the good and the bad

Well, I ran twice this week. That should mean something.

Thursday I headed up to Uptown Park to run the Turkey Trot 5k. It was great! But, it was annoying to have to dodge so many walkers who obviously started up near the front where the fast pacers are supposed to be. Now, I have nothing against people who walk a 5k - but please, PLEASE start near the end of the pack and don't walk like 6 abreast - it makes things really difficult for the people trying to run the event.

Other than that, the run was great. I struggled a bit to breathe, but I felt pretty strong and finished with a personal best of a bit over 38 minutes. The weather and the people I got to run with made it pretty perfect. Yay!

Saturday's run, unfortunately, was not nearly as good. Our route was the same 10 miles from a couple of weeks ago - Memorial to the convention center downtown and back. I started hurting early in the run (I think I killed my lower back wrapping Christmas presents on Friday) and ended up having to walk over half of the distance. My inner thighs were screaming, too. By the time we limped in to the finish, I wasn't so sure about even walking. Ugh.

I guess there will always be bad runs. Here's hoping things get better soon!

cold rain

You guys, seriously, I'm neglecting this, and I don't see that ending right now. Even so, I figured an update was in order.

2 weeks ago we did our first 10 miler. We ran from Memorial Park to the convention center downtown. That's a seriously long way. I ended up having to run alone since none of the people I run with were at practice.

Honestly, it was a pretty good run for me. I felt strong. I walked bits, but I felt good. It was weird running downtown, but interesting.

So, yeah, long but good run full of interesting smells and sights. I then promptly failed to run at all for 2 weeks (busy busy busy plus a long weekend in Napa - not conducive to running). Which brings us to yesterday.

Yesterday was another 10 miler (which actually clocked at 10.8 miles) in the cold rain. It was gross and ugly, but we somehow made it through it. More walking than I would have liked, but still respectable, I think.

Today I hurt all over. Seriously, ow.

I'm a sick-y

Well, I would like to say that I'm getting better about getting my workouts in, but the rest of my life appears to be conspiring against me.

Last week I didn't get any weekly workouts in. There were good reasons though, including an ugly stomach ache brought on by the lunch a vendor brought and my trainer being sick. See, it's not like I skipped them because I was lazy.

Saturday's 8 miles really wasn't too bad. I am feeling stronger, even if I am missing too many runs. And I really don't enjoy the running, still, but I love the feeling I have afterwards. I'm still slow, but I think I've pretty much accepted that.

The neighborhood we ran through on Saturday is one of the nicer ones in Houston, and it was nice and quiet early on a Saturday morning. It was fun to see all of the Halloween decorations. I'm hoping that we'll run through the same area once Christmas decorations start going up.

In health news, I finally got the testing done and the verdict is in - I have asthma. I guess it's really a bit of a relief. I mean, it's nice to know that there's a reason I can't breathe when I run. I no longer have to chalk it up to being out of shape (now, the aches and pains, those are maybe because my body isn't used to the running =)). He put me on a couple of meds, including an inhaler to use before I run. He said I should start feeling a difference in 3 months. I'm pretty excited about that, honestly. I wish the effects would start sooner, but at least I know it's not always going to be this bad.

So far this week I've been better about my workouts. I did a treadmill run on Monday, followed by my Pilates class. Yesterday, I was supposed to have a workout with my trainer, but she managed to forget, so I ended up on the treadmill waiting for her, and I just decided to finish out my workout on the treadmill since I had places to be. I'll miss tonight's track practive because we're taking Kevin to a knife skills class (the kitchen kind, not the throwing kind =)) for his birthday, but I'm planning on running with my lovely running buddy on Thursday since we've missed so many runs together and there's gossip to be shared =). So, yeah, 3 out of 4 weekly workouts isn't bad...

I can't say I'm looking forward to 10 miles on Saturday.

La la la

I'm not writing, but I'm still running. Some. I'm busy, and I've been sick. I still don't really have the energy for a full-length discussion of the running, but I should at least try to catch up.

Since I last wrote, we've done an 8-miler, a 6-miler, and another 8-miler. I've largely failed to run much during the week due to a combination of illness and a period of general ennui. I substituted walks for some of my runs, and I flat-out skipped others. I haven't been good about the training, really, and I need to get back to it.

The long runs haven't been terrible. The first 8 mile one was pretty slow and involved a lot of walking and my stomach having a brief freakout, but it still felt decent. The 6 miler was a lot better, and actually felt somewhat comfortable. The 8 miler this past weekend was good, I think.

I ran the 8 miles this weekend with a couple of the girls, and I felt strong most of the way. Company really does help on these things. We alternated walking and running, and that seems to work fairly well for me - I finish faster, even if I don't feel that much better.

This weekend's run took us into the Uptown Park area, and it wasn't fun to run by both Crave and the Tasting Room. Luckily, it was too early for them to be open, or I might have had an early end to my run!

So, yeah, short entry. Hopefully I will get better about both the running and the writing =)

Wait, how far?

I really am bad about updating this thing in a timely manner.

Saturday's long run went pretty well, surprisingly. I'm really not sure why some runs are so much better than others. We did 6 miles, and I got to runs parts of it with 2 different awesome ladies, so I definitely enjoyed the company. The run really did feel tons better than the week before, but I was still glad to be done with it. Running is hard. I know I've said that before, but I really mean it. I have lots of respect for people who do this regularly. I'm glad I have such a great cause pushing me forward.

Fueling is going better. The Clif Shot Blocks really work for me, so I think I'm going to stick with them for now. They taste good and aren't all weird like the gels, so I'm happy. And they haven't made my stomach screwy yet, so I'm taking that as a good sign. I haven't figured out the best time to start taking them, though, and I haven't figured out what to eat for breakfast on run days. I need to figure out SOMETHING that I can eat an hour before a run without feeling sick.

This week hasn't been great for running for me. I skipped my Monday run for book club, and I didn't run Tuesday (though I did still go work out with my trainer, so it's not like I didn't get a good workout it, I just didn't get any mileage down). My workout on Tuesday definitely hurt, and my core, arms, and butt are still in pain, so I know I'm getting my money's worth there.

