random thoughts - nrr

nrr = not running related

It's Saturday night. Liam's asleep after a great day - don't get many like these. Nathan's been pretty sick for the last few days so he is in bed too. Tina unwinding with a glass of wine.

We went to CLEMYJONTRI Park today. What an amazing place. Sure, it was insane since the rest of Fairfax County was out to play, but it was very worth it. Nathan, Sharon, and I vs. Liam, Jake and Henry. The boys were pretty well behaved and fun was to be had by all. We will definitely be returning.

This is SRR (somewhat running related). Nathan got me an ipod shuffle for Christmas. I already have an ipod, but complain a lot about how bulky it is to run with. I loooooove my new shuffle - running with it is great. I've been putting together a new playlist and spending some time thinking about what the ultimate running songs are. Before the (unfortunate) Peach Bowl last weekend, Nathan downloaded Metallica's "Enter Sandman" so we could all rock out to it before kickoff. Highlight of the evening was when Liam starts headbanging and jumping up and down - quite a visual. Anyway, I'd forgotten about that song and promptly added it to shuff.

After our park foray, Liam took one of his epic 4 hour naps and I went running. He was in a great mood afterward and we took him to get his hair cut. This is normally a very not fun experience for anyone. But, we (Liam, Dad and I) discussed it beforehand and Liam seemed to understand what was going on and what the expectations were. The end result was the best haircut Liam's had to date. Perhaps it was because of the lollipop he held in his hand the entire time or Daddy's promise of post-cut ice cream, but Liam sat still and didn't flinch the entire time. He even said 'thank you' to his barber.

have found the one for me?

I posted earlier about some of the marathon options, but I think I have found the one that's right for me at this time - the Charlottesville Marathon. I'm a little concerned about the "rolling hill" terrain, but everything I've read makes me want to do it. It's on 4/21 which is a much more desireable date. I'd really gotten into doing the Cleveland race and I still hope to someday, but I just don't want to wait until late May.

I did 6.4 miles this beautiful Saturday afternoon. It was almost 70 degrees in mid-January and if that doesn't inspire one to get out and run, I don't know what would. The run went well, but wow was I tired a few hours later. My recent runs have been on the shorter side - 3-5 miles and sometimes 3 mi. twice in one day, but it's not the same.

All I need to do is sign up...

how 800 became 830

So as I mentioned in a previous post, I had set a goal of running 800 miles by the end of 2006... in mid-December. Not being my normally forward-thinking self, I did not factor in all of the holiday season activities I would need to take part in such as shopping, eating, decorating, etc. that all cut into my precious running time.

On December 27, I decided to double check my math. Would it not suck to fall short of my goal and run out of time? So, I got out the ol' spreadsheet and started adding. But wait! I noticed some empty cells in late November when I knew I was putting in a lot of time on the treadmill. Could it be? I forgot to enter almost an entire week of running into my spreadsheet. Duh! I had surpassed 800 and not even known it. Wah, oh well. No pomp and circumstance there. With that knowledge, I declared myself done for the rest of the year.

which marathon?

After doing a little research on Marathonguide, I have 4 marathons on my list. Really, these are part of the larger list of races I'd like to complete at some point in my life:

Umstead Marathon (Raleigh, NC) - 3/10/07
Cleveland/Rite Aid Marathon (Cleveland, OH) - 5/20/07
Adirondack Marathon (Schroon Lake, NY) - 9/16/07
Marine Corps Marathon (Washington, DC) - 10/28/07

Ideally, I was hoping to do a mid-April marathon. My mileage is in the 25-30 mpw range right now, such that I could add in some moderate and long runs and be good to go. Umstead in March would be fun and nostalgic for our days in Raleigh, but it is a little early. Cleveland in May is a definite possibility, but May seems a tad far off. I know, I'm being picky. Adirondack just looks fun, but hard - I'm not waiting until September, though. MCM would be nice again, but not this year.

Others I'd like to do - NYC, Chicago, Disney, something in Vancouver or Hawaii?

Cleveland is looking like the best option right now, plus I'd have local support from my in-laws. Maybe I can even convince them to take part in the race day festivities - in addition to the marathon, there is a half and a 10K. My father-in-law Randy reached his goal of 1000+ in 2006 - talk about inspiring!

starting out

I did it - started a blog, that is. I need something to write about. Hey, maybe I'll run a marathon in 2007.

I set a late year goal in 2006 to run 800 miles. If you do the math, that comes out to only approximately 2.2 mi./day, which does not seem like a lot. It was mid-December (yes, I did say late year) and my total mileage for the year was somewhere in the 700 range. I calculated that I needed to run 3 mi./day every day for the rest of the year to reach 800. That doesn't sound too hard, but I don't run every day and it was the middle of the holiday season. I cursed myself each day at lunch - my normal workout time - for publicizing this goal as I dragged myself over to the gym. In the end, I ended up reaching 800 and then some (another story on that forthcoming).

So, after reaching 800 and 2007 upon us, it is time to set another goal. 1000? Perhaps. Marathon? I will try. I may not make it there, but I look forward to the journey. Along with me, I will be bringing my son Liam and husband Nathan. Liam will literally join me for a lot of the ride as he will be forced to sit in a jogging stroller. No really, he likes it. I promise.