Holy Roids

So today I woke up with my first experience of the "roids." It's horrible! I went to google "can running cause hemorrhoids" and when I had typed can running cause...., hemorrhoids came up without having to type it. So I guess more people have this issue than I think? I never thought I'd be prone to hemorrhoids because I eat my dose of fiber and have no issues with you know what. So what gives? Do any other runners have this problem?

Also, lets just say I was super happy tonight for the self-checkout aisle. I usually don't get embarrassed but I seriously felt like I was 16 and buying tampons. :-)

Knocking off item #1

So...the run last weekend. It was "only" a 13-miler. Love that I can say "only" when in reality it isn't an "only" number; just seems "only" since I already did a 20-miler. Anyhoo...it went ok for the most part. I had some great stuff to write about that was funny during the run but now I can't remember what those things are!

It was the most gorgeous day for a run! And I decided to run along the Mount Vernon Trail. Oh, so beautiful. It's been a while since I've been there to run or bike. Only problem with running there is wishing you lived there! There are so many cute, old houses that I would love to move into. I'm really jealous of whomever gets to live there!

The run was going great until about mile 4 when my stomach started rumbling. Not good! I squeezed, and I squeezed. Then I started looking for a spot. Umm, that trail is so not situated for runners with stomach issues. Or anyone with stomach issues for that matter. It took me at least 2 miles to find a spot I could actually hide in both directions. Stomach was not OK the remainder of the run and I ended up stopping 2 more times. I think it was the gels...maybe I need to just try and eat less at once??

Other than that I felt great. My legs started feeling a little heavy at points but that was just because I had to run faster to get to a point I could stop :-).

After that I got a little "me" time in since my MIL was watching the boy. I decided to eat at Chipotle in Old Town. yum. I've tried to recreate their rice a few times and I have had no success! What is their secret?????? Then I strolled over to Ann Taylor Loft to buy a few things; and tried unsuccessfully to buy a pair of skinny jeans. I thought that because I am thinner now I might be able to fit into them. Not so much at all. Can you say thunder thighs???

And since it was so nice out I got a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks and kept on a walking. Old town is just so beautiful. I love that area and really wish we lived there (too bad it's way too freaking expensive). Then a lady with a little girl stopped and asked me if I was a tourist. I said, well I guess so since I don't really live here. I was ready to give directions but no, she was just explaining to her daughter why tourists come to Old Town and then made a point to say "see, honey, we are lucky to live here." I was like, gee thanks, RUB IT IN WHY DON'T YOU. :-) I'm beginning to see that suburban life is just not for me. Way too boring, fake and cookie cutter. Not my cup of tea. But it is a good area and close to the country. But I think this country girl has officially been citified!

Anyways, that was my Sunday in a nutshell. I've had a couple good runs this week...still have to get out for today's run. But the legs are feeling heavy and I don't know if that's an ok sign or if I should take a day off. But it is the last big week: last 20-miler this weekend...YAY!

Well, the boy has woken from sleepy-hood and is yelling "mama" at the top of his lungs so I guess my break is over!

Needing to post

- run report from this weekend.

- my internal war between working and not working

- stressful life

- missing the Army (guess that goes back to point number 2)

I'll get to these SOMEDAY. Ha Ha!

NY Times article about slower marathoners

I just finished reading this....kind of interesting. I guess personally, I could care less if slower runners run the marathon or not. There was a group of about 6 who trained for my last marathon. I mostly ran with one other girl since she was the same pace as I am; the others were a bit slower than us. And even though they ended up running the marathon about an hour and a half slower, they still finished it. Do I think they "ruined" the race; nope. Do I get the points about increasing costs by keeping it open longer...sure, and if that's the reason they have a time limit I totally understand. But lets not create a time limit just to keep the mystique of the marathon there. I have yet to come across a person who thinks a marathon is easy! Although I am really surprised to read that only 20% of last year's NYC Marathon participants finished in 5:30 or less. I never realized such a large group finished slower than that!

Here's the article:

Plodders Have a Place, but Is It in a Marathon?