My trainer gave me her pulmonologist's information because she thinks I might have a disorder similar to the one she has. It's like asthma, but it's not quite the same. Her symptoms are really close to mine - weird troubling breathing when working out (but not like traditional asthma attacks), breathing problems significantly affected by the weather, tired all the time, weird lethargy. She started naming symptoms that I hadn't even considered as symptoms but totally have. They're all basically caused by lack of oxygen. I'm really hoping that I'll learn something if I see the doctor - she says it really isn't normal for me to have so much trouble since I really am in decent shape. And what she has is treatable with daily meds. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to breathe when I run?

Yesterday's run didn't exactly go as planned. Kelli and I were going to show up to track practice, say hello to everyone, then just run the loop at Memorial instead of doing track. We both felt like we needed to get a little more distance in this week, and track just wasn't what we were looking for.

Unfortunately, one of our coaches was out of town, and the other had her car break down, so we ended up having to lead track practice instead of running a loop. We ran several laps around the track, but we were both feeling exhausted and run down, so we didn't do nearly as much as we probably should have. Shame on us!

On top of the lack of running, I got destroyed by the park's fall mosquito convention. Not a great week training for me.

I ought to go run several miles tonight to gear up for the 8 mile long run on Saturday morning, but I have to go to associate night at Hanszen instead (hey, it's a worthwhile volunteer position at the residential college that shaped my university experience - it trumps running =)). It's Western themed!

Here's to not wanting to die on Saturday!

Geese and lost keys

I did my run at the park across from the plant today. Technically, it's a cross training day, but I have nowhere to work out and I skipped yesterday's run, so I decided to do 25 minutes. The running itself wasn't terrible - my legs are insanely sore for some reason, so I felt that, but otherwise, it was ok.

I think what killed me was the weather. It was cold and dreary and yucky. I was chilly at first, but that passed. But, for some reason, I just felt awful. My sinuses felt really screwy. It was just icky. But I still made it through 25 minutes of running without walking.

At about minute 20, I realized that I had managed to drop my keys, so I got to walk the entire loop again looking for them. You would think that a black key fob on a light colored running path would be easy to see. Unfortunately, the large number of geese that live in the little park seem to like to leave little black presents on the path, so, yeah. I did find them.

I felt terrible when I finished. Just sick. So, I allowed myself to stop at a great little bakery for a lovely, hot chai (I forgot how great hot drinks are when it's cold out) and a pastry.

I really do think that the sick feeling is the weather and the dry air up here. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss running in Houston. The grass is always greener, right?

In fundraising news, why haven't you donated yet? http://pages.teamintraining.org/txg/houston10/khughesw0s

Catching up...

So, what happens when I miss a week of blogging is that I just keep putting it off because writing the entry has become a bigger and bigger task. I am now 2 weeks behind, and I really need to just get caught up.

Actually, there's not that much to write about from 2 weeks ago. I got sick, and I really didn't run during the week except on Tuesday. On Tuesday, I got stubborn and decided that I wasn't going to let a little cold keep me from my workout. I started with a half hour leg workout with my trainer, which hurt a predictable amount (and continued to hurt for the rest of the week =)), and then I ran the loop at Memorial with my running buddy. Neither of us was feeling well, so it wasn't a great run, and we walked at least half of it, but we got out there and did it. I felt great when I got home, but I felt truly awful when I woke up Wednesday morning.

The run that Saturday went surprisingly well for me considering that I had skipped most of the weekly workouts. We did 5 miles, the same route as the week before. It was probably the best run I've had, ever, and I shaved about 2 minutes off my mile time (it still took about an hour and five minutes, but that's practically FAST for me =)). I really missed running with my running partner (poor girl was really sick), but I ended up running a good chunk of the mileage with one of the other girls, and she was great company, too =)

Last week was pretty uneventful. Monday I did the standard treadmill run followed by Pilates, and I felt awesome afterwards. I actually felt like I could have easily run more than the required 20 minutes on the treadmill. Why is it so much easier to run on the treadmill? It makes me feel like it's not a good workout.

Tuesday, it was raining and ugly all day, so we decided to skip our park run. I still worked out with my trainer, though, and my whole body felt it the next day. She is GOOD.

Wednesday was track night, which meant the first ladder of the season. The workout for those of us doing the half was 200, 400, 600, 600, 400, 200 (yards, if you remain blissfully unaware of track workouts), with walking breaks in between. I managed to get through it, though I was definitely slower at the end than the beginning. As we were without a coach (again, sickness, bah!), I led the group through a short (and probably funny-looking) set of form drills. Yes, I know I'm not the best person to demonsrate FORM drills, but I was nominated =)

I skipped Thursday's run in order to go to a cocktails/culture "crawl" thing at the Pavilions downtown. The space is neat, and I maintain that cocktails, yummy food, multiple musical performances, and good company totally counts as my workout =)

Saturday's run was pretty ugly. The route was a loop at the park followed by a loop through the nearby neighborhood. The start/end point also served as the midway point, which was kinda evil, really. I didn't have anyone to run with this week, so I set out for 6 miles on my own.

3/4 of the way through the Memorial loop, I hit a wall, hard. I ended up walking the rest of the way around the loop, popping energy chews near the end because I was starting to feel sick (I usually wait for the water stop to fuel, since it's best to fuel with water). I still made it to the picnic tables at 40 minutes in, meaning that I started out way too fast (considering I walked about 8 minutes, I must have been over a minute or two under my best pace). I basically just burnt myself out with no one around to help regulate my pace.

The second 3 miles was very slow. I did a bit of it with one of our coaches and the last half of it with one of the other girls. It was pretty painful, but I learned a valuable lesson about speed. I also need to find something I can eat an hour before a run without making myself sick, because not eating before long runs isn't going to fly anymore.

