December 20, 2007

Hiatus

I'm realizing that I'm just not writing enough these days about my running to make it worth keeping a totally separate blog for it. So, for the time being, I'm just going to babble on about running-related things over at my other blog. Come on by!

If you just want to read my running-related content, you can see a listing of all running-related posts here, or you can subscribe to the RSS feed for running-only posts here. Let me know if you have trouble with either link.

I've shut down comments over here for now, mostly because the spammers were driving me nuts. If I find myself doing a lot of running/training-related writing again, I may start posting over here again. For now, though, just check out my main site and we'll go from there.

Posted by Dawn at 08:08 AM

November 10, 2007

Tagged!

I've been tagged!

Rules:

My Tagger:

Karin - a fellow lunatic marathon runner from the UK

Five Random Facts About Me:

  1. I am an INFJ. I took two separate Meyers-Briggs inventories, 10 years apart, and they both had the same end result.
  2. I was absolutely terrified of down escalators as a child, going so far as to refuse to get on one without holding someone's hand, since I was absolutely convinced I was going to go tumbling down it head-first. I finally got over it when I found myself on a trip to Niagara with the Girl Scouts, and was faced with going down an escalator in a mall there. Since I couldn't exactly ask one of the other girls to hold my hand, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and somehow managed to get on the escalator without killing myself or bursting into tears. I was 11.
  3. I have a bizarre knack for remembering schedules, appointments, meetings, etc. Anything that gets marked on a calendar. I've wound up doubling as some sort of administrative assistant for every guy I've ever gone out with, since I usually know when they're supposed to be someplace or do something even if they don't. I may not be able to tell you what I had for breakfast this morning, but I can give you my schedule for the next 6 months off the top of my head without a problem.
  4. I've been to Space Camp twice - once during Spring Break in 6th grade, and once over Winter Break my senior year of high school. It still totally kills me that I'm too short to be a pilot (the height requirement is 5'4"... I'm 5'3"), even though I now realize I'm probably horribly suited to it given my complete inability to visualize things in 3 dimensions.
  5. The longest I've gone without moving since graduating from college is 18 months. Yes, I've been moving every year (on average) for the past 6 1/2 years. Yes, I'm really good at it now, and, yes, the thought of ever moving again makes me want to dig my eyes out with a spoon. I claim that I'm going to stay in my current apartment until I'm ready to buy something, but I also know that the odds of that actually happening are probably pretty slim.
The Tagees:

Leah, Barb, Susan, Catherine, Rachel

Posted by Dawn at 11:46 AM | Comments (1)

September 18, 2007

Educational

While out for a sunrise recovery ride this morning, I discovered why cyclists always seem to be wearing sunglasses, regardless of how sunny it actually is outside.

It's not just because they think it looks cool. It's because a bug in your eye at 20 MPH hurts like a bitch.

Posted by Dawn at 12:10 PM | Comments (1)

August 31, 2007

To Nike+? Or Not?

Ever since Nike introduced their Nike+ system last year, I've been intrigued by it. However, since I didn't have an iPod Nano and didn't really feel the need to get one, it just wasn't an option for me.

Well, through a series of events, I have a chance to get a Nano and Nike+ system at little or no cost to myself. However, I'm wondering if it'll be worth it - what sayeth the existing Nike+ users out there? Some things to consider:

  1. I don't normally run with music, although I do occasionally. My biggest objection to it before (outside of safety/awareness) was the heavy bouncing of my iPod. However, now that I've got the Shuffle, that's not an issue.
  2. I already have a GPS watch that tells me how far I've run
  3. Do I really need to have a regular iPod, a Nano, and a Shuffle? That just seems excessive, you know?
I'm sort of on the fence right now - those of you that have it, do you like it? What do you get out of it?

In other news, I had an hour-long tempo run last night, and I totally ran the 10K that I wanted to run on Sunday. On one hand - drat. On the other - well, at least I had a good run. (Although it would have been better if the last 3 miles hadn't been directly into the wind. Alas.)

