Dancing in the Dark (Lindsey)

Wow! It's been awhile since my last post. It's been busy around here! Our good friend Jess got married last weekend and it's been a whirlwind of festivities, work, and trying to fit in training. I was the photographer for Jess' wedding and was completely exhausted last Sunday so I moved my long run to Monday after work. Living on the east coast, it gets dark here fairly early these days so my 10 mile run ended in the dark. Creepy! Our neighborhood also does not provide good street lamp lighting. Let me tell you, it's quite strange running in the dark.  You can't really see where your feet are touching down on the pavement so your stride adjusts to over compensate. It's interesting... and a little glimpse into our future for our runs this winter. I'm going to invest in a reflective vest and head lamp this week so hopefully I don't get taken out by a motorist and so I can see better.

In honor of my "dance in the dark" this week, my inspirational long run song is: Dance in the Dark by my favorite - Lady Gaga!

111 Days to go!

L

A Monsoon Week (Lindsey)

Wow! What a week. Charlottesville had booku's of rain this week. I was so proud of myself because I actually got out and ran in it. There is nothing like running 5 miles in pouring rain, nothing. The only downfall was my shoes got soaked, which leads me to my picture below....

Yes those are new shoes! Heather and I went to Ragged Mountain Running Shop on the Corner this past Friday to get officially fitted into some new running shoes. In order to help them out I brought in my wet sneakers which at this point smelled like a dead cat. They didn't even flinch when they picked up my shoes to evaluate them. When I apologized for the stench, the guy helping me out didn't bat an eye and said, "you should see mine." And that is when I knew I was in good hands. Thanks Ragged Mountain for helping me find my new kicks. Can you tell I underpronate?! The really funny part of the story is that when Heather and I walked out of the store we realized we both bought the same pair of shoes. Nice! 

This week's long run was supposed to be 9miles, however I wasn't able to fit in my last short run of the week so I opted to run 10 with Heather. We ran the Charlottesville 10miler course this morning and finished at 1:50. Not too shabby. 

Song that got me through the last mile after hitting my "wall" at 9 miles - Katy Perry's Firework (yes super cheese but effective). 

125 Days to go!

Just how much bread CAN I eat? (Heather)

Greetings from Silver Spring, Maryland!  I am sitting in a hotel in downtown Silver Spring with a gray, rainy day outside the window. I actually changed up my running schedule this week because the weatherman predicted a 90% chance of rain today. I did 5 miles yesterday because I could NOT take doing longer than 3 miles on a treadmill (and I could barely stand that distance earlier this morning). So, yesterday while sitting in bed drinking some coffee, I did a little research on a good running spot in Silver Spring. 

{Side note: why, you ask, was I sitting in bed on a random Tuesday morning instead of sneaking in a blog post at work? Because I’m on vacation, that’s why! And why Silver Spring, Md for vaca? Because I’m moving to this area in June for a new job. Now… back to running}

I literally typed in “best running spots in Silver Spring, Md” into Google, and this eventually popped up:

http://home.comcast.net/~phyilla1/sstrails/altroute.html

This trail runs from Silver Spring, through Bethesda, and ends in Georgetown. The best part was that it literally starts right outside of my hotel. The funny part was that I spent 30 minutes poring over a Google map trying to figure out where it was in relation to my hotel, then walked outside and almost got smacked in the face by a sign stating “Silver Spring Trail.” Well, it would have smacked me in the face if I was 5 inches taller, but that phrase (“if I was 5 inches taller” not the face smacking part) is a part of my daily vocabulary. 

But I digress.

This run was overall beautiful. I will admit, there were some sketch parts that I had to run through, but some of that may just be the fact that I’m a small-town Georgia girl running in the city. And yes, to me, Silver Spring is a city. 

I’m starting to hit that part of training when the shorter runs start to feel easier. Overall, I prefer the long runs on the weekend. It’s probably because making myself run 3 days during the week after working all day is tough. As in, I whine to myself the whole time I’m tying my tennis shoes and trying to remember where I put my iPod. Because, let me tell you, I’m not running without my iPod. 

