Quick update

So last week, I was surprised by how easily 10 miles came and went. I was keeping a pretty fast pace in the beginning and was leading the pack but it did catch up with me and I slowed considerably by the end. I finished in about 1 hour, so that is less than a 10 minute mile. Not bad for 10 in a row.

Sunday
Ryan and I worked at the Corn 500 helping direct cars in the makeshift parking lot. It was not very much fun, but since Ryan helped me, I ended up getting double pay. That's $144 for 8 (16) hours of work. It has not yet been posted to my account, but should be showing up soon.

Mon-Fri
Did a lot of walking for work again, this time doing live traps for reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. The weather did not cooperate; we had a lot of rain again! :( Poor Iowa. I ran the first few days of the week, not too far, but I did run. Wednesday I swam at Beyer pool on campus. I only swam like 25-30 mins but I am not used to swimming and the sky was pretty ominous, so I called it quits early. Thursday I did a pilates video-- again the weather was horrific so I left work early and caught up on sleep as there was nothing to be accomplished in that storm. I took Friday off.

Saturday
I ran about 4 miles with Marissa- I skipped practice because I was really sore that morning and tired. 4 am came extra early that morning! The run went well, though I wasn't feeling great.

Sunday
Ryan and I went to the Arts Fest in DSM this afternoon, then over to the Clive Greenbelt for some exercise. I ran 12 miles and Ryan biked ~25. I have come to realize that the first 3 miles of a run are pretty tough for me, I guess I just have to get my groove. Miles 3.5-5 are pretty uneventful. I usually feel okay, but not great. Mile 6 is my runner's high. Miles 7 and 8 are decent, and I typically have a pretty decent pace. Today I felt pretty good all the way up to the last 1-1.5 miles. At the end, it took a lot of focus and determination to lift my knees high and keep moving. I was getting really sore, especially my left knee (I wonder about IT band aggravation). I was very ready to be done at the end of that run, but it makes me feel awesome that I finished almost 12 miles in under 2:20. That is almost half a marathon, and it makes my mile split under 12 minutes. I still have over 3 months until the race, so I am feeling more confident in my ability to finish my first marathon!

Now I just need to raise some money so I can actually participate.

I talked to a guy from Prairie Moon Winery at the farmer's market on Sat. morning, and I am looking into doing a fundraiser at the winery some Sunday. They even have live music! I'll keep you posted!

Whew!

Disaster recovery.

Let's just say I filled my fair share of sandbags! I did nothing but fill and haul sandbags for over 10 hours in the course of 2 days. Clearly, I did not find the time nor the energy to run. I came back to Ames on Friday afternoon/evening.

Saturday-Tuesday

I caught insects and other arthropods for work up by Spirit Lake. I did a lot of walking, but not much running. I did get some in, but not nearly as much as I should have. Again, long days and unknown cities... I would have run longer, too, if the guy weedeating in the cemetery hadn't been creepily following me. Maybe he was following the same path he always does and I just happened to be there that day, but I decided to keep running right through the park and onto the sidewalk, which promptly ended, pushing me onto a very busy road.
But enough excuses.

I am off to a meeting, then either off to the pool or for a run. No promises about the quality of the perfomance, but I will be getting out there tonight!!!

This weekend:
-10 miles on Saturday at Clive.
- 8 hours of fundraising (4 am - noon) on Sunday at the Corn 500.
I know, cheesy, and I don't particularly enjoy racing, but I'll do what I can for a buck. 8 hrs x $9 = $72 raised. Not too shabby!


Have a good one!

Thank You

Thanks to Anne Brion-Iniguez for her donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Anne is my sorority sister.

Second Practice, Current Events

Saturday's run was a little harder than the previous week's practice. We ran 8 mi and I arrived a little late, was chased by a cute pug that had to be returned to her owner, almost got lost, and made some new friends along the way. I met some women I can run with during the week and collaborate with on fundraising as well. I am excited about the practice, although I was not excited about my performance. I walked a good portion of the last half of the run (or ran slowly)... In my defense, it was very hot and humid that morning. I realize that I may have a race in those conditions, but my hope is that I will improve my endurance and will become more used to the summer weather.

