To Brookfield and Back.

Yesterday I tackled my 15 mile run. Once again, it's the furthest I've ever run and I was apprehensive about it from the beginning. Phil ran with me, and again I'm thankful for that. We talked the entire time, so the pace was nice and easy. We ran through the Menomonee Parkway, through Hansen Golf Course, and continued on the Oak Park trails. We got all the way to Brookfield, from 'Tosa! I always get nervous at the turnaround point in long runs because I feel so far away. Yesterday we ran 7.5 miles and then turned around. It's just a little daunting to have to run all the way back.

The run was actually more of an adventure. With all the storms and rain we've had the trails were basically flooded in some areas. We took turns running through the standing water first- I'm sure we looked ridiculous! The way out it was annoying because our feet got wet and we knew it wasn't going to get better until we got home. The way back it almost hurt to run through it. My legs were just going through the motions, so to change my form and sprint on my toes hurt my quads like crazy. On the flip side, it gave my legs a really nice break. My quads got stretched out, so I couldn't complain too much about it. The blisters that came because of the wetness of my shoes is a whole other story....

I really like to keep a consistent pace throughout my runs, especially when I have a turnaround point. The way out took us 1 hour, 12 minutes. The way back was 1 hour, 11 minutes. 9:31/miles pace!! WOOP WOOP! I was really excited to feel so strong on the way back, especially the last 20 minutes. Long legs Larry the hill was killer, but we made it through! When I was home, I thought my legs were going to fall off. Literally. Today, they're feeling a little tight but I'll stretch it out and be ok.

The best part of this post? Running 15 miles doesn't really seem like a big deal. It's just a part of my weekend now. it feels amazing to say that!

-Haylea

Yasso's suck.

I owe a post to my Yasso 800 workout for a couple of reasons.
1. I talked about them, and never gave the results.
2. I actually did them, and feel like I have bragging rights.
3. My legs still hurt 2 days later.

To refresh your memory- Yasoo 800's are done to train to run a certain pace for a marathon. The theory is, if you can run 10 consecutive 800's at 4:00 minutes each, you can run a marathon in 4 hours. If you can do them in 3 mins 30 seconds, you'll be able to do a 3 hour 30 minute marathon. Well, I've been struggling with what time to try and beat during my race. I've run a half marathon at 1 hour 57 minutes. Since that's only half of my race, I can't really extrapolate that out to a 4 hour marathon. Or can I? I've said it before, but I'm just trying to run what feels comfortable in all of my runs. On my 14'er I was right around a 9 min/mile pace. I think the real test is going to 18 miles in a couple weeks. For now, I'm thinking around 4-ish hours.

I decided to document the workout, so we'll do this post through pictures. (Nick- I told you I would cater to your reading capabilities, HAHA, Just kidding!!)


--Here we are on the warmup run--we're smiling because the pain hasn't set in yet.


Some of our neighbors flowers. They're curb appeal deserves to be on that show (of the same title). Whoever lives there has gardening down! It's so bright and cheerful to run past- it's great on the way home.

We're about to begin, and I'm super nervous. I have done a lot of speedwork on the treadmill the past couple of years, but it's been a really long time since I've done it on the track. Plus, I have a complex about 800's because it was my favorite race in track. I wasn't great- trust me, but my PR was 2:28 (or something like that). I could just picture my coach telling me to go faster, and those stupid girls from Eau Claire in their glitter and short purple shorts kicking my ass. It didn't take me long to relax...and then tense up again because these were really hard. Here's how it went:

1st 800: 3 mins 30 seconds

400 jog

2nd 800: 3 minutes 40 seconds

400 jog

3rd 800: 3 minutes 40 seconds

400 jog

4th 800: 3 minutes 42 seconds

400 jog

UNDER 4 MINUTES? Granted, I've only done 4....but I bet I can build up to 10 the way I'm going. I guess we'll see, won't we?!

Here's the aftermath- Phil just had to take this picture. I think it's his revenge for me taking so many pictures of him.

-I know, I look like I'm going to die. Which is basically how I felt.

