I made it to the gym this morning for intervals in my new shoes...and while I was running, this song came on my ipod:

Hey, I put some new shoes on

And suddenly everything is right

I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling

It so inviting

Oh, short on money,But long on time

Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine

And I'm running late,And I dont need an excuse

'cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes.

It was quite funny! I just kept thinking how could this possibly get cheesier?

Anyway, I love my new shoes! I thought I would like them, that they would be 'okay,' that they would grow on me over time...but I didn't think that I would love them the first time out! Now, I just need to wait until tonight/tomorrow morning to see if my shins like them as much as I do. Now, I have another shoe to search for on ebay!

Overall, I didn't have as good of an interval run today as I did last week...but then those really good runs are usually rare. It was a pretty good run though. I kinda ran out of steam by the four mile mark, so I didn't quite make it to the 4.5 planned run.

I think much of that might have to do with my schedule this week. We have one car in the shop (hail damage) so I biked it to work on Tuesday...it was 92* when I headed home. Also, the air quality here is really bad this week. They are recommending that the elderly, young, physically active, and anyone with respiratory issues stay inside. So, of course, I tried to go for a run yesterday morning, only to turn around after a half mile when I realized they weren't lying. So, I had only run about 2.5 miles Mon - Wed this week. I just hope the air clears up some before Sunday...I don't want to either give up my long run or move it to the treadmill!

New Shoes!

I went shopping this weekend...and bought some new shoes. I got Mizuno Wave Precision:

They are lighter than the shoes I have now, and are a little less cushioned but I am planning on using them for treadmill days only (at least for now) and maybe for races if I like them enough. Now I have three pairs in my rotation...these for speedwork on the treadmill, my newer Nike Pegasus for long runs, and my old Nike Pegasus for short easy runs.

Wonderful Intervals

Pretty much all the speedwork that I have done so far has either been random fartlek style while on my outside runs (nothing major though) or on the treadmill using a Nike workout (I really like Serena Williams Intervals). All the Nike workouts are half an hour long. Well, I was playing around with the Smart Coach on Runner’s World online earlier this week (I think I had it set for a goal 10K in 16 weeks?) Anyway, the interval training it had for my first week was 5 miles with 3x800 @ 4:50 with 400 jogs and warm-up/cool-down. So, since I had 4.5 on my schedule for today (and I hadn’t done any speedwork yet this week) I decided to give it a try…it felt GREAT!! Now don’t get me wrong – there were some times that it was really hard to keep pushing through the intervals, which were longer than I am used to. But by the end of the cool-down I was ready to keep going.

First of all, it is still really weird to me to say that running 4.5 miles felt great. Besides the fact that it was speedwork! And I did kinda want to keep going, but I stopped myself so I wouldn’t wear myself out too much…I want to make sure my long run this weekend goes as planned since I didn’t really have one last week. I have 7.5 on the schedule, but I am actually hoping to hit 8 miles. I have been feeling really good lately, so why not? My scheduled increases are pretty conservative after all.

I had an interesting neighbor this morning on the treadmills…well, there were actually a couple empty treadmills between us. He kept making crazy noises “argh” “grrr” and yelling “Come On!” I guess he was trying to push himself, but I have never seen anyone get that into it at the gym before! I could hear him and I had headphones on! I guess it was working, cuz he sure was running faster than me…

Lifetime Torchlight 5K Urban Run - Race Report

Wow – this race was not quite what I was expecting! Since there are no official results, I didn’t have last year’s results to check out beforehand. I figured it was a little bigger than what I am used to…maybe about 1,000 runners or so. Ummm, try more like 5,000!! But, I stuck to the plan and pushed the doublewide through the crowd. I think it was harder to get it through the registration area to pick up my bib and shirt than the actual race though. But we finally made it through and got to the start. We were about a block away from the actual start line, and there were at least another block of runners behind us (I believe the road is four lanes across).

The course was nice…started out going down Hennepin (major artery through downtown Minneapolis), then cut through some of the smaller downtown streets to the Mississippi River. We ran along the river for about a half mile and then took the historic Stone Arch Bridge over St Anthony Falls. (I really need to go do some running along the river!) I wish I could have looked around a little more, but I was too focused on trying to navigate the stroller and not crash into too many runners. There was one guy that darted right in front of us 3 times! (I didn’t try to avoid him the third time…some people just need to learn a lesson). I haven’t run a 5K since the beginning of May and I was amazed at how easy it felt compared to last time. If it wasn’t so late, so crazy busy and we didn’t have a ride waiting for us, I would have loved to head back to the river and keep going. The weather was beautiful! Best we could have hoped for in July. It had cooled down nicely for the evening, and there was a nice breeze blowing through. Also, the sun was low enough to be behind the buildings.

