Getting back in the groove - kind of

Well after being totally laid out with the flu for more than a week, I finally began my trek back into running.

It hasn't been the greatest last few weeks/months of running. With being back and forth to KY with a full work load, it wasn't easy to keep up with the miles I wanted to be running in preparation of my next half scheduled for a week from today. I was managing a few miles here and there and had hoped to come back from KY with at least time for one decent longer run of 8 miles - but with the flu I couldn't make that happen.

Oh well. It is what it is.

So on Friday I finally decided that the flu had passed enough. I was not (still am not) 100% but feel that it wasn't unreasonable to give a short run a shot.

Well, Friday was rough. I just did one test mile and everything was on fire. My legs felt heavy and my chest was screaming. I finished that mile in a coughing fit and all that carrying on only netted me a 12'26 pace. Which is OK. I guess. Again, it is what it is.

The lungs on fire feeling and the coughing fit passed and I felt like I could do it again. So yesterday I set out for two miles. It was good. My lungs still burned and I still ended with a coughing fit but the same 'feeling' effort resulted in a 10'55 pace. A little better. Tomorrow I will attempt a 3 or 4 miler.

Being that I literally only ran 26 miles for the whole month of April and more than half of that was within the first 7 days of April, i am shitting a brick about my half next Sunday. I've got no goal but to finish it and I'm still not sure what my plan to do that is - walk/run? Run really slow? Just run and hope for the best? Hitchhike the last 3 miles? I just don't know.

April's unimpressive milage. Yeesh.

The last year seems to have been tough for me to train the way I've really wanted to for these halves and I'm kinda bummed about that. I was really looking forward to perfectly executing (or at least coming somewhere near the vicinity) of my training plan this time. I am dying to run a race where I feel "ready" or as ready as I can be - I want to go in feeling strong and capable of running my fastest race - not trying to figure out how much I'll need to walk to get to the finish line :/

Oh well. It is what it is.

Maybe next time.

Have you ever felt under-trained for a race?

XO
Jen

Wordless Wednesday

XO

Jen

In a funk

The last post I put together was pre-flight last Monday on my way back from KY. It was a semi-fun/boring blog post talking about how I ran a few miles in the hills of KY, waved at cows and enjoyed Spring-like temps. I also talked about making my first "tri" purchase - a pair of goggles (actually a three pack) that I picked up at Walmart.

I then went on to say how my heart was swelling with runner's excitement because though I couldn't be there or watch it, The Boston Marathon was going on at that very moment.

I didn't post that blog at that minute because since I wrote it at the airport and the pictures couldn't load, I figured I'd just post it that night when I got home.

As I landed in Philly and hurried for my next flight the texts started to come in - "OMG are you OK?" "You weren't running were you?" "Are you in Boston or NJ?"

Clearly, this was from non-running friends because every person on the planet would know I was running Boston if I was. But you know.  Anyway, I had no idea what this barrage was all about until my friend spilled the gruesome and unbelievable news via this text message: "They bombed the Boston Marathon."

What? They what? Speechless is an understatement. Horror and then fear as I worried for my friends who were actually running it. I had to board my next flight and I had no information.

I don't have to tell you what happened next. I got home and have felt nothing less than shaken by this since - as all of us runners have.

I was slammed with work but made the time to run one mile on Tuesday for the people of Boston.

And then I started my downward spiral into the worse case of the flu I've ever had. It has knocked me on my ass. I'm not even motivated to eat and even in my darkest hour I can muster up an appetite.

So I've had this awful chest and flu thing forever now. I haven't run since that one mile. I can't shake Boston, I can't shake this flu. I feel weak and depressed and just want to run because when I feel yucky that is what I do but now I've got no place to go with this yucky-ness because up until today I couldn't even get my head off the pillow, never mind my feet in a pair of sneakers.

I'm sorry to whine and I feel guilty for my funk. I have the flu, eventually I will run again. I wasn't in Boston. I have all my limbs, I am shaken but won't feel the post traumatic stress that some who ran that day might.

Anyway, sorry for the poor me fest. I wanted to update you in case you were wondering where I've been.

Hopefully I'll be back soon.

XO
Jen

Just signed up for my first triathlon!!! Iron Girl Sandy Hook here I come!

Yeeeeehaaaa!

Whoooo hooooo!!

I did it, I did it, I did it. I signed up for my first triathlon!

Yippppp. Whoa. Wait a minute. I did what?

Um. I don't even have a bike or a place to swim or a training plan or really a clue of what I'm getting myself into.

Gulp.

I mean I did have this kinda "Tri" week. Remember? It was my first time on a bike in a loooong time and I wasn't the steadiest.

