying out a new distance- 14 miles! They killed it and went 14.5! Mr. Pi did 18, finishing only a few minutes behind despite the extra mileage. I did my scheduled 14. Wasn’t the fastest I’ve gone but wasn’t the slowest either. Finished in 2:40:XX---ish! I say “ish” b/c I paused my watch around mile 10 to stretch and forgot to turn it back on---whoops! I’m pretty sure that I held the 11:15-11:40 pace though so I’m claiming 2:40. One thing I love about Portland is that it’s such a small town. Not only did I eventually see her and her but I also bumped into her. This often happens and I love it! (Something else that is great…while shopping on Saturday, I found a bright pink shirt that says “I love sunshine” in downtown Portland! I decided this is my new staple shirt for weekend wear.) It wasn’t sunny for our Sunday run but luckily the rain held off (except for poor Mr. Pi, who had to run his last mile in the rain but I suppose 1 mile out of 18 isn’t too bad).

Sunday, post-run The K’s, Mr. Pi and I met Sarah and The Gazelle for brunch. We waited a long while, Gazelle and Sarah waited 2 hours!!!!!! It was a good thing there was free coffee and excellent food at the end of our wait.

It’s certainly not the best picture but I’d say it is damn good for post-double-digit runs, being cold and waiting 2 hours for food. Mr. Pi, me, Gazelle, Sarah, Kristen & hub-K (I don't know if he has a nickname or if she uses his real name so I'll leave it as hub-K).

The rest of Sunday was spent lounging around and playing with the doggies. The K’s brought their doxen, Griffey. He and Zoey had a field day playing all weekend.

Back to the grind today. I had high hopes for a yoga or shred session tonight but I’m exhausted and am thinking that is NOT going to happen. However, since my lazy butt didn’t do my SBSD for the weekend I have 600 abs to do tonight…yikes!

Before this post gets too far out of control, I’d like to give a few quick updates:

1. Toe nail update. I lost yet another last week (not painful though), so at the moment I have only 5 of 10 toe nails. Good thing it’s not sandal weather here yet. Feet are feeling much better in the new shoes; I am officially a Saucony convert.

2. Monthly Mileage. I’m at 80.3 (even though G said the 9.3- 15K race was really 9.65...whatev!) miles so far this month; I will easily (unless something bad happens) make 100 miles which means this will be my highest mileage month-EVER! (I hope I didn't just jinx it but I was so excited when I ran the report on Buckeye that I had to post about it.)

3. Aches and pains. I have a new inner-ankle/calf pain. It starts to become sore after about 5 miles. Been icing and taking Motrin and really using my rest days to rest it. Hoping it goes away soonish!

4. I added a new race to my schedule…Nike Women’s! My team got in through the lottery over the weekend. Hot firemen and Tiffany’s necklace here I come!

Rants

Rant #1
I went to the pool this morning sans my swimming buddy because she’s been battling a bug. Anyway, I get there and it wasn’t crowded, yay. I have a whole lane to myself for about 25 minutes or so. In which time I do my ½ mile swim time trial, as well as some drills. Then, these two girls show up and ask to join my lane, of course I said, “sure the more the merrier.” (In my head I am thinking, I hope they stay to their side of the lane and don’t want to circle b/c I’m about to start my 75’s (i.e. sprint for 3 lengths and rest 10 secs.) They stick to their side with their kick boards but ask me, three 75’s in, if we can circle. There is one very slow girl and the other girl is clearly frustrated with having to pass her. So here is where things get a little sticky. I say, “I would prefer not to circle until I’m done with my speed drills” since I would speed by them then stop for my 10 sec recovery. I personally don’t like it when people do that to me. She rolls her eyes and says fine but when she starts to regular swim we’re going to have to circle. WHATEVER! I had sixish 75’s planned, I got in two before she gave up her kick board. Once we started circling everything was all off. I was passing them, especially Miss Kickboarder, but feeling bad about passing when I knew I was stopping for rest intervals. BAH! So that’s my rant. In the locker room, I did apologize for sounding rude and for getting in their way. What would you have done? I ended up cutting the workout short, partly b/c I had to get to a 7:30 am work meeting but also b/c I was just annoyed and my workout was all messed up anyway. Am I total bitch? Should I have skipped speed work and just plodded along at snail pace?
(In happier news, my ½ mile time trial went well. I finished in 13:15. I did a relay sprint tri back in 2005 with my Dad and Mr. Pi, who was my boyfriend at the time…my time for the ½ swim was 17:08…I’d say I have improved.)

