Week Three Slump?

Not gonna lie, I haven't gone on a run since last Thursday. That was seven days ago. Uh oh.

It seemed like every day this past week I have had something going on from the moment I woke up to the moment I fell asleep, all while having a horrendous summer cold. Plus, I just seriously lacked motivation the past couple days. 

I'm worried since I'm only on Week 3 of my training program...

Maybe it's good I had this slump at the beginning of the training so I can learn how to overcome some of these issues. I googled ways to overcome this issue and found a brief blog from the Health section of the NYT that talked about running slumps for NY Marathon runners. One of the main points it talked about was how right now it is just important to get yourself out the door and run, while not worrying about your pace or overall performance. 

I think that part of me is just over this dreadful heat here at the beach and I just don't want to head outside and get drenched for a 20-minute run. Ugh- that just sounds lame. I had been running as soon as I woke up before showering for work, which fit in nicely to my schedule. I just need to get myself back into that routine. 

That will be slightly difficult over the next few days, as I will be heading to the Big Apple for my last hoorah of the summer. I'm beyond excited and have been planning the trip for over six weeks now. From interviews to Yankees games to reuniting with friends to finally getting to go to the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, I'm pretty sure I've got a lot in store for me over the next few days. One thing I know that I am going to really push on myself, though, is to get out there and run. 

(I'm sort of worried about running through Central Park though- Google genius Sasha Blair-Goldensohn was hit by a rotting branch last month on his morning commute to work. I'm not so sure I want to get attacked by falling branches while trying to get a quick 3-miler in.)

Alas, I will be attempting to get myself back into the swing of my running routine. Disappointingly I haven't kept up with it, but I mean, everyone has those off-weeks, right?

Only 65 more days till the Wicked 10k... Good gracious where has all the time gone?

It's In the Air

This morning was the first time I have felt that "autumn breeze." You know, that feeling in the air where you can just tell the next season is coming around the corner. I have already professed my love for fall, so I won't go over that again, but the steady breeze this morning with just a hint of cool-ness to it as I was running just a bit before 6:30 this morning was perfect. 

That being said, today is supposed to be blazing of course, well into the 90s. I think there are some thunderstorm predictions, so that could help bring down the temps just a bit. 

It surprised me that I actually saw only one person walking their dog when I was out running. No other life forms existed down the long stretch of road outside my neighborhood. Luckily the pleasant air kept me excited enough to keep running even though I wasn't distracted by watching other people or waving to them as I ran by. 

I've been stretching in the morning too. I found a pretty good (I think?) guide on Runner's World for stretching. I'm about as flexible as a brick so it's unbearably painful for me, but I'm getting better due to yoga and running. Success!

I keep writing about the distraught nature I am in every time I go for a run or have to work out, which is extremely lame since my younger brother is leaving for the physically grueling collegiate experience at Virginia Military Academy on Saturday. His life is going to consist of "sweat parties" at midnight, marching for hours on end around the Drillfield, getting his head banged in playing football, and oh yeah, studying so he survives being a pre-med student. Poor kid- let's hope he survives. Just kidding, he's going to be fantastic.  My parents and I are really excited for him but he is going to be exhausted. It's sure as heck going to be a far cry from the college life I had at Virginia Tech, that's for sure.

Welp, 74 days till the race- Lord help me.

Crazy Days

The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity, all while having a seriously sore throat. From where that stemmed, I have no clue. 

Well, yes I might have some inkling... I was in the Nation's Capital this past weekend celebrating one of my best friend's last weekends here in the United States before she leaves for 27 months to serve in Nicaragua as a member of the Peace Corps. It was a crazy weekend filled with lots of wine, a dueling piano bar in the National Harbor, and an unlimited supply of margaritas at her going-away party Saturday night. Down here where I work five days a week and am trying to stick to my running schedule, let's just say those kinds of nights don't happen. I think all the running around and late nights just got to me. It was too much fun and I'm so proud to send her off in style with a great final weekend! Congrats, Jamie!

Well, since I was up in Cap City on Saturday, which was a "long run" day, I flip-flopped the days. I ran as soon as I got home after the grueling five-hour drive (I thought the traffic was supposed to be going north on Sundays, not south?). The weather was painful and I was drenched with sweat (yum) by the time I even left my neighborhood. A ton of people were out Sunday night though, so that was interesting. On my last few minutes of my run I saw a little girl throwing the football with her dad, bringing a smile to my face and making me reminisce of the days when my dad first taught me how to throw a spiral. (P.S. Favre to the Vikings... disgraceful.)

Anyways, yesterday I slept through my alarm so I didn't get to my run before work. It actually worked out well though because I had been wanting to run down on the boardwalk to give myself a little variety. I work only four streets up from the beach so that makes post-work beach time happen with ease. Love it!

