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!