I’m also starting to hit that part of training where I think about food all the time. ALL. THE. TIME.  After reading Lindsey’s post about food, I immediately identified with her. I am a petite (albeit freakishly strong for my size… this must come from not having any brothers until about age 18) woman, but I have never been able to just eat whatever I want. My best friend and roommate from college used to eat Fritos and drink Coke on a daily basis, and I used to stare at her and wonder where she put it. (and no, by the way, it never caught up with her. She’s that lucky) I never had to wonder where I put it, let me assure you. I try very hard to eat an overall healthy diet and for the most part, I am pretty successful with thinking about what I eat before I put it in my mouth. Yes, I love carrots and hummus and grapes… but I also love French fries and Hershey’s milk chocolate. And peanut butter, oh my god, don’t even get me started on my love for that food. Over the past year or so, I’ve become very interested (read: obsessed with) in a few health/food blogs on the internet and as a result have tried a lot of new foods. I consider myself pretty educated when it comes to knowing how to eat a healthy, balanced diet (and it doesn’t hurt that my roommate is a dietetic intern!). However, I am at a loss when it comes to eating correctly while training for a marathon. I’m not good at all with estimating percentages of fat, carbs, or protein. My method has always been to fill my plate with at least ½ to 2/3 full of veggies and the rest with meat and starch. As a result, I feel like I really need to do some more research on what to eat while training… preferably some sources with pictures and examples!

10 miles this weekend with Lindsey! Other plans for the weekend include new running shoes (my current ones just developed a little hole in the big toe area of my right shoe) and downloading some new running music. I love fall running!

-Heather

Pre Run Sweet Frog (Lindsey)

This is going to be a short update because I'm sooo tired and yes I may be in bed before 8:30pm tonight. Last week was thankfully a step back week in training. My day job at CASA and (thankfully) my photography biz have been busy the past few weeks so it's been rough getting in my runs and getting everything else done. But I'm superwoman right? So to highlight what I learned in a few sentences...

1. Eventhough you aren't on the exact same schedule that old Hal has laid out, you MUST get the runs in. It makes a difference.
2. to do lists are vital to my well being
3. I may have a tendency to over extend myself... I need to work on this.
4. Sweet Frogs before even a short run is a bad idea...
5. Frozen yogurt is an ok treat according to Hal (woohoo!)

131 days to go
Most energizing long run song: Alice Donut - Millennium. Oldie but a goodie. :-)

Dodge ball & recovery (Austin)

Even if all this training doesn't pay off on race day...I will definitely be prepared for any sport that requires dodging objects or being quick on your feet.  On Wednesday, Heather and I ran 4 miles at Riverview.
Note to self...don't run Riverview between the hours of 5pm and 6:30 on a weekday.  I applaud all of the active families, however children learning to ride their bikes down hills + runners with Ipods in don't mix well.  And my puppy fever is now worse than ever....even when a St. Bernard sized dog almost knocked me over.
Our running pattern this week was 3, 4, 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Then yesterday morning we tackled the 9 mile long run in downtown Charlottesville.  The weather was gorgeous and we finished in about an hour and a half.  The hills were no fun but otherwise it was surprisingly an easy run.
We came home to omelets filled with broccoli, spinach, and white beans (I should have taken a picture!) made by my loving brother-in-law.  The protein from the eggs and the carbs from our toast/yogurt made for a great "recovery" meal.  The recovery didn't stop there though.
We met Lindsey, Jess, and Hillary at the downtown mall for brunch/mimosas at Siips and then couldn't leave without a little Sweet Frogs frozen yogurt! I had the cake batter + cheesecake topped with nothing healthy (and I didn't care)!
Now I'm going to spend my Sunday doing homework and being lazy.  According to Hal, I should be cross-training but I really haven't decided what that is yet.

Food Freedom (Lindsey)

2nd week of training under my belt! I just finished my 7 mile long run with Heather and Austin. Their training schedule had them running a 5 miler today so the last two miles of my run were pretty lonely. I pushed through though and finished with a 1:13 time. Not too shabby. I'm looking forward to completing our half marathons so we can transition into being on the same training plan. Long runs are so much better with running buddies!

Looking back on this week the thing I noticed most was my focus on nutrition. I have somewhat of a sordid past with food. Like most good Southern families, social activities were scheduled or included a large spread or meal. I spent most of my youth agonizing over what to eat and feeling guilty about the food I did eat. My passion for running actually stemmed from me wanting to be healthier. I'd like to think that the intensity of my eating/food obsession has subsided in the past few years yet some guilt and anxiety still remains.

However, this week I experienced "food freedom." Most of my thoughts about food were geared towards fueling my energy instead of obsessing over what I wanted to eat and then feeling guilty later. I've never thought about food this way. It's always been an enemy of mine, not an ally. This week food choices were based upon what was going to make me feel energized and not bogged down. This meant low fats and little to no sweets and trying to eat as much protein as possible. I've also been reading about nutrition and what to eat in Hal Higdon's Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide and he recommends 55% carbs, 30% fats, and 15% protein. That 55% carbs makes me so happy! I hope this mindset sticks after the 18 weeks I'll be training. It has been one of the most liberating feelings that I've felt in a long time.  

140 days to go
Today's most energizing song on my long run mix: Mc Solaar - La Belle et le Bad Boy