Breakdown: Found parking quickly (+1). Had to wait to cross three crosswalks and saw my life flash before my eyes as I almost got run over by a jacked up truck (-3). Nice breeze (+2). Got to see beach goers and decided I would have to go after my run was over (+1). Saw a 14 year-old kid get arrested on 12th Street (-1). Finished and made it back to my car right around the time a woman started cursing out her husband for leaving her on the other side of Pacific Avenue (+10). So all in all, a positive, eventful work out.

Lastly, big news. I officially signed up for the race today. Yes, I have had my doubts. I was worried I wouldn't really be able to run the 10k on Halloween. I still don't really know what I'm thinking. But I did it. I registered. It's only 74 days from today- gah!

If you're looking for where to sign up, visit www.wicked10k.com. The more runners the merrier! Plus we get Blue Moon at the end of the race. Is that a good idea? Not sure, but I'm in.

Side note... the registration page asked me what estimated finishing time was. I said under one hour for 6.4 miles. That sounds awful; I'll be training for less. 

Also, I no longer want to slam my head on my desk every five seconds from massive migraines! Big bonus points for this former caffeine addict! 

Flooding in Southeastern VA!

Holy buckets of rain. Before I even get into discussing my J&A Racing prescribed 15-minute run this morning, let's review the events of last night. Leave the office around 3:30 PM--sunny. Drive to see grandmother at Lake Taylor--relatively heavy raining begins. Leave Lake Taylor roughly an hour later to head to downtown Norfolk--TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. Not only did I have to take off my shoes to run through the flood plains of the parking lot where water was already above headlights of cars parked along the side of the road, I legitimately could not see anything except the heaviest raindrops in existence (I'm talking potential 2003 Isabel-status here). Luckily, I was able to sail out of the parking lot like Noah and the ark, making it to the next parking lot: I-264. 

That was a nightmare. For about an hour I sat bumper-to-bumper in afternoon traffic, while warning messages kept coming onto the radio talking about the threat of death when it comes to flash flooding. I started to question how important the planned Hump Day celebration dinner was, but then deemed it absolutely necessary, so I kept driving on towards downtown. When I finally made it to my off-ramp, a policeman stopped the exit to City Hall Ave, explaining that all of downtown was actually flooding. Preposterous! Just two hours before, I was sweating in the afternoon heat while walking to my car. That, my friends, is truly the beginning of hurricane season for you. So, I bid farewell to my evening plans and headed on home through Chesapeake (carefully avoiding the Downtown Tunnel madness) and back to my glorious 264. 

Well, from all this rain, I figured it would put a damper on my morning workout, so I prepped the next day to run on our treadmill in the house. Luckily, when I woke up this morning, there was only the dampness left from the previous night's weather nightmare, so I was able to head outside. Sweet jezebel was it hot. I thought that it would have cooled off and the humidity would have died down, but oh no. I was sorely mistaken. (One day, I will make it through a post without talking about the insane amounts of humidity in my city, but this might not be for a while, my friends.)

The run itself was nice, taking myself throughout my neighborhood and down the main road outside of it. It felt good to be on the move, as my legs have actually been pretty sore the past few days. I've been trying to stretch more often than usual (which usual means virtually never) to eliminate some of the lactic acid build-up (I do remember some things from high school anatomy class). 

I will say though, the highlight of my run was about 0.6 seconds in, when I saw my neighbor and his 3-month old Golden Retriever puppy coming out of the house to get the newspaper. Ruger, the adorable dog's name, is being trained to fetch the paper--something my own dog would scoff at wholeheartedly, as demonstrated when 20 minutes later I took her for a walk and I had to pick the paper up myself, oh well. Ruger bypassed the newspaper when he saw me go past the driveway and jumped into my arms. (I'm officially in love.) After a few moments of saying "Hi," Ruger grabbed the paper and headed back up to the house. It was a good start to the day. 

I've decided that one of the things that gets me through the runs in the morning are the other people I see, so I'm lucky I'll be running a race with boatloads of other folks on Halloween. Their costumes will provide another distraction for me, which will be extremely enjoyable to judge on my own. But for today, the count was six walkers, two dog-walkers, one biker, and FIVE runners! Nothing like being cooped up in the house for a night to make people get out and exercise the next morning. 

Tomorrow is a rest/cross-training day. I'll keep you posted on which one I decide... 

One Word: HUMID!

Let me just start out by saying that I love summer. I think it would be sacrilegious to have virtually spent my entire life living at the beach and say that I don't. The season is filled with going to the beach obviously, the Fourth of July (my favorite holiday), traveling to see friends, Tides games, being outside all the time, and tanlines. Virginia Beach and Norfolk are always buzzing with something new to do during the summer. It's just perfect. 

That being said- I can't wait for autumn. It's my favorite season beyond all seasons. I love that it signifies (go ahead, groan all you students and teachers out there) the beginning of a new school year, leaves changing, football season, and the three big holidays of the year that fit in that glorious 8-week time span (hello Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). This year, I have another reason to love fall--it will be cool enough that I won't look like I just took a nose-dive into the pool instead of going for a 20-minute run. Which, I hate to admit, is exactly what I looked like today.