The workout deserved some amazing food, so I made eggplant parmesan. I've been screaming it from a mountain top, so I'm surprised if you're reading this and didn't know about it. The fruit of my labor!




That's all for me tonight! Rest tomorrow and 15 miles on Saturday. Enjoy your next couple of days!
-Haylea

"Chance of rain, 100%."

Ok, honestly weathermen? Please say you're high school dropouts, and didn't go to college to predict the weather. After yesterday's remark I didn't think they could get any worse. Then, on the way to work the guy says-"Yep, there's a big chance of rain today, 100% chance in fact" When I got home from work, it wasn't raining, so I put on my brand new running shoes (worn once) and headed out. Naturally it started raining. HARD.

I'm lucky because I made it home safe. The news was on, and there is flooding all over the city. I'm naiive, and didn't realize how bad it was. The roads around work are terrible, so I would have never made it home in this weather-I would have been flooded in. That said, let's talk about the run.

It was actually awesome! It wasn't hot out, I didn't have to battle the burning sun, and no one was in my way. Plus, I couldn't really tell if I was sweating because I was soaked. I ran on the parkway so I would be close to enough businesses and home that I could duck in if I really needed to. It was kid of dark, and I got to see fireflies on the trail! I was amazed at how beautiful the sky was. We don't often get to look up at the sky when it's about to storm like this, usually we're running inside away from it. I was in a genuinely good mood during the run. I saw another guy running towards me and wanted to acknowldege that we are the "crazy runners" who decided to becomes rain warriors today. Then, as he got close, I realized he's actually running because he's pissed it's raining out. He was NOT happy to be out in the rain, and thought I was crazy to be out there on my own free will. I just about died thinking what he would have said had I high-fived him or something. Even without his comments, I feel like a warrior tonight.

87 Degrees, and a warm front coming in.

Seriously, that's what the weather guy said on NPR. I'm fairly certain the weather guys are college kids, because it's on WUWM station....but 87 with a warm front coming in? How about- it's hot as hell out- get yourself a beer? That's more like the weather forecast I'd like to hear.

Given the heat, I wasn't enthusiastic about running 7 miles. Let's just say I felt enough hatred for the heat that I decided not to go. Here's how I got tricked into not running:

Phil I think we should go to Leff's, for Mexcellent Wednesday

Me: OK, does that mean I don't have to run?

Phil: Well, Anne, Cassie and I are going....in about 5 minutes. I was going to wait until you were gone and then take your car and leave but I feel too guilty.

Me: I'm in, stop feeling guilty.

Ok, OK, I'll give myself some credit- it wasn't that easy. I even had running shorts on. But, honestly I had a crappy day at work (talk about orders being cancelled...UGH), and the heat made me flash back to last's weeks run that went terrible. I'm not trying to make excuses- but I just couldn't do it today. I think the run wouldn't have made me feel that great about myself, and I can run 7 miles tomorrow (instead of 4).

In better news: Mexcellent Wednesdays means good deals on Corona's and huge tacos. SUCCESS.

-Haylea

p.s. Yasso 800's yesterday were hell. I'll post pictures when I can. I had flash backs of high school workouts and let's just say I was a lean mean fighting machine then....not so much today..

Pacing myself

Today my legs were definitely feeling my 14-miler from yesterday. It wasn't as bad as I thought though. I could sit without crying, and go up and down stairs without wincing. My legs did feel swollen though, which doesn't make me feel very lady like. These days I'm more comfortable in a sports bra and a pair of shorts. Not exactly something I can wear to work...

I did make it to the gym today, just to see how my legs were holding up. I ran a mile to warm them up and then just did some ab work and light weights. Pretty good all things considered.

Tomorrow the work begins though. I've made up my mind on my goal for time- I want to run as close to 9 minute miles as possible in my race. If I run 9:09 pace, I'm at 4:00 hour marathon. Yikes. oh god. breaking 4? people train for years to do that! Here's a pace chart to break it down:

http://26m.com/running/charts/9-minute-mile-pace-chart-4080

Yesterday's run was right on pace- I finished the 14 miles in 2:07ish- It was probably closer to 2:10 which is only a minute off of pace. If I can sustain it that pace at 14 miles without thinking hard about it, imagine what I can do racing. I'm going to continue to be cogniscent of 9:09/mile throughout my long runs so I can train my body to continue to fall into that pace.

