Slow and steady didn't win the race today, but slow and steady FINISHED the run. And for me, that's winning.
Today was my first 5-mile run, and it was a cold one. The thermometer said -2 when I was getting ready this morning, but I think it had warmed up to around 9 degrees by the time I was running around Calhoun. It was kinda amusing to see all the runners with frost-covered faces, and believe me, there were plenty of runners out there this morning.
The trend I mentioned last time - that of feeling great while running - wasn't quite the case today. I was tired, cold (freezing fingers and toes, mainly), and I had a stitch in my side the whole way. I flirted with the idea of stopping to walk many many times, but I worked through it. Once, I had to stop for one second to pick up a glove I had dropped. Man, that one second was BLISS.
I learned a couple of things today. One, at heart, I am a team player. I ran by myself for the first three miles, and was able to put one foot in front of the other by my own sheer will. The last two miles, however, I finally caught up to Darren, who had been about 20 yards ahead of me most of the way. Those last two miles were tough, but running with my teammate pulled me through, and I hope I did the same for him. Would I have made it the whole 5 miles without walking without his support? I don't know, and the great thing about a team is, I don't have to know. He was there and it really helped!
The second thing I learned was that one should keep their toenails short. When I finally got home after the run, I was exhausted and cold - really really cold. I have never wanted a hot shower more than I did right then. (Except for that one time Griffin smeared the contents of his diaper on my head. I wanted a shower pretty badly then, too.) I ran upstairs, and when I took my shoe off, my sock was covered with blood. Turns out one of those little sharpies cut the toe next to it. I never felt it - I had way too many other ailments going on! Note to self: super short toenails from now on!
$3800 is an awful lot of money to raise, especially in these horrific economic times. If you can, please donate to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by going to my website at:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/mn/rnr09/maleej
Every little bit helps. THANKS.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Night on the Town
I love Lake Harriet! I have so many memories from there, so I really enjoyed running around the lake last night. We ran 4 miles, ending with an uphill to Lake Calhoun and back. The craziest thing was that I felt GREAT the whole time! I couldn't believe it! Longest run ever, and I felt the best ever! I hope that this trend continues, as we have a 5 mile run scheduled at Lake Calhoun on Saturday morning.
Jeni and I went to Famous Dave's at Calhoun Square after our run to see Tim Mahoney play a solo show. I love Tim's voice. We talked to him during his set break about the FUNdraiser we're planning for March. We also met his girlfriend Kelly, who is a really down girl! I think Tim likes my ideas - now I just have to get The Basement fully on board to support these ideas, and we can have a fab party and raise funds for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at the same time.
Yesterday Kyle found out that he was accepted onto the Lifetime Fitness MTB 100 team. Yikes! With all this training, we'll be like the 2 ships passing in the night, as they say, but I'm sure we'll both be better for our efforts.
Kyle's race means we won't be able to attend our annual camping trip in August this year with the Guidingers (Khai, you reading this?), which is a bummer, but it's only one year. I'll also be missing my 20 year high school reunion, which is another bummer, but it is way more important to be in Colorado supporting my man!
Jeni and I went to Famous Dave's at Calhoun Square after our run to see Tim Mahoney play a solo show. I love Tim's voice. We talked to him during his set break about the FUNdraiser we're planning for March. We also met his girlfriend Kelly, who is a really down girl! I think Tim likes my ideas - now I just have to get The Basement fully on board to support these ideas, and we can have a fab party and raise funds for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at the same time.
Yesterday Kyle found out that he was accepted onto the Lifetime Fitness MTB 100 team. Yikes! With all this training, we'll be like the 2 ships passing in the night, as they say, but I'm sure we'll both be better for our efforts.
Kyle's race means we won't be able to attend our annual camping trip in August this year with the Guidingers (Khai, you reading this?), which is a bummer, but it's only one year. I'll also be missing my 20 year high school reunion, which is another bummer, but it is way more important to be in Colorado supporting my man!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Body Responds
I'm keeping up quite a lot with this blog, because it's keeping me accountable to something. Good motivation when you're posting your actions to the "world".
This gal's ol' body is beginning to respond to my training. I ran my 3 miles again today, and it was the easiest it has been since I started. That's not to say it was EASY for me, but I ran over a mile and a half pretty easily compared to where I started a week ago. I have proven to myself that I can run a full three miles. Now tomorrow night at team training, we have a four mile run at Lake Harriet.
I'm posting a picture my 5 year old son Griffin took of me today after the run. He greeted me with "valentines", and wrote for the very first time "Mom". :)
Monday, February 23, 2009
I love you, Tim Mahoney!
