Overzealous

This weekend I walked my very first half-marathon.  You may remember me talking about signing up last year.  If you remember, I mentioned I would keep you all posted about my training progress.  I had dreams of my hyper puppy miraculously calming down as I took her for long runs weekly.  Sadly, my regimented training schedule turned into ONE one-mile run in December.  That is it.  And I didn’t even take my dog.  Sad but true. 

However, I did not let my inexperience or lack of training get me down.  I decided months ago that I would just walk the half-marathon.  People walk half-marathons all the time, right.  Surely I could do it.  I was a little self-conscious about what spectators would think of my walking, but luckily I convinced my friend Alex to walk with me.  And she made a great partner because she was equally under-prepared and up for the challenge. 

We showed up at City Hall at 7:30 (which my body thought was 6:30 thanks to the daylight savings time transition) ready to walk!  The weather was gorgeous.    

View from the Start

Ready to walk

Mockingbird station was the half-way point.  It also just-so-happened to be where Alex and I parked.  I am not going to lie, it took every ounce of strength and pride I had not to walk straight to my car and hit the road. 

Walking thirteen-point-one miles was not as easy as I had naively hoped.  My legs got TIRED.  But I managed to put one foot in front of the other enough times to finally make it to the finish.  Just three hours and twenty-five minutes after we started, we crossed the finish line!

That’s right! I am a half-marathoner… or whatever you call it… I could not have made it without my fantastic walking partner, Alex.  Thank you for walking with me friend! You are the best.  (Though I had since December to neglect my training, Alex just decided to walk with me last Friday.  I don’t know who is crazier…)

Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

I may in fact be certifiably insane, but yesterday I registered for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon. The longest distance I have ever run is a 10k (a little over 6 miles) so I know full well that I have no idea what I am getting into. All I know is running a ½ marathon is on my life list and six of my friends are running this one… So I might as well go for it…

I really dislike running, as some of you may remember from my previous posts. But I figure I will never get over the hump (I still believe this hump is fictitious and I will never enjoy running.) if I don’t push myself.

The half is on March 14, 2010. I am going to try to get into a little better shape between now and the new year, but my official training schedule will begin on January 1, 2010. For the next four months, my border collie is going to be so excited to have a consistent running buddy… At this point, I on the other hand am more scared than excited…

Wish me luck.

Park = Wake Up Call

Today my co-leader and I took our girls to the park for lunch and some fun fellowship. We picked a perfect day too because it was gorgeous! Since it is spring break only two of our girls were able to come. While I missed the girls that couldn't make it, it was nice to get some quality time with the two. We fed the ducks and discovered that corn tortillas sink. Sadly I was not in photo-Nazi mode and didn't take a single picture for blog proof.

After feeding the ducks, we played a quick game of Ultimate Frisbee and I was shocked to discover I am painfully out of shape. Well shocked is not really accurate since I have not been to the gym in months. But still, it is quite scary how quickly muscle disappears. Thus, I have decided to get back into the gym in the hopes of soon being able to run the length of the ultimate field without breaking a sweat.

Feel free to start playing the Rocky music in your head because it is what I turn to every time I vow to get back in shape, so it is going through my head as I type. Luckily Melissa asked me to run a 5k with her in May so I have a goal that will keep me focused. I know a 5k is not daunting but you would be surprised what huge motivation a little race can be. The Heartbreak 5k will also serve to cross one Resolution off my list and we all know how happy I get about crossing something off my list. Thanks Mel for suggesting the 5k and being willing to run it with me.

Itch... Itch... Go Away

I am back! I survived and I feel better for running... I am back on the wagon. My pace was horrible but now I have something to improve upon. I wish I could remember that though I hate running, it does good things for me like increase my endorphins and apparently open my capillaries and arteries... All of which are good things...

I say apparently because I just researched and found that last tidbit. See, when I stop running for any period of time and then start again, my legs itch... It is not painful, just uncomfortable. I never knew why but after feeling the tingle today I decided to look it up... Here is the answer and it creeps me out enough to keep running!

Why do my legs itch when I run?