The other part of the puzzle is I'm going to try and do some speedwork throughout the week. Each week I have 2 runs that are not very long- usually 3, 4 or 5 miles. Then I have a 6, 7, or 8 miler and my long run on the weekend. I'm going to take one of the short runs and make it speed...or run my mid-length run at faster than 9:00/min pace, maybe an 8:00 or 8:30? I've read tons of articles and studies about the benefits of adding 2 kinds of workouts into your training: hills and speed. I'm putting hills into my mid and long runs. The course isn't that hilly, so I should be covered there. The speed is what I'd like to focus on, because I know I can go faster but I haven't given myself the opportunity.

In high school, I had a love/hate relationship with repeats. Repeats are when you designate a distance, and run it multiple times, fast. Breaks are minimal in-between each repetition, and hitting your goal time is crucial. Yasso 800's are my key to success. I'm not the only one to rely on this method- check this out: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-255-624-0,00.html Basically, if you can run 10-800 meter repeats at 4:00 minutes each, you can run a 4:00 hour marathon. If you do them in 2:50 minutes/each, you'll run a 2 hr 50 min marathon. Seems simple, and I like simple. Doing math while running always gets messy because I'm flippin' tired and it just seems too daunting of a task.

I'm starting my 800's tomorrow, and am shooting for 4-5 sets. Phil's coming with and doing his 3:40. Time for bed so I can get up and cruise around the track! --Which, is another reason I LOVE 'Tosa- it has a high school track about 10 minutes away...which is a perfect warmup to my speed work!

-Haylea

14 mile run! (yes, an exclamation point!)

I just got back from my 14 mile run, and am actually still alive! That's an accomplishment in itself! I feel really good right now- tired of course but I'm still able to walk around so that's good, right?!

I started the run a the starting line of the race course- Grafton High School. Phil acted as my pit crew today, and was an amazing supporter. The last time I was at the high school it was to drop him off for his lakefront race. Being there actually made me nervous! How funny is that- I was just doing a training run. As I said in yesterday's post, I knew that was going to happen so I kind of laughed at myself. I'm so predictable.

Phil dropped me off, and drove the course to the 14 mile marker. He had chalk with him, and marked out the turns I needed to take. Once he got there, he jumped on his bike and road back through the course to meet up with me. (Could I have a better boyfriend?) He wore a backpack with water, maps and my gummys for me. Of course, he had a water bottle on his bike easily accessible as well. As a side note on this- Phil went out last night and got just a few hours of sleep....and still did this for me. Seriously, BEST. BOYFRIEND. EVER. Some bikers even told his so! We got a couple "Wow, what a great support team!" comments. He was so happy during it all, which gave me a lot of energy.

The first couple of miles in Grafton is through the country. I had the smell of cow, and sound of wild turkeys with me. The weather was beautiful; it was cloudy, with a breeze and not too hot. Getting to mile three was quick. During Phil's race I stood around mile 3 to cheer him on and I kept picturing that. It's such a trip to be the one running!! I continued on and at mile 5 I saw a mark for it on the road! It was spray painted in red, LM/5. Checking my watch, I realized I was at a 9 min/mile pace. That's what I ran my 1/2 marathon at, but am comfortable running at. I hit it again at 6, and then found Phil around mile 7. The halfway point was so refreshing-he had water and was excited for me giving me a load of energy.

The route is right along the lakefront, and very scenic. The feedback is right- it's flat and fast. Getting to mile 10 wasn't really a problem, I still felt pretty good. Miles 12-14 were the hard part for me. With 20 minutes left on the run I started to get anxious to finish. That's pretty typical, so I just tried to relax and finish at a comfortable pace. 20 minutes goes by quickly when you just ran for a couple hours. My official stopping time was 2:07! We think it was a little short because didn't see the LM/14 marker so I did a couple of strides to stretch my legs out and add some time.