It was nice to get to see what a big race is like, without caring about my time. Although, there were no corrals, and people were pretty much in the order that they managed to get to the start line, so I am assuming it would thin out a little sooner (it never really did).

Plus, the kids were great! They didn’t fuss at all – even when the line of motorcycle police cut through the crowd right before the start (literally right next to us) with the motors revving and horns honking. They did a little chatting during the run (maybe they were telling people to get out of our way?) and when we got close to the end where we were running on a brick road which was a little bumpy one of them discovered (not sure which one) how to make that shaky voice noise (you know the one). I guess it wore them out though, they slept about 2 hours later than usual this morning!!

Stats
Race: Lifetime (Aquatennial) Torchlight Urban Run
Date: July 23, 2008
Distance: 5K
Official Time: 34:30ish (no official times)
Average Pace: 11:06ish
Overall Place: NA
Place in Age Group: NA

Evening 5K

So, I have my first evening 5K tonight. I was originally hoping to PR on this one, but have decided to chill out a little bit and run it with the kids instead. I haven't been running with the stroller much at all lately (since I usually run before they wake up), so hopefully I can make it through the heat pushing the stroller without TOO much trouble. Since it doesn't look like I will be running any "big" races this fall, I have plenty of time to try and beat that old 5K PR. I just hope they are good, since the race doesn't start until 7:30 - so by the time I make it to the end of the race and back to the car (it is a point-to-point route) it will be somewhat close to their bedtime.

"Not Selected"

Well, I didn't get into the 10 miler...time to reassess my plans, I guess.

Return to the Lakes

I made it out for my long run this weekend…7 miles. I have now run that distance 3 times in my running life…if all goes according to plan, pretty much every week's long run for a couple months will be the longest distance I have ever run! I am increasing slowly though, only half a mile a week with some cut-back weeks factored in.

I went down to the Lakes again…haven't been there since my snowy run in late April. But, I was thinking that the Calhoun/Harriet loop was the perfect distance for my scheduled run, so why not? I was up pretty early, so I made it down there before it warmed up too much. It felt much better than my last run there. Of course, last time I wasn't really prepared for that distance. It wasn't nearly as crowded as I expected - I guess maybe since it was early still.

Then this morning I thought I would attempt a 'recovery run'. I usually have the day after my long run as either off or XT, but I want to add in a 5th running day. I went out on a loop that is just over a mile in case I decided it was a bad idea…but at my turning point I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to keep going and extend the run to 2 miles. Turns out this wasn't too smart - I should have stuck with the 1 mile. Just over a mile into the run my legs started hurting. My legs typically don't bother me during runs - I get some minor shin splints after runs sometimes, if I am increasing mileage/speed etc, but not usually pain during a run. It is nothing serious, just some soreness I think. Anyway, I pushed through to the end of the run and my legs feel fine now (except those shin splints of course). I guess I will have to watch that post LSD run and keep it really short until I know I can handle more. What do you do the day after your long run?

Long Run = Zero Miles

So, I missed my first long run this weekend. I have a good excuse though…I had visitors for the fourth. Ok, so maybe the excuse isn't that good, but it is all I have. I slept later than usual and the kids were already awake, and I was not going to run 7 miles in the humidity we had on Sunday. I about melted outside putting a couple plants in the garden. I considered going to the gym that evening, but couldn't imagine spending that much time on the treadmill.

Instead, I set my alarm a little earlier than usual Monday morning so that I could get a little bit longer run in (4-5 miles vs my usual 3-4 miles). And Monday morning I just wasn't feeling right. I got up (not as early as planned), got dressed, ate a little, and headed out the door. I ran about a quarter mile and decided it was not happening, so I walked back home. My stomach was just not cooperating.

Don't worry though, I am feeling much better today. I actually got my butt out of bed early enough to make it out for almost 4 miles. It was a little tougher than the same route on Friday, but I assume that is because I haven't really run since Friday.

So, I officially put my hat in the ring for the TC 10 miler…I signed up for the lottery yesterday. Lottery results should be posted on the 18th…only 10 days!! Cross your fingers!