It's not the first time I've signed up for a race and went from exuberance to gripping fear. I mean it is how this blog started in the first place. Right? I felt the same gripping fear about running my first (only) marathon too.

But doing a tri is different. Training is different - there's water and wheels and transitions. Wetsuits and stuff. Lots and lots of stuff it seems.

I've been liking the idea of doing a triathlon for a very long time. I silently get a little jealous every time I see someone sporting a "swim, bike, run" sticker. I also have very good friends like Jen and Jason who do epic things like Ironman and Rev3 and even my friend Angela has made the leap.

You're gonna be mine!

So, when I pulled up to my Weight Watcher's meeting for my monthly weigh-in this past Saturday and saw an afore-mentioned sticker on someone's car, the slow burn of want began again.

As I stepped to the scale, I heard my weigher say to her co-worker - I'm so excited for my next triathlon. Oh. She was the owner of said sticker.

I looked down at my race tech tee from a previous half marathon, and said softly, "I've always wanted to do a tri." She looked at my tech tee and said, "if you can run half marathons, I bet you could do my favorite tri!"

She went on to tell me of the Iron Girl Triathlon in Sandy Hook, NJ scheduled to take place on September 8, 2013. She said it was AWESOME and welcoming to newbies. She said that I could even swim with a noodle and bike with training wheels if I had to (Uh, I'll be doing neither, for the record.) And went on and on about how wonderful of an event it was.

Best part? All girls. Which will be fun and take a little pressure off for the first time out. And is it wrong (don't answer this Jason) that I'm secretly a little giddy that it's called "Iron Girl?"

Some things are just fate.

I never go to WW on a Saturday morning and have never seen this weigher before. I wouldn't have signed up if it wasn't for this woman gushing but before I even heard the good news that I was down .4 pounds (and still steadily (barely) but steadily holding onto my weight loss goal and lifetime status) I knew in my heart of hearts that I was sold.

So I'll have to figure out a bike and swimming and the stuff.

I contacted the folks at Iron Girl and told them about my blog. They were super excited to hear I'll be documenting my training journey and get this - they are offering you, my darling readers, a coupon code to sign up too if you want to join me!

A coupon code! I feel so fancy.

You can save $10 off your registration by registering here and entering coupon code IGFINISHLINE

The event is a 1/2 mile swim / 10 mile bike ride / 3 mile run. Perfect amount of attainable and challenging for a first event I think.

Here's a video that shows the essence of the Iron Girl event:



So here goes nothing! I'll be blogging my journey. First up? I guess I need to get a bike of some sort.

XO
Jen

4 people at the gym I just don't get

When the weather sucks I head to the gym to use a treadmill - one of the upsides to using a treadmill is the opportunity to people watch.

While the majority of my fellow workout peeps are just going through their own workout there have been a few folks that have made me scratch my head and go "hmmm." I see these type folks EVERY time I go to the gym and every time I see them I think, I need to blog about this. So here it is.

Here are four gym goer types that I just don't get:

photo credit 

1. The dude in jeans. Uh. I don't get you, sir. I admire your commitment to fitness but I can't see why you're in jeans. They are heavy, don't breathe and let's not begin to consider the chafing that can occur. It wouldn't be so weird if it was a fluke thing (I mean I even did a little run in snow boots when I was in Kentucky just because I was desperate to run and didn't have sneakers with me) but I've seen a few jean-clad dudes at the gym and it just seems like an unusual wardrobe choice for working out.
2. The text-ercisers. I get it, once in a while something important happens and you might be interrupted in the middle of your workout to take a call or send a text. I'm not talking about that guy. I'm talking about the guy who drags at a 1.1 on the treadmill, texts for 20 minutes and goes home. Huh? I've seen a few people do this and it always makes me scratch my head. If you're going to bother to get to the gym don't you want to make it count a little? I guess it's better than just sitting on your ass and texting which leads me to…
3. The seat warmers. These are the folks who got their asses to the gym to apparently warm seats all day. They sit on the exercise bikes or a weight machine and seem to never actually use the equipment. Often they are text-ercising or chatting with other seat warmers. Sometimes they are the dudes in jeans or they are…
4. The prom queens. These are the girls who show up in very fancy workout clothing or short-short shorts and a Victoria Secret bombshell bra under a tank top. They sport perfect hair and makeup and usually have something written across the ass of their short-shorts. The prom queen almost never works out alone. (To be fair I'm usually pretty jealous of the prom queen's legs - perfect even though they don't work out hard.)  Prom queens can usually be found side-by-side on an elliptical machine having a conversation about something like last night's episode of The Bachelor. Even though they are on an elliptical, they move slowly as to not have their makeup melt or a boob pop out. If one goes to the bathroom the other immediately becomes a seat warming text-erciser. 

Anyone at your gym that you just don't get?

XO

Jen