People have asked me about the runners high, and I definitely got it today after my run. It felt amazing to run that far and be just fine! And, before 10 a.m.! I feel very strong right now and confident that I'll be able to do this marathon, and with some speed. I don't want to just finish the race anymore- I want to run it. Next week is 15 miles, and I'm not nervous about it anymore. In fact, I'm looking forward to furthering my distance again.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

-Haylea

It's still hot and I'm still nervous.

I haven't blogged in a couple of days, so here's the recap. I redeemed myself from my bad run on Wednesday by running 4 miles on Thursday. It was on the treadmill during lunch, so it's not as satisfying as running outside, but I'll take it. Friday Phil and I went to our friends wedding, which was a blast. Let me just say I had a couple too many cocktails, and today proved to be a complete waste. So, tomorrow is an ambitious day and we're going to kick it off with a 14 mile run.

I've decided to start running the race course for my long runs (when I can) so I'm prepared mentally for the race. See, I'm a planner- I make lists, I rehearse, meal plan. I like to be prepared for just about everything I do- it makes me feel comfortable with the task at hand. Especially with something as major as running a marathon- the more I know, the less anxious I'll feel. The race starts in Grafton and ends at the Lakefront. That's a lot of long span of land, and knowing the layout is going to be beneficial to my time goal. What I'm hoping to learn is where I can pick up some time and identify potential trouble spots. Knowing the terrain, and where the hills are is going to give me a mental edge. With my long runs covering half of the race, or more, I'll become pretty familiar with it.

Beyond running further than I ever have tomorrow, I'm starting to transition into training like I'll be running in a race. During a marathon, you have to drink water and eat in order to make it. I've experienced this a little with half marathons, but 2 hours of running is significantly different on your body than 4.5 hours is. The rule of thumb is to drink water if you're running for over an hour. You don't really need to eat at that point, but have to be cognoscente of it after an hour. I've never brought anything to eat on a training run. 2 hours doesn't really require it- but I'm going to start doing so tomorrow. First of all, I'm going to wear a water belt. It holds two small water bottles and just straps around your waist with velcro. I'm not excited about that at all. The second part is the food. There are a couple of ways to go about this. A lot of runners take GU with them- it's literally a gooey substance packed with carbs, proteins, etc. I'm not a fan of that because of the texture. I've never tried it, but because of the texture I'll never try it. I just don't think I could stomach it. Luckily, they also make them in gummy form. I'm going to try those tomorrow too, so let's se how it goes. I hope I like them so I have something to rely on throughout the long runs.

It's time for me to get to bed so I can get up and rock this run.

-Haylea

By the way- this running thing is killing my social life- I didn't want to go to a party tonight os I'd be rested and well hydrated for the run tomorrow. Gosh that's lame...

whine-o wednesday

Whine-O Wednesday, you know just like happy hour. Except this happy hour was a disaster, and not happy at all. On the menu was a 7 mile run, but what I got on my plate was a 35 minute run, seasoned with a lot of walking.

I know that there are going to be bad days, and I need to accept it. In fact, to think that all my runs are going to go well is insane- there is a really good change I'm only going to feel great or even good on 1 run/week. Today's run has happened in the past, and is usually the point where I give up. So, after blogging about it, I'm going to resolve to have a better run tomorrow.

I felt pretty lethargic all day, I just couldn't shake it. I was yawning on the phone with customers (mute button is a blessing), which never happens. At the end of the day, I knew I needed to lace up and hit the road. I went to the running store and got a new pair of shoes and tank top that I thought would entice me to get moving. When I started out, the goal was to run for 35 minutes turn around and come back. Even from my first step I didn't feel like I was breathing right, my stride was off, feet felt hot, etc. I was trying to relax and shake it out, but it didn't get me very far. When this kind of thing has happened in the past I've gotten really worked up. I was proud with how I handled myself- I kept my emotions in check and understood that my body/mind just couldn't handle it today. I walked around for about 5 minutes, then turned around and walk/ran home.

Beyond having a crappy run, there were tons of women my age out running today...clipping what looked to be an 8 minute/mile pace...with their shirts off and perfect stomachs showing. I mean, really? REALLY? It's so hard not to compare myself to them as is, much less when I'm having a crappy run. Such is life, right?