Sunday: Ryan and I ran around sunset. We ran around the apartment but didn't get far before he felt nauseous and I was feeling a twinge in my knee and hip. We probably only ran 2 mi, but they were hard-fought.

Mon: We checked out the Ames High track. It is pretty nice... rubberized like the MHS track back home. We ran 1 mi straight then took a water break. I ran 3 mi total that night. Ryan did windsprints while I focused on getting a rhythm. I was feeling pretty good, there was a beautiful sunset, and bunnies hopping through the fence. I realized that my shirt was soaked and that it was extremely sticky out... on the way home I started feeling really out of breath- not wheezy like you might stereotypically expect, but just deflated. My breathing was really slow. It took me a few hours and a nap to feel like myself again.

Tues: This morning I was up early for a meeting and I was rushing around getting ready when I popped a vitamin pill. I have taken these vitamins before and stopped because they made my stomach upset if I didn't eat food with them. So I ate the vitamin with food. Apparently I didn't give myself enough time to digest, because about 10 minutes later, I threw up. I felt weak all day; I ended up staying home for the afternoon because my presentation was postponed/canceled due to flooding. Project AWARE (annual river clean-up) has also been postponed so my schedule is all screwed up now...
Then just a little bit ago, I was checking my email, listening to my iPod, when I got a call telling me I have to be in Des Moines tomorrow by noon ready to mobilize for disaster response. My job is through the AmeriCorps program, which is essentially the domestic Peace Corps, so I knew this could happen, but I didn't think it actually would. I have been hearing lately that these floods are at or are nearing '93 flood levels, so I am not surprised. I just wish I had more of an idea of what we'll be doing. I guess my training for the marathon won't have to be cut short, it will just become different elements of my training- strength training by filling sandbags and removing debris. As it stands right now, I'll be sleeping in a church basement for an indefinite period of time, and may be moved elsewhere. I was planning on assisting in Parkersburg anyway; I hope we have the option of serving there.
I'll update soon.
Stay dry!!!

First Practice

I had my first official practice on Saturday at 6 am. I was a little worried about getting there due to the flooding we've had in Ames and I am not really familiar with the Des Moines area. We ran 6 miles on the Clive Greenbelt trail. I was actually really surprised how easy 6 miles was! I have run that far before, but it has been a long time since I ran on a regular basis. I got to the 1/2 way point and I thought it was the 1/2 way point for the 1/2 marathoners... so really I had run 3 miles instead of 1.5. At that point, I didn't have to convince myself to keep going even once. I did have to put in a little effort to keep up my pace. I stopped to stretch at the 1.5 mile mark because I was sore from running on my own, but that is pretty standard for me. I was also surprised by how little my asthma affected me. It is usually hard for me to run that early due to the humidity but I started the morning not feeling too great, and ended the run feeling strong. I did have a weak stomach the rest of the day, which I tried to remedy by filling it with lots of good food :)

Ryan and I ran this morning around the apartment. It was a rough morning for both of us-- I was sore and his allergies were bothering him. We ended up walking most of the 2.5 miles, but at least we got out and did it. We made eggs and homemade hashbrowns with a smoothie and some vitamins. We looked at bikes this afternoon. I feel a little more educated on the subject... but I am still not looking forward to paying for a good bike. I guess I didn't realize that I could buy a bike that is worth more than my car... or at least that the market was there for those bikes to even catch on.

In other news, I made $76 at work by "selling" a dozen muffins. I must say I am quite impressed by my co-workers' generosity. Work donors: Bruce Ehresman and Pat Schlarbaum, that I know of. There is some cash that is unaccounted for, so I think some others have been chipping in as well. It hasn't shown up on the website yet because I have to send it in still. Rachel Stork, my sorority sister donated $25 as a bribe to get me to visit her in Chicago... not that I am complaining. :) She has run a marathon before so it will be nice to get some advice from her as well as just spend some time with her. We used to be roommates and were pretty close in college.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to my success so far-- I am taking cookies to work tomorrow to sell and will be printing off my letters to send to potential donors. Look for yours in the mail! I plan on running at least 5 times this week and MAYBE going for a swim. Saturday practice: Clive Greenbelt, 8 miles.
Stay tuned.