I've never enjoyed fundraising before, so I'm trying to find ways to make it FUN. And I thought of THE PERFECT THING.
I recently emailed Tim Mahoney about helping me fundraise for LLS. He is open to the idea, which is AWESOME!
If you haven't heard of Tim Mahoney (and I would think most of us Minneapolis-ites have, but you never know), he is an extremely talented singer/songwriter recently featured in Rolling Stone this past November. Check out his music on his webpage at: http://www.Timmahoney.com
Details on this (hopefully to be planned!) event to come soon!
I recently emailed Tim Mahoney about helping me fundraise for LLS. He is open to the idea, which is AWESOME!
If you haven't heard of Tim Mahoney (and I would think most of us Minneapolis-ites have, but you never know), he is an extremely talented singer/songwriter recently featured in Rolling Stone this past November. Check out his music on his webpage at: http://www.Timmahoney.com
Details on this (hopefully to be planned!) event to come soon!
The Things that Stick
Isn't it funny the things that stay with you, that motivate you? Last winter, when Kyle and I went dog-sledding up in Ely, MN, we had the awesome opportunity of meeting explorer Paul Schurke and to hear him talk about his experiences. (I also got to beat Paul, the other guides, and Kyle at bowling one night when I bowled an astoundingly good game, considering I usually don't bowl unless there's tequila involved.) Paul was co-leader along with Will Steger of the team that went to the North Pole, among other things. Anyway, ever since that trip, whenever I am cold or facing some arduous task, I think of Paul and say, "This is NOTHING compared to what Paul went through." I don't know why, but somehow it works for me. For instance, this winter I have been much more willing to face extremely cold temperatures than ever before, taking the dogs out for walks when it was 20 or 30 degrees below.
That quote from Lance Armstrong that Kyle read to me the other night, "Pain is temporary; quitting is forever," seems to be one of those things. Today I ran six times around my block - or "my track" as I call it. Our block is exactly 1/2 mile around. I think it was my best run ever, mainly because that quote kept me going. I knew that the tiredness I was feeling would pass quickly after being done, but if I stopped or walked, that was going to bother me at least all day. After running the 3 miles, I grabbed Henry and walked around the block once more as a cool down. The whole process took me 45 minutes, which isn't great, but feels pretty good to me!
My hope is to eventually be able to run with Henry, but the other day when I tried it, he went too fast for me and tired me out too quickly. I'd also love to be able to run with the best doggie ever Hannah, but her running days are past, I'm afraid.
I doubt I'll write about every single running experience I have (to your great relief, I'm sure), but it's still all so new to me - I'm filled with enthusiasm!
That quote from Lance Armstrong that Kyle read to me the other night, "Pain is temporary; quitting is forever," seems to be one of those things. Today I ran six times around my block - or "my track" as I call it. Our block is exactly 1/2 mile around. I think it was my best run ever, mainly because that quote kept me going. I knew that the tiredness I was feeling would pass quickly after being done, but if I stopped or walked, that was going to bother me at least all day. After running the 3 miles, I grabbed Henry and walked around the block once more as a cool down. The whole process took me 45 minutes, which isn't great, but feels pretty good to me!
My hope is to eventually be able to run with Henry, but the other day when I tried it, he went too fast for me and tired me out too quickly. I'd also love to be able to run with the best doggie ever Hannah, but her running days are past, I'm afraid.
I doubt I'll write about every single running experience I have (to your great relief, I'm sure), but it's still all so new to me - I'm filled with enthusiasm!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
2nd Team Meeting/Training
Today at 12:12pm
When I woke up at 6:45 this morning and looked outside, my first thought was, "Oh no." A good amount of snow fell last night, making the scheduled 8:00 am run feel somewhat more daunting. Kyle, who is re-reading a Lance Armstrong book, told me that Lance would say to instead think, "Well, this will be different."
My participation in this endurance event has inspired Kyle to train for his own event. He originally wanted to tackle the MTB 100 in Leadville, CO. This is an EXTREME mountain biking race that Lance Armstrong will be competing in as well. I am strongly encourging Kyle to perhaps train this year for the MTB 50, because, quite frankly, I want him to come back in one piece. Even the 50 mile mountain bike race through the mountains with quote, "Steep climbs, SERIOUS descents," is considered extreme! As it turns out, the MTB 100 is sold out and difficult to gain entry to, so I may get my wish after all. :)
Anyway, I want to say that my run this morning was uplifting, but it was not to be. Once I arrived at Runner's Gate in Lakeville and started running our course, I was immediately reminded that I am not in shape. No, not at all. The five inches of snow on the ground had not been plowed, and the course, according to my mentor Mark, was the kind of course even on the best days that feels like you're running uphill both ways. Simply put, it was hell. Awful, terrible, and I disliked every moment of it!
