Long Time No See

Okay, so I've been a bad blogger. But I've got an excuse (and it's a good one)!

I'm lazy.

Yup. That's the long and the short of it.

I suppose I could come up with a few more excuses. For example, I went from working 20-40 hour weeks to 40-60 hour weeks when I took a teaching job at a private school this year. Or, maybe I could go with "I was out running, so I didn't have time to blog".... Or maybe I was just too busy using the last bit of my annual pass to Disney World.

But, it really boils down to the fact that I'm lazy.

Well, no more! I've decided to "Suck it up, Buttercup" and commit to tracking my running in written form this year. This will include a very belated recap of Disney's 2014 Wine and Dine Half Marathon, as well as my progress in my 2015 Run Streak.

What is this Run Streak of which I speak?

It's not a totally new concept, but it has recently been popularized by Runner's World magazine. The idea is to run a minimum of one mile each and every day. Usually, this is for a set period of time (i.e. Thanksgiving to Christmas).

I've decided to tweak this a little bit for myself. I will run, walk, or run/walk at least one mile every single day of 2015.



If you would like to join me, here are my extremely made-up rules:

1. There is a one mile minimum, but you can do that mile with whatever speed or method you choose, as long as it's on foot.

2. You must track your distance. This can be with a tape measure, Google maps, a running app, or a running watch, but it should be tracked for posterity!

3. You must follow doctor's orders. If you break a bone or have some other health issue, listen to what your doctor says! If you have to only walk, or even take a break entirely to protect your health just do it!



Now, I have one more thing. If you have a smartphone, go get the Charity Miles app! It will track your distance via GPS and give the charity of your choice 25 cents for each mile you complete. So, for each person who walks/runs one mile each day of 2015, Charity Miles will donate $91.25. I'll personally be walking and running to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

So, hopefully my next blog won't start with "I've been a bad blogger." Instead, look forward to a recap of my very first (and soggy) half marathon!

Until next time... KnitOneRunToo

Breaking the Training Plan

So, about my training plan…

I’d been doing pretty well sticking to it up through the end of March. It was around then, though, that I realized my April and May goals were a bit ridiculous for somebody responsible for getting students through EOCTs, AP Exams, and Finals. So, I scaled back my training plan for April to be approximately 40% more miles than my March plan instead of the nearly double I’d so optimistically set out for myself back in January.

Then, it rained. And the wind gusted. I don’t like rain. I mean, I’m made of sugar, spice, and everything nice, right? Well, those are all water soluble, and I’m not really ready to melt. And even though being short provides me with a fairly low center of gravity, I’m still really clumsy and don’t need mud and wind helping me fall all over myself.

So, once again, I am slacking on the running. Which means I started running longer distances on the nicer days to catch back up with my plan. Which usually meant going somewhere flat (aka not my neighborhood) to make said distances possible.

Galloway’s training plan has runners running longer runs every other weekend, increasing by one or two miles at a time. On the alternating weekends, you do a magic mile setup to see how your speed and strength have improved.

Up to this point, my longest ever run was 9.54 miles and that had been right on schedule. My last two magic miles were 12:18 and 10:49, so there’d been improvement.

This is when I found out about the virtual race “I Run with Boston”. The idea was to help Boston runners fundraise for their charity while giving an average person the opportunity to show support for the marathon runners and earn themselves a nice shiny medal.

So, I convinced myself that I would sign up to do half the distance everybody is running today during the Boston Marathon. Just to be clear…. That’s a half marathon. You know, the thing I’ve been training for? The distance my training plan didn’t have scheduled for another month? Yeah…. that one.

So, instead of doing the 11 miles I was scheduled to do this past Saturday, I suited up and headed out to a new route to run a half marathon. I was rosy cheeked and starry eyed about just how well I was going to do. Even the drizzle wasn’t going to get me down! Boy, am I funny.

Here’s a hint for the fledgling runners out there… don’t try to complete a new distance on a new route. I mean, what kind of idiot would think that’s a good idea? Oh wait. That was me. I am such a dumb-dumb.

It turns out that the jogging path at Bogan Park is entirely hills. Not a flat stretch in the whole thing. After the first lap, I was already regretting my decision. I had to do 8.5 more laps of this thing??? After the second lap, I knew it wasn’t going to happen. So, I bailed.