A. Don't worry; you aren't alone on this problem. It usually occurs during exercise performed after a long period of inactivity. The itching is not on the skin, it is inside the skin.
You see, there are millions of tiny capillaries and arteries inside our muscles which expand rapidly due to the demand for more blood that is brought on by exercise. When our bodies are sufficiently fit, these capillaries remain open allowing maximum blood passage, but, when unfit and inactive, they tend to collapse, allowing only minimal blood passage (which is sufficient for a sedentary person, however). The rapid expansion of these vessels causes adjacent nerves to send impulses back to the brain which are interpreted as an itch.The problem should go away once you have increased your fitness level.

I am determined to decrease the itch. I do not want to be considered a "sedentary person"... Ewww... I just chringed at the thought.

Aid Sudan 5k

In running news, my next event will be the Aid Sudan 5k on April 5th. My church is hosting it and I could not be more excited to support the cause. All proceeds go to http://www.aidsudan.org/. Check it out and consider running with me. I am trying to get my 9th graders to run too! Should be fun!

It is 3.1 miles and I am planning on running the whole thing. I am going out on a limb and telling you all my goal is to run under an 11.00 minute/mile pace. As always, I will keep you all posted!!!

Rodeo Run

I completed my first 10k today! I am feeling pretty good at the moment, but I finished less than an hour ago. I fear I may be sore later tonight and tomorrow. The race started at 9:45am and it was HOT! Which is about all I can say about the race... I don't know enough about running to know if the course was a good one, but there were two inclines that I wasn't so happy about.

I finished in 1:20:50.60 which means I paced 13 minute/miles. I am not happy about that, but I was having a lot of trouble motivating myself to run. Next time I will have a more stringent goal than finishing. Hopefully that will provide a little more motivation to actually run. But in general, I am glad to have one 10k under my belt!

In Training News...

I have been training fervently for the 10k this weekend and today... I FEEL IT!!! For the last three days I have run three miles! It may not sound all that impressive, but for me, it is a milestone. I even managed to be relatively consistent in my timing (not all that fast, my fastest pace was 11.10 minute/miles), which encourages me. However, I fear my zeal may have gotten me into trouble. I am sore today, so much so that my attempts at walking are humorous! I have two days to rest up before the 10k and you will all be happy to know I don't plan to run again until Saturday morning, that is if I can walk by then. ;)

Running

In running news, I am happy to report I have doubled my distance twice in the last three days. I know, it sounds super impressive! But it basically means I started out running 0.75 miles and have worked my way up to 3 miles. Not so impressive, but it is a definite start! I am fairly confident the next time I double my distance will be race day. :)

I plan to run around 3 miles 4 times a week between now and the 10k. I will blog if anything funny/crazy happens, but otherwise, know I am learning to run one step at a time. Honestly, it is not as bad as I was afraid of. I know I have not run very far, but I used to fear running like the plague. Now, I am just uncomfortable and wish I could do it faster and more efficiently. But it is nice not to hate it! Luckily I have a running partner sometimes, which makes it much easier! Thanks Mel for your invaluable marathon experience and constant encouragement. I am confident I will be ready by March! 10k here I come! Cue Rocky Anthem. :)

Congratulations Marathon Finishers

Congratulations to everyone who participated in and finished the Houston Marathon yesterday! 13.1 or 26.2 miles are huge feats and both deserve recognition. So here is your blog shout out... Yea!!!

I spectated my first marathon yesterday and managed to see most of my friends run by at one point or another. It is crazy to think that 20,000 people ran through the streets of Houston yesterday. The main reason I went to the marathon was to cheer on my best friend Mel, who ran the full marathon for the first time! She ran a whopping 26.2 miles, which is 6.2 miles further than she has ever run before. I am so proud of her. Annie also gets a huge shout out for finishing her 2nd Houston Marathon. You rock (and as I have told you a few times before, you are my running hero)!

Yesterday I actually (and sadly compared to everyone else's achievement) managed to run farther than I had ever run before. I ran the last 4.2 miles (minus the finish line) with Mel, and it wore me out! Which furthers my sense of amazement at everyone's ability run that far. Congrats again guys, seriously.

Anyway, after the high that comes with seeing friends cross a finish line and achieve something they have worked hard for, I have recommitted myself to my goal of running a 10k. Thus, I am reluctantly signing up for the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run on March 1st in Houston. Feel free to join me in my run!!! I figure if I can run 4 miles in January, I can make it to 6 by March... Right? :)

My First Tri...