Pre-Race and Race Nutrition

I'm curious to see what everyone eats before their runs. I was doing a bagel and peanut butter but I am not sure that is enough since last weekend I was starved before I started the run. Might have to try something different!

And I was doing a gel and water during my run...started at 30 mins and then every 30 after. BUT now that it is colder out it seems that drinking the water with the gel seems to be too much because I had to stop to pee twice on my long run. Does anyone else have any race nutrition plans that don't include so much water? Or maybe I don't have to drink so much water with the gel...need to work on that this weekend. I only have a few longer runs left to work on this stuff so I better get it figured out before the big day! :-)

Love Hate Relationship

I have a serious love hate relationship with my gadgets. So you know how I said I had issues with my foot pod to my Polar running watch last week? Well, we're still having issues. It isn't working and the only thing I can do at this point is send it in to Polar. I really don't want to give it up; I am really attached to it! Part of me says "hey, you can do this...just run for feel." But you know, sometimes I just like to know how fast I am going. I honestly would have no problem turning it in if I could keep my watch and just train by HR. BUT I have to send that in too! The only other option is to throw $50 bucks down for a new pod and then just send the whole thing in later on after the marathon. I guess it might be helpful to have two pods just in case I have issues again...then I always have a back up. I just wish they'd send me a new one :-)

In some ways not knowing my speed is a bit liberating. It forces me to get back to just running to run. I mean, sure I'm still checking my HR every so often just to be sure I'm not climbing up into the red areas. But it really is nice not to be so concerned with hitting the right pace. Maybe this is happening for a good reason? But it would be nice to have the sucker for the marathon so I can maintain a slow pace for the beginning, because I know I will go with the crowds and go out too fast if I don't have something to reign me in! But then again, I only had a watch for the last marathon so I could technically be ok :-)

I can't wait to get out for my run today! Gotta love this warmer Fall weather!!!

Check out "lil Runner's giveaway!!

Lil Runner is hosting a giveaway for some great items. Check it out!!!

Doesn't this look yummy??

Click on the pic for the link to the recipe :-) Happy Fall!

The WORST Run.....EVER

Where to start, where to start. I had my long run yesterday and as I wrote earlier I was deciding on running with a group or not. Well, I decided I would of course when I learned that I could meet someone there! Why not, right? And by meet I mean meet one of the bloggers I follow. I'll first preface this by saying I was really, really excited for this run because I really thought I'd be kicking its ass. I had two great runs (albeit short) on Friday and Saturday. I felt awesome. Like I could run for miles. So I thought I"d have a great run on Sunday. I ran both easy at a 9 min pace, but my HR was only at about 60-65% so I thought I"d feel great and might even push my planned 9:00 pace to about 8:30 to 8:45 for a bulk of the run and then push it out to a 8:15-8:00 for a few miles.

Now....let me get back to why it was the worst run ever. All day Saturday I was just in a pissy mood. I am soooooo sick of my husband's current assignment and am really ready for him to be done with it but I know we still have at least 6 more months of this shitty situation. To say I HATE his job right now is an understatement. I am sick of carrying everything on my shoulders. Most days I handle it ok; I understand and get it that it is my job as a stay-at-home mom. But every couple months I have a day like I did Saturday. And it doesn't top it off that he is sick right now (and only home for a few days). So much for helping out around here! So Saturday night I went to bed early so I'd be well rested for the run. I couldn't sleep. too much on my mind and I was still pissed at the hubby. So I started talking to the hubby about it and needless to say we had some lively conversations...err...arguments. Hubby isn't the worst husband ever. He does help out around here when he can. He tries. Most of the time. It's more his jobs fault than it is his at this point. Anyway, enough bitchin' about that.

Back to the run.....here is a recap and a list of my possible mistakes that made it so crappy...

MISTAKE numero one: I didn't fall asleep until about 12:30 1:00 at least because I was so bothered by it all. So...up and at 'em at 5:30. I get up, make my bagel and PB. Had a half a cup of coffee.