So, it was bad, but I've definitely had worse runs. It's really weird how you can have such a good long run followed by such a bad one. My body is a fickle thing.

This week I'm in Morris for work again, and it is cold. I missed today's run because I forgot to take my shoes to work (bad excuse, I know). The plan had been to run in the park across from the plant, then get groceries and run some errands I don't have time to do back home. When I left work, it was dark and windy and cold, and I never feel quite right up here anyway, so I decided to just run my errands and rest. It's only 20 minutes, and I seem to need the rest.I hate skipping runs, but I'll make up for it.

Blech

Well, I skipped yesterday's run because I've got something that appears to be an ugly cold. Ugh. I've decided to sweat my way through a workout with my trainer and a run with my running buddy tonight, sick or not. I need the workout, and I'm hoping it will make me feel better.

I guess I have a week of runs to write about, but I'll keep it short.

Monday was a holiday, and I was up and had my 20 minute run out of the way before 8am. I took my simple route - the one that leaves my apartment and goes along the bayou. It didn't feel great, but I didn't have to slow to a walk because of the side cramps. Not as bad as before.

Tuesday's run was with my favorite running buddy - we both made it the 20 minutes we set out to do, then walked the rest of the Memorial loop. Hot and sweaty, still, but I definitely prefer to run with someone.

Wednesday was track practice, and it went pretty well. Warm-up was the walk to the track, and then I did three 800m runs. It was hard, but I made it through pretty well, I thought.

I skipped out on Thursdays run for a fashion event (with free food!). I did a lot of walking in heels, so I should get some sort of credit for that, right?

Now, Saturday's run was a doozy. I managed to remind myself the hard way why I don't drink on Friday nights. A lovely dinner with a couple glasses of wine with a great friend made for an ugly run. I don't regret the dinner, but I think those will need to be moved to different nights from here on out =)

We ran 5 miles out of the park. Part of the run was a familiar path, but there was some new stuff thrown in, which was nice. I got to the water stop without stopping, but feeling pretty rough. I also made it to the turnaround and then back to the water stop. I took fairly long breaks at each stop, but I did run it all.

When I got about halfway from the water stop to the park, my stomach knotted completely up. I alternated bits of walking and running for a while before giving up and walking the rest of the way back to the park. I don't think I walked more than a mile of the whole thing, but it was a difficult mile.

Ugh, don't drink and run, people, seriously.

4 miles

Thursday's run was probably my best in Morris. I decided to just run in the neighborhood by the hotel. I considered a trail by the river suggested by one of the guys at work, but I didn't want to leave my work laptop in my car when I'd be out of view of the car. Running from the hotel allowed me to leave my stuff at the hotel and have some juice before the run.

The neighborhood was small, and really cute. I just ran some lazy loops through the streets, trying to change up my route so as not to get bored. The side cramps were there, but pretty mild, so I ran through it. I managed to run for the entire assigned 25 minutes, and I felt pretty good about it.

The long run on Saturday morning was back here in Houston, and the change in temperature and humidity was marked. It was hot and wet. Definitely not a pleasant change, but being home and getting to run with the group (and my lovely running partner) again was nice.

Our route was 4 miles plus hills - we ran out of the park, down to Shepard, did hills there, and ran back to the park.

I managed to make it to Shepard without stopping to walk, and I felt fairly good the whole way. Running with someone else just seems easier to me than doing it on my own. I don't know if it's the distraction or if somehow talking keeps the side cramps from starting. The company is good, though, and the runs are nicer. I'm glad I'll be in Houston and able to do my weekly runs with Kelli for at least a couple of weeks.

We walked a couple of times on the 2 miles back to the park, but we made better time than we have been, and I am really feeling better about running. Slow, but not miserable.

I'm enjoying my day off today, then back to running tomorrow. My legs hurt all the time, now, but that's a good thing. I really need to get better about stretching.

Run run run

Ah, cool weather

Well, the weather in Illinois is interesting. It's still summer back in Houston, but here it's cold in the morning and 70 when it comes time for my run. Can't say I'm not enjoying the cooler and less humid weather, but I won't enjoy the cold when I'm back here next month.

The runs themselves? Still not enjoying them.

I was excited to start Monday's run since it was so beautiful outside. I drove across the street from the plant to the employee park. They've got a great little track there (bit less than a mile, I think). It makes for a nice run (dirt, not concrete - yay knees!). I felt pretty good at first, but started to fade pretty fast. I have several theories about why my short runs tend to go worse than my long runs, but I really think it boils down to this: I try to go too fast. I start out thinking I'm actually a runner, and I start at a decent clip (still slow, mind you), then I just can't keep up with myself. It's not a conscious thing - I certainly don't think "gee, I think I'll run faster today". I need to make myself consciously slow down so I don't end up having to stop.

I was actually about halfway through the run this time before the side cramps started in badly enough that I had to slow to a walk. Again, I'm not sure why these are more prevalent on my shorter runs than the long run, but they appear to be back. I actually think that they were caused by a combination of going to fast and being dehydrated this run. I just can't seem to stay hydrated for the life of me here. The air's all DRY and stuff. So weird.

I only walked for a little bit, then I slowed my running speed way down and started again. I had to walk once more towards the end, but I got through 20 minutes.

Tuesday's run got pushed out because I decided that I would rather take the opportunity to see a game at Wrigley Field. Even better, I got to see the Astros play the Cubs. Wrigley Field is amazing - it's just such a nostalgic park. I am really thrilled that I got a chance to see a game there, even if it did mean over a 2 hour drive in traffic to get there and getting back to the hotel around midnight. 5 1/2 hours of sleep? Totally worth it!

So, technically, I didn't run on Tuesday, but I did do a fair amount of walking at a fairly good clip (Jackie is a fast walker!) as the car was parked over a mile (possibly 2) from the stadium. I felt like I got a pretty good workout in, even if I didn't run.