Six Random Things

So, Rachel tagged me for the 6 random things dealio...thanks Rachel. Can one be that I am horrible at this sort of thing? Anyway, here they are:

1) SueBob was the name of my first car...a light blue 1989 Ford Tempo.

2) I have three cats - Theadora, Zoe, and Alexandretta. Ok, quick trivia...what 1980s movie did the name Alexandretta come from?

3) I am addicted to bargain shopping...I stop by Walgreens, CVS, and the grocery at least once a week to get the deals. Walgreens - rebate book, register rewards, instant value coupons; CVS - extra bucks; Rainbow (grocery) - Wednesday is double coupon day! Every now and then I have to clean out my stash and donate a couple boxes of deodorant, shampoo, and OTC drugs.

4) I am obsessive about my laundry - what gets washed with what, what temperature, whether it goes in the dryer, how it gets folded. I also cannot reuse a towel (and don't even let other people do it in my house). Don't worry, I will wash it for you!

5) I won my office NCAA basketball pool two years in a row...and I know absolutely nothing about basketball!

6) I hate gardening...and moved into a house previously owned by 2 retired gardeners. I am sure they would be very disappointed if they saw their precious gardens now. Now, I am suppose to tag 6 other people...hmmm, who is left? Jen, Addie you're it! Tell us some random facts about yourselves!

Here are the rules:

• link to the person who tagged you.
• post the rules on your blog.
• write six random things about yourself.
• tag six people at the end of your post.
• let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog
• let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Run for the Roses 10K - Race Report

Wow, it seems like forever ago that I ran this race…so much has happened since then. Yet it was also the last time that I had a chance to run! I have been a little too crazy to blog (or run) the last few days.

My best hopes for the Run for the Roses 10K this weekend was to run it in under 1:08 (McMillian based on my 8K results from 6/1) but I figured that was probably unlikely since the website said the race had a "challenging rolling hills" route. So, I was hoping to at least finish in under 1:10 with very little walking (only if the hills were too much).

One reason I picked this 10K over others was that it was chip-timed (according to the website). Well, when I got there I realized that only the inline skate portion was chip-timed…not happy. I had decided to go with the more challenging hilly course because I like the chip-timing at my last race. Oh well, I figured I was already there, so I might as well run it now.

I am not familiar with this area, nor had I driven the course beforehand, so I had very little knowledge of what to expect. At least I had not serious goals for this one…just wanted to get the first 10K completed. So, the race starts. The 10K & 5K started at the same time, on different sides of a divided road. I was chugging along and looked over to the 5K side and noticed 5 firemen running the 5K - they were wearing full gear! I mean the big coats, helmets, even some kind of tank on their backs!! At least they were wearing their running shoes instead of the boots. I wonder how they did?

So, the first hill was probably about half a mile in…long and reasonably steep. About halfway up I decided that I was going to try to make it up the first 3 hills before I let myself walk at all. By the second hill I started to pass a couple people, so I kept checking my pace which seemed okay. The top of the third hill was about 1.5 to 2 miles into the race. I thought there was no way I was going to make it up the next…then we turned the corner…and had close to 4 miles of pretty flat running. Starting with mile 3, I discovered the mile markers (too distracted by the hills for miles 1 & 2 I guess). I was under an 11 minute pace! Oh no, I was going faster than I had planned. I had to decide if I should slow down and conserve my energy for any upcoming hills? Or maybe push the pace now and give myself a time-cushion in case I need to walk any upcoming hills? I didn't see any hills in front of me, so I opted for #2 and just kept going.

Finally I get close to the end of mile 5 and turn a corner…OMG!! Where did that hill come from?!?! But I pushed through it…I was too close to the end to walk now! I made it up the hill, into the track, around the track, and through the finish in…1:05:19!!!! No way!! I had to check my sportband…yep, just over 1:05! That works out to a 10:31 pace, which is 20 seconds faster than my 8K just a month ago, on a flat course!! Wow, I guess this training thing really does work :) Now to work in some speedwork for my 5K…my 5K PR is from 2006 and at a 10:48 pace…I really want to break that! And now I know that I can do it!

Oh, and then later this weekend I was checking out RWOL and saw that Bill (concreterunner) had posted a RR! I was quite surprised to see that there was someone else from the BF at this little race of 145 runners! BTW, he did amazing! He finished 15th overall - congrats Bill!

Stats
Race: Run for the Roses
Date: June 29, 2008
Distance: 10K
Official Time: 1:05:19
Average Pace: 10:31
Overall Place: 137/145
Place in Age Group: 12/15