400 meter swim, 19 mile bike, 3 mile run... Sounds easy enough... and on some level it was. But the thought I am left with after competing in my first triathlon is I am in good enough shape to finish a triathlon... but no where near good enough shape to win one.

I started out well enough. The swim was not hard and I was out of the water in 8 minutes. Not the best time ever but nothing to complain about. Especially since I think the course was a little longer than 400 meters. It took me almost 3 minutes to get out of the transition... I went into the transition in 2nd place in my age bracket and left the transition in 5th. That is definitely something I want to work on before my next tri.

As for the bike... It was hard... I think starting with a 19 mile bike was a little presumptuous of me. To be fair, when I signed up for the tri it was a 600 meter swim, a 14 mile bike and a 3 mile run... But the course changed... I managed to bike at a pace I felt comfortable keeping for 19 miles. And I think I paced myself well... But by the time I got to the running I was tired... My body was still functioning pretty well but every time I started to jog I got dizzy. At one point during the run I saw one of my professors (she was in the invitational and had finished already... she was just running for a cool down) and she ran/walked with me to the finish. I was excited to have the company and she helped me maintain my focus for the last mile or so.

I ended up beating my goal time which I was very happy about! I had hoped to finish in under 2 hours and 15 minutes and I came in at 2:11:58.5. And even though I finished dead last in my age group (10th out of 10) I have to say I am happy with my accomplishment. I had a blast! I am definitely doing another one!!! Just not until 2008.

Some things I learned for the next one:
~ I need to work on my biking. I think I am going to take a spin class and build my endurance.
~ It would be nice if I could run for longer than a mile without getting winded. I am working on that too.
~ Even after not swimming competitively for the last seven years... I still absolutely LOVE the sport!
~ I need to put GATORADE on my bike so I can replete my salt.... so I don't get dizzy... So I can actually run...
~ I need to take my training a lot more seriously and set more stringent goals for myself... actually I take that back... I need to follow through and complete the goals I set for myself. ;)
~ I want one of those snazzy triathlon suits so I can transition faster and because some of them just look cool.
~ With that snazzy triathlon suit... I would like some padding for the biking portion... 20 miles is hard on the back side!
~ I have to take off my kickstand before the race! It is against USAT rules and it adds weight to the bike.

Before the tri:

The Competators: Jen, Mel, Annie, Dinah

Our swim start

The transition area

Me drinking water and starting my "run"

We all finished!

We went to Cracker Barrel afterwards with our wonderful supporters. Thanks again for coming out guys!!!

Oh and a special thanks to my parents for coming in all the way from Dallas to watch me race. I forgot to get someone to take a picture of me with them... Otherwise that would be posted too! I love you Mom and Dad. Thanks again for coming. It reminded me of all the swim meets you NEVER missed while I was growing up. I am so blessed to have such wonderful parents.

Hershey Park 2, Jen 0

On Saturday morning I met up with Annie, Paula and Dinah for a leisurely bike ride that ended up being anything but. We met at around 10:15 at Annie's parents house because it is right by Terry Hershey Park. You might remember this from my last biking post.

Anyway, we all get on our bikes and head out for the morning. Annie is leading the pack and I am back. Well we are about 1/2 a mile to a mile into our ride when my chain falls off the track. I am new to biking and have only ridden my road bike three times before (one of which being in the monsoon). I figured I needed to go out on it at least one more time before my tri next weekend and that was VERY true... Because when my bike came off the chain I had no idea what to do. I tried to fix it quickly so I could catch up with the girls but when I realized I had no idea what I was doing I called for my friends to stop but they had gone to far and could not hear me... The chain had wedged its way between the gears and the side of my bike and I could not dislodge it. I worked on it for about five minutes expecting my friends to return to my aid at any moment but no such luck. Eventually a man stopped and helped me un-wedge the chain and he put it back on the track... He thanked the Lord (I was kinda excited about that part) and I was off. As I was trying to catch up with my friends I was thinking of how dumb it was that I didn't bring a cell phone... I am alone on this trail and have no way of telling my friends where I am...