Today's run was better than Monday, but still not great. Tonight is track practice back in Houston, and I'm sad I'm missing it. The coach's email said that those of us missing practice should do 10 minutes slightly slower than normal, 10 a little faster than normal, then 10 slower. Since I've been having so much trouble just running, I decided to just try for 30 minutes slow at the loop across from the plant.

I started out slower and did pretty well for a while. At 15 minutes, I had to slow to a walk because of side cramps again. Those are really annoying! I didn't bring my electrolyte drink mix with me, and I'm avoiding Gatorade, but I think that might be what I need to help get rid of those. I only walked for 2 minutes before running again, but then only made it 5 minutes before having to walk. I gave myself another 2 minute walk, then finished out the 30 minutes at a run. It was actually a pretty good run for me. The cool air and nice breeze helps. A lot.

Well, that's the week so far. One more run in the nice weather tomorrow, then it's back to suffocating in Houston. Yay!

Why I run

Today during our long run (4 miles), I got to thinking about why I run. I thought I would share.

Why I run:
- I don't have cancer.
- Too many people have been or will be affected by cancer in some way in my lifetime.
- Because of people who have run before me, I got the chance to get to know someone who has become a good friend - someone whose life would be much different without medical advances.
- There's a cure out there.
- I am constantly in awe of the amazing people I get to run with - they inspire me with their amazing attitudes and drive. They make me feel hopeful.
- I like to eat - running makes me feel less guilty about the eating =)

The run itself wasn't too bad. I'm definitely feeling better than I did this time last year, but I'm still out of shape, and I'm still really slow. I managed to run the majority of the first 2 miles, but I had to take several walk breaks during the last 2. I suffered a bit, but I honestly felt pretty good for most of the run. I don't know how I can struggle through the mileage and still feel good, but I do.

I do worry about more mileage, but I'm going to be better about the rest of my runs, and I'm going to start weight training again. My legs will be beaten into submission before you know it =)

After the run, we had a nutrition clinic. These things I know - these things I'm good at, even if I fully believe in cheating because food is so amazing. It was a good clinic, though, and we got free food =)

Nothing special this week. I'll be in Morris, Illinois, for the week for work, so I will just run daily in the park across from the plant. I'm looking forward to the lovely running weather. But I'll miss my running buddy and the rest of the team. At least I'll be back for next Saturday's run!

Track Practice + Happy Hour = Good Night

Tuesday's dessert tasting was amazing. Not such great training, but amazing all the same =)

I know this isn't training related, but it was amazing, so here's the menu:
1) corn dog fritters with hot dog ketchup and mustard ice cream
2) vanilla funnel cake with honey and pineapple and spam ice cream
3) coconut pound cake with citrus fruit and avocado ice cream
4) this amazing charred cherry chocolate float-like concoction
5) some sort of fantastic cake with vanilla-poached peaches and buttermilk ice cream
6) bacon-jelly filled donuts with dark chocolate sauce
7) Chocolate truffle-like round filled with cherry
8) Selection of bon bons

The wine was pretty amazing, too. Ok, back to training...

Track practice on Wednesday went pretty well. I felt stronger than I expected, though really tight in my calves and hamstrings. I need to get everything stretched out - I must get better about using the foam roller!

Ok, so half marathon training was two 800s and two 400s. Roughly a mile and a half. My pace was decent, for me, but really slow. Running is still really hard, but it seems to be getting better. I guess 4 miles on Saturday will give me an indication of how things are going.

After our track runs, we did some form drills - butt kicks and high knees and grapevine and the like. I have to concentrate pretty hard during drills so as not to fall flat on my face (which seems to be the direction that my body wants to go during these things), but I think they're useful.

After track practice, we had a team happy hour at Beck's Prime (didn't even have to leave the park!). It was great to get to know more of our team members, and a beer after a long workout is pretty nice. I hope that we'll get to do more of those in the future - we really do have a fantastic group!

I did intend to do my short run yesterday evening, but I ended up at work for 12 hours, stressed out over completion of a major project, so when I got home, I collapsed and didn't move for the rest of the evening. No good. Runs can't be optional!

Anyway, rest day today, long run tomorrow, then off to Illinois for a week of running in something other than stifling heat.

Mondays could be worse

Treadmill. Ugh. 20 minutes today.

I felt pretty good at 5 minutes. The pace was set at 4.5 (yes, I know it's slow, but I am slow, and that's respectable for me), and I felt strong. At 8 minutes, the side cramp started. It was sharp and awful and no amount of deep breathing would get rid of it. I had to slow to a walk at 9 minutes in for 2 minutes to get it to calm down enough that I could run through it.

I got through the last 9 minutes despite the pain. I was bent over a bit funny and concentrating hard on my breathing. I didn't start feeling decent again until right at the end.

It's frustrating, the cramping. This is the first time it's been a problem this season, but it was a serious issue at the start of last season. I'm hoping this is an anomaly, a problem that won't rear its ugly head again. One can hope.

I followed the run with my Pilates class, which destroyed my core the usual fantastic amount. I love Pilates. It was a mistake to give it up last season - it makes me stronger. I'm going to hurt tomorrow. Good hurt. The kind of hurt that flares up when you laugh and makes you laugh more.

Tomorrow's workout is supposed to be cross-training. Luckily for me, "cross-training" and "dessert tasting" are practically the same thing =)

On a slightly different note, buy wine and help fund the cure for cancer: http://www.grapesurfer.com/kelseyhughes

Not So Easy

Training went pretty badly this week. I keep waiting for everything to fall into place, but things keep disrupting my plans. I desperately need to get on a schedule and stay there, and I need for my runs to start feeling less like disasters. I know this will happen eventually, but I'd really appreciate sooner than later.

Wednesday's track night was the best run of the week for me. Those of us training for the half marathon just did two 800s. The track out at Memorial is 400m, so we basically ran the distance around the track twice, then rested before doing it again. The point was to get a feel for the pace we'd like to be able to maintain for the race.

I ran comfortably at a speed faster than I've managed to keep up in the past. I was actually surprised by how good it felt. Of course, I was totally spent by the end of my second 800, but I felt like I had accomplished something. Overall, it was a total of one mile, but it was a good one.