No… not back to my car. Though I’ll admit that I thought about it. Instead, I jogged over to the area with the baseball fields, and I started jogging around the concession stand. Again. And again. And again. I think I jogged that path somewhere between 25 and 30 times. But at least it was basically flat!

Can you tell where I bailed on the hills?

A little after mile 6, I paused RunKeeper to refill my water bottles and blow my nose. (All runners know that noses get inspired to run, too.) At this point, I started justifying that I’d run a 10K. That’s pretty good, right? But, I’d signed up for a half marathon. 13.1 miles. I wasn’t even halfway there yet, and I was going to give up? Okay, fine. Maybe a couple more miles…

The following tangent is brought to you by my stomach.

An Ode to Sport Beans

Oh, Jelly Belly, how I love thee

To give sugar, vitamins, and caffeine to me

Is just so sweet, how can it be

That you make me forget the pain in my knee?

Now, back to my story. I had already reduced my run-walk interval from 2.5-1 minutes down to 2-1. My pace had slowed considerably, so I figured this was the only way to keep going the rest of the distance. I’d also downed my first pack of Sport Beans by this point. I pulled out my second pack of Sport Beans, and I completely zoned for about 2 or 3 miles. It was like I was back in Biology class in 9^th grade, and it was blissful ignorance for a while.

My mind clicked back on when RunKeeper told me I’d hit the 10 mile mark. Only a 5K to go… I started counting down the miles that were left and calculating how many more laps it would take before I could jog back up the hill to my car.

I finally made it! My body hurt. I was tired. I needed another snack. But I was done.

When I got home, I enjoyed a nice soak in my wonderful bathtub (an ode to which is forthcoming, I’m sure). Then my wonderful hubby brought me out to buy me some compression socks (which also deserve an ode or a sonnet or something).

Then, the most amazing thing happened. I got to celebrate finishing 13.1 miles with steak and a sangria. Nom nom nom. Honestly, getting to eat good food at the end of a running day makes it worth it every single time!

So, even though I couldn't walk very well on Sunday morning, I felt pretty accomplished. Sure, it was probably unwise to skip a month’s worth of training to get to this distance (and I certainly won’t be doing that again), but at least now I know I can do it.

And now I can say I did my first 13.1 miles on Boston Marathon weekend. That sounds pretty good.

Until next time…. KnitOneRunToo.

Technology and Running for Charity

So, let's talk technology.

I love my tech. Maybe that's because I went to Tech. (Go Jackets!!!!!)

More likely, though, is the idea that I'm a millennial. Millennials are also known as "Generation Y", and we're the kids who grew up with N64s, Full House, and hammer pants. In other words, we're awesome. We're also insanely dependent on our computers, phones, and tablets. I, in fact, am completely dependent on my phone to tell me how far and how fast I've run.

For example, my phone started acting up last week. It would randomly reboot itself for no good reason, and then it finally just stopped working at all. I'll admit that I threw a small(ish) tantrum about it, and I refused to run until I at least had a loaner phone to track my stats. I'm not proud of my inability to "zen run", but I will totally own up to it!

Thankfully, my friend Patty was able to loan me a phone for a few days, and (after a pretty hefty argument with Verizon) I managed to get a replacement for my phone. Suddenly, I was happy again! 

Happy Abby usually means better runs. But really, having technology is what really makes the difference. Here's a rundown of the apps I have for running.

In the beginning, there was one app, and one app only. Runkeeper. The keeper of all runs. For those who want a clue of how far and fast they're going without purchasing one of the fancy (albeit awesome) running watches, Runkeeper is the way to go. It uses gps to track your distance and can be programmed to give you audio cues at set distances or times. It shows you a map of your run and tells you how many calories you burned based on your current weight. My one complaint is how inaccurate the elevation climbs can be. But, then again, I'm not sure how it's supposed to calculate that anyway.

The second app I downloaded was an interval timer. For people who can't or don't want to run every single bit of the distance (I would be the former), intervals are awesome. I started out running 10 seconds, then walking 50 seconds. The interval timer told me when each set was done, so I didn't have to count. I've slowly created new timers to increase my running portions, and am now up to running 30 seconds and walking 45. 

Then, of course, there are the audiobook apps. I always have to listen to something. It can be from Audible, Overdrive (the library's version of Audible), or my Google Play list. But it better be interesting, cause I need that distraction! I'm currently re-listening to Divergent and Insurgent so I can read Allegiant. I also have all of the Harry Potter books on standby, just in case I finish a book midrun.