Rant #2
This isn’t really a rant but rather a confession. I am a slow runner. No surprises there, if you’ve read any of my race reports. But what I’m not good at is accepting my slowness. I often make excuses for it. My last marathon, bronchitis and patella tendonitis…last weekend, the rain, my toe and the hills. Granted these ailments/course hazards (i.e. hills) do slow me down, especially the bronchitis, but I AM slow. I decided last night when I was doing my speed work that I was going to stop making excuses for my slowness and be proud of myself when I finish long runs under 11:30/12:00 min miles or complete speed intervals at a 9:15 pace. I know many of you could walk faster than 12 min miles and 9:15 is your “warm up” pace but that’s you and not me. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m tired of trying to compete with everyone and not feeling fast enough to call myself a runner. I run (or run/walk) double-digits on the weekend, I’ve completed two marathons…DAMNIT, I’m a runner. I’m not looking for sympathy; this rant/confession is more or less for me to look back on during training. It’s also for you guys to hold me accountable. Meaning, if you hear me say something negative about my slowness, please yell at me!

Rant #3
Ha…there isn’t one…enough ranting for the day!

I’m looking forward to my tempo run tomorrow. I’ve never done 7 miles worth of tempo work before. Should be interesting!

Shamrock 15k Race Report

Before I get to the race report I'd like to give a toe update! Thanks for all the advice. I did soak it in bath salts (thanks Gazelle) and I did try to drain the rest of the blister...I also bought new shoes. My love affair with Mizuno is officially over, I'm on board the Saucony train. Toe is sore, especially after today's soggy race but I think the new shoes are helping.



Thursday I missed my tempo AM run but ended up with new shoes by the evening and took them for a maiden journey Thursday evening. 3.1 miles - 33:05 - 10:40 AP



Friday I slept in and headed out for a post work 5.5 miler. It was gorgeous on Friday. I ran in my cheetah pink running skirt and a long sleeve top and wasn't cold. I did 4 miles by myself, I purposely took a hilly route than normal since I knew the Shamrock run was going to be a tough course. I grabbed the dog for the last 1.5 miles. 5.5 miles - 57:00 - 10:21 AP The shoes felt great and I was thoroughly enjoying the sunshine and warmer temps.



Saturday I spend the day with "Junk."* We had planned to pick up our race packets and do some living room yoga but ended going shopping and eating burgers instead (way more fun)!



Okay...race report time...



I woke up at 5:45ish to the sound of hard rain and fierce wind. My first thought was--SERIOUSLY???!!!!! Mr. Pi and I got geared up and headed downtown for our wet, cold, hilly race. A bunch of other bloggers were running too but with the weather and the crowds we only saw Sarah. However, we did see this girl speed by in her triumphant 5k finish...AND I ran into HTC leaving the post-race festival area. Poor Gazelle's is home with the flu! These two were there but I didn't see them. So was, one half of this team.



Anyway, it was pouring down rain, windy and cold. I knew the course was going to be tough but I had a good attitude about just wanting to finish (secretly hoping to stay under 11:30 miles despite the ~1300 feet of elevation gain). Here is Sarah and I at the start.

Yes, I ran in a poncho! I swear it helped keep me dry.

The buzzer went off and we were on the streets of P-town in no time. (Actually, 3 minutes or so past the buzzer). My strategy was to NOT walk until mile 3ish. I succeeded and actually felt great on the first few "speed bumps." As soon as we wound our way up Terwilliger I implemented the walk/run strategy. I kept this up until mile 5ish when we hit the downhill.

This is the first race I've ever managed negative splits! My slowest mile came in at 12:15 and my fastest at 9:45. Miles 5-9.3 (9.65 according to G) were all at 10:45 or better...averaged around 10:15! The first 5 miles (except mile 1 which was flat) were all above 11:00!

According to G, 1:45:05- 9.65 miles - 11:06 AP. Who knows what the official results will say...I'm thinking slower since G says I ran an extra .35 miles. I met my "secret" goal and felt pretty great at the finish other than getting cold very quickly!


Sarah and Mr. Pi were waiting for me at the finish. Mr. Pi had an impressive finish 1:06 with his last 3 miles all under 7 min pace! Poor guy, I need to get faster so he doesn't have to stand out in the cold so long. I'm not sure when Sarah finished but definitely before me. I'm sure she'll have a race report up soon! (Thanks for waiting for me chica!)


I have three weeks to prepare for my Half Marathon. I have a very ambitious goal, which I'm not ready to post yet, BUT the course is flat and Julianne has said she'll help pace me, so I'm hopeful.


Big shout out to all the many racers today! I hope that everyone had a great race and I'm looking forward to reading all the race reports. I know many of you PR'd!


