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November 29, 2006

Getting There

This morning, I got up early, got out, and ran 5 miles. It's still harder than I'd really like it to be, but it's definitely getting easier. My heart rate isn't as low as it was in August, but each run it seems to stay a bit lower for a bit longer. However, today wasn't about being frustrated by the fact that I'm out of shape. Today was about enjoying what will probably be the last 60-degree day around here for a long, long time.

It's late November in Chicago, and I headed out this morning in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. Shorts and short sleeves! On November 29! That's just about unheard of. I knew if I didn't get out there and enjoy it, I'd be kicking myself all winter long.

In other news, I'm horribly undertrained for the half I'm running in 11 days. Oops. However, it's still a weekend in Vegas, so I think I'll live.

Posted by Dawn at 12:46 PM | Comments (2)

November 21, 2006

Happy Holidays from Speedo!

I got this in the mail, and thought I'd share it with the group:

Order online from SpeedoUSA.com, and enter the code "SPEEDO29" at checkout to get 20% off "your favorite item." Discount is good through December 23.

Happy Shopping!

In other news, I've been running, but not much. These shorter hours of daylight are sapping my enthusiasm. However, I am determined to get back on track. I'm happier (both in general, and with myself) when I'm running regularly. I miss being in shape. I miss that feeling of being able to do anything and/or take over the world. I miss knowing I could knock out an easy 10 miles without even thinking about it. I got there once, so getting back there is completely doable. Now all that's left is to get out there and do it.

I'm still running the half in Vegas, and I'm looking forward to meeting all the other RBFers who will be there! (It'll be slow, it'll probably hurt more than I'd like it to, but I'm going to get out there and do it!)

Posted by Dawn at 07:47 AM | Comments (3)

November 07, 2006

Registered!

As you can tell, I haven't been blogging. However, I have been running... sort of. I went through a rough couple of weeks, motivation-wise: I was running on treadmills during the week (ugh), I was on a new medication that has a diuretic effect which made long runs a challenge, and I just generally felt slow and out of shape.

So I took last week off. No treadmills, no long runs, nothing. I called the doctor and we adjusted my dosage, so I'm not getting as dehydrated. Then I readjusted my work schedule to go in a bit later, which gave me time to run in the mornings before work, and, man, did that make a HUGE difference. I had my best run in a while this morning. On top of all that, I realized something: Sure, I could train for the full Vegas marathon. I could probably run it and do a decent job. But I wouldn't enjoy any of it - not the beating myself into marathon shape in 6 weeks, and not the slog through a full 26.2 miles.

The half, however, would be totally doable. I made it through a (very slow) 11.2 miles on my first long run in a while a few weeks ago. So, with an extra 5 weeks of training, 13.2 would be manageable. Most importantly, it would be enjoyable. I could run 5 miles a day for 2-3 days during the week. I could do long runs of 12-15 miles. I could toss in another weekend run of 6-8 miles. All of this would be manageable and, like I said, enjoyable.

So today, I officially registered for the Las Vegas Half Marathon. It's not going to be a speedy PR race, but it's going to be a heck of a lot of fun.

Posted by Dawn at 03:33 PM | Comments (3)