MISTAKE numero two: I was only able to eat 3/4 of the bagel because I was nervous about meeting the running group. I know, I am retarded. I'm way more of an introvert than an extrovert. I hopped in the car a little later than I planned. I knew the route because I googled it earlier so I could do a little recon since I hate relying on my GPS alone. And wouldn't you know that all this prep AND having a GPS would do me no good?

MISTAKE numero three: I made two wrong turns and was 10 minutes late because of it. I got to the parking lot just in time to see the group heading out. So freakin' frustrating!!!!! And since no one knew me I didn't feel like yelling out at them asking them to stop. Not a great way to meet a group :-). So.....I sat in my car pissed at myself for my shitty driving skills. I then get out and get ready to go.

MISTAKE numero four: Hop on the trail only to discover my stupid footpod isn't working. I hate doing my long runs without being able to track my pace. But in the back of my mind I'm thinking maybe I can catch the group if I run fast enough.

MISTAKE numero five: I went out way too fast...went out about a half a mile and then realized I was on the wrong trail. CRAP! At this point I decide I might as well just run back to the parking lot and get a quarter from the car to see if I can reset my foot pod. Tried for about 5 mins and then decided it wasn't happening. So I head out again, and at least on the right trail this time. But at this point I should have been about 20 minutes into my run. I failed to remember this little point and didn't account for this in my nutrition plan. I should have eaten one of the bananas I brought with me. But I didn't. And I pretty much bonked since I waited till I was 30 mins into my run to start taking my gels. Ugg.

I felt like shit. I was so frustrated and upset. I didn't want to run 20 miles by myself. Luckily it is REALLY scenic and pretty on the trail. But I am not kidding when I say I had to push myself the entire run. There was no runner's high on this run. My heart rate SUCKED. Ya know that low HR I had on my two previous runs...ya, nowhere in site for this run. I was running a "slow" 9:20 pace and my HR was at about 70-72%. My legs felt so heavy and my heart rate was shit.

And to top it off I almost twisted my ankle like three times during the run. Stupid rocks and whatever kind of nut shells were on the trail. :-) I'm pretty sure that whatever wildlife ran for their dear lives when they heard me curse as loud as I did!!!

So lessons learned from this run: leave on time...and really, really watch my GPS. Eat more for breakfast. And don't let things get to me so much!! Hopefully I'll be able to meet my blogger friend some other time!!!!

Oh and to top off my shitty day...I got home and started the water to take an ice bath. Go downstairs to get the bag of ice I bought the night before and the icemaker full of ice (our water doesn't get very cold here). Put in the bag of ice and go out to take my clothes off and get my pumpkin spice latte and come back to discover all of the ice melted. Think to myself that it's weird it melted so quickly....put my hand in to discover that I had the HOT water on and not the cold. Dope!!! Yup, that pretty much topped off my day folks :-).

But the sun is shining today so here is hoping to a great week!!!!!

Group or no group?

I have an opportunity to do my 20-miler with a running group this weekend, but I have never met any of them before. I feel kind of weird just showing up to run with a bunch of strangers, but I don't really know if I want to run the 20-miler all by my lonesome. I know I can do it, but do I want to do it!!!?? Plus, I don't live near-by....more outside the beltway, so I'd have to drive in about a half hour to do it.

What do you guys think?

Check out the latest mile markers posting

If you don't already read Kristin Armstrong's blog please do! I love her writing!! Her latest post is a great one and you should check it out!!!

On the small side

On a daily basis I think to myself "I really, really, really miss my nursing boobs." At least then I could fill out a bra. I know it's already old news that your boobs just aren't the same after a pregnancy and breast feeding. But, when you start out as an "almost full a" cup size girl, it really is scary when you're all done. Even being a B cup has to be better because even though they might sag a bit those girls can still fill out a bra. My girls on the other hand, have no luck filling out a push up bra.

It makes shopping for bras soooo difficult! And I think it should be mandatory to show size A girls in the picks when you're shopping for bras in size "a." I mean THERE IS NO WAY the girls will ever look that "good" in that bra, vickie!!!!

