Thanks guys!

Thanks to everyone who left comments on my Sunday post about the marathon, and everyone who has ever given me support in the past and still continues to do so. You guys rock! I feel much better knowing that I have your support.

Yesterday, I decided that I was going for a run. I stretched really well and wore my old running shoes, because they're more comfortable for me. I started walking for about 0.25 miles, and then I started running. It was awesome! It reminded me of how much I love running. Of course, it wasn't so awesome when I passed the dead possum and almost tripped over some rocks in the dark. But I kept going, all the way down Hausman, down University Heights, down Silicon, and up Dezavala to the Wal-Mart entrance. And then I ran back. And then I ran around my neighborhood some. I could feel my muscles getting tired, but I stopped frequently to walk and stretch it out. And I made it 7.2 miles in 80 minutes! That's pretty good for me, because I'm a slow runner. But it doesn't matter how fast I run, as long as I finish the half-marathon.

Since the half-marathon is 13.1 miles, I feel pretty good about doing more than half of that last night. I think I'm ready!

Apprehension

I've been having some running problems lately. Pain in my Achilles tendon, tight calves, shin splints. I haven't run in 9 days, hoping to rest my body enough for the marathon. I've decided that I'm going to do the half-marathon no matter how I can, whether it's running or walking. I've been gearing up all week to run 10 miles today. I decided that I would stretch well, and just do my best, but I wouldn't stop until I hit 10 miles. I felt like I needed to do 10 miles one more time before the marathon.

But as I was stretching this morning, the thunder started rolling and the sky opened up and the rain poured down. Sigh. So I had to do some aerobics instead. It's stopped raining now, but it still looks like it will rain so I don't think I'll run today.

This disappoints me because I was counting on this 10 mile run today to put my mind at ease for the marathon, to prepare me for what will be an ordeal. And since I'd spent so much time psyching myself up for it, to not do it seems like a failure on my part.

I think I'm gonna try for 10 miles tomorrow. It will be long and tiring, since I'll have to do it after work, but I feel like I need to get it done before the marathon.

Wish me luck!

I spoke too soon

Remember how I said the running was going well? It seems I spoke too soon.

Last week, I did something to my Achilles tendon and then stupidly tried to stretch it out. I've since learned that this is the opposite of what you do.

I tried to run again yesterday for the first time in a week, only to bring the pain back.

It's almost November, and the marathon is November 15. I have 2 more weeks to train. My plan right now is to rest my tendon til next week. No more running til then, only aerobics and weights. No stretching it.

Then, next weekend, I'm gonna try to do 10 miles. I want to do 10 miles one more time before the marathon, to be ready.

Shouldn't be that bad, right?

How's the running going, Lauren?

Not bad, I reply. Sure, my knee is a little wonky, particularly when I go down the stairs. And my new running shoes blister the inside of the bottom of my feet something awful, but the blister on blister on blister thing is finally forming into a callous. Plus, thanks to the cooler weather, I've been running faster. I can usually get 5 miles in less than an hour now. I'm down to a 10-11 minute mile, depending on the day and how I'm feeling. I definitely need to buy some new music to listen to.

The Rock n Roll Marathon is on Sunday, November 15. Which means I have 3.5 weeks left. It's coming up fast. I haven't attempted 10 miles since I last blogged about it, but I've been doing at least 5 miles every time I run, so I'm feeling pretty good about it all. I'll be OK.

If you're in South Texas, the marathon is gonna be pretty fun. It might be too late to register now, but there are lots of bands to see and cheering sections and a huge concert featuring Los Lonely Boys at the finish. Plus, I get a beer at the finish line! And a medal

10 more miles!

I ran 10 miles again today. To celebrate, I thought I'd tell you exactly how it went.

Let's start by talking about what I'm wearing up there. It's a lot of crap, no? Ripped up, painted tshirt, biking short, GPS armband, watch, water bottle, headband, sunglasses, iPod shuffle, headphones. I look awesome.