But it seemed to all work itself out because I caught up with one of my friends after about a mile. She had turned around and headed back for me. However, she informed me that Annie's (our leader and the only one who knew the trail) pedal had fallen off her bike and she was headed back to her house to fix it. Annie said she would catch up with us later so we continued on the trail and were on the look out for her... However, I was not the only one who didn't bring my cell phone... None of us had one... So we were on a trail we didn't know with no way of getting in touch with anyone. Hershey Park is not huge though so I was not all that worried about it...

Besides... the trail is straight for the most part and there are not many forks... right?!?!? Apparently not... We must have made a wrong turn at one such fork because we somehow ended up on a 30 mile loop that we had no intention of getting on. While on this 30 mile track that we thought was part of Hershey park Dinah's chain dislodged and she had to fix it. Then Dinah and Paula changed bikes because Paula was on a hybrid which is harder... and since we were about 10 miles in to our "leisurely" ride she was starting to get a little tired. Anyway... once they changed bikes Dinah decided she needed to raise the seat of the hybrid bike and braked in order to do so... As she pressed her breaks the bike stopped abruptly and she flew over the handle bars. She was using the pressure she would have used on her road bike and the breaks were a lot tighter on the hybrid. Dinah was not hurt and all three of us began laughing hysterically. She picked herself up and brushed herself off and we continued on this trail. After about three more miles we got to a map and realized we were on the long track that we had no intention of being on... So we turned around and tried to make our way back to Hershey park.

When we made it back to the park and then back to Memorial we decided to ride on the street to get back to Annie's house because it was going to be a lot faster and we were already exhausted (I think at this point we had ridden about 20 miles... and I know most of you don't believe me because I tend to exaggerate but I am trying hard not to... I think 20 is pretty close!) So we start riding on the street and realize we are still about 4 miles from Annie's place even on the main roads. We get about 3 miles into the SCARY ride (cars were going by quickly and it just made me really nervous) and all of a sudden there is a bump in the pavement and my tube of my front tire popped...

Of course I didn't have a spare... That would be logical and clearly nothing about our bike ride had been logical thus far... (again I am glad all of this happened BEFORE the tri and not during it) so we stop at a gas station and call Annie to have her come and pick me up. This was about three hours after we started our bike ride... And I was pretty glad that the end of our journey was in site... Once Annie got to the gas station to pick me up, the other two girls rode the last mile back to Annie's parents house and we all three drank A LOT of Gatorade and water... Needless to say it was a crazy ride!!! I am determined to conquer Hershey park one day, but not until after the tri on Sunday.

But I learned a lot from the experience:

• Know where you are going
• Have a spare tube, a CO2 cartridge and tools
• Take a water bottle when you ride
• Take a cell phone with you and make sure everyone else has one too
• Remember your GPS unit so you can actually KNOW how far you ride and not have to guess... :)
• Buy biking shorts... 20 miles is to much for the padding the seat itself provides.

Things I learned before, during and after my workout

1. I do not thing I would enjoy having to commute an hour to and from work every day. When I went to pick up my car this morning, it was in Barker-Cypress. I got there at 7:00am and had my car by 7:20. (Side note, it is great to have my car back!) I left the car shop and headed straight home and made it back to my house at 8:55. I had a good time listening to music and praying, but I don't think I could do that every day... Traffic is CRAZY in this city!!!
2. When putting my I-pod into my back pack, I need to remember to "hold" it so it doesn't turn on and use all of my battery while in my back pack. I hope you enjoyed the music today, Mr. Bag... A special thanks to Landon for letting me borrow his i-pod during my workout... It made it much more enjoyable.
3. I like the arm-band i-pod holders more than the clip/waist i-pod holders. I decided to go buy one tonight.
4. I like running outside or on a BIG track much better than on an indoor track or treadmill. Today I ran on the U of H Rec track and it was fine... but it is so small... A mile is 5 laps and I don't like that... Gets repetitive too quickly.
5. Water is my friend. Having water in my car is not helpful. I need to remember to take it WITH me into the Rec. I managed to gulp down a few cups of water from the water fountain but a water bottle would have been a much smarter route...
6. I love walking in the rain when I don't have to keep my hair pretty. As I was walking to the rec it started to rain lightly and since I didn't have to be pretty, it was glorious to walk through the rain!

As far as my work out update goes... I was running late this morning and didn't pick up my swim suit when I left the house so I ran 1 mile (5 laps around the stinking track) and I biked 5 miles... Not too bad seeing as I only had an hour between classes.