We had a woman's apparel clinic Thursday evening, so I went straight from work to run. I only had a 20 minute run scheduled, so I planned to get the run out of the way, shower, and head over to Finish Strong for the clinic. I failed to consider what even a 20 minute run would do to me at 5:00 in the afternoon - 98 degrees and sunny is not good running weather.

I could tell right away that the run was going to go badly. I left the apartment complex and headed out on the route that I ran so many times last year. I started struggling immediately, so I decided to take it easy and walk a minute for every 4 minutes I ran. It just felt wrong. I'm fairly convinced it was the weather, but who knows.

The first 2 intervals went ok. Not good, but I made it somehow. When I started running the 3rd time, I knew I'd have to stop. Every breath made me feel more nauseous, and I just couldn't drive through it. I walked the rest of the way home, feeling terribly sick the whole way. It took a good 10 minutes lying on the floor under my fan for the sheets of sweat to stop and the nausea to calm enough that I could start drinking massive amount of water.

Basically, it was bad. I need to find a better time to run - or at least somewhere with more shade. I mean, I'm not in great shape, but I think the majority of my issue was the heat and sun. I wish I could run in the morning. I wouldn't mind getting up earlier, but there's nowhere I feel safe running before the sun's up, and I get to work before sunrise.

On an up note, the clinic was a lot of fun. Nothing like wine and cheese to make you feel better about bouncing around a closed retail store in a sports bra =)

I had very minor oral surgery on Friday (still the remnants of the massive disaster that started over a year and a half ago), but my oral surgeon said that I could attempt the run on Saturday morning if I felt ok and took it easy.

I didn't feel great on Saturday morning, but I didn't want to skip the run. I feel behind as it is, so I needed to put in the distance (3 miles this week). My mouth was a bit swollen and painful, but it's been worse. The run wasn't great. It started out as a run, but became a walk before too long. Yeah, I wanted to run, but I definitely didn't want to do anything to put my health at risk. Sigh. We move up to 4 miles next week, and I still can't run 3.

The route was interesting because we actually left the park. I really liked the neighborhood we ran through, and I was impressed by how many people are out running in Houston on Saturday morning. It's a bit crazy.

One of the other mentors put together a video of the training (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR-NQ5FFv6o) - the bit of me shows pretty effectively how I was feeling. And you can definitely see the swelling. Fun times!

Running might not be great (yet!), but I really love mentoring. We have a fantastic group, and I love being able to be so involved. Go Team!

Mondays suck

Running on a treadmill is so different from running outside. I don't really enjoy it. Its not that I enjoy running outside, or that I don't appreciate the chance to do my run in the climate-controlled space that is my gym. It just doesn't quite feel right. Unfortunately, the only way that I can cram both a run and my Pilates class into my Monday afternoon schedule is to head straight to the gym from work, do whatever time was assigned on the treadmill, and then head to Pilates.

Yesterday, the run assigned was 20 minutes at an easy pace. I probably pushed myself a little harder than I should have, but I think I might have needed it. Being sick and not running has made me feel like I am getting behind. I managed to do the full 20 minutes at a 13:20 pace. See, treadmills are different - I never could have managed that pace outside (yes, I know I'm slow).

Pilates was really good. I miss the core workouts when I don't do them, so I'm definitely sticking to that this season. My abs are hurting today.

Still sick. Sigh. This cold is just hanging on. I'm forcing my way through everything, but I feel pretty crappy most of the time. I just want to get back to being healthy so all the pain can come from the running =)

Tonight's workout is uncertain. I am going to a wine dinner with a friend (yay for that!), so depending on how sick I'm feeling post-work, I'll either do the insane 30-Day Shred Jillian DVD or just skip the workout altogether. I need to put some priority on the whole "getting healthy" thing.

First track practice of the season in Wednesday. I totally expect to have my butt kicked!

I have the plan in place. I know when I need to run, and where I plan to do it. I wake up early on a cruise to run and run across the street from the plant when I'm away on business. But my stupid body seems to have issues with the whole plan thing.

I've got an ugly cold. Ugh.

Training officially started 2 weeks ago. I've made 2 of the 3 Saturday "long runs" (hard to call it a long run when we're at 3 miles), and only 3 of the 8 weekly runs. Today's long run was rough, but not as bad as last year. It'll be better when I get healthy again.

I'm frustrated, to say the least. I've been amazingly healthy since the surgery, really. So, of course, the timing of this cold isn't so great. And it's stretching out - I'm staying sick for a lot longer than I would expect. At least I can breathe.

I am intent on keeping to my training schedule from here on out. I am also intent on staying healthy. We will see how it goes.

A run of 3 miles still requires some walking, but my shorter weekly runs are better. I wish running would stop sucking - personally, I blame cancer.

On another note, if you hate cancer and love wine, buy wine here (a portion of the proceeds go to my fundraising account): www.grapesurfer.com/kelseyhughes

Donate!

My website for this season is up: http://pages.teamintraining.org/txg/houston10/khughesw0s

Go. Donate.

Running has been spotty so far because of family vacation, a work trip, and illness. I have done runs on the deck of a cruise ship, on a hotel treadmill, and at good old Memorial Park. I haven't been able to get into a good groove yet, but runs are feeling much better than this time last year.

The worst run so far was on the cruise ship. Seriously, the track was 1/10 of a mile. So. Many. Circles.

I love our team this season - so many amazing people! I am mentoring this year, and I am so inspired my the people I am mentoring. They are all unique and wonderful and full of energy. I am so lucky!

I am doing 2 things this year to encourage you all to donate:
1) At the end of the season, I'll do a drawing of the names of all my donors. The 3 names I draw will get to choose something homemade by me (cookies, cake, homemade bags, a blanket, etc). If you donate $100 or more, I'll put you in the drawing twice.
2) If I manage to raise over $5,000 this year, I will suck it up and train for a full marathon next year. Yeah, that's right, I love Team in Training more than I love my poor body. So, donate. You know you all want to see me suffer.

