shoutout to my Nathan

Training for a marathon is serious business. IMHO, one cannot do it alone - whether through the support of friends, family or spouse (or kids), help is needed. For me at least. Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know that my marathon would not be possible without the support of Nathan. I know I'm only halfway through my training program, so I don't want to jump the gun. But to even get to this point, I could not do it without Nathan. You see, he does a lot for me. He nudges me when I need it, calms my nerves, encourages me, let's me run long on the ideal weekend day, watches Liam or stays home while he naps so I can run, helps me sort out my ipod issues, deals with my crabbiness... The list goes on and on. Thanks Nathan!!

to making it count

I had (what I thought) was a great idea during my long run today (14 - yeah!). I was out there running and wondering what the heck good it was doing anybody but me. I am not into doing a Team in Training for whatever reason. There has to be a way to make all of this running count for something.

Something Nathan and I have never followed through on is consistent charitable giving. Yes, we do give to our church and the occasional donation to disaster relief. I have started donating blood on a semi-regular basis (OK, I've done it exactly twice, but I am scheduled to give again next week!). So I propose this - for every mile run and every 3 miles biked, we contribute $1 to the charity of our choice. You know Nathan and I both keep all of our workouts on spreadsheets (dorks!), so this should not be hard to track. The person completing the mile (or 3) decides where the money goes at the end of the year. For example, last year I ran 800 miles, so I could donate $800 to the charity of my choice. I don't know how many Nathan ran/rode last year. Whoa, this may cost us some money.

I came up with this idea on Lap 1 of 3. In fact, I did my best "thinking" on Lap 1. Anyway, on Lap 3 I found a $1 bill on the ground. I almost ran past it thinking, "I am not going to pick up someone else's dollar!" But then I thought "I am not rich, I am not going to just run past a dollar!" Anyway, as I went back to pick it up and then continued on I realized that this could be "a signt affirming my great idea. What do you think?

PS - Extra points to the first person who can correctly identify the movie I got my post title from. :)

random thoughts 2/22/07

Here are some of the random thoughts that went through my head as I ran outside today:

Oh, that's what my Achilles feels like!

How can one not feel like a stud when running fast through the light rain with Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' blasting on the headphones?

Mental note - drive route before attempting first post-ice storm run outside to avoid looking/feeling like idiot on multitude of icy segments.

Other mental note - check weather forecast before heading out the door. Wind? Rain?

Don't worry, trust God.

Due to the excess of ice remaining on the sidewalks, I ended up getting in about 5.4 miles as opposed to the 8 I'd hoped to run. It was still a great run and I was so thrilled to finally get outside again. I'll get the rest in on the TM tonight - I don't have much to do since Nathan will be otherwise engaged, except to play on my new macbook. ;)

slippery Sunday

Not for me of course... I did my long run on the TM. Yes, I did complete a half marathon on my trusty treadmill. I almost named this post "torture" but of course do not want to offend anyone. After all, i am pretty lucky to be able to train in the comfort of my own home when weather conditions are not cooperative. It was a painfully boring 13.2 miles that I could not have completed w/o Nathan's support. I had little motivation (again!) knowing that I would have to complete such a long distance inside and then my ipod was on the fritz (again!) so that was really frustrating. I was ready to just throw in the towel for today but Nathan gently nudged me in the right direction (thanks, honey!). He even went so far as to re-create my playlist to the extent possible onto his ipod so I would have music to run to. What would I do without this guy?? So, I think this is week 8 completed. Next week calls for temps up into the 50s. Downright balmy!!

weekend roundup

This week has been a difficult running week. On Tuesday, we received several inches of snow and ice, paralyzing the region for the remainder of the week. While I was lucky enough not to be called in for snow duty (people are still working this weekend!), the weather still wreaked havoc on my running program. I did have some awesome treadmill runs (oxymoron?) both at home and at the gym. When I saw the weather forecast for this weekend, I was pleased to see that one day would reach into the 40's. No worry - I am an expert in cold weather running! Right. Now the forecast has changed - today will reach a high of 37 but tomorrow will be a few degrees colder and WINDY. You'd think I'd be concerned but the fact of the matter is that the sidewalks and trails are still solid ice (several inches) - it is too cold to melt. I checked the runnersworld.com marathon forums to see how other people were dealing with the weather and what I found is that basically you have to do your long run indoors. Ugh. Someone had done 22 and someone else 18. On a treadmill. Oy. This week's plan calls for 12-16, so I am aiming for 14. Funny, what I wouldn't give to be able to run outside in the cold and wind!

long run sunday

After a weekend of visiting with friends and family in celebration of Liam's second birthday, I faced the fact that I had 10-15 miles to run before Sunday was over. After putting Liam down for his nap, I pulled on my Under Armour, prepared my gatorade-water mix and got ready to hit the pavement. I'll admit I was moving pretty slowly. I downloaded some new music (highly recommend Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape single for running) and headed out the door to complete my 12.9 miles. I decided to do 3 loops of 4.3 miles so I could stop at home for the inevitable potty break and gatorade. The first lap actually felt good, considering how hard it was to get out the door. The second was even better and so on with the third. My time for each loop got faster and it was an all around great run. Sure, I was a little out of sorts by the time I finished, but it's been about 5 years since I've run this far. Week 6 - complete!