Phil is gone tonight, so I was coming home to an empty house. When I walked in, I saw a note from Phil saying "Call me when you get home, you're making me so proud. 7 miles!" That's what I love about him- he's just so supportive of it all. When I signed up for the race, Phil's response was ecstatic. He decided not to run it himself so he can bike along the route and be my #1 fan. When I texted him about the run tonight, he reminded me that I'm working really hard and it's ok to have a bad run. It was just what I needed- someone in my corner to make a bad run feel less horrible.

After a run like this, I'm really nervous for the big 14-miler this weekend. I'm going to make it a goal for the next couple of days just to relax about it.

Ok, let's end this on a positive note- it's taken me over a month to get to this bad of a run! I'm up to 14 miles, which is a challenge but nothing I can't accomplish. Mind over matter!

Running makes me hungry!

Since I've been running I feel like I've "earned" the right to eat more. It makes sense right? Lose more calories, eat more calories. Give and Take. Well, I don't think the calories I've been eating are the right ones. McDonald's probably isn't a good diet, and drinking diet coke during the day isn't helping either. (shame on me!) Now, let me say something here about dieting- it's OK that I watch my diet people!

Whenever I say something of this nature (meaning, "yikes, I probably shouldn't eat that...) the typical response I get is annoying. Yes, I said it. ANNOYING. "What, you're little like you need to watch what you eat!" "You don't need to watch what you eat, you look great!" "If you're watching what you're eating, I really need to diet!" At this point I typically disengage and chalk it up to you not knowing a thing about nutrition. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an expert by any means. However, I think it's fairly basic knowledge to understand that in order to stay active you can't eat a lot of fat, and empty calories. Do you see Lance Armstrong chowing down at BK every morning for breakfast? In order to stay active and fit you need to eat natural foods that give you energy, the right amount and kind of fat, and make your food work for you. Beyond eating to get through my long runs, when I'm not running as much I understand I can't eat as much. Again, it's the whole give-take thing. I feel like it's a little degrading when people don't understand this about me. In fact, I often shut-down during these kinds of discussions because I'm the runner-girl, and people don't think I have ever struggled with weight. Puh-lease! Who hasn't?! Especially as a female?! I will even go as far as over-eating in front of people so they won't give me crap about 'not eating'. It's just as embarrassing to be called out for being skinny as it is to be called fat. It just doesn't make sense to me that people think it's OK to comment, in public about someones body type- you would never say "oh my gosh I can't believe how fat you are" to someone, right? Ok, enough ranting....

Tonight I made a new dish, taken from www.cookinglight.com It's a chicken and veggie tostada, and was amazing! I thought it was really tasty, but I'm always waiting to see what Phil has to say about it. He loves Mexican food- if I made it every night for the rest of his life he'd be so happy. To complement the tostadas, I made a black bean salsa. For this I just put some black beans, fresh roasted corn, red onion, garlic, avocado and cilantro in a bowl and mixed. The recipe for the tostada is below- make it for dinner this week! (picture above!)

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1215924

Chicken Tostada with Summer Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 12 ounces chicken breast tenders
• 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1)
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 1 cup chopped zucchini (about 4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup green salsa
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

398 (30% from fat)

Fat:

13.1g (sat 5.9g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.2g)

Protein:

32.5g

Carbohydrate:

36.7g

Fiber:

3.1g

Cholesterol:

75mg

Iron:

1.4mg

Sodium:

799mg

Calcium:

236mg

phew, the heat is exhausting!

9 miles today! Phil and I got up around 6:40 a.m., and were out the door by 7. Man, it is hot out already! The way out wasn't so bad- we took the Menomonee Parkway out through the golf course, to Watertown Plank. When we turned around, it was like the sun kicked it up a notch. On the way back, Phil let me in on a secret...he calls that stretch 'Death Valley'. Death Valley indeed- I got goosebumps, stride was out of step, etc. We brought water, so I refreshed and we just tried to plow through the rest of the run.

The only bad part of the run- I got blisters :( They're on my big toes, and are familiar to me. I'm bummed because we have a wedding tonight, and I plan on getting down. (Congrats Gregg & Monica!)