Love you!

And so it begins again....

So, running.

I ran the Houston Half Marathon a little over 5 months ago. I was sick, and slow, and it was a rather miserable experience. It was also one of the greatest things I have ever done.

Kelli and I spent the entirety of the training and most of the run itself swearing that we would never run again.

And we both held to that for a little under 5 months. 3 weeks ago we started running again. It is roughly as bad as I remember.

To be fair, we are doing much, MUCH better than we did last year when we started running. We aren’t running a full three miles without walking yet, but we are running more than walking and generally feeling less like death than we did at the beginning of our training last year. So far, we’re just meeting once a week after work to run the loop at Memorial and then training separately the rest of the week. I am in the midst of training to climb my first mountain, so running is taking a back seat for now. But the mountain trip is in 2 weeks, and once I’ve conquered that, I can start focusing the cardio part of my training on running instead of on hills.

Our goal is to be able to run a really comfortable 3 mile loop before the winter season of Team in Training starts in August. That way, we’ll start the training in better shape and more comfortable running than we did last year. We hope that will lead to a better season and a quicker finish. Mostly, we think it will make for less miserable long runs.

The worst part of the running, by far, is the heat. It’s summer in Houston, full blast, and we are running at 5:30 in the afternoon. Last week the temperature got up to 104F. Ugh. We’ve been running when the heat index is up over 100F, and I don’t expect that to stop any time soon. We hydrate like crazy the whole run just to keep from making ourselves sick, and that doesn’t always work. It takes at least an hour after I get home for my face to stop burning. Basically, it’s HOT. But it’s worth it, really.

Last week we got lucky and were able to run when the clouds were coming in and there was a bit of a breeze. It was still really hot, but it felt amazing compared to what we have been doing.

So, why am I doing this, again? It’s the cause, and the people. Team in Training raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Too many people have to suffer through these diseases (including my wonderful running buddy), and I have to believe that there’s a cure out there. I feel like I have a responsibility to raise awareness and money for this cause. And the cause is suffering in this economy (just like we all are). I heard some really scary statistics at the mentor training last week, and I believe even more firmly that I have to help. The LLS gives money every year to patients to cover the incredible travel and parking costs associated with getting treatment. This year they had to decrease the amount from $500 to $150. Think of what that that $350 could mean to a family swamped with medical bills. They have also had to lay off staff and reduce the money they give to research. I think funding that type of research is key to our future. So I will do everything I can to support this cause. Even run.

If you are interested in training for a distance event with amazing people while raising money for an important cause, please get in touch with me. I would love to have you come run with me, and I will do anything I can to help make you successful. If I can run a half marathon, anyone can! If you don’t want to run, but still want to support me and help out a great cause, you can donate to my fundraising goals this year. I will have my information up before too long (this page has my link from last season, which shouldn’t work anymore). I will also post about some of the awesome events that we are planning to help raise money.

I will be mentoring for the Team in Training Team Memorial this winter season. I am really excited to be able to give my time this way. We have an amazing group of mentors, coaches, and staff, and I can’t wait to meet the rest of our team. I know from experience that we always have a great group of people come out and run. I will be training with the team, but I will also be manning water stops and helping with fundraising ideas. If any of you want to volunteer at a water stop for a Saturday morning long run, please let me know.

Anyway, I am excited to be a part of the Team again this year, and I am excited to see how the whole running thing goes now that I’ve had my sinuses all fixed up. Here’s to running healthy!

My current training schedule, for anyone interested, looks like this (it will change in 2 weeks after the mountain):

Monday: 45 minutes of hill intervals, Pilates class
Tuesday: 3 mile Memorial loop run with Kelli
Wednesday: 30 minute power intervals class, 15 minute abs class, 45 minute upper body class (to be replaced by track practice when the season starts)
Thursday: hills (or a makeup run)
Friday: 20 minutes hills, session with trainer (to be moved once the season starts)
Weekend: try to learn how to move again, do fun, active things

Tentative schedule starting in August:
Monday: easy run, Pilates class
Tuesday: tempo run, workout with trainer (or weights)
Wednesday: track practice
Thursday: run at park, abs
Friday: rest day
Saturday: long run
Sunday: rest day

Well, I guess I'm running again...

Anyone still checking this blog?

More importantly, does anyone think I should ignore the pain of last year, focus on the amazing group of people that make up TEAM and the good that can be done, and try to run the silly thing again?

If I do, will you donate?

I'm healthy, now, by the way, and I've started the route back to physical fitness, but I haven't even attempted to run since the big run.

I still don't like running.

New spot

For those of you who follow this blog, I wanted to let you know that I've started another one. This blog was for writing about training for the half, and that's over now, so it's time for something new.

The new blog is a little cheesy, so if that's not your thing, it won't hurt my feelings if you don't follow it. The basic idea is that I need to force myself to focus on the good things in life while a lot of crappy stuff is going on. So, every night I will write about a couple of happy things from the day.

That's it. If you are interested, find it here: http://kelseyshappyplace.blogspot.com/

Kelsey: 1; Cancer: 0

Wow, so I really don't know where to start here.

I finished the Houston Half-Marathon. I did it. I managed to cross the finish line.

I think I am still a little shocked that it is actually over. I don't think the experience will be easily forgotten.

I find that I am actually having some difficulty sitting down and writing about it. I'm just not really sure what to say. Those of you who have done something like this probably understand a bit better than most, but I just can't quite figure out how to get things down right.

Friday, Kelli and I went to the Expo to pick up our bibs and shirts and all that. We were both already completely jumpy (something that wouldn't go away until we were actually running on Sunday morning). Getting our stuff at the Expo was actually a lot quicker and far less painful than I expected it to be (since 25,000 people would be picking up their stuff over the course of 2 days). And we picked up some freebies along the way. We also had an awesome lunch of amazing salads and wine at Churrasco's, picked up stuff for decorating our race-day singlets, and had fantastic frozen yogurt at Swirll (something that I am now totally craving – thanks a bunch, Kelli!). It was a nice day, and it was good to hang out with someone who knew exactly how I was feeling.