*We were laughing yesterday about how a lot of bloggers refer to me as The Ambitious One or something to do with my blog title and how Sarah is glad no one has called her "Junk"...well sista, someone just did =).

Another one bites the dust

No, not another run logged but another toenail lost! Last night, I lost my umpteenth toenail to the running gods. All would be fine and dandy IF the method of loss had not been what it was. Before I get into the details, I must say that it is 5:30 am at the moment, I'm dressed in running clothes, the dog has used the facilities and I SHOULD be leaving for my 6 mile tempo run! I'm missing my run and spinning date this morning NOT because I overslept but because of my TOE! I've lost plenty of toenails from running however, only two in the following manner, both times I was forced to wear exclusively flipflops and bound to pool training only. So what happened?

I've mentioned before that I get horrible blisters. They are a fact of life for me, I deal with them and move on. However, the blisters I can't ignore are the ones I sometimes get underneath my toenails. Yes, under the nail! How this happens is beyond me! Anyway, the blister forms under the nail, creating a horrific pressure against the nail and basically forces the nail from the nail bed. I will spare you the graphic representation but know that it hurts like HELL! At the moment my toe is so swollen and sore that I put on my socks and shoes only to hobble down to let the dog out and then promptly took them off. I knew it was going to be bad last night when my toe was throbbing on and off throughout the night. Alas, no running or spinning for me today. GRRRRRR!!!! Last time this happened was after the AZ marathon, that time my entire pinky toe was a huge blister and eventually the entire nail and a few layers of skin came off. (Again, apologies for the graphic details.) Luckily, I was taking some time off anyway, this time NOT so much. I'm forced to take today off (from running at least). I hope I'm able to make up the run tomorrow and tonight hit the pool, anything that doesn't require shoes and socks!

Now...what shoes am I going to wear to work today? It's a little cold for flipflops (not mention against the dress code) but that may be all I can manage.

I hope no one else ever has to go through this...I feel like such a wimp for not running because of a toe. If anyone else has had the unfortunate experience of this happening, is there anything I can do?

Springing Forward = Colder Weather...huh?

47 hour weekend = Sad Alisa...BUT...springing forward means budding flowers, WARMER weather, longer evenings AND summer right around the corner. At least that's what I thought springing forward meant. I did see some flowers budding yesterday but it is certainly not warmer. Boo...more on that later.

I kicked off my weekend with a post-work run with Zoey! The running time was at a decent clip, fast even (member fast is relative) 9:40...but there were two poo stops, two pee stops and a couple of stops b/c she dropped her all important stick! I ended up with 2 miles at 10:45 ish. After the run I Shredded with Jillian. I always thought if I was on the Biggest Loser I'd choose Bob but I think I'm a Jillian convert. Wonder if I could get her to come here and train me a few times a week? After Shred I did my SBSD 200 situps! (To answer any questions, no I do not plan to run the marathon in a sports bra but I am hoping for some pool time before/after the marathon and would like to be bathing suit ready.)

Saturday I yoga'd and spent the day with my wonderful hubs, Mr. Pi! We saw The Watchmen. I didn't really get it. I guess I'm not a comic book movie person unless there is a half naked Christian Bale involved. Though, there was quite a bit of nudity in The Watchmen. After we ate a yummy lunch/dinner, relaxed and spent a rockin' hour at the grocery story (yeah, we know how to par-tay).

The running group slept in this morning and therefore, we were all on our own. Looking out at the SNOW and coldness I decided it was a tready day for me. I'm not a 'mill hater...I actually like the 'mill (yes, I know, I am weird). I made a new playlist just for this run and went into this run with a new strategy. Channeling my inner-Aron, I was going to split the run into three 4 mile runs and make them a semi-progression run. Goal was to run the first 4 at or near what the FIRST plan had for the week (PMP + 40 secs...11:20 ish), second 4 at PMP (10:40ish) and the third 4 recovery but faster than the first 4. I succeeded!

1-4 = 46:00 (11:30)

4-8 = 43:00 (10:45) --> I am GOING to break 5 hours in SD!

8-12 = 45:00 (11:15)

Total 12 miles, 2 hours 14 minutes, 11:10 avg.

I think splitting the run into 4 mile sections did great things for my mental strategy. As any distance runner will tell you half the race is mental! I did have to take a couple of walk breaks in the middle 4. I started out in the middle 4 a little too fast and needed a little breather. I also took a break to get down my Double Expresso gel at 6.5...however, I did manage to drink and run without choking! I usually have to take short speedwalk breaks every few miles for water but this time I was able to get little sips down without choking or walking. The best thing about this run was that I was in a running skirt and a tank watching the snow, rain, hail and corn snow come down. I enjoyed my salty, sweaty, hotness indoors thank-you-very-much! It also made my post-run ice bath very enjoyable!