Posted by Dawn at 12:47 PM | Comments (3)

August 22, 2007

Things You Do Not Want To Hear From Your Boyfriend The Week Before Your Big Race

"I have mono."

Posted by Dawn at 06:21 AM | Comments (2)

August 03, 2007

Awesome

Couch to 5K podcasts!

I feel like I should admit that I've never actually used the C25K program. When I started running, I just sort of went for it, running as far as I could and then stopping when I was done. When I started training for my first half marathon, I used a Galloway program, but I just sort of winged the run/walk intervals - I started out walking for a minute or two every mile, then it was every two miles, and then I just sort of stopped walking.

That said, when people tell me they want to start running and ask me how to do it, I always recommend C25K. It's a solid program, and while I don't have any personal experience with it I know lots of people who have used it, loved it, and have, well, gone from sitting on the couch to running a 5K. It's definitely a more structured approach to getting a running start (pun totally intended) than the one I used, and if these podcasts get more people to use the program and start running then it can only be a good thing.

Thanks to Julie for bringing this to my attention.

Posted by Dawn at 09:17 PM

April 13, 2007

Is This Thing Still On?

Hello! Man, it's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that - I've been active on the general blog, but I just haven't had much to say about the running in a while. I am running, and in fact I will definitely be running The Pig on May 6 (taper starts after this weekend! EEEK!). Even more surprising, I think I might actually be in pretty good shape for it. The hills are going to kill me, and it's not going to be fast, but I think it'll actually be OK. My 18-mile run the other week was far, far better than I expected, so I'm feeling good about this weekend's 20-miler and the upcoming race. If nothing else, I'll have a good time and get to enjoy the beautiful Ohio River valley scenery.

But, yeah, haven't really felt like writing about the running much lately, and it took me forever to figure out why. Then I realized something: there's nothing new or exciting about my running this year, really. The first year, I was training for my first marathon, so it was all new and exciting. First 15-miler! First 16-miler! First 20-miler! First marathon! Every week, I was breaking new ground, and it was awesome. Then, last year, I was getting faster and breaking PRs nearly every time I turned around, so that was exciting, too. This year? Well, it's my 3rd time through this whole marathon trip, and I'm certainly not running fast enough to set PRs. Not only did is strike me as boring and not worth talking about, but it was depressing. I think the main reason that I'm not running as fast as last year is the simple fact that my training hasn't been as consistent - I'm using the same program I used last spring, but because I'm not being as consistent about it (On a good week I'll hit all my miles; on a bad week? Well, there have been more than a couple of weeks where I've run 0-10 miles. Total. Eeek.) it's not working as much magic as it was last year, although it is still doing its job (get my butt in shape to cover 26.2 miles without dying). Then there's the matter of the extra 10 pounds of junk in the trunk that I'm carrying around this year. While it's not a huge amount, it's probably not helping things.

At any rate, I spent a lot of time being frustrated by the above and feeling fat and out-of-shape. Sure, I could run 15 miles... but not as fast as I used to! Then I realized that was OK. I mean, I could still run 15 miles, which is way more than I ever thought I would be able to do. Not to mention way more than most of the general public could probably do. (Special thanks for helping me get this in perspective goes to the new boyfriend: I was whining about how I felt slow and out of shape after a 13-mile run, and he was all, "Out of shape? But, um, you just ran a half-marathon? I think that means you're in pretty good shape.) Then I gave it some more thought, and I realized something so obvious, I really should have seen it before: the structure of my life this year is completely different than it was last year, so maybe I should take another look at my training goals and see if they needed some adjusting? So I did, and here's what I found:

Last year: I had recently broken up with a guy, so I had all sorts of time and energy to put into training. I wanted to get faster, and I was willing to bust my butt to do it. Work was awful and stressful, and running/training was one of the few things I felt like I had control over and could succeed at, so I buried myself in it. I worked my butt off, I got faster, and it was all good. (Well, until I got the Cold That Would Not Die, had to take two weeks off, and realized I'd totally burned myself out. Oops.)