Now, these were the apps that got me through the first few weeks. And I am grateful for them, and I still use them daily. But, it was at this point that I realized there was more to running than my personal numbers.

Enter Charity Miles. This app is awesome, has a simple interface, and rewards the charity of your choice with $0.25 per mile that you run. (Biking is also an option at $0.10 per mile, but since bikes and I have a shaky history that involve my running into mailboxes, I think I'll stick to running.) So... basically, if you're going to walk/run, you might as well be earning money for a good cause! 

I was super excited to learn about this app, because I'd always thought running for charity was out of my reach. I mean, you have to hound people to give you their hard earned money so you can go complete a herculean feat of awesometastic-ness. This app, on the other hand, let's you bite off smaller chunks, and it rewards you for every single step you take in your daily exercise routine. 

The other app is one that links directly to Runkeeper (and several other exercise apps). It's called Everymove, and it rewards you with points every time you complete an exercise day. Now, you can use these points to earn discounts on running gear and healthy foods, but you can also use your points towards a donation to the Make a Wish Foundation. Again, it's another way to earn money for a worthy cause in your day-to-day routine.

My hubby and I use these apps to earn money for Make a Wish and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We are proud to support groups who help research cures for cancer, as well as rewarding cancer patients for their determination and courage. We, in fact, know somebody who is being directly benefited by both these non-profits.

Charlie's cousin, Ben, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma this past fall, and he's been pretty epic about the whole thing. Despite being put into a hard situation while still a teenager, he's upbeat, and he's got an amazing sense of humor. We were excited to visit him this weekend and finally get to give him his Christmas present (you know... just a little late).

Did I mention that he's epic? I mean, he completely rocked the viking beard I knit for him, so I think epic is the right word. 

So, to sum it all up.... It's okay to be addicted to technology! But with great power, comes great responsibility. So, get off your butt and walk/run/bike around your neighborhood and earn some money for your favorite charity!

Until next time.... KnitOneRunToo

Magic Miles and the Magic Kingdom

So, I've been a bad runner this past week. Why? Because I was at Disney World! My hubby's birthday was last week, so we used our annual passes for a long weekend down to one of my favorite places ever.

I've decided that, since the average visitor to Disney walks somewhere between 10 and 20 miles a day, it probably compensated for the fact that I was too exhausted to run by the time we got back to the hotel each night. That's how that works, right?

So, what's my excuse for not running Monday or Tuesday? Hmm... I guess I'll have to think on that one.

But I promise I'll run tonight! I've got 3 miles on the schedule for today and 6 miles tomorrow, so I'll be back up to speed in no time!

But, this is the part where I start to explain the run/walk method I've been using.

There's this guy called Jeff Galloway. He's really smart. He realized that people who started running tended to get injured and then quit running because they pushed too hard. So, he revolutionized the run/walk method. You start by running a very short interval and then walking for a long interval and repeat! I personally started by running 10 seconds and walking 50 seconds.

Eventually, you increase the amount of running and decrease the amount of walking. So far, I've sort of been testing intervals until something feels right. The interval that I use the most right now is 30 seconds running and 45 seconds walking, though I'll keep running if I'm going downhill.

But, in general, how does one choose how much they should be running and how much they should be walking? There are two general rules of thumb... The first is to use what's called the "talk test". If you can't have a full conversation with somebody while you're run/walking, then you're going too hard. The second is something called a Magic Mile, which happens to have also been revolutionized by Jeff Galloway.

About once every two weeks, you'll want to run one mile, preferably on a track. And you'll want to run it a little faster than you normally do. That magic mile is going to be your basis for which interval you want to use. Here's a link to Jeff's page with a chart to convert your MM to an interval: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/magic-mile/

Keep in mind that this method assumes you are regularly running on a relatively flat surface. If this is not the case, you may want to consider reducing the run portion a rung or two. For example, my very first magic mile was a week and a half ago. I did it in about 12.5 minutes. That would put me around a 1-1 run/walk ratio. However, since my neighborhood is almost completely hills, I do have to back off from that predicted interval.