Here's what I usually do on my runs: I start by running laps around my neighborhood. My neighborhood is 0.85 miles around. Then I usually run out onto Hausman, towards the light at University, turn right and head down to the corner of University and Silicon, where Sam's is. Then sometimes I turn right again and run up Silicon, towards Wal-Mart. One time, I kept going right again onto DeZavala and turned right into the neighborhood where Jarret and Casey live. That's how I found out that they live 3.2 miles from me. Today, my plan was to do laps around the neighborhood and then run to Jarret and Casey's house. Let's see how that went.

0.00 miles Start walking. Aerosmith comes on.

0.10 Lady in pink shirt is mowing her yard.

0.85 Back to my house.

1.04 Thank god it's cloudy today.

1.57 Passing the same houses. This is getting boring.

1.70 Have to pee. Stopping at my house.

1.99 OK, new plan. Going out of the neighborhood and going the other way on Hausman. I am already behind in my time (my goal was 12 minute miles). But my new goal is to finish 10 miles today, by hook or by crook.

2.16 Hey, good plan! How else would I have known they're opening a sports supply store here?

2.22 Encounter huge, scary drainage ditch. Filled with tree branches, zombies, drugs, possums, etc. Turn around.

2.48 Back at the neighborhood it is then.

2.50 Missy Elliott, "Get UR Freak On."

2.56 New plan - run laps around the neighborhood until I hit 7 miles, then run to Sam's and back.

3.40 That lady is still mowing her lawn! Does it really take this long?

3.85 (shame) The new Miley Cyrus song just came on. I know. Miley Cyrus. Shameful. But it's a fun song, and I need fun songs to keep me motivated. (/shame)

4.03 Hello, bald man walking tiny Chihuahua. The dog, who can't weigh more than 5 pounds, is frantically straining at the leash, trying to say hello to me, his teensy claws ineffectively scratching at the asphalt. I laugh. The bald man laughs.

4.76 This is hard. Can I make it even to 5 miles?

4.89 Passing my house again.

5.07 Evidently I can make it to 5 miles. Sudden burst of energy. Have I hit my stride?

5.48 311, "Down." "Fuck the naysayers" indeed.

5.55 I don't know if I can really do 10 miles today. It looks like it's about to seriously pour down rain.

5.70 But it's not raining yet.

6.15 Chihuahua, we can't keep meeting like this.

6.20 That burst of energy didn't last long, did it?

6.25 Stopping at my house for more water. I have already drunk half a liter. It is now noon and I have been running for over an hour.

6.31 Oops, I meant to make one last lap around the neighborhood, but I got distracted by the blue patch of sky peaking from the clouds. I followed it, and it led me to Hausman.

6.69 HOLY SHIT A SNAKE RUN RUN RUN

7.02 OK, I'm pretty sure that snake was dead, but I wasn't taking any chances there.

7.53 Pass a neighborhood with pink "1" balloons tied to a rail. I deduce that someone's daughter is having her first birthday party.

7.69 Going up the hill. It's not a big hill, but it's enough to make me dread it.

7.72 Passing Espana, the closest restaurant to our house. Unfortunately, it sucks.

7.89 Turning right onto University. Cutting through the parking lot, past The Boiler Room.

7.95 I don't know what the Boiler Room is. They only have a sign right now. A sign, and a bunch of PVC pipe, piles of metal, scaffolding, and exposed beams.

8.06 Passing the San Antonio FBI.

8.10 I feel like I'm being watched. Probably by the FBI.

8.17 Black truck, why did you slow down and turn around when you saw me? You're making me paranoid.

8.23 That giant cloud is so dark and close it looks like a UFO.

8.31 That would suck if it was a UFO. I might get abducted.

8.39 But that I wouldn't have to finish this run, at least.

8.41 But I would have to run from the aliens on that UFO.

8.45 But maybe aliens wouldn't be so judgmental as humans are. Maybe they wouldn't judge me for watching "Dance Your Ass Off."