This year: Well, there was the extra poundage that found me during the end of last year when I wasn't so much running. Plus, I'm busier - I spend more time with my friends, I have a new boyfriend - I have a lot more outside of work to juggle with my training. Work is better, but it's still stressful sometimes, and I use running to relax and ponder, rather than to escape. I'd rather go out for a leisurely 6 mile run than bust my ass on some speedwork. Sure, it feels good to push it every now and then, but my program now is heavy on the speedwork and I'm just not feeling it.

So I readjusted. Re-evaluated. Step 1: Accept that The Pig is not going to be a fast race for me. Instead, I'm just going to take it relatively easy and enjoy it. (Well, as much as my self-competitive spirit will let me.) It's not about the time on the clock, but about the experience. Once I started thinking that way, I found myself looking forward to it a lot more, since the pressure was off.

Step 2: Figure out a training schedule that fits in with my new schedule: morning or evening runs? Long runs on Saturday or Sunday? The past few months have been something of an experiment, and I've learned a lot. I've learned that for some reason, it's easier for me to get out and do a long run on Saturday rather than Sunday. I've learned that it's easier for me to roll out of bed at 5:30 and drag my butt into work (then leave early and run in the afternoon) than it is to get up at the same time and run before work. I've also learned that this plan goes flying out the window if I have to work late since I won't get home in time to run before it gets dark. Also, there's something nice about getting the run done in the morning - it wakes me up, gets me ready to face the day, and I don't have to say, "No, I can't go out after work - I have to go home and run" if last-minute plans pop up. However, that doesn't mean that it's still really stinking hard to get up before sunrise and run.

Step 3: Forget speed this year. Instead of hitting intervals and tempo runs 2 or 3 days a week, focus on lots of nice easy miles. I'm a pretty low mileage runner - I've never really gone past 40 miles a week, and my average is probably closer to 20 - so I've got plenty of room to grow here. Plus, lots of nice easy miles will help improve my base fitness, which is certainly not a bad thing.

Step 4: Bring back the running blog! I enjoy running more when I get to geek out about it, and since very few of my friends are runners, this is where I get to do that. Even if all I say is, "I ran 6 miles this morning, and it was awesome," then it'll help me, I think. Plus, I miss the feeling that there are people out there following along in my training with me and getting pumped about race day right along with me. Sure, my friends get excited and are supportive of this crazy thing I do that they don't quite get, but they really don't want to hear the gory details about how I get there. But someone out there probably does, and I'd hate to deny them that opportunity. Plus, the RBF is a great community and I miss being an active part of it. I've been out there, reading and commenting, but it's just not the same, you know?

Step 5: Get serious about dropping the extra weight I picked up. I've been "sort of trying" to get rid of it for a few months, but I really haven't been trying all that hard. I think what I need here is some accountability, and I think what I'm going to do is steal an idea from Veg*Triathlete and do daily summary posts, like this. Sure, it's going to be boring as all get out for a lot of you to read, but having some public accountability (or at least the perception of it) will certainly make me thing twice about having beer and pizza for dinner or bagging my run because I'm feeling lazy, you know? Besides, if it's too boring for you to read, you can always go and read something else. 'Tis the beauty of the internets.

Wow. That was a long one. So, to sum up: I'm back! I'm finding my lost mojo, and I'm going to resume telling you all about it whether you like it or not.

Man, it's good to be back. I've missed you guys.

Posted by Dawn at 09:46 AM | Comments (2)

March 26, 2007

For Juls

For Juls

A bright sunny day, getting ready to go for a run with 30,000 of my closest friends.

You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers, Juls.

Posted by Dawn at 07:33 AM

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)

September 21, 2006

Accel Gel Review

Long long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I got an e-mail from the Accelerade folks asking me to try some of their new flavors and then tell the blogiverse all about it. I did try the products (both AccelGel and Accelerade), but haven't been able to get my review together for the longest time. Finally, I've had enough time to clear my head, get my thoughts together, and present them to you.