In theory, by doing a MM every other week, you're supposed to see improvement each time. (I like improvement!) I'll keep y'all updated every time I do one to see if anything gets better! My goal is to get down to an 11 minute MM, as that equates to approximately a 2:53 half. That would give me time to get pictures with my favorite characters on the race course in November!

So, I'll leave this post in the same place I started it... Disney! It's my motivation to run, and it's definitely my favorite way to spend a weekend.

Until next time... KnitOneRunToo

Crazy People in Crazy Weather

Do you remember when I said that runners are crazy? Well, I haven't changed my mind... I just now also apply that term to myself. (Okay fine... my being crazy isn't exactly a new concept...)

So, sometimes the fact that I lack sanity hits home more clearly than usual. For example, yesterday, I was scheduled to run 6ish miles. I had taken two days off to give my knee a rest, and I did feel pretty good. That was... until I looked outside. The weather in Georgia is a cruel and unusual thing, and the lovely 50 degree weather I had had the day before was gone. We were now in the freezing rain portion of March. (It's back to 54 degrees and dry today, by the way.)

But gosh darn it, I had 6 miles on my schedule, and I couldn't really justify taking a third day off in a row, right?

So, I get in my car and drive to the local running trail donned in my rain jacket with high hopes and optimism. I turned on my four (yes four!) apps that I require to run, and I start my jog. When RunKeeper says I've gone 3 miles, I turn around and head back to my car. Thank the Good Lord that I had a place I could do an out-and-back today, because otherwise, I would have given up around mile 4. By running 3 miles away from my car, that meant I had no choice but to run the 3 miles back.

By the time I got back to my car, I was completely soaked through, despite my rain gear. I'd given up trying to see through my glasses in the second half of the run, too... Maybe I would have done better with some prescription swimming goggles. (Note to self: Research those!)

Despite the fact that I was miserable for a good chunk of the run, I'm glad that I sucked it up and got out to run. I felt better afterwards!

(I was especially happy after I got the heat running...)

Wishing you long runs and dry socks... KnitOneRunToo

Chattahoochee Road Race 10K

When I started running 6 weeks ago, I knew that I’d need to set goals for myself if I was going to stay on track. That’s why I decided to try and run one race every month and try to improve on either time or distance in each one.

I started with the Suwanee Sweetheart Sprint, a local 5K. As my first race ever, I knew right away that I would be one of the slowest people on the course. I also knew that I wasn’t competing against the other people there – I’d only been running for 3 weeks after all! I’m glad I went in to the 5K with that expectation, because I finished 251^st out of a total 294 with an official time of 43:50.  Seeing as my goal was 45:00, I was happy with the result and even happier with the hot chocolate and churro I was handed at the finish line.

Fast forward 3 weeks later, and I’ve made some definite progress in my training schedule. I'd run 54 miles in the month of February, and I was scheduled for 6.5 miles for my long run on Saturday. I’d learned enough about running at this point to know that a 10K is 6.2 miles. Close enough, right? Plus, those of us who are slow and need to stay on the edges of the course tend to go a little farther distance-wise (or so my Runkeeper app told me after the 5K). So, I decide… Why not just run a 10K this weekend? Sure, it’ll be my first run over 6 miles, but no biggie, right?

I did some research and found the only 10K for that day that would be within 25 miles of my house: the Chattahoochee Road Race. I look at past years’ results and realize, this is a pretty competitive race, as most people are trying to get better qualifying times for the Peachtree Road Race. I also realized, with my projected time of 1:30:00, I would probably be the last person to cross the finish line. But, the lure of a race shirt and the food trucks at the end convinced me to set my alarm for 5:45 in the morning (bah!) and make the drive to Sandy Springs.

Lines at the race ranked by length:

3. Starting line – The 5K and 10K started at the same time from the same place, and there were about 800 of us waiting for the go ahead to get moving.

2. Registration/Packet Pickup line – I opted for race day registration, which ended up being the shortest of the lines but the slowest. Apparently assigning bib numbers is a much more complicated process when they have the built in chip and everything needs to be recorded.

1. Porta Potty line – This was by far the longest/slowest line because every person who has run a race or had a mom has heard the line “You should have gone before we left!”

Now on to the actual race! This was a chip timed race, so you have to make sure to run over the electronic pad that recognizes your chip and records your official start time. Most people start the race by running with little concern to conserving energy… then again, that may just be because most people have more energy than I do at 8 in the morning… that might have been the problem. You see, I started doing this slow jog thing. Then I walked. Then I jogged some more. Rinse and repeat.