Back to life, back to reality... or training...

Training officially begins again today. And with less than a month before the tri, I had better get started!!! Though my goal is to finish the triathlon, I don't want to embarrass myself... So I am going to try my hardest to work out 3-4 days a week for the rest of the month... We will see how that goes... At any rate, the big event is on September 30th so t-minus 24 days and counting.

Today I plan to run and swim... Go big or go home, right?!?! And I tell my blog following this so I will actually go work out. Feel free to ask me about my workout... Or just wait for me to post about it later. :P

The Training Wheels Came Off...

After a 10.5 mile bike ride through a monsoon, I am much more confident on my road bike. :) However, I conquered my fear of the road bike in true Jen fashion. I have a small cut on my hand, a scrape on my arm and leg and got completely drenched by a Lexus (not that I wasn't already completely drenched... but it was icing on the cake.) But all that to say, I am learning how to ride a road bike!!! Yea!

The full story begins at 11am this morning with Mel and I driving over to Annie's parents house for a leisurely bike ride. There is a great bike trail right by Annie's parents house and in training for our triathlon we decided to bike today. The three of us have never biked together before so we were all kinda excited. They both had hybrid bikes and I was on my road bike. I loosened my petal straps a little so I could get my feet in the petals a little easier, but I still took a while to get started.

We managed to bike for about 2 miles before it began raining. It was a light sprinkle that was quite refreshing and none of us wanted to go back, so we kept going. Then it stopped raining and it was wonderful (nice and cool) for about half a mile. Then the monsoon started. It started raining harder and harder and harder. It was very fun but we got drenched to the bone and my bike does not have much traction so I skidded a few times but never completely fell off my bike. Anyway, it was an enjoyable hour and a half and my writing skills cannot do the story justice so I am going to stop there... But I will leave you with a few few pictures to prove the extent of the drenching.

P.S. That is my bike in the pictures... So pretty. :)

Road Bike (with Training Wheels?)

I rode a road bike for the first time on Tuesday. WEIRD! I am not used to it at all. I am going to need A LOT of practice. I am fine once I am moving but getting going looks pretty funny. I have these straps that I put my feet into. Well I cannot do it quickly and I practically fall over every time I try to get my foot into the strap. Then there is the little issue of having to bend down when I ride. This is not something I am used to and it feels very uncomfortable. I have been told it is a better position and I will get more used it it, but it was unusual to say the least. Hopefully I will get the hang of it quickly. I am supposed to bike 8 miles next week... That should do the trick. :)

As far as how I have a road bike to begin with... On Tuesday, after getting off work at 5, I went to 2 stores to find my bike (the first store was sold out), bought my bike, brought it home (in the back of my civic I might add), aired up the tires, fixed the petal straps (they are trickier than they look), adjusted my helmet to ensure proper fit and was ready to ride at 7:30... I managed to get 2 miles in before it got too dark and I decided to call it a night... But I did sign up for the triathlon online on Wednesday... So I am doing it for sure. Mark your calendars for September 30th. :)

Cinco Ranch Here I Come!

With T-minus nineteen weeks and counting until the Cinco Ranch Triathlon, I boldly proclaim to bloggerville that I am going to be a triathlete!!! Today I begin training for my very first triathlon. It will be on September 30th at Cinco Ranch and I am pretty excited! It is a 600 meter swim, 15 mile bike, and 3 mile run.

So far triathlon prep has proven to be quite expensive. I bought new running shoes from Fleet Feet (they look at your feet and tell you which shoes will be the best for you), I am in the process of picking out a cheap (relatively) road bike that can get me through training and the triathlon, I purchased new goggles and still have to buy a new Speedo. But all of it will be used to kick my butt into shape before September 30th. :)

A few of my friends are doing the triathlon with me and I am trying to convince more. :) You should do it with us.... You know you want to!!! ;)

I will keep you all posted on my training progress. Today I am supposed to swim 300 yards and jog/walk for 30 minutes. I am going to jog/walk for 45 instead because I don't want to drive all the way to the pool and I am much more worried about the running than the swimming.

FYI- I started my Business/Corporate Firm job today and loved it! I start the Estate Planning job tomorrow and am optimistic that I will enjoy it as well. I plan to post about work later this week... :)