I was hoping to get a good night's sleep Friday night, since I knew I wouldn't sleep well the night before the run. Of course, I was already so keyed up, so I really didn't sleep so well.

Saturday really seemed to drag by. We ended up checking into the hotel earlier than necessary, and we were both really, really hungry hours before the pasta party. We hung out and stressed out about the next day together until it was time to head down to dinner. I honestly don't know how I would have handled any of this mess without the support of someone else.

James showed up to join us for the pasta party, and we left the room to head down to the party. We could hear shouting and noisemakers and general insanity from the 19th floor, and we immediately knew it was our group. When we arrived at the ballroom, we were greeted by a ton of people with cowbells and boas and clappy-hands and all sorts of other noise-making devices cheering our names. It was a bit disconcerting at first, but it was really nice that they were so happy and supportive and awesome.

The dinner was nice (lots of pasta!), and the speeches made me cry, of course. Paula's speech had me crying almost immediately. I really enjoyed the reminder that while we were each accomplishing something huge as individuals, we were accomplishing so much more as a group. The amount of money raised by our little group really was quite amazing. There's just something special about knowing that pushing yourself to do something that you never thought you would be able to do also helps people that are going through something so much more difficult. Personally, I have managed to raise $2,575 towards fighting blood cancers. There's still time to donate, if you are interested. I would really like to make it to $3,000 before the month is over.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/txg/houston09/khughesw0s

After dinner, we all hung around and decorated our singlets. Everyone had something different to say or to put on the shirt, so it was fun to see all of the different ones. We decorated ours with sparkly letters. Mine had my name on the front and said "Because I Can" and "Cancer Hater" on the back. Kelli's (which I loved), had her name on the front and "Cancer is my bitch! Survivor since 2007" on the back.

Afterwards, we knew we were still too keyed up to sleep, so the 3 of us hung out in the bar for a little bit. I had a virgin strawberry daiquiri, even though I desperately wanted a "real" drink. I didn't really want my body to be angry at me the next morning.

Eventually, we made our way back up to the room and sat around reading until we thought we might actually be able to fall asleep. I definitely didn't manage to get a decent amount of sleep. I kept waking up convinced that we had slept through all 4 of the alarms/wake-up calls and missed the race. Not that we could have possibly slept through the wake-up call – when it did come (at 4:30am), it was LOUD.

We got up, got dressed, and headed down to the lobby to meet the rest of the group. We all milled around a bit, took a group picture, listened to some instructions, attempted to wake everyone else in the hotel up with a "GO TEAM", and headed over to the convention center. We hung out there in our sea of purple shirts for a while. I ate half a banana and a bit of bagel with peanut butter since I had long enough before the start for it to digest. Then I just stood/sat around being nervous. Having a little under 3 hours between waking up and actually starting the run is a bad thing – we were all starting to get a bit tired again.

At 6:30, we headed out to the starting line, where we stood around some more. Eventually, the gun sounded for the 7:00 start (the faster runners), and I started to get really excited. When our gun went off (7:10), there was a wave of movement towards the starting line. It really was pretty insane. The sea of people was just amazing, and I was only starting with a fourth of the total runners. Several times during the beginning miles of the race you could just see the stretch of people out in front of you. I really don't think that I have experienced anything like it.

So, we crossed the start line and started running. We really had to make a conscious effort not to allow the pace of others speed us up. We are slow, we know it, and we really needed to start slow so as not to wear ourselves out early in the run. I thought that we did a good job of it, and I was feeling great around mile 1. The weather was perfect – little to no humidity and just the right level of cool. It felt like a great day for a run, and I felt really strong.

Just a note: Houston may SEEM flat, but once you start running it, there really are a lot more uphill roads than you would expect. Just a little something I noticed over the course of 13.1 miles of it. It seemed like we were running uphill so often.

We ran through part of downtown and into the Heights. We heard a rooster, which was pretty odd, but it made me laugh, and I needed that. There were people out on the sides of the road cheering us on, and we passed a high school band out to play for us. I really enjoyed that aspect of it – people who didn't know you were out there cheering for you (often by name, as it is printed in large block letters on the front of your bib). The kids were especially fun, as they were all so excited.

We also go several responses to Kelli’s shirt – we would hear people laughing about it and pointing it out to their friends behind us, then people would run by and say things like “way to go survivor”. It was pretty cool.

The running itself went pretty well at first. I actually felt really good a couple of miles in. I was running the whole thing with the exception of water stops and a couple of really step inclines that seemed like a good time to rest. We stopped occasionally to say hello to family and friends. Kelli’s family was really cute with their signs and was nice enough to have Gatorade there for both of us. Though, they do lose some points for stationing themselves at one point in the middle of a steep uphill bit so that we had to run it =)

I was really happy to run into several of my friends. It was awesome of you guys to be out there – thank you so much! I wish that I could have stopped and talked to people for longer! (And I totally forgot to get a picture with Geneva and one with Cassie – sad!) Having a friend run screaming at you definitely does something to pump you up and help you keep going. Cassie almost managed to knock me over =)

We eventually made it through the Heights and ran by my apartment. You could actually see the sign I made hanging from my balcony, and it was nice to run by and see James out by the road cheering us on. Around that point, we ran into Steve (hi Steve!), who wanted to run a couple of miles with us. It was really cool to have him run with us, as he has been saying he wanted to run with me for a long time, and who knows if he will ever get another chance. I hope we weren’t too slow for him! Anyway, the bit of the route on Montrose was the part that we had to loop around and do twice, which seemed a little unfair.

It was at that point that I realized that I had really managed to get to around mile 8 mostly without walking except for water breaks. I decided that I was going to try to run the whole thing, because I knew that if I walked, I would feel the need to see if I could actually run the whole thing if I stayed healthy and got all of the training in, and I really didn’t want to feel the need to do the whole thing over again.