I'm heading to the 'Tosa farmers market-enjoy your weekend!

-Haylea

p.s. I forgot to put up some of my favorite running songs on yesterdays post. I'll get around to it another day, but if you don't have Madcon on your iPod- get some. 'Turn Me Loose' is my fav!

Musical Motivation.

The past couple of days have been relatively easy, and tomorrow isn't the longest run I have to do so I've been feeling good. I realized today that next week is going to kick my butt. I add an extra mile in each run during the week, and bump to the unknown distance of 14 miles on the weekend next week. I'm trying not to stress out about it, but gosh that's a lot of miles! I'm trying to strategize how to attack the runs, and what my motivation will be.

Music used to be my refuge during runs. It would push me faster and further. The songs were picked by hand, with several playlists for each kind of run I would do. There were lists for hills, speedwork and distance runs. There were names like "run longer!" "get moving" "don't stop till you get enough". It was all birds and sunshine..until I cut cold turkey. Let me explain. The music happened in the gym, not on the road. There were people yaking away, I wasn't actually going anywhere, and the scenery included sweaty guys grunting on the weight machines. NO THANK YOU! I found I needed to escape it all. I've transitioned to the road, folks.

Road running is so different for me. I want to be safe, and hear what's going on around me. Instead of grunting, I can hear birds chirping, kids playing, and zone out in the scenic road rather than my music. Plus, I fidget with it. Once I start to sweat the earbuds fly out of my ears. The case irritates my hip, and the cord bounces around my neck in the most irritating way possible. Now, on top of all of that...there are a group of runners "THEM" who are purist runners and think iPods are for wusses. I'm not a wuss! I'm training for a marathon, damn it! Ha- seriously though, it is kind of fun to see people's reactions when you say I don't use an iPod. They look at you like your crazy when you say you're running double-digit miles (at once...) but when you don't listen to music they think you've gone off the deep-end. So, maybe it's the reaction I'm going for. Or maybe I just don't want to get hit by a car.

-Haylea

early morning running club.

It's official, I'm a member of the early morning running club. This morning I woke up at 4:20 a.m. and went for my 6 mile run. Did you guys hear that? 6 miles before work. I am still in shock...or maybe just exhausted, I don't quite know yet. I won't have time to run it tonight, or tomorrow night so I had no other choice. Well, I could have skipped but that's not going to get me to the finish line, is it?

First of all, it is still hot and muggy at 430 am. I couldn't believe just how humid it was! I was dripping at the end of the run. I ran out for 30 minutes, and back. On the way out, I only saw 4 other people! It must be too early for humans because I only saw 4 people on my way "out" but a lot of animals. I ran into exact 12,358 gnats (10,000 smacked into my face), 2 raccoons, a demented squirrel who didn't know what was going on, a bunny and a deer (in a parking lot nonetheless). The doe was incredible- she was just standing there, grooming herself. I think she was just as suprised to see me as I was her- I'm sure she was like "what the hell...humans already? this is going to be just a fantastic day...where's my coffee?" I heard the birds having their morning cup of joe, and actually enjoyed it! Usually I want to throw rocks at them out my window for their morning songs, but today I felt more like Cinderella than the Wicked Stepmother towards them.

Once I turned around, it was as if equilibrium had shifted and the animals went back into their hiding spots. I saw around a dozen people running/biking/walking dogs instead of animals. I was literally dripping by the time I turned around and imagine the humans were just as scared of me as the demented squirrels. The humming of air conditioning teased me on my way home. I visualized being in a zero-humidity zone, with cold water and NPR playing in the background. I had a considerably fast pace today, and pushed up Long Legs Larry, and went as fast as I could home.

When I got home Phil looked so proud. So often he gets up and goes for a run while I sleep in (and by sleep in, I mean get up at 5:25) He was getting ready to run to work, (he's nuts...yes, Phil...you're nuts) and said "welcome to the club" I have a feeling this isn't going to be the last morning run I'll do....

-Haylea

It's a short week.