We'll start with the AccelGel. The timing of the offer actually couldn't have been better - my box of standard Just Plain Gu was running low, and I was pondering trying out AccelGels instead. I know quite a few runners who swear by them, and figured it was worth a shot. I'd actually sampled one last summer, and while it tasted just fine, let's just say that my digestive system wasn't exactly happy with it. However, I'd noticed this summer that my GI system was far less sensitive to what I was consuming pre-run, so I figured it was time to give the AccelGel another spin.

The new AccelGel flavor is orange, which worried me. I've tried the orange PowerGel, ClifShot, and Gu and hated all of them. Really, most fruit-flavored gels kind of squick me out except for banana. However, in the name of science, I approached it with an open mind. I'd been sent two gels - I figured I'd try one before a short run (just in case my system was still, um, violently opposed to the AccelGel) and then if that went OK, I'd use one on a longer run. Gel #1 was consumed about 30 minutes before a 5-mile run one evening. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste, actually. It wasn't overly citrus-y, but was more like a creamsicle. Definitely tasty. Even better: I finished the 5 miles without any rumblys in my tumbly. Time to test drive it on a long run.

The long run I used it on was a beast - 13 miles total, with the last 3 at half-marathon pace. I stopped around the 8 mile point and washed it down with some water - again, I was surprised by the creamsicle flavor of it, and was glad to see that I still thought it was tasty after nearly 90 minutes of running (the longer I run, the pickier I get about these things). Really, my biggest problem with consuming the gel was the size of the package - it's far wider than the Gu packs, and it's hard for me to fit the whole thing in my mouth to suck all the gel out. Having the gel in a narrower but longer package would be my preference, but this may just be one of those things that only bothers me. I'm OK with that. I still managed to get it all down and then continued on my run.

Everything seemed fine - I didn't get the noticeable burst of energy that I get from Gu, but that's probably due to the fact that Gu contains caffeine and AccelGel doesn't. Not including the burst, though, I felt just as nourished on the Accel Gel as I did on the Gu. Everything was going fantastically, until the 12.5 mile mark when I felt an urgent need for a bathroom coming on. Apparently, sucking down protein during my run is still a bad idea for me. (I had an opportunity to test this theory a couple of weeks later, when I had a 14-mile version of this workout scheduled. Everything was the same - pre-run breakfast of peanut butter toast with honey, on-the-run drinks of Gatorade and water - except I took Gu instead of the Accel Gel and didn't have the same desperate "make it to the gas station at the corner" experience.)

Final verdict on the Citrus Orange Accel Gel? Tasty, but just not for me.

Coming soon: My thoughts on Accelerade.

Posted by Dawn at 03:34 PM | Comments (2)

July 21, 2006

Can Anyone Tell Me...

...why lemon-lime Gatorade is so tasty when you buy it as a pre-mixed ready-to-drink beverage, yet so awful when you buy it as a powder and mix it yourself?

The orange Gatorade powder doesn't have this problem, so what's up, lemon-lime?

Posted by Dawn at 08:10 PM | Comments (3)

Tour de Wow

Anyone out there watching the Tour de France coverage? Did you see yesterday's stage? Was that not the most amazing thing ever?

I've heard a few people say that they weren't too into following the Tour this year since most of the big names were out. Personally, that made it all the more interesting to me - this is only the second year I've really paid attention to it, and with no big names, it could be anybody's race. It would be an entirely different beast from last year.

If you haven't seen yesterday's stage yet, watch it. Take the 4 hours to watch it on your TiVo. Find highlights online. See if your neighbor taped it. Heck, if you ask nicely, I'll even send you a tape of it. To avoid spoilers for those of you that haven't watched it yet but plan to (do it now! What are you waiting for!), I'll put my full thoughts in the extended entry.

Now go! Watch it! And the rest of the race, too, while you're at it. It's just starting to get good. Some background: Going into Wednesday's stage, Floyd Landis was in the lead by a couple of minutes. Then, on the last climb of the day, he crashed and burned. Hard. He looked awful - he just had that glazed dead look on his face that people get when they just hit the wall. By the time the day was over, he was 8 minutes behind the overall lead. Out of the top 10.