I was excited to run into Erin and her James since I thought she was going to have to be at work, and I wasn’t expecting to see her out there. I don’t think that you guys realize how much of an energy boost you get when you see people you love out cheering you on – thank you all so much for being there!

When we got back around to the apartment, I actually got to stop and talk to James. He brought Corky out to watch us, so I also got to say hello to my sweet doggie. The ran with us for a little while, then he and Steve left to head downtown to meet us at the finish, and Kelli and I started out on our last 3 miles back into downtown.

At this point, my legs were complaining big time, and I hurt all over. It felt like every step was an insane effort, and I started to seriously question my ability to even finish the thing. I don’t think I have ever felt my body breaking down like that. I got slower and slower, but I managed to maintain a job for most of the time.

When we passed the bridge with the “1.5 miles to go” sign on it, I was both relieved that we were almost done and completely horrified that I still had to go another mile and a half. Shortly after the bridge, we were back in downtown. The buildings supplied a welcome shade, as the weather had warmed up quite a bit with the sun out. It was really surreal to run through the empty streets of downtown Houston. Somewhere in there, my legs just quit on me, and I had to walk a little bit. I got back to running before too long, though.

I don’t think I can really explain what that last half mile felt like. When we turned onto the street with the finish on it and could see the finish line in the distance, it still felt like so far to go. The crowds were packed onto the sidewalks, and I couldn’t tell if I knew anyone there, but everyone was screaming and cheering. It felt completely amazing even though I hurt everywhere. I was crying well before we reached the line, so the whole thing is a blur to me – I had my head down so that thousands of people couldn't watch me cry. I was just so full of emotion both because of what we had accomplished and how much we had been able to help by doing so.

So, we finished. We were really, really slow. My official finishing time was 3:37:06. Yes, I know how slow that is, but I don’t really care. I was 8146th, overall (of, it looks like, 8434 half-marathon runners). Go me!

Once I stopped running, even walking was difficult. We picked up our medals, shirts, and food, then headed out to the TEAM tent, where I sat and ate junk food and worried about having to try to walk again. I spent the rest of the day hobbling around with sharp knee pain and legs that didn’t seem to work. Totally worth it, though.

I really can’t express how lucky I was to have Kelli as a running partner. She was a constant inspiration and someone to complain to. I couldn’t have done this without her! She also hosted an awesome “I didn’t die” party afterwards, complete with free beer and Crave cupcakes! Much fun and love!

I posted pictures on my Facebook account. Let me know if I need to post them elsewhere for people who don’t have Facebook. You can also see video of us crossing the finish line (proof!!) here: http://www.finishcam.com/Events/2009-Chevron-Houston-Marathon/

So, that’s that. I know I can’t do the event justice writing about it, but it’s good to have something down.

Thank you all for being amazing, supportive, and understanding as I have gone through this process. I have the best people in the world!

One week left...

A week from tomorrow is the half marathon. I am very afraid.

This morning's run was pretty uneventful. We did get to sleep in another hour, for a 7am start. The planned route was 6 miles - leave the park, run to Waugh, take Waugh to Allen Parkway, run to Montrose, turn around and head back to the park. We ended up turning around at the rest stop at Waugh since Kelli needed to get to a work thing, making the run 5 miles. I intended to run an extra mile when we got back to the park, but that didn't happen for several reasons.

The run itself wasn't too bad. We definitely ran more than we walked, and I thought we did really well, pace-wise. I guess we are as ready as we are going to be...

Aches and pains update: I can definitely tell that my sinuses aren't happy, but they are holding up ok; I started out the day with my foot feeling much better, but it definitely hurt by the end; and my knee didn't bother me at all. I definitely tried to take it easy, as I just need everything to keep from falling apart for one more week. The pain in the foot isn't bad enough to make me stop running, but I have been taking it easy on it because I don't want it to get worse and keep me from running next weekend. If I can't walk at the end of the half marathon, that's fine, I just want to make it through.

The big shock of the morning was the weather. It was 70 degrees when we started out, and it was definitely humid. The temperature wasn't so bad, but I was sweating like crazy. After we turned around and headed back towards the park, the temperature managed to drop over 10 degrees, and it got really windy. Since I was wet with sweat, the cold wind was a bit shocking. We got misted on a little bit, too, but luckily, we didn't get any serious rain.

When we got back to the park, I decided to stop with Kelli since it was cold and yucky out and my foot was giving me trouble. It was supposed to be an easy week, anyway, so I think 5 good miles is as good as 6 weak ones.

So, yeah, next week. Crazy. I pick up my Team in Training packet tomorrow and my marathon packet on Friday. Then we do this thing.

2 weeks out...

Well, the half marathon is 2 weeks from today.

I'm amazed at how soon this run is. I'd like to say that I think I'm ready, but I think it would be more accurate to say that I am ready for it to be over.

My sinuses are still a mess, and I always feel worse after a run. Because of that (and the foot issues), I am down to just doing the Saturday long runs and skipping all of the weekly runs. Since we're tapering now, I guess it's not as big of a deal, and soon I won't have to do any runs.

So, anyway, we did 8 miles yesterday. We left the park, ran down to Waugh, took Waugh into the Heights to 8th Street, then turned around and came back.

It wasn't as bad as it could have been since we were taking it really easy. We're both having some issues with pain in various areas, and neither one of of wants to get injured to the point where we can't finish this thing, so we had no interest in pushing ourselves. So we were pretty slow, and we walked a lot, but we managed to get through it.

I laced my shoe a lot loser to try to take some of the pressure off of my foot, and I think that helped, but it definitely hurt as the run went on. I also started to have some pain in the other foot, either because I was over compensating, or because I need to loosen the laces on the other shoe as well.

So, we got through it. Now there are only 2 runs left before the big one (assuming I don't start feeling better and manage to get some weekly runs in). We will do 6 miles next Saturday morning, and then 1 easy mile the following Saturday (the day before the race). Crazy, crazy.