Last night, Kyle had mentioned a quote from Lance Armstrong (again, I know, but that is the book he's reading). Sir Lance said, "Pain is temporary, but quitting is forever." That stayed with me as I trudged the three miles through ridiculous amounts of snow. Frankly, it made me feel worse, because I had to walk half of that darn course. Not even the lure of our after-run 30% off at Runner's Gate could propel me any faster.
Believe me, even walking through that disaster was a workout. I haven't felt sore from any of the working out I've done, but today I already feel the effects of that run. I welcome the soreness as a reminder that I need to WORK HARD to achieve my goal of running this half marathon. What Wednesday's run gave me was the sense that I can do this, but today's run reminded me that I've still got a lot of work to do.
Yes, the pain was temporary. I did manage to make it back to the store without hailing a taxi-cab, and I did manage to purchase identical shoes to the ones I had just purchased on Tuesday to replace my doggie-damaged ones - this time at 30% off. Thanks Runner's Gate!
To donate to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, please go to my website at:http://pages.teamintraining.org/mn/rnr09/maleej
When I woke up at 6:45 this morning and looked outside, my first thought was, "Oh no." A good amount of snow fell last night, making the scheduled 8:00 am run feel somewhat more daunting. Kyle, who is re-reading a Lance Armstrong book, told me that Lance would say to instead think, "Well, this will be different."
My participation in this endurance event has inspired Kyle to train for his own event. He originally wanted to tackle the MTB 100 in Leadville, CO. This is an EXTREME mountain biking race that Lance Armstrong will be competing in as well. I am strongly encourging Kyle to perhaps train this year for the MTB 50, because, quite frankly, I want him to come back in one piece. Even the 50 mile mountain bike race through the mountains with quote, "Steep climbs, SERIOUS descents," is considered extreme! As it turns out, the MTB 100 is sold out and difficult to gain entry to, so I may get my wish after all. :)
Anyway, I want to say that my run this morning was uplifting, but it was not to be. Once I arrived at Runner's Gate in Lakeville and started running our course, I was immediately reminded that I am not in shape. No, not at all. The five inches of snow on the ground had not been plowed, and the course, according to my mentor Mark, was the kind of course even on the best days that feels like you're running uphill both ways. Simply put, it was hell. Awful, terrible, and I disliked every moment of it!
Last night, Kyle had mentioned a quote from Lance Armstrong (again, I know, but that is the book he's reading). Sir Lance said, "Pain is temporary, but quitting is forever." That stayed with me as I trudged the three miles through ridiculous amounts of snow. Frankly, it made me feel worse, because I had to walk half of that darn course. Not even the lure of our after-run 30% off at Runner's Gate could propel me any faster.
Believe me, even walking through that disaster was a workout. I haven't felt sore from any of the working out I've done, but today I already feel the effects of that run. I welcome the soreness as a reminder that I need to WORK HARD to achieve my goal of running this half marathon. What Wednesday's run gave me was the sense that I can do this, but today's run reminded me that I've still got a lot of work to do.
Yes, the pain was temporary. I did manage to make it back to the store without hailing a taxi-cab, and I did manage to purchase identical shoes to the ones I had just purchased on Tuesday to replace my doggie-damaged ones - this time at 30% off. Thanks Runner's Gate!
To donate to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, please go to my website at:http://pages.teamintraining.org/mn/rnr09/maleej
First Day of Training for Half Marathon
Thu 12:16am
Today was the first day of our training for the half marathon that I will be running in May. We met up with the team at Lake Calhoun. I met for the first time Coach Kelly, Coordinator Kristen, and my mentor Mark. Although the thermometer said it was 18 degrees, with the windchill it was definitely colder than that!
This being my first real run, it came as kinda a shock to hear that we'd be running 5 miles. The rest of the team started meeting twice a week about 2 weeks ago. Jeni and I just signed up last Wednesday, and I was out of town all weekend, so today was the first day we were able to go to a team training.We started off on the run, and my mentor Mark ran with me. They assign all the runners with mentors - i.e. other runners who have run the marathon before and are there to answer our questions, etc. I'm glad he chose to run with me, as it was extra motivating to have someone there who didn't quite realize just how little running I've done.