Friday's run was crazy, but Saturday and Sunday were crazy for other reasons. This weekend was the big Alpine spectacular for the DMB shows. The first show was alright, nothing amazing to remember. We had seats pretty far back, so I wasn't into the concert as much. I did have a few beverages before and lots of water during the show which equals disaster for me. As you all know, Alpine is seated on a huge hill...and they place the bathrooms at the top of the hills, seats on the bottom. Needless to say, I literally got a hill workout in that night.

The 2nd night was insane. Phil and I had pit tickets, so we went in early. I wore sneakers because we'd be standing and dancing so much. We were so close to the front! I only had 1 person between me, and the gate to the stage. It was unbelievable. Proof is to the left. I danced like mad, and am also counting that night of the concert as 'cross-training'.

Monday was a total loss- I rested, rested, rested.

Today (Tuesday) was a quick 3 miles that I did over lunch.

Here was the "BIG" thing this weekend. A direct quote from my mouth (Phil's not letting me forget it) "I only have to run 9 miles this weekend" DID I REALLY SAY THAT? OHHH, WEE. We're becoming a real runner folks....

-Haylea

12 miles on a Friday!

Whew, today was rough. As I said yesterday, my training schedule called for a 12 mile run on Saturday. I'm tailgating all day at Alpine so I didn't want to do it then. My only other choice was today. Considering I had to work all day, running for 2 hours afterwards wasn't appealing either. My solution was to break it up and run twice today.

I ran 4.5 miles over lunch, with Ashley. Well, she ran 5, but we were next to each other on the treadmills. It was awesome having her as a partner today because we both agreed if either one wavered we would have been at Starbucks in a hurry. I haven't been on the treadmill in a while, but it felt pretty good. I kept it at a 9:13/mile pace, and could comfortably talk. I ran around 2 p.m. so I wouldn't have much distance between my two runs.

My second run came once I got home, around 6:30 p.m. Phil went with me for this run-bless his heart. My legs were pretty tired before we even got started. We ran on the Hank Aaron trail again but with a lofty goal of 75 minutes. The sun was still pretty hot, and on the way back it was setting at eye level. We kept a pretty consistent pace up, or at least Phil thinks so :-) I'll be honest, I just tried to zone out and get home. The upside to running two runs like this (for me anyway) is that it was harder than if I would have ran it at once. I have to get used to pushing through the pain, and staying focused on the end goal. The proof is in the picture at the top. I'm too tired to rotate it, so just turn your head please :)

When I got home I kept my promise to keep stretching. I'm actually going to wrap this up so I can use the roller stick. Happy 4th of July weekend!

-Haylea

Lunch run.

I had a 3 mile run scheduled for today, so I got outside and did it during my lunch break. This is the exact reason I love Direct Supply, and will keep working there. I don't have to be dressed up all day, I get do whatever I want over lunch, and take it whenever I want to. I came back pretty sweaty (turns out that sun was hotter than I estimated) and no one even gave me a second glance.

The run was ok- I was at a faster pace than normal simply because I was at work and did indeed want to get back to my desk on time. I drove to a little parkway close by and ran there. DS is on the north side, so not exactly the best neighborhoods to run through. Glendale was much nicer :)

Tomorrow I'm up for 12 miles. Normally it would be done on Saturday, but this weekend is DMB at Alpine. 2 hours of running before an Alpine trip would be the death of me. I'm looking forward to seeing how my 2nd long run goes, but I'm a little nervous. First of all it's after work...and not any work day, the day before a long holiday weekend. Which means my customers aren't going to be around and it's going to be really slow. On top of that, I'm scheduled to work late, so I won't be getting out on time. I'm basically working 11 hours, and then running for 2. YIKES. I'm also nervous for the aftermath. Getting done with my run at 8:30 isn't entirely appealing to begin with, but I have a ton of stuff to prep for the concert. We're making grilled portobello burgers, fruit salad and homemade fruit dip (not fluff-sick, gross- dip with good-for-you yogurt). Sunday is kabobs, cupcakes and jello shots. All need prep-work and I'm not sure how up to it I'm going to feel after running 2 hours. Luckily, Phil has the afternoon off and will be a super helper.

I hope you enjoy your night-get outside, it's beautiful!

-Haylea