I ended the week with:

21 miles
1 yoga session
1 Shred session
and mucho ab work!

Considering I had the flu for 3 days I'd say that is pretty good. Next week, back to the pool and spinning =). (HTC, thursday spin?)

Here are a few noteables from my 12 miler playlist:
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - By Michael Jackson (he may be a freak but man his music rocks)
Hip to be Square & Power of Love - By Huey Lewis and the News (Cheesy...but I love em!)
The New Workout Plan - By Kanye West (thanks Tara...this song is freakin' hilarious..."eat your salad no dessert!")
Jai Ho- By A.R. Rahman (gotta love Bollywood)
Welcome to the Jungle - By Guns n Roses (thanks Kristen!)
Every Little Thing Counts - By Janus Stark (Off the Varsity Blues soundtrack...makes me think of sweaty hot boys...talk about motivation)
Summer Breeze- By Seals and Crofts (thanks ChicRunner...best cool down song ever...pretty ironic when it starts snowing and this song is blastin')
You Oughta Know- By Alanis Morrisette (the ultimate angry chick song...not sure why it's so motivating, I'm a very happy chick)
Kill the Lights - By Britney Spears (damn you Britney, I wanna hate you but I just can't)
Hungry Like the Wolf - By Duran Duran (hello Michael J Fox in Teen Wolf)

On the Mend...TGIF!!!!

Well, I happy to report that Operation Flu-B-Gone was mostly successful! I am definitely on the mend. I have a bit of a head cold now, boo, but it’s pretty mild.

I took Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off. This means I missed my first run of SD training on Tuesday! However, I did get in a pretty good 7 miler last night. (2 Warm-up Miles at 10:42, 3 tempo miles 10:00, 10:10, 9:52, 2 Cool-down at 11:15) The last two miles were tough my legs were heavy and I was tired. Managed to only take one short break during mile 3 to sip some water and change the TV channel. I can’t stand it when the TV is on and someone is CLEARLY watching something and some mo fo comes along and changes it without asking, works out for 15 minutes and leaves without changing it back, or even asking if you want the remote.

Post-run I did a pre-SBSD ab workout, Chic Runners 200 sit-ups! (SBSD = sport bras in San Diego) Wowza, I’m a bit sore today. I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal but I was surely feelin’ the burn after about 100. Starting Monday, I (along with a few others) will be doing 200 sit-ups or the LoLo workout from RW every day until the San Diego marathon. Yikes, what was I thinking…oh yah, I’m on a quest to get abs like her:

Tomorrow, I’m hoping to hop in the pool for a quick swim and Sunday I have 12 on the schedule at PMP +40 secs, so hoping to stay under 11:40 (PMP = planned marathon pace = 10:45/11:00).

Happy Friday!

Operation Flu Be Gone

Operation flu be gone began at 2:30 pm today. What is operation flu be gone? First, let me back up the train and re-cap the last 2 and a half days. After my run on Sunday, in hindsight probably not a good idea to run with a fever in the rain and wind, I started to feel sick. I took about a 3 hour nap post-run, was up for another few hours and went straight to bed. Woke up Monday morning with the full on flu! That's right, Monday, the porcelain goddess was my friend. 'Nuf said. Tuesday morning, woke up at 5:00am to let out the (DAMN)...I mean wonderful, bestest dog ever. I had high hopes of kickin' it with the Shred video but ended up on the couch wallowing in my misery until I moved to the bed at 7ish. I pretty much slept until noon when I realized my work email was pushing 100+ and I needed to get a few things done. (Thank goodness for remote login!) I was a productive worker for about an hour and a half then, decided I needed to nap again...but I couldn't sleep. I took that as a sign that I needed to start OPERATION FLU BE GONE!

Step-by-step directions for Operation Flu Be Gone:

Step 1: A long, super hot shower (I hope the super hotness of it killed all the germs).

Step 2: The sheets are stripped from the bed and all clothes warn or touched in the last two days go to the wash (also on the hot setting).

Step 3: Gather all snot rags and dishes (gathered with a Lysol wipe as to not undo all the disinfecting of the hot shower). All tissues are properly disposed of and all dishes head for a bath in the sink (again, with extra hot water).

Step 4: Sit with warm TheraFlu, Progresso Chicken Noodle Soup with added hot sauce and red pepper flakes (this was something I learned in college, I swear it helps) and catch breath since this bod hasn't done anything but sleep and sit on the couch the last two days.