8.48 But they would probably dissect me.

8.53 Or maybe they would revere me, like a god.

8.60 I can't really take that chance though.

8.66 It's settled: I'm glad that's a cloud and not a UFO.

8.73 The Boiler Room again.

8.85 I stand at the top of the hill and just look down at the rest of my run. Someone honks at me. I hate it when people honk at me. Why do they do that? Is it a compliment? It always freaks the hell out of me.

8.91 I make tiny deals with myself to get through this - run to the end of this street, run to the end of the sidewalk, run to that fire hydrant/crack in the ground/brick wall, and then you can walk. I make another now: run the rest of this mile and you can walk some.

9.00 Walking now. The sun is shining on my back, slowly killing my will to live. I can deal with rain, humidity, no breezes, but I can't deal with sun. Go away, sun.

9.23 Almost got hit by a car.

9.45 Almost to my neighborhood!

9.55 OK, there's that snake again. It hasn't changed position. I'm gonna call it dead now. I hope.

9.64 Sun, PLEASE GO AWAY. Back in my hood now.

9.71 I can run the rest of this block, til the corner.

9.83 No, I can't.

9.86 OK, maybe I can.

9.88 "Hey Jude" comes one. One of my all-time favorite songs. I WILL RUN UNTIL 10 MILES.

9.90 I'm almost there, I'm almost there, I'm almost there.

9.95 I am going out of my damn mind.

10.00 After two hours and seven seconds, I hit 10 miles. I beat my time last week of two hours and 15 minutes, and I managed to keep to my 12 minute mile goal today. I can now walk the rest of the way.

10.09 The sun comes out right when I round a corner, spy my house, and hear the swell of the "la la la la, LA LA LA LAAAAAAAAAAAA" in "Hey Jude." So I run some more.

10.15 OK, almost to the corner. Time to resume walking.

10.17 I am home, two hours later.

My legs hurt

Friends, I am tired. Tired in body, tired in spirit, tired in mind.

On Monday, I ran 10 miles. In a row.

Do you know how far that is? If you were to drive that at 60 miles per hour, it would take you 10 minutes. It took me far longer than 10 minutes - it took me 2 hours and 15 minutes.

The weather here in San Antonio was pretty hot, humid and sunny on Monday. But since it was a holiday, and I had nothing better to do, I decided to run 10 miles.

I'd run 6.5 miles on Sunday, in an effort to get back into running. I'd stopped running so much because it's been so hot recently, but the "cool spell" (i.e., 90 degrees) made me get off my ass and start running. And after running 6.5 miles, I figured 10 miles wouldn't be much more.

But it is. It so is. By the last mile, my calves, thighs, ankles all hurt. My skin was chafing. I was noticeably red. I'd worn sunscreen but sweated it all off. I probably looked like I was about to pass out. But the great thing about running outside is that you have to keep going, or you'll never get home. So keep going I did, even if it meant my running became sprints with long walks between.

Regardless of how I did it, I did it! When I signed up for the half-marathon, 13 miles sounded insurmountable. An Everest. An unattainable goal that would most certainly kill me. Now that I've made it through 10 miles, I'm pretty sure I can tackle 13.

Go Lauren Go!

I've been running so much recently that people keep asking me if I'm training for a marathon. I'm not, but that got me thinking if I could do a marathon.

A whole marathon is 26.2 miles. In laymen's terms, fucking long. I would die. But a half-marathon, that I could do. 13 miles! I run 5 miles when I go running, so I feel like I could work up to 13 miles.

I was talking to my friend Lyla about it, and she said she would do a half-marathon with me. And then I told a bunch of people I was going to do a half marathon. And then I told my mom, and she and Julius bought tickets to come see me run.

So then I thought, shit, I really have to do this.

And I really have to! Because I just registered, and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose that registration money now.

Come watch me run on November 15! http://www.rnrsa.com/home.html

I get a free beer at the finish line! Sweet!

