100!

Well, yesterday I crossed the 100-mile finish line! Amber and I ran 4 miles (two 2-mile loops), and when I got home, I logged in my run--I ended up having mileage of 100.28 for the month! This morning I "slept in" until about 6:10 and enjoyed my morning off before I run my longest run yet tomorrow--8 miles! It should be an interesting run, given it's supposed to be raining in the morning. I've never actually run in the rain yet, but I'm hoping my new windbreaker will help keep the moisture out, while not making me heat up too much.

Today is Halloween...here's a costume I thought was too funny not to post. =) Happy Halloween, everyone!

The Return of Mr. Putrid...

Today is normally my day off, but seeing that Friday is Halloween and I'll be stuffing my face with sweet goodies instead of running, I figured I better get some mileage in today. I got to the gym at about 8:30 a.m. and looked for an open treadmill. There are about 15 treadmills with t.v.'s and another 10 or so without any form of entertainment attached to them. I am not a person who can run endlessly on a black belt while staring off into oblivion, though. Having a t.v. to watch helps that time to pass much more quickly. Anyhoo, the first couple treadmills were taken, so I walked further down the aisle toward the only available one. I hopped onto it, happy that I was able to snag it before someone else, and wondering if maybe there was something wrong with it--why else would it be vacant during such a peak time? Maybe the t.v. wasn't working...or maybe the belt wasn't....or maybe when I turned it on it would go faster, and faster, and faster...but alas, I pressed the power button and all was well.

Now, when I chose the treadmill, I wasn't paying attention to who was running next to me. About a 1/4 mile into my 4-mile run, I noticed a familiar smell. Actually, it's an understatement to say "smell." It was a stench. A funk that I haven't forgotten since my encounter with Mr. Putrid a few weeks ago. I looked to my right. No, miss blondy wearing a sports bra and short shorts couldn't be seeping that awful scent, could she? I looked to my left. Aaahhh. There he was. Mr. Putrid in all his glory. I desperately looked down the line of treadmills to see if another one had opened up, but no such luck. No wonder this one had been vacant! Now there were a number of "regular" treadmills with no t.v.'s available, but was I really willing to sacrifice my entertainment in order to maintain my ability to breathe? Of course not. I squinted my eyes to see how far the man had gone: .46 miles. GREAT! Now I had no idea how far he intended on going, but I imagined he still had a ways to go. Mr. Putrid, afterall, is in pretty darn good shape. It's amazing that such a horrible smell could come out of his body. He does have a lot of body hair poking out of his shirt...maybe that is contributing to his problem.

So, I bucked up, breathed as much as I could through my mouth, and completed my 4 miles. Actually, when I was in the middle of my 2nd mile, Mr. Putrid left. It's weird, but his scent lingered for a good 10 minutes after he was gone. Really, someone ought to tell that man that he STINKS! Who knows? Maybe people (women, in particular) have been avoiding this poor man for who knows how long...maybe he should see a doctor. I mean, really, I have NOT smelled anything like this man before in my life.

Onto other things...tomorrow is my last run for the month--I'm set to do 4 miles with Amber in the a.m., which will put me at just over 100 miles for October. Yay me!

4 more days!

My 100-mile goal for October ends Friday. If I can do my 5 miles tomorrow, 4 miles Thursday and 4 miles on Friday, I'll have met my goal by like .03 miles! I can't believe it. My runs in the dark with Amber have been great. If I could get myself up at 5:15 every day, I think I'd do it the rest of the week, but I just don't want to graduate to that yet. =)

We did 7 miles on Saturday...it was a beautiful run. We started at 6:30 a.m., so it was dark, but about 20 minutes into our run it started to get a little bit light. It was so peaceful and serene watching the sun rise over the country fields, and the weather was perfect for running. I think it's time for me to get new shoes, although it's only been a bit over 3 months since I bought my last pair. I had to ice my knees after our run. Usually for a few months after I get new shoes, my knees are good to go. I don't know if it's just my increased mileage, or me wearing through my shoes faster. I think I need to be more diligent about changing my shoes after I'm done running. They are WAY too expensive to have to buy a pair every 3 months! Usually when I run at the gym, I'll end up wearing the same shoes until I get home in the afternoon, and I need to stop doing that.

So far, I'm on track for the 1/2 on Feb. 1st. I hope I stay injury-free and illness-free so I can keep on schedule!

A little behind...

I ran 5 miles with Amber yesterday morning! Man, it felt great to get that much mileage done by 6:30 a.m.! My hamstrings were still tight from my lack of stretching after the race, and for part of the run, it felt like the socket that connects my upper thigh to my hip was going to explode, but other than that, I was good to go. =) At about mile 4, Amber took a fall. Poor girl...it's still pitch black outside when we run, and although we both have flashlights, it's still hard to see the nooks and crannies and cracks in the sidewalks. I've tripped multiple times, but have been lucky enough not to fully bite the dust. She was ok, though, and I was actually happy that she wanted to walk for a minute after her fall since my right hamstring felt like it was about to sever.

After the run, I made sure to stretch *really* good. My legs felt much better today, and since it's my day off, I enjoyed the re-coop time. I felt like I was fighting off a cold yesterday, and woke up this morning feeling a little worse, so it's good that I already planned to have the day off. Tomorrow we're doing 4 miles, Friday is another 4 planned, and Saturday I'm hoping to do my longest run yet--7 miles! I'm hoping Amber can come with me to make it go faster.

I'm at 68.5 miles for the month right now...it's going to be close meeting my goal. I'm planning on only taking 1 day off this week instead of two to get my mileage in...

Finished the 10K!

My goal was to beat 60 minutes, and I did it! My time was 58:12, and I ranked 18 out of 38. I placed 2nd in my age division! Woo hoo! Stupid me didn't stretch when I was done, and I'm still feeling the ramifications in my hamstrings. Won't make that mistake again...

1/2 Way There!

...to my 100-mile goal, that is! Today I ran a meager 3 miles at the gym. I didn't want to work too hard since I have my 10k tomorrow. I'm now at 53.11 miles for the month. Woo hoo! I don't know that I'll get to the 100 miles, though, since I start my 1/2 marathon training Monday, and the first few weeks don't call for as high of mileage.

As I ran today, I watched "Spiderman" on tv. Well, actually, I pretty much watched commercials since every two minutes another one came on. But what I saw of the movie was pretty good.

Tonight I'm going out with girls from high school. I'm so stoked to get out of the house and away from the kids for awhile...now I love them and all, but it sure is nice to be able to hang out with girls and talk about whatever we want, eat as slow as I want, and only have to worry about feeding myself. We're meeting at a Mexican restaurant, though. Not the best choice for the night before my race. We all know what Mexican food does to your tummy, and I don't really want to be in mile 4 and having to make a pit stop on the side of the road...

So, tomorrow's the big day! I really really really want to break 60 minutes on my time!

Ahhh....

Felt good to get back outside running this morning. Yesterday I did 4 miles on the treadmill, but it's just not the same. This morning it was cool, crisp and clear. The moon was full--or nearly--and gave us some natural light in the dark. This was helpful since my mini-flashlight is virtually worthless with its quarter-sized light output. I picked up my new windbreaker yesterday from REI and was so excited to wear it today! (Yes, it's the little things...) I was very happy with its performance. We ran 4 miles, and the jacket kept me warm, but not *too* warm. I didn't feel like I was sealed in a big black plastic bag like I did with my old windbreaker.

Only 3 more days until my 10k! Looking forward to it being done so I can continue on with my 1/2 marathon training...