Step 5: Disinfect house. Lysol everything imaginable from key boards to door handles and TV remotes. Bleach toilet!

Step 6: Another breather. (i.e. take dog downstairs and get the mail)

Step 7: Open windows just a tad to let in some fresh air. Sit and wait for flu bugs to realize all of his other germ buddies are now gone and it's time for Mr. Flu to hit the road!

Windows have been shut but I am still waiting on the rest of Step 7 however, I am hopeful that Operation Flu Be Gone will allow me to get back to exercise tomorrow. Today is the first run of SD training I have missed. I know it is better to let my body heal (especially this early in the game) but it is still annoying not to be out there. I know I can make up the 4-5 miles later this week if I'm feeling up for it and the main thing to do NOW is to rest and get better. Sometimes easier said than done.

One thing about being sick is that I have the time to stay caught up on blogs! It was kinda sad when I saw 0 on my google reader this afternoon, especially since I can't seem to get into reading another book after the Twilight series. (I'm sure there are unreads in my reader now, a few hours later but at one point today I was caught up.) I never thought I would find such an awesome online community. I appreciate all of your different view points and experiences and am excited that I have met so many of you. (Sorry X-Country2, I really wish we could have met up today for a run but as you can read, I'm in full Operation Flu Be Gone mode.)

Please send your "flu be gone" thoughts my way! By Friday I hope to post how kick ass the rest of my week has been! Here's to hoping...as I cheer with my Thera Flu!

For the of...DUCT TAPE? & Another Ambitious Run

Warning: This post contains pictures of feet. Consider yourself warned.

First, I'll recap my week. Overall, it was pretty great. I took a couple of rest days BUT kicked butt on the days I worked out (except for today which I will get to). I ended up with the following stats for the week:

Running: 19 miles (should have been 21)...avg pace 11.4, which is 11:24 (not 11:45 which I originally thought when I saw 11.4)

Spinning: 1 hour (yeah baby!)

Shredding: 2 Sessions (I'm gonna be shredded in no time, right Jillian?)

Swimming: 2100 yards (pathetic but something)

Yoga: nill =(

I'm relatively happy with those stats...I am hoping to pull some rockin' numbers throughout my San Diego training. I'd like to get my average pace for the week in the 10's...my mid-week runs are there but my long runs have been slow. Every long run since I start SD training has been a bit more ambitious than I really wanted (i.e. hilly...today the run was hilly, trail-y and rainy). This coming week should be interesting. I have some late evening meetings and this morning I woke up full of snot and a fever of 99.8! Despite the snot and fever, Mr. Pi trekked out to meet THE GROUP (we really need a name guys...CDK was really a joke and has been veto'd) at Powell Butte Park. I anticipated this to be a nice FLAT run with maybe some gentle rollers along a paved trail. What I got was a very hilly, muddy, rainy, single track trail for almost half the run. This ambitious course, coupled with my flu-like symptoms left me pretty miserable...BUT I made it and now I'm sitting with my hot Thera Flu and plan to sleep the rest of the day away. I did take a couple of pics, as it was a scenic run...though I didn't get any shots of the really woodsy part, which was the prettiest but also the most brutal. (Poor Gazelle's, not featured in these pics, b/c she twisted her ankle during the first 2 miles...hope you're doing better. Mr. Pi also not featured b/c as usual he was miles, literally, ahead of us...way to go Mr. Pi!)

Mount Hood is somewhere in the distance.

Sarah and Erika!

Stretching time...Sarah and my sexy foot!

My muddy and wet feet...not as hardcore as some people I know but more hardcore than I wanted for today.

Stop reading now if you do not want to see feet! I've had a bunch of questions lately about my love of duct tape. I started duct taping my feet before my first marathon. My Dad suggested I try it, he uses it for hiking. I have tried everything for my poor feet...special socks, bodyglide, mole skin, new skin, bandaids, sports tape, electrical tape...you name it! Duct tape definitely works the best out of the products I've tried. I will caveat that I do still get blisters and lose my toe nails BUT the blisters aren't as bad as they used to be (except on marathon days, then, the duct works until about mile 20ish...after that, all bets are out the window). Julianne and Maddy both asked me on Twitter what my duct tape method is, so I thought I'd post some "how-to" pics. Warning: My feet aren't pretty and I definitely need a pedicure. Consider yourself warned.

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:
All done:

There's a how-to on duct taping your feet for running!

Time for me to go nap and get better, I have a big week coming up (workwise and trainingwise).

Congrats to Julianne and her awesome finish at the Napa Marathon!