I felt for the guy. We all know what it feels like to hit the wall like that in a training run. We all know what it feels like to do it in a race. But to do it in the biggest race of your life, in front of a worldwide audience? Duuuuude. I can't even imagine how he must have felt.

Wednesday morning, I saw a note from someone telling me to be sure and watch today's stage, because something amazing was underway. For that reason, I fired up the TiVo once I was home and ready to settle in - even though it was already 9 p.m. I was going to be up way, way past my bedtime. It was totally worth it.

By the time OLN jumped in with their live coverage, Landis had already gotten ahead of the main group, and was slowly making his way to the front of the race. I watched. I was riveted. I sat there for 4 hours willing him to hang on to that lead, to not lose it, to not crash like he'd done the day before. I crossed my fingers and held my breath and begged the cycling gods to give him one good day.

It was absolutely amazing. By the end of the day, he was back up in the top 3, and only 30 seconds out of the lead. 30 seconds. He could still totally win this thing.

To me, that's a huge part of what being an athlete is all about. Digging in and pulling out the performance of your life, even if everyone thinks you're toast. Maybe it's coming back from behind to win a big race, or maybe it's just dragging your aching self through the last 10K of a marathon when all you want to do is lie down on the side of the road. It's all the same. It's all inspiring, and it's all why we keep chugging on through the bad days - because when those amazing days happen, there's nothing in the world like it.

Seriously, if you haven't seen it yet, do it. That offer to send tapes out is 100% valid - just leave a comment and we'll work something out.

I can't wait to see how this race shakes out - it's still wide open, and anything could happen.

Posted by Dawn at 10:30 AM | Comments (4)

May 16, 2006

Good Advice

I got an e-mail from a friend this morning that contained the following gem:
I think you need more rock climbing. Stop thinking about running. You have done the training and are READY!

I'm totally going to put that on a pillow, because it is spot-on.

Posted by Dawn at 12:55 PM | Comments (2)

April 06, 2006

Behind

I am so behind on this right now. I owe you guys a race report from the 8k I ran on Sunday. Then there's the running I didn't do last week when I was totally stoned out on NyQuil and the running I have done this week now that I'm feeling better. Then there's the new schedule I got from my coach, which I'm equally excited about and afraid of. However, there's also the fact that my job has sort of exploded in my face recently, which has been an adventure, although one that severely cuts into my blogging time. Add in the fact that I'm in meetings all day every day this week and my two major customers are both having crises and, well, yeah. Not so much with the time to do the updating. But I'm still here, I'm still running, and I'll be back soon to fill you in on everything you missed. Promise.

Posted by Dawn at 07:30 AM | Comments (2)

December 30, 2005

Things That Shall Not Be Mentioned

Posted by Dawn at 08:28 AM | Comments (2)

November 08, 2005

Moving vs. Marathoning

This weekend, I moved. I decided to save a few dollars and just rent a truck, moving myself. Me, Tall Asian Man, my friend L and her husband were the moving crew. I didn't have much, but a lot of what I had was heavy. And I moved into a third floor walkup. It sucked, and by the end of the day, we were all wiped.

As TAM and I were walking to L's place for showers and dinner, he turned to me and said, "You know, as much as that sucked, I think running a marathon would have to be harder. Now I'm really impressed."

And, you know what? I had to agree with him, that hauling all my crap up to the third floor, while tiring, was nothing compared to my day in Detroit. He had a whole new appreciation for what I did that day, and, I must say, it felt good.

Posted by Dawn at 08:38 PM | Comments (2)

November 03, 2005

Random Observation

A year ago, googling my name would get you a few hits from my sorority's web page, a few from my site, and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff, most of which was regarding people that aren't me.

Yesterday, I googled myself to see what would pop up - the sorority web page is still the first thing listed, there's still the random court ruling that isn't me, but most of that miscellaneous stuff? Has been replaced by online race results.

On one hand, if someone that knew me in high school or college googled me to see what I've been up to lately, their first thought would be, "that must be a different Dawn." On the other, I think it's pretty darn cool. Even the internet thinks that I'm a Real Runner now.

Posted by Dawn at 04:18 PM | Comments (1)