So, I guess I'll just keep wearing my all-cotton, no-push-up style bras for the rest of my life. Until the next kid comes along that is :-).

OK, off to do my speedwork for the week!

No run today

well, I did get a run in yesterday and it actually felt pretty good! I can't remember if I even wrote that in the post so sorry if you're reading this the the second time :-)

BUT I didn't get one in today. I had planned on doing an afternoon run once munchkin woke up from his nap. Well, today of all days he slept for over 3 hours and he usually only sleeps for an hour and a half to 2 hrs. That didn't leave time to get out...oh well :-). Maybe if I am feeling like doing a little something I'll hop on downstairs to the rower and weights...at least get a little cardio in. This is why I have a hard time fitting in running...and why I remind myself that I just have to run in the morning and get it out of the way so that nothing can!

I did get this in my daily email from Spark (you all might get this already so it might also be something you read for the 2nd time :-)). But this is seriously icky...and you wonder how many people eat these without honestly realizing how bad they are for you!!!!

These are the top ten worst restaurant salads nutrition wise....again....yuck!

Number 10

Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Florentine Salad – 1,020 calories/17 grams/2,830 mg sodium

Number 9

Quiznos Chicken Caesar Flatbread Salad – 1,020 calories/69 grams fat/2,120 mg sodium

Number 8

Quiznos Roasted Chicken Flatbread Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing – 1,070 calories/71 grams fat/1,770 mg sodium

Number 7

Chili's Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad – 1,070 calories/77 grams fat/4,380 mg sodium

Number 6

Chili's Southwestern Cobb Salad – 1,080 calories/71 grams/2,650 mg sodium

Number 5

Ruby Tuesday's Carolina Chicken Salad – 1,129 calories/71 grams fat

Number 4

Baja Fresh Charbroiled Steak Tostada Salad – 1,230 calories/63 grams fat/2,380 mg sodium

Number 3

Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad – 1,390 calories/89 grams fat/2,710 mg sodium

Number 2

Chevy's Fresh Mex Grilled Fajita Salad made with Chicken, Carnitas, Shrimp or Steak - 1,450-1,620 calories/27-37 grams fat/1,570-2,530 mg sodium

And the Number 1 worst restaurant salad you may be eating is….

Chevy's Fresh Mex Tostada Salad with Chicken, Carnitas or Steak - 1,550-1,720 calories/37-47 grams fat/2,480-3,310 mg sodium

Not Up To Par

Last night as I was just cleaning up for dinner and getting ready to give J his nightly bath I started to feel not so good. And after giving him his bath I settled in to watch the Twins play (and lose horribly I might add). That's when the chills and aches really started. I finally took my temp and sure enough I had a low-grade fever. I hate being sick. And I hate being sick and having no one to take care of me! :-)

Of course 'lil man decided that since I was sick it'd be super cool to wake up around 2 am and not go back to sleep. Not sure what his deal was but he sat in his crib for a long time just saying Mama...Mama. Of course I had already checked on him and finally just decided to go get him and bring him into bed with me. The only way he could get comfortable was to lie on me and with my achy joints that made me not so comfortable. I then set up the pack n play in my room thinking that maybe just being in the room with me would work. No dice. Brought him back into bed....still couldn't comfy...so we made a call to Daddy to see if that would help...nope. Finally about an hour later and a few strokes of the hair later he finally went to sleep. Two hours lost sleep is not good! And he still woke up at the normal time. How do kids do that???

Oh how I wish I had some sick days to use up!!!

Army 10-Miler

Check!!

It was such an AWESOME day for a run! I will write more later but the hubster is about to get home from work and we need to spend lots of time together since he leaves again in a few days.

I did PR with a 1:17 finish time and that makes me happy. I was shooting for a 1:15 BUT I'll take what I got. It was hard to get going in the beginning because lots of runners started out in places they shouldn't have. That really bugs me. So I ran a bit slower in the beginning and wasted tons of energy running around people. I felt like I was in the Atari game frogger. Seriously. But it was such a beautiful day! I honestly don't think the weather could have been any better. Hope everyone had a great weekend!