firsts

I reached new heights today with regard to running. I was actually planning to get in a ho-hum 4 miles on the TM during lunch (yes, STILL butt cold and windy). But today was just one of those days when the legs felt so good. I kept increasing the speed on the TM to see how fast I could go. I normally top out at about 7.3 mph and can't sustain that for more than a minute or so. Well, today I am proud to say I reached 8.6 mph! For those that know me, I am a renowned slowpoke - the tortoise to Nathan's hare. For me to reach 8.6 mph is unthinkable, but I did. That is just under 7:00 min/mi. pace! I was able to maintain a fast pace for a good bit of the run... and the runner's high was well, euphoric.

love to hate - part deux

To follow up on my post from yesterday re: the broken treadmill - well, I must admit I was in quite a state. Things were not good in the Curtis household. Not only would I miss my long-ish run, but it was going to cost me at least $150 to get someone out to my house to look at my treadmill. Nathan suggested I google the mfr and error type - this turned out to be a great idea. I sent a panicky email to tech support not expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised to hear from Kelly very quickly - she hooked me up with a recalibration guide which allowed me to beep boop boop the buttons on the treadmill and get it up and running again. Not only did I save $150, but I also managed to get in the 6-7 miles called for by the training plan.

love to hate

The treadmill is the machine we all love to hate. Some more than others. While there are times I do hate it, I am always grateful to have it as an option, especially on days when weather keeps me from the great outdoors.

This has not been a great week with respect to running. A slew of unplanned doctor's appointments for Liam kept me from getting my run in on Monday (he's fine). Then there was that lunch date I'd planned months ago with a friend for yesterday, though I did get up really really really early - you don't want to know how early - to get in a short run in the morning.

Today is Wednesday, my mid-week longish run day. And then there is the 1.5" of snow we got last night, which still hasn't melted from the sidewalks. So I turned on the TM to get in my miles during lunch... but all that showed up on the display is E2. What is E2? What does E2 mean? To me it means no run... again. AAAAAAh! I'm about to go insane. Nathan says the sidewalks are clear enough to run, but I'm not so sure. My options are to risk injury on slippery sidewalks (not to mention that it's still butt cold... AND windy!) OR accept my sister's gracious offer to run on her TM (thanks Sharon!) OR just not run. I really don't like option C. What will I do? Stay tuned.

butt cold - part 2

I successfully completed my 8.6 mi. long run today, amid cold temps (30's) and wind. I have to say it was my best long run to date. I was hydrated and well nourished (see previous post on Anita's) and had all of the proper cold weather gear. I came up with a theory today about running in the wind - it just makes me want to go faster, even if I have to run into it. Because the fast I run, the faster I will be out of it. Pretty profound, eh? I felt pretty strong the entire run and did not succumb to the dreaded "tina shuffle" except for maybe during some recovery time after a hill or two. I ended up changing to a winter hat after my first lap because my ears were freezing, though I did miss the brim of my ball cap protecting me from the sun and wind. Will I ever be satisfied?

A new addition to my playlist - Beautiful Day by U2 - was well received. Gotta focus on what I can do with this body and be thankful for that.

random liam post

check out Liam having fun with fingerpaint:

www.nathancurtis.com/blogs/liam

Backstory - several years ago, I was feeling creative one Saturday afternoon. I headed the local craft store and purchased a very large canvas and some paint fully intending to create something to hang on our empty walls. I even created a prototype on a small canvas! But, I guess with the small canvas, my creative juices ran out. And the large canvas sat in the garage for many, many months. Sure, it got moved around the house from time to time. Nathan even gave me a deadline by which I would need to create something. Fast forward to a couple years later - Nathan opens the garage door this morning and declares he is tired of looking at the blank canvas. An hour and some fingerpaint later, we have the masterpiece created by Sir Liam with help from mom and dad. Voila!

breakfast of champions?

I've been eating the same thing for breakfast for about a year. Every morning, I start out with the requisite coffee and some scrambled egg whites. What goes in the eggs varies, but I have been enjoying a combination of onions, a little chopped up bacon and of course a little cheese. This seems to satisfy my always large appetite until at least mid-morning until I can get a snack, usually on something like grapes. But lately, I've been less enthused about the eggs. I don't know if it's because I cut back on the cheese ratio, but they just haven't been as good. Nothing else seems to be as filling, though, and I've learned that my body really needs a good breakfast to set the stage for the day.

One of my favorite treats for breakfast is a breakfast burrito from Anita's. If you don't know what this is, you should really come to VA and find out. First off, they are only $0.99. One is usually enough, though the fellows often get 2. I've seen people order many more than that!

Last week, I experimented with some oatmeal, which I always love. That seemed to hold me well for a while. And while I would love to enjoy a bowl of cereal every morning, I know I would be hungry in about 30 minutes.

If anyone is still reading this blog, what are your favorite breakfasts? Off to Anita's... :)

"butt cold"

I got to "sleep in" this morning until 7 am. When I wake up and the hour number on the clock is anything past 5, I am pretty happy. So I sit here typing and enjoying my coffee as the house slowly begins to wake for the day.

Nathan informed me that the forecast for this weekend was "butt cold" according to the local meteorologist. This is not good for Tina's long run. Luckily, this weekend's long run is shorter at 6-10 miles planned. I'm shooting for 8.6. Last weekend, we dropped a considerable amount of cash at Dick's Sporting Goods to get Nathan and I better outfitted for cold weather training. He already has a lot of gear. I ended up getting some Under Armour leggings, a warm top, and some gloves. I almost returned them during the week, because they were really expensive (about $50 each) and I didn't see the need. But stepping out this morning, I think I will be keeping them.

I have to say I was pretty disappointed with the women's selection at Dick's. I would normally get gear from title9 or roadrunnersports.com, but I didn't want to wait. I checked out the selection at REI last night, but it was not much better. Stay warm!