It was around the first mile marker that I realized most everybody was ahead of me. That was okay. I had a plan to finish the distance, not to attempt to finish it quickly and burn out. I had my intervals set on my phone telling me when to jog/run and when to walk.

It wasn’t until I reached the turnaround for the 5Kers that I realized there was only myself and one other 10Ker at the back of the pack. He was an older man who was wearing a “50 Marathons in 50 States” shirt. Okay… so maybe he was more than triple my age, but he clearly had more experience at this whole running thing than I did, so maybe our paces would be similar?

I stayed ahead until the halfway point, which is about where he passed me.  I still hadn’t realized that I was really and truly the last person until the cop car that was directing traffic started driving slowly behind me. He was kind enough to tell me he’d be blocking traffic until the next stoplight, after which he’d have to start letting cars through. He did offer to play me some music over his loudspeaker until we got there, though. I’ll admit, it made me move a little faster! I mean, even if you’re the last runner in a 10K, being (slowly) chased by a cop car playing you inspirational music is kind of epic!

After that little bit of excitement, I had to stay to the shoulder and/or sidewalks for the rest of the distance, as there were cars coming through. I am happy to say that I did not get run over!

The volunteers at the water stations stayed until every last runner had passed by them. They cheered me on like I was at the front of the pack, even if I was keeping them from their well-deserved chocolate chip cookies. Even runners who weren’t participating in the race cheered me on and reminded me that I was getting close to the finish line. The course was advertised to have a quick, downhill finish, and except for one last climb, it didn’t disappoint.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:24:09 (a 13:32 per mile pace). I was literally the last one (380^th out of 380). But you know what? That was still 6 minutes faster than I was expecting to be!

In writing this blog, I hope to encourage other people who are as slow as I am. Running is a journey, and you’re not going to become a speed demon overnight. And as much as we call these things races, we’re not racing against the other people --- we’re racing against ourselves!

My personal goal for the 10K distance is to one day break the 1:00:00 mark. That would be a 9:39 per mile pace. I hope that if/when I achieve that, I’ll still have a smile on my face like the one I had when I crossed that finish line this weekend.

Until next time…. KnitOneRunToo

Why Running?

I’ll admit right here and now that I have always thought runners were crazy. I always thought runners must be morning people who don’t need coffee to survive. I’ve thought only people with good knees and the lungs of tuba players should run. I shook my head and laughed when a friend of mine told me that if I loved Disney, I *had* to do a runDisney event. There was literal laugh-out-loudage.

Now… I have my pride, and it’s hard for me to admit this, but….

I was WRONG.

I know, right? It shocked me more than it shocked you, I assure you.  So what changed my mind?

Enter a quick day trip to Disney on my way to visit my grandma in Florida…. I happened to be there during Marathon weekend, and there were all of these people walking around with these shiny, gorgeous medals around their necks. I was disappointed to discover that you can’t simply buy these in a store, but that you have to pay exorbitant amounts of money to run long distances to get one.

After I got back home that weekend, I told my husband that I wanted to run a half marathon at Disney. You should have seen the look he gave me! He told me that I could only sign up for a half marathon if I’d actually done some running, so I pulled my sneakers out of a closet, downloaded an app to track my time and distance, and did a lap of my neighborhood.

I came back to the house after 1.06 miles in 18:45. That’s a 17:45/mile pace… wow. That’s slow. Sure, my neighborhood is in no way flat, but that’s *slow*!

Well, if you’ve ever met me, I don’t do well with failure of any sort, so I modified Jeff Galloway’s run/walk/run training plan to fit my schedule, and I decided to run 4-5 times a week. As ambitious a plan as it was, it’s worked so far!

So far, I’ve been running for 6 weeks. In that time, I have run 70 miles, burnt 10,411 calories, and I’ve finished both a 5k and a 10k (race report to come). I already feel far more accomplished and motivated than I ever have to get moving.

I’m not a morning person, my knees pop regularly, and I have more weight on my bones than I should. I always thought that meant I couldn’t be a runner. Apparently I *can* be. How awesome is that?

So, now I’m signed up for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon at Disney, and I’m surprisingly looking forward to 13.1 miles. Crazy? Maybe. Fun? Definitely.

Until next time…. KnitOneRunToo