Running and stuff

In response to my post about my morning, some people have asked what time I go to bed if I wake up at 5:30 am to go running. That usually depends, but it's always before 11. This morning I woke up at 5:20 am, and last night I went to bed at 10:30.

It's not an easy thing to do. I ran in the morning Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week. It all caught up to me on Friday. I took a one-hour nap and then also slept for nine and a half hours on Friday night. Getting up early + exercise makes me very sleepy indeed.

But I like to do it. I take a cardio class two times a week, so on the days I don't, I like to run. Now that it's over 100 degrees here, the only time I can run when it's not hot is before I go to work. I like knowing that I'm done working out for the day after that.

I've been running 5 miles when I go for a run, and when I tell people that, they ask me, "How do you run 5 miles?" Well, here's how I do it: I run 2.5 miles away from my house. And then I run back.

IN OTHER NEWS:
Hmm, I don't really have other news. It's dinner club tonight! Have I talked about dinner club before? I will in another post.

This morning

So much happens before I even leave the house.

5:33 am - My alarm goes off. I look at it, confused. Why is it going off? What is that noise? Where/who am I?

5:37 am - Get out of bed. Let Buster outside.

5:38 am - Find workout clothes.

5:39 am - Get dressed.

5:40 am - Find iPod and headphones. Decide to download Black Eyed Peas "Imma Be" since it was on So You Think You Can Dance.

5:53 am - Finally leave house. Jog.

6:21 am - Halfway point!

6:45 am - Get back to my house. Drink 2 glasses of water.

6:50 am - Take a shower. Brush teeth. Put on moisturizer. Put on makeup.

7:05 am - Decide not to dry hair. Let hair dry naturally, with mixed results.

7:06 am - Put shirt in dryer to get all the wrinkles out. Turn on iron to iron pants.

7:08 am - Iron pants.

7:13 am - Get dressed in various rooms of the house - laundry room for shirt, living room for pants, bedroom for shoes and earrings, office for necklace.

7:20 am - Put together lunch of yogurt and granola and get the rest of the days snacks.

7:25 am - Pour coffee, mix in soy milk and sugar. Toast waffle for breakfast.

7:27 am - Spread peanut butter on waffle. Get work bag, purse, coffee and waffle all ready to go.

7:30 am - Kiss John goodbye.

7:33 am - Tilt coffee too far, spilling it on coffee table, floor and waffle. Curse loudly and frequently.

7:34 am - Discourage dog from licking coffee off floor.

7:35 am - Clean up coffee. Clean up floor. Make new waffle.

7:36 am - While new waffle is toasting, put bag, purse and coffee in car to avoid more mishaps.

7:38 am - Spread peanut butter on new waffle.

7:40 am - Leave house.

7:41 am - Drop purse on waffle, getting peanut butter on purse.

7:42 am - Wipe peanut butter off purse.

7:43 am - Eat waffle anyway. Can't waste two waffles in one morning.

7:45 am - Think about how The New Waffle would be a good band name.

8:05 am - Arrive at work.

FIN

My ass hurts

I did something yesterday that accomplished two goals of mine: spend less money and exercise. I went to a free workout at lululemon, a fitness clothes store in the Quarry. My friend Kate sent me an email about some yoga classes, so I thought this was a yoga class. But it actually was a hip-hop bootcamp class.

It was HARD. We started with some running outside, some stairs, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, all in 95 degree heat. This was in the Quarry, where the crowd eating orange beef at Firebowl had the pleasure of watching us sweat. Then we went back inside to do lunges, burpees, pushups, side planks, and abs.

Today, I had to make myself take the stairs, because my ass hurts so much. My abs scream when I laugh, and my thighs just want to die.

I was going to post a photo of myself here, but I was too gross and sweaty looking. I don't think you want to see that.

But am I glad I went? Sure! It was free, and it was a good workout. I might not do the bootcamps again, but lululemon offers yoga classes too that I might try. As long as they're not as hard as the bootcamps.