It was funny that I woke up ten minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off at 6:40 this morning, to this feeling that I needed to get up to go run. It was the absolute first thought that entered my head. I was a little caught off-guard by that, but then decided now was as good a time as any to get out of bed. I fumbled around searching for my pink and gray running shoes, forgetting that I had thoughtfully placed them right next to my bed last night. I grabbed my watch and got dressed in what somewhat resembled running clothes. Downstairs I had a glass of water then headed outside to stretch and get started on training Day #3.

A brief overview of my workout: received three darling mosquito bites while stretching in the front yard, passed a bicyclist, four dog-walkers, one regular walker (who happened to be my mother; she looked at me with pity), and one other runner! Joy! She gave me a nod in that it's-far-too-hot-and-I'm-too-tired-to-even-begin-to-smile kind of way. I was relieved because I shared her sentiments.

Despite the heat and my overwhelming exhaustion due to my nonexistent caffeine fix, my morning run was relatively enjoyable. It was great to be out seeing other people in the morning, catching up with my neighbor as he got the newspaper and taking in the feeling of being extremely productive, all before 7 AM.

Tomorrow is probably going to be another scorcher, but I feel like even after these couple days I'm starting to get the hang of it. I am already planning my morning around my run- does that mean I am already starting to become adjusted to the life of an avid runner? 

P.S. Massive headache hit around 3 PM yesterday (terrible), but it's been 48 hours since my last coke. This is groundbreaking.

The Beginning

I see them every single day on the street. I pass them morning, noon, and night. It seems that no matter the time of day, even the weather, that I always see people running. It might be that I live in a beach town, so people always seem to be outside and on the go. It also might be that my neighborhood area has several nice running paths for joggers, bikers, and dog-walkers. But I feel like there is something I'm missing. What is the power that pulls these people to get out of bed every morning before, don their running shoes, and face the ridiculously humid Virginia Beach air?

I've decided to find out. Virginia Beach is great location for runners, as there are races sponsored several times throughout the year (and even ones that qualify you for the Boston Marathon). Coming up soon will be the Virginia Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon--a 13.1-mile course throughout the VB Oceanfront (http://www.rnrvb.com/). That, my friends, is not the event I am even beginning to discuss. It is held on Labor Day weekend each year, and with that giving me roughly three weeks, I'm pretty sure I will be one of the thousands of onlookers shaking our heads in amazement.

Let's get to the more realistic scenario. I, along with a good friend of mine, am planning to run the Blue Moon Wicked 10k on October 31, 2009. It's almost comical, really, that the ultimate day of candy mecca I will instead be running 6.4 miles along Virginia Beach's Beachstreet USA. I think what hooked me in is the fact that I get to wear a costume and there are prizes- more on that and my semi-competitive nature to come later.

Now some of you may be scoffing at the idea that I am going to train for a 10k. Okay, ease up.  After just completing four years of undergrad at Virginia Tech (only 25 days till the beautiful sounds of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" take over the Georgia Dome vs. Bama... but who's counting?) and an extensive tour throughout Europe, my diet and exercise regiment has been null and void. 

On the Wicked 10k site (http://www.wicked10k.com/), J&A Racing, Inc., has supplied a 12-week beginner training program for folks just like me. I think what really pulled me in was the fact that the first day of training on their schedule said "Rest." Sold.

That was yesterday. Today was a whole other story. For 15 grueling minutes I ran around the "quay" (or key as it is commonly pronounced) in my neighborhood.  I ran 1.6 miles, as I ran around the quay twice and it is 0.8 miles per loop.  I passed three dog-walkers, two regular walkers, and no other runners. Whoa whoa whoa. What gives? I feel like every single time I am out doing anything else, I see runners. Heck, it could even be a hurricane (watch out, VB, the season is upon us) and I see people running and surfing! Where were they? Well, I was only out for 15 minutes so I'm going to cut the other running phenoms a break.

And just so everyone knows, I have been extremely active athletically my whole life. I grew up playing sports since age 5- soccer, softball, tennis, track, swimming, field hockey, basketball... you name it, I did it.  I've gotten into hot yoga lately (I've been going to Hot House Yoga off of Laskin Road- totally recommend it), so that has started to help with my inflexibility. My main goal in the future is to run the New York and Boston Marathons. Those are a long way off... baby steps.

I'm excited about starting to get into running shape and completing my first race that I'm going to train for outside of any team or school competition. My blog will keep you posted on my progress, plus hopefully bring in some tips, articles, and anything else that might be helpful to relatively novice runners like myself.  Any words of encouragement or advice are greatly appreciated... Happy running!

PostScript: I'm giving up soda, as it is my one vice, but I know is so detrimental to my health. I kept it as a clutch throughout college to get me through the late nights of studying and early morning classes, but now it's time to call it quits. Oh dear, all hell is going to break loose.