Let's see - what running have I done up to this point? Well, last week I started a beginner's running program. I ran twice on the treadmill, following the program of running 1 minute, walking 2 minutes, repeat 10x. That's it. Since HIGH SCHOOL.
The run started off really well, except my hands were absolutely freezing. I was SURE I would lose fingers by the end of the 5 miles. At last, about halfway around the lake, I suddenly realized my fingers were finally warm. If that isn't bliss, I don't know what is. Then Coach Kelly showed up to tell Jeni and I that we were to run just 3 miles, it being our first day. At that point I was feeling really good and thought I might just be able to go the 5 miles, but who am I to argue?
I'm happy to report that I ran just about all the 3 miles around the lake. I only stopped running to walk twice for one minute each, which I thought was pretty darn good since I don't even know if I've ever run 3 miles. Everything felt great, even though I couldn't figure out what was going on with my right eye. It either started freezing or twitching about 3/4 of the way around the lake. By the time I reached the end of the 3 miles, yes, I was ready to be done. I could have walked the extra 2 miles I suppose, but I didn't want to overdo it the first day out. But I felt great. I am proud of how I did, and it is fun to be part of a team again - it's been so long since I played sports.
The night didn't end on a high note, unfortunately. As some of you know from my OMFG status, after I returned home from my personal triumph, our 9 month old dog Henry chewed a big ol' hole in my brand new running shoes. Well, I guess I got to wear them once. And they were really comfortable.
Next group training is Saturday morning at 8:00 am. Those of you who know me well know that that is mighty early for me! But I'm looking forward to it. I have some cross training to do between now and then.
Thanks for all your support, both in words and in deeds. With your help, I've raised $425 in the 7 days since I started. "Only" $3,375 to go! :)SAN DIEGO HERE WE COME!To support me, but more importantly, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, please visit my fundraising page at:http://pages.teamintraining.org/mn/rnr09/maleej
Today was the first day of our training for the half marathon that I will be running in May. We met up with the team at Lake Calhoun. I met for the first time Coach Kelly, Coordinator Kristen, and my mentor Mark. Although the thermometer said it was 18 degrees, with the windchill it was definitely colder than that!
This being my first real run, it came as kinda a shock to hear that we'd be running 5 miles. The rest of the team started meeting twice a week about 2 weeks ago. Jeni and I just signed up last Wednesday, and I was out of town all weekend, so today was the first day we were able to go to a team training.We started off on the run, and my mentor Mark ran with me. They assign all the runners with mentors - i.e. other runners who have run the marathon before and are there to answer our questions, etc. I'm glad he chose to run with me, as it was extra motivating to have someone there who didn't quite realize just how little running I've done.
Let's see - what running have I done up to this point? Well, last week I started a beginner's running program. I ran twice on the treadmill, following the program of running 1 minute, walking 2 minutes, repeat 10x. That's it. Since HIGH SCHOOL.
The run started off really well, except my hands were absolutely freezing. I was SURE I would lose fingers by the end of the 5 miles. At last, about halfway around the lake, I suddenly realized my fingers were finally warm. If that isn't bliss, I don't know what is. Then Coach Kelly showed up to tell Jeni and I that we were to run just 3 miles, it being our first day. At that point I was feeling really good and thought I might just be able to go the 5 miles, but who am I to argue?
I'm happy to report that I ran just about all the 3 miles around the lake. I only stopped running to walk twice for one minute each, which I thought was pretty darn good since I don't even know if I've ever run 3 miles. Everything felt great, even though I couldn't figure out what was going on with my right eye. It either started freezing or twitching about 3/4 of the way around the lake. By the time I reached the end of the 3 miles, yes, I was ready to be done. I could have walked the extra 2 miles I suppose, but I didn't want to overdo it the first day out. But I felt great. I am proud of how I did, and it is fun to be part of a team again - it's been so long since I played sports.
The night didn't end on a high note, unfortunately. As some of you know from my OMFG status, after I returned home from my personal triumph, our 9 month old dog Henry chewed a big ol' hole in my brand new running shoes. Well, I guess I got to wear them once. And they were really comfortable.
Next group training is Saturday morning at 8:00 am. Those of you who know me well know that that is mighty early for me! But I'm looking forward to it. I have some cross training to do between now and then.
Thanks for all your support, both in words and in deeds. With your help, I've raised $425 in the 7 days since I started. "Only" $3,375 to go! :)SAN DIEGO HERE WE COME!To support me, but more importantly, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, please visit my fundraising page at:http://pages.teamintraining.org/mn/rnr09/maleej
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